Hell's Reign (Patrick Stump/Fall Out Boy Fanfiction)

Chapter 33 - We're All Safe

            When Patrick opened his eyes again, he found himself staring up at a ceiling covered in light blue, peeling paint. His head was throbbing, and he felt too warm. He kicked at the blanket that was covering him, and suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder, pushing back down gently. Tori was hovering over him, a tired look in her eyes and a gentle smile on her face. "Relax," she breathed, moving the blanket off of him. "You were hit hard, and you fell. You shouldn't move too quickly."

Patrick stared at her curiously for a long moment, then relaxed against the soft bed. "My head," he murmured, reaching up and touching his fingers to his face. He flinched, realizing that he was badly bruised, and Tori pulled his hand away.

"Don't touch," she whispered, then reached toward a bedside table and retrieved a glass of water, and two small pills. "Here," she said, handing the pills to him first, "Mrs. Hurley brought this. It'll help with the headache."

He tossed the pills into his mouth, and then took the water from her and drank it down. It all rushed back to him quickly then, where they were, and who they had found. As well as who had knocked him out cold on the pavement. "Where's Pete?" He asked.

Tori smiled sadly and shook her head. "Everyone is getting ready for dinner. Pete is watching the window again. Andy says that we will all talk things out after we eat." Patrick nods at this, wondering how Pete would act at dinner. He sat up slowly, groaning as he did so, and looked at Tori with a frown.

"How's the baby?" He asked, his eyes scanning her like he might find something wrong.

Tori only smiled and stood to help him out of bed. "The baby is fine, Trick. Mrs. Hurley looked me over real quick, and she says I look healthy."

Patrick nodded again, holding Tori's hand as he slowly threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He felt dizzy suddenly, and had to lean on Tori for a short moment before his head stopped spinning. "Whoa," he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut as he regained his balance. When he opened them again, he couldn't help raising a hand to his aching head. "Pete's not happy," he said softly, glancing back at Tori, "Huh?"

"No," Tori said, stifling a laugh for Patrick's sake. "No, he's really not. We'll talk to him after, though. Let's focus on getting you down to the cafeteria for now." Tori took his hook, pulling his arm around her shoulders as if she thought he needed her help to walk. He was careful not to put too much of his weight on her, but he was thankful for the support as she led him out of the room.

He looked around curiously as they made their way down the long corridor. He didn't remember anything about being carried in, and the hospital was completely unknown to him. He wondered for a moment how long he had been out, because Tori seemed to know the hallways like the back of her hand already. However, just before he voiced his question, he realized that she was following the old, worn signs on the walls that clearly labeled the oath to the cafeteria. They made it soon enough, and Patrick's stomach turned at the smell of food. It smelled absolutely amazing, but the thought of food after going so long with so little to eat actually made him feel a little sick.

The other thing that made him feel sick was sitting at a table, close to what would have been a buffet line. Joe and Andy were sitting across from each other at a long, rectangular table, leaning close together and talking in hushed voices. Patrick grit his teeth as he wondered what they were talking about, but Tori's comforting presence made him calm himself. She walked him right over to the table, but he stopped her at the opposite end of it to sit down. Andy and Joe glanced in their direction, then just as quickly turned back to their conversation. Even from there, Patrick and Tori couldn't make out what they were saying, but Patrick was almost certain that it was probably about him.