Happy holidays gossy16!
Title: As Long As He Believes
Author: summerkins
Rating: G
Summary: The virus strikes Matt. He and Mohinder decide to keep it from Molly.
Notes: I’ve always been a procrastinator, and so I apologize this is so late gossy16. Written for the m3secretsanta exchange.
It took about a week for Matt to notice it at first. He started off feeling a little weak, and lightheaded, but he shook it off. He was a detective, wasn’t he? He needed to be out on the streets catching the bad guys, keeping his family safe. That’s what his life was about these days.
But the weakness and lightheadedness kept up, and soon progressed into more, listlessness and muscle aches. When he looked at himself in the mirror after his shower one morning, he hardly believed it was his reflection he was so pale. Frowning at the mirror he shaved quickly and finished up, heading out into the living room to help Molly get ready for school. Mohinder looked him over when he came out.
“Maybe you should stay home today Matthew,” he said as he walked over to the other man, reaching out a hand to feel his forehead.
Matt ducked away from the hand and gave a bright smile “I’m fine Mohinder, I swear. It’s probably just the beginnings of the flu or something. Don’t worry; I’ve got a great immune system. But I’ve got to get Molly to school now, see you tonight.” With another quick grin from Matt, and a kiss from them both, Mohinder watched them sweep out the door. But he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t right with Matthew.
Later that day, while he was sitting at his desk at the station, Matt noticed something that scared the crap out of him. He couldn’t hear his co-workers thoughts. Normally it was like a white noise, something he knew was there, but when he wasn’t actively listening for it, he didn’t really hear it. But he realized he was just hearing his own thoughts. Sitting back in his chair he rubbed his hand over his jaw, scratching at the stubble, trying to think when it’d started. He was startled to realize that it’d been at least a week. He frowned, trying to figure out how he didn’t notice it before, when Detective Fuller came up to his desk, startling him from his thoughts.
“Parkman, you okay?” Fuller asked, looking him over critically.
“Er… not really sir,” Matt said, trying to look sheepish, “I’m not feeling so hot. I think maybe the flu or something.”
The detective raised an eyebrow “What are you doing here then?” he asked.
“Uh, nothing sir, I think? I’ll just go home then.” Matt said, fumbling with his jacket.
“Good. Feel better Parkman, and don’t come back until you are, do you hear me?” Matt nodded his thanks and walked towards the station’s doors, stumbling slightly and reaching out to grab a desk to keep from falling. Fuller hurried up and grabbed his arm, looking at his face in concern. “Do you want me to call you a cab Parkman? I don’t think you should be driving. Or maybe I should call your roommate - er I mean, partner?” Matt cradled his head in his hand and just nodded, sinking down into a chair by the door. Fuller gave him a searching look, and pulled out his cell phone.
Matt sat in the chair with his hand over his face. He jerked slightly in surprise when he felt a cool hand on his forehead. His eyes were blurry, but he could make out messy brown curls, and worried chocolate eyes. “Mohinder?” he asked softly, reaching out to see if he was hallucinating.
Mohinder has been studying a strain of the virus when his cell phone buzzed. Pulling it from his pocket, he frowned, when he didn’t recognize the number. Flipping the phone open he answered “Hello?”
“Doctor Suresh? This is Detective Fuller at the station, I’m Parkman’s partner,” the man on the other end of the phone sounded slightly disconcerted.
“Yes, this is Doctor Suresh. Is something wrong Detective?” Mohinder tried to keep the apprehension out of his voice while his mind raced with possibilities. Matt would have called to tell him anything, unless something had happened to Matt. He knew that he should have made him stay home that morning, what if he got shot or something because he was distracted because of the flu or whatever was affecting him? Mohinder was so busy thinking of the possibilities; he missed half of what the Detective was saying.
“-don’t think it’s a good idea for him to go by himself, so I thought I’d call you and see if you could come take him home?”
