Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Doubts

Enduring the bitter cold Hank pulled his heavy overcoat tightly around himself as he cranked up the heat in the car to its maximum temperature as he watched Connor take his seat in the front beside him and fasten his seatbelt. The two detectives had been cleared from the facility and doctor's care under the condition they spend the two next days resting at home and take time away from the precinct. Considering the close call with the anti-android gang member setting up the two detectives to die had nearly succeeded, Captain Fowler had no objections to his two detectives getting some rest and staying away from the public during the New Year's Eve party aftermath.

Hank was trying to ignore the nasty chest cold trying to set in from being exposed to the cold water, while Connor insisted that he should be the one to drive back home so Hank could rest a little during the drive. It was essentially a small contest since both detectives were currently in rough condition.

"Ready to go home, son?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed with a subtle nod of the head as he pressed his palm over his still sore abdomen. "I prefer the house over the facility. I'd also prefer it if you'd allow me to drive."

"No way." Hank pulled the car along the snowy street away from the facility to head back to the house. "You're the one who just spent the past day and a half admitted as a patient at the facility. You were shot and nearly drowned."

"You're the one who had been submerged in freezing cold water after being rendered unconscious for four minutes and nine seconds after receiving a severe blow to the back of your skull." Connor argued logically without missing a beat. His scanner picked up on Hank's symptoms revolving around a nasty cold beginning to develop. "You're also clearly beginning to suffer the ill effects of being exposed to such extreme cold."

"A bullet wound will always outweigh a cold."

"What about a concussion?"

"A mild concussion." Hank stated as he pulled onto the small bridge to finally head for home. "I'm fine."

Connor shook his head slightly in irritation as he stared out his window. "Why is it whenever I attempt to simplify the overall severity of my own injuries you refute them immediately and remind me of my overall condition, yet when I attempt to do the same to you my words are rendered meaningless?"

"Your words aren't 'meaningless'." With his headache gnawing away at him Hank sighed tiredly as he focused on the road ahead. "They're just-"

"Hank." Connor's voice was heavy like a stone. As his blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow he honed in on a lone male figure standing on the edge of the bridge beyond the safety railing and standing over the perilously cold water flowing below. "Stop the car."

Without questioning Connor's motivation Hank pulled the car to the side of the bridge and came to a gentle stop. Connor threw off the seatbelt, threw open his door and stepped out onto the snow covered surface of the bridge as he approached the figure at a slow quiet pace.

"Hello?" Connor called out into a gentle voice as he stared at the man's back. "Are you all right? Do you require some assistance?"

"...Just go away." The man's voice was as broken as it was somber. "Leave me alone."

"I'd rather not." Without missing a beat Connor replied with sincere kindness as he stood behind the railing. Hank stepped out of the car and watched from where he stood as he picked up his spare to issue in the scene to the precinct and ask for assistance. "I'm not going to go anywhere."

"Why?" The man nearly sobbed as he leaned forward over the water, his arms gripping on the rail behind him at a painful angle behind his back. "Why can you just go away?"