Once again I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I've been getting. I seriously don't understand it. I wish I could thank everyone personally for either adding this story to their alert list, adding this story to their favourites, and for all the kind words in the reviews. Hopefully this is an improvement to the last chapter, I've really tried to take everything on board. Once again thank you, you are all amazing people.
Hopefully this chapter is good enough! Sorry for the longish wait. Again review/give constructive criticism if you have the time and/or want to.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine just borrowing.
Hospitals were not a place that most people enjoyed. It was not because of the fact people were sick, but more the feeling that people died in the very rooms that filled the building. It was always grim thoughts that filled the minds of the people who waited for news. No matter how minor the actual incident had been. It is important to remember that for some the grim thoughts could well be the reality they'd have to face. In hospitals time did not seem to exist as it did in the world outside the doors. Day could turn to night and night could turn to day and not a person would notice. Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like eternities. It was hospitals that people tended to hate most. The waiting, the not knowing. Being completely in the dark about everything around them.
For the members of K-Unit they all had a certain degree of dislike for hospitals. On more than one occasion having ended up in them because the other side had managed to do some damage. It was a rare occurrence but had happened once or twice. It was however when a boy no older than fifteen had been rushed in after pretty much dying on them that they felt this hate for hospitals surface a lot more strongly than it had ever before. It wasn't like any of them could do anything more. They'd done their bit and usually at this point the four men would arrange another time to meet and then would head in separate directions. On that day, for that mission that was not the case. They had all just sat down on the chairs of the waiting room, all looking a little out of place and had just waited for news of the boy. Minutes slowly passed. Each man taking it in turns to get to his feet and pace around the small virtually empty room they had been shown to. It was almost two in the morning so apart from the odd person it was fairly quiet. Each person in the room was worried about something, so there was a mutual silence.
Wolf was currently the one pacing. His mind playing over and over the events of what had just happened. He couldn't believe it. Wolf could not believe it. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the broken and bruised body of Cub. The screams of the boy a faint sound in the background. Wolf did not know Alex that well. The time they'd met at the Brecon Beacons he had been truly horrible to Cub. He had put the kid down, mocked him and generally just acted like the world's biggest dick. He had never for one second actually thought about what the boy was doing in such a place. A pissed off parent had been his first and last thought on the situation. Wolf stopped mid step as he thought this. He turned to his team who all looked completely shattered and gave a light cough to attract their attention.
"What about Alex's family? Shouldn't someone try to contact them? Surely his parents or some guardian has been looking for him?" Wolf stated, almost desperate that the boy was not alone in the world. After all how willing would the boy be to live if he didn't have anyone to live for. Fox was the one who nodded and got up to make the call. Wolf was sure that Fox was actually going to have to call MI6 so that they'd be able to then find his parents and the man was aware this would be no walk in the park. Wolf was hopeful they'd find someone. As soon as Fox had left the room, the silence took over once more. Snake and Eagle both staring directly at the floor, Wolf beginning to pace again.
The paramedic, Tessin, had spent the past ten minutes since bringing Alex into the Emergency room telling people about what he thought was wrong with the boy and trying to find out if the boy was going to be okay. Even though it was the end of Tessin's shift and while he wanted to be heading home, he just couldn't. Not until he knew if the boy was going to be all right. He found himself making his way to the waiting room. He stood just outside the room, taking in the three of the four army men that were in the room. Tessin wasn't allowed to talk about what he'd seen, but he couldn't quite get over the fact that just minutes ago he'd been frantically doing CPR on a fifteen year old boy. The boy was too young. And Tessin really hoped for a positive outcome of the entire situation. He was not however stupid, the boy's chances were slim.
Wolf glanced up as he heard someone enter the room. He'd hoped it would be Fox, but since they were dealing with MI6, he'd been doubtful. It surprised him a little to see the paramedic standing in front of him. He'd thought the man would just head home. Forget about everything that he had seen, and just move on with his life. But it was clear that the man did not often have to preform CPR on a young teen. Wolf stopped his pacing and sat down on the chair next to Eagle, staring at the paramedic as he did so. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't even remember the guy's name. All the paramedic had been was the guy pleading with Alex to breathe. Which was a memory Wolf was keen wanted to forget.
"Heard anything?" Tessin asked as he took a seat next to Wolf. All Wolf could do in response was shake his head. Of all the people that would know if Alex was going to be alright the paramedic, surely, was that guy. But it was clear that no one had been told anything. Wolf did not like that. It was better than bad news but it didn't instill confidence in him that everything would work out.
"How was he as he was being brought in? What are his chances?" Which was Eagle's subtle way of asking if Alex had even been alive as he'd been rushed in. Tessin took a deep breath. He could feel the eyes of the three men upon him. How could he tell them, that he didn't think the boy's chances were high. If he had any at all. The paramedic looked up at the three men sitting around him. It was clear that all the men wanted to be more hopeful than they were feeling. Tessin quickly cleared his throat.
