Lockwood & Co - ONE SHOTS

(8)

✨Slipping Rapiers✨
Part 4
- The Days Of Peace -

Warnings: descriptions of near death experience..

Part 2 - The Convalesce

Lockwood took the toast out of the toaster quickly. Then grabbed the knife and spread a nice layer of jam across them. The kettle had boiled now and when he finished with the toast he moved on and made one strong cuppa and another with honey. Gathering his collection on to a tray he picked up the tray and went upstairs. It was nearly eight o clock. Holly would be arriving soon and the house would rouse from its sleepy stupier. It had been a few upside down days, where sleeping patterns and eating habits where even worse than before. Since the ambush job, Lockwood&co had been in recovery mode. A mode they shouldve done many of a times but its taken something as bad as Meghan getting in the hospital to cause it. As boss, Lockwood had thought lots about it. How to take care of his friends other than providing work and roof over their heads. Lucy and George had been great at home nurses for Meghan even to a point where it was almost overbearing but all in goood nature. George slept in a chair in the corner of the girl's room and Lucy peeked her head in more than a couple hundred times a day. Holly, changed bed linen and kept the room tidy, providing a endless amount of tea and sweet treats enough to cure anything. Lockwood had been there to tell the others to sleep, to Lucy to eat and George to go shower. Meghan was hurt, she was very weak and her voice only now had grown to a normal volume. Though doctors said before she left that her voice would not be the same for a long time. It will remain more husky and broken for the time being. Her bruise ribs will need time to heel but they gave her six week time period before she could return to work. However if Lockwood knew his latest employee, she'd cut it down to four weeks at the most.

Lockwood made it to the door. A door that he used to dread entering, avoid speaking of. Jessica once dwelled here and in a way she still did. Sometimes Lockwood would stand at the bottom of the staircase, perhaps waiting on Lucy and would squint at the door and he could see memories of his sister on her way down for dinner, for school. Her smile, her energy, her life. It eminated in life as much as it glowed in death. Now the door was a dark blue colour, fresh and clean. A new chapter in a book he didn't even think he would write. He balanced the tray in one hand and opened the door carefully. Meghan was awake, though seated in bed still, she was looking over at mirror that stood in the corner of the room.

"You look fine" Lockwood told her, glancing over to see if another memeber of the agency slept in the chair but found it unoccupied. Meghan made a non commital noise and turned back at him with a polite sortve smile.
"What you got there" Her voice was scratchy as if recovering from an infection. Lockwood in a few strides made it over to the bed and placed the tray on her lap. He lifted up his own tea off the tray and took a seat near the end of the bed, balancing an ankle on his knee.
"Thanks boss" She smiled, picking up her tea and taking a joyful sip. Lockwood nodded, turned his head around the room, taking it all in. He hadnt been in here much, he didnt have reason to be. Meghan had made it her own, with pictures and some books. Lots of flowers in different sized vases and everything was a pale blue colour, with pale greens mixed in. There was lots of birds about the place, drawings and plushies. It seemed quite natural, everything was earthy, with the bedding even white with little stars sewn on them, all different pastel colours. Meghan watched him bemused at his investigations. He gazed up at the roof and saw that there was stars now there too, some painted there, some dangling from fairy lights. She had her own little world in here.
"You've really made it special in here" He murmurs.
"I worried you'd dislike the amount of change" She replied honestly.
"No, not at all, I rather like it actually" Lockwood looked back up at the stars. "Those especially" He pointed.
"Oh my dad did that when I moved in, little piece of home" She sighed out and picked a slice of toast.
"How was your mum and dad yesterday when they came and visited, did you tell them about George?" Lockwood leaned against the bed frame and slurped his tea.
"They were great, they felt bad they hadn't visited as much since I moved here. I told them not to be silly" She bit into her toast, wiping her mouth incase any crumbs or jam had landed there. "But my mum and dad already know about George" She said before swallowing and put the crust on the plate. Lockwood reaised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah, my mum noticed something when I moved in and well, she's just got that intuition" Meghan shrugged. "I called my mum the day we heard about the ambush, I tell her everything..well not everything everything, but you know as much as is respectful"
"Understand" Lockwood nodded amused. "Jessica would've loved Lucy" He said without thought.
"I mean who couldn't?" Meghan added, nonchalantly. "Bet we would've loved her"
"Oh yeah, someone to boss me around for a change" He laughed a little. "Though Lucy is making up for that"
"You do need an iron fist" She responded laughing lightly. "I am happy for you and Lucy, you do deserve each other"
"I don't know if I deserve her, but I'm just lucky I get the oppotunity to prove it" Lockwood smiled down at his tea, "You and George seem happy"
Meghan nodded, a smile spreading on her face that she couldn't have stopped if she tried.
"Well yes, I suppose" She paused. "He's a good boy"
Lockwood nodded, agreeingly.
"I could let no one else deserving to have him, i'm he found someone who completely understood him. He always felt the third wheel with us two, like he didnt matter. I won't deny, sometimes Lucy and us got caught up. It wasnt ever intentional. Nonetheless," Lockwood shrugged. "George needs someone that can pull him back to the moment instead of the past or the future, that life happens beyond books. I've learned that for myself through Lucy. I can see since you've started working here that he's coming out of his shell in a way he didn't even think he could. He's got a strut, feeling good about his whole self not just his mind."
Meghan grinned knowing exactly what Lockwood was talking about.
"I could say the same with Lucy. Everyone is really feeling their best selves right now..well" Meghan looked down at her self. "Minus a few bruises"
Lockwood shook his head.
"I suppose I owe you an apology.."
"Whatever for?" She frowned deeply, placing her tea on the tray on her lap.
"Well you wouldn't be in the state you are if it wasn't for my great idea of leaving you on your own." Lockwood explained sitting up, putting his feet solid on the floor, forearms leaning on his knees. "I lacked judgement, made a bad call"
"Anthony," She breathed and it caught him in his tirade. "It was the right call and knowing everything that I do, I'd do it again"
"But I don't know if that's because it really was the right choice or because your'e too much like me for your own good" He answered, making her laugh.
"Try both" She put the tray down beside her, moving slowly she reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, boss"
He turned and looked at her.
"You saved me as well, you got me the help I needed when I needed it, you believed in me, knew I was strong enough and helped me get better when some things go wrong. I could ask nothing more from a good boss and a great friend. With this job we are put in positions where difficult choices are put directly in front of us, like when we enter a house we can't hesitate on that threshhold, we must step with full confidence. You did that and so did I, you made the right call." She ended it with emphasis. Squeezing his shoulder affectionately, she moved back again and leaned against her headboard.
There was a slight pause when Lockwood let her words sink in his brain and to soak into his doubt. Now he had the right words to repeat whenever he repeated the guilt in his mind.