Arrival

[Icon Lord Leon Corbin]

Davina: Leon, are you alright?

She may as well have been speaking to herself. The man was on a mission, running on auto as they headed through the winding corridors of the London hospital his wife was in. He came as quick as he could and the thought it may not be quick enough played on him. It wasn't just his wife who was in jeopardy, it was both his children. How could he have let her stay alone? He should have insisted she stay with him in Hong Kong! Thought after thought raced through his mind and those thoughts were louder than any woman struggling to keep up with him.

Davina: Leon?

With a sigh, she stops, just following him as he leads the way to where his brother-in-law was meant to be. Bursting through a door, he looks around frantically for Will.

It was understandable that Will would not see him right away. With his suit holding more of his sister’s blood than she had by the time they brought her in, he’d been politely asked to change. The slightly bloody white vest was his own, though he now sported blue scrubs instead of his suit trousers, and a pair of white trainers. His hair was lank, hanging into his face in a way that suggested his nervous habit of choice was to run his hands through it. He’d made no effort to clean himself up, he’d been too busy smoking, and pacing, and smoking some more.

Will: Leon! Over here!

Shouting had earned him a narrow eyed stare from the nurse of duty. Though he doesn’t seem to notice or care. In a flash, the 2007 Lord was over to Will, Davina in tow. He grabs the man's shoulders.

Lord Corbin: Where is she?! Is she okay?! What in the FUCK happened?!!

Making a point to ignore the presence of Davina, a woman who both intimidated and infuriated him, he runs his hand through his hair before answering. He was really unsure of what to say.

Will: She’s been taken for more tests. She woke up shortly after they brought her out of surgery but.....I don’t know. One minute she’s talking to me the next she’s out of it.

Lord Corbin: But what happened?! How did she end up in here?!!

Davina: Leon, calm down. He's probably still trying to find out all the details.

Will: This particular part of the hospital....she crashed. Though in the hospital at all....I don’t know. I was gone for literally twenty minutes. By the time I’d come back from dropping the children off, she was....a mess. I found her on the floor....

Trailing off before his voice has time to crack again or he has to remember how cold she had been he begins rummaging in his pockets. Looking for his cigarettes, Leon looks past him.

Lord Corbin: I need to see her!

Finding his lighter, he pockets it again exhaling at the thought that maybe they were with his trousers.

Will: You can’t, she’s not even on this ward anymore. They took her upstairs for a scan. When she’s back, you can, but only you.....

It wasn’t specifically a dig at Davina, but he really did fail to see just why she was here or why she should be allowed near his sister. It was his job to act in Eva’s best interests when she herself couldn’t after all.

Will: Doctors don’t want her being swamped by people; there are infection risks and such.

Lord Corbin: The only health risk there will be is my fist in their mouths if they don't fucking comply and fix her! Scan for what?! You've seen her, what do you make of it?!

Davina: Leon, please. Just keep calm! You can't go threatening people. Just let them do their jobs. It's the best way to help her.

Lord Corbin: I haven't asked for your opinion! I want his! William, talk!

Arching his brow, or at least that he presumed his face was doing he looks from one to the other. He didn’t usually argue with people who were quick to threaten violence.

Will: Damage to her brain I assume. It’s likely that it’s concussion....Doctors think her head must’ve bounced off something, they just don’t know what. Then there’s the other injuries.....her face is a mess, there’s a lot a bruising and her hand is a bit cut up......on top of that she’s not coping well from whatever the fuck they pumped into her while she was giving birth.

Lord Corbin: She's given birth?!! What are they? Are they okay?!! Can I see them?!!

Will: It’s not looking amazingly good for them either. I had to make the call though....they had to deliver them or they would have all died.

Gripping his scalp, he almost claws his own head, face lowering. He didn't know how to take the news if at all. This wasn't part of the plan, she was just meant to have the babies and they all go home happy ever after, right? Davina watches, placing a hand on his back, keeping enough distance just in case. She knew all too well what he was capable of in a crisis and lashing out at the innocent was never far away.

Davina: Leon...

She looks at Will, ignoring whatever transpired between her and his sister before now. This was a different situation altogether.

Davina: Will, just run it from the top. What happened? Maybe if we can work it out, we can help her or at least know what the best thing is to do from here.

He wasn’t happy about talking to Davina at all. His sisters had taught him well enough over the years that some women were just evil. He was tired though, and still hadn’t found his cigarettes.

Will: I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I found her, I brought her here.

Davina: Okay. And where did you find her? How did you find her?

Will: I’ve already been through this with the police....

