Day Two of dealing with bruised ribs. Just spent an hour on the living room floor waiting for the pain to become manageable. Thank goodness I have a team of healthcare professionals who keep me going. I can't begin to imagine how bad this would be otherwise. Those chickens will pay dearly for what they did.
"Janine is still worried sick about you but I told her it takes a lot more than a broken leg to keep you down. She promised to be back this afternoon. We figured you'd start to come around a bit better by then and would appreciate her cooking and…ehm…healing touch. Gifford just came out of surgery. She took a bullet to the shoulder. By the sounds of it, she's going to be alright in a few weeks. I could probably be home and recovering by now if they'd only let me have some coffee. But those nurses here are cruel, you better watch out."
The warm hand appeared on top of his, gently squeezing his fingers, an unspoken request to react, say something, do something to alleviate Mike's overbearing worry after everything that happened. What all that entailed was still missing in the fog that was effectively clouding his mind, aided by the strong pain killers that had numbed his senses over the past few hours.
Turning his head toward his partner, Steve tried to swallow, failing when his dry throat wouldn't allow it. Instead, he took on the arduous task of opening his heavy eyelids, the battle seeming slightly less painful than it was back at the forest.
Some angel had closed the curtains in his room, aiding his eyes in adjusting to the dim light a lot easier than the bright sunrays that would normally be there.
Next to his bed, hunched over in his wheelchair, with a dark blue robe tied around his sagging shoulders sat Mike. Even before his eyes could fully focus on the Lieutenant, he could tell how the events of the forest had worn on him, deepening the creases on his forehead into a frown, the lines around his mouth that accentuated his smile now completely gone, partially due to the scratches and bruises that decorated much of his face.
Mike hadn't noticed his spectator quite yet, his eyes staring straight ahead, seeing something only he could see, that bright mind undoubtedly still trying to come to terms with a situation that had been entirely out of his control; not that it would stop him from feeling the need to rehash everything that happened, go over it step by step, meticulously analyzing their actions under a microscope before being able to rid himself of the iota of guilt he felt for everyone who died in Chong's path.
Deciding that he was too drowsy to worry about the past for the time being, Steve focused on managing a smile, then raised his hand enough to alert Mike of his presence.
"You…look like hell…", he croaked, nearly breaking into a coughing spill.
Startled, Mike glanced up at him, his eyes instantly warming.
"You're not exactly the picture of vibrancy yourself, Buddy Boy…", the Lieutenant countered and scooted the wheelchair a bit closer to his bed, "How's everything feeling? You're thawed out yet?"
"Don't know…", Steve said and started to cough again, causing his partner to reach over for a cup on the nightstand.
"Here, I had the nurse bring some tea earlier. It's still lukewarm. Take a sip, it'll make things feel better."
Carefully raising his right hand, Steve accepted his partner's help to some much-needed hydration, then cocked his head in gratitude.
"Thanks. I ehm…am ok. These meds make me feel loopy.", pointing down at the cast on his lower leg, he shrugged, "That's not helping things. At least by the sounds of it, it was a clean break. I still blame myself for not seeing that root though."
"Nah. That happens to the best of us. No sense worrying about spilled milk. I am just glad we made it out of there alive. The Feds are having a hay day taking that place apart up north. Devitt said they're calling in reinforcements."
"Just to think, I didn't want to grab City Commissioner Martin's file because it would ruffle too many feathers…"
His off-the-cuff comment made Mike hesitate for a moment, then run a tired hand across the back of his neck, exposing a large bandage over his shoulder.
Steve couldn't be sure if it was from a gunshot or any other weapon Chong might have had at his disposal at the time. Still unclear of how exactly the last few hours after his accident unfolded, he decided to wait until his mind was back to normal before asking questions.
"And to leave this mess for Norm and Dan? Come on now, you wouldn't be this cruel.", Mike said facetiously, absent-mindedly wrapping the robe tighter around his body, "Somebody has to take on the odd cases that turn into outright disasters and live to tell the tale. Otherwise Gifford wouldn't have anything to write about, now would she?"
"Speaking of which, how did she handle herself after I stayed behind? I was worried about that but Devitt didn't mention anything."
With a slight nod, Mike smiled, his voice growing quieter.
"She did alright. Surprisingly, she was quite a trooper through all of this. Got shot in the arm even. Never complained. She just kept on going, even offered to distract one of Chong's goons. I think this whole…case may have opened her eyes to quite a few things."
"Think about what Lenny said though. All that attention might make it worse. After all, she just saw the fearless Lieutenant Michael Stone defy evil and reinstate righteousness in his kingdom once again. That's pretty good material for a new chapter to Detectives Graham and Hicks."
"You're right. I think the pain meds a little too strong. I'll tell the doctor to cut it down a notch to get you back to earth."
They shared a much overdue chuckle, before both partners fell quiet again, a tense silence spreading between the men who usually preferred to talk things through openly.
Sensing Mike's hesitation, Steve reached over to pat the hand that had held onto his throughout the entire ordeal, fighting through the grogginess that was slowly returning.
"What about you? Are you going to be alright? You're the one who saw everything and who came face to face with that guy several times, cheating death on more than one occasion. Are you going to be ok? Because there's no shame in saying no. I would understand."
Mike glanced down for a brief moment, sorting the many thoughts in his mind. When he looked back up and opened his mouth to answer, their quiet conversation was disrupted by the squeaking of the door behind them being opened wider.
"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't know you had company, Inspector…", Doctor Simmons apologized, nearly having to duck the doorframe as he approached the bed, "I see you two are inseparable even in the hospital."
Nodding in gratitude at the attractive escape the doctor's arrival had provided, Mike gestured over to his partner.
"We've literally spent years sitting next to each other in a car…or the office…or a diner…Believe me doctor, that cheeky grin and his wise-guy comments over here grow on you after a while."
"From what Roy told me, you two make quite a team.", the blonde doctor countered and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I was just here to check on the Inspector and to scorn you, Lieutenant, for trying to have a Sergeant smuggle some coffee into your room. You should know better than to defy doctor's orders. Your jurisdiction ends right outside these building walls. No coffee until you are released, and even then only small amounts for a bit. You body has been through a lot."
Unable to stop a wily smile from spreading on his face, Steve followed the exchange intrigued.
"Don't worry doctor, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he's alright.", the young Inspector said jovially and patted Mike's hand by his bed, "It's what we do on a regular basis anyways."