The job went to hell in a hand basket that afternoon… Parker wasn't sure how it happened. She sure knew it wasn't her fault. She'd gotten what she'd needed to negatively affect the mark. She heard it over the com from Eliot to get out while she could. She could hear men yelling and Eliot making comments before all she could hear were his grunts. Something told her to run into danger this time… When she'd found the group of men attacking their hitter and Eliot was down… And Eliot never lost a fight, as far as she knew. She couldn't see his injuries because his back was to her face. He was a lump of flesh and bone on the ground in almost a complete fetal position; very clearly unconscious. Parker saw red. She began to attack using her gymnastic skills and her compact, pocket-size Taser. Eliot had taught her how to use it defensive and offensively. In short order she had all of the men down and tied up before she called for help.

"Guys, we need help. Eliot is down. Blood, lots of blood," she saw. He probably had several broken ribs as well.

"Where are you, Mama?" Hardison queried.

"Tenth floor stairwell, I think his leg is broken. The bone's like stickin' out and everything."

"Parker, have you got a belt?" Nate asked.

"I do now."

"Put it around his leg to stem the bleeding and tighten it as much as you can. We're coming."

In spite of her strength, Parker knew there was no way she could carry Eliot out of the building and she couldn't very well drag him down ten flights of stairs on her own. Jumping with him over the railing wasn't an option either…The man was simply too heavy and currently unconscious. She said a silent prayer that they both would be okay as she changed out of her gear for a normal t-shirt and jeans. Five minutes later, Hardison was the first to arrive; then Nate. The two men helped to get Eliot's leg wrapped to help stem the bleeding beyond Eliot's belt. They needed to cover their tracks as best they could and leaving blood behind wasn't a good idea, but they had no time to clean it up. Parker and Nate helped get Eliot up. Then the decision was made to put him on Hardison's back. Hunched over, Hardison carried Eliot down five flights of stairs. Then the three of them stopped and then Nate carried him the other five. Parker was on survival mode as she followed the three men and steeled herself for a possible fight if more security guards caught them.

Sophie was already down in the getaway van; as Lucille was in the shop getting the belts, hoses, and all filters replaced. She had the engine of the twin sister of Lucille, Louise, warmed up and ready to head to the nearest hospital. There was no way Eliot was just going to go home and nurse these wounds himself. Hardison was already mentally creating names and backgrounds for Eliot and Parker. He couldn't very well put them down as a couple or he would screw himself out of a relationship, so the two became Bethany and Lazarus Ford. Nate and Sophie were to play their Uncle Patrick and Aunt Ophelia. Lazar had fallen off a bucking bronco on the family's ranch. The horse had attacked him and broken his leg. They weren't sure what other injuries he had but they had managed to get the horse away from him before more damage could be done. They got him into the back and Nate took a seat in the back to check Eliot over. Hardison took the passenger seat next to Sophie and Parker stayed with Nate and Eliot. There was no way she would leave him now…

Nate changed the bandages with Parker's help and a little over ten minutes later they sailed into the emergency carport entrance of the nearest hospital. He popped out of the back and went with Sophie to get help. Hardison came around to the back on his way to the driver's side and saw Eliot's head cradled in Parker's lap. Her thumb stroked his cheek as she whispered something to him softly. Alec couldn't make it out fully but it sounded like a poem. He really didn't know what to think. She hadn't done as much as that with him… He filed the moment away and took over the driving position. After he left, nurses and the ER doctor on duty came out to retrieve Eliot. The inside of the back of the van was decorated like it was meant to be a camper. There was a table in the corner where four persons could sit and eat on the built in seats. On the other wall was a small sink and stove. There were compartments everywhere for them to hide Parker and Hardison's gear or Sophie's outfits. Eliot even had an arsenal of weapons hidden in the upper spaces; no bigger than elongated glove compartments.

The emergency team couldn't fit the gurney inside the back; instead they managed to get a board under him so that four people could lift him out. Nate went inside to handle the insurance part of their plan and Sophie stayed behind with Parker. She took one look at her teammate and became worried. Parker was staring at her hands now covered with Eliot's blood because she had tried to stem the blood loss. Sophie climbed in and sat down next to her, not bothering to smooth her expensive dress. Then she put her arm around her and gently told her that Eliot would be all right. That Nate was looking after him while they were out there in the emergency room. Something made Parker snap out of her trance… She jumped up, ran out of the open back of the van, and Sophie chased after her. Nate had her by the biceps by the time she caught up to her and was trying to calm Bethany down. No, she couldn't see Lazarus. They were taking good care of him and they would come get them if anything changed. The British woman helped pull Bethany down and into a chair. She sat down next to her and then Nate suggested that she go take their teammate to get washed up. Parker wanted to stay put but the blood had already dried onto her hands.

