THE HUNTING GROUND by AJB

CHAPTER NINE

Buck Wilmington sat in the first row of matching plastic chairs while the comings and goings of the University Hospital emergency room blurred the background of his primary focus - the set of doors forbidding him from being by Chris Larabee's side.

The drama of the past hours played as a non-stop loop in his brain: The way the peculiar Agent Tanner collapsed as dead weight; the sight of Chris' limp body and blue lips; Nathan's frantic evaluation and subsequent CPR effort; Chris' cold, cold skin when Buck breathed for his friend; Josiah's big hands working to rub life back into his boss' body; JD's chatter on the rescue team radio; and, finally, their teamwork in moving both bodies to the closest clearing once Chris' heart stuttered into an irregular rhythm.

Ironically, the doctors said that Chris' hypothermia probably saved his life by preventing him from bleeding to death.

Buck's stomach rolled. He sighed and dropped his head into his clammy hands, elbows braced on skinned and muddied knees. The loop began again. Queasiness flared from his gut. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Coffee, Mr. Wilmington?"

"Nah, my stomach . . ."

"It is fortified with my personal stash. Past applications have proven to settle such distress."

Buck raised his head and his nose caught a cloying scent of whiskey. He sat up and accepted the offering, taking a grateful sip as Ezra eyed the dubious chair next to him. Then, Ezra fingered his muddy turnout pants and sighed in obvious defeat as he eventually settled onto the hard, mustard-colored plastic.

"Thanks, Ez. Just what the doctor ordered."

Standish lifted his own cup in a silent toast, and then wrinkled his nose and looked at the double doors. "You are welcome, and I doubt a physician would approve. Nothing from Mr. Jackson as of yet?"

"Nah, not yet. It's all I can do to keep from bustin' through there." Buck sat back, slump-shouldered, and sipped the hot concoction. "The girl all settled in?"

"I left her in the secure custody of Mr. Travis. I fear he is the only one we can trust at the moment."

"Oren's got his hands full with that bucket 'o worms. Glad I ain't the one havin' to tell the U.S. Marshal that there's was a rat in their ranks. Any clue how he's gonna handle it yet? That girl's got some valuable goods in her pretty little head."

"Yes, she does. It should be interesting to see how this plays out."

Several minutes of comfortable silence passed before Buck's forehead furrowed in thought.

"What the hell happened, Ez? What was all that goin' on between Chris and Tanner?"

Standish pursed his lips before speaking. "It was – remarkable. I do not recall ever hearing of anything like that, let alone seeing it myself. It was as if they were one person at times."

Buck shook his head. "It was creepy."

Ezra pulled a silver flask from an inner pocket, unscrewed the lid, and added some of the contents to his cup. "I cannot argue that evaluation." He held up the flask in offering and Buck accepted by lifting his cup. Ezra poured a healthy dose.

JD and Josiah joined them just as they drained their cups, offering four fresh, steaming cups and a bag of hamburgers. The four men ate quickly and caught up on events, which wasn't much. The girl was with the ATF supervisor and their team leader was behind the damnable double doors along with Nathan Jackson. The mystery of Vin Tanner remained unsolved. They all agreed, however, that it was good to be warm again.

When Nathan finally ejected through the much studied doors, the four teammates' anger evaporated and simple worry took its place. They rose as one, wordless, eyes locked on Jackson.

"Chris is hanging in there – that's the best I can put it. His core temperature is rising but his heart rate is irregular, so they can't do surgery on the gunshot wounds yet- looks like an artery was nicked in his arm. The bleeding's under control and it doesn't look like any other major organ was hit, but one of the bullets is still in his thigh and he's lost a lot of blood."

"He say anything yet?" JD asked.

"No, he hasn't come around. It's a waiting game right now."

"What about Agent Tanner?" Josiah crossed his arms over his chest.

Nathan sighed, shaking his head as he ran his hand through his close cropped hair. "One of those for me?" he asked when he spied the cup holder.

"Sure," JD said. "We have an extra." He worked it from the holder and handed it to Jackson, who took a grateful sip. "So, what about Tanner?"

"Well, they won't tell me much, but he's in a weird fugue state – unresponsive with vitals all over the place. They're trying to locate his next of kin and any medical records the Marshal's Office might have."

