missthis_ass | [hospital

[hospital - march 26]

It's been a few days and Chloe still feels like shit.

She'd needed a transfusion, she's been treated for smoke inhalation, she's been stitched and patched and her left ankle is elevated to help treat the sprain. The scrape along her left thigh has been covered and she feels like a rag doll, bits and pieces of other things sewn together to make one whole being. Besides that, she's restless and bored, itching to get out of this hospital bed and, if nothing else, at least recuperate in her own home surrounded by her own things. She's not used to having to rely on others for help. It's not a feeling she enjoys.

Yesterday hadn't been so bad, she'd been able to avoid having to see anyone under the doctor's orders, but she's stabilized now and she's free to have visitors, which isn't something Chloe wants and something she's sure she's not going to be able to avoid.

Nate will be here, she knows that for certain, especially given everything she'd said to him on the cusp of unconsciousness. Now, lying in this hospital bed, she isn't sure whether or not she regrets it, but she also doesn't have any idea what's going to happen from here on. Nate might not even say anything, but she knows if he gives her a hard time about it, she's going to wait until she's feeling better and then she's going to kick his ass.

Coop will be here, too, without a doubt. Knowing he'd gotten out without injury had come as a great relief, but given the state of her, she has a feeling he's going to find some way to be a pain in her ass. A part of her is almost looking forward to that, though, if only because it means he's alive and well and she didn't screw up by getting him seriously injured.

She has no idea who else knows. No idea who else Nate might have told. She hopes, probably pointlessly, that he hasn't told anyone, that she might get a few days of rest before she has to head back out and deal with this failure.

As soon as she closes her eyes and lays her head on the pillow, her door opens, and she sighs softly. Apparently a bit of rest is just not in the cards.

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Now that Poe's gone through the whole panic and losing his mind little episode about Coop, he's let the other news process about Chloe. All that relief in hearing that Coop's fine had pretty much dissipated when he'd heard about her condition. She's only a friend and a new one, at that, but at the same time, Poe wouldn't wish those kinds of injuries on anyone outside the First Order.

He heads to the liquor store for a bottle of whiskey, buys a giant bouquet of flowers, and then heads to the hospital. It takes a little sneaking past nurse's stations and one really intense sob story to an orderly where he lies about his poor sister that's sick before he gets to the room.

Peering past the open door, he eyes the inside, not going in just yet. "Is everyone decent?"

Jesse was getting really tired of visiting people he knew in the hospital. Sure it was only two people but that was two people too many. He could only really blame Victra and Chloe so much though. It wasn't like they ever pretended to be anything other than people who took risks or did dangerous things.

That didn't mean he had to like it though. Or be happy that Chloe was in the hospital with a hole in her stomach. Because that was definitely not something he would be happy about.

Jesse waited a few days before he visited Chloe to give her a chance to rest up. That gave him enough time to devise some slightly passive-aggressive ways to show his displeasure with her getting injured. He waited until one of the nurses assured him that Chloe was awake. Knocking on her door he stuck his head in and grinned at her.

"Hey. I heard that there's someone here who could use a little cheering up. But since you're the only one here I guess you'll do," he said before stepping in. He had a bouquet of flowers with a card that had "Get Well Soon" crossed out and "Stop Doing Stupid Shit" written instead. There was also a giant ass bear for what he hoped was maximum mortification. If she looked close enough she might see that the bear had the same injuries she did, including a hole through the stomach.

"You're an asshole."

Coop doesn't know if she's asleep and he also doesn't care. He's going to wake her asshole self up to bother her because he can't remember the last time he'd been freaked out like he had been. Seeing her come out of that building with Nate, looking like death itself tended to frighten a guy. He was grateful that she was alive but he was going to make her pay the price for freaking him out.

There was a bag slung over his shoulder with supplies he'd need to make sure she knew she was an asshole but there was also a look of relief on his face.

"Wake up," he said as he came into the room. "No sleep allowed while I'm here. I need you to entertain me."

