Chapter Fifty – A Blur of Time
The first time Gavin had opened his eyes he'd been in the back of the ambulance. Two paramedics were doing something to his body, but he didn't know what through the searing pain. He did understand the high pitched beeping that flatlined, and the mask that was pressed over his mouth and nose. He felt air getting pushed down his throat, unable to choke on it. The beep was just there. So deafening. Pressure pushed on his chest. It fucking hurt! The air was squeezed in again. Why? Oh right, he wasn't breathing. Did he forget how to breathe? He hoped he remembered. Nines would be upset if he forgot. Nines…Where was Nines? Sure would be nice to see him again. Maybe if he figured out how to breathe he'd be able to see him again. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea…
The second time he'd opened his eyes he'd been getting rolled through corridors on a gurney. Four staff were speaking rapidly, and someone else...Someone familiar. There was swearing. Hank. It was Hank. He was telling them to take good fucking care of him. That he'd be angry if they let him die. That was nice. Hank didn't do that shit for just anyone. That meant Gavin was important. Oh hey! He'd remembered how to breathe! Good job me! See Hank? He was breathing, just like a normal person! Hank had stopped and some doors clattered open. Fuck, all this rolling around was tiring…
The third time he'd opened his eyes had been the worst. Each breath sent a jolt of agony down his right side and the right half of his back. He didn't feel like he could fill his lungs up properly because of it. He was wearing an oxygen mask, helping him get enough air with his shorter breathes. He'd barely managed to ease his eyes open, loud beeping filling his ears as he did so in the dim room. There was a gentle hand on his forehead immediately. Nines? Was it Nines? No. Too small. Too soft. Tina! Of course Tina would be there for him. She was always there for him. She looked happy, but she was crying. Why was she crying? She was supposed to be happy to see him. Fuck, he must have fucked up again…
The fourth time he'd opened his eyes had been better. It still hurt like hell, but at least he didn't feel like a total train wreck. He groaned as he looked around the small private room. Shit, someone was paying bills. He never got rooms this good. A figure was leaning over him seconds later. Large green eyes. They mirrored his own, right down to the red rims and black bags. For a minute he was confused, but then he remembered. He had a brother now. Wasn't that great? He had a big brother! Someone who cared if he wasn't around.
"You are one lucky sonofabitch." Elijah part sighed and part sobbed, too hesitant to touch the younger man. Gavin couldn't get his mouth to work just yet. It was too tight. Too scratchy. He whined as Elijah pressed a button and the top part of the bed raised him into a higher position, almost sitting up. "Here…That's it." The inventor coaxed softly as he raised a plastic cup of water to Gavin's dry lips and helped him drink. He almost choked on his first sip.
"Thanks." The detective managed to croak out, finishing about half the cup before waving it away. Sitting up was better. He could see the room now. expensive machinery, a plush medical bed, a large sitting space with a small cot bed set up beneath the window. The messed up sheets told him that someone had been sleeping there, and the long dishevelled hair told him it had been Elijah. "This a hospital or a hotel?" Gavin scoffed in a dry voice.
"A bit of both actually…Even has a sweet ensuite." The older man replied with a huff, his lips quirking as Gavin wooed. A gentle hand reached out and stroked Gavin's stubbled cheek, soft green eyes regarding him with unveiled relief. "Only the best for my little brother." Elijah teased, pulling back as Gavin's hand knocked his arm with a huff that almost matched the older man's.
"Careful, I might get used to the special treatment." He warned, though they both knew it was a joke. Elijah may not have known him long, but it was long enough to know that he was a straight playing guy. He didn't want pity or a handout. He'd earned everything he had, besides the gift left behind by their father. Really that could be seen as compensation for doing such a shitty job parenting though.
