Let me tell you a secret. (maggie)…I don't really care about the mission either. I find them dreadfully boring.. it's more of a writing challenge for me right now. So there will never be a pure mission chapter from me.. always a little M/F drama! LOL thanks!
Jesse looked down at Michael's bloody t-shirt in disgust before pulling it on over his head and reentering the barracks.
Jimmy Brooks sat up with a start.
"Saunders what the hell happened to you-." He stopped short looking at the blood. Samir Santi was looking too.
Jesse glanced nervously between the two.
"Nothing. Little accident." He said softly, hunching over the duffle bag and shoving in the things he'd left behind hours before.
"Little, you look like you just slaughtered a pig or som-."
"Go back to sleep Jimmy." Santi said quickly, sitting up in his bunk and studying Jesse. The younger man dropped cautiously back to his mattress.
"Jamal. He said slowly. "Come.." Jesse's back stiffened but he followed Samir outside, tossing his duffel bag a few feet and pacing away. "They were concerned when you and the missionaries did not return. "
"They should have been concerned." Jesse rocked slowly on his heels, pressing the butt his palm into his eyes. "He just wouldn't stop.. he wouldn't-."
"What did you do?" Samir asked softly, coming around and clasping Jesse's shoulders. "Tell me! What did you do?"
"I killed them." He whispered softly, casting a hollow glance up at the other man. "They'll find them by the morning." He shook his head. "I have to get out of here."
"Where will you go?"
"I don't know. I-." He looked around. "After what I have done-."
"I know people that will rejoice in what you have done." Santi nodded.
"You know people.." Jesse shook his head in confusion. "Like Al-Queda? Are you al-qu-.?"
"No. No. I am Jemaah Salafi." He shook his head frantically. "My people are in Puhket. You must go there. Tell Fatah what you have done. He will know what to do." He grabbed at Jesse's arm and scribbled an address before Jesse hurried off into the night.
…...
Jemaah Salafi!" Sam balked. "That's not even on a top ten of who's who in terrorist land. Abdul Fatah is small potatoes. We might as well be chasing the ROS. Seriously Fi it's not worth your C4."
"So what am I doing in Puhket?" Jesse's voice whined through the speaker phone.
"Don't listen to him Jesse." Michael rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "And don't approach them alone. Jesus Sam did you think the guy was going to give him Bin Laden's cell phone number or something?"
"Well you are Michael Westen." Fiona quipped from the table, he shot her a dirty look. "Do I make a bomb or not?"
"You make a bomb." Michael rolled his eyes. "Sam you go to the embassy and get permission to use Fi's bomb."
"Permission!" Fiona hissed.
"Yes. Permission." Michael sighed. "Jesse you find someplace to hang tight and do some surveillance. Stay low. Despite Sam's harassment these guys are a big deal okay?"
"What ever." Sam muttered, going back into his room through the connecting door.
"I'm as low as a man can get wearing his buddy's bloody undershirt."
"Yeah, you might wanna get yourself something else." Michael grinned.
"Already on it." He was in fact currently wrapping a fake bandage around his arm before going out to buy clothes. "How's your patient Fi?"
"He'll live." She called.
"I'm fine." Michael gave his robotic reply.
"He is actually being the model patient." Fiona mumbled, looking at him sideways. "Following orders to the T."
"That can't be a good sign."
"No, it can't be." She eyed him suspiciously before reaching out and feeling his forehead. He swatted her away playfully.
"It hurts okay!" Michael relented. "I haven't been in this much pain since someone shot me in the chest!"
Fi screwed up her mouth in an attempt not to smile before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"It was in the shoulder, you big baby." Jesse sighed loudly.
"How'd you put it Fi? Inches from my tiny heart?" Fiona giggled at him and he winked back.
"Waah." Jesse grumbled.
"Waah he says." Michael grumbled back.
"Enough of this. I'm going to the pool." Fiona called, standing up and sauntering to the door.
"The pool.." Jesse sighed again. "Next time I get to hang at the four star by the pool while someone else wears your bloody shirt."
"Next time." Michael smiled.
…...
"Hi." Fiona's eyes fell on Michael's as they blinked open. "How you doing?"
"I'm fine." He rubbed at his eyes. "How was the pool?"
"Overrated." She sighed, putting down her ingredients and moving from the table to the edge of the bed. "There were children there. Seriously? Who brings their children to Bangkok?" She laid her hand on his thigh.
"I don't know." He whispered, looking back at her fully stocked table. "Did Sam get permission for our bomb?"
"Yes. And it's my bomb." She told him defensively. "I'm going to make it and Sam is going to take it to Jesse. And I am going to take you to Bumrungrad Hospital for a CT scan."
"Fi I'm-."
"Yes.. fine, I know you told me. Incidentally you also told me that while bleeding to death in my arms." She looked at him smuggly. "You admitted to being in pain and you have suspiciously been the model patient. That alone should have tipped me off. You're going to Bumrungrad."
"Fin-." He closed his mouth. "See if I say fine you're going to call an ambulance or something aren't you?"
