A/N Sorry this has taken a while! I've been really busy writing original stuff as inspiration on my current novel has finally been flowing so had to take advantage of it! Still would love some alone time with Nick Angel, still don't own him so I'll just keep dreaming...
Chapter 9
Nicholas waited outside Danny's room for what seemed like hours. He paced repeatedly across the corridor, he sat down on a plastic chair for a while, he stood watching Danny through the window, he called Doris at the station to let her know what had happened. He waited and watched and paced and panicked, feeling utterly powerless as the doctors swarmed around Danny. Doris and both the Andys arrived after about forty minutes. Doris hugged Nicholas as soon as she saw him. He could not return her embrace. He just kept staring blankly at Danny through the window of his room.
"Nick, he'll be fine, you know. He's just bein' a drama queen." Detective Constable Andy Cartwright offered gently. "Do you know what happened?"
Nicholas just shook his head, not taking his eyes off Danny.
Finally, the frantic activity around Danny's bed was starting to subside. One of the doctors came out of his room, stripping off latex gloves, and approached Nicholas.
"How is he? What's happening?" Nicholas demanded.
"I'm Dr. Flynn. We've stabilised him but his condition is critical. I need some information from you. First of all, who are you?"
"Police Inspector Nicholas Angel."
"And how do you know the patient? Are you family?"
"Yes. I mean, I'm his... boss, but I'm his emergency contact too though, his parents... aren't around." Nicholas stuttered. Detective Sergeant Andy Wainwright raised an eyebrow at Cartwright.
"Right. Well, we're not sure exactly what happened as yet. He seems to be bleeding internally."
"What, right now?"
"It's still unclear, he's improving but we're going to need to get him into theatre. He has lost a lot of blood."
"Do you need blood?" Nicholas was ripping up his sleeve. "Give him my blood!"
"Sir, that's not the issue."
"We're the same type, I know!"
"It's all right, Sir, we have plenty of blood. Did you bring him in here?"
"Yes."
"Do you know if he took anything? Painkillers? Maybe something stronger?"
"What!" Nicholas snapped incredulously.
"We can help him better if we know what he took?"
"He didn't take anything! Well, only the stuff he's been prescribed! What are you talking about?"
"You don't think he did this himself? Has he seemed depressed or troubled recently?"
Nicholas took an angry stride forward.
"Am I the only sane person here? No! He didn't do it himself! What the Fuck!"
"Hey! Ok, calm down!" Dr. Flynn raised a hand, palm outward at Nicholas who ignored it and marched right up to him.
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down! He's dying in there!"
"And we are trying to help him, Sir. We just need some more information."
"Well I don't have any!" Nicholas gasped for breath and his eyes blurred with moisture as he continued. "I found him lying on the fucking floor! I thought he was dead! Stop wasting time talking to me and do something!" Nicholas was shouting right into the doctor's face by now. The nurse was reaching for the phone to call security.
"He's lost it! Grab him!" Andy Wainwright ordered his namesake.
"Come here, Nicholas." Andy Cartwright grabbed Nicholas by the shoulders and started dragging him backwards.
"Get off me!" Nicholas yelled, struggling. He broke free of Andy's hold, swung round and tried to punch him in the face. The other Andy grabbed his arm and twisted it up his back.
"Nicholas! Nicholas, it's all right!" Andy Cartwright was holding his hands out in front of him half defensively. "We're on your side, ok? We'll sort this out. Just calm down." Nicholas' struggling against Andy Wainwright slowed down. His anger was dissolving into its constituent parts, fear and desperation.
"How exactly are you going to sort it out?" Tears were breaking out of his eyes now. "Did you see him, Andy? He's a fucking mess." Nicholas' voice broke then and he started sobbing, properly sobbing. Andy Wainwright released Nicholas' arm and Cartwright pulled him into a hug. He held a hand up in apology to the doctor behind Nicholas' back, who nodded in acceptance of it. Then he turned so he was beside Nicholas, one arm wrapped round his shoulders and started to guide him away.
