The light was playing tricks on him. Either that or there was something moving in the shadows... there! Was that a bird? A ghost?
Charlie blinked then rubbed at his eyes.
This was ridiculous. Why was he even sitting here, wrapped up in a stupidly threadbare blanket that did nothing to drive away the chill of the air? What was he waiting for?
For god's sake, he managed to drag Bill's form up several meters, fighting the gravity and Bill's conceivable weight. Alright, Charlie knew Bill was just a wiry bloke but still. After serving as his crutch for an hour or so, even that was a lot.
Charlie sighed. Rubbing at his eyes didn't stop the shadows from moving and he wasn't even sure if it were shadows or his vision getting spotty. There was also a dull roar in his ears that made it rather hard to follow what was going on around him. Charlie cursed the fact he had stumbled to the most stupidly parked car and collapsed out of sight. Well, he didn't mind being out of sight, but he did mind not having a clue as to what was happening with the others.
It just rubbed him wrong. Just as much as Blake's insistence that he stayed put.
He wasn't even so badly injured, really. Some broken ribs was all. True, he got sick and whimpered like a cry-baby when Blake was doing his torture, but who wouldn't? He was pretty sure he heard Bill utter some choice curses just a moment ago.
Maybe he should look. He wasn't an invalid, he could move. Preparing himself for the onslaught of discomfort - it wasn't pain unless you let it become pain, Charlie thought - he pushed off the blanket. Then he pressed his back against the car and was planning to use it as a counterforce to push himself up to his feet. Surely that couldn't have been so hard.
He made it only few centimetres off the ground when his side protested and he sank back. Nope, he needed a different method.
Perhaps rolling to the side and getting up on his knees would be more feasible.
Charlie was just in the process of attempting that when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and practically pushed him back down to the ground.
"Whoa, mate! Where were you heading?"
Charlie blinked.
"Danny? What-" he didn't know if he should cuss the man out for almost giving him a heart attack and impeding his mission of 'getting up', or give him a hug because it was just Danny and not some psychopathic killer who took advantage of him being distracted.
Danny didn't give him time to decide.
"Man, you look rotten," he commented, grabbing for the discarded blanket. "This yours?"
Charlie shook his head, flustered. Danny raised an eyebrow and without asking threw the blanket over Charlie then plopped down next to him.
"What's going on?" Charlie finally managed to ask, feeling too confused by the sudden change. He was thankful for Danny's presence at least. If nothing else, he should be able to answer some questions and if Lawson wasn't requiring his presence it meant the situation must've been under control.
Danny gave Charlie an assessing look. Charlie wasn't sure what he saw but he tried to give as good as he got. Danny was his junior in a way and Charlie really hated the idea of looking weak in front of him. It was almost as bad as looking weak in front of his kid brothers.
"We caught Ernie Mulligan. He was the one who prank called you."
Charlie frowned, trying to place the name. He had heard it before but couldn't put a face to it. Danny waved it off.
"Not really important. Just a dumb kid trying to make a name for himself."
Charlie shook his head. That wasn't making any sense.
"A kid? What... why would he..." Trying to figure it out was making his headache so much worse. Charlie closed his eyes for a moment.
"Hey mate, don't fall asleep on me," Danny nudged his shoulder and Charlie grunted because it jarred his side.
"Don't do that!" he snapped.
"Sorry," Danny apologized with a frown on his face. "But really, stay awake. I don't want Blake on my ass."
Charlie snorted.
"Don't tell me you afraid of him?"
Despite how rotten he felt, the mere idea amused him. Danny rolled his eyes.
"Hardly. But then he might tell Jean and man, you don't want to piss her off. She just brained an armed guy with a fire extinguisher! It wasn't pretty," Danny said and the look in his eyes said he wasn't lying.
Charlie frowned. Every time Danny or Blake spoke since their arrival it left Charlie more confused, only with shards of a picture that made no sense whatsoever.
"Jean brained... what are you on about?"
