nyxelestia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nyxelestia) wrote2011-04-05 08:28 pm
nyxelestia) wrote2011-04-05 08:28 pm
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun, Part 2/3
<< Part 1
Arthur frowned as he scanned through the main party room, standing at the spot where he last saw Merlin.
Walking over to Gwen and Morgana's table, he asked them, "Have either of you seen Merlin?"
Both ladies shook their heads.
Arthur sighed, walking over to the next table. "Have you seen my boyfriend? About this tall-" He held his hand up appropriately. "Black hair, blue eyes, pale as fuck?"
"No," the people at the table said.
Two more tables, and he found that someone had seen Merlin wander over to the private rooms with another man with burns on his face.
They said the two men had looked like they were going off to fuck, the way the burned one was acting with Merlin.
Arthur stalked over in confusion, hoping Merlin wouldn't actually go as far as to cheat on him as revenge for bringing him out, because really, that was just a little bit extreme...
The first two rooms were no-go's, but the last one made him halt in the doorway in shock.
For a moment, one brief moment, he felt himself erupt in betrayed rage at seeing someone else fucking Merlin, the man slowly thrusting in a way Arthur recognized as having just come, thrusting off his high, Merlin's milky, slender legs wrapping loosely around him.
Then he saw Merlin's closed eyes, slack face, still form...
...and the blood across the bed.
Oh, god, no, please, no-
"Hey!" he shouted.
The man jerked in surprise, pulling out of Merlin and turning to look at Arthur.
Arthur paled in horror when he saw the blood oozing out of Merlin, and covering the stranger's cock.
The man smirked at Arthur. "Want a turn?"
And the horror turned to fury.
"Get the fuck away from him!" Arthur shouted, leaping forward and pulling the man away by his shoulder. He tried to punch back, but Arthur dodged and threw one back, hitting his face. As the man sprawled back on the floor, Arthur turned to Merlin.
"Merlin?" he asked, softly. "Merlin? Merlin!"
He ignored the sounds of the man behind him escaping to focus on Merlin, whose chest was barely moving, who was pale, a stark background to the scratches, bruises, and blood, and whose entire body was trembling.
"Merlin...? Wake up," he pleaded of him, shaking his shoulder gently, then harder.
He didn't wake up. He slid his hand up Merlin's shoulder to his neck.
The pulse was barely there.
Backing up in shock - this can't happen, not to Merlin - Arthur turned at the door, and out into the hall.
"Gwen!" he shouted. "Lance! Morgana! Help!"
Hearing shouts of confusion and pounding footsteps in response to his yelling, seeing the girls and his best mate running down the hall, he turned back into the room holding Merlin.
Lifting up and cradling Merlin, he felt his own breath shuddering as he held him close, especially as he heard his friends cries of shock from the doorway upon seeing Merlin.
Gwen ran to their side, already checking over Merlin, Lance went to call an ambulance, and Morgana started yelling for everyone to clear out.
"You'll be all right," Arthur murmured down to Merlin. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."
~*~
The ambulance ride to the hospital was one of the most painful and terrifying times of Arthur's life.
He had pushed himself into a corner beneath the blaring sirens and held onto Merlin's hand as the medics monitored Merlin carefully.
"Please, Merlin, wake up," he murmured, as the paramedics worked on Merlin.
"He's hypotensive-"
"-heart rate's erratic-"
"-breathing shallow, raise the O2 rate-"
"-his temperature's too low!"
And so on. There was a clamp on Merlin's finger on his other hand, measuring his heart rate. There was an oxygen mask over Merlin's pale face, and the medics were, at the moment, mostly focused on Merlin's breathing and heart.
Arthur stared at his boyfriend, wondering how this could have happened, wondering how this could have happened so physically close to where he had been tonight, wondering how...how...
He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanting to himself, be strong for Merlin, be strong for Merlin, he opened his eyes.
Just in time to see Merlin's breathing and heart both stop.
Please.
~*~
Waiting was hell.
Lance was sitting beside him, waiting in supportive silence.
Gwen was talking to the staff, trying to get news on Merlin.
Morgana was back at the house, calling every five minutes to give Arthur an update on the police investigation. Arthur's brief description was all it took for Morgana to recognize who the stranger was, some Edwin Myrddin, and the police were tracking him down, already.
But, they didn't have Myrddin yet. Gwen had no news yet. Lance hadn't the heart to leave yet.
Waiting was hell.
~*~
"Arthur Pendragon?" Someone in scrubs called in several hours later. Arthur recognized Merlin’s old attending, Gaius.
Arthur snapped up, Lance behind him. "Merlin?"
"He's fine," the old man said, seeing Arthur's need to know that first and foremost. "I'll give you the details in a moment, but for now, he's fine. You may see him."
Gwen appeared behind him, and with a jerk of her head to the boys, the four of them proceeded down several hallways and into one of the wards, and Gaius led them to a curtained corner.
Arthur ran to Merlin's side. In the bed, he looked tiny and fragile. The bruises were stark against his pale skin, and he was still. There was an oxygen mask still over his face, though thankfully no tubes down his throat or anything, and his heart beat, according to the monitor, seemed still a little slow, but it was steady.
