Chap 3

Time for BeachHead to wake up. Glad that folks are enjoying the fic! Major Kudos to Storyseekr who made me snort ham through my sinus cavities by suggesting that BeachHead might be pregnant. Kudos.. major kudos.

I don't own them, I don't make money, cause if I did, I wouldn't be stressing about my blown up vehicle. I'd be driving a Mauler.

On to the fic!

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Covergirl paced across the room twice, and stopped to peer at the sleeping figure in the bed. Lifeline had been in and out several times, checking on the unconscious Ranger. Warm blankets had been tucked around him, and the monitors clicked and beeped softly, recording his vital statistics and transmitting them to the nurses' station up the hall.

She sat in the chair next to the bed and watched him breathing softly under the oxygen mask. It always seemed strange to see him without his mask, without his usual tac vest and sweater. Looking at her watch, she found it had been at least an hour, and there was no sign of him beginning to awaken. When Lifeline came back in, she tilted her wrist to show him the time.

"Why isn't he waking up? You said ten minutes."

He shrugged at her. "I also said that he doesn't wake up well from anesthesia. It takes a while sometimes.." He took the time to check BeachHead's pupils. "Just guessing, from his vitals and breathing, he should start moving around pretty soon." Reaching to pull out the restraints, he buckled cuffs on the thick wrists, and belting a strap across his chest, tucking it under his arms so there was no way from him to slide from under it.

CoverGirl protested, getting up to stand beside the bed. "What are you doing? You can't tie up Beach!"

Lifeline snorted at her. "Yes, I can. Yes, I will. He's likely to fall out of the bed and do himself damage otherwise. I don't want him ripping the sensor wires off, the i.v. lines out, or him deciding to try to sprint for the front door before his legs work. You'll see when he starts to wake up. I'm only doing it for his own good."

She frowned at him. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

He shrugged at her. "Last time, he ripped out his i.v., pulled the drain from his wounded leg, and even got the chest tube ripped out, despite it being stitched into place.. all before I could re-sedate him. Time before that, he managed to throw himself out of the bed and broke a finger. He wasn't really awake either time, it was just him thrashing around being BeachHead. Once he wakes up, he's usually better about not pulling tubes out of himself, although he has an annoying tendency to 'call' the nurse by pulling loose the sensor wires to his heart monitor."

BeachHead suddenly took a deeper breath. CoverGirl leaned forward as he puffed it out again. "Is he waking up?" Even though Lifeline had warned her about how the Ranger reacted when he started waking up, she perversely didn't quite believe the Sergeant Major would do those things. She watched his lips move under the mask, although he wasn't making enough noise to hear him.

Lifeline reached to check the oxygen reading and twisted the supply off. As he removed the mask entirely, he leaned over and spoke next to BeachHead's ear. "Hey... BeachHead.. it's okay. You're in Medical. You're gonna be fine." She watched his body shiver and Lifeline tugged the blankets a little higher. "Are you cold? Come on, you gotta start waking up now."

The breathing went ragged for a few seconds then calmed again. Beach started to mumble again and suddenly twisted in the bed, his arms lifting as much as the restraints let him. "Aahhh-hmmmm..." He groaned and she saw his left hand trying to reach upwards towards his chest, stymied by the cuff fastening it down. "Geeet.. ahhfft.."

She stood anxiously, and started to take his hand. Lifeline pushed her wrist aside. "Don't... if he gets a grip on you, you could end up with a broken wrist. If you want to touch him, touch his arm.. don't try to hold his hand yet."

She glared at him. "Beach wouldn't hurt me."

He looked at her with a annoyed expression. "He wouldn't mean to, but he's not awake. He's still hallucinating, and I know that if he woke up finally to find out he'd snapped your fingers while he was still out, he'd feel really horrible."

The figure on the bed suddenly began to pant, moaning loudly and Lifeline bent again. "Calm down.. it's okay. You're safe. BeachHead you're in Medical, it's Lifeline, wake up. Wake up.. come on."

CoverGirl reached to rub her hand up and down his left forearm. "Hey, come on Beach. It's time to wake up." He twisted his face towards her and the eyelids flickered open. "Hey Beach, tough guy." She could tell he wasn't seeing anything, his deep brown eyes were unfocused and hazy looking. He blinked in her general direction and she reached to stroke the back of her fingers across his cheek. "Hi big guy. You're alright."

He gazed blankly past her and his lips moved a bit before he spoke. "Mama? Is..naga?" She blinked and then smiled. Lifeline gave her a warning glare.

She gave him another stroke to his cheek. "No.. it's Covergirl.. it's Courtney.. wake up Beach."

