You Promised I Didn't Have To Swim Today

Hospital – Outside ER Department

Wordy decided to wait for Greg and Jules to arrive before going in. He took the time to call Shel and let her know what was going on but left out the part where Jules slugged the woman. He was upset that Jules had let loose like that but he hadn't heard the full story yet.

He only heard what Jules yelled at the woman. So he would hold judgment. There had to be a good reason.

Wordy ended his recitation of the details on the guys with "Shel, I just don't know, they all looked horrible. I'm really worried" and blew out a discouraged breath.

["Kevin, you know they are all going to be okay. They are durable; none of them will allow a little cold water to keep them down long. The hospital is well equipped to handle hypothermia. I'm sure they have many cases every winter. Ed, Spike and Sam are going to be just fine" Shel comforted Wordy.

Shel knew by the slight cracked emotion in Kevin's voice he was terribly upset by what he had seen. She knew the rest of the team would be there shortly.

But she offered anyways "Do you want me to come over and wait with you? I could get a sitter and be there in thirty minutes honey."]

Getting himself under control he replied "No Shel, thanks though. You're right they are all going to be just fine. I see Greg and Jules arriving. I'll call when I have an update. Love ya. Hug the girls for me." He concluded the call as Greg parked the truck.

That short conversation with Shel was all he needed to ground himself again. Wordy needed to be grounded. The team needed him.

Jules had gone off the deep end. He had never seen her react so unprofessionally. Wordy hoped that the fallout would not be too bad.

Wordy could also tell Lou was extremely worried about all of the guys but especially Spike. Those two were best friends. He needed to be grounded to support them.

Greg had pulled it together like he always did for the team. But Wordy could see Greg was very worried about four members of his team. Three guys in the hospital and one who would likely face disciplinary actions or worse for her actions.

"Any news?" Greg asked coming to a stop in front of Wordy.

"Haven't been in yet, needed to talk to Shel" Wordy replied simply.

Greg knew instantly that Wordy had been affected by what he had witnessed and needed the stabilizing voice of Shel to right himself. So he said "No worries. Let's go see what we can find out" as he placed a reassuring hand on Wordy's shoulder.

Hospital – ER General Waiting Area

The three entered and headed directly to the ER Nurse Information Desk, bypassing the general reception desk completely. Unfortunately, they knew the way to the ER waiting area all too well. As they walked Greg sadly thought that his team was on a first name basis with too many people that worked here.

When they approached the desk, Nurse Nancy started to speak before anyone could ask "Ed and Spike are in ER treatment room five and six. Dr. Draper is managing their care. Sam is in ER room three. Dr. Fraser is with him now but I don't have an update on any of them."

"But we all know those guys are tough. I'm sure they will be just fine. I'm sorry but the private waiting room is taken at this time so you're stuck in the general area. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something" Nancy gave them a tentative smile.

Greg responded "Thank you Nancy. Do you have any word on the little boy Sam was trying to save?"

"I'm sorry. You know I cannot give out information to non-family members but I can tell you his mom is in the pediatrics waiting room. Its just down that hall" Nancy offered and pointed out the direction.

Jules and Wordy sat in the general waiting area while Greg went to find out about the boy.

Lou came in with three gym bags over his shoulder "Hey Nancy, can you give these to the guys? Brought them a dry change of clothes" Lou said as he gave all three bags to the nurse.

"Sure thing Lou. Jules and Wordy are just over there" Nancy replied. She grabbed the bags and headed to the ER rooms.

Lou headed over to Jules and Wordy. He saw that Jules anger was still barely contained. He didn't want it to flare again but he had to know what happened. In a calm but firm voice he said "Jules what made you blow your cool? Why did you KO that woman?"

Jules frowned at him.

Wordy added with a tone of understanding "Jules, it is not like you. It had to be significant. Talk to us, please. There are going to be ramifications. Too many people saw what you did. Tell us so we can see if there is anything we can do to help."

His tone and the sympathetic look in his eyes were calming her a bit more. Jules knew she would have to tell the team something. She had crossed the line. That was something none of them took lightly.

She was about to tell them when a nurse entered the waiting room and called out "Family of Michelangelo Scarlatti."

All three immediately rose and walked to the nurse. The nurse looked at them skeptically.

Lou could see her about to launch into the 'you're not family' spiel so said "Don't bother. We are Spike's team mates. If you check you will find I am his emergency contact, Lewis Young. How is he? Can we see him yet?"

She checked the paperwork and noted the name "He is doing fine. He can have one visitor come back. He is dressing right now. The doctor still needs to go over the discharge instructions with him but he will be able to leave shortly."

Jules and Wordy knew by default that Lou would be the one to go. So they patted him on the back and went to sit back down. Both were happy the nurse said Spike was being discharged.

Wordy turned to Jules "So?"

Jules looked at him and said "I only want to say it once. I'll wait til Lou and Spike come out. Ok?"

Wordy's response was to rise and ask "Want some coffee?"

She nodded yes and he left to get the coffee. Jules was trying to determine just what to tell them. She had screwed herself royally. She might even lose her job over this.