"Honestly, things did not look good. Even though I was able to bring him back, his pulse was still way too weak. His ribs are probably suffering a lot right now. It's a wonder that as far as I could see none had punctured either the skin or his lungs." The paramedic spoke slowly, as if clearly not actually wanting to speak the answer to the question. "He's in good hands, but I'm pretty sure he started crashing again just as they were taking him away. Why I don't know more about what's going on right now. The problem is maybe a little more than just the injuries. There is probably a part of Alex that has given up. So, things are not in the boy's favour."
"Oh" Was the singular word all three army men muttered. It was hard to think that a fifteen year old boy had given up. That someone in the prime of their life would have given up to the point of being close to choosing death over life. But then, all three men remembered where they had found him, and the scream they had heard before finding him. How long had Cub even been missing. Wolf was trying to remember any news reports of missing fifteen year olds, but could think of none with the name Alex. Eagle was looking over to the door of the waiting room. Snake was just trying to process everything. Each of the men just could not believe what was being said.
All four men were so lost in thought that none of them heard Fox reenter the room. The man had just spoken to many people in MI6 - most of whom had tried to get him to hang up - before finally managing to reach the head of MI6. The only person he knew would be able to give him some form of information about where the kid's parents were. Or if any family member even existed. Wolf looked up and noticed him first. The grim look on the man's face spoke volumes. The two seemed to have a small silent conversation.
"No one, really?" Wolf muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't quite believe that the kid had no one. "He can not catch a break." Both Eagle and Snake looked confused. What on earth was Wolf talking about. Both pairs of eyes were moving between the two men. They had seen Fox, but since the man hadn't said anything they assumed it had to be good news.
"Turns out Alex's parents died when he was young. His uncle died just under a year ago, and his housekeeper/guardian died about three months ago but she'd been living away from Alex for about a month." Fox said as he sat down on the ground facing the four men. He clearly was not happy about how things were turning out for Alex. "And it gets worse"
"Gets worse? How could it possibly get..." Snake said sounding completely aghast that things for the fifteen year old could possibly get worse. As if not having a family, being tortured and almost dying was not bad enough. He had however been interrupt by Fox, who'd spoken so quietly that the men weren't sure they'd heard him speak at all.
"Three months is how long he's been gone." Fox could not hold eye contact with his unit. He couldn't even look the paramedic in the eyes once he had spoken those words. Three months before, the boy had gotten home from school after being away two weeks on a small mission that had left him with a few minor bruises, and then he'd not been seen or heard from again. It had taken MI6 three months to find Alex.
"Three months?" Eagle asked, almost sounding scared, and the unit did not do scared. But it was scary to think about what the boy had been through in the months he'd been captured. Fox did not look up when Wolf stood up angrily from his seat. He paced the room for a few seconds, clearly working to calm himself down. But it wasn't working. He couldn't do it. Fox walked to the wall and punched it hard. At the sudden noise many of the people around them jumped. Most had been asleep. Snake and Eagle both rushed to Wolf as he seemed to be aiming to punch the wall again.
"Wolf!" Eagle said, holding back his fist and pulling him back to his seat. With the aid of Snake. Who couldn't seem to get any words out at all. Once Eagle and Snake had managed to make Wolf sit, a silence took over once more. Wolf did feel slightly better about having punched the wall. It had somehow made him calmer. But his hand now hurt. Still attempting to stay calm he gave a long sigh.
"That makes sense. Some of the bruising on his chest looked old. But, it's not good." The paramedic said, breaking the silence and causing all four men to look up. "But, if he's managed to make it this long, I wouldn't lose hope just yet. He's clearly a very strong person." Tessin didn't look up as he spoke. He was only speaking from what he figured after his brief encounter with the teenager. Teenagers in general were a strong breed. They managed to get past more or less anything. It was a good trait most adults lost.
"What'll happen to him if he makes it?" Wolf asked looking up at Fox. Even though he knew that Fox would just be guessing the man knew a little more about the way the system worked. Wolf was sure he knew what the man was going to say. He just wanted to hear it.
"He'll go into the system. Probably end up in a group home or something. Maybe end up in some foster family. But chances are with our bosses, I wouldn't be surprised if they just made him live in headquarters. They are now his guardians. They can do just about anything." Fox wished he could do more for the boy. Fox knew MI6, and he knew that the people there would be more than happy than to give the boy a room to stay in, at headquarters and earn his keep by putting himself in life threatening situations.
"God, this kid has no luck what so ever." Wolf said speaking quietly, still clearly angry. He was silent for a few moments and then looked up at his unit. "We should put ourselves forward to be his guardians." Wolf found himself saying. He didn't know if the others would be up for that. It was completely ridiculous. They were four army men, who didn't know the first thing about caring for others. Despite the situation Snake and Eagle both found themselves smiling at how silly it would be for them to take care of Alex. Wolf shook his head and glared at the two men.
