heartbeat 1. A single complete pulsation of the heart 2. A vital unifying force or driving impulse 3. An instant 4. The regular movement or sound that the heart makes as it sends blood around your body.

Despite Harry calling in numerous favours during the five days that had passed since the explosion, Section D was still visibly understaffed, and hopelessly overworked. Another new face would be joining the team on Monday, as would an old friend who had agreed, and been given clearance, to lend a hand for a while and help get everyone up to speed.

Right now the grid was almost empty, although it was not quite four-thirty. Ruth, Tariq and a couple of admin staff had been the only ones present for most of the day, until Harry had walked through the door half an hour ago, and headed straight for his office without a word to anyone.

The pounding in Harry's head had been present all afternoon, along with the low-grade tension that had first spread its tentacles across his neck and shoulders in the wake of an early morning disagreement with the Home Secretary. A heated meeting of the JIC compounded matters, and the strain had erupted into a full blown headache.

As Harry sat at his desk, he flexed his fingers and stretched his arm in an effort to regain feeling in it. Pins and needles morphed into a stabbing sensation, and he winced, moving his right hand to rub at his chest and shoulder.

"Harry?" Ruth was standing in the doorway, her brow furrowed. "Harry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You look, well, you look like you're in pain." She moved incrementally into the office, watching him closely.

"It's nothing. Just a headache ... maybe a pinched nerve or something. I was hoping for an early night for a change, but it doesn't look like that will be possible any time soon." Harry stood to walk toward her, keen to dispel her concern, but the effort brought on a sudden, stronger pain, and his step faltered. Clutching at his chest, he swayed and closed his eyes to stop the room spinning, afraid he might throw up.

"Harry?" He was aware of Ruth's hands gently, but firmly, guiding him back to the chair, and supporting his weight as he slumped into it. Harry breathed deeply, and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't, as a new wave of pain hit him afresh.

"Tariq!" Ruth yelled, knowing that Harry was most certainly not fine, "TARIQ!"

Moments later, Tariq appeared, quickly taking in the pained expression on Harry's grey face, and reaching for the phone. As he dialed, he listened to Ruth reeling off questions to Harry, who responded with as little effort as possible. Then Tariq heard a voice at his ear and turned his attention back to the phone. "I need an ambulance ... Yes ... Thames House ..."

Ruth was conscious that Tariq had gotten through, but the rest of the phone conversation was lost on her as she focused on Harry, whose face was now very pale with a tinge of blue around the lips. She loosened and removed his tie, undoing the top button of his shirt. "Harry. Don't ... don't try to move. Just stay still ..." Her voice trailed off as he fumbled for her hand and grasped it tightly.

"Feels like … like … an elephant … sitting on my chest," he said.

Ruth's face fell momentarily, but she quickly replaced her concern with a nervous half-smile and tried to crack a joke. "Elephant? I thought we already had enough of them sharing the room with us?" She'd never seen Harry as vulnerable as this, never imagined she would, and it had thrown her a little off balance. In fact it was scaring her, but she was determined to try not to show it.

"Ambulance is on its way," Tariq said as he hung up the phone. "I'll go downstairs and wait for it." He smiled wanly at Ruth and raced out the door.

The office was silent now, except for the sound of Harry's breathing which had grown shallow. He had given in to the pain and closed his eyes again, occasionally groaning, and beads of sweat were forming at his temples.

"Harry, how long have you been feeling like this? Why didn't you say something?"

He wanted to speak, but once again, he couldn't. Instead, he looked up at her, still holding her hand tightly, and she could see liquid fear in his eyes.

Squeezing Harry's hand, Ruth moved her other hand up to his face, stroking gently across his forehead and coming to rest on his cheek. "You're going to be okay Harry … you'll be okay," she said softly, as much to reassure herself as him.

The medics first examined Harry, then lifted him onto a stretcher. Ruth stood beside Tariq watching them. She didn't say a word, but her eyes darted vigilantly between Harry and the medics, carefully observing every move, and ready to intervene should she deem it necessary. Her curiosity almost got the better of her when they placed a tablet under his tongue, but then she remembered it was common practice to administer nitroglycerin in such situations.

As the medics began wheeling the stretcher out to the waiting ambulance, Ruth looked uncertainly toward Tariq, who gave her a small nod. "Go, we'll be alright," he said. "I can ring you if I need to."

Ruth hesitated slightly, torn, and so he said it again. "It's okay, you go."

She nodded. "Thank you." Then before Tariq knew it, she had grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and disappeared with Harry, calling over her shoulder, "Phone Lucas!"

Tariq looked around him at the now almost deserted grid, and let out a long, loud, shaky breath.

TBC

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

Assuming you want to keep reading, I think I can promise reasonably fast updates because the story is already complete (in fact this chapter is several months old). It was all written before the recent s9 spoilers saw the light of day, and is now getting the beta treatment.