Author's note: Yep, I did a tag for the "Medusa" episode too (how could you not, really? Canon EvanWhumpage AND Big Brother to the Rescue - good stuff, my friends, good stuff)! Sort of a character study, mainly Hank's POV prior to his arrival at the beach. just stuff I personally noticed in that scene - I should mention I'm not totally sure how Evan got in touch with him since their cell phones didn't work in Cuba and I don't think they really went into it, did they? I assume he had to sign a release form of some sort before the dive began, and that might have included an emergency contact. Anyhoo... This might become a two-shot depending on how next week's episode resolves. :/

As the car speeds past the lush tropical scenery, Hank Lawson barely notices any of it. All he can think about are possibilities of what awaits him at his destination. The message that had been delivered to him at Boris's hacienda had been concise enough: His brother Evan Lawson had been injured while scuba diving. That is all he knows, that and the location of the beach where the divers had set out. But the lack of details maddens him. What sort of accident was this? How serious is it? Is it something as benign as a bruise or cut? Something a little more severe, like a broken bone? Or is it something far, far worse? Hank is not nearly as vocal as his brother when panicking, but just because he isn't incessantly babbling doesn't mean his imagination isn't running rampant. His medical stoicism allows him to present a clear-headed and professional façade to the outside world, but where his brother's health is concerned, he is currently an internal wreck.

Was Evan attacked by some form of aquatic wildlife? 'Shark' is the first thing his mind turns to, but then he starts going down the list of things he figures might also be living in the warm tropical waters. Man-o-wars and box jellyfish, barracudas, stingrays, those evil-looking eel things with the lamps on their heads… Marine biology is admittedly not his specialty, so he abandons that train of thought after freaking himself out into a corner, so to speak. Besides, those sorts of animals would be used to seeing divers in these waters and probably wouldn't attack unless provoked, and there was no way Evan would ever provoke a shark. Wet himself at the sight of one, sure, but not provoke it. He forces himself to believe that Evan will have all his limbs intact when he arrives and moves on.

Was there a problem with the scuba gear? Evan is a capable enough swimmer – he won't win any Olympic medals anytime soon, but he's at ease in the water. Surely he wouldn't have been diving alone; someone would have seen if he was in physical distress and would have helped him surface and gotten him back to the boat. But if it was an equipment issue…sometimes those tanks malfunction. If it hadn't been inspected recently, Evan might have been breathing in carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. He wouldn't realize what he was inhaling right away, and by the time he thought anything was wrong, the CO would be affecting his brain. Or perhaps the air stopped flowing completely and he was too deep to get to the surface in time… Or perhaps he got stuck somewhere and couldn't free himself and there wasn't anyone around to help and he ran out of air… What if Evan drowned? Hank shakes his head to bring himself back to reality. Now he knows he is panicking. The message had said "injured," not "killed." There is no reason to jump directly to the worst possible scenario. Perhaps there is the potential for loss of life, but right now there is no evidence to believe that has already happened. That's what Hank is there for, right? To keep it from happening. They would not have called him to the beach if Evan was beyond saving. If that was true, he would be heading to the... the morgue. But he isn't, so clearly his brother is alive. Right? He can't allow himself to believe that he will be too late to do anything for his little brother. He can't become irrational, not yet, not until he sees what he is dealing with.

As the car finally screeches to a stop (for all the speeding that Boris's driver is doing, it is the longest car ride of his life), Hank jumps from the vehicle with his HankMed-ified duffel bag and takes off running toward the crowd of gawkers congregating on the shoreline. He feels a surge of adrenaline as he hits the sand, and his thoughts are still spinning. A crowd is bad, it means there's something to see… like my brother's mangled body….I don't hear any screaming or crying… not that I want Evan to be screaming in pain or anything, but it would be better than… than being… quiet.

The people part and he glimpses his brother sprawled on the sand, very much alive. As soon as he sees Evan's face, relief floods him, not eliminating his worry but mixing in with it. Evan is pale and obviously a bit shaken up, and the compress he holds to his head is soaked with dark blood, which is enough to freak any big brother out, whether they have a medical degree or not. But Evan is awake and alert, talking, and sitting up under his own power. That is already far better than some of the scenarios he had contemplated in the car. It is all Hank can do to keep his cool when Evan looks at him clearly, with full awareness in his blue eyes, and smiles faintly at him. It is a smile of both apology (Sorry to drag you out here for this and make you worry, bro) and gratitude (Thank you for coming to the rescue… like you always do).

Immediately, Hank attempts to put aside his position of 'brother' and go fully into 'doctor' mode. That is what is required at this point, though it's always a bit harder to squelch his fraternal feelings when Evan's health is on the table. It is as though Evan can read his brother's inward turmoil, and he shifts his own psyche accordingly. From seeing his brother in action on house calls, he knows what information Hank will need. He immediately introduces the blonde girl who stands close by as his dive buddy and guilty agent of injury, knowing that Hank will ask her for details of the accident. He submits himself to Hank's exam and the barrage of questions fired at him to judge his mental clarity and concussion level, but admits only to pain as his dominant symptom, and makes light jokes to ease the tension and not-so-carefully-hidden fear he sees in his brother's face.

Hank is amazed to see how composed Evan is with a gaping head wound. It is no secret that Evan is the squeamish type when it comes to blood and scary medical stuff, and as Hank works to close the nasty gash as best he can without stitches, Evan reacts with pained squirming which no one would have been able to avoid doing. But he handles himself with a calmness not usually seen in the younger Lawson. Now, his aesthetically-appealing dive buddy, who stands watching and wincing at what her tank has wrought, might be a small factor in this unusual level of stoicism. But it is primarily for Hank, to curb his big brother's worry, that Evan appears so unruffled. And Hank knows it is for him and he is grateful.

As he helps his brother to his feet, Hank is deeply aware that this situation could have been much worse. Evan attracts trouble like a moth to a flame, yet he is still so damn lucky, he thinks with a smile. He manages to crack his head open merely hours upon arriving in a foreign country and still is able to flirt with the girl who did the cracking. He feels bad that he has to prevent Evan from accepting Mindy's offer of drinks, but it is a necessary prohibition. The brothers head to the car, Hank allowing Evan to walk on his own, but remaining right at his elbow, watching carefully for any sign of faltering and ready to catch him should it occur. But Evan seems to have possession of all his faculties, and a pain reliever should have him back to relative normalcy fairly soon. As they speed back to Boris's grand estate, Hank lets out the breath he has been holding for the better part of an hour. Well, we've gotten the Evan Disaster out of the way early this time. Should be smooth sailing from here on out. It's not like anything else can happen to him in the next 48 hours…