Author's Note: Hi everyone. Thanks again for all your amazing reviews. Only two more chapters after this one and I'm hoping to post them soon. I hope you like where I have taken this story. Please let me know your views they are so appreciated.
Chapter 4 - Rescued
Sam pulled up to Coulson's house. He ducked under the police tape and went inside. He stopped in the middle of the lounge and scanned the entire room looking for something, anything. He wiped the sweat from his forehead; it was another scorching day. Sam wondered how long Jules could survive in this heat locked in some place with limited air. Come on Sam, think, where would Coulson hide her. He had to stop acting like a panicking boyfriend and start thinking like a police officer. Jules needed him to stay focused; she would be counting on him and he was not about to let her down.
Ed called Sam and told him DeShawn had told him Coulson definitely had a place where he kept money, weapons and drugs, but he did not know where.
"It's got to be here Ed, I know it".
With renewed determination Sam began to call out to Jules and then listen for any sound. He repeated this in every room. Sam opened every door and every cupboard.
He finally opened a door to a cupboard which was filled with books and magazines. He threw the contents onto the floor and removed the shelving: What he found made his heart beat faster than he believed possible.
A door hidden behind shelves had been nailed shut. You don't nail a door shut unless you want to keep something in or something out. Sam was frantically trying to find something to lever the door open. He decided it was taking too long and started to kick at the door with renewed strength; he would find Jules behind the door - he just had to. The panels in the door finally started to yield under the onslaught. Wood started to split and give way; and then surrendered completely. Revealed behind it were concrete steps leading down to the basement of the house. She was here, she had to be.
Sam ran down the steps, calling out to Jules. He heard nothing. It was pitch-black and Sam tripped over a box. He took out his flashlight and started to scan the room with the beam of light. Nothing. There was nothing which resembled a box big enough to fit Jules in. He then scanned the floor with the flashlight and saw a bolt; Sam slid the large bolt back and lifted open the heavy wooden trap door.
Please be in here Jules.
The space was tiny, but he saw her. She was there; her small frame curled up. Jules was unconscious. Sam quickly placed two fingers on her neck checking for a pulse; it was there - a little thready but she was alive. Dropping the flashlight to the ground, Sam pulled her out through the small opening. The flashlight rolled along the concrete floor partially lighting the dark damp basement.
"Jules baby, Jules wake up sweetheart" Sam said as he cradled her in his arms and stroked her face.
Jules finally took in a breath and then coughed. She held on to Sam. Sam noticed her hands; they were bloodied and bruised from the scratching and banging Jules had done to try and free herself from her prison.
Sam sat on the basement floor and held Jules while she wept. He had called Greg and the team was on their way to the house together with EMS.
It took only minutes before Sam heard the familiar voices of the team calling out to him. "We're down here" Sam called back.
The team made their way down the steps leading to the basement. Beams of light danced around the basement trying to pinpoint their teammates
Greg bent down and looked at Jules. "Are you in one piece, Jules? No broken bones or anything?" Greg stroked her head and felt the sticky substance on her hair which he knew instantly was blood. "You have a head wound Jules that would need to be looked at".
Jules did not reply. She just held on to Sam.
"EMS are on their way, Sam" Greg said "Let's get her upstairs. Can you manage?"
Sam nodded and without letting her go managed to stand with her still cradled in his arms and carried her up the stairs.
"Close your eyes, sweetheart, the light will hurt your eyes until they adjust". Sam spoke gently to Jules.
Jules complied and closed her eyes, but still she had not said one word.
Paramedics were waiting as they made their way out of the house. Sam gently laid Jules on the gurney and climbed into the ambulance still holding on to her hand.
The team watched as the ambulance pulled away.
"The bastard had her here all the time. Hiding her in plain sight" Ed said.
"We can't let him get away with this, he has tried to kill two members of our team" Spike said.
"Where do you suggest we look Spike?" Ed asked knowing no one had any leads on the whereabouts of Brian Coulson, ex SRU tactical officer for team 2.
"Let's get to the hospital" Greg said.
Greg was worried about Jules. She and Sam had been through more than anyone should ever experience and all of it at the hands of one man. Spike was right; they could not let Brian Coulson get away with what he had done. They would find him and make him pay for that he was certain.
The doctors had asked Sam to wait outside the examination room while Jules was checked over. He reluctantly obliged. However, two minutes later a nurse appeared and asked Sam to come back in. Jules was very agitated and only Sam was able to calm her down.
Sam was worried Jules had not spoken, but he knew she had been through hell and it would take her some time to get over. It was his turn to help her as she had helped him eight months earlier. He would be strong for her and she would get over this.
The doctors decided Jules needed sedation to help her sleep. Sam stayed and held her hand as he watched her slowly drift off to sleep.
The doctor appeared and checked Jules vital signs. She was doing OK.
The doctor told Sam he would like to speak to him outside. Sam followed the Doctor into the corridor and found his Team 1 team mates all waiting outside. He loved the guys; they were always there when you needed them offering their support.
The Doctor started to speak addressing all of them. "Ms. Callaghan is in quite good health considering what she has been through. She had a 3" gash to the right side of her head, which we have cleaned and stitched. We did a scan of her head just to be sure there wasn't a brain injury and thankfully it was clear. Her jaw is very swollen but luckily not broken. She has been given sedation and she is sleeping at the present time. I am concerned, however, that she had not communicated with anyone. She became very agitated when Mr Braddock left the room so we had to bring him back in. I understand she has suffered an extremely traumatic event and I think she should be monitored closely over the next few days to see how well she responds. However, if she remains withdrawn and uncommunicative we may need to carry out a psychiatric evaluation." The Doctor waited for everyone to digest what he had told them and then asked if anyone had any questions. No one did for now.
