by Toni Griffin
"What happened?" Archie asked, unsure he actually wanted to know. Bits and pieces of that horrible night were slowly coming back to him.
"I managed to track down where Bates had taken you, and we got you out of there and took care of Bates. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to stop him from taking you in the first place," Adze said, the man sounded heartbroken.
"Not your fault," Archie croaked out as another tear slid down his cheek. "I told you not to follow me."
"You should know I'd do anything to keep you safe. You're my Cor Coeunt. That means I'll always be looking out for you, whether you like it or not," Adze said, then leaned down and placed a tender kiss on Archie's forehead, before sitting back up again. "We thought we had a lead on Bates, but it was a distraction so he could grab you. I was just in time to see him shove you in the back of his car and take off with you. I chased him through the streets, but eventually the car was too fast for me."
Archie could see the pain in Adze's features as he told him what had happened. He wanted to hold the man but wasn't sure he was up to that.
Adze glanced toward the door, then looked back at Archie, he lowered his voice and said, "The police are here and want to talk to you when you're up for it."
Archie had a feeling he would have to talk to several people like that. You couldn't get kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer and not have to talk to the police.
"If you could not mention the whole hellhound-nephilim angle, that would be greatly appreciated."
Archie snorted.
"Who'd believe me anyway?" he asked, grinning. Hell, he barely believed it, and he'd seen Adze shift right in front of his eyes.
Adze grinned at him and winked. "I would. As would several others."
"You don't count, and what others?"
"There are certain police that do know who we are and what we do."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then why aren't they the ones that are here?" Archie asked quietly.
"Because sometimes it's best for all involved if we let things progress without interference. The appropriate people have been notified, and if the case looks like it's heading in a direction that's dangerous for us, those people will step in and take measures."
"Ahhh. That's understandable I suppose."
Just then the door swung open, and a man in blue scrubs with a white coat walked in. He had a stethoscope around his neck and smiled at Archie when he realised he was awake. The doctor walked to the end of Archie's bed and picked up his chart. He looked over a few things before placing it back in its holder.
"It's great to see you awake. You gave us quite the scare when you were brought in."
"Sorry about that," Archie said, not quite sure why he was apologising.
"Archie, this is Doctor Hope. He saved your life," Adze said, letting Archie know just how bad he'd been, though the doctor waved their praise away.
"Let's take a look at some of your wounds," he said as he stepped up next to the bed.
Adze climbed off the bed but took Archie's good hand in his own. Adze's palm was warm and comforting.
"Would you like your friend to wait outside while I examine you?" the doc asked Archie.
"I'm not leaving," Adze said, his voice lowering slightly to a growl. Archie squeezed his hand to let him know to cool it.
"No, it's fine, I want him to stay."
The doc nodded, grabbed a pair of gloves out of the boxes on the wall and snapped them into place easily. He then peeled the covers back off the bed and lay them on Archie's lower legs. He lifted Archie's gown to be able to get to his stomach and chest.
Archie gasped and blushed when he realised he wasn't wearing anything under the gown. The fact that he'd been naked hadn't even crossed his mind.
"It's okay," Adze whispered as he squeezed Archie's hand in support.
The doctor didn't seem to pay his groin any mind, and he studied the rest of Archie. His entire midsection was covered in gauze and tape and bandages. He looked almost like a mummy.
His arms and legs, from what he could see were also covered in bandages. His right hand hurt like a bitch and was very heavily bandaged with just the tips of his fingers poking out.
The doctor palpated the skin around the bandages on his midsection, causing Archie to grunt in pain and tighten his hold on Adze.
Adze's features were hard as stone, and he glared at the doc.
"You're going to be extremely tender for some time. A lot of these cuts were quite deep," he told Archie as he set about carefully removing the gauze from several of the wounds so he could inspect the sites.
Archie gasped as he saw some of the wounds for the first time.
"How many?" he asked, trying to hold back more tears, he looked like Frankenstein's monster.
"You have roughly three hundred stitches in your body from all the wounds," the doc answered sombrely.
Archie nodded. Not sure what he should or could say to that. His skin was currently being held together by little black pieces of cotton. He placed his head back on the pillow, not wanting to see anything more.
Adze leaned down and placed a kiss on Archie's lips.
"This doesn't change how I see you or who you are to me. You're still the most beautiful man I've ever seen," Adze whispered.
Archie couldn't help it as the tears flowed. He didn't know if he believed Adze or not.
He lay there as the doctor looked at his wounds, occasionally pressing on extremely tender places, causing Archie to hiss in pain.
When he was finally finished, the doc redressed everything, covered Archie back up, and took his gloves off.
"Well, I can't see any signs of tearing. A couple of the sites are a little red and inflamed, which I'm not happy with, we'll keep an eye on them and up your antibiotics. The last thing you need is an infection on top of everything else," Dr. Hope told Archie.
"How long until I can go home?" he asked, wanting to get out of here and just go home and curl in a ball and cry.
