Day Terrors And Nightmares

Robert had sent Khaat's most devoted friends to rescue her from harm when he himself could not go. She had given him as much of herself as she could give before she had been taken in order that he would not be killed from the wounds that Luther Burke had inflicted upon him that morning. He had not seen Khaat since. Still, that indescribable link between them would not let him even consider for a moment that she had already taken her last breath. He knew, somehow, he knew for certain she was alive.

He had risen from his hospital bed, accio'd the fresh clothes that Kate had brought him from the closet and had dressed. He was certain that they were going to be bringing Khaat back and that she was not going to be walking. They would, without a single doubt, be bringing his daughter into the ER. Brian, he was sure, would be carrying her.

He apparated his way to the ER, saving his strength for the work that lay ahead, whatever that was. The nurses and assistants were horrified that he'd left the Intensive Care unit to care for Khaat. They made him sit and wait. While he sat, he signed his own discharge orders, much to the chagrin and protest of the nurses and assistants. His bodyguards followed his every move. One of them had brought him a cup of French Roast, and he drank it, grateful at the connection that it reminded him of between him and his daughter. They both drank French Roast when they wanted to be highly focused. The bad part about the French Roast was that it made him notice every tick of the clock.

It was becoming a habit now for Rob to appear in St. Mungo’s. The women at the desk no longer questioned him waltzing in and the pensioners seemed at ease with his presence, always willing to chat with him when he pulled up a chair. They were awfully agreeable and he loved chatting with them but it wasn’t practical right now for him to stop and have a yak with an old woman that probably had a potion to take. Rob was putting to use those monstrously long legs he had and was striding towards the Emergency Room. His glasses were on the verge of falling off of the end of his nose and his hair wasn’t being the least bit useful.

Rob kicked the doors of the ER open, ignoring the protests from a group of interns bickering by a shelf of office supplies. He bit back a scathing remark, knowing that, had she been awake, Khaat wouldn’t have approved. He smirked a little and found a bed. He set her down on it and opened his bag. He shook the contents out on that stupid board on wheels they had for food. He dropped his satchel to the ground. Rob’s hands went to the vials and he searched through them until he found the amber coloured one he wanted. He popped the stopper off and tipped the contents down Khaat’s throat. It would combat the effects the Cruciatus had had on her. It had done its work for Jen at least.

Rob then took the stopper off of a bright purple potion and drank it down himself. He shuddered and threw the vial into his bag. He swept the other vials in with it and slammed his hand on the assistance button. A Healer came running round and Rob crossed his arms over his chest. The male stopped in his tracks, muttering something incorrigible. Rob smirked and gestured to Khaat. “While she’s stable...do me a favour and go and fetch her daddy? Maybe that prat that’s in love with her too – and a coffee...heavy on the vodka.” The Healer looked at Rob as if to say ‘what the bloody hell do you have in your coffee?’ before running off, prompting Rob to wonder whether all healers ran.

Something caught the light in the corner of Rob’s eye and he looked down to see Phaedra’s ring sparkling in the hospital fluorescence. Rob sighed and rubbed the ring with his thumb. Death was the next greatest adventure; he could only hope she was having a good time. He didn’t want Khaat to join her though. Not now, not ever.

Robert had been in another room, reattaching a foolish studen'ts hand for him after getting too close to some stupid carnivorous plant they'd had in the greenhouse at Hogwarts. Now who the blazes had put carnivorous plants in a school full of children anyway? He definitely would find the jolly great prat who had done that and would put him in one of his bug jars.

He left the young man mended and sleeping of enough anaesthetic to have gotten an elephant happily stoned and made his way back towards the nurses station. An angry assistant talked about some git who had come in and requested, among other things, coffee with vodka. He'd brought in an unrecognizable young woman. Vodka? Brian didn't generally prefer vodka when he could get firewhiskey. And he would never have behaved like that. Khaat never drank vodka when she could get firewhiskey either. Still, he felt obligated to go check out what the deuce Brian wanted vodka for.

He went into the treatment room and was thunderstruck to see Rob there. Well, now the vodka made sense anyway, if nothing else did.

"Thank you," Robert said softly, deeply moved that Khaat was back again. He went to her and began hecking her completely. He detected the potions that Rob had given her. "Well done, Rob. Well done indeed. " He detected something drastically wrong, though. Something he hadn't felt for a very long time. It made his blood run cold. He decided against waking her for the moment. He tended the countless bleeding wounds. She'd lost weight. She was dehydrated, thinner, weak. And she didn't need to lose another ounce. That in itself concerned him. She was bruised in more places than not. Bruised, cut, chewed on, clawed, and then there was that enormous something else. He wasn't sure Rob really wanted to know. The more he looked, the more he understood it. This might take some time.

"Rob, was she...herself? When you found her? Could you tell?" he asked. He felt like he already knew the answer. Either he had not had the time, or had not taken it seriously. One or the other. "You...might not want to be here when she wakes. It...might well be a bit unpleasant."

Jack found Steven and Ronata and sighed as a nurse tried once more to tend his shoulder “will you just leave it “ he said and she ran off crying down the corridor he raised an eye brown at Ronata and Steven .

