Title: Standing Watch
Rating: PG
Summary: B.A. is injured on Face's watch, but he isn't the only one.

Two days later Face found himself lying on the couch in Hannibal's apartment. The others were outside enjoying the beautiful day, but Face was still extremely weak and in a lot of pain. All he wanted to do was sleep; he was so tired. But the guilt and thoughts of what could have happened were eating away at him and keeping him up at night.

Face could hear them outside laughing and joking as if nothing had happened. But something had happened. B.A. could have died that day…and on his watch. And even though B.A. was pretty much up and around and feeling fine, Face was haunted by the memory.

Outside, Hannibal was keeping a close eye on two out of his three men. He forced them out so that his third man, Face, could try and get some rest.

B.A. was under strict orders to take it easy for a while so as not to reopen his wound and Murdock was taking full advantage of that knowledge. A B.A. on restriction was a B.A. who couldn't run after him and try to kill him, and as a result Murdock was in rare form. Hannibal felt as if he were babysitting a couple of kindergarteners instead of two highly trained military men.

When the trio came back inside for dinner they saw that Face had finally drifted off and quietly snuck past him and into the kitchen. They were just about to sit down at the table when they heard Face yelling.

"Help me! Stop! No…Please! B.A….no…B.A.! No!"

B.A. was the closest to the door and the first one out. He held a hand over his wound as he walked, but was at Face's side in seconds. "Hey, man…wake up. It's okay, Faceman…you dreamin'."

Hannibal came up behind B.A. "Stay back, Sergeant. I don't want you getting kicked." He motioned for Murdock to get into position by Face's feet while he stood by his head.

Face was mumbling and tossing his head from side to side. "Sorry…so…sorry."

"Face, it's Hannibal. Everything is fine."

It wasn't working. Face was shaking all over and sweating profusely. Hannibal knew what he had to do. "Lieutenant Peck!" he boomed loudly.

Face's eyes flew open, but they were glassy and unfocused.

"Stand down…that's an order."

Face swung his legs over the side of the couch and bolted upright, saluting his Colonel. "Yes, sir." Hannibal and Murdock both took steps closer. "Han…bal?"

"Yeah…I'm here, kid."

"Don't…feel…good." His knees buckled and he started to fall. Before he hit the ground he felt someone catch him.

Hannibal and Murdock lunged forward when Face started going down. Each catching him on one side they lowered him slowly down onto the couch. The last thing Face saw before losing consciousness was B.A. walking out of the room and it confirmed his fears. 'B.A. blames me…they all do.'

B.A. returned a few minutes later with a bowl of cold water and some towels. "He okay?"

Hannibal shrugged. "I hope so. I never expected him to stand like that."

Murdock smiled while covering his friend with a light blanket. "Yeah, he never saluted you like that when he was in his right mind."

B.A. dipped a towel into the water and placed it on Face's forehead. "You don't think he still blamin' himself for what happened, do you?"

Hannibal sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Could be. The four of us never did discuss what happened. I just assumed…"

Murdock cut him off. "And you know what they say about people who assume…"

"All too well, lately…all too well." Hannibal pulled up two chairs next to the couch; one for him and one for B.A. to sit in while he applied the cold compresses. 'Once your back with us, kid, I'm going to fix this,' he thought.

The last thing Face had seen was B.A. walking away from him, and the first thing he saw upon waking up was the same man holding a wet towel on his head.

"Hey, Faceman. Welcome back."

"B.A….what? Why?" He moved to sit up, but a large bejeweled hand gently held him down. "Stay still, man. You was havin' a bad dream and passed out a little while ago."

Hannibal stepped into Face's line of vision. "We need to talk."

Face swallowed hard. 'Here it comes,' he thought. 'They're going to let me have it.'

"You know that what happened wasn't your fault, right?"

Face didn't answer…he couldn't answer. If he opened his mouth he was afraid he would do something humiliating like burst out into tears.

"Oh, Facey," Murdock said. "You do blame yourself."

Face nodded and turned toward the back of the couch so he didn't have to make eye contact.

"Look at me, kid," Hannibal said. When Face didn't comply Hannibal leaned over and turned his head in his direction. "Face, none of this is your fault. You were hurt. I'm sorry I didn't notice."

"Yeah, Faceman," B.A. added. "Ain't nothin' you coulda done…you was ambushed from behind."

"I…I…was…so…scared…when I…saw…you, B.A. Please…forgive me," Face gasped out.

"Nothin' to forgive…just told ya it wasn't your fault." B.A. squeezed the con man's arm. As an afterthought he added, "Sure am glad for those gun shots that were fired, though. If not for them I wouldn't have moved out of the way of the blade a bit."

Hannibal furrowed his brow in confusion. "Murdock and I assumed you had fired them before you were cut…your rifle was by your side. Those shots were what woke us up and let us know there was trouble."

B.A. shook his head. "Nah…I didn't have a chance to grab it in time."

"I fired the shots before they knocked me out," Face said quietly. "My only chance at warning you."

There was silence as they tried to process what Face had just told them. Finally B.A. leaned forward and, mindful of his and Face's injuries, pulled him into a rare hug. "You saved my life, Faceman. If it wasn't for you, I might not be here. Thanks man."

Face was speechless, but he squeezed B.A. back. The weight that had been on his shoulders finally lifted.

"You're a hero, Facey!" Murdock beamed as B.A. loosened the embrace. "Got one of those for me, big guy?" he asked holding his arms open.

"Fool…you didn't save my life man! But if you ever try and hug me you gonna need someone to save yours."

Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag and released the air very slowly. It had been a long week and he was grateful it was over.

He was even more grateful that his family was still intact….or at least intact until Murdock hugged B.A.

The End