A Very Special Day

By Milford

Response to Challenge 122

Summary: Steve is injured on Father's Day.

Angst, hurt/comfort, G.

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me and have been borrowed for

entertainment purposes only.

Steve Sloan cursed his luck as he raced to the shop. He'd had every intention of collecting his father's day present in the morning, but the day had gone from bad to worse and he was now facing a last minute rush. It had started off with him sleeping through his alarm, which had started him off badly, and then he'd been called unexpectedly to a meeting with the district attorney. It had been an unwelcome call, especially as it was a Saturday but he had not been able to escape. To add insult to injury, the man had proven to be very long-winded and pedantic and had even arrived late himself. It seemed that everything had conspired against him. Muttering under his breath as he pulled up outside the shop, he was glad to see he had a full fifteen minutes before the shop was due to close. He was equally relieved that the hard work had been done and all he had to do was pick up the gift.

"Sorry I'm late," Steve smiled at the young shop assistant who smiled widely back, impressed by the good looking customer.

"I hope this is satisfactory," She smiled again as she passed the package to Steve.

Steve looked at the photographic portrait which was framed by a silver ornamental frame. It was a lovely photograph of both himself and Carol. It was a formal portrait and showed the strong family resemblance they shared. He grinned in relief, knowing his father would love it. As much as anything, he would love the fact that he and his sometimes wild sister had joined together in planning a present for him. Steve knew his father would be even more delighted with the second half of the gift – Carol's surprise visit. He'd been planning it for months and Carol had arrived earlier in the week, staying with friends. This had enabled them to have the portrait taken, and they'd planned that she would arrive for breakfast on father's day. All in all, Steve was feeling very pleased with himself. He was especially pleased at the prospect of having surprised his father, probably for the first time ever! It was always very difficult to pull any surprises on the observant Dr. Mark Sloan, but Steve was confident he'd managed it at last. He knew Mark had no inkling Carol was in town, for he wouldn't be able to resist seeing her, or insisting she stayed with them. Which she would from Sunday through to Wednesday. He'd also managed to ensure his father was off-duty, although his father was unaware of this. It had taken some manipulating, since his father was Head of Internal Medicine, but the deed had been done. He'd even managed to secure a few days vacation leave for himself to spend with his father and sister. He'd planned a very special day for his father this year, and it would be.

"Thank you very much, this is terrific!" Steve grinned again before leaving the shop with the gift under his arm.

As he drove to Barbecue Bob's he allowed his thoughts to continue. It had been a particularly tough year for them both, many crises and dangers, the worst being Steve's own shooting which had resulted in Mark being arrested and placed on death row. Steve's memories of the shooting were mercifully blurred, but he did recall the sentence of death being passed down on his father. It still sent chills down his spine and the fact his gentle and compassionate father had been placed in such a position was truly horrifying to him. He'd never doubted his father's love, but these horrific events had shown clearly how strong that love was. They'd never really discussed the emotional ramifications of it all, preferring instead to just continue on with their lives, trying to put it all behind them, but Steve felt moved to make this father's day a particularly special one. The love and support his father showed him, day after day, needed to be acknowledged, so this day had become very important to him. It was also important to him that Carol be involved. The recent events had shown him how important family and friends were and he felt it was a good start to rebuilding the fractured relationship that they shared. Hopefully the upcoming year would be a vast improvement on the previous one. Steve was determined to try to make it so, especially for those he cared most about. Suddenly realizing the day was steadily becoming darker, he wondered if a storm was brewing. It didn't matter, Carol was safely in LA and if necessary he'd go collect her in the morning. All he needed to do now was to put in a few hours at Barbecue Bob's and then go home, in readiness for the next day.

"Hey, Jesse, how's it going?" Steve walked into the restaurant they shared, quickly looking around to see if his father was there.

"Pretty quiet night. My guess is the weather is keeping them away as there are storm warnings out. We had a good lunch trade though." Jesse watched Steve looking around Bob's and interpreted the reason correctly. "Your dad came in but went home as soon as he'd eaten. There was a huge pile up on the highway this morning and the day was long and hard. Hey, you gonna tell me what you got him?" Jesse grinned widely, looking much more like an excited child than the highly skilled emergency room surgeon he was.

