Work Text:
Patrick slowly opened his eyes, aware of the change in light to a warmer hue that indicated the arrival of morning. He turned, as was his habit, to where he expected to find Dirk next to him. Dirk was already awake and sitting up, as he looked like he had been for some time, and he did not look well. He had an ashen tinge to his skin and a kind of glazed, distant look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up and watching him closely. He'd got used to responding in different ways depending on the different types of nightmare Dirk had, and if this was going to be a more visceral one, he didn't want to move too quickly and startle him.
But as it happened, it wasn't a nightmare this time.
"I don't feel very well." Dirk said, with the vague glassiness that comes with fever. Patrick frowned with worry, and after squeezing Dirk's hand reassuringly, went to get some water and a thermometer from the attached bathroom.
"You have a temperature." He murmured looking at the result, as Dirk took a sip of water and shivered.
"Why didn't you wake me? How long have you been awake?" Patrick asked as he examined Dirk for symptoms and put the water on the bedside table.
"N-not long." Dirk said quietly, and the fact that he was so uncharacteristically subdued and uncertain told Patrick everything he needed to know about how sick the detective really was.
"A couple of hours perhaps or - maybe more, I don't know, it didn't seem like something worth waking you up for."
Dirk looked as though he were being told off and Patrick put a hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead. "I'm not mad." he said softly. "I just want you to wake me next time you don't feel well ok? You're very much worth it."
"It might be contagious!" Dirk said in alarm.
"I don't care." Patrick said, kissing him once more before getting changed. "I'm going to call a doctor and then tell Farah what's going on, but I'll be right here."
Dirk relaxed in relief that Patrick knew he wanted him to stay without even having to ask.
-------
Patrick stayed with Dirk all day, making sure he kept hydrated. Dirk fell asleep in the afternoon, but fitfully, and started mumbling incoherent words in a state of semi-sleep semi-wakefulness that worried his friends, who had been coming and going regularly, concerned about how his condition seemed to be deteriorating.
When he was awake, he was quiet, and they knew that meant he felt truly terrible.
By the evening his condition had worsened to the point where Patrick called his private doctor in. He knew Dirk would be better off in his own room than in a hospital. The last time they'd had to go to a hospital, Dirk had said absolutely nothing for the entire duration, and Patrick knew he was spending every ounce of concentration he had on controlling his anxiety and PTSD triggers. He wouldn't do that to Dirk again if he could possibly avoid it.
He'd been delirious for an hour by the time the doctor arrived on site.
"Please don't hurt me any more I can't - I can't, please stop, stop..." Dirk writhed in feverish pain as Patrick tried to soothe him, cooling his forehead with a damp cloth.
"Shh, you're home, Dirk, it's ok I'm right here." he said, but it was little use, he couldn't get through the illness that raged through Dirk's system.
"Isn't there something you can do?" he asked the doctor.
"I'm sorry, all we can do is wait until the fever breaks." The doctor advised with genuine regret. He understood that the fever was causing Dirk to relive some trauma, and though he didn't know the details, he could hear the fear and panic in his patient's voice and it went against his instincts not to help him.
Farah and Todd were on the other side of the bed trying to help reassure Dirk on some subconscious level.
"Dirk? It's Farah, we're here, you're safe I promise"
"Hang in there Dirk, you've got this." Todd added.
"Why are you doing this to me? I didn't do anything wrong I swear I'm trying..." Dirk whimpered pitifully.
Patrick stood up and ran a hand over his face in helpless frustration. What was the use in being a billionaire if he still had to watch the people he loved suffer?
The doctor made a gesture for him to stand aside, so he did. The doctor put a stethoscope to Dirk's chest, startled when Dirk reacted in violent opposition to the contact.
"Get off me! Leave me alone! Get off me!" Dirk shouted, barely coherently. The doctor backed off.
"Don't touch me I don't want you to t-touch me like that I don't want you to..." Dirk murmured, and the childlike quality in his voice reminded his friends just how young he'd been when these awful things had happened to him in his past.
Patrick knew exactly what horrors he was reliving, from the many nights he'd spent soothing Dirk through the multitude of nightmares that haunted his sleep. Farah and Todd both had a pretty good idea too, and they looked at each other, sharing the pain of not being able to fight the demons hurting their friend.
Patrick knew better than to try and touch him right now, much as he longed to hold him. Instead he knelt by the bed.
