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Charles laughed at that, the way she was so skeptical and seemed to think he was a horrible person. The real Charles would absolutely hate that. With a shrug he said, “Actually… and I’m really sorry about this, but you can only eat ice chips for a couple hours because of the tubes we took out. I’ll get you some though.” He didn’t give her enough time to say anything to him before he was gone.

Charles had left her alone for maybe ten minutes. He realized he didn’t actually know where the nurses got the ice chips from, so he had to search for them. They ended up being in the family waiting room which made sense in hindsight. Charles filled three cups and went back to her room carrying them all in one hand. “You can’t even drink water yet, you might vomit if you do.”

Fucking ice chips. Love frowned at the thought of not getting to enjoy a real meal, not having anything on her stomach for hours. She stared at the wall as she waited for the passenger to return, wondering how much this was going to end up costing her. She couldn’t afford medical bills and there was no way that she wanted to rely on her father for it  — maybe Jewels was an option again. A necessary one.

WHO: Love & Ridley [ @lazersong ]

WHEN: Jan. 14

WHAT: Post Take Cover Thread [ Link ]

“You can.” Envy didn’t like when people hid their feelings, or tried to push them down. As an entity when he wasn’t attached to a body, he wasn’t able to emote. He wasn’t able to feel and that made him envious. Envy wanted her to feel rage and despair because she could and she deserved to. “Even if he’s beating himself up for it you have a right to be upset too. You were attacked, Love, beat so bloody bad you flat lined. Maybe you’re not mad at him, maybe just the fact that it happened at all. You can be angry, you should be furious.” It wouldn’t help him at all, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he even went off on a rant about it.

“Ah… sorry. I got carried away. Listen, you should get some rest I’ve talked your ear off enough. Do you need me to grab anything for you? Normally I’d send in a nurse, but I don’t mind.” Envy was annoyed with himself for even trying to help her, he didn’t have to be nice to her anymore. He finished his job and let Charles complete the surgery, he was done now.

“I know. I know all of that happened, Charles,” she said, looking at him uncomfortably. “I’m... I’m really upset it happened. I wish it didn’t.”

THE GIVER: 50% MATCH

THE ACHIEVER: 61% MATCH

THE INDIVIDUALIST: 79% MATCH

THE INVESTIGATOR: 63% MATCH

THE SKEPTIC: 98% MATCH

THE ENTHUSIAST: 65% MATCH

THE CHALLENGER: 73% MATCH

THE PEACEMAKER: 58% MATCH

THE PERFECTIONIST: 43% MATCH

“Okay, so maybe twice or three times is enough for me to consider it annoying.” Envy raised both eyebrows in surprise, “You’d think your droid wouldn’t be busy doing something else while you’ve got a client over.“ He didn’t feel like walking on glass now that Charles was packed away.

“That person went into your home and attacked you and your security, I don’t think it should be considered murder.” Love was too delicate, he thought, for working outside of Jewels. So maybe… even though he didn’t care about her at all, he could offer her a place there again, just in case she was feeling vulnerable. Not now though, for now he’d wait. “Good thing it takes a lot to kill a droid, huh?”

“I-I know... he made a mistake, that’s all,” Love replied, frowning. It was a struggle, knowing that Ridley left her long enough to be literally killed before she was thankfully brought back by him. “He beat himself up over it... I can’t be upset.”

~~~

“Honestly? I wouldn’t have if they didn’t come up to me personally bitchin’ about you being gone every night I went in. If I wasn’t there, they’d ask my manager what happened. It’s just easier for me to not deal with it. You swore you’d be safe, so I didn’t think anything of it.” Charles, or Envy rather since Charles had been packed away now, didn’t care about Love. Didn’t care to lie to her either. He was pissed at her, sure, but a little happy she got what he warned her about too. Envy had moved on now and was on the hunt for a new best girl. When she said the problem client was dead, he wasn’t surprised.

“Should be.” he locked eyes with her, “Didn’t deserve to live after what he did.” It was just a fact to Envy, it wasn’t meant to sound as devoted to her as it came out. “Your droid okay too?”

“They didn’t demand me that much,” Love said, shaking her head through her discomfort. “I was safe, my droid was just busy for the moment.” And tortured the client to death, from what he had explained to her. 

~~~

Charles tilted his head in question, but continued checking her vitals in silence only talking when he gave her instructions to follow. Look here, follow my pen, etc. Finally, when he was done he sighed and rubbed his face. “Thank you for cooperating. It’s going to take your lungs a bit of time to heal. I’ll get you an incentive spirometer to assist.”

