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The difference in their backgrounds and characters couldn’t be more obvious, and it often led to quarrels between them—sometimes to even long-dragging, heated hassles, rather coming from Doyle than Bodie. The ex-copper knew he had a temper, often shorter than what his partner deserved, but it wasn’t like his points or annoyance were unfounded.One of these annoyances was that his partner often behaved like a madman. Bodie was a mother hen when it came to Doyle, but too many times pulled moves that were reckless at best and downright suicidal in the ex-copper’s opinion. Most times they had to take serious risks, that was true; CI5 wasn’t a place for the rabbit-hearted. But that didn’t mean they had to up the chances against themselves by taking unnecessary risks, like jumping on the roof of an arms dealer’s runaway car during a chase.Doyle saw the circumstances his partner would no doubt bring up for this particular madness, excuses for when he would be questioned about his recklessness. The car had sturdy roof rails, the chase had barely started when their villain of the week jumped in the car to make his hasty escape, and Bodie was close enough to try to stop the dealer before he managed to go further—or lose them altogether. ‘Less chance of losing him,’ Doyle could already imagine the shrugged reply from the other man.This was the main culprit behind his annoyance most times when they couldn’t see the same way: that Bodie barely ever minded his own safety. It was almost scary how the ex-merc dismissed the question and pushed it behind other goals seemingly more important—to him, not for Doyle—like bringing the fastest results to Cowley. He tended to dismiss other available resources that would probably lead them to the same results on a less dangerous path. Like in this case, where the local forces that they both knew were notified in time to arrive at any moment to back them up with roadblocks and more force.It was maddening after coming to CI5 with the burden of a dead partner. He didn’t want to lose another, even if it was such an annoying git like Bodie, but the man was seemingly on a different page about the matter and the extra grey hairs Doyle gathered since they were partnered up. Sometimes he loathed Cowley for their partnership. He loathed him especially in times like this, when he saw the ex-merc jumping on the top of the speeding vehicle, causing Doyle to lower his gun with an angry scowl and a spitting curse because he didn’t dare to take shots at the tyres like this. No, the car moved with sudden and unexpected shifts, and a bullet could hit Bodie both directly or by ricocheting upwards from the asphalt. No, he wouldn’t dare to risk it.But the local coppers weren’t as shy as him; as soon as the vehicle left the building’s cover and turned the corner they released a heavy hail of bullets at it. Doyle couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch with a closed-off throat as the scene unfolded in mere seconds. The car became showered in lead, causing it to swerve dangerously before the driver suddenly turned left with a speed that guaranteed disaster. The vehicle swerved out, flipping onto its side before landing on its roof. It took several yards and a nearby tree to stop its wild rampage—not like Doyle cared about it, or the driver’s fate.No, he only had eyes for that pompous idiot he had for a partner. Luckily, Bodie released the rails at the very last moment before the car could crush him under its heavy, metallic body, but the strong centrifugal force still threw the man to a long distance. With his heart beating in his throat, the ex-copper watched as his partner’s body cut through the air like a doll thrown away in blind rage, then landed akin. Bodie rolled over on his side several times without any kind of resistance before stopping in a heap of scattered limbs.“Bo-die!”Blood gushing in his ears, Doyle leapt forward in the ex-merc’s direction with the speed of lightning, wasting only a glance on the car and the dealer, but both were surrounded by dozens of coppers by then. He came to a sudden halt where the limp body of his partner laid, the paralysing fear freezing up the agent for seconds. Did they hit him? Or did the fall break Bodie’s neck, killing him in an instant? But before he could sink to the bottom of the terror now threatening to wrap its clawed hands around his neck, the lax body suddenly jerked as if shocked. A groan followed closely and Bodie started to get up in a clumsy hurry, like he wanted to continue the chase that already ended. There weren’t any bloody holes on his partner’s clothes.Relief filled the ex-copper before the anger and annoyance overcame him once more. Seeing Bodie’s struggling and clumsy movements, he reached down and pulled the man to his feet by a hostile grab on each side of his coat lapels, then he pushed at Bodie’s chest in barely-suppressed rage before releasing the clothing.“Of all the stupid things you came up with before, this gets the top! What were you thinking?!”He turned and stepped away to get away for a bit and released a shaky exhale—an after-effect of the fright—hidden from Bodie. Trying to slow his rapidly beating heart, the ex-copper ran a hand through his messy locks, then turned back when no answer came.The sharp, demanding tone was clearly repelled from the addressee, who was swaying on his feet and looking around with wild and dazed eyes like he was trying to figure out where he was and why. Doyle’s additional push didn’t hold the strength of real violence but still meant to display his displeasure, and it almost managed to unbalance the ex-merc enough to topple him over. Only his partner’s last-minute grace saved him, as Doyle managed to grab his biceps and pull him upward again.“Watch out! Bodie!”It took a minute until the man’s gaze finally cleared up and found his.“Ray? What—what happened?”He looked around again, but this time his eyes were clear and focused, and the swaying seemed like it had passed for good. Doyle didn’t see any difference in the sizes of his pupils, nor did he see any obvious holes or blood on the man. So, before he could’ve listen to his urge to punch Bodie in the face, he stepped away, and continued his outburst with angered sarcasm.“You happened, you bloody idiot! It seems like your thick skull doesn’t have the fact, so allow me, your mere partner, to let you know that you are not some kind of superman with a steel body! This was madly reckless!”“Ray—”“No! I don’t care about your excuses!” He cut the tentative attempt down with sharp rejection, feeling too sick and angry to even hear Bodie out. His excuses were the same every time, anyway. “The police were notified on time and stood by to back us up, and you knew this!”“Oh, c’mon now! As if they’re always reliable!”They both remembered how many times they were left hanging to dry and rely on their own devices and wits because the requested local forces never arrived, or had come too late to back them up. Doyle didn’t forgo this, but for him, the two things didn’t connect in this case. And he was just so sick of how much Bodie’s thoughtless behaviour forced him into worrying and dreading for his partner’s life.“Save it for the cow!” he snapped back, tongue sharp like a knife and pinned his tiredly sighing partner with a similar look. “Can you walk?”Bodie sighed again. It was futile to try making his point when Doyle was upset that much, akin trying to play chess with a raging bull.He shrugged underneath the hard look and hobbled forward to test his body’s state. His limbs moved slowly, a bit uncoordinated and with a limp, but his knees didn’t threaten to give out right then.