"I wouldn't care if you did…In fact you'd better get used to it until you're up on your feet again." Elijah warned, watching Gavin groan in objection. Don't tell me he's one of those mother hen types! The younger man thought, knowing it was true once Elijah started reviewing his charts and checking his medication levels. He was almost doing the nurses' jobs for them as he pestered them about this and that. Gavin felt himself blushing. His mother had never seen him in the hospital, so he'd never had this sort of worrying presence. Tina was often there if he got injured, but that wasn't how they worked. She'd listen to the nurses and then punch Gavin for being such an idiot. It was different to be babied. It was sort of…nice.
"Eli…Did you…Is he…" Gavin began hesitantly, licking his lips as he tried to put it into words. Not that he wasn't thrilled to see Elijah and realise he was alive, but the last thing he remembered before passing out the first time was throwing himself over Nines' power core. The android hadn't looked too good. White casing had been showing beneath the flickering of his synthetic skin, thirium leaking from multiple tears. There had even been a few hairline fractures in his white casing. It was strong and bullet proof, but damn they'd given it a beating.
"He's fine! Nines is fine." Elijah assured quickly, his expression softening as he sat on the edge of his bed. "Connor called me right away and he was up and running within a few hours, good as new. The casing worked Gav. I had to realign his power core a little, nice save by the way, and replenish his thirium levels, but aside from that he was fine. He was back at work the next day." The older man explained, eyes shifting to the heart monitor as it kicked up a few paces. He rested his hand on Gavin's right, which was hooked up to a saline drip and some pain killers. Gavin let the news wash over him, relief swelling in his chest. He'd made it. He'd kept his promise.
"How long was I out?" Gavin asked curiously, knowing it had to be more than one day.
"This is day four. You've woken up a couple times, but this is the most alert you've been…Nines would have been here, but he wanted to get the case put to rest as soon as possible." His brother replied assuringly, though it didn't bother Gavin. Alright, maybe it did a little bit, but he understood. Work didn't just stop because your partner was injured. Hell, he didn't expect Tina to sit sobbing by his bedside until he woke up either. "I'll call him for you." Elijah decided as he pulled his phone out.
"No! No…Let him work. This is his first big case, and I want him to put his all into it without me distracting him." Gavin replied, wondering how his partner was managing. He knew damn well that Connor and Hank would be there for him. He felt a coil of excitement twist in his stomach as he anticipated the end of Nines' shift. He was sure the android would come to the hospital, maybe with Tina or Connor in tow. He couldn't wait for the android to fill him in on what he'd missed.
"You look like shit. Finish your water and go back to sleep." Elijah ordered finally as he pushed the plastic cup into Gavin's hand. Gavin grumbled about it, but he knew his own body well enough to know his brother was right. He also wanted to make sure he was rested enough to stay awake if Nines stopped by later. When…When he stops by…He will stop by, right? He thought, suddenly nervous as he finished the cup and allowed Elijah to tuck him in. His eyes flickered shut to the feeling of gentle fingers threading through his hair...
The fifth time was going to be his favourite. He was sure. It was already feeling promising. He knew he'd fallen asleep at some point because the fingers had left his hair, but now there was something better. Nines may not have his own set scent, but Gavin recognised the smell of thirium mixed with his own bathing products. He also recognised the feeling of warm scentless breath on his lips, followed by the gentle press of soft flesh. Gavin sighed lightly as he moved his lips to respond to the tender press of lips. A small hum sounded above him, the lips becoming more insistent until Gavin finally opened his eyes.
It was better than he'd imagined. He knew he probably had some dozy fucking look on his face, but it was Nines. Big blue eyes. Wide and warm and worried and relieved and perfect. That stupid curl that he never brushed out was exactly where it should be. His LED was spinning a lazy blue. All the cuts on his synthetic skin had long since mended. He didn't even have a single bruise. He was his usual perfect android self. It was the best thing Gavin had seen since opening his eyes the first time a few days ago. He winced as he raised his hand, forgetting the wires and tubing attached to it. Luckily Nines was more observant, his hand snapping out to grip Gavin's wrist before he pulled anything loose.
