Return to Camelot
Ray slept for a full twenty-four hours after he'd first awakened, panicked and screaming in the med bay. Before that, he'd been unconscious for close to three days while his body adjusted to what amounted to a whole new set of internal organs. The entire time, Nate and Mick stayed by his side as much as humanly possible. They took turns going to the bathroom, and Mick would bring food for them when one of the others wasn't doing the honors.
The team was full of concern for Ray, and they visited often. Sara and Ava sat with them for several hours at a time, talking to Ray and just keeping Mick and Nate company. Zari cooked for them at least once a day, making huge veggie trays, dinner plates, and once, a dessert spread that Mick particularly enjoyed.
Nate knew everyone was also concerned about the timeline. The time quakes had calmed down since they took care of the first issue, but they hadn't stopped completely, and the ripples through time were getting worse. Just that morning, Behrad had called Zari, with their parents on the line, to wish her Happy Tyrannosaur Liberation Day. Still, no one was willing to risk another time jump until Ray was fully in the clear.
When Ray woke up this time, he jolted awake with a scream, clutching at his torso again. Nate and Mick were able to calm him down fairly quickly, reassuring him that everything was okay and he was home again. Nate had to struggle not to cry when Ray clung to him, trembling as he struggled to push past the terror.
He asked how things were, and was confused by how long he'd been asleep. "Why is it taking me so long to heal? Is something still wrong with me, Gideon?"
"No, Dr. Palmer," Gideon replied. "You suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung, profound abdominal trauma, massive blood loss, a-"
"Okay, Gideon," Nate said, noticing that Ray's face had gone pale, and he was staring into the distance. Nate rubbed his arm and smiled when Ray looked back at him. "You okay?"
Ray nodded, still trembling a little. "I... I guess I thought... since Gideon replaced Snart's arm before and he was okay immediately, maybe there was a problem."
"No, Dr. Palmer. You're healing at a normal rate considering the extent of your injuries."
"Okay. Thank you, Gideon."
Ray still sounded nervous and upset. While Nate was wondering how to make him feel better, Mick put a gloved hand on Ray's shoulder. "Relax, Haircut. You'll be washing dishes by hand and turning my laundry inside-out like a freak again before you know it."
Ray chuckled, and his body seemed to relax. Nate smiled at Mick. He could have hugged him, but he had a feeling the group hug from yesterday was still "fresh", and he'd probably get pushed away if he tried it.
Nate offered Ray some breakfast, but he wasn't up for a regular meal. He asked for another smoothie, and Mick immediately trooped away to fill the request. When he left, Ray sighed and seemed content for a moment. But a few seconds later, he frowned and seemed to deflate a little.
"Hey," Nate said, rubbing his shoulder gently. "Are you okay?"
Ray sighed. "I... I feel like I abandoned them."
"Oh, Ray." Nate leaned in and kissed Ray's forehead. "Your heart is almost too big, babe," he said. Ray gave him a huge smile at the pet name, and Nate smiled back. "You didn't abandon them. You would have died for them, Ray. You did die for them, technically. We had to time jump to get back to the Waverider, and your heart stopped beating."
Nate was more emotional than he expected to be, thinking about that horrifying moment, and he blinked back tears. Ray reached up and touched his cheek. "I'm okay now, Nate," he said. "You brought me home, and I'm okay."
Nate pulled Ray into a tight hug, the tears coming, even though he tried to stop them. Ray squeezed him hard in return, his soothing voice murmuring that he was okay, and Nate was okay. "Everything is okay now."
"I love you so much, Ray."
"I love you, too, Nate."
At that moment, Mick returned with the requested smoothie. The two of them dried their eyes and Mick frowned. "Who died?"
Nate shook his head, smiling. "Nobody, Mick."
"We were just-"
"Getting feelsy," Mick said. Without waiting for an answer, Mick handed the smoothie to Ray.
"Thanks, Mick." Nate and Mick sat down on either side of Ray, and he looked at them a little self conscious. "Don't you guys want something?"
Mick shook his head. "No, it's okay, Ray," Nate answered. "This is breakfast for you, but it's two o'clock. We just ate a little while a go."
Ray sipped his drink, and Nate started to read a book so not to make Ray feel self conscious by watching him. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ray starting to look sad again. "Hey. What's up, buddy?"
Ray sighed. "I was thinking how good this is, and how long it's been since I had access to things like this, and..." He shrugged. "I wish I could let James try it. I wish I could let him know I'm alive."
"Well..." Nate shrugged. "I kind of promised him I would find a way to let him know you survived."
"Really?" Ray brightened, but seemed uncertain the next second. "But... could that cause issues with the timeline? Constantine has to be the undisputed king."
"James is smart enough to keep quiet, " Nate said. "I'll go in with a time courier - in and out, no big deal."
"By yourself!?" He looked alarmed. "What... what if you and Mick go together?"
"Not leaving you alone, Raymond," Mick said.
"He's right," Nate said. "I don't really feel great about leaving you, but I did promise, and I'll bring myself back here no more than three minutes after I leave. That's a promise to you. Okay?" Ray looked dubious. "Besides, do we really want to wait to teach Mick court manners? James may be with the king when I get there."
"I'm not bowing to any John Constantine clone!"
"See?"
Ray nodded, smiling at Mick, but still clearly nervous. "Okay. Three minutes?"
"Maybe less."
He sighed. "Okay. Okay, let's do it. Here, give me a tablet. I'll find something that makes sense for you to wear."