Title: Flowers for Auggie

Author: S J Smith

Rating: K+

Summary: Annie returns from a mission to find out that Auggie's in the hospital.

Disclaimer: So not the owner. So not making any money.

The news slapped Annie in the face. "What do you mean, Auggie's in the hospital?" She hadn't expected to see him at the airport or anything, but he'd usually be waiting for her once she reported in at the agency. Now Joan perched on the edge of her desk, her arms loosely folded, her expression, usually so stoic, holding just the faintest hint of pain. "What happened?" Annie couldn't sit, not with this knowledge, she needed to pace. Maybe hit something. Someone.

"Annie." Joan repeated her name again, more forcefully. "Annie!"

"What?" She clenched her fists, trying hard to rein in her emotions.

"You need to make your report, Annie. I know you want to see him, but you also have to understand, we need this information." Joan stressed the last four words. "Once you've finish, I'll let you go see him."

The interview seemed to take forever, with Annie feeling like she repeated everything twice – about the operative, about his information, about the thumb drive he provided her. A little over five hours after she'd walked into the agency, she was striding through the halls, heading for the parking garage, a scrap of paper clutched in her fingers with the name of the hospital and the room number on it.

"Annie, you're back!"

She glanced over her shoulder, giving Jai a quick smile. "Yep. And I'm on the way to the hospital." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Annie asked, "What can you tell me about Auggie?"

Jai tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers, falling into step beside her. "It came on very sudden," he said, looking at the floor under their feet – that alone let Annie know just how serious the situation was. "The doctors at this time aren't ruling out anything."

"So they don't know what's wrong? How can that be? There are all these tests they can run!" Annie really wanted to punch something.

"From what little I've been able to find out, Auggie's doctors are comparing it to Gulf War Syndrome."

Annie tried to place that, but kept coming up with something similar to PTSD in her mind. Somehow, she didn't think that was it – Auggie had suffered from losing his eyesight, yeah, but he'd gone beyond that. Hadn't he? "Have you seen him?" Jai paused, making Annie stop in her tracks and turn, gesturing for him to say something, anything, to let her know what was actually going on.

Jai took hold of her upper arms, squeezing them. "He's been in ICU for the past three days."

Sucking in a deep breath, Annie blinked a couple of times, trying to reorient herself. "ICU," she repeated, hating how tremulous her voice sounded on those three syllables. "Do you know anything more than that?"

Jai chewed on his lower lip. "I wish I could say, Annie. I'm sorry."

She blew out that breath, puffing out her cheeks. "All right. Maybe someone at the hospital can tell me something." Running her hands over her hair, she mumbled, "I've got to go Jai."

"I understand." He stepped aside, letting her go. "Just remember, Annie, whatever you find out?"

Turning around, Annie walked backward for a few paces, nodding at Jai. "I know. He's got family here who need to know how he is." She managed a smile. "And I'll be sure to let him know, too." With a nod, Annie spun and sprinted for the elevator. Auggie was waiting.

Hospitals were horrible, and Annie hated them. The harsh smell always lingered in her nose and made her skin feel like she'd been dipped in bleach. It didn't matter that it was a place of healing; a part of her always felt uncomfortable. She carried a bouquet of flowers, their freshness unable to compete with the smell of cleansers. She refused balloons altogether; their buoyancy seemed even more out of place.

Finding Auggie's room was an adventure in and of itself, and Annie felt wrung out emotionally and physically by the time she was finally pointed in the right direction. The nurse on duty smiled sympathetically, warning her she couldn't have much time. Visiting hours were nearly over, but she could have a few minutes. "If he's sleeping, try not to wake him," the nurse advised, and from the glint in her eyes, Annie read that it had been a bad couple of days. She could only hope that it hadn't been Auggie's bad days.

She peered through the window before opening the door, letting out a sigh of relief that Auggie's eyes were open and his head was tilted to the side, listening to the television playing on the wall. Plastering a smile on her face that didn't feel fake, Annie knocked and then barged right in. "So, how is it you go into the hospital and don't even call to let me know?"

"Walker." Auggie beamed at her, and really, it wasn't a cliché at how his face lit up. "I wondered when you'd come."

Annie walked across the room, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, business was just awful, then traffic." She sighed and rolled her eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed, bumping Auggie's shoulder with her own. "I brought you flowers." Laying them across his lap, she took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.

"I can smell them." Auggie smiled and turned his face slightly. "And you're wearing…what is that? Something new?"

"Kitten heels?" Annie teased with a grin.

"I could hear those. What's your perfume? It's a new one." Auggie's nose nearly brushed her cheek, and Annie tried not to shiver at how close he was.

"I just got it," she said, "it's by Kilian – 'Prelude to Love'." She elbowed him lightly. "Don't read anything into that."

"C'mon, Walker, would I do that?" His grin told her he would. "So, tell me about your mission."

"I'd rather hear why you're here in the hospital," Annie countered. "What can you tell me?"

Auggie waved his free hand. "Just a little glitch in my programming. It'll be all right. I'll be all right. Stop worrying." He squeezed her fingers.

"I'm not worrying." His eyebrows shot up and Annie sighed. "Not much. You've got the best care. And you're going to be fine." Patting the hand twined with hers, she said, "I know you are. Because you're my," her mind balked at the word she wanted to use and went with something more innocuous, "friend. And I need you." That wasn't a lie. Neither was the other part. Technically. They were friends, after all.

A knock startled her, and Annie glanced over, seeing a brunette standing in the doorway. She smiled, sweet and pretty, and said, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I can come back."

Auggie's smile somehow got brighter, and Annie took the cue to give his hand a final squeeze before sliding off the edge of the bed. "Oh, no," she said, grinning herself, "I was just here to leave flowers and get well wishes."

"Parker, this is Annie," Auggie said, "Annie, Parker."

"Pleased," Annie said, offering Parker her hand. The firm grip wasn't really a surprise, somehow. "But I really ought to be going. Auggie?"

"Yes?"

"Follow your doctor's orders and don't give the nurses a hard time." She wagged her finger for emphasis.

Parker rolled her eyes. "He will," she said, settling into Annie's spot. Auggie reached for her hand and she took it. "Really, Annie, you don't have to run."

Smiling, Annie said, "No, there's not much time left before visiting hours are over. You two should have it." Nodding at them, even if Auggie couldn't see it, she added, "Bye," as cheerfully as she could. The door closed behind her automatically and Annie wiggled her fingers at the glass. Parker waved back, saying something to Auggie. He tilted his head up toward her, and Annie turned away, not wanting to see them kiss. Tucking her hands into her pocket, fishing out her keys, Annie told herself she wasn't jealous. That she was giving Auggie his privacy, when he needed it.

Yeah, right.

Sighing, Annie shook back her hair, thinking it was going to be a long drive home.

- end -