Without You

17. Why Me?

A/N - Yep, it's another update! 😁 Does anyone have the ability to pause time for another week or so? RL is being really annoying, and I just want to get this story written before college swallows me whole again! 😭

Dec gasped, eyes flying open as he groggily stared at his watch, open-mouthed. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, I fell asleep! I'll be there in a few," he rasped out, voice hoarse with sleep. Ending the call even as a snarky reply came through the line, Dec tried to clear his half-asleep mind by shaking his head, something he regretted immediately.

Rolling rapidly out of bed and standing up, Dec made a dash for the closet. There was no time for a shower, he just had to get changed and catch a cab ASAP. Or...He tried to make a dash for the closet, anyway. His dizziness returned full force, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling to the floor with a crash. He managed to break his fall with his outstretched arms, his muscles protesting against the hard jolt as they stopped his downward trajectory. Collapsing onto his chest, Dec growled with annoyance. He didn't have time for this.

Pushing himself up off the floor, bruised bones and muscles aching dully, Dec grabbed onto the nearby dresser – at least he'd managed to avoid knocking into that! – and made his way slowly over to the closet to pick out some business casual clothes. Managing that successfully, he sat down on the bed to change. He didn't trust himself to keep his balance while wriggling out of and into clothing. He threw on a bit of aftershave, ran a comb through his messy bed head, grabbed his backpack, and carefully made his way down to the ground floor, hoping against hope there might be an available cab or two outside. To his surprise, he met a worried-looking Saul in the lobby.

"Why aren't you there?" he asked, eyes puzzled.

"It's only about 5 minutes away by foot. Figured I'd come back here and collect you," Saul replied, not meeting Dec's eyes. "I was sort of worried about you."

Dec was touched by Saul's concern, but at the same time a bit apprehensive. "You didn't mention anything to anyone, did you?"

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you, mate," Saul hurried to reassure him, patting him on the back lightly. "But be warned, there's an ITV bigwig there, and they're not in a good mood."

Dec rolled his eyes. Great. Just what he needed. "Why, 'cause I'm late?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. Pete's already given him a telling off, so hopefully he'll go easy on you."

Saul and Dec were well-matched, close to the same height, and normally their strides were nearly equal. Now, though, Dec was lagging behind the further they went, and Saul was having to markedly slow his normal speed to allow Dec to keep up with him. Dec was pale and sweaty, mouth open slightly and tongue poking out, eyes trained on the pavement. He looked like he was concentrating hard. On what, though? Walking?!

"So, Dec, um...This concussion. Are you sure you have one? And how the hell did you manage to get it?" Saul asked hesitantly. He knew Dec didn't want to talk about it, but it was more than obvious he was struggling. Someone had to know what was going on, even if Dec didn't want them to. It was for his own safety, really.

Dec sighed. He knew Saul would ask sooner rather than later. And his current performance probably hadn't helped to delay the inevitable. "It's a long story, Saul. I passed out at home and hit me head on the coffee table. This feels pretty much the same as the concussion I got back in '06 – all the same sort of symptoms. Just without the broken elbow and thumb."