“I suppose…”Doyle was walking away already, adding another snappy “Good!” for good measure. His partner fell pretty roughly and was obviously bruised to pulp, but he was just too angry with the ex-merc to lend a hand when the man wasn’t about to kneel over. Bodie was the mother hen, not him. He went to the wrecked car to check on the situation, but fortunately it was all handled by the local coppers: the injured driver laid on the ground in cuffs, moaning in pain and waiting for an ambulance while dozens of policemen surrounded him. Not like there was any danger for him fleeing again, not with his openly broken, bleeding legs.“Serves you right!” nodded Doyle at the pathetic state their arms dealer was left before he stepped away and pulled put the R/T from his jacket.The agent tried to contact their boss, but Cowley wasn’t available; he was in a tightly secret meeting with someone, presumably a minister or such, Betty wasn’t sure. So he decided for the group and established their man’s custody and guarding with the local forces until a CI5 reinforcement arrived in the hospital to take it over. Doyle listed everything to the Controller’s secretary so the leader would know how things went down, adding in the end that he’d be taking Bodie to the hospital too. Doyle didn’t forward Betty’s well wishes to his partner, his anger had sapped his goodwill and sympathy towards the man. He hopped in the car and sped off with his partner in the other seat, barely looking at the other agent in the first few minutes. Neither of them said anything until he glanced over to have a look at what state Bodie was in, and the man looked strangled enough to cause a question; his face was pinched with pain and sweat, his posture rigid, and he had his left arm gingerly cradled in the right.“Broke it, didn’t you?”If it pained Bodie that much then Doyle knew it couldn’t be a single sprain. The man only croaked out a wheezy “Think so,” but that was all, and Doyle restrained his anger enough not to repeat what he told to their unfortunate arm-dealer. His partner seemed suffering enough as punishment for his reckless act—for now.“I’m taking you to the hospital. The dealer’s custody is sorted out without the two of us involved so you are saved—thanks to me, mind you.”Doyle expected a rebut or a sarcastic joke of gratitude, but no answer came. He passingly looked at his partner again in wonder when the silence dragged out too long for his fragile patience. His wonder changed to concern, however, when he met Bodie’s paling and distorted face. His eyes were closed tightly, and Doyle could see from his jaw that he had grit his teeth hard.“That bad? Bodie?”The man didn’t seem like to hear him, or if he did, the ex-merc gave no sign of it, so Doyle stepped on the pedal with more force.“Hold on, we’ll be there in a few minutes!” But the short time didn’t do any favours, and by the time their car came to a loud, screeching halt, Bodie was tilted against the car’s door, so Doyle had to open it with caution to not have his partner falling out face-first on the asphalt. Only then he could see the Injury that dashed the ex-merc’s composure that much; the bottom side of his left arm was a mauled mess, the leather coat was ripped to shards and mingled with blood and fabric of Bodie’s shirt, and... skin. There was quite an amount of blood, and the damage expanded to his partner’s hand from his elbow.Seeing the full extent of the injury, and that the side of the door and the Bodie’s seat also got from the crimson liquid hastened his movements, and the ex-copper pulled the faltering man out of the car with some difficulty. Bodie wasn’t coherent enough to direct his movements, he only babbled about Cowley and managed some half-hearted movements. As most of the work was left to Doyle, he also had running sweat on his skin by the time they managed to hobble through the hospital doors with his partner’s arm and weight over his shoulders.He didn’t have to call for help. Fortunately, the nurse at the reception desk spotted them and called for help after they passed the first double doors. Bodie was taken by both a male and a redhead, lady nurse, pushed into a wheelchair and carted away in a hurry.Doyle was left alone in the busy corridor with his concern and dying annoyance. Even though it was the exact reason for his displeasure, Bodie’s pained face still made it bloody difficult to stay mad at him right now.
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Four and half hours, that was how long Doyle had been waiting. The doctor said the operation to fix Bodie’s arm would take two hours, maximum, but that was more than four hours ago— so he was rightfully worried now. What could be taking so long? The doctor seemed very sure of everything. He said he had personally checked out each result and injury before giving his partner’s diagnosis.The ex-copper couldn’t help but think about the scenarios that might’ve occurred during the operation that’d keep the healer delayed for this long. The terrible possibilities were running a mile in Doyle’s mind while he was walking up and down the corridor, folding his hands anxiously, wishing and dreading the doctor’s appearance at once.He had not much to do and busy himself with during his stressful wait besides his worries. Not even Cowley was back in his office yet; he tried to contact the man every hour but he was only met with Betty’s regretful rejections. The doctor, a tired-looking grey man in his mid-forties, appeared an hour later, looking rather angry. It was quite a first for Doyle, so the sight quite startled him. He saw healers after operations appearing upset, afraid, remorseful, sometimes even sad, but never angry, and the agent didn’t know how to take this. As he waited for the man to make it to him, Doyle stood there like a deer in headlights, worry tightening his throat and anxiety playing soccer in his stomach until the doctor spoke up.“He’s alive. The operation is finished successfully,” the man all but blurted out rather flatly, then he continued without a blink. “But your partner has some rather unique resistance to certain medications—of which you wouldn’t know about, would you?”And he gave Doyle a judging, scrutinizing gaze, pinning him with a look that clearly said he thought the agent knew about this particular information all along.“I don’t know what you mean,” the ex-copper said immediately, flabbergasted. This was the first time he heard about this for sure. But the doctor didn’t let the bone drop and continued quite strongly.“Oh, it’s not a big deal, really, just could’ve taken his arm off, or killed him altogether while he was operated on—but it’s not something that worth mentioning, don’t you agree?”“What the bloody hell are you talking about?! Stop with the riddles—is Bodie okay?”The things the man started accusing Doyle left him confused, and it all but renewed his worry. Bodie never mentioned having any drug resistance to him, he was sure of it. And his partner surely would’ve told him something like this as they had to share important details; CI5 didn’t allow secrets between partners because their lives could depend on the details they knew about each other.But the doctor just kept staring into his eyes with a disapproving, searching gaze, almost like he was trying to look into Doyle’s soul to seek out the truth hiding there. After several seconds of this silent exchange where the agent couldn’t do anything but stand by his honest confusion and anxiety, the healer’s expression morphed into a surprised frown.