"I'd like to keep you for a few more nights at least, could be up to a week, we need to rule out any sign of infection. We also need to wait for the swelling to go down in your hand, so we can X-ray it again and decide if surgery is needed to fix the damage done." Dr. Hope offered a tense smile. "If that's the case you might be here quite a bit longer, as we won't want to perform any kind of surgery so close after such a massive blood loss. Your body needs time to heal before it's put through more trauma. Now that you're awake, I've asked Dr. Temple to consult on this case. She should be down to speak with you in regards to what you went through in the next day or two."
Archie nodded, he didn't really want to talk to anyone about what happened to him, but he knew he was going to have to. As much as he wanted to go home, he was in so much pain right now he knew he had to stay where he was. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Archie didn't want to break down again in front of the doctor, or Adze for that matter, but it was a losing battle as tears filled his eyes.
"You're going to be extraordinarily tender for some time, as I said. It will take a while before you regain your previous strength, could be anywhere up to six months."
Archie's eyes widened. "Six months?" he asked aghast.
Dr. Hope nodded. "He sliced through your skin and into muscles all over your body, you lost a great deal of blood. It's a miracle you didn't go into cardiac arrest. Once we release you, it's bed rest for a few weeks, then there's going to be physical therapy needed to help you strengthen those muscles he damaged."
Archie nodded. He had a long road ahead of him, but at least he was alive.
"I'll be back to check and see how you're doing a little later," the doctor said as he headed for the door. "If the pain gets to be too much, press the buzzer, the nurse will come and assess your paid med levels, and increase it if need be." He smiled kindly at Archie. "Oh, and there's a couple of police officers that would like to talk to you about the events of Sunday night. Are you up to talking with them?"
Archie wanted to say no, he didn't really want to see anyone right now but doubted they'd go away just because Archie wanted them to. Reluctantly he nodded, giving the doc permission.
Doctor Hope left, promising he'd be back to see Archie before he left for the day. Archie turned to Adze.
"What about work?" Archie asked, he had two jobs he currently worked and couldn't really afford to not attend either of them.
"Your mum called both of your works on Monday and explained what happened. They both wish you a speedy recovery and ask that you call when you're up to it."
"My mum?" Archie gasped, not realising his parents had been here.
"Yep, met your mum and your dad Sunday night." Adze grinned at him. "Nice people. We've been invited over for a roast dinner just as soon as you're better."
He waggled his eyes at Archie, who couldn't help but smile. The thought of Adze meeting his parents kinda terrified him a little. Especially seeing as how he still didn't know exactly where he stood with Adze.
"Where are they?"
"Your parents headed home to change and get something to eat, before coming straight back. They should be here shortly I would think. They've been gone about an hour or so now."
"Did anyone call Amal?" he asked. His roommate was probably going nuts. This was the second time in a matter of weeks where Archie hadn't come home after work, with no contact to let him know not to worry.
"Yeah, I called him Monday morning, after we knew you were going to be okay, and after talking with your mum to get his number. He's been up twice, but you were unconscious. He messaged me this morning to let me know he was going to pop by again this afternoon after he finishes work."
Just then the door to his room opened again, and in walked a couple of cops, a very well put together woman and a scruffy looking man.
"Mr. Smith," the woman said.
Archie took far too long to figure out who she was talking to. Adze had never mentioned his surname before. Archie wanted to chuckle a little at it. How boring and mundane was Smith? He wondered who chose that when they came to earth. Then the officer's words broke through his thoughts.
"Would you mind giving us some privacy for a couple of minutes so we can talk to Mr. Hennings?"
Archie squeezed Adze's hand hard, he really didn't want Adze to leave him. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so needy, just that he wanted Adze close to him. Adze ran a hand through Archie's hair, pushing it back from his face, then kissed him again. He whispered to Archie when they were close.
"It's okay, I feel the same way. I'm not going far. I'll be right outside that door. You need anything, just call my name, and I'll be back in a flash, I promise." He kissed Archie again. "These are the good guys, you can trust them."
Archie nodded. He'd never really had a reason not to trust a cop, but with everything he'd been through he was just feeling a little vulnerable and exposed right now. Reluctantly Archie released the grip he'd had on Adze's hand, and he walked out the door. The monitor beside the bed beeped a couple of times as Archie's heartbeat increased with Adze's exit.
"Are you okay, Mr. Hennings?" the lady cop asked him.
Archie nodded, trying to tell himself he wasn't in any danger, that Adze was right there if he should need him. When he finally felt like he could talk he turned and faced the cops.
"What would you like to know?"
* * * * *
Adze opened the door to the penthouse, then slowly pushed Archie inside. The wheelchair had been borrowed from a medical supply store for a few weeks. Archie's muscles were stiff and sore, and he wasn't able to walk or move without significant pain. His arm had been cast that morning and currently sat in a sling held tight against his chest.
The place was silent.
Adze wasn't used to it being so quiet, but with the death of Bates, that freed the team up to go deal with the Djinn wreaking havoc in Brissy, from there they'd been called first to Adelaide and then to Sydney. They should be home in the next day or so.
Between Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney they'd been gone a week and a half.