Charles looked down, somewhat ashamed, “It’s possible…” He knew that wouldn’t be enough, so he explained further, “I was trying to help you get started by sending a few of your regulars. I didn’t think any of them would be violent.” It was only a half truth. That night, that particular client was kicked out for causing problems. “If I could have known beforehand, I wouldn’t have sent any of them.”

Love followed his instructions quietly, not speaking to him out of discomfort. 

I was trying to help you get started by sending a few of your regulars. “Wh-Why would you do that?” Love asked, trying to figure out why he would do that. Who gave their competition clients? And of all clients, it had to be Johnny? The nastiest man hellbent on having her fall in love with him? For play? “He’s... he’s dead now.”

~~~

“If it’s all the same to you, Love, I’ve like to make sure everything is fine myself.” Charles rolled to the side of her bed and put the stethoscope in his ears, “May I?” Without waiting for her answer, he placed the chest piece above her breast bone. “Deep breaths, love.”

“I want a different doctor... I don’t trust you,” she said, uncaring that he placed the diaphragm on her chest. He deserved to hear her voice blaring in his ears. Finally she conceded, however, taking painful deep breaths for the doctor. “Did you send him to my home?” The ghel assumed he knew that it was a client she had back at Jewels that did this to her, figuring that it was him that sent him her way.

~~~

“I just own Jewels, Love.” Charles chuckled and turned around to grab a rolling chair so he could sit next to her bed. “I’m your doctor. It’s just coincidence they took you here and not my old hospital.” To prove he was telling the truth, he removed his badge and passed it to her so she could have a closer look. “I need to check and make sure everything is okay.”

Love weakly accepted the badge, trying not to look outwardly horrified about it. He was her doctor? He was her actual doctor? Her eyes tried to focus on the badge, the sedatives in her system making it much harder than she anticipated. “I... I — I’m fine.”

~~~

It was a surprise for Charles when she was rushed in, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the coincidence. They had a lot of work to do fixing her up. He wasn’t the only surgeon in the room, but he did request to be the one she’d talk to when she woke up. Whether it was the Passenger ready to gloat, or just Charles’s concern, they were there when she woke up.

“That’s good news!” Charles said with a smile as he pulled up the tablet with all of her medical information. He quickly entered the time and date along with some other notes before setting it back in it’s original place. He walked around the bed, unsure of how she’d take the news that he was her doctor, “May I check a few things now you’re awake?”

•

Love felt like she was going to have a heart attack the moment she saw her boss. No, former boss. Shit. Why was he here? Especially when she was in a situation like this?

“Why  ——  why do you need to check anything? I’m  — I’m not coming back to work,” she said, the beeps of her heart rate increasing.

TAGGING: @cybrnxtic​

Ever since she was escorted out of the surgery, Love was horribly groggy. She remembered Ridley and her father being there, she remembered the droid questioning her to her newfound fifth band on her wrist.... and she remembered admitting to Rune that she loved Ridley. A nightmare. It was a relief when they were finally escorted out, although the cold and quiet hospital room was starting to get to her.

Pain medication had been pumped into her system the second they were able to, making every move and word groggy and miscalculated half the time. Shit. She heard the door open, likely a doctor or a nurse to see if she hadn’t died from her healing lung yet. “I’m awake,” she slurred, tilting her head to see who was coming in.

It didn’t make any sense to Charles because even if the droid was there all the time. Droids, despite some being sentient, were still machines with code and could be hacked just like people with cyber implants. The passenger inside wanted him to react violently, to yell at her and force her to stay, but Charles (unaware of it’s presence) assumed they were just intrusive thoughts. Maybe he was just jealous, or sad because he wouldn’t see her every time he came in anymore.

Wrath was boiling up inside of him and his jaw ticked, but he turned away from her so she couldn’t see it. Despite the protests inside, he still managed to say, “I’ll miss you, you know?” Then added softly as an afterthought, “I just wish you would stay.”

“I understand, Love.” It was a lie, he really didn’t understand. Bringing clients to her own home seemed… actually a lot more dangerous for her. Sure, someone was killed in the next room here, but that wasn’t one of his jewels. He attempted a smile, but behind that crocodile smile was enough rage and despair to fill this entire building. “But don’t you think it’s a little reckless bringing clients home? They’ll know where you sleep at night, effectively putting you in harm’s way twenty-four seven.”

“I understand the risks,” Love said, crossing her legs slowly. “I have a droid —— if I understand correctly, he’s willing to stay around all day for protection. I just need enough time to save money to leave the Slums. Then it won’t be a problem. I promise. I appreciate your concern.”

“Out of home?” That made her leaving so much worse if she was still going to directly impact his business. Everything in Charles told him to stand up straighter and frighten her into submission, but Charles only walked closer to her and leaned against the wall. “I really wish you would stay, tell me what I can do to make you change your mind.”