A/N: Here's chapter 10. Hope you enjoy. Reviews really make my day, so please read and review.

I don't own Leverage or any of the characters within, excepting those of my own creation.

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Chapter 10

Vance and Eliot exchanged a glance, and Eliot said, "She's going to be okay, Hardison. We've gotten her the best care available. Sully won't take chances with her, and neither will I."

"I know." The younger man sank down beside Eliot and Eliot squeezed his shoulder. Hardison put his face in his hands. He was worried about Parker, but he didn't want to let the other men in the room see him cry. Eliot noticed, but said nothing. Instead, he looked at Vance.

"Have you had experience with this before, Vance?"

He nodded, and said, "Only once."

Hardison broke in and said, "How did that case play out?"

Vance took the measure of the young man's question for a moment and then said, "If you really want me to answer that question for you, I can do so, but I'm not sure I should. Every case is different. You need to focus on her right now, and on taking care of yourself, and you need to think positively."

Eliot looked at Hardison and said, "When she wakes up, she's gonna need the man she loves to help her get through this. Parker's very strong, but she'll need your strength now. Can you give her that?"

"What if she doesn't make it?"

Eliot's hand shot out and grasped Hardison behind the neck, pulling him close and looking him in the eyes. "Don't do that to yourself. We can't afford to think that way."

"I can't help it. Don't you understand? I have to know—to be prepared—just in case. Worst case scenario?"

Eliot's eyes were serious when he spoke again, "You did the research there in the lab. You know the worst case scenario as well as I do."

Hardison ducked his head, struggling with the strength of the emotion he was feeling. He barely registered the sound of a door opening, or Sully's voice saying his name. Eliot nudged him when he didn't look up.

"Hardison?" Sully said again. He finally looked up. "Parker's awake. She's asking for both of you." He glanced at Eliot, who nodded, and pushed himself to his feet. When he had risen, he slapped Hardison on the chest with the back of one hand, and said, "Come on." With that, he turned and limped toward the room in which Parker waited. Sully held the door for him and followed him in. He hung back near the door while Eliot went over to the bathtub and seated himself on the side. Looking down into the small cocoon of blankets, he smiled and said, "Hi Darlin'. How're you feeling?"

"I'm freezing." Her teeth were chattering and her lips had a slightly blue tint to them.

"That would be because of the ice bath you are in, Sweetheart. Your fever spiked and we didn't have a choice. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here until Sully determines you're out of danger."

Parker frowned, and her eyes grew wide. She crawled out of the blanket and rose up on her knees. Seeing what was happening, Eliot reached over and snatched the trash can that sat by the sink, and shoved it into the tub in front of Parker. He swept her hair out of her face when she leaned over and retched violently into the can. When she was finished, she crawled back into the blanket and sank back down in the bathtub, as though she had no energy.

Eliot swept her hair out of her face, and rested his hand next to her. A small hand snaked out of the blankets and found its way into his. He ran a rough thumb over the back of her hand, then brought another finger around and gently pinched the skin on the back of her hand. When it remained standing, he frowned.

"Sully," he said, speaking back over his shoulder. "She's dehydrated. We'll need to start her on some fluids when she comes out of here."

"Noted and logged. I'll set it up and send Hardison in so he can have a short visit."

When Sully opened the door to leave the room, Hardison was standing on the threshold, clearly trying to talk himself into coming inside. Sully stepped aside to allow him to pass, and slapped him gently on the shoulder as he did so. Winking at Parker, Eliot moved to the chair that sat next to the bathtub—the same chair he had used yesterday to cut the EMT's dressing off of his shoulder. Had it really only been 24 hours? It felt like an eternity since then.

Hardison took Eliot's place on the side of the bathtub. His mind was filled with fear as he looked down at Parker, who looked so small cocooned as she was in the blanket and surrounded by icy water. He sat there frozen for a moment, as though petrified, and then, with a mumbled "I'm sorry," he turned and almost ran from the room. Eliot shook his head. His heart broke when Parker said, "Why doesn't Hardison want to see me?"

"It isn't that, Darlin'"

"No? Then how would you explain his behavior."

"If I had to guess, I'd say he doesn't handle seeing you ill well. He's terrified of losing you, and that's more than he can bear, and seeing you like this scares him." He looked at her more closely, and saw the tears starting in her eyes. She didn't feel well, and this was the last thing she needed to be dealing with at the moment. He and Hardison were about to have a serious discussion—man to man. To her, he simply said, "I'll talk to Hardison. You focus on getting better. I would help carry you back to bed, but with my leg the way it is, that wouldn't end well. Vance and Sully will be back to get you in just a moment. Don't fight them, Parker. They just want to help you." She hated the thought of being carried by two strangers, but she sensed the gravity of the situation and nodded.

She watched as much of Eliot as she could until he disappeared somewhere over by the door. Eliot was careful to wait until the door closed behind him before he growled and bellowed, "Hardison, front and center." Swallowing hard, Hardison rose and walked over to where Eliot stood, more imposing than an injured man had any right to be.

Eliot had been like a brother to Hardison for the past five years, and though he liked to growl, had never really threatened any of the team with physical harm. So, Hardison wasn't exactly afraid of Eliot, but he had a healthy respect for the man's past, and stopped a bit short of arm's reach. Eliot knew exactly what Hardison was doing and why, and he might have smiled had he not been furious. Instead, he was rather relishing the intimidation factor at the moment.

"Hardison, there's a young woman in there who is very important to me, and she thinks the man she loves doesn't want to see her. Now what are you going to do about that?"

"I-I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand to see her like that."

"I'm gonna say this once. Fix it. If you don't, I will. And I can promise you won't like the way I fix it."

While they were talking, Vance and Sully slipped into the bathroom, and carried Parker back into the treatment room. When they had her situated on the cot, Sully motioned to Vance, who had an IV started before she even realized what had happened. With a final growl at Hardison, Eliot muttered, "When you come near her again, you'd better be ready to be all the way there for her." Turning his back, and not glancing back, Eliot moved over and took the hand without the IV in his, while Sully covered her with a blanket. Putting a hand on Hardison's shoulder, Vance steered him out of the room.

When they reached the hallway, Vance pulled the door closed behind them and looked appraisingly at the younger man. "Are you all right?"

"Oh sure, what could possibly be wrong? The woman I love doesn't think I love her, and a man who is like a brother to me wants to kill me."

Vance smiled. "If you think that, you've got a lot to learn about Eliot." Vance shot him a look he couldn't read, and said, "Listen, I've been on the other side of Eliot's wrath. He's very protective of those he cares about, even against others he also cares about, but he doesn't hold a grudge. He'll blow up, but that's it. After that, it's over. Stay out here and collect yourself. When you're ready, come on back in and join us. You'll see. In Eliot's eyes, it'll be like it never even happened."

"You think so?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out."