Words In The Wind (Koe-chan and Zombie_In_A_Box) [possibly 18+]

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The doctor glanced back and smiled softly, nodding a bit before leaving the two of them alone. An hour or so passed before Annabeth began waking. She squeezed Beckett's arm a bit tighter before yawning, opening her eyes groggily. It took her a few moments to catch up to what was going on, but once she did, her gaze shot up to Beck. "H-Hey, were there any up... Updates?" She asked shakily, her voice hoarse from the crying. Her head felt heavy... God, she really hated headaches from crying.

[BlaqueCatt]

The brunette had just managed to doze off again when Annabeth squeezed his arm. His eyes flew open and he was instantly alert, turning to face her. He smiled shakily, unsure of the best way to tell her what was going on. "Um...the doctor said that there were a...a few complications. H-his spine might have been injured in the crash...They're trying to restore his ability to walk, but they...they don't know if he'll regain full control..." As he spoke, his voice had caught in his throat and his eyes had started watering again.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Annabeth listened with wide eyes, unwilling to believe that. At some point, he heard laughter - it took even longer to figure out it was her. Laughter that started out quiet and turned hysterical, although by then it wasn't obvious wether she was laughing or sobbing. She hid her face into her hands, the news so riddiculously unreal she couldn't take it. She must've looked insane. It took her a while to get herself together, her head pounding. "I... He always tells others to drive carefully, and now-..." The blonde began chuckling again, but this time the smile slowly died down and she was left crying, muttering quiet, meaningless sentences, her hands trembling in her lap. Situations like this really took their toll on her...

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett's doe brown eyes widened comically, and he felt his heart begin to race unevenly as panic settled in. Annabeth's reaction was far from what he had expected, and he had no idea of how to console her. In fact, her laughter was only serving to fuel his own anxiety. His chest felt tight, and his entire body started to tremble. His hands shook, and his right leg began to bounce up and down repeatedly. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. "A-Annabeth..." He reached out to her, then recoiled and fisted his hand into his hair, tugging at it and biting his lip. He hadn't had an attack like this since he was a teenager. "I...I need to...use the restroom." He staggered to his feet, swaying as he made his way towards the other side of the room. He spotted the doctor from earlier and stopped in front of her. "She...Annabeth needs someone to look after her while I'm gone." His tone was pleading, and a wave of dizziness overcame him as he stumbled past her and into the bathroom. He manged to lock a stall door behind him before collapsing, dropping his head into his lap and struggling to breathe.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Annabeth didn't register Beckett leaving as she half sobbed, half laughed. She seemed crazy, at the least. The idea of Alexander being paralyzed just seemed so hilarious... At the same time, another part of her brain was trying to explain how it was sad.

 

The doctor only managed to catch a glampse of Beck, nodding absentmindedly as she went through some documents. Instead of going there herself, she caught an intern and told her to go and sit with Annabeth until she got back from surgery. The young woman seemed uncomfortable to be around Annabeth in such state, but gently tried calming her down either way.

 

Meanwhile, another doctor noticed Beckett rushing into the bathroom. As he didn't exactly seem fine, the man decided to check. Gently knocking on the door, the doctor pushed one hand into the pocket of his coat. "Excuse me, are you alright?" He called out, his voice calm and soothing.

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett almost didn't hear the doctor outside of the door. It was ironic, given Alexander's condition, but he was paralyzed, his panic overwhelming him. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure that everyone around him could hear it, and there was a sharp ringing in his ears, reverberating through his skull and making him feel as though he was going to faint. He was kneeling on the cold tiled floor, one hand tugging harshly at his hair while the fingers of his other hand dug into the ground. Pain was the only thing that could draw him out of such a state. He couldn't think straight; it was if a wall had appeared and was blocking his mind. He was stuck, stuck, stuck. His entire body was shaking, and his chest heaved with silent sobs. Annabeth had appeared crazed with her laughter, but it was as if Beckett was possessed. However, before he could start clawing at his face and arms, he heard a man's voice. He immediately froze, holding his breath, not wanting anyone to find him like this. He was a grown man, not a teenager...but he couldn't stop.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The doctor let out a quiet sigh as he got no response, crouching down in front of the door. "I know you're in there. Can you tell me your name?" He asked cautiously, finally sitting down on the ground to get comfortable. "I'm doctor Karev, by the way. You can call me Alex if you want." The man introduced himself, running a hand over his hair quickly. He waited for any kind of reply, tugging on his scrubs to get rid of the wrinkles. Glancing around, the man let out a quiet, barely audible sigh. His consciousness didn't let him walk away from someone who was clearly in some kind of trouble, he just had to help. Hell, that was who he was.

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett bit the inside of his lip when the doctor introduced himself. He had the same name as Alexander... For some reason unknown to him, the brunette found himself replying. "My name is Beckett." He swallowed, taking a moment to clear his throat so it was less obvious that he had been crying. "I-I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I'll...I'll be leaving soon." His voice still shook, and his eyes were closed as he breathed erratically, still lightly tugging at his hair. "I just...I just needed a moment to myself. I'm sorry." His voice cracked and he hung his head, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. "I'm sorry."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The doctor let out a relieved breath when he got a response, getting a little bit more comfortable. As he opened his mouth to assure the other it would be alright, he continued speaking... And apologized. "There's nothing you need to apologize for. You can stay there as long as you need to, as long as it helps you feel better." The doctor smiled slightly to himself, looking around the bathroom. "You wanna share what happened to make you feel like this? It could help." He spoke, gaze falling on one of the sinks.