"Merlin..." he murmured, reaching up, running his fingers through the fringe of Merlin's hair. Merlin was warm to the touch, almost hot - feverish.
"I only barely managed to get myself put down as his attending physician," the man said, picking up his chart.
"You said he'll be all right?" Arthur asked, wrapping his hand around Merlin's before looking up at her.
Gaius nodded. "He was drugged with a benzodiazepine called alprazolam - you might know it as Xanax."
Arthur blinked and shook his head.
"No matter," the man said. "It's a type of sedative. In low doses, it is used to treat patients for various panic and anxiety disorders, or as a relaxant. In higher doses, it can have strong side-effects with muscle control, coordination, lightheadedness, slurred speech, and other various symptoms that would make a victim a far more convenient to be assaulted by the attacker. In an overdose, especially combined with alcohol as it was, the results include difficulty breathing and a slow heart rate - as I believe you saw in the ambulance - next to no speech, mental confusion, no muscle control - leaving him nearly paralyzed - and in the end, unconsciousness."
Arthur shut his eyes. Gaius’ brisk, no-nonsense tone was comforting, but it did little for the words said.
"We have given him some activated charcoal to help absorb the worst of the toxins, a light dose triazolam, a much lighter and more beneficial benzo, to help him sleep some, and some norepinephrine for his blood pressure."
"And his injuries?" Lance asked.
"All superficial," Gaius said, sad but still professional, almost business-like. "We've done a rape kit should there be a criminal investigation, and none of the injuries should last more than a few weeks. Bowel movements will be difficult for about a week, and he should not be the receptive partner in sexual relations, if he even wants to have them, for about a month. He did not lose or chip any teeth in the blow to his mouth, and some ice packs will have the swelling around his eye down soon enough. The scratches on his back may leave some scars, but they will be negligibly thin at the most. Otherwise, no lasting physical damage."
"Thank you, Doctor," Lance and Gwen said.
Arthur nodded, only half absorbing it, turning back to Merlin.
Gaius talked to Gwen and Lance for a bit, and Arthur sat down on the edge of Merlin's bed.
"I don't want to go!"
"Merlin-"
"A quiet night, Arthur, I had it all planned out!"
"More like boring night, really."
"I'm sorry," Arthur murmured to Merlin. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen...I'm so sorry. Please, Merlin...you'll be all right."
After that, he fell into silence, focused on Merlin, taking in the black eye, the bruised cheek, the split lip, the fevered features, the pale skin, the bruises on his neck, his wrists, his-
Arthur jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Gwen standing there.
"He won't wake until tomorrow evening at the earliest, probably even later," she said. "Go with Lance - shower, eat, get some rest, come back tomorrow when Merlin is likely to be conscious."
"But-"
"Go," Gwen said, gentle smile on her face. "On the off chance Merlin spontaneously holds his liquor well and can process the drugs better than a benzo addict, I'll be here when he wakes up."
When Lance wrapped a strong but comforting hand around his arm and lifted him up, Arthur knew this wasn't one he was going to win. With a numb nod, he leaned over to press one last kiss to Merlin's fevered, pale forehead, and turned and followed Lance away.
~*~
In the end, Arthur managed to convince Lance to go back to Morgana's. He could shower, change, and eat there, having an entire drawer to himself somewhere in her bloody manor.
And he wanted to see if there was any news on the attack.
Most of the guests' cars were gone, and there were two police cars outside, along with Arthur's car still there, and - of course - his father's.
Lance pulled up and walked with Arthur inside, where two officers were talking to Morgana and a few of the other guests. Uther was standing in the background, directing some of the maids and clean-up crew for the party leftovers, and down the hall, a few other officers were wandering around with cameras and evidence boxes.
Uther saw Arthur, and walked over. "I'm sorry about that boyfriend of yours," he said. "I can give you next week off, though that's it."
Arthur swallowed and nodded. "Thank...thank you, father."
Uther clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder, face blank, but gesture comforting and grip reassuring. Then, in the tried-and-true Pendragon way, he turned back to the cleaning up and the evidence teams and started calling out orders again.
Some things never change.
"Arthur," Morgana said, a police officer standing beside her. She sounded like she'd said his name several times.
"I'm PC Emily Yria. You're the victim's boyfriend, correct?" the officer, a young woman, said.
Arthur nodded. "I...brought him...even when..."
"Even when what?"
Arthur shut his eyes. "He got one of his stupid American shows...on DVD...he didn't want to come..."
The officer sighed. "Don't blame yourself."
Arthur laughed, choking.
"Now, tell me your version of events," the woman said.
There wasn't much to tell, so it didn't take long. The last of the guests left after giving their contact information and statements, and at Lance's bidding, Morgana took Arthur by the arm and dragged him upstairs.
Arthur snapped out of his numb reverie when she started undressing him.
"Morgana-!"
"Let me," she said, sincerity in her eyes. "We both need it."
Arthur sighed and nodded. She was his sister - there wasn't exactly anything she hadn't seen. She had him undressed and was shoving him into a shower in no time, turning it up to hot and shouting that she was laying out pajamas on his bed.