Davina: Leon is not the police. He should know what has gone on in his own home.

Exhaling heavily he closes his eyes, he was getting a headache. It had been a long few days. Looking at the woman he finally manages to find his cigarettes, in the pocket....he’d already checked.

Will: She was a mess as I said. Laying in a pool of her own blood on the kitchen floor. She was cold...and grey......I called an ambulance and tried to get her to respond....She was holding a broken plate for some reason....

Lord Corbin: She fell?

Not getting an immediate response, he starts shouting.

Lord Corbin: DID SHE FUCKING FALL?!!

They were getting looks again, at this rate they’d find themselves kicked out in no time.

Will: I very much doubt it.....

Lord Corbin: So how long is this scan going to take...I'm not feeling too patient right now, you understand! I need to know she is going to be okay! Grey, Will? Like lips blue?!!

Cigarette hanging out of his mouth he nods. The image was not one he wanted to see again, not even within his own mind.

Will: She’d only just gone up when you arrived. I’ll find out though...

Moving away from the relative’s room, he heads for the nurses’ station. The nurse doesn’t even blink at his somewhat dishevelled appearance. She’d been here as long as he had, pulling strings and making phone calls to get what he wanted. Davina shuts the door in the interim, taking a seat, though Leon is pacing. He was at unrest and in no way able to calm down.

Davina: Leon, come and sit down. It'll be hard but you just have to wait this one through.

He turns and looks at her, daggers piercing her at full force.

Lord Corbin: Wait?!! How the fuck can I just wait?!!

Davina: Winding yourself won't change anything either, Leon. Please, just sit down. The staff are already keeping a close eye on you. The last thing you want is to get yourself thrown out of here at a time like this.

Compromise meant he threw himself against the wall, head cocked, eyes shut. Every second was like an hour. He was echoing the feeling his brother-in-law had been stuck in since he’d found Eva. In another lifetime William would have perhaps felt more inclined to offer a supportive word. Though right now? He didn’t want to go back into that room. He’s saved momentarily from having to face anyone by his phone ringing.

Will: Kate? You alright?

The voice on the end of the phone gave him some comfort. He could hear the kids shouting in the background, and his mother. The call ends all too soon, taking him back to the reality he was stuck in. Taking a deep steadying breath he tucks his cigarette behind his ear. If he was going to be hit he’d protect his last smoke. He’d gone out on a limb to get Leon at least some of what he wanted.

Will: She’s out, on her way back down but...... she’s unresponsive. The doctors say you can see her but she won’t even know you are there. They also said you can have a few minute with the babies......

Pushing himself off the wall, he bores a hole into Will. It wasn't unheard of for the man to shoot the messenger. Though this time, he just steps over to the man.

Lord Corbin: Unresponsive? Why? Take me there, please.

Even though he seemed aggressive, it came off more desperate than anything else now. Shrinking back from the man, he eventually nods. Without a word he opens the door, leading Leon to the temporary room his sister had been placed in. They were just hooking her back up to the various machines and tubes when they got there. Looking in the room, his eyes home right in on the bed surrounded by enough machinery and tubes and cables that would put a Japanese anime to shame. He rushes in and over to his wife. All he can do is look. He'd seen her battered and bruised thanks to her career many a time but this wasn't a hazard of the workplace. Eyes looking over her, he begins to shake. For the first time, actually afraid he could lose her.

Lord Corbin: My god, Evalyn...

With a shaky hand he nears her but stops. What was that Will said about infection? Hand hovering, he just gazes. This wasn't real.

Will: I’ll er.....be outside...

Taking a minute to watch the nurse writing on the patient chart he slips from the room. Leon doesn't even notice the nurse or the fact Will had disappeared, his eyes can't be moved from the former HKWF champion.

Lord Corbin: Evalyn, can you hear me?

It was anyone’s guess whether she could or not, though either way he gets no response.

Lord Corbin: Evalyn, please wake up...

There’s no change of course. Whatever they’d given her was clearly stronger than any stubborn instincts she may have had. The nurse had moved now, stepping out of the way for the doctor to take her place. Spotting the white coat, Leon turns, that desperate expression not going anywhere.

Lord Corbin: What's going on? Why isn't she responding? What's wrong with her?

Doctor: That’s what we’re trying to figure out.

Sensing that his generic answer and a smile wouldn’t work on this man he moves around the bed. Taking a light from his pocket his shines it in his patient’s eyes.

Doctor: Mrs Corbin is suffering from severe concussion, multiple cuts and bruises, blood loss and an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic we had to use during the birth............we sedated her to avoid....incident....

