A/N: Welcome to my first AU scenario of Sam meeting Jules. Hope you enjoy!
"Jules! Status! Status NOW!"
"Jules? Status..."
Finally, the comms crackled to life and the sniper called from her perch, although with a slightly weak voice. "No harm. Subject contained."
As one, the tactical team let out a sigh of relief.
The team leader, Ed Lane, motioned for one of his officers to accompany him to retrieve the second subject atop the neighboring building.
While the first subject was cuffed and contained, the second subject had disappeared. They had been none the wiser of his location until the gunshot had echoed in their headsets and everyone except one of them had called out "no harm".
Ed and Wordy cautiously jogged up the stairs with their weapons drawn. Ed quickly rushed to the subject, firmly grasping his arm, probably with more force than necessary. Wordy, on the other hand, approached their female sniper, who was standing with her back against the wall, her face contorted in pain.
"Jules?"
The woman in question bit her lip and glanced at her left arm, the upper arm she was clutching tightly, as dark blood seeped through her fingers.
Wordy's eyes widened in realization and he immediately directed at his Boss.
"Sarge, have EMS on stand by."
Ed, who was escorting the subject down, raised an eyebrow. "Wordy?"
Wordy looked over at the young woman with the gunshot wound to her arm as he led her down the stairs, her gear on his shoulder.
"It's Jules. She was shot."
Jules opens her eyes warily, the anesthetic slowly ebbing away to allow coherent thought. However, she immediately regrets the action as the light, although dim, assaults her eyes and she finds herself surrounded by a very pissed, yet relieved, Team One.
"Why didn't you tell us right away that you had been shot, Jules?" Ed asks finally, breaking the silence with his anger veiled concern. His hands rest on his hips, his gray eyes darker, as he stares down at the young woman.
Jules doesn't even shift a muscle under his hard stare, instead meeting his eyes dead on with her own, even if her message of defiance is slightly thwarted by her current state.
Spike sighs and steps between them, placing a comforting hand on Jules's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay. Just don't do that again. You matter more than that subject ever will."
Her eyes soften as she smiles at Spike. She tests out her dry throat, but finds herself coughing. Wordy hands her a cup with a straw, and she drinks the water greedily. "Thanks Wordy." She hands him back the cup and refocuses back on Spike. "I'll try not to. But priority of life, remember?"
Lew huffs at the stupid rule.
Greg, who had been going over the last hour carefully, finally speaks up. "She's right, guys. The subject had to be contained first before she could be treated. There was nothing we could've done before."
"That bastard." Wordy mutters, referring to the subject who had disappeared under their watch only to harm one of their own.
Ed shares his sentiment, and sighs. "Since you're up, I think I should go get the doctor."
Ed excuses himself and heads out into the hallway in search of the man that had informed them of Jules's condition.
As the team had waited impatiently in the waiting room, the young doctor had informed them that the bullet had gone straight through with no harm to her bones or arteries. The doctor had also assured them that the surgery had gone smoothly and he expected a full recovery. However, after allowing them into her room as Jules slept from the anesthetic, the doctor had asked for them to inform him when she woke.
Jules shifts slightly, feeling a sense of discomfort and stiffness. She drapes her good arm over her eyes and mutters. "How long was I out?"
Lew chuckles. "Couple hours, Sleeping Beauty."
Jules uncovers her eyes long enough to glare at Lew. "Great. How long till I'm back at work?"
Greg can't help but laugh softly as the guys share amused looks. He goes over and squeezes her good arm comfortingly. "You worry about getting better and then we'll talk about you coming back."
The remaining men of Team One hear a soft knock and turn to look at the doctor, an undeniably handsome man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes, standing beside Ed.
The man looks past them to the young woman on the hospital bed. "Julianna Callaghan?"
Jules uncovers her eyes at the gentle unfamiliar voice, her heart missing a beat at the sight of the handsome blonde.
The doctor smiles, introducing himself. "I'm Doctor Samuel Braddock." He raises an eyebrow at the officers. "I'm gonna need you all to wait in the waiting room while I check the stitches."
The men nod and file out, casting Jules looks of familial concern.
The doctor eyes the extremely beautiful young woman on the bed. She truly is a sight to behold, hospital gown and all. He feels his own heartbeat quicken, inwardly cursing himself for the unprofessional reaction.
He promptly puts down his clipboard on the wooden bedside table and applies some hand sanitizer from the automatic dispenser. He smiles at her warmly. "How's the arm?"
Jules attempts to move said arm and hisses in pain.
The doctor chuckles. "That bad, huh?"
"Not really." She looks at him, her eyes set in defiant determination. "How long till my arm's back to normal?"
He moves over to sit on the stool with wheels and rolls over to her. He motions for her to get up to a sitting position.
She rids herself of the bed sheets and sits on the side of the bed, her feet dangling off the edge.
