Cassidy*Others

Several hours passed before Cass woke again, this time looking still better than she had before. Her iron had been holding steady, and now with some good rest behind her, she was much better off. She'd lain awake for a few moments before she noticed that Johann was gone - apparently, he'd stepped out for the moment. She couldn't know that he was right outside the door at the nurse's station desk; instead, she turned her eyes to the sleeping young man in the chair next to her bed, and smiled softly. After a few moments, she reached over on an impulse and softly touched the back of his hand, which was all she could reach from her place on the bed.

Lanny Zelkovii

As far as his weariness went, the few hours of rest were enough for the young man to recover from that aspect of the shooting. His face twitched, briefly drawing his brows together in a semi-frown until his light eyes fluttered open in a blank gaze. A second later, met by a dull ache in his gut and... wait, where was he? Lanny took in too sharp a breath, and winced reflexively as it caused a sharp pain to light up around his injury, "Cass... hey, how're you feeling?" Trying to play off his moment of surprise, Lanny spoke in a slightly groggy voice as he turned to look at Cassidy, memories of recent events flooding back to him.

Cassidy

With it having been early evening when Lanny had returned and fallen asleep, it was now truly nighttime, just before ten o'clock; perhaps that explained why Johann was outside, since visiting hours were really over and he was likely trying to secure permission for the two of them to stay the night with Cass. The light in the small bathroom at the front of the room was on, and that was the only light in the room; but it was plenty enough for the young woman to see the sharp flinch he produced as the pain shot through him. In the half-dark, her eyebrows drew together in concern, and she blew past his inquiry to her health to ask, "Lanny? What's wrong?" Her tones were soft and quietly worried - she wasn't alarmed just yet, but she would likely become upset very quickly when she found out just what had caused his wince. For now though, she contented herself with keeping her hand over his and stroking the back of it with her thumb, and watching him through softened blue eyes that were half-hidden in the darkness.

Lanny Zelkovii

More than the discomfort growing in his midsection, Lanny felt a lance of alarm run through him when his accidental wince caught Cassidy's attention. He didn't want to tell her he'd been shot, for one; and he really didn't want to tell her that Conan had gotten away, and that there was potentially another danger out there that might be after her. "A little stiff, is all. I'm not all that use to sleeping in chairs." It might have been the darkness, or even a subconscious worry about anyone else hearing him, but Lanny spoke in quieted tones. A bit of stiffness couldn't account for the wince of pain that he'd displayed, but that was Lanny's weak try and dodging around her question.

Cassidy

It was difficult to tell, in the dim light, what sort of expression Cassidy was wearing; there was the brief sound of shifting against the sheets to indicate that she'd adjusted her position as she gave herself time to think and decide precisely what she wanted to say. She knew for a fact that there was no reason 'stiffness' should make his breath catch like that - but dare she call him out on it? There was a long pause, during which she lay quietly and petted his hand, and then her voice sounded in a tired, unhappy fashion. "You know, Lanny," she whispered, "you're really a very poor liar."

Lanny Zelkovii

Lanny himself would have shifted a little in the tension that he felt growing, if not for the physical discomfort he knew it'd cause him. In place of that, the young man reached up and scrubbed distractedly at his forehead for a moment, buying himself a second or two of thought, though it did him no good in coming up with any excuse. In the end, Lanny let out a heavy sigh and spoke, "Against you and Johann, I don't think anyone can hold up a lie." It was a brief try for jesting before he admitted at length, trying a second time to discourage any concern - and more importantly, questioning - over his health, "It's nothing really, just a bit of a scuffle earlier."

Cassidy

She offered a dry chuckle to his half-joke, but didn't smile, and the sound that should have indicated amusement was completely humorless. And when he'd finished, there was another rustle; her other hand came out and lay itself across his fingers, gripping them lightly. It was difficult to tell if her eyes were open or closed as she breathed, "Some scuffle - Lanny, don't try to write it off to me. I've known you long enough to say that if you don't want to move, there's really something wrong. I-" The door opened, and the bathroom light flashed off of a pair of square-rimmed glasses and a head of silver-lined dark hair. "Mr. Zelkovii - you're late."

Lanny Zelkovii

The darkness aided Lanny for a few moments anyway, helping to disguise how his face was looking a little less certain than it normally would have. He didn't like lying to Cassidy, and he really didn't like admitting to her that he'd failed in protecting her, and had in fact uncovered more evidence of threat against her. To make matters worse for him, Dr. Marachek made an arrival and dashed all hopes of keeping his injury secret. "It can wait till morning." It wasn't a smart move to try and push his authority around with the doctor, since most of them were more or less immune to the gang's influence, this woman in particular. But... he was desperate, so he went for it.

