Chapter Four
The sound of the door opening pulled him out of his reverie and he raised his head to see a strange doctor come in.
"Yes?"
"I am Doctor Erlich. I assisted with Mr. Gloria's surgery on Tuesday. I've come to check his stitches."
"Lord Gloria," he corrected for the thousandth time.
"I'm sorry. Lord Gloria."
"You may proceed," the Major said, waving a hand to Dorian's body.
"Some privacy please?" the doctor asked, an odd lilt in his voice.
The tone of the doctor's voice bothered him but he stood and bowed stiffly. "Of course, Herr Docktor."
He gave a last look at the Earl. No nightmares all afternoon yet, and no signs of one coming on. It should be safe to leave him for a few moments. Besides, he wasn't about to give up the chance for a cigarette. Q & R were outside the door.
"A doctor is going to examine the Earl. Come get me when he is finished. I'll be outside smoking a cigarette."
"Yes, sir," R said.
Still slightly disturbed by the doctor's attitude, he went outside to smoke. He had just finished his first cigarette when Q came bursting out the doors.
"Sir! Lord Gloria!!"
He needed no explanations. Running at top speed, he raced back up to the fifth floor, not bothering to wait for the elevator. He could hear the Earl's screams from the stairwell, and he flew into the room. There he saw Dorian being held down by two large orderlies. His sheets had been pulled aside and his hips raised up so the doctor could examine his anus.
‘Damnit! Didn't someone tell this asshole he's dealing with a rape victim?!’
Then he saw that the doctor had stuck something into the Earl's rectum. Later he would learn that the object he had seen was called a speculum and that it was a perfectly acceptable, albeit poorly used in this instance, instrument, but right now all he saw was red.
Snarling he shoved one orderly off of the Earl and drew his gun on the second.
"Unhand him!"
The orderly released Dorian immediately and backed away. Klaus turned the gun on the doctor.
"You, Herr Docktor, get that thing out of him now!"
"Now see here!"
"Get it out NOW!"
Sputtering, the doctor did as the Major ordered.
"Didn't anyone tell you this man was raped?!"
"Of course I know he was raped," the doctor spat. "But the speculum is no larger than anything else I'm sure he puts up his ass on a regular basis!"
If it were possible, Klaus' rage would have reached new heights. He grew deadly still, his eyes burning, his hand shaking, his finger aching to pull the trigger.
"Get out," he hissed with barely restrained fury.
"I'm not finished the examination."
"Another doctor will finish. You are not touching him again. Q! R!"
The agents came in at his call, their faces pale.
"Please escort Herr Docktor and his two goons out of this room, and see to it that they are not to return. They deliberately hurt the Earl."
Klaus waited only long enough to make sure his men were carrying out their orders before he holstered his gun and hurried to comfort the still wailing Earl. Dorian was thrashing, screaming pitifully like he had in the stone room when G pulled the club out of him. This time a hand on the shoulder or pat would not do to calm the distressed man. He lowered the bar on the bed and leaned forward enough to take the Earl's upper body into his arms.
"Shhhh. Shhh. It's all right. It's over. You're safe. I'm here," he soothed, keeping up a litany of soft words.
Dorian kept crying, but he seized the front of the major's shirt in a tight grip, clinging to him. A nurse came into the room.
"May I sedate him?" she asked.
"Yes, please," Klaus answered haggardly, then said to Dorian, "You're going to sleep now. It's all right. There's no need to be frightened. I'm here and I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm sorry I left you."
The sedative took effect quickly and Dorian ceased his cries and stilled. Klaus glared up at the nurse.
"That doctor is forbidden back into this room."
"Understood sir."
"A man like that should not be practicing medicine!"
"We'll look into it, sir, I'm sorry."
"You will be. If I see him in this room again, I will shoot him."
The nurse gasped but nodded. "I'll make sure the hospital staff knows, sir."
"Good. Now leave us."
He held the Earl a while longer after the nurse left then moved to lower him back to the bed, only to discover that Dorian's fingers were still tangled in his shirt. Sighing, his nerves now really shot to hell, he unclenched the stiff fingers and gently laid Eroica down. He walked out of the room to face his agents plus the members of the Earl's staff who had been in the waiting room.
"What happened, sir? Is Lord Gloria all right?" Q asked.
"The doctor did not further damage the Earl. But I have left express orders that he is not to enter this room again. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to get out of here before I kill someone."
"Yes, sir."
"Call me if the Earl's situation changes."
"Yes sir."
Several hours later, he was awakened in his hotel room by the phone ringing. The clock read 22:00 hours and he wondered who would be calling.
"Yeah?" he growled into the receiver.
"Major?" Agent T said.
"'S me."
"You left orders to be notified if Lord Gloria's situation changed."
"Yeah, and?"
"He just woke up."
"I'll be there in 30 minutes."
"Yes sir."
He made it back to hospital in twenty. The Earl was on his side, with his back towards the door when he entered: the only indication that the man was still awake. Coming around to face him, he saw that Dorian's eyes were closed and that his arms were curled in towards his chest in a defensive position. The sight made his heart pang. Gently, he touched the Earl's temple, knowing the man knew he was there. Dorian winced at the contact and he jerked his hand away.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
The blue eyes opened slowly, peering up at him through dazed lids.
