The ARC - Early Wednesday

[itsananomaly]

Cutter had no idea of how much time had passed since they’d brought Connor in for quarantine, he had bern cleared but because he refused to leave Connor’s side he was still going to have to be tested every hour to make sure but he didn’t care. What mattered was being there for Connor, supporting him like he should have been from the start. He sat on the chair by Connor’s bed still holding his hand as he stared down at his sleeping firm, Connor just had to be okay, he had to make it through this, he didn’t know what he would do if he didn’t. [preplayed with the amazing anomaly_research_nerd. Adapted from Series 3 Episode 5 'Future Epidemic'. NFB for distance but OOC welcome].

Danny(thearcfamily)	Becker and Danny had finished up their required hour quarantine and gotten clear bill of health from the doctors. Becker wanted to go see how Cutter and Connor were but he desperately needed to do a patrol of the ARC first. So, somewhat reluctantly, he had agreed to let Danny go check in on them. And so a short time later it was Danny who approached the room where Cutter and Connor would be spending their long night. He hesitated a moment, recalling the less than friendly exchanged he and Cutter had had in their previous conversations. But Danny still walked over and tapped on the glass to get Cutter's attention. "How's our boy doing?" he asked. "How are you holding up?"
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter glanced up at the sound of the knocking, he didn't want to get up and leave Connor but he also knew that he owed Danny a thank you for everything he'd done and so after one last look at Connor, he carefully let go of his hand and walked over to the window. "He's still asleep," he said softly as he looked through the glass, "the medical staff said this is normal, based on the medication they gave him but ... " he glanced back at Connor, "he was so cold ... I nearly lost him again," he bit his lip, "thank you, for helping save him,"
Danny(thearcfamily)	"He's a good lad" Danny said as he looked through he glass at Cutter and then over to the bed where Connor was. "Got a stubborn streak a mile wide but I think that's what's keeping him alive right now" Danny said simply. He turned his gaze back to Cutter and gave him a nod. "I've been a copper for over 20 years. You don't run away from trouble when people are in need." Was there a faint smirk there at that? Maybe.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Look Cutter could admit it when he was wrong about somethings ... mostly. "Well I will say I'm glad you didn't listen to me when I wanted you out of the ARC this morning," he said softly, "I'll never forget what you did for Connor .. I ...I nearly lost him once, I thought I was going to go through the same thing again," there was a pause, "if you want to stay and help the team ... well ... consider this a job offer," Okay so technically Cutter didn't have the authority to hire Danny, that was Lester but he was relatively certain that he could convince Lester to hire Danny after he had helped save Connor.
Danny(thearcfamily)	"That is quite the endorsement there, mate" Danny said with a grin. "We'll see what the big man has to say. And no worries. He's a good lad. I've seen my share of close knit teams and all over the years. Had a few close ones myself at the start. But you two... this whole team actually... you all have something special."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"We'll I'll completely back you if he has a problem with it," and then Cutter smiled fondly at the rest of what Danny was saying, "He is and ...everything we've been through these last couple of years, I've been lucky to have such a great team behind me ... I really wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for them,"
Danny(thearcfamily)	"Even soldier boy... Becker isn't it?" Danny asked with a grin. See? he could remember names... it just took him a bit to at times. "I can imagine doing this kind of work, dealing with these anomalies, and dinosaurs and creatures (and crazy people you hadn't even met yet Danny) I can imagine you all get pretty close pretty quickly. Not very trusting of outsiders though are you lot?" he added with a smirk.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter bit his lip at that, "we've had issues ... people we thought we could trust and it didn't go very well, Connor and I ... we paid the price for trusting the wrong people," he said softly, "its ... based on what we do here, it's important that no one knows ...its why we're such a small team,"
Danny(thearcfamily)	Danny was quiet for a moment as he listened to what Cutter was saying. He had noticed the obvious signs of what the mess they had been through must have been like- the obvious signs were obvious- even for someone who wasn't a cop. He debated asking Cutter about them but it wasn't his place and he didn't want tp push him with everything going on. Danny figured if he did end up sticking around, he would find out in time. "Makes sense really. People are stupid. They panic. Do crazy things when they are scared or confused. Can definitely see why you guys try to keep this all hush hush as much as possible." Danny looked at Cutter and then over at Connor and gave an apologetic shrug and a weak grin. "Sorry for ya know... the stalking and arresting you and all that..."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter was glad for Danny not prying, he knew he was going to find out eventually ... but he didn't want to start talking about what he and Connor had gone through. "Well I guess we can't really blame you for that," he said softly, "we didn't exactly give you that much to go on about who we were ... and I can only imagine what you thought considering the stories that were in the press about us ..."