"Hey…" Gavin sighed, in the weakest, stupidest voice he'd ever heard come out of his own mouth.
"Hey…" Nines replied in a voice that almost made Gavin blush. It was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard.
"Eli stopped by…Said you were all fixed up." Gavin murmured softly as Nines took a seat on the edge of his bed. The small cot was empty and neatly made, a sure sign that Elijah had headed off for a while. Gavin wasn't sure what for. To bathe and get a proper sleep without the annoying beeping, or just to let Nines have his turn in peace. Whatever the reason he was grateful. Nines' hand didn't release him, but it did shift into a softer, more tender position. His grip was gentle, thumb stroking Gavin's knuckles.
"Yes…I did come to see you, but you were still comatose." Nines reported anxiously, though Gavin thought he was being a little dramatic. Unconscious and comatose weren't the same thing. He was pretty damn sure Elijah would have told him if he'd slipped into a coma. He didn't even take a direct hit to the head. He wasn't actually too clear on what had happened though. He hadn't worked up to it yet. "Gavin…" The android murmured, saline rolling down his cheeks.
"Hey! Shit Nines! Hey! I'm okay…Come here…" The human soothed, using his good hand to tug his partner closer by the shoulder. He closed his eyes in contentment as the heavy weight rested on his shoulder. Luckily the left one. It still hurt like hell, but fucked if he was about to push Nines away due to a little thing like pain.
"I was scared…I was so scared…Gavin…" The android sobbed softly, the human wishing he could actually do something that would help. He was sure it had been terrifying. Those guys beating him to a pulp, trying to split him open. Gavin's heart still raced every time he thought about seeing him there, lying helpless and defenceless on the ground. He'd almost been sick, watching those men hurting Nines. He hadn't known if he'd made it in time. Nines hadn't moved or said a word. "When you were hurt I didn't know…and Connor didn't say, he just…turned me off." Nines continued. Jeez, Connor! Insensitive much?
"I'm sure he did what he thought was best…You were in pretty bad shape too, right? I'm so fucking happy he got you to Eli in time…Fuck, it's good to see you." Gavin sighed as he drew back to get another look at the android. The saline tears had stopped, just the trails left behind. Unlike humans, androids didn't get that red puffiness around their eyes. No salt. No irritation. He chased the tears away with his thumb, watching as Nines leaned into his touch. Nines hummed his agreement in a way that said he felt the same, but he'd cry again if he tried to speak. So fucking cute.
Gavin couldn't help it. He dragged Nines down by the thick collar of his jacket, the leather smooth between his fingers as he leaned up and captured his lips. Nines edged closer, supporting his body weight on one arm as he pressed Gavin back against his pillows comfortably. The android purred as he felt Gavin's lips part needily, wasting no time in exploring his partner's mouth with needy strokes of tongue. Gavin moaned into the kiss, trying desperately to ignore the beeping of his heart monitor as it sped up, making Nines draw back worriedly. His LED span yellow as he looked at the machine, but it quickly turned into a lazy smile as he realised what it meant. He nuzzled Gavin's forehead affectionately.
"Would you like to hear about the case?" Nines asked quietly, sitting up at Gavin's enthusiastic agreement. Forensics hadn't found anything in the alley, but that didn't matter. Once they got to the warehouse both the technicians and Connor had been able to verify it as the location of all eight murders. It helped that a group of eleven had been caught red handed attempting to murder a police detective. There wasn't much they could do once they'd been caught.
Anton and his personal guards, who had arrived with Gavin, had been a great help in containing the situation. It seemed the group of Red Ice dealers were more scared of Anton than they were of Hank and Connor, and once Gavin had been hurt Hank had been terrifying. Over the next couple of days five of the members, who had been thoroughly interrogated by Hank, had spilled everything. They were associates of the AAL, though the AAL wasn't directly involved. Their gang had needed thirium for Red Ice production, and taking random androids had been a convenient option. They'd been doing pretty well on not getting caught. Probably wouldn't have been if not for the RK900 and RK800 messing things up.
