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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:22 pm
"Yeah, I thought they would," Lori said. He lifted his free hand again and just let it fall. He seemed a bit lost in his own body, but he wasn't about to fight his fiance holding his hand.. "That's the funny thing about death. It doesn't care." So maybe he was in a bad mood.
"You didn't have to leave work for me."
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:32 pm
Luca's eyes were still wet. His hold on Lori's hand tightened. "I did need to," he said. "Look at you. Look at him! I'd rather quit than just... Just be stacking books while either of you could be hurt or dying!"
In fact, he'd made that clear to his boss. Like hell he was going to stay when his love needed him.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:38 pm
Lori smiled softly. "I'm fine."
It was death he couldn't cure without dying. Toby wasn't dead. Not yet.
"He's been shot before. Not like this. It was just a shotgun, though. Nobody's sure what's going on..." He raised his free hand and reached for the plastic cup of water on the bedside table. Whether he'd spill it on himself or not was about a 50/50 chance.
In the other room, Dari's brow furrowed. He looked to Maia, realized she couldn't hear anything, and then looked back to Toby. He leaned over Toby's chest and listened.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:49 pm
"Maybe poison?" Luca suggested. "Silver, maybe?" Typical, human story time werewolf killers. Like vampires and crosses. Or garlic. Like fae and iron--but he'd been careful to get rid of any in his house when he'd started seeing Lori just in case.
He noticed Lori reaching and offered the cup to him.
Maia looked up. "Dari, what is it?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:58 pm
"Thank you," Lori said, and took a grateful sip, then flopped back against the stiff hospital pillow. "It's just buckshot. No silver. They didn't even shoot the girl with silver. There'd be no reason t--"
An alarm in the other room. Dari stood up. Something bad was happening to Toby's heart. Lori's head whipped to the side. "Tell them to get the ghost. Right now."
Dari took Maia's hand and held it maybe a bit too hard. The doctors rushed back in and pushed Dari and Maia out of the way, and all Dari could think was 'is this it?'
"I'm here." A voice on the air, no body to match.
"Possess him."
"What?"
"Fight for him."
Silence.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:10 pm
"They might've known." Luca managed, before the alarm flared. He looked around, in a horrified daze. Ghost? They had a ghost at HQ, too? ...apparently yes, since Lori was conversing with thin air.
"Can he help?" he asked.
Toby's heart was failing. Maia wanted to stay in there with him; but the doctors could help? Maybe? She wrapped her arms around Dari, a sob escaping her.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:36 pm
"Of the few confirmed cases of spiritual possession, we've learned that the victim can be kept for weeks without food or water. They should die, but they don't. Not for much longer." Lori coughed and grimaced.
Dari held Maia in his arms and pulled her close. He squeezed his eyes hard, willing it all to just go away and be a dream. He turned Maia away from the medical cot.
Meanwhile, the doctors pulled the sheets back and began to work. They were briefly mystified when a strange white mist found its way through the filters in Toby's oxygen mask and ran fast down his throat.
Suddenly Toby shot up into a sitting position. Little balls of metal rolled to the sheets and the floor. He coughed hard. Dari whipped around to see it.
Michael turned to Dari. "I have him." Then it seemed that Toby had control as he heaved himself back against the cot, back arching, and screamed.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:47 pm
Maia saw Tobys wounds for the first time, as she turned to look. Michael was helping; he'd saved him somehow. She moved closer to Toby, worry etched on her face. How did she help? What could she do?
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:52 pm
Through the pain, Toby looked deeply confused. His irises were a brighter blue for the bloodshot veins surrounding them. He was alive? All he could remember was falling over, thinking it was the end, and there were the medics, and Dari, and Maia. He reached out a hand for Maia, but he was weak, trembling, his breath coming in irregular gasps that clouded his oxygen mask. A doctor was injecting something into his IV line.
Dari held Maia back for just a moment until the doctors seemed finished, confused thought they may be at the sudden change in consciousness. Once they seemed sated and moved into the other room to question Lori (only one thought she recognized said bizarre mist), he let her go. Toby's hand was still raised toward Maia, but his eyes flickered up toward Dari, who laughed once despite his tears.
He didn't know what exactly had just happened, but Michael may have just saved the day.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:58 pm
Maia took Toby's hand as soon as Dari let her go. Somehow, somehow Michael had saved him. She didn't think she could ever repay him. She reached and stroked Toby's cheek. "I thought I'd lost you," she murmurred.
She very nearly had.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:07 pm
Toby said nothing, just pulled Maia to him and looked to Dari.
Dari, delighted, grinned and shook his head through the tears. "We don't know. We don't know why or how, I'm just so glad you're back."
"I'll be keeping track of your vital signs," Toby said, and then looked down at himself. He hadn't meant to say that...
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:12 pm
"Michael saved you," Maia said, still holding onto Toby. "He is saving you." She wiped at her eyes, giving Toby a small, watery smile.
She'd have to find a way to repay Michael somehow.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:17 pm
"Oh. Hey, buddy." A pause. "Hello." Michael, in Toby's voice, and then back to the body original resident: "Huh. Who'd'a thought a ghost could... my head just... mmh."
"They just gave you the good stuff. It won't hurt much longer," Dari said.
Toby nodded slightly and then looked down at his ruined gut. "I'm... gonna be okay?"
Dari didn't have a good answer that either of them would have liked.
"As soon as we figure out why you're not healing, you're right as rain."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Look. You can't see any of your intestines or anything. It's half-healed." Dari could hear Lori explaining the properties of a real spiritual possession to the doctors. Huh. Interesting.
"How's the girl?" Toby asked.
"She's getting a few stitches right now, but she's doing well."
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:33 pm
Maia kissed Toby's cheek. She'd make sure he was alright; she didn't plan on leaving his side. The morphine would probably knock him out shortly. "See? I told you you'd get better," she said. She was sure the doctors would figure it out. Hopefully soon.
"You should call Cody, Dari," Maia suggested, after a moment. "Went off about you being lost in the jungles of some country, last time I saw him." About four days ago. "I want to stay here with you," she added, looking to Toby.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 9:31 am
Toby wrapped an arm around Maia, pulling her close to the bed, and was happy to let her kiss his cheek. He'd thought he'd never wake up again... Really he'd figured the guys had somehow found out, or maybe they were paranoid, and armed up with silver bullets, but the shot laying on his sheets was definitely not silver. He kept his arm around Maia, not wanting to let go.
"Oh, right. s**t," Dari said. He'd promised Cody to tell them when they were on their way home, and here they were. Of course the circumstances were a little different than expected. He didn't want to leave Toby's side, though. What would a few extra minutes mean? "In a little bit." He leaned down and kissed Toby's shoulder.
"I love you," Toby said, and it was to the both of them.
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