Next. This one's a bit longer. we are going into the aftermath. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 10

"How are you feeling today?" The doctor was checking Robin's injuries. She recognised him from the ICU.

"I'm fine. You weren't my doctor yesterday."

"I was with Mr Strike, wanted to come see you. His sister is on holiday. America. Can't get home until..."

"You spoke to her?"

"No, Detective Wardle did, told her he was here and injured, that you were with him. Didn't say much else over the phone. Anyway, she's his next of kin. Do you know who else...?"

"Me." Linda put her hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Robin, really, I think..."

"He doesn't have anyone else... not really. And... I want to be here with him. Put me down as next of kin."

"Ok. We will. So that brings us to..."

"Is he ok?"

"We are going to try and bring him around today. Lower the sedation, keep the morphine. Keep the intubation. When patients wake while intubated, they're often scared, confused. I was wondering..."

"I need to be there." She felt her mum try to stop her, but she didn't stop, "I need to be with him."

"I was hoping you would say that."

oOo

"Right, we're going to get started. You ready?" Robin nodded in response. She felt Linda step forward.

"Robin..."

"I'm fine." She had insisted on coming with her and Robin didn't have the strength to fight it. She turned to look at her mum, "I have to be here. He doesn't have anyone else."

The beeping of the monitor grew faster. Robin turned towards him, grabbing his hand. His eye lids began to open, as his heart rate skyrocketed. He jerked his hand away, other hand joining it in trying to pull out the tube. Robin grabbed his hands, trying to pull them away from the tube, but he was too strong. His leg started kicking out. She was scared, she'd never seen him this out of control before. The doctor and nurses were shouting about sedatives, but Robin just spoke to him.

"Cormoron! Stop, it's ok. It's ok. You need to leave that alone. Please."

At the last word he stilled, letting her pull his hands down to rest on his torso, her hand still in his. He looked at her, panic in his eyes. It frightened her, but she gripped his hand.

"You're ok, just relax," she put her hand on his forehead, "I'm here, everything's ok. We're fine. Just relax."

The rest of the room just watched, excess nurses leaving to see their other patients. Linda looked on as Robin bent forward and put her forehead to his. The way he closed his eyes and relaxed, doing as she said. Trusting her. Without question.

"That's it," the doctor spoke from the other side of the bed, "must say I'm impressed, we normally have to use restraints. How are you feeling Mr Strike? Blink once for yes, twice for no... are you in pain?"

Linda stepped forward, being able to see him blink once.

"Ok, where... your throat?" One Blink.

"Chest?" One blink.

"Leg?" One blink.

"Ok. So, I'm not sure how much you remember. You were hung from a tree. The rope has seriously injured your throat and windpipe. Right now... that tube needs to stay in. I'll give you more morphine, but you'll be at your limit. Without the tube you don't get enough oxygen... right now. It'll get better. CPR was preformed, resulting in three broken ribs. And your right knee was dislocated, you won't be able to wear the prosthetic for at least six weeks. The prosthetic cut your leg when you were dropped from the tree, it'll take a while to heal. Now, I know I sound harsh, but I figure you would prefer to know the facts." All eyes were on the doctor as he spoke, silence now that he had stopped.

"You might be best to work on your bedside manner."

"Mum!"

"Robin, he started with 'you were hung from a tree' sorry if I think he could've worded it a bit better." Robin looked outraged, but Linda saw Strike give her a small smile.

"Like I said, it sounds harsh, but it's the facts. I looked at your record Mr Strike, thought a fellow military man like yourself would prefer it. Now, I'm going to let you rest. I'll be back in to check on you in a few hours." He left without another word.

"Well, he's lovely."

"Mum, stop. He's doing his job," Robin looked back at Strike, "are you still in pain?" Two blinks, "Are you lying to me?" One blink. "Well stop. Are you tired?" One blink. "Sleep, I'll be here." Two blinks. "I'm staying, no arguments."

"Robin, you should get rest..." Linda put her arm on her daughter's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'll be here when you wake up." He tried to shake his head but winced in pain, "Sleep, it's ok." He kept his eyes on her as they closed, his heart rate finally slowing.

"Robin..."

"I need to stay... he can't go through that alone. When he wakes up... he'll be scared. Again. He hates hospitals. Hates them. I can't leave him alone, not here."

"Ok."

