Chapter Text
For this second of your life,
Tell me that it's true,
Waiting for a sign,
That's all I want of you.
Your heart hides a secret,
A promise of what is,
Something more than this.
- The Cure, ‘More Than This’
“Ma’ am, you need to step back.”
Strike was hovering on the brink of consciousness as he was swiftly pulled from Robin’s arms by several hands and felt his body being lifted onto a stretcher.
“R’bin...” he wheezed, trying to turn his head to locate her and slowly blinking his eyes.
‘Sir, I need you to lie still please.” Strike was instructed as an oxygen mask was being pressed over his face. “What’s his name?”
“Cormoran. Cormoran Strike.” Robin replied, her voice shaking. “What hospital are you taking him to?” He heard her ask before lapsing into unconsciousness.
————
Strike slowly opened his eyes to a thrum of beeps, drips and a flurry of activity around him before suddenly becoming aware of an excruciating pain in his back. He gasped in a cry of anguish before reaching his hand out and searching for Robin’s.
“Cormoran?” he heard an unfamiliar voice address him as he was trying to get his bearings, still grappling for Robin’s hand. “You’re in hospital. We’re going to take you to theatre and get you stitched up, all right?”
“Wh’rs R’bin?” he asked.
“We’re going to sedate you now, just relax,” said a second disembodied voice. Strike barely had time to acknowledge him before everything went black again.
————
“Cormoran Strike, they brought him in via ambulance, is he okay?” Robin rushed the words out in a single breath as she approached the reception desk. Her eyes were wide with fear, hands covered in remnants of dried blood from when she had tried to stanch his wound.
“Are you all right ma’am?” the nurse asked apprehensively, taking in Robin’s frantic and disheveled appearance and glancing at her hands. “Do you need me to call someone?”
“I’m fine,” Robin replied, attempting a smile and trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. “I’m a detective, my partner and I were on a case and he was attacked and stabbed. He came in an ambulance, I’m here to check on him.”
“Okay,” the nurse smiled as Robin’s wild expression began to ease and turned to her computer. “What’s your name, love?”
“Robin Ellacott,” she told the nurse, craning her neck in an unsuccessful attempt to see the screen. “My partner’s name is Cormoran Strike,” she repeated to her before spelling out the first name. “Oh God, I hope he’s okay,” she breathed out in a whisper. She was bouncing on her heels as the nurse typed in the information, blood caked fingernails tapping on the desk. She glanced around the room as she waited - it was approaching midnight and there did not seem to be anyone around save for a few hospital employees for which Robin was grateful, she really didn’t want an audience of strangers around to bear witness to her anguish.
“He’s in theatre now,” the nurse said warmly, pulling up his file and seeing Robin’s name listed under emergency contacts. “If you’d like to wait in the family area I can request a doctor come talk to you. There’s tea and coffee, bathroom is just down the hall. I can bring you a towel if you’d like to wash up a bit?” she asked, glancing again at Robin’s hands.
“Yeah,” she nodded, looking at the kind woman without really seeing her. “Yeah, that would be nice.”
The nurse smiled and led her to the room, then left to go fetch a towel.
————
Robin looked at herself in the mirror as she desperately tried to scrub the dried blood off her hands, the harsh lights of the hospital bathroom doing nothing to improve her appearance. She was extremely pale, hair wildly strewn about her face, eyes rimmed red and swimming with the unshed tears she had fought back on the drive over. Her head was throbbing from where Gus had hit her, a bruise beginning to form near her temple, and there was still a residual ringing in her ears from the high pitched rape alarm she’d set off. After the paramedics had taken Strike in the ambulance she reluctantly allowed herself to be checked over and stayed long enough to give a brief statement to the police before providing them with her contact details and rushing off to the hospital.
She cleaned her hands as well as she could before splashing cold water on her face and running her fingers through her honey gold locks, trying in vain to tame the tangled mess. She swallowed a couple paracetamol from her bag, then took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm her nerves, before stepping back out into the waiting area. Once there she plopped herself down onto a chair in the corner, put her face into her hands, and finally allowed the tears to fall freely.
‘This is all your fault,’ she said to herself. ‘He told you not to run in there. He was coming to protect you. If he dies, it’s all your fault.’
————
“Robin?”
Her head snapped up, hoping to see the doctor with news, but instead looking into the eyes of Ryan Murphy.