“You really didn’t know.”But Doyle’s patience was left short since the beginning; weaned down by his partner’s mad recklessness, and now this nonsense the surgeon tried to blame on him seemed enough to push the agent over the edge. It brought him into an urgent mood to get answers, preferably now, and Doyle decided that he was going to get them, even if he’d have to shake them out of the doctor in the middle of a busy corridor.“Explain this madness, now!”His harsh, demanding tone didn’t shake the man standing in front of him. The healer just smoothly complied without any hesitation or throwing any more judging glances at Doyle.“Your partner’s hidden resistance to the most common group of IV anaesthetic drugs made our anaesthesiologist running for his salary and wits during the surgery. He actually had to call in another anaesthesiologist who happened to have been on call duty, which rarely happens, you see. Let’s go from the start and sit somewhere less crowded for this conversation, shall we?”And that’s how they made it to a corner in a different corridor on another floor, which was almost deserted. They sat on the side so they wouldn’t bother the pushed gurneys and people walking about.“Tell me what happened! I simply can’t get my head around it—this must be a misunderstanding of some sort!”Doyle couldn’t imagine otherwise. Bodie must’ve told him about this ability of his if the ex-merc truly possessed such a thing. But even if he wouldn’t tell Doyle—the idea of this possibility brought an uncomfortable, heavy feeling to his stomach—the man still surely would’ve told his doctor, at least, knowing that he’d be operated.“Oh, there’s no misunderstanding here, unfortunately,” the healer confirmed with a disapproving frown. “We started the operation and your partner started coming out of the anaesthesia not even twenty minutes in—while he had his arm sliced open in places and us having poking hands in it, mind you! The worst time and scenario, he came to, confused and in a lot of pain—understandably—so we had to halt everything. We were completely delayed until the anaesthesiologist managed to put him under again. Fifteen minutes of delay and we were barely started on him!”“Oh, don’t tell me your bloody schedule must be this important!”Getting angry and spitting at the man as a gut reflex probably wasn’t Doyle’s wisest reply, but he couldn’t help to feel angry on Bodie’s behalf. Surely the next operation on their list couldn’t been such an immediate emergency to make them reluctant to sacrifice more than the expected time on his partner. But the doctor raised a hand while shooting him a warning gaze.“This isn’t about whatever you gathered out of my words, young man, I can assure you! Our schedules are for the patients’ sake, and we are to behave under the law. All patients are different, and so are their condition and needs; that’s why multiple medical personnel are deciding about their treatment and the course and expected time of each operation. It’s not something a civilian can judge without any medical practice and knowledge. These plans are made with strict consideration for the patients’ health, first and foremost, and to fit the circumstances standing by then—there are countless factors I won’t list now. Most importantly, it’s for the sake of the patients’ health, though,” the man added firmly before continuing in a calmer approach, now that he emphasized his point and saw the agent had been listening.“To put Mr Bodie’s situation more simply: because he managed to shake off the anaesthetic drugs a second time again within half an hour, it left us with very few choices at the time. We decided to chose the route that posed fewer risks to his health, so we put your partner under via anaesthetic gas, and kept him on it for the operation’s time.”The memory of when his tonsils were removed in his childhood and he was knocked out with a sleeping gas came up in Doyle’s brain, unbidden. It wasn’t fun, but wasn’t that bad either, and now he didn’t understand the big fuss about Bodie needing it in the first place. Surely, waking up confused and in a world of pain during surgery couldn’t be a fun business, but if they kept him out with the gas afterwards then why was this fuss for?“So what? I remember it leaving a vile taste but I think it’s still in use, isn’t it?”The physician gave him a look that instantly reminded Doyle of the gazes the CI5 controller had given them whenever they said or did something that Cowley called nonsense or silly.“We don’t use anaesthetic gas on patients who have any kind of upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, asthma, any broken ribs, or any kind of other health issue that can compromise their breathing because inhaled anaesthetic agents tend to suppress breathing and cause complete respiratory failure. Even when we use gases to put someone under, it’s never used through the whole operation, and the patient is required to have good stamina, strong heart, healthy lungs, and be young in order to reduce the complications to the minimum.”Suspecting where this was leading didn’t help to erase the sudden weight Doyle started to feel pressing on his chest. This was not what he expected to hear after the lengthy operation. The agent expected to hear about complications, of course, but not this. And the situation felt more worrisome with every sentence the doctor added, and so the ex-copper was glad they were sitting while he listened to the dreadful briefing.“Mr Bodie arrived with three broken ribs, and to make matters worse, they aren’t even on the same side. As we weren’t notified about his resistance to regular intravenous sleeping agents, the anaesthesiologist didn’t have a chance to make an adjusted plan, or an according backup route, which both are required procedures before any operation, and it had put us into a dangerous situation, you see. Such a slip-up can easily lead to lethal consequences. The anaesthesiologist had to improvise, then even call in a second anaesthesiologist for help because the circumstances turned that dire—you surely can understand that by now. This kind of information needs to be listed and highlighted on the patients’ chart, because if it isn’t, the complications and lack of preparation can result in the patient’s death. We could’ve stopped the operation, though, that was the only other choice we had on our hands, but that’d result in your partner losing his injured arm to infection—and only if he would be lucky enough not to develop a full sepsis and dying in it. So we decided against it.”Doyle’s head was reeling.