Synopsis: Missing scenes in Multiple Outs taking place after the opening of the vault door and before Jonathan eats his sandwich back at the Archive.
Spoiler: This will only make sense if you you've watched #8 Multiple Outs and of course #7 Sacrifice 99 to Fool One.
Summary: Cameron couldn't get away from his experience that easily.
Author's note: Hi, guys! This is my first fiction, but please give me a chance. I apologize for the long length. It took on a life of its own and grew into a monster. I did change a few things to make more sense, but nothing dramatic. Um, yeah, and I know nothing about medicine. All mistakes are my own.
5/26: Story has been polished up and epilogue added
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but a yellow German shepherd. So don't sue me.
Time Out
Jonathan heaved the heavy vault door open, its weight hardly noticeable now that he could finally remove the last barrier between him and his brother. Cameron blinked at him owlishly from the floor as Jonathan seized him into a bear hug. Cam held on for dear life as he felt his consciousness waver, even though he could finally breathe again. They stayed like that for a few minutes, each seeming to gather strength from the other brother's presence.
Jonathan finally pulled back, still holding his brother upright. Cameron's lips were blue tinged and his breathing labored. He appeared groggy, and Jon frowned in concern. "When will the medics get here?" he asked without turning around.
"I'll check," he heard from Kay. Getting up, Jonathan pulled Cameron over to prop him up against the wall as Gunter joined him on his brother's other side. Dina wasn't far behind, studying him with a concerned expression as she waited for the paramedics. With everyone clustered around their boss, Jordan made himself useful, checking the unconscious guards and Mike.
"M.W. gassed them," Cam murmured when he glanced past his friends and brother to see Jordan kneeling over Mike.
Dina glanced back at Jordan then back to Cameron. "They'll be alright?" She asked hopefully.
Cam nodded. "Yeah. That's how she kidnapped me," he breathed. He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Dina and Gunter exchanged a glance as Jonathan continued to hold Cameron upright.
No one said anything as Cameron focused on breathing oxygen into his starved lungs. His head hurt. His chest hurt and his throat hurt. His lungs felt like they were on fire.
Down the hall a clamor of footsteps and equipment could be heard along with Kay's voice. "We have one male that was deprived of air for several minutes and three people unconscious."
A minute later, the calm in the vault room was gone as Kay, firefighters and paramedics burst into the room. "Cameron said M.W. gassed them. They'll be okay." Dina supplied helpfully, glancing down at the unconscious men.
Glancing around, the lead paramedic made his way over to Cameron and Jonathan. The other started checking the guards.
Kneeling in front of Cameron, the medic introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Nick. It looks like you're having trouble breathing?" He took Cam's pulse and fastened a blood pressure cuff around his arm. Noticing the blue tinge of his patient's lips and labored breathing, he called for oxygen. One of the firefighters brought over an oxygen tank and mask and Nick carefully slipped the mask onto Cam's face. "Keep him propped up," he said to Jonathan, "It will help his breathing." Taking an IV bag, he also established an IV in his patient's arm.
"Any other pain anywhere?" Nick asked Cam.
When he didn't answer, Jonathan spoke up. "I knocked him out. He was unconscious for several minutes."
Nick frowned before deciding not to press for details. Jonathan looked guilty enough. Taking a penlight, he shone it in Cameron's eyes. Frowning again, he added "we can't give any pain medication in case of a head injury." Cameron nodded without opening his eyes.
"Cameron, do you have any idea how long they'll be unconscious?" Kay asked.
Cam shook his head slowly. "Hours?" He opened his eyes, looking at Kay intensely.
The other paramedic announced from Mike's side. "Their pulse and breathing are all normal. They're just unconscious. They must have been dosed with some sort of anesthesia." Turning, he placed Mike into the recovery position. "Do you need any help?" he asked Nick.
"Nope, he's stable. We just need to get them loaded into the ambulances."
One of the firefighters spoke into the radio, and some of the guys in the room left to get gurneys. Dina knelt next to Cameron and carefully began to pull the remnants of the disguise from his face.
"Cameron, right?" Nick asked the twins. Cam didn't respond, but Jonathan nodded. "Cameron here is going in first, I'm a little concerned about his breathing."
"I'll go in the ambulance with Cameron" Kay announced. Jonathan looked as if he was going to protest, but then thought better of it. Looking down at his brother, he grimaced.
Dina asked the question instead. "What about Jonathan?"
"I'm leaving him in your hands," Kay answered. "I'm trusting that you won't go anywhere other than back to the archive," looking pointedly at Jonathan. Jonathan looked back nodding without a sarcastic comment, then turned back to Cam. Kay continued "You can come to the hospital later if he ends up staying for a while."
Another clamor announced the arrival of gurneys along with additional paramedics. Nick waved the first one over to him and Cameron. He placed the head of the bed in an inclined position then he and one of the firefighters carefully lifted Cameron from his spot on the floor to the gurney.
Cameron opened his eyes, searching for Jonathan before he could be wheeled away. Finding him, they exchanged looks that said far more than words, communication that only occurs between twins. Jonathan's brotherly instincts were screaming at him to go with Cam, to not to leave his side. He was worried by his brother's groggy appearance. But the message in Cameron's eyes was clear: "obey Kay, don't get into any trouble."
Kay looked back at Jonathan from the doorway. "I'll make sure they take good care of him." Turning around, she headed into the hallway to follow the gurney.
Now that his brother was in professional hands, Jonathan took a look around at the controlled chaos in the vault room. Each of guards now had a paramedic and they were being prepped for the trip to hospital. Jonathan slumped down where Cameron had been sitting, exhausted and worried about his brother and unable to do anything about it.
- o -
After a couple of minutes into their ride through New York traffic, Kay heard Cameron mummer through the oxygen mask, "I'm sorry, Kay." She looked to see his eyes peering up at her.
"What happened?"
Cameron sighed and closed his eyes. Nick shook his head at Kay.
"You shouldn't talk." She added.
"She abducted me, forced me to work at gunpoint. But there's more than just the jewel that she's after, Kay." Then almost as an afterthought, he added. "Oh."