Lifeline lifted a finger at her, keeping his voice soft. "Don't call him by his given name.. it'll freak him out.. keep calling him BeachHead. I think it helps him remember he's in the Pit, remember when he is, where he is. I gotta go let Doc know he's waking up. Don't let him grab you." She nodded and he hurried out.

Beach turned his head when Lifeline left his bedside, his brow furrowing. "Naa..dunn.."

She took a grip on his arm and squeezed. "Hey, it's fine, Lifeline will be right back. But I'm here, I'll make sure you're okay."

He twisted his head around to look almost at her, but his eyes refused to focus properly. "Don't tell me lions won't sell chickens!!" His voice was suddenly completely clear, if rough sounding, and she really thought for a second she was having trouble comprehending English, before she realized the statement just didn't make sense. He seemed put out that she didn't respond. "For honey's sake! You noon based for square rabbit!" She blinked at him. "Lemme go!"

Finally something she could respond to and she shook her head. "No.. when you wake up, but you're kind of sick. You need to wake up now." Instead he started to fight the restraints, jerking and arching his back. "No! BeachHead! Stop that! Be still.. look at me.." She almost slipped her fingers into his hand and he grabbed and missed. She snatched her arm away, and he got the bed railing and twisted hard enough to make her glad she'd been quick enough.

"Get them off! Hate chickens! Tell them not to!" He began to plead incoherently for something at her, and she shook her head, completely stunned watching him babble. She'd seen him drunk once, involuntarily, at a function where someone slipped him a mickey as a ill-thought-out prank. He'd slurred his words, and eventually even stumbled. He had not, however, ever not made sense.. at least mostly. She'd never been quite as glad to see the medic arrive as right when he walked in.

"He's raving!" She flinched back when he snarled at Lifeline as he stepped up to the bedside.

Lifeline calmly ignored the thrashing and reached to pin BeachHead down by his forehead, using his thumb to pull up each eyelid so he could shine a small penlight into each eye. "Hi BeachHead.. doing okay?"

Lips peeled back and the sergeant snarled at him. "Ger mooch terry link format!" Lifeline continued to recheck his pupils calmly and Beach shook his wrists in the restraints.

The medic leaned over to look him in the face. "BeachHead.. it's me. Look at me. It's Lifeline, remember me? Lifeline.. the useless pacifist who won't shoot guns? Look at me.. come on!"

A very distinct string of cursewords streamed out of the patient's mouth and he jerked one arm as if he would have thrown a punch. Lifeline shook his finger in his face. "No! No hitting! Look at me.. who am I? Tell me who I am."

Instead of answering, he arched upwards, jerking against the restraints and Lifeline put a hand on his chest, pressing down firmly. "Stop. Be still.." He glanced at CoverGirl. "Don't you DARE repeat this." She nodded mutely and he leaned down to peer into the angry face. "Beach! Lie still or I'm getting the kitty!"

BeachHead gasped in horror and shook his head frantically. "Nuh-uh! Nuh-uh! No no!" CoverGirl raised an eyebrow and suddenly understood why exactly Lifeline and Doc were so very adamant that no one know how BeachHead reacted while waking up. "Unnt-uh!! Dunn get it!! Dun!"

Lifeline scowled down into his face. "Stop this thrashing around!" His voice was stern. "Be still." The heavily muscled drill instructor obediently lay quieter, shaking slightly. "Who am I? Tell me. Come on Beach.. tell me."

BeachHead turned his face aside and looked distinctly sulky. "Stoooopid medic."

Lifeline rolled his eyes. "That was pretty close.. look at me.. tell me my name. You gotta wake up."

Heaving a sigh, Beach suddenly focused on the woman standing on the opposite side of the bed. "Mama?" She struggled not to laugh, especially when Lifeline glared at her.

The medic jostled his arm. "No.. who is that? Look at her.. who is it?"

BeachHead let his eyelids droop almost closed for a few seconds before he opened them wider and stared at her. "Courtney?"

She beamed at him. "Hey Beach, I told you I'd be here when you woke up."

He nodded very calmly at her. "Kill da chickens now."

She twisted her lips, looking at Lifeline who crossed his arms, no help at all. "Umm.. okay.. we'll kill the chickens, as soon as you wake up the rest of the way. Okay?" He scowled at her. "Hi BeachHead.. I was worried about you. Are you okay?"

He heaved a sigh and suddenly looked concerned. "OW! Ow ow ow!" Lifeline plucked up the clipboard and read the top sheet, flipping to see the second. "OW!!" He was glared at and BeachHead twisted in the bed to glare harder at him. "OOOOOWWWWWWW!"

