Chapter 18: Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. This is a re-uploaded chapter.

Alex woke to the soft beeping of a heart monitor and lots of pain. The only thing not normal about waking for this hospital visit were the voices. Both spoke in low monotones, and though they were quiet one voice would occasional raise in what Alex could only guess was anger. The heart monitors beeping kept sending spikes of pain through Alex's head, each worse than the last. He groaned, trying to turn in the bed in the hopes of getting comfortable, only to have his arm snag on something. He blindly felt for whatever was restraining him. Someone gently grabs his wrist, pulling his hand away from whatever was attached to his arm.

"Come on Alex. Don't mess with the machines." The voice was familiar, but the pain in his head made everything fuzzy. "Now, how about you open your eyes." Alex did as asked without complaint.

Blue eyes met Alex's brown ones and the face and voice clicked together, finally forming a name in Alex's head. Ben.

"Where I am?" His voice was rough, his throat felt like sandpaper. Alex took in his surroundings automatically registering all possible escape routes, before actually releasing where he was. A hospital.

"We're at St. Dominic's. We've been here for almost a week. Most of us were released yesterday. Wolf's the only one still stuck here, but he's getting out tomorrow." Ben looked at Alex, his bandages had just been replaced and were almost glowing in the dim room. "How much do you remember?" Ben didn't really want to ask the question, but they needed to know.

Alex breath hitched at the reminder of everything that had happened and he whispered "Everything. Josh…he was mad, very mad. He…he…the pain. It hurt so much. I…I thought I was going to die. He stabbed me and threw me across the room…I was sure I was dead." Alex paused, the memories coming back slowly, one by one. "Eagle, he saved me, right? It was Eagle? But it hurt…God it hurts." Alex didn't notice the change to present tense, too busy swiping angrily at the tears falling down his face. It didn't escape Ben's notice, however.

"Alex. Alex, look at me." Ben pulled Alex out of his memories, gently wrapping his hands around the boy's wrists to pull them away from his face. Slowly Alex complied "You're okay. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise." Ben felt his heart break as Alex started sobbing. Moving from his chair, Ben sat beside Alex on the bed, pulling him into a hug, trying to calm him as he continued to sob, unable to stop.

Alex would later blame the pain meds for the outburst. Ben would blame MI6.

An hour later Alex lay asleep head leaning on Ben's shoulders. Tear tracks stained his cheeks. Ben ran his fingers through the soft locks of hair, staring off into space. They had all been scared from their time in the cell, but Alex was going to need as much help as possible. It had scared Ben when Alex had started crying. In every mission they had gone on with each other he had never seen Alex cry, even when he had broken his leg, he had just used Ben as a crutch and had carried on. Alex was hard to break; that had been obvious from the day they meet. Ben was scared. What if Josh had broken something in the boy? What if Ben was too late to save Alex? It was going to be a long journey but Ben hoped that Alex would be able to come back from this.

Ben was snapped out of his thoughts as four voices stopped outside of the door. "EAGLE! You are not a rabbit now stop bouncing." Wolf had finally been allowed to walk and was using every excuse to get out of bed. This time, it seemed he had dragged the rest of K-Unit along with him.

The door was violently opened as the three members of K-Unit enter arguing over who knew what. Alex grumbled in his sleep, his brows coming together in aggravation at the loud noise that had just pierced the once quiet room. Ben quickly threw one of the stuffed animals Snake had given Alex. The small stuffed seal bounced off Wolf's face and onto the floor, effectively silencing all three men. Wolf glared at Ben, mouth opening to yell. A stuffed eagle smacked him in the face before he had a chance. Ben sent all three men a glare. Wolf's mouth snapped shut. Snake and Eagle seemed to be having trouble containing their laughter.

K-Unit took seats around the room and silently watched the sleeping boy.

Snake was the first to break the silence, "Have you told him yet?"

"Not yet. The doctor asked me to see how much he remembered before anything else."

"And?" Wolf asked.

"He remembers everything. I have no idea what happened in that room, but…Alex…he…" Ben shook his head. "He's got a long road ahead of him." He whispered.

"Do you think he'll ever tell us about what happened before this whole thing?" Wolf asked as he watched Alex shift slightly.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't push it. He had been through a lot. Even before this happened." Ben continued to answer the few questions that K-Unit threw at him.

It was an hour later before Alex started to stir. His eyes slowly opened and he took in the new people in his room. Ben had moved at some point and now stood beside the bed.

"Good morning sleepy head." Ben gave a small smile, which Alex hesitantly returned.

"Hey, Cub!" Eagle's voice was softer than Alex ever remembered hearing it. His chair sat close to the foot of Alex's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Alex answer was blunt and to the point "Like hell." His voice was gravely, his throat and mouth were dry. Ben handed him a small cup of water, which was quickly finished off before silence fell over the group.