"That's it?"

"He needs you. He did everything he could when you needed him." Linda pulled over the wheelchair, allowing Robin to sit and hold his hand.

oOo

Wardle heard he was awake, walking into his room in the ICU he saw Robin and Linda on each side of the bed. Strike was staring at the ceiling, tube still down his throat. Eric knocked, making all eyes snap to him.

"Hey, how's it going?" He walked up to the bed, seeing a white board and pen.

"We're good. How's the investigation going?"

"It's moving along-"

"Released Barclay yet?" She said it without thinking, feeling Strike's hand touch hers.

"Ilsa is on it." Strike held up his whiteboard, it just said What. "Barclay was at the scene but..."

"But they arrested him," Robin said it to Wardle almost ignoring Strike's whiteboard question of Why. "Because they thought..."

"He had a gun Robin, illegal may I add. We couldn't just..."

Strike had been writing, grabbed Wardle's arm and showed the board. My Gun.

"Jesus Strike... he's been jail. Why would you give him a gun? I assume you have a license." He nodded. "Shit, I'll get the charges dropped, or bail at least. I just wanted to check in, make sure you guys were doing ok."

"We are... now go back to the Met and fix it."

oOo

It had been two days since they were admitted. Robin was getting released. Strike was getting extubated.

"I want to be with him."

"No," the doctor didn't even look up from his notes. He eventually looked up when he was met by silence. "You can't be in the room. Not for the procedure."

"You wanted her there the last time."

"This time is different. Before, he was waking up and we thought he would be in pain. Now... he will be in pain. A lot of pain. And..."

"Well I should be there, to help. I can keep him calm..."

"It won't work. He doesn't want you there."

"What? He told you that?"

"There's a risk that when we take the tube out, his windpipe won't be strong enough..."

"What does that mean?"

"Means it might not work."

oOo

It worked. But the pain was blinding. He lay there, unable to swallow, unable to talk. He was tired, the stress of the morning weighing on him. He was trying not to think about what had happened in the last three days. At first, he didn't hear her, until she was sitting next to him on the bed.

"Hey!" Looking over, he saw Robin beaming at him. He couldn't help but smile back. "How are you feeling?" Linda walked in behind her. They knew he couldn't talk, waiting while he wrote his answer. Been Better. They both smiled. "It's temporary. You'll get better... it'll just take time." He was writing again; how are you?

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he lifted his hand, putting it on her bruised cheek. She was remined of the dinner with her parents. "It's ok, it doesn't hurt. Really. I'm fine." He was writing again; Barclay?

"Ilsa is working with him. Last I heard, he was still in, but... he'll be fine. It's not your fault. Listen... I'm getting released today. I'm going home now, but I'll be back later."

He smiled at her. She waited as he wrote; Lucy?

"She's still abroad. She knows... not all of it, but she knows you're here. She's trying to get a flight back..." he shook his head at her, "she wants to be with you." Still he shook his head, writing; tell her I'm fine. "I can't do that. I know you don't want her to worry but she's your sister and she's worried." He just tapped on the whiteboard. He looked determined, "Ok, I'll call her later." He wrote; Now. She sighed, pulling out her phone. She had finally got it back.

"Robin! You can't use that in here."

"I'll be quick." She had Lucy's number, at Lucy's insistence, so Lucy can keep tabs on her brother. As her number dialled, Robin put the call on loud speaker.

"Robin? Is that you?" Lucy's worried voice filled the room, the sound made Strike shut his eyes. He didn't want her worried on her holiday.

"Yeah. It's me... Lucy..."

"Are you ok? Eric called to say you both were in the hospital, but nothing else... I've been so worried. Are you okay?" She asked the question twice, hardly drawing breath. Linda was staring at the phone.

"I'm ok Lucy. Look, don't come back early. Cormoron..." but she didn't get any further.

"Is he ok? I want to talk to him."

"He's getting tests," Strike smiled at Robin's response, "but he told me to call. He's" she paused, closing her eyes as she lied, "he's fine. He wants you guys to relax and enjoy the holiday..."

"Relax? How can I relax when he's..."

"Lucy. Please. He wants you to stay. Please."

"I..." they could hear a boy shouting in the background. "Luke... stop that! Robin? Ok, ok we'll... but you promise he's..."

"He's fine," her eyes locked with Strike's, "I promise."