The Chronicles of Medic Bob

The Aftermath

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. I know I was supposed to do a new idea for this chapter (the idea being to end it on a nice round number 20, and end where everything began), but that sneaky girl by the name of Kathryn threw this bunny into my garden and refused to let me throw it back......so here is the follow-on from the last chapter!

*****

"You sure you're not hungry, kiddo?"

Dec didn't even raise his head at the sound of Bob's concerned voice. It was around seven pm that night and they'd just gotten back from the hospital - after Bob had driven back on having picked his son Richard up from the bus stop in town and taken him home. The thirty-one year old was staying with his parents for a couple of weeks, and had caught an afternoon flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, and then a bus to Murwillumbah.

"No thanks, Bob" he mumbled in response, glancing around the familiar living space looking heartbreakingly lost.

Bob sighed silently behind him as he closed the front door and kicked off his shoes. He'd known that this was going to be difficult - the boys never dealt well with being separated when one of them was sick or hurt, let alone when one had almost died barely twelve hours earlier.

The medic had to suppress a violent shudder as the memories threatened to take over once more.

"At least a bowl of cereal or something?" he pleaded, putting a hand on Dec's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You haven't eaten all day, and I'd like you to at least try and get something in your stomach before you go to bed."

Biting his lip, Dec finally nodded - although that might have just been because he was far too worn-out to argue.

Patting his shoulder, Bob walked over to the kitchen and set about preparing a bowl of Cornflakes - knowing that it was secretly Dec's favourite, and hoping that entice him a bit more.

Putting the bowl in front of his guest about a minute later, Bob sat down in the seat beside him and sipped a cup of Milo as he waited for Dec to finish eating.

He had to admit that he wasn't really surprised when he didn't even finish half the bowl, but he wasn't going to push him; instead, he just wordlessly collected the bowl and put it on the sink to clear away later, before he wrapped a comforting arm around Dec's shoulders and guided him down the hall to the guest bedroom.

On the way, they passed the closed door that led into Richard's room, and Bob couldn't help but smile fondly as he heard the familiar snores coming from inside - he hadn't heard that noise in so damn long.

Stopping in the doorway to the guest bedroom, Bob watched silently as Dec changed into a plain shirt and track pants, before crawling into the bed and pulling the covers up over himself, wrapping them around his tiny body in a way that almost screamed his want for comfort.

But that was something that - no matter how hard he might try - the medic just couldn't provide. He knew just who's comfort Dec wanted right now, and they were currently in a hospital bed about five kilometers away.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed the younger man's arm to help him fall asleep - pleased that he seemed to accept that much, and he even shifted closer to him, letting out an almost keening whine as his eyelids fluttered closed.

"Oh, you poor, poor kid" Bob whispered mournfully as Dec appeared to drift off to sleep, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this was going to be a difficult night......

*****

11:21pm

That was the time showing on his digital clock when Richard's eyes found themselves opening against his will. He lay there in the familiar darkness of his old room for a few moments, wondering exactly what had woken him, when the sound of a loud cry echoed down the hall and reached his suddenly alert ears.