Adze had to do some pretty fast-talking to convince Archie to come back to the penthouse with him instead of going back to his own place. But once the doctor had told Archie that he'd need help at home for several days and Amal would be working, Adze insisted Archie come stay with him.
Bob and Noreen had offered Archie to stay with them while he recuperated, but Archie had thankfully declined their invitation. A sliver of satisfaction coiled around Adze when Archie wanted to stay with him, though he wished it'd been under better circumstances. Still, his mate wanted Adze to take care of him.
Adze pushed Archie through the living room.
"Can't we sit on the couch and watch TV?" Archie asked.
"Nope, doctor's orders, straight to bed with you." Adze stood firm, he was going to follow the doctor's orders to the letter as he wanted his mate back healthy as soon as possible. They had an appointment later that week to take Archie back and get the rest of his stitches removed. The ones from his arms, legs and upper chest had been removed over the last couple of days. Adze wasn't looking forward to that, but it needed to be done.
"But I'll be bored!" Archie all but whined.
Adze had to stop himself from grinning. "You won't be bored. I have electronics in my room. We can watch Netflix, or Stan, or even Amazon Prime. And if you don't like anything that's on any of those, then we have a whole DVD collection you can look through and pick something out."
Archie reluctantly agreed and allowed Adze to push him the rest of the way to Adze's bedroom.
The room was a mess, in the week all he'd done is come home to change. There were dirty clothes on the floor where he'd flung them, the sheets of the bed were messy and rumpled.
"Well, someone's not afraid of a messy room." Archie grinned at him as Adze picked Archie up out of the chair and gently placed him on the edge of the bed.
"You're not allowed to give me shit for the state of my room. I was worried to death over you," Adze harped. He knelt down and started taking off Archie's shoes.
Archie went silent above him, and Adze glanced up to make sure everything was okay. Archie looked like he was on the verge of tears. Adze quickly leaned up and placed his hands on either side of Archie's face.
"Shhh. I'm sorry. You're safe now, we'll get through this," Adze promised. What he wanted to do was go down to Hell, find Bates, and torture the mother fucker for the rest of eternity for what he did to Archie.
The tears started to flow, and Archie looked so sad.
"It's okay, let it out," Adze said, as he slowly stood then carefully reclined Archie back on his bed.
"Don't…leave…me…" Archie said between sobs.
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Adze pulled off his own shoes, not caring where they landed and crawled onto the bed. He lay down next to Archie and tenderly pulled the man into his arms.
Archie curled up against Adze's chest, Adze wrapped his arms around his mate's back and rubbed in soothing circles as Archie fell apart. His quiet sobs broke Adze's heart.
Adze lost track of time as they lay there together. Eventually, the sobs petered out, and Archie drifted off to sleep. That was the best thing for him right now, his body needed rest and time to heal. And Adze planned to make sure his mate got it.
"I'm sorry," Archie whispered some time later.
"Hey, none of that," Adze replied, his hands still moving in soothing patterns on Archie's back.
"I'm sorry you got saddled with me as a Cor Coeunt." Archie's voice was so low Adze wouldn't have heard him if he hadn't been a hellhound.
Adze placed a finger under Archie's chin and gently lifted the man's head until Adze could look him in the eyes.
"You get that kind of thinking out of your head right now."
"But I'm broken," Archie whispered.
Adze had to fight back the tears at the utter devastation in his mate's voice. He placed a gentle kiss to Archie's lips then
pulled back.
"You're not broken," Adze stated. "You've been through a horrific ordeal, but we will get through this."
Archie didn't say anything, his eyes welling with tears again. Adze pulled Archie in close, careful not to jostle Archie's broken arm too much.
"We just need to give it time. It's not going to happen overnight," Adze said quietly, calmly. "First thing, we get your body healed, then we can work on the rest."
"Please don't leave me," Archie mumbled into Adze chest.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere," Adze promised, a slight chuckle in his voice. "I'm probably going to piss you off so badly you'll wish I would leave you. But if there's one thing you can count on for the rest of your life, it's that no matter where you are, I'll be right there by your side."
"Thank you," Archie whispered.
Eventually, Archie rolled over, and Adze cuddled his mate from behind as they lay in bed and watched Netflix until Archie once again fell asleep.
Adze kissed his mate's shoulder, careful not to wake him.
"Love you, Archibald Hennings."
They had a long road ahead of them, but Adze was willing to do whatever he needed to make sure his Cor Coeunt was safe and happy for the rest of their lives. He flicked the TV off and closed his eyes. He inhaled the sweet scent of his mate and drifted asleep, happy in the knowledge his Archie was safe and in his arms.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Archie stepped out of the psychiatrist's office feeling good and at peace today. His appointments with Doctor Theron had been extremely difficult at first, as he relived what had happened to him. Being kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer wasn't something you just got over, like a sprained ankle. But, Adze had rescued him, and been by Archie's side for every step of his recovery so far, no matter how big or small those steps had been.
His job at the accounting firm was being held for him, he'd been placed on leave without pay once all his sick leave had been used. As for the restaurant, they couldn't hold his position. Archie hadn't expected them to either.