They had hidden members. One worked in forensics, and had been purposely missing and erasing evidence. Unfortunately they hadn't been able to erase everything, especially not once Nines started sniffing around. They also had a couple members who were uniformed officers. They had cleaned up the scenes before forensics arrived, trying to limit the amount of evidence. They would also lie about witness testimonies or not bother with interviews to throw them off even more. They'd kept an eye on Reed and Nines, but had been unable to get the direct details of the plan.
Unfortunately, although they had blocked off this particular branch of the group, the Red Ice ring was quite large and would doubtless continue without them. Whatever the case, the ring had already signed them off as lost causes. No fancy lawyers were called to help any of them, in fact the opposite proved true. Elijah was taking it quite personally. Not only were these people smashing up his creations, his children, but they were perverting the use of thirium for their own financial gain. On top of that one of them had almost killed his brother. That pissed the billionaire off. Nines was quite certain that Elijah was systematically paying lawyers not to represent them at all, or to represent them badly and get them the worst possible deals.
"That's a relief…The less of those bastards on the streets the better." Gavin sighed as he closed his eyes. He wasn't tired. Just content. He felt safe. He was in a big sterile room. In a comfortable bed. The sweetest android in the world was holding his hand like it was something precious and fragile, and there was no more impending mission. They'd come out and reached the other side, and if the only price was damage to his own body then that was pretty damn good.
"Are you aware of your situation?" Nines asked curiously, surprised as Gavin shook his head.
"Not yet, but I'm sure they'll tell me at some point…I haven't even eaten yet." The human replied, watching Nines' LED flash red at the news. He huffed lazily. The android was almost as bad at worrying as Elijah had been earlier. He didn't have time to object as Nines hit the call button, rather firmly requesting that food be brought. He didn't know what time it was, but Nines had finished his shift, so it was at least ten by now.
The nurse was more than happy to oblige. They'd actually been waiting for him to wake up for some time. Elijah had left him something ready to eat, making it quite clear that no brother of his was going to be subject to common hospital food. He'd made up a large fruit platter, filled with banana, apple, grapes, three types of melon, orange and raspberries. Gavin could tell by the precise cutting that it had been made by one of the Chloes. It had been sprinkled with a little caster sugar to stop the fruit from browning. It was nice. It was even nicer that Nines insisted on feeding him like some sort of invalid.
Once he was finished Nines fetched a bowl and soap from the small bathroom and helped clean his face for the night. He then provided a toothbrush and let him clean his teeth, taking the bowl and other bits away when he was done. Despite his embarrassment over the issue Gavin did also admit that he needed to use the bathroom. Nines was sensitive about it, eventually agreeing to let the nurse handle that particular side of things. He left the room while Gavin sorted himself out, and returned once the nurse had been and gone.
"You should sleep now…Would you like me to leave?" Nines asked almost hesitantly, his chest warming as Gavin made a rather loud and urgent objection, green eyes pleading him to remain. He wasn't scared, but he also wasn't a huge fan of hospitals. On top of that he'd been without Nines for four days, and only got to confirm he was alright a couple of hours ago. He wasn't ready to let Nines go just yet. With that settled Nines tugged the sheets higher and lowered Gavin's bed into a position he could sleep comfortably in.
"Are you working tomorrow?" Gavin asked quietly as he shuffled to get comfortable.
"No. I will be here when you wake up." Nines confirmed softly as he stroked Gavin's hair gently. That was the best thing Gavin had heard all damn day. If Nines was off work that meant he'd be there all day. Maybe he'd call Tina and ask her to stop by, and maybe Elijah would come back. He should probably message Connor and thank him and Hank for helping to close the android murder case too. That sounded like a plan. Yeah. That's what he'd do. In a few hours. If he could just close his eyes for a while. Damn, that hand in his hair felt good…