Rome half-smiled-half-sighed at his brother's whining, but tried to appear angry:
"Look, dude, if you'd given me half an indication that you need a hand, I'm there for you. It's when you do this overly-macho, I-don't-need-any-help thing that I think you're all right and want to be left alone, so I leave you alone!" He sat down on the edge of the bed, totally crowding Rawson's personal space, and gently but firmly began unwrapping the bandage around his arm, instead of wrapping it with more. He frowned at the deep wound. "Think you'll need stitches."
"Don't need stitches," Rawson grumbled, but without much force, because he looked about as strong as an anemic kitten.
"Stow it, dude, you've already proven to me you're not a reliable source of intel where your own health is concerned. I'm in charge now, and with you running on empty like that, I'd like to see you try to stop me."
This made Rome feel smug, and he grinned. Rawson was glaring, probably having deduced that discretion was the better part of valor in this situation, but not liking it a bit. Rome took a certain pride--in both himself and his brother--in that the only fight Rawson ever backed down from was with was Rome.
He nodded and went to the bathroom for the medical supplies, burning the needle to sterilize it, and threading it with surgical thread. He washed the area with alcohol--marveling that Rawson hardly squirmed--because while he liked to whine, Rome knew his brother was a beast when it came to showing pain--numbed it with topical anesthetic, and set to work before he could complain much.
"As for the group--they're a good bunch of people. No way in hell we're leaving Elenna, kid can hardly look after herself. Georgie's hot, and handy with a gun, and anyway I think those two have started to be friends. The old Russian dude's pretty awesome, too, he--" Rome faltered a bit as this got awkward, decided nothing was worth keeping secret, and plowed on, "he kept me level when you were taken." He tried not to convey the unadulterated ground-snatched-from-under-him terror he had felt those hours Rawson and he had been separated, but he always knew Raws could see right through his pathetic attempts to mask what he was feeling. "Anyway. The FBI chick isn't that bad, either. I mean, hopefully she'll forget she saw me when she goes back to work Monday--or, you know, whenever she's cleared for duty again--Lenna said she was stabilized but still out--and we won't even have to deal with her. But I think she's got a case for us, so it wouldn't be fair to cut all ties and make her hunt us down again if she needed our help."
Rawson rolled his eyes as Rome started in on the other arm, which needed stitches as well, though fewer. "You're avoiding me."
"Avoiding what?" Rome asked guiltily, feeling a flash of panic.
"When are we skipping town?"
"Oh. Uh. A couple days maybe? Wait 'til Pops is out of the hospital, at least? I can lay low, even, if you want..."
Rawson was shaking his head. "Dude, that thing murdered a dozen policemen in this podunk little craphole, and that was probably all of them, to, which is the only reason you're breathing free air right now. Days is enough time for them to call in to other precincts and get replacements. Way too much, time, actually. We should be gone yesterday."
Now it was Rome's turn to pout. They couldn't just leave their new friends, could they? He had only just gained their trust, he felt like, after being nothing but a burden to them, and now Rawson wanted him to skip out?
"Could you stay here with them? Maybe..." Rome stopped as soon as he started.
"What am I gonna do, bleed on them?" Rawson asked dryly.
"Yeah," Rome replied with a laugh, "like the Black Knight." He paused, breathing out a sigh. "Okay, okay, we'll get gone. Gonna finish stitching you up, though, first, Frankenstein. No, wait." Rome once again retrieved his phone and dialed up Elenna. He put it on speaker and tossed it down on Rawson's stomach so he could work while he talked.
"Hello?"
"Elenna. Hey. Rome. We're heading out within the hour so get ready to rock."
"Um...Rome, Aly and Dan aren't ready to leave the hospital yet. Aly's still unconscious." Elenna was whispering.
"She'll be fine, Lennie, let's get outta dodge. Probably be easier on her career if the wanted felons--"
"Felon," Raws snapped pointedly.
"--were out of the way. We don't even really know what her motives are, anyway. Walking wounded welcome to follow us. You gave me Tex's number, right? I was thinking she'd know where we could lay low for a few days....Lennie, you listening?"
A pause. Rome tied off his stitches and moved in to work on Rawson's chest, the worst of the wounds.
"You listening to me, chica? We gotta get gone."
"I'll stay."
"What?"
"She saved my life, Rome, I can't get it out of my head. I owe it to her to be here when she wakes up!"
Rome was shocked. Elenna had never snapped to him like this before, much less countermanded him. He stammered for a moment, struggling with an anger he by all rights shouldn't be feeling, "Well--what--do you even--who will--" before finally: "Elenna. I'm not leaving you alone."
"You won't be leaving me alone. You get you and Rawson somewhere safe. I'll follow with the rest. Don't worry about me, Rome."
And then she hung up.
"She hung up!"
Rawson snickered. "You know they do have to leave the nest sometime, bro."
"This isn't funny, Rawson, she could get hurt!" Rome cleaned his hands, picked up the phone, and almost called her again. But no. Rawson was right. She was right. If she wanted to grow up on him and be a sentimental, retarded moron that was her frakking decision.
Didn't mean he had to like it, though.
"Okay, whatever." He sighed. "One more stitch and you're a whole man. Then I'll load up the car and we're gone. So say we all?"
