PSL: For Charles

[fucking_gentleman]

It took two days for things to be sorted enough for Harry Devere to ping on the Kingsman's systems.

Everyone had been handling somewhat more important things for those two days. A lot of people were dead. A lot more were injured. Even more than that were deeply traumatised by the maiming, murdering and mayhem which had ensued while the signal was broadcast.

And even when they weren't, no one had been expecting the ping. Harry's final footage had been graphic, staring at the barrel of the gun, the sound of firing and then the cut transmission. There were plans, of course, to eventually recover his body for burial but they were far from a priority.

Until Harry Devere pinged the system.

Harry Devere, admitted to the ICU of the Livingston Hospital in Kentucky seven hours before V-Day went live. He survived that by the luck of being in a sealed ward, away from people who viewed him as an actual person worth attacking.

Merlin was busy holding down the fort and being Merlin. Therefore, he told Charles to take whatever damn plane he wanted and get to Kentucky and get Harry into the safety of the Kingsman medical facility as fast as he could. He was given a passport which said he was Charles Devere, Harry's younger brother and paperwork which claimed the legal right to make decisions for his unmarried brother in the absence of parents.

All of these things were delivered with the instruction that no one was to know Harry Hart was alive. Not until they knew he would stay that way and not until he was back with them, awake and some reasonable semblance of the man they knew.

Comments

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry didn't really look mollified by the information. He had volunteered to go and recover James, but he'd been sent after Professor Arnold instead.

"Yes... yes, of course." He tried to reach with his right hand, frowning at it when it refused to do what he wanted. "You're always welcome to my place, even if I'm not there and you just need to get away for a while."

[grailknight]

"That is very generous of you and I might take you up on that at a later time. As of late I have been living in quarters in the manor." Charles smiled. "I also appreciate that you have not left us yet."

[fucking_gentleman]

"No. Not yet." He wasn't done, he had things yet to do. People to outlive. He sank back into the pillows. "I'm already exhausted again. This is ridiculous. We don't have time for this nonsense. You don't have the time to be here with me lying about in bed."

[grailknight]

Charles smiled and patted Harry on the hand. "Well I am really glad to hear that." He frowned and nodded. "Your body is doing all it can to recover. You need to give yourself some time. We have time." Harry was an incredible asset, even with brain damage, which didn't seem much the case at the moment.

[fucking_gentleman]

"No, we don't. I've been shot in the head, I'm not stupid. Everything must be in chaos. Either the- the-"

He couldn't remember what they had been trying to stop. There was something... something tickling the edge of his memory. He was found at a church. Why a church? He didn't believe in God? He sometimes felt like not believing in Americans, either.

"I can't remember," he finally admitted.

[grailknight]

"You aren't? But you think flying in your condition is perfectly fine? I am a good field medic, but brain surgery is not a skill I possess, unfortunately."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry considered that for a moment. "You should be back in England, not... pandering to me and my injuries." He looked at Charles, single eye focusing on him.

[grailknight]

"I am not returning home until I have completed my mission here," he stated firmly.

[fucking_gentleman]

"And what are your mission parameters? Sit here by me until I can be shipped back to Kingsman? Observe until you know if I'm going to live or die?" Because Harry was well aware, he wasn't out of danger. He could still crash quite easily.

[grailknight]

"I am to assess your recovery until you are well enough to return home and then bring you back." As Charles was absolutely convinced that Harry was not going to die.

[fucking_gentleman]

"A waste of a knight," Harry snapped. "You're one of our senior associates, you should be in the field, not babysitting me in a foreign hospital."

Someone was not in a good mood. Harry hated showing weakness. He also hated a fuss being made over said weakness.

[grailknight]

"Harry, do you know what happened to the world while you were in a coma?"

[fucking_gentleman]

"... no." He didn't like admitting ignorance either.

[grailknight]

"Then I shall inform you. We were betrayed, Harry. King betrayed us. He was working with Richmond Valentine." He was going to let that in first before he continued.

[fucking_gentleman]

"... Chester?"

He'd been with Kingsman since he was a young man. A mere twenty five years old, his life had been the agency.

He had nominated Harry for Galahad. He had mentored him and as much as he was a snob, he had done a good job as both Kay and later as Arthur.

"Chester betrayed us?"

[grailknight]

Charles nodded. "Yes, Harry." This was only going to go worse from here and his knitted brows showed that.

[fucking_gentleman]

"But-" He had never considered it. Not Chester.

A couple of machines started beeping, warning of rises in vital statistics... or drops. Shock was a nasty thing.

[grailknight]

"King thought that Valentine was right--that the world needed a culling."

[fucking_gentleman]

"And they should choose who was exempt."

Something started to sound an alarm. A nurse came in, hurrying to Harry's side and checking machines. "Blood pressure drop, heart race increase. He's going into shock. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a while."

[grailknight]

"Yes of course. I'll be outside, Harry."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry watched Charles leave, but the nurse was pulling the curtain, cutting them off from one another.

It was a while before the nurse came out. "He's stable again, but we've sedated him for the time being. We're not sure what triggered the crash, but we're giving his brain a chance to rest and recover."

[grailknight]

Charles was sitting down and texting on his phone when the nurse fetched him. He rose and spoke to the nurse, "I had some unsettling news from home, but I won't bring it up again." He re-entered the room.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry wasn't unconscious. He was sedated, but it was to keep him calm and relaxed and soft at the edges, rather than snapping and coiled tight.

He looked up at Charles, a bit unfocused.

[grailknight]

He returned to his seat next to Harry. "I'm so sorry, Harry. Things are different now. We are in recovery. Merlin couldn't afford to send me, but he couldn't not to, either. He dispatched me right after finding your ping."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry closed his eye. "I'm here. Not going anywhere. You can report back." He managed a vague gesture that was possibly meant to mean something but didn't communicate anything.