"Eagle." The man in question looked up, meeting Alex's eyes. "Thank you. For saving me." It was soft, almost a whisper, but Eagle knew it was sincere.

Eagle nodded, a soft smile playing on his lips before a thought came to mind.

"I'm sorry it took me so long. I should have been there sooner." His smile promptly disappeared.

"Don't be, I survived didn't I?" Alex yawned as he tried to reassure Eagle, and even thought Eagle didn't feel reassured, he wasn't going to argue with a sick kid, besides that he had only really come to see how he was doing. He had a lot of paperwork he needed to get started on if he was wanted to be free when everyone was finally released.

"I gotta go. Sorry. I have to finish my paperwork, but I'll be back in about two hours." Eagle stood, stretching his limbs and ruffled Alex's blonde hair before making his leave with a little wave at the door.

Alex felt his eyes growing heavy and he fought to keep them up as K-Unit continued to talk about T.V shows and the growing piles of paperwork they would eventually have to confront. Ben, the guardian angel that he was, noticed a losing fight when he saw one. He managed to convince Wolf and Snake to head out. They left with good-byes and promises to be back later.

The door softly clicked shut and Alex descended into sleep.

Ben watched as Alex's eyes closed and the ever present mask slipped away.

Ben himself hadn't been getting much sleep. The first few days for Alex had been iffy and Ben had stayed up watching the heart monitor. After that, he hadn't wanted Alex to wake up without someone there and awake to explain and keep him calm.

Alex waking up had been a blessing, and in the excitement that Ben had felt to see the boy's brown eyes, he forgot to mention the adoption. It had taken a lot of legal gymnastics and fighting with MI6, but Ben had finally handed in the completed forms yesterday.

Ben was officially Alex's legal guardian.

Ben had no idea how Alex would take it, but there was no going back now. Ben hoped that Alex would like to come back and live with him in his flat. But even if Alex was unhappy with the idea at least Ben had gotten Alex out of the hands of MI6. No matter what Alex wanted to do, Ben would not allow that damned organization to get their hands on Alex ever again.

A violent yawn broke Ben's train of thought. Looking out the window he saw the dim glow of the sun having set below the horizon. The moon had climbed high in the sky, indicating the late time. Leaning back, Ben let himself relax for the first time in weeks. His eyes dropped and the man quickly fell into a light sleep.

~Line Break~

Alex woke to a dark room. The heart monitor continued to beep away in the corner. Ben sat beside his bed like a faithful dog. His head laid at an awkward angle that was sure to leave a crick in his neck when he woke. Alex couldn't help but be thankful that Ben was still there. It was nice to have a familiar face in a sea of invading doctors.

The door to the room had been left slightly open, a sliver of light from the hallway coming in through the crack. The need to get up and explore washed over Alex. Sitting up a pull on his inner elbow reminded Alex that he was bed bound and that standing was probably not the best idea right now anyways. Falling back against the pillows he released a sigh. He hated being trapped in bed, especially with nothing to do. He looked to the bedside table, hoping for a book of any kind, but only found a glass of water.

Then Ben began to snore.

What kind of spy snores?

The snores slowly grew into mumbles, which evolved into a few words that Alex was able to catch.

"…Blunt…sorry…no…service." Connecting the dots, Alex guessed Ben was talking to Blunt. Though he had no idea how no and service were connected.

"Alex…my son…goes." Alex's mind jumped to one hopeful conclusion for this sentence. One answer that Alex's mind seemed to be having issues computing.

Was Ben dreaming about Alex being his son? No that it could ever happen. It just wasn't possible. MI6 would never allow. Blunt would never allow it.

Ben continued his mumbled conversation but Alex was too busy fighting the rising hope to try and make sense of any of it.

Could Ben really adopt me? Where does Ben even live? Would Ben really be willing to adopt me? Would MI6 leave me alone? There is no way Ben could really adopt me. A whirlwind of thoughts paraded through Alex's mind. It took another hour before sleep stole him away once again. His dreams filled with thoughts of a home and family.

~Line Break~

Ben woke to the sun shining brightly through the windows. Sitting up pain shot through his neck as it protested to the angle he had slept in. Alex lay in the bed beside him, fast asleep.

The dream, or rather the replay of a memory, from last night was still fresh in his mind. The argument he had had with Blunt about Alex had been long, but Ben had held his ground and eventually Blunt had left in a huff after officially losing his 'best agent.'

The door to his office had slammed open, banging against the wall. It had been the only day that Ben had left the hospital. Blunt stormed right up to his desk, laying his hands on top of the paperwork Ben had been filling out.

"I don't know what you're playing at Agent Daniels but I advise you to stop playing this instant." The words were whispered but Ben could feel the venom in them.

"Mr. Blunt, sir. I really have no idea what you're talking about." Ben rose from his chair and stood to face his superior. The door had been left open. A few people were peeking out from their own office to see who dared challenge the head of MI6.

