The Walking Dead
I'm having a lot of those, 'what's the worst that can happen?' ideas recently. I love these guys so much and I've been craving a lot of whump so here's a little more. Not Spike focused this time around but he'll make his appearance, don't worry. Some minor cursing in this one, just a heads up; I'm in college though so cursing is kind of second nature and some bigger ones might slip. Another disclaimer, I don't own Flashpoint.
Crap. Complete and utter crap. Ed thought to himself as he sat down at the kitchen table. His thoughts were spurred by Sophie's question of how he was feeling this morning and though his internal answer was definitely more accurate, he smiled as he got himself some coffee.
"Not too bad, nothing a little coffee can't fix." He said as he poured himself a large mug and grabbed the newspaper. He wasn't really reading it, his eyes were glazed as he stared at the page, flipping it every so often. He didn't sleep well the past two nights, the coughing was keeping him awake as he fought off a cold. Well...everyone thought it was a cold, even he thought originally it was just a bad cold but he'd never had this aching in his chest, this persistent cough, the pervasive headache and nausea that wouldn't leave him body alone. "I gotta get going." Ed said as he walked to the sink to rinse his mug out and folded the newspaper.
"Ed, why don't you just take the day off? The city won't crumble if you don't show up for workouts." Sophie assured him as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "And you still feel warm." She added as she reached towards his forehead. He ducked her caring gesture and went for his coat.
"I'm fine Soph," He assured as he reached for his keys. "I'll take it easy, I promise." He flashed his signature smile as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
Really, he knew that he wasn't quite fine. He hadn't felt this badly in quite a while but he couldn't afford to miss work. He knew that the team would be okay for a day or two but Clark kept talking about a trip that his high school orchestra was trying to go on. They would have the chance to play along with some of the top musicians in the country but each student had to fund their own travel and accommodations. Clark had been saving up the little babysitting money he had earned from Wordy and all of the money he got from his birthday last month but he wasn't anywhere close to the total he'd need. Ed loved seeing his son happy, even if he didn't quite understand the complicated intricacies of his string instruments, and he had committed to saving up his overtime pay to help Clark out. But, of course, he went and got himself sick last week. It was probably his own fault, he'd agreed to cover a few extra shifts for the sniper on Team Four and had spent the last week on snowy rooftops waiting for Sierra shots that, luckily, were never called. The money was nice but he could feel his body physically drained. Only three more days, he reminded himself as he took the elevator up to the SRU floor. The team only had three more shifts until their weekend off. He was looking forward to sleeping for the duration of those two days off.
"Morning." Ed nodded to Wordy and Spike in the locker room. They nodded back as they settled into their workout clothes and continued their conversation. Ed didn't even know what they were talking about, he didn't hear a word over the pounding headache that he was trying to breathe through it...but breathing wasn't exactly pleasant for him as his chest ached each time he inhaled. This is not going to be a fun day. Ed thought to himself as he joined the rest of the team in the gym. He scanned the different options he had for his workout and wasn't pleased with any of them. He sat on the ground and spent a longer time stretching than he usually would before making his way over to the stationary bike and starting with a slow petal, no incline.
"You okay, Ed? You're moving a little slow today." Wordy asked as he toweled off after a brisk run on the treadmill.
"I'm good, just a little sore so I'm taking it easy today." Ed tried to hold off the coughs that he felt rising in his chest but couldn't help it any longer as he released a deep, hacking cough that elicited concerned looks from the rest of the team in the gym. He had to stop pedaling the bike and get his water bottle in order to stop the cacophony, almost a choking sound now.
"That sure doesn't sound fine." Jules said as she stopped her treadmill. "We can handle today if you want to go home and take it easy."
"Nah, seriously guys, I'm good." He said as he took another long sip of water to try to squash down the cough that he felt rising in his burning chest. "Just getting over a cold." He turned his back and walked toward the locker room before yelling over his shoulder, "Suit up and in the briefing room in 15." He went into the locker room rather quickly, his strides a bit larger than usual. He went straight to the back of the locker room before allowing himself to cough loudly until he almost couldn't breathe.
