Title: Beyond the Surface
Summary: A WHN for the episode Beneath the Surface
His head pounded.
His chest felt tight and every breath seemed to take a concentrated effort.
His stomach rolled as the van rocked along the bumpy dirt road.
He fought back the nausea as long as he could, but as the bile started rising in his throat he gagged out, "B.A., pull over," before cupping his hand over his mouth.
Face leapt from the van and stumbled over to a large tree. He leaned against it with one hand and as soon as he removed the other from over his mouth the floodgates opened. That was the problem with pushing his feelings down for too long…they were bound to come out one way or another.
Hannibal and B.A. turned away from the sight of their friend retching wanting to give him a little privacy.
"Somethin' ain't right wit' the Faceman," B.A. said.
"You think?" Hannibal quipped, sneaking a peak at his Lieutenant who was still bent over.
B.A. rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the sarcasm. "He been actin' real weird lately, man…almost makin' the fool look normal."
Hannibal sighed; he had noticed it too. Since the last job ended a week ago, Face was quiet and contemplative. He wasn't eating or sleeping much and looked pale and worn out.
When they turned back, Face had his back resting heavily against the tree trunk. It was the only thing keeping him upright at the moment; that and the knowledge that Hannibal and B.A. were watching.
It had been a little over a week since his world began turning upside down on him. But his regret and embarrassment only continued to grow. As did his anger...some towards the team but mostly directed at himself. He couldn't talk to anybody about what he was feeling. They wouldn't understand. They would just think he was being dramatic and would make a joke out of it as they had done throughout the whole case. But it wasn't funny. The memories of the past combined with the events of the present had taken their toll and were literally making him sick.
If he was really honest with himself, he was more hurt than anything. But as the others would all too quickly point out, as a con man honesty wasn't his strong suit.
"He ain't movin' man." B.A. stated. "One of us should check on him." He was relieved when Hannibal nodded, opened his door and started getting out.
Hannibal approached Face slowly not wanting to startle his friend who stood against the tree with his eyes closed.
"Face?" he questioned softly.
Face slowly blinked his eyes open. "Sorry,' he mumbled.
Hannibal shook his head slightly. Only Face would apologize for being sick. "You okay?"
"Yeah...sorry," he said again.
"No need to apologize, kid. Think you can make it back to the van?"
Face was doubtful, but he had to try. He pushed off of the tree and managed a few steps before the spots appeared before his eyes and the ground began to tilt under his feet. His legs buckled and he fell to his knees.
Hannibal saw Face fall and he immediately knelt down beside him.
Face started to get back up. "I'm okay," he panted.
Hannibal put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, just stay down a minute." He looked toward the van wanting to wave B.A. over, but the big guy was already on his way.
B.A. crouched down beside the duo. "You okay, Faceman?"
"Yeah...just a little dizzy." He could have added a few other adjectives, but he was too busy trying not to pass out.
Hannibal and B.A. each grabbed him under one of his arms and helped him stand up. Face swayed between the two men, but slowly they managed to make it back to their vehicle.
"Where to, Colonel?" B.A. asked.
"My place," Hannibal answered from Murdock's usual seat.
Face leaned back and closed his eyes. That was the last place he wanted to go right now, but knew better than to argue. It would get him nowhere and waste energy that he didn't have to spare at the moment.
They drove in silence until they reached the condo Face had scammed for Hannibal months earlier. Face was in a daze as they led him inside and into a bedroom. Hannibal lowered him onto a bed a placed a hand onto his forehead. He wasn't hot, but he definitely wasn't well.
"Get some sleep...call if you need anything."
Face watched Hannibal's back as he exited the room and sighed with relief. What he needed Hannibal or the others couldn't provide. Unless of course they had access to a time machine to take him back some 20 years...he'd even settle for just back a week when he was blissfully oblivious. But since that wasn't a possibility he closed his eyes and let the exhaustion claim him.