He got out, toweled dry, and dressed. At Morgana's pushy orders, he slid under the covers, after setting multiple alarms on his phone to wake him in the morning in a few hours.
And when his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
~*~
The next morning, after dressing swiftly and some quick toast, he was met with the news from Morgana.
"They have Edwin Myrddin in custody," she said. "Merlin's attacker. They've already started on the DNA tests with the semen from the rape kit. And, they’re doing it from some other old rape kits, as his description matches some other cases in the area."
Arthur nodded, then promptly ran out the door to his car, and headed straight for the hospital, before he could give in to the rage demanding he break into the jail and kill Edwin himself.
~*~
Later, much, much, much later, Arthur was still waiting.
He'd spent the day next to Merlin, relieving Lance's vigil, who'd taken over for Gwen.
"Gwen said he might still suffer from mental confusion, or amnesia," Lance had said. "He'll likely not realize his surroundings right away. He'll be confused when he wakes up. It...it won't be pretty."
Oh fucking well.
This was his Merlin, and he was damned well going to be there for him-
Arthur jerked up when he saw Merlin move in the corner of his eyes.
He reached out, a smile of his relief on his face.
But when he touched Merlin's arm, Merlin whimpered in a memory of pain and flinched away.
Arthur pulled his hand back, heart clenching.
Mental confusion, possible amnesia...it's just the drugs...the drugs...and the sodding rape...it's not personal...
He knew it was mental confusion. But that didn't make it any less painful to bear.
But still...he stood there waiting for Merlin to wake up.
When Merlin moved again, Arthur murmured, "Merlin?"
~*~
Merlin breathed in deeply, and slowly became aware of sounds around him, aware of the feeling of crisp sheets on his skin...
...the last thing he remembered was Eddie, and as he heard breathing, then a gasp and shuffling, he panicked, because, what if he's still here and I'm-
And when he felt a hand on his arm, he flinched away, Eddie's face flashing before his mind's eye, and all he could think, was, no!
When he moved again, he heard a soft voice murmur, "Merlin?"
He would know that voice anywhere.
"Ar…Arthur?" he said, slowly opening his eyes against the glued-closed feeling of long sleep.
He turned his head slightly, to see Arthur's relieved face above him.
"Arthur," Merlin said again, this time in relief, because he was sure he was safe now, with Arthur next to him. He looked down and reached out, and frowned, panic settling in for a moment because he still couldn't fucking move-
But Arthur, accurately reading his intentions, wrapped his hand around Merlin's and held on tightly.
This, he could live with.
Now that he was awake, he recognized the generic whites of hospital decor, the smells of cleaners, the sounds of people murmured, and a steady beep, beep which he quickly realized was his own heartbeat.
He frowned. "Wha' happen'...th-this bloke, Eddie...I...he..." What was going on? How much had happened since he passed out?
"What...wha' time s'it?" Merlin asked. "How long've I…?"
"The party was last night," Arthur said softly, voice blank and free of inflection, sitting on the edge of Merlin's bad, resting Merlin's hand on his thigh. "Right now, it's about..." A glance at his watch. "About half past eleven, in the night."
Merlin's eyes widened. That was...a long time. He was pretty sure it wasn't even midnight when...when Eddie...when that bastard raped him.
Rape.
That was a scary word; one which Merlin really didn't want to use for himself. It happened to other people, to women by their drunk boyfriends and children by their relatives. Not…not him. He used that for other patients who he treated. He wasn’t supposed to be on this end of the doctor-patient thing. He was supposed to be the doctor, not the vic…not the patient.
"It's okay," Arthur said, stiff, formal. With a sigh, he said, "I found you...with that man. Got him away, and you were unconscious, bleeding, barely breathing. I...Morgana cleared out the party, Gwen helped me make sure you kept breathing, Lance called emergency services.” Arthur paused and looked down at Merlin’s still hand on his thigh, bringing his own hand up to cover it gently. “Your heart and breathing stopped once on the ambulance on the way here, but they revived it all, and once you got here, they made sure you were all right. They gave you something else to help you sleep, which is why you didn't wake up until now."
Merlin nodded, the influx of information not fully registering. He would deal with the details later. "Did...did anyone call the police?"
Arthur nodded. "They caught the man who did this to you, Edwin Myrddin. The doctors have already provided the...the DNA, from last night, and the police are in the process of confirming it. His description matches some other reported cases around here."
Merlin nodded again. "G-good." A pause. Other cases? There were other people? Other victims? He felt that this was supposed to be reassuring. It wasn’t. "When d'I get out?"
"Gaius said another few days, I think," Arthur continued, his voice practically mechanical, automatic, rattling off information. "Until you get your muscle coordination back, and they can be sure you can breathe on your own. They've taken the oxygen mask off twice, only to have to put it back on later. They're probably still nervous about that, and so am I...on that note, I need to tell them you're awake-"
"Arthur," Merlin said. There was something about the way he was talking…
Arthur looked at Merlin's face - but mostly at his chin.