He leaned over the sink and spit into it before splashing cold water on his face. He noticed how pale he was in the mirror and how shaky his body felt, almost chilled but sweating at the same time. He let out a sigh. I'll stick it out today and if I'm like this tomorrow then I'll stay home. He nodded to himself, his resolution made and his goal set. He wouldn't leave in the middle of the day, that caused all kind of problems for the team if there was a call; he was at work and he would stay at work, but if he woke up feeling like crap tomorrow he'd stay home and take that day. He nodded to himself again as the rest of the guys filed in to change into their uniform. Just get through this shift. He said to himself again as he slapped a smile onto his face and put on his uniform. His Kevlar vest put more pressure on his chest making it ache even more but he found a bottle of aspirin in his locker and took four, well aware that it was more than the suggested dosage. He tried to smile and laugh along with the guys, apparently it was the day to make fun of Sam and how he skipped out on drinks earlier in the week to meet up with his not-to-be named girlfriend.
"Why can't we just know her name?" Wordy asked curiously as he laced up his boots.
"Because evil genius here," Sam motioned to Spike, "could probably take her first name and find our her entire history, ever person she's ever dated, her grades in college, and her social security number. I don't want to think about the prospect of him knowing her better than I do!" The guys laughed, including Sam as Spike shrugged.
"I only do that for Jules' boyfriends and only when we agree that they're not a good fit!"
"Well I'm glad we did with that one guy...Brian or something...he was a jerk anyway, we just helped Jules find out even sooner." Wordy explained rationally.
"Whatever, you're still not getting her name." Sam said with a tone of finality as he closed his locker and headed toward the briefing room. Ed forced himself to get up from the bench and walk strongly into the room; if anyone was going to really force the issue of him going home, it would be Greg and, for that reason, he needed to put on his best showing of strength right now.
"Morning." Greg said as Ed walked into the room and sat down next to him. "No warrant calls have come in, so what do you want to do with them this morning?" Greg asked. As team leader Ed usually had drills or some kind of training that he wanted to put the team through to sharpen their skills. He shrugged through.
"I don't know, maybe Spike could do some bomb or computer stuff or if you want to work on negotiation drills with everyone..." He trailed off, hoping to seem nonchalant. Greg looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Usually I have to bribe you with the shoot-house to get you to let me do negotiation training." He said with a slightly skeptical smile. "You feeling okay, you look a little pale." Ed let out a slight sigh.
"I'm fine, got a bit of a cold, moving a little slower than my normal but I'm fine." Ed gave an assuring nod that partially convinced Greg but Ed looked towards the rest of the team and that gave Greg the cue to start their briefing. They did end up doing some negotiation drills in the morning and Ed got to sit comfortably on the side lines and observe as Greg, Jules, and Wordy coached Sam through a negation with Spike as a potential suicide. Ed almost felt as if he could doze off while listening to Sam speak in his forced calm tones but he was jarred to alertness as Winnie's voice came over the intercom with a signal of a hot call. The team listened as they packed up their gear, a hostage situation in a law firm, single gunman holding a head lawyer hostage in his office. He and his secretary were the only hostages but the building wasn't completely cleared yet. Spike sent blueprints to the team and they worked on a tactical plan on the way.
"Wordy, get eyes, looks like two possible entrances. Sam, cover red wall door, Wordy, black wall. Jules, with Wordy on black wall, have flash-bangs and gas ready and less lethal rounds. Spike, second the boss in the truck and try to call in for negotiations. I'll be Sierra One, two walls of windows, I'll probably find a position on one of these buildings off green wall." Ed efficiently delegated tasks but found himself a little breathless at the end of his list. He was sure that Greg noticed but he held back the coughs again. He was feeling dizzy and his headache had worsened again but he put on his usual focused face and looked ahead of him.
"You're making yourself Sierra?" Greg asked curiously.
"Like I said, taking it easy. Anyway, gives me a chance to see how the team works from the outside." Ed covered confidently but Greg still seemed skeptical and it was frustrating him. "You got something to say, Boss?" Ed asked, slightly defensively. Greg did his characteristic, placating head shake.
"Not saying anything, Eddie." He said softly with a smile. "It's just a pretty rare occurrence that you sideline yourself so much, you sure you're really not too sick to be here?"
"I'm fine, Boss. I know I tell you that pretty much everyday and you don't believe me so saying it again isn't going to do anything but, I'm fine." Ed was glad that they got to the scene at that very moment and that he was able to jump out of the truck before Greg could rebut him. The team had their assignments and were moving towards their respective positions; Ed went into the trunk of one of the SUVs and took out his sniper rifle. It was heavy, heavier than he remembered and he felt his head floating as he swayed ever so slightly. Just gotta get to the rooftop, start sniper breathing, and get my blood pressure back to normal. There was a fairly large concern in Ed's mind that he would get to the rooftop and not be able to see straight or his hands would be shaking too much to make the shot but he again rationalized. I could pull Sam if I need and spread Jules and Wordy. If I can't get the shot when I get up there then I'll make that call. No worries...he tried to rationalize again, really hating to admit that he was a slave to his physical body and that he was weak right now.
