Burn (Barlyle) (COMPLETE)

49

"You have a visitor, Mr. Carlyle."

Phillip had been fading in and out of consciousness since arriving at the hospital and the doctor blurred in his vision. Massive blood loss, they said. He remembered that much. They said he was lucky that someone in one of the neighboring apartments had heard his screams.

"Phillip?"

The man gasped. He hadn't even realized the doctor had gone away and another man stood in his place.

Barnum.

Phin.

He stood in the doorway, unsure, tears flooding his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, and he wrung his hands nervously in front of him.

"Phin," Phillip wheezed. A hot flash of pain flared somewhere - he couldn't pinpoint it, but it burned - and he whined in pain. Suddenly, hands were on his face and something - a nose? yes. - brushed against his.

"I'm here, I'm here. Oh God, Phillip."

Barnum stepped away and truly took in the sight of the younger man in the hospital bed. His abdomen had been wrapped up tightly - stabbed, they said, fucking stabbed - and scratches marched up and down his arms. From trying to fight off the attack, he assumed. One of Phillip's eyes was swollen almost totally shut and the other watered terribly. He kept blinking.

"Oh, sweetheart," Barnum murmured. Phillip flinched and fresh tears welled in his eyes. He shrank away from the ringmaster.

"D-Don't," he cried. He stomach twisted, recoiling in the pain, and he wanted to throw up. He wanted to tear it out, tear the fire out of his body—

"It's me. It's Phineas. Oh, darling, can you see me?" A finger brushed underneath his swollen eye.

"F-Father," Phillip gasped out. He shook terribly. "H-He's coming, Ph-Phin, he's coming."

"I'm sorry." Barnum gently lifted Phillip's hand - he flinched again, but didn't pull away - and pressed his lips to the knuckles. Tears fell from his cheeks, wettening Phillip's hand. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Father's g-gonna—"

Barnum pressed his forehead to Phillip's hand. "He's not here," he whispered. "You're safe. Your mother and father are going to go away for a long time."

"Away?" Phillip whispered, like a child afraid of his own nightmares.

"Yes, Phillip. Away. Does that sound good?" Barnum looked up.

Eyes wide, slightly hazy, Phillip nodded. "Away."

"I'll bet it does." The ringmaster's voice broke and his shoulders shook. "You're safe now, Phillip. I'm so sorry for not keeping you safe sooner."

Unseeing, Phillip gazed ahead. The world blurred around him once more.

"Phillip? Darling?"

Phillip laid back.

Safe.

He slowly faded away.