The S.T.A.R.S safe house wasn't exactly what Claire was expecting. The way she had pictured it in her head was more of a high tech bunker situation, metal walls and maps of Umbrella involvement with hand drawn attack plans. In reality, it was a small two bedroom house nestled in some undisclosed suburbs that had been sparsely decorated with mismatched furniture and generic thrift store art. It had kind of a 'first apartment' vibe to it.
Claire wasn't about to complain, though. She was just happy to have somewhere to call home, even if it was just for a short time. She still had a long road ahead of her in the next few months and she just wanted some well-deserved rest and relaxation. It was nice to not have to worry about finding a place to live right away.
"I'm excited to see everyone." She smiled, glancing over her shoulder at her brother as she surveyed the living area. She wasn't sure when that would actually happen – she knew Rebecca was already working on getting Steve stable and synthesizing a vaccine against the T-Veronica virus. She hadn't been allowed to see him once they got him in a bed. He'd been in pretty bad shape when they left the island and the hours long jet ride to get back to the States didn't help. She wasn't even sure he was going to pull through, but that was the last thing she wanted to think about.
"Yeah." Chris reached out, squeezing Claire's arm. "I'm glad you're home."
She smiled again, this time noticeably weaker. "Me too." She was tired and found anxiety bubbiling at the thought that she didn't know where 'home' was anymore. As much as she was desperate for things to go back to the way they were before, she knew there was no chance. Not with what the last three months of her life had been like. "What do we have to eat here? I'm starving."
Chris couldn't help but laugh – his worry eased considering his sister still had her very healthy appetite. "I'll show you around the kitchen."
Claire's stomach rumbled loudly as she inspected the (surprisingly very full) cabinets. She couldn't remember the last time she had a truly proper meal, much less the ability to sit down at a table with hot food. The only nutrition she'd gotten the last 36 hours or so had been the energy bars she'd hastily stuffed into her mouth in between skirmishes, and before that it had been exclusively prison gruel for two weeks. The prospect of actually getting to eat three square meals a day was almost too much for Claire.
Chris said his goodbyes, apologizing for leaving Claire here alone but knowing he had to get back to Rebecca. He didn't want to leave her alone for very long, giving a purposefully vague answer about checking on the medic. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his little sister.
She'd never enjoyed a meal as much as she enjoyed her humble dinner of pizza rolls and boxed mac and cheese, she concluded after she practically inhaled everything she put on her plate. Her stomach was uncomfortably full and her eyelids felt impossibly heavy by the time she put her dishes in the sink. Threatening to fall asleep right there in the kitchen, she forced herself to shower and get ready for some well-deserved sleep.
The bathroom was small but well lit. A vase of fake flowers sat on the back of the toilet along with a small floral air freshener. She couldn't help but smile. It was especially nice after the stench of mildew, death and rot. She was very thankful for the small things today.
She stripped her clothes off, letting them fall where they landed. Her skin was visibly grimy, caked in blood, dirt and sweat. She didn't even know if it would be worth it to wash the clothes or if she would just have to trash them. She felt like it would be cathartic to burn them but figured she would worry about it later.
She let her hair down with a sigh, running her fingers through it to comb it the best she could as she let the water heat up in the shower. It felt gritty with dirt and gun powder. She stayed in the shower until the hot water ran out. She grimaced as she looked at the previously white tiles that were now covered with a thick layer of scum as she toweled off.
Her skin radiated red as she examined it in the light once she was dry. She thought for a moment that no amount of scrubbing would ever get her clean, but this would suffice for now. She touched some of her wounds gingerly, sighing. She needed to disinfect and bandage them before sleep even though she didn't have the energy. She didn't want to be something else for Rebecca to have to worry about. She wanted all of her attention on Steve.
A quick search through the bathroom cabinets and she found a plastic bin that had been colored red with a big marker reading, "medical supplies" on the opaque top. She opened it hastily, very thankful to find everything she needed inside. Bandages, disinfectant, triple antibiotic ointment and even a needle and thread. She couldn't help but shudder, very thankful that none of her wounds required stitches. She doubted she had the stomach to stitch herself up anyway.
She tossed the towel into the dirty clothes hamper and made her way to "her room." The walls were white and largely undecorated, save for some generic landscape photography. A single queen sized bed and nightstand were the only pieces of furniture in the room. A small suitcase sat opened beside the table, boasting fresh, clean clothes in her size.
Claire sat naked on the bed, taking the plastic band off of a small bottle of disinfectant. She doused a few cotton pads in it, the fumes rising from it causing her to wrinkle her nose. She didn't let it bother her too long, making quick work of treating her wounds. She bandaged the ones that needed to be covered, smeared antibiotic cream on the rest and left her trash in a small pile on the side table.
She didn't remember falling asleep. She barely remembered her head hitting the pillow, really, but she'd been so downright exhausted in every single sense of the word that it had been a miracle she stayed awake as long as she did. She slept like a baby for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.