"Come on, I'm being serious. Hear me out." Wolf started, picking his words very carefully. "He has no one else. We offer the best protection. We can stay in my apartment. It has five bedrooms. He would be able to go to school and live a somewhat normal life. Come on, we'd learn how to deal with him, but it can't be that hard, surely?" Wolf could see Snake and Eagle both looking a little more persuaded. Fox on the other hand did not. It wasn't that he didn't think they'd be able to do it, just that speaking as a spy, he knew what would run through the boy's mind.
"It's a nice thought Wolf, but I don't Alex will want to. If he even makes it. He's not the type to ask for help. After how we acted towards him at camp he would never agree to it. After everything, I don't he'll trust us." Fox looked straight at Wolf, clearly only speaking to him. "If Alex's makes it. I doubt he'll just let us help him. He'll make a run for it. All we have to do right now, is hope that he makes it." Just as those words were spoken the entire room fell into silence. How unfortunate was everything in the boy life.
All five of the men just wanted news. Anything. Something to tell them that Alex was all right. That he was going to pull through. Unfortunately no one seemed to want to do such a thing. They sat hour upon hour just waiting for the slightest bit of news. Every so often someone glanced at the door. Every so often someone would pace the room nervously. Every so often someone would fall asleep. It wasn't until it was nearing nine in the morning that a doctor made an appearance in the room. The doctor did not even need to ask who was waiting for news. He just headed straight to the five clearly exhausted men.
"Are you all here for Alex?" The doctor said, his voice somewhat grainy. The doctor was in his early forties. Tall and slim, with little hair on his head, but what appeared to be a slightly ginger beard. He had a small Scottish accent that had been dulled after many years in England. Although when he said Alex, the Scottish accent was more clear than day.
In unison the five men stood up. Eagle and Snake lingering back, while the paramedic, Tessin, Wolf and Fox stepped closer to the doctor. Wolf exchanged a look with Fox. They had both already decided that this doctor would be the barer of bad news. Wolf's mind telling him that this Doctor was here to tell him that Alex was dead.
"Yeah" Fox muttered to the man. He looked to all the men around him and noticed that they were all nodding slightly. Despite his lack of family or loved ones, Alex still had people who cared about him.
"Okay, well I'm Doctor Elijah Archer, I've been working on Alex." Doctor Archer introduced himself, letting this information sink in as if preparing himself to what he had to say next. "Now, Alex has a whole range of injuries, his left arm is broken, the right has a bad sprain. The cuts on his wrists were a lot deeper than we'd first thought. Whatever was tied around his wrists before had been helping stem the flow. Even before the bandages you'd put on." The doctor said motioning to the paramedic. "He's got a type two concussion, six of his ribs are broken, two are badly sprained. One punctured his lungs but not deeply enough to cause much damage.
"His torso was badly bruised, with bruising as new as yesterday and as old as last month. Both his front and back have a series of deep cuts, very unclean and Alex has some signs of infection because of this. His legs are the same. We had to operate because some of his stitching on his chest had become undone, and we feared he was having some internal bleeding which turned out to be false. The soles of his feet had been burned and the boy is very badly under weight, and I mean very badly. It is definitely one of the more worrying things about him. It means that Alex is very, very weak and much more likely to get an infection" The Doctor stopped and just let the information sink in. None of the men could quite believe what they were hearing. It sounded like unimaginable pain. The boy had suffered way too much. But, this did not even tell them if Alex was even alive. They figured he was still alive since the doctor had not said differently.
"So, is he going to be okay?" Wolf asked, his voice shaking slightly. His eyes desperately searching the man for an answer. Wolf knew that everything else they could deal with in due time, he just had to know if Alex was going to be all right. However to this question the Doctor looked down. The man took a deep breathe.
"We lost Alex twice after bringing him in from the make shift ambulance you came in, where I believe you lost him for a bit too. Alex is strong, but the second time he was technically dead for about three minutes. Things are still unsteady. He is not out of the woods just yet. The next twenty four hours are crucial. If his heart gives out one more time, I fear we won't be able to bring him back. However with that said, and despite my protests, I have orders telling me that he's to be moved down to London, in about two hours" The doctor said, clearly annoyed at the news of being ordered around.
"Is it wise to move Alex so soon?" Snake said, the only medic in the time was thinking that with Alex's case so unsteady, moving him to London from Carlisle would be the world's worst idea.
"No, I think it's an awful idea. That kind of movement could cause his body to panic and we don't want that. Things are so uncertain with him right now, a move like this could cause his heart to just stop." The Doctor said shaking his head as he spoke. "But it's not up to me. We have orders to have him ready to move and so it shall be. If you wish to see him, only two at a time, and you can follow the nurse right there to the ICU. Now if you'll excuse me" And with that the doctor left.
"I'm going to fucking kill them." Wolf muttered under his breath. And these words were what each member of K-Unit was thinking. The Paramedic was just cursing at the boy's bad luck. Each man shook his head, and then headed to the room the nurse was leading them to. Each not quite prepared for what they might see in Alex's room. Although all knew all the preparation in the world would not be enough for the sight which graced their eyes.