THE SOMA SAGA VI: VIGIL
"Hold his wrists, okay?"
"Why?" Raph questioned. "What's gonna happen?"
"Jerking out his IV tube is what's not going to happen." I poked the plastic hose with a syringe, pressing the plunger and watching the drops intertwine with the flow of saline. "There's the flumazenil." I grabbed the second syringe from the table and repeated. "And there's the epinephrine. Mike, start getting the icepacks on him."
"His skin feels cold enough, dude." Mike noted.
"Not for long." I barked. The beeping tempo on the heart rate monitor became noticeably quicker. "These two should shock him out of his state, but with this much adrenaline in his veins, it's probably going to cause some hyperthermia. And would you two stop asking so many questions?" My eyes shot to the computer screen to see how his vital signs were reacting to the dose. "I know what I'm doing."
"Sorry, Doctor D." Mike grabbed a couple handfuls of ice packs from the bucket on the floor and slid them in around Leo's shell. His heartbeat quickened. I cupped an ear to his chest, and his breathing had gone from shallow to full, exercising pace. My fingers lingered on his solar plexus, noticing how warm he was to the touch.
"More ice on his head and neck. Raph, make sure you've got him tight." Suddenly, like a fish crashing through the surface of the water, Leo's eyes burst open. His mouth was panting, and chest heaving up and down with ragged breath.
"Agh!" he panted. "Ah, shit!" His eyes darted around the room, but I wasn't sure his mind could register where he was. Fibrous tendons crawled in his wrist against Raph's grip, as every muscle in his body yearned to contract. I slammed his legs to the table as they began to flail around and draw up toward his chest. Hunched over between his knees, I stared straight into his eyes in attempt to get his attention.
"Leo." No response. Mike secured his head, and his eyes locked on mine. "Leo. I need you to focus." His torrent of curses calmed relatively into a constant heavy pants and gasps as his wild animal gaze stared back at me.
"Donnie." He breathed.
"Yeah, Leo. It's me. You need to calm yourself down."
"Ngh!" He pined through barred teeth.
"Come on. Just take deep breaths. Meditate." By this point, the antidotes were already fully absorbed, but I knew his body needed to stabilize soon, or his heart would be under way too much strain. He puckered his eyes, and I could practically hear the ice packs sizzling on his brow as a waterfall of sweat covered him from head to toe. He groaned within his locked jaw, but in between cries, I could tell he was making an effort to count out his breaths. His mind's discipline over his muscles was locked in a battle with the chemical tremor in his system. The sounds he made gradually subsided into whines and gasps, as his limbs came to rest on the table in relative peace.
On the monitor, his vitals looked within normal range. It appeared he'd drifted back into sleep just as quickly as he'd broken out of it. A couple prods to the cheek confirmed he was out cold again, but everything pointed to the antidote having worked perfectly. Mike's and Raph's gazes were locked on mine, waiting for some kind of information.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Raph murmured.
"Looks like it. He's capable of consciousness, but clearly still needs rest. We have to let the charcoal in his stomach absorb any remaining toxins. But we need to keep an eye on him to make sure he stays stable, at least through the night."
For the rest of the evening, we camped out in my lab, playing cards for a while and streaming a couple Bruce Lee movies on my computer to pass the time. Leo's condition stayed uneventful, except for causing a bit of a fluster when he started snoring. Tired from the stakeout and heist earlier in the night, Raph passed out in his chair midway through Fist of Fury.
"What do you think Leo's gonna be like when he wakes up?" Mike asked out of the blue when the credits rolled.
"Still pretty messed up." Don sighed. "Taking him off the etizolam will cause some intense withdrawals. Plus, his memories of the last couple weeks might be…nonexistent, for all I know. Maybe even further than that."
"Damn." Mike paused to yawn. "Listen, Donnie. I figure this whole episode proves we shouldn't be keeping any secrets from each other."
"You're right." I wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"So, yesterday, before Leo passed out…he kissed me. Or maybe I kissed him. Well, we kissed." I tried my best not to show any jealousy.
"Does Raph know?"
"Yeah, I told him while we were topside. He wasn't mad; said he'd get his revenge by kissing you, but he might have been joking.
"Oh…" I felt a blush tinge my cheeks.
"Anyways…Do you think I should talk to Leo about it? When he wakes up, and all?"
"No." I answered hesitantly. "I don't think he'll remember a moment of yesterday. Plus, it was the drugs and liquor that kissed you, as far as I'm concerned. Leo hasn't been in full control of himself for a long time now."
"Fair enough." He sighed. "But it's not like I didn't like it. You don't ever think about…I don't know, mixing it up?"
"I'd prefer not to think about it until Leo's back, and we can all talk about it together." I let my head rest in my hands, looking down at the tiles on the floor. "Besides, it's not like I don't love you and Raph too. But I could tell from a mile away that you guys have something special. And I'd like to think Leo and I have the same thing going on. Guess we'll see if that's still the case when he wakes up."
"Aw, D, I didn't mean to get you thinking like that." He got up from his seat on the floor and embraced me tightly. "Don't trip, bro. I'd never step on anything of yours' that you really care about. I'm sorry for even letting the kiss happen. And you're right, about having something special and all. The past few months have been pretty rough, but I think we all learned some pretty cool things from them, too. Cool enough that I know he's gonna remember what you and him have when he wakes up." His palm came to rest on my shoulder with fatigued grip. "You changed his world, dude."
"I just hope I can change it back to normal, too. Considering it's really my fault he is where he is right now."
"Any of us would have done the same if we knew as much as you do. That's why I know Leo's gonna be okay. I believe in you, Doctor D." He stretched his arms over his head in a catlike way, a yawn erupting from his mouth. "Gonna crash on the couch in the living room. You should catch some z's, too."
"Once he stays stable for a couple more hours, I'll be able to sleep easier."
"Total Don move." He smiled. "Holler if you need me."
"G'night." Mike paced out of the lab, but paused for a moment in the doorway.
"One more thing, Donster. You don't have to answer this if you don't wanna, but…" he hesitated, finding his own peculiar way to phrase it. "…When you and Leo fuck, who's…uh…the dude?"
"You mean who's on top?" I corrected, feeling blindsided by his question as my cheeks felt hotter again.
"Yeah. I've been dying to know, I guess."
"Well, back and forth, really, at first. Recently though, he's been letting me top more often." Mike's face lit up with a dumbfounded glow.
"Woah…" His eyes narrowed and a mischievous grin crawled across his face. "'He's been letting you', huh? I see you, D."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I stammered.
"You two are low-key mad freaky. That's radical." He cackled childishly at the new knowledge.
"What about you?" I shot back.
"You really gotta ask?" He continued laughing. "Tried topping once, and the drama queen put a stop to that real quick. Not that I wouldn't be a totally gnarly stud at it if I got the chance, though."
"I can only imagine."
Decided to lighten the mood at the last minute. Tired of all the darkness and drama, aren't you?
JK I already have the next super awesome plot arc planned out. Kinda.
Review and fav so I know what the details should be?
