* OUR ONE HEROIC PLEDGE, [josh]

Joshua ran his hands under the scalding water, the smell of antiseptic soap assaulting his nose. He was used to the clean, sterile smell of the hospital rooms and it did not bother him in the least. He dried his hands with paper towel and went back into the hall to report to his supervisor, who was being surprisingly pleasant today. He was wary of her but it seemed sincere. "Did you sterilize the tools?" He nodded. "Twice." He knew she liked him to be thorough, always paranoid that something would go wrong. A lot of bacteria could be found on surgical tools that were improperly sterilized and so he took their cleaning as seriously as she did. It was a little boring, perhaps, but he never complained. This was his leg-up, his credentials, his advantage. He would not be ungrateful for the opportunities he was given. "There's a girl down in one of the rooms, looks like she's been in a fight. Go and check on here and then you can leave, you're done for the day." Though he normally enjoyed the hospital work and keeping busy, the prospect of leaving was a relief to him. He had to be home in a few hours for Annabel and he wanted to relax, anyway. Which room was it again? He recalled the number she'd gave him and started to make his way down there, expecting a few bruises, maybe a cut or two. Nothing he couldn't handle, he figured, confident in this.

"Just because we’re fucking siblings doesn’t mean shit.”

”I’m not going to tell you again.”

The argument would have meant nothing to him if not for that second voice chiming in after the first, jarring him and stopping his tracks. Nell? No, that wasn't right. Nell didn't have siblings, right? She had a sister. That was years ago, Till was dead, Till was not the very male voice that had been snapping at her. Then he felt a surge of anger, though not toward his fiancée. Who the fuck did that stranger think he was? And what is Nell doing here? He had a lot of questions, none of which he was going to get unless he approached. He had things to be doing but he figured he could spare five minutes to nip down a side-hall. As it turned out, it wasn't necessary. They were standing in front of the room he'd been approaching anyway and he neared with a cold glare in Rafael's direction. "Excuse me, you're in my way." Actually it was Nell who stood in front of the door, blocking it, but he had more of a problem with this unfamiliar boy. He looked toward Nell, arched an eyebrow questioningly. What's going on? "I'm here to see a patient," he said, technically to both of them, then spoke directly to Rafael, "If you're going to cause a disruption, you'll need to leave. This is a hospital, you know." And that's my fiancée you're snapping at, thank you very much.

A sweeping glance over Nell suggested that she was not injured, though he was not immediately comforted by this. "Nell, why are you here? Are you alright?" He had a job to be doing, he wasn't supposed to be side-tracked by arguments or other things. Still, his fiancée was important to him and he didn't want to brush her aside. Not until he was reassured that she was not in any ill health or danger. He cast another sour glance toward Rafael. You'd better not be giving her too much trouble, asshole. Joshua could not help how protective he got over her. It did not matter how capable the Earth girl was of defending herself, he wanted to keep her safe. He figured she felt the same way about him. That was how love worked, after all. You mattered to one another. It was amazing how quickly he could form an opinion on someone based solely on how they'd spoken to Nell. She could have been in the wrong during the argument, it did not matter. She was the better one in this situation. It wasn't, perhaps, the best way of handling a situation, but it was Joshua's way.

Joshua crossed his arms and frowned when Rafael spoke. I hate him. It was not real hate, not the sort of passionate loathing he had for Patrick, for Bryce, for anyone like Jane that tried to hurt someone he was close to. It was intense dislike, though, and in the current situation that was enough to make everything Rafael said a moot point in the face of the irritated Fire graduate. "Never mind the door," Joshua said coolly, knowing that he'd need to ask Nell to move but not wanting Rafael to get his way. Josh could be stubborn if he wanted to and Nell was in the right. It did not matter that Rafael had a visitor's slip, that Nell was the one blocking the door, that they'd both took part in the argument, he had been on Nell's side from the start. "You're obviously upset and I don't think you should be here. Maybe you should come back later." It might have been plausible advice if not for the glint of anger in his eyes, the fact that he still hadn't unfolded his arms. Just get the hell out of here so I can ask Nell what's going on. Despite blatantly siding with her, Josh's head was still reeling from the word siblings. He did not want to see any similarities between them and so he forced himself not to look. He'd question Nell about it soon but for now he needed to remove a certain hot-headed guy from the picture.