"Got him?" Steve tried to keep his face blank.

"Don't give me that, Sloan. You're the last person in the world to forget Father's Day and, if you did, then I might have to give you an injury." Jesse was only half joking, although he knew Steve would never forget his father. He was envious of the strong and loving bond that existed between the Sloans. His own relationship to his father had been very different and it had taken him awhile to realize and accept that fathers and sons could actually be

friends. On the surface, there didn't appear to be much in common between the Sloans, but it hadn't taken Jesse long to realize how wrong his first impression had been. Or at least to realize that the differences really didn't matter and that their relationship was strong and accepting. Mark was a consultant to the police department and his naturally inquisitive mind made him a natural for solving puzzles, although his main interest and love was in medicine. He was an outgoing man but he enjoyed his quiet time and listening to music and reading books. Steve was a homicide detective, and had a great love for sports and outdoors activities. But there was no doubting the strong bond which existed between the two.

Sometimes Jesse wanted to ask Mark what he thought of Steve being in the police department. He knew all too well the anxiety and worry Mark felt when Steve was undercover, or he thought he was in danger, but other than the quite natural anxiety a father would feel for his son, he'd never seen anything but complete acceptance between them. They weren't openly affectionate often, but somehow no one ever doubted their relationship. They even shared a house which really amazed Jesse. He couldn't envisage ever wanting to share a house with his own father but it seemed to work for his friends. Sometimes he wanted to ask Steve if Mark had been upset when he'd first gone into the army and then joined the LAPD. But somehow the questions were never asked. Jesse had a deep and strong respect and admiration for Mark, so his quip to Steve about injuring him if he forgot Mark was only half joking. He felt protective of both of them and was forever grateful to have them as friends.

Steve grinned. "It's a surprise and I know if I told you then dad would find out."

Jesse pouted. "Are you saying I can't keep a secret?"

"Absolutely! At least not from my dad. You'll find out soon enough. Just make sure you

and Amanda come round for dinner. You'd be welcome at lunch but you said you had

plans and Amanda is spending time with her parents." Steve knew the special day

wouldn't be complete for Mark without his extended family.

"Yeah, Mary wants me to meet her dad who's flying in for the day." Jesse grimaced as he spoke. Steve noticed but didn't say anything. He suspected this relationship wasn't going to go anywhere. Ever since Susan had left, Jesse had been drifting from one girl to another. The difference with Mary was that she was stronger willed than most and she'd obviously talked a reluctant Jesse into meeting her father. Steve decided not to tease him, for he knew how raw the wounds from Susan were. "Wouldn't miss dinner for anything."

Steve looked around at the quiet restaurant again, and back at his friend, noticing the tired lines around Jesse's eyes. "Why don't you call it a night? I can handle things here and close up."

Jesse smiled gratefully. "I might just take you up on that. It's been a long day. It's 7.30 already so I doubt you'll get a rush now. Might just beat the storm, too." Jesse had turned to leave but at these words he stopped himself. "Why don't you close up too? Get home before it all hits. I doubt we'll miss too much business at this point."

Steve shook his head. "It's tempting but I wouldn't mind taking a look at the books. Been kinda busy lately and this might be a good opportunity to catch up."

"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya." Steve watched as Jesse left before turning his attention to the restaurant. It was indeed quiet, with no customers. He decided he'd send his staff home if nothing happened in the next hour or so. He pulled the books out and sat down to study them, for it really had been too long. Business was very good and they were starting to show a profit which was encouraging. It was difficult at times juggling his full time, sometimes more than full time,

demanding job, with the restaurant, but it was worth it. It was equally difficult for Jesse but somehow it worked out and they managed. This was probably because they were good friends who both cared and respected the other, and when one was tired or sick, or simply too overworked and overtired, the other took over. Fortunately it seemed to work and they hadn't had to face an occasion when both were down at the same time. Jesse was a good friend and a good man, a younger brother he'd never had and he knew Mark thought of him as a second son.

