The hospital is well-lit and cheerful, reinforcing how Orange is the only one currently able to view the weird pictures on the wall, ones Hook must have spent so much time in the past making fun of under his breath. "It's going to be ok," Orange says quietly, fingers curled around Hook's as he lays on a table in the hospital room, breathing ragged.
"I hate this," he exhales, running his nails over Orange's palms, lightly scritching against his skin, a nervous habit.
"I do too," Orange murmurs, stroking his knuckles. "But we'll get through it."
"I hope so," Hook sighs. "Orange, I don't... I don't want you to feel obligated to stay," he says slowly. "I'm not sure what things are going to look like, and it might be better if you wait in the hall..."
"No," Orange says, lifting Hook's hand and kissing it. "I'm staying, Hook. Unless you really want me to go. I want to be here for you. I wasn't there on Wednesday, and I... just want to be able to stay with you now."
Hook sniffs, then nods. "Alright, if you're sure," he says softly.
"I am," Orange says, quickly kissing him.
They're still sitting there quietly, thinking it all through when the doctor enters, greeting them both. "So, Mr. Senerchia, tell me what's been going on?" he asks, putting gloves on before approaching Hook, looking critically over the bandages covering his face. "May I remove these while you talk?"
"Fine," Hook mumbles, proceeding to explain about the attack, and what the medics at the arena did to help in the immediate aftermath. "They rinsed my eyes out for what felt like forever," he says as more and more of the bandages get unwrapped from around his face. "Water first, then some saline, I think. After they did all they could, they bandaged my eyes as a precaution and made me leave the arena immediately afterwards. I think they were afraid I might get attacked again."
The doctor nods through it, handing a few things over to the nurse before getting to work on Hook's face and eyes, careful, diligent. Orange is anxious, especially when he sees the blistered wounds scattered around his nose up towards his temples. He wants to ask, but something about talking about the wounds while Hook is enduring so much already, fingers trembling slightly in Orange's hand, feels like unnecessary torture, so he keeps his questions to himself. Will have to get as much information as he can from whatever post-care papers the doctor sends him with them.
"Well," the doctor says, already unwrapping fresh bandages. "Considering everything, you're lucky, Mr. Senerchia. You blocked most of it with your arms, but what did get through left behind first to second degree burns. I'd like you to follow up with your eye doctor soon, but based on the medic team's findings on site and what I'm observing here, your vision shouldn't be affected long term. Did they give you antibiotic ointment?"
"Yeah," Hook mumbles. "Right?" He squeezes Orange's hand.
"Yeah, we have some," Orange nods.
"I'll give you another couple of tubes just to make sure you have plenty," the doctor says. "Wounds like these will probably take two to three weeks to heal. I'd like to follow up with you."
"Will I be able to go back to wrestling then?" Hook asks, a tinge of desperation in his voice.
The doctor hesitates. "We'll see," he says.
It's not a good answer, does nothing to help the tension in Hook's hand. But Orange isn't surprised by the doctor's hesitance to give a more thorough answer.
-x
That night, Hook is curled up next to Orange in bed, fast asleep, while Orange watches Rampage on mute. He's barely paying attention to the show, brushing his fingers through Hook's hair gently, but then Joe appears. He looks from the TV to Hook and back, flicking on closed captioning so he can at least try to get some sense of what Joe is talking about.
Joe is so angry, he's trembling with it, but there's emotion in his dark, dangerous eyes that Orange can't remember ever seeing there, at least on behalf of someone else, like this clearly is. He challenges Jericho to a match in Calgary Wednesday. He talks about faith, Hook's faith in him, and Jericho's in everyone around him to save him from Joe's rage. It's unsettling, but the worst part of it is the look on Joe's face as he looks down before the camera cuts off.
Orange has never really trusted the guy, not sure what to think about his sudden determination to help Hook after losing the FTW title, but this... this was the purest emotion he's ever seen from Joe, and he thinks maybe there's a fair chance he's been wrong about things. Too lost in his own betrayal by Trent and Kris, too determined to protect Hook as best as he could manage after losing so much himself the last few months, to realize that people other than himself and Hook's parents could be trusted.
He leans over and stares down at Hook, loath to bother him when he's sleeping so peacefully, but feeling like this needs addressed before Joe can fully get his shields back up, brush off any concern. "Hook," he whispers, pressing a careful, gentle kiss to his forehead. "Hey. Can you hear me?"