“Rough day” he said and walked to the doors his mind on Khaat if she would be alright , he shook slightly but took a deep breath as he reached into his pocket for the vile of potion . Downing it he felt for that night he would not go home but stay in the hospital and wait for news .

He saw Steven shake his head but shook his head growling slightly as he moved away from them he was worried , very worried for Khaat and Miseria.

With a sigh he moved down to the room where Miseria lay bandage and nurses fussing over her he shook his head not sure what he was to do now.

A doctor walked over to him and touched his shoulder making him wince slightly and he growled turning to face him his eyes changed to yellow .

“back away “ he said slowly to the doctor.

The calming draught seemed to be taking its effect on Rob very seriously. He could feel every muscle in his body begin to relax but not to the point where it was dangerous. Potions weren’t exactly a dependant but they were a nice last resort or a combatant to something potentially problematic. Rob didn’t have panic attacks often and that wouldn’t have been one either but his stress levels had been through the roof. He knew he’d be pacing for hours to come but he didn’t want to not know. Glancing down at Khaat, Rob immediately wished he hadn’t. She was a train wreck and there was nothing he could do about it. He swallowed and clenched his fists. He unclenched them and met Robert’s gaze. “I’ll stay, thanks." He said decisively. "She wasn't exactly normal...I mean, would you be? But to be honest I didn't really stick around to strike up a conversation with her,"

"Just as well," Robert said, more to himself than to Rob. He looked at Khaat and saw that she started to stir. He had not at all wanted her to wake up this soon. He looked at Rob. "Slowly, Rob. Very gently," he instructed him. He was not at all sure how Khaat would react. Robert brushed Khaat's hair from her face.

"Khaat," he called softly. "Can you hear me?"

Khaat opened her eyes, but even that felt like work. It felt like a great deal more effort than she felt like giving. She first saw a white ceiling, but...when she looked for the white walls, she saw blue. Light blue walls. She was confused. She didn't remember blue walls last.

"Khaat," her father's voice came to her. "You're out. Rob got you out. You're in St. Mungos. You're safe now. You're alright. " He stroked her bruised cheek with a touch that was feathery soft and very loving. She glanced at her father, but as she continued to scan the room slowly with just her eyes, trying to make sense of things, she saw Rob. And her eyes locked onto him. Her eyes fixed on his. She didn't know if she felt anything whatsoever. And she always felt something when she saw him. Always. This, this business of feeling nothing at all, was a first.

For Robert, this was all too familiar road. He had hoped he would never have to travel this with her again. It pained him right in the deepest part of his heart where he loved Khaat the most. It took everything he cold to swallow the curse word on his lips. He began wondering what he would have to do this time to get her back to herself, what arrangements he would have to make, what life changes he and everyone else would have to make--again.

There wasn’t a lot Rob could do for Khaat in all honesty apart from be present. He was a spare that only supplied potions. But he felt he could be of some help. He didn’t know where Abbey was but that question was lingering amongst the other questions he needed to ask. This would be the best time to snatch her, when everyone else was preoccupied. But Rob had yet to bank the money Khaat had given him back. He couldn’t go through all that again. He’d have to borrow some money from the boys if it came down to it. Chris was probably off of his head with worry because no doubt he knew. David was probably indulging in another glass of wine just to pass the time.

When Khaat began to stir Rob immediately made to go to her but Robert’s words made him pause and step back onto the tiles he’d been stood on before. He swallowed and placed his hands behind his back. She was safe, that was all that was important. Killing the son of a b!tch that did this to her was weighing heavily on Rob’s mind, though. Perhaps he’d been wrong. He was just as blood thirsty as his mother but not as often. The need for bloodshed and carnage did not burn as often.

Rob clenched his fists behind his back and watched Khaat as she watched him. Something was missing. The spark had left her eyes...the world was dead to her. Rob stifled his anger and he averted his eyes. “What can I do to help?” He asked.

Robert watched as Khaat fixed her eyes on Rob. He watched Khaat carefully in silence for a long moment. That bond again between them. It was drawing her to Rob. After all they'd said and done between them, a part of her would always be drawn to Rob. Robert had known that from the moment he realized that they'd bonded so fast and so tightly. He thought hard for a moment. Perhaps this time would be different after all.

"Rob," Robert said, a slight frown on his face. "Do me a favor. Come over here and sit with her on the bed. I know its unorthodox, but sit here with her and just hold her. Lay her on your chest and just be with her. Whatever you would do to soothe her, do it. Give it a try. And be very, very patient. She's very dehydrated. I'm going to go bring her something to drink."

He wanted Rob to sit where he had indicated because, if Rob sat on Khaat's right, she would end up laying on his left side, right over his heart. Robert 's brain was thinking things through at lightning speed. Getting her something to drink was important, but not nearly as important as this was. If this worked, it would save her months and months of self imposed isolation in her suite of rooms back at the Hogsmeade farm or at Brian's. He had no desire to see her repeat that. But clearly, Rob had seen. He knew that the spark of life that she always had in her eyes was gone. Muggles always thought this was next to incurable. Robert knew different. It was merely a matter of finding the right keys. And maybe there was one right here in the room with her.