The day before his birthday, Apollo spent his time laying lethargically on the couch with Trucy. His stomach bothering him while he ignored some Steel Samurai special Trucy had insisted on watching; dreading the event. Phoenix had left for the day saying he'd had running around to do. In truth, he'd tried to make his errands sound boring to slip away unsuspiciously to gather a few supplies and make final arrangements, trying not to be too obvious. Athena and Simon had offered to come over that morning, hoping Apollo would go to bed early as he usually did, so they could set up and surprise him in the morning.
Phoenix hoped he'd succeeded in acting neutral, hoping Apollo wouldn't notice something was up. Simon and Athena had shown up around lunch, stating that they were tired of sitting at home and thought coming to visit would be fun. The afternoon passed in a move marathon Apollo couldn't find interest in and he found himself feeding off of the lack of energy in the room. He had already begun to drift off by six. 'If you're tired, you should go to bed.' Phoenix suggested, sitting down beside Apollo and running his hand down Apollo's spine. Apollo sighed, struggling to sit up. 'Yeah, I'm done.' He yawned, rising and walking towards his room. Phoenix watched with concern, Apollo seemed to be walking strangely; swaying from side to side, uncoordinated. Phoenix followed him, sensing something ostensibly off.
'Are you alright?' Phoenix probed, poking his head around the frame. 'Yeah, just tired.' Apollo yawned. 'Are you sure, you're walking strangely.' Phoenix prodded. 'Yeah, I sat on my feet too long and they lost circulation.' Apollo replied. Phoenix walked over to Apollo, something still setting him on alert. 'Goodnight, Apollo.' Phoenix bid, pulling Apollo into a firm hug. Apollo pressed himself into Phoenix, enjoying the embrace. Phoenix worried, but decided not to push the matter. Apollo's moods were better, but still erratic. 'If something's wrong, please tell me.' Phoenix incited, letting Apollo go. 'I'm fine, I guess.' Apollo yawned, lying down. Phoenix furrowed his brow, pulling the covers over him, leaning close, hoping Apollo might trust him enough to tell him the truth. 'Goodnight Apollo, we'll see you in the morning.' Apollo rolled away from Phoenix. 'Goodnight.'
Phoenix still worried. Apollo had been acting strange for several days and now his health seemed to be deteriorating. He'd pushed him and now Trucy away. Phoenix knew she was hurt. She loved Apollo, but every time she'd tried to get close to him, he'd withdraw. When Apollo took a darker mood, she'd leave and would spend the day away, giving him space. Apollo had even begun distancing himself from everyday activities. Time was tight for Phoenix, but he'd still made an effort to balance work, his daughters' needs and Apollo's needs. Phoenix stroked Apollo's hair worryingly. Apollo was nearly asleep, his breathing deepening, becoming more rhythmic. Phoenix looked at the young man, contemplating taking him into the hospital; Apollo's strange behaviour concerning him. Usually when Phoenix tucked him in for the night, Apollo would lay as close as possible until he was completely asleep. Phoenix sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating his next move. 'Hopefully he's just not feeling well and being completely honest with me.' Phoenix mulled over as he leaned over and picked up the small, worn bear on the floor, smiling at it before tucking it under Apollo's arm.
The remnants of the evening remained quiet. Simon and Athena had fallen asleep on one another and Trucy dozed on the couch beside them. Phoenix had started nodding himself before stirring. He stretched and got up. It was getting late. Nearly one in the morning. He'd wake everyone up early; Apollo would probably sleep late, like usual. They could set up then.
Phoenix crossed to the kitchen and placed his cup in the sink, making his way to the bathroom and cleaning up before heading to bed himself. He pulled the covers over himself, getting comfortable and closing his eyes. He'd barely fallen asleep when the sound of a crash woke him, springing him out of bed, his heart racing.
Athena and Simon snapped awake, Trucy not far behind. 'What was that?' Trucy asked groggily, wiping sleep from her eyes. 'I don't know.' Phoenix replied, unsure. 'It sounded like it came from downstairs.'
Phoenix's body flooded with adrenaline. Something was wrong. Phoenix jumped down the stairs, barely hitting the landing, rushing to check the office. Athena gathered herself and took off outside to check around the exterior of the building. Simon and Trucy had taken off in their own directions. Phoenix struggled to locate the noise, checking every corner of the office. Whatever it was had to be close, it had sounded fairly loud to be far off. Whatever made the sound had also surely left some evidence in his mind.
