This is an extremely rough draft, because I recently became beta-less. Love you TheLoneHunter :*( Seriously, there might be a two week break between this and the next chapter because I have a lot of stuff coming up in my life. So, this one is extra long for you guys. Love yall!
Roach was beginning to slowly wake up when he heard voices outside of his door. He sat up, his parched mouth screaming for relief. He slowly got to his feet, and reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand while listening to the voices outside the door.
"Doctor, I think I really should see him. He would know what has happened to David based on what I have heard." Roach shook the sleep from his head as he took in the deep voice. It was rough and scratchy, but it held a tone of authority. Roach took a moment wondering exactly who David was before the voice of the doctor came through the thin wood of the door just as easily as the first.
"He is sleeping right now. They all are. His injuries aren't as severe as David's, but he needs his rest. You've heard what has happened to them. If anything, rest is what they need." The doctor's voice was strong and confident, matching the authority in the first voice. Roach heard a gruff sound come from the first man, but before an argument could erupt, Roach opened the door. The two men looked at him, and Roach took a step back upon seeing the fire in their eyes. The doctor was there, but the other man was of a height similar to Archer, and his shoulders were just as broad. His face was wide and scarred, and he had a rim of dark stubble around his chin. Roach cleared his throat.
"Uh, I'm awake now, if you want." The two men looked at each other before they looked at him, then they both started to talk at once.
"I need to talk to you about David"
"I told him that you were only going to speak to him if you want to. He can't force you."
"You would know about David though, right? I don't think it would be best for me to talk to him now."
"He just came barging in here without explanation!"
Roach stood, frozen, as suddenly, the two began to bicker with each other rather than yelling at him directly. Eventually, the larger man shut up with the doctor getting the final word.
"They are not allowed to have any visitors other than those they request, because of the stress they have been under. You and the men you came with will have some space to wait if you want." The larger man finally snapped the argument off with a seething glare. He turned to Roach one last time and stuck out a hand. Roach shook it warily.
"Captain Frank Theall. US army rangers. I hope to be speaking to you later." Without another word to Roach, the man walked away down the hall, his shoes making heavy thumps under his weight. Roach kept frozen until the man had turned a corner and was out of his sight. Roach took a breath out of relief that the conflict was over, and he was left with a semi-aggravated doctor. Roach looked at his red face, and waited until he gathered his breath to speak.
"David is requesting to speak with you again. He woke from the sedative only a few minutes ago, and I think he has mostly regained his senses. The man was requesting to speak with him, but I think he should speak to you first." Roach stood a moment, taking in what had been said, and attempting to process it. He eventually managed to string a sentence together with his still sleep weary mind.
"Who's David? How does that man know him, and how long was I asleep?" The doctor checked his watch, and after a moment, shrugged.
"I would say, oh, about twelve hours." Roach blinked a few times, still trying to register it. He had been asleep for half a day or so, and he had no idea what had happened in that time. He rubbed his eyes, and asked the doctor another question.
"So, what time is it?" The doctor shrugged.
"About nine in the morning. I bet you are hungry, right?" Roach didn't even bother to nod as he shouldered past the doctor roughly, glancing down the hall.
"You didn't answer my first few questions. Who is David, and how did that man know him?" The doctor shrugged.
"We sent information out on him, size and looks, to see if anyone recognized him, because he wouldn't give a name. That man did, and was his CO for quite a while. Apparently he got captured in a mission of sorts. So, your nameless friend is David. You didn't know?" Roach shook his head, beginning to wander down the hall. The doctor didn't stop him, and Roach wandered until he found the door to Ice's, or David's, he didn't know at the moment, room. He opened to door to see Ice sitting a bit propped up, the restraints gone from his legs, but still in place on his arms. His deep blue eyes were open but unfocused, staring intently at something only he could see. As soon as he walked in, the eyes snapped back into focus on him. Ice began to speak immediately, his words steady and strong.
"So, Roach. I'm really sorry man. I didn't trust you. You'll find out soon enough why, but I was just so afraid that I would be left to die again I didn't trust you. You deserved that apology and an explanation. A bit of a sob story. I don't do tears all that well, so if you really want to let the faucets go, leave. Okay?" Roach nodded, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. Roach's hands twined together in both confusion and anticipation to hear the story behind the crazy man. Roach looked down critically on the man who was currently hooked to about five different machines, and was acting as if nothing was wrong. His voice was surely strong enough to make it seem as if he was not sick, and possibly dying, but strong. Ice's eyes unfocused again before he started to speak.