This one is Coop's fault.

"Go away," she answers, although she knows that's not going to actually send Poe anywhere and truthfully, if she lets herself consider it, maybe she'd like the company. Maybe. If there's anyone she can tell about what she'd stupidly said to Nate in the midst of nearly dying, it's probably Poe. Coop wouldn't have any idea what to do with that information and given their own close relationship, she's not sure she wants to tell him at all simply because she doesn't know what it does or doesn't mean.

If Nate tries to talk to her about it, she's going to have to tell him about Coop. It's all just complicated, a mess she's made worse by admitting how she feels.

So Poe is probably one of the least difficult people to face right now and even though she's scowling, she still says, "I'm not naked if that's what you're asking and if you are, I'd say you're a little ahead of yourself. It's going to be at least a day or two before I'm up for anything of the sort."

"What the hell is that?"

She can see what it is. It's the biggest bloody stuffed bear she's ever seen in her entire life and she immediately wants to set fire to it. Given her burns, that's probably not the best idea, especially in a hospital, but she's already considering how long it'll be before she can get away with having a little bonfire out in the country to do away with it. It's horrifying. Which is exactly why Jesse is bringing it.

"It's not enough that I failed to get what I was looking for and fell through a floor, you have to bring me the most frightening stuffed bear that's ever been made?" she asks, throwing him a dirty look, although there's a decided lack of real heat behind her expression or her words. Maybe it's not so terrible to have a visitor after all. At least it's not Nate coming to look for an explanation.

"How can I be an asshole when I got you a present?" Chloe asks in return and she has to admit she's glad to see him. When she'd been in that basement, even in the state she'd been in, Coop had been one of her primary concerns. Getting out of there had been a much bigger concern, of course, and making sure Nate didn't die while trying to save her had been a priority, but she'd worried about Coop. It was her fault all three of them had been there, after all, and she would have never been able to forgive herself if he hadn't gotten out of that building.

Admittedly, the necklace she'd grabbed hadn't originally been for him, but Chloe definitely owes him after everything he'd done. The locket is solid gold and beautifully carved and she's sure he'll be able to sell it for a fairly hefty price, given the right buyer.

"All my things are in that little cupboard over there," she says, nodding to the door by the chair. "Check in my jacket pocket."

"While that's a good start to not being an asshole, you're still an asshole because you've got a hole in your body," Coop told her, shaking his head. He tugged a chair closer to her bed and dropped his bag carefully on it before he went over to the indicated cupboard.

After fishing around in the pocket for a second, he held up the necklace, eyes wide. It looked like real gold and even he was able to appreciate the craftsmanship of the piece.

Coop whistled and let the necklace hang loosely from his fingers. "You sure you want to give this to me? You might need to use it to pay your hospital pills since you fell on a fucking pole and lost about eighty tons of blood."

It had been pretty fucking terrifying to see Nate carrying her out, coated in her own blood. Worse, he'd been able to do nothing to help.

Sighing, Coop came back over to the chair and took a seat, settling the necklace on his knee. "You don't need to give me presents, you know."

If she thinks that he's going away, then she definitely hasn't met Poe Dameron when he's being fully hotheaded and stubborn, which roughly usually only happens when it's life or death, but he's happy to make exceptions in these cases. Heading inside with the flowers, he closes the door behind him. "I meant more whether they were putting tubes and testing you for anything, but glad to hear there's decency too," he says.

"I come bearing gifts," Poe also leads with next, because he figures that's the part that Chloe is actually going to care about. Lifting up the alcohol and the flowers, he sets them on the table next to her bed. "How are they treating you?"

They haven't let him see her, no matter how much arguing he'd done. They'd stuck an oxygen mask on him and wheeled her away the second they got to the hospital, and he hasn't seen her since. For his own part, after the oxygen and dressing the burn to his shoulder they'd let him go, but he's spent most of the time since pacing the hospital waiting room.

