A/N: Okay, so this is the shortest chapter, I'm sorry. I had to cut it based on the scene. I promise the following chapter will be all longer:)
He came to with a gasp and a bolt, only a strong pair of arms stopping him from crashing head first to the floor.
"Tomas!" Marcus shouted, his raspy voice evidence of the hours spent praying and pleading.
Dazed, Tomas realized he was still kneeling by the bed, swaying dizzily along with the room, or so it seemed. He could feel Marcus' hand on his shoulder and was thankful for the support. Marcus other hand touched his chin, pushing it up gently and Tomas knew he was checking his eyes, making sure the terrifying milky cover was gone.
"You bloody fool!" Marcus let out and Tomas jerked back, startled. The anger in Marcus' voice was much too close to the tone the demon had used and for a second Tomas felt panic at the thought that he was still trapped inside his mind, that this was just another ploy. But then the look in Marcus' eyes changed and Tomas doubted any demon could show such an emotion of caring towards another.
"It's alright, you're back. You're alright," Marcus said and kept repeating the words like a litany, giving Tomas' shoulder a strong squeeze that would bruise, but it helped Tomas to focus, to realize this was indeed real. "You with me now?"
Tomas swallowed, finding his mouth too dry to answer, so he just nodded. Marcus nodded back then let go of him, and Tomas remembered that they weren't alone, that there was a woman tied to the bed, coming back to consciousness, whimpering.
"Check on her," he whispered and pushed Marcus away, towards Erica. He watched as Marcus sat on the bed and softly spoke to the woman, checking her eyes and running his finger over her forehead in the sign of a cross, then reaching to untie her hands.
"It's okay, luv. You're back, everything is going to be alright."
"Matthew?" Erica called out the name of her husband, then her eyes widened as she was hit with the memories and she shrieked in horror. "Danny! Oh my god, what did I do? My son... where's my son?" she was panicking and Marcus struggled to calm her down. Tomas wanted to help him, to say soothing words and reassure Erica that her son was fine, that she would be alright, but he couldn't find the energy. He felt numb and disconnected, his mind struggling to put together what had just occurred.
Luckily, Marcus had forty years of experience and managed to calm Erica down enough to untie her hands and legs and to keep her on the bed, reassuring her that she did not harm her child, that the demon was gone and she was safe. Erica latched onto Marcus, thanking him and apologizing over and over.
"It's okay, luv. You will be okay." Marcus said and ran his hands over her back soothingly and at that moment Tomas wished they were alone, that it was him Marcus was trying to calm down. He quickly realized how selfish it was and pushed the longing deep inside. He didn't deserve the care, didn't deserve the softness because he was a failure. Taking in a hitched breath, Tomas pushed himself up to his feet, stumbled then straightened up, while swallowing the nausea. The detachment of his body was slowly fading and he was starting to feel the weight of his limbs, the pounding inside his brain.
The movement caught Marcus' attention and he looked at Tomas from the bed. There was concern in his eyes and Tomas felt relief upon seeing it. He was still half expecting this to be just the work of the demon inside his mind. But there were no scathing words coming from Marcus this time, only a silent question if he was alright. Tomas tried for a reassuring smile and failed. For a moment Marcus looked like he wanted to move towards him, but was stopped by Erica, still clutching at him, sobbing.
"I'll go... get some water," Tomas managed to croak out, while pointing towards the general direction of the kitchen. Marcus gave him a short nod and a look that was a mix of worry and exasperation. At this moment, Tomas couldn't deal with either, so he made his way out of the room, trying hard to pretend that he was capable of walking straight at least. The moment he was out of Marcus' sight, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. But when memories from his childhood assaulted his mind, his eyes popped open and he rushed towards the bathroom.
He didn't want to be there, the space just bringing up the memory of Marcus, but his stomach didn't give him a choice and Tomas barely made it to the toilet. At least this time the heaving stopped quickly, not that he had an appetite to eat anything these last few days. He pushed away from the toilet and made it to the sink, leaning over it much more heavily than in the morning. Looking up, Tomas was startled to see his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes were red and puffy as if he was crying... or looking into a fire. His cheeks were also flushed and for a second Tomas felt like he was still trapped inside the burning room with the demon.
Behind him, Marcus cleared his throat and Tomas startled, the only thing keeping him on his feet the white knuckled grip on the sink. They really needed to stop meeting in this bathroom, or next time it happened, Tomas would likely get a panic attack. Just the thought made Tomas blanch a little.
"Marcus, I'm..." he wanted to say sorry, but Marcus just shook his head and pushed a bottle of cold water into his hand. Tomas took the water, happy his hand wasn't shaking too badly and wondered just how long the older man was standing there, watching him, judging him.
"I called Erica's mum... she'll be here within half an hour."
"That's... good. Look, about what happened-"
"We will talk about it later Tomas," Marcus interrupted him. Tomas would have felt more relieved if he could read Marcus' emotions, but right now the man put on a mask, his eyes assessing every move he made and obviously finding him lacking. There was a small crash followed by a renewed sobbing coming from the bedroom. Marcus sighed and rubbed at his eyes tiredly.
"Go lie down in the guest room. I'll get you when it's time to leave," he said to Tomas, weariness dripping from his voice, making Tomas realize that Marcus also hadn't slept or rested for quite some time.
"Marcus-" Tomas called when Marcus turned and headed towards the bedroom.
"Not now, Tomas," Marcus shook his head, leaving much the same way as he did in the dream. Tomas stood, frozen in place, then staggered out of the bathroom. He didn't know where he was going, but he couldn't stay there.
It was almost poetic how he found himself in the boy's bedroom. Tomas stared at the small bed in the corner, prepared for when the child outgrew the crib that was currently standing empty in the middle of the room. The furniture was so far sparse, but there were toys laying all around, big blocks and toy cars in one corner, a huge stuffed bear in the other. Tomas paused in the door, leaning against the door jamb, then took a few hesitant steps inside the room and made his way over to the stuffed bear. Patting its head almost unconsciously, Tomas took in a deep breath and let it out. The room blurred around him and when he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the rug covered floor, half leaning against the wall and the stuffed bear.
He tried to get up but his head was still spinning and he decided that this was as good a place to wait as any. It was silent here; the blinds on the window were half closed, letting in only a few rays of the sunshine throwing shadows on the opposite wall. Tomas rubbed at his eyes then winced. It felt as if he was rubbing sand in them so he let his hands fall back onto his lap. The stuffed bear next to him felt soft under his shoulder... soft and warm, and if Tomas closed his eyes and let his head lean against it, he could just imagine that he wasn't sitting on a floor, alone and shaking after a demon dragged up a bunch of startling memories from his past. He could imagine that his head was resting on someone's shoulder instead, be it Mouse or Marcus... or even Olivia. And maybe if that were the truth, he could also convince himself that what he saw wasn't real.