Fumbling slowly for his pants pocket, he pulled out the huge diamond. "Here's the real one," he said as he handed it to her. "I couldn't do it, Kay, even though she had the traffic footage to exonerate my brother." Cameron looked straight at her, before closing his eyes. Later, he added, "She said something about Reykjavik. Not sure if it was another riddle, but it seemed to mean something to her."
Kay said nothing, not wanting to encourage Cam to talk, but she thought over what he had told her. The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, only the sound of Cameron's breathing and the chattering of the ambulance radio breaking the silence.
- o -
After Cameron had been settled into a bed in the emergency room, he dozed lightly, exhausted and in pain, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone. He also felt pretty woozy. He dully went over in his mind what he could have/should have done differently until everything became a muddled mess. His brain felt like scrambled eggs.
A nurse came in and attached an oxygen ox and blood pressure cuff, and checked his IV. Cam already had on an oxygen mask. Frowning at the readings she left the room without saying anything to either occupant.
Kay felt ready to burst. She wanted to know what happened to Cameron so badly, but she had to be patient. His labored breathing told her that he was unable to talk much right now.
After a few minutes, a doctor stepped in carrying a laptop. Kay stepped to the back of the room as the doctor approached Cam's bed and announced himself. "Cameron Black? Hi, I'm Dr. Davis, can you tell me what's going on with you today?"
"Don't know, Doctor, things are a little hazy right now." Cameron opened his eyes and slowly answered as the doctor seated himself on a rolling stool.
"Okay, well, it looks as though you've taken a hit to the head. Am I right?"
"Um, several, I think." Cameron paused, putting the pieces of his past two days back together. "Bishop, he seemed to take great pleasure in it."
Kay straightened up at the mention of Bishop's name. The doctor glanced at her and then back at Cameron. "Were you unconscious at any time? The paramedic mentioned that you were unconscious at the scene before they arrived." When Cameron didn't answer right away, the doctor gently prodded "Were there any other times that Bishop knocked you out?"
"Yes, he stomped on my head. Yesterday?" Cameron blanched at the memory, now wishing he hadn't remembered. One hand went up to his forehead as he became more conscious of throb-throb-throb inside his skull.
The doctor looked a little closer at Cam's face, noticing the extra make-up for the first time. "We'll get a nurse in here to clean you up a little better and then I'll do a thorough examination to see if there's anything else hiding that we need to see. I assume that's why you're here?" He said turning to Kay.
She nodded and folded her arms over her chest. "Cameron was kidnapped a couple of days ago, and we're trying to piece together everything that happened to him. I need documentation of every bruise and drug tests to determine what they did to him."
The doctor made a note on the laptop. "Top of my list is also to determine why you're having trouble breathing, Mr. Black. Can you un-button your shirt for me?" Kindly helping Cameron's fumbling fingers, he unbuttoned the shirt enough to get his stethoscope inside. After listening carefully, he sat back on his stool and glanced at the oxygen saturation number on the monitor. "Your oxygen saturation is still too low, even with additional oxygen support. What happened?
This time, Kay answered for him. "He was locked in a vault and all the air was sucked out of the room. He didn't have enough air for several minutes"
Cameron wasn't responding to the doctor, so he turned back to Kay. "The alveoli in his lungs may have been damaged by the vacuum. He would have been straining really hard to breathe even though there was no air. We'll run some tests and get him up for a head CT. If his oxygen sats don't improve, we'll have to sedate and intubate him. However, that may not be an option with a head injury. I'm also concerned about a serious concussion from multiple blows to the head and periods of unconsciousness."
The doctor left and Kay stepped over to the bed. Sitting on the stool that the doctor had just abandoned, she reached over and gripped Cameron's hand. Her anger with him forgotten for the moment, her gut churned as she took in his pale appearance and what she had just heard from the doctor. "Come on Cameron, you've got to be okay. I'm sorry she took you and I didn't find you." Feeling a slight squeeze on her hand, but seeing no other movement, she continued "hang on, Cam."
She was also starting to regret not letting Jonathan come in with him. She had thought this would be a quick post-kidnapping check up, he'd get some oxygen and be released, but she was quickly realizing he would be admitted to the hospital. Cameron's lack of response to the doctor was starting to scare her, and if any decisions needed to be made, Jon was the one who needed to make them. While she didn't completely trust him, if his dedication to Cameron was half of what Cameron's was to him, he wouldn't go anywhere.
Not wanting to leave Cameron, but also wanting to find out how Mike and the guards were, she stepped into the hallway to flag down a passing nurse. Seeing Mike instead, she approached his gurney. He had an IV in his arm, but nothing else. Glancing at his monitor, she noticed his oxygen sats were much higher than Cameron's. He seemed to simply be asleep.
Returning to Cameron's room, she decided to call Dina to give Jonathan and the team an update, and let them know it would be a while before she had anything definite.
- o -
Jonathan paced at the Archive. Unable to do anything and worried about his brother, he spent his pent up energy putting one foot in front of another. Even the familiar surrounding of the Archive did nothing to sooth him. Dina watched him from a bookshelf. "There's nothing you can do, Jonathan. Kay will call us if there's any more news. You can visit him when he gets settled into a room."
"But I should be there with him, not Kay"
"I agree, darling, but you can't. You will get to see him soon." Dina put her hands on his shoulders. Steering him over to the couch, she pushed him down into it. Circling around behind, she began to massage Jonathan's shoulders in an effort to make him relax. Feeling it work as he melted into the cushions a little she continued to rub his shoulders. Finally coming back around and sitting beside him, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"Want to talk about it?" Dina finally said softly.
Jonathan shook his head. "Not now, I think I'll try to get some sleep," he murmured. Dina got up and Jon stretched out on the couch. He wasn't feeling up to the solitude of his bedroom in the Archive. Dina returned a minute later with a lightweight throw and covered him up. He already appeared to be asleep, but Dina knew better. The wheels inside of Jonathan Black's mind rarely stopped turning, especially when there was a problem to solve.
