AN: Thanks for the reviews. :) I am going out of town next week and my internet access will probably be spotty until I get back home so there won't be an update next week, but I'll still be writing and surring up the second arc of this story. I hope you enjoy the update.

Chapter 10~ Too Close For Comfort

Doctors are well known to be the worst patients. Similarly, anyone with special ops training is tough to protect. They think they can handle anything ~ Michael Westen

Natalie steadied Andrew as they came into the living room. "Max!" she called, "He's hurt!" Natalie helped Andrew over to the couch and eased him down. She sat on the coffee table holding his hand. Behind them the others herded Selma and her men into the fenced backyard. Max rushed over to the pair. He sat beside Andrew and made a quick visual assessment.
"I'm ok," Andrew smiled.
"Max will be the judge of that," Natalie replied.
"On a scale of one to ten how's the pain?" Max asked.
"Three," Andrew answered.
"Ok, so normal person's seven," Max noted.
"It's fine- I'm fine," Andrew protested.
"Follow my finger for me with your eyes please," Max had to insist. This was ridiculous- Andrew had walked away from car crashes more banged up than this and chased down the his mark. He didn't need to be fuzzed over or so he thought. Max leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "Come on- if we don't do this she'll hurt me." He pointed to Natalie. Natalie narrowed her eyes on the two and arched a brow. Andrew conceded. Max paid carefully attention as he moved his finger from one side to the other. He took out a pen light and doubled checked Andrew's pupils. "Reaction time is a little slow," Max frowned.
"She chloroformed me," Andrew offered, "I was totally out for awhile."
The future resident took in the information and went on with his examination. "Do you guys have a scanner or something?" Max requested.
"I'm sure Elizabeth brought something," Natalie replied. She let go of Andrew momentarily. Natalie went over to the hutch across the room. She pulled out the drawer and rummaged through it. She dug out a slim Natalie ran back and took up her station once again on the coffee table in front of Andrew. She gave Max the box. He took what looked like a glove out of it.

Max slipped on the glove and pressed a button a screen projected in from of him. "I need you to lean forward," Max directed, "I'm going to scan your neck and head." Andrew did as instructed. Max scanned over the intended area. He placed his thumb and index finger together in a point on top of the glove then drew them apart. The image magnified. "So far so good- a bit of bruising, but no punctures," Max reported. He pushed the button a second time and the image on the screen switched to an x-ray. Max repeated the scan. "No cracks in skull or other bones," he tried to keep his medical jargon from coming out, "Excellent."
"What's next?" Andrew asked.
"I saw the blow you took to the chest," Max answered, "I'd like to scan your ribs."
Andrew lifted his arms to take care of unbuttoning his shirt, but they ached. His muscles just would not cooperate. He couldn't make his arms go very far and had to drop them. Natalie took over. She wasn't patient enough for that unbuttoning nonsense. If something was wrong it was better to know now. Natalie gripped the top of the shirt and ripped, sending the buttons flying.
"Hey- that's supposed to be my move on your shirt," Andrew pouted. The comment earned a glare from Emilio. No one paid him any mind. He stood there invisible as he watched.
"TMI, TMI," Max quipped. He helped Natalie and Andrew removed the shirt.
"Oh, my…" Natalie gasped when she pulled the sleeve off of Andrew's arm. They found a gnarly red and purple ring around his right bicep. An uneven trail of the two colors emanated from the ring and flowed down his arm. It barely stopped the other side of Andrew's wrist.
Max switched modes on the scanner and scanned the ring. "Looks like a ripped a blood vessel," he moved the glove up along the trail and watched the screen, "I can repair the damage, but the blood will take time to reabsorb." Andrew nodded. "Hold still." Max switched to yet another mode and light sown down on Andrew's arm. Once the light shut off, Max rescanned. Happy with the results he went on and started with the top bruise on Andrew's chest and worked his way down. "They definitely cracked a few ribs," he grimaced.
"I figured as much," Andrew replied. The back door slid open.

Michael & Fiona were the first to return. They shut it behind them and went into the living room. All three turned and looked at them. "How did it go?" Andrew asked.

"Fine. Paris and the others are locking up," Michael said.

"That was too close, Andrew," Natalie locked eyes with Andrew. Andrew took Natalie's hand and drew it to his chest. He pressed her hand over his heart. She felt his lungs contract and expand as he breathed. Natalie leaned down and kissed Andrew's lips softly. The sincerity of her unplanned simple show of affection was not lost on her family. Emilio slinked out quietly and headed back up to the room he was staying in with Max to pout. "You know if you went to an actual doctor we could get you some stronger pain meds," Max said.