He forced himself to focus as he slung the rifle across his back and used binoculars to scope out the surrounding buildings. It only took a few seconds for him to find his perch. He was glad that he wouldn't have to be on an exposed rooftop, he'd settle on the top floor of the building under construction near the wells of what would become the window. He started with a quick jog to the building, quickly finding the stairs and heading to the ninth floor. The elevator was still apparently not functional in the building and, though Ed usually favored the stairs, he was regretting it today. He heard the buzz of voices in his ear, negotiations actually seemed to be going well and, according to Wordy and the snake-cam, the subject already seemed to be deescalating. Ed knew that he still had to get to his position, he knew that things could change in an instant but he felt himself lagging, almost staggering up the stairs. He was breathing hard but shallowly, not able to take a full inhalation without pain. He stopped on a small landing between the seventh and eighth floor and immediately realized that it was a mistake. His head was spinning as he grabbed on to the railing to keep from falling over. He heard something in his ear that caught his attention but he couldn't focus on it over the pounding of the blood in his ears.
"Ed...Ed?" Greg's voice was coming over the comm link but Ed was so breathless and in so much pain that he could barley muster the energy to answer. He found himself on the floor suddenly, coughing without control, unable to stop the spasming in his lungs. He could barely hear what was being said through his earpiece but he had to try to focus on something to keep his mind from panicking. "Spike, grab your gear, go check on Ed. Wordy, subject is deescalating but keep tactical options, you're my eyes in there." After a brief pause he spoke with a bit more concern into the com link. "Ed, you hear me buddy?" No answer aside from hacking coughs.
"Any idea what building Ed is in?" Spike was standing in the middle of the closed off road looking at all the buildings possible. He wasn't a sniper and he might not think the same exact way that Ed and Sam thought but he could at least judge the angles and narrow it down to three buildings.
"Green wall...we're ten floors up so the buliding needs to be at least twelve. Pretty strong wind going south so he'd probably go a little north. That help?" Sam quickly rattled off what he'd observed as they came in and Spike was able to figure out which building it was based on his description. Spike knew that Ed could be on any east facing wall on the upper level of the building but wasn't sure where to start. What was even more troubling was that Ed had not responded to anyone's calls and he had stopped coughing. If Spike listened carefully he could hear a shallow wheezing but that was no more comforting than the coughing.
"Spike, where are you?" Greg asked in between finalizing the negotiations with the subject and calling for Ed's position.
"I'm in the stairwell, sixth floor." He responded with slight fatigue as he ran up the stairs keeping an eye out for Ed.
"That's a really fantastic choice, Brian. Now I want you to do exactly what I say, okay?" Greg's voice was heard over the comm links talking the subject through how to surrender peacefully. This was always a difficult time of the negotiation, one that could turn hostile very quickly as the reality of the situation set in. This was usually a time that the snipers had to be very aware of the situation and reading the body language of the subject but Greg was distinctly aware that Ed was not watching the scene from afar.
"I got him!" Spike's voice came loudly over the mics as he ran to Ed's side and was quickly on his knees. "I need medics on the stairwell of 800 North Street between the seventh and eighth floor. Officer down." Spike spoke clearly and in a forced calm. He had had far too much practice squashing down the panic that would rise up in his chest in any situation where one of his friends was hurt. "Ed!" Spike spoke loudly as he moved Ed so he was laying flat. Spike noticed that Ed started to struggle breathing more and almost let that panic begin to slip through before he tried sitting him up against the wall. Luckily the upright position seemed to ease his breathing, even if only slightly. "He's burning up guys." Spike said into the radio, almost without noticing, shocked at how hot Ed's skin was.
"Medics are on their way, Spike. I'm coming up." Greg's voice came over the radio as he closed the negotiation and left the truck.
"Negative Boss." Spike said as he surveyed the stairwell. "These stairs are really narrow, no way medics are getting all the way up and down here quick enough. I'm bringing Ed down." He offered as he got Ed and himself into the proper position.
"You sure, Spike?" Greg asked in a neutral voice. He didn't want to imply that Spike wasn't strong enough and he didn't doubt his interpretation of the situation but he didn't want anyone rushing into rash actions; plus, it didn't help that Ed was at least a few inches taller than Spike and a pretty fair amount heavier.