"You adopted Agent Alex Rider. Without my permission." Blunt's tone had returned to normal, but Ben still heard the anger beneath.

"Well, Sir. I didn't realize I had to have your permission to adopt Alex." Ben was calm as he talked, taking up Blunt's usual exterior of being completely unaffected. More people had gathered in the hall to watch the showdown.

"He is my agent, Daniels. I don't know what you were expecting to gain from this. As soon as Alex is released from the hospital I will be sending him off to Russia." Blunt's lips twitched as Ben's mask began to slip.

"Sorry, but no Mr. Blunt. He is no longer at your service." Ben's words were harsh.

"He is legally my agent. He does what I say." Blunt knew he was losing the war. If Alex had a legal guardian, then that was who said whether Alex worked for MI6 or not.

"Well, he is legally my son. What I say goes," Ben lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "and I say no."

Blunt's eyes narrowed. "I will make sure you never find work. Without a job, you won't be able to provide for Agent Rider. He will be back in MI6's care in a matter of months. You forgot who you are messing with Daniels." Blunt turned on his heels to leave only to come face to face with Mrs. Jones.

"Mr. Blunt, I've been looking for you. You have a meeting with the Prime Minister regarding one Alex Rider." Jones' face was one of professionality. Though Ben was able to hear the smirk behind the words. Blunt straightened his suit as he reclaimed his usual demeanor.

"I suggest you all get back to work before you find yourselves without a job." The usual noise picked up as Jones and Blunt walked down the hall toward the elevator. It was as if nothing had happened.

Ben had been told the news later that day. The Prime Minster had been furious to find that MI6 had been using Alex so carelessly. Blunt had been fired and Jones had been promoted.

It had only been a day later that Jones had come to the hospital to check on Alex's progress. She had also informed Ben she had no intention of ever using Alex again. Ben himself would only have up to three missions a year, all of which would be of low risk.

"Alex has lost so much already. I plan on making sure he doesn't have to lose anyone else." That had been the last thing she had said before leaving.

All that was left was for Ben to give Alex the news.

He rubbed a hand across his face as Alex slowly woke. His eyes fluttered open, a grimace crossing his face at the bright light. It took some time before Alex seemed to notice that Ben was watching him, a small smile on his face. It had been a good night.

Alex hadn't wanted to wake. The dream he had been having was nice. He didn't want to face the reality that Blunt would probably never allow anyone to adopt him, let alone Ben. Looking over to see if the glass of water was still there, Alex instead found Ben watching him with a small smile.

"What?"

"No nightmares?"

Alex felt his face heat, though why he was embarrassed he had no idea. It wasn't like Ben could see how instead of nightmares last night he had been blessed with dreams of a normal life. Alex then remembered Ben's own mumbled dream.

"None actually. I think I had a nice dream for once. What about you?" Alex smirked. "You talk in your sleep by the way."

Ben choked on air. What had he said?

"It was more of a memory than a dream. What did you hear?"

Alex shrugged, "Just a few words really. My name. Blunt's name. Something about a son." Alex seemed to become sad at the thought.

"Well, what do you think it was about?" Ben was rather curious to see what conclusions Alex had come to.

"I'm a spy, not a detective. I gather the intel. I don't figure out what it means." Alex deadpanned and Ben couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright. Well how about I start with some good news. Blunt is no longer head of MI6. He has been fired and Jones has taken over. That being said, you are no longer employed by MI6 and are free to live as much of a normal life as possible."

Alex took in the information, but he knew there was more. He was waiting for the ball to drop. The extra deal that came with this freedom. The bad side to all this good news.

"Okay, but there's more isn't there. Something I have to do. Some last mission or something, right?"

"God, no!" Ben was quick to reassure the teen that he was done.

Alex's eyes narrowed. "But there is something else. What aren't you telling me, Ben?"

Ben felt sick. All the negative reaction that Alex could have to the idea of Ben adopting him floated across his mind. He pushed it all away, took a deep breath.

"What would you say if I adopted you?"

Alex blinked. Ben sat, knee bouncing in anxiety, waiting for a reaction.

"Thank you." The words were whispered.

Ben speed into a full explanation. "With me as legal acting guardian, MI6 can't bother you. And if you don't want to stay with me then that's fine, but I mean I do have an extra bedroom. You can go back to school if you want. Jones already said she would keep me home as much as possible though some missions can't be avoided. They would all be low risk of course." Ben paused and finally looked at Alex as if just digesting his words. Looking at the boy Ben noticed the soft smile. "Thank you?"

"Yes. I would say thank you."

Ben couldn't help the relieved laugh that broke from his lips.

Alex couldn't help but feel as if maybe he would survive all of this. As long as he had someone like Ben around, he would be okay.