Spilling Guts

Part 108 - They have to sleep sometime

Louis left the Watch; down another cup of tea, and up a set of bandages under a borrowed shirt. He'd lost count of how many cups had perished in his mission to give Will an apology-tea. After being tended by the nurse, Louis had waved goodbye to Will in passing, saying "get some shut eye," and then walking away before Will could respond.

I'm not running away in shame. I'm retreating after being wounded. Both my chest and my pride.

Your pride was dented by a fur ball and your bad balance. Coward.

There's nothing I can accomplish by staying there, he reasoned to himself. How could I help with night terrors? Sleep next to Will?

It couldn't hurt.

Shut it! You've already made me think things I shouldn't be thinking about.

At home, he quietly put away his embarrassment from work and then dug through his closet for the appropriate suit. After a moment of thinking over his plans for tomorrow, he set aside a pair of tinted contact lenses from the back of his medicine cabinet. Last thing he wanted was to lose his sunglasses in a crowd.

As he hung up the black on black suit, a tangle of sorrow and rage caught in the back of his throat. He'd have to swallow it down, or vomit it up and examine his feelings tomorrow.

***

After another hour of back and forth and small eureka moments, Rachel left the lab to talk to Will. She took a leaf from Balcuwitz's book of bedside manner and asked Will if he wanted to sleep in Hayman's specialized room, or in a BT. Once she said it out loud she realized why any sane person would rather sleep in a real bed hooked up to wires rather than a bright, vibrating BT.

Will, though tired, still retained a speck of sanity and choose Hayman's room.

Rachel messaged Hayman and helped Will pack his bag for the walk over. She would stay up with Hayman as well. More time to talk over the specifics for analyzing and testing the Devil's Neckbrace, and she wanted a closer look at Hayman's equipment set-up.

"I honestly don't know how much I can sleep tonight," said Will, his feet dragging as Hayman joined them and walked through the Novak lobby. Orange tinted streetlights glowed through the high lobby windows. "My body is willing to crash, but my mind won't shut up."

"Right now, any sleep is good sleep," said Rachel. The dire warnings from Louis' report floated in her weary head like a ghost.

What if they couldn't find anything to help Will? What if he deteriorated faster than they could work? What if Cetz had to take Will of the Agent roster because she couldn't fix him?

I wish I could delegate "what if"s.

"Agreed," said Hayman. "We don't want you deprived of sleep. You know, I have yet to meet this Louis Patriarch. Will he be available tomorrow to go over a few points in his report?"

"I don't see why not?" said Rachel. "He'd probably prefer it over his inbox."

"Did he ever see you about his burn?" asked Will.

"Burn?" Rachel didn't need another hiccup with Louis' health, she had enough facets of his life she had to balance. "What burn?"

"He tripped over Copperfield and spilled hot coffee on himself. I had to call a nurse."

Rachel huffed. "We just got his wrist healed. Now this. I'll have a talk with Reese in the morning about his pet Houdini. Right after we buy some gelatin."

"Gelatin?" asked Will.

"Part of an experiment for later," said Hayman, keeping up the bemused mystery.

Rachel was glad someone could stay in a good mood for the night.

I'll need to sleep at some point in the next twelve hours, Rachel warned herself. Hope Hayman doesn't mind if I borrow his cot.

***

Cetz, checked his messages before leaving for the night. The latest one had come from Louis. He wouldn't be in to work on Thursday.

Why would he take tomorrow off? thought Cetz. I would have thought he'd want to be in the middle of Rachel and Hayman's work with Grovic's Device? Unless he's protesting his paperwork again.

Then Cetz read the reason for the absence. Oh. Megan and Teegan are involved. Best not touch it.

He sent a quick "see you on Friday", and then left for home.