Carter's War - 31. Chapter 31

Will was driving; the telephone call had come in just as he was getting ready to go. It had been quicker for him to drive Robert Avery to the hospital and he had readily agreed. The Jeep wound its way through the city streets as Robert sat with his hands folded in his lap staring at the road ahead. He hadn't said anything since he had agreed to let Will drive him to the hospital.

Will left him alone, the message had been vague; there had been some kind of accident, that Libbet and her boyfriend were all right but there were no details.

Will found that he was worried; he had grown fond of Marc, perhaps too fond of him. It made the situation complicated, and he tried to sort it out in his mind as they drove. But there were no readily available answers, the situation was simply complicated and no amount of thinking would sort it out. No matter how often you looked at a puzzle, the only way to solve it was to move pieces.

The Jeep slid to a halt on the slush in the parking lot of Scarborough General Hospital, and the two men rushed into the emergency department. Even then, when he should be panicked, Robert Avery maintained a calm discipline about himself. He walked with a deliberate purpose up to the reception and asked simply to see his daughter.

She was in his arms moments later, a mess of dark curls and tears clinging onto her father for dear life as he comforted her. To Will it was a rare display of emotion for the man, holding onto his daughter almost as tightly as she held onto him.

His eyes travelled across the hospital hall to where Marc stood, tie undone and jean jacket hanging open. He seemed lost and forgotten watching the Averys share a moment. His pale blue eyes met Will's and they looked away.

Will knew all too well what that look meant and he crossed to the young man, guiding him by the arm. "We should leave them alone for awhile," he said softly.

Marc looked up and blinked, nodding in agreement as they made their way back to the front steps of the hospital. Marc knocked a cigarette out of its pack and lit it with shaking hands. Will watched him with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Marc turned to Will, the pain evident in his eyes as he regarded Will again, a man who wouldn't let goodbye be the end. Will was a strong and quiet man who was filled with a determination and a dedication. Marc swallowed and before he knew it he was burying his head into Will's shoulder, sobbing.

Will looked down at the mass of brown hair on top of Marc's head and awkwardly put his arms around him, rubbing his shoulders to steady him. "Hey, its ok."

Marc clung on for dear life, his hands wrapping into the folds of Will's tuxedo jacket. It was as if he desperately needed Will to stay, that if he could keep Will immobile then he wouldn't be able to leave. Will just let him hold on. Was he saving a drowning man, could he be pulled under as well?

Eventually Marc stepped back and dried his eyes, breathing a heavy sigh of reluctance as he released Will's jacket. "I'm sorry..." he began.

Will took off his glasses and polished off the smudges Marc had left, "It's okay, you needed that."

Marc nodded, "Thanks."

Will shrugged picking a spot on the rail to sit on, "What happened?"

"The brakes failed," Marc said tiredly running a hand through his hair. "Libbet lost control..." he shook his head. "We're ok but the police insisted we be checked out."

Will nodded again, "Thankfully."

Marc relit his cigarette and took a ragged drag off of it, hugging his arms about him and staring vacantly down at the parking lot below them, "We broke up."

"Ahh," Will said glancing back at the doors to the hospital.

"I just couldn't do it any more..." Marc continued. "I was breaking up with her when this happened..."

Will nodded, staying quiet as he listened to the young man unload.

Marc looked back at Will, "Fuck, this is so messed up."

"Yep," Will said shrugging. "No argument here."

Marc shook his head, "You don't understand, I have no girlfriend, no home, nothing."

Will studied him a second, and glanced back into the hospital before looking back slowly, "You can stay at mine until you're sorted out." It wasn't so much an offer as a decision, Will taking charge again.

Marc blew out the smoke and relaxed slightly, "Thanks."

Will nodded, "All part of the service." He stood, "I am going to find out if I can get a cup of coffee anywhere, do you need one?"

Marc shook his head, "I'm gonna finish my smoke."

Will inclined his head, "All right," and he walked back inside.

Robert Avery had his daughter curled up on the hard plastic seats beside him as he looked up at Will, "They are just processing the last of the paper work and should discharge them both in a few minutes."

Will stuck his hands into his pockets and nodded. "Alright, I'm going to take Marc home with me, all things considered it's probably for the best." He sighed, " Do you need me to drive you both back home?"

Robert shook his head, "We'll take a cab, you go get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do on Monday, announce the merger, and then there is the shareholder's meeting on Tuesday. I am going to need you ready to go." His hand brushed his daughter's hair absently; knowing she was alive allowed his thoughts to once again drift towards work. "It's been a very long week."

Will smiled tiredly, "Not over yet, but we will get through it."

Robert nodded his head, "We will."