(no subject)
Hodgins thinks about Zach a lot.
It’s hard not to, really. Zach had lived in the apartment over his garage for a little over three years. He had ridden in to work with Hodgins every day. They had constantly been in each others workspaces. The Diner, calculus, lab experiments, hell, a box pop tarts was enough to sucker punch Hodgins.
At first Zach had just been the weird kid, new to the lab, that Hodgins had offered a free place to live. And, well, there had been so much that Zach hadn’t had the first clue about. Someone had had to look out for the guy. After a little while Hodgins had started to genuinely like him. Then he had looked up one day and they were friends. And yes, half the time Zach, in spite of his doctorate, was still the oddball kid brother that it was a delight to tease, and that Hodgins had looked out for.
Then Gormogon had happened.
And Hodgins still isn’t sure how it had happened.
It’s still surreal to think that Zach will probably spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility. He’s barely more than a kid. But better there than in prison. Zach would never adapt to prison. At the facility, at least he’ll be safe.
And Hodgins had made it clear-to the facility, to the Addy family, to anyone who would listen-that if Zach needed anything, he wanted to help. In addition to psychiatric treatment, he still needed physical therapy for his hands. And mental hospitals, even the best ones, aren’t altogether comfortable places.
He’d been able to keep tabs on Zach through the grapevine. Brennan had been allowed to see him once before his preliminary evaluations began. Caroline got updates via the Prosecutor’s office, even if she couldn’t share much. Zach’s mother had dropped Hodgins a line to thank him for helping pack up Zach’s things, and to tell him that Zach was ‘doing okay.’ And one member of the hospital’s Board of Directors was an old family acquaintance.
But this is the first time Hodgins has been able to go visit Zach himself. The first day that he is allowed to have visitors that are not immediate family.
And it’s almost like nothing has happened. Yes, there is security present. And they are sequestered in a bare white room with two straight-backed chairs and one table between them. But when Hodgins is escorted in, Zach looks happy to see him, and immediately launches into a solution he has formulated for an ongoing issue they’ve been having with the chemical hoods in the lab.
They don’t talk about anything heavy. Nothing about Gormogon. Or about Zach’s family. Or about the investigation in the lab. Instead, Hodgins has brought a pile of scientific journals and a puzzle book, and they spend the visit picking apart theories and equations.
And for an hour, everything is normal again.
When he leaves, Hodgins sits in his car in the parking lot for a very long time. Almost as long as the actual visit itself.
He’ll be back. He can visit again in three days. He already knows he’ll need to bring more puzzles-Zach will have worked through the book by then.
Hodgins turns the key in the ignition and pulls away from the hospital.
It’s hard not to, really. Zach had lived in the apartment over his garage for a little over three years. He had ridden in to work with Hodgins every day. They had constantly been in each others workspaces. The Diner, calculus, lab experiments, hell, a box pop tarts was enough to sucker punch Hodgins.
At first Zach had just been the weird kid, new to the lab, that Hodgins had offered a free place to live. And, well, there had been so much that Zach hadn’t had the first clue about. Someone had had to look out for the guy. After a little while Hodgins had started to genuinely like him. Then he had looked up one day and they were friends. And yes, half the time Zach, in spite of his doctorate, was still the oddball kid brother that it was a delight to tease, and that Hodgins had looked out for.
Then Gormogon had happened.
And Hodgins still isn’t sure how it had happened.
It’s still surreal to think that Zach will probably spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility. He’s barely more than a kid. But better there than in prison. Zach would never adapt to prison. At the facility, at least he’ll be safe.
And Hodgins had made it clear-to the facility, to the Addy family, to anyone who would listen-that if Zach needed anything, he wanted to help. In addition to psychiatric treatment, he still needed physical therapy for his hands. And mental hospitals, even the best ones, aren’t altogether comfortable places.
He’d been able to keep tabs on Zach through the grapevine. Brennan had been allowed to see him once before his preliminary evaluations began. Caroline got updates via the Prosecutor’s office, even if she couldn’t share much. Zach’s mother had dropped Hodgins a line to thank him for helping pack up Zach’s things, and to tell him that Zach was ‘doing okay.’ And one member of the hospital’s Board of Directors was an old family acquaintance.
But this is the first time Hodgins has been able to go visit Zach himself. The first day that he is allowed to have visitors that are not immediate family.
And it’s almost like nothing has happened. Yes, there is security present. And they are sequestered in a bare white room with two straight-backed chairs and one table between them. But when Hodgins is escorted in, Zach looks happy to see him, and immediately launches into a solution he has formulated for an ongoing issue they’ve been having with the chemical hoods in the lab.
They don’t talk about anything heavy. Nothing about Gormogon. Or about Zach’s family. Or about the investigation in the lab. Instead, Hodgins has brought a pile of scientific journals and a puzzle book, and they spend the visit picking apart theories and equations.
And for an hour, everything is normal again.
When he leaves, Hodgins sits in his car in the parking lot for a very long time. Almost as long as the actual visit itself.
He’ll be back. He can visit again in three days. He already knows he’ll need to bring more puzzles-Zach will have worked through the book by then.
Hodgins turns the key in the ignition and pulls away from the hospital.