Fandom Snowflake 2020 - Day 13
Jan. 26th, 2020 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elrhiarhodanChallenge 13
In your own space, create a fanwork. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
It's not complete, mostly just an idea I'm framing out, not sure where it's going.
And So it Begins
It's a lucky shot - or unlucky, depending on one's point of view - that nearly ends Eggsy's career. And almost his life.
On a rooftop in Barcelona, a bullet ricochets off a heavy steel pipe, a chance breeze blows open Eggsy's suit coat at the worst moment possible, and Eggsy's collarbone is shattered. Had it been a few centimeters higher, Eggsy would have died instantly when the bullet hit his throat. A few centimeters lower, and it might have been his heart.
But it had been his collarbone and while it had fucking hurt and made him drop the gun in his left hand, Eggsy had managed to keep the one in his right on the target and he'd killed him without hesitation. Eggsy supposes he's been fortunate up to now. Four years since V-Day, dozens of successful missions, and this is his first serious injury.
There had been almost an hour between the last bullet and the appearance of the Kingsman extraction team; Eggsy had used the time creatively cursing everyone and everything to keep from passing out - or worse - breaking down. He's had his share of broken bones, but nothing ever this bad. Maybe the knowledge that this injury could end his career had made the pain worse, and by the time the team arrives to take Eggsy to safety - and a Kingsman medical facility - he is screaming his goddamn head off.
That display of bad behavior hadn't lasted. The medic assigned to the extraction team had administered anesthetics that knocked Eggsy out. The Kingsman doctors had operated and kept him mostly sedated for the trip back to Headquarters.
Eggsy's first words - after "Shit buggering fuck, that hurts" - had been to ask if he still has a left arm.
"Aye, but it'll be a couple of months before ye can use it to jack off." Merlin gets up and presses the call button, then looms over him. "Other than the pain, how are ye feeling?"
Eggsy laughs - which also hurts. Come to think of it, even breathing hurts. "Thirsty." He licks his lips - they taste like sand.
"Can't give ye anything more than a few ice chips."
Eggsy manages to nod and opens his mouth like a baby bird. Merlin drops a few bits of frozen heaven into his mouth and they dissolve instantly, barely soothing the parched tissues. "More?"
"Nay, not until the doctor sees ye. Which won't be long."
In fact, Merlin's words barely finish echoing before the door opens and Morgana, Kingsman's Chief Medical Officer and all-around crack surgeon, comes it.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Galahad." Morgana's tone is wry and affectionate. This isn't the first time that Eggsy's been wounded in action, but the first time that he's been so badly injured.
Eggsy licks his lips again and this time, Merlin swaps them with a sponge stick.
"What's the prognosis, doc?"
"You'll live." Morgana's tone is wry.
Eggsy croaks, "If I don't die of thirst, you mean."
"Merlin's just being careful. Too much liquid too quickly, and you'll hurl. Not a good thing given what your torso's gone through." Morgana presses a button on Eggsy's IV, releasing painkillers, which take almost immediate effect. She raises the head of the bed, carefully watching Eggsy's face for signs of pain. When he's about seventy degrees from horizontal, Eggsy grimaces and Morgana lets go of the bed controls. She pours some water into a cup and feeds the straw between Eggsy's lips.
There's just enough for two swallows. But it's enough to let Eggsy talk without feeling like he's eating gravel. "So, what's the damage?"
"The worst of it is your left collarbone. The bullet shattered it so violently, it cannot be effectively repaired. The medical team in Barcelona was able to stabilize it and we operated to make sure that there were no remaining bone fragments, but you will need further surgery to implant a carbon fiber replacement all the way to the shoulder joint."
Maybe it's the drugs, but Eggsy finds the idea of a carbon fiber replacement extremely amusing. "We can rebuild him, make him better, stronger, faster…"
Merlin gets the reference. "Lad, I have to tell ye - this little repair is going to cost close to six million. Inflation, ye know."
Eggsy's jaw drops, "Fuck me."
Morgana glares at Merlin, but pats Eggsy's head. "Not today, darling. And not for a while. No strenuous activity for a few months, at the very least."
Eggsy asks the question that's been on his lips since he woke up. "When will I be back in the field?"
"You're not going to like my answer, Galahad."
Eggsy's relieved that Morgana's still using his code name - that has to mean they're not retiring him. But he's insistent. "Please, I need to know. How long until I'm back at work?"
Morgana doesn't sugarcoat her answer. "A year, minimum. It's not just the bone, but there is significant damage to your rotator cuff and the musculature. We'll do the replacement surgery next week and you'll be immobilized for six weeks after that. You'll be in a full brace for two months, and then a soft brace for another two months. After that, you'll at least need six months of physical therapy before you'll be able to start training for recertification.
Eggsy's appalled at the news and doesn't hesitate to show it. "You're fucking kidding me!"
"Eggsy - " Merlin says his name like he's behaving like a stroppy teenage boy who's cutting up rough when he's asked to empty the dishwasher.
"Sorry, doc. But that's so long."
"I'm sorry, Galahad, but that's how long it will take, at a minimum. If it was a clean break, or even a compound fracture, you'd be out for half that. But there was a substantial amount of damage to the surrounding tissue, including your entire left shoulder and rotator cuff. If you behave and follow orders, you'll be back in the field a year from now. If you don't, you can add another six months, minimum, before you'll be able to return to active duty."