“This is madness! I can’t believe—how? How could he not tell me, or you? You sure about this, doc, that Bodie knew about it? It’s downright suicidal to stay silent about something like this! He’s mad for sure, but he can’t be this mad!”And wasn’t that the exact reason his partner was in the hospital in the first place? A moment of a suicidal-looking act that almost resulted in his neck getting broken…“He couldn’t, though.” The greying man shook his head, expression clearly filled with disgust and suppressed fury. “And I’m sure about it because your partner isn’t the first agent of George Crowley’s who was operated here with such unexpected complications. I made a few phone calls after finishing the surgery, and it came to my knowledge that one of my colleague’s experiences was quite the same as mine, with the exception that his patient came out of the ordeal with fewer and lesser consequences than mine. My fellow surgeon was able to quote the exact words the agent told him back then when he was questioned: they are forbidden to reveal their drug resistances to anyone, no matter what—the only person who holds the right to do so is George Cowley himself.”After taking several seconds to process the first shock, Doyle wanted to ask the doctor if he wasn’t just pulling his leg with an ill-placed joke, but to tell the truth, it was something he could quite imagine their boss doing. A very small part of him could understand Cowley’s reasons behind the benefit of having such a secret ability in this career, but that was a thin part of him. His main part was taken up by the concern for his partner’s fate, which was dropped carelessly because the Controller didn’t live up and serve to the rights that were trusted to him; the chief was unavailable for hours in time of need and didn’t supply the hospital with the required information he’d deliberately kept in secret.Doyle didn’t know how to feel about this grave pile of newfound information he was suddenly faced with, not to mention the part where it put his partner’s life in direct jeopardy. Bodie could’ve died or lost his arm because the Controller ordered him into silence about such an important health risk, all while the man disappeared instead of providing for the agent in question.First and foremost, he felt angry and disappointed with Crowley, and burned with the urge to make another attempt to contact him—after he visited Bodie, of course. Then there was the crippling worry that squeezed him about his partner’s recovery: the ex-copper hoped the mad git held on despite the trials he had to face, and those worries currently left very little room for anything else.Being unaware of the inner disturbance of his companion, the doctor spoke up again.“Well, it wasn’t like your partner didn’t try to make amends before we started on him, let me add this for clarity. Mr Bodie kept repeating 'Call Crowley', but we faced circumstances for us to consider and act accordingly. Time was tight to get the operation started to give him the best chances with that arm and to keep the sepsis away, and I also knew that it was another agent who took him in so that you’d sort out any work-related issues. And of course, there was his concussion resulting in confusion and slurred, mixed-up speech—so you see, I can neither be a call centre when I have an urgent case on my hand, nor did we have the time to seek out people not being present here.”Doyle could only nod in understanding. The man sought him out after Bodie was attended to collect the information they needed. In his partner’s shoes, Doyle wouldn’t be understanding in case if he’d lost the motion of his injured arm, or would lose the whole limb because the doctor wasted time on making phone calls. But that wasn’t all of it. Despite the agent thinking things couldn’t possibly get worse than this, the next words renewed the fury he felt for the CI5 Controller.“I was told during my recent phone call that George Cowley was warned, not even a year ago, about the lethal risks of this ‘game’ he was playing—that trained drug resistance ought to be noted on each of his agent’s charts!” The doctor emphasized each word in his upset. “And yet, he clearly ignored the official warning instead of heeding the hospital’s demand. Which left me with no choice but to act accordingly: I reported the case to my superiors. In reply, I was told that the hospital’s legal director and the rector will get in contact with George Cowley, not later than today, to tell him that this hospital will refuse to treat any more CI5 personnel, starting from this day, because his personal goals aren’t aligned with the goals of this hospital’s.”The agent nodded again, muted from the shock. It was a harsh reaction, but he could understand the hospital’s, and this doctor’s point after hearing about the bad corner where Crowley forced them into.“You see, this isn’t something that the rector or any of us was happy to participate in, but I cannot tell I’m not relieved that this nightmare won’t happen again, at least not here. My patient had to go through painful, unnecessary and dangerous trials over the top of his injuries, and now is facing a much longer recovery time than he should have, all because of George Cowley’s attitude.”“You don’t need to worry, doctor, I understand. I appreciate your honesty and straightforwardness.” Doyle said, and he meant it. He was thankful for the lengths this doctor went to for his partner’s safety and care.The man nodded to acknowledge the agent’s fair thinking while the ex-copper started pouring his questions on him.“And what now? Will he be okay? What about his arm? Can I see him?”For Doyle’s anxious flood of questions, the doctor tried to put his worries to rest as much as he was able.“As I said earlier, Mr Bodie’s surgery on his damaged arm was successfully done; we don’t expect any lasting damage on his arm. Miraculously, his elbow isn’t broken, the only breaks are in the forearm. We managed to set the bone and clean the tissues from all the debris and pieces of clothes. It was a long and meticulous handiwork under unfortunate circumstances, but we think that we caught the issue and infection early enough to prevent setting it. Please understand that it’s not a promise per se, but we’re hopeful about the result.”The doctor waited until he saw Doyle took in everything, and only continued after then.“But to answer your other questions, the rest isn’t as simple or going to be as smooth as it could be, unfortunately. Because of the trials and unfavourable circumstances Mr Bodie had to face during the surgery, he is currently placed in the intensive care wing and will remain there under constant supervision for the next twenty-four hours, at the very least. His stay could extend to even longer, up until we deem that the danger of respiratory failure is passed completely, which can take even seventy-two hours.”For Doyle’s falling and unhappy face, the doctor added: “But you can see your partner, if you wish, from the observation window. That’s the most we can currently allow, with the drugs still high in his system and everything that went down.”The agent nodded, deep in thought. “That’s still better than nothing.”The doctor nodded too, satisfied with the easy-going attitude and happy the debrief talk was going so smoothly.“You also know about your partner’s concussion,” added the healer, pulling Doyle’s attention to himself again. “We’re keeping an eye on it, but it seems like it’s not severe and didn’t cause any haemorrhage, not until now. The broken ribs are also a part of the list; they are clean breaks, but because of what happened during the surgery, unfortunately, we can’t brace them with a wrapping around the torso as we would usually do, to take off some of the pressure and help the healing by restricting movement. For now, we are forced to leave the whole torso alone and without any kind of wrappings in caution for the respiratory failure; the lungs can’t be placed under any pressure at all. We’re watching his breathing and oxygen levels with eagle eyes, constantly, until it’s certain the danger of respiratory failure passed for sure. That also means Mr Bodie will be on additional oxygen as long as we deem it necessary, depending on his lung’s capacity and oxygen level.”Doyle ran a hand through his messy locks in stress. Bloody Cowley and bloody Bodie for listening to him!