Cassidy*Others

"I seem to recall expressing to you earlier today that this topic was not up for debate," said the doctor's voice in a strict, unornamented tone - she didn't take the edge off of her voice just because Lanny was head of the CS. "But after all - I'm getting older; senility, you know. So just in case my memory is faulty, I'll inform you over again - there is nothing optional about this. You're coming with me now; I'd have gotten you earlier, only I didn't want to wake your friend there." Cassidy didn't say anything, not about to lock horns with Dr. Marachek, particularly with that dangerous rumble in her voice, added the fact that she was already so concerned about the obvious pain he was in. She squeezed his hand gently, thanking whomever was listening that the room was dark so he couldn't see the depth and power of the fear in her eyes. "I suppose I can accommodate if you like, though - we could always stay right here." The older woman's final statement was a warning, bordering on a threat; unafraid of the young man or his influence in the town, she subtly let it be known that, if necessary, she'd work on replacing his bandages right here were Cassidy could watch the whole thing. Holding his hand tighter for a moment, the younger woman whispered, "Please Lan - just go. Whatever it is... go get it taken care of."

Lanny Zelkovii

Desperation, and maybe a bit of grogginess left over from waking up so suddenly, were mainly to blame for him pulling out the gang card with Dr. Marachek. He knew before she spoke that there was no way it was going to fly with her, and when he caught her subtle threat he could do little but comply. "Hang on a sec, I'm coming." Unable to hold the irritation out of his voice, but glad that it at least wasn't coming across as the anxiety that he clearly felt fluttering around in his stomach, Lanny heaved himself up from the chair. The young man lingered for just a moment, taking some solace in Cassidy's hold, "I won't be gone long." Pausing as much for the pain as he did for his reluctance in leaving at all, Lanny finally shuffled forward, his posture in a slouch as he headed for the door to comply to the physician's wishes.

Cassidy*Others

She clung to his hand for just a moment or two, again thanking whatever chance had made it so that the lights were out, because it made her slight slip in emotional control unimportant. Her eyes had been creased and lit with worry when she'd realized that he had to be injured, and the lack of light had disguised it so that he couldn't see how bothered she truly was. After a moment or two, with his whispered promise to reassure her, she let him go, reluctantly, and Dr. Marachek passed from the room to lead him away.

It was a short walk down the hall to the exam room, at which point she directed him gruffly to the exam table and again began to gather supplies. She didn't speak to him just yet, though most everyone else would have laid into him for trying to dodge the treatment; that just wasn't her way. She let him stew as she gathered a new roll of gauze and a fresh bandage, along with another needle-full of painkiller. "You're as stubborn as my son - worse, maybe," she muttered finally, coming back toward him with her supplies. And then she abruptly changed topics, ordering, "Lift your shirt - let's see how it looks."

Lanny Zelkovii

Her depth of worry was hidden from his immediate view, but the way that she'd held onto his hand and gave it that extra squeeze... it was another tiny reminder that their relationship was perhaps more than what it once had been. That was not something that he needed to think about right now however, with all the other bits of drama he was already trying to sort out. Yet in a way... it wasn't quite as confusing and uncertain of a thing that it had been in the beginning. Putting those thoughts away for the millionth time, Lanny tried his best to keep a halfway decent posture as he followed the doctor.

Deciding it was best to keep quiet and follower her orders, after he'd pushed his luck already, Lanny found his way to the exam table and hauled himself onto it with a bit of a struggle. "I don't think it's all that serious." Lanny shrugged off indifferently when she commented on his stubbornness, "I've been through worse."

Dr. Marachek

"I'm sorry - and your degree would be what?" That would have been a snarky comment in anyone else - in Dr. Marachek, it was a parry to his excuse. Sitting back on her heels and beginning to remove the old bandage, she went on, "I didn't spend four years in medical school and seven in residency and raise my son half in this hospital just so I could play at being doctor - I'll say whether it's 'all that serious' or not." Peeling the bandage aside, she used the gauze in her hand to wipe the blood away so she could see the wound better. "It looks like..." she paused, her brow furrowing in concentration as she stared at the hole in his abdomen, trying to determine if any major muscle groups had been damaged. Earlier, it had been bleeding so badly, and it more urgent to get it under control before he became anemic, that she hadn't looked to see what damage had been done, other than to determine that no vital organs had been punctured or grazed. Now she took that moment, staring intently at his middle. "Raise your right arm above your head," she murmured, and listened carefully for any passage of air or other sound that would indicate pain, also keeping an eye on the muscles to see how they were bunching and moving - and looking for any bit of flinching that would indicate how badly this motion hurt him, which would tell her the extent of damage done.