Eggsy can't help himself, he starts to cry.
In your own space, create a fanwork. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
It's not complete, mostly just an idea I'm framing out, not sure where it's going.
And So it Begins
It's a lucky shot - or unlucky, depending on one's point of view - that nearly ends Eggsy's career. And almost his life.
On a rooftop in Barcelona, a bullet ricochets off a heavy steel pipe, a chance breeze blows open Eggsy's suit coat at the worst moment possible, and Eggsy's collarbone is shattered. Had it been a few centimeters higher, Eggsy would have died instantly when the bullet hit his throat. A few centimeters lower, and it might have been his heart.
But it had been his collarbone and while it had fucking hurt and made him drop the gun in his left hand, Eggsy had managed to keep the one in his right on the target and he'd killed him without hesitation. Eggsy supposes he's been fortunate up to now. Four years since V-Day, dozens of successful missions, and this is his first serious injury.
There had been almost an hour between the last bullet and the appearance of the Kingsman extraction team; Eggsy had used the time creatively cursing everyone and everything to keep from passing out - or worse - breaking down. He's had his share of broken bones, but nothing ever this bad. Maybe the knowledge that this injury could end his career had made the pain worse, and by the time the team arrives to take Eggsy to safety - and a Kingsman medical facility - he is screaming his goddamn head off.
That display of bad behavior hadn't lasted. The medic assigned to the extraction team had administered anesthetics that knocked Eggsy out. The Kingsman doctors had operated and kept him mostly sedated for the trip back to Headquarters.
Eggsy's first words - after "Shit buggering fuck, that hurts" - had been to ask if he still has a left arm.
"Aye, but it'll be a couple of months before ye can use it to jack off." Merlin gets up and presses the call button, then looms over him. "Other than the pain, how are ye feeling?"
Eggsy laughs - which also hurts. Come to think of it, even breathing hurts. "Thirsty." He licks his lips - they taste like sand.
"Can't give ye anything more than a few ice chips."
Eggsy manages to nod and opens his mouth like a baby bird. Merlin drops a few bits of frozen heaven into his mouth and they dissolve instantly, barely soothing the parched tissues. "More?"
"Nay, not until the doctor sees ye. Which won't be long."
In fact, Merlin's words barely finish echoing before the door opens and Morgana, Kingsman's Chief Medical Officer and all-around crack surgeon, comes it.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Galahad." Morgana's tone is wry and affectionate. This isn't the first time that Eggsy's been wounded in action, but the first time that he's been so badly injured.
Eggsy licks his lips again and this time, Merlin swaps them with a sponge stick.
"What's the prognosis, doc?"
"You'll live." Morgana's tone is wry.
Eggsy croaks, "If I don't die of thirst, you mean."
"Merlin's just being careful. Too much liquid too quickly, and you'll hurl. Not a good thing given what your torso's gone through." Morgana presses a button on Eggsy's IV, releasing painkillers, which take almost immediate effect. She raises the head of the bed, carefully watching Eggsy's face for signs of pain. When he's about seventy degrees from horizontal, Eggsy grimaces and Morgana lets go of the bed controls. She pours some water into a cup and feeds the straw between Eggsy's lips.
There's just enough for two swallows. But it's enough to let Eggsy talk without feeling like he's eating gravel. "So, what's the damage?"
"The worst of it is your left collarbone. The bullet shattered it so violently, it cannot be effectively repaired. The medical team in Barcelona was able to stabilize it and we operated to make sure that there were no remaining bone fragments, but you will need further surgery to implant a carbon fiber replacement all the way to the shoulder joint."
Maybe it's the drugs, but Eggsy finds the idea of a carbon fiber replacement extremely amusing. "We can rebuild him, make him better, stronger, faster…"
Merlin gets the reference. "Lad, I have to tell ye - this little repair is going to cost close to six million. Inflation, ye know."
Eggsy's jaw drops, "Fuck me."
Morgana glares at Merlin, but pats Eggsy's head. "Not today, darling. And not for a while. No strenuous activity for a few months, at the very least."
Eggsy asks the question that's been on his lips since he woke up. "When will I be back in the field?"
"You're not going to like my answer, Galahad."
Eggsy's relieved that Morgana's still using his code name - that has to mean they're not retiring him. But he's insistent. "Please, I need to know. How long until I'm back at work?"
Morgana doesn't sugarcoat her answer. "A year, minimum. It's not just the bone, but there is significant damage to your rotator cuff and the musculature. We'll do the replacement surgery next week and you'll be immobilized for six weeks after that. You'll be in a full brace for two months, and then a soft brace for another two months. After that, you'll at least need six months of physical therapy before you'll be able to start training for recertification.
Eggsy's appalled at the news and doesn't hesitate to show it. "You're fucking kidding me!"
"Eggsy - " Merlin says his name like he's behaving like a stroppy teenage boy who's cutting up rough when he's asked to empty the dishwasher.
"Sorry, doc. But that's so long."
"I'm sorry, Galahad, but that's how long it will take, at a minimum. If it was a clean break, or even a compound fracture, you'd be out for half that. But there was a substantial amount of damage to the surrounding tissue, including your entire left shoulder and rotator cuff. If you behave and follow orders, you'll be back in the field a year from now. If you don't, you can add another six months, minimum, before you'll be able to return to active duty."
Eggsy can't help himself, he starts to cry.
