Chapter Text
"Barney," Isaac spoke looking slightly concerned, "Are you okay? You've been pacing around with a concerned look on your face ever since you set foot in here."
Kleiner's words broke Barney from his trance. "Huh? O- Oh yeah I'm.. fine, but I'm just worrying about Gordon... like I always do."
Dr. Kleiner gently put his arm around Barney's shoulders. "I was almost sure that was it, and I had expected you'd feel like this much before Gordon had returned. That's why I added a little something to his HEV suit I've been meaning to show you." Barney's face perked up in a confused intrigue as he followed Kleiner to one of his many computers.
"Very soon after I acquired Gordon's HEV suit, I thought of a feature that should have already been implemented, a way for us to see his vitals and status while he's wearing the suit!" Kleiner smiled at Calhoun as a model of the HEV suit followed by several stats appeared on the combine interfaces screen.
A familiar robotic voice spoke, "Welcome to the Hazardous EnVironmental suit User Information System. Acquiring user vitals and suit status..."
Various medical information aswell as technical info for the HEV suit popped up on the screen.
Barney sighed a breath of relief upon seeing that Gordon was perfectly fine, but he still looked slightly upset.
Dr. Kleiner noticed this and grew a worried expression once again, asking him, "What is it Calhoun? Gordon's completely okay, there's something else on your mind isn't there?" Barney slightly scrunched his face and turned his head away from Isaac. "Well," Kleiner sighed and started to head back to his work, "I know how you are Barney, but you can always tell me if something bothers you."
Calhoun ran his hands through his hair then down onto his face, thinking to himself "Why am I like this?".
"It's Alyx." Barney breathily mumbled, just barely audible enough for Kleiner to make out. Isaac's head perked up in inquisition. "Alyx? What happened?"
"She, she didn't even do anything," Calhoun grumbled, "she didn't do anything but I- I'm so jealous!" He shoved his reddened face into his hands, his cheeks flushed from a mix of jealousy and anger. "Jesus, I feel so stupid, why am I acting like this? I just, it's not fair! Why can't I be the one right by Gordon's side protecting him? Isaac, it hurts so much, *hic* I-"
Barney clenched his teeth so tight they almost cracked against one another, looking down trying to stop the tears from escaping his eyes.
"Oh, Barney." Dr. Kleiner gently spoke, moving over to Calhoun and gently putting his hand on his back as he suppressed his sobs.
"The way she looks at Gordon, Isaac, she looks at him like she's known him forever. It- it hurts so bad, and I feel like a total asshole feeling this way about her." His trembling lips could barely form words, every sentence hurt more than the last to say.
Barney's breathing quickened and he could feel a spike in his heartbeat, he turned towards Kleiner with a look of pure dread. "I, I remember seeing him that morning Isaac, I- He waved, the last time I saw him he was... he was being drug on the ground by HECU guards. They're, they're out there in this hellhole, targets, and I can only think of myself-"
Piercing noise rang throughout Calhoun's head, everything felt just the same again. He saw Gordon's unconscious body infront of him, he tried to reach out but metal bars blocked the way as a blinding green haze blocked most of his vision. He saw Alyx reaching out for him as she was being drug away by combine soldiers.
Isaac had pulled Barney into a full hug at this point, Barney almost clawing into his back from holding him so tight. Kleiner felt the thumping of Barney's heart, the air struggling to enter and exit his lungs, and his body trembling with the purest form of fear.
Calhoun tried to utter words between his gasping and sobbing, but mostly failed. "I- I can't lose them- I- Isaac-" Weakly broke free from his lips, almost inaudible.
Isaac was never good with comforting people, but he held Barney tight as he reminded him of how strong both Alyx and Gordon are, but unfortunately his reassuring words were cut off by a warning from the interface they stood by. This was the last noise to ring across Calhoun's ears before he fell limp in Kleiner's arms.