"His breathing is shallow, pulse is elevated, high fever, and he isn't regaining consciousness even though his chest is spasming like he should be coughing. It's bad, boss, and I'm bringing him down." Spike replied resolutely.
"Okay Spike. Wordy will meet you." Spike didn't respond, too focused in positioning Ed into a firefighter hold over his own shoulders. He could feel the strain on his neck as he tried to balance Ed and could almost feel his knees quivering as he did the stairs down. He still moved at a quick pace, breathing hard through the screams of his already fatigued muscles as he rounded the stairs to the third floor. Wordy and Sam were running up the stairs as they saw Spike coming down and made room for him to pass.
"How can we help?" Wordy asked as they followed Spike.
"Move." He nearly groaned as he rounded the corner on the last set of stairs. As he emerged from the building and glanced down the street he almost yelled, "Medics!" Greg was nearby talking to a uniformed officer but quickly ended the conversation and jogged over to Spike as Wordy and Sam helped get Ed to the ground.
"Medics were just waved through the yellow tape, they'll be here any second." Greg said as Spike hunched over to catch his breath and Sam knelt behind Ed to keep his chest elevated and his breathing stable. Wordy was still trying to rouse his friend but it seemed like a lost cause as Ed continued to wheeze and his chest to spasm.
"Get his vest off." Spike said as he regained his breath. "I think it's inhibiting his breathing." He added as Wordy expertly undid the vest. Ed unconsciously took in a gasp of air before his breathing returned to shallow wheezes. The medics finally seemed to arrive after a solid minute of the team standing around Ed helplessly. They all offered to help the medics as they placed Ed on a stretcher and applied oxygen but the medics waved them off and loaded Ed into the back of the ambulance. It was an unspoken agreement that Greg would ride along and the team would follow closely behind, the call was over and the uniforms could handle anything that was left to be done. The team packed up their gear in record time as Sam jumped into the driver's seat of one SUV with Jules in the passenger seat and Wordy started the ignition of the SUV he and Spike were driving.
Wordy was hyper-focused on the road and the snow flurries that had just begun but he also spared a few moments to glance at Spike. The young man was uncharacteristically quiet as he sat in the passenger seat and he seemed to be staring out the window. Wordy tried to think if he'd said anything since he's told him to take Ed's vest off but didn't think that he'd uttered a word since. The hospital wasn't far from the scene and Wordy knew that once they got to the waiting room all focus would be on Ed.
"Spike, you okay?" He asked gently as he glanced back and forth between his friend and the road. Spike looked at him and nodded with some mumbled affirmation that Wordy wasn't buying. "You're pretty quiet all of the sudden." Wordy observed, intentionally leaving it open ended and hoping that Spike would fill in the silence.
"I just don't like seeing Ed so...so weak and feeling so helpless about it. I just wish that there was something we could have done to help him." Spike said softly, slightly emotional but not overly so. He was frustrated and worried and Wordy could identify with that.
"I know what you mean, Spike. It's weird to see him like that and I hate feeling so helpless too but just remember, we tried to get him to go home this morning and he insisted he was okay, he's a stubborn son of a bitch, remember?" Wordy smiled lightly as Spike laughed a bit and nodded. "And also remember," he said a bit more seriously, "that you carried him down those stairs, you did an evaluation, and you got him help. You did really well, Spike and he's gonna be really proud with how you reacted." Spike couldn't help a blush rise in his checks as they pulled into the parking lot and met Sam and Jules near the front doors. It only took them a moment to scan the waiting room and find Greg sitting in the corner.
"Any word?" Jules asked as she sat down next to him.
"Nothing yet." Greg responded with a sigh. "I told the medics some of the things that I'd seen and how he passed out and they said it could be a lot of things but that it sounded like a bad case of pneumonia." The team nodded and slowly took their seats around Greg and settled in. They'd spent far too many hours in these hospital waiting rooms and knew that there was no 'getting comfortable' so they did their best to distract themselves and drink coffee. A few minutes after the team arrived Greg stepped outside to call Sophie, knowing that she wouldn't be happy with this latest development. When he came back, it was a startlingly quick hour before a doctor came to find them. He automatically approached the group of people in the same uniform as Ed and they all rose with anxiety.