He wondered whether or not to believe Nell when she told him that she was doing great, then decided to take her words at face value. She didn't seem injured and she didn't sound or look ill, either. He followed her gaze to the door, registering the name but not recognising it as someone they both knew. "Oh?" His tone turned suspicious as his fiancée pointed fingers, attention back on Rafael as he scowled at him. He automatically believed her despite the face that the other boy wasn't admitting to anything. Nell could label someone a murderer and he'd probably take her word for it. It took a long time for him to trust someone but for Nell he was always a little too trusting. He would place his life into her hands without a second thought. "If that's the case, then I'm not suggesting you leave, I'm demanding it. Get out." He jerked his thumb down the hall in the general direction of the exit. He probably should have told Nell to leave, too, they were both causing the problem, but he did not. Of course. There was talk of police reports and he guessed this was some sort of domestic abuse. 'Seems like she's been in a fight,' wasn't that what he'd been told? If looks could kill, he might well have reduced Rafael to a pile of ashes with the look he gave him now. "My fiancée is right here, you're causing a problem, and I am telling you that you need to leave." He nodded at Nell to indicate who he was talking about at the word 'fiancée', eyes smouldering.

Making a point of completely ignoring Nell's part in the argument (he could be spiteful when it came to dislike), he turned to the Earth girl. "Could you excuse me a minute, Nell? I really need to do my job." He would much rather stand and sort things out with the whole tail-end of the argument he'd heard a minute earlier but he knew it wouldn't be good of him to ignore what he'd been sent down here for in the first place. "I get off work after this, we should talk." There was a certain note in his voice that suggested he wasn't going to let things drop too easily. He wasn't mad at her (he kept secrets of his own with Bryce), he was only curious. Stepping past into the room, he approached Angela as if the entire confrontation outside her room door had not just happened. So he's your boyfriend, huh? You've got shit taste in men. He almost said it but stopped himself. That could come across as rude even if he'd said it jokingly. "How are you feeling?" he asked her, out of formality. He knew she probably wasn't feeling the greatest, either that or she was doped up on medication and wouldn't really understand how she was feeling. "Is there anything you need?" He figured her arm would do fine with the stitches and the black eye made him hate Rafael more. So this is how you treat girls? I'd never hurt Nell like that.

[Assumed she'd move for him/wanted to give you something more to work with, I can edit if not xD Josh can/will threaten to call security in the next post if Rafael persists xD]

His anger was evident in his eyes, hands tightened over his folded arms and veins along the backs of them popping slightly. His jaw was set, lips forming a hard line, and if Joshua had not been at work he would have punched Rafael square in the jaw, no questions asked. As it were, it was becoming more and more difficult for him to contain his anger. Fire elementals were like that. He looked between Rafael and Nell as they argued, though his gaze seemed much more critical whenever it found the unfamiliar male. "Yes, I'm believing her," he said firmly, coldly. "You don't seem the type I'd trust, to be perfectly honest." Josh had every reason to hear both sides of the story. He had no proof that Rafael had done anything, that Nell was telling the truth. It was trust that motivated him, trust and a sheer loathing for Rafael that might have made him turn on the other boy even if Nell had been lying through her teeth to him. "If Nell says she saw you, then she saw you. How do you defend yourself against an eye witness?" Then, almost as if in afterthought, he said, "And if you lay a hand on her, I'll wrap both of mine around your neck." If this guy was capable of hurting his own girlfriend, who knew what he might try doing to Nell in some fit of anger? Joshua didn't trust him and a lack of trust meant he saw him as a threat to those he cared about. You didn't threaten the people Josh cared about.

