Perfidious Albion, Chapter Eighteen

[challis_2070]

BTC stared blankly at the door while he lay on the floor in the bathroom. On the plus side, he considered, was the fact that he had his own private bathroom. On the down side, he was currently curled up on his side on the floor of said bathroom.

He took several deep steadying breathes, even though they had yet to help him. At least they weren’t hurting him. Unlike what had happened to the protestors. His stomach flipped over at the thought of earlier today and he groaned again.


This was generally not how he thought this day was going to go. (How else could it have gone? It was doomed from the start)

This, he thought bitterly, was why you don’t stay friends with people who go into intelligence work. (But friends were important? Expand your friend circle, damn it)

-----

He had thought they might take him to where the other prisoners were, but he was back in the same cell as before. He was not entirely sure if this was a good or bad thing at this point. Perhaps they had just not decided what they actually wanted to do yet?

His headache seemed to have subsided somewhat, as that doctor (Greenling? It felt like it had been ages since she had given him her name) had given him an energy bar to eat while they waited for the final results from some tests she had run. He was pretty sure she had drawn out the tests to make sure she could give him something to eat and drink. He was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth on that, however.

There was then the thought that at some point they’d (probably? maybe? he thought?) take him to shower. Would he see the others then? He knew they were still here, at the very least.

How many people had they brought in? He couldn’t actively remember anymore, it was like the adrenaline had wiped it from his memory wholesale. He knew that they’d been processed...downstairs? And they had been brought up. But there were a few staircases up. At least two? And he’d gone up one. Had other people gone up this one? He didn’t remember people being brought past him...no no. There were a few? They were cursing. But they didn’t stop where he was, they went much farther, far enough away that he couldn’t really hear them at all any more. To where the others where, where the other staircase went up to? He could almost visualize the building and he thought that must be the case.

From memory, they should get fed first and then some time after that showers and then lights out (which were never truly off but merely dimmer than now, presumably so the guards could still see).

He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. If they wanted him awake he’d be so but for now he desperately needed some rest. He could worry about food and showers and that fear when he wasn’t so exhausted.

-----

She drummed on the side of the hospital bed. Waiting for a doctor to show up was always annoying and this was not different. They said that the doctor would have to sign off on her to stay over and and that this one (something green?) had insisted on seeing her herself. So be it. But why was it taking her so long??

Finally, Finally the doctor appeared in the doorway.

“Hello. I’m Doctor Greenling. Sorry for the delay. As you might know, the local base has gotten quite...hectic. And. Oh hm. You’re Lasairfhíona Ó Conghaile?” She was fairly certain this was the same name that her last patient on the base had given her after having given her both right before he was to be taken back to the cells.

“Lassy Connolly, yes, why?” Please don’t have bad news about Paul. Please please please.

The doctor pursed her lips before continuing. “I don’t suppose you have a son called Paul Connolly?” No. No no no

“...Yes. He’s not quite fifteen yet. Why??” Fear danced through her eyes and the doctor almost visibly winced.

“I do not know if you were told, but he was taken to the base.” GET TO THE POINT. HOW IS MY SON?

“I am aware. I thought he might have been and one of the...nurses? told me that earlier.”

“Good good. He’s ah, he could be in better shape, but he’ll be okay. He was rather desperate to find out where you were. I knew that I’d have to come here later, but I wasn’t expecting you to be my own patient. That makes this much easier.”

“How is he? I know he said he’d be okay, but” More. Tell me more!

“He’s pretty banged up, pretty much like you are, but with slightly less trauma. Well, physical trauma that is…” She was not qualified for that kind of treatment, however.

“Hmph. Not great.” She grimaced as the doctor started poking and prodding her in her examination and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“So, ah. His...father?” Oho. She was expecting this, now that she knew the doctor had spoken with Paul.

Lasairfhíona smirked at the doctor, she couldn’t avoid it. “He’d be at the base, yes, but not because of the protest.”

“He might have mentioned that…” Mhm, did you ask him? An idle wonder.

“It has little to do with anything.” It was awkward enough, this line of questioning, much less to be asked this while you were being poked and prodded.

“He would be...unable...to get your son home?” This seemed to annoy the doctor which amused her to no end. You have no right to judge our family.

“He’d…” she paused to carefully consider how to word this. “He would likely have not been told, but would have guessed that Paul was likely taken and not here. If he was injured and in the hospital and so was I…”

“Ah, I see. Hm.”

“In any case, no, he’d be unable to. And it still doesn’t really matter.”

“Other than the fact that he’s probably in better shape than either of you two?”

“Beh, they’ll tell him sooner or later that I’m here. Or his brother will. They finally got around to giving me my phone back.”

“...does he not answer his own?”

“...he doesn’t have it when he’s working much as I assume you do not carry your personal phone with you.”

“Mm, very right.”

-----

Baj tried to not scream in front of his kids.

Of course what that basically boiled down to was him hiding in the basement swearing to himself. At least they didn’t have to hear him, even if they could figure out what was happening.

So. His brother was probably on base (in so much as he knew he wasn’t next door right this moment. He could have left to go to the hospital he supposed). His sister-in-law was in the hospital in town and was due to be released tomorrow (he would go get her then, she said she didn’t want visitors since it was apt to be a short stay but he could see her if they changed their minds) and Paul…

Paul was ...somewhere. He suspected that his nephew was being held at the base. But he couldn’t confirm anything and that was infuriating. He’d sent a message to his brother about it (even if his sister-in-law had likely done the same already) and hoped he’d get the message soon. How do you tolerate the waiting???? The thought of something happening to Nathan or Max was horrifying and now something had happened to Paul and he couldn’t do anything about it.

He was not sure how long he stood there, leaning against the wall, blankly willing it to give him answers.





Notes, Translations, etc

Currently none!