#the wolf and the ghost
No. 13 - THAT’S GONNA LEAVE A MARK
“This is gonna suck” | burns | cauterization
Ely as usual was stolen from @epochandeons
Steve couldn’t help but kick himself as he drove to the Daniels’. He’d been so stupid, he knew he had. It was entirely his fault, too. He shouldn’t have turned his back on someone who had threatened to stab him, he really should have known better.
Luckily, it was just a glancing wound, but it definitely needed stitches and of course it was just out of his reach. He’d called ahead, Fao was home, as were Finn and Ely for a change. There was no way he could go to A&E, they’d just act a million questions he didn’t have time or energy for. Fao would do.
He knew better than to use the front door; he’d had plenty of tellings off from Sheila and didn’t have the energy for another. He let himself in through the back, blood dripping as he unlocked the door. He’d obviously done a terrible job at an attempt at a bandage.
Fao met Steve at the door, unable to stop his smirk. “Well, this is a welcome change. C'mon, let’s get you sat before you keel over.”
Steve raised his hand in warning. “Don’t.”
“Alright, come on. Sit, yeah? I’ve got you.”
“Don’t take forever, will you?” He asked as he sat. “I just need it stitched up.”
“Mmhmm, I’ll be the judge of that.” Fao said, grabbing his supplies. “Top off.”
“It’s fine.” He told him, taking his top off. “See?”
“Yeah, because that much blood is always fine.”
“Nothing vital.”
“Sure.”
“See for yourself.”
Fao sat in front of him, adjusting the light to get a better look at the wound. It was still determinedly bleeding, but he managed to get a decent look at it. It wasn’t deep enough to have hit anything major, nothing about it had him worried.
“Alright, fine. Nothing vital, this time.” He said after a moment. “But you’re lucky it’s not worse.”
“I’m not lucky. I told you I was fine.”
“You are lucky, you’re bloody close to plenty of vital shit.”
“Stop with the lecture and just fix me up, will you?”
Fao hummed. “I’m getting there. Looking for the local…” He was sure he’d gotten some out.
“Alright.”
He couldn’t find it. It wasn’t with the rest of the kit where it was supposed to be, and as he rummaged through the drawers it was nowhere to be seen. Either someone had taken it and not put it back properly, or they’d forgotten to order some more when they’d run out.
“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath. “We’ve got none.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I was.”
He took a slow breath. “Fine. Just get it done.”
“We’ve got Midaz. Or propofol? Ely can come over.”
Steve scoffed. “You are not knocking me out.”
“I wouldn’t, Ely would.”
“None of you are.”
“I can hardly suture without giving you anything. Ely might be dating me but she’s not that bad.”
Steve stood. “You touch the propofol and you’re done.”
“Sit back down.” Fao told him, a hand on his shoulder. “Pain meds then. Morphine?”
“No. I’m working later.”
“No you’re not.”
“Not if you keep taking forever.”
“Without pain relief, this is gonna suck. It’s gonna suck even with pain relief. Take the Midaz, Steve. Or at the very least some oramorph.”
“No.” He pulled his shirt on. “I’ll ask Finn instead.”
“Finn’s been having myos all morning. Do you really want him to suture? Over the surgical reg?”
“At the minute, neither of you are doing it.”
“Fine, I’ll do it with no pain meds. If you’re so determined to suffer then you can. Shirt off.”
He pulled it back over his head, glad his back was to Fao as he grimaced in pain. “It’s not even that bad now.”
“Sure, sure.”
Steve sat on the bed, and turned to Fao. “Nice and quick, then.”
“Can you lay down for me?”
“If I must.”
“Just want to make sure you’re not going to go anywhere.”
“As if anywhere would let me in looking like this.”
“I don’t want you keeling over off the edge of the bed, yeah? Don’t feel like scraping you off the floor.”
“My blood pressure is fine.” He said, though did lie down.
“Surely that’s more comfortable, anyway?” Fao said, picking up his kit. “Just shout if you need a break, alright?”
“It is.” He agreed. “Do me a favour and don’t fuck it up.”
“Me? Fuck up? I’m hurt.” Fao said, and started to suture.