Lord Corbin: She's gonna be okay, right?

Neither nature nor professional opinion would make a difference to him, there was only one answer he wanted.

Doctor: That’s down to her...we’re doing everything we can but things are looking more positive than we initially thought.

Lord Corbin: She's a fighter but I can't lose her, do you hear me? You have to make sure she's gonna be okay.

Nodding his head he makes a note on the patient chart. William had found his way back from whatever corner he’d found to smoke in. His limp was more evident, though from somewhere he had liberated a walking stick. He avoids looking at his sister, focusing instead on his brother-in-law.

Will: Leon, they want you to go see the kids asap. Kate also wants to know what she’s telling the kids, and the she-witch has brought you coffee.

Lord Corbin: Asap?! What's happened?!!

He looks at the doctor before Will even gets a chance to speak.

Lord Corbin: Please...look after her. Please?

Not waiting for the doctor to speak either, he gives the woman one last going over before he reluctantly leaves her side, rushing out the door with Will. Rushing was a generous term for Will’s shuffle, but he was moving at speed. His phone was pressed to his ear listening as he was fed directions from a helpful nurse. A lift, a flight of stairs and a few squirts of sanitiser later and they were outside of the baby unit. It was one of those strange moments when the comforting smell of baby powder met hospital grade disinfectant. Punching in the code he’d been given into the door he holds it open for Leon. They were in a small “ward”, rows of incubators held infants while nurses moved almost too quietly between them. Their arrival had caught the eye of a woman who by now was quite friendly with William. Closing his phone he follows her into a separate room. It was smaller and held only three incubators...two were empty. Leon looks around. He'd never been anywhere like it. Looking for his own children was useless, he wouldn't know what they looked like anyway and why was he in here with a few empty incubators? He began to panic, not much stopping him from having a panic attack.

Will: Boy’s the frog, girl’s the bear....where is the girl?

He was talking of course about the hats the newborns were wearing. Though he could understand the confusion, they all looked the same to him and he’d been here once already.

Will: Oi nurse? Bear?

Leaving Leon with the remaining child he shuffles over to the nearest medical type person. His manners were failing him today it seemed. Leon had heard the code, making the assumption that the child he could see looking so frail was his son. He wanted to pick it up but it was just so small, so fragile. Turning to Will he runs over to find out where the other child was.

Lord Corbin: Where is my other child?!

Will: Being changed.....

As if on cue the nurse responsible for monitoring the Corbin children pushes past William. She was carrying a small bundle, which on closer inspection turned out to be a baby in a stupid hat.

Will: Nurse said you can hold them if you want?

Lord Corbin: Are they okay? Did they get hurt when Evalyn was?

Having been in and out of both rooms Will found himself replying before the nurse could even open her mouth.

Will: They don’t know yet. They think they delivered them before any real damage was done, but time will tell.

Taking in the words of his brother-in-law, Leon follows the nurse back over to the incubators, holding his arms out. A part of him was reluctant. How could he be here wanting to hold these babies when his wife was in intensive care? Offering him a thin smile the nurse nods him over to a chair, before placing his daughter in his arms. She could fit in his hands. She was so light to him she was almost unreal, a miniature representation of human form. Pulling the blanket against him, he rests the baby in his arm, marvelling yet petrified as it could be the first and last time he ever gets to hold his second daughter. He looks up the nurse.

Lord Corbin: Can I have my boy as well?

Nurse: Of course...mind her head.

Picking up the unfortunately dressed tot she gently places him in his father’s free arm. Getting the child comfortable, he's holding both, making the most of the moment for what it was. He’d spent months envisioning how this would be. Holding his wife's hand as she gave birth and cursed him to high hell, preparing to have chunks taken out of his hand. This was never part of his day dream or his steps to becoming a father again. And yet even with his babies in his arms, all he could see was Eva's lifeless body in another part of the building struggling for life while he got a privilege she was denied. Eyes beginning to well up, he blinks and clears his throat.

Nurse: Would you like me to leave you alone with them for a while?

Lord Corbin: I don't know...

William had already vanished, leaving the man to his own devices whether he wanted it or not. Though he was intercepted on his way out.

Davina: How's he doing?

Already in the process of lighting up the former lawyer shrugs. He didn’t like the woman, and was beyond pretending.

Will: As well as you’d expect. He looks like he doesn’t know whether to be gutted or overjoyed.

Davina: Christ...

Looking over at the door her own baby's father was through, she eventually looks back at Will She wasn't stupid, she knew how he felt about her but right now that was the last thing that should be on anyone's mind.