He moans and mumbles, fumbling at Orange, clearly lost in a dream as he sighs out something incomprehensible.
Orange smiles, a little, before nuzzling into Hook. "Sorry to wake you up like this," he says softly. "But we need to talk."
"What's wrong?" Hook mumbles, lifting his head up and trying to look around before remembering that his eyes are still bandaged, dropping back against the pillows with a groan. "Orange?"
"Joe was on Rampage," Orange says, finding his phone and scrolling twitter until he finds the video. After making sure the volume is at a good level, he plays it, holding Hook's hand as he listens sleepily to Joe's declaration to Jericho.
Hook sighs and forces himself to sit up, stretching his arms out over his head before turning back towards the phone. "Could you play that again?"
Orange obliges and they sit quietly, listening to it. On the third listen, the emotions behind Joe's words sound even closer to the surface than the first time Orange had watched it. He looks over at Hook, who is frowning.
Before Orange can say anything, Hook reaches out. "Can you call him? I think... I think I need to talk to him."
Orange isn't surprised, the bit about Hook's faith in Joe clear to both of them, and he nods. "Yeah, sure," he says, finding the phone number that Taz had given him awhile. He hadn't expected to use it at all that night, but it's come in handy a lot lately. He dials it and then tucks it into Hook's hand to make sure he won't drop it.
"Can you stay?" Hook whispers, holding the phone to his ear and listening to it ringing.
"If you want me to," Orange says.
"I do." Hook relaxes a little when Orange slips his hand into Hook's, squeezing lightly. "Thanks," he murmurs. A moment later, Orange hears Joe's voice through the phone, loud and impatient, and squeezes Hook's hand in return. "Bro?"
"Hook?" Joe's muffled voice echoes back, some of the anger draining from it when he realizes who's actually calling him. Orange rolls his eyes before turning his attention back to what's being said "What- are you alright?"
"Yeah, bro. I just... I heard your Rampage video," Hook says after a moment.
Joe's exhale is loud enough that Orange can hear it blasting through the earpiece. He cringes, watching Hook's face. "Look, kid-"
"You talked a lot about faith," Hook interrupts. "Sounded like you thought my faith in you was misplaced." Joe is quiet, almost too quiet, and Hook swallows. "I disagree," he continues on, his lips twisted stubbornly. "No one could've known what Jericho was going to do. You've told me that how many times the last few weeks? I'm telling you now. I don't blame you. I probably wouldn't have ever gotten another win against Jericho if it wasn't for you having my back at Forbidden Door." He pauses, and when Joe doesn't respond, decides to try another tack in this one sided conversation. "Saw my doctor earlier, he says all goes well I'll be healed in a few weeks. So I really need to know that you have faith in me that I can fight back from this. That I can come back and finish Jericho off."
Joe doesn't say anything, but Orange can hear his rough breathing. Finally he speaks again. "Of course I have faith in you, Hook. I wouldn't have started working with you if I didn't."
"Goes both ways, bro," Hook says quietly. "I haven't lost faith in you. I might not be able to watch Wednesday, but I..." He sighs. "I'll be listening. Try to watch out for the other assholes."
"Like I said in the video, I don't care about his branches," Joe all but growls. "But yeah, I will be. Don't worry about it."
"Sure, bro," Hook says, shifting to rest his head on Orange's shoulder as he starts to drift off again, some exhaustion taking him over now that he thinks Joe has absorbed some of what he's been trying to say. "I, uh. I'll talk to you later," he offers sleepily.
Joe exhales. "Talk to you later," he responds as Orange lifts the phone gently from Hook's limp fingers.
He considers for a minute, then holds the phone up. "Hey," he says.
Joe scoffs. "Of course," he says. "Did he fall asleep?"
"Yeah," Orange says. "Just wanted to say. I've fought Jericho in the past."
"I'm aware," Joe says dryly.
"I have faith in you too," Orange finally admits. "Kick his ass for us." Feeling a little embarrassed, he hangs up without waiting for Joe's response, and looks down at Hook as he tucks his head under Orange's jaw, breathing steadily.
Orange sighs and lays back, taking Hook with him. "Good night," he whispers to him, tugging the sheets up over them and wrapping an arm around Hook to hold him more securely against him.
He's not sure how the street fight will go on Wednesday, but he thinks if anyone's going to be able to formulate a gameplan to successfully counter any new bullshit Jericho tries, it'll be Joe. For Hook's safe, anyway, he hopes so.