"Motrin will work just fine," Andrew replied.
"I want you to rest. Doctor's orders," Max said.
Andrew groaned. "The more hands we have clearing things out the faster we get home," he reasoned.
"I am not sure you should be going home in the next few days," Max repied.
Andrew's brow furrowed, "Why?"
"I'm not willing to risk your ribs breaking and causing internal damage during the transfer," Max threw back. It was psychically taxing.
"Is that a real possibility? Are the cracks that bad?" Natalie asked.
"Not a very probable possibility, but it's still one," Max said.
"If there is no one else to round up we have to leave tomorrow," Andrew insisted, "I don't need to be babied."
"You were special to my dad and you are important to my sister which makes you important to me," Max asserted. Andrew swallowed. The younger man had no idea what that declaration meant to him. He never had any issues with Max, but to have his acceptance out loud... There were no words to describe how that felt. Right out acceptance was scarce in Andrew's experience.
"Thanks, Max," Andrew said. He forced himself up off the couch. "I just need to walk it off," Andrew took a couple of unsteady steps. Natalie slipped her hand around Andrew's waist. He put his arm over her shoulders.
"Need help?" Michael asked.
"I got him," Natalie replied.
"Go rest," Max directed.
"Alright, I'll go lie down until I'm steady," Andrew compromised.
"Thank you," Max said.
Michael sat down on the love seat and watched Natalie & Andrew disappear. He noticed the bag he and Fiona had stashed the stuff in from Selma's offices. He unzipped it. Michael dug through until he found what he wanted. He took up one of the tablets. Michael turned it on and began to skim through files. It had one on every member of the team sent back. He focused on Natalie's collection of files, starting with the pictures- all were from security footage or public places. Fiona joined him. "Are you sure you should be looking through that?"

"I won't tell if you don't," Michael smirked.

Paris came back from securing Selma and her crew in the cleared out shed in the garage. Quartermaine and Herbst stayed behind to guard.
"What's the prognosis, Doc?" Paris asked.
"He's a little wobbly, we'll see then how much of it comes from the blow to the head when chloroformed works out of his system," Max concluded, "That should clear in a few hours."
"Good," Paris nodded.
"He won't be up to returning home until tomorrow at the earliest," Max got to point, "I'd rather he'd wait a couple days."
"Alright," Paris said, "We still have some clean up to do." He headed up to the bonus room to check on Selma's computer files Herbst had decrypting.

As Michael continued to look through the pictures, he came to the capture of security footage of Andrew carrying Natalie out of a hospital room.
"That's outside your room," Fiona confirmed. She recognized the clothes Natalie was wearing in the photo. "Frisco was there?" Fiona queried.
"Looks that way," Mike replied, "You didn't know?"
"No," Fiona shook her head, "I had arrangements to make." A heavy sigh racked her shoulders. "I'm playing a lot of catch up here," she admitted. Half of Fiona was glad her daughter had someone there for her. The other half allowed a bit of jealously. He had taken Natalie away when the family needed to stick together. Maybe that worked out for the best. Andrew seemed to be Natalie's only source of solace. The sound of a violin crept down the hall and into the living room. "Do you hear that?" Fiona inquired.
"Yeah," he sat the tablet aside.

Fiona didn't know the song, but she recognized her daughter's style. Fiona & Michael followed the music. It led them to the open door of the master suite. Andrew laid propped up on the bed with a blanket over him. In his hand he held the phone where the music played out of. He rested his eyes. Michael leaned on one doorpost and Fiona leaned on the other. Andrew cracked his eyes open. "She plays like a goddess," Andrew smirked.
"How are you doing?" Michael asked.
"Good, I'm good," Andrew replied.
"What's the name of this piece?" Fiona asked, "I've never heard it before."
"It's new- um... Mission is the title," Andrew answered, "We met a composer in Kiev- Natalie commissioned this piece from him and gave me the recording as present."
"It's beautiful," Fiona remarked. Andrew could feel her eyes trying to read him. Maybe this forced bed rest would be a total waste of time after all.
"I thought she was at least in her twenties until she told me," he offered.
Fiona nodded. She'd give him that. Fiona cleared her throat, "All right."
"It all started out above board, totally professional," Andrew explained, "Then we started this dance around each other and somehow things got personal, very personal- very fast."
"You could have told me this nine months ago," Fiona crossed her arms over her chest.
"Natalie wasn't ready to tell you," he stated.
"And you were ok with that?" she demanded.
"I wasn't happy about it," Andrew frowned. He adjusted the ice pack on his neck. "You weren't even talking to me at the time," the agent pointed out. The song ended.
"If I had been maybe I would have picked up on a few things," Fiona acknowledged.
"How about a truce?" Andrew proposed.
Fiona tipped her head in agreement. "Don't forget Natalie is my daughter," she warned.
"You're a mama bear- I get it," Andrew offered, "All you want to do is protect your cub."
"Could you play the song again?" Michael requested.
"Sure thing," Andrew tapped his phone.
"Andrew plays too," Natalie appeared behind them.
"Hey," Andrew smiled. Natalie went over and handed him a glass of water.
She helped Andrew take a drink, "Can I get you anything else?"
"Thanks," he shook his head.
"We'll let you rest," Michael said.
"What I need is to get back to work," Andrew said.
"Not until Max clears you," Natalie replied. This was not a fight he was going to win.