The smell of coffee woke Rylee the next morning. She took a deep breath and let it out as a content sigh, pulling the warm blankets a little further up. But to get the coffee, she'd have to get out of bed, she quickly realized. The young woman groaned.
Her hazel eyes fluttered open, and for a second confusion overtook her before she recognized the room she was currently staying in. Colin Jones' house. Merlin's house. Everything came back to her in a rush. The attack, the phone call, the hospital. Coming here.
It all seemed so overwhelming all of a sudden. She took a deep breath, already feeling a weight against her temples. She really needed coffee. Her phone was on the bedside table. It said it was nearly seven thirty. Visiting hours at the hospital started in an hour and a half.
Rylee reluctantly tossed the covers aside, shivering when the sudden warmth of the cocoon she'd made was gone. Rummaging through her suitcase once more, she quickly found fresh clothes for the day. She changed and then slipped into the bathroom to splash some water on her face.
The aroma of coffee guided her to the kitchen, where another young woman stood behind the countertop. Rylee felt a tinge of apprehension when she didn't see Merlin anywhere in the main living area. And she didn't know this new woman at all. Her skin was dark as chocolate; her curls were pulled into a side ponytail that hung off her shoulder. When she looked up, however, a bright smile came to her face.
"Good morning," she said softly. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept well. Thank you."
The young woman rounded the counter. She was still wearing pajama bottoms and a plain tee shirt, and she was an inch or two shorter than Rylee herself. She extended her hand. "My name is Guinevere, but everyone just calls me Gwen. I'm a friend of Colin's. I live just across the hall."
Rylee shook her hand briefly. She ran her hands down the sides of her jeans nervously, glancing around the room again, as if looking again would make Merlin appear. Or even Richard.
"There's fresh coffee, if you'd like some. And for breakfast, there's cereal or eggs."
"Oh, thank you," she said. "Um, cereal's fine."
Gwen only smiled and gathered the materials. "Please, go ahead and take a seat."
The young woman swallowed thickly, but took a seat at Merlin's dining room table. Gwen brought everything out to her, being the perfect host, and just as she was bringing out the sugar and cream for the coffee, Merlin and another new person arrived.
This one was blonde and was also wearing his pajamas. He was taller than the media pictures made him out to be. His jaw was clenched but his eyes, even though he was still in his night clothes, were sharp and fully focused. When he saw her standing there, he blinked, and the severity of his gaze was gone, replaced with kindness.
Merlin, however, was still dressed in the same clothing from last night, as if he hadn't gone to bed at all. From the light bags under his eyes, Rylee guessed that her hypothesis was correct and that he'd been up all night thinking about Richard.
"Good morning," he greeted, a smile spreading across his face. "I see you've met Gwen. This is her husband, Arthur."
"Arthur?"
Merlin's brow furrowed with confusion before understanding flooded his eyes.
The blond shook his head before walking forward and extending his hand. "Bradley. My friend's call me Arthur. Long story."
She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Merlin tells us that you're good friends with Gaius?"
"Gaius?"
Guinevere snorted in the background, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. "Oh, this just gets funnier and funnier."
"That's what we used to call him," Arthur explained. "A long time ago."
Richard had never talked about them before until a few weeks ago. What had happened that had kept them from each other for so long? They had clearly been close once upon a time. "Oh."
Merlin walked towards his kitchen, grabbing two more bowls out of the cabinet. "Arthur, coffee?" When his friend nodded, he grabbed two coffee mugs as well. "So, we were thinking that after breakfast, we'd go see Richard? Assuming, you'd like to come, of course."
"Yes, definitely."
Guinevere swallowed a bite of her cereal. "What about the rest of the guys? I'm sure they'll all want to see him too."
"Well we can't all go at the same time, right?" the young man chimed in.
"The guys will take shifts, I guess?" Arthur said. "I don't know. We'll work it out. Later."
These people intrigued her. As they continued to talk amongst each other, Rylee guessed there was a lot more to these people than meets the eye. Excluding the fact that they all had Arthurian legend nicknames.