Danny grimaced, his fingers rapping against his legs in nervous energy. It was clear he was still riding some adrenaline high. Something must've happened and it involved also Jean. Charlie thought his night was going shitty. He would've hoped the others were out of danger at least.
"Well, you see... there was this hold-up at the station..." Danny started, throwing a careful look around, as if trying to reassure himself Blake or Lawson weren't listening in. Charlie had a feeling his Boss didn't have a much better picture than him.
"Danny..." he grunted warningly. If the man wanted him to stay awake, the least he could do was actually tell him what the hell was going on.
Danny still looked unsure and Charlie was getting more and more annoyed.
"What happened at the station?" he asked through gritted teeth. He tried to pull himself more upright, so he could be eye to eye with Danny, hating the fact he already must've looked like some weakling with the bloody blanket.
Danny sighed.
"Alright man, just promise not to freak out?"
Charlie gave him a stony look. He was hoping it had the same effect Lawson's look might have, but Danny just raised a brow and shook his head.
"Long story short... the case you had?"
Charlie closed his eyes, this time in frustration and disbelief.
"Don't tell me... all this cause of Eddie Korbyn?"
He should have known they would try something. He should've known that Eddie was merely a test, an attempt. That there would be more to come. He should have pressured the team in Sydney to come and pick him up earlier, to get rid of him. Instead he left the man, a member of a gang family, in a barely guarded police station during night. God, he hoped no one was harmed.
"Please... tell me no one got hurt?" he said, opening his eyes and giving Danny a look that warned him from trying to lie. Danny cringed.
"Thompson and Kelly were a bit banged up, not gonna lie," Danny admitted then quickly raised his hand.
"But everyone is alive! Even the idiots who thought it was a good idea to attack the station."
"So... you stopped them?" Charlie asked a bit miffed. He wasn't sure what to feel. Relief? Jealousy? Rage?
He settled with relief, especially as he remembered that somehow Jean managed to get involved.
"Yeah, we got them all. And man, you should've seen it... we rocked!" Danny was all beaming and proud.
Charlie chuckled, letting his head rest against the car. He wanted to ask a ton of questions but wasn't sure he would be able to handle the answers. With the way his head was throbbing he was thinking a bit of quiet would be more appreciated. Getting patched up and into his own bed sounded even better.
"What's going on over there?" he asked, nodding to the side.
Danny got up to his feet and Charlie envied him the effortlessness of that motion. He wanted to follow, but Danny seemed to sense that and put a stilling hand on his shoulder.
"Ah... the boss is pestering Cunningham... and Blake is helping Bill into the car."
Charlie blinked then with a grunt tried to get up.
"Whoa, where are you going?" Danny tried to stop him, but Charlie had enough of sitting around. A dull voice in the back of his head was telling him that Bill was his responsibility, that he should be guarding his back.
"We need to help them," he tried to voice, but mid-motion realized it might've been a bad idea. A sharp pain shot through his stomach, instantly followed by the feeling of nausea. He was on his knees, hunched over, arms curled around his chest and stomach.
There was nothing to bring back up of course so all he could do was to work through it, then spit out a string of curses. His eyes were shut tight and he could feel tears of pain running down his cheeks, but he couldn't even reach up to brush them off, because if he let go, his torso would most likely explode.
"Hey, easy mate... come on, stop scaring me," Danny's hushed voice tore through his misery and Charlie felt his friend kneel down next to him, running one hand over his back in a soothing attempt, while the other was holding his shoulder, in case he felt like keeling over.
Charlie swallowed hard and tried to focus on breathing.
"Can you hold on? I'll call the Doc-"
Danny was about to stand up and call out when Charlie grabbed his sleeve and shook his head.
"No. I'm... fine. Stay."
Charlie knew he wasn't fine and Danny knew it as well. But there wasn't much he could do about it and as they heard the car door closing, they both knew that Blake would be there shortly anyway.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Danny asked, seemingly pissed at being left in the dark.
