A/N; we're back, and if it wasn't for the reviews I would not have had the inspiration to continue with this fic.
Dib; Please let it end and write something better!
Hex; (seals Dib's mouth with tape)
Disclaimer; we do not own Invader Zim. Nor do we own Zim's house… his pyjamas… his socks…
Debacle Chapter 4;
The clouds still obscured the stars. But Dib didn't notice. The sirens had softened as the police searched other areas. What would they do once they found out it was him who had done this? His fame would be torn and his heroics would be tainted. However, he had already made his choice, and that was to keep Zim as an enemy and a friend.
Zim wasn't any better from the whole ordeal. His clothes lay in a tenderly folded pile by his bed but he hadn't regained consciousness. Dib set up monitors and carefully attached wires onto the invader's skin to keep a visual on his vitals. Dib rubbed at his eyes while he worked. He was tired but he wasn't going to sleep. Worry, fear, confusion. Yet tiredness impaired his concentration, and he needed it to have a chance at keeping Zim stable.
By 3am, it was still sickenly dark. He had wrapped Zim in special medical blankets and had equipped an oxygen mask over his mouth. But none of it seemed to be improving his condition. Dib pulled at his hair. What had those scientists done to him? And they hadn't bothered to clean or even attempt to heal any of the wounds from the car accident days before. Dib felt the tears well up in his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried, but he knew it had been years at least. This was all his fault. He had been the one to cause Zim these cuts, lesions and wounds. Some emotional. "I just didn't think. It's a weakness… being human I guess."
He shoved the past behind him, took Zim's suit and started to repair it through stitches and various glue techniques to make it looking almost new again. The good news was, Zim's vitals didn't deteriorate but they didn't improve either. By dawn, he heard his father move around upstairs as he got ready for work. Dib could only hope he wouldn't notice anything out of place. It wasn't like the scientist wasn't going to go into his room to check on him. He never did. Yet he failed to suppress his worry.
Dib reached for a bacteria free cloth to dip it into water to clean Zim's wounds when he realized with a sharp jolt that Zim was allergic to water. He rubbed at his temples, trying to figure out how to do this without making the fragile alien worse? This whole 'rescue' was fraught with complications. He couldn't give anything, like pain killing drugs or stimulants. He could be allergic to any one of those.
He pulled up his sleeve to check his watch for the time. In his concern he had forgotten to change from his ebony uniform that he had used to sneak in the lethargic shadows in the dank Lab. Fortunately, he still had time before breakfast. Opening a basic medical kit, Dib took out gauze, bandages and cream. Something needed to be done or the slit skin and the deep wounds were bound to get infected. There was a deep puncture in his thin side and it wept emerald green, ruining the sheets beneath him. Dib bit his lip until he drew blood. They had been so cruel to him. "Zim… I'm sorry." He whispered before attempting to stitch together the hole.
"We've you been?" Gaz bothered to ask as they sat at the table eating breakfast. It was 7 am. Dib ploughed through his scrambled eggs in an untidy fashion.
"Busy with… urm… computer." He put simply, trying to hide his lie. He wasn't very good at it, but luckily, Gaz didn't seem to notice.
"Whatever." She went back to her cornflakes. "Did you hear the news on the radio before you came down? Someone stole your alien."
"Really?" He tried to sound shocked and surprised.
"Yeah."
"Did they catch him on CCTV?"
"Yep. Though they haven't updated on their latest information yet but I'm sure we'll get some pictures of who done it this afternoon." Dib gulped down the last of his eggs. Panic welled inside him and made his face flush slightly. He rose from his seat and dumped his dirty plate on the side. He needed to see Zim again. He couldn't leave him any longer. He was too weak to survive without help. He was about to step out of the kitchen when…
"Son?" Pro. Membrane piped up, folding his newspaper in half, "where do you think you're going?"
"Urm… up to my room or…"
"Clean up your plate first." He ordered sternly, and "hurry or you'll be late for work."
Dib swallowed dryly. Great. He had forgotten about that. Now what was he going to do? Call in sick? "Okay, dad." He washed his plate and ran out of the kitchen before anymore interruptions could intervene in his path.
"I can't go to work." He mumbled to himself. He opened the basement door, then locked it behind him. "Oh, Zim. What would you do?" It was a stupid question. How could he ever do in this situation? And he felt incredibly nervous about facing people again after that deed last night. Not that they could know about it but guilt and fear overrode reason.
"Dib?" The voice was almost like a blessing. The human perked up instantly and ran over to the small bed. Zim was panting and his face was a chalky pale green. Sweat dripped down his cheeks like incessant raindrops.
"Zim! It's me!" He said quietly, "how do you feel?"
"Help…" He choked, closing his eyes, "Gir, help…" He fidgeted, tried to move. Fatigue and pain prevented him from doing much.
"Calm down! It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you anymore, I promise. You're safe. Safe." He found himself repeating the words automatically as he fought to comfort his fragile nemesis. He put an arm round him. "Safe." The words seemed to reach him. The alien growled angrily in his hold as he tried to bite back his yelps.
"Gir…" He mumbled as if in a reverie, "Help me…"
Dib untied his grip. "Zim? What do I do? What can I give you? You might be allergic to the drugs I give you." It was a hopeless plea, but desperate. Besides, how was Zim to know any better? The alien looked up at him strangely, as if he had trouble recognizing him. His brow was fused and his eyes struggled to remain slightly open.