Steve tapped his feet. “You’ll get over it.”
“I might not.” He said, chewing his lip as he concentrated. He wasn’t about to do sloppy work.
“I’m sure you will.”
He was quiet then, too busy on his work. It was difficult, Steve was fidgety, and after a few minutes he frustratedly adjusted his light. Ely walked in after that, and he twisted to look at her.
“A stór. The last stock take we did, did we order any local? I’ve just turned the place upside down looking for some.”
Ely frowned at him. “I thought Steve did the last one. Are you suturing without any?”
“I wish I wasn’t.” Fao grumbled.
“Oh, fucking hell. Really, Steve?”
“Don’t be nice to him, he refused painkillers.”
“And we wonder where you get it from.” She teased.
“If you’re going to flirt, will you do it in your own time?” Steve interrupted. “I need this over with.”
“Painkillers would help.” Ely said, sitting down next to him. “I really can’t get you anything?”
“No.” He winced as Fao started up again. “It’ll be over soon.”
“I just saw you wince.”
“It’s difficult to suture neatly when you keep fidgeting, Steve.”
“I’m staying as still as I can.”
“Which is why you need meds.” He said bluntly.
Ely sighed. “Look, ignore him, he’s an ass. Won’t you let me give you something?”
“I told Fao, I’m working later.”
“Not with a wound like that.”
“A few stitches and I’ll be fine.”
“Judging by the blood that’s around, you need rest. Have some meds, and then you can sleep it off. We’ve got plenty of midaz and other stuff, we could do twilight or something. Then it’ll be done before you know it.” Ely said gently.
“Please, Ely. Just let Fao get on with it.”
“I’m better than Fao with the drugs. Not even some codeine, morphine? Just to take the edge off, Steve.”
His protests were interrupted as he jumped, jerking away from Fao. He groaned through clenched teeth. “Fuck.”
Fao swore, and dropped his stuff with a clatter. “I can’t keep doing this.”
Steve didn’t move, hands clenched into fists as he tried to breathe through the pain.
“That’s it, Steve, breathe through it. Nice deep breaths.” Ely soothed. “Let me give you something? Please, just so we can sort this.”
“What?”
“It would be best to try some sedation, some midaz or fentanyl. That’ll keep you still, really. Means we can finish quicker.”
“The bare minimum.”
“Of course. Only as much as you need.”
“I need to still be conscious and talking.” He countered, offering her his arm.
“Mmhmm. We’ll look after you.” Ely said, grabbing some gloves and a cannulation kit.
“I’m serious, Ely.”
“We need you to settle and be still, so Fao can suture. You’ll be relaxed.” She told him.
“Fao was doing a fine job.”
“I was trying my best, but you were too fidgety.” Fao told him. “I just need you to be relaxed enough not to move, yeah?”
“I wasn’t moving.” He grumbled.
“Alright.” Fao wasn’t about to argue with him, but just let his girlfriend work.
Ely got set up quickly, well practiced by now. Gone were the days when doing things like this used to scare her. Now it was virtually second nature. She got the cannula in easily - Steve was a welcome change from Fao’s difficult veins or a seizing Finn.
Steve watched her carefully as she worked. He trusted her clinical skills - it had been half the reason she’d been picked in the first place - but he didn’t trust her to not drug him. He didn’t trust either of them.
With the monitoring set up that she wanted (or rather, what she knew she could get away with without Steve having a strop) Ely shared a look with Fao as she measured out the meds. They’d worked together long enough now that Fao knew exactly what she wanted, and so he moved his stool slightly, aiming to distract Steve as she gave the drugs.
“Who are you on shift with tonight, Steve? Did you see the rota?”
He took the bait. “I didn’t recognise the name. Think it’s someone new.”
“Fresh blood? At least they can’t be any worse than us lot, eh?”
Ely gave the meds as quickly as she dared, enough to make sure Fao could get everything sorted. She rubbed his arm, hoping to be another welcome distraction.
“Oh, you…twat.” He slowly turned to Ely. “What did I tell you?”
“Just relax, Steve. I only gave you as much as you need, yeah? Couple of nice deep breaths for me?”
“I should go. Serve you right.” He struggled to focus, to piece the sentence together.