Charlie wished he could answer, but he honestly didn't know. He just shook his head and tried to control his breathing and the pain. As he heard the car coming closer and the reflectors lighting up the bushes nearby, he turned to Danny with a pleading look.
"Help me... up?"
He really didn't want Blake to see him in such a demeaning position for the second time that day.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Danny seemed rather hesitant but when Charlie reached out with his hand, he grabbed it. With a sigh, he helped Charlie up to his feet.
Charlie thought it would feel better to be upright. His body let him know he was dearly mistaken. The pressure inside his head spiked momentarily and he hissed. His legs threatened to give out, fortunately, Danny's hand pushed him backwards so most of his weight was supported by the car.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, trying to get hold of himself. His vision was swimming a bit and he could feel his whole body trembling, as if he had just ran a marathon. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay upright for too long. Either his legs would buckle or he would faint. None of those were acceptable options.
"Alright there mate?" Danny asked, looking more concerned than Charlie would've liked.
"Yeah," he grunted. Perhaps one word answers were the way to go. It might converse oxygen, which he was seemingly having a bit of trouble getting.
Danny's doubt was palpable, but perhaps fortunately, he didn't get a chance to voice them. Blake's car parked as close as it was possible in the given situation. Which was about three meters away. Blake stepped out and walked up to them.
"Alright, boys. Time to pack this up and head out, shall we?"
Charlie didn't have any argument against that. He felt some confusion though when Blake handed his keys over to Danny and settled down next to him in the back seat.
"Doc? You won't drive?" he asked with some suspicion.
Blake shrugged.
"I drove here. It's Danny's turn. Now, let's go. Danny, drive her gently if you may," Blake still warned, quite aware of Danny's previous mishaps with cars.
Danny rolled his eyes and Bill snorted.
"Splendid way to end this night... getting into an accident because someone put Parks behind the wheel."
"Hey! I can drive like anyone else!" Danny protested as he turned the car and drove past Lawson and Cunningham.
Charlie frowned.
"Wait. The boss?" he turned his head to see that the others weren't following.
"They will just fix the tire and head back to the station."
"Why didn't we wait?" Charlie asked gruffly. It didn't feel right, leaving Lawson behind with a suspect and only Cunningham as backup. What if there were others? What if something happened and-
"They'll be fine, Charlie," Blake said reassuringly, giving Charlie's shoulder a squeeze. "Their radio works and Lewis knows their location."
"Peter knew ours too... we still got stuck here," Charlie answered, annoyed and nervous.
"Peter was held at gunpoint when he sent you out. The station is back under control," Blake said calmly then changed the topic.
"Alright there Charlie?" he asked, though he kept his voice low.
Charlie blinked, his brain still stuck on the information that Peter was held at gunpoint.
"What?"
"You turning deaf, Davis? He asked if you're fine," Bill snapped from the front, quite effectively pulling him from his thoughts.
"Thank you Bill. I doubt that was necessary," Blake said reproachfully then turned his attention back to Charlie.
"Though the question stands."
"Uh..." Charlie wasn't sure how to answer. Sitting down did help some, at least his legs no longer threatened to give up on him. However, everything else felt the same. Wrong. The movement of the car didn't help it either. Charlie felt as if his stomach was full of water and the vibrations of the car kept jiggling it. His temples were thumping in rhythm with the car and he was so damn thirsty.
"Water... do you have some?" he asked, hoping he could at least wet his parched lips. Maybe even douse the thirst.
"I'm thirsty," Charlie added when he saw the frown on Blake's face. Really, was it so surprising? He must've sweat through his whole uniform just by dragging Bill around and they had no water at all since leaving the station.
"There should be a water bottle somewhere. Doc always brings some, am I right?" Danny asked with a smile. "I can stop the car if it's in the trunk."
"No need for that," Blake halted him with a grimace.
"What, you don't have any water? That's hardly smart in these parts," Danny chimed him and Charlie gruffly agreed. Even if it wasn't fresh water, everyone had some water here, in case the car overheated or broke down.
"There is a bottle, but I'd rather Charlie not drink any," Blake said and he shot a glare towards Danny.