“Oh, of course.” Mohinder let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I’ll be there shortly, will you stay with him until I get there Detective?”
The other man grumbled his agreement and Mohinder hung up, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.
He got to the station in record time, barely paying attention to the cabbie that’d gotten him there. He hurried into the building and looked around quickly.
“Doctor Suresh?” Mohinder turned at the sound of his name and saw a tall black man standing near Matt, who was slumped into a chair. Frowning in concern, Mohinder hurried over and put his hand on Matt’s forehead.
“Yes, I’m Doctor Suresh, Detective Fuller I take it?” he asked, started to turn towards the man when he heard Matt whisper his name. Looking back at the man still slumped in the chair; he took the hand that was reaching for him, “I’m here Matt. I’m going to take you home alright?” Matt gave him a weak smile and nodded, trying to get to his feet.
“Do you need help getting him to your car, or to a cab?” the detective offered, catching Mohinder’s attention again.
“A cab would be great. And your help would be much appreciated as well, thank you.” Mohinder said, smiling slightly at the other man. Together, they got Matt into a cab and the two of them set off for the apartment.
As Matt woke up, his senses started reporting to his brain slowly, like soliders coming back to base after a scouting mission. First came touch, he felt the warmth of the blankets he assumed Mohinder had piled on top of him, and the comfortable mattress behneath him. Next came scent, the delicious odor of something cooking from the kitchen, something that made his stomach growl and remind him that he really hadn’t eaten anything that day. Third came sound, the soft murmur of Molly and Mohinder talking quietly so as not to disturb him. They were probably in the kitchen, Molly doing her homework, and Mohinder cooking whatever it was that smelled so good. When Matt tried to reach out and find out if his hypothesis was correct however, he was forcibly reminded of his condition.
He sat up and pushed the blankets off his body, swinging his legs to the side of the bed. He stood slowly to keep from over balancing himself, and walked unsteadily to the bedroom door.
Mohinder and Molly looked towards the bedroom door when it opened, with a slightly unsteady Matt clutching the doorframe.
“Matt!” Molly exclaimed and started to bolt up from her seat, but stopped when Mohinder put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and bit her lip, giving him an apologetic look. He smiled back, and removed his hand. She looked back at Matt, who was making his way to the table unsteadily. Mohinder hurried over to offer some support, which Matt took gratefully.
“Hey Molly-doll,” he said as he sat down at the table, doing his best to give her a smile.
“Are you feeling better Matt? Mohinder said you were sick.” She gave him a quick hug, and stepped back to look at him.
“I’m feeling a little better sweetheart, but I’m not 100% yet. I guess I should have listened to Mohinder when he told me to stay home this morning.” He replied, shooting Mohinder a rueful look.
Mohinder chuckled softly and moved to the stove, serving up something from the pot set there. He turned and set the bowl in front of Matt and gave him a steady look. “Well, now that you’ve learned to listen to me, you should eat as much as you can of this soup. My mother used to make it for me when I was sick as a boy, and it always helped.” Matt chuckled softly and nodded at him, starting to eat. “Molly, why don’t you clean up your homework?”
“Okay,” The young girl replied, gathering up the papers and workbooks that were on one side of the table and stuffing them in her book bag. When she went to put the bag in her room, Matt looked up at the other man with a worried look in his eyes.
“When we get a chance, I need to talk to you.” He said softly, so that Molly wouldn’t hear as she came back to the table for her dinner. Mohinder looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.
After Matt had eaten some of the soup, Mohinder shooed him back to bed. As he settled down, he heard the other man tell Molly that she could watch a few hours of TV, but to keep it down so as not to bother her sick dad. Matt smiled at the name, trying to keep his worries off his mind.
Mohinder opened the door and raised his eyebrows at him, silently asking if now was a good time for the talk. Matt looked past the man in the doorway and saw that Molly was occupied by some show or another on the Disney channel and nodded. Mohinder came in and shut the door behind him then sat down at the foot of the bed.
