The X-Project

Tatiana visits Nate in the infirmary, and actually yells at him.

His head was starting to feel a little clearer every time he woke
up. Definitely an incremental improvement, but he'd take it. Nathan
opened his eyes, blinking up at the ceiling for a moment as he
oriented himself. Yes, still the infirmary. No surprises there; Moira
had said another week or so, and he'd been too groggy and sore to
protest.

And sore he definitely was, still, although one of those tubes
attached to his arm was quite obviously pumping something very nice
into his veins. While he'd made his peace with painkillers to an
extent in the last few years, he knew perfectly well that the
semi-haze was not going to last. Rest up, Dayspring, and enjoy it
while you can. Physical therapy's going to be a bitch this time.

Tat was hovering at the entrance to Nate's room yet again. In between-
well, Rachel, and reading, and chores, and whatever she could do with
Monet's room, and- and being here, she was here. As much sense as that
made, that's what it felt like. She stared at his bed, and took a deep
breath before she took a couple of steps forward, and then just
stopped.

"You're awake?" Every time she'd stopped in, he'd been
sleeping. Tat almost didn't believe he was out of the coma, except
that she believed everyone who'd told her. Her eyes pricked with
tears, but all she managed was a rather lame ".... Hi?"

"Hey." His voice was softer than usual - volume took movement of the
chest, and his ribs would prefer he avoided that as much as possible
right now - and hoarse from disuse. "So-so. There has been doping up."
He gave her a slight, tired smile, wishing that she'd come into proper
focus already. His eyes were very determined about the playing tricks
on him.

It was good he couldn't focus, because she was scrubbing her eyes to
try and stop the tears. "Feel like crap, huh?" Of course he did.
Because he'd been in a coma for three weeks - she figured the
observation was way better then the alternative 'how're you feeling?"

"Pretty much." Nathan turned his head towards her, having to pause a
moment as he did to let the wave of dizziness wash over him. "Hear you
were Ray's new favorite person while I was napping." He smiled again,
a little more warmth to it this time. "Thanks."

Tat shook her head, hoping he didn't notice the way her voice broke.
"Least I could do. Angelo did more." She bit the inside of her lip,
and moved closer to his bed. "I spoiled her, is all."

"She deserves it. Poor little thing." Nathan's eyes moved back to the
ceiling, unfocusing, but the look of weary regret that took shape on
his pale, drawn face was unmistakable. "I don't know sometimes how I
live with myself when I do this sort of thing to her."

"Shut up." The sudden anger was unexpected, as were the fists
that clenched at her sides. "Not the person to listen to confessions
about how sucky of a dad you are, because you're wrong. So just
don't even start."

Nathan blinked at her. After a moment, his lips twitched suspiciously.
"You just told me to shut up."

He looked like he was about to smile, and she couldn't even find the
words. She took a step back from the bed, her jaw clenched. Did he not
get what the last three weeks were like?

"Whatever." She was torn between leaving, and staying to see if he
even tried to dig himself out.

"Sorry. Just-" His jaw clenched as his attempt to shift on the bed
made it clear that the painkillers were really not an all-encompassing
thing. It took a moment to be able to think again, let alone talk, and
he was a few shades paler, beads of sweat standing out on his
forehead, when he opened his eyes again and tried to focus on her.
"Good to know you let yourself be pissed. I've wondered."

"Don't move," she said, sounding tired. Of course she sounded tired.

Because she was. Exhausted, actually. "Wondered what?" People
generally contemplating her mental state... kind of bothered her.

"If there was anger under there. I'd rather see you angry than sad."
His head was swimming. "I hate it when you're sad. Doesn't seem
right."

"I'm not sad." She shook her head. "I- I'm alright. Okay? You don't
need to worry about me." She hoped his... whatever wasn't working
enough to tell that she was lying. Yeah, she was sad. Depressed.
Whatever. "Actually, you're not allowed to worry about me. New rule."

Nathan closed his eyes, that faint smile tugging at his lips again.
"Says you. Will if I want." There was a long enough pose that Tatiana
might have been forgiven in thinking he'd drifted off to sleep,
although his deliberately shallow breathing was a good sign that he
was still awake and trying to mind his ribs. "Do you play chess? If
you don't... I'll teach you, when my head's clearer. Think I need to
look into... sedentary hobbies for a while."

"We can read. And play pictionary." She did play chess, but she really
didn't enjoy it. She'd learned it in second grade. "And says me. I can
tell you what to do right now, because I was nice enough not to give
Ray any noisy toys." No drums, nothing that played music.

Oh, he owed her.

"My head thanks you." Although it felt like there was a drum in there
right now already. "Pictionary if you want, then," he muttered, eyes
still closed. "A little later? Don't feel so good right now."

She actually paled, not that he could see that either. "Go to sleep."
She paused. "I'll stay," she whispered, knowing- god, she'd yelled at
him. He just woke up from a coma, and she'd yelled at him. "I
promise."

"So many good reasons to wake up. Nice to have one of them sitting with me."

She managed to get out a "Go to sleep-" before she started to
cry, covering her mouth with a hand so he wouldn't hear. This wasn't
how it was supposed to be. He was supposed- There was no supped too,
and she just had to remember that. There wasn't.