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]

The nurse came back in. "Problem?"

"Nausea. Headache." Harry kept hold of Charles' hand. "Stay."

The nurse adjusted some medications and drips. "That should help. If he's not feeling better in the next ten minutes, just call again."

[grailknight]

He sighed gently. Something easily corrected, it seemed. "I am not going anywhere." Charles nodded to the nurse. "Thank you."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry settled down again, hand slowly going limp in Charles' grip as he passed out, or feel asleep, again.

He stayed out for a few hours, coming awake with a soft mutter and jerk, looking about dazed and lost.

[grailknight]

Charles nodded off as well, not letting go of Harry's hand. He didn't immediately wake when Harry did.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry stared at Charles for a long moment, moving their joined hands into his lap. He managed to get his right hand there as well, stroking Charles' fingers and knuckles softly.

[grailknight]

He remained asleep for the moment, while his hand started to relax. Sleep hardly happened exactly as it should for him.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry was content for the time being, letting Charles get some obviously much needed sleep. He kept up his soft petting for a while, gave himself another does of morphine with his much enjoyed pain relief button and dozed off again holding Charles' hand in both of his.

A nurse slipped in some time later to check on Harry and tried to lay a blanket over Charles' lap without disturbing him.

[grailknight]

He was relaxed and dead to the world. Charles didn't wake up for a few hours. At which point his back and shoulders were sore.

He yawned. "Too bad there isn't enough space for both of us in bed."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry barely opened his eye then closed it again. "Ask them for a cot. It's a private ward, I don't see what difference it makes to them if you sleep in here."

He closed his hands tighter on Charles'.

[grailknight]

"I shall make that request, but they might prefer not given that this is ICU." Charles didn't try to move his hand,though it was tingling a little at the moment. Besides James, Harry was the other knight he had been closest to. There were others who were disapproving of his sexuality, something he had never seen from Harry. Now Harry was all he had left as far as people he could open up to were concerned.

[fucking_gentleman]

"Is it? That explains a bit." Harry looked about. "Because I've been... been..."

He couldn't remember what happened to him. "I have a head injury. Have I lost my left eye?" It was a very disconcerting feeling, not knowing what was wrong.

[grailknight]

"You were shot in the face. They haven't told me if you are going to lose your eye for certain, but there seems to be a good chance. And you said to me that you cannot move your right leg and arm. But you are amazingly resilent, Harry. You are better off than I had suspected."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Oh. That makes sense."

He looked to his right hand, awkwardly lifting it and dropping it down again. "Limited movement. I refuse to have a glass eye. I'd sooner wear an eyepatch than a glass eye."

[grailknight]

"Yes and consider what our doctors are going to be able to do to help you. A glass eye is not even an option."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry considered it for a moment. "Do not let Merlin put a laser in my eye."

[grailknight]

He laughed. "He wouldn't be able to do that, Harry. You would require an external power source."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Mm. Good." He made an effort to shuffle sideways on the bed, but didn't actually get anywhere. "A camera though... That could be useful. I wouldn't need the glasses."

[grailknight]

"Yes, among other capabilities. And it could perhaps be solar powered."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry hummed softly, resisting the urge to rub at his blinded eye. "Have they said when I can be moved? Medical transport?"

[grailknight]

"No, I am afraid not yet. They are still making sure that you don't crash. Some of the medication you are receiving requires you to be in the ICU as well."

[fucking_gentleman]

He groaned and sighed heavily. "Once I'm out of ICU... I'll be able to go back to England?"

He wanted home. He wanted familiar accents around him and Merlin's overbearing electronic presence checking on him. He wanted the luxury of people who would touch him just for the contact, not just because they were paid.

"If I crash again, make sure they taxidermy me and use me to terrify the new recruits."

[grailknight]

"Yes." They could get back home in just over three hours. If Harry was stable, he could work with that time table.

"You aren't going to die here, Harry."

[fucking_gentleman]

"No, of course not. But if I do, I demand I be stuffed and used to terrorise new recruits in some fashion. Maybe my head mounted over Merlin's desk. 'Galahad, annoyed Merlin one too many times.' Something like that."

He sighed heavily, head tipping back into the pillows. "I refuse to die in a hospital bed having survived being shot. I refuse."

[grailknight]

Charles snorted. "You are the most stubborn man I know. You are strong and healthy before what happened. You came back to us after the skirmish earlier this year. I daresay this won't be any different."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Skirmi- oh. Professor Arnold exploding." He remembered that. It was messy. "I'm coming back with one less eye, from the sound of it."

Or one less functional eye, at least.