He knows the staff are about as sick of him as he is of them, but eventually they tell him that Chloe is ready for visitors, and suddenly that's when he falters. He's spent the last twenty-four hours demanding to be allowed to see her, to make sure she's okay, but when faced with the possibility of actually seeing her, he can't bring himself to walk in the room. He remembers the things she'd said to him, clear as day, only Nate doesn't know why she said them. Part of him is convinced that it's just because she'd been delirious, because she thought she was going to die. He doesn't know how much truth there is to it and the idea of having that conversation with that pressure lifted is somewhat terrifying. They've never done this, never talked openly about what they are to each other and he hardly knows where to start.

He's only ever been in this position once before, and somehow it's harder this time around. This time he has no idea how things are going to turn out, what she might say to him now that she's clear-headed. He wishes Sully were here, wishes he could give him some kind of guidance, but he's not and Nate's not a kid anymore, either. He knows this is something he and Chloe have to work out like adults, he just doesn't know how.

He waits about as long as he can, watching various people come and go, but eventually he knows he can't put it off anymore. First, he runs down the block to get her a box of take-out, knowing from personal experience exactly how shitty the hospital food is. He forgoes flowers or chocolates or any sappy get well cards, knowing she's just as likely to throw them back in his face. Then he knocks on her door, opens it a little and pokes his head inside. "Room service," he calls, and it's probably not the time for jokes, but he doesn't know what else to say, not yet.

"Well, I sort of feel like I owe you, after almost getting you killed and all," she answers, rolling the shoulder on the uninjured side of her body in a shrug. She tries to make it seem as if it isn't a big deal at all, as if she hasn't spent the last day and a half talking herself out of her guilt. They'd all gone into the situation willingly enough and they're all thieves, they all know the risks posed in the situations they're prone to finding themselves in.

Chloe's scores never tend to do this wrong, though. She'd used to burning buildings and bone crunching falls when working with Nate, but that's when Nate is in charge. When she's in charge, no one else gets hurt. She might, but that's a risk she's willing to take. Others, though? They're not supposed to be in any sort of danger.

"And it was only a few pints of blood," she says with a wave of her hand. "Barely enough to need a transfusion."

"I'm fairly certain I was just impaled, not exposed to any particularly deadly viruses, so there's not much they need to test you," she answers, looking at the flowers with an arched eyebrow. They're an odd thing, flowers are. She'd joked with Coop once about how it would be nice to get a bouquet just to feel appreciated and she does like the look of them for as long as they stay alive, but she's not sure anyone has ever given any to her before. Trust Poe to be the first one to do so.

The alcohol is a much more welcome sight, even if she knows she can't drink it at the moment.

"I'm fine," she says. "They're doing their jobs, patching me up, filing me back up with blood and saline. It'll be a few more days before I'm out of here, but in the meantime, it's not the worst place in the world, I suppose." Which isn't to say she likes it, she'd much rather be at home, but the doctors and nurses are kind enough.

The sound of his voice does a strange thing to her, something it's never done before. The closest it's ever come is the first time he'd called her after she'd walked away from him and Elena, leaving them together to be whatever it was they wanted to be. Hearing his voice come over the line, asking her to come with him on another job, something inside of her had tightened and clenched before it had suddenly relaxed, because it was Nate. And none of that happened between them before would change that.

Besides, at the time of that call, there had been Charlie and Charlie had been a hell of a distraction.

This is similar to that. Her chest tightens painfully and she lifts her hand to lightly touch her breastbone, as if she'll be able to rub away the pain. And at the same time, she's flooded with relief. He's here, he's fine, she hadn't accidentally killed him trying to find this compass and he doesn't hate her enough to avoid her. More than that, she hadn't scared him off with what she'd said to him just before losing consciousness.

Whether or not that's a good thing, she's not sure yet.