Charlie didn't know if he should feel confused or hurt by that. What, did Blake think water was too good for him? Charlie's lips were parched and he knew if he just had a sip, his headache might lessen.
"Doc?" he questioned him, barely hiding the hurt in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I know you're thirsty, but I don't want to risk giving you water right now."
"Why the hell not?" Charlie felt the hurt turning into annoyance. After the night's events, here he was, being denied the most simple of things by Blake himself.
Blake looked like he was thinking through his reply. Finally he came to a decision. Sighing, he offered Charlie a regretful grimace.
"I have a suspicion that you might be suffering from some internal bleeding. In such cases it is recommended not to give patients anything per mouth, in case they will have to go under for surgery. Same reason I'm not offering you any painkillers right now."
Charlie stared at Blake, not sure he heard right.
"Surgery? Doc... I'm fine," he insisted, even though his mind was telling him it was a lie. He looked at his shaking hands and turned them into fists to stop the movement, as if that was evidence of his health.
Blake's hand snuck down and fingers wrapped around his right wrist. Charlie tugged his hand away, shooting Blake a glare.
"I'm fine!" he hissed, ignoring Blake's seemingly understanding look.
"I'm not disputing that. Maybe I'm wrong. Trust me; I would be more than happy to admit a mistake. In that case I'll bring you a cup of iced tea myself," Blake said, obviously trying to appease him.
It didn't work.
"It's just bruised ribs," Charlie muttered stubbornly. "I pulled a muscle dragging Bill," he added.
"Hey, leave me out of that! I didn't ask for your help!" Bill snapped back.
"Sure, I should've left your ass down there," Charlie bit back, but there was no anger behind it. He knew how Bill felt about the place, knew there was no way he could have left him there after what he learned about his mother. Then another thought hit him. If Blake thought he was hurt that bad, there was no way they were going anywhere but the hospital.
He let out a groan of misery.
"Doc... please. I just want to go home," he said, not even caring about the impossibility of it.
"No can do. If nothing else, we need to get Bill to the hospital and you need an x-ray of those ribs."
Charlie groaned again. When Blake reached out to take hold of his wrist, he didn't pull back this time, but he kept his fist clenched.
"Easy does it, Charlie," Blake chastised him as he felt his pulse. Charlie rolled his eyes, trying to look nonplussed, but inside he was starting to panic. He really didn't want to go under a knife. And what if it was bad? Really bad?
He knew something was wrong, could feel it for quite some time now. He had broken ribs before but he never felt this miserable. While he was in the building, the discomfort was pushed back somehow by the continuous feeling of a looming threat. Once it passed though...
He tried not to panic, he really did. But his heart was already pounding in his chest and his breathing was shallow and fast, trying to keep the pain in his ribs at minimum. He wasn't sure if the darkness around was closing in on him or if he was just imagining it. Suddenly he felt Blake's hand squeeze his wrist a bit harsher.
"Hey, it will be alright," Blake reassured him softly.
Charlie swallowed.
"You sure of that Doc?"
"Yes. It must be a slow bleeder, or you would be much worse off. Now, why don't you leave the worrying up to me and just relax?"
Charlie didn't feel all that much reassured by his words. Anything that caused Blake worry was a bit scary. But there was hardly anything he could do at this moment. He wished to close his eyes and sleep, but he was pretty sure that would be frowned upon right now. So with a careful sigh, he nodded and turned his face towards the window. If nothing else, he could watch the darkness pass by, he thought with a grimace.
Charlie wondered how long it would take them to get to the hospital. Danny was driving painfully slow, though Charlie could hardly fault him for that. They were still on one of the old side roads, in the middle of the night. The only source of visibility was the car lights and Charlie was more than aware of how much danger that posed. He had personal encounters with a kangaroo jumping in front of his car, or some other night animal deciding the road was a good place to stop and stare.
The way they were going though, it would take them an eternity to get anywhere. Charlie was hoping if nothing else, he could get something to drink at the hospital. Or they could knock him out, he didn't even care at this point as long as it would give him some reprieve from his misery.