Jules fumed at her lack of control but she was not remorseful not one damned little bit for hitting that bitch. The redheaded bitch deserved it. Jules knew she would do it again if given half the chance. But thank god Wordy had stopped her from kicking that woman. That would have complicated things further.

Wordy returned and gave Jules the coffee then sat down to sip his as they waited for Spike and Lou.

Greg approached the ER waiting room. His mind was a whirl. He had talked to the mom and several of the other family members who had attended the event.

They assured him that the boy was okay but he would stay in the hospital several days for observation. One of the mom's brothers described the scene in great detail just after the boy fell. He had said he saw abject terror on the SRU officers face as he jumped in after the boy.

The family wanted Greg to let Sam know how much they appreciated what he did for the boy and hoped he was okay. Then they had related in detail all the disgusting innuendos the woman had used and her behavior towards Sam.

Greg was happy, proud, angry and worried all at the same time. Happy the boy was okay. Proud of Sam for not losing his cool. Extremely angry at the woman. But mostly he was worried about Ed, Spike, Sam and Jules.

His mind was dealing with so much right now it was hard to keep it all straight. As he reentered the ER waiting room and saw Jules a combination of words hit him with full force 'did you know Sam is deathly afraid of water' combined with 'abject terror on the SRU officers face'.

Aw crap, Greg damn well did NOT know Sam was afraid of water. A long ago memory of Sam barely swimming to the boat entered his mind. He could now see the mask and deflection Sam had used. He certainly didn't see it then.

God dammit, let's add guilt to the mix of emotions Greg thought. Could this day get any worse?

As Greg approached, Wordy noticed that Greg's face was a complete mess of mixed emotions. Wordy ventured "Boss? Is the boy okay?"

Greg looked at him and gave them a curt nod yes then began to pace in front of them rubbing his head but said nothing.

Jules and Wordy glanced at each other concerned. Neither tried to engage Greg. They could see that trying to talk to him at the moment would fall on deaf ears. So they let him pace and process his emotions.

Greg had stopped pacing and was seated by the time Spike and Lou joined them about sixty minutes later. All three saw Spike, he looked tired and a little pale but he was okay. They immediately rose and embraced him.

Spike reassured the three he was indeed okay. A little cold and tired but okay. The doctor's only orders were for him to rest and stay warm for the next few days.

Concern etching his voice Spike asked "Any word on Ed and Sam or the little boy?"

Greg replied "No word yet on either Ed or Sam. The little boy is alright. They are going to keep him a few days to make sure. Spike, you need to sit, you look tired."

Dragging Spike over to the chairs, Lou made Spike sit down. Lou left for a time and when he returned he had a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate for Spike.

Spike smiled "Thanks buddy. Always looking out for me."

Lou said "Somebody's got to do it. We couldn't operate without you buddy" as he sat next to Spike and placed a hand on his shoulder. He then turned to Jules and ordered "Okay spill it Jules. We're all here. Why did you cold-cock that woman?"

Jules looked at them and sighed the anger had diminished with time but started to rise again as she told the story. She left out the part about being angry with herself and why. One quick look from Greg indicated she did not have to share that, it was between them.

She ended with "So when the redhead said Sam should have just let the brat drown, I lost it and knocked that bitch on her ass."

Wordy, Spike and Lou were speechless.

Spike's mouth had dropped open and his eyes widened in shock and anger as Jules spoke. He found his voice and shouted "Holy shit Jules! Did you really do that?"

Jules nodded yes.

That opened the verbal flood gates on all three men. The other people in the waiting room were subjected to extremely angry men ranting about how the woman deserved it or vowing to do whatever they could to help her.

Wordy's conscience was not completely assuaged but he could clearly see how under the stress of the situation it could happen. They were human, they made mistakes and they came unglued sometimes. He vowed he would do whatever was necessary to make sure this one action did not cost Jules her job.

The burst of anger was dissipating and each was calming slowly.

Spike looked at Greg and said "Sarge, that woman needs to be brought up on charges for knocking the little boy into the harbor. She should be charged with reckless endangerment at least."

Greg said "Already in progress, the uniform officers took her into custody."

Dr. Draper entered the waiting room and said "Family of Edward Lane."

They all rose. The grizzled old doctor strode quickly to them and nodded to the wholly familial unrelated group. He could care less if someone was family or not. They were here because they cared. No one would choose to sit for hours in those uncomfortable chairs otherwise.

The doctor looked to the patient he had recently discharged and said "Spike, I told you to go home and get into bed. I understand your need to stay but I'm telling you to sit now."

Dr. Draper waited until Spike sat then he informed them "Ed is conscious and doing well. We were able to warm him and all vitals check out. We plan to keep him overnight as a precaution. He will be moved to a regular room shortly. A nurse will show you to his room when he is settled."

Sighs of relief were heard from all five of them.

Greg said "Thank you. Two down, one to go." Then he glanced at Spike and then back to the doctor "We'll make sure Spike rests here as we wait for news on Sam."

Dr. Draper smiled broadly and said "Dr. Fraser should be out soon to talk to you. But I can at least tell you Sam is awake."