"Wha's wrong?" Merlin asked. What wasn’t Arthur telling him?
Arthur didn't respond. At least he didn't try to pretend, either.
Arthur shut his eyes, chest trembling, as he said, "I'm sorry, Merlin...when I...I know you didn't want to come. I never...I never wanted...meant for this..."
There was a pause as Merlin absorbed the words, and a moment as he thought about agreeing, before deciding that would mean making things worse, and instead said, "Since when d'you become th’s much of a clotpole?"
Arthur's eyes snapped open in confusion, and Merlin continued, "I know you didn't mean it."
Now Arthur swallowed. "But I..."
"Gimme my quiet night in and we're even, m'kay?" Merlin sighed. Because he knew Arthur could be an insecure prat at the best of times, but this was just ridiculous. Besides, he wanted to put all this behind him.
There was another long pause, before Arthur slowly nodded. Merlin was pretty sure he hadn't won, because Arthur was a stubborn insecure prat, but this was progress.
"Now," Arthur said. "Let me get your doctor."
His doctor was none other than his own attending, Gaius.
"You're healing nicely, Merlin," his old mentor said. "We will want to keep you on the oxygen mask tonight, at least while you sleep, to be safe, but your breathing is progressing along well. Your heart rate is climbing back up to speed steadily, and your superficial wounds have healed..."
He told Merlin that his coordination might take another day or two to get back. And he tried not to cringe as Gaius went over his ‘internal wounds’. Merlin knew that as a doctor he should be better able to handle it but…it was him, not some other patient, and it was ridiculously awkward for Merlin to just sit there and listen to Gaius talk about his rectum like this.
The talk ended with Gaius going over few things he could and couldn't do with the anal wounds - no sex for a month, and Merlin wasn't sure whether to be relieved or horrified - and a few other things to manage the after-effects.
"We'll keep you here until at least this time day after tomorrow, possibly longer, just to be safe and keep up observations, but barring any complications, you will be able to leave in less than two days.
Merlin smiled and nodded, gave his thanks, and watched as the doctor left.
"I'mna hafta call work," Merlin said, pushing himself up, breathing a sigh of relief as he remembered the turning point last night, being unable to push himself up last night, and Eddie - Myrddin - taking that as his cue as to what he could do to Merlin. Of course, halfway up, Arthur helped him, and propped him up against the pillows, but still. This was good.
"No need," Arthur said. "My father had already heard about what happened. Last night, he'd heard Morgana had police over and showed up. He heard the details, and oversaw the clean-up crew so Morgana and I could deal with the police. He already got us both a week off – you’ll probably have longer once Gaius pulls some strings."
Merlin smiled. "M'kay."
"I called Gwen, Lance, and Morgana," Arthur continued. "They should be here soon."
Merlin nodded, holding out his hand - a bit more steadily - for Arthur to take. Merlin then pulled him close, and Arthur rolled his eyes but leaned himself across Merlin's legs as he sat on the bed.
Within half an hour, the door burst open and Morgana ran in, up to his bedside. "Merlin?!"
"I'm fine," Merlin said, softly, leaning back against the pillows.
Morgana reached out and hugged him, and Merlin managed to hug back, somewhat, with one arm. It only reached up to her hip, but it was a start.
She pulled back, before taking Merlin's free hand in earnest. "I'm so sorry, Merlin-"
"Not you too," Merlin said. Using his other hand - still wrapped in Arthur's - to gesture towards his boyfriend, he said, "I'm still trying to convince this one that it's not his fault, either!"
He was trying to convince himself of that, as well. He shouldn’t have to, but he was.
Morgana smiled wanly, but nodded. Merlin got the feeling she was seeing through his desperate attempts to lie to himself, but at least she was keeping that to herself.
A few minutes later, Gwen and Lance walked in. "Did she crush you to death with her hug?" Gwen asked as she and Lance each gave him a gentle, one-armed and affectionate greeting.
"She tried," Merlin said, poking a smile onto his face.
And they laughed. His smile worked.
~*~
Two days later, Merlin was sitting on the bed, dressed in his own clothes and signing the last of the forms as Arthur tried to quietly yell at some subordinate from work about, well, something - Merlin learned to stop listening, or he'd never get out of buying pity-pastries for Arthur's direct underlings.
He liked not working for Arthur.
Arthur gave one final hiss across the phone before promptly hanging up, then turning sharply on his heel, a big smile on his face, as he helped Merlin into the wheelchair.
"I'm not an invalid," Merlin grumbled, but he accepted the attention nonetheless.
"Merlin, you can barely manage to coordinate yourself at the best of times, and these are most certainly not the best of times."
Merlin stuck his tongue out at Arthur, and Arthur laughed.
When Arthur started rolling him out, Merlin smiled and leaned his head back. And when he was loaded into the car, he leaned his head back to doze. He hadn't slept well last night, nightmares of Eddie plaguing him, and being all alone as the doctors had forced everyone out for the night. But now, Arthur was here, and he was fine.
"Let's go home," Arthur said. "I've got a quiet night in I owe you."
Merlin smiled.
