Disclaimer: I do not own Jonny Quest or related characters. I do, however, own my OC Dr. Naomi Hawkins.
A/N: This was just a little fic I wrote to explore the friendship Corvin and Hawkins have. I'm not entirely happy with the ending, but it's 1 in the morning and I can't think of anything better. (Also, I'm not sure if Major would be a high enough rank for Corvin when he was in the military, considering he was a commanding officer. If it is an incorrect rank, please let me know.)
Hawkins sat on the edge of the bed. Her lab coat and scrubs gone, replaced by what she referred to as her "civilian clothes", in other words a t-shirt and jeans. It was her day off, yet she was still at the hospital. The only sound in the room was the hum of machinery and the steady rhythm of the heart monitor. The rhythm was wrong though, it was slower that it should have been. It would either reach a normal speed, or it would slow to a stop, only the next few hours would tell.
The off-duty doctor looked at the too pale face of Phil Corvin. He was ill, dying maybe. He'd been given the cure to the deadly 2786Y virus, and only time would tell if it was enough or not. His wife, Emma, couldn't be there at the moment. She had their children - a son, Jay, and a daughter, Mya - to look after. The cover story was Corvin was very sick with a very contagious virus. Visitors weren't allowed, with very few exceptions. Jay and Mya may never learn their father's true fate if he did die. Given the deadly nature of the virus and how it was used as an assassination weapon, things were very hush-hush about it.
Hell, she was only involved because she was Phil's actual doctor. As his friend, she'd been desperate to find answers, and she had. Now she was one of the few in her division to know. It was a deadly game the government was playing, keeping doctors in the dark about such a deadly virus. Only trusted few - or those who stumbled into it - were allowed to know.
"How the hell did you talk me into becoming a doctor allied with a government agency? Given all the secrets, cover stories, and phenomena involved..." She shook her head. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke though she refused to acknowledge that. "I guess it's my fault, saying I'd follow you to hell and back."
She'd said it, years ago, when they were a part of the same military unit. Phil had been concerned about something one night, saying he had a bad feeling about the next day. Hawkins, had replied with, "Well, what ever happens, I would follow you to hell and back, Major." Little did she knew, that was more or less what she'd do the next day.
The memory caused her to rub her left knee, her bad one. Even through the denim of her jeans she could feel the raised scar about an inch or so above the joint where shrapnel had cut deep into her leg. One of the few survivors of that battle, she'd had to deal with the aftermath of a terrible leg wound, and the mental repercussions of being one of four survivors. It hadn't been easy, but she'd pulled through.
They'd gone their separate ways, keeping in contact but it was very here-and-there. Then, one day in Mumbai, he'd shown up asking for her help. He'd knew she'd be there, she always went to Mumbai once a year to celebrate her and her sister's birthdays since they were the same week. After that mission, she became a doctor allied with I-One. It was tough and not many made it more than two years with the pressure, but she'd been one of the few to last eighteen years and counting.
"I still mean that, you know. That wasn't a limited time offer." Hawk murmured, "I guess you know that now, after that business in Mumbai years ago, and a few of your - our - missions in recent years. Though you probably don't know I never blamed you for what happened in the desert. Not once. Alisha might have, but she didn't want me to join the military in the first place. She only blamed you because she felt guilty that she'd been unable to stop me from going. Add to that the fact that our parents are dead and well... I'm sure you can understand her place. I don't agree with her though, I never did. What happened, happened. It wasn't your fault, Phil."
Wasn't this just cliche, confessing something never before said to someone on what could be their deathbed? Yet here she was, doing it anyway. It may be her last chance to say it, and Phil might not even be able to hear her. At least, if he flat lined, she would know she tried. Tried to tie up the lasting regret she had regarding that day. Well, not exactly. Hawkins would always have her regrets about what she hadn't been able to do - Chuck Daniel's death still haunted her to this day - but her this was her last regret regarding Phil and that day. Unfortunately, it may just be too late.
She'd forgotten she'd been holding Corvin's hand... until his fingers tightened around hers.