The Gig [Finished]

[yamikuronue]

He doesn't die.

In some ways, after the past two days, that's surprising. Of course, he misses his shift that night; there's no way he's going to be able to go in. But he doesn't die. He keeps drawing breath, one after another. Pained breaths, and then later, drugged breaths. The drugs take the pain away -- and most of everything else, as well, leaving only a sleepy sort of contentment. It becomes easy, so easy, to just go along with the flow: do as the doctor says, take a nap in a strange house in the warm afternoon sunlight, eat what is in front of him, rest when nothing is pressed upon him, swallow the pills he's given, rest some more.

Until, like a bear emerging in the spring, he finds himself more lucid. It's not surprising, in hindsight; he'd been given only one of the little pills instead of two or three, and the warm, comforting haze recedes enough to let discomfort and questions back into his mind. Not pain, not yet, but awareness of the stitches in his side, the bandages chafing his skin, the strange house, the presence of near-strangers watching over him instead of the people he cares about. Or person, at least.

[accalia]

"Where's Vic? Is he okay?" Is the only question that forces its way through Tony's lips. His eyes aren't focusing right yet, all he sees are blurs slowly resolving into faces. Resolving into faces, but not fast enough. "Vic?"

[yamikuronue]

"This again?" comes an unfamiliar voice, sounding amused but faintly annoyed. Weird. Has he asked before? He can't remember. Everything was a blur of warmth and dreams. "I told you, I don't know. Nobody knows."

[accalia]

"Who? Check my house. He went home?" Tony's not exactly lucid, yet but he's getting there. A hiss of pain escapes as he tries to sit up and fails to even bring his shoulder off the bed.

[yamikuronue]

"You sure we can't just drug him again?" asks another voice -- he vaguely recognizes this one, but he can't place it.

"Doc said no." replies the first voice. "He's not with his brothers, and I'm sure they checked your house too, but we can check later once you're able to go home and get the heck out of my house."

[accalia]

Tony pauses for a moment. "Call Kate, Ask her. Told him to go to her if... Told him to go to her." a long pause, maybe a full second and a half "Whose house?"

Tony's eyes have finally focused and he looks around cautiously.

[yamikuronue]

"My house. I'm Sanders." clarifies the first voice.

"You remember me, I'm sure," says the second voice, and upon spying the face, Tony recalls him right away: the man who had tried to give him the package pickup, the one who had taken him to the boss to hand in his "resignation".  What was his name? It can't honestly be "Broken nose", can it?

[accalia]

"How?" Tony asks, the rest of the question 'did i get here?' is unsaid but plain. He tries to sit up again, levering himself up with his arms instead, with a lot more success.

[yamikuronue]

"Woah, take it easy," replies Sanders. "Tim, go get the doc, see if he's allowed up yet."

Tim nods, heading out of the room as Sanders moves closer to Tony. "Take it easy, mate. You've been patched up by the doc, but you're still healing."

[accalia]

"Take it easy when I know he's okay. Call the precinct, let me talk to Kate." Tony's pretty damned focused all things considered. It's amazing what a healthy amount of stubborn will do to a body, Tony will almost certainly pay for this activity later, but right now, right now he's not concerned with his own health.

[yamikuronue]

"Listen," says Sanders, his voice dropping. "The kid's fine. Skipped town. I helped her get some money together. It's not safe around here once you're outed, but I figure she's smart, she can pull it off in another city, where nobody knows her. She promised to send some money home, for her brothers."

[accalia]

"Him. Where did he go. "s family. Going after." Tony's pretty damned focused. This is the most important thing to him right now. The fact that apparently Vic was outed doesn't register yet, but when it does Vic is going to be FURIOUS! there's a reason he talked to Giovanni alone!

[yamikuronue]

Sanders shrugs. "Her, is what she told me. I don't know where she was heading; she didn't want anyone to know. She wanted me to apologize for her, though, to you. Said she didn't mean to get you shot."

[accalia]

"Her then if that's what she wants. Don't care which. Me. I'm finding, following. Is family. That's more important." Tony looks around still not steady enough to stand up. "Where's the phone?"

[yamikuronue]

"Tony..." says Sanders, gently. "She didn't want you to follow her."