Thanks for all the input! I'm still not sure what Becker and Jess will have, so just be patient with me. I promise you'll know soon enough. I just have to see if Katie's going to live or not first. Here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!
The hours Katie was in surgery passed slowly, drawing out Howell's suffering exponentially. His mood switched from dark and brooding, where he'd sit unmoving for up to an hour, to feeling like his skin was crawling if he didn't get up and move around. More than one nurse had already threatened to sedate him if he kept it up. He sighed and ran his fingers roughly through his hair, his body beginning to rebel against the stress his mind was putting it under. His stomach was rolling as his mind flicked through all the worst case scenarios he could be facing with Katie, from her dying on the table to never waking up and just sleeping away the rest of her life. He knew that if that happened he'd never be able to pull the plug. Not that it would be your choice, he thought to himself grimly. He had no legal standing to her heath care, rendering him pretty useless when it came to making decisions that could save her life.
He could feel someone watching him, a special skill he'd picked up in Special Forces, and when he looked up he saw one of the nurses glaring at him. Conceding defeat he trudged off back to his reserved chair in Jess' room. The three of them were actually quite grateful that the doctor in charge of Katie's case had agreed to inform them of her condition in Jess' room in the prenatal wing, rather than the waiting room of the ER. Needing to burn off some excess energy he took the stairs at a run up to the fifth floor and when he finally reached the correct floor, a very surprised Abby and Connor were just stepping off the elevator. He wasn't sure if he could handle the goofy genius at the moment, and he didn't want to test it. Steeling himself for the bad jokes and optimism he turned around.
"Howell!" Connor said before Howell could make his escape back down the stairs. Howell grimaced and slowly turned back around to face the couple both of whom looked completely serious, much to his surprise.
"Two questions," Connor said before either of the other two could say a word, "First off. Why are we in the maternity ward? Second. How could this happen?" The second question was barely above a whisper and it was the same thing Howell had been thinking since the call had come in. He was pretty sure that everyone else had been thinking the same thing too. Connor and Abby looked at him expectantly and he just indicated for them to follow him, not wanting to talk about Katie and knowing that Jess' pregnancy wasn't his secret to reveal. They followed him without question, all of them nearly running towards the door. The last thing they expected to see when they opened the door was Lester talking to Becker next to Jess' bed.
"Sir," Connor nearly shouted in surprise at the sight of their sardonic boss standing in the hospital room, "What are you doing here?" Howell was just as surprised to see him, but was better at hiding it. Lester and Becker both looked over at their co workers at the outburst. Howell instantly locked gazes with Becker and frowned when he saw the worry and guilt in his eyes. Jess looked absolutely stunned.
"Always a pleasure to see you as well Temple," Lester said dryly, holding up a hand to forestall whatever apology Connor had been about to stammer out, "As much as I enjoy your riveting company, I'm only here to inform you of the police findings." Everyone, but Jess and Becker, turned their attention to the impeccably dressed man, who just sighed and looked at his watch. "Right," he said clapping his hands together, "Becker can fill you in while I have a chat with the hospital staff." He walked out, leaving stunned faces in his wake. Connor turned to Becker with his hands held up in a palm up gesture.
"What was that all about?" He asked. Howell and Abby, who had still been staring after Lester in surprise, turned to look at the SAS Captain. Becker rubbed the back of his neck and directed most of his attention to Howell as he spoke.
"It was a drunk driver," he said, "he hit the girls after running a light, and…" he trailed off, his face growing hard, "and he got away without a scratch." Howell's fists start itching to pummel the man who hurt Katie and got away perfectly healthy. He's a dead man, he thought to himself, already picturing all the painful ways to destroy the drunken sop. Becker had moved back to the bedside and had a sobbing Jess wrapped in his arms. From the looks Becker kept throwing his way there was something else, something that had upset Jess again. He didn't particularly want to scare Jess, so kept his jaw clenched tightly shut to keep from exploding in anger.
"What aren't you telling me?" He growled through gritted teeth. He didn't like the way Becker glanced at Jess before answering.
"They caught the accident on camera, and it looks like Katie saw it coming," he said. He looked at Howell and sighed, "She turned the car at the last second to take the brunt of the impact."
Howell was silent for a moment, trying to process what Becker had just told him.
"So…" he said slowly, "Katie may die because she wanted to protect Jess and the baby?"
"Baby?" Connor asked with a shocked look on his face, "What baby?" He glanced between Jess and the two men, one of whom looked ready to murder someone, before falling silent. Howell could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears as his pulse picked up. Katie was the type of person who would put her friends first and he knew that, but it didn't stop his irrational brain from needing someone to blame. His eyes settled on Jess.
"What makes your life worth more than hers?" He asked advancing on her as she pushed herself farther back onto the bed, only to have Becker suddenly become an immovable force between them.
"You're my friend and I know you're upset, but if you take another step I will put you in the ground," Becker said with out a hint of reserve. Before either man could do anything the door opened. Their military training had them spinning around to confront whatever threat they were facing. The doctor didn't look at all fazed that he was suddenly facing down two Special Forces soldiers who were prepped for a fight.
"You're all here for Ms. Bennett?" The doctor's question caught everyone's attention, even Becker and Howell's.
"Is she alright?" Howell asked, any problem with Becker and Jess momentarily forgotten.
"I can't promise anything. She's out of surgery, and if she survives the next twenty-four hours than she has a chance," he said. Howell felt a small wave of relief wash over him at the thought of her having even the smallest chance of survival. He looked up to see that the doctor hadn't stopped talking. The rest of the team had looks of fear and sadness on their face, making Howell a little uncomfortable at not knowing what the doctor had said.
"Sorry," he said when the doctor stopped for a moment, "I missed the last bit." The doctor looked at him with understanding.
"I was saying we lost her on the table for about five minutes before we got her back. There is a chance that while her body survives, she may never actually wake up." He turned to address the entire room again, "She's been moved to the ICU so you can visit her, but no more than two people at a time. Just ask the desk nurse for her room number."
No one spoke as the doctor left, or for a few minutes after, and Howell was eternally grateful. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold it together on his own, let alone if the others started talking about it. He wasn't sure what was worse, Katie dying or having her linger on in some sick version of a living death. Howell saw the other's around him holding on to each other for strength and comfort. Connor had tears in his eyes and a shocked Abby held tightly against him, while Becker had joined Jess on the bed. His face was an emotionless mask and Jess had her face buried so deep into his shoulder that only the top of her head was visible. The entire scene was more than Howell could take and he quickly made his exit, throwing open the door as hard as he could to find the familiar stairs he'd been running all day. When he reached the stairwell, his long legs allowed him to take them three at a time to reach the ICU in record time.