A/N: Can you guys believe it's been TWO YEARS since we've started this journey!
I swear I was more excited about Neliot's anniversary than my birthday. I've grown to love this thing more than I'd have ever imagined. Thank you all for your loyalty, support, and dedication it's been the best present EVER! Now let's celebrate with another chapter


Chapter Fifty-Four

His pace was affordably light as he made his way down the hall and toward a room he had the honor of calling his own.
It was old, stale, and nowhere near matched the one he had made for himself at home but it was something he had earned.
An office. And there sitting in it was no other than Nathan Elliott.

"Nate?" He closed the door behind himself with only the slightest bit of hesitation. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."
The look he got as he sat had him asking, "Is there something wrong?"

"I took Spencer to a Lyme literate on Saturday." Nate spoke with an eerie calm that could easily be proven false.

"And what did he have to say?" Sean asked as he also wondered why they wouldn't have told him they were going to see a specialist.

"She wanted to know why he hadn't had any testing done on his digestive system." He had been sitting with his thoughts, just looking for reason, instead he found blame. This was Torlyn's fault, he had betrayed them. Or at least that's what he had managed to convince himself.

"The radiation those tests would have exposed him to wouldn't have been worth what little benefit we may have received. Not with how many he's already been through." The pure accusation Nate was seeping had him cautious of the questions that had yet to come.

"Little benefit? He's been living off of supplements from a tube!" Any benefit would have been considered great at this point.

"I understand where your frustration is coming from but treating Lyme is a long process.
We've yet to find that proper balance in his meds but once we do I can guarantee there will be a drastic improvement."

"You guarantee it!" Now that pissed him off; there were no guarantees!
"You've got the nerve to guarantee it when you can't even guarantee it's Lyme!"

"There's no dou-"

"Don't tell me you don't doubt it's Lyme when even the damn specialist doubts it!"

The pure heated anger Torlyn was witnessing had him trying to defuse a situation he had inadvertently walked into.

"Mr. Elliott if you'd just calm down we cou-"

"Don't tell me what to do! If you wanted me calm you should have done your job instead of stuffing a label on him and calling
it a day like every other over paid idiot in this place!" A chair went flying backward with rage that only seemed to be building.

"Nate ju-"

"Don't you Nate me! At the very beginning I was telling you something's wrong Torlyn. Hey Torlyn something's wrong, and you wouldn't listen! You just waited and waited insisting I was wrong until it came to this!" Torlyn looked to be searching for words but he wasn't going to be given the time to find them. "They pulled shrapnel out of his gut after they found it using those tests you claim to be unbeneficial! They're over there looking for more right now!"

"Give me a moment to get updated on his case and I promise we'll figure this out." He should have guessed Spencer had taken a turn.

"No," Nate shook his head in a bit of disappointment as he moved to the door. Here he'd faced the man with his mistakes and it didn't seem like he could care. "I told you from the beginning that something was wrong but no…" A long look at Sean had him believing that things might be sinking in as he opened the door but he himself could no longer care. "So now he is in a coma."

The depressingly whispered way in which Nate said that had him thinking only one thing as the door was pulled closed.
He had to get his hands on that file.

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"How long did you think you'd keep this visit a secret?"

"Not as long as I did." Sophie's presence didn't at all surprise him.
Honestly he had been expecting her for quite some time.

"So Parker tells me we're running." Surely eloquence wasn't expected with such a subject.

"Retreating, there's a difference." Of course he was annoyed.
He didn't see why they couldn't simply understand.

"Alright then," They both knew there wasn't but she'd play along. "Why are we retreating?"

"Really Sophie!" Frustration quickly had him moving away from her.
"Does it look like I have the time to be chasing after the unknown right now?"

"It looks to me like you should be making the time."
If someone was truly after them the way Hardison was suggesting they couldn't simply ignore it.
"That is if our safety is of any importance to you."

