Chapter Fifty-Three

For every minute there's an hour, for every day there's a night,
for every word there's a meaning… and for every action there's a consequence.

"I've got some bad news for you."

Nate's emotions were so high strung that he couldn't manage to read the man. "He's not…"

"No, but we need to talk."

"Alright" Fear had never sat as strongly in his throat as it was now. "Shoot"

"Your brother's in a coma Mr. Elliott."

His laugh was anything but humoress; he was ready to cry. "You're kidding!"

"I wish I was but he hasn't woken from surgery and his rem cycle concurs with that conclusion."

"Surgery?" He had a serious case of dejavu going on. "Why was he in surgery?"

"His difficulty breathing had us doing a chest x-ray which showed no real damage which led us to believe
it was stress related. That had blood cultures being drawn as a scan of the digestive system was performed to look for
any obstructions that could possibly be to blame. In the mean time we pulled the PICC in fear of sepsis and sent it to the lab for testing."

"And the surgery was for?" Nate reiterated.
Right now he was looking for the easy answer not the long winded explanation.

"Shrapnel removal- he had degrading pieces retracted that have also been sent to the lab for testing."

"Testing?" He was still trying to wrap his head around the shrapnel idea.

"Both the liver and the gallbladder show extreme signs of irritation which rules out septic shock since that would've merely shut organs down which thankfully hasn't happened. But now we're looking for the exact cause of that irritant… and that's where the bad news comes in."

Nate was pretty sure that bad news had already come but still he questioned, "What?"

"I firmly believe that wasn't all of it and I'd like to re-visit the entry point but those scans appear to be clean so I can't."
He let that settle for a second as he looked over to the sleeping woman. "That is unless you give me permission for exploratory surgery."

"You want me to give you the go ahead to cut him open and see what you find?"
What they did was already done but who was he to say if they could continue.

"I want you to let me stop his suffering. I've studied the file and with his constant complaints of stomach trouble
and finding foreign matter right there in the digestive system I doubt it would be a coincidence if his leg had an any way related problem."

"And there's no way to wait until he wakes?" Maybe it was selfish but he didn't want to be responsible for something of that magnitude.

"His blood pressure is what sent him toward the coma and if he actually regains
consciousness today I'll send him back medically. Right now I don't think his heart could stand being awake."

"When do you need an answer by?" He needed a minute to process and regroup.

"No later than tonight; just tell a nurse to page Jeff Cowell when you've decided."

"Alright than… thank you"

Jeff nodded his acknowledgment and was gone soon after leaving Nate to his thoughts.
He didn't know what to make of things… they seemed a mess.

"Nate?" With a deep breath he turned to meet worried eyes. "What's wrong?"

How was he supposed to tell her what he hadn't even been able to absorb? "Eliot's…"
A sigh escaped his lips as he sat next to her. "He's…"

"He's what?!" Fear quickly crept up with his hesitance.

"He's in a coma." Nate huffed out.
How ironic was that?

"A coma?" She couldn't have heard right. "Like the knocked out not waking up kind of coma?"

"Exactly" He easily saw the shift she made within and he didn't blame her.
If she could find a way to protect herself from the hurt this news had brought than by all means he'd let her.

"So what are they doing about it?" She'd swear that these things only happened to Eliot.

"They missed shrapnel that last surgery so he just went through another to remove it from his digestive system.
And the surgeon wants me to let him do yet another on his leg just in case." Maybe Sarah could help him figure it out.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, I didn't know what to tell him." Sarah's look was studious and he was patient in finding out what she was thinking.

"I thought comas only happened with head trauma?"

"They occur with brain trauma which could have been from oxygen deprivation, infection, or a bleed caused by his
blood pressure which is where the doc's pointing his finger." He was sure Eliot having a perfect three for three helped the odds.

"Does he think the surgery will make an immediate improvement?" If so she'd say go for it.

"They're always sure of themselves until they're not so sure. That's not what I'm worried about."

"Well then?" It was easy to see the gears turning in his mind.

"What would Eliot say? Do I say yes to a surgery he might not want or no to one he possibly needs?"
He didn't like the burden of such a serious decision; too many factors were out of his hands here.

"What first attracted you to Eliot?" She was going out on a limb here but she believed his answer would be relevant. "What sealed the deal?"

"His hair" Nate gave a ridiculous answer to mirror how he felt about the question but was soon
rethinking it at her glare. (It had to be a family thing) "His determination and control; his absolute strength."
Eliot was definitely the strongest man he knew and not an ounce of it had to do with muscle.

"Those qualities are what will get him through this.
No matter what they say he's in control and he's determined to bring this mess to an end.
Whatever your decision may be he's strong enough to get you both through it." She firmly believed it.

"You don't have an opinion on what I should do?" Was this really the same
woman that just four months ago said he had no right making decisions on Eliot's behalf?

