She notices his glasses are no where near him and a quick glance around the room shows they are on the floor now. That's new. She sighs and sets the soup and crackers down on the bedside table.
"He is... now how would he put it... ah yes, A Bag of Dicks."
To eat the soup or not to eat the soup? He picks up the spoon and swirls it around the bowl, watching whatever happens to be hiding below the surface rise up.
Nothing terrifying will come up, it's homemade chicken and rice soup. She's had far too much time on her hands today since she's been sticking to the neighborhood.
She contemplates using his glasses to see exactly how York was a bag of dicks, but decides against it and merely sets it down on the bedside table. "So, nothing new for you."
That is definitely worth eating. Home cooked food was something he didn't realized he missed until he had it again. Nothing against the chef on the MOI but galley food will always be galley food. He goes from side eyeing the soup to side eyeing the glasses as he eats.
A plaintive bleep from the glasses as a message comes in, then another and another... He wants to ignore it but it isn't stopping. He trades the soup for the glasses, intending to tell whoever it was... but it was probably York... to go to hell.
His expression goes from angry to blank as he reads. Then the holorecording plays.
He puts the glasses down, both the Bifrons ones and his own and buries his face in his hands.
She had been assuming the messages were from some Bifrons employee, something that could and should be ignored since he needs to rest and not be trying to work. As she's turning to leave, the sounds coming from his glasses and sudden change in his mood gives her pause.
She hesitates for a moment and watches him, briefly wondering if he'll snap out of this if given a second, before reaching to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She touches him and he cracks. He shudders under her hand and makes a quiet choking sound. "I'm sorry, Allison... "
Clair's so happy; he hasn't seen her that happy in so very long that he'd forgotten what it looked like. He was out of her life and she was happy. She didn't hate him, he knew the sound of hate in her voice... at least hate would have been something but she felt nothing towards him. He meant nothing to her. The only thing that he had left, the thing that should have mattered most and he'd destroyed it.
He looks up at her with tears in his eyes. "...please forgive me..."
That name from his lips causes the hair to stand on the back of her neck. His expression makes it even worse and she's not really sure what the hell is going on except that he's an emotional wreck for some reason. She searches his eyes for some kind of answer and finds none readily available.
"Forgive you for what?" she asks softly. It's a rare tone for her voice and one she can't remember when she last had reason to use, but she can tell this situation is delicate.
Her heart sinks at those words and there's no hesitation as she moves to wrap an arm around his shoulders to pull him towards her. "You did what you could. That's all we could ask for."
"It wasn't enough." It was never enough, it didn't matter how hard he worked, how much he tried. No matter how close to success he got, it just slipped away. He wrapped his arms around her. "I should have been able to do more..."
She sighs and holds him close as she runs her free hand through his hair. It's incredibly strange to be doing this to the man that essentially created her, but it's hard seeing him like this when she knows what she does. The memory bleed makes it hard not to care. "You can't do everything, Leonard. You have to stop sometime and take a break."
He quiets as she stokes his hair. It was the little things you never really appreciate until they were gone. Like being able to take comfort in the touch of another human being, something he hadn't experienced for so very long. But she's here now and she's holding him and he can let go. He's quiet for a while, just holding her and being held.
"You don't need to be," she murmurs, lips close to his ear. "I'm here."
If this is what he needs then he could have this. She's still not entirely sure what brought on this sudden bought of emotion, but she imagines it has to do with the pain killers altering his mental state. Her hold on him tightens and she continues to stroke his hair.
She's here and she's holding him and everything is going to be alright now. Between the medication, his injuries and the emotional stress he's exhausted... but she's here and he doesn't want to let her go.
She sighs and rests her cheek on top of his head. This is emotionally draining while at the same time being oddly familiar in a way she probably shouldn't be comfortable with. "I've been here this whole time."
She squeezes him gently and loosens her hold enough so he can make himself comfortable on the bed. "I'll stay," she replies and leans a little away, hand still playing with his hair. "Do you...?" Want me to hold you? That's what she wants to say, but it feels weird and she wonders just where the line needs to be drawn right now.
"Thank you." He manages a small tired smile and reaches out to take her free hand. Lacing his fingers in hers he closes his eyes and lets sleep come to him.
When he wakes up he'll only have the most imperfect memories of the whole experience. Too muddled by emotion and medication to be clear.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 03:26 am (UTC)"Hey. Glasses piss you off or something?"
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 04:26 am (UTC)The soup smells good and he knows he should eat it but he side eyes it anyway.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 04:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 04:37 am (UTC)To eat the soup or not to eat the soup? He picks up the spoon and swirls it around the bowl, watching whatever happens to be hiding below the surface rise up.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 04:39 am (UTC)She contemplates using his glasses to see exactly how York was a bag of dicks, but decides against it and merely sets it down on the bedside table. "So, nothing new for you."
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 05:30 am (UTC)A plaintive bleep from the glasses as a message comes in, then another and another... He wants to ignore it but it isn't stopping. He trades the soup for the glasses, intending to tell whoever it was... but it was probably York... to go to hell.
His expression goes from angry to blank as he reads. Then the holorecording plays.
He puts the glasses down, both the Bifrons ones and his own and buries his face in his hands.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 05:34 am (UTC)She hesitates for a moment and watches him, briefly wondering if he'll snap out of this if given a second, before reaching to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 06:15 am (UTC)Clair's so happy; he hasn't seen her that happy in so very long that he'd forgotten what it looked like. He was out of her life and she was happy. She didn't hate him, he knew the sound of hate in her voice... at least hate would have been something but she felt nothing towards him. He meant nothing to her. The only thing that he had left, the thing that should have mattered most and he'd destroyed it.
He looks up at her with tears in his eyes. "...please forgive me..."
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 06:22 am (UTC)"Forgive you for what?" she asks softly. It's a rare tone for her voice and one she can't remember when she last had reason to use, but she can tell this situation is delicate.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-19 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-20 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-20 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-20 03:57 am (UTC)He quiets as she stokes his hair. It was the little things you never really appreciate until they were gone. Like being able to take comfort in the touch of another human being, something he hadn't experienced for so very long. But she's here now and she's holding him and he can let go. He's quiet for a while, just holding her and being held.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-20 04:14 am (UTC)If this is what he needs then he could have this. She's still not entirely sure what brought on this sudden bought of emotion, but she imagines it has to do with the pain killers altering his mental state. Her hold on him tightens and she continues to stroke his hair.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-21 02:48 am (UTC)"I missed you so much,"
no subject
Date: 2014-10-21 02:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-29 02:20 am (UTC)When he wakes up he'll only have the most imperfect memories of the whole experience. Too muddled by emotion and medication to be clear.