Danny(thearcfamily)	"Those were some pretty damning stories," Danny admitted, "about all you lot. But.... they seem to be the biggest load of malarkey I have ever heard. This Christine... she seems to be a piece of work for sure."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter snorted at that, "you don't know the half of it ... ever since she turned up at the ARC ... she's determined to get rid of me and Connor, take over the ARC ... you should at least be prepared to deal with her if you end up working with us," he sighed, "there seems to be no way to get rid of her at the moment,"
Danny(thearcfamily)	Danny nodded and sighed "Another greedy sleazeball using 'the good of the people' as a cover huh?" There are a coldness in his voice. He had dealt with all manner of criminals and low lives over the years as a cop. But he hated those who abused power and manipulated others for their own personal gain the most. "She's probably after the anomalies... wants to use them somehow... typical power trip" he said in disgust. "Thanks for the heads up though."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded, "that's what we think but we don't know for what end ... things have been ... chaotic around here to say the least, we really do need the help, you weren't wrong about that," he admitted, which was quite a rare thing for him to admit but it was something that he had been working on.
Danny(thearcfamily)	"Well the offer definitely still stands. Guess I better have a chat with the boss man at some point huh? See what he's decided to do with me" Danny said with a small smirk. "And I'm sure you want to get back to Connor and all" he added with a nod towards the bed. "I'll swing by later tonight and see how you two are getting on."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded at that, "thank you," he said softly, "and Lester will definitely want to talk to you, but I think after everything ... you'll be less likely to be thrown out now," he said with a small smile of his own, "it's ...thank you," he realised he didn't quite know what to say but thank you seemed like a good word.
Danny(thearcfamily)	"See? Knew you would come around" Danny said, unable to resist the slight jab. But he nodded and gave Cutter a sincere smile. "You're welcome. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of each other" Danny said with a grin as he headed back down the hallway to see if he could find Lester or Becker.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter smiled at that, "you know, you're not nearly as bad as I thought you were," he told him and. then nodded as Danny left and he went back to his seat by Connor's bed, reaching out to continue holding his hand as he did.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter had completely lost track of time since he had stayed with Connor during his quarantine, and he wasn’t sure how long it had been since Danny had visited. Connor was still asleep but all the results from the tests had come back negative for both of them and Cutter sat by Connor’s side, holding his hand so that he would know he was there when he woke up.
Becker(thearcfamily)	At some point, there was a knock on the window and Becker gave Cutter a small smile and wave. "Up for some company? Tests are all clear so they've lifted the restriction. Can I come in?"
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded, as he gave a small smile, “you can come in some company would be nice,” he said softly, “Connor hasn’t woken up yet,” he added worriedly.
Becker(thearcfamily)	Becker came in and took a seat next to Cutter beside Connor's bed. He looked at Connor and then put a hand on Cutter's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "I spoke to the doctors on my way here. As I understand the all clear bloodwork at last means the meds have stopped. The team said that they should start seeing a change in Connor now. It was the medicine mostly knocking him out. So hopefully we are on the way up and out of all this."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter bit his lip and nodded, until Connor was awake, he knew he was just going to keep worrying, “I’ve just been so scared that I’m going to lose him,” he said softly.
Becker(thearcfamily)	"You've been staying so strong with all of this Nick. Connor is going to be ok. We're going to get both of you back on your feet" Becker said encouragingly. "Connor will wake up, and you both will get out of here. It's been an hour or so, Connor should be waking up soon."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded at that, "I know I'll be glad to see the last of the quarantine room," he admitted softly as he looked back at Connor, "I still can't believe that all of this was caused by a fungus," he shook his head, "I meant to ask, was there any more trouble at the original exposure site? I know our Connor brought back the samples but I forgot to ask about what else happened with the anomaly?"