“Later, yeah? Let’s just take a deep breath, relax for me.” Her voice was gentle.
He hummed. “Yeah.”
“Well done, that’s it. Just relax, you can close your eyes if you want.”
He pulled his hand from Ely’s reach. “No more.”
She laughed. “No more, I promise. How about a little nap, hmm?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Always have a choice. Thought it might be nice, I bet you’re feeling pretty sleepy.”
“Twat.”
“So you’ve said.” She said lightly. “It’s alright, we’ll look after you.”
“Thanks.”
“That’s okay, that’s what we’re here for.” She said, and glanced over at Fao. He hadn’t started to suture again yet, but was fussing over the wound, trying to ease the bleeding a little.
As Fao hit a particularly sore point, he turned to look at the wound. “Ow.”
“Sorry, Steve. It’s a bit sore, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’ll get better.”
“Will it?”
“Yeah, just focus on those deep breaths.” Ely told him. “Nice and relaxed.”
Steve did as he was told; after all, he didn’t really have much choice. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable (and just to annoy Fao, he was sure), and shut his eyes. He might as well try and sleep through it as much as he could.
“That’s it, well done.” She said, rubbing his arm, and then turned to her boyfriend. “Go on, shouldn’t have any trouble now.”
Fao nodded, and started to suture, as quickly as he could. He hated this just as much as Steve did, they just didn’t have a choice.
No. 9 - RUMORS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED
presumed dead | (blind) rage | tears
“Do we have to do this?” There was more than a hint of hesitation to his tone.
“We don’t have a choice. I need you to trust me.”
“But what about Fao-”
“Harrison. Please. Do this for me. Finn? He needs to die.”
Things hadn’t been the same at the Daniels, everyone moping around and just not doing much at all. Harrison and Steve had paid their respects and then quickly left, making various excuses. Jess, on the other hand, hadn’t even shown up. Her apartment was locked, and hadn’t any signs of anyone living there whenever Fred had sent someone round to check on her. Her brother promised he’d seen her, relieving some of their worry. Besides, they had so much more to worry about.
Fred hadn’t believed it at first, none of them had. But, they’d seen the body. Steve had assured them it was Finn and there was no foul play, so that was that.
Life had to go on, they didn’t have a choice but to. There was a small wake organised, closed casket, and only for the closer members of the gang. It was more formality than anything, a sign of respect for Finn, something that a lot of the previous members hadn’t been privileged enough to get.
Since Finn’s side operation had gone sideways, Steve and Harrison had gone to ground. Sure, they attended what they had to with the Daniels, but the more they could keep out of the way, the better. The cops had been far too close to arresting one of them, and they couldn’t have it. They couldn’t have Fred finding out that way, and they doubted he’d be able to get their charges cut too. Steve had to be careful too; the hospital was already suspicious of his police record.
Harrison had work to do, anyway. A loner with no alliances, he was often contacted for various other jobs. Fred knew that too, as did Finn, and always held him at arm’s length. After all, someone with such switching loyalties was just asking for trouble. He was useful for finding moles, often recognising men from other rival gangs. His alliance with Fred was stronger than most realised though, and it wasn’t ever a coincidence their names would end up on Fred’s desk, and then their bodies in the river.
Fred had organised a raid on a nearby warehouse, a front for a rival’s drug ring. While none of what he did was exactly legal, he did have standards, and spent a lot of time making sure others by their turf did the same. Certain weapons and forged documents were often passed without much guilt, but drugs were different. They had their outreach programmes, and often took a large chunk of their community help.
Harrison had agreed to go with them, an apparent favour to Fred. It was a simple enough mission for him; in and out, with just a hint of murder.
While the rest of Fred’s men dealt with the ring, Harrison slipped away. He was quiet on his feet, appearing behind his mark and quickly dragging him away. It was a swift and practiced end, though it still made his stomach twist. It wasn’t the first man he’d killed, and he knew it wouldn’t be his last. He dumped the body, hoping it would just be seen as a casualty of the raid. He strolled casually back to the rest of the fight, took a few men out that were too close and gaining on Fao, and then hopped back in Steve’s van. He’d done what he’d had to do, he wasn’t being paid for more than that.