Phoenix paced frantically around the office, catching movement out of the corner of his eye and spun, breath catching in his lungs. Had someone broke in? Phoenix relaxed when he saw Simon's familiar black ponytail and coat. Simon seemed to be focused on something. Phoenix walked towards the back of the office when he heard Simon call. 'Phoenix!' Came Simon's horrified cry. Phoenix tore after the sound, it sounding like it came from the Garage.
Phoenix tore around the corner, looking for Simon, his heart racing. He'd been hard to spot, but Phoenix found him crouched down over something in the unused bathroom. Simon spoke quietly to the unknown figure on the floor, his low voice sounding desperate. Phoenix scrambled to get closer, tripping over himself. When he finally caught sight of what Simon had panicked over, his breath caught in his throat. Moments later, Athena caught up, Trucy not far behind. The girls shrieked. Laying on the floor, broken glass scattered around, was Apollo. Phoenix dropped down, almost afraid. Reaching out, he touched the young man lying in the floor. Apollo was cold and unresponsive. 'Call nine one one!' Phoenix shouted, trying to wake Apollo. Phoenix feared the worst while Athena scrambled for her phone. 'Come on, buddy, wake up!' Phoenix cried, roughly shaking Apollo. 'Come on Apollo! Wake up!' He screamed. Apollo's lack of response panicked him further. Phoenix plead with him, urging him to respond.
Athena fought back tears as she spoke to the operator. 'I don't think he's breathing!' She cried. Simon nudged Phoenix aside. Phoenix lost it. He begged for Apollo's response while Simon looked for a pulse. 'He's alive!' Simon cried out, finally finding the weak beat of Apollo's heart. It was barely there, but there was still hope. Simon quickly checked Apollo's mouth, not caring about sanitation, looking for obstructions. Something had caused Apollo's breathing to become shallow and laboured. Simon began to try and revive Apollo while Phoenix found himself unable to calm. Athena had taken Trucy outside to wait for the ambulance. They didn't have to wait long.
Simon pulled Phoenix back from Apollo's body as the paramedics moved in to assess him. They moved quick, loading him up. 'We can only take one.' They said, rushing to get moving. 'I'll go.' Simon spoke up. Phoenix nodded at him. Simon was the calmest of the lot but Phoenix could tell inside he wasn't in full control, no matter how well he maintained his external composure. Phoenix wanted to go, but right now, he was too shaken. He knew if he went, he would get in the way trying to stir Apollo back to life. The ambulance sped off and Phoenix collapsed to the ground, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. Athena sat beside him while Trucy took up position on the other side. Phoenix grabbed Trucy and Athena hugging them tight. They hugged him back before Athena pulled away. Athena reached for her phone and quickly dialled a number she knew would help.
Miles arrived in minutes, out of place, his hair a mess, dressed in plain clothes. 'What happened?' He panted, jumping out of his car and racing towards Phoenix, who was still beside himself. 'We found Apollo unresponsive.' Athena sobbed. Miles' face turned pale. While he'd never really been one to display emotion, he found himself fighting back tears as he dropped to one knee and placed his hand on Phoenix's shoulder. 'Let's go, Apollo needs you.' He urged, pulling Phoenix to his feet.
The drive seemed to take forever. Miles sped into the nearly deserted parking lot, harshly parking his car across several spaces before rushing everyone in. The emergency room was deserted but for a lone receptionist. Phoenix almost jumped the counter, fighting his way through tears. 'We're the family of Apollo.' He forced. The nurse rose calmly and with a quick 'Follow me' led them to a private waiting room.
Phoenix paced, his hands over his face while they waited. He'd stopped crying, but was still frantic. Trucy sat with Athena, the two girls holding one another, sedentary silently. Miles sat in the corner, his elbows on his knees and face in his hands, looking more tired than anything.
Phoenix jumped when the door finally opened and Simon walked in, collapsing into the nearest chair. Phoenix froze and time seemed to stop. All eyes were on Simon. He'd bent over, elbows on his knees, one hand hanging down, the other pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked like he'd been crying. The tension in the air turned thick when Simon looked up, knowing the question without being asked. 'Apollo,' he choked, 'isn't well.' He dropped his head, not quite in tears, but close. Phoenix was torn. Afraid, but his own insecurity had to wait. He keeled in front of Simon and placed a hand on his shoulder. Simon, dropping his guard, placed his arms around Phoenix's shoulders as he sighed. Phoenix held Simon, finding the position incredibly difficult. Mere weeks ago, he had been doing this for Apollo, now another soul took solace in his embrace.
