Cigarettes.
Some people liked coffee; he liked the sweet taste of the nicotine.
But he wasn't an avid smoker; it was more about a form of stress reliever, and he was now overly stressed, trying to reduce the amount for at least two and not the entire package.
Also, he didn't want to give Rex the impression that it was a healthy way to cope with his emotions.
Tapping the cigarette against one of his shoes's heels to turn it off, he decided that if the woman on the bed finally woke up, no matter how much cologne he had, she would still smell it and scold him about the potential dangers of smoking for the body.
But, again, he wasn't like the rest. He could quit it if he wanted to. If her life was in danger, he couldn't help it.
"Her surgery just ended, dude. The doctors of the medical bay said that she should be stable now, but the next 24 hours will be critical." Rex said, arching an eyebrow. "You better quit smoking before she breaks up with you for it."
"You didn't see anything, and you will never smoke." The man warned him, getting too close for comfort as if he wouldn't drop the topic till he said he would never do it.
"Relax, man! I don't even like the smell! Go to see her before you die of a heart attack."
With the package safely tucked into his pocket, the man quietly made his way to the farthest bed in the room where the woman laid sleeping.
"A close call, right?" The man asked no one, as he took his hands out of his pockets and sat on the chair for visits. "I should have been more careful with you, but I can't always protect you, otherwise you would hate me for it. You are competent enough to defend yourself."
Six adverted his eyes as he noticed the bloody bandages lying in some type of metallic container with used needles and cotton balls. The amount of blood loss seemed significant, but going through her private information didn't prove to be something too complicated as, of course, the two sisters shared the most common blood type and could donate to each other with cero problem.
"Sorry, I was smoking again," he apologized. He usually wouldn't admit to it, but for some reason, even when she was wearing an oxygen mask, he believed that she would smell it and would wake up from her drugged state to scold him about it. "Rex already warned me that you would break up with me for it, if I don't stop."
His hands never shook as the amount of smoking never went that far. Still, it amazed him, how his hands and reflexes could be fucked up by simply dropping his emotionally detached persona for Holiday and Holiday only.
She couldn't blame the nicotine this time.
"Your sister is currently sleeping in your bedroom because she was exhausted after donating as much blood as the doctors allowed her to. Rex is taking good care of her, ensuring that she gets enough rest and food to replenish her energy. You don't have to worry about her, as she may come to see you later today."
He found solace in talking to himself. The overwhelming silence was only broken by the machines monitoring her vital signs.
"The EVO has been cured, a father of four children. The kids were fascinated by Rex's cannon arm and constantly begged him to play soccer with them. But I was more concerned about the safety of these children if Rex were to throw soccer balls at them with his canon arm.
"As if I were to throw the balls directly to their faces," Rex said as he turned to face him and Beverly, who was still yawning.
"How is my sister?" the young girl asked, stifling a yawn. Six raised an eyebrow at Rex, who shrugged and rubbed his eyes.
"Sorry, sidekick, but she insisted on coming to check on the Doc."
"She appears stable after the surgery. She may wake up in a few hours or tomorrow," Six reported, glancing at the machines.
"Or in a few more days," Rex mumbled, apologetically scratching his head. "The EVO threw her hard against the concrete floor after stabbing her."
He was seriously considering quitting smoking, but the long waiting periods were taking a toll on him.
Despite this, Six was able to manage it. He knew his limits, much like he did with drinking and the potential dangers of both. However, he secretly enjoyed it when Holiday would scold him about it, as it usually ended in them making up through kissing or hugging.
Beverly had returned to sleep and was now resting in one of the unoccupied beds in the medical bay. She had chosen to stay close to her sister, not wanting to leave her alone. The man in the room remained silent, occasionally glancing at both sisters, while Rex stood in the corner with his arms crossed, keeping a watchful eye on him.
"You can't smoke in here, buddy," Rex warned Six as he noticed one of his hands inching towards his pocket. "All we can do is keep waiting. Once Holiday wakes up, everything will return to normal. Don't worry."
For that reason, "waiting" was not his middle name.
He looked down at his shoes and fought the temptation to stand up and take a smoke break. He tried to concentrate on stopping his hands from shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was because of Holiday or because he was holding back from giving his body the relief it craved.
Six struggled to resist doing things she didn't like while waiting for her to wake up.
He was jolted awake by a faint sigh, causing him to turn his head abruptly and strain his neck muscles as he gazed at the woman lying in the bed. Her eyes gradually opened and blinked slowly, as if she was trying to figure out where she was and who he was.
"Hey Doc," Rex was the first to greet her, walking to stand next to her bed as Six wondered if she was indeed awake or if it was just a hallucination caused by his abstinence or his worries about her. "Maybe we should let Beverly sleep a little longer before we inform her that you have woken up."
"Beverly?... is she...?"
"She is fine. She is just tired after donating blood to help you go through surgery, since the fight with the EVO got intense. But it resulted in a nice guy, after curing him, who profusely apologized to Six and me for harming you. You were right, Doc; the place was a contaminated area with EVOs which were strangely working together to kill us, so we should investigate after your recovery."
"Rex, you can't just tell her everything right after her surgery. Give her some time to recover and adjust," Six scolded him with a stern look while the teenage boy just smiled and adjusted his goggles.
"Okay, okay. I'll leave you two alone to talk 'carefully' to each other, lovebirds," he joked as he walked away. "Remember, don't wake up Beverly, dude."
One day, he would make him train like he used to until he could walk no more.
"I'm feeling very confused," Holiday admitted as Six tilted his head to crack his tired joints.
"Do you remember why we went to Baltimore?"
"We were supposed to test why the cerebral patterns of some of the EVOs were acting differently than normal EVOs, almost as if they could 'think'..."
"Another area with regular citizens turned into EVOs. It felt as though the entire neighborhood was after Rex and me once you were injured. Bobo made sure to bring you here and then returned to get backup."
"I'm glad that Rex was able to intervene before White decided to blow up the entire place like with New York City" the woman said with relief.
"You should continue resting. Your sister could wake up at any moment, and she'll be pleased to see you awake and recovering." He considered standing up and treating himself to a celebratory smoke.
A hand held him, even before he could move as if she was demanding him to take the oxygen mask off of her face and give her a kiss before parting. Six knew that it would wake Beverly up as the machine would start beeping, signaling that it moved maybe by accident and the patient could be dying without it, or that it was well enough to breathe by its own will.
He turned it off for a moment and removed her mask. As she took a few deep breaths, he began to worry that it was a risky move. However, she shookly reached out and grabbed hold of his green jacket, pulling him closer so she could give him a quick kiss.
She whispered, "You haven't been smoking. Good," as he turned the machine back on, and she put the mask back and resumed breathing normally.
Yeah, he was doing an incredible job of resisting it for her.