She smiled widely.
"Don't be silly, Michael. I've been waiting a long time to build a bomb. If you've made it this long bleeding internally you'll make it a little longer." She sighed, patting his knee before hurrying back over to the table.
…...
"Don't let this thing explode before I see his face." Sam whispered, zeroing in the scope of his rifle on Fiona's little package.
"I thought you said he was small potatoes." Jesse snorted, still breathing heavy from excaping the 'distraction' he'd created.
"He is. He's like a tater-tot." Sam teased. "But this is probably the closest I'm going to get to a terrorist of even this measly caliber. I want to be able to say I saw the eyes of the man who Bin Laden sent a guy to talk to a guy, about sending a guy to talk to this guy, right before he died."
Jesse rolled his eyes at him before grabbing a pair of binos.
"Knock Knock." Porter whispered, watching the men scurry back to the house after clearing up Fiona's 'diversionary explosive device'. Sam looked at the flashing red light on Fiona's big bomb as the flashes got closer and closer before wincing away at the flash of light.
"Mission accomplished." Sam said softly as he and Jesse watched pieces of house fall down around them. They looked at each other for a long moment before packing up their bag and disappearing into the crowd.
Sam slid into the rental car with a groan.
"I think I'm too old for this." He told Porter.
"Yeah well." Jesse sighed, looking out the window before opening his mouth again before Sam's phone rang. He pressed the steering wheel and patched the call through the call.
"Hey Fi. How's our boy?"
"He's got an infection." Fiona huffed. "I should have known. And the lung isn't working at full capacity either. His blood oxygen level was ninety Sam."
"Wonderful." Axe grunted, heading back towards the city. "It'll be okay."
"The did a minor surgical repair of his liver." She whispered seriously into the phone. "I want to go home."
"Fi. They'll give him some penicillin and some oxygen and he'll be fine." Sam reminded her. "Good as new."
"And what if we wouldn't have taken him? What if we were in Pakistan or Afghanistan and his lungs gave out? Or his liver failed?" She hissed. "I want to go home, Sam."
"Fiona.." Sam sighed.
"Don't tell me you don't, because I know you do." Her voice broke and he sighed harder. "This isn't worth it."
"Fiona we blew up a terrorist leader and half his cell today-." He argued weakly.
"And how is that more important than what we were doing in Miami?" She cried softly. "How is it more important that helping someone save their child or helping someone wrongly accused of murder? Why is this more important?"
"Fi.." Michael's lost voice silenced any reply Axe had in him. He pressed his lips together. "Fiona?"
"I'll see you when you get back Sam." She whispered before the line went dead. He turned to look at Jesse, taking a deep breath.
"She's right you know." Porter said slowly. Sam looked back at the road in front of them.
…...
Fiona turned slowly to face her husband, blinking the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I was-."
"Was that Sam?" He asked rubbing his face with his hand, wincing in annoyance. She exhaled slowly realizing he hadn't heard anything. She nodded, still chewing at the edge of her lip.
"How do you feel?" She asked, swiping under her eyes and moving closer.
"I'm going to be alright." He croaked, reaching out his hand to her. She took it, rubbing thumb against his wrist.
"I know. Because your wife is smarter than you." She forced a grin letting it quickly fade.
"Fi?" He asked quickly, tugging her closer.
"I'm just tired." She waved him off with her free hand. Michael scooted carefully to the left and tugged at her again.
"Is this when I'm suposed to tell you I notice you?" He smiled softly, she sniffed. "Because I do."
"How could you not?" Fiona sighed crawled onto the bed like a small child, huddling against his side.
"It's hardly the Sukhothai." He teased her, smoothing his hands over her hair.
"It'll do." She whispered, he trailed his hand down her back and up again until she fell asleep.
He frowned, swallowing hard before his eyes fell on the water pitcher of water on the rolling table. He moved it towards them with his foot. Michael shakily poured a cup before his eyes fell on a pice of paper. He blinked at the simple list in Fiona's swirly script.
…...
pros
In Miami we never had to drive an hour for bad medical care
In Miami we never had to steal a crappy hatch back
In Miami we never had to buy people or pretend to have sex with children
In Miami nothing smells like elephants
In Miami I can wear my wedding ring if I want to
In Miami it's never more than a little too hot and some places have AC
In Miami there is easy access to yogurt, tuna and egg white omelets (and mojitos for sam)
In Miami Sam did not look as old and worn down (may just be the gray hair dye and lack of beer)
In Miami I never had to eat an insect
In Miami I could someday, maybe, give Nate's child a cousin
In Miami we made a difference to real people who had no where else to turn
In Miami there is Madelyn
In Miami I can sleep through the night
cons
In Miami Michael can't wait to leave
In Miami Michael feels useless
Michael needs me with him
Miami means nothing if Michael's not there with me
…...
Michael folded the list a few times absently looking for a place to put it before slipping it beneath the pile of pillows under his head.
He sighed softly, pressing a kiss to her head. He squinted his eyes shut and tried to make his own list of pros and cons.