The Art of Thinking Quietly (2/4)
Title: The Art of Thinking Quietly (2/4)
Characters/Pairings: Mohinder/Matt (eventually), Barely there, blink and you miss it Matt/Bennet subtext
Rating: PG
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for 1st Season, particularly the last episode. Eventual spoilers for 2.01
Summary: After the events from last season, Mohinder finds himself taking care of Matt Parkman.
Notes: I don't own Heroes in the slightest. Sad face! So there is now going to be 4 parts instead of 3, italics are thoughts. Comments are love. I definitely need input. Many thanks in advance! :) Also, much love to yaiyah
---
It felt like an eternity before Matt was stabilized, and even then the doctors couldn't guarantee that he would pull through. It was a tense week and a half before he finally woke. A week and a half of constant vigilance on Mohinder's part. No one asked why he was constantly nearby, though he had his reasons ready for any questioning. It wasn't that he was friends with the man, he barely knew him. He was there for Molly's sake, who insisted that he stayed near Matt when she couldn't and for the sake of science of course. He should be near the man if he wanted to study hims ability. But he certainly wasn't staying near him because he had a bizarre connection with him. That would be ridiculous.
Parkman had other visitors. A blonde woman from the FBI, who actually seemed angry at Parkman for being shot. When Mohinder attempted to talk to her, she sharply told him that she had called Parkman's wife, who was on her way from LA, and that she would only need a minute. He took that as a subtle way of saying 'shut up and go away,' so he wisely left her alone. She left shortly after that, not even giving Mohinder a second glance. Nice girl.
Bennet visited twice. The first time was when Parkman was finally stabilized. He stood at Parkman's bed for a few minutes, studying him with a completely emotionless face. Then he turned to Mohinder with a tight, yet still smug smile and said, "Don't worry Suresh, Parkman is the most stubborn man I've ever met." Then he left without another word. He didn't return again until days later, this time with the blonde Mohinder had seen at Kirby Plaza. He finally learned that this was Claire, the adopted daughter Bennet nearly killed Molly for. They were there to say their goodbyes for now, ready to find their family and continue to survive. Bennet shook his hand, told him to take care of Molly, and assured him that they'd be in contact again very soon. As they left, Bennet hesitated at the door before turning back and saying "Be sure to watch him when he wakes up." For a moment, Mohinder was certain he heard concern coloring Bennet's voice. Before he could figure out what it was, or question the cryptic advice, Bennet was gone.
Mohinder met Matt's wife - Janice - next and she liked him as much as the blonde did. He carefully explained what had happened at the Plaza, unable to keep the pride from his voice as he let her know Matt was one of the heroes that night. She hadn't said much in reply, but by her expression alone, strangely enough concern mixed with a bit of anger, gave him an idea of her personality. He gave her his number, asking her to call him when Matt woke and left her alone with her husband. At least now he could find tea, give Molly updates on her hero and catch up on his sleep. In that order.
Somehow that plan turned into Mohinder falling asleep in the lobby for a few hours, only waking up when his phone went off. It was Janice, calling to tell him that Matt had woken up and there was something wrong. Panic immediately hit him like a blast of cold water, and he immediately rushed of to Matt's room. By the time Mohinder arrived, he was unconscious again, and Janice was pacing the halls. When he asked what had happened, her answers were short and terse. The gist of it was Matt was awake for barely 10 minutes, muttered incoherently, hyperventilated and passed out again. Mohinder gaped as she continued pacing. What would cause Matt to panic so badly in a hospital completely baffled him. The doctors were just as confused as they were and told them both to stay close, and to alert them if it happens again.
So, whether the wife liked it or not, Mohinder stuck around in case Matt woke any time soon. Although, even if he did, there was little a geneticist could do to help, yet something kept him near. Perhaps it was Bennet's vague warning ringing in his ears, a puzzle begging to be solved, with no means to even begin to understand it. He was in the dark here, practically alone in a hospital room, there was nothing to research, nothing to solve. All he had was a notebook, and nothing productive came from that so far. He was overwhelmed by suddenly feeling so frustrated and concerned. He felt almost claustrophobic. So he sat in the corner of Matt's room, as far from the bed as he could be, lost in his thoughts and tried to give Mrs. Parkman some privacy with her husband.
At some point, he gave up on the notebook and turned his gaze to Matt. For some reason, he thought staring at the other man would answer all his questions. Somehow his mind drifted horribly off topic as he noticed how peaceful Matt looked as he slept. He almost looked like someone entirely different without that bright smile. True, he had only seen that smile once, and it wasn't even directed towards him, but it was something he couldn't forget easily. Fantastic, you've completely lost your mind, he thought to himself with a sigh.