The doctor finally answers her question. "It all depends on how much effort you put into the physical therapy. As soon as your arm is good as new, I'll sign off and you can return to work."
"Not long then." Jules smirks confidently.
He smiles at her and she feels her breath catch. Their eyes lock and unfamiliar waves of emotion course through both their veins.
Sam clears his throat, gently taking her arm in his hands as he begins to gingerly remove the bandaging.
Jules watches him work in silence, resisting the urge to shudder under his gentle touch.
Finally the bandages are off, and Sam is probing the stitches, making sure there are no signs of infection on or around the incision.
"How did this happen?"
Jules blinks at the slight anger in his tone, but divulges in the events nonetheless. "My team was serving a drug bust when two guys turned violent. One of them found out where I was perched and came to my location, gun in hand. He shot before I could react."
Sam meets her eyes once again and says honestly. "I'm glad you're okay."
Jules smiles, her cheeks burning a little. "Thanks."
He rolls over to some drawers and reveals fresh gauze. "I'm gonna bandage your arm. By the looks of it, there is no infection and no concern at the moment. However, I'm going to need you to drop by a check up appointment in two days - the same day you will be starting PT."
Jules huffs at that. "Fine."
He rolls back over to her and gently bandages her arm.
"So you're a cop, huh?"
She smiles proudly. "A sniper."
He raises an impressed eyebrow and speaks without thinking. "Don't see lady snipers too often. That's kinda sexy."
She narrows her eyes at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He blinks up at her and replays his words, wincing slightly. He quickly stammers out. "I mean...its cool. I'm not being sexist. I've just...never met a girl sniper...a sexy one at that.."
He shuts his eyes in embarrassment and rubs his temples. Way to go, Braddock.
To his utter surprise and relief, a beautiful sound fills the room as she starts laughing. She finally calms and winks at him. "Don't see hot doctors too often. That's kinda sexy."
He smirks cockily, common sense flying out the window. "So you think I'm sexy?"
Now it's Jules's turn to impersonate a tomato. "Don't let it go to your head."
Their eyes lock again and Sam wonders if her lips are as soft as they look.
"Dr. Braddock?"
Both turn like deer caught in headlights at the sound of the older woman's voice.
Oblivious to the heat and tension in the room, the nurse continues. "Are you almost done here? There's a patient asking for you in Room 120."
Sam clears his throat, softly patting Jules's now bandaged arm. "Yup, she's ready to go." He then addresses Jules. "Your discharge papers are gonna be at the front desk - they'll also give you your next appointment date."
She smiles, biting her lip. "Thanks, doc."
He nods, scribbling something on his clipboard. He hands her a piece of paper. "That's a prescription for pain medication."
Jules rolls her eyes and puts the paper on the bed with disdain. She won't be needing those.
Sam catches her action and smirks. "Trust me. You'll need it."
The older nurse finishes removing the IV, and Jules absently wonders when she started. Damn, this doctor has me distracted.
As soon as she's done, the nurse leaves, muttering something under her breath.
Sam chuckles. "Sorry about her, she's nice when you get to know her."
"I'm sure she is. But obviously she doesn't like me or she doesn't like the fact that you were taking you're merry time."
He shrugs his shoulders. He then points his pen at her arm. "You take care of that arm, and yourself for that matter. Other than Tuesday, I don't want to see you here again for anymore injuries."
She mock salutes him. "Yes, sir."
They both laugh, marveling at the easiness between them, as if they had known each other for more than a couple hours.
She sobers. "I'll try. But if you know anything about me and my team, is that we don't shy away from danger - meaning more often than not - we end up with an injury of some sort."
He shakes his head ruefully."Well, I guess I better go." He looks at her pointedly. "Make sure you take your medication - two pills a day, one in the morning and one at bedtime. If you feel more pain, give me a call and I'll see if I can up the dose. Got it?"
She rolls her eyes at her perceived implication that she can't handle pain. Seeing his glare though, she mutters an okay.
He smiles. "Good. It was a pleasure meeting you Constable Callaghan."
She smiles back, butterflies dancing in her stomach. "It wad nice to meet you as well, Doctor Braddock."
A/N: This one-shot is dedicated go Snowgirl01, whose PMs asking for more Sam and Jules convinced me to write just that. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this one shot that depending on your reviews can turn into a two-shot! Do you want me to write a next meeting? First kiss? First date?
By the way, this is the first installment of my new series - the Not So Different series - that i want to work on in between my main stories. I have a couple ideas for other meeting scenarios:
A) One is a firefighter, the other still SRU.
B) Jules a lawyer, Sam framed for murder.
C) Jules a college student, Sam a renowned hockey player.
Let me know what you think. Should I keep going with the series? If so, please vote.
After all, an author is nothing without his/her readers.