Lanny Zelkovii

The young man remained moodily silent for the most part, knowing he would get no where but in more trouble if he tried to counter what she was saying. He wasn't quite the dominant-driven one that his elder brother was, and could take some lecturing obediently enough without snarking back; particularly if it were from someone older, and especially a person like Dr. Marachek who he didn't have any sway over either way. She was not in anyway influenced by the gang, so his high ranking meant absolutely nothing right now. When ordered to lift his arm, Lanny did precisely that, in a manner that was slower than he liked, and saw a definite grimace twist his face before he even fully extended his arm. Puffing out a quiet breath and holding it, Lanny defiantly raised his arm the rest of the way, proving that it did hurt a good deal, but that the pain wasn't blinding enough to stop him from this movement.

Dr. Marachek

Watching the muscles bunch in what she recognized as an uncomfortable fashion, she knew even before the subtle sound of Lanny's breathing altered that it was still causing him a good amount of pain. "And this is the fellow who this afternoon tried to convince me that he didn't need three week's rest," the doctor murmured, shaking her head a bit. But at least she didn't shoot back another nasty comment - instead, she held the gauze over the wound to keep the small bleeding under control, and murmured, "You can bring it back down now - but keep it out of my way." And with that, she began again to inject the medication around the edge of the wound to send it into blessed numbness again. It was another few seconds, as she placed a fresh layer of gauze over the wound and again began to wrap the bandage around his middle, before she murmured, "So - there many rumors running around here these days. I have two questions for you. First - does everyone in town except your girl know that you're sweet on her. And second - when were you intending to tell me that you aren't the baby's father?"

Lanny Zelkovii

Completely preoccupied with how he was going to begin to explain all of this to Cassidy, Lanny had been perfectly content to ignore the doctor for as long as he could, while abiding by her rules as she did this and that. He wrestled back a wince as the needle went in, welcoming the numbness that would soon dash away the pain that kept him from walking straight or talking freely. Lanny was doing rather good with his silence, until the doctor crossed into territory that had his cheeks flushed faintly in anger, "That's none of your business." Sharp eyes looked over her for a moment before he questioned at length, in an almost dangerous tone, "Who told you that, anyway?" He couldn't possibly fear Dr. Marachek harming Cassidy, but he was defensive with her all the same.

Dr. Marachek

Continuing to patch up the wound again even when Lanny's voice turned sharp, she shrugged a little. "I suppose you're right on that first topic - it's not my business. Just thought I'd mention it for interest's sake." She backed off of that willingly enough as she finished tying off the bandage and quietly informed him that he could lower the shirt again. And then she got up and went over to the counter, pulling what looked like an x-ray sheet out of a chart that lay there, and popping it up on the lighted viewing screen that was mounted on the wall. She flipped the switch - and for the first time, Lanny might see the tiny infant that he'd claimed for his own. She was just to the point where her limbs were fully developed and recognizable, if strangely scrawny in appearance - and she even had little face. But if he looked closely where he finger pointed, he might see a strange abnormality in the forming of the infant's left leg. It looked - twisted. "It's called tibio-fibular torsion, which means that the leg is growing from the hip and twisting at the same time, producing abnormal joint growth. The test we performed for genetic abnormalities brought it up. It is caused by an irregularity in the forming of tendons and bones - and can occur only when both parents carry the gene and pass it on to the child." She allowed him to absorb that for a moment or two before her gaze turned firm and defiant, and then went on, "As a reference, I looked up both Cassidy's genetic information, and yours - standard procedure, since methods that helped the parents often help the child just as effectively - I wanted to see what sort of treatment had been used in order to determine the next step after the baby is born. And your family has no genetic tendency for torsion. As a matter of fact, no rheumatological problems, aside from common arthritis associated with old age, are at all reported in the last five generations of Zelkoviis born and raised in this area. So I ask you again, Mr. Zelkovii - when were you intending to tell me that this is not your child?"