“So what’s going on?” Mohinder asked looking at Matt.
Matt sighed heavily and rubbed his hand over his head, wondering how to go about this. “You know that virius you’ve been working on? The one Molly had back in November?” Mohinder’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded slowly. Matt figured if he could hear the other man’s thoughts they’d be going a million a minute. “I think I might have it. It took away her powers, and she had symptoms of the flu, right?”
“Yes. That’s right,” Mohinder said biting his lip and studying the other man’s face. “If we want to find out for sure if you have it, I’ll need to take some blood. I have enough equipment here that I can at least determine if you have it. If it’s the same strain Molly had then I should be able to help you tonight, but if not…” Mohinder trailed off looking down at his hands.
“If I have the same strand as Niki, then I’m out of luck, right?” Matt asked rubbing his face and looking out the window.
“No.” Mohinder said decisively, standing up and starting to pace. Matt looked at the other man in confusion. “I won’t let you die from this Matt. I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll find Claire Bennet again if I have to. But I will not just let you die. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t do that to our daughter.” Mohinder stopped pacing and looked at the wall that separated the bedroom from the living room where Molly sat. “What are we going to do about Molly?”
Matt took a deep breath and looked at the wall as well. “We can’t tell her anything.” The professor tuned to him, the questions evident in his eyes. “I don’t want her to worry. After everything that’s happened…besides, you said that if I have the same strand as she did you’d be able to help me right away. Why make her worry over something that will be taken care of shortly?”
“But what if you don’t? What if my blood isn’t enough to save you?” Mohinder asked, blinking rapidly. Matt knew he was trying to hide it, but he could hear the tears in his voice.
“You said you’d do whatever you could. You’ll find Claire again, you’ll save me. I know you will Mohinder.” Matt said, holding out his hand.
Mohinder looked at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Then he took his hand and crawled on the bed with him, curling up against his side. If Matthew believed in him, then he’d do it. He could do anything if Matthew believed in him.
Author: summerkins
Rating: G
Summary: The virus strikes Matt. He and Mohinder decide to keep it from Molly.
Notes: I’ve always been a procrastinator, and so I apologize this is so late gossy16. Written for the m3secretsanta exchange.
It took about a week for Matt to notice it at first. He started off feeling a little weak, and lightheaded, but he shook it off. He was a detective, wasn’t he? He needed to be out on the streets catching the bad guys, keeping his family safe. That’s what his life was about these days.
But the weakness and lightheadedness kept up, and soon progressed into more, listlessness and muscle aches. When he looked at himself in the mirror after his shower one morning, he hardly believed it was his reflection he was so pale. Frowning at the mirror he shaved quickly and finished up, heading out into the living room to help Molly get ready for school. Mohinder looked him over when he came out.
“Maybe you should stay home today Matthew,” he said as he walked over to the other man, reaching out a hand to feel his forehead.
Matt ducked away from the hand and gave a bright smile “I’m fine Mohinder, I swear. It’s probably just the beginnings of the flu or something. Don’t worry; I’ve got a great immune system. But I’ve got to get Molly to school now, see you tonight.” With another quick grin from Matt, and a kiss from them both, Mohinder watched them sweep out the door. But he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t right with Matthew.
Later that day, while he was sitting at his desk at the station, Matt noticed something that scared the crap out of him. He couldn’t hear his co-workers thoughts. Normally it was like a white noise, something he knew was there, but when he wasn’t actively listening for it, he didn’t really hear it. But he realized he was just hearing his own thoughts. Sitting back in his chair he rubbed his hand over his jaw, scratching at the stubble, trying to think when it’d started. He was startled to realize that it’d been at least a week. He frowned, trying to figure out how he didn’t notice it before, when Detective Fuller came up to his desk, startling him from his thoughts.
“Parkman, you okay?” Fuller asked, looking him over critically.
