Chapter Eight
Aramis need not have worried. Everything seemed to have caught up with Athos and he was not talking the next day. Even with lighter sedation, he lay almost comatose, roused every couple of hours to ensure he could be roused and then left alone to heal.
Aramis's leave of absence allowed him to be there by his side, but in light of Porthos's remaining absence, he was getting anxious.
So was Athos, though Kate called it "fretful." Like waking from a bad dream. He knew something was not quite right, but his thought processes were too dull to pursue it.
One time, Aramis was in the middle of another excuse and Athos let go of his hand.
That had hurt.
What was he to say? "Oh, don't worry, Athos, Porthos has just gone after Mendez, the guy who almost killed you. He'll be back soon, all fine and fit."
Athos would know what Aramis was going through, if his mind was working right, but it wasn't.
The only thing that would help would be Porthos re-appearing. Porthos though, was wont to do this when he set his mind to something. He would reappear when he had achieved what he wanted to.
oOo
Eventually, Kate had sent Aramis away to rest.
Up until now, he had taken turns with Porthos but there were only so many hours they could physically sit with their sick friend and Porthos was not there to take his turn. Aramis had taken some persuasion to leave, but Kate was a master at persuading relatives on the best option for her patients and a well-rested Aramis would be more use to Athos than an exhausted one.
Now, she switched off the bright lights, only leaving the one in the corner of the room. Sitting down, she took out her book.
Occasionally, she raised her head and looked at her patient. Truth be told, she was off duty now but Julia, her colleague, had called to say she was delayed in traffic and Kate had no qualms about staying on.
She had grown quite interested in Athos de la Fere, and his friends. But mainly, Athos himself.
Reading the same line over and over again, she sighed and closed her book. At the same time, Athos shifted and groaned. She was instantly alert and rose to her feet as Athos tossed his head away from her and hissed.
"No!" he moaned, before raising his good arm.
She managed to catch it and moved quickly to the other side of the bed. Aware he was only aware now of an SUV slamming into him, she tapped his face.
"Athos!" Wake up."
In response, he tried to pull away.
"It's not real, wake up!" she said, raising her voice.
She was about to pump sedation into him to quieten him, when he suddenly opened his eyes and gasped.
Breathing heavily, he looked wildly at her, his green eyes pinning her in place with a strength belying his condition.
"What?" he said, in confusion.
"It's not real," she repeated, soothingly. "It's just a memory."
Athos held her gaze, his frown loosening and then fading.
"Alright?" she asked, loosening her grip and finding herself holding his eyes, her other hand on his thigh.
He looked slightly embarrassed and let his gaze shift around the room for a few moments, giving them both time to disengage.
"One hell of a memory," he finally managed, letting out a long breath.
She poured water into a cup and set a straw in it, holding it to his lips.
"One hell of an incident," she said, as she watched him take his first drink.
When he froze, she put the cup away and placed it carefully back on the table, gathering her thoughts. This was the first one to one real conversation she had had with the man she had been caring for. She had watched Aramis engage him in brief moments, but had only given him brief explanations or instructions herself.
"We saw the CCTV footage," she explained. "We all did. The whole medical team. It helps us understand possible ..." she trailed off as he continued to look at her, his face now expressionless.
"Understand possible fall-out," he picked up, finishing her sentence, his voice stronger now. "Mental, as well as physical," he added.
When she didn't reply, he sighed.
"Are you going to send a counsellor in to see me?" he said, his voice now a little cold.
The thought of them all being privy to his struggle to keep control of his car rankled slightly with him. It felt like an intrusion. He knew Aramis would easily explain it away, but Aramis was not there right now, so it was to this nurse that he directed his frustration.
"If you wish," Kate replied, calmly.
He continued to breathe harshly, the vivid memories still lingering at the edge of his awareness.
"I don't," he replied, picking up the remote that had been left by his hand and dropping the bed back. Closing his eyes, his defences came down, shutting her out.
Undeterred, she pulled the sheet up over him.
"You have some interesting scars, Athos," she said.
He did not respond.
"It's an observation, not an interrogation," she added, gently, as she busied herself about the room.
He opened his eyes and watched her for a while, until she turned to face him.
"I have an interesting occupation," he eventually replied. "But you know that."
"Yes, I do," she replied. "And interesting enemies."
"It comes with the job," he said, flatly.
"It gets to us all sometimes," she said. She knew she was overstepping the line, but she could not help herself.
"I wouldn't know," he replied, bluntly. It was not a conversation he wanted.
The atmosphere seemed charged, but before she could reply, Julia bustled into the room, full of whispered apologies for being late.
"It's fine," Kate said. "We have been discussing occupational hazards," she added. "The patient's chart is up to date."
As she turned to go, dropping a hand briefly on Julia's arm, Athos watched her.
She left the room without another word to him.
"Everything alright?" Julia said, brightly, picking up on the evident tension.
"Fine," Athos said. "Do you have anything to help me sleep?"
"Of course," she replied. "I think we'll have something around here. "I'll be back in a moment," she frowned as she left the room, still a little puzzled by the obvious atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Kate was in the process of making herself a cup of coffee in the small kitchen at the end of the corridor. As she waited for the kettle to boil, she thought about the exchange she had just had with her patient.
He had a cavalier attitude about the fact that his job had brought about his current condition. Admittedly, he was a policeman. It did go with the territory, but did they believe their lives so expendable? She took a mug from an overhead cupboard and almost slammed it down on the counter.
Is that how Mark had felt? He never spoke about it, but it was inevitable, given his job, that one day, he too had faced a situation similar to that Athos had encountered a few weeks ago.
Mark had not been as lucky as Athos. He had not escaped the attack on him. And, sometime in the future, would Athos again face a situation where he would not be as lucky?
Why had she pushed Athos like that? What was it she wanted him to understand? And why did she care?
Was it because of Mark, or was it because the man down the corridor shared some very similar traits as the man she had loved and lost? Traits she admired. If these proclivities brought danger that was part of the work they did. It had surprised her how quickly she had reacted to Athos's nonchalant exclamation that he had a dangerous job and encountering dangerous men was part of that. Of course that was the case. She, of all people, knew that. While there were dangerous people, there would be men who challenged them. Athos de la Fere and his friends were such people.
Sometimes though, those men lost their lives. It was that fact that she was now having difficulty accepting. She was, she realised, still very angry at Mark.
The sudden click of the kettle switching off made her jump and she leant down to open the fridge door to retrieve the milk.
What on earth was happening to her?
If she was to do her job, such feelings must be put aside – for all concerned.
To be continued ...