Take Merlin for example. He was a very kind young man. Charming, even. But though he looked like the youngest, he had an air of maturity around him. He seemed much older than he was. And the way he carried himself… It was so dignified.
And the other two. The married couple. It was the same with them. They were young, perhaps only a few years older than herself, and yet, there was still that air around them that spoke of ages of wisdom.
Stranger still, it was the same air she felt when she was with Richard.
It was disconcerting to say the least.
But oddly comforting.
Time passed quickly. They finished breakfast, got dressed, and walked out the door. Another man was just leaving his apartment, throwing his jacket around his shoulders. There had been a small frown on his face, but as he saw the group, he beamed.
"Aye, pals! Who's your lady friend here?"
He sauntered up to them and gently took her hand, brushing his lips against her knuckles.
"The name's Gwaine. Sir Gwaine. At your service."
She couldn't help the blush that crept across her face. "Um. Rylee."
"Ah, geez," Merlin snorted.
Arthur and Gwen rolled their eyes in unison, smirking knowingly.
But too soon the devilish smile faded from his lips and the small frown returned. "You guys are going to see Gaius?"
Another person Richard never talked about.
Merlin's eyes hardened and he nodded.
"Well, let me know how it goes, okay?" He looked mainly to Merlin as he said it, but gave each of the others a glance too.
"We will," Arthur promised.
As they left, Rylee didn't miss the way Gwaine clapped his younger friend's shoulder sympathetically and squeezed. It added to her confusion, and frankly, her frustration. Merlin had clearly been close with his uncle. So much so that he was deeply grieving the state he was in now. So how come Richard had never talked about him? How come Merlin had never communicated with him? Why hadn't they talked in so long?
She didn't understand!
Rylee squashed down her annoyance and followed the young couple to the elevator. Merlin caught up them quickly, and she saw the Gwaine person slip back into his apartment. A blush crawled across her face at the thought of the young man, and she found herself wondering what the Professor would think of the young man.
"So how long ago did Gaius begin wanting to look for us?" Arthur asked.
The young woman bit her lower lip as the elevator carried them downstairs. "It was about a month ago. He'd been in a car accident. Nothing bad," she assured them when they looked at her, shocked. "Just a concussion and a some bruising. He recovered quickly, but once his head was healed he became withdrawn and quiet. He wasn't prepared for class and he kept forgetting things. I kept asking him about it. I was really worried. He finally told me one day, and I started helping him. It was more difficult since he couldn't remember your actual names. He just kept saying 'my nephew, my nephew.' He finally saw a small article someone had done about one of your more difficult cases, and somehow knew it was you guys. I searched your names on the internet, and that was it. That was a week ago. And as soon as he had his affairs in order, he caught a flight straight here."
The elevator doors opened to the parking garage. Arthur fished the keys out of his pocket. His wife walked behind him, but glanced back as she asked, "How well do you know him?"
"Fairly well, I think. I've known him for years."
But the way Guinevere glanced hesitantly at the dark haired man made her feel like she was missing something. Something big. Anger ran through her again. These people had been out of his life for ages, so how could they possibly think that they knew more than she did about her professor?
They climbed into their SUV and Rylee reminded him of the hospital he was in. The drive didn't take long. Traffic was surprisingly light, and when they arrived there, the young woman didn't miss how their steps picked up. Gwen's hand was intertwined with her husbands, and Merlin walked closely next to them. They reached reception, and a nurse gathered Richard's information before leading them to his hospital room.
She didn't miss the sharp gasps when they finally saw him. They stopped several steps away from the bed, though Rylee kept going and pulled a chair up next to the bed. He was much the same: steady breaths, regular heartbeat, achingly still. She already felt restless. Her friend was in a coma, and she couldn't do anything to help him. Tears were already pressing against the backs of her eyes.
"I'm going to run down the hallway and get some coffee," she said, digging a few coins out of her purse. "I'll be back soon."