"s'ok," Dorian whispered hoarsely.
The Earl shifted a little and let out a hiss of pain.
"Do you need something for the pain?"
"no."
"Are you sure?"
"yes," Dorian replied softly. "has NATO come for its statement?"
Klaus blinked at him in confusion then shook his head. "I'll take it when you're ready."
There was a long pause before the Earl spoke again. "then why are you here?"
"I wished to see for myself that you were healing."
"NATO protecting its interests?"
"Something like that."
Dorian nodded weakly. "thought so. well, as you can see, i am... recovering. you can go now."
He shifted uncomfortably. "I'd rather stay a while. If you don't mind."
The Earl's eyes closed. "no, i don't mind."
"Thank you."
He sat down in the chair by the bed and watched the Earl in silence. After about ten minutes, Dorian whispered, "have you been here the whole time?"
"Since you were brought to the hospital three days ago, yes."
"how did i get here?"
"We raided the hide-out and rescued you."
"who found me?"
"I did."
There was another moment of silence. "did you enjoy seeing me like that, major?"
"Never!" he hissed with a vehemence that surprised even himself.
He saw the Earl try to smile. "i'm sorry. that was uncalled for."
"Yes it was."
"forgive me my trespasses?"
"You are injured beyond words and in great pain. I do not hold you responsible for anything you say," he answered formally.
"even if i say that i love you?"
"You always say that."
"yes, i do. because it is true."
"You believe it to be true."
"i know it is true, just as i knew you would come for me."
"You endow me with entirely too much charity."
"no."
They fell quiet, Dorian needing to regroup his strength. "i had a dream. i dreamed you were with me and that you comforted me when i was frightened. i dreamed that you protected me and when i was to be hurt again, you chased my attackers away. i dreamed you spoke tenderly to me into my ear and stroked my hair and held me. i dreamed that i was in your arms, safe and warm. i did not want to wake up from such a wonderful dream."
"You have a very active imagination," he lied.
"if all i have are dreams, then it must be enough." Then he added, "i didn't talk."
"I know."
The Earl tried to move, to curl further into himself, but the motion hurt him and he whimpered.
"Let me get a doctor," Klaus asked.
"no. 's not so bad."
The Major was shocked. "When have you ever been hurt so horribly?"
Dorian let out a choked laugh. "so something shocks iron klaus."
"Who would not be shocked to see such a thing!"
"even if i am a queer?"
"You are still a human being, in spite of your lifestyle."
"i'm glad to hear that major, really i am."
He moved to put a hand on the Earl's shoulder. "You should rest."
Dorian hissed with pain. "i wish i could, but the darkness... i can't sleep."
"I can have them sedate you..."
"No!" Eroica burst out, then groaned in pain.
"Lord Gloria?"
"no drugs. it's worse with the drugs. the dreams still come only i can't wake up. and there's only the darkness and no dream-you to comfort me. i'm trapped there, all over again," the thief informed, trembling with remembered fear, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his teeth biting his lower lip.
Klaus recognized the signs of the Earl desperately trying to stave off a round of hysterics.
Blinking, feeling guilty for lying, he pet the chopped hair. "Shhh. S'ok. 'S me. You're safe. I'm here. You can sleep now."
Several heartbeats later the Earl asked in a small voice, "major?"
He leaned over and whispered into one delicate ear.
"It was no dream," he admitted uncomfortably.
The Earl's eyes fluttered open and looked at him pleadingly. "then hold me again, please? let me know i am safe. let me feel your arms around me and go to sleep lulled by your heart beat in my ear."
"Too many words," Klaus grumbled, but he lowered the bar on the bed and sat down on the mattress.
Dorian's hand came up to grasp at his shirt, and slowly he lay down and let the Earl position himself into a spot that was comfortable. In the end, Eroica's head was pillowed in the crook of his shoulder and his hand was resting loosely across his chest. The Major's upper body was on the bed, while his legs dangled off the side and the arm that supported the Earl's head had its hand touching the shorn curls. Dorian sighed against his human heating pad and closed his eyes.
"You were stupid to accept the mission after you had been so sick," Klaus admonished.
"you needed me. besides i would do anything for you."
"Then you are a fool."
"only for you," the Earl answered, his voice slurring with sleep.
"Shhhh, go to sleep. You're safe now. I'm here."
"s..fe..."
Klaus lay quietly in the dark after the Earl fell back to sleep. With Dorian's body snuggled up against him, it was hard to resist wrapping his arm around the slender back, but that would have caused the Earl pain. Instead he opted to lift his legs into the bed and stretch out as much as he could on the tiny bed. Dorian sighed against him, burrowing deeper into his shoulder, and he waited for the Earl to settle down again. He listened to the steady breathing of the man next to him, and felt the warmth seeping into him from where they were pressed against each other. His eyelids grew heavy in the darkness. He fell asleep to the sound of Dorian's soft snores.