Lanny Zelkovii

He lowered his shirt and leaned briefly against the wall, grateful for the reprieve from his healing injury, and better able to channel his attention away from that and towards the issues that were most pressing. The young man was just ready to get out of here and get back to Cassidy when Dr. Marachek pulled out an X-ray and put it up against the board. Despite himself, Lanny was leaning forward on the table now, looking with squinted eyes at the tiny body illuminated before the light. "...you can fix that, can't you?" The anger had completely vacated his voice, filled now with surprise and a touch of uncertainty. Still riled that she knew he wasn't the father, even if she had a perfectly good reason for having found it out, Lanny ignored her question to him as he continued to study the black and white image before him.

Dr. Marachek

As early on as the pregnancy was, the child was barely more than two inches long, as indicated by the scale to the right of the x-ray, which meant she was growing normally, aside from her obvious leg deformity. The physician remained silent for several moments after she'd explained the problem to him, allowing Lanny to absorb the scope of the problem - yes, and letting him squirm a bit. She wanted to make him uncomfortable. She didn't break her silence until he questioned her, at which point she told him, "Ordinarily, it would be a simple matter of going in and surgically correcting the angle the leg is growing at - but as tiny as Miss Jones is, such invasive surgery on both herself and the baby has too high a risk of forcing early delivery. It is far safer to wait until the baby's born - and then to gradually correct the torsion with fitted orthopaedic shoes and braces. She won't have this problem permanently, since we caught it this early and know what to do to treat it - but we will have to intervene as soon as Miss Jones delivers to ensure that the child's limbs do not grow still further in this twisted fashion."

Lanny Zelkovii

Seeing the tiny frame of the infant girl really struck Lanny, giving him the same feeling as when Cassidy had let him put a hand to her abdomen. This was a real, living little person, and seeing the picture brought the full reality of it to him. He could forget for a moment about his anxiety over dealing with Cassidy, and after a moment where he was certainly getting uncomfortable at the thought of that twisted, malformed limb and the danger of repairing it early would mean, he spoke again, "Will it complicate anything at all?" Gone was his earlier anger at the doctor, now with his perspectives put in place. He stood a chance at defending Cassidy and his adopted daughter from rivals, but there was not a stitch he could do about something like this.

Dr. Marachek

She'd dealt with literally hundreds of pregnancies - and hundreds of new fathers who were frightened by every little thing that the x-rays and tests showed them about their growing infant; usually, the mothers were so calm and collected... it was the fathers that she usually ended up picking up from the floor when they passed out from fear or queasiness, or banished from the room so she could have a moment to talk to the much calmer mother. So she knew too well that half-suppressed look of trepidation that wanted to break over his face; her message had gotten home to him for sure. "If anything, it will mean that we may have to do a C-section delivery - which may be necessary anyway, if Miss Jones does not put on some weight in the next few months. She needs the weight, to make space for the baby to grow, and to allow her body to accommodate the baby without trying to force delivery because of the strain." She offered him that, and then fixed him with her gaze again, her voice becoming hard and serious. "Listen here - it's your business if you want to claim the child. Personally, I've got the feeling you'll be a decent father, once you get around to it. But don't lie to me when things are this important. Somewhere down the road, I might need to treat the baby for something, and I might use a medicine that her father had an allergy to - an allergy that she might have inherited. Based on the information you gave me that you are her father, I could test you and find there was no grounds to suggest any allergy - and that information would be false. At the least, it would give the baby a tummy ache. At the worst, it could very well kill her if the allergy is bad enough. I need you to tell me the truth when you tell me things about the baby. If you know the father, I need to know who he is so I can figure out where to go from here medically. It's your business if you want to adopt her - I'll get the paperwork filed. I'll help you become her legal father - but don't lie to me where the child's life is concerned."

Lanny Zelkovii

In the back of his mind, he almost wanted to joke about how her cravings for leafy greens wouldn't quite help her case if she needed to put on weight. Humor was the last thing in his thoughts however, as he listened with open ears to what the doctor was telling him, and he made a serious note about trying to encourage Cassidy to eat a healthy amount of food, for both her and her baby's sake. Moving onto the next topic, Lanny yet again withheld from responding to her comments. The majority of him was thrilled to be a father, but there was always that little bit of doubt about just how safe he could keep Cass and their daughter. Those thoughts were eventually shrugged away when she made a bid to find out the little girl's true father, making Lanny go a little tense and set his jaw. "He's dead." Lanny spoke in a manner that was just a little clipped, while still debating whether or not to give up the name that so few knew. In the end though, it was his daughter's wellbeing that won out, as well as the fact that he Dr. Marachek was not on anyone's paycheck but the hospitals, and thus she was a neutral - "Michael Carlyle."