Davina: They're in good hands. If you want to smoke that, though, we should go outside.

Will: We? Since when have you been the type to be social?

Davina: Listen, dear. Unless you want to get yourself removed by the staff in this hospital, I do suggest taking the habit outdoors. The last thing either of those two needs is you having to disappear in their hour of need on a stupid technicality. Now, shall we?

She was right, he knew. He’d gotten away with it so far out of sheer luck.....and the lack of nursing staff about at unreasonable hours. Rolling his eyes he exhales heavily before vanishing back into the room with Leon and the babies.

Will: Leon? I have to nip out for a sec.

He gets no answer from the 2007 Lord. He was out of it, simply holding on to what he could in that moment. Davina pops a head in, eyeing the man before tapping Will.

Davina: Leave him for now...

He almost jumps out of his skin at her sudden appearance. He was running on smoke and coffee, and entirely out of his depth. The last thing he needed was Cruella Deville haunting his shadow too. Shooting a look at the blonde he simply nods. At least if she was with him he could be sure of where she was, and the nursing staff was pretty good at keeping him in the loop. Letting the nurse know where he would be, he leads them out of the baby unit. Walking beside him, Davina pulls a packet of cigarettes of her own from her inner jacket pocket, eyes on the former lawyer as she slides one out and slips it between her lips. Waiting until they reach outside, she leans against the wall.

Davina: You got a light?

Lighting up his own cigarette first he breathes in a little too deeply. Coughing as if he was trying to rip free his own lungs he holds his rather gaudy lighter up to her. She leans forward, allowing the fire to hit the end of her cigarette until the cherry glows. Moving back again, she takes a deep pull, removing the cancer stick from her mouth as she shrouds herself in a plume of smoke.

Davina: How are you feeling? It must have been hard to find her in that way.

Regaining some of his composure, even if his face was still flushed he shrugs.

Will: I don’t have time to feel anything. I do what needs to be done then think about it later.

Pocketing his lighter he flicks ash onto the pavement. Watching him, Davina folds an arm across her body, holding the other up to let the smoke rise.

Davina: That's not a bad way to be. There's no place for anything but practically at certain ti-

Before she finishes, the door they exited from opens, Leon revealing himself as he steps outside. His face was cold, devoid of any emotion. He looks at them briefly.

Davina: Leon, are you okay?

Lord Corbin: We need to make arrangements right now...

Putting his cigarette out on the wall Will immediately finds his phone.

Will: For?

Lord Corbin: The kids need to stay in an environment they are used to and that is our home. I don't care what the damage is there, get it sorted so the kids can go home. I also don't give a fuck how people feel about one another right now, I need cooperation. I can't leave here. I can't leave here while my entire family is in danger, I can't. Okay, I CAN'T!

He stops, maybe to recompose himself.

Lord Corbin: Davina, do you have any plans in the coming weeks?

Davina: If you mean GZW, no. Not if you need me.

Lord Corbin: I want you to stay with the kids in my home, so yes, I need you. I need you and Will to assist her where needed, keep other business running smoothly. I'll come home when I can, make sure everything's okay but I will be staying here for now.

Normally Will would have argued with him, normally.....

Will: I’m assuming you’ll deal with Eva when she wakes up, but as you wish. I got Kate to take the kids to our mother’s for the weekend. They will be back on Sunday.....as far as they know right now they are just leaving early for a weekend at the seaside. I didn’t know what to tell them.....

Already running through contacts on his phone he looks up briefly at the pair.

Will: The police have been at the house and gone already....precaution you understand given how badly.... Well it’s sorted.

Lord Corbin: Good, fix the damage. I'll ensure the money comes back to you as soon as I am around to take care of it. Davina?

Davina: Are you sure this is what you want, Leon?

Lord Corbin: If you don't have it in you to be useful for once, feel free to fuck off...

Davina: It's okay. That wasn't why I was asking. If you need someone, fine.

Lord Corbin: Good. Whatever you do, don't fuck this up. I'm not in the mood to be dealing with any other shit right now.

Davina: It's alright, Leon. Besides, I'm sure Will here will keep you up to date with any happenings anyway. We'll leave here, go back to the house, clear up whatever needs it, okay?

Will: Just so were clear I’m still not thrilled about this....

Bringing his phone to his ear he listens as it rings.

Will: I’ll have a team go in and clean it and don’t worry about money. It can go through the company....

Lord Corbin: You think I'm over the fucking moon?!!

Glaring at the both of them, he turns, heading back to the door.

Lord Corbin: Keep me updated...