𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 ➪ 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬²

A Complicated Topic

Jamie was woken by a shrill beeping sound. He fell asleep shortly after Rosa left for the compound. There was only so much coffee you could consume before the tiredness took over. He bolted up in the chair, fearing the worst, but Ben's heart was still beating.

A nurse filed into the room and offered him a reassuring smile. "There's no need to panic," she said, coming to the bedside. "We just need to replace his IV drip."

Jamie nodded and collapsed back into a sitting position, running a hand over his eyes.

Ben had several things aiding him at the moment: an IV through a cannula, a nasogastric tube and an oxygen mask. His skin was worryingly pale but the colour seemed to be coming back to his cheeks. That had to be a good sign.

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" Jamie asked.

The nurse placed a new strip of tape over the needle in his hand and looked up. "It's hard to say but I can assure you that we'll do everything we can to help him." She gave him another smile and offered to bring him a coffee before leaving.

Jamie politely declined, knowing it would do nothing to postpone sleep. He moved the chair closer to Ben's bed and watched his chest move up and down with every breath. It must have been a similar activity to counting sheep, because the next thing he knew, he was shaken awake by the frantic beeping of a raised heartbeat. The sight made him jolt out of his seat. Ben's eyes were wide open and he was breathing rapidly.

"Hey, it's okay!" Jamie soothed, holding the man's hand. "Calm down, Ben. You're safe, I promise."

It took some time, but he eventually settled, though his hands were shaking excessively and tears streamed over his cheeks. Two doctors came in and did routine checks. To Jamie's relief, there was no brain damage but full recovery was a while off. He would need medications for convulsions and spasms and regular cooling measures for a high temperature. Ben looked beyond terrified as the doctors talked. His eyes kept darting to the IV needle embedded in his hand. It made Jamie's heart surge with sympathy.

"Where's Rosa?"

Those were the first words to come out of his mouth as soon as the doctors left. His voice was cracked and hoarse. The NG tube would cause one hell of a sore throat.

"Back at the compound," Jamie answered. He retrieved a cup of water with a straw to make it easier to drink. "What happened, Ben? Who did this to you?"

The man took a sip of the cool liquid and his lower lip trembled. "You...you found the note?"

"Yeah."

"I-I..." Ben trailed off and let his head fall into his trembling hands. "I wasn't supposed to live."

Jamie placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean?" He frowned.

"A couple of days ago, I...I got a text from a random number..." Again, the poor man trailed off and his breath hitched. This was a traumatic thing to talk about.

"Would you rather me just read them?" Jamie asked, his tone soft.

After a nod of affirmation, he went to collect Ben's jacket which they had folded over a chair in the corner. When he read over the messages, Jamie felt his stomach turn. It was impossible to find words. He had to swiftly put on a smile when the door opened and the same nurse from earlier walked in.

"How are you feeling?" She seemed so kind and genuine as she directed the question at Ben.

"I...I'm okay."

"Good. You just need time and rest now." The nurse paused and retrieved something from her pocket. "A man in reception told me to give you this, said he'd come and see you later." She handed an envelope to Ben and gave one last smile before leaving.