[FIN] Picking up the Pieces

[TawnyAngel]

Dith lifted his shoulders slightly and gave Abel a slight smile that showed more in the eyes - well, eye - than it did around his mouth, which remained fairly flat and even. "That's understandable. I can explain some of the equipment if you would like that, or I can just leave you to spend some time with him. Talk to him, touch his hands or his face - but avoid the wires and tubes - just tell him that you're here. It might help." Dith didn't specify who he thought it might help and he didn't intend to either.

When the big human stopped speaking Amigo let go of Taavi's shoulder and fluttered over to land on one of the rails that ran down the side of the bed. Tell him he was here? "Fweeee," Amigo said dejectedly.

Taavi kept hold of Abel and said nothing, he didn't know what else to do.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, okay..." Explain some things, or just spend time with him... Hm. "Ah... You said that sometimes when someone's sedated... they know you're there?" Abel asked, his voice a tad uncertain. It always seemed like such a strange idea, since when someone was asleep they didn't really listen or respond or remember... but sedation was a little different, he supposed. Would Zevran really hear them -- would he really know they were there with him? It was a nice thought, and yet he couldn't help but be skeptical.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah, yes." Dith nodded and made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "It depends on what drugs they are given and in what quantities, and on their own state. We are not trying to keep him completely unconscious, just deeply relaxed so that as I said he has some time to heal and also so he doesn't fight the ventilator. If you were to pinch his hand hard you would find he would pull away from the pain, he might open his eyes a little but not focus on you. It's a little like deep sleep I suppose," not really but good enough in layman's terms, "but outside stimuli can become part of the... dream, the haze. Sometimes when people come around fully they remember loved ones being with them, seldom anything they said but the sound of their voice and the fact that they were there. It's far from every time but," Dith shrugged again, "I've always believed that just because they don't remember later doesn't mean they aren't reassured by your presence at the time. It's a fairly widely shared belief, few people speak negatively in a place like this."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ah, that... that made a lot of sense. The uncertainty in his expression evaporated and finally he reciprocated Taavi's kind gesture by wrapping one arm around his best friend - his brother - and offered Dith a tiny, fleeting smile. "Thanks; that makes sense. In that case I... I think we'd just like to visit with him for a few minutes, if that's okay."  

[TawnyAngel]

Dith nodded. "Of course, I will be outside." Without more than a last glance over the monitors he withdrew and closed the door behind him. Once outside he sighed quietly to himself and then crossed to the desk where Hameed was rubbing Isaac's ears as she read over some patient notes.

Once Dith had gone Taavi exhaled and made himself look over at the bed again. "I... I guess he'll be here a while. When they kick us out what are you going to do? Um. I think Dith said usual visiting starts here at six in the morning?..." That was only about three hours from now, would Abel just want to stay somewhere nearby or would he be willing to go home and grab a nap?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

And just like that Dith excused himself, leaving the small, sad group alone for a while.

Abel looked back over at the bed when Taavi did. It was still difficult to think that was really Zevran, not when he'd been alive and well - or mostly well, if anxious and afraid and uncertain - just hours before. "Yeah, I guess he will be... Dith said for a few days, but how many is that? Three? Four?" More than that? He hoped not, but he also desperately wanted Zevran to get better, so if staying here longer meant he'd get better, then... then that was fine. He could wait.

For the first time since entering the room the blond slipped away from Taavi and hesitantly walked the few feet over to the bed, the fingers on one hand flexing and fidgeting uncertainly. Oh how he wanted to touch his hands, his arms, his face, but he almost felt like he shouldn't do so. The last time Zevran was drugged it had been for far worse reasons and he had felt absolutely awful having to touch him even when it was necessary because of how helpless and dependent he'd been. This was different, much different but he still struggled to shake the thought. "Um... I... don't know honestly. I think he did say six, yeah. ..I think I'd like to come back as soon as I can," he admitted after a brief pause, during which he gingerly brushed his fingertips over one of Zevran's hands. "Though I should go home at least to check and make sure everyone else got back okay. Ah.. Sonia, Clara, Estoque and Invierno I think. And Azul. I didn't really.. have time to recall his pokemon before bringing him here." He'd barely had enough time for anything, really, with Zevran bleeding as much as he had been.  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi crossed the room to stand beside Abel and rested his hands on the bed's rail. "I don't know." Zev was really pale too, but now he wished he hadn't looked at his face to notice that because he'd looked at the tube again. It looked too thin to fill someone's throat - the thought made his own throat feel tight - so how did it get air into him? It still didn't look right, not at all, none of this did.