"Let's just get a drink or somethin'" He pacified. Nicholas was crying uncontrollably. Andy had never seen him so emotional, so furious and so desperate. The only time his anger had even come close to this was when he had lost it at the station because no one would believe him that Lesley Tiller and all the others were murders and not accidents. Andy knew Nicholas was wound pretty tight, but he had definitely underestimated the strength of his feelings for Danny.
"Everything's going to be all right." He murmured into Nicholas' ear as he manoeuvred him into a chair in a waiting room down the corridor. It was quiet here, just a couple of other people stared curiously at him crying unashamedly. Andy Cartwright crouched in front of a sobbing Nicholas, one hand on his shoulder. Nicholas was bent forward in the chair, his face in his hands. He was quieter now though, sucking in gulps of air less frequently than before. Andy glanced about him, searching for a vending machine. His eyes met the disapproving glare of an older man, whose look of disgust Andy was fairly sure was motivated by homophobic assumptions. Andy flicked him the middle finger and he looked away. Spotting a hot drink vending machine out in the corridor, Andy took hold of Nicholas' other shoulder and eased him upright so he could look at him.
"I'm going to get you a hot drink, Nicholas. I think you're in shock." Nicholas just looked back at him, his eyes red and still overflowing. "Sit tight for a minute, ok? I'll be right back." Andy squeezed Nick's shoulders reassuringly, stood and headed over to the vending machine.
Back down the corridor outside Danny's cubicle, Andy Wainwright was talking to the doctor, trying to unravel what had happened, what the current situation was and most importantly, get hold of an accurate prognosis on Danny's condition. Doris Thatcher was standing with Andy, desperately trying to hold it together, but the odd tear was stubbornly tracking down her face. When the doctor left, having given assurances that they were doing everything they could, Andy glanced over at her. Seeing her tears, he didn't say anything, simply reached out a hand and touched her arm. He wasn't as expressive a man as Cartwright, either verbally or physically. But this rare moment of sensitivity was an offer of comfort if she needed it. Doris found she did and moved into his arms without a word. He wrapped her up and held her against him as her body shook with sobs.
Andy Cartwright returned to Nicholas with a cup of tea into which he had dumped four sugars. He sat beside him and handed him the cup. Nicholas just stared into the steaming liquid for a minute or two. Andy placed a hand on his back and rubbed slowly up and down his spine, just as much to piss off the guy watching them as to provide Nicholas with the comfort of physical contact. After a while Nicholas straightened up and took a sip of the tea, then instantly spurted it back out of his mouth in disgust.
"Bloody hell! How much sugar did you put in this?"
"Sweet tea's good for shock int it." Andy said quietly, soothingly. Nicholas was too exhausted to argue further, shrugged and took a large gulp. Funnily enough, it did seem to make him feel better. By the time he got to the bottom of the cup, he had realised what a spectacle he'd made of himself though and his cheeks burned with a blush.
"Sorry, Andy... about trying to hit you back there." He mumbled. Andy's heart ached a little more on Nicholas' behalf.
"Don't be daft, as if I'd a' let you land a punch on me." He joked quietly. Then more seriously, seeing how embarrassed Nicholas was, he added, "Don't worry about anything, it's cool."
Nicholas nodded his appreciation at this comment.
"Do you want to go back and see what's going on yet? Or we can stay here as long as you like." Andy asked gently. Nicholas was suddenly aware of how uncharacteristically lovely Andy was being with him. This realisation unnerved him as he was fairly sure neither Andy would be so sensitive unless they thought the situation with Danny was truly horrendous.
"Yes, let's go back. Thank you, Andy." Andy waved his thanks away and pulled him to his feet. As they headed off down the corridor, Andy shot one last aggressive glance at the disapproving guy who once more looked away hurriedly.
"Fucking coward." Andy muttered under his breath.