"Look, dude, if you'd given me half an indication that you need a hand, I'm there for you. It's when you do this overly-macho, I-don't-need-any-help thing that I think you're all right and want to be left alone, so I leave you alone!" He sat down on the edge of the bed, totally crowding Rawson's personal space, and gently but firmly began unwrapping the bandage around his arm, instead of wrapping it with more. He frowned at the deep wound. "Think you'll need stitches."
"Don't need stitches," Rawson grumbled, but without much force, because he looked about as strong as an anemic kitten.
"Stow it, dude, you've already proven to me you're not a reliable source of intel where your own health is concerned. I'm in charge now, and with you running on empty like that, I'd like to see you try to stop me."
This made Rome feel smug, and he grinned. Rawson was glaring, probably having deduced that discretion was the better part of valor in this situation, but not liking it a bit. Rome took a certain pride--in both himself and his brother--in that the only fight Rawson ever backed down from was with was Rome.
He nodded and went to the bathroom for the medical supplies, burning the needle to sterilize it, and threading it with surgical thread. He washed the area with alcohol--marveling that Rawson hardly squirmed--because while he liked to whine, Rome knew his brother was a beast when it came to showing pain--numbed it with topical anesthetic, and set to work before he could complain much.
"As for the group--they're a good bunch of people. No way in hell we're leaving Elenna, kid can hardly look after herself. Georgie's hot, and handy with a gun, and anyway I think those two have started to be friends. The old Russian dude's pretty awesome, too, he--" Rome faltered a bit as this got awkward, decided nothing was worth keeping secret, and plowed on, "he kept me level when you were taken." He tried not to convey the unadulterated ground-snatched-from-under-him terror he had felt those hours Rawson and he had been separated, but he always knew Raws could see right through his pathetic attempts to mask what he was feeling. "Anyway. The FBI chick isn't that bad, either. I mean, hopefully she'll forget she saw me when she goes back to work Monday--or, you know, whenever she's cleared for duty again--Lenna said she was stabilized but still out--and we won't even have to deal with her. But I think she's got a case for us, so it wouldn't be fair to cut all ties and make her hunt us down again if she needed our help."
Rawson rolled his eyes as Rome started in on the other arm, which needed stitches as well, though fewer. "You're avoiding me."
"Avoiding what?" Rome asked guiltily, feeling a flash of panic.
"When are we skipping town?"
"Oh. Uh. A couple days maybe? Wait 'til Pops is out of the hospital, at least? I can lay low, even, if you want..."
Rawson was shaking his head. "Dude, that thing murdered a dozen policemen in this podunk little craphole, and that was probably all of them, to, which is the only reason you're breathing free air right now. Days is enough time for them to call in to other precincts and get replacements. Way too much, time, actually. We should be gone yesterday."
Now it was Rome's turn to pout. They couldn't just leave their new friends, could they? He had only just gained their trust, he felt like, after being nothing but a burden to them, and now Rawson wanted him to skip out?
"Could you stay here with them? Maybe..." Rome stopped as soon as he started.
"What am I gonna do, bleed on them?" Rawson asked dryly.
"Yeah," Rome replied with a laugh, "like the Black Knight." He paused, breathing out a sigh. "Okay, okay, we'll get gone. Gonna finish stitching you up, though, first, Frankenstein. No, wait." Rome once again retrieved his phone and dialed up Elenna. He put it on speaker and tossed it down on Rawson's stomach so he could work while he talked.
"Hello?"
"Elenna. Hey. Rome. We're heading out within the hour so get ready to rock."
"Um...Rome, Aly and Dan aren't ready to leave the hospital yet. Aly's still unconscious." Elenna was whispering.
"She'll be fine, Lennie, let's get outta dodge. Probably be easier on her career if the wanted felons--"
"Felon," Raws snapped pointedly.
"--were out of the way. We don't even really know what her motives are, anyway. Walking wounded welcome to follow us. You gave me Tex's number, right? I was thinking she'd know where we could lay low for a few days....Lennie, you listening?"
A pause. Rome tied off his stitches and moved in to work on Rawson's chest, the worst of the wounds.
"You listening to me, chica? We gotta get gone."
"I'll stay."
"What?"
"She saved my life, Rome, I can't get it out of my head. I owe it to her to be here when she wakes up!"
Rome was shocked. Elenna had never snapped to him like this before, much less countermanded him. He stammered for a moment, struggling with an anger he by all rights shouldn't be feeling, "Well--what--do you even--who will--" before finally: "Elenna. I'm not leaving you alone."
"You won't be leaving me alone. You get you and Rawson somewhere safe. I'll follow with the rest. Don't worry about me, Rome."
And then she hung up.
"She hung up!"
Rawson snickered. "You know they do have to leave the nest sometime, bro."
"This isn't funny, Rawson, she could get hurt!" Rome cleaned his hands, picked up the phone, and almost called her again. But no. Rawson was right. She was right. If she wanted to grow up on him and be a sentimental, retarded moron that was her frakking decision.
Didn't mean he had to like it, though.
"Okay, whatever." He sighed. "One more stitch and you're a whole man. Then I'll load up the car and we're gone. So say we all?"