I DO NOT OWN SCORPION OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belong to CBS!
This is a companion piece to Arithmadick2-0's We Should've Gotten More Time, But Luck's Never Been on Our Side, so you all should go and read that as well!
Please leave comments and tell me what you guys think because I'm still new at writing angst and this was definitely darker than what I usually write, but admittedly very fun to write!
Everything had happened in a hazed blur. Toby was thankful that he couldn't really remember the attack. When his vision focused, he could see that he was lying on the cement bank of some remote section of the LA River, which was, of course, just a pitiful stream of filthy Los Angeles sewage water. Though the pain was unbearable, Toby willed himself to sit up enough to examine the extent of his injuries.
"Shit…" he muttered when he saw the many wounds that covered his body. He was surely bruised from head to toe, he had trouble hearing from his left ear, and there were many parts of him that had been slashed with a sharp blade. He watched blood pour from all sides of him and coat the concrete in crimson, pooling together and trickling into the dirty water. But at this end of town, there were only rare moments when blood did not flow through the river.
It wasn't so much pain from his cracked bones or stinging from the knife wounds that concerned him. It was the deep gash in his right thigh that was now spilling blood. Unlike the others, this wound was not made with a clean weapon. This edge was jagged, perhaps made with a piece of broken glass or scrap metal. He was losing blood from his femoral artery, and any doctor knew that was not a good thing. He knew he had to secure the wound and try to stop the bleeding, but he wasn't able to lift his shirt over his head. He could try to wiggle out of his jeans and wrap his leg, but he wasn't sure he had the strength left in him. He needed to save his energy.
Toby cursed under his breath as the pain took over him. He was hurting everywhere, from deep inside him, underneath his bruises, to right on the surface of his skin where the blade had broken through. But the cartel didn't kill him, at least not right away. They didn't want him to go peacefully, they wanted him to end in pain. But he would not let them have the satisfaction.
He could call the police. They left his cell phone in his pocket. Toby grimaced at the evil mind games these mafia-wannabes played. They knew he would never call the cops.
Call the cops, and next time the pain will be ten times as worse. And it won't be you that will take it. It will be one of them.
Toby knew these men didn't lie. If he told anyone what had happened, it wouldn't be himself he had to worry about. That's the catch — they know that the kind of pain he feels now would be minuscule compared to the kind he'd feel if someone he loved died a brutal death because of him. So he would not call the cops.
But still he pulled out his phone. He let his finger glide over it as he contemplated his next move. He had access to help in the palm of his hand. He could make it out of this if he called now. But Toby was a gambler, and a damn good one at that, so he knew a heavy risk when he was faced with it. He was not willing to take a gamble on his friends' lives. He needed to make a decision, though, because he could feel himself fading fast.
This was the end. And in the end, there would be only one person to call.
-x-
"TOBY!" Happy screamed over the roar of the LA Freeway. They had been driving for hours trying to track down the men that took him, but they were too good. They left no trace. They were now parked under an overpass and going to continue their journey on foot.
"TOBY!" She cried again, looking frantically from left to right. "Are you here?"
The team looked for signs of him, but all they found were empty beer cans, cigarette butts, and fast-food remains.
"God dammit, Toby, please be close." Happy muttered as she moved quickly through the allies and sewage passages. Graffiti coated the walls and Happy could make out a couple of the better known gang signs. She passed tunnels where monstrous looking people with knotted hair and rags for clothing huddled around pipes and needles. She could feel the piercing eyes of carnivorous men stalking their prey as she ran across the pavement. But she was not afraid. Nothing would stop her from finding him. She would kill anyone who dared to stand in her way now. Besides, this side of the city was no new sight for Happy. She had spent more time down here in her life than she ever cared to admit. Eventually, through the tunnels and underground routes, she had circled back to the van. Walter, Paige, Sylvester, and Cabe were all somber looking. Paige was trying to comfort Walter, but he clearly wasn't taking it. His fingers were flying rapidly over the keys. He was most likely tracking the cartel's latest movements, trying to somehow hack into their vehicle's GPS system. Cabe was hollering into a phone. Sylvester was searching through private files on his laptop.
