Heart Still Intact

14. Orange Juice and Panic Attacks

When Will woke up, he didn’t wake up on his own accord. Instead, he was awoken when cold hands laid upon his cheek. Jolting awake, Will found himself staring into the dark eyes of Hannibal. Immediately sitting up, Will tried to blink his eyes into focus. Will took in his surroundings to find Hannibal fully dressed in a more casual clothing. More casual than Hannibal’s usual outside clothing. Rather than the expensive three-piece suit that Hannibal opted to wear, Hannibal now wore simply black pants with a dark blue dress shirt, the sleeves folded at the elbows.

“I need you to get dressed,” Hannibal spoke softly, as if talking to some feeble doe.

“Dressed?” Will repeated as he looked around to find some clothes laying at the foot of the bed. They were too nice to be inside clothes. It was then that Will’s sleep riddled mind put things together. “We’re leaving?”

Hannibal nodded as he helped Will get out of bed. “We leave in an hour, giving you ample to get dressed and have some breakfast.”

Trembling at the thought of leaving, Will nodded with hesitation before taking the clothes and walking into the bathroom. The broken lock on the door reminded Will of the horrible After having a shower and cleaning himself, Will put on the clothes Hannibal gave him. Looking into the mirror, Will assessed his appearance. He didn’t look that bad. His skin looked paler than ever, dark purple bruises peeking out of the dark green turtle neck that Hannibal had chosen. The green deeply contrasted his skin and complemented his eyes. His hair had grown out of control, curls resting on Will’s forehead, tickling the back of his ears every time he moved.

Closing his eyes for a few minutes, Will focused on his breathing. He focused on how he could feel the cold air fill his lungs and the expanding of his ribcage. He desperately tried to tune out the loud thoughts that threatened to take over his mind. Too consumed in this peaceful state, Will was startled when he heard a knock.
“Will?”

“Coming,” Will called out as he quickly made a move to open the door. He found Hannibal standing there, two files in his hand. Will tried to look away when he noticed Hannibal’s eyes roamed the full length of his body. Will licked his lips before walking past Hannibal and running his hand through his hair.

“Come have breakfast with me,” Hannibal spoke, his hand resting on the door knob. Instead of fighting, Will followed Hannibal. The two of them wordlessly made their way downstairs.

Will eyed the two travel bags that lay on the floor of the living room. He tried not to delve too much into what he saw as he was too busy trying to control his panting. Stepping foot into the kitchen, Will zoned out as he quietly ate his breakfast.

Hannibal had noticed the distant look on Will’s face. It was quite clear that the profiler was battling something in the depths of his mind. While Hannibal would usually detest the idea of tainting food- his food, with a sedative, he had no choice. Instead of adding the tranquilliser into the food, Hannibal opted to lace the water with a strong dose of Midazolam. It would take some time till the tranquilliser kicks in. Ample time to get Will into the vehicle.

Once they had finished their breakfast, Hannibal decided that now would be the best time to talk. Nudging the glass of water closer to Will, Hannibal started to speak. “I assume you know what will be happening?”

“I’ve come up with different answers for that,” Will replied after drinking half of the glass. It was clear that Hannibal wasn’t being discreet about their plans for the day. Will wasn’t even sure why he asked. Then again, it’s Hannibal. There are times when there is no method to his madness.

“A friend of mine will be assisting us in escaping the country. All we have to do is meet her in North Carolina.” Hannibal continued as he picked up the plates and left them in the sink. “We shall then be travelling to Cuba.”