Disclaimer: I still do not own Spooks

Friend in Need?

Ruth couldn't help the pit of anxiety building in her stomach as she reached the overcrowded A&E waiting room. She knew Harry didn't want her to leave the Grid. There was very little she could do about that. All she knew was Malcolm was badly hurt and Sarah was missing. That was what mattered most. The assasination of the woman they were following could wait. There was nothing she could do about that until she had spoke to Ros and the others anyway. Here she could be of some use.

"Excuse me." She approached the harrassed looking triage nurse who looked up and smiled.

"Can I help?"

"I'm looking for Malcolm Wynn-Jones. He was brought in a little while ago."

"Ah." The nurse smiled sympathetically as Ruth stared at him.

"Is he ok?"

"Ruth?" She turned as she heard her name. The A&E consultant that had patched up more of Section D than she had ever thought possibly was stood behind her. "Are you here for Malcolm?"

"Yes." Ruth bit her bottom lip as she looked up at the much taller man.

"Mr Barret?" The nurse started. "I haven't established her relationship to the patient yet."

"That's ok Sean. I know Mrs Pearce. She's Mr Wynn-Jones cousin. Isn't that right Ruth?" He smiled as she nodded.

"Yes, that's right." Ruth wondered briefly how the doctor could lie so smoothly.

"Ellen is in the family room. Come on." He smiled slightly as Ruth followed him. He still hadn't told her what had happened to Malcolm and she was beginning to fear the worst.

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"This just gets better and better." Lucas closed his eyes as the heaven's opened. A downpour was the last thing he needed. The team in the field had heard Malcolm had been shot and Sarah abducted, but they knew nothing else.

"Makes our wedding day look normal." Ros deadpanned as Lucas nodded. For a moment the sight of Ros laying on her back in the Registry Office with blood cascading from her hairline sprang to his mind. As if sensing what was going through his mind Ros touched his arm."We'll find her."

"Yeah. Look that idiot from CO19 says the dead woman was caught in the crossfire."

"Ultimate Karma considering the reason why we think she was in the UK" Ros stepped away from Lucas as she saw the police inspector approach. She couldn't help but smile as she heard him mutter something about bloody spooks.

"You in charge?" The wiry man with grey hair approched Lucas. He narrowed his eyes as Ros turned to him.

"Section Chief Myers." Ros spoke calmly as Lucas smirked. He knew the police man was going to live to realise his mistake any second now. "You the man that ordered the shooting? If not I want the statement and the reason a suspect in an Anti Terrorism investigation was shot before we could find out where the planned attack is due to take place." Ros smiled sweetly as the policeman visibly paled in front of her.

"I, well that is."

"It's ok." Ros stared at him as her hair blew around her face. "It's not me you have to answer to."

"Well then who?"

"The Chief of police. Along with my bosses."

"Who's that then?" The policeman stood straighter as Ros and Lucas exchanged glances.

"I think you may have heard the names. Shall I send your regards to Sir Harry Pearce and the Home Secretary?" Ros watched as Lucas stepped nearer to her.

"Well that is, I mean."

"I don't really care what you mean. Just keep out of my way and let my team try to salvage something from your incompetance." Ros and walked towards where Adam and Zaf were talking to an older woman.

"Bloody Hell." The policeman shook his head. "Is she always like that?"

"No." Lucas smiled slightly as he thought about his wife. "Some times she can be really tough."

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Harry stared at his phone, almost willing it to ring. He had no idea what condition his friend was in. Only that paramedics had taken him to A&E following a gunshot wound to the abdomen. For a moment he remembered the way Ruth had been after Samantha Caulfield had shot her. The way he had returned to Thames House to see her laying in Malcolm's arms. He hoped Malcolm had been found quickly and hadn't been alone for too long.

"Yes!" He barked as he answered the phone.

"Harry?" Adam spoke calmly.

"What?"

"Harrington is dead. Body was found with two fake passports on her. One in the name of Lucy Smith. The gunman fits the description of Rhys Hughes." Adam stated.

"Sarah's brother."

"Yeah." Adam closed his eyes. "He turned up at the chapel. Zaf and I made it clear to him that we didn't think his presence would be appreciated there. He was drunk."