Simon couldn't speak. He'd tried, but tears overtook him. They sat in silence as they waited. The collective tension in the room was quickly becoming unbearable. Phoenix couldn't settle and had gone back to pacing, Athena and Simon had leaned into one another. She held his head, crying on his shoulder. Trucy had moved towards Miles and was sitting beside him, her head nearly on his arm as she napped.
Finally, the door opened. All eyes shot up as a man, dressed in green walked in and removed his mask. He surveyed the room as he sat, not wasting any time. 'Apollo is in fairly serious condition.' He addressed. 'He's not responding well.' He paused, the silence intolerable, Trucy finally broke. 'Is Polly going to die?' Her tiny voice shook. Her words tore at Phoenix's core. He could barely handle himself, let alone try to be strong enough to support his daughter. Miles did what Phoenix couldn't. He placed an arm around the young woman, pulling her close and consoling her as her face creased, tears flowing. The man looked down, assuming a similar pose as Simon had when he broke his news. 'Sweetie,' he replied. Her words obviously affecting him. 'I can't lie to you.' He took a deep breath. 'He might.'
The atmosphere of the room shifted from bad to worse. 'Who is Apollo's next of Kin?' The man addressed, looking towards Simon. Phoenix swallowed. 'I am.' 'Mr.?' 'Wright.' Phoenix replied, following the man into another room.
'Mr. Wright, I need to be frank here. 'Your Son...' Phoenix looked down, swallowing a lump in his throat. 'Is very ill. Unfortunately, he's stopped breathing on his own. I need to be serious here. If we don't act fast, he won't make it. Do you have any idea of what might have happened?' Phoenix paused. 'I can't think of anything. What's wrong with him?' Phoenix couldn't hide the panic in his voice. 'There's not much I can tell you at this point, but we're trying our best to sort it out and we're doing our best to stabilize him. However, we suspect he's ingested something he shouldn't have. We're waiting on test results as we speak. But it's not looking promising. Can you think of anything he might have taken?' Phoenix inhaled sharply. 'He's supposed to be on antidepressants, but I don't know how many he had left or what brand they were.' 'Not very helpful…' Phoenix's mind chastised him. 'I'll have to address that possibility, but by his current state, I do not believe his condition is solely caused by an antidepressant overdose. However, as his next of kin, you have the say in how far we intervene should things take a turn for the worse.' 'Anything. I don't care, please Doctor, please save him.' Phoenix was barely holding it together. 'I shall keep that in mind. I can't provide you with any further prognosis at the moment, but I will send someone down who will update you on the situation as soon as I can. I will say this though. I know this probably is not what you want to hear, but to err on the side of caution, you might want to prepare for the worst.'
Phoenix needed to be alone for a few minutes. What had Apollo done to himself? Phoenix's mind raced. He suspected he knew how and why Apollo had put himself into his current position. Phoenix struggled with his thoughts. 'I've failed.' 'I'm sorry Apollo. I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry you're here right now... I... I'm...' Phoenix couldn't say it. His mind quickly unfocussed. 'Your Son.' Recoiled around his skull. Apollo might not have been biologically or in legality, but for all it was, Phoenix knew in his mind, that Apollo was, at very least; no longer just his employee, no longer 'some stray' he'd taken in, no longer the young man who begged him for a chance when Kristoph's office fell, leaving Apollo abandoned. Phoenix had grown to care about him to the point where 'Son' was close enough. His head throbbed while he tried to gather himself.
Phoenix finally rose, his head still pounding. He had to go back to the others, he knew his absence would only fray more nerves. He rose and slowly made it back to the waiting room.
Athena, Simon and Trucy were fast asleep. It was nearly two thirty in the morning. Phoenix smiled softly, Simon had leaned back on the couch and Trucy lay on one side of him, her head on his shoulder, Athena lay on the other side, in a similar position to Trucy. It was bitter-sweet, seeing Simon show a side of himself he closely guarded, showing that he had the capacity to open up and actually care about someone. Miles walked over to Phoenix. 'It is rather charming.' Miles forced a smile. 'It is.' Phoenix agreed. 'Now I know why Athena loves him so much.' Miles looked up. 'Are they?' Phoenix forced a weak smile. 'Yes. They are.' He replied.