The evening did remain quiet so Steve sent his few staff home, saying he could cope with anything that cropped up. By now it was raining and the storm was on its way. Sighing, Steve decided to close up. It was 11:30. Any lost business at that point wouldn't be worth worrying about. He locked up and ran to his truck. He opened the glove compartment and took out the photograph. It was a good photo of both of them, together, something that didn't happen much at all these days. He could hardly wait to see his father's face. It was now raining steadily and Steve had to concentrate on the road. He decided he just wanted to get home, so he turned off the highway to take the shortcut through the hills. He was startled at the loud rumbling thunder.

"Terrific! Just what I need." Steve muttered under his breath. He regretted taking the shortcut almost immediately as the downpour became heavier, but he doubted turning around would be a good idea. Slowing down even more, Steve was grateful again for his sturdy truck. He looked up as the headlights of a car behind him flashed in his rearview mirror. They hadn't been dimmed and Steve had to blink his eyes to avoid the brightness.

"Stupid fool. What's he doing?" Steve spoke aloud as the lights approached him fast, the car paying no heed to the poor driving conditions.

"What the?" Steve exclaimed as the car pulled out from behind him to overtake. The overtaking vehicle moved back into the lane, but unfortunately miscalculated the speed and clipped Steve's front. Steve immediately lost control of the car and fought valiantly to keep the car on the road. He had no chance as the road was slippery and wet and the truck ploughed over the embankment and stopped as it smashed into a tree. The entire front of the truck was severely damaged and Steve had been thrown hard against steering wheel, his legs being pinned under the damaged dashboard. Opening his eyes with difficulty, he knew he was trapped. Trapped and wet as the rain poured in from the broken windshield. He gasped with pain as he took a breath, knowing his ribs were cracked and possibly broken. He tried to reach over for the radio but as he did, he spotted the photo, somehow still in position on the seat next to him. With a great deal of difficulty and determination, he pulled it over to him. He wanted to put it into his pocket, or under his jacket, but it wasn't possible. He was too sore and movement was limited, but he was determined to protect the photo from the rain. Instead, he had to settle for pulling it close to him, hoping his body would provide some shelter. The effort exhausted him and he blinked back tears of frustration and pain. He normally wouldn't have been as emotional but he saw on the clock in the truck that it had just turned midnight. It was officially Father's Day. Not quite the day I had planned, dad. Forgive me. Steve closed his eyes in despair. He couldn't even reach the police radio, or his cellphone, which had fallen to the ground. Finally his body won the battle for rest and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

---

Mark was cheerful as he got out of bed and made his way to the shower. He had a strong suspicion that Steve had something big planned for Father's Day. Neither of them had said anything but Mark knew his son very well and he could tell by his air of barely suppressed excitement that something was up. Mark didn't ask him or try to find out this time, for he somehow felt it was important to his son to surprise him. Steve had often said, usually with regret, that surprising his father was next to impossible so instead of his usual insatiable curiosity, Mark decided against trying to discover what the surprise was going to be. He opted instead for just looking forward to it. It had been a truly terrible time for them both and he was just more than grateful that they were both there to share the special day. He still felt sick when he remembered the phone call from Masters informing him that his son had been shot and he still suffered nightmares seeing his usually strong and active son lying so helpless and close to death. It had been nothing less than a miracle that Steve had survived, even Jesse had felt his chances were minimal although he'd not come out and said anything. But Mark had refused to give up on Steve. Unfortunately he'd been arrested and convicted of murder, so he'd not been able to help Steve with his difficult recovery. The fact he hadn't been able to help him, hurt more than his arrest and conviction. Somehow Steve had made it back, he'd joked after about him having strong motivation to get back on his feet again as he had to help his dad. They'd never really had a meaningful discussion about all that had gone on, they had just continued as they had been. Sometimes Mark wondered if this had been a mistake but it wasn't an easy subject to bring up. He was almost beside himself with curiosity, but he didn't want to do anything to ruin Steve's plans. At last the day had arrived! Grinning to himself, he finished his shower and started dressing. The phone ringing interrupted him. He paused for a moment, remembering the awful morning not so long ago when he'd been informed of Steve being shot. Not again, please, not again. Mark shook his head hard. Don't get paranoid, Sloan. It's probably the hospital wanting me to go in. I hope not though.

Mark grabbed the phone, trying to fight back his uneasy feelings.