And of course, this was the moment Matt Parkman chose to wake up again, instantly catching Mohinder's eyes. He looked surprisingly calm, considering the events from earlier. He even gave Mohinder a shaky, yet amused smile, a smaller version of the smile he had been thinking of moments ago. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he realized he'd been caught staring, and worse yet, Matt probably heard his thoughts. After a few minutes of a slightly awkward staring contest between them both, Mohinder decided he should leave for a bit, half to give Janice time with her husband, half to regroup his own thoughts and shake off his ridiculous embarrassment. "Will you be back soon?" Matt croaked out, sounding truly exhausted, now alerting Janice that he was awake. It took a moment for Mohinder to realize he was addressing his thoughts, and gave him a quick nod and smile in response. He left them to take a walk around the hospital, maybe he'd find some decent tea, and then he'd return. That should give them enough time to talk and for him to sort out his own thoughts. He didn't want to rush them, but he desperately needed to ask Matt questions about his ability.
A little over an hour later, Mohinder returned with two cups of tea. He figured he'd get one for Janice as a peace offering. Strangely enough, she was gone. Matt was awake, staring at the wall with red rimed eyes. He didn't even acknowledge that Mohinder had entered the room. He hovered near the door, debating on leaving the man alone and just coming back later. Matt obviously picked up on this and finally spoke. "You can stay if you want to, but I'm not in a talking mood," he said, his voice thick with emotions.
Mohinder just nodded, understanding, and sat in the chair next to the bed. "Alright. In that case, I bring tea, which is often best when drank in silence," he replied, handing Matt the cup.
Mohinder couldn't help but wonder what had happened while he was out. "She left," was the answer to unasked question. Mohinder couldn't hide his surprise. "She…she never said what she thought. And I…" Matt trailed off, his jaw clenching. Mohinder leaned forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We can talk tomorrow. Or the next day, or never, if you'd like. But now you should sleep. Tomorrow I'm bringing an energetic girl who's been dying to see you and you'll need as much sleep as you can get." Matt met his gaze, his eyes shining with gratitude, just nodding and leaning back into the bed. Nothing more was said, but there wasn't really a need to.
Mohinder waited until he was sure Matt was asleep before he left.
---
cross posted: rare_heroes and mytwoheroes
Characters/Pairings: Mohinder/Matt (eventually), Barely there, blink and you miss it Matt/Bennet subtext
Rating: PG
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for 1st Season, particularly the last episode. Eventual spoilers for 2.01
Summary: After the events from last season, Mohinder finds himself taking care of Matt Parkman.
Notes: I don't own Heroes in the slightest. Sad face! So there is now going to be 4 parts instead of 3, italics are thoughts. Comments are love. I definitely need input. Many thanks in advance! :) Also, much love to yaiyah
---
It felt like an eternity before Matt was stabilized, and even then the doctors couldn't guarantee that he would pull through. It was a tense week and a half before he finally woke. A week and a half of constant vigilance on Mohinder's part. No one asked why he was constantly nearby, though he had his reasons ready for any questioning. It wasn't that he was friends with the man, he barely knew him. He was there for Molly's sake, who insisted that he stayed near Matt when she couldn't and for the sake of science of course. He should be near the man if he wanted to study hims ability. But he certainly wasn't staying near him because he had a bizarre connection with him. That would be ridiculous.
Parkman had other visitors. A blonde woman from the FBI, who actually seemed angry at Parkman for being shot. When Mohinder attempted to talk to her, she sharply told him that she had called Parkman's wife, who was on her way from LA, and that she would only need a minute. He took that as a subtle way of saying 'shut up and go away,' so he wisely left her alone. She left shortly after that, not even giving Mohinder a second glance. Nice girl.
Bennet visited twice. The first time was when Parkman was finally stabilized. He stood at Parkman's bed for a few minutes, studying him with a completely emotionless face. Then he turned to Mohinder with a tight, yet still smug smile and said, "Don't worry Suresh, Parkman is the most stubborn man I've ever met." Then he left without another word. He didn't return again until days later, this time with the blonde Mohinder had seen at Kirby Plaza. He finally learned that this was Claire, the adopted daughter Bennet nearly killed Molly for. They were there to say their goodbyes for now, ready to find their family and continue to survive. Bennet shook his hand, told him to take care of Molly, and assured him that they'd be in contact again very soon. As they left, Bennet hesitated at the door before turning back and saying "Be sure to watch him when he wakes up." For a moment, Mohinder was certain he heard concern coloring Bennet's voice. Before he could figure out what it was, or question the cryptic advice, Bennet was gone.