Happy had so far resisted the urge to break down and cry. Or scream. Or throw something. She had remained calm, because that is what Toby would have wanted her to do. But watching them now, Happy wanted to smash all the monitors and phones and yell in their faces. They were getting nowhere. They were wasting precious time. Happy knew these cartel members, how ruthless they were, and she knew that Toby didn't have time to waste. Just as her anger was about to boil over, Happy's phone vibrated in her pocket. She whipped it out and gasped at the screen.
Call from: Toby Curtis.
She attacked the accept button, furiously pressing it over and over until she could see on the screen that the call had gone through. She smashed the phone to her ear.
"Toby! Toby, oh my God! Where are you?! Are you ok?!" She asked in a single breath.
"Hey, sweetheart, calm down. I'm here," His smooth voice rolled into her ear through the phone's receiver. She let out the breath that she had been holding in all day. Her face broke into a wide smile and suddenly she was laughing. She felt inexplicable tears pooling up in her eyes. Happy had caught the attention of the others and they were all rushing in around her. She turned her back on them and held the phone tighter.
"Oh my God, Toby, I thought you were dead! Thank God! Where are you? We can come get you —,"
"No, Happy, shhhh. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. The real question is how are you?"
Happy pursed her brows and frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you? Toby, tell me where you are." Her voice was becoming stern again. She felt Paige put a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately shrugged it off and took a few large steps away from the group.
"Ok, I will, but first just tell me, how are you doing? Are you ok? Do you like how life's going for you? Are you content? What are you feeling?" His voice sounded almost dreamlike.
"Toby what are you talking about? I'm fine, life's great, now will you please tell me where the hell you are so we can come save you?" Happy was growing impatient now.
"Relax, Happy. Just talk to me. I want to know that you're ok." His voice was becoming softer, quieter, and he was taking slow breaths in between his sentences.
"Toby, you're really freaking me out. Why…?" Her breaths were becoming short, gasping. This was strange, even for Toby.
"Oh my God. Please tell me you're ok, Toby." Her voice starting to shake and she had to focus to keep the phone in her hand. Her eyes were filling with tears again, but these ones were stinging.
"No, you tell me, Hap. What's your favorite part about working with Scorpion?" Toby's voice was soothing to her and she wished she keep the sound in her ears forever. She was angry now. Why wouldn't he just tell her where she is so that she could help him? What was he doing? But certainly this must be part of a larger plan. Was he trying to tell her something? Did he expect her to riddle it out? She paused long enough to regain what was left of her composure to be able to speak clearly.
"My favorite part of working with Scorpion is getting to see my family every day." She tried to smile, as if Toby could see her, but it came out strained.
"That's my favorite part, too." said Toby. "Do you like living in the city?"
"I guess so. I've never lived anywhere else." She focused on her breathing and his voice. What she really wanted was for all of this to be over. She wanted to see him, to hear his heart beating in his chest, to feel his lively warmth. But it seemed that Toby had another idea, and for now she would have to play along.
"You should go out and see the world. You've got the money now. I've always wanted to see the Swiss Alps. I want to go where the air is fresh and the people are kind and you are constantly reminded of how small you are in comparison to the world. I bet we'd look like ants standing next to those mountains, especially you, Hap." His voice rose at the mention of her name, like he was trying to laugh. But it wasn't his usual laugh, this one was forced, and yet he seemed so calm. She could listen to him forever. Of course, thought Happy, there's a reason for all of this. And somewhere in the back of her mind she was beginning to understand what that reason was, but she could not bring herself to think it.
"I…I think that would be really amazing. Can you tell me where you are now? I want to come pick you up and take you to the Swiss Alps." Happy felt tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Not yet, Hap. I'm ok, really. Let's just talk. Hey, have I ever told you that you are the most beautiful girl in the entire world? You know, when you first walked into the garage, I thought 'Wow, that one looks like a piece of work'," he paused for effect and Happy muddled a laugh.
"I was right, of course. You are a piece of work. But you know better than anyone that something can start out broken and rusted and worn, but with a little patience and dedication and tender-loving-care, it will be up and running again, good as new.
