"We still got the signal,let's go man!" Hardison called out as they rushed out the door,Nate was determined now to get her back more then ever.
Rushing out to Lucille the team climbed in,Eliot drove as Hardison got to typing on his computer to get the location.
"Alright man head south directly down to the pier." Hardison told Eliot as the others sat in Silence.
Nate sat with Sophie in the back while Parker took the passenger seat next to Eliot. The mastermind knew that Sophie was worried. He couldn't lie,so was he,he wanted to get his daughter back even more now knowing she was hurt. Sophie's mind was in a blur,she lost focus of the things around her as the worry about how badly hurt her daughter was set in. Eying her,Nate took her hand in his giving it a gentle squeeze,as much as he wanted to hold her in his arms he knew it was just cause questions that they did not want to answer or deal with right now. Looking into the mastermind's eyes she could see something she had never seen in him before,she couldn't read it and that scared her more then anything.
"Almost there man,turn left! Stop!" Hardison yelled as they all jumped out the van.
"Alright,Eliot you go around back,just like before. Parker,you're with Eliot."
"What about me man?" Hardison asked as Nate turned to him.
"Stay here with Sophie,keep an eye on the coms and use that heat sensor thing of yours to find Claire." Sophie made a face and shook her head.
"Nate,I'm going with you. She's my daughter too." Eliot and Parker headed to the back feeling an argument coming on as Hardison pretended to make himself busy with is computers.
"Sophie,I need you to stay here."
"Why? Do you think I can't do this?" Sophie asked as Nate pulled her off to the side.
"Sophie listen to me,please. She is going to need one of us when Eliot gets her out of there,I want that someone to be you."
Her eyes widened as she looked into his cobalt blue eyes. "Nate what are you planning to do."
"Later,right now I have to go save our daughter." Without thinking he brought his hands to her face bringing his lips to hers before he headed for the building.
"Y'all are nas-tay." Hardison said quietly as he watched on the monitors and listened to everything going on.
Nate walked in the front door without so much of a thought as he soon had guns pointed at him,all he did was smirk. The look that he had in his eyes told the men he wasn't playing around.
"Those eyes,look at this,we have a daddy in our presence." Trevor stood pointing a gun at the mastermind who stood quietly and shrugged.
"I'm going to ask you this once,and only once.. Where is my daughter?" He caught sight of Eliot and Parker but turned his attention to the man in front of him.
"She's in the room. I'll take you but don't try and thing funny." Pointing the gun Trevor lead him to the room where Claire was at.
Entering the room Nate's eyes widened as he laid eyes on her. She had a bandage on her head covered in blood and her arm bandaged up. Rushing to the side of the bed he knelled running his hand gently over her hair.
"Claire,sweetheart open your eyes for me." Nate's eyes grew darker with rage.
"Man we tried that already. Nothing wakes her up." Trevor said.
"What the hell did you do to her?!" Nate yelled as the two in the van listened on.
"Nate,calm down,he has the gun man remember." Eliot voiced over the com.
"I didn't do anything! She Fell!" Trevor yelled back as the tension in the room grew thicker.
Hardison watched as Parker used her tazer to to take one of the men down while Eliot silently knocked out the other. Sophie was staying quiet she knew there was no changing the situation now.
"Claire,please open your eyes for me. I need you to open your eyes." Nate continued to talk to her.
"I told you man we tried that. That Damn kid doesn't listen to anyone."
"Nate listen to me,he is trying to get to you,keep your focus on Claire,ignore Trevor." Sophie's voice sounded in Nate's ear but it was to late.
Standing up the mastermind turned to Trevor rushing at him forcing him against the wall. "You hurt my daughter! She is just a child!" Nate yelled as Trevor fought to get free.
"I didn't do anything she fell! You forgot one thing Daddy." Trevor's lips curved into a smirk as Nate gave him a strange look.
"What?"
"I have the gun.." Trevor pulled the trigger sending a bullet into Nate's chest forcing him to the ground the moment the shot went off.
"Nate!" Yells came over the coms as Eliot and Parker ran into the room. Eliot went for Trevor punching him before he could get another shot off.
"Parker,the girl." Eliot growled leaning down over Nate. He had blood seeping through his shirt as Parker checked over the girl. "Hang in there man,you're gonna be alright. Hardison! Get in here!"
"C-Claire,is she o-okay?" Nate asked struggling to breathe.
"She's fine just,just relax man you're gonna be alright." Eliot looked back at Parker. "Do not let Sophie in here." The young thief nodded as Hardison came in picking Claire up in his arms as Eliot struggled to get Nate to his feet nearly dragging him.
"Claire!" Sophie yelled as Hardison emerged from the Young girl. Gathering the girl in her arms.
"Hardison a little help man?" Eliot yelled as Hardison help drag Nate to the van laying him Next to Claire.
Sophie's eyes began to tear up. She didn't know what to do. Her daughter had injuries to her head and Nate was shot in the chest and by the looks of it,he wasn't going to make it. Holding Claire in her arms she held Nate's hand with one of hers. In the back of her mind she was terrified she was going to lose the only two people she has ever really loved in her life.
"S-Sophie,I-I'm sorry." Nate spoke quietly trying to keep conscious but his vision was fading fast and the darkness that surrounded him felt so welcoming and warm,he didn't feel any pain there.
"Shut up,you bloody fool." She said leaning down closer to her while she still held on to Claire."
"D-dad?" Claire said quietly looking over to Nate. "Oh my...dad." Claire said sitting up.