Spike jumped out of the chair and hugged the shocked doctor tightly. Lou and Wordy peeled him off and sat him back into the chair.

Jules was laughing as she said to the doctor "Sorry Spike gets a little excited when it comes to Samtastic. We will make sure he rests now."

That was a first for Dr. Draper. Never in all his years had someone reacted quite like that. It made him smile. These seven people cared very deeply for one another. They had a rare gift of true friendship. They would go to the deepest depths of the ocean for one another.

Dr. Fraser entered the waiting room and didn't even bother to ask for family of Sam Braddock. He knew who would be here. He looked about and located the group.

He was walking over to the group just as Spike jumped on Dr. Draper. He laughed out loud and shook his head. This team constantly amazed him. Their zeal and dedication to their jobs and each other was incredible. His experience with them when both Sam and Jules were injured had told him to expect the unexpected.

As Dr. Fraser approached the group he patted Dr. Draper's back and said to him "I see you have finally met all of Team One."

Then he turned to the group "Samtastic is awake." Dr. Fraser knew it was unprofessional but he really liked that name and he was truly an exceptional young man. Not many could come back from the injuries he had suffered over a year ago and now today again miraculous.

He continued "We are still in the process of warming him up. Sam's lungs appear fine even though he inhaled a bit of water. He had a pretty hard hit to his head and sustained a concussion. His vitals appear fairly good and are getting better as he warms."

Dr. Fraser saw the happy faces. He knew his patient and that he would leave AMA as soon as possible so had devised a plan. He knew they would take care of him so he continued "I need to keep him for forty-eight hours at minimum to monitor for signs of late cardiac arrhythmia."

"If no signs or other complications arise in that time I would be willing to release him. But only if he was fully supervised for the next week. He needs bed rest due to the concussion the cold shock to his body. Can you help me do that?"

A resounding yes came from five members.

Dr. Fraser grinned "Okay, I assumed that would be your answer. We plan to move him to a regular room in a few hours."

Greg had a thought "Dr. Draper is keeping Ed overnight perhaps we can put Sam in the same room. Ed would be able to keep Sam in check until you are ready to release him Dr. Fraser."

"Grand idea" Dr. Fraser responded. "I'll make sure that happens." Both doctors left to make the appropriate arrangements.

The team waited another thirty minutes before a nurse came to take them to Ed's and Sam's room.

Hospital – Ed's and Sam's Room

The team entered to room to find only Ed. He was awake and sitting up in bed and covered in several layers of blanket. Before he could say anything Jules ran up to him and hugged him for a long time.

When she finally stepped back she swiped away tears and said "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

The rest of them hugged him too and made similar comments. As their initial burst of emotion settled down Lou made Spike sit in a chair and positioned the blanket over his shoulders.

Ed looked to Spike and with real concern asked "How ya doing buddy?"

Spike answered "Great now that I know you and Sam and the boy are okay."

Ed whipped his head to Greg and said "Sam is okay?" He had been so worried but no one he had asked had given him any information.

"Yeah, more than okay. In fact he's gonna be your room buddy shortly" Greg responded with a huge smile.

Relief swept through Ed. Then he thought about why they were here. "Did you find out what happened?"

They launched into another retelling of all the events that led up to Sam diving into the water and everything that transpired afterwards all the way to the doctor's recommendation for Sam. Ed's mind was reeling.

"Jules, wow, just wow." Ed was shocked to hear what she did. Then a smirk crossed his face as he stated "Damn, I wish I could have seen that." Then he got serious and queried "Greg what trouble is she facing? What can we do to help?"

"Truthfully I'm not sure. Stainton just said he would be in touch. It could be anything from a simple reprimand to assault charges" Greg responded.

The group then discussed all the possible ramifications and potential ways they might help.

"They have to take into consideration what that woman's actions caused. The harm to that little boy" Ed said as he reached out and clasped Jules's hand that was lying on his bed. She had grown very quiet as they team had their discussion. Ed reassured her "Jules, it will be okay. We will make sure of that."

Over the past two hours Greg had been giving serious thought to who should take care of Sam. Seeing Jules upset he knew they needed to change the subject so he said "Hey Ed, I have an idea. With Sophie and Clark gone for the next two weeks I was thinking that it might be best if Sam stayed with you. You have both been ordered to rest for at least a week. You could keep Sam in line. Make sure he follows doctors' orders. What do you think?"

Ed was about to answer when the door opened and the nurses pushed Sam's bed into the room. Sam was so pale and he had a slight shiver to him. They had put a knit cap over Sam's head and pulled low to his brows and over his ears. Sam was covered in several layers of blankets. He looked exhausted but he was awake.

Sam smiled when he saw the entire team.

It only took a few minutes for the nurses to hook Sam up to the monitors and the heated, humidified oxygen. When they were done one of the nurses turned to the group.

The nurse smiled and instructed them "Only light touch, he should stay under the blankets and no coffee. He could use the rest so please keep the visit short." Then she left the room closing the door behind her.

Sam cocked his head to the side and looked pointedly at Ed. Then Sam said with mock anger in a shivery voice "You promised I didn't have to swim today."