"Oh, god, thank you for not bringing flowers," she says when he comes into the room with what looks like take-out instead of another bouquet. She appreciates that Poe and Jesse had come to visit, but now there are two bouquets in her room, along with the world's largest stuffed bear, which is sitting facing the corner, as she'd requested, because the damn thing is too creepy for her to look at for very long.

"Oh, you owe me for more than that and I tend to take payment a little later," Coop said before he unzipped his bag and pulled something out. He hid it behind his hand and then behind his back.

"Close your eyes, I have a present of my own to give you," Coop told her, waiting patiently. He'd thought about how to tell her that he'd grabbed the compass right before Nate had shoved him out of that building but with her injured and Nate distraught, he'd held onto the knowledge until now.

"Close 'em or this present stays with me and you're really going to like it," he told her, eyebrows going up. "And you're just going to adore me."

"Hey, you're lucky I didn't decide to bring my daughter with me instead," Jesse said because he was pretty sure he could have guessed about much she would have enjoyed something like that. He only wanted to mildly annoy her though, not cause her physical pain. So he'd settled on the wounded bear. Plus, it amused him that she had this giant, cuddly thing in here.

"But Mr. Snuggles here is for you to center all your rage and frustration on so that when you're better you can take him into the woods and shoot him, then set fire to him, and dancing amid the flames of his demise," Jesse said, setting the giant bear down in one of the chair before heading over to her bed, hands stuck in his pockets. "I'm glad you survived the fall though."

"No, but they might be cleaning you up," he points out, dropping down into the visitor's seat once he's settled the flowers and the booze on the little table beside her, trying to mask the worry. He manages it in his expression, even though it still lingers in his eyes. "What happened?" he asks, shaking his head in bewilderment.

He knows the basics, of course, and he's fairly sure he believes them, but he's still not sure how anything could be worth this. Then again, he was nearly tortured to death for a cause, so maybe Poe's not exactly allowed to have those thoughts.

"Did they say when you'd be able to get out of here?"

"I already adore you," Chloe answers and she really doesn't like surprises all that much, but she thinks she's willing to trust Coop on this one. Chances are he's not going to do anything that will cause more damage to her physically and besides that, she can't think of much that will make her mood any worse than it already is.

Besides, she's just handed over a necklace he's sure to be able to make a fair bit of money selling if he does it right, she doubts he's going to purposely do something to piss her off.

She sighs first, but there's a little bit of a smile at the corners of her mouth and she settles back among her pillows and closes her eyes. This is probably one her least favourite states to be in, vulnerable and waiting, but she does it.

"Someone set fire to the building I was in and when the fire weakened the supports, I went through the floor," she answers. It's the response she's given anyone who has asked and although she knows it's possible Coop has told Poe more than that, she also knows it's her responsibility, as the head of this job, to keep both Coop and Nate safe.

If anyone asks why she was in the building, she just tells them she doesn't remember. Honestly, the police seem more interested in the people who set the fire anyway, which is working to her advantage. They seem to think they were the ones who had cut the alarm in the first place and she's in no hurry to correct them.

"It hurt a lot, in case you were wondering," she adds with a faint smile.

Jesse's daughter doesn't bother her, really, Chloe likes kids well enough. She doesn't want any of her own, but when they belong to other people, she can appreciate that they're certainly cute in their way. He's right, though, a hospital and her injuries probably aren't going to mesh well with a toddler.

"He's very creepy. I'll enjoy setting him on fire very much, thank you," she answers with a laugh. The laughter hurts a little, but she'll take the pain if it means she's alive. Chloe has been in danger before, but she's never come this close to death before. It's not an experience she wishes she keep.

"You and me both, love," she agrees. "It wasn't much fun, let me tell you."

"I adore you too but compliments aren't gonna get you out of this one," Coop told her, waiting patiently. He waited and stared, perfectly content to stand there all day if she was going to be a pest about closing her eyes.

Eventually, she did it and Coop pulled the compass out from behind his back and reached for one of her hands.