"Go with your gut and I'll support you one hundred percent." He better believe it, it was the truth.

"You're a good girl Sarah."

"You're a nice guy Mr. Ford." Her gaze was completely serious. Was being the operative word; as she was soon laughing.

"What?"

"Mr. Ford… it sounds like a horse."

His grumbled "damn southerners" amused her all the more. "Are we allowed to see him?"

"I don't know" Hours of worrying and he hadn't even asked.

"Then let's go find out." She was quick in steering out of the waiting room, past Bethany's replacement,
and to one of the main desks where he barely caught up. "We need a room number for Eliot Spencer please."

"Spencer Elliott" Nate corrected, gaining two sets of questioning eyes.
"You fill out one paper wrong with insurance and you're doomed for months." That explanation was thankfully accepted by them both
(for different reasons of course) and it had him glad he'd chosen the name. It would have been a lot harder explaining a Mike or Paul away.

"He's listed here as critical care." She spoke factually. "You'll have to go to the ICU and speak with the nurse there directly."

"Alright, thank you" Sarah offered as she pulled down an extremely messy ponytail. She was sure she looked a hot mess.

"Elevators are to your right." He stopped Sarah from turning into the first set. Hospital layouts drove him insane; you could get to the exact floor you wanted but if you took the wrong elevator in getting there you'd find yourself in a complete opposite unit.

"I'm nervous" He didn't need Sarah to say it in order for him to see it.
She was adamantly staring at that steel, her hands shaking slightly.

"So am I." How couldn't he be?

"How do you think he's"

"Don't" he interrupted her thought a bit harshly but he just didn't want to hear it.
"I'm sorry but I just can't…" finishing that sentence was at the bottom of the list of things he couldn't currently do.

"It's alright" She could see worry, fear, sorrow, and the such clearly etched within. "I understand… hell, I feel the same."

That jerk up than down shortly followed by a ding interrupted them and they were
soon stepping out of the elevator and going down the corridor where locked doors met them.

"Speak with the beep." Sarah read from a sign above a button she presumed she was supposed to push.
"It can't get much more specific than that."

Nate merely shook his head as he pressed the button.

"Yes?" The word startled Sarah a bit seeing as she was expecting a beep but she rapidly recovered, soon saying, "Um… yes.
We were wondering about an Eliot…" Quickly she caught herself with the memory of what Nate had said. "A Spencer Elliott."

"One moment please."

They were expecting to hear the door unlock but instead a woman walked out of it a few seconds later.
"ICU is restricted access only, your relationship with the patient please?"

"Brother" came from Nate and Sarah didn't dare remark on it as she let out, "Sister".

"Alright and what was it that you wanted to know?" Their answers had clearly satisfied her.

"How he's doing? If he's gonna be alright?" Her brother was in a coma for Christ's sake, what they wanted to know should be obvious.

"I just…"Though he was trying, rubbing his neck eased absolutely no tension. "For now I just want to see him." Needed to actually.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible. Visiting is done for the hour." Though she didn't look very sympathetic.

"The hour isn't done yet, it's only 10:52." If they were going by hours he wanted every minute in it.

"Sir the next hour starts at one o'clock."

"Please miss. Even if it's just for two minutes, even if it's just a peek to ease the worry." Sarah was actually pouting. "Please"

"Five minutes, no cell phone, and only one of you can go in."Those were the rules to be followed.

"Go on Sarah." A two hour wait just might kill him but he couldn't exactly throw himself into a spot that wasn't rightfully his.

"Alright, I'll be back with coffee in a bit." She started back down the hall haven purposely taken his words into the wrong context.

"The phone," The impatience he heard from her had him pulling it out and shutting it off.
He was still grasping the fact that Sarah had sacrificed what could have been her time with Eliot.

"Okay" She swiped a key card, having the doors reopen soon after.
"Follow me. Now I've got a few things to tell you so you're not in for a shock when you do see him.
He's got a feeding tube, a catheter, an IV, a nasal cannula, a heart monitor, and we've also got a ventilator and pump on standby.
The machines get quite loud in here and between the wires and tubes it's possible you might not recognize him."
The fast pace of her words matched her walk and Nate was trying his best to keep up with both.

"Why would he need a pump?"

She stopped right outside of a sliding glass door that had its curtain drawn with his answer.
"We're doing our best to keep it from coming to that but his liver is being pushed to the limit and there's the possibility it could fail."

"Can I go in now?"

She didn't know if he was ignoring the seriousness of that statement or pushing it away until he could better cope
but he sure wasn't taking it in or reacting to it at all. "I'll be back in five minutes." She slid the door open before taking her leave.

He was careful to step inside without really looking in and he didn't do so until he had closed the door and shut the curtain once more.
The view wasn't unexpected but it was painful none the less; it caused his lip to tremble slightly and he had to bite it firmly to make it stop.

