Disclaimer: This story is for fan purposes only. The characters are property of their respective owners (not me!) and are used here without permission. Enjoy!
There was no explanation, just a mysterious SMS: clear your schedule i'm picking you up in 15 minutes. As much as Dr Laura Hobson loved it when recently retired Inspector Robbie Lewis whisked her away from the mortuary for lunch or coffee, the onus of her overwhelming caseload made her silently curse when she read the SMS. She texted back: sorry, can't. swamped with work. When minutes passed and she did not receive a response from Lewis, she assumed that he was either en route or miffed that she'd put him off. In case it was the latter, she texted again: i'll make it up to you tonight, i promise! Still no response. It was only then that she realized that something might be wrong, but she dismissed the thought. Robbie doesn't usually text anyway, she said to herself.
Lewis soon barged into her office, took her coat off the hook behind the door and held it out to her. "C'mon, Laura. Let's go."
"I can't leave when I have several Chief Supers breathing down my neck clamoring for their reports. I swear they're vying for…" Hobson was cut off by an urgent Lewis.
"James is sick. Says he thinks he's dying and doesn't know who else to call."
"999?" Dr Hobson was wholly unfazed by medical drama.
"Laura!"
"What do you want me to say, Robbie? I can't tell everyone in the lab I've got a call out. They'd know it's a lie. They'll think we're sneaking out to lunch again."
"Tell them the kid is sick. That's what people say when they have to leave work suddenly and most of the time it's probably true."
"Except that sounds highly implausible coming from me because they all know I have no kids."
"Right. But surely you're entitled to a family emergency."
"Again, Robbie, I'm the first one they call to cover a shift because they know I don't have a family and I work every holiday so that they can be with theirs. Sorry, that sounds bitter. I don't begrudge them, really. It just is what it is. Oh sod them all. They owe me." What that, Hobson went into the lab and told someone to cover for her.
When they arrived at Hathaway's modest flat, Lewis walked through the unlocked door without ringing the bell. "James!" He called out. Hobson followed him in. Together, they made a bee-line for the couch where Hathaway was sprawled out wearing only an undershirt and boxer shorts. Lewis started talking to Hathaway and lightly batting at his face. "He's got a fever and his pulse is quick, Laura." He applied pressure to Hathaway's abdomen, and though non-verbal, Hathaway groaned and recoiled in pain. "Prob'ly his appendix."
"Shove over, Robbie; I'm the doctor. Call 999." Hobson took Lewis' spot on the couch next to Hathaway and began poking and prodding as well. "James, are you with me?"
Hathaway opened his glassy eyes that seemed to have trouble focusing. "Mum?"
"No, it's Laura Hobson. Robbie's here too."
"Hobson." He cringed. "Oh God, I'm a corpse."
"You're not a corpse, so you can at least pretend to be happy to see me. Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"I found a lump. Hurts a lot. I thought it was a hernia. Nothing serious, they said. Doctor said to rest and not move around a lot. Said to come in on Monday. Then I got a fever and I took something but it didn't help. Pain's getting worse."
"Where's the lump? Show me."
"No. It's embarrassing." He indicated where by hovering his hand over the affected area. The ever-clinical Dr Hobson never understood why people got embarrassed about anatomy.
She turned around. "Robbie, he's probably dehydrated as well; go get us some water. " Lewis complied and Hobson turned back to Hathaway. "You might recall that I'm very familiar with human anatomy, so you can't show me anything embarrassing. It's just science really. Show me the lump so I can help."
He complied hesitantly. She looked and thought for a moment. "Nasty abscess, I'd say. Needs to be drained before the infection enters the bloodstream. It most likely already has. Hospital, James."
Lewis came back out with some water. He helped Hathaway drink as they waited for the ambulance. When Hathaway had control of the glass, Lewis stood up and took Hobson aside. He didn't have to say anything to her; just the look in his eyes was enough was enough to ask the question he didn't want to verbalize. Lewis loved knowing that he didn't have to ask, she just knew.
"Not his appendix, Robbie. It's an abscess. Simple to drain, but his symptoms are consistent with sepsis which complicates things. I think we caught it in time, Robbie, but no promises." She put her arms around him comfortingly, and he held her tightly for a moment before they both went back to Hathaway.
