Interesting Times, Chapter 21
By GirlX2
0o0o0o0
Ted's first conscious feeling was pain. That was hardly a surprise, given what he'd been through in the last few hours, but it was surprisingly light. He felt itchy more than anything else.
He was lying somewhere cool, soft, and quiet; a hospital no doubt.
He could hear someone else breathing lightly. Cautiously, he opened one eye.
Marshall sat near him, head propped on one hand, eyes closed. He was wearing scrubby clothes; he hadn't been home since getting the call about his friends. That meant little time had passed. A good sign.
Ted lifted a hand, his vision going swimmy as he tried to concentrate on it. Painkillers. That explained a lot.
In fact, everything was explained. Except…
"Barney." His voice was slurry.
Marshall blinked awake. "Ted? Bro?"
"Mar'shal." Ted tried to make his mouth work. "Wher's Barney?"
"He's fine." Marshall came fully awake. "He's with James and his Mom. Dude, how are you feeling?"
Ted shook his head. "Lousy."
Marshall nodded. "Maybe this'll help; they caught the guy."
A crooked grin broke out on his face. "Bastard."
Marshall nodded. "Barney told me. They've got Adele too; she's okay."
Ted nodded, and let his eyes close. "Am I really screwed up?"
"You'll be okay. Nothing a few stitches won't fix." The easy tone told Ted this was true.
It was only then he allowed himself to drift off; not back to sleep, but back to the warm, dark place he'd been moments ago.
He wanted to be awake when Barney came back.
0o0o0o0
Robin, Lily, and Barney came back to Ted's room at the same time. James handed him to Robin, without the slightest compunction.
"Hey." He smiled at her, a tad shy. "I um…yeah."
"Yeah." She and Lily echoed, the same awkward smiles pasted on their faces.
"Is Ted awake yet?" Barney stared at the wood as if he could penetrate it with his gaze alone.
"Let's see." Lily pushed the door open.
Ted's eyelids fluttered at the noise, but didn't open. Marshall looked up at them, grinning.
"He was just asking about you."
"Ted?" Robin edged closer, suddenly conscious of the crowding in the tiny suite. "Hey, Mosby. Wake up."
Ted's eyelids fluttered again, this time staying open.
"Barney." He seemed relieved at the sight of his friend, even clothed as he was in a tiny hospital gown and trussed in several splints.
"How you feeling?"
"Lousy." Ted shrugged. "Bet'r now."
Robin gently set Barney on the pillow. He immediately scrambled onto Ted's chest.
"I'm sorry." Barney rushed the words out over Ted's mumbled protests. "If it wasn't for me, this wouldn't have happened."
"Don' be stupid." Ted's eyes closed. "Bobby. All him. You saved my life."
"You saved mine."
"Even, then." Ted smiled dimly, falling back towards sleep. "I…wasn't good enough."
"You were amazing." James' finally spoke up.
Ted's eyes snapped open. "James…I…"
"Saved Barney's life. I'm sorry I ever doubted you." James took his hand in a firm grip. "And if you two don't stop apologizing, I'll smack both of you into next week."
This elicited a laugh, breaking the tension.
"I'll see you in the morning, bro." Barney looked to Robin for help. "Assuming someone will take me back to the apartment."
"Y-yeah. Of course." Robin laid her hand before him, hoping he hadn't noticed the tremor.
"You get t' go home. Lucky." Ted sighed, already half asleep.
"Yep, lucky lucky me." Barney said soothingly. He motioned at the door. Robin slipped out of the room, James and Marshall in tow. Lily could stand watch for a while.
Waiting in the hallway were two policemen.
"Sir, I'm officer Jones, this is officer Smith. We need to take your statement."
"Yeah, I figured." Barney looked to Robin. "Can you wait a while?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Good. Marshall?"
Marshall gently picked him up. "I'm Mr. Stinson's attorney. Where can we do this?"
As the men broke into legalese, Robin retreated to James's side.
"You have a key to Ted's place? I assume Barney's current apartment is still there."
"Of course." She watched them disappear down the hall. "We've all got keys for everyone's place. All except for Barney; he was barely ever at home except to get laid and sleep."
"I see." James held his hands up, placating.
"What?"
"You just sounded a bit pissed about that last part."
"Sorry."
James studied her for a moment. "He's in love with you, you know."
"He's not."
"Excellent defense." James rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't know if this is a straight people thing, or just a Barney and you thing, but one of you has to be honest with the other one. It's getting painful to watch."
Robin had no reply for this. She opted for a derisive snort, feverently hoping Lily would join them in the hallway
"Barney…you know about his fiancé, right? About what that bitch did to him?"
She nodded.
"Just do me a favor, and keep that in mind." James watched as the men vanished down the hallway. "He can't deal with having his heart shattered right now."
A litany of denials rose to Robin's lips, the least of which was 'He's stronger now.'
'James' is his brother. He knows Barney better than I ever could.'
She just had to keep telling herself that.
0o0o0o0
Marshall kept his face stony as Barney told his story. The last thing he needed was for his lawyer to lose his lunch in front of the cops. It was all Marshall could do to keep his breathing even and not let his stomach heave.
'Spewing is not an option.' He swallowed hard against the sour taste. They were holed up in a kitchenette—no good place to vomit.
"…And that's when he started to st…sta…" Barney paled alarmingly. "C-could I please have some water?"
"Of course." The cop set down a paper cup Barney could have drowned in. "Um…"
"It's cool, I've got it." Marshall dug into the depths of his coat and retrieved a metallic jigger.
Barney accepted the water gratefully and took a few deep breaths before continuing. His color failed to return. "That was when the guy started stabbing T-Ted. I was in his jacket, so I couldn't see anything, but I could hear…and f-feel."
Marshall stopped himself from reaching out and stroking Barney's back, but only just.
"Ted was b-bleeding, but by then I could hear someone smashing the door in—After that I kinda…I don't know, faded out. I didn't really come to until…"
"When, sir?"
"When my friend Robin found me on the ground."
The two cops exchange a quick look.
"I think that's all we'll need for the moment, Mr. Stinson." Officer Jones' voice was kind. "If you'd like, there are a number of counselors who work with trauma victims. I could give you a number-"
"I-I'm-"
"Don't you dare say fine." Marshall said sharply. "I'll take a card for whoever you think would be best suited."
Barney nodded, something like shame flitting across his face.
The cops gave him the card and hastily exited the tiny kitchenette. Marshall waited a nanosecond before bending over the sink and heaving.
"Marshall!"
'I'm cool." Marshall managed after rinsing his mouth, and to a greater extent, the sink. "But if that's just from hearing it…dude, you're going to see somebody about this."
Defeated, Barney managed a nod.
"Good. Now let's get the hell outta here."
0o0o0o0
To be continued.
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A/N Usual apologies for lateness. New development, though: I'm also job hunting. Yay. At least I'm still employed, unlike so many of my friends. Can't complain too much.