The Last Talon

Chapter Twenty-Seven

His eyes opened slowly, the light of the room making him wince. Piece by piece he became aware of his body. He ached all over, he felt weak. Memories flooded back of being tied to a bed, a floating voice, they were making him a monster. He looked down and saw tubes of red coming from his arm.

'No' He breathed, moving his arms to fight off whatever they were trying to do to him, but then someone took hold of them. 'No'.

'Dick, calm down. It's alright.' The voice was soft, not like the voice from before. He concentrated, and the room came more into focus, clean and white. He felt a mask over his mouth and a cold cloth on his forehead. A woman was standing over him, his wrists in her hands.

'Annie?'

'Shh. You're alright, you're safe.' She brushed the hair from his face. He looked up into her tired face and it all came flooding back. He was dying.

He looked down at the tubes in his arm, noticing for the first time there were more in his other.

'Wally put you on dialysis to help your kidneys.' Annie said. 'He also hooked you up to morphine to help with the pain.'

He licked his lips, the oxygen from the mask had made them dry. Noticing this Annie pulled the mask back and offered him a straw. He sucked gratefully at the offered water.

'Where's Jay?' he wheezed.

'He's in the lab. He'll be here in a bit, I texted him when you started to stir.' She said, replacing the mask once he had finished with the water.

The lab? Why was he in the lab?

'How long have I been on this?' he asked, nodding down to the red tubes.

'Only a few hours.' She sat down again in the chair by his bed but kept hold of his hand. 'Wally will be around soon to hook you up to some fluids as well, give your kidneys some TLC.' She smiled, but Dick could see the strain.

'You look tired.' Said Dick, his voice sounded weird under the plastic mask.

'I'll be alright.' She smiled, it was typical of Dick to worry about others more than himself. 'How do you feel? Are you in any pain?'

He shook his head slowly. 'Just sore.' He said. 'Is Terry ok? I think I freaked him out.'

'He's doing ok, he's worried about you. We all are.'

'What's the diagnosis?' He said as casually as he could. His theory was confirmed when he saw water well in her eyes. She choked on a sob. Dick had never seen Annie this emotional.

'Hey,' he said as tears slid down her face. He gripped her hand. 'Don't cry Annie, please don't.'

'I'm sorry.' She said, apologising in a way only the British could.

'Please don't cry.' He repeated, his mask fogging up with every word. 'It breaks me to see you cry.'

She gripped his hand, lowering her head to kiss it. 'You're a great kid, you know that Dick.'

It's then that Jason walked in, he strode up to the bed only slowing down when he was a few feet away. Then he carefully lowered himself down onto the side of the bed. Dick looked weak and childlike lying there covered in tubes and wires.

'Hey.' He said gently.

'Hey.' Dick repeated in his muffled voice.

'Scared us all a bit there, kiddo.' Jay said, and Dick could see the pain behind his eyes.

'I've got it. Haven't I.' It wasn't a question.

Jason took a deep breath and nodded. 'Yeh, the virus has shut down your kidneys. Both of them.'