A/N: I've been thinking about this one for awhile and just decided to write some of it today. Probably a 2-parter, but here's part one for you all. Hope you like! Please review :)

"We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher!"

"I'm gonna kill you Spencer," Lassiter growled, glancing over at Shawn who stood in ready position at third base.

"You're not supposed to heckle your own teammates, Shawn," Juliet scolded lightly from left field.

"I wasn't!" Shawn shouted back innocently. "I was just encouraging him to pitch the ball."

Detective Lassiter shot one more annoyed look over at Shawn before going into his windup. It was the championship game of the summer softball league – the Santa Barbara Police Department versus the Santa Barbara Fire Department – and the SBPD was up by one run in the bottom of the 7th inning. The tying run was at first with no outs, and Lassiter was determined to pull out the win. He saw Spencer creeping closer towards the plate, anticipating the bunt. Smart idea, he thought, returning his attention to the batter.

Carlton pulled his arm back, releasing the ball in a gentle, arcing pitch. The batter – Hank Huggins – wasn't one of the strongest hitters and Lassiter was surprised when he didn't turn and show bunt. Instead, Huggins followed the ball, swinging the bat with all his might, making solid contact and sending the ball careening into the field.

Shawn had almost no time to react, just a second to realize that he was in deep shit if he didn't catch the ball or get out of its way. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do either. The loud crack the ball made upon hitting his head was deafeningly loud and everyone on the field and in the stands pulled in a collective gasp. Shawn went down immediately, collapsing into an unconscious heap near the third-base line.

Everyone seemed to freeze for a second as they tried to absorb what had happened; and then they exploded into action. Juliet sprinted in from left field, reaching Shawn's side first. She immediately assessed the situation, trying her best to stay calm. Shawn was unconscious, but she could tell his breathing was normal, if a bit fast. There was a large bloody gash above his left eyebrow and this concerned her most. It wasn't so much the blood – head wounds always bled a lot, but the fact that Shawn was now unconscious and unresponsive suggested a concussion or worse.

A crowd had gathered around her and Shawn, and she looked up to see Carlton barking out orders, shouting at people to stand back and give them space. Gus stood in the crowd, turning away for a second at the sight of the blood, then coming to crouch beside her.

"Shawn!" Henry Spencer, coach of this year's team, came running from the dugout, dropping to his knees by his son's side. "Shawn," he repeated when Shawn didn't so much as blink. "Did someone call an ambulance?" he asked Juliet. Jules looked over at Carlton because she honestly had no idea if someone had.

Carlton nodded. "A bus is on the way. Is he responding at all?"

Juliet shook her head, looking worried. Henry lifted Shawn's eyelids. "Pupils are unequal," he said grimly. "Definitely a concussion." Someone handed him a towel and he used it to gently press on the still-bleeding head wound.

That brought Shawn around, and he began shifting his head, moaning in pain. He opened his eyes, blinking up at his father. "Dad?" he gasped out, closing his eyes immediately when the sunlight caused his head to ache a thousand times worse.

"Shhh, you're okay Shawn," Henry said comfortingly and Gus looked over at the man, surprised at the tone of his voice. He'd only heard him be so gentle with Shawn on one other occasion, and that had been after he'd been shot and kidnapped.

Shawn groaned again, trying to bring his hand up to grab at his head. Jules stopped him, taking his hand in hers. "Shawn," she said calmly, and he turned his head towards her voice.

"Jules?" he whispered, still not opening his eyes.

"I'm here, Shawn." She squeezed his hand gently. "You need to stay still, okay? You were hit in the head with the softball and you've got quite a cut on your head." Shawn could hear the concern in her voice, could tell it was on the verge of breaking.

"M' dad's here?"

"Yeah kid," Henry answered, brushing Shawn's hair off his forehead.

"Gus?"

"Yeah man, I'm here too," Gus said, and it was obvious that it was hard for him to keep it together with all the blood, but he was trying.

"Mmm," Shawn mumbled, drifting again. "'Bout Lassie?"

"He's here too," Juliet said quietly. "Directing the ambulance, I think."

Shawn tried to nod, then cried out in pain. "Ahh!" he cried, trying to turn in on himself. Henry kept a hand on his side, making sure he stayed on his back.

"Hey, hey Shawn," Henry tried, though it was obvious Shawn couldn't hear past the pain. He kept squirming and Gus was holding him down now too. "Shawn," Henry said firmly, knowing Shawn would answer to that voice. Shawn stilled slightly. "I know you're in pain, kid. But you'll just hurt yourself more if you don't stop moving."

"Kay," Shawn whispered, having learned his lesson about nodding his head the last time he'd tried. Juliet squeezed his hand a little tighter and he tried to hold onto that, willing the pain to back off.