And I couldn't help that I've grown so fond of you. And me being a shrink, this whole time I thought I was saving you, when really it was you who was saving me." Happy heard him attempt to laugh, but it was cut off by a groan, which he immediately tried to pass off. Hearing his pain amplified through the phone made Happy's breath catch in her throat. The longer she stayed there on the phone with him, the more apparent the situation was becoming.
Why would he be telling me all of this if he thought there'd be another chance?
"No, no, Doc, you saved me. You saved me! Now let me save you, dammit!" Happy felt all her weight give out and she collapsed to her knees on the pavement. Paige, Cabe, and Sylvester were crowding around her again, all attempting to help in some way. She yelled to them all to get away. The tears were gushing out of her now. Only Walter stayed standing completely still a few feet back. All of the energy and the adrenaline that had so recently been flowing through her was instantly gone.
"You deserve someone really special, Hap. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you don't deserve something. Don't let anyone convince you that you aren't worthy of happiness. All the happiness in the world belongs to you."
Happy cries into the phone and she refuses to fight any of her emotions. She turns to Walter.
"Walter! You have to do something! Find him! His cell phone!" She cries. She's begging him to respond, eying him desperately, but Walter doesn't move. She's crying and screaming and she doesn't understand why Walter won't find him. But the realization that she knew in heart to be true was now making its way into her head. Toby did not want to be found. He was asking them all to give up on saving him because there was nothing that can be done for him now. He didn't want her to see him in his dying moments, covered in blood and bruises. He wanted her to remember him the way she had known him, smiling and bright-eyed and always knowing exactly what to say.
-x-
Laying flat on his back, looking into the sun, his vision goes in and out. His cell phone rests near his head on speaker phone. He is smiling, but it is a sad smile; A smile that can only come in the face of death. He knew Walter would come for him later, when it was all said and done, when Happy was not there to witness it. Any old genius could track a cell phone, even with the tracking chip torn out of it.
He was feeling light-headed now. He had already lost so much blood. It was a miracle that he'd been able to stay awake this long. Well, no, perhaps not a miracle. Just Happy Quinn. Her voice kept his heart beating just long enough to let him tell her what he needed to say. But there was no putting off the inevitable. He could feel his heart beat slow and the waves of sleep roll over him. All he had to do was close his eyes…
"Toby, please, don't do this. Let us find you. I need you. You can't leave me! Sometimes I feel like you're the only person in the entire world who cares about me, like really cares." Happy's voice is saying to him. He wills himself to speak again, but even he can hear the strain in his voice, the way the words mesh together.
"Happy you have so many people that care about you. You have Walter, Paige, Cabe, Ralph, Sly, your dad, and of course, me. I care about you more than anything in the whole world. And sometimes you have to do difficult things for the people you care about. And it's not always easy, but you do things to protect them."
He can hear Happy crying hysterically through the phone. He hates to hear the pain in her voice. He's barely able to keep himself awake and he's constantly shaking his head to keep his eyes open.
Just a little longer…
"I miss you, Happy. Whenever I'm not there next to you, I miss you. I miss you every night when you go home from work, and every morning that hole inside me that's made when you leave is filled." He whispers, because he is out of energy to talk.
"I miss you, too." Happy manages to say.
"I'll always be there, Happy. I hope I can fill that hole that so many people have left in you."
Happy says nothing.
"I think I have to go now." Toby breaths out. Happy lets another wave of tears pour out. She can't bring herself to speak. Admittedly, since realizing the kind of danger working for Scorpion often puts them in, she had thought about what she would say to Toby if it was the last time she ever got to say it. She thought about what she'd say to all of them. But sitting there, letting silent tears cascade down her face to the pavement, she had no words. Words could never express all the things she wanted him to know. So she says nothing.
"One last thing…"
-x-
"One last thing…" Says Toby's slow, mellow voice. Happy hears how hard he tries to get the words out. She can't imagine the kind of pain he must be in. Or maybe all the pain is gone is by now. They say that in the end there is nothing to feel. But regardless, he's using the last ounce of his efforts. The tears are gushing and she has to focus really hard to stop the sobs for a fraction of a second, because she knows what he's going to say and she needs to say it too.
"I love you."
And the line goes dead.