Author's Notes: And now we get some Briggs time. I really like writing the other characters, it's just hard to fit everyone into one plot sometimes, but I like seeing all the different views. Obviously Mike gets the most time because he's the shows protagonist. For this story being about Paige, so far we really have seen very little of her so far.
Thanks so much for all the kind reviews! I love hearing what everyone thinks of the chapters, characters, and your hypothesis on where I'm going with this (there's a rough sketch).
Mike looks down at the text he has just received from Paige 'Charlie brought full DVD Buffy set. Yay 4 no more ads! Hurry back! Bring chocolate!'
Mike doesn't write back, for fear this would violate the boundaries Charlie set up. He spins the carton of chocolate pudding he had for Paige absentmindedly in his hand as he rereads the text. There was no hint that Paige viewed him any differently. Apparently Charlie was only lecturing him, not Paige, which was good. She had enough to worry about. She didn't need to worry about Mike.
Mike couldn't understand why everyone wasn't taking this more seriously, including Paige. Everyone was so focused on his behavior that no one was talking about what had actually happened to Paige. Now that the doctor's seemed content that she was healing properly, everyone seemed to be pretending it never happened.
Mike hadn't pushed Paige to talk about anything, but he had assumed she would eventually open up to him about what happened. It's not that she hadn't had plenty of chances by this point. The last few days they had spent every minute together, and much of that time they had been alone together. She could have told him. Yet their conversations had been mostly light. She would occasionally complain about her physical symptoms, but not how they got there.
On the other hand, every day she was sleeping a little less, needing a little less medication, and seemed to be healing. Now that she was awake more, she was starting to get bored and restless to leave. Mike tried to keep her entertained while simultaneously keeping her in bed. Their most recent game was her drawing on Mike with permanent marker. He looked down at the design she had drawn on his wrist, smiling at the memory of the look of intense concentration on her face while she tattooed him. He had similar marks all over his body by now, she had gotten really bored, but the wrist was the only one he could really look at in public.
"You're looking better."
"Oh yeah?" Mike looks up to see Briggs standing next to the bench Mike was sitting on.
"Yeah. Happier." Briggs says, giving him an assessing look.
"Imagine how good I'll look once I'm out of this hospital. I think all this fluorescent lighting is somehow making me paler." Mike smiles grimly, leaning against the hallway wall, keeping a watchful eye on Paige's door across the way.
"You could come home, you know. Any one of us would take over."
"You know I can't." Mike doesn't need to say anything more. Not to Briggs at least.
"Yeah, I know man." Briggs sighs. Briggs understands guilt better than anyone. He knows Mike will be haunted by this for the rest of his life. Mike will never be able to feel like he's made it up to Paige, no matter what he does. Briggs feels sorry for the kid. "I also know it won't help if I say it wasn't your fault, but I'm going to say it anyways."
"Besides, I'm on probation, remember?" Mike shrugs, changing the subject. "What would I do all day at home? At least here I can be entertained."
Briggs laughs and nods in agreement as the two stare around the hospital hallway outside of Paige's room looking at all the activity. The nurses gossiping with each other, and not so covertly looking over at the two handsome men. The Doctor's drinking coffee and pouring over charts. The various wounds and injuries they see on different patients being wheeled through the halls.
"That guy for example… What do you think his story is?" Mike gestures to a dark man on a gurney, screaming in a foreign language, who the orderlies are rushing to restrain.
"Well, admittedly Jakes has a better grasp of the Niger-Congo languages, but he does seem to be shouting 'dick' and 'bitch' a lot. Probably tourettes." Briggs grins.
Mike stares up at his mentor impressed that he can even recognize the language orgin. Briggs is just in a class of his own. Mike wonders if he'll ever be that good.
"Still, I didn't get the impression you were leaving the room much, Mike." Briggs is digging in his casual way, if Mike didn't know Briggs so well he wouldn't even know he was being questioned. "I'm surprised you haven't asked to be hooked up to a catheter yourself."
Mike knows what Briggs is implying. He decides just to be honest with Briggs. "I keep having these dreams. Of finding her there. Of being too late. I just need to make sure she's safe."
"You're not going to be able to do this forever Mike."
"No, I know." Mike says, looking down at his shoes. "Once I get her home, everything will go back to normal."
"You sure about that?"
"Of course. Once she's healed and we're back home it'll be fine. I just need some more time…" Mike's not sure who he's trying to convince, Briggs or himself.
He tells himself this desperate need he feels to see Paige all the time, to protect her, has to fade eventually. It's a natural reaction after almost losing her. It's just because they're in a hospital, instead of their own beds, that Mike can't sleep without feeling her heartbeat against his side. When they get back to Graceland and their own separate beds, things will go back to the way before. Mike's suddenly filled with a strong desire to see her again but stays rooted where he is next to Briggs, sipping his water and eyeing the door.
"So why are you sitting alone in the hallway then? You two have a fight?" Briggs asks, seeing the way Mike is eyeing her door.
"No. Charlie wanted some girl time. She kicked me out and said if I tried to get back in before she left, she would throw me through the window herself. I'm not entirely sure she was kidding. She's terrifying." Mike says, he looks down at his watch anxiously. It hasn't even been an hour, but it feels like an eternity.
"Yeah, Charlie's a piece of work." Briggs agrees. "All for the better you're not in there man. There are secrets of women that we men are just not meant to know."
Mike just stares at the door. Briggs can tell he's losing Mike's attention to thoughts of what horrible secrets Paige might now possess about the kidnapping. He's getting that tortured look in his eyes.
"Mike, buddy. Johnny and I were going to meet up at the bar across the street. Come join us for a beer, real quick. You won't even officially leave hospital grounds. They're gonna be in there for a while yet. Those two girls can gab."
"No thanks. I'm good here." Mike says.
"Yeah ok, man." Briggs takes another long look at Mike. He's propped up against the wall, pale and tired and looks like he's dropped ten pounds since being here. He keeps his focused gaze directed at Paige's door, waiting patiently to be reunited with her.
"Hey, you know Johnny's usually late anyways. You mind if I wait here with you for a bit?" Briggs asks, joining Mike on the bench. Mike just shrugs, not even looking back over to Briggs.
"She's going to be ok, you know." Briggs assures Mike.
"Yeah, I know." Mike says, but his voice doesn't sound convinced. The two men sit in silence in the hallway as time marches on until Charlie finally emerges and motions that Mike can come back in.
Mike stands to go, but Briggs stops him. "Hey Mike? I'm kind of late for my meet up with Johnny. Can you make sure Paige gets these? Don't tell her they're from me though."
Mike looks suspiciously at the flowers, that he up until now didn't notice Briggs had. The paranoid side of him wonders what Briggs is up to, if he's trying to bug the room or something. "What should I tell her then?"
"Just say you went down to the gift shop and thought she might like them." Briggs shrugs.