"Find him and we may find Sarah."

"That's what I was thinking. Can Ruth go through the databases, see what there is on Lucy Smith or any other aliases this woman may be using?"

"I shall ask her when I see her."

"Where is she?" Adam was immediately worried.

"Hospital I think."

"With Malcolm, right. Any news?"

"No." Harry hung up the phone before Adam could answer.

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Ruth hated hospitals. She had since she had visited her dying father in one as a child. Only then she hadn't realised her father was actually dying. Now as she sat next to Ellen she realised how much she hated everything about them.

"I think it was Dad." Ellen's soft Cardiff accent washed over her.

"Why?"

"He said if I went to the wedding I'd regret it. That there were consequences to every action."

"Would he resort to violence?" Ruth watched as Sarah ran a hand through her blonde hair.

"You don't know Dad. He gets what he wants. As simple as that." Ellen rested her head in her hands as Ruth frowned.

"Ellen?" Ruth paused.

"It's him Ruth. I know it is. Auntie Sarah and Mum have been afraid of him for years. I know Auntie Sarah wanted to come back to London when she got out but he wouldn't have it. She'd lost everything so she came home. She was never happy in Cardiff. I think she missed her life before she went to prison." Ellen was exhausted.

"You really believe he could shoot Malcolm? Abduct Sarah?"

"He said he would" She finally looked at Ruth. "Dad isn't the quiet little business man everyone thinks he is. If he wants to hurt someone he will. I'm lucky he hasn't dragged me back to Wales kicking and screaming."

"Really?" Ruth was amazed. She knew Harry had called the man a bully but she had no idea that it extended as far as his family.

"What my dad wants he usually gets. Whatever the costs." Ruth squeezed her hand.

"Not this time Ellen. I promise you that." Ruth stared at the younger woman. Ellen couldn't help but believe her. Both women sat in silence for a moment before the door to the Relatives Room opened.

"Hi." The doctor stood in the doorway.

"Mike?" Ruth looked up as the consultant sat down.

"Ruth, I know what you people do for a living but it's time someone got in contact with Malcolm's family. His mother, any siblings etc."

"We are trying to find his wife." Ellen snapped as Mike nodded.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"What has happened to my uncle?" Ellen asked. Ruth was almost afraid to hear the answer.

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Harry stared at the half empty Grid, knowing that Ruth would be at the hospital. Her and Ros had always been close to the mild mannered technical officer. The fact that he was in hospital for the third time in as many years was worrying. So far Malcolm had proved to be braver than many of the field officers. Everyone knew Zaf was only alive because Malcolm had got between him, Adam and an exploding car not so long ago. He shook his head and looked up as he realised Beth Bailey was back on the Grid for the first time in weeks.

"Beth. My office." He barked from the doorway as she rolled her eyes at Tariq.

"Harry." She smiled slightly as she took her time reaching the office doorway. Harry bit back the anger he felt at Andrew Lawrence as he saw her struggled to negotiate her crutches through the desks and chairs that cluttered the Grid.

"You are supposed to be on sick leave."

"Have I been decommissioned yet?"

"No Beth." Harry answered honestly. "Of course not."

"Then I want to come back to work."

"Beth you are a field officer. You can barely walk let alone run around London."

"I know." She looked at the floor as she spoke. "But there is stuff I can do. I am not totally useless. Ruth told me there was a girl who worked here once. Before I came. Sam. I could do her job." Beth kept her eyes on the ground.

"No Beth." Harry touched her arm. "No you are not being a glorified filing clerk. You are too valuable in the field for that. For the record you are not decommissioned. You are on leave until the injuries are healed sufficently to have you back at the job I employed you for."

Harry watched as she nodded once. Her face was totally impassive. For a moment he could see why she had survived so long in the private sector. Everyone knew she had worked in some of the most dangerous arenas in the world. MI5 had seemed like the safer option until she had ended up fighting for her life.

"OK." She smiled slightly. "Until then. Because I am going to come back Harry. I am."

"I don't doubt it." He couldn't help but smile. For a moment she reminded him of Catherine when she was learning to ride her bike as a very little girl. Beth had the same determination.