"Dirk listen to the sound of my voice. It's me, Patrick, and Farah and Todd, your friends. We're with you, do you understand? You're not alone, we're with you and we're going to stay right here with you. You're at home, and I know you're not feeling great just at this moment but I promise you're safe. We won't let anything happen to you. Your friends won't let anything bad happen ok?"
His words seemed to have a soothing effect on Dirk and lulled him into unconsciousness.
-------
When Dirk next woke up, the fever was gone. His exhausted friends were lying in various states of sleep around his bed. He looked at Todd, worried that he was going to wake with a terrible pain in his neck from the position he was, then at Farah who had her head on Todd's shoulder and would be mortified to realise it when she woke up. Then at Patrick who was asleep half on Dirk's bed, with one hand holding his loosely.
He squeezed Patrick's hand fondly, and he woke up. The relief and joy on his face when he saw Dirk made him blush.
"You look better, how do you feel?" Patrick asked, glad to see Dirk able to focus, and calm.
"Better. How long was I..?" he asked. Their voices woke the other two. Farah jolted upright and blushed, and Todd rubbed his neck with a wince.
"Dirk! You're awake! Thank god..." Todd said sleepily but sincerely.
"Was it...bad?" Dirk asked cautiously.
"What do you remember?" Patrick asked instead.
"The last thing I remember, I was having a bad dream, but then....then you were there, and Farah and Todd and you...kept me safe." Dirk swallowed down the tears that threatened at the memory. "You were all...there with me." he said with wonder.
"Of course we were. And we're here with you now too" Farah said, standing and stretching before giving Dirk a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and smiling at him warmly. He smiled back at her gratefully.
"You worried the shit out of us" Todd said, also standing. He recognised from Farah's cue that they should leave the other two alone for a little bit. "I'm glad you're feeling better." he said fondly, smiling at Dirk.
"Thank you." Dirk said, tears welling in his eyes.
"We'll go make you some soup, and a cup of tea." Farah suggested. "But we'll be back."
They left and Patrick got up, stretching his limbs as Farah had to try to ease out the aches. He got in next to Dirk, holding him the way he usually did after a nightmare.
"I'm feeling a lot better now" Dirk assured him.
Patrick rested his head on Dirk's in relief and exhaustion.
"That fever really put you through the wringer. A lot of the time you didn't know where you were, or who we were." Patrick said.
"I'm sorry." Dirk said sincerely.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. And I know you don't always believe it, but you're worth caring about and worrying over, Dirk. We're going to worry about you whether you like it or not." Patrick teased with a small laugh.
He felt Dirk relax in his arms.
"I don't remember a lot of it thankfully."
"You shouldn't have had to go through it in the first place." Patrick murmured darkly, with the bitterness he always felt towards Blackwing creeping out in his tone.
By now, Dirk was used to this. He found Patrick's fury at Blackwing strangely comforting, even though he never quite knew how to respond.
"Thank you for looking after me." He said instead, fondly. "Do you think you could help me to the shower? I really need it"
Patrick smiled. "Let's go." he said, helping Dirk up.
After all the violence in his life, Dirk would never quite get used to being treated like something precious and valuable by Patrick, who was often so direct and forthright with everything and everyone else.
He was always aware of old injuries that still ached, times that Dirk didn't like to be touched, and those when he desperately needed to be.
Patrick had a short temper sometimes but he tried hard not to shout around Dirk, and on the occasions when he did, he apologised quickly afterwards, hating that the way Dirk tensed and clammed up at a raised voice. His anger was never at Dirk, always at the injustice of the things that had happened to him, the people who had hurt him.
In all, he showed a level of consideration and care that Dirk couldn't help marvelling at and wondering what on earth he'd done to deserve it.
But it was not one-sided. Dirk listened to Patrick and always gave him advice that was wise beyond his years. He brought him the kind of joy, spontaneity and appreciation for life that he'd never had before.
Patrick in turn marvelled at the way Dirk saw the world, the hope and positivity that he radiated. And Todd and Farah supported the relationship any way they could because they saw their friends blossoming from it; Patrick becoming more relaxed and happy, finding genuine contentment in life; Dirk becoming more confident and grounded. Feeling like he had a home and a family for the first time, and loving every moment of it.
"You ok?" Patrick asked, when Dirk seemed to be staring at him.
"You're very ruggedly handsome you know." he observed. Patrick scoffed, since he hadn't slept properly or shaved since Dirk got sick.
"Are you sure you're not still delirious?" Patrick teased.
"Just deliriously happy." Dirk said with a grin.