***Safety Nets---Present Day***
As Richie glanced over at the bedside clock for the fifth time in three minutes, he sighed in exasperation at the slow-moving device. Well, at least he sighed in its direction, even if the true impatience was directed at ending the anticipation of talking to Duncan.
When the Immortal met them at the hospital, he had barely said two words to him. He had simply examined the injuries for himself and talked with the doctor and Tessa about how to care for them. Somehow, Richie knew that it was not the appropriate time to initiate a dialogue.
Remembering the tension at the hospital did little to ease Richie's mounting concern over the inevitable visit from Duncan. However, the recollection wasn't completely disconcerting. Richie found himself relaxing as he recalled the way Duncan hovered over him in the emergency room. And how careful he was as they headed home. In fact, he was downright doting as he tucked the boy into bed and ordered him to rest two hours earlier.
But, even in the very beginning, Duncan had been extremely attentive and meticulous in his care of Richie.
***Flashback---Richie's perspective***
Maybe it was the size of the man. Or it could have been the sword Richie knew he was carrying. No, Richie finally admitted to himself. It wasn't fear that had motivated him to allow himself to be taken to the hospital. For some reason, one that went completely against everything he had learned in his seventeen years, he trusted this guy. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't killed him.yet. Or could it be that the guy was being really careful with his hand? Whatever it was about the man, it made Richie long to trust him.
As they entered the hospital, he forced himself to shake that desire and focus on reality. This dude obviously had money. Maybe enough that this hospital wouldn't reject him for "inability to insure payment for services rendered" as the one he had gone to only hours earlier had done. He hated the idea of depending on this guy to pay for his treatment but it was the man's fault that he hadn't been able to get the money on his own, he reasoned. If he had only let Richie finish up at that jewelry store, he wouldn't need his help.
And Richie had to admit, at least to himself, that he was desperately in need of this man's help. His attempts to remove the stinger himself had only resulted in some nasty gashes across his hand and he knew full well what could happen if the damn thing didn't come out[1].
"Mr. MacLeod?" Richie allowed the man to pull him to his feet and over to the waiting nurse.
As he was led down the hall behind the nurse, Richie found himself in awe of his surroundings. This certainly wasn't like any hospital he had been in. There were cushioned chairs everywhere, people smiled as they passed by and the medical staff didn't look like they were administering more drugs to themselves than to their patients.
When the nurse opened the door to an examination room and motioned them inside, Richie was struck by the hominess of the place. There were walls, not curtains, around the area and pictures, framed pictures, were hanging on the walls. Everything was just so, well, clean.
As he hoisted himself up to sit on the examination table, he realized that MacLeod was still hanging onto him. He hadn't even noticed that he had walked all the way down the hall with the man clinging to him.
But what was truly amusing was the way MacLeod responded when the nurse approached him. He actually stepped in front of Richie.
The old woman smiled at that and stopped momentarily. "It's alright, sir. I promise to be very gentle with him."
"Oh. Of course." MacLeod, obviously embarrassed at his protective display, quickly moved aside and allowed the nurse to near Richie. But as soon as she touched him, Richie realized MacLeod had taken his other hand and was watching her like a hawk.
Once again, he found himself desperately fighting his instinct to trust this man.
----------------------- [1] Yes, most reactions to bee stings do occur within minutes. However, in the case of Type III reactions, symptoms don't become evident until 8-12 hours after the initial sting and then, if left untreated, can result in tissue damage. This is, obviously, not a common reaction but Richie is certainly not a common person.
As Richie glanced over at the bedside clock for the fifth time in three minutes, he sighed in exasperation at the slow-moving device. Well, at least he sighed in its direction, even if the true impatience was directed at ending the anticipation of talking to Duncan.
When the Immortal met them at the hospital, he had barely said two words to him. He had simply examined the injuries for himself and talked with the doctor and Tessa about how to care for them. Somehow, Richie knew that it was not the appropriate time to initiate a dialogue.
Remembering the tension at the hospital did little to ease Richie's mounting concern over the inevitable visit from Duncan. However, the recollection wasn't completely disconcerting. Richie found himself relaxing as he recalled the way Duncan hovered over him in the emergency room. And how careful he was as they headed home. In fact, he was downright doting as he tucked the boy into bed and ordered him to rest two hours earlier.
But, even in the very beginning, Duncan had been extremely attentive and meticulous in his care of Richie.
***Flashback---Richie's perspective***
Maybe it was the size of the man. Or it could have been the sword Richie knew he was carrying. No, Richie finally admitted to himself. It wasn't fear that had motivated him to allow himself to be taken to the hospital. For some reason, one that went completely against everything he had learned in his seventeen years, he trusted this guy. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't killed him.yet. Or could it be that the guy was being really careful with his hand? Whatever it was about the man, it made Richie long to trust him.
As they entered the hospital, he forced himself to shake that desire and focus on reality. This dude obviously had money. Maybe enough that this hospital wouldn't reject him for "inability to insure payment for services rendered" as the one he had gone to only hours earlier had done. He hated the idea of depending on this guy to pay for his treatment but it was the man's fault that he hadn't been able to get the money on his own, he reasoned. If he had only let Richie finish up at that jewelry store, he wouldn't need his help.
And Richie had to admit, at least to himself, that he was desperately in need of this man's help. His attempts to remove the stinger himself had only resulted in some nasty gashes across his hand and he knew full well what could happen if the damn thing didn't come out[1].
"Mr. MacLeod?" Richie allowed the man to pull him to his feet and over to the waiting nurse.
As he was led down the hall behind the nurse, Richie found himself in awe of his surroundings. This certainly wasn't like any hospital he had been in. There were cushioned chairs everywhere, people smiled as they passed by and the medical staff didn't look like they were administering more drugs to themselves than to their patients.
When the nurse opened the door to an examination room and motioned them inside, Richie was struck by the hominess of the place. There were walls, not curtains, around the area and pictures, framed pictures, were hanging on the walls. Everything was just so, well, clean.
As he hoisted himself up to sit on the examination table, he realized that MacLeod was still hanging onto him. He hadn't even noticed that he had walked all the way down the hall with the man clinging to him.
But what was truly amusing was the way MacLeod responded when the nurse approached him. He actually stepped in front of Richie.
The old woman smiled at that and stopped momentarily. "It's alright, sir. I promise to be very gentle with him."
"Oh. Of course." MacLeod, obviously embarrassed at his protective display, quickly moved aside and allowed the nurse to near Richie. But as soon as she touched him, Richie realized MacLeod had taken his other hand and was watching her like a hawk.
Once again, he found himself desperately fighting his instinct to trust this man.
----------------------- [1] Yes, most reactions to bee stings do occur within minutes. However, in the case of Type III reactions, symptoms don't become evident until 8-12 hours after the initial sting and then, if left untreated, can result in tissue damage. This is, obviously, not a common reaction but Richie is certainly not a common person.
