Twice Bitten

A/N: I recently got into Scorpion (I adore it) and I end up writing many angsty drabbles since there's just so much potential (despite having other fics to write -oops) so here's the only one I currently deem acceptable :)

Special Agent Cabe Gallo is a lot of things and protective over his more or less son is one of them.

Said son, namely the one and only Walter O'Brien, had willingly allowed a venomous snake to bite him earlier that day and nothing about that was okay.

Granted, he'd factored in the chances of his team successfully making an antidote and he'd brilliantly prevented a world war but that didn't mean he was okay.

Who would be, though, after falling into a box of venomous snakes and having to make the choice of being poisoned?

So, when Paige smiles gratefully and disappears to take her exam, Cabe's attention is solely focused on Walter.

"Hey, kid, you doing okay?" Cabe asks as gently as he can.

Walter turns back to him and nods.

Then promptly collapses.

Cabe vaguely hears himself call out Walter's name as he watches the genius' eyes flutter shut before, along with the rest of him, disappearing from view.

He's out of the car in record time, as if they'd just tempered with his brain again, forgetting everything in favour of trying to help the man he considers his son.

He's too late to stop Walter from hitting the ground with a painful thud but he kneels beside him, practically cradling him as he gestures to the policeman currently pulling out his phone.

"Don't call an ambulance, he'll be long gone by the time it gets anywhere," he orders, then taking Walter's temperature.

Walter shifts in his arms and mutters something about codes before slumping again, and Cabe's heart almost misses a beat before he can identify a pulse.

Dialling the Garage, he starts talking as soon as he hears the click of the phone being picked up. "Get your best medical equipment ready, Walter's just collapsed and his fever is through the roof."

Tired swearing echoes down the phone and then Tony's firing questions at him that he tries his best to answer as he manoeuvres Walter into the passenger seat of his car but how on earth is he meant to provide a rough estimate of just how high Walter's blood pressure is currently reaching?

"Uh, you've got roughly ten minutes before it'll be too late for us to cook up an antidote in time, especially since we have no idea which snake bit him, so get moving right now!" Sylvester softly yells down the phone.

Walter groans suddenly and Cabe freezes, glancing over him and noticing the way his hands are slowly clenching.

"Hold on, kid, it won't take long."

"G'llo?" Walter mumbles, struggling to sit up properly.

"Stay still, Walter!" Cabe all but orders, not meaning to shout but unable to help it in his concern.

Still, regret stings in his heart when Walter flinches, seemingly resigning himself to whatever situation he believes he's currently undergoing.

"Hey, Cabe, how red are his eyes?" Tony's voice rings out from the car's speakers even though Cabe definitely hadn't reconnected them; that's just how it is when he practically fathers a gang of geniuses.

"Hang on," Cabe mutters before reaching towards Walter, who flinches again but stares directly at Cabe in unneeded defiance.

"I wasn't going to hurt you, son," Cabe whispers, then turns his attention to Toby. "His eyes are perfectly fine, aside from them leaning towards closed most of the time."