Becker(thearcfamily)	"We managed to get the site cleared up with no real incident. So that crisis was adverted at least" Becker said with a relieved sigh, because a mass infection could have been very very bad. "And as bad as it is you and Connor got caught up in all this, at least it was here at the ARC with the tools and team and resources we needed." Becker looked at Cutter apologetically. "I am sorry I was the one punching the number into the control panel. It killed me having to do that."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"You had no choice, I don't blame you for what you had to do to protect that ARC," Cutter said softly, "extreme cold was the only way to kill that fungus ...we're just lucky that it didn't takeover the ARC, it could have been a lot worse," he shuddered to think of how bad things could have been, "and at least it didn't get loose in public ... we may not have been able to contain it,"
Becker(thearcfamily)	"Aye.. you and Connor both helped make this bad situation easier to manage. Your fast action and sacrifice to do whatever it took to protect the ARC made all the difference. You deserve to hear that... and so does Connor when he wakes up."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded, finding himself blinking back tears at that, "I'm just glad that we were able to make that difference," he said softly, "as painful as it was to go through that, thinking I was going to lose Connor again ...thank you, for helping bring him back, for saving him," he looked up at Becker with tears in his eyes.
Becker(thearcfamily)	"Any time Nick" Becker said giving Cutter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "That's what a family does. We look out for each other right? No matter what happens..." Becker trailed off as he saw Connor start to stir a little in the bed. He looked from Connor to Cutter and backed up a little, giving room for Cutter to move closer if he wanted.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter looked back at Connor, hardly daring to believe it when Connor started stirring and when Becker moved away, he moved in closer, "Connor?" he said softly, still holding onto his hand, "It's me Nick...everything's going to be okay," He really hoped it would be.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	"Nick..." Connor said weakly, trying to get his eyes to open. It took some effort, more than he liked, but he finally got them open and looked at him with a faint smile. "You... you cant...be here Nick.. it's not safe... I...." Becker reached over a put a hand on Connor's head, giving his hair a gentle pat. "It's ok Connor. You and Nick are in the clear. It's all over." "The fungus?" he asked, the exhaustion in his voice evident but he had to know.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"It's gone," Cutter assured him gently, "the extreme cold worked ... there's no trace of it in the ARC anymore, we're all safe now from it, and everyone who was potentially exposed, has received negative results and the quarantine restrictions are lifted,"
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	Connor closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the pillow. The relief on his face was evident. "Good... that's good...No one got hurt." Connor sighed softly, feeling too tired at that moment to really be able to take stock of his own condition just then. "So we... we can leave?" he asked hopefully looking over at Becker. "Im afraid not just yet Connor. Everyone gotten the all clear from the doctor and the infection is all cleared. But.. they want to keep you here for a bit longer. Your body took a beating and the drugs they had you on were pretty powerful. They want to make sure you are ok before they let you leave."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"You don't have to go through this alone Connor," Cutter assured him gently, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "I'm not leaving you, I'm going to stay right here until the doctors say you can leave,"
Becker(thearcfamily)	Connor nodded as he gave Cutter's hand a gentle squeeze. “And I think I will go find the team and let them know that sleepy beauty has woken up" Becker said going Connor's hair a gentle ruffle as gave Cutter a quick nod. "And I will find the docs and let them know as well. See what they can bring in soon as far as food for you guys. I am sure you both are starving, considering it's..." Becker took a glance at his watch "a bleary-eyed 1am right now." Becker stood and looked at the two of them, the relief still washing over him as he then turned and headed for the door. "I will be by to check on you guys later."
