What Happens in Vienna {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 14 (Tobias)

"The award for the smartest man on earth goes to Bryn Keller," Adalwolf was muttering to himself as he hooked up a bag of blood beside the IV fluids hanging next to Carter's bed, taking the tube and leading it over to Carter's right arm to secure the transfusion into place.

"Shut up already!" Bryn snapped, "Swear to god, how was I supposed to know he had a fever and was going to try cutting his fucking arm off?!"

"Both of you stop," I grated out, silencing the room long enough for Adalwolf to finish hooking Carter up to the blood transfusion, "Well?"

"He's going to be fine," Adalwolf grunted, shining a light into both of Carter's eyes before stepping back, "I'll have to give him something a little stronger for his fever, it got a lot higher since last time. His brain was frying up, it's no wonder he went a little crazy. Probably hallucinating and panicking from it."

"Even with a fever as high as his is, this doesn't make sense," I argued, hands clenched into tight fists, "Why did he try to....?" I stopped, looking down at Carter's face and trying to calm down, "Shouldn't people show signs of being suicidal?"

Adalwolf shrugged, "Maybe he did and we just didn't see it. Maybe he's not suicidal and this really was just an effect of the fever."

"He nearly severed the artery," I stated in a grim voice, and Adalwolf cleared his throat, turning away.

"Yes, well.... He didn't, let's be thankful for that."

"Um," Bryn murmured the uncertain word before talking a little louder, "I.... may have insight on this."

Adalwolf and I both turned to stare at Bryn, but Adalwolf was the one to speak, "I really don't think you have a right," Bryn just sighed in irritation as the doctor continued, "Who leaves the room when an injured patient is getting sick?"

"I was coming to get you and Tobias, I didn't know what else to do! I'm not a doctor, old man! Just shut up and listen!" Bryn leaned against the foot of the bed, locking eyes with me, "I honestly didn't think much of it at the time, but when we went scouting he did something.... Stupid."

"Stupid," I repeated, and Bryn nodded to clarify.

"We got in an argument-."

"Shocker," Adalwolf interrupted, and Bryn glared at him.

"We got in an argument and he took his gun out. At first I thought he was gonna shoot me, but instead he put the gun in my hand before lifting it and putting the barrel to his own head, then told me to pull the trigger."

The room settled into a thick silent as I tried to comprehend what Bryn had said, shaking my head at him as Adalwolf mumbled, "That would've been nice to know, Bryn."

Bryn pushed away from the bed and threw his hands up, turning around. I just shook my head and turned my attention to Carter. Finding him on the ground like that, glass in his hand and blood pooling on the ground, sent a shock through me that literally brought me to my knees. I could have lost him.

I don't know how, but he was still alive, breathing shallowly with a high fever and stitches in his arm, but he was alive, and what's more, the last thing he said was he didn't want to go back. Back to his group. Even with the agony of seeing him like that, I couldn't stop myself from feeling happy. Maybe it was the fever, but either way I seemed to have reached him. He wanted to stay. I was all too happy to let him.

All he had to do was wake up and heal so I could hold him in my arms. By now all I wanted was to lock everyone out of the room so I could lie down beside this fiery little fox and wait with him until he wasn't hurting anymore. Having a fever high enough to make you hallucinate was one thing, but trying to kill yourself was something entirely different, and I was convinced the fever had nothing to do with it. If anything, not being able to think correctly only heightened his self-hate.