-x-
Claire didn't know what time it was when she fell asleep, how long she was unconscious for, or what time it was when she woke up. She stretched out on the bed, feeling her shoulders and back pop as she did so. She groaned, contemplating just staying in bed for a while. But her stomach rumbled and put an end to that thought.
She begrudgingly moved to her feet, pausing only to put on clothing. She had never been so excited to put on clean underwear. She pulled a t-shirt on next and a pair of sweat pants too – just in case. She didn't know if any of the other former S.T.A.R.S. had come to visit in the time she'd been asleep and certainly didn't want to walk out half naked in front of her brother or anyone else.
The rest of the house was quiet. She poked her head into the living room to confirm her suspicions – the house was still empty. She breathed a soft sigh of relief, because she'd left the kitchen a mess the night prior. She knew everyone would understand but still didn't want to feel like she was taking advantage of their kindness.
Claire took her time cleaning as she familiarized herself more with the safe house. She didn't feel like cooking again at the moment so she stood in front of the fridge and ate some shredded cheese straight out of the bag until her hunger pangs subsided. She eyed one of the beers, wondering what time it was before giving an audible "fuck it" and wrapping her fingers around one of the bottles.
She lifted the bottle to her mouth, taking a long drink and punctuating it with a loud, satisfied smack of her lips. She found herself wondering if the TV in the living room had cable.
The blinking light on the answering machine caught her attention as she passed. She tried to remember if that was like that earlier or not. She pressed the play button.
"Hey, Claire, it's Chris. It's kinda late so I figured you were asleep, just wanted to give you an update. Steve is stable and on oxygen. Rebecca has him on fluids, pain killer and she's making real progress on a vaccine. Anyway, give me a call when you wake up, yeah? I'm on speed dial. Love you." Click.
Claire felt her stomach knot. She hadn't even thought about Steve since she'd woken up. She felt a wave of jealousy that mingled with relief. He might actually pull through this,she thought. A second beep resonated from the answering machine signaling a second message.
"Hey, it's me again. It's about….ten am. Guess you slept all night. Haven't heard from you, so, thought I'd check in again… Rebecca finished the vaccine." There was a short pause in the message. Claire found herself pumping her fist into the air in celebration without even really realizing she was doing it. "Claire, she says that it might not just kill the virus. There's a chance…." The message trailed off and she heard her brother sigh on the recording. "There's still a chance Steve might not wake up. I'm sorry Claire. I'll keep you updated. Please call me as soon as you wake up."
It was almost like she'd been punched in the gut. She felt cold and there was a familiar tightness in her stomach. She knew better than to get her hopes up. This was all guerilla warfare against the virus. They weren't making batches of a vaccine in a sterile laboratory to be tested on rats and go through a rigorous testing process. This was a last ditch effort to save him and even after everything it might not work. Her heart hurt. She wondered what time it was, eyes darting around the room until they landed on the simple black and white clock mounted on the wall. It was 7pm.
Her heart sank. He might already be gone.
She tipped the beer back, swallowing the last bit in the bottle and heading back to the kitchen looking for something stronger. She was happy to find a pint of vodka stashed in the freezer. She didn't even bother with a shot glass, pouring a sizeable amount of straight vodka into a coffee mug and throwing it back. It burned her throat and she grimaced. She had never been a fan of cheap vodka, but it got the job done.
She found herself almost on auto-pilot, heading back to bed when she heard another beep followed by Chris's voice emanating from the answering machine again. She hesitated. What if he didn't make it? What if he'd turned there, with Rebecca, and wasn't strong enough to beat it this time? Her head was swimming and she wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the thoughts about Steve running through her mind.
She finally stepped back into ear shot of the machine. She braced herself for the bad news, digging her fingernails into her palms to ground herself.
"- it's still early, but he's awake. Rebecca says it's almost a miracle. Steve's a fighter. Call me, okay?"
She wasn't aware that she was crying until the tears splashed onto her t-shirt. A sob tore through her body and she fell to her knees. It was like every emotion she'd been holding at bay came flooding out at once. She cried until she couldn't anymore and her lungs were raw and her stomach ached. Then she forced herself to her feet and called her brother. Her hands shook as she hit the speed dial button that was designated for Chris.
"Hey, Claire. Did you just wake up? I haven't heard from you in like, almost 28 hours. I was getting worried."
"Is he okay?" She asked, entirely focused on Steve's well being. 28 hours? Is that how long she'd been out?
"Yeah. Well, so far, yeah. Rebecca thinks that if there would be any life threatening complications they probably would've already happened. He is still going to have to be heavily monitored, but…. She thinks he's going to be okay, Claire."
"Can I see him?" She whimpered, wiping residual tears off her face with her palm. She still felt sick to her stomach.
"We're in the process of getting him ready for transport – now that he's stable, Rebecca was wanting to get him comfortable at the safe house to keep a bed open here… are you feeling up to helping keep an eye on him?"