Demons [Eddie Brock] Venom

32. Worth

They were shaking like leaves when they made it back to the hospital; the three of them walked back there because Anne's vehicle was there, but once they arrived, both Rory and Anne decided Eddie definitely needed a night stay at the hospital; it wasn't as if he could go back to his apartment, which was torn apart and technically still a crime scene. 

They didn't have anywhere to go, not really.

Rory draped a blanket over her shoulders that she took from Anne's car, and then signed Eddie in. Her shaking hands filled in the forms, and when she handed it back to the nurse, the nurse asked, "Do you want to sign yourself in too?"

"I-I-I'm f-f-fine," Rory admitted.

He frowned, "Ma'am, you're going to get hypothermia. We'll get you what you need, alright, just fill in this form."

She sighed, but relented. It was honestly easier to deal with that, and deal with insurance and medical bills than it was to convince herself to go home. She didn't have a home to go to either, and all she wanted was to curl up with Eddie and fall asleep. Man she craved sleep, more than anything; the moment it crossed her mind she felt her head bob a little bit, eyelids droop. 

Or was that the concussion?

She shook her head clear, then glanced over her shoulder. Eddie was slouched against the wall in his chair, Anne sat next to him, and was talking gently to him. This late in the night, the hospital was surprisingly calm. Rory smiled at Anne and Eddie; she was fussing with something, and he shrugged her off of him, but he smiled ever so slightly. He was glad these two women were fawning over him, and Rory couldn't help but roll her eyes. 

She finished the form. "Can, uh... Can I request to be in the same room as him?"

The nurse made a face, then he sighed. "We usually don't..."

"I almost lost him today, I'll definitely sneak out of my room to see him, and that will just cause a lot of trouble for you guys, trouble that I don't want to be the cause of."

He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, my shift is almost over, it's been twelve hours. Fine, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

Rory sat down on the other side of Eddie and leaned her head on his shoulder. His hand reached out and he placed it on her thigh, rubbing slightly to keep her warm. They were both chilled to the bone. As a nurse came to bring them to their rooms, Anne nodded her goodbyes, and watched them head down the hall and disappear like a parent watching their child head off to their first day of school.

Within a half hour, they were in hospital gowns, on nearby beds. Eddie was given an IV for fluids, apparently Venom had done quite a number on his body and he would need a few days rest. Rory just needed to be monitored, to make sure she didn't end up with hypothermia. Finally, they were alone, dimmed lights with only a faint glow from machines and the light from the hospital hallway coming in.

"Hey, are you awake?" Rory asked, rolling onto her side, looking at Eddie.

He was staring at the ceiling, his hands on his chest. Eddie turned his head to look at her, and he offered her a smile. 

"Can I ask you something?" Rory asked. 

"Mhm."

She sensed his defeat, even though he had won. "Drake... can you confirm..."

"Yeah," Eddie told her, shifting slightly and reaching out his hand. Rory extended hers and took his cold hand. Eddie continued, "He's gone."

She nodded, less satisfied than she expected she would be. Perhaps it was because she didn't expect someone like Drake to ever die, to ever be bested. So to know he was gone for good, and hopefully the Life Foundation would be investigated and taken down -or at least put under new management- it should have made her feel better, but she just felt numb. 

"You saved my life, Eddie," she said. "In more than one or even two ways."

"Nah," he tried to brush off the sentiment. 

"I don't want to think about what might have happened to me, you know? If you hadn't... If Venom hadn't..." she trailed off, she didn't know what to say. "I know... He was a menace to you, but I can see he was also something like a friend to you. I'm glad he is gone, but Eddie, I'm sorry you lost him." She realized it also sounded like she was talking about Anne; Anne left Eddie, and Rory was happy Anne went her way, that Anne moved on and was happy regardless that she still cared about Eddie. 

"And Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"After everything, I understand if you don't want... I mean... I abandoned you, kicked you out when you needed me. And Anne helped you, I can never... forgive myself for doing that to you. I regret every second of it, you deserve better than that."

"Rory, don't ever think that." Eddie shuffled, trying to get up. 

"Eddie, stop!" she whisper-yelled. Then, she got out of her own bed and her bare feet pattered along the floor, and she crawled into his bed, sliding in against the railing and Eddie's now warm body. It felt better than she could have imagined, cuddled up against him, knowing they were safe.

"I put you in danger, Rory," Eddie whispered, kissing the top of her head and wrapping an arm around her body. Her head rested on his chest, their legs tangled. "I don't expect you to forgive me for that, either."

"He was always going to find me, one way or another. If you think about it, the circumstance was really quite ideal. I had this knight in shi.... black armour looking out for me."

"You're so corny."

"Isn't that what couples do?" she asked. 

"Is that what we are?" He held her a little bit tighter.

"Obviously," she replied, looking up at him and grinning. "After the shit we've been through? I would expect no less. You know all my dirty little secrets, and I know yours. I think it's best we test the waters here, see how we fare together, see if we can play nice."

He kissed her head again, holding his lips there for a few seconds. 

"Besides, it's not like we have an apartment to return to. What do you say? Find a slightly better place together?" She asked. 

"That's testing the waters, huh? Pretty deep water."

"Is that a no?"

"No," he said. "I'm the one who asked you to move in ages ago, remember? I just had to destroy our apartment building to get you to actually commit. You're a tough egg to crack, Ror, but you're worth it."

She smiled, melting into him; she had nothing more to say, she had everything she needed in that moment right there. 

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There's your fluff. *choking on fluff floating in the air*

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