Dr. Marachek

After all of her poking and prodding at Lanny over his lying to her, the doctor was quiet as he stewed over what to tell her. For all of her bluntness and lack of delicacy in dealing with him up to this point, she seemed to know that pressing him more tightly for this particular bit of information would not work. So she was quiet and patient - and finally it paid off as he produced the name. She let silence pass for a second or two more, and then spoke more gently. "Alright... now we come to the truth. I delivered all four of the Carlyle boys - I know their tendencies as far as genetics and allergies. That will help - and you can be sure I will tell no one of it. You've got the Hippocratic oath on your side, for that one." She didn't mention anything to suggest how she felt about the identity of the father - but she sounded just a hair relieved to know the truth of the matter now. And after that, she switched off the screen and took the x-ray down. "You ought to head back to her now - she'd likely worrying."

Lanny Zelkovii

Where he'd been staring at the X-ray, and then tensely ahead at nothing in particular, Lanny had sized up the doctor when he'd finally given up the girl's father. He again doubted that he needed to worry, but it was a subtle reminder that this was private information, and he wasn't going to stand for it being spread about. In a way though, he almost felt a little safer now that he'd said it; now Dr. Marachek had the information she needed to best treat Cassidy and the baby, and every little bit helped. Nodding only once to what she said, Lanny scooted himself off the bench and ambled back towards Cass's room.

Once he stepped inside, walking more evenly than he had on the way out, Lanny's eyes blinked helplessly against the darkness, though there was at least enough light for him to find his way back to the chair without stumbling into anything on the way there. "All better now." In a reverse of how he'd been with the doctor, Lanny easily shed the defensive coat he'd been wearing, feeling far more at ease putting a jesting note back in his words when he greeted Cassidy.

Cassidy

Probably due to the fact that she'd slept most of the afternoon, in combination with her worry over just what might be wrong with him, Cassidy had been unwilling and unable to go back to sleep. And when he moved back into the room and sat down beside her, it was clear she was not at all settled, even though it was near-impossible to see her expression in the dark. She didn't reach for his hand or answer just yet - she lay with her eyes closed, listening to his voice and working through it. Finally, after a long moment or two, she asked in her calm, clear tones, "So - why was Dr. Marachek so keen on seeing you? She didn't seem inclined to take 'no' for an answer."

Lanny Zelkovii

When his attempt at a joke was met by silence, Lanny felt the anxiety creep back into him. In all honesty, he knew he wasn't going to get himself out of this with humor, but he was procrastinating for as long as he could afford, and delaying the inevitable. For a moment, his hands wove together and he looked starkly down, just as relieved for the darkness to hide his expression as Cassidy had been earlier. ",B>I needed a few stitches earlier. Nothing serious at all; she was just seeing that it doesn't get infected and the like." Well, that part was true enough, though again he doubted that answer would pacify Cass's worried interest.

Cassidy

The young woman didn't move; oh she wanted to, of course. She wanted to scoot forward and take his hand again, or to get up out of bed and make Lanny stop beating around the bush and tell her the truth. But she forcefully suppressed that impulse - instead, she put her infinitely-trained perception and intelligence to work. It was nothing unusual for her to pit her skills against Lanny; after all, she was as manipulative as Ben was, and had to have even the heads of her own gang under her subtle control. But it was unusual for recent times - she hadn't used her gifts against him in several weeks, as she had felt the bond increasing between them. But now she used them with his interests in mind, and when she was done analyzing, she spoke quietly. "The information Johann brought you today, right after the fight you had... you went after Conan. And you've got a gut wound, if it's interfering that much with your walking. And since it's Conan, I'd make the educated guess that he shot you. You didn't kill him." Never before had she openly displayed her ability to pick apart things like this to him; the CS had raised her, but up until a few months ago, they'd been a means to an end. She needed them to trust her, and so she hadn't revealed how manipulative she could really be. The jumps of logic and assumption she made now keenly displayed that - but she didn't care. She wanted the truth out of Lanny, and figured that the only way she would get it would be to meet him halfway with soft facts that he couldn't deny.