"Don't you start pulling that with me." Being in the middle of this waiting room had him emotional enough, he didn't need them questioned.
"As experienced as you are you can't expect me to believe some nameless, faceless creep has got your feathers ruffled. For all we know it could simply be Sterling rattling the cage to see if he can rile the lioness."

"Take a look at those words Nate! For all we know!" Did he not hear the danger in them?
"We don't know a thing at the moment and you aren't lifting a finger to figure any of it out!"

"I do know something and mistakenly I thought you did too." There wasn't much fight left in him and he certainly wasn't about to use it for this. "I know when to trust my team, that I can trust them. I know that they don't need me holding their hands to pull the pieces together and that when they've got them they won't hesitate in bringing the puzzle to me. I know that we'll figure it out and when we do we'll take the fight to them just like we always have."

"The illusion you create." Blame her if you like but she couldn't put complete belief in his words.

"Is only shadowed by the deception you paint." The words were meant to bite back just as bitterly.
Always the one to play on vulnerability but it didn't seem as if she had learned any.

"What happened to the man whose obligations were so strong he'd have been on a plane before he'd
even finished the phone call?" She needed to get his priorities back on track because right now Boston was a big one.

"His only obligation is right here in this hospital and that's where he's going to stay!" He didn't care if the sky started falling; this was where he'd stay.

"And Eliot's alright with this? As good and noble as these actions are I can't really say that he seems like the kind that would appreciate them." She knew he hadn't told him. If he had Eliot himself would be attempting a trip to Boston.

"Trust me, that man appreciates more than you and I ever will." This he knew for certain.
A simple outlook on Eliot had given him a new one on life.

"How about honesty because you certainly haven't shared this?"

"Oh yes I have."

Her brow lifted slightly at that tone. "And what did he say?"

"Thing is Soph," He didn't see how she'd managed to find her way to him without finding out anything of Eliot's condition. "Men in comas don't tend to speak and until he starts doing that again nothing short of Hardison and Parkers' subsequent murders is going to get me out of this place."

"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that." Sophie offered coolly as she stood.

"Lets" Nate could care less at the moment that she didn't seem to.
The only thing that did matter right now was the twenty minutes that kept him from his next visit with Eliot.

"Good night Nate." It wasn't at all meant to be resentful or standoffish but she was sure he'd heard it in such a way.

Now that Eliot was his center his time centered around Eliot, and when it didn't?
He was cranky and intolerable, letting them all know why his life didn't center around Eliot.

She didn't mind it really but she did mind the toll it had taken on them.
They just didn't seem to be quite right; he was either pushing her too far or pulling her too close and it was exhausting.
They had known each other for what she'd consider a lifetime and at a time like this she'd like to take comfort in that friendship, offer it as a comfort but it didn't seem possible. The last time she had simply offered an ear and that had nearly turned to sinful regret.

Whether she like it or not it looked like they wouldn't be able to share that closeness they once had, not while the lines between friendship and that something more that was clearly between them remained undefined.

A glance toward the ICU gave her all the reminder needed.
She wouldn't be so self sacrificing for any other man… and though it had come at a cost Nate was lucky to have him.

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"Shouldn't we be not here?" Parker drew out as she followed Hardison through Eliot's apartment door.

"We're just doing a quick sweep." Hardison assured as he stepped with caution.
He wasn't sure why he was doing so but it being Eliot's place was reason enough for him.

"For?" Parker questioned as Hardison lifted a couch cushion; he looked to be searching for misplaced keys.

"Things Parker." She didn't seem to understand so he stopped to explain.
"You know how you have certain things at certain places? Well right now we're seeing if Eliot does."

"Oh" Parker exclaimed with clarity that quickly faded. "Like what?"

"I don't…" He stopped with his logic figuring he'd get further using Parkers.
"If bunny was somewhere you couldn't get to but I could wouldn't you want me to bring it to you?"

