Vices and Maces

Chapter 67: Fool Proof Plans Don't Exist

CW: mention of surgery on ribs

Remus rushed to Janus's room as soon as he finished telling Roman what Patton told him. The shifter was still asleep, frowning deeply, but Remus wasn't as gentle as he should have been when waking them up. They must have been having a nightmare because they gasped and grabbed at whatever their hands could find, Remus's wrist and the blanket.

"V-Virgil?" they gasped.

"He's not here," Remus said as they seemed to wake up. For a moment grief filled Janus's eyes, making the halfling's heart break. "But he's alive!"

"He's what?" Janus asked, eyes wide as they sat up in bed, hugging a pillow.

"One of our men is getting married to a police officer," Roman explained. "He told us that Virgil is at the hospital."

"Wait, he's alive? Where was he found?" Was he in the wreckage? Did they... did they leave him there to die?

"We don't know, but we're going to get him out of there."

"We can't just go and get him out of the hospital! If he's there, then he's there for a reason! What if he's seriously hurt!"

"If we leave him there then he could be in danger. What if Wolfsbane finds out! What if Black finds out! They'll finish the job!"

Remus tried to block them out as he paced back and forth in the room, waiting for Patton to message him. Finally the nymph did, sending him the hospital location.

"Oh shit," he said. "The hospital Virgil's in is on Wolfsbane's side of town."

"What?!" Janus yelled.

"Now can we go get him?" Roman asked. "If he's seriously hurt, then we'll bring him to our hospital, but there's no way we're leaving him there."

"Well what are we going to do? Waltz in there and just grab him? They won't allow that!"

Remus tapped his phone on his chin for a moment. "Actually... why not?"

"Oh no..." Janus sighed.

"Wait, let's hear him out," Roman said. Janus gave him a puzzled look.

"Janus is a shapeshifter! They can just pretend to be a doctor or even a bug and find Virgil," Remus explained. "Then they can tell us where he is, and we can just go get him. We don't even need to sign him out or forge anything."

"Okay, but wouldn't the staff notice us carrying him out? Or I don't know... notice a whole ass patient just missing from his room?"

Remus shrugged. "Then we'll wing it when we get there, doctor."

"None of the staff will recognize me."

"Then you're a bug! I'm sure you'll figure something out. But we need to get him out of there as soon as possible, and I'm not hearing any other suggestions." Remus waited for someone to speak up. No one did, so he nodded and headed for the door. "Let's go save that emo before Black gets to him."

Janus got out of bed as Roman and Remus started to head for the door. "How the hell are you two so successful at running a gang?"

Roman turned around to glance at them before he left. "We take crazy risks."

~~~

Virgil carefully touched his cheek, wincing at the bruise. There was a cut inside his mouth too, it made it difficult to eat breakfast. Thankfully they had taken out the air tubes, but they had taped a smaller version near his nose, though the tube was only an inch.

Anna wasn't here right now. She must have left at some point... Having her here caused Virgil so much anxiety. She had questions, and he knew she wouldn't like the answers. But now that she's not here, he doesn't know if she's safe or not.

What if Wolfsbane found her? They had to have been watching her all these years, right? They know what she looks like, they can hurt her. They can kill her. And they probably will. Even if Black thinks Virgil's dead, he's going to go through with his threat to make a point. He keeps his promises, even to the dead.

Virgil wondered for a moment which hospital he's in. The city was big, there were several hospitals. One side of the city was controlled by Wolfsbane, the other was Bleeding Rose territory. The rest belonged to smaller gangs, though they're easily crushed, and often by Wolfsbane.

Considering the last memory of his was at the factory, fighting Dahlia, Virgil figured he was still in Wolfsbane's part of town. He wasn't safe here, and who knows how long he has until Black finds out he's alive and at this hospital. He'll either kill him, or kidnap him. Probably kidnap to keep him alive a bit longer to squeeze out every idea from Virgil's head.

That means he needs to get out now. But was that even possible? He can barely even breathe, his lung was punctured and he had surgery to fix it. They had to put plates and bolts in his ribs to hold them steady, for three of his ribs. The pain medication has worn off and it hurts. There was no way he's getting out of there on his own.

He glanced at the window. It looked like he wasn't on the first floor, hopefully he was just on the second. His wing was stitched up, but it had still been badly torn. He can't fly, not for a long while, so jumping out of the window as a no, even in his small dragon form.

Maybe when- if... Maybe if Anna comes back, he can convince her to let him check out. He was only there for observation anyway, the worst of it was his ribs and wings. And if they can check out, then Virgil can tell her whatever he needs to so they can both get as far away from this city as possible.

He should really call Janus or Roman to tell them what happened... They would try to help. But would it help? Or would it just make a bigger mess? Anna could find out the truth Virgil's been living for the past two years, or their help could catch the attention of Wolfsbane faster.

The truth was, they can't run away from Wolfsbane forever. Even if they lived as hermits, they wouldn't be able to survive. They both grew up in a rich house, Virgil became an engineer, Anna was supposed to be a lawyer. They know nothing of surviving off of a garden, or off of nothing but the land. And that's if Virgil can convince Anna to go off the radar with him without telling her the full extent of the danger.

Black will find them no matter what he does. But maybe if Anna left him behind, she can find a place to hide out for a while. And hopefully Roman can bring him down before he finds her. What happens to Virgil doesn't matter, it just doesn't.

Which meant his best chance was to tell Anna the full truth. And maybe to get aid from Roman, if he was still willing to help.