- o -
After several hours of sleeping in the emergency room, Mike finally woke up followed by the two Devlin security guards. Kay had checked on her official partner a couple of times, but spent most of the time sitting with Cameron. He slept most of the time, but was woken periodically by nurses for neurological checks. Cam only half responded to the questions, with a severe concussion and low oxygen stats, he continued to remain somewhat incoherent. The doctor didn't want to sedate and intubate him because of the concussion. After a head CT scan, Cameron was admitted to the hospital and moved to a regular room.
Kay visited an awake Mike one last time before heading up to Cameron's room. He was practically bouncing up and down waiting to get his paperwork signed for his release, even though he hadn't been fully admitted to the hospital. As soon as another officer arrived to take Mike home, Kay left, calling Dina along the way. The officer had brought another GPS anklet for Jonathan, and Kay grimaced at the thought of needing to put it on after everything he'd been through in the last 12 hours. After Dina and Jonathan arrived, she'd go home for some sleep before checking in with the doctor later. She still needed to get a statement from Cameron. Hopefully he would be feeling better and able to talk soon.
Quietly, she entered his room. He wasn't in the ICU, but the nurses were keeping a close eye on his numbers from the nurse's station. The head of his bed was in an elevated position and he still had an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose. Severe bruising had been revealed underneath the make-up and clothes. She'd seen the images of the bruises, feeling guilty about putting Cameron on display, and even guiltier that she hadn't been able to prevent it. There were several rather spectacular bruises on his face, though she couldn't see them all that well in the low light.
After about an hour, Dina and Jonathan arrived. They'd been okayed to visit even though it was not yet visiting hours. Kay stood back and watched Jonathan greet his brother. Cameron was visibly glad to see his brother, seeming more coherent than he had since he had arrived at the hospital, but he quickly fell back to sleep again. Dina's face had the same look of concern that Jonathan's held as they both sat down to wait. After a few minutes of listening to his brother's labored breathing, Jonathan removed his jacket and shoes and gently pushed Cameron to one side of the bed. Figuring out what he was up to, Dina helped as Jonathan carefully climbed onto the bed sliding between all the wires and tubes. He settled in so that they were both comfortable with Cam leaning on Jonathan's side. Kay wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but Cameron's numbers seemed to get stronger with his twin's presence. At last she approached the bed. Jonathan blinked at her as if he had forgotten she was there.
"I'm sorry," she said as she began to remove the old anklet to replace with the new one. He silently nodded his head toward her with no comment, then settled back and closed his eyes as she finished the job. He didn't like it, but he understood. "I'll be in contact later to see how he's doing." Jonathan nodded again without opening his eyes and Dina followed her out the door.
The two of them conferred briefly with an agent that had just arrived. Because there was the potential that the Mystery Woman could come to take Cameron back or finish him off, Kay had arranged for a guard while he was in the hospital. Jonathan would be less than thrilled, but the guard was for Cam's protection. Hopefully, he wouldn't be needed.
- o -
Eight hours later, after a nap, shower and a stop at the office, Kay returned to much the same scene she left. The twins lay side-by-side on the narrow hospital bed and Dina was again absent. Kay nodded to the agent and stood silently in the doorway, realizing that like many twins, Cam and Jon were two halves of a whole. Now that she saw them together, she fully realized how heavily they relied on each other. All they had were each other growing up on the road. Cameron would stop at nothing to get Jonathan out of jail.
In the afternoon light, the bruises on Cameron's face stood out in contrast against his pale skin. His hair was back to its messier state. A glance at his monitor revealed a slightly higher oxygen number, although nothing else had changed. Behind her, she heard a slight crinkle and turned to see Dina with a brown bag and drink cups.
"Oh, I would have brought you something too," Dina approached the table and pulled the wheeled bed tray over to Jonathan's side. Jonathan opened his eyes, but Cameron didn't move.
"It's okay, I just ate."
Dina saw Kay's eyes linger on Cam. "He's been sleeping all day, he cannot stay awake for very long. He hasn't said much. They took him for another CT scan about an hour ago. The doctor said he would come by soon to go over the results. For now, no news is good news." Placing a sandwich and drink cup on the table for Jonathan, she took a seat in another chair with her meal.
Jonathan eyed her suspiciously over his sandwich. She turned her gaze to him. "How are you doing?"
Ignoring the question, he narrowed his gaze at her. "When are you taking me back?"
"Hopefully, after Cam's feeling better," Kay answered. He seemed to relax a little. "I'm sorry you can't stay out. We'll keep working on it. In the meantime, keep the anklet on, even though we both know you can take it off easily."
He swallowed a bite of sandwich. "What happened to Mystery Woman?"
"She got away. She figured out that you put the tracker in the bag with the diamond when I confronted her. When I got distracted, she slipped away."
"But she didn't get the real diamond." Jon's head snapped back up to look at Kay. "Cam had it, and the lab confirmed it was the real one."
Jonathan turned, studying his brother. Reaching over, he lightly traced the bruise on one of Cameron's cheek bones. "I did that. I kicked him in the face, knocking him unconscious after I already knocked him over. I didn't even give him a chance to defend himself!"
"You didn't know, darling." Dina was the one to respond. They sat in silence for a few minutes, unable to say anything to lighten the guilt that he felt. "He'll be okay."
Changing the subject, Jonathan asked, "How are Mike and the Devlin guards?"
"Mike went home early this morning. He's fine and got an extra day off and will be back at work tomorrow," Kay answered with a slight grin.
- o -
Sometime later, a doctor and an intern walked into Cameron's room. Kay stood from her spot on the other side of the room and Jonathan gently woke his brother. Cameron's eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he would just fall asleep again. The intern logged into the room's computer bringing up the CT images and the doctor approached the other side of the bed waving Jonathan down when he started to get up.
"You're part of his treatment plan, as far as I'm concerned," he said to Jonathan. Seeing all the faces in the room, he asked the twins, "Should I talk to everyone?"
Cam didn't respond but Jonathan nodded.
"CT shows there's still some swelling in the brain. Not enough that we need to relieve pressure, but we'll keep an eye on it." He pointed to a few areas on the CT image. "I'm more concerned now about your oxygen saturation levels. They've improved slightly, but aren't anywhere near normal, which is why you're so groggy. The vacuum damaged the alveoli in your lungs, and it's going to take time to heal. We've been giving you breathing treatments to help, but mostly we just need to wait for your body to repair itself."