"Why… Dib?"
The human was surprised that Zim had yet to insult him. But that was probably because he was too sick and exhausted. Then he gradually began to black out. Dib realized a little too late, but reacting any earlier would have made no difference. "No, Zim! Stay with me! Aw, great!" Unconscious again, and probably for another long time. Dib was once again alone. He tried to put on a straight face without bursting into fresh tears. At least Zim would never know that his arch nemesis had been bawling in front of him. He took Zim's tiny, limp hand in his and squeezed. "You can make it." He whispered to the inert alien, "you can get better. Survive what I put you through, please." I still need you. I can't deny it any longer. I don't know why, but it's destiny to be together, as eternal enemies and eternal friends.
He tended to the last of the wounds cautiously. Zim didn't react at all to the cream and the crape and thick, soft bandages wrapped nicely around his thorax and gaunt arms. Then there was the PAK. It still hummed abnormally. Dib straightened his back and carefully turned Zim over so that he lay reasonably comfortable on his sore front. "Well, I guess I gotta try and fix it." He was sure he couldn't make it any worse than it already was but crossing the bounds into the Irken territory of technology left him feeling uneasy and non the wiser. "Come on, Dib." He told himself, "your supposed to be a genius at this sort of stuff. You can do this. There's nothing hard about it." He grabbed a few tools and looked at the time. Nearly half seven. Definitely no work today. Couldn't leave Zim alone. No way.
Working without removing the PAK and therefore not risking Zim's already tarnished life, he steadily labored under the light of his lamp, carefully adjusting and stringing together wires and tubes. Zim sometimes moaned and jolted, but he believed it was from the cause of nightmares. Or pain. Zim wasn't under anaesthetic yet, which was very dangerous.
When the adjustments were done, Dib decided to leave the rest as it was. Once Zim was better (if at all) then he could sort it out himself. But until then, his minimal repair job had to do. He sat at his desk and called work. He got the answering machine. "Not coming to work today," he stated flatly, "I'm calling in sick." At last, a day to spend time how I want it. "My number is 457200." He hung up abruptly. Whatever. That was over with.
Zim awoke again at midday. He opened his eyes with a struggle and tried to place where he was. He wasn't home. No. He was in some other strange, cold place. The tubes to the side reminded him of the Lab and there was a desk, a computer… all the horrid memories came back to him. He remembered the scientists taking particular interest to his side and roped a scalpel into him. It hurt so badly! And they didn't allow him the dignity to have any painkillers. No. They wanted to learn, observe. How much pain tolerance he had. He saw movement in the shadow of the dim light and he screamed hoarsely.
"NO! Don't do it! PLEASE NO! I'LL LEAVE! I PROMISE!"
"Zim! ZIM!"
"D-Dib?"
"Yeah, easy. I hope no one heard you. Though there shouldn't be anyone up there. My sisters working and so is my dad. You scared me Zim! Calm down. You're safe with me. You're in my basement, away from any harm. Trust me."
"How can I trust you when you were the one who turned me in?"
Dib sighed. "I know. I've got a lot to explain. I owe it to you. I owe a lot to you." He saw that the bandages had absorbed green blood. They would need changing. "Zim… I… I need to know what you're tolerant to. Can you take painkillers?"
"I think so Earth beast! But I can't understand, why you're helping me… I hate you humans, you are confusing…" He was drifting. Dib took out a syringe from his desk drawer and filled it with an azure liquid that sploshed around inside.
"I'll explain later. Right now I need to give you this, though I'm only going to give you a small dosage. Keep still."
Zim growled as the needle aligned with a vein and the serum was injected into him. His eyes looked up at Dib with modest confusion. "I don't… understand… you wretched creature!"
"I know you don't, Zim, but I'm fixing my mistakes." Once every last drop of blue fluid was injected into Zim's body, he removed the needle and pressed an antiseptic over the hole.
"Dib why did you do it? You were there laughing while I was chained… you were so happy and…"
"I may hate you, Zim. But I saw who I had become. Greedy, powerful, heartless. What I had done to you was low. Taking advantage while you lay on the road… bleeding. I was such a coward. If anything, Zim, a victory has to be hard-won. I was so ashamed of myself. So I took back my actions and saved you from that awful place I put you in. So now you're here, safe at my house until you can stand on your own two feet!"
Zim coughed and let his eyes drift to the blankets swathing him. "Thanks… I guess. But it doesn't…"
"Later. Right now I've tasted fame and it wasn't as pleasant as I thought it would be. Besides, I'm sure I'll have my proper victory some day, but not like this."
"Dib? I have a request. I want to go back to my base…" His claws gripped the cyan covers, "please… I want to go home…"
"But your house… it's been sectioned off, in quarantine, the cops will…"
"Please."
Dib understand. He could see why he wanted to leave so desperately. This place was dark, it had tubes and glass cylinders and overhead surgical lamps. It was a horrible dusty room. "Ok. I'll see what I can do." They met eyes. Zim believed the trust he saw behind the boy's glasses for perhaps the first time.
The painkillers helped Zim to have an easier sleep and nothing bad like violent side effects were apparent. Dib sat stitching and perfecting the last loose threads for Zim's costume. When it was complete he laid it out for him. Getting the alien into his home was going to be tricky. It would be too conspicuous. It was time to do another little planing of his own.
TBC
A/N; I am so slow on writing out this fic. But I've nearly finished. See ya!