Mohinder met Matt's wife - Janice - next and she liked him as much as the blonde did. He carefully explained what had happened at the Plaza, unable to keep the pride from his voice as he let her know Matt was one of the heroes that night. She hadn't said much in reply, but by her expression alone, strangely enough concern mixed with a bit of anger, gave him an idea of her personality. He gave her his number, asking her to call him when Matt woke and left her alone with her husband. At least now he could find tea, give Molly updates on her hero and catch up on his sleep. In that order.
Somehow that plan turned into Mohinder falling asleep in the lobby for a few hours, only waking up when his phone went off. It was Janice, calling to tell him that Matt had woken up and there was something wrong. Panic immediately hit him like a blast of cold water, and he immediately rushed of to Matt's room. By the time Mohinder arrived, he was unconscious again, and Janice was pacing the halls. When he asked what had happened, her answers were short and terse. The gist of it was Matt was awake for barely 10 minutes, muttered incoherently, hyperventilated and passed out again. Mohinder gaped as she continued pacing. What would cause Matt to panic so badly in a hospital completely baffled him. The doctors were just as confused as they were and told them both to stay close, and to alert them if it happens again.
So, whether the wife liked it or not, Mohinder stuck around in case Matt woke any time soon. Although, even if he did, there was little a geneticist could do to help, yet something kept him near. Perhaps it was Bennet's vague warning ringing in his ears, a puzzle begging to be solved, with no means to even begin to understand it. He was in the dark here, practically alone in a hospital room, there was nothing to research, nothing to solve. All he had was a notebook, and nothing productive came from that so far. He was overwhelmed by suddenly feeling so frustrated and concerned. He felt almost claustrophobic. So he sat in the corner of Matt's room, as far from the bed as he could be, lost in his thoughts and tried to give Mrs. Parkman some privacy with her husband.
At some point, he gave up on the notebook and turned his gaze to Matt. For some reason, he thought staring at the other man would answer all his questions. Somehow his mind drifted horribly off topic as he noticed how peaceful Matt looked as he slept. He almost looked like someone entirely different without that bright smile. True, he had only seen that smile once, and it wasn't even directed towards him, but it was something he couldn't forget easily. Fantastic, you've completely lost your mind, he thought to himself with a sigh.
And of course, this was the moment Matt Parkman chose to wake up again, instantly catching Mohinder's eyes. He looked surprisingly calm, considering the events from earlier. He even gave Mohinder a shaky, yet amused smile, a smaller version of the smile he had been thinking of moments ago. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he realized he'd been caught staring, and worse yet, Matt probably heard his thoughts. After a few minutes of a slightly awkward staring contest between them both, Mohinder decided he should leave for a bit, half to give Janice time with her husband, half to regroup his own thoughts and shake off his ridiculous embarrassment. "Will you be back soon?" Matt croaked out, sounding truly exhausted, now alerting Janice that he was awake. It took a moment for Mohinder to realize he was addressing his thoughts, and gave him a quick nod and smile in response. He left them to take a walk around the hospital, maybe he'd find some decent tea, and then he'd return. That should give them enough time to talk and for him to sort out his own thoughts. He didn't want to rush them, but he desperately needed to ask Matt questions about his ability.
A little over an hour later, Mohinder returned with two cups of tea. He figured he'd get one for Janice as a peace offering. Strangely enough, she was gone. Matt was awake, staring at the wall with red rimed eyes. He didn't even acknowledge that Mohinder had entered the room. He hovered near the door, debating on leaving the man alone and just coming back later. Matt obviously picked up on this and finally spoke. "You can stay if you want to, but I'm not in a talking mood," he said, his voice thick with emotions.
Mohinder just nodded, understanding, and sat in the chair next to the bed. "Alright. In that case, I bring tea, which is often best when drank in silence," he replied, handing Matt the cup.
Mohinder couldn't help but wonder what had happened while he was out. "She left," was the answer to unasked question. Mohinder couldn't hide his surprise. "She…she never said what she thought. And I…" Matt trailed off, his jaw clenching. Mohinder leaned forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We can talk tomorrow. Or the next day, or never, if you'd like. But now you should sleep. Tomorrow I'm bringing an energetic girl who's been dying to see you and you'll need as much sleep as you can get." Matt met his gaze, his eyes shining with gratitude, just nodding and leaning back into the bed. Nothing more was said, but there wasn't really a need to.
Mohinder waited until he was sure Matt was asleep before he left.
---
cross posted: rare_heroes and mytwoheroes