He looked immediately to Nell when Rafael spoke of the higher-ups, a knowing gleam in his gray eyes. I've got this. It was a mark of how close he was to her that he could convey his feelings with just a glance, a look, no words involved. He liked their closeness, respected how well she knew him. "Oh, for sure," Joshua said easily, uncrossing his arms and waving a hand slightly as if they were discussing something as simple as the sunshine. "How's about we go together, then? You're free to tell them how bad I am at doing my job, while you're at it." Joshua felt triumphant, for he knew the majority of the higher ups. Family friends, literal family in the case of the owner. Donovan could veto any decision to reprimand his son and Joshua knew that he probably would. "I can take you there myself, I know the way. We might even be able to catch the hospital's head." His complete confidence and lack of fear might have been taken as sheer idiocy, pig-headedness, the thought that he was superior just because he worked here. But no, Josh was so confident because he was guaranteed a win. Family stick up for family. Donovan liked Nell after the brief rocky period and Josh was his son. "Alternatively, you could find the fucking door down there and walk your ass out of it." He cocked an eyebrow, wondering what Rafael would do.

He nodded when Nell excused herself to go to the bathroom, deciding that he'd deal with Angela in their absence. He wasn't surprised that the percs they'd given her were wearing off but he shook his head when she asked for more of them. "I can't do that, sorry." Though sympathetic, he didn't have the authority and didn't think it would be the right decision if he could. She wasn't splitting from the seams, so while he could believe that she was in pain and that she probably felt like shit, more drugs were not necessary. Noticing her shaking hands, he took pity on her and set the bowl on the table beside the bed. Joshua turned when Nell re-entered the room, cast her a brief smile. He was still fuming silently over Rafael's mere existence but he was determined not to take it out on her. This wasn't her fault, even if he did have burning questions about what was going on. He dipped his head at her request. He probably wouldn't have done it for anyone else but Nell asking something from him was almost guaranteed to get a 'yes'. "Sure, I can have that arranged. Especially if a certain someone decides to pay a visit to the house." The girl needed some time to recover from whatever she'd experienced, Josh was sure. As he gazed at Nell, there was an almost contemplative look in his eyes. I could never hurt you like that. Why would anyone be that cruel? "Are you alright? Did he give you too much trouble?"

If he hadn't been so irritated with Rafael already, his lack of a valid defence might have made Joshua laugh. He clearly didn't have much to go on as he labelled Nell a liar. There was no proof that Nell was lying but there was a girl lying in a hospital bed with a black eye and a stitched arm that spoke volumes for the situation. "I'm dead fucking serious. You mess with Nell and you'll be the one who's hospitalized." Rafael put his girlfriend in the hospital? Josh would surround him with bleach white walls and simple décor if he so much as touched Nell. That's how you should treat someone that loves you, prick. He was more angry with Rafael because of Nell than because of Angela, given he didn't know the girl, but he definitely did not approve of domestic violence. It was too far. Joshua smirked when Rafael gave up. "I wouldn't bother coming back later," he said coolly, adding insult to injury, and then he turned his attention on Nell. She calmed him where Rafael incensed him and he hoped that her presence could reverse the effects of his anger quicker than if he'd been alone. The hospital weren't fans of public displays of affection and so he merely took her hand for a moment, met her gaze, tried to convey silently how he was feeling. I want to know you're okay. I'm worried about you. They'd have time to discuss all of this later, though, and so he released his grip quickly and went into the room to finish his job.

He understood completely when Nell said that she'd tell him later, not having expected her to get into it in front of her friend. He doubted Angela's good judgement for staying with a guy like Rafael but that didn't mean he'd go out of his way to make her uncomfortable. His lips twitched in sympathy and mild amusement when Angela spoke to Nell. "Actually, it'd be malpractice if I didn't." This much was true and he did not want to lose his job. He knew that he should have handled the hallway situation maturely, responsibly, but that did not mean that he had any regrets. Rafael was a douchebag, he deserved all the ill treatment that he'd gotten. It didn't surprise him that Nell wanted to stay overnight, now that he thought about it. That was his fiancée, always doing things for other people. He managed a smile. "Sure thing, babe." He followed her out of the room and kept pace with her, keeping his stride slow. Having long legs meant you often left other people behind if you weren't careful. "I'll stay a while, too. Not overnight but long enough to make sure Rafael doesn't come back." Nell alone probably couldn't do enough to get the boy kicked out but Josh had power here. This was almost like his territory, his domain. Connections could help you go far. "Lucky I was on duty tonight, really." He didn't like to think of what would have happened if he wasn't.

