Disclaimer: I do not own nor did I create any of the A-team characters (main or support) nor do I own nor did I create any of the episodes. That credit is due to Stephen J. Cannell and his associates.
Spoiler Alert: None the piece/plot is all my creation. Zuniga, the big bad in "Knights of the Road" - Season three Episode nineteen - is referenced here as the brother of my O.C. Calderone'. Sanchez is also an O.C.
Author's Notes: The mixed time line continues here as does the dark storyline.
Warning: Allusions to a suspected (risked) sexual assault are made. No such assault takes place. Nothing graphic nor blatant.
Summary: Maggie treats Faceman.
4 Rescued- By: LAGC
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She jumped and nearly slipped in the tub when Murdock's voice suddenly burst out in the bathroom, dragging her from the horrid fresh memories.
"What the hell?" she barely had time to think to herself before he hurriedly explained.
"Sweetie, I really sorry about this. But ..."
She stuck her head around the shower curtain to find Murdock standing with his back to the tub twisting his ball cap. "What's wrong, Murdock?"
"Face won't settle down. Maggie can't examine and treat him. He keeps yelling for you. Even B.A. is struggling to hold him down and Maggie won't sedate him until she can assess his condition."
She had already wrapped the towel around herself and was stepping out of the shower.
"It's ok Murdock. I'll go. Please hand me the robe Maggie lent me."
Murdock passed it to her. As she finished tying it she told him it was ok to turn around.
She leaned in to turn off the shower and the robe slipped off her shoulder, revealing the the marks Calderone had left there. She heard Murdock she turned back to him she saw the questions in his puppy brown eyes.
"Murdock, I'm fine. They're just bruises. Hannibal stormed in before things turned completely ugly."
"Okay Sugarpop, you'd tell us otherwise, right?"
"I swear."
They raced down the hallway to Maggie's exam room. Face's frantic voice filling their ears,
"Hannibal, where is she! I have to see her!"
"Lieutenant calm yourself. She's ok. Calm down so Doc Sullivan can treat you! " ordered Hannibal.
For the first time, in her experience, Hannibal's direct order had no effect on Face who continued to holler and thrash, calling out for her.
"Face, I'm right here." she said rushing to his side and grabbing his hand.
Hannibal threw Murdock an approving nod as he made space for her next to his lieutenant.
B.A. gently supported Face's shoulders so he could sit up. Face looked at her, running his eyes all over her. Assessing.
"I'm fine, Face. I promise, just some bruises. Maggie will double check me once she's taken care of you." she ran her free hand through his hair, brushing it off his brow.
"Oh thank God." he sighed.
"Now, Face, please let Maggie take care of you. I know you're hurt. I saw it happen."
"I'm sorry, so sorry. I couldn't stop him. I was suppose to protect you." Face confessed.
"Don't. Don't you worry. We protect each other. Now please relax, so Maggie can treat you."
"Okay." he agreed and rested back finally allowing the pain and exhaustion to take hold.
The Big Guy, Murdock, and she stepped out and headed to the living room. They could hear Hannibal gently saying, "There, satisfied now, Kid? Maggie, do you need me to stay?" When Maggie declined his offer, Hannibal joined them in the living room. He immediately went to her and enfolded her in a fatherly embrace, which she wholeheartedly accepted. Then they sat on the couch. B.A. settled into an armchair while Murdock paced.
"Face is gonna be fine. Maggie doesn't think any bones are broken but she's going to runx-rays, nonetheless. She's more concerned about internal bleeding That's why she refused to sedate him. She needs him responsive." Hannibal explained.
"That's what I'm afraid of too. I'm amazed about no broken bones though. Calderone was brutal, barbaric really," she shuddered as she spoke. Hannibal hugged her again.
"Are you ready to talk about it yet!" he asked. She shot a nervous glance at Murdock, who had stopped pacing but was nearly destroying his cap, twisting in his hands. Hannibal patted her shoulder.
"BA and Murdock, go stow the van in Maggie's barn and secure our gear. Might as well bring in our overnight supplies too. We won't be leaving tonight." He ordered with a loaded nod to his Sergeant.
"On it Hannibal. Let's go Murdock." responded B.A. as he stood up and steered Murdock toward the door.
"Okay?" he asked her
"Thanks, Hannibal. I didn't want to upset Murdock any further. I know he can figure out what happened but he doesn't need to hear the color commentary. I've seen you guys get beat up and hurt in fights, but this wasn't a fight. Face was helpless. No, this was just awful." She paused to let a shudder pass. "Calderone was enjoying hurting Face. He wanted the beating to last. Each new trail of blood on Face just fed him."
"With creeps like Calderone, inflicting the misery is the thrill." Hannibal sneered
"He had me cuffed to the wall, so I could watch. So Face knew I was watching. Face, was chained to a metal chair. One blow was so hard, Calderone knocked him and the chair completely backwards. Face's head bounced off the floor." She cast an anxious glance toward the exam room.
"Maggie has already assumed he has a concussion. That's another reason she didn't sedate him immediately." Hannibal assured her, as if reading her mind. She smiled weakly.
"I knew Face wanted me to play invisible. I guess he hoped Calderone would be so focused on him, that I'd be forgotten -and safe- until you came. So I tried to stay invisible."
"Good assessment," Hannibal assured her.
"But I guess simply beating Face lost some of its thrill. So Calderone decided to up the ante." she continued. "He signaled one of his thugs, who then left the room. Only to return with a car battery and jumper cables. And a bucket of water." Here, tears began to fall from her eyes but she ignored them. "Hannibal, I freaked. I knew what he was gonna do. The look that passed across Face's eyes ... I'd never seen, nor do I ever want to see again." Hannibal's expression told her he knew exactly what look she meant.