—he seethed in anger and worry. Then the agent stood to take a shaky breath to calm himself somewhat. Only then was he able to turn back to the doctor who was still sitting on the bench.“I understand, but I still need to see him!”His determination didn’t meet any resistance: the other man stood too to lead the way. The sight that welcomed him on the other side of the observation window wasn’t what Doyle expected, even though the doctor warned him about the serious circumstances and the exact precautions in place. All, except one.Bodie was pale—not as much as he was when they arrived at the hospital, but his general marble skin-tone looked ghostly white now, almost matching the white bedding he was laid on. An army of machines stood at the headboard for the patient’s sake, transparent and colourful tubes running all around him, supplying the man with fluids, medicines, taking his body signals. The white, thin hospital blanket was pulled up to his chest and a big, black mask that supplied him with oxygen was tightly strapped to his face, its black, rubber ties went around the ex-merc’s head through the dark, messy locks. The white, L-form cast on Bodie’s injured arm looked sturdy and spotless despite being a temporary piece that would get changed every few hours.But despite the man being just out of a serious surgery, Bodie didn’t appear to be resting like he should’ve been doing. He lazily and occasionally rolled his head this way and that, and kept jerking his right hand to the side in an odd, controlled way. Doyle knew his partner enough to recognise anxiety and distress in the movements, and the way the right hand was moving… Bodie’s hand was balled into a tight fist, knuckles white from the force he squeezed it with, and around his wrist that stopped the arm moving away from the metal bed-rail, was…“Is this a sick joke?! Or some kind of twisted revenge for your troubles during the surgery?!” Doyle exploded in flaring anger, turning to the doctor with a rigid posture.They tied his partner down and they will answer for it immediately.
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He pinned the doctor with burning eyes, and the man was flabbergasted by the sudden one-eighty change in Doyle’s behaviour.“What?” the healer asked confusedly, thinking he’d prepared the visitor for the view. His confusion only met more anger.“How dare you tie him down like an animal, or a mental?!”The pieces fell together and a moment later the doctor collected his composure as he finally understood the issue.“Young man, you have too many assumptions that just couldn’t be further from reality, and I refuse to take dirty accusations like that!” He stood up strongly for their decision while trying to peace with the seething man too. “I understand your current unease, but we didn’t go through this act the first time. Your partner isn’t different from the expectations of his field; he almost knocked out one of the nurses during the operation—the only saving grace was that I was just a fraction faster than Mr Bodie so I managed to pull the young fella back in the very last second, just before the hit could’ve landed.”Doyle blinked in surprise, and the doctor continued with a strong tone:“While we, the medical staff, accept that sometimes we are forced to work in hostile conditions, that doesn’t mean we won’t do everything to protect ourselves and our patients by reducing danger factors. You have no right to judge us for that, and I'm refusing your dirty assumptions that restraining your partner is anything but protecting the working staff and Mr Bodie as well.”It was Doyle who became speechless by then. His anger vaporizing completely to leave confusion and disbelief.“He made a fight? On the operation table?”The doctor tilted his head. Clever, brown eyes shone thoughtfully. “I’d say ‘he put up a fight’, instead.”But the agent wasn’t reassured. “He lost a lot of blood and I barely could drag him inside; he was weak like a newborn!”The medic only shrugged in reply. “It’s really not unusual for trained men to lash out when they’re confused and in pain.”Pregnant silence fell on them, momentarily, while Doyle tried to digest the news, and it took several seconds until his eyes found the doctor’s again.“I’m sorry,” he apologised in honesty. “That wasn’t right of me. It’s just that—I have to look out for him as he doesn’t do a great job at that...”The reluctant confession seemed to ease the conflict somewhat. The healer nodded with the smallest smile in the corner of his lips, a thing so little it was barely visible.“Thank you.” It was rare when patients’ visitors apologised for their inappropriate behaviour.The agent, however, wasn’t finished yet. “But you have to let me talk to him.”“Come again?” The doctor asked in surprise, and Doyle turned his head to the window to rest his gaze on his partner.He propped a fisted hand against the glass while he watched the unnerving scene happening inside the intensive care room. The ex-merc still kept turning his head like he couldn’t know how to find a comfortable position, and jerked his hand against the white gauze they used to tie his wrist.“I know Bodie, and he’s fretting now because he has no idea what’s going on. And he won’t cut it out until he figures it out.” Doyle looked at the doctor again. “You can drug him out of his marbles, but he won’t cool off and take it easy until he understands what’s happening.”“I can promise you that our staff is competent and adamant to clear any confusion that arises in patients.”“That’s not—” Doyle sighed in distress and turned back to his partner for a second to take a calming breath. Only then did he looked into the healer's eyes with a weariness. “I’m not doubting your competence. But if he was trained to withstand drugs then I think no medical person can reassure him now. Think about the circumstances of such a training.”That put the healer deep in thought for several seconds. When he finally answered, he was tentative.“Even if it’d be allowed, and that’s just a big if, your efforts still would go to waste. Mr Bodie is confused because of the concussion and drugs, and he isn’t allowed to talk yet—remember that his lungs are in a fragile state now.”But the agent was relentless.“He doesn’t have to talk, and leave the confusion part to me to handle.”The healer wasn’t easily convinced, that was obvious from the period of silence the man took before asking back.“I’m not sure what else can you do to calm our patient down that we can’t,” the man confessed in doubt. Doyle also took his time before he replied.“You don’t have to understand, just accept that we’re close so I can put him to rest. That’s what he should do, innit? Instead of fretting and tossing in stress.” He nodded his head towards the patient who did just what the agent described, and the doctor’s gaze unbidden landed on the scene, watching it in displeasure for seconds. “I just want to calm him down so he can rest and heal up, like he should do.”After a bit of thinking, the healer nodded.“I’m not the one who can make such a decision. You have to wait here while I present your case to the IC head doctor on duty. But I make no promises, mind you!”And so Doyle was left alone for what it felt like hours, and the agent’s only activity was to stare at the tossing form of his partner through the window. He was frowning heavily the whole time he waited, and cursed both Bodie and Cowley with worry lacing his anger. When the healer who debriefed him came back with another doctor in tow, Doyle nodded and straightened, hands slipping off the window while he turned to the newcomers.