Ever since Finn’s… Death, Fao hadn’t trusted anyone in the family. Something was going on, he knewit. He could feel it. He’d know if Finn really was gone, he’d feel it. And with Harrison sniffing around, it felt even more like something was amiss. Fao enjoyed the other man’s company, he always had done, but with Finn gone it really felt like something was going on.
Even with his suspicions, Fao had been acting recklessly. Too much alcohol, too many cigarettes. He was easy to provoke, always getting into fights, and he was happy enough to go out with Fred on this mission. It would give him a reason to get his blood up, to punch people and get away with it. He saw Harrison take out a couple of people getting too close to him, and then he just… disappeared. Gone, and he wasn’t there when the fight was over. Something had to be going on.
The raid had gone smoothly for everyone involved. Fred had silenced a rival, and Harrison had taken his mark out. It wasn’t fully finished, he knew that. It would be a few weeks before they were sure it had had the correct result, but it was a move in the right direction.
It was nervous waiting, Harrison flitting from boss to boss and finishing what he had to. When he got the call it was over, he was more than relieved. It had gone on for far too long, though luckily not as long as they’d originally planned for. Arrangements were made, weapons changed hands, and time moved on. He’d done what he needed to, murdered people he never thought he would. He never wanted to be involved like that again. He said his goodbyes to Fao, thanked Sheila and Fred for their offer to stay, and disappeared into the early evening.
The evening dragged into night, with Fao irritable and unable to sleep. He wasn’t sure who else was up, and he didn’t really care, but he headed downstairs after a few hours of tossing and turning, lighter and cigarettes in hand.
He wasn’t going to bother turning the lights on in the kitchen, but they were already on when he got downstairs, and he could hear someone moving around in there. He’d thought everyone was in bed, but maybe not. Now on his guard, he edged into the room, footsteps light on the wooden floor.
He’d not expected to see Fao so soon, and not like this. He cleared his throat. “Don’t shoot.”
Fao froze, barely believing what he was seeing.
“‘don’t shoot’?! Don’t fucking shoot?! I’ve half a mind to, now. What the fuck, Finn?!”
He laughed uncomfortably, placing the bag of crisps back on the table. “Shh, you’re going to wake everyone else up.”
“You come back from the dead and the first thing you say to me is don’t shoot?!”
“I - I’m sorry.” He softened. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“I thought you were dead, Finn.” Fao said, his voice cracking. “We had a funeral.”
“It had to be real.”
Fao’s hands curled into fists at his side. “Why? What was so awful that you had to disappear without telling me? Maybe the alcohol has caught up with me and I’m seeing things. One too many concussions. I need you to explain what’s going on, and yesterday.”
“Why don’t we take a breath?” Finn backed away slightly, his hands raised. “I’ll make coffee, we can get mum and dad up.”
“Harrison knew, didn’t he?”
“Get some biscuits, relax a bit, y'know?”
“That’s a yes, then. Who else knew? Was I the only one?!” Fao stepped closer.
“Harrison had to take me out. There was a mole, he was going to end up hurting one of you.”
“And what, you couldn’t speak to me? Your brother.Who else knew?!”
“Just Steve.” He backed further away, his back hitting the cupboards. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?”
“I didn’t want to!”
Fao closed the distance between them and grabbed Finn’s shoulders, slamming him hard into the cupboards behind him.
Finn groaned, but didn’t fight back. “Ow?”
“I could fucking kill you!”
“Go ahead.”
“Don’t be an ass.” He grumbled, and moved to pull him in for a hug. “I never want to lose you again.”
Finn hesitated before wrapping his arms around Fao. “It’s been hell.”
“You’re telling me.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, dickhead.” He mumbled. “I really need that fucking cigarette now.”
Their hug was interrupted by the hallway light flicking on and the sound of the safety flipping back on. Fred and Sheila stood in the doorway, staring in shock at the pair.
“I need a fucking drink.”
Fao laughed hoarsely. “I think we all do.”
“I brought wine?” Finn offered, holding up a bottle after rummaging through his bag. “Jess and I didn’t finish it.”
Fao reached for it. “Wine will do.”
