Finding the errant cousin

[serpentinthegarden]

Who: Anthony and Alec (Closed) - NOW WITH OPEN SECTION (Visit Alec in Hospital) 
What: Alec is drunk and wandering New York with a traitorous med alert bracelet letting his cousin know where he is. He is about to be found.
It goes poorly and Alec ends up being emergency transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where his heart is restarted and he is forced to stay for observation until Monday (May 18th)
When: Right after Alec's post, Evening of May 13th
Where: The subways of NYC
Rating/Warnings: One angry hurt drunk - anything could happen : Heart attack and Hospital mentions

Alec hadn't been at the hotel when Anthony arrived though the owner remembered having seen him... after being slipped fifty dollars and being threatened with motorcycle skid marks all over his lobby which was apparently the only room in the place he actually worried about being clean. Fortunately the med alert bracelet was still with Alec and still in pinging distance of the head office. Anthony chased that signal from one end of New York to the other until it occurred to him the only way his cousin could move that quickly was if he were on the subway.

Anthony's boot clicked against the concrete floor as he finally tracked the signal down to a certain station at the correct time for him to hop onto the train. He even managed to find the correct car before the whole train lurched forward and began its circuit around the city again.

"Wake up."

The soul of Alec's shoe was given a soft kick to aide in that request.

"What are you doing sleeping in the subway? Anyone could have found you down here."

Comments

[temptationaccomplished]

"I'm sorry, Alec. That's-- It was terribly pushy of me. I hope you can forgive me, I just hoped you'd--" Open up to me. "--maybe benefit from talking...about it. That's all. I shouldn't have pried. I'm sorry."

[scotch_egg]

"It's not your fault. You take too much on your shoulders." He sighed. "You're trying to help and it's good. If you weren't trying to help a miserable old bastard you might succeed. But I can't talk about..." He spread his hands. "...This. Not to you. Not to Anthony. Not to anyone." No one would understand. He didn't want anyone to understand. His own private shame should be kept right where it was. Private.

"You have a chance of happiness, you know. You should take it." With both hands. And stop making himself unhappy with the likes of Alec. It was too much of a strain to be someone who wouldn't send Fell to pieces.

[serpentinthegarden]

"The only place I'm going is to your apartment to part some things... and maybe dig through all your private stuff. You're not going to lose me! And..."

He moved the cables back to where they had been resting so the blanket could be straightened and tucked up around his cousin's chin.

"I'm not going to lose you either. We'll deal with the heart trouble first and work out the whole 'memory' thing on an 'as needed' bases."

[scotch_egg]

A small part of him railed against this treatment, but most of him was too tired and sluggish to do much but capitulate.

Could he trust him? Maybe. It was difficult to trust but he wanted to. He wanted to relax for once. To just be. He reached up and took hold of Anthony's sleeve.

"I can wait. Get some sleep..." He swallowed and added: "When you're rested, come read to me..." Alec had read frequently to Anthony when they were boys on rainy summer days with nothing to do. And he'd always gotten lost in those other places. Those better places with heroes and legends and happy endings.

The real world was more complicated than that but--

He wouldn't mind just one more fairy story...

[serpentinthegarden]

There was a surprisingly nostalgic request. Anthony remembered those dreaded rainy afternoons. Some times he had slipped out anyway but on those occasions when he had been caught in his mud puddle hopping, forced into an early bath, and left in the bedroom with nothing but footie jim-jams, his cousin and a boring stack of books Alec had read to him. He had made it as fun as possible by attempting the voices and in some cases reacting the scenes. Many an epic sword fight occurred on his twin-sized mattress.

"I could do with a return visit to Treasure Island or are you still into mysteries? We could dive back into the Hardy Boys."

Then he settled on an idea that would solve the whole finding a book issue before it was one.

"I'll bring my iPad and you can pick out whatever you want. Hey,"

In a last bit of cousin-ly fussing that stray tuft of hair sticking up like a lightening rod was smoothed down on Alec's head.

"Try to get some rest too?"

[temptationaccomplished]

Taking too much on his shoulders; the pot calling the kettle black there. And the reassurances only made him feel worse about himself.

"I don't know that either of us know what happiness looks like."

[scotch_egg]

"What kind of horse shit is that?" He closed his eyes. "You have what you wanted. How could you not be happy? How could you not know the shape of it?"

[temptationaccomplished]

He listened to the beat of Alec's fragile heart on the monitor.

After a moment, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked away from Alec.

"Oh, I don't think there's a good way to answer that question. I should... go, let you get some rest."

[scotch_egg]

Anything was fine, really. Just something to take the edge off of things. To forget things for a little while. He nodded, making a face at the hair straightening but appreciating it in spite of himself. Sometimes it was good to remember family. What it really meant.