Hew saw Abel's fingers brush over Zev's hand, and he curled his own fingers around the rail. Who had done this? Shot Zev, twice, and clipped Abel with a bullet too? And their pokemon had been involved. What had happened?

"Um, you know if you need me to do anything you just have to ask right? If you want something fetched, or found, or anything?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Touching his hand seemed to open the floodgates -- or at least the gates to a small, hesitant stream. Abel's fingers smoothed over Zevran's hand, pale and still as it was; his fingers cautiously laced through his boyfriend's, his thumb ghosting over the back of his hand. "...I know. I appreciate it. I appreciate it a lot," he reiterated, lest Taavi think he didn't appreciate him or his offers of help, though his gaze remained fixed on the silent form in the bed before them. "I don't... I can't really think of anything right now though. Ah, if you..." Abel glanced up at his best friend then, his expression uncertain, hesitant, "If you wouldn't mind just.. checking to make sure everyone got home okay? I'd really appreciate it. Other than that, I... can't really think of anything.. I'm not really sure if I want to leave, either, since it's only about three hours..." That would be fine, he could find... somewhere to go sit for a while, surely. Would they let him wait in the other room until visiting hours started? As his gaze shifted back down to the still figure he added, "I don't really... want to leave him alone too long. I don't want to leave him alone -- or for him to feel alone, or not feel safe or anything, so..."  

[TawnyAngel]

Abel's quiet, slow response made his heart squeeze painfully and he hated that he couldn't do more all over again. "Of course." Taavi raised a hand to touch Abel's back. "I'll go and check on them all, when the doctors ask you to leave you can text me to let me know what you're going to do okay? And If you want to come back to the apartment I'll sort a cab for you, or come get you with Valour." After that he'd see if he could grab some sleep - he was exhausted, body and soul - and then wake up to send those texts to their bosses to tell them they wouldn't be in.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

What started as a quiet, appreciative smile quickly morphed to a surprised expression, and Abel looked back up at his best friend again as he processed his words. "You don't want to stay until they kick us out too?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Oh, s**t, had he said the wrong thing? "Well I-" Taavi looked away abruptly and shrugged. "I thought you might like some time alone? Um. But if you don't then yeah I'll stay." That was the least he could do for his friend, but unfortunately it was also the most he could do.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, uh, well maybe in a minute or two," the blond ceded as his gaze swept back to his love - which made his heart ache again to see him like this - and feeling like he'd said something wrong. "I just.. I figured you'd like to stay as long as you could, but if you don't want to that's fine... Um, I think... he'd probably like it if you stayed," he added after a moment or two of thought.  

[TawnyAngel]

"I... Yeah, I think so?" Taavi smiled weakly at Abel and squeezed his shoulder again. "I mean, he definitely loves company and attention right? I just... I wish there was more I could do you know?" But there was nothing, and he still didn't know what had even happened. Was Abel sure there was nobody left out there who might want to finish the two of them off? Who had the real target been? He couldn't ask any of that right now though, perhaps he never could.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Taavi's words brought a small, furtive smile to his face, and he gave Zevran's hand a soft squeeze. "Yeah, he does. Plus you're his friend. I don't know exactly how close you guys are, but I know he considers you a friend." Not that he'd really said as much but it was easy to tell; Zev may not have been as close or as comfortable with Taavi as he was with his boyfriend but that didn't mean they weren't friends. Maybe even good friends, perhaps? Maybe he'd ask Zev when he woke up.

If he w--

When he woke up. When.

"I know what you mean though," Abel went on with a small sigh as his brows furrowed a bit in mild frustration. "I feel the same. I don't.. really know what to do - or what I can do - but we'll... we'll figure something out, I'm sure. We have time." How many times had he said the very same things to Zevran in the past twenty-four, forty-eight hours? No, they'd figure out something they could do. Even if it wasn't actually helpful, they could still puzzle out something at least. Maybe Dith had some ideas.  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi nodded and made himself look at Zevran again, focusing on the various lines of his tattoos now instead of all the equipment. "Yeah, he's a good friend. Um. He's done a lot for me, all those meals he cooked and stuff, and I don't feel like I've done that much in return. I've helped him a bit with training his team but...." Taavi trailed off and shrugged. "Maybe I just feel like I haven't done enough because I can't do anything for him right now. I feel bad that I'm okay which is dumb but I still do."