They passed Stacy in the hall but he merely gave her a nod and walked by, hoping it was enough for her to understand he'd done as he was told and he was finished for the night. The older woman knew he was engaged but he'd never introduced Nell. The doors to the hospital cafeteria were always held open with wedges so that the weaker patients did not have to struggle in getting them open, so that those in wheelchairs or walkers did not have too much of an issue. "The food isn't phenomenal but it's alright, I guess. Do you want me to bring you something later?" He didn't have much to do for the night and so he wouldn't mind picking up food that wasn't from the hospital. Take-out was probably against some rule or another but he was all about bending the rules to suit Nell as best as possible. He would really do anything for her. He knew that he was avoiding the subject a little out of awkwardness and so he endeavoured not to beat around the bush too much. Not taking any food for himself, he sat down with her anyway and asked, "So... sister? What was that all about?" He seemed almost apologetic as he asked, not having meant to butt into their argument and listen. It wasn't like he'd eavesdropped or anything. "How long's he been bothering you like this?" He was naturally protective, he didn't like the idea of some guy coming into her life and messing with her. Family or not.

He tilted his head toward her and gave Nell a fond smile when she leaned her head against his arm, enjoying the closeness as always. It was strange how she made him feel, almost lighter than usual. Happy despite the anger that still bubbled in his blood. "You, throw a punch?" His voice was soft and teasing but on the inside he wondered if she might have done it after all. He remembered how she'd attacked Bryce, stopped his brother from digging a knife into his neck. He appreciated that in his own strange way. Josh was a proud person but it was good to know that someone cared about him enough to stick up for him. "I'll do that, then. I'll leave in a bit and then come back with it, stick around a while. It's been a long day, I'm pretty hungry myself." He got so caught up in his work that he forgot the convenient existence of the hospital cafeteria until his volunteering shift was over and he left for the day. Now that he had the option of something other than food that came in plastic packaging and had to be eaten with flimsy forks, Josh was definitely going to take advantage of it. It wasn't really out of his way to get anything for Nell but he would have done it if it was regardless. Anything and everything for her. "So what'll it be?" He did not know what sort of food she was in the mood for and so he decided to ask her. "Want me to get something for your friend, as well?" She was injured, not ill, so he figured it couldn't hurt to have something other than hospital food. No one preferred hospital cuisine to KFC or Chinese, after all.

His light expression got a little more sombre and serious when Nell corrected him. Half-sister. He did not have any half-siblings but anyone with a brain knew what that meant. The product of another marriage, a previous relationship, possibly even an affair, a second life. As it turned out, it was the latter. Joshua blinked at her slowly, wondering what to say to that. It was a shock to him and he realised how much he really loathed her father. Can't do anything right, can he, the bastard? First he abandons his own kid to go and have another one with some other woman, then abandons that kid to go back to the first kid, then leaves again. Josh didn't trust him. He'd been warming up slowly thanks to Nell but this was back to square one all over again. He frowned, almost a scowl but not quite. "Ah." It made him uncomfortable, a prickling down his spine. What else didn't she know about? What else don't I know about? He always tried to avoid suspicion with Nell but it was hard sometimes, especially when she told him that it had been going on for about a month now. She has every right to keep secrets. He had to keep reminding himself. "Hates you? You're not the product of an affair, you're not getting in the way of anything." His words were half-snarled and a gleam of anger flashed in his gray eyes. "And your father? Why did he never tell you?" He hated prying but at the same time, this was Nell. He loved her. There shouldn't be secrets between us. We keep them anyway, but...