Bill seemed to be of the same opinion because he started pestering Danny about not driving like an old lady.
"Mind your own business, Hobart," Danny grumbled, face practically plastered against the front shield, trying to spot any danger. His foot still stepped on the gas just a bit.
Charlie would've applauded.
If not for the damn hole in the road.
The tire ran over it with a jump. Bill cried out as his leg was jostled.
Charlie let out a gasp, the hand that wasn't still clasped in Blake's grip curling around his abdomen.
He swallowed then whimpered.
It was as if someone punched him in the stomach. It bloody hurt and his vision swam. His chin quivered on its own volition. He felt his body trying to curl into a ball, at the same time feeling incredibly light and astoundingly heavy.
A thought that perhaps Blake should've been the one driving after all flashed through his mind before it turned blank.
"Bloody idiot! I swear, you do this again, I'll break your bloody leg, see how you like it!"
Charlie frowned.
He knew that voice but the words weren't making much sense. And why was Bill shouting?
Confusion, that was what he felt first and foremost. Charlie tried to open his eyes, unsure if he closed them or if it was just in the middle of the night. Neither explained however why was Bill cursing. And was that Danny apologizing and sniping back at him at the same time?
Nothing made sense. Maybe he should just go back to sleep. It felt good to be finally lying down...
Charlie's mind finally caught up with him, albeit fuzzily.
He hadn't been lying down before. Did they reach the hospital already? Or was all of it a bad dream and he was in his own bed?
Danny and Bill were still bickering though and there was a familiar rumble trying to shut them up.
"Cut it out, both of you! Danny, try to keep the bloody car stable, but don't dawdle around. We need to get back to town." There was certain urgency in Blake's voice, but that wasn't what made Charlie pause. The voice was coming from above him and he could swear he felt the vibration of it under his head.
Wait, no. That was the vibration of the car's engine. He was still in the car, in the back seat. Lying down. Or well, most of his body seemed to be horizontal. Charlie's legs were still kind of hanging over the seat. It was as if he had slumped to the side.
But there was hardly enough room for that unless...
Charlie's shoulders tensed. What he assumed was a pillow under his head was in fact Blake's thigh. What he thought was a blanket was a jacket haphazardly thrown over his torso.
The car gave a small lurch. Bill cursed, Danny apologized. Charlie's body started rolling forward, unbalanced, but he was stopped by an arm thrown over his chest, keeping him in place.
He still let out a grunt, because even the slight pressure across his chest caused a spike in pain.
"Charlie?" Blake asked and the arm had somehow manoeuvred him back so he was leaning more against the seat, Blake's hand once again wrapped around his wrist. Charlie would have pulled away, annoyed about being checked on what seemed to be constantly, but in reality the touch felt calming. The warm fingers felt great against his chilled skin and the grip stayed even if he closed his eyes, as a reminder that he wasn't alone. There was someone taking care and even though it felt like giving up control, Charlie knew he really had none at this moment.
"Is he awake?" came from Danny, his voice relieved and apologetic at the same time.
"I don't know. Are you, Charlie?" Blake asked, leaning over a bit. Charlie grimaced as the move jostled his head.
"Y-yeah," he said, unsure if he was happy about it or not.
"How are you feeling?"
"Rotten," Charlie admitted. "What... what happened?" he asked, blinking. Did he imagine it or did they pass a street light? Lord, he hoped they were in town already.
"You fainted," came from the front seat. Hobart's voice sounded strange. A bit choked, a bit pissed. If Charlie hadn't known better he would've mistaken it for concern, but that was hardly the truth. His musings about Bill's strange tone were cut short when he caught up with his actual words.
"Did not," he grumbled.
"Didn't what?" Blake asked, confused.
"Faint," Charlie protested with a pout. For Christ's sake... he was an adult man and a Davis. He did not faint. Maybe fall unconscious, but... fainting was for ladies.
Bill snorted.