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett shook his head, then remembered that the doctor couldn't see him. He took in a deep breath, his eyes closed and his face buried in his arms. "N-no," he murmured, sniffling in an attempt to keep his sleeves from getting wet. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and he was leaning back against the toilet, trying to focus on his breathing. The lightheadedness had faded, as as he spent more time sitting in silence, his panic faded and was replaced by exhaustion, a tiredness so severe that he found himself becoming numb. This was the part that was even scarier than losing himself to his panic. "O-other people see friends hurt...but they don't act like this," he whispered to himself, unsure if the other could hear him or not.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The man let out a quiet sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "That's fine too. I'm just gonna stay here, okay?" He muttered, looking around again. Man, bathrooms were boring as hell. In the silence, everything Beckett muttered could be heard perfectly. "Other people aren't you... Besides, there are some who act like you. It's harder for some to deal with this stuff, it's normal." The doctor smiled to himself, staring at his fingertips. "Everyone has something they react to more than others. Just like everyone has fears." The man spoke, closing his eyes at last.

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett listened quietly, mulling over the others' words. He had a feeling that the doctor was right, but he had closed himself off and was unwilling to accept any reassurances. "...aren't I keeping you from your work?" He asked softly, resting his forehead on his knees and gazing blankly at the floor. "I'm sure you have better things to do than sit here doing nothing." And listening to someone like me.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The doctor sighed as he finally heard a reply. Certainly, it wasn't too satisfactory. "I'm not doing nothing, though. I'm listening to you, and I'm trying to help. That's basically my work... Just that I don't have my hands in you, trying to fix something inside your body." Alex chuckled, the smile slowly dying out. "If you don't want me here, just say so... I really do want to help, though. It'd be a whole lot easier if I could see you, too."

[BlaqueCatt]

Several seconds passed before Beckett spoke again. "Thank you, but...I don't think there's anything you can do." His tone was dull and empty, the volume barely above a whisper. "People have tried, but it's never worked. And besides, I'm not the one who needs help. Mr. Black...Alexander..." He paused for a moment, his voice having cracked, and swallowed a few times. "He was the one in an accident, not me. And Annabeth...I left her alone because I couldn't handle it..." He burrowed his fingers into his hair and ducked his head. "I can't do anything. I can't do my job correctly. I can't talk to people. I can't make friends. I can't do anything."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The man opened his mouth to talk, but decided to let Beckett finish after all. With a quiet sigh slipping past his lips, the doctor let his eyes close once more. "Well, first of all... Just because some people tried to help and it didn't work doesn't mean you've got to stop trying. You fall down, you stand up once more, that's what we tell each other here." The man paused for a moment, a small smile on his face. "You do need help, if you didn't you wouldn't be locked in a bathroom, talking to me like that. It's okay to take care of yourself, to do what you need or want... Other people can take care of themselves, they know how to. And you know how to take care of yourself." Alex opened his eyes, slowly standing up. "Now... I have no idea where you work or what you do, but I can tell you that you are, indeed, talking to a person. And... I seriously doubt you don't have friends. The woman, Annabeth, is she not your friend?" He questioned, leaning against the wall. "Come out now, let me seriously help you."

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett felt fresh, hot tears gathering in his eyes as the doctor spoke. The words tugged at his heart, but he was afraid to face the emotions they stirred within him. It would be so much easier to walk away, to forget this interaction had ever happened, to continue living as he had been. He took a deep, shuddering breath, then hastily wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He felt foolish, and his face was flushed with embarrassment; he was an adult, and yet he was acting like a teenager. After a few moments of silence, he stood up and unlocked the door, but didn't go out. "Why do you want to help me?"

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Alexander smiled in relief when he heard the door unlock and slowly pushed the door open himself after hearing the question. "Because I'm a doctor, that's what we do." He smiled, holding one hand out for the other, waiting for him to take it. "Alright... Beckett, you said you were here because someone you know got into an accident, right? Have you had any news?" The brunet asked softly, looking into the other's eyes. "Go and wash your face a bit, it'll help."

[BlaqueCatt]

The young man jumped when the doctor opened the door, looking up at him with wide brown eyes. His pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he averted eye contact, wringing his hands together in front of him. An apology was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back. Maybe he's right...maybe I should let people help me. He sighed softly. "Um...th-they said he might not be able to walk again..." He blinked to refrain from crying again, slipping past the doctor and walking over to the sinks. He splashed a bit of water on his face, sniffling, before drying with a paper towel.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

The man stared at his hand for a while after Beckett slipped past, shaking his head before he turned around. "See, might is the keyword here. I might get a call about winning ten million dollars, but that doesn't mean it'll happen... Though it'd be nice." The brunet laughed quietly, smiling afterwards. "Either way, even if he loses the ability to walk... There are a lot of people who live on, they have normal lives. Besides, I bet Sheppard's working on him, and he can do anything." Alex smiled widely, pushing his hands into his pockets.

[BlaqueCatt]

Beckett knew that the doctor was only trying to make him feel better by lightening up the situation, but his words bothered him, and it was a few moments before he replied. I guess they have to act like this, or else they couldn't handle all of the stress... "I know that...but it doesn't really make me feel any better." He gave the other man a tiny smile, though it was clearly forced. "I'm worried about him, and I won't stop being worried until I see him again." He didn't know why he cared so much about his boss of only two weeks, but he felt like they had a lot in common. He wasn't usually a pessimist, but when he was under too much pressure his anxiety returned with a vengeance, and depending on how drastic the situation was, he occasionally couldn't bring himself out of it as quickly as he'd like to. It was a mental illness that he had never received treatment for, with either medicine or therapy, and it was hard for him to explain to others why he reacted the way he did. "I want to do more, but I know that I can't." His smile became bitter, then faded. "I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me, but I shouldn't take up any more of your time." He made his way towards the door, his chest aching and his stomach rolling.