Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Simple two-part drabble posted with the help and encouragement of Minarrett and McCoylover.
All of Us, Together
Cameron Hicks looked around the room, a sense of calm overcoming him. It had been too wrong for too long.
Even though Dr. Rosen was the first to retreat, it felt right to have him there, to make his appearance known in helping Gary Bell break out of his silent cocoon. That part had the ex-Marine worried, Gary's reluctance, Bill Harken's attempt to reconnect, among other things. When Dr. Rosen spoke up, familiar soft voice in an analytical tone, asking if he could try, Cameron's first thought was 'it was about time.'
Watching Rosen dial a familiar phone number while walking Gary through his routine was something hopeful for him, even as Nina Theroux snapped a cruel remark of how Gary was the same since day one. Rosen ignored her, repeating a routine that could have been his own. Rachel's quick wit didn't miss a beat, even with her long absence.
Rachel. It had been almost six months since Cameron had seen her, six months since she had walked into the office, five months since she had answered her phone or met him at the door. Rachel's new approach seemed to be 'full-steam ahead, don't dare hold her back.' Cameron loved her for that. Loved her like a sister.
Nina was far from Cameron's 'loveable' or 'likable' list. How long it would take for him to forgive her, he couldn't say. Reflecting on the last phone conversation he had with his son, Tyler, Cameron realized that the advice he shared with his son was best if followed than merely muttered.
Whether or not the warnings uttered by Dr. Rosen at the beginning were based on 'snobbish supervision' as Cameron first believed, or 'clinical caution,' didn't matter now. The relationship soared and crashed faster and harder than Cameron's marriage to Patti had – and that was saying something, he thought.
Gary's disappearance should have sparked red flags faster than it had for either Cameron or Harken. The lack of presence in the chat rooms, texts or anything from their active friend, worried him. Yet the false-belief Cameron held that Nathan Cley was going to look out for their friend had blinded Cameron for a while, allowing him to focus on and prod the one remaining team member at his side.
Bill was vanishing, courtesy of the pills he was popping. Even as the former-government men bantered back and forth about their new boss, about their broken families – personal and professional – Cameron knew there was a snap missing to the sarcastic remarks, the grumpiness, everything that made Bill, well, Bill.
If it wasn't for Bill, there was a strong chance that Cameron would have fallen into his pain-numbing ways, foregoing meetings, making things worse between Patti and him, and maybe lose his son. The two men stood alone to hold down the fort, to continue the fight even as they had begun to weaken, both fighters leaning on each other for support, only moments away from a fall.
Then again, the team was finally together. How long they could hold on would be hard to say. It felt right to have Rosen back, felt right for him to gather the scattered to help the two friends trapped inside. The team's routine was off a bit, but it was returning.
Yep, it was just like throwing a quarter.