He shook his head. "No, Nell, I want to know what's going on with you," he said quietly. He reached across the table and took her hand, stroked his thumb over her skin. "I love you. It concerns me." He was protective, he couldn't help the way that his blood boiled when someone he loved was threatened. He tried not to be overbearing about it but Rafael seemed like a definite threat to him. He was bigger than Nell and obviously capable of violence. When she asked about his day he considered avoiding the subject for a moment, insisting to know more, but he decided to let it go and shrugged. "Most of the day, really. It keeps me occupied when there's nothing else to do and I enjoy it so I stick around. The day went... alright." It had actually been pretty good until the news had slapped him across the face and jolted him back to an uncomfortable reality. No matter how close the two of them came to a perfectly relaxed life, it was snatched away from them. At least I still have her. He didn't think he could stand to lose Nell. Not now, not after they'd been through so much. He squeezed her hand and twitched his lips. "All the same, I'm glad for the rest." He wondered when she would be getting home tomorrow, silently hoped that Rafael wouldn't show up in the earlier hours of the morning when Josh wasn't around to try and force his will. If I have to get him kicked out a little more permanently... He let the threatening thought trail off.

It was remarkable how much Nell's presence could have an affect on him, how much better she made him feel. Even a bad day could have a brighter side when Nell was around. He used to deny it when people said he seemed happier around her, not wanting to feel dependent, but now he embraced it. "Six foot three, actually, but you were close enough." Their height difference was a rather prominent one but Josh didn't mind at all. Height was trivial when it came to his feelings for her. She understood him so well, proving it when she asked him if he'd eaten. "I had some breakfast?" He voiced it as a question and laughed, wondering if that would be good enough for her. He knew that his sleeping and eating patterns weren't the most consistent things in the world. It's good I've got you around, really. There had been a darker time when it was Joshua fussing over how much she was eating and worrying about how often she slept but they were past that now. "Chinese it is. I haven't had spring rolls in a while." When you lived in a mansion and actually hired someone to cook for you, take out wasn't necessary. He liked it all the same. Not McDonalds or Burger King but Chinese and Mexican restaurants, Thai, Italian. He liked food. Not as much as Nell (that would take serious effort) but enough that he enjoyed eating. He simply forgot to a lot of the time. "Ah, what would I do without you around, eh?" He nudged her affectionately, smiled.

He was more angry with Nell's family than with her. There was a slight hurt in the fact that she'd kept it from him for a month but it passed quickly when he reminded himself how much of a secret he'd kept with Bryce. "Don't apologise. It was your choice to make." He made sure to keep his tone as light as possible, wanting her to know that he was being sincere. He loved her, he could respect her decisions even if he wished she made different ones sometimes. Relationships weren't about controlling the other person, they were about compromise, coexisting peacefully. He honestly didn't understand how Angela could be with someone like Rafael. If I snapped and hit Nell, I'd certainly hope that she left me. Admittedly he'd probably try and make her stay, he loved her, but he didn't think he had anything to worry about. His anger was tame when it was aimed toward her. Words and tones, no physical contact necessary. His anger was also rare around Nell. She was easy to get along with. "He sounds like a wonderful person," Joshua said dryly. He believed everything she was saying about him despite the fact that he'd never witnessed these things himself. "Still, it seems like something you should have been told." The bastard had come back into Nell's life to 'try again', neglecting to warn her about an affair he'd had behind her mother's back. He definitely wasn't Josh's favourite person. The Fire graduate nodded when she mentioned a talk with him, though he held his tongue to avoid saying something he'd regret. The hate was in his eyes, though, and it wouldn't be hard to glimpse it.

He laughed at her words, a genuine sound that carried only a slight strain thanks to his residual mood. It always felt good to laugh with her, to lighten up. "If only the day had been that exciting, I may have had some stories to tell." The hospital was usually pretty mundane when it came to what he dealt with. He sometimes saw doctors and nurses hurrying back and forth from the ER but he obviously wasn't allowed in there himself. He dealt with people like Angela, bumps and scrapes. He checked on patients to see if they needed anything from the nurses, if they wanted to call family. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Besides, I could do with the company." Not only did he want to keep watch for Rafael but he wanted to hang around Nell, let her lift his spirits like she was so good at doing. He stayed and talked with her for a while longer and then dismissed himself to go and get the take-out. He stopped by the house to change into his regular clothes and grab a quick shower, then got food at a Chinese place about a five minute drive from the hospital. Their food smelled good, looked good, so he supposed it was such and ordered a reasonable amount of it. He was starving and Nell was... Nell, so he wanted to make sure they had enough. He tapped the back of his hand softly on the door to the room to alert her of his presence before he entered. "I come bearing Chinese-flavoured gifts," he said, smiling and setting the bag of boxes down. "And I made sure Angela's cleared to stay the night." It had been a simple matter of pulling strings for him.

