Royal Pains

Painful Choices

By: Lorrie Ellis

Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, the rights to any of the TV Show Royal Pains, or any of its characters. This story is written for entertainment only.

Note from the author: Yes, the title is a play on words.

Chapter 9

The "Pain" Leaves

The morning sun burst through the windows. Evan rubbed his eyes slowly and glanced around, his eyes resting on his brother. The sight of him almost made Evan laugh. Hank had one leg swung over the chair arm, the other tucked under him somewhere and his mouth was hanging open.

"Hank." Evan tried to call out, but his voice was too hoarse. He swallowed hard and jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Welcome back, Evan." Divya said softly as she squatted next to the couch and offered a spoonful of ice chips. "Here, this will help."

Evan eagerly took the ice chips and allowed them to melt in his mouth, his eyes never leaving Divya.

"How do you feel?" She asked after the ice chips were fully melted.

"OK." Evan replied feebly. "How long have I been out?"

"A while." Divya replied, not wanting to let on that it had been touch and go most of the evening before the antidote arrived.

"Oh." He replied. "Is Hank OK?"

Divya nodded. "Yes, Hank, Jill, and I are all fine," she paused. "And so are you, thank God."

At that statement, a genuine Evan R. Lawson smiled appeared on his face. "You were worried about me." He said, almost giddily.

Divya rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head, but yes, I was worried about you." She took his hand in her own. "In spite of what you may think, I do care about you, Evan, just not in the way you want me to."

Hearing voices, Hank began to stir and his eyes immediately fell on his smiling brother. He jumped to his feet. "Evan!" He practically screamed. "You're awake."

"Yeah. I'm pretty tired, but . . ." Evan started.

"Tired? How tired?" Hank grabbed his stethoscope and pressed it against Evan's chest.

"Hank, I'm OK. I don't . . ."

"Shh. I'm listening to your heart." Hank said quietly and looked at his watch.

Evan waited until Hank lifted the stethoscope from his chest before speaking. "Hank, I feel fine. Is that what you want to hear? I feel fine."

Hank stared at his younger brother for a couple of seconds before wrapping his arms around him. "I thought . . . I mean, when you were . . .," Despite his best efforts, the tears were flowing freely down Hank's cheeks. "We almost lost you, Evan." He said quietly.

"Oh." Evan replied and returned Hank's embrace. "I'm sorry, Hank. I'm sorry I put you through that."

The two brothers released as Jill approached the group, smiling. "Hey Evan, how do you feel?"

"Better than before." He replied.

"Good. Hank, do you want to try to get him up to his bed now?" Jill asked.

Hank nodded. "I think that would be a great idea."

Evan lifted his hands in protest. "No, no, no, no. I'm fine right here."

"Ev, come on. You know you would be much more comfortable upstairs." Hank prodded.

The ringing of the phone caught everyone off guard. "I'll get it." Jill volunteered. "HankMed, Inc., Jill Casey speaking." She listened for a moment, and then cupped her hand over the phone. "Hank, it's your father."

Hank took the phone. "Dad, he's fine. The antidote worked. We're all fine."

Eddie R. Lawson breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I've been so worried . . . about both of you."

Hank nodded. "We're both fine, dad."

"Hank, I have the contract you signed. I don't think anyone will push for a trial, but if they should, I think Mr. Donovan will talk." Eddie R. stated as he took a long draw on a fresh cigar.

Hank's demeanor changed and he turned away from Evan. "What are you talking about, Eddie? You didn't take the contract out of the plastic, did you?" He whispered urgently.

"What do you take me for, an idiot?" Eddie R. replied. "I know that the contract is most likely contaminated. No, it's still in the plastic and that's where it'll stay."

"I'm wanting to know and at the same time not wanting to know exactly how you're involved in this, but right now, my focus is on Evan and . . ."

"You said he was OK." Eddie R. sat up straight and could have sworn his heart skipped a beat.

"He is, but he's tired. Actually, he's more than tired. He's worn out and he needs a good, restful sleep in his bed, not on the couch." Hank said the last part a little louder to emphasize his point to Evan.

"Ok, I'll go, on one condition." Evan called out.

"What?" Hank asked.

"Let me speak to dad?"

"Eddie, Evan wants to speak to you." Hank handed the phone to Divya, who in turn, held it up to Evan's ear.

"Dad?" Evan said quietly.

"Hey, kiddo, how are you?" Eddie R. asked.

Evan smiled and let his eyes close. "Better now."

"Good. Listen, I want you to do exactly what your brother tells you to, OK. I'm sure if you do, you'll be back on your feet in no time." Eddie's voice almost broke. "Evan, I love you, son."

Evan paused, letting the sentiment sink in. "I love you too, dad."

Eddie R. hung up the phone and just stared straight ahead for a while until his thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Newburg. "Eddie? Are the boys OK?" She asked.

Eddie smiled. "They're both fine." He sighed and stood up just as the phone rang again.

"Hello." Eddie answered.

There was an eerie silence before anyone spoke. "Mr. Lawson. I am not a happy man."

"Mr. 'X', I presume?" Eddie questioned.

"Yes. I understand that you're to blame for the fiasco there in The Hamptons."

Eddie nodded. "I guess you could say that."

"You still owe me, Mr. Lawson. A favor for a favor, remember?" Mr. 'X' questioned.

"I remember." Eddie stepped onto the patio. "But let me tell you something. Our deal did not and does not include my sons, got it?" He said quietly, but heatedly.

Mr. 'X' sat quietly for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I need a personal physician to accompany me out of the country. I was hoping to procure your son, Hank, but with everything that's transpired . . ."

"You leave Hank out of this! He and Evan both are doing quite well for themselves and I'll be damned if I'll be the one to ruin it . . . again!" Eddie shouted.

"What can you tell me about a Doctor Emily Peck?" Mr. 'X' asked.

A smile crept to Eddie's face and he pulled another draw on his cigar. "Doctor Emily Peck . . ." He started. "She's a fine physician and very attractive."

"Bring her to meet me." Mr. 'X' said and hung up.

A few days later . . .

Evan sat mulling over a mound of paperwork that had accumulated while he had been recuperating. He calculated the figures before him for the third time before slamming down both his pencil and calculator and heading into the kitchen for a snack.

"You know, you have always eaten when you get frustrated. It's a wonder you don't weigh something like 300 lbs." Hank mused as he watched his brother.

Evan shot him a nasty look. "Well, you try pouring over all of the numbers and try to figure out how to factor in fresh squash and the catch of the day, so if we're audited . . ."

Hank held his hands up in front of him. "Sorry! Geez, if it's such a hassle, I won't accept fresh squash and the catch of the day as payment anymore." He paused. "What about the cigars we accepted from . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get your point." He waved Hank off and finished making his sandwich. He vaguely heard Hank's phone ring and noticed that his brother moved his conversation out onto the terrace when he came into the room, but shrugged it off, assuming he was either talking to a new patient, or "The Enemy", otherwise known as Emily Peck, or the 'pain' as Evan had quietly taken to calling her.

After finishing his sandwich, he noticed Hank had not returned. He grabbed a couple of cold ones from the 'fridge and stepped out onto the terrace. He found his brother sitting in a lounge chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hey." He said, causing Hank to jump. "You OK?"

Hank nodded. "That was Emily. She's taking position as a personal physician." He paused and looked at Evan. "In Greece."

"Greece?" Evan asked as he took a seat next to Hank and passed the bottle to him. "Ouch."

Hank stared straight ahead. "Yeah, ouch."

The two brothers sat on the lounge chairs for hours, not saying anything, but knowing that they would always be there for each other.

THE END