"Mark Sloan here."

"Uh, Dr. Sloan? This is Marjory Wilson from Admitting. I'm sorry to tell you that your son..."

Mark sank down as he felt his world crash around him. The words floated through his mind, it was happening again.

".....a car accident and has been admitted.... Dr. Sloan? Dr Sloan, can you hear me?"

Mark swallowed hard. "Yes, I hear you. I'll be right there."

Mark never remembered how he managed to drive safely to the hospital. It was all a blur. He really didn't know how badly hurt his son was either, since he'd just hung up on the hospital. He'd find out soon enough. When he arrived at the hospital, he raced straight in and found Amanda waiting anxiously.

"Oh, Mark, I'm so sorry. I heard Steve was brought in." Mark hugged her.

"Where's Jesse? Is there any news yet?" Mark fought back panic. "Jesse!" He pulled away gently from Amanda as he saw their friend walking towards them.

"Jesse?" Mark was fearful as he saw the tiredness in Jesse's face. Jesse rubbed his eyes as he spoke.

"He's in ICU, Mark. He was brought in this morning..."

"And? Will he be okay?" Mark felt his hand being squeezed gently by Amanda.

"He's sustained serious chest injuries, a broken collarbone and concussion. He's also suffered some severe bruising and cuts, especially to his legs where he must have been pinned. Nothing too serious there, just sore. He's got a nasty gash on his head, so we have to assume a concussion too. We've had to intubate him to help with his breathing and then, of course, there's the fact he was out in the cold and wet probably for many hours before he was found. This, combined with his chest injuries, means there's a risk of pneumonia."

Mark swayed slightly at the news and Amanda and Jesse led him forward to a chair.

"He's strong, Mark, strong and fit and that'll only help him. Barring any unforeseen surprises, I do think he'll be okay but we'll know more when he regains consciousness."

"I need to sit with him." Mark stood up and walked wearily to the door. It was going to be another vigil at his son's bedside. How many more times? But this was Father's Day and it was supposed to be a very special day. Jesse and Amanda watched Mark leave, noticing he was suddenly walking like an old man. Amanda blinked back tears, not wanting to contemplate what would happen if Steve didn't make it.

Mark approached the bed slowly, noting the machines and IV attached to his son's body - again. How many more times could he do this? How many more times could Steve survive? He knew it wouldn't matter how many times his son was injured, he would always be around for him, however much it upset him. But the second question was tougher. How many times could Steve's body sustain such major trauma and survive? It was a question he didn't want the answer to. He pulled up a chair, and took hold of Steve's hand, rubbing it gently.

"Oh Steve, somehow I don't think this is what you had planned, son. I know you had something big planned. You didn't know that, did you?" Mark gently stroked back Steve's hair from his forehead with his free hand. "I know you so well and you can't hide anything from me but I didn't want to ruin it for you by asking. But you've got to know you can't fool your old man." Mark swallowed. "You have to come back to me, son. I can't imagine a world without you in it. I'm so proud of you, and I love you very much. You shouldn't really scare me like this though. It's not good for me. Nor you, for that matter."

"Daddy?" A soft feminine voice interrupted his thoughts. He released Steve's hand and whizzed around to see his other child, his daughter, standing at the door. He fell forward and pulled her into his arms.

"Carol! I can't believe you're here." He felt the wetness of her tears on his shoulder and held her close.

"It was a surprise for you, Daddy. Steve..." Carol swallowed hard, "planned this all. I was supposed to come round for breakfast but when I got to the beach house and neither of your cars were there, I knew something was up and I figured this was a good place to start. Then I saw Jesse and he told me..." Mark held her even closer, trying to absorb the fact that his daughter was with him and it had been a surprise by his son. "Is he going to be okay?"

Mark nodded, unable to speak at first. "His chances are good since he's fit and strong, but we'll know more when he wakes up."

"Excuse me, Dr. Sloan? Your son had some things with him and they were brought in with him. He was holding this in his hand." A nurse had come up to them without either of them knowing. Mark moved to the door, and Carol approached the bed, wishing against all hope this was a joke or a dream. But her brother just lay in the bed, his breathing obviously being assisted by the machine he was hooked up to.