~*~
Part 3 >>
Feel free to tell me what you think of this part before you go on ahead. All comments are much appreciated.
Arthur frowned as he scanned through the main party room, standing at the spot where he last saw Merlin.
Walking over to Gwen and Morgana's table, he asked them, "Have either of you seen Merlin?"
Both ladies shook their heads.
Arthur sighed, walking over to the next table. "Have you seen my boyfriend? About this tall-" He held his hand up appropriately. "Black hair, blue eyes, pale as fuck?"
"No," the people at the table said.
Two more tables, and he found that someone had seen Merlin wander over to the private rooms with another man with burns on his face.
They said the two men had looked like they were going off to fuck, the way the burned one was acting with Merlin.
Arthur stalked over in confusion, hoping Merlin wouldn't actually go as far as to cheat on him as revenge for bringing him out, because really, that was just a little bit extreme...
The first two rooms were no-go's, but the last one made him halt in the doorway in shock.
For a moment, one brief moment, he felt himself erupt in betrayed rage at seeing someone else fucking Merlin, the man slowly thrusting in a way Arthur recognized as having just come, thrusting off his high, Merlin's milky, slender legs wrapping loosely around him.
Then he saw Merlin's closed eyes, slack face, still form...
...and the blood across the bed.
Oh, god, no, please, no-
"Hey!" he shouted.
The man jerked in surprise, pulling out of Merlin and turning to look at Arthur.
Arthur paled in horror when he saw the blood oozing out of Merlin, and covering the stranger's cock.
The man smirked at Arthur. "Want a turn?"
And the horror turned to fury.
"Get the fuck away from him!" Arthur shouted, leaping forward and pulling the man away by his shoulder. He tried to punch back, but Arthur dodged and threw one back, hitting his face. As the man sprawled back on the floor, Arthur turned to Merlin.
"Merlin?" he asked, softly. "Merlin? Merlin!"
He ignored the sounds of the man behind him escaping to focus on Merlin, whose chest was barely moving, who was pale, a stark background to the scratches, bruises, and blood, and whose entire body was trembling.
"Merlin...? Wake up," he pleaded of him, shaking his shoulder gently, then harder.
He didn't wake up. He slid his hand up Merlin's shoulder to his neck.
The pulse was barely there.
Backing up in shock - this can't happen, not to Merlin - Arthur turned at the door, and out into the hall.
"Gwen!" he shouted. "Lance! Morgana! Help!"
Hearing shouts of confusion and pounding footsteps in response to his yelling, seeing the girls and his best mate running down the hall, he turned back into the room holding Merlin.
Lifting up and cradling Merlin, he felt his own breath shuddering as he held him close, especially as he heard his friends cries of shock from the doorway upon seeing Merlin.
Gwen ran to their side, already checking over Merlin, Lance went to call an ambulance, and Morgana started yelling for everyone to clear out.
"You'll be all right," Arthur murmured down to Merlin. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."
~*~
The ambulance ride to the hospital was one of the most painful and terrifying times of Arthur's life.
He had pushed himself into a corner beneath the blaring sirens and held onto Merlin's hand as the medics monitored Merlin carefully.
"Please, Merlin, wake up," he murmured, as the paramedics worked on Merlin.
"He's hypotensive-"
"-heart rate's erratic-"
"-breathing shallow, raise the O2 rate-"
"-his temperature's too low!"
And so on. There was a clamp on Merlin's finger on his other hand, measuring his heart rate. There was an oxygen mask over Merlin's pale face, and the medics were, at the moment, mostly focused on Merlin's breathing and heart.
Arthur stared at his boyfriend, wondering how this could have happened, wondering how this could have happened so physically close to where he had been tonight, wondering how...how...
He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and chanting to himself, be strong for Merlin, be strong for Merlin, he opened his eyes.
Just in time to see Merlin's breathing and heart both stop.
Please.
~*~
Waiting was hell.
Lance was sitting beside him, waiting in supportive silence.
Gwen was talking to the staff, trying to get news on Merlin.
Morgana was back at the house, calling every five minutes to give Arthur an update on the police investigation. Arthur's brief description was all it took for Morgana to recognize who the stranger was, some Edwin Myrddin, and the police were tracking him down, already.
But, they didn't have Myrddin yet. Gwen had no news yet. Lance hadn't the heart to leave yet.
Waiting was hell.
~*~
"Arthur Pendragon?" Someone in scrubs called in several hours later. Arthur recognized Merlin’s old attending, Gaius.
Arthur snapped up, Lance behind him. "Merlin?"
"He's fine," the old man said, seeing Arthur's need to know that first and foremost. "I'll give you the details in a moment, but for now, he's fine. You may see him."
Gwen appeared behind him, and with a jerk of her head to the boys, the four of them proceeded down several hallways and into one of the wards, and Gaius led them to a curtained corner.
Arthur ran to Merlin's side. In the bed, he looked tiny and fragile. The bruises were stark against his pale skin, and he was still. There was an oxygen mask still over his face, though thankfully no tubes down his throat or anything, and his heart beat, according to the monitor, seemed still a little slow, but it was steady.
