Poisoned Waters | ✓

|𝟏𝟕| "𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟"

𝐇𝐈𝐒 hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard he clenched them. He couldn't seem to accept that it happened, no matter how many times he'd repeated it to himself.

"Noah..." Sebastian sighed, he lifted his gaze from his whiskey. "Is that alright?"

"Huh...?" he hummed. Sitting in the conference room, they were holding another meeting with Sebastian about the Underground operation, it was long overdue. A week had passed since Murphy's death and the time kept ticking along, but Noah felt like he was moving in slow motion.

Everyone around the table waited for his response. Zara looked concerned, Mack looked impatient, West looked guilty, Sebastian looked worried, and Sasha looked lost. She'd lost all the colour in her face, as she stared at nothing in particular. Noah couldn't even imagine what she felt when holding him as he died.

He didn't even want to look in the direction of his empty seat.

"I said, we need to send out a team to the power station. I already set up plans to clear out the Victoria Line, and now we need the trains working. Would it be good if the scouters went out first, since we are also low on resources for the operation?" Sebastian repeated. Noah barely heard a word.

With Mack's impatience, he soon took the lead, "Go ahead, I'll take care of a few things with you. Noah's not... alright right now, none of us are."

"I get that, but we're running out of time to get this —"

"I'm fine. Do it." Noah muttered, downing his glass of whiskey and standing from his seat. He walked for the door. Zara stood just as quickly and followed him out.

"Reid," she pulled him back. He turned to face her, revealing the fatigue that sat with his grieving expression. "...When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't..." he could barely finish his sentence.

"Okay, we're going home. You need to eat something and get some rest. Mack will help sort everything out." she soothed. Murphy's death was hurting her as much as everyone else, but Noah wasn't functioning at all. The best she could do was at least help to clean up the mess that West made.

She took Noah home, ran him a hot shower and left him on his own to make him something to eat. As the hot water ran down the back of his neck and along his shoulders, he shivered.

He rubbed his face a few times and tried to get himself clean. But as he removed his hands from his face, he saw red. He wasn't sure if it was from his healing chest or he was hallucinating. Witnessing it running down his arms and dripping into the water running into the drain, he was horrified.

He climbed out immediately, feeling dizzy from the heat. He was wrenching, urging to vomit the only thing in his stomach, whiskey.

He gripped the counter and ran the cold tap, taking a few long deep breaths, he splashed his face and watched the bloody water drip into the sink. He vigorously rubbed his eyes, scrubbing with all his might as he fought the tears.

When he opened his eyes, his hands were clear. He heaved, staring at his tear-covered face in the mirror. He cupped and sipped water from the tap before grabbing his towel and getting changed.

He walked downstairs slowly, greeted by Zara frying fresh eggs and shovelling onto a plate beside the baker's loaf slices. "Drink that," she pushed a mug in his direction.

He raised it to his nose, the lemon and ginger wafted by his nose. He eventually sipped on the concoction, after pulling a disgusted face. He took a seat and Zara placed the plate in front of him. "That should help a little with the headache you probably have, I was going to make you eat spices but I thought I'd give you break," she dryly laughed.

He glanced up at her, she looked as tired as he did, but she tousled her black hair and smiled down at him. He took another sip and then gestured for her to take the mug. "Stay with me."

"I wish I could, I don't really want to leave Sash alone for too long. Her and Quincy don't even know how to feel." she sighed, sitting down and taking the mug anyway. "I didn't realise we'd all fall apart this much with Murphy gone." she whispered.

"Are you okay?" he mumbled. He could barely lift his voice, he feared that if he did, he'd cry.

She faintly chuckled, then worriedly exhaled, "I don't know." She attempted to blink away her tears, they fell onto her cheeks. She quickly wiped her cheeks and chuckled, sipping the drink. Noah watched her silently.

Zara was always so strong, she'd never cried in front of Noah, no matter what she was dealing with. Seeing her like this made him sick. He removed the mug from her grasp and placed it down, pulling her into his embrace.

She soon began sobbing softly into his sweatshirt, and he didn't know what else to do but hold her tighter.