"So we're looking for Eliot's bunny." Why couldn't he have said that to begin with?

"Sure Parker" His look was not at all quizzical as he walked into Eliot's room.
It annoyed him that after all the settling they had done they were still burning places at the drop of a hat.

He knew thinking like Eliot would get him nowhere so he decided a random search would have to do.

First he checked under the pillows, then the mattress, then the bed itself finding nothing. Next was the closet which unsurprisingly held
nothing more than clothes in it, though there was a folder he took from the shelf just in case. The dresser was more time consuming
as he dumped every drawer, searching for false bottoms and anything that might be taped underneath. Some of the things he found were
definitely questionable, including a few pairs of "socks" but nothing worth taking with.

"Did you find anything?" Parker asked as she entered the room, twirling the sword that had been given to Eliot for Christmas.

"Not yet, and you?" Hardison wondered as he sat on the side of the bed pulling open the night stands' drawer.

"Nope, the living room and kitchen were clear and there's absolutely nothing in the bathroom." She found that to be strange… but weren't they all.

"Why wouldn't he have opened this?" Hardison asked as he lifted a gift box that was still complete with bow.

"Maybe he didn't like who it was from." Parker shrugged, it was as good a guess as any.

"Then why keep it?" Maybe he was just childish with such matters but having an unopened present there would have tortured him.

"Maybe he wanted to keep it a secret?" Parker continued to theorize as she pulled it away from him. He was looking ready to unwrap it.

"There's something wrong with him." Hardison summed as he took a last glance around before moving to the living room.
"Did you check in here?" The little spot was pretty empty but still it deserved to be searched.

"Yeah… it's where I got the sword." She was once again playing ninja.

"Parker we can't take that." She looked disappointed but it was true.
That certainly wouldn't pass airport security and they didn't have the time to make it. "Grab the picture and let's go."

Burning his own place wasn't as hard to do as everyone else's. Though both Nate and Sophie had told him to skip the risk of hanging around, that nothing they had over there was of importance, he still found himself looking. Especially at Nate's where he had as expected found some items of the man's son.

"What picture?" Parker stopped him from moving to the door with that question.

"The only one in the whole damn place Parker!" No way she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Why would he want that?" Parker asked as she picked up the picture with hesitance.
It portrayed one man that had brought nothing but trouble and another who expressed pure blame and hate.
Who'd want to remember that?

"I don't know but there's gotta be a reason he's got it so grab it and lets go."
With that he was in front of the door, pulling it open with a renewed urgency. He certainly wasn't expecting the woman on the other side.

"Do you live here?" She was seemingly polite in asking.

"Who wants to know?" Parker blurted accusingly.

"Jessica Dylan" The question in their eyes didn't clear so she continued, "My mother lived down the hall. She talked about you all the time and I just wanted to thank you for the kindness and help you provided her with. It was much appreciated."

"Your mother…" Hardison tried his best to sound forgetful instead of questioning.

"Maribeth Stillmoore? Every time I called she was mentioning what her Eliot had just done for her." She was starting to think she had the wrong man.

"You know I've been out of town a few months…" Hardison offered as he played into it. "Did something happen to her?"

"Unfortunately she passed in June; I'm just getting around to cleaning out the place." A task that was still hard for her to face.

"Naw… no way," Hardison breathed as he found himself a bit stunned. "Man I'm sorry."

"We all are," Jessica agreed. "I just wanted to thank you for being a friend to an old woman that didn't have many."

"It was a pleasure." Hardison truly felt he was speaking on Eliot's behalf.

"You take care of yourself Eliot." Jessica offered simply.

"And you do the same!" He called as they headed down opposite sides of the hall.

"Eliot's going to be sad." Parker stated somberly; she was a bit unnerved herself.
That spunky old lady might have grown on her too, if just a bit.

"The man can't catch a break." Hardison shook his head as they started down the stairs.
If anyone deserved a little luck right now it was him.