"You're the family of Ed Lane, I'd assume?" He said knowingly as they all nodded. "He's going to be fine." He assured them first and he could see what a soothing effect it had on the team as they relaxed slightly. "Constable Lane has apparently had a case of Walking Pneumonia for the past two weeks or so but it progressed recently to a full fledged case. His bullet proof vest restricted his breathing and put additional pressure on his lungs and when he was running up the stairs he couldn't get enough oxygen to stay conscious so he passed out. We helped him breath better so now he's awake but he has a very high fever. He'll need to be monitored for at least another day here but we should be able to release him tomorrow afternoon assuming his breathing is a bit better, he can keep some food down, and he has someone at home with him for the next week." The team absorbed the information the best that they could and Greg thanked the doctor after he led them back to see Ed. They were only allowed to stay for a few minutes because the doctor wanted Ed to rest but they were glad to see him awake when they walked in.
"Hey, Eddie, how you feeling?" Greg asked with a smile as the team filed in. Ed had an oxygen mask on that he moved to take off before the rest of the team yelled at him and told him to keep it on.
"'m okay." His voice was muffled with the mask on but they could make out what he was saying.
"Like hell you are." Wordy said partially sarcastically, part truthful. "If you hadn't been so stubborn and had gone home like we told you to this morning this wouldn't have happened, Mr. Stubborn Pants." The team couldn't help but smile as they poked fun at Ed.
"But seriously, Ed," Greg started as he looked Ed in the eye, "You shouldn't've been out there, someone could have gotten seriously hurt, including you." Ed looked like he wanted to say something to rebut Greg but in this moment he realized that he was not in the best state to actually win that fight. He nodded before violently coughing for a long time, so long that Sam had gone to get a nurse because his heart rate was increasing and his face was flushing. Jules instinctively started to rub Ed's arm and saw how much his hands shook as he tried to control his muscles. Greg was trying to calm and soothe him with soft words and, eventually (just as the nurse got there) Ed's coughing started to decrease. The nurse instructed him to take deep breaths and told the team to only stay for a few more minutes and let him rest. The team did listen and, after a few minutes of joking around and light banter, Greg cleared his throat.
"I think it's time for us to debrief this call." He said, signaling to everyone that it was time to leave. Sam and Wordy both slapped Ed's bicep and smiled, they didn't need words to communicate what they wanted to say. Jules squeezed Ed's hand and told him to call her if he needed anything and to get well. The three of them were already headed out as Greg made his way to the door but noticed that Spike hadn't moved. "You coming, Spike?" He asked rhetorically, he didn't really have a choice.
"Yeah, Boss. I'll meet up with you guys in a second." Greg understood the hint and left Spike with a slightly confused glance, not sure what he had to say to Ed that he couldn't say in front of the team. It was silent in the room for a moment save the steady beep of the machines attached to Ed.
"'pike," Ed murmured from beneath the mask before slipping it off.
"Put the mask on, Ed." Spike reminded him yet again but Ed looked at him resolutely.
"I wasn't...out the...whole time." Ed said between breaths as he held the mask up and took a few inhalations of pure oxygen. "I know it was...you who...carried me..." He looked like he planned to say more but had to put the mask back on after feeling dizzy. He did look Spike in the eye though and gave him a strong nod, an unspoken thank you.
"Ed..." Spike started before biting his lip. "Just don't do something so dumb again, okay?" Spike said seriously. "If that was a different kind of call you could have been shot or if I couldn't get to you, you could have just laid there and who knows what would have happened." Spike bit his lip again and thought hard, not sure if he wanted to say it but needing to get it out there. "I don't want to think about the prospect of losing you or anyone after losing Lou." His voice got soft and Ed sat up slightly, wanting to do something to help ease Spike's worry and pain but he only started to cough again, his eyes watering. After a minute Ed was able to control the coughing enough to speak.
"I'm sorry." Spike could make out the sincerity behind the words and behind the mask. "Won't happen again." Spike nodded and moved the water a little closer to Ed before turning for the door.
"It better not happen again. Another hour and you pretty much would have been a zombie, literally. I mean you already looked like one but..." Spike barely dodged the pen that came flying his direction as Ed smiled from the bed. "Feel better, Sophie's on her way." Spike called out as he left and saw Ed roll his eyes, Sophie is not going to like this.
Not sure I like the way this one turned out as much as some of my other recent one-shots. I had the idea but didn't really develop it until I was starting to write and then I felt like i got a little too long for the concept so please let me know what you think. Not my best work but I've written like four one-shots in a matter of weeks so I guess it's bound to happen. Thanks for the read!