Home Invasion 6/9
Title: Home Invasion (6/9)
Author: tay_21
Fandom: Primeval
Pairings: Connor/Abby
Rating: Pg-13
Genre: Angst, violence, romance... eventually
Warning/Advertisements: violence
Word Count: 16,256 (total)
Disclaimer: Primeval and its characters belong to Impossible Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Initially written for deinonychus_1's birthday, I hit a wall and couldn't finish until recently. FINALLY, I finished and I'm only about two to three years late at this time. Thanks to evenstar_estel, fredbassett, prehistoriccat, and sunspecops all of which helped to beta this monstrosity in part or in whole over the course of it's inception. I hope you enjoy it.
Summary: Webster's Online Dictionary: Home Invasion - Noun 1. home invasion - burglary of a dwelling while the residents are at home...There's been a series of armed robberies in and around the estate where Connor and Abby now live with their two children. Everyone in the area is on edge, Connor and Abby included. Many of the robberies have ended badly for the families involved.
(I know it's late, but...) HAPPY BIRTHDAY deinonychus_1!!!!!!!
Home Invasion (1/9)
Home Invasion (2/9)
Home Invasion (3/9)
Home Invasion (4/9)
Home Invasion (5/9)
PART IV
Life continued much the same for the next week. Sarah grew stronger everyday, and Nick was able to get his asthma back under control. And Connor was still unconscious. Abby didn’t know how she was going to manage everything once the kids were discharged. The only plus to Connor still being in a coma was that his body was healing very well. It had taken two more days for the swelling on his brain to finally go down. Even then he still didn’t wake up. The doctors told her it was normal. His body was repairing itself and needed time and energy. She never thought she would miss his big beautiful brown eyes so much. She longed for him to wake up, but she didn’t want to push him and threaten his recovery.
She was torn. The kids would be coming home tomorrow, and Connor was not waking up. She stayed with him and talked to him about all the goings on, and about how the kids were. Both the kids were beyond ready to be back home.
Abby had been home once, since the break in. Becker and his men had cleaned the place up. The flat smelled heavily of bleach. She guessed that’s what they had used to clean up all the blood. There were three dents in the floor, and Abby knew those were the impact marks where the bullets had gone through Connor’s body. She didn’t know if she could stay in this house without him. Would she have nightmares? Would the kids have nightmares? She hoped not, but there was nothing for it. She had nowhere else to go. She started to get angry with herself. This was her home, damn it! Her home with Connor! They had built their life in this little house and she had loved it. She’d be damned if those thugs were going to take that from her. Abby determined in that moment that she would make it work. She would. Connor wouldn’t be gone for forever, he was coming home. He’d need a proper home to come to that was for sure.
The kids were coming home today.
Abby smiled down at Connor. “Morning, love. I went to talk to Cutter today. I always thought you were a little daft for talking to the air like that, but I should have known. You were right, Cutter is a great sounding board for whatever is ailing you. You’ve simply got to get better and wake up. The kids are being released today, and I won’t be able to be here with you as much as I have. Lester and Becker will still be trading off shifts watching the kids, and one of them is going to take them on the weekends. You know how much Lester misses having kids in his house now that his are all grown up. So, whenever I can get someone to watch them, I’ll be here, OK. The hospital even got me a beeper in case you wake up while I’m away. I really hope I’m here, though.” She slipped her hand into his and gave his fingers a squeeze.
Abby jumped at the sensation she experienced next. Connor had been completely unresponsive for over a week now. But when she squeezed his fingers, he squeezed back, albeit faintly.
Abby almost did a Connor style squeak as she grabbed his fingers again and gave them another squeeze. She watched as his fingers moved and tightened fractionally around hers. She lifted his fingers to her lips and kissed them. “I’ll be right back.” She ran from the room to get a nurse.
There was a flurry of activity all around Connor’s bed and Abby was pushed aside. The doctors ran every test possible and even wheeled Connor out of the room to run some brain scans.
Two hours later the doctors were cautiously optimistic. He wasn’t responsive, per se, but it was progress. Almost every time Abby or any of the hospital staff asked for him to squeeze their hands, he would. He never opened his eyes, but he would turn his head towards Abby any time she talked to him.
It was be two more weeks before Connor had another break through.
Abby had come into see him before heading off to work. She begged him to open his eyes, but he didn’t do anything but raise his eyebrows at her like normal. She was just going to have to be patient.
“I have to go to the ARC, Connor. I’ll be back this afternoon, OK?” Connor’s eyebrows knitted together. That was new, he was unhappy that she was leaving him? “Connor, if you’ll open your eyes for me, darling, I’ll stay. Do you want me to stay, love? Hmm? Open your eyes and I’ll stay, sweetheart.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. When she pulled back to look at his pale face once more his beautiful brown eyes were blinking up at her.
“Connor! Oh, Connor, are you awake? Can you hear me? Speak to me, Conn.”
“Abby, wh-why? Why are crying? Where am I? What happened?” His voice was scratchy and low. He’d only been off the ventilator and breathing on his own for about the last ten days or so.
Abby didn’t know how much to tell him. At least he knew who she was. “What’s the last thing you remember, Conn?”
He’d shut his eyes again, but he would open them and look at her every couple of seconds.