"Sweetheart take it easy."Sophie said as the girl leaned next to her father who had more blood pooling around him.
"We are almost to the hospital man,hang in there." Hardison said as Parker weaved in and out of traffic.
"I-I want you two to know th-that I-" Sophie stopped him.
"Please,Nate." She said leaning down placing a kiss to his forehead running her hand through his sweat matted hair. He closed his eyes as his breathing started to become shallow.
"Sophie,let her know that I,that I love her." He whispered in her ear before he let the darkness take him over.
"Dad?! Come on Dad! Not now you can;t do this!" Claire yelled as Nate stopped breathing.
They pulled up to the hospital,Eliot ran inside to grab the doctors. They ER staff ran out to the van with two stretchers,one for Nate and the other for Claire.
"No! I'm not leaving my Dad! Mom! Tell them." Sophie shook her head helping Claire onto the the stretcher.
"Sweetheart you have to...to let him go." She said as tears fell down the grifters cheeks."
"Sophie,go with Nate,I will stay with Claire." Eliot said seeing the turmoil in the grifters eyes.
Sophie nodded following with Nate As they took Claire into the room next to his. "Oh Nate,please breathe."
Claire struggled against the doctors and nurses until they finally let her up. She ran past Eliot nearly pushing him aside as she ran to Sophie throwing her arms around the grifter as she began to cry. All Sophie could do was hold her as the two stood there looking through the glass doors of the ER room.
"We're loosing him!"
"He's in V-Fib!"
"Get me the crash cart and call the damn surgeon!"
"He is not going to make it through a surgery." The surgeon said pulling him out of the ER and rushing him towards the operating room.
"M-Mom is he going to ?" Claire couldn't finish the statement as Sophie pulled her close.
"I don't know sweetheart." Sophie spoke soothingly trying to stay calm for her as they wheeled Nate passed them.
"Flat line!" One of the doctors called as the elevator doors closed,the last thing the two heard was the steady beep of no heartbeat.
It was hours before they heard anything. Eliot and the other two sat across from the grifter and the young girl. Sophie ran her hand gently through Claire's hair and over her bandage as tears silently fell down her face. She was torn between what to do or how to act. She was worried about Nate but wanted to stay strong. When the doctor finally showed nearly Eight hours later he looked tired and worn down.
"Nate Ford's family?" Sophie stood up placing Nate's jacket over the young girl as Eliot took her spot next to Claire.
"H-How is he?" She asked her voice shaky.
"I'm sorry but we did everything we could...he is on life support,he wasn't breathing on his own when we brought him out of surgery but we were able to repair the damage,you can see him when you are ready."
Tears formed in the grifter's eyes as she nodded moving back to the young girl. "Claire,come on. We can see your dad now." The girl sat up slowly as she took Sophie's hand.
"Is he okay?" She asked seeing the look on the grifters face already knowing the answer.
"No sweetheart,he isn't." The girl silently nodded as the two entered the room.
Nate was pale and had wires and machines every where. The room was busy with noises radiating from every machine.
"Dad." Claire said in a whisper as she let go of Sophie's hand and moved to one side of the bed while the grifter moved to the other.
"Nate,I'm so sorry." Sophie said quietly leaning down placing a kiss to his both took a seat in the chairs next to his bed as the other three walked into the room shocked at how Nate appeared. Aside from his pale skin he had a large bandage covering his chest.
"Guys,we should leave them for now and check in later." Eliot whispered to the other two who nodded as they took their leave. Claire moved her chair to the opposite side of the bed next to Sophie who was now leaning next to Nate's ear while holding onto his hand,almost as if she let go,so would he.
"Nate,you listen to me okay? You better get through this or I will bloody well kill you myself,I need you here Nate you hear me? Our daughter needs you and the team needs you." She whispered in his ear as Claire watched trying to understand what she was seeing. "Nate,I love you alright? I love you and I need you to come back to us,you can't leave."
Sophie sat back wiping the tears from her eyes as Claire realized what it was she was seeing. She never saw the closeness with the Maxwell's that she was seeing with Nate and Sophie,what she saw was love,something she never learned about before or even witnessed. Getting a headache she leaned her head on the grifter's shoulder holding on to Nate's hand with Sophie. She had just got her father back and now she has to risk loosing him all over again.
"We still have Trevor out there some where,and whoever was telling him what to do." Eliot said to Hardison and Parker keeping his voice low.
"I can hack into the the hospital security system and keep an eye on them."
"Good,because not only is Claire back with us but Nate is still alive,and if this guy was that focused on Claire,imagine what he is going to do once he finds out Trevor let him live. Sophie won't leave his side and neither will their kid so it's up to us to keep them safe until we get them to a safe place." Eliot's eyes were full of determination and this mirrored in the others eyes as well.
"Doesn't he need to be better?" Parker asked looking back into the room.
"This is our Nate we are talking about,life support can't stop him from coming back for his family." Eliot at least hoped he was right.
"Alright man,it's a damn plan then. We keep track of all staff and security until we get them to a safe place." Hardison repeated as Eliot nodded.
Eliot turned his attention back to the room watching the three of them. Nate looked bad,real bad. The hitter wasn't sure he was going to make it,but he would wait to make that call. For now all he could was keep them safe,from whoever this guy was that was controlling the men in the warehouse.
[A/N: Okay so that was chapter 9,I have no internet at home right now so I will try to update this when I can. Thanks for all the reviews! and I hope you are still enjoying it! ]
