He woke up with a start, making the squiggly lines on the monitors next to the bed move erratically for a few seconds, before returning to a soothing sinus rhythm.
Needing the fraction of a second to remember where he was and why, Esposito closed his eyes momentarily when the headache returned with a vengeance, making him question if he was about to give himself a brain bleed after all.
Castle's warning had held true, causing a nurse to wake him up every couple of hours on the dot, asking questions about his name, birthdate, job and day of the week, which he'd been answering satisfactory so far.
Ironically, it had been Ryan who'd been affected the most by the constant commotion, the detective falling back into a deep slumber, if not out-and-out coma, after each visit.
Careful not to aggravate the right side of his face more than necessary, Esposito turned his head just enough to make out his partner draped over the plastic chair like a wet towel, leaning back spread eagle, breathing deeply.
His dress shirt and tie were a cluttered mess by now, a half-eaten cafeteria doughnut sitting next to him on the small bedside table.
Ryan's head was tilted back at an uncomfortable angle, his mouth slightly open.
It caused Esposito to snicker, then check the clock near the ceiling. He had another ten minutes of peace before the nurse would show up again, her empathetic mannerism doing little to his aggravated state of mind considering the fact that he was trapped here for at least two more days.
With a weary sigh, he glanced down at his broken wrist, barely feeling any pain thanks to the powerful meds rushing through his system.
A healthy assortment of black and blue marks covered the top of his hand, stemming from a battle he knew he wouldn't win but had to fight anyway.
For Beckett's sake. For the sake of a young girl who could no longer speak for herself. And for the sake of justice.
Deeply engrossed in his brooding, Esposito didn't realize that Ryan had woken up until he felt a hand on his shoulder, the move making him flinch.
"You should get some rest while you can. I am sure that power-hungry sadistic nurse will be back before too long."
"I am fine…", Esposito replied matter-of-factly, taking a shallow breath when the ribs in his back protested, "You on the other hand look like death warmed over. Why don't you go home and get some rest? I ain't going nowhere."
"I got my orders. I am here to protect you."
"The hell you doing that sleeping on the job. Just go home and be with Jenny. I'll be fine."
"Yeah, but you don't know that.", Ryan countered argumentatively and leaned forward to stretch his sore muscles, "Those Dark Shadows guys got away. They could try to finish the job and kill you."
"I'll strangle them with the IV lines and gauze wrap if they decide to show up."
His cocky response made Ryan narrow his eyes, then scoff.
"All that tough talk isn't going to help you if they put a bullet in your brain. Or if they try to poison you. Or strangle you. Don't you think that under the circumstances, Steward would want to eliminate any witnesses? He can already smell his election win. He's not going to stop for a city cop who might testify against him."
"I told you to stop worrying so much…These guys already learned the hard way that I am too stubborn to die.", Esposito began just to have his partner point an angry finger at his chest.
"And I think that's a defense mechanism. It's all part of that macho façade you're putting on, the…ehm…the tough guy image. That unbreakable Special Forces dude turned hero cop who isn't afraid of anything. But I think you are afraid of something. I think you are afraid of people actually caring about you because you have this weird code of honor where only you are allowed to worry about your friends, not the other way around. But that's not how it goes, Javi. And I know for fact that's not how it felt like finding you in that warehouse. It scared the hell out of me. I was sure you were dead."
Ryan's candid words made him fall quiet for a beat, letting the message sink in before a half-hearted, careless comment could escape his lips. Usually the one to share his wisdom with the younger detective, the current situation made him feel awkward, downright uncomfortable.
"You need to accept the fact that people care deeply about you, Javi. I am your partner. And I know that most of the time it's me you worry about, but…I also worry about you. I don't want to see you hurt. I sure as hell don't want to see you killed. And I would appreciate it if you stopped making light of one of my worst nightmares. Stop treating it like something that could never happen to you. Because it almost did."
He opened his mouth to respond when a nurse entered the room, armed with a fresh bag of IV fluids and medication, her expression changing to light surprise when she saw him awake.
Esposito turned his head back toward his partner, cocking it slightly, then managed a smile.
"Thanks, bro. I'll…I'll work on it."