“I never thought I’d be so happy to see you.” with hamburr? :D
hey this got out of fucking control
Burrcomes to in an ambulance and for a moment there is only wild confusion, likewaking into someone else’s dream, and then the pain hits. He can’t even tellwhere it originates, only that it’s there,a savage, snarling thing in his chest, his stomach, his legs, his head,everywhere. There’s a noise, a wounded animal’s keen, and it takes Burr amoment before he realizes the noise is coming from him. Shit.
“He’scoming to. Aaron, can you hear me? Aaron?”
Avoice, somewhere above him, and Burr tries to turn his head, to look, but themotion – the thought of the motion – sends more pain through his body.
“We’realmost there, buddy. Almost there.”
Burrcomes to again in a hospital bed with an IV drip in his arm and whatever’s inthe IV is the best thing ever, because he’s floating above the pain, now. Heopens his eyes – they feel heavy, gritty - and looks around. There’s a gentlebeep of a heart rate monitor, and movement beyond his bed’s curtains, voices.He looks down, sees his leg in a cast that goes up to his knee. Something’swrapped around his ribs, too, and Burr can’t breathe too deeply. He’s in some god-awfulflimsy robe, and his binder’s gone, and the curtains around his bed flutter,insincere walls.
Thebeeps of the heart rate monitor increase as Burr shifts ever-so-cautiously,trying to move, trying to figure out what the fuck is going on –
“Knockknock,” says a voice outside the curtain, and then it shifts before Burr hastime to respond. A nurse bustles in, dressed in Winnie the Pooh scrubs. Burrmight have made some wry comment, considering the nurse in question was easilysix feet tall and could probably bench press Burr, but given the circumstances(him, helpless in a bed and seriously fucked up; the nurse, none of thosethings).
“I’mHercules. How’re we feeling, Aaron?”
“Better,”Burr croaks, then adds, “nice scrubs.”
“TheBambi pair were in the wash,” says Hercules, and laughs at his own joke, andthe laugh is genuine enough that Burr almost smiles.“What happened to me?” Burr asks as Hercules wraps a blood pressure cuff aroundhis arm, makes some note on a chart.
“Caraccident. Not your fault. The doctor will be around soon, he’ll talk more aboutwhat happened.”
Herculestakes Burr’s temperature, asks him a few simple questions (when’s yourbirthday, what’s 2 plus 7, who’s the current president of the United States;Burr only hesitates on the last one because no matter how often he has to sayit, it still feels like some sort of cosmic joke).
”Allright Aaron, Dr. Hamilton will be with you shortly,” Hercules says, fussingwith Burr’s covers and then slipping back out of the curtains.
Burr’salmost asleep when he hears the clatter of the curtain drawing open again, andin comes the doctor, balancing a chart and a coffee cup the size of his head.Burr squints at the doctor as he puts the cup on a small wheeled stand.Something about the doctor’s hair, unkempt even in its ponytail, the eyes…whatwas his name? Hercules had said…
“Hello,I’m Dr. Hamilton, we’re gonna get you fixed…” the doctor trails off, and Burralmost laughs.
“Inever thought I’d be so happy to see you, Alex,” Burr says. Hamilton blinks fora second, and then the recognition dawns.
“Wellfuck me,” says Hamilton, and Burr bites his tongue to keep from saying, I would have, if you’d ever called me.
“Soyou’re a doctor now,” he says instead, a bit stupid, because, well, obviously.
“ThatI am,” Hamilton says, and begins to examine Burr’s leg, flips the sheets backto look at his ribs. Burr watches his fingers move across the bandages and canfeel the slightest pressure there. He grits his teeth and looks away.
“AmI hurting you?” Hamilton asks.
“No,I just…hate these fucking gowns. No privacy.”
“SorryAaron. Can’t do much about the gowns, but we’ll get you in a room soon.”
Hamiltondraws back, replaces the covers, and makes another note on his chart.
“Howbad is it?’ Burr asks.
“Notas bad as it looks. You broke your fibula and a couple of ribs in the wreck. You’llbe off your feet for a month or more, unfortunately. The ribs will heal upfaster. Could have been a lot worse.”
“He’sgot a concussion, and is scraped up, but otherwise fine. Drunk off his assthough, but you know the saying: god looks after fools, drunks, and children.Police are talking to him now.”
Burrproves adept at handling pain, and soon his painkiller intake is reduced. Thenight before he’s set to be released he can’t sleep so he stays up watching 30Rock reruns, volume so low he can barely hear the jokes. There’s a soft knockon his door and Hamilton slips in.
“Everythingokay?” Burr asks, suddenly convinced Hamilton’s here to tell him they’ve foundsomething horrible in the latest round of tests, so horrible he needs to tellthis to Burr at 1 AM.
“Yeah,fine. I’m off duty now. Just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“You’vegot your physical therapy appointments set up?”
“Yes.First one is Wednesday.”
“Angelicawill kick your ass into walking shape in no time. Tell her I said hi.”
Silence,save for the low drone of the TV. Hamilton shifts, nervous.
“Ilost your number, you know,” he says, “I was drunk, and my dumb ass lost it. Iasked around at the bar but no one really knew you. I looked for you onFacebook too, couldn’t find you.”
“Ithought about you a lot. Most people don’t call me out on my shit. You didn’teven know me, and you did.”
Burr’squiet. He’s thought about the night a lot too, more than he should have. Ithadn’t been much – drinking, talking about…well, everything, more drinking, a makeout session in the alley that had left Burr dizzy – but in the silent weeksafterward Burr wondered what they could have been. Wondered why Hamilton hadn’tcalled, wondered if him being trans had spooked Hamilton (he hadn’t seemed shitty, but Burr had seen plenty of guys react in plenty of ways, plenty of them shitty). Wondered why he hadn’t gotten Hamilton’s damn number himself.
“Justthought you should know,” says Hamilton, “and, well, if you’re still giving outyour number…”
“IfI give you my number,” Burr says, “will you let me go to sleep?”
Hamiltonpulls out his phone and Burr recites the number. His phone dings as Hamiltontexts him.
“Nowyou’re got mine, too.”
Burradds the number to his phone.
Sallyarrives the next morning to pick him up. Burr’s in a wheelchair until he canget approval for a stability boot, and it’s awkward going. Another doctor – notHamilton, Hamilton’s off – reviews Burr’s paperwork a final time, going over symptomsto be aware of, possible interactions between his painkillers and histestosterone. Burr promises he’ll call at the slightest sign of any negativeinteraction.
Herculeswheels him out to the curb where Sally’s car sits waiting, helps him into thepassenger side door. Today’s scrubs are Bambi, and Burr wonders where, exactly,Hercules finds these.
“Drivesafe,” Hercules says, and Sally starts the car, merges out on to the road, andthe hospital disappears behind them. Burr’s phone buzzes.
Hetexts back, Yeah, everything went fine.
Hamiltontexts back about six grinning emojis and a thumbs up.
Burr’sback home, settled in a chair with his laptop when his phone rings, the name Alexander Hamilton flashing across thehome screen. Burr picks up.
“Itchy,but not too bad. I’ve got a good setup here.”
Apause. Burr can hear Hamilton’s breathing, ever so soft. His heart beats just abit faster.
“SoAaron. Now that you’re no longer my patient, I’d like to take you out.Somewhere nicer than that gross bar. Cloth napkins nice.”
“Ithink a redo is in order. Except, we do everything better. Nicer place. Quieter.What do you say?”