Doctors rush over to the two and lay Theo down on a gurney. They begin checking his wounds, Theo's eyes are barely open as he looks up at the ceiling. Rufus leans against the wall and looks at the doctors as they tend to Theo's injuries and roll him down the hall.
You're welcome, kid.
He rolls his eyes slightly, but his annoyance dies down as the doctors cut off Theo's hoodie in order to see his wounds better. Rufus sees cuts on his arms, bad ones, clearly self inflicted, he feels his annoyed expression soften deeply. His eyes quickly dart to the cuts, and for a moment, it looks like he feels a pang of pity. A look of concern crossing his face as the doctors take the boy into a room.
Rufus was originally just going to leave the boy here. He didn't really care what happened to him, and he still really doesn't, but for some reason, he feels a need to stay.
This is so fucking stupid.
...
Rufus sits down in the waiting area.
Dammit.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
An hour passes, and a nurse walks up to Rufus. She clearly feels a bit intimidated and hesitant to say something, which isn't surprising since his knuckles and body in general are covered in blood. Just his regular appearance feels threatening. He looks up at the nurse, feeling a little annoyed at her hesitation. He leans back in his chair.
"Is the kid done yet?"
The nurse stutters slightly.
Nurse: "U-uhm..yeah, he's been taken care of. You can see him now...if you'd like?"
She's clearly scared of him. Rufus nods at her, trying to keep his anger at bay. He gestures for her to lead the way. The nurse walks Rufus down the hall to the hospital room Theo is in.
Nurse: "U-uh..do you need to be treated? Since you're..covered in blood."
Rufus raises an eyebrow as he looks down at his bloodied clothes. He grins.
"Nah, it's not mine."
He gives her an unsettling look.
"Oh.."
The nurse shakes a little, her expression turning even more scared as she tries to keep a small smile on her face.
She walks him to Theo's room. Rufus walks inside and sees Theo lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face, attached to an IV and a heart monitor. He has some bandages and patches on him. He hasn't woken up yet.
Rufus walks over to the bed and looks down at Theo. He sits down in a chair next to the bed and looks down at Theo's body while he sleeps. He watches the boy for a few moments, leaning back in his chair and propping his foot up on the bed. Still feeling no genuine sense of kindness towards the boy. Instead, he feels oddly satisfied that the boy is dependent on him, satisfied by the fact that Theo has no choice but to rely on him for help right now.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another hour passes. Rufus is growing impatient. Theo's right eye opens slightly, the other covered by a patch. Rufus sits up, looking at the boy with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.
"Wake up, bub."
He leans in closer to him, looking at his eye that is now halfway open. Theo looks awful. His hair messy, some blood still stained in the curls. His eyes bagged and bruised. He's pale too. His scarred arms now bandaged. Dressed in a hospital gown under the covers. He groans slightly.
"...where......am i..?..."
His voice is quiet and weak, his breathing slightly labored.
"You're in a hospital, dummy." He says flatly. "I saved your ass, remember?" He says, sounding annoyed.
Theo looks exhausted.
"...im..still alive..."
Theo's tone is a mix of a question and a statement, speaking quietly. Rufus snorts.
"Of course you're alive. I saved your ass." He rolls his eyes. "You'd be dead if it wasn't from me, so at least give me some gratitude."
Theo looks up at Rufus still, his eye shines slightly.
"...thank you..."
His voice is quiet and soft, his words genuine.
