milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Guppy comes into the bar from the back door and goes over to the bar. He takes a small map of the world from his pocket and puts a cross next to one of the vertical lines.

He gets a cup of coffee and sits next to the fire. He looks tired and keeps dozing off, but forces himself to wake up again each time.

Eventually he just can't keep his eyes open and flops onto the side of the chair.

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"Papar... bag?"

He's puzzled, but runs to the bar and returns with a paper bag. He hands it to Guppy.

He puts his head between his knees and breathes in and out of the paper bag until his breathing starts to calm down again. He is white as a sheet, drenched with sweat, and looking dreadfully tired and ill.

"Thanks." he whispers.

"That is a curious trick," Gorlim says, rubbing Guppy's back.

"'s weird but..." he is going from white to a rather unpleasant shade of green. "but it works."

Gorlim notices. "You okay?" he asks worriedly.

Guppy takes a deep breath.

"Can we go somewhere else?"

"Sure, Guppy. Where?" He stands, offering the doctor a hand up.

He takes Gorlim's hand and stands shakily.

"Um... outside, I need air."

Nodding, Gorlim puts his arm around Guppy's shoulders and ushers him out the door towards the lake. He's gentle but quick about it, knowing the reason he usually likes going outside when he has nightmares is so he can lose his lunch in a bush...

...which is pretty much the same reason why Guppy wants to be outside. But he didn't eat any lunch, so his body contents itself with coughing a few times punishingly, after which he sinks down to sitting against a tree with his head in his hands.

Gorlim plops down next to him.

"You've not eaten in a while."

Duh.

"Probably should."

No shit, Sherlock.

"Not now." Pause. "Not even probably soon, if your dreams do to you what mine do to me."

Sigh.

"Fuck."

He buries his fingers in Guppy's hair. "Sorry, Guppy. I'm not terribly useful, I'm afraid. Looks like knowing how much it hurts isn't the same as knowing how to make it stop."

"S'ok, you're still trying. Thanks."

He shakes his head.

"Haven't kept a thing down since yesterday evening."

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