He heard Lassiter next, barking orders at people to get back, to let the EMTs through. He heard his dad and Gus introduce themselves to the EMTs and could tell they had stepped back to give them room. But Juliet stayed by his side when he squeezed her hand, silently asking her to stay. She looked up at the paramedic, seeking permission. "Can I stay?" she pleaded, hoping they wouldn't make her leave him.

"Yeah you can stay, just give us some room to work," he responded not unkindly. "Shawn?" the paramedic asked. "My name is Jim and my partner here is Bill. We're gonna get you taken care of, okay?"

"Yeah," Shawn gulped as they reached to examine his head wound.

"Still bleeding pretty heavily," he heard Jim tell his partner. "How are you feeling, Shawn? Besides your head hurting."

"Neck," Shawn whispered.

"Your neck hurts?"

"Yeah. Stiff."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Feel dizzy."

"Any nausea?"

Shawn gulped, bringing a hand up to his mouth. "Yeah," he choked out.

"Shawn?" Jim asked, concerned. "Are you going to be sick?"

Shawn groaned in response. "Okay, we're going to turn you on your side, Shawn." Shawn didn't answer and Bill moved to get beside Jim. Henry crouched down, offering his assistance, and Juliet supported Shawn's head as they turned him. Shawn gagged once, then emptied the contents of his stomach, gasping in pain as the action jolted his head, making him see stars. He could feel tears running down his face, but he was in too much pain to care.

After what felt like hours, Shawn's stomach calmed and he relaxed slightly. "You okay Shawn?" his dad asked.

"No."

Henry chuckled slightly. "Yeah, dumb question." They rolled him onto his back carefully, and Bill went about taking his blood pressure and pulse. Henry didn't like the look Bill shot his partner when he'd finished. "What's wrong?"

"Pulse is sluggish and his blood pressure is too high. We need to get him to the hospital now, have a doctor check him out. Hey Shawn?" Shawn had his eyes closed again and he was humming quietly to himself, trying to cope with the pain. He opened one eye to look at the paramedic. "We're going to put a brace on your neck, okay? It's going to be a little uncomfortable, but it's necessary." Shawn mumbled something in assent and Bill moved to put the brace on him. Shawn groaned as the motion jostled his head, but calmed a little when he felt Juliet tracing her finger up and down his arm.

Jim wheeled a stretcher over to Shawn while Bill taped gauze over the still-bleeding cut. Shawn was mostly out of it now and Henry was getting more and more worried. He knew Shawn sometimes liked to milk injuries, but that wasn't the case this time. He was uncharacteristically quiet and Henry knew that meant he was in pain.

"We're going to move him to the stretcher now," Jim said, addressing Henry. "We could use some help."

Lassiter stepped up then. "Need a hand?" Jim nodded.

"That'd be great. Okay, you get on the side with Bill. Henry, come to this side with me. On the count of three, we're gonna lift him onto the stretcher. Very gently." Jim counted to three and the four men lifted Shawn quickly but smoothly. Juliet supported his head, making sure they didn't jostle it too much. Shawn was groaning again once they'd finished moving him, trying to bring his hands up to cradle his head, but Juliet stopped him again.

"Jules?" Shawn asked, confused. "What's goin' on?"

"You don't remember?" she asked worriedly.

Shawn shook his head, causing the pain to ratchet up a notch. His dad was there now, and he looked just as worried as Juliet. "Dad? Why's my head hurt?" He saw his dad look over at someone and assumed he was some kind of medical dude.

"It's normal for concussions but we still need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible," he heard the man tell his dad, and he remembered something about a softball game and pain, but it was all hazy. He closed his eyes again, deciding he didn't want to remember, then felt the bed he was on begin to move. He was suddenly overcome with dizziness and he heard himself let out a moan. Juliet squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, hoping she wouldn't leave.

The bed stopped moving and he was lifted into a van – probably an ambulance – he concluded. If the pain in his head was anything to go by, he definitely needed medical attention. Juliet tried to release his hand, but he held on tight. "I'll meet you at the hospital, Shawn. Only one person can ride. Your dad will stay with you." Shawn didn't let go, though.

"Detective, you ride with him," Henry said. "I'll go with Gus."

"Are you sure?" she asked, though she was beyond relieved he had suggested it.

"Yeah I'm sure. He needs you right now." Shawn felt his father's hand on his forehead. "See you soon, kid," Henry said gently. And then he climbed down from the ambulance and someone shut the door tightly.

"Can you give him something for the pain?" he heard Juliet ask and realized he was still moaning.

"We can't," he heard one of the paramedics say reluctantly. "Not with the head wound. Don't worry, we'll be there soon, and the doctor will give him something for the pain."

Juliet was clearly upset with that news, but she stayed quiet, instead stroking Shawn's arm again, trying her best to comfort him. "You'll be okay," she said with more confidence than she felt, praying the ambulance would go faster so Shawn could get the help he so badly needed. "You're gonna be just fine."

TBC