“Er… not really sir,” Matt said, trying to look sheepish, “I’m not feeling so hot. I think maybe the flu or something.”
The detective raised an eyebrow “What are you doing here then?” he asked.
“Uh, nothing sir, I think? I’ll just go home then.” Matt said, fumbling with his jacket.
“Good. Feel better Parkman, and don’t come back until you are, do you hear me?” Matt nodded his thanks and walked towards the station’s doors, stumbling slightly and reaching out to grab a desk to keep from falling. Fuller hurried up and grabbed his arm, looking at his face in concern. “Do you want me to call you a cab Parkman? I don’t think you should be driving. Or maybe I should call your roommate - er I mean, partner?” Matt cradled his head in his hand and just nodded, sinking down into a chair by the door. Fuller gave him a searching look, and pulled out his cell phone.
Matt sat in the chair with his hand over his face. He jerked slightly in surprise when he felt a cool hand on his forehead. His eyes were blurry, but he could make out messy brown curls, and worried chocolate eyes. “Mohinder?” he asked softly, reaching out to see if he was hallucinating.
Mohinder has been studying a strain of the virus when his cell phone buzzed. Pulling it from his pocket, he frowned, when he didn’t recognize the number. Flipping the phone open he answered “Hello?”
“Doctor Suresh? This is Detective Fuller at the station, I’m Parkman’s partner,” the man on the other end of the phone sounded slightly disconcerted.
“Yes, this is Doctor Suresh. Is something wrong Detective?” Mohinder tried to keep the apprehension out of his voice while his mind raced with possibilities. Matt would have called to tell him anything, unless something had happened to Matt. He knew that he should have made him stay home that morning, what if he got shot or something because he was distracted because of the flu or whatever was affecting him? Mohinder was so busy thinking of the possibilities; he missed half of what the Detective was saying.
“-don’t think it’s a good idea for him to go by himself, so I thought I’d call you and see if you could come take him home?”
“Oh, of course.” Mohinder let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I’ll be there shortly, will you stay with him until I get there Detective?”
The other man grumbled his agreement and Mohinder hung up, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.
He got to the station in record time, barely paying attention to the cabbie that’d gotten him there. He hurried into the building and looked around quickly.
“Doctor Suresh?” Mohinder turned at the sound of his name and saw a tall black man standing near Matt, who was slumped into a chair. Frowning in concern, Mohinder hurried over and put his hand on Matt’s forehead.
“Yes, I’m Doctor Suresh, Detective Fuller I take it?” he asked, started to turn towards the man when he heard Matt whisper his name. Looking back at the man still slumped in the chair; he took the hand that was reaching for him, “I’m here Matt. I’m going to take you home alright?” Matt gave him a weak smile and nodded, trying to get to his feet.
“Do you need help getting him to your car, or to a cab?” the detective offered, catching Mohinder’s attention again.
“A cab would be great. And your help would be much appreciated as well, thank you.” Mohinder said, smiling slightly at the other man. Together, they got Matt into a cab and the two of them set off for the apartment.
As Matt woke up, his senses started reporting to his brain slowly, like soliders coming back to base after a scouting mission. First came touch, he felt the warmth of the blankets he assumed Mohinder had piled on top of him, and the comfortable mattress behneath him. Next came scent, the delicious odor of something cooking from the kitchen, something that made his stomach growl and remind him that he really hadn’t eaten anything that day. Third came sound, the soft murmur of Molly and Mohinder talking quietly so as not to disturb him. They were probably in the kitchen, Molly doing her homework, and Mohinder cooking whatever it was that smelled so good. When Matt tried to reach out and find out if his hypothesis was correct however, he was forcibly reminded of his condition.
He sat up and pushed the blankets off his body, swinging his legs to the side of the bed. He stood slowly to keep from over balancing himself, and walked unsteadily to the bedroom door.
Mohinder and Molly looked towards the bedroom door when it opened, with a slightly unsteady Matt clutching the doorframe.