“Ryan, hi,” she said, standing up and stretching, a little disoriented and stiff with no immediate idea of how long she’d sat there. Murphy walked over and, unsure what was appropriate given they were mostly still just work colleagues, reached out and squeezed her hand quickly before letting it go.
“How is he?” he asked, looking into Robin’s bloodshot eyes.
“Don’t know, I think he’s still in theatre, the doctor hasn’t come out yet,” she told him.
“Are you here by yourself?” he asked, looking around the empty room.
“I called his sister Lucy, she’s on her way. How did you know I was here?”
“I heard it over the police scanner, said we had a homicide and Strike’s name as an injured party. I went to the scene to assist and they said he’d been taken to hospital and that you’d left after giving a statement. I need to get back to the station but I wanted to come and check on you first.”
“What about Katya, is she okay? How’s Flavia?”
Katya is here too in hospital but I hear she’s going to be fine. Flavia is shaken understandably, but the police are taking care of her. They’re both alive, from what I hear thanks to you.”
“And thanks to Strike, he let those men in that stopped Gus…” she gave him a sad smile and saw he was about to say something else when a frazzled Lucy suddenly burst into the room.
“Robin, there you are. Where’s my brother? Is he okay?” Robin could see her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“Lucy,” Robin said as she approached her and gave her a brief hug before placing her hand on her arm. “I’m still waiting for the doctor to come out. This is Ryan, one of the CID officers on the case we’ve been working.”
“Hi,” Murphy said, turning to her with a warm expression. “Sorry about your brother. He’s tough as nails that one, I’m sure he’ll pull through.”
“What happened, how did he get stabbed?” Lucy demanded, ignoring his words.
Just then Murphy’s phone buzzed and he glanced at it frowning. “I’ve got to go,” he said, turning to Robin. “Listen, we’d like to see you for a full debrief, can you come down to the station?” he asked. “Not now,” he added, looking at Robin’s troubled expression. “I’ll call you later to arrange a time.”
“Yeah of course,” Robin nodded.
“Great, I’ll see you then,” Murphy smiled. “Take care,” he added, addressing both Robin and Lucy.
“Thanks Ryan.”
As soon as Murphy had left, Lucy advanced on Robin. “Well?” she asked, sounding both impatient and pleading. “What happened?”
Robin sighed and gestured for Lucy to sit down. She turned to her and reached out to touch Lucy’s knee.
“Lucy, I'm so sorry, it’s my fault. I ran into a situation without backup and he was trying to protect me. But you should know his actions saved a mother and daughter’s lives, he’s a hero.”
If Robin was expecting Lucy to start beaming with pride or to tell her not to be too hard on herself she was sorely mistaken. She pushed herself away from Robin, swatting her hand off her knee and narrowing her eyes. “You’re the reason he’s fighting for his life?”
“Lucy..I,” Robin started to say before she was interrupted by a doctor entering the waiting area.
“Ms. Ellacott?” he asked.
Robin stood up, with Lucy right behind her.
“Yes, that’s me,” she stated anxiously.
“We have you listed as Mr. Strike’s emergency contact.” Lucy’s face broke into a scowl upon hearing this. “Are you also his next of kin?”
“No, that's me,” Lucy said, shoving herself in front of Robin. “I’m his sister, is he okay?”
The doctor looked at both of them. “Well he lost a lot of blood, and the puncture wound to his lung was quite substantial, but we were able to stabilise him and repair the damage. He’s going to remain in hospital for a few days, and he’ll be out of commission for a while, but we expect he’ll make a full recovery.”
“Oh thank goodness!” Lucy exclaimed, choking on a sob while Robin exhaled a deep breath. “When can I see him?” Lucy asked.
“He’s being monitored in Recovery now and then he’ll be moved to a room on the ward. It may be a while but we’ll contact you when he’s settled. Due to the hour we’d like to keep it to one visitor..” Lucy stepped forward and the doctor nodded. “A nurse will come get you when he’s ready.”
After the doctor left, Lucy spun on Robin again, her relieved expression quickly replaced by one of ire. “Thank you for calling me Robin, but you can go now,” she said coldly. “Stick needs his family.”
Robin was stung but understood Lucy’s anger in the moment, especially given what she had said to her about how Strike had come to be in his current situation. She desperately wanted to be the first to see him, but couldn’t deny that privilege to his sister.
“Okay,” Robin said as Lucy turned from her, pulling out her mobile to call Greg. “I’ll check on him later.” She then turned and walked out of the room - relief, sorrow and guilt all battling for top spot in her range of emotions.