“Dr. Peterson, the Intensive Care’s Head on duty,” the stranger introduced himself while pushing a hand forwards, and Doyle shook it.“Ray Doyle, Bodie’s partner.”The man didn’t hit around the bushes and went for the matter the next.“Doctor Mosse told me about your request, and I have to tell, while I’m not impressed with the idea of letting a civilian into the wing which is full of people in critical condition, I can’t deny the fact that Mr Bodie’s stressed state does not do any good for his health, and that it’d be undoubtedly beneficial to his health to get him to relax.”“I’m a trained CI5 agent, not a civilian.”The doctor didn’t take the jab, and tilted his head before sorting Doyle out in an unimpressed, cold tone.“You are a civilian here if you’re not a trained medical person.”Awkwardly, the agent shrugged, not wanting to create an issue with the man who could pull the ties.“Right.”“As I said, no civilians are allowed to step into the wing, not even law enforcement members to do urgent interviews or to take statements.”“I’m not here for official business but as Bodie’s medical contact.”“So you’re not here to take his statement or ask Mr Bodie other, related questions?”Doyle sighed in frustration in reaction to the sudden accusation.“The only question I’d ask him that why is he being difficult like a fussing baby, but even that’d be a rhetorical question. The doctor told me to keep him from speaking, so I’d start with telling him to shut it and listen to what I have to say.”Peterson’s right eyebrow raised, and the man hummed. He pinned the agent with a sharp, scrutinising gaze.“As Dr. Mosse informed me, you didn’t know about your partner’s special training to resist certain anaesthetic drugs. Why do you think you can get through him now when he’s affected by a mild concussion, high amount of painkiller, and sedatives?”That was the trap question, and Doyle recognised it right away. He would have to give a satisfying answer that would tilt the Head Doctor’s opinion in his favour, or he could turn and walk away right now. The agent, deep in thought, licked his bottom lip and took his time to find the answer that could win this fight for him.“In CI5, partners rely on each other. We have to: this isn’t a simple job, nor it can be done alone. So trust between partners is vital and goes beyond what a civilian could comprehend. I’m telling I can make Bodie listen to me and do what I say because that’s the truth.”Doyle fell quiet, waiting for the decision, worry and doubt pulling another knot into his stomach. Peterson nodded.“I see you genuinely believe your words, so I’m authorising a short personal visit for you, but only for the sake of Mr Bodie’s health. But you have to mind every rule and precaution in place, and follow every word you’re being told while you’re in the wing,” added the Head healer rigidly, and continued in a measured, cold tone, meaning every word. “If any staff or I notice you stepping out of the line in any way, or that your behaviour deviates from the purpose of your visit you proposed to us here, I’ll make sure that you’ll get instantly removed from not just my wing and this floor, but from the building too, and kept out for a long time.”Doyle, not fancying the threatening tone and hostile manner he was treated with, pressed his answer through his clenched teeth with a frozen poker face, hiding his displeasure and the urge to snap at the man.“Right.” He had to wear those all-body scrubs and a face mask while he was in the room, and wait patiently, standing quietly in a free spot next to the wall beside the door, not touching anything until he’s called to Bodie’s bed. The spacious room held fifteen beds, each with a patient in critical condition lying in them. Several nurses and doctors made rounds to check on the patients, IVs, charts and on the army of machines lined along the wall at the patients’ headboards. The activity and noise were constant, and the smell of the disinfectant was strong.Doyle got strong instructions on what he was allowed to do and what was especially forbidden for him. He wasn’t allowed to touch anyone or anything, or talk to anyone unless he was directly talked to. No speaking altogether, no R/T or weapon on him, and the agent had to wash up throughout before he could get into the scrub; they didn’t want his germs anywhere near the patients with fragile health.He was annoyed by all the hassle but went along with all without a word, biting his complaints back in order to get to Bodie. The ex-copper planned to name his complaints and tell Cowley what exactly he thought about this private game the chief played, the game that resulted in his partner landing in intensive care. Of course, Doyle planned to give a real head washing to Bodie too, once the man was up to it, but not now. Right now his partner needed him, and he didn’t plan to let Bodie down.But it took a while to get to him. A doctor was at his partner’s bedside with two nurses assisting him, one holding a chart and the other giving the man a hand in moving limbs and the blanket. The doctor quietly talked to Bodie and the nurses too, and while the row of beds was too far for the ex-copper to hear what was being told, Doyle saw the man’s words missed his partner entirely. Bodie’s tied arm strained against the white, soft-looking tie, fist white and head rolling from side to side in a loopy but adamant movement.When the nurse folded the blanket lower so the doctor could press the head of his stethoscope to the patient’s chest, the agent noticed the massive amount of purple patches that covered the ex-merc’s torso all over, standing out of the pale whiteness of Bodie’s skin.‘Jesus!’ thought Doyle with a wince. ‘No wonder he was in so much pain when the adrenaline wore off in the car... The arm looked mauled but this bruising isn’t a joke either!’The doctor was very throughout with his check-up; he systematically went over Bodie’s torso with the stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs, they even lifted the man’s shoulder in utmost carefulness to get access to the side of his back. Doyle didn’t like the way his partner reacted to the touches and tests, his heartbeat spiked noticeably and his muscles strained despite the nurses' and the doctors' efforts to talk him through.The ex-copper clenched his teeth to stop himself from doing something stupid that’d no doubt get him thrown out of the wing. He needed to be patient and wait for his time when he was called, but it was difficult to witness his partner’s distress and just stand there without doing anything at all.But that was exactly what he had to do while the cast was opened and the thick wrapping around Bodie’s arm got changed. The limb looked bad; it was coloured purple by deep bruising from the fall the man took, but that wasn’t all of it. There were countless, ugly tears and cuts where debris from the asphalt pierced the delicate skin and where then the doctors had to dig in to get those out, piece by piece. And of course there were other places where the skin got scrapped... Doyle had to turn his head away from the sight of the limb, from the bruises, countless stitches and orange patches of iodine covering the wounds.He swallowed thickly in shame, remembering how he treated his partner right after the accident, not even stopping for a second to check Bodie over to see if the man was seriously injured other than being hit. He almost snapped at him a ‘Serves you right!’ in the car, all while his partner was probably in a world of pain. Gods, he was so angry at the twit for that stupid move Bodie pulled, but that just couldn’t be an excuse for such a lack from his side. He ought to do better the next time, Doyle thought, even if the sod is all but up on his nose with another crazy show.By the time the agent finished with his inner thoughts and turned back to the bed that had his partner, the scene changed, and not in a favourable way.A male nurse stood at the opposite side of Bodie’s bedside, facing the doctor, and they worked together to keep the ex-merc and his injured arm steady while the female nurse re-wrapped the limb. His partner put up quite a resistance; he tried to move away from the ministrations, pull the arm away or maybe lash out with it, who knows, but the men kept him down effectively by pressing on his shoulder and having a strong hold both on the wrist and elbow. The sound of a choked wheeze, muffled by the oxygen mask, had hit Doyle’s ear, and he needed every piece of his self-restraint to not to break the instructions the staff gave him about staying on the spot until he was called.The staff didn’t mistreat Bodie, that wasn’t the issue; Doyle saw that the doctor kept talking to his partner, probably telling him what they were doing and why. Even the nurses were trying to get him calmed by occasional, gentle squeezes here and there to reassure him, and Bodie usually loved to bathe in the birds’ attention and touches… not like now. It was all wrong and upsetting, and Doyle’s heart heavily beat in his chest from having to watch it all unfolding.Heart beating hard, and with a heavy stomach, the ex-copper felt like he was at the edge of exploding from the pent-up stress and urge to get to Bodie. The moment when the staff finished and left the bed in question couldn’t come soon enough, and Doyle stepped forward on rubber legs that moved so hurriedly they almost tripped him over when the nurse finally looked at him and nodded.Bodie was still distressed, although exhausted and apathetic from the ordeals and drugs, but his eyes and head still turned wildly and with an effort. The slow movements all lacked real control. Hazy, unfocused eyes moved over everything and anything, not landing on Doyle when he stepped up to the bed’s side. The state he found his partner was worse than what he could see from afar, and it felt like a hand squeezed his stomach to nut size.He took a breath to calm his rattled nerves, then reached out. Standing by the left side of the bed, he grabbed Bodie’s right shoulder and forearm, just above the binding on the still straining wrist. He gently but surely pushed the limb down to keep it on the mattress.“Bodie, mate, you have to stop this!” The agent said urgently, keeping the volume down so as not to disturb the other patients.His partner, however, didn’t acknowledge Doyle’s words or presence; the stormy blue irises scrolled over him as if the agent was a regular piece of furniture, nothing worthy to rest your eyes on. So the ex-copper started tapping on the inner side of the forearm to get Bodie’s attention, the skin warm and sweaty under his touch, the limb still fighting his hold weakly but adamantly while the man went on with the verbal urging.“You have to listen to me, Bodie! Stop the fretting and let the pretty nurses treat your boo-boos! You’re not helping yourself with stressing out like this. Bo-die!”But the man clearly wasn’t on the same page as Doyle, and the hurried, struggling movements of the irregularly rising and falling chest, and the occasional wheezing sounds distressed the agent. Suddenly uncertain, the ex-copper didn’t know what to do to get Bodie’s attention. The heart monitor’s beeping sounded too loud for his ears, too fast, and that wasn’t the only thing that pulled on his attention.His partner’s lips were moving, he could see that through the oxygen mask’s transparent, middle part, but with the way the man kept turning his head and the loud noise in the room, Doyle just couldn’t make anything out of it, nor read the lips hiding under the foggy plastic.So he changed tactic and reached out to stop the constant head shaking with a steadying palm on the other side cheek, then bent down, much closer to put his ear close to the hole on the breathing mask. Even then, Doyle still had to concentrate hard to filter the noise out and understand the quietly muttered words.“Bodie… William… C… I… five… three… seven… Bodie… William...”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Dread froze Doyle’s blood, and the sudden understanding on the situation caught his breathing stuck in his throat.That was the exact moment he lost every self-restraint; he all but grabbed his partner’s chin below the plastic mask and forcefully turned the sweaty, pale face towards him. Keeping the head in position that way, the ex-copper released Bodie’s arm and started slapping the cheek with measured but noticeable strength and urgency. He took a tone as urgent and commanding as his touches were, all while the agent was well aware of the sudden attention on them, and that he was risking getting banned from the hospital altogether.“Bodie, listen to me! We are safe, you hear me? We are in the Mallory Public Hospital after you took a bad fall from a car’s top! I took you to this hospital because you messed up your arm in the accident,” Doyle emphasized every words slowly and clearly, trying to spark clarity in the hazy eyes and make them focus on him, but it wasn’t happening so far. “Bodie, we are safe. Just listen to me for this once, because this is important!”“Excuse me, sir!” A female, distressed voice called him from the other side of the bed, and the ex-copper gave her just a fraction of time, a brief second to look up at her before he turned his gaze down again, patting the damp cheeks again. “This is no way to handle a critical patient! Mister!”But the agent all but ignored her.“C’mon, sunshine! Get it through your thick skull; there’s no danger here! You are safe!”By the time the glassy eyes managed to find his, Peterson’s voice rang up too.“Step away from the patient, agent! This behaviour is unacceptable!”Doyle had no intention to do that, but he raised his head to snarl at the man who just arrived at the nurse’s side.“So is letting him suffer for hours in the belief that he’s being worked over for information! No wonder he wouldn’t stop resisting everything! And you came at me with your righteous talk about how everything is for the patients’ benefit—bloody shame on you!”The man had the audacity to look puzzled by the angered outburst and disgusted tone, then with naked surprise he looked in switch at his patient and the visitor—not like the agent could’ve seen that as he already turned back to his partner. His partner, who finally rested his eyes on Doyle’s face. The confusion was still clear present on the facial lines and in the hazy eyes, but Bodie stopped muttering at least.“Took you long enough, you crazy crud!” The ex-copper sighed with a tint of relief from finally establishing contact with the man, and the tiniest smile appeared in the corner of his lips, well hidden by the mask. It disappeared soon enough when Peterson spoke up again, similarly confused like his patient.“What’s the meaning of this? Explain yourself! If—”“Just what I said!” Doyle cut him down, rudely, impatiently, and angered on his partner’s behalf. “My partner isn’t just confused, mixing up this place for La La Land and you doctors for rainbow gnomes! That’s not why he is in a constant fight mode, resisting your every move!”Not wanting to waste any more time on the man and risk losing the fragile connection he managed to establish with Bodie, the agent looked down back to his partner, then went on, much softer but urgency still lacing his words.