Becker(thearcfamily)	"Any time Nick" Becker said giving Cutter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "That's what a family does. We look out for each other right? No matter what happens..." Becker trailed off as he saw Connor start to stir a little in the bed. He looked from Connor to Cutter and backed up a little, giving room for Cutter to move closer if he wanted.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter nodded, his stomach suddenly rumbling at the mention of food ... he hadn't even thought of food since he had been so worried about Connor, actually when had he last eaten? "thank you Becker," he said softly. as he used his free hand to bring the chair closer to Connor's bed and he sat down.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	""Thank you... Becker" Cnnor said softly as he gave him a smile. Becker nodded and headed out, closing the door behind him and disappearing down the hallway. Connor lay there in the bed for a bit and then slowly opened his eyes and looked over at Cutter. "Are you... are you ok Nick?" Connor asked softly. Everything was still a bit fuzzy. "You were... still asleep when..." Connor closed his eyes, squinting in confusion as he tried to remember everything that had happened. It was slowly starting to come back to him, in bits and pieces as the effects of the medicine started to wear off finally.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"I'm okay Connor," Cutter said gently, "I woke up and you were already in the lab ...I didn't get there until after the sirens started, I'm sorry I wasn't there with you, when it first happened, that I wasn't able to do more," he bit his lip, "I tried so hard to get to you,"
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	"I.... know. I... I remember" Connor said softly as his mind started to clear a little more. "I remember you... outside by the window... talking to me. It... it helped me keep fighting." Connor sighed as he looked up at Cutter, tears starting to form as he did. "I'm sorry.. that I... I was so careless."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	“You weren’t careless Connor,” Cutter said gently, as he gave Connor’s hand a comforting squeeze, “you couldn’t have known that fungus got out of the lab … I’m … I’m sorry, I thought I had stopped the fungus getting out, it was my fault you were even exposed to begin with,” he stared down at the bed, unable to meet Connor’s eyes at that admission.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	Connor looked at Cutter and shifted in the bed slightly trying to push himself a little more upright and leaned back against the pillows. "Nick you kept the ARC safe. If you hadn't tried to stay and contain it, who knows how much could have gotten out of the lab!" Connor reached out and gently tried to lift Cutter's chin so he could look at him. "And you never left my side ... that means a lot to me Nick."
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter trembled at that, the tears rolling down his cheeks and he nodded as Connor lifted his chin so that he could look at him, "I thought I was going to lose you, I ... I thought I was going to lose you again and I ... I couldn't ... I ..." his voice trailed off as he couldn't continue, he just kept a hold of Connor's hand, he wasn't sure he could ever let go again now.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	"You aren't going to lose me Nick. I promise" Connor said as he pushed himself more upright in the bed. His entire body hurt. He felt like he had been stepped on by a Giganotosaurus. He was tired and it was hard to keep his eye open at times. But there was one thing he needed to do. Once he managed to get upright, Connor gave Cutter's hand a squeeze and then a tug as he pulled him closer and leaned in to give him a hug. "I... I..." Connor said as he rested his head against Cutter's shoulder. "I love you Nick" he said softly as he clung weakly to him.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter trembled as Connor pulled him in closer and he wrapped his arms around Connor and held him, he was trying to be careful because he knew how much Connor would be hurting right then but he was afraid to let go now that he was embraced in the hug, "I love you too Connor," he said softly, "I will always love you," he leaned his against Connor's.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	Connor held Cutter close, a contented sigh escaping him as he heard those words. How long eh sat there, content in Cutter's arms, Connor didn't know. He might have even started to doze off at one point. If he was going to have to spend the next few hours still locked in that room, he would be completely content to just stay right where he was. That wasn't possible of course, but that wasn't going to stop him from taking advantage of every moment he could keep himself awake.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	Cutter kept the hug going as long as Connor was comfortable with it, he had missed being able to hug Connor like this and after everything they had just been through, he wanted to just be able to enjoy this moment and that they both had each other and they were going to be okay.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	Connor smiled, the first real smile he had in some time. It felt so good, so right. And it wasn't until he woke himself up with a soft snore that he realized he had dozed off again. "S-Sorry... Nick" he said softly. "Guess I'm.. still.. tired" he said with a half tired half drunken-looking smirk.
Cutter(itsananomaly)	"You have nothing to apologise for Connor ... It's been a long day," Cutter said softly as he stepped back slightly to look at Connor, still keeping his arms wrapped around around him gently, "how about I help you back into bed, so you can sleep a bit longer?" and he began to carefully lower Connor back down into the bed. Once Connor was back down in bed, there was a moment hesitation and then Cutter climbed in after his, gently wrapping his arms around Connor as they started to drift off to sleep.
Connor(anomaly_research_nerd)	Connor looked at Cutter and shifted in the bed slightly trying to push himself a little more upright and leaned back against the pillows. "Nick you kept the ARC safe. If you hadn't tried to stay and contain it, who knows how much could have gotten out of the lab!" Connor reached out and gently tried to lift Cutter's chin so he could look at him. "And you never left my side ... that means a lot to me Nick."