Hi! I just wanted to let you know that Ed Oosterhuis is from Blue Murder, Dr. Spenser Reid is obviously from Criminal Minds and Agent Booth is from Bones. I don't own any of them, I'm not making money off them and I'll give them back when I'm done. I promise.
Susanne
Time passed. The refugees developed routines even while becoming more and more restless. Bob's health improved to the point that he was able to spend time in the common room. Grissom, Nick, Sam and Dean spent hours trying to figure out a way home.
Seven days into their stay, government agents and scientists showed up and started to run tests on all of the refugees. By the time they were done, all of them had begun to feel like guinea pigs. Multiple blood samples were taken from each of them, followed by a complete physical exam. Finally each of them was subjected to psychological tests. All of them held back on these tests. There were too many things about the future and about themselves that they didn't want anyone to know.
By unanimous decision, the refugees had decided to not bring up the tragedies of their time. As much as they would like to have prevented them there were too many unknowns. What would be the effect on the world as well as the United States if the bombing of the Army barracks was prevented or 9-11? They just didn't know enough. As much as it burned Grissom to admit it, there were forces at work that he couldn't understand or plan for.
By the end of the day, all eight of them were irritable and exhausted. Huddled in the common room for mutual support, the five men and three women were silent as they waited for the agents to leave.
A shift was in and standing around the garage. They had no idea what had been done to the others but one look at Bob's drawn, pale face confirmed that it was nothing good. Johnny, Roy and Mike Stoker hung at the back of the room, closest to Captain Stanley's office. Inside, the agents and scientists were discussing their next move.
"Man, this isn't right," Johnny muttered in a low voice.
"Yeah, I know," Roy replied in an equally low tone.
Inside the office, one of the main scientists was talking.
"We need to use sodium pentothal on each and every one of them," he demanded. "None of them are telling us everything."
"I don't know if the President will authorize that," the lead agent stated. He'd been introduced as Agent Booth.
"Perhaps the President doesn't need to be informed," the scientist replied. A murmur of unrest prevailed in the room. Clearly the others did not hold to the same sentiment.
"Don't bring that up as an alternative ever again, Dr. Fox," Agent Booth warned. He didn't always enjoy the deeds of his job required of him but he held firmly to his honour and his duty.
The room subsided into silence. "All right, Mr. Booth. How do you suggest we get the whole truth out of them?"
"That is for the President's advisory council to decide. As for now, you've run all your tests. Let's leave these people in peace until we hear otherwise?" Without waiting for a response, Agent Booth collected his papers and carefully slipped them into his briefcase. He locked it and then he left the room. Silently, his fellow agents followed him out to their black sedans parked in the back. Disgusted and frustrated, Dr. Fox and his people did likewise.
"John, Roy, go check on them, please," Captain Stanley instructed once all of the others had left. He'd hated the feeling of helplessness that had invaded his station while the government men were there. Being a patriotic American, he couldn't disagree with their intentions but having known the refugees for the last week it had turned his stomach.
"Sure thing, Cap," Roy said. Quickly, the two paramedics made their way into the common room. Unbidden, Chet, Mike and Marco trailed behind.
Subdued, the refugees looked up as the firemen entered. They were huddled together, almost as if they needed each other's presence. In the back of the room, Rachel sat beside Bob. The young soldier could barely maintain an upright position but he refused to give in. He couldn't take the chance that the agents might return and overrule his right to refuse being admitted.
"I'm sorry," Roy said to the room in general. While they all looked pale and a little shaky, Bob was in the worse shape. Expertly, the senior paramedic turned his attention to the soldier.
"Are they done?" Gil asked. It had been a really long, gruelling day. He just wanted to take a shower and go to bed. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.
"Yes," Johnny said. There was nothing to do but hydrate Bob and get everyone to bed.
"Let's go," Gil said. He and Nick stood up, moved over to Bob and carefully pulled the man to his feet. The brothers tagged along as the trio left the common room on their way to bed. Feeling helpless, Johnny and Roy glanced at the women before heading off after them.
Wanting desperately to go to bed, same as the others, Rachel debated with herself. The last two nights Bob had been well enough that she hadn't had to watch him. Now, with the stress of the day causing him to relapse, Rachel wasn't sure if she needed to stay with him or sleep. The Barbie twins had pulled their cots out and were quickly putting their sheets and blankets on them.
"Rachel?" Roy had stuck his head in the door. "Do you feel up to staying with Bob?"
"Sure," Rachel responded, grateful that the decision had been made for her. She paused long enough to grab a glass of water and the book she was currently reading before following Roy into the bunk house.
For his part, the senior paramedic hated to ask but division had made it very clear that he and Johnny had to do their jobs first and take care of Bob second. He held the door open for Rachel. His wife, Joanne, wasn't really all that thrilled with women being in the station house but she trusted her husband. Roy hadn't told her about Samantha, he didn't want to worry her.