"Merlin..." he murmured, reaching up, running his fingers through the fringe of Merlin's hair. Merlin was warm to the touch, almost hot - feverish.
"I only barely managed to get myself put down as his attending physician," the man said, picking up his chart.
"You said he'll be all right?" Arthur asked, wrapping his hand around Merlin's before looking up at her.
Gaius nodded. "He was drugged with a benzodiazepine called alprazolam - you might know it as Xanax."
Arthur blinked and shook his head.
"No matter," the man said. "It's a type of sedative. In low doses, it is used to treat patients for various panic and anxiety disorders, or as a relaxant. In higher doses, it can have strong side-effects with muscle control, coordination, lightheadedness, slurred speech, and other various symptoms that would make a victim a far more convenient to be assaulted by the attacker. In an overdose, especially combined with alcohol as it was, the results include difficulty breathing and a slow heart rate - as I believe you saw in the ambulance - next to no speech, mental confusion, no muscle control - leaving him nearly paralyzed - and in the end, unconsciousness."
Arthur shut his eyes. Gaius’ brisk, no-nonsense tone was comforting, but it did little for the words said.
"We have given him some activated charcoal to help absorb the worst of the toxins, a light dose triazolam, a much lighter and more beneficial benzo, to help him sleep some, and some norepinephrine for his blood pressure."
"And his injuries?" Lance asked.
"All superficial," Gaius said, sad but still professional, almost business-like. "We've done a rape kit should there be a criminal investigation, and none of the injuries should last more than a few weeks. Bowel movements will be difficult for about a week, and he should not be the receptive partner in sexual relations, if he even wants to have them, for about a month. He did not lose or chip any teeth in the blow to his mouth, and some ice packs will have the swelling around his eye down soon enough. The scratches on his back may leave some scars, but they will be negligibly thin at the most. Otherwise, no lasting physical damage."
"Thank you, Doctor," Lance and Gwen said.
Arthur nodded, only half absorbing it, turning back to Merlin.
Gaius talked to Gwen and Lance for a bit, and Arthur sat down on the edge of Merlin's bed.
"I don't want to go!"
"Merlin-"
"A quiet night, Arthur, I had it all planned out!"
"More like boring night, really."
"I'm sorry," Arthur murmured to Merlin. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen...I'm so sorry. Please, Merlin...you'll be all right."
After that, he fell into silence, focused on Merlin, taking in the black eye, the bruised cheek, the split lip, the fevered features, the pale skin, the bruises on his neck, his wrists, his-
Arthur jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Gwen standing there.
"He won't wake until tomorrow evening at the earliest, probably even later," she said. "Go with Lance - shower, eat, get some rest, come back tomorrow when Merlin is likely to be conscious."
"But-"
"Go," Gwen said, gentle smile on her face. "On the off chance Merlin spontaneously holds his liquor well and can process the drugs better than a benzo addict, I'll be here when he wakes up."
When Lance wrapped a strong but comforting hand around his arm and lifted him up, Arthur knew this wasn't one he was going to win. With a numb nod, he leaned over to press one last kiss to Merlin's fevered, pale forehead, and turned and followed Lance away.
~*~
In the end, Arthur managed to convince Lance to go back to Morgana's. He could shower, change, and eat there, having an entire drawer to himself somewhere in her bloody manor.
And he wanted to see if there was any news on the attack.
Most of the guests' cars were gone, and there were two police cars outside, along with Arthur's car still there, and - of course - his father's.
Lance pulled up and walked with Arthur inside, where two officers were talking to Morgana and a few of the other guests. Uther was standing in the background, directing some of the maids and clean-up crew for the party leftovers, and down the hall, a few other officers were wandering around with cameras and evidence boxes.
Uther saw Arthur, and walked over. "I'm sorry about that boyfriend of yours," he said. "I can give you next week off, though that's it."
Arthur swallowed and nodded. "Thank...thank you, father."
Uther clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder, face blank, but gesture comforting and grip reassuring. Then, in the tried-and-true Pendragon way, he turned back to the cleaning up and the evidence teams and started calling out orders again.
Some things never change.
"Arthur," Morgana said, a police officer standing beside her. She sounded like she'd said his name several times.
"I'm PC Emily Yria. You're the victim's boyfriend, correct?" the officer, a young woman, said.
Arthur nodded. "I...brought him...even when..."
"Even when what?"
Arthur shut his eyes. "He got one of his stupid American shows...on DVD...he didn't want to come..."
The officer sighed. "Don't blame yourself."
Arthur laughed, choking.
"Now, tell me your version of events," the woman said.
There wasn't much to tell, so it didn't take long. The last of the guests left after giving their contact information and statements, and at Lance's bidding, Morgana took Arthur by the arm and dragged him upstairs.
Arthur snapped out of his numb reverie when she started undressing him.
"Morgana-!"
"Let me," she said, sincerity in her eyes. "We both need it."
Arthur sighed and nodded. She was his sister - there wasn't exactly anything she hadn't seen. She had him undressed and was shoving him into a shower in no time, turning it up to hot and shouting that she was laying out pajamas on his bed.