“There you are, love! I want you to listen to me now, okay? I know my face looks dumb in this cloth, but it’s me, and I want you to listen! You need to relax—you are safe, I promise! It’s a hospital and nothing more: they’re trying to take care of you so you can heal up faster, but they can’t do it while you’re fretting like a baby on a fussy day. Relax, Bodie, I want you to relax and at ease! You’re safe.”Bodie’s glassy eyes didn’t leave his partner’s. The man blinked, slowly, and Doyle felt an unexpected weight pulling on his scrub and shirt. Looking down, he saw a strong fist gripping at it. He slipped a hand off the patient’s sweaty cheek to cover the white fist with his palm, then turned back to his partner. Although Bodie’s eyes weren’t clear of the fog, yet they never left the ex-copper’s.“Relax, sunshine, you hear me? It’s safe. Just take nice, deep breaths and relax for me, okay? Keep breathing deeply and let the pretty nurses to fuss over you in peace, will you? Don’t fight it, just take it easy and rest, mate!”His pleading and ordering words took effect then; Bodie’s hand started to go lax, and so did the rest of his muscles. Doyle held the easing hand and rubbed idle circles into the wrist, just below the binding that tied the patient to the bed rail.“That’s it... Just take a nice kip, we are safe here,” hummed Doyle encouragingly.The agent straightened up when his partner’s eyelids finally started dropping, and then Bodie was out within moments. His visitor took his tied wrist in both hands, and started looking it over with a scrutinizing gaze. The beeping of the heartbeat monitor wailed for a second before the sound continued in a much slower pattern, but Doyle only had eyes for his partner’s hand now.He pushed up the thick, tight lines of gauze used as binding, and tsked disapprovingly when his searching gaze met a strip of deep redness in the skin, going around Bodie’s hand in a full circle.“Bloody safe…!” he muttered darkly with cutting sarcasm at the bruising before the agent started rubbing the hurt skin all over with his thumbs, gently, to erase some of the discomfort—that he was able to help with, at least.“I have to ask you to leave the room now.”Doyle snapped his head up to see the doctor having a hand on the heart monitor, watching the data with an approving but restricted awe. Then the man turned to him.“Please step outside now; we need to check Mr Bodie out, then I want to have a few words with you.”“You did both, just a few minutes ago before I was allowed in!” spit the agent back, unfriendly, but Peterson wasn’t raised by his hostility.“That’s true, but my patient’s blood pressure significantly dropped just suddenly, which requires an immediate check-up—this is why he is in the urgent care wing; we need to keep a constant, close eye on the patients here.”Reluctant to leave, Doyle put his partner’s hand down to the mattress.“Fine,” he said in a tone, “but I won’t leave the wing! I’ll be on the other side of the window until you’re done.”Then he was gone. The doctor didn’t lie about checking Bodie over again; they did the same tests Doyle saw them doing beforehand. The doctor went over his partner’s torso with the stethoscope, throughout as before, but unlike earlier, the atmosphere was the opposite. Peterson nodded a lot, face much calmer, and his movements lacked urgency too. Bodie didn’t move a finger through the whole process, they simply handled him like a rag doll. Doyle hoped he stayed out, not just feigned rest.The check-up didn’t last more than a few minutes, and a nurse sought Doyle out right after that, telling him to wait for Peterson because the doctor wanted to talk with him but needed to do his rounds before, which could take up to half an hour. The agent nodded, pushing the crumbled mask from his fist into his pocket, and took a tour to the cantina to grab a tea. Doyle didn’t want to leave the room where he could keep an eye on his partner, but he needed to release some of his anger by taking a mad walk to a few floors away.His nerves were pretty much hacked, disturbed by Cowley playing Russian roulette with Bodie’s life, his partner willingly going with it, and then there was the hospital’s misstep too; instead of seeking Doyle’s help out, they chosen to tie his partner down when Bodie grew distressed in his confusion. Bloody, rotten day, that was it. He was still angry at his partner’s reckless behaviour, although the anger was currently dampened by worry. As soon as Peterson showed up, he pinned the doctor with a question.“How is he?”Although Doyle assumed that the lower blood pressure was a good thing for his partner, he wasn’t a medic to know that for sure, so doubt and worry tortured him until he could get reassurance. And the man nodded, his face showing a level of surprise.“Much better, I can tell. His blood pressure dropped very suddenly, which was my main concern. It’s a bit low now, but fortunately it’s steady and strong. Which is good and stands in balance with his current, resting state. His breathing is also in a similar state.”Doyle sighed in relief, but the healer went on.“I have to confess, I really didn’t think you’d be able to make a difference, but you surprised me greatly. I don’t believe I ever witnessed a relative or a friend having such an influence on a patient of mine before.”The agent raised an eyebrow, not impressed by the doctor’s compliment, thinking it was just a way the man tried to bribe him into forgetting their mistreatment of Bodie. Peterson went on, almost like reading his mind.“I understand that you’re upset about your partner’s situation, so I wanted to have a word with you about it. While your upset is understandable, mind you that this isn’t a military hospital prepared to recognise and handle such cases Mr Bodie presented, and I can state with confidence that our patients are handled and treated with the utmost care and professionalism, including Mr Bodie too. We had no means to know his confusion was anything but general confusion from his concussion and the drugs he was given.”While Doyle was angry with them, he couldn’t ignore the cold facts and reasons that were found. Begrudgingly, he nodded while running a fidgeting hand through his messy curls.“I still don’t like it,” he added, just to make his stand.The doctor nodded.“Understandable. To avoid such difficulties and misunderstandings in the future, I’d recommend you use the St. George military hospital from now, where they’re prepared to handle issues like this. And to back to the present time, I’m willing to allow you short visits while Mr Bodie is in this wing. I’ll let my relief know about it so the next shift on rotation will be aware of the situation. Mind you, the previous rules will still apply as soon as you step foot inside the intensive care treatment room. And you will be allowed to stay inside the room for only a few minutes each time. I’m willing to give it a try in the hope you'll be able to keep your partner oriented and from spiralling out, because our goals are to put Mr Bodie on the path of recovering—and for that he needs to avoid stressing himself out, and not to fight the staff and the tests and treatment we have to perform.”Doyle nodded again, accepting the conditions. The doctor wasn’t that bad, after all.Three long, exhausting days were ahead of the ex-copper, and two damning conversations: one with Cowley, and another with Bodie. A cursed week in his calendar for sure!