Mark looked at the wet and battered photograph in its silver frame. It was obviously a very recent photo and he blinked back tears. There was even some blood on the frame. Steve, my son, you've just got to come back to me. He walked over to the bed and rested his hand on Carol's shoulder.

"It's great to see you, honey."

Carol nodded. "I was so looking forward to this, as was Steve. We wanted to see your face and he's going to be really upset at having missed his own surprise. He wanted it to be a very special day."

Mark squeezed her shoulder, unable to speak. He pulled up another chair and sat down to wait. Carol didn't say anything more, content to be there for her brother and father. She noted with dismay that Mark looked every bit his age then and she knew it would be worse if Steve didn't make it. She had always felt very loved by her parents, but she didn't share the closeness that her father and brother had. She'd been closer to her mother and after her mother had died she'd moved away and made her own life. Although she loved both her brother and

her father very much, they were different and had different interests. Since Steve had joined the LAPD, she dreaded what would happen to her dad if Steve was killed. The nightmare of Steve's terrible shooting and the arrest of their father was very much on her mind. Steve had been shot and her father had been so distraught the police had suspected him of murder. Under normal circumstances, this would have been crazy but she knew only too well how strong their bond was.

It was early evening when Steve started showing signs of regaining consciousness. Mark noticed it first and stood up, gently stroking Steve's forehead again and telling him not to panic. He asked Carol to push the buzzer and to get Jesse paged.

Jesse came in on the run and asked Carol and Mark to move away while he examined his patient. Amanda had joined them and the three stood a vigil outside while Steve was checked. Carol stood close to her dad, praying everything was going to work out well.

Jesse came out after an interminable time. Mark stared at him hard, trying to read the expression on his friend's face. Jesse smiled slowly and the three anxious people let out sighs of relief.

"He's regained consciousness and his breathing is better. I think he's going to be okay, although he's going to be sore for a while. We still have to watch for pneumonia." Mark smiled his thanks and entered the room. Carol hugged Jesse.

"Thank you, Jesse, thank you so much." Jesse returned the hug and exchanged a

glance with Amanda.

"You're more than welcome, Carol. Just glad it's good news..." Carol heard the slight waver in Jesse's voice and hugged him tighter, knowing how tough this would have been for Jesse. She knew how strong their friendship was. She pulled away and entered the room.

Mark was talking quietly to his son, who was looking upset. Mark was stroking his forehead, trying to convince him everything was okay. Steve felt like he'd been hit by a truck and his chest hurt. But the knowledge he'd managed to ruin Father's Day was really upsetting to him and was making him a lot more emotional than he normally was. He couldn't believe he was back in the hospital and his father looked like he'd aged ten years. He looked up as he felt a soft hand taking hold of his. He grimaced at Carol.

"Sorry, sis,..." His voice was hoarse and he was losing his battle to stay awake.

"Not really what I had in mind," Carol joked softly, "But the important thing is you're going to be okay and we can celebrate Father's Day later."

Steve closed his eyes, feeling this was nowhere near good enough, but Mark spoke

up more firmly.

"Steve, Carol's right. The only thing that matters to me is that you're going to recover. Nothing else is important and this makes today a very special day for me."

Steve couldn't speak. He just wanted to lose himself in unconsciousness but his body wasn't cooperating this time. He didn't want his father to comfort him, he wanted...what did he want? He felt so tired. Mark watched his injured son and the expressions passing across his face. He suddenly knew what Steve wanted and he would make sure he got it. Not today, but in the next few days. They did have things to talk about and to resolve. They should have dealt with issues after his release from prison, but they never had. It was time to change that and he would make sure it happened.

"Steve, my son, we'll talk again later, but I want you to sleep now and know that I'm the happiest father in the world today. I have my son with me and my beautiful daughter." He smiled at Carol who reached down to hold Steve's hand.

Steve squeezed back gently. He'd opened his eyes at his father's words and saw the love and understanding in his face. Maybe his father was right, the main thing was they were all together. They did have time to talk later. He sighed as he felt the weariness pulling him under.

"Happy Father's Day...." Steve's voice drifted off as he finally fell asleep.

"Thanks, son, for making it a happy one." Mark whispered.

End.