"I will." And he would. Sleep. Even try to eat. "Forget the coffee." He sighed. "Bring tea instead?"

[scotch_egg]

Of course not. That wasn't how the real world worked. Even this would end badly. There was no convincing either of them to not let it happen. Of stopping before it got to that point. They would just have to go through it and experience heartbreak all over again.

"Goodbye, Fell."

He didn't know what else to say but that.

[serpentinthegarden]

"Kill the coffee, yeah. I can do that."

Maybe he could even find some Jammie Dodgers to complete the nostalgia.

"I'll be back soon."

He just had to run out, collect his bike from where he had left it on the other side of town, and maybe... Actually indulge in a moment of sleep if he could.

[temptationaccomplished]

"No, not goodbye." That sounded too final. "I will see you later."

He collected his coat.

"Alec, I--" He took a deep breath. "I don't know if I should even say this now. Or if I have it all wrong, not that I expect you will tell me. But I feel you should know I like you for reasons that have nothing to do with how you look or who you're related to. So you know, in case you didn't."

[scotch_egg]

When Anthony returns the breakfast has been cleared away and Alec is sitting up, looking better but hunched over and scowling at something in his hand. Something that he is tapping at furiously with his thumbs. It was probably nothing and definitely something he was supposed to have.

[scotch_egg]

His heart jumped painfully and for a moment he thought it would be some other declaration. He was relieved that it wasn't and annoyed and annoyed with himself for being annoyed and he didn't believe a damned word of it. Sure, he didn't.

It wasn't Fell's fault of how they looked and Fell was a decent man so naturally he'd say that.

"Noted."

What the hell else was he supposed to say to that?

"Go home, Fell."

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony's eyes rolled so hard they nearly dropped out the back of his head before he swaggered into the room and dropped the fresh bought package of Jammie Dodgers into Alec's lap.

"You had better be playing Candy Crush."

[scotch_egg]

"You think I have that over hyped bullshit on my phone?" He peeks at the jammy dodgers and then holds out his hand for the tea.

"Here sit just there so the bloody nurses can't see in."

[serpentinthegarden]

That same tattered blue chair was nosily pulled over to Alec's bedside as Anthony did as asked and sat to block the nurses view. Once he had the thermos of tea could be fished out of Alec's bag of things from home, most of which were left on the tiled floor.

"Thought they took that phone from you. No stress, it's supposed to be a thing..."

[scotch_egg]

"Yeah well, I've been trying to convince Ellie for the past half hour not to come because I'm fine, which will end in considerably less stress. But does she listen-- an emoji is not winning the argument!" He snarled, typing furiously. Give him a moment and ignore the troubled beeping. It's fine.

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony reached over and snagged the phone but gave the conversation a quick look before turning the thing off.

"She's coming. You can't expect her not to after this. Her big brother nearly died."

[scotch_egg]

"Oi!" He reached for it. "Come on. She doesn't need to. I'm just a half brother and I was barely there. Practically a stranger." He smacked Anthony's leg lightly. "Just let me convince her."

[serpentinthegarden]

"You aren't going to be able to."

The cell was slid well out of reach into a back pocket.

"She loves you even if you were barely there. I can't imagine why... she probably has never seen how difficult you are."

He sighed the playful jab before adding, "Now would you sit back and calm down before Caligula comes back in here??"

Anthony glanced quickly to the door.

"I already got the third degree for bringing in those cookies."

[scotch_egg]

"It's not love it's bloody single mindedness." He flops back on the pillow and breathes a bit. "Just because we're family. It doesn't count." He did enjoy jammy dodgers. One of the few things he'd eat without reservation. But first.

"Tea." He wiggles his fingers for it, twists it open with some effort and takes a drink. It's not as good as coffee but it's warm and that's the important thing. "Did you sleep?"

[serpentinthegarden]

Sleep was an elusive mistress, ten minutes here, a half hour there... He felt he had slept enough to at least truthfully answer the question.

"Yea, some."

Not enough probably but, details.

"You look better. Not great, but better. They been doing a good job checking in on you?"

[scotch_egg]

"You need more rest. I'm not going anywhere." Would that he could. "Don't you have your art show?"

At the question he rolled his eyes.

"I feel like they'd chain me to the bloody bed if they could."

[serpentinthegarden]

"I'm fine. Anyway being out of my flat is resting."

No phone calls, no dreams, no concerns about ex-fiance's randomly showing back up. Grace hand't yet but it was a worry.

"And the art show is up and running now. All the hard work has been completed. I can take as much time off as I need to read you silly stories. No one is going to call me out for looking after my cousin in the hospital."

The iPad appeared from a pocket only to be switched on and flicked to the book app.