Cameron nodded, but Kay didn't know how much of what the doctor said had sunk in. There just wasn't the usual spark in his eyes. Jonathan, with his eyes on his brother, nodded too. "Thanks, doctor. Do you have any idea how long he'll be here?"
"He'll be our guest tonight, probably tomorrow night as well. We'll take it one day at a time and watch for any complications."
"I need to get a statement from Cameron. When can I do that, Doctor?" Kay spoke.
The doctor studied Cameron's slack face. "I'd rather you wait for tomorrow, but you can try for later this afternoon, if you're on a tight timeline. Limit his talking to 5 minutes at a time, so you'll have to break up your questions into several sessions." He paused and looked at the intern who turned to the computer keyboard. "Have a nasal cannula brought in for when he needs to talk." The intern behind him typed the appropriate instructions onto Cameron's chart.
Kay glanced at Cam noticing his eyes on her. He seemed to be a little more coherent now, though he hadn't said anything through the doctor's visit. In response, he shifted on the bed a little. The doctor's attention returned to Cam and he caught his gaze.
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"Okay." He choked out. Kay winced at the rough sound of his voice.
"Are you okay with talking to the police?"
Cameron coughed. "Yeah, I need to talk to Kay." His voice sounded a little stronger and he glanced back at her.
"Wait at least two hours before you start." He said to Kay. "Take another nap," the doctor directed as he patted Cam's leg.
"Thank you doctor," Kay said. She followed the doctor and intern out the door to update her boss.
- o -
She returned a few minutes later to talk to Jonathan and Dina. "Do you want to take a break? You've been here all day. I can stay with him for a little while. I've got paperwork to do anyway." Cameron appeared to be asleep again, but his eyelids flickered when Jonathan shifted on the bed.
"Yeah, sounds good. We'll be back when you interview Cam. I could use a walk and a chance to get rid of this coffee." Behind Jonathan, Dina smiled. He turned back to Cameron to make sure he was okay on the bed by himself. Stretching, and shaking himself out, he loosened up before heading out the door. "Call us if there's anything."
Kay nodded, settled into a chair and opened her laptop. She patted Cam's arm lightly to let him know she was there. He twitched his arm seeking her hand. She squeezed his hand lightly, before settling in to her paperwork. Cameron didn't make any other move toward wakefulness.
- o -
About an hour and a half later, Jonathan and Dina returned. Jonathan was looking more like himself, minus a little of the sarcasm. Kay glanced up from her laptop before adding a couple of last keystrokes and setting it aside. Checking the time, she realized she should take a quick break before her interview with Cameron. Getting up, she went for a quick walk and to use the facilities before stopping in at the nurse's station.
Returning toward the room, she spotted a nurse heading inside for Cameron's neurological check. Walking in behind her, she took a spot next to the wall as the nurse proceeded to wake Cameron up. She changed the IV bag as she talked softly to him, encouraging him. His eyes seemed a little clearer and he shifted on the bed. The nurse nodded to Cam's answers, and then showed him the nasal cannula. He nodded and she pulled off the mask and fastened the cannula around his ears and plugged it into the oxygen outlet in the wall.
Cameron's eyes turned to look around the room, finding his brother and Dina on one side of the room and finally lingering on Kay on the other side. Kay approached the bed. "Are you ready, Cameron?" He nodded and cleared his throat. Dina gave him a sip of water from a cup and straw sitting on the table.
Kay activated a recorder. "Can you tell me what happened when you were on the phone with your brother?"
Both Jonathan and Dina sat forward to hear Cameron's unusually soft voice better.
Cameron looked down and then back at her. "People were surrounding me, filming me with their phones."
Jonathan looked as if he was going to say something, but Dina reached over and touched his knee. There would be time later to tell their side of the story.
Cam's eyes watched the exchange, but he continued. "I ran away when Jonny told me to, down an alley. Unfortunately, she was there. Mystery Woman. She sprayed me with something, some sort of gas, I guess. I woke up chained to a bed and she was there too." He left out some of the details. "It was a test. When she left the room, I managed to escape. But it was just a setup. I escaped the," he paused briefly, "set into a warehouse, only to have her shoot at me and Bishop hit me across my head before he stomped on my face, knocking me out." His hand went up to one of the rather colorful bruises on his forehead.
Kay noted which bruises he indicated. "Do you want a break?"
Cameron shook his head slowly, but he glanced over at Dina and the water cup, clearing communicating his need.
While Dina gave him another sip of water, Kay looked at her notes, giving Cameron as much time as he needed. She was rather relieved that the normally long-winded magician could summarize and keep from rambling, if only because he couldn't breathe.
"Bishop brought me back after I woke up a little while later. Then they showed me the mock-up of the Devlin auction house and told me I'd be stealing something for them. I refused, even though they pointed a gun at me. But then she showed me footage she took from a traffic camera the night Jon was in the accident. It showed the set-up, her people placing the other woman's body, the footage that was lost."
"I'm sorry, Kay, I will do anything for my brother." He looked down at hands in his lap. "I didn't want to do it, but if there was a chance I could go along with it until I could get that footage." He trailed off. "I had to take that chance!" His eyes found hers, pleading, begging for understanding.
She did understand. She would do almost anything to have her sister alive and safe, too. In the end, he was the only one who had been hurt, and the diamond returned to its rightful owner. Now all she had to do was smooth things over with the bosses. That was easier said than done, of course. There would still be consequences.
"Let's take a break, Cam." She stood, closing her laptop. Looking back at him she noticed moisture leaking from his tightly closed eyelids. Dina spoke quietly from his other side, offering another sip of water which he accepted. Jonathan sat on the edge of the bed, offering his presence and emotional support. "Thanks, Cam."
Cameron leaned into his brother's hug, then laid back for another nap. Kay glanced at his oxygen sats before heading back into the hall to talk to a nurse. Approaching one of the nurses at the desk, she asked "Does the doctor want Cameron back on the oxygen mask after we're done?" The nurse glanced at his monitor before agreeing and heading for his room.