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"Aaron?" Ashlee came through the door expecting him as always to be waiting for her in the living room.
To her surprise he wasn't, "Aaron?" She set her purse on the couch as she went further into their place. "Baby you here!"

The place was completely dark, something that was very uncommon, and it had her flipping on the hall light as she moved toward the kitchen.
His pickup was out front but he could very likely be bullshitting with some of his buddies down the road. "Aaron?" She was praying to God that's who was sitting at her kitchen table. "What are you doing sitting in the dark?" She flicked the switch to remedy that which actually seemed to make him flinch. "Aaron?" She sat across from him but couldn't see much from the way he had his head hung. "What's wrong?"

He looked up with eyes that seemed to be burning red. "Sarah called."

She'd swear she heard water in those words and it had her thinking of the little ones. "Are the kids okay?"

"They're fine." Aaron spoke a little hoarsely before stopping to clear his throat. "It's Eliot she called to let me know about."
A hand was rubbed across his face; possibly to clear the emotion but more likely to grasp some clarity. "He's… he's…"

"Oh Lord he's not…" she couldn't speak the words herself.

"He's in a coma." It came out harshly broken and with it a tear.

"Oh baby," Quickly she was up and soon after her arms were tightly around him. "I'm so sorry."

"Ash," He pulled her close until she was firmly tucked into his side. "What if he doesn't wake up?"

"He will… and you know why?" He shook his head and she placed a kiss atop of it before answering, "Because you're going to go over there and tell him to."

"Simple as that?" Aaron questioned as he pulled her to sit on his leg.

Wiping at the moisture he'd never admit was in his eyes she reassured, "Isn't it always."

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The last visit of the night had been about an hour ago and it hadn't brought good news with it.
If anything Nate was sure he had been nicely told Eliot was getting worse. That was partly why he was currently in the chapel he had just yesterday convinced Sarah to finally leave. He needed to be close but he couldn't stand the thought of spending the night in another waiting room.

"We both know I've got no right to ask for anything from you so I won't but…" desperation more than anything else was fueling his words. The news Hardison had presented him with not long ago being another source. "There's got to be other ears listening." His mind drifted to Eliot's stories of a crazy Russian, beloved grandparents, a cherished lover, and most recently a kooky neighbor and friend. "You guys know Eliot, you've loved him." Times like these were supposed to shake your faith but they seemed to be the ones that got him to even partially believe. "I know my words don't mean much anymore but it'd be greatly appreciated if you could put in a few for him."

"Surely you know God judges no man." The voice snuck up on him just as swiftly as the man it belonged to.

"Of course not." Nate turned to see no other than a Pastor of all people. "He's saving that for judgment day."

"Believe it or not whether you be right or wrong he's there to listen."

Nate sensed a lecture coming on and he fully intended to dodge it. As close of religions as Catholic and Lutheran were they were still immensely different and he wasn't in the mood to debate beliefs that were usually shaky at best. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Is there a reason you feel your words won't be heard?" The pastor sat next to him, actually offering an ear, and what the hell… he couldn't see why not.

"Maybe it's because I already know what he has in store for me." He was headed to hell and he knew it, he'd accepted it.

"Of course you don't! The Lord's full of surprises." Nate rolled his eyes
at such a "handbook" line; it was only right he got hounded by a by the book Pastor.

The silence that followed after that was weird but it was better than forced conversation that would surely be awkward.
A few moments later though and Nate found himself breaking it with a question.
He already had his answer but he wanted to know what the Pastor's would be. "Do you believe all prayers are answered?"

"Of course I do," A hand was clamped onto his shoulder as emerald eyes pierced down to what felt like his very soul. "The thing to remember though son is…" With the next words he no longer felt hounded but a little lost, perhaps a bit cheated. "Sometimes the answer is no."


E/N: Loud and clear meme23, how's that for an update?
Two years you guys! Let me know what you think