Lanny Zelkovii

The end of his foot-dragging replies came with sudden, swift efficiency when Cassidy revealed just how keenly observant and intuitive she was. Right about now, Lanny was thankful for the pain killer, for he could just imagine how uncomfortable he'd been sitting as tensely as he was now, muscles taunt and rigid. "...it, it's not quite like that..." 'What are you saying? That's exactly what happened, and she knows it just as well as you do!' Lanny bickered with himself, and after only a moment's pause, he finally fessed up. Following a heavy sigh, Lanny opened up, "He got away... and-" The young man stalled again, finding his words were suddenly skipping ahead of his original thoughts to keep some facts away from Cass, "...it wasn't the kid that shot me. Someone else attacked me. Shot him too."

Cassidy

Again, she was very quiet as she listened to him stumble over the explanation. It hurt her to listen to him - she'd never heard quite so much uncertainty and lack or organization out of him before, and she knew that it had been her small display that had unsettled him to this level. She fought bitterly with herself for a moment, feeling the backlash of that come back to bite her, before finally she reached her hand out to him again, her touch soft and pliable where sometimes it could be so stone-hard. "Johann taught me all he knows... when I turned twelve, he declared that he could teach me no more." If he thought back to their childhood days... she and Lanny had always been close as children - she'd looked to both he and James like older brothers, but Lanny's quieter personality had always been more complimentary to her own; she'd even embarrassed him a couple of times by hugging him for support when most boys his age were shrugging off clingy girls, particularly sisters. But he might also recall that, when she'd turned twelve... all of that had stopped. Now he knew the reason why; from the age of twelve on, she'd manipulated, confused, and disabled anyone and everyone she dealt with. She'd frequently used it with Lanny or James, too - so her hand shook just a little as she ran it over his, afraid he'd shrug her off now that it was becoming clear that so much of their relationship from the time she was small - so much had to be a lie.

Lanny Zelkovii

On the other side of the fence, Lanny himself was feeling the sting of guilt for having tried to skip around the truth with Cassidy and keep her from knowing things that she had every right to know. He kept himself collected enough, and the continued darkness certainly helped in that aspect - but it was the girl's returned touch that really helped to let go of a tiny bit of the stress that was growing inside. The return of her hand, which he didn't delay in taking up, reassured him that she was not mad at his attempts to slide the truth past her. And yet... what she said caused a wave of uncertainty to flood over him, all at once seeming to connect the various attributes of her personality to their childhood memories. For a second or two, he spoke not a word, and after that deafening silence... Lanny resorted to the one thing he did best; he shrugged off sorrows by refusing to acknowledge them at all, and to pretend they didn't exist, 'Everybody's got their own secrets, huh?' To confirm that he was not letting this knowledge influence him on a conscious level, Lanny applied some pressure to his hand, giving Cassidy's a squeeze in reassurance.

Cassidy

As Benjamin had found no victory in bringing Conan to tears, Cassidy couldn’t feel her usual satisfaction at breaking apart Lanny’s lies. Even though he hadn’t succumbed to expression of his amazement, she found that frightening and hurting him in that way did nothing to help boost her own security – it only made her hate herself. She was pleasantly startled, therefore, when he took up her hand just as always, and gave it a squeeze, letting her know that he was not angry with her despite the years she’d obviously spent lying to him. She was quiet and still for several more moments before she squeezed back. “Not like me, Lanny – not like me,” she whispered. It was on the tip of her tongue – she wanted to tell him about Raven, and the terrible secret that she’d kept so long from everyone, even Johann. But she’d already ventured so much in the past twenty four hours; it was too much of a test for her limited ability to trust. So she stopped her words there, and fell silent.

Lanny Zelkovii

Little by little, the full weight of what Cassidy said was sinking into his mind, and as it did, he was blocking it away and refusing to dwell on it. Just as he used alcohol to diminish the weight of problems, he found ignoring them worked as well - maybe not so much in the long run, as eventually the problems only festered and grew, but at least for the here and now, he could put them aside, "Being raised by someone like Johann, it's little wonder a bit of his teachings wore off on you." It was almost an excuse that he was offering, and in the light hearted tone he used to say it, Lanny was further trying to impress that her revelation hadn't changed his opinion of her.