When Jonathan saw the nurse unwrap the tubing for the mask, he spoke to his brother before carefully removing the cannula himself. The nurse handed him the mask which he placed back over his brother's face. Cameron didn't respond, conserving his energy and falling asleep.
Kay studied Cameron. "I'll talk to him after his next neurological check and then continue in the morning," she told the others in the room.
- o -
Jonathan and Dina took another short break while Kay stayed with Cameron and worked on her laptop. He slept the whole time, only he seemed to have some nightmares this time. He flinched and whimpered in his sleep and several times raised his hands as if to defend himself against an invisible assailant. She reached over to touch him, much like Jonathan had, and it seemed to calm him down. "She's not here anymore, Cam, you're safe now. Jon's here, too."
After Jonathan and Dina returned, Cameron's nurse returned for his neurological check, repeating the switching of the nasal cannula at Kay's request and Cam's agreement.
Cameron launched into the story of tricking Bishop, stealing his phone and discovering what was hidden inside the storage container. This time, they all asked question, baffled at what the Mystery Woman could be up to. Dinner arrived, prolonging the discussion. Jonathan finally called a stop to it as Cam's words started to slur and his eyes droop. Kay left with a promise to return in the morning, but she also needed a copy of the photo that Jordan had sent Cameron.
- o -
The night passed uneventfully. Nurses continued the checks on Cameron every two hours, so Jonathan didn't get much sleep either. One of the nurses offered a spot for the two visitors to crash in the family lounge if they wanted to get some sleep. After the second night-time check, Dina took the nurse up on her offer, but Jon stayed, napping on the bed with Cameron.
Kay returned first thing in the morning with her laptop. After being updated on the situation, Mike had promised to stop by. The scene that greeted her was the same as the previous day, only Jonathan opened his eyes as she came into the room. Looking a little pale and haggard himself, he also seemed a little more anxious today. Figuring both could use a shower and a nap back at the Archive, she asked "Where's Dina?"
"In the family lounge." Jonathan answered as he slipped off the bed and put on his shoes. "It's a little easier to sleep in there."
Kay nodded her understanding. She studied the other occupant of the bed whose color seemed to be a little better today. "How's he doing?"
"About the same. He seems to be more coherent, though. I think the swelling in his brain is going down." Jon stretched and put on his jacket.
"Has the doctor been in to see him at all?"
"Not yet, but I'm told he's due a visit sometime this morning. He's also supposed to get another CT scan."
Kay checked the time. "When was his last neuro check?"
"Probably about an hour ago. Can I take a walk?"
Kay nodded. "I'll ask him some more questions after the next check if he's up for it."
Jon left and Kay settled in and opened up her laptop. A while later, Dina stepped in the door. She sat down, and the two women chatted lightly until Jonathan returned. By then, the hospital buzzed with activity out in the hallway and an attendant came in bearing breakfast. Dina woke Cameron as Jonathan stole the toast from the tray.
"Not great, but better than prison food by far." Dina threw a glare at him. "What? It's not like he's actually going to eat it all."
Cameron actually smiled from the bed at the familiar banter between the two. He still seemed pretty groggy, but as he slowly woke up, he felt more aware of his surroundings than he had for a while.
As he was working his way through breakfast, the nurse came in for his neuro check which he finally passed with flying colors. She told them the doctor would stop by in about 15-30 minutes. Cameron finished eating and pushed the rest of his breakfast over toward Jonathan with a smirk. Dina protested, but Cam didn't have much of an appetite yet.
"Shall we continue?" He asked Kay.
"If you're ready." Kay opened her laptop and set up the recorder.
"So, Mystery Woman comes back with the idea that we're going to steal this lynx diamond from the auction." Cam glanced at Jonathan after he had made a face. "What?"
"We'll tell you later," Kay answered.
"She launched into this plan to kill this French guy and for me to take his place, but I wouldn't let her kill him. She did try, though." He recalled preventing her from stabbing the rude man. "We sent him to Newark instead." He grinned in response to a few chuckles.
He paused for awhile, trying to articulate his thoughts. "I lifted Henri's phone and called Jordan again. Bishop caught me. MW killed him right next to me. She shot him!" He said in angst. The room descended into silence as Cameron recomposed himself.
Dina put a hand on his leg in support. "I'm sorry, darling."
"After that, it was a matter of make up, and cheating the fingerprint scanner for me. They kept me out of most of their plans, but she and both her other assistants all got in as Devlin guards, I think."
"The plan was to disable the security and lights for 5 seconds, long enough for me to swap the real diamond for the fake. I had no idea Jonathan and you would be there. I did manage to get it, despite Jonathan's tackle, even though I told her I didn't. I was hoping she'd give up, but she was determined to get that diamond and kill anyone who got in her way, so I followed her to the vault. I didn't want her to hurt anyone. She had gassed everyone there by the time I got there and was taking the fake diamond, thinking it was the real one. I asked her for the footage for Jonathan since she had the diamond, but she wouldn't give it to me, and tried to gas me instead. I knocked her down, and was about the replace the fake diamond with the real one when Jonathan came in. After that, I don't really remember much."
"We'll still need to do a more thorough debrief after you leave the hospital, and you're not out of trouble yet, Cameron." Kay paused for a moment. "Though it could have been worse, especially if you had given her that diamond."
While Cameron seemed more like himself today, gone was the bubbly and upbeat personality. He seemed more like a shell of Cameron, and Kay knew it was more than just his current illness. The whole ordeal had resulted in a loss of innocence for him, and Kay hoped he wouldn't loose his positive outlook on life.
Cameron stayed awake, but he seemed a little depressed and moody. He caught Kay's gaze once and gave her a grin that didn't reach his eyes. At last, the same doctor from the day before stepped into the room. He smiled when he saw Cameron awake and coherent, looking back at him. "Good morning! It's nice to see you're feeling better today."
Cam managed a smile. "It's good to be back, doctor."