Outside, Hardison had driven away after he got out and closed the back doors himself. He couldn't stay there because ambulances were also authorized to park there. He stayed put and worked on the critical files that the hospital needed. He didn't blame Eliot for what he saw with Parker. He couldn't really because his friend was unaware of the goings on in the real world. When Alec had finished the tasks he was working on, he turned the sleep mode on for his laptop, and locked up Louise before he headed off to the emergency room. He tucked his IPad into his backpack when he entered through the sliding glass doors. Then he looked up and spotted Nate, sitting alone against a wall, and flipping through an old golfing magazine. He grabbed the empty seat next to an empty spot that was next to Nate.

"What's goin' on?"

"He's getting x-rayed and scanned about now. Then they'll have to take him up to the OR to fix his leg and ribs. Then he'll have to be put in several casts to keep him from overdoing it. He's gonna have to take it easy."

"Yeah, man… For more than six months by the sounds of it. Hopefully those ribs didn't hit anything air worthy."

Nate closed the magazine un-entranced by any of the articles inside. He tossed it to the seat between him and Hardison.

"I'll be back. Sophie and Parker should be back soon."

"Where you goin'?"

"I have to see a man about a favor," Alec was a bit confused but he nodded in acceptance anyway.

Nate escaped to the hospital's chapel. He pushed open the unlocked door and found the small room empty. It had eight rows of pews and a simple cherry colored wooden cross attached to the wall; white lights shone up to highlight the wood and its grain. A few stained glass windows hung on two walls to feign windows, but he didn't pay them any mind. He moved up the center aisle toward the second pew on the right. He knelt a moment and crossed himself like a good Catholic boy before he eased his backside into the hard wood bench. Consciously sitting far enough, in the middle of the pew, because he knew at some point he'd be receiving company. Nate looked up at the cross and crossed himself again before he bowed his head.

'Father God, I don't know where to begin. You took my son, my marriage, my job, my alcohol, and my father. I feel like your servant, Job, the one you took everything from. Eliot Spencer is a good man. True, a poor sinner like me, but I'm asking you for a favor. Just please, heal his body. Parker needs him, hell, I need him. He's a good friend, better than I have been to him, definitely. So, I'm asking for you to return him to the team, whole. You know he can't make it without you. Comfort Parker's heart and give us all strength. We're going to need help to carry on. That's all I'm asking for,' Nate prayed silently in his head. 'Amen.'

He opened his eyes and stared at the cross; hoping for some kind of instant answer to come. But it didn't. Instead he heard the door open behind him. He knew it was Sophie; she had a 'distinctive' pace to her walk as Eliot would say. Nate sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to think about the job they were on and how things went wrong… Looking to place blame somewhere… But he felt too distracted with the extra presence in the room.

Sophie had left Parker with Hardison when they returned from the restroom. She knew how it was when it came to Nate and hospitals. Alec had told her that Nate had wandered off and something about getting a favor from some unnamed man. She had an idea pop up in her head and she went on the hunt. The chapel was on the same floor according to the posted map on the wall in the hall just outside the emergency waiting room. She peeked in the 8x11 small window and saw the man in question. Sophie debated disturbing him or leaving him alone for just a fraction before disturbing him won. She knew he would be rehashing the past in his mind and or beating himself up for what happened to Eliot. If she didn't stop him he'd end up fighting with a bottle of scotch. She walked in and the carpet muffled the sounds of her shoes, but she knew that he knew she was there.

"What is it Soph?"

"I thought I might find you in here," it sounded so cliché even to her ears.

She winced at her statement before she gently sat on the pew next to her lover and teammate. Sophie didn't say a word as she took his left hand and held it in both of hers in her lap. So much had been said with the simple act of friendship. She was trying to be a good listener for him and wait for him to open up to her. If she could get him to talk, then maybe she'd keep him on the wagon. Getting him to give up drinking had been a monumental task and she wasn't about to let him back slide now…

"How's Parker," he asked, clearly avoiding any topic she wanted to discuss.

"She's shaken, but she'll be okay I think. Hardison's taking care of her while I'm gone," she put her right arm around him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Dynamics of the team are going to change."

"What? How?"

"Hardison is going to lose Parker and Eliot is gaining a girlfriend by the time this situation ends."

Sophie didn't say a word in response because she had seen it in Parker's eyes as she looked at her reflection in the mirror of the women's restroom. She hadn't called her on it because she wanted to see what was going to play out a little first. Personally, Hardison just wasn't Parker's kind. And after the many conversations she'd had with the thief about their relationship… It just wasn't going to work. And the sooner one of them realized it; maybe the pain of the break up wouldn't break up the team.

"What should we do about it?"

"Do? I'm not sure there's anything to do at this point. Without Eliot it's kinda pointless to meddle."

They sat there together in companionable silence; still neither one wanted to approach the subject of how Nate was feeling. Nate said another silent prayer with his thoughts while Sophie said one of each for the whole team with her thoughts. Then she felt Nate's arm come around her shoulder and she sighed. He was finally reaching out to her and suddenly the outside world seemed far away. That somehow they were above all their problems.

"We should head back," she spoke.