thankful, so incredibly beyond thankful for the hand in his own, for sam's insistence almost makes him tear up again. except, no, wait, that's the pain. the pain in his gut and the lingering ache in his head and just how fucking exhausted he is, being poked and prodded and losing more blood. 

how much of this do i have? he thinks. sam would probably know. eden too. 

he narrows his eyes at her when she very clearly puts him in his place, but there's something sparkling in those beat-down eyes of his. because he's missed her and her dry humor and the way she just doesn't give a shit. 

and it's nice, for a moment, until sam moves in for a low blow. knox makes a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat, mostly because he's at a loss for words, and there's betrayal stinging his features because it's like a slap in the face. 

i don't deserve this. 

"i don't feel anything," he says glumly to her, but his wincing says otherwise. his white-knuckled hand in sam's own, fingers digging, says it too. 

samuel carter

☉

knox pointedly being knox about the whole thing has sam frowning. he's likely done something wrong again and he's not sure what to do. does he just, let knox have his fit? will knox get over it? will he run away again? why can't he just run to sam?

eden's dry humor was a reprieve. sam doesn't smile, too worried about the blood loss, and then she asks him about the iv...and he doesn't even hesitate to answer her.

"my gardevoir retrieved it from the local hospital."

he stole it. he stole the ivs, eden.

knox prescott

"yes, lilycove. where dr. Rory Faust works."

he knew rory, rory suggested his therapy and had helped him heal from the wounds due to the groudon fiasco. he furrows his brows in mild concern, suddenly wondering if the world was a small as he feared it was.

"...you, are employed there, aren't you?"

perhaps the tension in the room gave it away, or the fact that she had nearly guessed with asking what city.

Eden

eden doesn't stand just yet and sam is thankful, so he stands first and offers to help her stand. it's polite, he's a guy raised by a woman who said to respect others first so they would respect him.

"thank you." he speaks for himself, for knox. because he wasn't sure if she got them from knox because he was, well, knox. which to sam, is fine. he can show gratitude for them as a... thing.

knox hadn't confirmed they were partners, so he wouldn't stretch them that far.

"if there is anything you need, anything at all, don't hesitate to contact me." he went to reach into his pocket but, no pants leave him blinking at his boxer briefs. "i... am so sorry, i've been indecent this whole first impression."

he glances around and finds his wallet, fishing his wallet out and holding out a card to her. his business card.

Eden

"ow." his complaining doesn't get much sympathy. not from the doctor working on his face, and not from the boy who's suddenly invested in establishing a relationship with the doctor working on his face. knox tries to get a few quips in edgewise while they talk, but when nothing sticks and he doesn't get the attention he needs, he sulks. 

"yes, mom," knox says, stopping his tongue before he can proudly declare that he hasn't even slept with sam once. funny how it's really only a brag when it's coming from the likes of him. 

he wants her to stay, wants to ask her about this new job, and about her boyfriend, and about how she's been, even though she looks like shit, but he's selfish. it's easier to let her leave and to let the distance lapse and it's easier for him to be around someone who wants him around. 

so he says, "thank you, eden. i'm..." he pauses and looks at sam, "in good hands."

samuel carter

☉

sam holds his said 'good hands' up in mock surrender. his face lacks emotions, stoic and honest.

"good hands which i will be keeping to myself unless the doctor says otherwise. my hands, pointedly, do not roam unless given consent."

he remembers back to their first date, first dinner, when knox mentioned he had roaming hands and sam had taken a second to realize what it meant before being flattered and amused by the notion.

knox prescott Eden

knox snorts at sam's comment and then consequently swears under his breath. he's also cursing eden in his head because he knows why she won't give him any real painkillers, but still, this must be considered cruel and unusual punishment. she'd give them to anyone else. 

and then she leans over and kisses him on the forehead and says that dumb thing that brings tears to his eyes for the millionth time today. and he melts a little bit because for a moment, it's like they're kids again, and all that bad stuff has yet to happen, and everything's okay.

"thank you," he mumbles, but he says it too softly for her to hear.  

samuel carter

☉

when eden beckons him, he turns to knox and smiles. he doesn't hesitate to lean down and give his stitches a kiss. yes, it's gross. because yes, they were bleeding. but knox can't really feel it, and he knows it'll at least make knox think of something besides how in pain he is emotionally and physically.

on his way toward eden he gave captain a little nuzzle and then followed her as she asked him to. a thought is given and his gardevoir teleports into the room.

"she's telepathic. just think of a spot, take her hand, and she'll take you." his eyes soften and he gives eden a genuine smile, weak, vulnerable. "...thank you, miss eden."

Eden knox prescott