Symphony Impromptu
April 24th 9:00PM- General Medicine Ward
The rain poured over the city blanketing the buildings and streets in sheets of water. The pitter patter of rain drops landed on the large window, making the skyline meld into a blur of steel and lights. Sam wasn't certain if it was the rain or her eyes that made it so difficult to see. It didn't really matter in any case, she wasn't really looking out the window.
Sam turned around, placing her back and head against the wall. She brushed a piece of hair off her face and dropped her eyes to the bed in the center of the room. Jack was sleeping peacefully, his color had finally returned to his face and he seemed to be taking deep breaths. She suddenly released a long breath, not realizing she had ever been holding in any air, and rolled her eyes as she thought about how close Jack had come to death, again.
Something caught her attention at the corner of her eye, and Sam noticed Martin standing outside the room watching her. For a moment, she stared back, unable to determine what she should do next. Sam gave a silent curse at her hormones as her emotions finally overcame her, and tears stared rolling down her cheeks. As if on cue, Martin walked toward her wrapping her in a warm embrace and gently rubbed her back. Without any thought, Sam buried her face in Martin's shoulder and let herself cry.
April 24th 1:15 PM- FBI Offices
The baby wouldn't stop kicking. Since the moment she woke up this morning, Sam could feel him moving around, punching and kicking, without discretion, at every organ in her body. Her ribs ached and her liver felt sore, and worst of all she had run to the bathroom at least fifteen times today.
She was ready for labor.
As she left the bathroom, Sam almost ran straight into Danny, who was busy reading a report while he traveled down the hallway. He grumbled something that resembled an apology and kept walking, not missing a step. Sam smiled, Danny was always focused and full of energy, but to barely acknowledge their near collision, he had to be chasing down a promising lead.
As she waked toward her desk, she unknowingly glanced at Jack's office, causing her to think about her troubled friend. In truth, he had been on her mind all morning. Ever since he called her about checking up on Jen Long, a nagging feeling had begun to grow in the back of her head. She chalked it up to concern but still couldn't shake the voice that told her something was amiss.
Sam thumbed her phone and decided to call his mobile. His voice message picked up instantly and she decided against leaving a message.
She arrived at her desk and delicately placed herself in her chair, relishing the reclining capabilities, and kicked off her soft shoes. She stared straight at a pile of papers that either needed reviewing or sorting. Either way she didn't want to do either.
For some reason her eyes fixated on her phone and the voice inside her head started telling her to call the hospital. Her intuition kept telling her that something was wrong. Sam quickly looked around to ensure that no one was close enough to overhear her conversation and dialed the number for Jack's ward.
"General Medicine, Sonja speaking" came the voice at the other end of the phone.
"Hi, this is Samantha Spade, can you please connect me to Room 436, Jack Malone."
There was a brief pause and suddenly the voice inside Sam's head began shouting.
"Ms Spade, Mr. Malone checked out of his room this morning"
"He did what?!"…….
April 24th 2:00PM- FBI Offices
Sam dialed her phone again. She must have called him at least six times already and she had reached his voicemail every time. She sat in the break room, staring at the vending machine, lost in thought. Her conversation with the Doctor kept playing in her head…
…According to his doctor, he had left against medical advice around noon, and was certainly in no condition to be out of the hospital. Jack was still in need of antibiotics, pain killers, and regular wound cleanings. His lung had barely healed and he had only stopped using the oxygen two days earlier. He was weak, still hadn't regenerated all the blood he had lost, and was at risk of tearing his stitches or even re-damaging the internal blood vessels.
She wanted to cry. She couldn't find him and she knew that if she didn't find him soon, he would be in serious danger. Emotions flooded through her for the second time in three weeks as she thought about Jack, lying helplessly on the ground, blood seeping from his body, frozen in pain.
"Sam?"
Sam snapped out of her reverie and focused on Martin who was leaning against her desk. "Everything ok? Viv said Jack left the hospital?"
"Ah…yeah, he left this morning" she said not exactly speaking to Martin, but instead speaking distantly to an unseen figure in the distance.
"Okay, let me know if you need anything" Martin said as he walked toward his desk. He could tell that her mind wasn't focused on the present, and felt that she probably just needed some space. He made a mental note to check up on her as the day progressed and turned his attention toward work…..
April 24th 4:36PM-Car
She felt she wasn't driving fast enough. The speedometer showed that she was traveling over 80MPH but she still felt that time was slowing. Ever since he called asking for back up her panic had increased and she couldn't quiet the voice in her head telling her that he needed her. He had sounded horrible on the phone, his voice was rasped and he panted heavily. She couldn't believe he decided to go after Giusti again.
Her car pulled into a side alley next to a diner and her heart dropped when she saw two ambulances and an array of NYPD cars. She quickly got out of her car and assessed the scene. Giusti was lying dead on the road, riddled with bullets. Jen Long was laying on a gurney near one of the ambulances and a team of paramedics were hovering over a third individual lying on the ground.
It was Jack.
She rushed over to the paramedics and tried to break into the circle of people surrounding him, but was held back by two uniformed officers. One of the paramedics assured her that he was conscious and stable and that they would be lifting him into the ambulance in a few minutes.
Sam decided to kill some time and check up on Jen Long. She knew that Jack would worry about her incessantly and she thought it was best to be able to give him a complete update. After making sure that Jen was taken care of, Sam turned her attention back to Jack.
From the distance, she could see that he had been lifted onto gurney, and was covered with a blanket. She walked toward him, brushing a hand up the side of his leg as she came to his side. He looked very pale, almost grey, and was completely covered in sweat. She could see a blood stain near his incision sight, and noticed that the cuts on his head looked inflamed and angry. She thought he looked terrible.
He had tried to send her away but instead had traveled with him back to hospital and made sure he cooperated as he was reevaluated and admitted back into the hospital. Her concern only faded once he was administered a sedative and drifted off into a drug induced sleep.
April 24th 9:00PM-General Medicine Ward
Sam had finally finished crying and released herself from Martin's embrace. She looked back at the bed where Jack was sleeping and took a few steps toward him until she was able to rest her hand on his shoulder. She looked down at him and brushed the back of her hand across her forehead.
"Thank you" she said to Martin, never removing her eyes from Jack's sleeping body. She wiped away the rest of her tears and continued to run her hand down Jack's cheek to his shoulder.
"Do you want me to stay?" Martin offered.
"No. But thanks" she tuned slightly and gave a coquish smile, not caring that Martin was watching her every move. She turned her attention back to Jack and listened as Martin left her alone in the room.
With a small groan, Jack slowly started to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes slightly and looked straight at Sam before wincing in pain. "Sssam" was the only thing he said before he closed his eyes and retuned to his drug induced haze. She saw him slowly lift his hand in the air and she grasped it, holding his palm flat against her belly, covering his hand with her own.
"I'm right here Jack." He gave a small smile and soft groan before falling into a deep sleep again. She remained next to him for a few more minutes, holding his hand against her stomach, watching him sleep before she decided to head home….