He got out, toweled dry, and dressed. At Morgana's pushy orders, he slid under the covers, after setting multiple alarms on his phone to wake him in the morning in a few hours.
And when his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
~*~
The next morning, after dressing swiftly and some quick toast, he was met with the news from Morgana.
"They have Edwin Myrddin in custody," she said. "Merlin's attacker. They've already started on the DNA tests with the semen from the rape kit. And, they’re doing it from some other old rape kits, as his description matches some other cases in the area."
Arthur nodded, then promptly ran out the door to his car, and headed straight for the hospital, before he could give in to the rage demanding he break into the jail and kill Edwin himself.
~*~
Later, much, much, much later, Arthur was still waiting.
He'd spent the day next to Merlin, relieving Lance's vigil, who'd taken over for Gwen.
"Gwen said he might still suffer from mental confusion, or amnesia," Lance had said. "He'll likely not realize his surroundings right away. He'll be confused when he wakes up. It...it won't be pretty."
Oh fucking well.
This was his Merlin, and he was damned well going to be there for him-
Arthur jerked up when he saw Merlin move in the corner of his eyes.
He reached out, a smile of his relief on his face.
But when he touched Merlin's arm, Merlin whimpered in a memory of pain and flinched away.
Arthur pulled his hand back, heart clenching.
Mental confusion, possible amnesia...it's just the drugs...the drugs...and the sodding rape...it's not personal...
He knew it was mental confusion. But that didn't make it any less painful to bear.
But still...he stood there waiting for Merlin to wake up.
When Merlin moved again, Arthur murmured, "Merlin?"
~*~
Merlin breathed in deeply, and slowly became aware of sounds around him, aware of the feeling of crisp sheets on his skin...
...the last thing he remembered was Eddie, and as he heard breathing, then a gasp and shuffling, he panicked, because, what if he's still here and I'm-
And when he felt a hand on his arm, he flinched away, Eddie's face flashing before his mind's eye, and all he could think, was, no!
When he moved again, he heard a soft voice murmur, "Merlin?"
He would know that voice anywhere.
"Ar…Arthur?" he said, slowly opening his eyes against the glued-closed feeling of long sleep.
He turned his head slightly, to see Arthur's relieved face above him.
"Arthur," Merlin said again, this time in relief, because he was sure he was safe now, with Arthur next to him. He looked down and reached out, and frowned, panic settling in for a moment because he still couldn't fucking move-
But Arthur, accurately reading his intentions, wrapped his hand around Merlin's and held on tightly.
This, he could live with.
Now that he was awake, he recognized the generic whites of hospital decor, the smells of cleaners, the sounds of people murmured, and a steady beep, beep which he quickly realized was his own heartbeat.
He frowned. "Wha' happen'...th-this bloke, Eddie...I...he..." What was going on? How much had happened since he passed out?
"What...wha' time s'it?" Merlin asked. "How long've I…?"
"The party was last night," Arthur said softly, voice blank and free of inflection, sitting on the edge of Merlin's bad, resting Merlin's hand on his thigh. "Right now, it's about..." A glance at his watch. "About half past eleven, in the night."
Merlin's eyes widened. That was...a long time. He was pretty sure it wasn't even midnight when...when Eddie...when that bastard raped him.
Rape.
That was a scary word; one which Merlin really didn't want to use for himself. It happened to other people, to women by their drunk boyfriends and children by their relatives. Not…not him. He used that for other patients who he treated. He wasn’t supposed to be on this end of the doctor-patient thing. He was supposed to be the doctor, not the vic…not the patient.
"It's okay," Arthur said, stiff, formal. With a sigh, he said, "I found you...with that man. Got him away, and you were unconscious, bleeding, barely breathing. I...Morgana cleared out the party, Gwen helped me make sure you kept breathing, Lance called emergency services.” Arthur paused and looked down at Merlin’s still hand on his thigh, bringing his own hand up to cover it gently. “Your heart and breathing stopped once on the ambulance on the way here, but they revived it all, and once you got here, they made sure you were all right. They gave you something else to help you sleep, which is why you didn't wake up until now."
Merlin nodded, the influx of information not fully registering. He would deal with the details later. "Did...did anyone call the police?"
Arthur nodded. "They caught the man who did this to you, Edwin Myrddin. The doctors have already provided the...the DNA, from last night, and the police are in the process of confirming it. His description matches some other reported cases around here."
Merlin nodded again. "G-good." A pause. Other cases? There were other people? Other victims? He felt that this was supposed to be reassuring. It wasn’t. "When d'I get out?"
"Gaius said another few days, I think," Arthur continued, his voice practically mechanical, automatic, rattling off information. "Until you get your muscle coordination back, and they can be sure you can breathe on your own. They've taken the oxygen mask off twice, only to have to put it back on later. They're probably still nervous about that, and so am I...on that note, I need to tell them you're awake-"
"Arthur," Merlin said. There was something about the way he was talking…
Arthur looked at Merlin's face - but mostly at his chin.
"Wha's wrong?" Merlin asked. What wasn’t Arthur telling him?
