I just finished Hannibal, and read the Red Dragon, then realized there is no more Will Graham content and that's just not acceptable.
Also not a big fan of how the writers say season 4 would've gone, or the idea that Will decided it was better to run away with Hannibal, faking their own death, and go on killing sprees. So here's my take on what would've happened if the series continued from where it left off, with Will throwing himself and Hannibal over the cliff.
Trigger Warnings: suicide attempts, heavy depression, alcoholism, cursing, severe injuries.
Molly had been waiting for hours in the police station, anxious to hear from anyone that this was all over. She had sent Walter to his grandparents for a few days, deciding it would be safest for him there. A police escort assured he got there safely. Now the only one she had left to worry about was Will, who was off playing the bait once again, with two killers who already had it out for him. The mission was supposed to have ended hours ago, and Jack had raced out of the department with several others but no one told her anything. She needed an answer, and as soon as possible.
It was well after dark when she finally heard something. Alana had come into the office. Molly didn't know her well, but knew she had been one of those whom Will had once considered a friend. And the look on her face was not one of success.
"Molly, let's sit down." She said, gently leading Molly into one of the offices. Molly had a brief flashback of a doctor telling her the same thing, when he broke the news that her husband had cancer and didn't have more than a few months left. They sat next to each other on the couch, and Alana turned so she could face Molly. Molly had to turn too, since her wounded shoulder made it more difficult to just turn her head.
"The plan didn't exactly go as planned. We don't know the whole story, only that the guards and the escort were killed, and one cop car was stolen. Dolarhyde was killed, we know that for sure. Two fishermen in the Atlantic pulled two bodies from the water. One was Hannibal, the other...was Will. Will was life-flighted to the hospital, still alive when they found him. Hannibal is dead." Alana said it mostly with the professionalism of someone who's told people hard things all the time, though her voice shook when she mentioned Will. Molly was shaking, in tears.
"Is he alive?" She asked quietly, unable to make her voice louder than a whisper.
"Yes." Alana nodded. "Jack is at the hospital now waiting to hear more. But last I heard, Will is still alive. There's a car waiting outside to take us to the hospital. Is there anything-"
"Lets go now." Molly was already up and heading towards the door. Alana hurried after her, and the two women climbed into the waiting police vehicle, which sped off to the hospital with full lights and sirens until they arrived, and were brought into the ERs waiting room.
"They haven't given me any updates yet." Jack said by way of greeting. He had been pacing the room when they arrived.
For hours, the three waited in silence. Sometimes pacing the room, sometimes sitting lost in thought. Other people came and went, most minding their own business, others giving sympathetic looks to the tear-stained face of Molly and the obvious stress in Jack and Alana. Finally, as the sun was beginning to come up, a doctor came in.
"Graham?"
"Right here." Molly had already been pacing, and the other two stood up.
The doctor came over, gesturing for them to sit down. Molly's stomach was churning with anxiety, fearing that she might be able to hear those words again, 'your husband died on the table, and we couldn't bring him back.' She wasn't sure she could handle hearing it again.
"He's still alive." The doctor began, knowing that was the most important information at the moment. There was a collective sigh of relief. "However, he is not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. Along with hypothermia, we found two stab wounds, one on his face and the other in his chest. They missed any vital organs or arteries. However, he also has multiple broken bones and fractures, and a concussion. His pelvis, left shoulder, and five broken ribs. There are several spinal fractures as well."
The doctor sighed, and looked down a few seconds before back up at the trio sitting in front of him. "These are some extensive, serious injuries. The chances of him making it through the day are pretty slim. And if he does make it, there's a pretty good chance that he might never fully recover from these injuries."
"Can we see him?" Molly asked, barely able to make the words come out. She could barely register what the doctor just said.
"Yes. But he's in a medically induced coma right now. It's whats giving him the best chance at surviving." The doctor stood, and lead the way down the hall to the elevator, and up to the ICU floor. He opened the door and stood to the side to let them in. The only reason the doctor was allowing all three in was because he didn't think this Will Graham was going to make it through the next few hours. If this was the end for the guy, he wanted his friends to get that last chance to say goodbye.
Walking into the room was like entering a different world. The lights were dimmed and the curtains closed, the only lights coming from the hallway and the many machines hooked up to the form laying on the bed. Will's face was bandaged, so only one eye was visible. His curly hair was crusted with salt and blood, and the small bit of his face that was visible was relaxed in a way he had never been before. A ventilator breathed for him, a heart monitor beeped quietly, and an IV pumped fluids into him. A heated blanket lay over his body, tucked up high around his shoulders. His body temperature read normal on the screen, but Molly knew that the type of cold from being soaking went in the winter doesn't just go away with a heated blanket. He had probably been cold to his bones, and the only way to warm up was a hot shower.
She sat in the chair by his head, using her good arm to grab his right hand. She couldn't find words to say. She was exhausted from the past few days of being in the hospital herself, and the stress of waiting to hear that Wally was with his grandparents, and then of waiting for this plan to finish, and now this, staying up all night waiting to hear if her husband was going to survive. And now he was alive, but he still might not make it.