The doctor listened to his breathing and checked his pupils. "Your lungs are sounding better and your oxygen sats are improving. They're not quite where we want them yet, but you're obviously feeling better. We'll send you in for a last CT scan this afternoon to make sure your concussion is getting better. And we'll get you up and walking around pretty soon. Barring any complications, you may be able to go home this evening on oxygen support."
Both Cameron and Jonathan perked up. Cameron grinned. But the doctor held out his hand. "I don't want to get your hopes up, though. At this point, your lungs are extremely susceptible to infection and possibly pneumonia, so you'll have to be very careful what you expose yourself to."
Jonathan smirked, "Hear that, Cam? No skinny dipping in the Hudson River."
Dina and Kay rolled their eyes. Cameron coughed.
"That's good news, thank you, doctor," Dina stated.
"I'll stop by after your CT scan if I don't see you before." The doctor turned to continue on his rounds.
Cameron grinned at Jonathan. Jonathan smiled back, even though he knew that he would soon have to return to prison. "Now that sleeping beauty is finally awake, you want to hear our side of the story?"
They all took turns sharing their part of the ordeal, interrupting and occasionally correcting one another. Jon was not happy that Jordan had kept the secret from them. Cam was not happy that Jon had nearly shot the mystery woman and gotten into trouble.
At last, Jonathan stood up. "We're going to head back for a nap, a meal and a shower. Then we'll be back to break you out of here tonight!"
"See you later, Cameron." Dina managed a bright smile for him as she patted his shoulder.
A physical therapist stopped by shortly after the others left to get Cameron up and walking around his room. He didn't realize how difficult simply walking would be even though he knew he'd been bed-ridden for 36 hours. By the time he had walked two laps around his room, he was ready to get back into the bed he had so eagerly left. Kay watched from her chair, offering an occasional comment of encouragement.
- o -
"You don't have to stay here, Kay."
Kay looked up from her laptop. Though Cameron looked much better, he was far from well. The bruises on his face hadn't faded and his skin was still pale. He was currently on the oxygen cannula rather than switching back and forth between the mask.
"Mike said he'd stop by sometime. Besides, this is a much calmer environment than the office. I can actually catch up on paperwork."
Cameron scoffed but didn't say anything else. As Kay returned to her work, he turned on his side and curled up as much as he could with the head of his bed still in a upright position. She didn't hear anything more from him so she assumed he fell asleep.
"I'm a hypocrite, Kay."
She set the laptop aside and walked around to the other side of the bed so she could see Cameron's face.
"I wouldn't let Jonathan escape, because it was the wrong thing to do. But then I lost sight of what was right. I was going to do whatever it took to get my brother out. It didn't matter if it was wrong or not."
She reached out and rubbed his arm, "You didn't do whatever. You did stand up to her, and I'm proud of you for that. You won't make the same mistake twice. She won't be able to manipulate you like that again."
"I'm sorry, Kay," He looked up at her. "I let her manipulate me. I saw how she played the others. Bishop. The Quest Trek. But I didn't see that she was playing me in the same way."
She sat with him until his breathing evened out and fell asleep and then returned to her work.
- o -
Some time later, Cameron became restless again. Assuming he was having another nightmare, she laid a hand on his arm. She was startled by the heat emanating from his body and reached up to feel his forehead. Cameron's eyes flickered at her touch, but didn't open. Finding the call button, she depressed it and waited.
It didn't take long for a nurse to show up in the doorway. "I think he's got a fever." She told her. The nurse disappeared and reappeared a minute later with a thermometer.
Taking his temperature, the nurse announced, "It's 101.3. I'll let the doctor know."
Ten minutes later, the doctor came in. Kay left the room to give Cameron some privacy as he conducted his examination.
She talked with the agent outside until the nurse waved her back into the room. Cameron was now awake although he looked as if he wasn't as coherent as he had been earlier that morning.
The doctor was speaking to him. "There seems to be a little fluid building up in your lungs. We're going to go back to the oxygen mask and give you some antibiotics to clear up the infection. I believe we caught it early enough that the antibiotics will wipe it out right away. Nothing to be concerned about yet, but you'll be our guest for at least another night."
Cameron nodded.
The doctor spoke to the nurse. "Let's do another breathing treatment and switch back to the oxygen mask.
When another nurse came in to give Cam his breathing treatment, Kay stepped out to update Dina and Jonathan. Not wanting to wake up or alarm them too much, she sent a text to Dina's phone repeating what the doctor had just said.
- o -
Mike stopped in to visit shortly before noon. All was quiet as Cam returned to sleep after his breathing treatment and the antibiotics were attached to his IV. He woke at the sound of Kay and Mike talking softly and managed a small smile for the visiting agent.
"How are you doing?"
Mike scoffed. "Me? I'm not the one in the hospital."
"This? Eh, I'll be out of here in no time." Cameron said dismissively, though it was muffled by the oxygen mask.
"Not as bad as the fall that put you in the hospital for a month, then?"
"A month?" Kay asked, confused. "Didn't your team mention that before? When are you going to tell me about it?"
Mike looked at Cameron then Kay, but neither made an effort to answer the question. Mike looked back at Cameron and shrugged. "I'm good. I woke up, went home, slept like a baby, got a day off, you know, all good things."
Kay's eyebrow went up. "Then I had to start working on the paperwork," he made a face.
Kay's phone rang. She stepped outside and answered it. It was Dina calling to see if there was an update. Kay replied that Cameron was doing fine and they agreed to let Jonathan sleep. She would let them know if anything changed. Jordan and Gunter were also planning a visit in the afternoon.
The three of them chatted for a little while until Cameron fell asleep again. Mike stayed a little longer as the talked about the re-creation of the photo that Cam had found in the storage container.
- o -
Cameron's lunch arrived, but the nurses set it aside until he woke up on his own. Kay stepped out for a quick walk and to grab some lunch herself. When she got back to his room, he was just waking up. She gave him some water and pushed his lunch tray over. Cameron didn't look too excited about the food, and he didn't eat much.
After a while, she heard the steady breathing that told her he was asleep again. She frowned as she thought she detected a slight wheeze.
A couple of hours later, he was definitely wheezing in and out with each breath. Needing to stretch her legs anyway, Kay stopped by the nurse's station. After discussing it with the nurse at the desk, the nurse paged the doctor.