"But I am coming back now."

"I'll have to see what Tring says about that."

"Harry. Let me help. If you think I haven't coped well then send me to Tring." Beth watched as Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Ask Tariq to search the CCTV area surrounding the area where Malcolm and Sarah live. Get a driver to take you to the hospital. Stay with Ellen and Malcolm and tell Ruth to get back here."

"Yes Sir." Beth smiled.

"Oh and Miss Bailey."

"Yes." Beth couldn't help but feel she had won one of the many battles she knew she was going to face.

"Ensure there is police guard with Malcolm at all times. I am not having anyone else on this team hurt. Your job is to look after Ellen Hughes. Do you understand?" Harry knew Ellen probably didn't really need looking after but he could appreciate Beth's feeling of needing to be back on the team again. He couldn't help but smile as he saw her blonde bobbed head nod as she left the room.

"So, we have one dead terrorist, three men under arrest and a gunman who has so far managed to elude CO19 aswell as half the Met and about five spooks. Correct me if I have missed anything." Ros marched towards the car as Lucas and Adam exchanged glances.

"No, you haven't." Lucas answered as he headed for the driver's door.

"What about Zaf and Dimitri?" Adam asked.

"I sent them to Malcolm's place, just incase the police were as incompetant with processing a crime scene as these are at detaining a gunman." Ros snapped, just loud enough for the police officers a few feet away to hear. Adam rolled his eyes as he saw the sly smile on Ros' face.

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"What a mess." Dimitri shook his head as he flashed his badge and his best charm smile to the police officer standing guard outside the house.

"Yeah." Zaf shook his head.

"What gets me is, why Malcolm? Why would anyone want to hurt him?" Dimitri turned to his colleague as they walked through the door.

"Why would anyone want to hurt Colin? Beth? Jo?" Zaf shook his head as the words from Jo's file sprung to mind.

"Colin? Jo?" Dimitri stepped over the large blood stain on the carpet.

"Before you joined. Two of the kindest, funniest people you would ever meet. Jo could be a little dense but she had a heart of gold. Colin was murdered. You heard what happened to Jo." He watched as Dimitri nodded, suddenly realising what he was talking about.

"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere." Zaf heard as he walked into the room. The unmistakable scent of Jo's perfume filled the room. Dimitri walked over to where a young SOCO officer was taking finger prints from the doorframe. There was no indication he had realised anything in the air was different. Zaf closed his eyes for a moment.

"Jo."

"I don't have long. Stop all this crap with Zoe. You know she is the one. Call the hospital. Just do something for me. Check on Malcolm and watch out for Harry." Jo stared at him.

"Harry?"

"Just check on Malcolm and make sure Harry is ok. For Ruth's sake." Jo bit her bottom lip.

"Dim? I think I'll just call the Grid." He stepped away from the sofa as he sensed Jo leaving.

"Thanks." She whispered. For a moment he was certain he felt her kiss him on the cheek but he knew there was no way that could happen. Jo was dead. But for some reason she still seemed to be the one that made him see what was going on in front of him. He pressed the speed dial for Ruth's desk, hoping she was not going to think he was going insane.

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"But he will be alright?" Ruth stared at the A&E Consultant as he sighed.

"Ruth, the bullet went into his chest. An inch either way and his aorta would have been ruptured. As it is he has a punctured lung and a tear in his trachea."

"Oh God." Ellen knew nothing of medicine but she knew that everything the doctor said sounded serious.

"And?" Ruth prompted.

"And he is incredibly lucky to have made it through surgery." Mike smiled.

"Thank you." Ruth sighed. "Thank you so much." Mike smiled. It made a change to be able to give some good news.

"He's still very poorly." Mike stated.

"But he made it through surgery." The occupants of the room looked up to see Beth in the doorway.

"Beth?"

"Sorry Ruth, Harry needs you. On the Grid I mean."

Ruth smiled slightly before she stood and said her goodbyes before leaving the room. Something told her that despite the murder of their chief suspect the case was far from over.

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A/N Really not sure about this chapter. More fluff next time. Where on earth is Sarah? Why is Jo warning Zaf about Harry? will Ruth get back to the Grid in time? More soon.