"No one has come for him?" Josiah looked around the waiting room stopping when his gaze met Buck's. "You were here before all of us. No one's showed up for Tanner?"

"Not that I've seen," Buck mused.

"That's not right. We'll just have to fill in, then," JD stated. None of the team disagreed verbally, but Buck's eye twitched. "When can we see them?"

"Well, Chris is out of it, wrapped in warming blankets until he's stable enough for surgery and they won't talk to me about Tanner. They said I can bring two back at a time to see them, but only for a few minutes."

"I'm goin'," Buck said as he moved to the door with Ezra on his heels. They stopped at the doors and followed Nathan when he was buzzed in.

They walked in a line past curtained cubicles to the far end where they found their leader, the only parts of him visible being one arm and his head. Otherwise, he was wrapped in warming blankets. Although his face was pale and his closed eyelids practically translucent, his lips had lost its alarming blueness and his cheeks were pink.

"Hey, Pard," Buck said softly when he approached his side. "You look better than the last time I saw you." He rested his hand on Chris' forearm and the heart monitor fluttered.

"His readings are still all over the place," Nathan said. "Don't be alarmed."

"Where is Mr. Tanner?" Ezra inquired.

Nathan tipped his head to indicate a cubicle across the aisle. "Three down," he added.

"It would be easier to watch over them if they were next to each other," Ezra noted. "Until the miscreant that sent that squad is located, shouldn't they be under guard?"

Nathan nodded. "Probably so. Since the space next to Chris is open at the moment, it's best to do it now. I'll notify the staff."

Ezra nodded, then crossed the aisle and found Vin Tanner. Except for the small gauze patch covering the scrape on his temple, he looked uninjured. The half-lidded stare, however, was unnerving and clearly not normal. Ezra glanced at the monitors, noting the wild syncopation of the heart line and the constant shift of the blood pressure numbers. Where ever the stranded agent was, it was not conducive to restful state. Standish clicked his tongue with unease.

"Mr. Tanner, I am sorry for your current state," he offered, reaching out to pat the patient's shoulder. Before he connected, the privacy curtain was swept aside with a clatter that made both of them jump.

"They agreed to move him," Nathan reported, stepping aside to allow a nurse into the small area.

Ezra took hold of the gurney frame. The nurse glanced at the monitor then grabbed the frame on the opposite side when Nathan moved to take over the monitors and IV stand. They rolled Tanner into the empty bay next to Chris, and Buck pulled the curtain open between them with a disapproving frown.

The nurse locked the wheels, checked the IV and left the men with a smile and a nod. Nathan pulled the main curtain around them, creating a one private space.

"Look at that, Mr. Jackson," Ezra whispered. Both Buck and Nathan looked where Standish pointed.

Tanner's heartbeat strengthened and his head turned toward Larabee. His eyelids slid closed and the arm closest to Chris slipped through the rails. Vin's fingers twitched as if reaching for his injured neighbor. Just then, Chris' heartbeat, which had been lazily fluttering, also strengthened, peaking to a point where an alarm rang.

"What's happening?" Buck sputtered. When a doctor and a nurse pushed into the enclosure, the three agents crowded to one side, out of the way.

The doctor checked Chris' eyes and pulse, then stood back and studied the monitor after turning off the alarm. The heart line fluttered and pulsed, and then became steady and strong.

"Huh," Nathan whispered. He pointed to Tanner's monitor. "They have the same rhythm."

Dr. Drake picked up Chris' chart, looked at his monitor, and then picked up Vin's chart and studied it. "I've never seen this before," he said, turning from one chart to the other, and then to the monitors. "Mr. Larabee's heartbeat has increased and Mr. Tanner's has lowered, and now they are in sync. This is very odd."

Buck and Ezra exchanged perplexed looks, but Nathan spoke up. "We'll just add that to the rest of the 'odd' we've seen today."

"If this improvement continues, we can send Agent Larabee to surgery sooner than later." Dr. Drake replaced the chart and looked at Nathan. "Let's keep the visits short."

"Of course. Ezra? Let's let JD and Josiah in for a moment." The two men slipped out of the cubicle and walked to the waiting room in thoughtful silence.

A/N : Couldn't leave you all hanging. More to come! - AJB