Cassidy

Feeling safe wrapped in the darkness around them, Cass closed her eyes again and took several deep, calming breaths. She was surprised to note how truly close to upset she'd been; her instincts told her that she had to get back under control - and fast. But she couldn't quite think straight enough to pull all her emotions together. Johann came back into the room a few seconds after silence had fallen - and the halo of light around his body showed how it stiffened the moment he entered the room. He voice came tensely. "Cass. Cass?" The young woman didn't answer - he was across the room in three great strides and beside the girl; and about that time, Cassidy's hand clenched around Lanny's, tightly enough to be quite painful. She was so thin and frail looking that it was difficult to picture so much strength in her, but it was - and directly after that, a faint tremor started up in her body. "Lanny - fetch the nurse. Now!" And only a moment later, Cassidy released the young man's hand - because her arms and legs were flailing wildly, and her eyes rolling back in her head. Johann was hurriedly putting down the rails of the bed and putting his wiry arms on either side of the girl to keep the wild movements from shuffling her right off the bed and onto the ground.

Lanny Zelkovii

He was starting to find the silence a little troubling, and the pressure on his hand growing quickly uncomfortable. When, in the span of a few seconds, it had gone from a tight grip to something that was making him want to draw his hold away, Lanny was about to say something when Johann made his entrance. And right about then, the full effects of the seizure set in and Lanny realized what had been the cause of the young woman's lack of response. This wasn't the first time he'd seen someone going through a seizure, but the sight of Cassidy flailing around in front of him made his heart leap into his throat. Scrambling up faster than he really should have, Lanny's scrambled mind failed to account for the nurse's button beside the bed as he dashed into the hallway, "I need help! She's having a seizure!" Not caring that it was ten-something at night and there were plenty of other patients that were probably needing their rest right now, Lanny went jogging down the hall shouting for assistance.

Cassidy*Others

For all the trouble she'd provided them with all day, Charlotte made up for it now - the moment she heard Lanny's voice, she was snapping orders and getting a team into organization. It took only seconds for the well-trained staff to grab what supplies they would need and move in a small herd toward the room. Johann pulled back from his efforts at keeping Cassidy on the bed and moved to the door to get out of the way so that Charlotte could get by with her miniature army. The meaty woman took his job of keeping Cass in place while snapping orders at this person and that - from his angle, Johann could see the newly turned-on light shine against a series of needles popped into one of the girl's arms as a grim-faced young nurse put all of her bodily weight into keeping the limb still enough. It was several tense minutes, where both of the men would have to stand at the door since there simply was no place in the small room for them to stand, before the seizure subsided, and Cassidy stopped writhing on the bed. Leaning back, Charlotte began spouting off medicine names and dosages, which the grim-faced young nurse quickly pushed past the two men to fetch, and began to tab into Cassidy's IV bag. And after that, everyone but Charlotte left the room - with most of the physicians off duty and the one remaining doctor across the hospital dealing with another emergency, the hefty woman had proved just why she'd been assigned to look after Cassidy, and continued to do so as she stood over the young woman and monitored her briefly. "You can come back in now," she muttered finally, her voice gruff.

Lanny Zelkovii

Waiting just beyond the door, and angled so that he could see in and get a view of the mass of bodies swarmed around the girl's bed, Lanny felt suddenly and completely helpless - and terrified to a degree that alarmed him. He'd always cared about Cassidy, just as he did his brother and friends - but the depth of concern had reached a level that for the millionth time in the past few weeks seemed to confirm that this was more than just a 'friendship'. After Charlotte had given the all clear, he was shuffling back into the room, quickly trying to regain a more normal composure, and failing quite markedly, "What caused that? Is she alright?"

Cassidy*Others

Even as both Lanny and Johann trooped back into the room, Charlotte was intently examining the pulse and respiration monitor, ensuring that the young woman's oxygen saturation hadn't dropped too much - she'd stopped breathing at one point, though as with any normal seizure her breathing had restarted automatically once the convulsions had ended. The girl herself looked worse than ever under the pale florescent lighting; she was resting on her side, propped up by a pile of pillows that prevented her from rolling onto her back. Her face was drawn and chalky, her eyes closed - perhaps unsurprisingly, she was not awake. "I've given her a muscle relaxant and a very mild sedative to help her rest. Don't let her roll onto her stomach - she needs to be on her side in case she vomits. I've also given her something to help ease off the symptoms of whatever it is she's drying out from; there should not be any repeat seizures. This one would not have occurred, if any of you had happened to mention that she was a recovering addict." It was hard to tell if her voice was scolding - her tones were so dry and gruff already - but she eyed up both Lanny and Johann in a weighing fashion, and murmured, "Your quick actions saved her tonight - but we'll have to keep her longer for observation until she recovers from the withdrawal. Knowing Laura - seven, maybe ten days."

