A/N: Well I thought I'd give it another go and LauraRaposa kindly agreed to edit another Foyle's War story for me so here we are. I hope you like it and will leave a review to let me know what you think.

As always I own nothing but my own imagination and any mistakes are mine :)

Chapter 1

Detective Sergeant Paul Milner took a step - and immediately wished he hadn't - as a white-hot pain shot up through his left leg that robbed him of breath. He reached out to steady himself against the hallway's wall to take the weight off his bad leg. And closing his eyes Milner tried to remember how to breathe.

He was so absorbed in this seemingly innocuous task that it was over a minute before he heard a familiar voice call out his name. It finally registered with him that the person was his boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle.

Minutes before, he and Foyle had been walking together down the hallway of Hastings Constabulary as they discussed a case. It took Foyle a few steps to realize that Milner was no longer at his shoulder. He turned and saw the younger detective's gray face pinched in pain as he leaned against a wall.

"Milner, are you alright?" He got no response even though he stood directly in front of his sergeant. Foyle's frown deepened, and just as he reached a hand to touch Milner's shoulder, the detective appeared to awaken from his stupor.

"Sir," asked Milner, his voice breathless as if he had just run a race. Foyle didn't need to rely on his career as a detective to hear the pain the single word contained.

"You alright Paul?" The DCS felt foolish as he asked the question since any schoolboy would be able to tell he wasn't. But he also felt he owed his sergeant the respect of being allowed to answer for himself.

Milner nodded and swallowed hard. The pain seemed to be the only thing his brain would register and he had to fight to organize his thoughts into what he hoped was a coherent order.

"Yes, Sir," he finally managed after what felt like an eternity.

"You're a bloody liar, Milner," said Foyle, as he stared into the sergeant's eyes with his trademark eyebrow raised and teeth secured to his inner cheek.

Milner struggled again against the fog in his brain. "I mean I will be, Sir. Just need a minute…" He trailed off as another throb from his leg blocked out whatever he'd been about to say next. Bugger all! It hadn't hurt like this in weeks.

Because he had closed his eyes against the pain, Milner missed the unguarded look of concern that crossed Foyle's face. But he did feel the firm hand that suddenly gripped his elbow to steady him as he swayed slightly.

It quickly became apparent to Foyle that what Milner needed was to sit down, and, quite possibly, to go home for the rest of the day. He knew the younger man would object to being sent home, so he addressed the most pressing need first.

"I think we'd best get you along to the office." The DCS tried to keep his tone casual but the pallor of Milner's face, and the shallowness of his breathing, made it clear that the current situation was anything but usual.

Milner nodded somewhat distractedly as he tried to get his breathing under control.

"Err, right, should I just take your left side then?" asked Foyle.

The uncertainty in his boss' voice was so foreign that if he hadn't felt quite so wretched it would have made Milner smile. As it was he barely managed another mute nod and felt Foyle's arm wrap around his waist.

Milner closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he gripped Foyle's shoulder tightly with his left hand. He took an experimental hop forward then managed another two hops before he had to stop to catch his breath.

Foyle frowned as he watched Milner's jaw tighten and felt the raggedness of his breathing. He was about to suggest that he go to grab Milner's cane when Superintendent Hugh Reid appeared in the corridor.

Reid looked startled at the sight of Milner leaning heavily against the wall with Foyle adding support to his left side. The Superintendent quickened his pace but bit back his urge to call out to the men. Milner was a very private man and although everyone in the station knew about his leg, Reid also knew that Milner did his best to avoid bring it up.

As Reid got closer, he felt his worry grow. Milner was gray while the frown on Foyle's face clearly communicated his old friend's concern for his sergeant.

The Super paused unsure of how best to begin, and was saved from this awkwardness by Foyle who looked up and forced a tense smile. "Hallo, Hugh." Milner's eyes flew open and he blushed slightly.

"Gentlemen," Reid replied. He tried to keep his voice light and purposefully ignored Milner's embarrassment. "I was just on my way to the kitchen for a cuppa. Seeing as we are all going the same way, might I give you a hand?"

There was a brief awkward pause then Foyle decided to take matters into his own hands. "What do you say, Sergeant? I could certainly do with a cup of tea."

Milner closed his eyes and then nodded briefly. I hate to need help to do something as simple as walk down the hallway but I don't know how much farther I can get since this pain shows no sign of letting up.

"Right, so what's the best way to do this?" Reid's question broke through Milner's contemplation and he looked up to find a smile on the Super's face.

It took the three men a bit to maneuver between Milner's office door, but they managed to lower the distressed detective into his chair in less time than Milner thought possible.

Milner closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as some of the pain eased. As he reveled in being seated, Milner missed the look that Foyle and Reid exchanged but he did register the sound of the door being closed quietly a minute later.