Title: Home Run - Chapter 1

Author: roomtable202

Fandom: The Unit

Disclaimer: This is intended as a fan fiction, on characters owned by their original creators and I am not making a profit out of it.

Bob Brown awoke with a start in the middle of nothing, or so it seemed... engulfed in the utter darkness, not a sound. A flash of panic hit full blow his nervous system, like a living spring expanding through his body and mind: apart from that he couldn't even tell for sure if he could flex his fingers, his arms or even if his eyes were really open.

"Hey! Stay awake! Come on!"

And there was this full blast of light and the most unbearable pain; he had never felt anything like this before, it was like being in flames all over.

"Oh, no!!

"I've got you!! I've got you!!

"No!!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Bob! Bobbo!! Look at me! Look at me!"

"Oh, God!!" His eyes opened for a brief second and closed again as he tried to orientate himself, then opened them fully to lock on to Grey's and to his present reality.

"Listen, listen, listen!! I'm gonna check up on you now... Be calm!"

"No!! Don't touch me!! Please!! Don't!!"

"Take your hands off, Bob! Hands off!! HANDS OFF!!"

"My leg!! What's that sticking out?! Is it my bone?"

"No, no... It's some little branch stub that got through... Calm down... It's Ok."

"Shot me some morphine!!"

"I can't right now! It might kill you! Be calm. Be calm! It's not as worse as it seems! Just let me have a look! There we go...!"

"Oohhh!! God!!"

"Hold on... Hold on... Be still now!"

"Oh, no!!"

"You've been very lucky...! Hold on! Let's do this together!!"

"OooH!! Please stop!! STOP!!"

"I know! I know! Relax, relax! Listen to me... Calm down... Calm down... Let me see...!! Take it easy... Ok, Ok, Ok... Look at me... You must calm down... I need you to hang on... You hang on, you hear me? I need to fix this now or you would loose too much blood."

"Stop!! Stop!! STOP!! Get off from me!!""

"We are almost finished...!! Come on...! Don't fight me, man!!"

"Oh, please, cut it out!! Now!! PLEASE!!"

"It's almost over!! ... I know it hurts like hell... but it's almost over! Hold on now! You'll feel much better in a minute... Bob! Bob! Don't do this to me now... Talk to me,.. Stay with me now...! Bob!! Bob!! Come round, it's over... It's over, man... Shit!"

Grey pulled Bob from the arms until he had him to a half seated position and then swiveled swiftly behind him. After the shake down, the only thing he was focused on being stabilizing him in order to re-asses their current scenario. He sat behind his mate, legs knee bent at both sides of him, cradling Bob and trying to quiet down his shivering with his arms, keeping him warm and passing onto him as well a sense of reassurance.

"You can lean on me now. I've got you, I've got you... "

Bob responded quickly, slightly accommodating to his new position and lowering his chin against his chest as much as he dared; then took a firm grip of Grey's arms with his hands, trying to control his ragged breathing, encompassing it to Grey's.

"Just take it easy, now. Don't fight it. Take in the pain. Breathe, breathe... 4-3-2-1... Hold it. 1-2-3-4... Again... 4-3-2-1... Hold it. 1-2-3-4... (...) Think on Kim, Serena and Teddy... It was so much fun playing soccer with the kids on Serena's party... Hey, you even scored one... (...)"

Bob concentrated on his voice during the next few minutes and Grey could feel him steadying, relaxing. Bob seemed to be striving for total calm, clearly self-conscious about his overreaction now. Soon, the worst pain subsided enough and when he realized in his new found control he was still holding tight onto his team mate's arms he let go hastily, untangling himself from Grey's forceful embrace immediately after.

"We're not dating anymore? You flushing me down the toilette now? Hey, it's OK... Better there than here."

"Allow a father a little pride, huh? Someone might be googleearthing us just right now... "

"How are you feeling, man?"

"Like shit..."

"You OK if I've a look now?"

"Serve yourself..."

"Listen, I need you to sit tight just one more minute, if everything is ok, I'll give you that shot of morphine and put you to sleep all along the worst part of patching you up. You with me?"

- It's OK. Go on. I am fine now...

Rising from the ground, Grey passed an arm around Bob and let him back towards the rock at his back. Grey went on his knees to have a close look. With no warning he took one of the remaining torn sides of the ragged fabric over Brown's left leg and lifted if off.

"Easy!! That hurts!!" Bob showed back Grey's hands while he was trying to lift off what was left of his pants.

"We are a bit jumpy today, are we? Get your hands in your pockets and keep them there. Let me work." Grey replied calmly. Throwing his head back, Bob took a deep, steadying breath. "All right", he hissed in pain and he then hung silently for the most part of the manipulations and the probing.

"You're gonna need lots of knitting, bro... and some more. I'm not gonna lie to you, it looks pretty bad,... but, we'll see to that. Just hang on. It's mostly wounds all over from the branches of the trees you fell through, head on to the rocks. One broken rib... I don't see any signs of internal bleeding. Thanks... The worse seems to be concentrated in your leg. The important thing is none of these would kill you if we take care of them and...

".. and if we can get out of this hole". What's the last you saw from the Team?"

"I couldn't see any. I took after you".

"So, you don't even know if they followed or not? Hell! What were you thinking, man!"

"HALO jump. 30,000 feet, pitch dark night? Total radio blackout, no GPS. Dude, does an entangled grenade messing with your parachute when getting ready ring a bell? It was you who jumped ahead of sign not to blast the whole bird. I just followed suit when I saw you going head down like a stone and struggling. Don't know what the others did or had time to do."

"I-..."

"Hey,... No drama... We were extremely lucky to get rid of that when we did. A hundred meters down more and we will be decorating quite a few of those trees by now and we are not even close to Christmas. (...) Don't tell me you didn't have it secured..."

"I won't, then. Look, probably you feel like punishing me some more for that, but is there anything you can do to ease this knifing pain a bit? I'll really appreciate. It's driving me crazy."

"Gimme a minute, let me finish the last check up on your vitals and I'll make you more comfortable."