"Hey babe," Most of it he was used to but the feeding tube was sitting uneasily with him. "I heard they opened up shop… took out some spare parts." Eliot looked pale, he looked thin, and he looked absolutely sickly. "I heard that you're having some trouble too." Gently he pulled his hand through Eliot's hair pushing the strays back. "That you…" The thought seemed to be burning him, tears trying desperately to be released so they could extinguish that fire. "Hell… how do you manage to pickle your damn liver when I'm the drunk?" It filled him with guilt that was useless but nonetheless there.

"This is the last time though you hear? This time they're gonna fix it and we're gonna be done with the whole mess. You're going to get better and we're going to that damn beach just like you wanted. Just you and me, ya got it?" He would have liked the hand in his to give some kind of signal that he had been heard but the heart monitor was the only form of answer he received. "We're gonna have ourselves some well deserved fun in the sun." It was mostly a joke but maybe, just maybe they could find some truth in it. "For you and me cause without you…" Too many thoughts filled his mind and he knew there wasn't time for them. He had spent every bit of it.

Leaning down slightly he lightly kissed Eliot's forehead, "You just keep in mind that without you there won't be a me."

Without any coaxing he left the room and with another few steps the ward.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Parker questioned as she snuck up behind Hardison.
She had just come from the warehouse, finding everything a bit dusty but to her satisfaction nonetheless.

"Yeah…" Hardison breathed, he wasn't at all fazed by her sudden appearance. "and so did somebody else."

There was a serious set about him and it had her asking, "What do you mean?"

He didn't bother in turning from his laptop to say, "Somebody's been digging in our dirt and they left their footprints all over the carpet."

"What's the plan?" Bad phrasing or not she understood his meaning.

"We call it in." First things first the others needed to know. "Then we kick the ass that decided to get all cozy on our couch."

In other words Nate would give them a game plan and like good little soldiers they'd follow through with their orders.

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Sarah hadn't been waiting for him when he stepped out of the ICU nor had she been in the cafeteria.
She wasn't in any of the waiting rooms he had checked and she wasn't answering her phone.

Where she was was a place he hadn't even thought of checking until near twenty minutes later.
She was crying in the chapel. "Sarah?"

He wasn't trying to interrupt her but he didn't want to stay unannounced in what could possibly become a private moment either. "Sarah?"
She lifted her head just enough for him to see the tears falling, those same ones soon had him sitting by her side. "Don't cry." Her eyes were so wide with hurt and vulnerability that there wasn't much hesitation before he was pulling her into a hug. "I just seen him and he's looking good." After what he had pulled in the church he doubted a white lie in the chapel would really go against him. "He'll be walking out of here in no time."

A sniffled, "Am I really supposed to believe that" made him smirk slightly.
She certainly wasn't naïve.

"Of course. I'm going to go get that surgery scheduled and you'll see. You said it yourself… he's strong."
With a slight squeeze he pulled away. "He'll be fine." Somewhere along the way he had decided that surgery was something that
had to happen and though he was uneasy with the idea the sooner it was performed the better he'd feel. The better Eliot would too hopefully.

He was about twenty feet from his destination when a ringing stopped him.
He was more than half tempted to ignore it but he wouldn't take the chance of missing something important.
Without hesitation the phone was placed to his ear, "Hello?"

"Nate man we got problems."

That was the last thing he wanted to hear. "I'm in the middle of my own right now Hardison."

"Well put them to the side 'cause these are more important."

"Somehow I-" He was about to deny that until he heard the beginnings of what Hardison was saying.
The news had him silent until Hardison was asking, "So what do you want me to do?"

He was so tempted to tell him to figure it out himself but with Hardison's track
record in mind those words never left his tongue. "Nothing… right now there's nothing you can do."

"You want me to just ignore a wolf at the backdoor?"

"No" With a sigh he did his best to decide what it was he wanted. "I want you to get rid of the backdoor."

"Nate I don't-"

Hardison might be confused but standing here in the middle
of this hospital only reminded him of how clear things should really be. "Burn Boston"


E/N: I know right!
So I was thinking about when Eliot said (or more correctly, thought) that the only thing missing was his evil twin for his life to be considered a bad soap opera and I just had to call him out on that lie and bring in the coma! Someone is always in a coma and it just has to be followed up by a dun dun dun! (It's like an unspoken soap rule) Anyway, I'm quite actually lying. That was not my motivation at all for this chapter and I just now noticed the bad cliché as I was typing the end. I promise this is certainly not going in that direction and there will be no long lost brothers or any unexpected love children along the way. (Plenty of mushy moments on standby though) And we won't even bring anyone back from the grave! (That would ruin Neliot because though they love each other I'm sure Nate would take Sam and Eliot Maritza and their baby over the other any day) Well thanks for reading!