As she headed back to Cam's room, she heard weak coughing. Rounding the doorway, Cameron was awake and struggling to breathe between coughs. Thinking quickly, she sat down on the bed and pulled him upright into a sitting position. An alarm sounded as his oxygen numbers dropped. A nurse ran in.
When Cam looked at her as he struggled to breathe, Kay saw fear in his eyes for the first time. Locked in the vault, she had seen sadness as he stared back at his brother. This was the first time she was actually witnessing him actually panic. He was always so cocky and sure of himself, despite all the situations he'd been in, he'd still managed to stay calm.
The nurse switched Cameron's mask for one with a medication added. His coughing subsided, but the wheezing continued. The nurse switched the mask back to the regular one. Kay let go of him as his eyes closed and he slumped back against the bed.
The doctor hurried in and Kay got up from the bed. He pulled Cameron's gown down and listened to different places on his chest. Winding his stethoscope back up, he consulted with the nurse. Turning to Kay, he began, "He's got pneumonia. We're going to go ahead and sedate and intubate him now. His lungs are just too weak, so the infection spread quickly. We'll switch him to a stronger antibiotic."
Another nurse came in with a ventilator and dosed his IV with the sedative. Cameron's bed was laid flat and his mask removed. The doctor quickly intubated him and the nurse hooked him up to the ventilator. Everyone watched the monitor as his oxygen number finally increased. The nurses moved Cameron to a more comfortable position and straightened his blankets.
Kay stood back in stunned silence. The doctor and nurses left, leaving her only with the whoosh-whoosh of the ventilator. The last nurse gave her a reassuring smile as she walked out the door.
"Oh, Cam." He didn't respond, now sedated and flat on his back with a tube down his throat. His hand didn't even twitch when she gripped it. She reached her hand up involuntarily to sweep back unruly hair from his sweaty forehead.
After a few minutes just sitting there, she called Dina. It was not a conversation she was looking forward to, made even more difficult when Jonathan answered. "He's got pneumonia. They just put him on a ventilator." She paused for a second before continuing. "I'm sorry, he was doing so well, I had no idea he would crash so quickly. The doctor said his lungs were just so weak, it took over pretty quickly."
"We'll be right over." Jonathan answered and hung up.
- o -
After Jonathan and Dina arrived a short time later, there was no reason for Kay to stick around. She drove to the office to catch Mike up and work on some of her other cases. They brainstormed the scene Cameron found in the storage container for awhile until admitting they weren't getting anywhere.
- o -
Jonathan sighed. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. He was finally out of prison, but unable to enjoy it, waiting at his brother's bedside. While he was thankful that the concussion was no longer a concern, now he was worried about his brother surviving pneumonia. This was worse than actually being in prison. He decided that he better focus on something else, so he called Jordan and they discussed the MW's codes for a while. He made up his mind that since he couldn't do anything else, he'd turn Cameron's room into a work space. It was the only thing he could do.
Jordan and Gunter showed up bringing a couple of laptops and a copy of Bishop's notebook. Jon and Jordan borrowed a table and set up the computers. They were in their element discussing theories and arguing. Gunter added his two cents and Dina stepped in keep the situation from escalating. The banter added a little life to the room, distracting the occupants from the constant depressing sound of the ventilator. Gunter stood over Cameron for a few minutes, speaking a few words and willing his stubborn boss to get well.
A different doctor stopped by to check on Cameron. He informed Jonathan that he was sending Cameron for a last head CT scan and a chest X-ray. Shortly after, Cameron's bed was wheeled away. Gunter left and Dina went to get dinner for the puzzle solvers. Jonathan and Jordan continued to chatter animatedly on the far side of the hospital room.
Cameron was brought back followed by the doctor. The doctor was encouraged by the results of both the CT and X-ray. The swelling inside his skull had gone down, and the infection in his lungs didn't seem to be spreading for the moment. "If he continues to improve, we'll take him off the ventilator late tonight or tomorrow morning."
Jonathan and Jordan heaved relived sighs and smiled.
"Good news?" Kay asked from the doorway.
"Cam may come of the ventilator tonight. And his concussion's better." Jon told her.
She glanced over at the doctor. They'd gotten their hopes up before. "No guarantees, of course, but we are optimistic that there will be no more serious complications," the doctor informed her on his way out the door.
She smiled slightly before turning her attention to Jon and Jordan's makeshift code-cracking lab.
"We just got started. There wasn't much else I could do." Jonathan said as he waved at Cameron's bed.
"Good for you, Jonathan," she told him. "I like it." She had to admit that she admired his ingenuity and resourcefulness. "I just stopped in to see how he's doing before heading home."
Dina came in with an entire box of food. "I seriously need one of those carts." Then she saw Kay, "Hello! Would you like to stay for supper? There's plenty of food. I can't feed those two enough."
Jonathan grinned, "Gotta maintain our million point figures, after all."
"We'd love to have you." Jordan added.
Kay had to admit, she enjoyed spending time with Cameron's team, even if the boss was sedated in bed. "Sure."
The four of them had a lively discussion, ending by talking about the different occupants of the old photo. At last Kay stood, "I'm going to head home. I'll check in tomorrow morning before work."
"Get better, Cam. I don't want to see this thing tomorrow," she told him, indicating the ventilator.
Jordan and Jonathan continue their work on Bishop's notebook until Jordan headed home for the night. Dina took a bed in the family lounge, leaving Jonathan alone with Cameron again.
With Cameron hooked up to the ventilator, Jonathan dragged the recliner over to the side of the bed. He laid down on it with as much of his hand and arm in contact with his brother as possible. Even though Cameron wouldn't consciously be aware of his presence, sub-consciously he had no doubt that he felt his twin brother beside him.
- o -
Jon was awakened several times in the night by nurses checking on Cameron. Very early in the morning a doctor came in to conduct an examination. Jon sleepily stood up and put the chair away. A portable x-ray machine came in behind the doctor. "Cameron's temperature is down. If his x-ray is clear, we'll wean him off the sedation and take out the ventilator," the doctor told him.