"Oh, you so did. Swooned like a fair maiden at her first kiss," Bill noted with a curve of his lip. Charlie wanted to argue that was not true, when Danny stepped into the argument.
"Oh, and just how do you know how a fair maiden faints? Kissed many girls lately?"
"Surely more than you ever will," Bill snapped back and the car was once again filled with the sound of the two men bickering, although Charlie didn't detect any real anger in it.
Charlie wondered if it was all just pretence or a distraction, but he didn't much care. As long as they didn't require his input into the silly debate and Bill forgot about the fainting, he was perfectly fine with just lying there and...
Charlie tensed. Was he really lying with his head on Blake's lap while the man was basically holding him in a half embrace to keep him from jostling during the ride?
"Doc?" he asked quietly, trying to turn his head up so he could see the man's face.
"Yes Charlie?" the man looked down and Charlie was heartened to actually see his face. That meant they were indeed in the town and passing through streets with lamps. That meant less of a chance for Danny running into something on the road.
"How much longer?" Charlie asked, hoping his voice didn't sound as shaky as he felt. He could tell his hands were trembling but he had a feeling that the rest of his body was being wracked by an occasional shiver as well and it frankly scared him.
"Not much longer now, Charlie. We are quite close. Don't worry. We will take care of you."
Blake's reassurances more than anything told Charlie that the man was worried. Somehow though, the fierce panic he felt just moments ago had vanished. Instead there was numbness and cold. It felt almost nice.
His body shivered and it must've been noticeable this time, because Blake frowned, tucking the jacket tighter around Charlie's torso.
"Feeling cold?" he asked and Charlie gave a humming ascent. Opening his mouth seemed like too much of a chore.
"Danny, can you crank up the heat?" Blake said, momentarily breaking through some childish argument between Danny and Bill.
"Sure Doc," Danny said, his voice tinted with worry. "Everything alright back there?"
"It will be, as soon as we reach the hospital," Blake answered, his voice hinting that it might be good to speed it up a bit. Danny gave a terse nod and Charlie felt the car jolt a bit as it hit a higher speed.
He let out a moan as the movement caused his vision to swim. Maybe lying down in a moving car wasn't the best thing. He could see the street lights rushing past in the window and it made him more and more dizzy.
"Charlie? What's wrong?" Blake questioned, gently patting his cheek to get him to open his eyes. "Stay awake, alright?"
Charlie grunted.
"Dizzy," he managed to say then promptly closed his eyes. He wasn't going to risk getting sick to his stomach again, not inside the car. He would never live it down. Or live it through as it was. He was sure next time he puked it would be his stomach coming up.
He tightened his arm around his midriff and squirmed, trying to find a better position. All he wanted was to alleviate the damn pain. It felt as if something was stabbing him in the back, while his chest felt like it was swimming in water. As if something was pressing down on his lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe.
Charlie managed to turn a bit, pulling one leg up towards his chest. That might've helped with the discomfort in his back, but it didn't make breathing any easier.
"Whoa, easy. What's the matter? Charlie?" Blake's arms were now struggling to keep him still and stop him from toppling over. Charlie might've felt bad for it, but he was past clear thinking. The voices inside the car became a cacophony of sounds. All he was sensing were the hands trying to restrain him, the cold that seemed to wrap around his body and the unrelenting discomfort. All he wanted was to find a position that didn't hurt. Was that so bloody much to ask for?
He almost managed, he thought, curled up into an almost foetal position, but that gave little space for his lungs to expand.
"Charlie, you need to-"
He didn't catch what he needed to do. All he could do was let out a whimper and move his legs in a jerky motion. His foot connected with something hard and the short pain was almost welcome, but it was lost in the overall misery.
Charlie let out a keening sound of protest as his body twisted in search for escape.
Something inside throbbed with sharp pain and Charlie's back arched. He heard someone moan. He heard someone call his name. There was a jostle as the car came to a sudden halt and then it all stopped. If Charlie had been still aware, he would have said a silent prayer of thanks.