“Matt!” Molly exclaimed and started to bolt up from her seat, but stopped when Mohinder put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and bit her lip, giving him an apologetic look. He smiled back, and removed his hand. She looked back at Matt, who was making his way to the table unsteadily. Mohinder hurried over to offer some support, which Matt took gratefully.
“Hey Molly-doll,” he said as he sat down at the table, doing his best to give her a smile.
“Are you feeling better Matt? Mohinder said you were sick.” She gave him a quick hug, and stepped back to look at him.
“I’m feeling a little better sweetheart, but I’m not 100% yet. I guess I should have listened to Mohinder when he told me to stay home this morning.” He replied, shooting Mohinder a rueful look.
Mohinder chuckled softly and moved to the stove, serving up something from the pot set there. He turned and set the bowl in front of Matt and gave him a steady look. “Well, now that you’ve learned to listen to me, you should eat as much as you can of this soup. My mother used to make it for me when I was sick as a boy, and it always helped.” Matt chuckled softly and nodded at him, starting to eat. “Molly, why don’t you clean up your homework?”
“Okay,” The young girl replied, gathering up the papers and workbooks that were on one side of the table and stuffing them in her book bag. When she went to put the bag in her room, Matt looked up at the other man with a worried look in his eyes.
“When we get a chance, I need to talk to you.” He said softly, so that Molly wouldn’t hear as she came back to the table for her dinner. Mohinder looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.
After Matt had eaten some of the soup, Mohinder shooed him back to bed. As he settled down, he heard the other man tell Molly that she could watch a few hours of TV, but to keep it down so as not to bother her sick dad. Matt smiled at the name, trying to keep his worries off his mind.
Mohinder opened the door and raised his eyebrows at him, silently asking if now was a good time for the talk. Matt looked past the man in the doorway and saw that Molly was occupied by some show or another on the Disney channel and nodded. Mohinder came in and shut the door behind him then sat down at the foot of the bed.
“So what’s going on?” Mohinder asked looking at Matt.
Matt sighed heavily and rubbed his hand over his head, wondering how to go about this. “You know that virius you’ve been working on? The one Molly had back in November?” Mohinder’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded slowly. Matt figured if he could hear the other man’s thoughts they’d be going a million a minute. “I think I might have it. It took away her powers, and she had symptoms of the flu, right?”
“Yes. That’s right,” Mohinder said biting his lip and studying the other man’s face. “If we want to find out for sure if you have it, I’ll need to take some blood. I have enough equipment here that I can at least determine if you have it. If it’s the same strain Molly had then I should be able to help you tonight, but if not…” Mohinder trailed off looking down at his hands.
“If I have the same strand as Niki, then I’m out of luck, right?” Matt asked rubbing his face and looking out the window.
“No.” Mohinder said decisively, standing up and starting to pace. Matt looked at the other man in confusion. “I won’t let you die from this Matt. I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll find Claire Bennet again if I have to. But I will not just let you die. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t do that to our daughter.” Mohinder stopped pacing and looked at the wall that separated the bedroom from the living room where Molly sat. “What are we going to do about Molly?”
Matt took a deep breath and looked at the wall as well. “We can’t tell her anything.” The professor tuned to him, the questions evident in his eyes. “I don’t want her to worry. After everything that’s happened…besides, you said that if I have the same strand as she did you’d be able to help me right away. Why make her worry over something that will be taken care of shortly?”
“But what if you don’t? What if my blood isn’t enough to save you?” Mohinder asked, blinking rapidly. Matt knew he was trying to hide it, but he could hear the tears in his voice.
“You said you’d do whatever you could. You’ll find Claire again, you’ll save me. I know you will Mohinder.” Matt said, holding out his hand.
Mohinder looked at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Then he took his hand and crawled on the bed with him, curling up against his side. If Matthew believed in him, then he’d do it. He could do anything if Matthew believed in him.