Author's Note: Thanks for the review, follows, and private messages. I wasn't sure there were still people checking out this board so it was nice to see that there are still so many fans of the show following along.
McG shook his head to clear the memories and pulled himself back to the present. He wished this was all just a nightmare from which he could wake up. Since it wasn't, he needed to control what he could, and that meant keeping an eye on Jaz.
The room was far from a quiet place so the fact that Jaz was sleeping just proved how tired she'd become. Between the ventilator breathing for Adam, and the monitors tracking his vital signs, there was steady background noise. He walked across the small distance, crouched down next to Jaz, and carefully pushed her hair behind her ear. Other than rolling her face in his direction, she continued to sleep. He looked at the steri-strips on her forehead. They were covering the stitches that closed a deep gash up at her hairline. He confirmed that they were still intact and that the wound showed no further bleeding. The smaller cuts and scrapes within view were still glistening with the antibiotic ointment he'd been applying over them for the last several days. From his position he could see the cast on her broken right arm and there was no unusual swelling above it. Her clothing covered the severe bruising of her abdomen along with the three broken ribs no one but an X-ray machine could see. There was nothing he could do to help with those injuries. She really needed to be in a hospital bed herself, but when they'd told her Adam was in the ICU, she'd refused further medical treatment, and signed out against medical advice. Not a single member of the team had been surprised.
Since the accident, Deputy Director Campbell had spoken with each of them on the phone multiple times. She was the one who'd encouraged him not to push Jaz about her decision. As she pointed out, at least she was still in the hospital building, and if her condition deteriorated, it would be easy enough to get her readmitted. An added bonus was that this way she wasn't overexerting herself. It wasn't like she'd been moving around much since she'd taken up residence in Adam's room. Except for bathroom trips, forced trips to the cafeteria to eat, and one very long and painful attempt at a shower, she'd pretty much stayed in the chair.
The entire team knew why she struggled to leave Adam's room. She wouldn't be pleased to know that her mild concussion symptoms, combined with the effects of her pain medication, meant every thought and emotion was clearly displayed on her face. This included her fear that Adam would die if she left his bedside. The thought that she wouldn't be there was more risk than she could tolerate. Even Preach couldn't comfort her enough to make her feel like it was safe to leave. If Preach couldn't get through to her, McG and Amir knew they didn't have a chance.
Every second Jaz was awake she spent reading and talking to Adam in hopes of reaching him in his coma. In fact, based on the upside down book on the floor, she'd fallen asleep mid-story. McG knew Adam needed to do something major soon or Jaz was going to run herself into the ground both physically and mentally.
Unfortunately, Adam was a mess. Most of his ribs were either cracked or broken, as was an arm, a leg, and several of his fingers. His skull fracture and subsequent brain bleed were the most severe injuries. His prognosis was still uncertain at this point, and until he woke from the coma he'd fallen into, they wouldn't really know what the effects would be. But what McG feared was that Adam would no longer be able to command their team in the field.
Amir and Preach had already realized that was a very real possibility. Preach was seriously considering retirement if that possibility become a reality. Amir wasn't sure what he'd do next. McG didn't think that Jaz had even thought that far ahead. She was solely focused on the present.
He stood and looked down at her taking in her pale face. Her blood work showed something he hadn't expected. Elevated HcG levels indicating a pregnancy. She'd signed herself out before her treating doctor had discussed it with her but it was part of the transfer of care report McG had received. He'd read it no less than four times and the information was still sinking in. McG realized this information would not be welcome news. It certainly didn't fit into her current life plan.
The entire team knew Jaz had deep feelings for Adam and they also knew that he felt the same. However, since a relationship wasn't an option for them right now, they'd both continued to date occasionally. Several weeks before this most recent mission, they'd had liberty in the local city near the base. Jaz had paired off with one of the locals and disappeared until morning. McG assumed that man would be the father of her child. He still wasn't sure how he was going to break the news to her. He kept hoping that the right opportunity would come along soon and with it the words he needed. All he knew for certain was that now was definitely not the time.