"Thanks," Rachel said to him as she slipped by. The last two nights sleeping with the Barbie twins had soured her on the idea. She wasn't sure how she would ever get used to sleeping with anyone else in the room, much less, two giggling, whispering women. She was thankful that she didn't have to repeat that experience tonight. Rachel slipped down the aisle to take her customary position beside Bob's bed. All thoughts of sleep vanished when she looked at Bob's pale, sweat-slicked face.
A quick check of his vital signs showed that while he looked bad, he was still holding his own. Silently, she slipped out of the room long enough to get a cloth and basin of water. When she returned she gently washed Bob's face and neck. His eyes flickered open and came to rest on her.
"It's okay," she assured him. "Go back to sleep."
More days passed. The fire crews cycled through their shifts. The scientists and government agents came every few days but as one week became two even they seemed to lose interest. The refugees were becoming restless. There was only so much to do in the fire station. No one was any closer to a plan to get them all home. Sam had caused going to the library and had snuck out to go to occult shops he found. Dean was on the prowl for something else entirely. Beer.
The elder Winchester's continual grumbling eventually caused Johnny to bring a few just to shut him up.
The Barbie twins had been taken out shopping, as had all of them, to buy a few new clothes. Their own were all ready starting to get a little threadbare. Rachel and the men were all done in half an hour but they were forced to sit around for nearly three hours while the two men got their outfits just right. Then they proceeded to spend another hour getting their make-up and toiletries at a drug store.
"Aren't you going to get any?" Nick asked. He and Rachel were leaning against a wall. On the floor beside them were baskets with their tooth paste, tooth brushes, deodorant and other items.
"I don't wear make-up," Rachel replied.
"What about night creams and the rest of that stuff?" He was amazed. He didn't think he'd met a woman in recent history who didn't use any kind of cosmetic.
"Just plain water," Rachel stated, a small smile playing across her lips. "Unless you count this."
From her basket, she extracted a container of body lotion. Her skin had been so dry that she could hardly stand it.
"No," Nick said, smiling. "I don't really think that counts." He was exhausted from spending hours upon hours creating, examining and ultimately discarding ideas. The mere fact that here he couldn't work on the possibilities forced him to relax a bit.
"Do you think they'll find the colors they're looking for? Make-up was significantly different in the 70's," Rachel said as she watched the two women. For her part, Rachel hadn't really minded the whole shopping experience thus far. It reminded her of her childhood but it also made her a little homesick.
"I have no idea," Nick responded, grinning. He glanced up at Bob as the other man settled against the wall beside him. The military man was doing better and had managed to stay on his feet for the whole shopping experience. He was, however, beginning to show signs of tiring.
"I don't even go shopping with my wife. Those two are driving me nuts," he breathed.
Time dragged. The two women were having a little too much fun. Bored, Rachel glanced toward the door where their keepers, two FBI agents stood. She would have preferred spending the time with Johnny and Roy but both men were working. The two agents had been joined by four other men. She spotted the two refugees immediately. They weren't wearing polyester suits. She nudged Nick with her elbow to draw his attention to the group moving toward them.
"Rachel, Nick, Bob," the elder of the agents greeted them. "This is Ed Oosterhuis and Dr. Spenser Reid. They're going to be attached to your station until we find somewhere to put them.
"You'll like Ed, Rachel," Agent Booth continued. "He's Canadian too."
"Really?" Rachel tried to keep the excitement out of her voice and failed miserably. "Where are you from?"
"Toronto," Ed replied. The woman seemed genuinely relieved to have a countryman around. The Metro PD officer didn't really blame her. "You?"
"Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan." Rachel realized from the surprise on her companions' faced that they hadn't know either. She blushed.
"We're both a long way from home," Ed stated.
"You'd better pick out the toiletries you think you'll need. There's no telling when we'll get the chance to shop again," Booth suggested.
Neither man seemed very inclined to do their own shopping so Booth sent the other two agents to do it for them. The FBI Agent looked closer at Dr. Reid. "You're a little young to be a doctor, aren't you?"
For the first time, Rachel looked closer at the two new additions. Ed was probably about 30 with blond hair and brown eyes. He had a medium build and stood about five feet, ten inches tall and was handsome.
Dr. Reid on the other hand had brown hair and blue eyes. He had a very slight build and stood about six feet tall. He too was handsome in a geeky sort of way but he looked to be maybe twenty years old.
Spenser didn't respond to the question, he was too busy taking in his surroundings. He appeared to be verging on shock. He was talking quietly under his breath. Gil and Sam made their way over to the little gathering. The senior CSI watched the younger man's lips intently.
"Earth to Dr. Reid," Booth said, snapping his fingers in front of the man's face.
"Yes?" Spenser responded, blinking against the movement. Thoughts, ideas, equations and possibilities raced through his mind, making it a little hard to concentrate on the here and now.
"Are you okay?" Gil asked. The CSI had been reading the young man's lips and knew that, while he was preoccupied, Dr. Reid had been going through equations and clues to solve their current problem.
"Yes," Dr. Reid replied, realizing for the first time that he was the centre of attention. "I'm fine."
"Yeah, right," Booth scoffed. "Are those women done yet?"
Dean was trying to help the Barbie twins pick colours that worked on them. But he was really having too much fun making them look like clowns.