Lifeline raised an eyebrow at him. "Shush.. no yelling. What's my name?"

He was given a scathing glare. "OOOWWWWWWWWW!!!"

Although Lifeline did wince at the volume, he leaned in and smiled. "Hi BeachHead. Who am I?"

"Courtney." The medic sighed at him.

CoverGirl rubbed his arm. "Noo, I'm Courtney.. "

He tilted his face around to look at her. "Mama?" She shook her head and he looked at Lifeline. "Courtney?" The medic heaved a sigh and rubbed the spot between his eyes for a second. "Courtney!!"

"No Beach.. I'm not Courtney."

He looked a little disappointed then and frowned at his medic. "Courtney!" he insisted.

Lifeline glanced at his watch. "Well.. only another hour and forty minutes or so to go.. then you'll just be rabidly grumpy and start throwing up. Won't THAT be fun?"

Doc poked his head in briefly. "How's he doing?" BeachHead took one look at him and screamed in seeming terror. "Oh.. I see.. going away now.." The physician disappeared and as if a switch had been thrown, BeachHead stopped screaming.

The medic shook a finger at him again. "That's really not nice. Doc made you better."

BeachHead shifted angrily in the bed. "OW Courtney!"

Lifeline sighed. "I don't get paid enough.. I really don't."

* * * *

After another hour, BeachHead had gotten to the point of chatting amiably with them both. Nothing he said made the slightest bit of sense, being a string of unrelated words. But he said them in such a calm conversational way that you started to doubt your own sanity after a while. He'd also remained completely firm in his conviction that poor Lifeline should be called Courtney although he stopped referring to Courtney as Mama, and decided she was 'Mmm-hmmph' instead. Lifeline had only needed to use the kitty threat once more, although Doc had to leave twice to stop him from screaming at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly right in the middle of a very earnest statement involving random words, Beachhead's eyes rolled up in his head and he went limp. Lifeline jumped up and grabbed at a drawer, pulling bottles and syringes out to draw fluid into the needle. CoverGirl had reached to pat the unresponsive man gently, and looked at the medic in confusion.

He nodded at the side of the bed. "Hit the call button, tell Doc to get in here NOW." She fumbled at the button, telling the nurse who answered the page to relay the message to Doc. She saw the heavy limbs begin to twitch and frowned.

Lifeline glanced over. "Dang it! You haven't done this the last two times! Why now!?" Doc rushed in and the medic tossed the bottle he was using aside, adjusting the syringe as he moved to the bedside. "Doc.. he's seizing."

The dark-skinned medical officer groaned. "What? I thought he was past that stage already, how long?"

Inserting the needle into the i.v. cannula, Lifeline glanced at his watch. "Two minutes.."

Doc leaned to shine a light into the glazed eyes briefly. "Hit him up with the meds, you might catch it in time." Almost seeming in reaction to his statement, the limp body twisted rhythmically. "Crap. Come on Beach.. you haven't done this in a while, not today."

The meds seemed to take effect quickly however. CoverGirl felt horrified as the capable sergeant major jerked uncontrollably. It passed quickly and within a few minutes was over, the Ranger opened up confused eyes.

"Whut happen?"

Lifeline blinked and looked at Doc. "Hey Beach.. you awake?"

He turned a tired looking face towards the medic. "Yeah... where are we?"

Lifeline took a deep breath. "We're in Medical.. you're sick, but you'll be fine."

BeachHead nodded calmly and lifted a wrist as far as he could. "Okay Courtney, get these danged chickens off me."

CoverGirl sighed and he looked at her. "Whut?"

She looked at the two medical personnel. "You know.. it's not his confusion, it's his utter conviction that he's RIGHT."

Lifeline suddenly grinned. "Should have seen the lemming invasion when he got loose." Doc shuddered. "Okay.. maybe it's good you didn't. I thought it was rather amazing."

Doc glared at him. "That's because YOU thought it was a good idea to drop a few hundred marbles on the floor to keep him busy picking them up. I, on the other hand, had to try to sedate him while he was screaming and curling up in a ball protecting imaginary lemmings."

Lifeline nodded. "Yes.. amazing. What can I say? Life here is never dull for long."

BeachHead scowled at him. "Shut it Courtney! There's purple fourteen light brigade cracker shift!"

He was patted on his arm. "Okay.. that's nice."

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End Chapter:

What fun! I have a friend who acts just like this when he wakes up, and it's hysterical to watch.. as long as you don't let him grab you and snap one of your fingers, which he finds very funny at the time. Hope you're enjoying, please review, or at least keep reading! I'm working on a new chapter for Vacation.. hang in there!