Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, its nice to know people are reading these :) I decided that I'd hurt Hathaway enough (for now *evil face*) and so I decided to put the boot on the other foot so to speak. So here is some Lewis H/C for you.
James sat by the hospital bed, scratching absently at the scab on his arm. He sighed, watching the sleeping man in the bed.
.
He'd watched Lewis go down, dropped by the bullet that slammed into the inspector's thigh. James had cannoned into the suspect, full of rage and no thought for his own safety. He'd acquired slashed arm for his troubles, but that was insignificant.
Once the suspect had been handcuffed to a nearby radiator, James was on the phone, bellowing for an ambulance as he skidded to a stop by his boss.
"Sir?"
"James...did you get him?"
"Yes. He's handcuffed to the radiator...I er, I might have neglected to turn it off."
"You're going to have human rights on your back for that one."
"I have to admit sir, at this particular moment in time, I couldn't give a shit." He must have looked as scared as he felt, because Lewis smiled slightly and touched his arm.
"Lad, I'm ok. I'm not bloody dying, it just really sodding hurts."
10 minutes later, paramedics were performing CPR in the back of an ambulance, while James sat nearby, helplessness swamping him as he thought he was losing his friend.
.
Now, watching the older man sleep, he still couldn't fully come to terms with the fact that Robbie would be okay. He felt like he'd lost years off his life. He could still see the paramedics pumping their hands up and down on Lewis' chest.
Loss of blood they said. Bullet had nicked the femoral artery. Not enough to make him bleed to death in minutes. But enough for him to be bleeding steadily and for James not to notice. He found that he couldn't look at Lewis' chest. Every time he did, he saw the palms pressing into them, trying to restart the muscle in the centre.
So he focused on the inspector's face. It was pale and James could swear that there were several more lines on it that there had been a week ago. Admittedly there wasn't normally a breathing tube attached to Robbie's nose either. James had been worried when he'd seen that, but the nurse had assured him that it was just to ensure that Lewis would get enough oxygen, it wasn't a reflection of his breathing.
.
"Sir? Come on Lewis, wake up." It hadn't made a difference that first night. He'd pleaded with the unconscious inspector to be ok. Lewis hadn't even stirred. James had sat there for hours, only moving when a concerned nurse had forced him to go and get a drink and some food before he ended up in a hospital bed too.
.
The inspector groaned in the bed and James was instantly sat forward. He could see Lewis' eyes moving under his eyelids and he knew that the older man was trying to wake up.
"Come on sir. Nearly there." Robbie slowly opened his eyes.
"Ja..."
"Sssh. Wait a minute sir. Have a drink" James grabbed the cup of ice chips by the bed and carefully spooned some into Lewis' mouth. Once his throat was no longer dry, Lewis tried again.
"What...What happened?"
"You got shot sir. Leg, it er, nicked your femoral." James was aware that his voice was shaking, and he could see that Lewis could tell.
"James..."
"Sir?"
"Stop worrying James. I'm ok."
"With all due respect sir. You said that last time." Lewis raised an eyebrow at him. He evidently didn't remember that.
"I did?" He rasped. James nodded.
"Yes. And then you proceeded to go and have your heart stop in the ambulance! So I apologise if I wait for the doctors to tell me this time." He'd said it harsher than he'd meant to, all the worry and frustration of the past week bubbling to the surface. Lewis was quiet, digesting what had been said. He could see the haunted look in James' eyes.
"Sorry kidda." James shook his head.
"No, don't be. Sorry sir, just...you know." Lewis nodded. He did know, he knew all to well. Running into a burning building to find his sergeant passed out on the bed. He hadn't known James had been drugged then, he'd thought the smoke had over come him. For a split second, he'd thought he was already dead. And then seeing the younger man attempt to run back into the house after his would be murderer. Being told by a doctor that James'd be fine and then seeing the young man lying unresponsive in the bed, pale with a cut on his cheek and soot in his lungs. Robbie realised that James hadn't even had that assurance that he'd be fine.
"Promise you this time. That I'm ok I mean."
"Don't sir. Don't make a promise that you can't keep." Lewis grinned tiredly, amused slightly by James' seriousness.
"Made it this far haven't I?" he mumbled as he fell asleep.
.
A few days later and he was out of hospital, standing in the car park, waiting for James to bring the car around to the front of the hospital. His leg hurt a lot more than it had when he first woke up. He supposed he was on stronger medication then. He was already annoyed at the crutches he had to use, unable to get the hang of them.
He hobbled to James' car. The lad had attempted to drive up to the door but a last minute emergency meant that an ambulance had come screaming into the car park and James certainly wasn't going to cut in front. Lewis lowered himself gently into the seat and chucked the crutches in the back, with obvious distaste. James merely watched and then smirked.
"What Sergeant."
"Nothing sir. I just never thought you'd be defeated by a simple crutch. They are supposed to be instruments designed to help, not hinder."
"Ha bloody ha. You sodding try them then." James had merely continued smirking as he pulled out into the traffic.
Robbie never expected James to take him up on his word, playfully grabbing the crutches from the car before Lewis got a chance, and demonstrating to his superior, just how easy they were to use.
"Alright Jim, you've proved your point, you cheeky sod" he said, as James managed to perform some sort of trick. "It's not a bloody BMX lad. Now give 'em back" Hathaway laughed as he handed them back and as he settled into them, Lewis wondered again at how young James could look when he let himself be happy.
"Coming in for a cuppa lad?" Lewis grinned at the young man, "Aw sod it, I'll get us in a takeaway...s'least I can do."
"If you're sure sir."
"Yeah, wouldn't have offered else would I? You're going to have to go and pick it up mind."
"If you're talking about that one on the corner of the high street, then I'd drive to hell and back to get hold of it. Their food is delicious"
"Never tried it Jim, they really that good?"
"Sir...you haven't lived."
Lewis grinned as he made his way into the kitchen to start on the tea, letting James' chatter wash over him. By the time Hathaway had got the menu up on his phone and had read it out, Robbie's stomach was rumbling quite loudly. This food better be as good as James said it was.
Then again, the amount the normally quiet young man was talking about it, he had a feeling it would be.