"Well, I panicked, I guess. I knew you guys would arrive soon but not before that bastard started to play electrician. So I started screaming. Then I started directly insulting Calderone. His intelligence, his power, his very manhood."
"Sweetie, you shouldn't have done any of that."
"I just wanted to buy time for you guys to arrive. Face was so hurt already. I couldn't bear the idea of him enduring electric shocks on top of the beating. He was barely conscious." She paused to steady her breathing.
Hannibal held her hands, "You and Face were separated when I found you."
"Well yeah, I kinda provoked that. I insulted the scum enough that he focused solely on me. I pushed him to a point where I think he was gonna attack me right in front of Face. The backhand slaps he had already laid on me had disturbed Face so much. Well, I didn't want to be a tool to torture him further. So I kept up my assault on Calderone's masculinity until attacking me in front of an audience would have proven my accusations correct. So that's when he dragged me to the room you found me in. I guess it was his office."
"Not being in the room with Face, wasn't going to shield him from you being attacked, you know."
"I know, but it would spare him the visuals" she said quietly, looking at her hands.
"Now I know why Face was so frantic to see you with his own eyes when he regained consciousness. Sweetie, you've got guts. Foolish ones, but nonetheless, guts."
"Well don't you think that you guys would rub off on me. You're all the masters of foolish guts."
"Oh I wouldn't put it that way. And guts isn't something you learn."
Just then Maggie came to the doorway of the exam room and gently called out, "I'm done. Just waiting for the films to develop. You two can go in to see him. Then I'll examine you, Tiger-lady."
She and Hannibal entered the exam room. Face was lying against the bed, but Maggie had raised the head into a slightly seated position. She and Hannibal each took post on opposite sides of Face and she reached for his hand.
"How you doing, Kid?" asked Hannibal.
"Doc, says I'll live, Colonel. She doesn't think anything is broken. Calderone knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't ready to break bone yet."
When this statement caused her to tremble, Face turned to her. Hannibal excused himself with the justification of checking on Murdock and the Big Guy. He and Maggie retreated from the room.
With a bit of a wince Face rubbed his hand gently across her chin. His eyes darkening as he took in the bruises on her cheeks. When his hand reached her shoulder, she suddenly remembered she was still in Maggie's robe. He carefully pushed the cotton aside to look at the same awful bruise that Murdock had seen in the bathroom. It was clearly an imprint of a clawing hand. Tears filled both their eyes.
"Face, I promise it's just bruises. Hannibal got to both of us in time."
"Why did you make yourself the target? That was my role." he asked adjusting her robe and returning his hand to her cheek.
"Because I couldn't let him hurt you anymore. I wouldn't stand silently while he electrocuted you." she whispered through her tears. "I had to help you."
"Sweetie, you didn't have to ..."
"Oh be quiet. Of course I did. I had no idea how badly hurt you were. You had blood oozing from the back of your head. I was convinced you had a brain injury from when he knocked you backwards - and Maggie does say you've got a concussion. I had no idea how you'd withstand shock torture with those injuries. So I did what I had to do, the only thing I could do."
"I never want you to risk yourself, for me." said Face.
"Why not?! That's exactly what you were doing for me. How you ended up chained to that metal chair!" she countered.
"He could have hurt you so badly, so deeply."
"Calderone had already hurt you badly. I was afraid he would kill you. I had to do something!"
"Sweetie, I know the risks. I accept the risks."
"What?! Don't you think I can say the same?! Alright maybe I'm not military trained but I choose to be with you, the team. I know I'm not part of the Campfire Kids here! The A-team is serious, hard core risk. Calderone was going to electrocute you, maybe kill you. I was not going to simply let that happen." she retorted.
"Honey, I'm not worth, risking yourself like that.'
"Shut up, of course you are, Face! To me, you're worth that and more."
Maggie's gentle knock interrupted them before either could say anything else.
"Ok Lieutenant, the films confirm my assessments. No broken bones but clearly a serious concussion.
Internal bleeding is not an issue but you've got major and deep bruising. You won't be in any rodeos for quite a while, Faceman."
"Thanks Doc. How about her?"
"Face, I'm fine!" She protested.
Maggie chuckled warmly, then said, "Well I'm honor bound to confirm that, Tiger-lady. Plus you know none of the boys will rest until I clear you. And this one definitely needs to rest," Maggie said pointing to Face.
"Fine, Maggie. I should get dressed anyway." she acquiesced.
Murdock appeared in the doorway and promised to watch over Concussion-man. As she passed the Pilot, he gave her a brotherly squeeze and kiss on top her head.
She followed Maggie into the doctor's office, since Face was occupying the exam room. The doctor checked her over paying special attention to the bruising on her shoulders to confirm that her clavicle bones were not damaged.
"You've told me everything right, Tiger?" Maggie asked one last time.
"Maggie, I wouldn't lie to you. It didn't get beyond a physical assault. Hannibal stormed in - basically just in time."
"You could have been killed you know ..."
"I needed to buy time for Face. He was a lot closer to getting killed than I was."she explained.
Then when Maggie gave her a motherly, understanding look she added, "What would you have done if it had been you and Hannibal?"
"Exactly the same thing. We've got ourselves quite the situations, don't we?" Maggie replied.
"At least you and Hannibal are reading the same book."
Maggie smiled and gave her a hug. "Come on, time to eat. Murdock put your spare clothes in my room so you can get dressed in there" said the Doc.