"Don't peek," he warned her before pressing the compass into her hand, closing her fingers around it and then letting go. "All right, you can look now. And prepare to adore me even more."

Poe gives her a long look, opening his mouth to say something before he thinks better of it, closing it again. The problem with that is that it only leads to more questions, like why anyone would set fire to the building that she's in without a very good reason why. He's not going to accuse her of lying, but there is a look on his face that says that he's pretty sure that she's not telling the whole truth.

"You know, and here I was thinking I needed to lose some weight," he deadpans. "Rebar hole isn't the ticket, huh?" It's a little dark, but it's helping to alleviate the worry. Reaching out to the IV, he gestures to it. "You want me to adjust this for you?"

"You know, I think I'll leave the administration of my drugs to the doctors and nurses," Chloe answers with a laugh, reaching over with her other hand to swat at Poe.

"I mean, you can do whatever you like, darling," she says. "And if pain is your thing, I'm not one to judge. I might recommend finding something that results in a little less blood loss, because transfusions aren't fun for anyone, no matter what you're into."

And she thinks it's a little bit disappointing she might not get to discover first hand what he's interested in. She just has no idea where things stand with Nate.

There's a moment when she considers telling him not to drag this out unless he wants to get his ass kicked as soon as she's feeling better, but then he's placing something in her hand and curling her fingers over it and the words die in her throat.

Without even opening her eyes, she knows what this is.

"Holy shit," she breathes and then opens her eyes and finds herself staring down at the compass. It's exactly as it's been described, beautifully etched with the extra points, and she stares at it for a long moment, utterly speechless.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing," he said, patting himself on the back and unable to not smile at her reaction. He'd thought she'd be pleased but imagining it and seeing it were two different things. He was pretty glad that he could make her feel a little better when she was stuck in a hospital.

"I grabbed it as Nate was trying to push me out the door," he told her. "I wasn't sure if it was the compass until later when I got to sit down and look at it. And then you were bleeding like a stuck pig and Nate was upset so I held onto it until things leveled out."

He gives her a smirk back, but doesn't swat her back, because maybe even though he knows that she's tough, he doesn't feel like hurting her worse at this point. "I was probably going to call a nurse in, but I've given enough people in the Resistance medical assistance on the fly," he confesses. So yeah, maybe he was going to fiddle with her drugs, but probably not now.

"What I'm into, huh?" he echoes, giving her an amused look. "Well, I'm only going to tell you this because you're in the hospital, but I kind of really get off on the adrenaline high after a battle. There's nothing like coming down off that high than with someone else."

He'd watched people come and go so he's not surprised to see the bouquets already littering the room. The stuffed bear gives him pause for a moment, faced towards the wall as though she's put it there on purpose, and he almost laughs. It dies in his throat at the sight of her though, stitched and bandaged and in a hospital bed. On some level, he knows that this was always a possibility. They've worked in this business long enough to know that things don't always go according to plan, that sometimes things get more dangerous more quickly than they expected, but somehow he'd thought things would be different in Darrow.

Darrow has never held the same level of danger for him, maybe because he's trapped within these four walls. He can't go gallivanting off to some long forgotten city and have it collapse around him, no longer has to worry about armed goons chasing him halfway across the world with guns. There isn't any of that here, but Chloe still ended up in hospital, because everything he touches really does turn to shit.

Nate edges his way into the room, puts the box of food on her bedside table and then just looks at her for a moment, not sure what to say. It's not often that he's at a loss like this, but the combination of seeing her injured and knowing the things she'd said to him before she passed out has left him rattled. It seems wrong to joke around like nothing happened, but he's not sure how much she remembers or even if she was properly aware she was saying anything.

"How are you feeling?" he settles on eventually, because that's the sort of thing you're supposed to ask someone who's in hospital. He does want to hear that she's doing okay besides. "I thought you might be hungry, for starters, but now I'm worried that bear might've killed your appetite."

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[hospital - march 26]

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