When the Doctor left Sam turned to the team, "She's not going to need a psych evaluation; Jules will be fine. Maybe if he had woken up to find himself buried alive, he would be feeling a little off." Sam didn't want anyone jumping to conclusions - Jules was stronger than anyone he knew and she would get over this.
"What are you doing Sam? Do you want one of us to drive you home to get a change of clothes and pick up some things for Jules?" Greg asked.
"I'm not going anywhere, Boss, I'm not leaving Jules here by herself" Sam put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his keys. "But I would appreciate it if someone could go to our place and pick up some things for Jules.
"Wordy took the keys from Sam, "I'll get Shelly to pick up some things for you Sam, she will know what Jules will need; I'll be back as soon as I can".
Sam thanked Wordy and he left the hospital.
Sam told the guys to go home, they all had an exhausting day, and it was supposed to be their weekend off. They stayed for an hour or so before leaving. Wordy had returned with Shelly and a bag for Jules. Greg said he would give it to Sam. Sam was sitting by Jules' bed holding her hand. Greg had rarely seen two people so in love, so devoted to each other. He had seen it in Jules when Sam had nearly lost his life and now he saw it in Sam.
Two hours after the team had left, Jules eyes began to open. Sam watched as for a split second Jules looked peaceful and then saw the terror in her eyes as she remembered what she had been through. Sam stroked her hair and told her it was OK that she was safe and he would never let anything ever happen to her again. Sam saw her face relax a little. But she didn't speak. Jules closed her eyes again and slept.
Sam watched Jules sleep for hours. He could watch her forever; Sam knew Jules was the only person he wanted to be with. She was his life. She would get over this and when she is fully recovered he will asked her to marry him.
Sam was woken by Jules quietly sobbing. Her hands were covering her face trying to stifle the sound
"Hey baby, you're awake; don't cry Jules." But Sam was crying too as he gently held onto her. "I'm so sorry Jules. I'm sorry this had to happen to you."
"I was so scared. It was so dark and so small and I thought you would never find me". Jules was sobbing into Sam's chest.
It was a good ten minutes until either of them could speak, but it was Jules who spoke first.
"Did you get him?" Jules asked.
"No, Jules, but we will, I promise".
"Where did you find me?"
"He had you at his house hidden in a box underneath the basement floor". Sam explained.
"At his house? The arrogant bastard". Jules said and then continued "So I'm guessing what you needed to tell the Boss was that Brian Coulson had something to do with you getting shot on the roof".
Sam nodded.
"What did he do Sam?"
"I will tell you everything when you are out of the hospital. I want you to get better first". She had been through so much already; that could wait for another day.
"I'm so sorry Jules, if I had told you about Coulson; you would not have gone with him. I have no idea how he found out I had remembered what happened."
"Don't blame yourself Sam; he would have found some other way to get to me"
Jules eyes felt heavy; she wanted to sleep but she was afraid to. She did not want to tell Sam, she did not want to tell anyone; Jules hated feeling afraid, hated being made to feel afraid. She would not admit it to anyone; but Coulson scared the living crap out of her.
Sam told Jules to go to sleep; he could see she was exhausted; he could see too how frightened she still was. Sam kicked off his boots, took off his shirt and belt and laid on the bed beside her. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.
"I don't think this is allowed" Jules said her head resting on his chest. Just hearing his heart beat made her feel comfortable and safe "but please don't go".
"I'm not going anywhere Jules; go to sleep I promise you I will still be here when you wake up".
Jules knew he would be. She trusted Sam more than anyone she had ever known in her life. But it was more than trust with Sam; it was a belief - an absolute and categorical belief that Sam would always love her and would always be there for her. She knew if he wasn't; it would be because he couldn't and that scared her more than Coulson ever could.
Sam gently stoked her hair and when he heard her breathing becoming slow and steady he knew Jules was sleeping. Sam didn't sleep. He saw a nurse come in; she quietly checked on Jules and quickly left. She didn't say anything to the blonde man lying next to Jules; she just smiled. The staff knew the team well and knew the risks they took on a daily basis and most of the staff would allow the rules to be broken in exceptionally circumstances.
When Jules woke she seemed more relaxed, more like her old self.
"When do you think they would allow me home?"
Sam laughed "Easy Jules, you have been through quit a lot, just rest and get better".
Sam knew Jules wasn't very good at being a patient. If the hospital managed to keep her in for a week they would be lucky. But he was happy, Jules seemed OK. She had been through the most unimaginable horror and had come through it. Jules was tough; she would not allow Coulson to break her.
Sam was right; the hospital had only managed to keep her two days. He drove her home.
"I'm sick of hospitals, Sam. I think we've done our fair share of being hurt. Can we try and stay injury free for the next year or so". Jules said.
"Jules you were in hospital for two days, it was hardly a life sentence" Sam said laughing at her as she pulled a face at him.
Greg was surprised but happy to see Jules so relaxed. He had been worried when he saw her the day Sam had found her.
Coulson had not been seen anywhere. He had vanished. His passport was not found, so it was possible he had fled the country. Spike had been monitoring any movement on his known bank accounts and there had been none.
Spike believed Coulson had bank accounts in other names. He had been in contact with Jason DeShawn for well over a year. He had plenty of time to build a new identity for himself. He wasn't married had no children, therefore had no ties. It was always easier to take on a new identity when no one knew much about the original. Coulson was a very private person. He had no real friends at the SRU where he had worked for twenty years. What they had discovered was that Coulson was a man with little conscious. He had ordered his criminal associates to throw an injured police officer, his colleague from the roof of a building and had kidnapped a fellow officer and buried her alive. Greg was worried that Coulson would reappear and cause more problems for the team. If it happened, they would be ready for him. He would not be allowed to get away from them a second time.