Everyone left the room. Jonathan nodded uncomfortably to the guard outside the door, then took the opportunity to find Dina and wake her up. When he returned, the doctor was examining the images on the monitor in Cameron's room. The doctor turned to look at him in the doorway and smiled "The chest x-ray looks good. We'll start waking him up now. He should wake up within the next couple of hours. We'll take the vent out in about an hour."
Dina came from using the facilities, looking hopeful. She heard the end of the doctor's statement. "He's better, then?"
"His temperature is back down and his chest x-ray is clear." The doctor repeated. "We'll take out the vent and he'll wake up soon."
"That is good news, doctor. Thank you." Dina turned and gripped Cameron's hand. "I'm so glad you're feeling better, darling," she said to the prone figure on the bed.
"Want to go get an early breakfast before they take out the vent?" Jon turned to Dina.
"Sounds good."
- o -
An hour later, Cameron was ex-tubated without any complications. Dina and Jonathan chatted, waiting for him to wake up. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they started seeing signs of movement. With a small sigh, Cameron's eyes flickered open and lingered on Jonathan momentarily before he fell back into a natural sleep. Jonathan returned to his laptop to work to so that he wouldn't scream at his brother to wake up.
Kay stopped in, smiling to see the ventilator gone. Cameron's bed was back in an inclined position and he had the oxygen cannula back on. "Good morning. How's our stubborn, thick-headed illusionist?"
A croak sounded from the bed as Cameron tried to speak in response.
"Darling!" Dina exclaimed, surprised. "Here!" She gave him some ice chips as his hand went toward to his throat.
"Oh," he groaned, drawing it out into a low moan.
"Yes, he's doing much better. His temperature is back down, and the x-ray showed his chest has cleared considerably." Dina answered. "They took the tube out a couple of hours ago, and apparently he decided to wake up just for you."
Cameron would have grinned at the comment if his throat and everything else didn't hurt so much. Dina watched him in concern. Finally, she pressed the call button. "He seems to be in quite a bit of pain," she told the nurse that responded.
"The doctor authorized some pain medication. I'll get it now." The nurse turned back the way she had come.
A minute later, she inserted the medication into his IV. Cameron sighed and relaxed as the medication began to work in his system. Dina gave him some more ice chips and he savored the cool wetness in his dry mouth.
"Hi," he finally managed to croak out. "How long was I out?"
"About 18 hours." Jon answered. "You've been here about two and a half days."
Cameron laid his head back with a groan. "I don't think there's anything that doesn't hurt."
"You scared me, Cam. Again. You got pneumonia and had to be put on a ventilator.
"I'm not going to have to worry about going back to prison. Cameron, you're going to scare me to death."
Cameron smiled humorlessly.
A nurse brought a tray with juice and jello and set it down on the wheeled table.
"Breakfast, darling. At least you won't have to fight off your brother for it this time." Dina stated.
Kay and Jon chuckled. Cam looked less than thrilled at his so-called breakfast.
"You need the calories, Cam. Come on." Jon held out the juice and he took a small sip through the straw. When it didn't feel as bad in his empty stomach as he feared it would, he took another sip.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Cameron. Now I need to go to work. I'll check in with you later." Kay spoke up.
"Thanks, Kay." Cameron looked over at her and watched her walk out. "When do you have to go back?" he asked as Jonathan gave him another sip of juice.
"Don't know. When you get better."
Cam hung his head. "At least I bought you some time."
"I'd rather be in prison, Cam! Or dead. I haven't ruled that one out either." Jon laughed without any humor.
"We'll get you out. How's decoding Bishop's notebook?"
They discussed the images and codes he had figured out so far. Cameron was able to stay awake and finish his juice and jello. He chatted with Dina and Jon a little, but mostly listened to their banter until he curled up and went back to sleep.
Jonathan returned to his laptop and Bishop's notebook. Now he had to wait for Cameron to heal enough that he could go home, and then Jonathan would return to prison. In the meantime, he was going to do whatever he could to help the investigation into Mystery Woman.
- o -
Lunch came and Dina and Jon persuaded Cameron to eat more than he really wanted to. Now that he was feeling a little better, he was antsy to get up out of the bed. Dina persuaded him to wait until the doctor said it was okay for him to get up. Luckily, the doctor stopped by to check on Cameron a short time later. He pronounced that he was healing well and encouraged him to get up and move around but not to push his healing lungs.
"No time like the present, huh?" Cameron pushed himself up as soon as the doctor exited.
"Careful, darling," Dina stood back.
"What she said." Jon agreed with Dina. "Here," he extended a hand to pull Cameron up off the bed.
"Whoa!" With his body suddenly vertical, Cam felt the blood drain from his head. He held onto his brother for dear life as he waited for his body to adjust.
He managed one lap around his room before he felt his lungs start to burn. Conscious of a relapse, Jonathan helped him back to bed.
"Whew!"
"Juice?" Dina picked up a remnant of his lunch.
"Please." Cameron managed to eat some more of his lunch and then took another quick nap.
Kay stopped by just before dinner to see if Cameron was going to be released soon. Though he was practically climbing the walls, the doctor wanted to wait until morning, watching for any more relapse in the pneumonia. Kay would return in the morning to take Cam directly to the FBI for his official debrief. Jonathan would also have to return to prison.
After dinner, the twins talked until Dina dragged Jonathan away so that Cameron could sleep. They hugged tightly until Jon finally pulled away.
- o -
Though he wouldn't admit it, Cameron was grateful for the traditional wheelchair ride out of the hospital. He'd walked around his room several times the day before, but not much further. He wasn't looking forward to walking into the FBI building.
"Are you sure you're okay, Cam?"
He put on his confident smirk. "Sure!"
She looked doubtful. He may have been more believable if he hadn't had to look up at her from the wheelchair. Cameron's color was better and he had been removed from oxygen support that morning. However, his face was still badly bruised, he moved slowly, and he didn't ramble as much.
"When are you taking Jon back?" he asked Kay.
"After I drop you off with Deakins," Kay answered. "Did you two catch up last night?"
"Yeah, yeah, we did."
"We'll get him back out, Cam."