“We were at the ARC. You wanted to get home early, before the kids arrived. You didn’t want them to be home by themselves. There’d been break-ins.” It took him a long time to say all of this, his speech was halting and a little slurred. “What’s happened? Please tell me.”
He turned his big puppy eyes on her and she melted; it was always so hard to deny him anything when he gave her that look.
“There was a break-in at our house, Conn. I was upstairs changing and they forced their way into the house. They threatened you and held me and the kids hostage while they trashed the house, piling everything up that they wanted to take. You got shot several times and almost didn’t survive. You’ve been in a coma for weeks now while your body repaired itself.
Connor’s eyes were wide and panicked. “The… the kids? Where are the kids?”
“The kids are fine. They both had a little stay in hospital, but they’re fine and already home. Jenny’s been watching them for me and alternating with Lester, Becker, and Matt. I’ll tell you all about what happened later, OK. Let me get the doctor.” Abby kissed his chapped lips and left to fetch the doctor.
Connor had lots of visitors over the next few days in hospital. Lester came by to tell him the ADD needed servicing and that he didn’t expect him to be lying around for much longer, he had work to do. Becker came by with Jess. Connor had to stifle a laugh when Jess took Hilary’s hand, which made him start blushing like a schoolgirl. Even Matt and Emily came by to wish him well.
The sweetest visit of all came two days after he’d woken up. Abby decided the kids could not be kept at bay any longer. She cleared the room of everyone and brought the children in to see their father for the first time in more than a month. She had prepared them before hand.
“Daddy’s very sick still. He’s very weak and you have to be very gentle with him, OK, my loves?” They had nodded their heads somberly and were unusually quiet as they entered the room.
“Hey, guys. Are you two a sight for sore eyes,” Connor called from his bed.
“Is something wrong with your eyes, Daddy?” Nicky asked.
“No, sweetheart. No, Daddy’s eyes are just fine. Come here. Let me get a better look at you both.” They approached the bed cautiously. “Oh, my angels, you’ve got so big. I swear you’ve both at least grown a whole inch. Come on, sit next to Daddy.”
Abby helped the two children sit on either side of Connor.
“We were so scared, Daddy. You were hurt real bad and they were yelling. The gunshots were really loud. Then you wouldn’t wake up. Uncle Becker’s really great, but we missed you a lot,” Sarah said, leaning over, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face against his uninjured shoulder.
Nicky didn’t want to be left out so he did the same, his head resting on Connor’s wounded shoulder.
Connor winced but did his best to hide it. Instead, he did his best to wrap his arms around his two children. He kissed the tops of their heads and when Abby moved to pull Nicky off his shoulder he shook his head at her. He let the tears trickle down his cheeks as he breathed his children in. He touched their hair; he kissed their cheeks; he held them as close to him as he possibly could.
“Oh, I missed you both so much. Do you know what?” he asked, looking in to both their upturned faces. They shook their heads. “I was scared too. I thought I was going to loose you both. I thought I was going to loose your mum also.”
“Mummy was awesome. She was really brave,” Sarah put in. “She got Nick his medicine and made sure we were OK all while we were in the hospital. Daddy, I don’t like you not being at home. When are you coming home?”
Connor reached up and wiped his tears. “Soon, baby girl. Soon. I just have some things to do here first.”
“Can’t you do them faster?” Nicky asked looking up into his Daddy’s eyes.
“I’m trying to, mate. I’m trying.”
“Daddy’s working really hard to come home kids, really, really hard. He’ll be home before you know it. I promise.” They both looked from Abby to Connor. He shook his head at them affirming what their mum had just said.
“That’s good, because neither Uncle Becker or Uncle Lester can get the voices right in the story,” Nicky complained.
“What story, Nicky?” Connor asked.
“They’ve been reading through The Hobbit again. They know it’s one of Daddy’s favorite books, and it was a way for them to feel close to you while you were here,” Abby answered.
“Well, we’ll be sure and finish it with the correct voices just as soon as I get home. And then maybe I think you two are ready for the rest of the story now.”
Sarah looked up in surprise. “You mean, you’re finally going to read The Lord of the Rings to us. You said we weren’t old enough, that it was too scary.”
“Well, I think we can get past that now, don’t you? Plus, it always helps to read stories where the good guys win, yeah?”
They both nodded energetically.
“All right, kids. I think that’s enough, Daddy needs his rest.”
“Aww, come on, Abby. Let them stay a little longer. Please, love? I can handle it.”
Abby, never could resist those puppy eyes of his. She nodded. “Just a little while longer. Connor, you’ve got a physiotherapy appointment in one hour. At which point, children, you are going home to Aunt Jess. I’ll be along later to check on you this afternoon. That’s the plan, everyone. No complaining.”
“Yes, Mum,” Connor agreed playfully.
Abby smiled at him and kissed the top of his head. “I thought you could use the incentive to keep working just as hard as you have been.” She nodded pointedly at the children.
“You’re brilliant, you know that.”
“Yeah, I do. But you can keep telling me anyway.”
“You’re brilliant Mummy,” Nicky cheered.
“Yeah, brilliant, Mummy,” Sarah agreed.
The four of them spent the next hour laughing and catching up on what had happened over the last few weeks. They even took a bit of time to compare scars. Connor and Abby kissed their children’s scars and each other’s.