Arthur didn't respond. At least he didn't try to pretend, either.
Arthur shut his eyes, chest trembling, as he said, "I'm sorry, Merlin...when I...I know you didn't want to come. I never...I never wanted...meant for this..."
There was a pause as Merlin absorbed the words, and a moment as he thought about agreeing, before deciding that would mean making things worse, and instead said, "Since when d'you become th’s much of a clotpole?"
Arthur's eyes snapped open in confusion, and Merlin continued, "I know you didn't mean it."
Now Arthur swallowed. "But I..."
"Gimme my quiet night in and we're even, m'kay?" Merlin sighed. Because he knew Arthur could be an insecure prat at the best of times, but this was just ridiculous. Besides, he wanted to put all this behind him.
There was another long pause, before Arthur slowly nodded. Merlin was pretty sure he hadn't won, because Arthur was a stubborn insecure prat, but this was progress.
"Now," Arthur said. "Let me get your doctor."
His doctor was none other than his own attending, Gaius.
"You're healing nicely, Merlin," his old mentor said. "We will want to keep you on the oxygen mask tonight, at least while you sleep, to be safe, but your breathing is progressing along well. Your heart rate is climbing back up to speed steadily, and your superficial wounds have healed..."
He told Merlin that his coordination might take another day or two to get back. And he tried not to cringe as Gaius went over his ‘internal wounds’. Merlin knew that as a doctor he should be better able to handle it but…it was him, not some other patient, and it was ridiculously awkward for Merlin to just sit there and listen to Gaius talk about his rectum like this.
The talk ended with Gaius going over few things he could and couldn't do with the anal wounds - no sex for a month, and Merlin wasn't sure whether to be relieved or horrified - and a few other things to manage the after-effects.
"We'll keep you here until at least this time day after tomorrow, possibly longer, just to be safe and keep up observations, but barring any complications, you will be able to leave in less than two days.
Merlin smiled and nodded, gave his thanks, and watched as the doctor left.
"I'mna hafta call work," Merlin said, pushing himself up, breathing a sigh of relief as he remembered the turning point last night, being unable to push himself up last night, and Eddie - Myrddin - taking that as his cue as to what he could do to Merlin. Of course, halfway up, Arthur helped him, and propped him up against the pillows, but still. This was good.
"No need," Arthur said. "My father had already heard about what happened. Last night, he'd heard Morgana had police over and showed up. He heard the details, and oversaw the clean-up crew so Morgana and I could deal with the police. He already got us both a week off – you’ll probably have longer once Gaius pulls some strings."
Merlin smiled. "M'kay."
"I called Gwen, Lance, and Morgana," Arthur continued. "They should be here soon."
Merlin nodded, holding out his hand - a bit more steadily - for Arthur to take. Merlin then pulled him close, and Arthur rolled his eyes but leaned himself across Merlin's legs as he sat on the bed.
Within half an hour, the door burst open and Morgana ran in, up to his bedside. "Merlin?!"
"I'm fine," Merlin said, softly, leaning back against the pillows.
Morgana reached out and hugged him, and Merlin managed to hug back, somewhat, with one arm. It only reached up to her hip, but it was a start.
She pulled back, before taking Merlin's free hand in earnest. "I'm so sorry, Merlin-"
"Not you too," Merlin said. Using his other hand - still wrapped in Arthur's - to gesture towards his boyfriend, he said, "I'm still trying to convince this one that it's not his fault, either!"
He was trying to convince himself of that, as well. He shouldn’t have to, but he was.
Morgana smiled wanly, but nodded. Merlin got the feeling she was seeing through his desperate attempts to lie to himself, but at least she was keeping that to herself.
A few minutes later, Gwen and Lance walked in. "Did she crush you to death with her hug?" Gwen asked as she and Lance each gave him a gentle, one-armed and affectionate greeting.
"She tried," Merlin said, poking a smile onto his face.
And they laughed. His smile worked.
~*~
Two days later, Merlin was sitting on the bed, dressed in his own clothes and signing the last of the forms as Arthur tried to quietly yell at some subordinate from work about, well, something - Merlin learned to stop listening, or he'd never get out of buying pity-pastries for Arthur's direct underlings.
He liked not working for Arthur.
Arthur gave one final hiss across the phone before promptly hanging up, then turning sharply on his heel, a big smile on his face, as he helped Merlin into the wheelchair.
"I'm not an invalid," Merlin grumbled, but he accepted the attention nonetheless.
"Merlin, you can barely manage to coordinate yourself at the best of times, and these are most certainly not the best of times."
Merlin stuck his tongue out at Arthur, and Arthur laughed.
When Arthur started rolling him out, Merlin smiled and leaned his head back. And when he was loaded into the car, he leaned his head back to doze. He hadn't slept well last night, nightmares of Eddie plaguing him, and being all alone as the doctors had forced everyone out for the night. But now, Arthur was here, and he was fine.
"Let's go home," Arthur said. "I've got a quiet night in I owe you."
Merlin smiled.
~*~
Part 3 >>
Feel free to tell me what you think of this part before you go on ahead. All comments are much appreciated.