Joshua merely raised an eyebrow and smiled when he saw that Nell had forced Angela to share the bed with her, the Fire graduate taking a seat in the chair that Nell had vacated and took out one of the boxes containing the spring rolls. He'd gotten some other stuff for himself, too, like noodles and rice. He did not have a set amount of time that he planned on remaining at the hospital, figuring he'd leave in another couple hours, but he did notice how tired Nell was getting. "You sure you don't want to sleep?" He knew the feeling of being dead on your feet and he didn't envy her at the moment. He was tired but still functional, pushing past the first waves of exhaustion to remain awake and coherant. It was the waves later on that would break and carry him into sleep, hopefully only when he was at home and in bed. He'd be sleeping alone tonight. He'd sort of gotten used to her presence but it was something he could do without for one night. "We should probably go out into the hall," he mused, wanting to continue their conversation but noticing that Angela looked like she was planning to get to sleep. He felt a little bad for keeping his fiancée awake but knew it would be incredibly boring to sit around alone. He'd probably have to leave if she went to sleep and then what if Rafael returned? I hate him, thought Joshua, and the musing was simple and to the point. It was closer to real hate, now, closer to what he felt about the other members of Nell's family. How are you such a good person, coming from their family? He admired that, honestly.

That was why, upon moving into the corridor and catching sight of a familiar figure striding toward him, Joshua's features immediately slipped from a smile into a fierce scowl. All the calming that Nell had done for him with the mere effect of her presence vanished the moment he saw Rafael. His anger was quick to converge upon him, take over, stick its roots into the earth. "Thought I told you to get the fuck out." There was no eloquence to his tone, no cordial politeness. I'm not on duty now, you little shit. That meant he could get kicked out for starting an argument but he was confident that he had the upper hand. Gray eyes narrowed at the visitor's pass in the other boy's hand. That doesn't give you power here. It did, but not over Joshua. He looked at Nell when she glanced at him, that silent communication that spoke volumes for the pair of them. He loved how easy it was to talk to her without even speaking. He really thinks he's got this, huh? He resisted the urge to smirk, knowing that it might give it away. He didn't want Rafael to back out of this again. He wanted to show him that he had power here. "Funny that we're supposed to be the dickbags when you put your girlfriend in the hospital, isn't it?" His words were cold and cutting, though he didn't know whether they'd affect the guy or not. Did he even have a soul? Surprised he's not a fucking ginger. The humour was dry, almost pointless. He did not feel the urge to laugh as the thought crossed his mind. Rather, he wanted to punch something. Hard.

He considered listing off names, occupations, being a real smart-ass about it. Joshua refrained, deciding that it was better to cut to the chase and get this over with. Maybe one he displayed the fact that he had power in the hospital, Rafael would see how much of a lost cause it was and give the fuck up. It was Nell Josh was setting out to protect but he supposed it would do Angela some good if the dick left, too. "Your choice. I can take you straight to the top floor, head offices, you can bitch to the bigwigs about it. See if I care." Damn, I hope Dad's working. He was pretty sure he'd get his way regardless. People did not care about impressing Joshua, no, he was not of much significance in the place. Donovan? They definitely did not want to piss off the man that could put them all out of their jobs. At very least they'd have Rafael leave for the time being until they could talk things out with the higher-ups and that was good enough for now. "It's this way." He gave Nell a look at that moment, another silent conveyance. You wouldn't want to miss this. He did not even jerk his head to invite her along, figuring the glance would be enough. He led the way down the halls with a confidence and sense of direction that one could only acquire after working in an environment for so long. The place was like a maze and the signs were often as confusing as they were helpful but he did not have to so much as glance at them. "So who will it be?" he half-sneered. "Would you like to talk to my supervisor, see what she thinks of my decision? Or do you want to take this further?" Joshua folded his arms and looked coolly at Rafael, waiting.