"My name's David. David McGraw. I was in the rangers for over two years, and I was part of a five man group that nearly always worked together. We were real close, even had call signs, the whole deal. We were actually becoming some of the more elite members, higher rankings, everything. We were real close. I had just gotten promoted and was on a mission the next day. It was simple and vague. Destroy the enemy and destroy the weapons cache. It went without a hitch, until some backup showed for the Russians. They were on our tails, and I led my group to the extraction point without a problem. I made sure my team made it in first, as always. They wouldn't let me on. They blocked me from the entrance, and took off. The Russians were right on me, and I was taken away. That was almost three months ago. Now do you see why I couldn't trust you? My very own team, my brothers, they left me. No reason, no warning. That's it." Roach had managed to keep his face the same the whole time, but as the story ended, he couldn't help but feel immense pain building in the room, all of it radiating from Ice. He had his eyes trained on the wall as if his life depended on it, but his vision was clouded over. Roach patted the man's shoulder as gently as he could, knowing there was no way to console the man. He spoke a few words in an attempt to make the man understand him a bit more.
"I do understand. I couldn't dream of my team leaving me, and the unthinkable happened to you. But you are safe now, I hope you know that. Did the doctor tell you what was going on, and how they are treating you?" Roach knew that it was important to move on now, as it was obvious Ice did not wish to dwell in his past. Ice nodded, his vision focusing again, and face lifting a bit.
"Yeah, I know. It sucks. I have nearly a month, at least, of dialysis, and two weeks under close monitoring. Hell, if the next twelve hours take a decline, I could die. But, I'm not worried about that. Might not be strong enough to fight the sepsis, which is the only real concern. Aside from the fact of my kidneys and blood loss, but really, I'm sure I'll be fine. How about the girl and the boy? They alright?" His tone shifted from annoyed to kinder as he spoke, and Roach answered as best he could without trying to sound astounded. It truly surprised Roach that the man was so nonchalant in discussing his own death, especially after sharing his story. Questions pricked Roach's mind about whether or not Ice was suicidal, but pushed it away in answering Ice's question.
"They're doing fine. They'll be fine, but Alison needs a bit of time to heal up." Ice laughed a bit after a smile cracked his ice cold face.
"Never thought the girl wouldn't make it. You know they tortured her, right? I won't even venture into exactly what they did, but she was fucking brave. She made it this far, and I knew she wouldn't give up. You got yourself a good friend, you know that?" Roach nodded, and the two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a minute. Roach didn't know exactly what was going through Ice's mind, but knew about himself. He knew there had to be more to the story that what Ice was letting on, but obviously he would learn nothing from Ice. There was something else going on that Roach couldn't place a finger on with the story Ice was telling, that it wasn't the whole story. Ice didn't know why he was left and betrayed, but someone had to. Someone who knew the men in his team, someone who knew David McGraw.
The thought of someone who knew who David McGraw sprung a memory in Roach's mind, the man that he had spoken to shortly after waking up. Roach looked to Ice carefully, seeing the man begin to become unfocused again. Roach piped up quickly before the man slipped back into his own world.
"Hey, David, there was someone who wanted to talk to you, and you aren't allowed to see any visitors unless you request them at this point. His name is Captain Frank Theall. He said he knew you. Do you want to see him?" Roach thought he asked innocently enough, but Ice instantly froze at the sound of the name. His whole body went rigid as a board, and his eyes opened as wide as a hunted animal. His head shook side to side violently. Roach watched with open eyes, surprised at the violent reaction. Ice spoke quickly, his words stuttered but loud.
"No, n-no. C-Cant. NO. NO. NO!" He repeated himself over and over again until Roach was able to grab his hand in a tight grip in an attempt to draw the man back to earth. Ice calmed down as soon as he felt the contact, which made relief sweep like icy water through Roach. He spoke to the frenzied Ice in a calm and steady voice.
"You don't have to see him. You don't have to see him. You don't have to at all. What's wrong?" Ice closed his eyes and drew in a trembling breath.
"He was my Captain. My CO. If he's here my team will be as well. I can't see them. No. I can't. They left me. I can't see them." Roach felt chills crawl up his spine as the man repeated his words in an eerily distant and shell shocked voice. It was as if Ice had found a spot in his mind, a dark one, where he was retreating too completely, or more so than he had earlier. Roach felt the grip on his hand tighten as memories seemed to flash by Ice faster than lighting, his eyes distant and flickering. Roach saw the heart monitor pick up quickly, and the grip in his hand increase even more. Roach spoke his words rapidly in fear that the man would need more sedation, and that such stress would be bad for him in such a critical condition.
"Listen Ice. whatever happened is over. No one can force you to do anything. I will make sure myself that he doesn't even come in this room unless you want to speak to him. I will camp outside this room if you need me to. David, you just need to calm down. You need to get better. Please." Ice closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and over two minutes, his heart rate went back down. Roach sat by his side, gripping the calloused hand as tightly as Ice would back, and they were silent for a long time. Ice was the first to break the silence.
"Roach, thank you. Go see your friend. Alison. She needs you man. All she ever talked about was you and your team, and how great you were. She called you her family. She really loves you Roach. Go see her, and come back later. Tell me how she is. And just for kicks, go see the boy too. You beat him up good, but he deserves a visit. No one to see him, huh? Go. I'm not going anywhere." Roach nodded, and got up. With a last comforting squeeze to the injured mans hand, he left the room and closed the door.
Oh, and to my anonymous reviewer, thank you for the kind review *cough sarcasm cough*