Lanny Zelkovii

For the second time, Lanny was learning that this was one place where he couldn't pull off lies and cover-ups as he did with so many other things revolving around gang and personal life. For the second time, there were damages done that could have been prevented if only the physicians knew the truth, so it was with little hesitance that he admitted with a sigh, "Heroine.", and sat heavily back down in the chair beside Cass's bed. He was avoiding Johann and Charlotte's gaze as he looked to Cassidy, forcing himself to take in the ghastly look of her pale features, and let it be a grim reminder to him that he needed to be more careful. "She's not going to like the extended stay... but she needs it." Lanny might have reached for the girl's hand, but he withheld from that just now. Not because the others were in the room, but because he was still feeling the creepy crawlies from the onset of her seizure, and how her hand had turned so fiercely tight against his before all hell broke loose.

Cassidy*Others

Charlotte didn't look surprised to hear the name of the substance Cassidy had been using - and neither did Johann, testifying to the fact that Cass' earlier words had been right; he knew about the addiction. However the subtle set to his jaw said that she was also correct on her other assumption that he didn't know how often she'd been using, or that she'd stopped. "She's a brave soul for quitting on account of the baby - but none too bright for not letting us know about it. Likely meant to tough it out - I know the type." Those were Charlotte's rumbled words as she moved to turn around; Johann's voice stopped her. "Thank you, Charlotte," he murmured quietly, at least having the manners and presence of mind to realize that this woman had just saved Cassidy for them. The mud-colored eyes darkened a little in her fleshy face as she turned it to meet his gaze, answering in a low voice, "Just because your gang killed my son doesn't mean I'm going to let a baby die in revenge - no matter who it belongs to." For a moment or two, Johann looked faintly surprised - which meant he was stunned. And Charlotte stalked out before he could think up a reply. Instead, he moved over to the bed and stroked the hair back away from Cass' face, pulling his handkerchief out of his breast-pocket so that he could wipe the sweat away from her face - he was wordless for now.

Lanny Zelkovii

Lanny was content enough to sit there next to the young woman, watching with an expression held in grave concern. After a few moments, he reached an arm across and took up her limp hand, holding it a little more gently than before, as if too much pressure might cause her harm or send her back into that frightening episode. He didn't immediately catch on to the words that were being spoken by Charlotte or Johann, but a few moments after the woman had left the room, her last comment reached him. Light brows furrowed together for a moment before he looked up at Johann, "What's her last name?" There were so many killed... he couldn't hope to remember all of the enemies - and the unfortunate innocents - that got taken down in their wars.

Cassidy*Others

With enough of his own to think about, and having to come to terms with the fact that Cassidy had hidden the depth of her addiction from him, Johann was quiet for a great while - would have been for longer, if Lanny hadn't addressed him. But even so, he didn't look startled by the sudden words in the silence of the room; he answered evenly, "Jensen. Her son Maximilian was caught in crossfire in the last big street fight with Brushfire - he was fourteen. Only child, straight A student on the fast track to success; he was taking courses at the community college in computer web design. His death destroyed the family - marital problems erupted, ended in divorce. The father killed himself some months later." His voice was neutral and matter-of-fact as he said it; but Cassidy would have detected the trouble beneath his calm front. If he noticed that Lanny had taken the girl's hand again, he didn't react - any more than she did. She lay there pale and still as Johann sank down on the couch across from Lanny, with Cass protectively between them, and closed his eyes wearily.

Lanny Zelkovii

Lanny looked down to Cassidy's hand, feeling a response about to come out, but quelling it at the last moment. He had no problem killing enemies - better them than him or one of his own members - but innocents... like everything else, he tried to not let his mind dwell on the thought for too long. Closing his eyes at last, even if he suddenly didn't feel so tired any more, Lanny laid his head back against the chair. His hand closed a little more firmly over the girl's frail one, as he tried his best to rid his thoughts of her seizing body just a few minutes ago.

Cassidy*Others

If Johann had any thoughts about Lanny's lack of response, the older man kept them to himself. But after a moment, he heard the slight shuffles that indicated movement, and opened his eyes to see that the younger man was again reclined, and his eyes closed. He was tired himself, but Johann's protective instincts were in serious overdrive right now, and that was enough to keep him awake and guarding the safety of the two young people. Still commentless, he propped his eyes open again and resuming his watching, prepared to keep a look out while the two got some needed rest.