AN: Greetings, S.W.A.T. fandom! I'm taking a (forced) break from the other fandoms I normally write for (because my muse refuses to talk to me), so I decided to jump in here. After watching 4x13, I was left wanting more, especially regarding some missed opportunities, so I "fixed" what was missing :D
Tag to "Sins of the Father", in which I address a few things that were missing in regards to a certain member of 20David. TanWhump.
1
No sooner than Hondo yelled for him to take cover did Tan feel the air being forced from his lungs as if he took a kick to his chest. The familiar pain that followed being shot was enough to send him tumbling over the hill, leaving him no time to prepare or brace himself. He felt his body connect with logs and discarded posts, but it was when his head connected with a large rock that sent his world into black.
"Tan? Tan, are you alright?"
Tan winced as he moved his left hand toward his chest, searching for the hole that hadn't entered his body. This time.
"Vest saved your life, man,"
Again.
Tan groaned as he worked on gathering his bearings while Hondo attempted to free his leg from the barbed wire that was currently wrapped around his lower leg. At that point his head was ringing something awful and the sore, aching pain was building in his chest but he pushed the pain he felt aside when he saw their suspect racing toward an unsuspecting Hondo.
"Behind you!"
Their suspect charged at Hondo with an ax, leaving the younger man on his own. Tan watched helplessly as Hondo lost his rifle and dodged the swings and thrusts of the suspect. At one point, Tan drew his sidearm and aimed toward the action, but with Hondo engaged in a close quarters fight, he couldn't risk hitting his teammate by accident.
Holstering his pistol, Tan turned his attention to his trapped leg. Careful not to cut his fingers, he made quick work of the wire and got to his feet. Ignoring the rush of blood and the way his vision doubled as he climbed to his feet, Tan drew his rifle and ran over to Hondo, who had finally unarmed their suspect. He kicked the ax out of the way and waited for his world to still.
"Well, at least your vertical," said Hondo. "You alright?"
"Second hit this year," said Tan.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget how long you have been on a job. Getting shot twice in a year, let alone within a few short months, really stood out. And the pain he was currently feeling was a strong reminder of those facts.
"Well, let's make it your last, man,"
In their line of work, that would be near impossible.
Tan followed Hondo back to a waiting patrol cars that would transport all of the suspects they caught back to the station. There was no sign of Jonah, which meant the job was far from finished.
Tan peered over to Deac, who had a worried look on his face. Apparently he missed something the other man said. "Sorry?"
"Hondo mentioned you took a tumble," Deac said. "You okay?"
Tan waved him off. "'m fine,"
"And that?"
Tan looked down at the holes in his body armor and spare magazine. An inch or so higher and they weren't having this conversation. "All good, Deac. Really,"
Deacon nodded. "At least get checked out back at HQ,"
"Will do."
#
20-David was back on the road quickly, which meant Tan didn't get checked out while they were at HQ. Nor did he get to take that aspirin he desperately wanted. He brushed off the worried looks and questions from his teammates and instead pushed through the ache in his head. He didn't have time to be out of action, especially with Chris already on the sidelines. They would find out where their suspect was hiding, it was only a matter of time. Then he would rest.
Luck and skill were on their side as they located where their suspect was hiding and the hostage situation was resolved as peacefully as could be. Granted, those events went by in a bit of a blur, so when Hondo asked Tan a question, his only response was to lean over the side of a nearby railing and discard the contents of the last meal he ate.
"Tan?"
Tan accepted Hondo's help and leaned against the side of Black Betty. He took his helmet off and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "I'm good. I'm good, Hondo,"
"You are not "good" man," said Hondo. "First you get shot and fall down a hill, now you're throwing up while we're still on scene? What's up?"
"My head's killing me," said Tan.
"You may have a concussion,"
"Who's got a concuss-" asked Street as he walked over, but he stopped short after taking one look at his teammate. "Oh, shit. Dude, you look awful,"
Tan glared at Street before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine, okay?"
"That was a question, not a statement," said Hondo as he waved an EMT over. "You're going to the hospital to get checked out,"
"I just need an aspirin, not a hospital,"
"Humor us," said Deacon. "I'll let Bonnie know,"
Tan shook his head a couple of times, then realized that was a bad idea. He waved Deac off, "No, no, I'll call her. Don't want to worry her over nothing," he said as he begrudgingly followed the EMT to the ambulance.
"You think he's okay?" asked Street.
Hondo nodded. "We're here for him, so he will be. In time."
#
Tan followed Bonnie into their home and immediately headed for the couch. After she met him at the hospital - which he told her she didn't need to do - she then waited for him to get checked out, go back to HQ and finish what he needed to do there, before driving him home. He barely said a complete sentence to her, which wasn't surprising as the concussion made conversing rather painful.
The lure of the soft cushions was enticing, so much so Tan nearly jumped when Bonnie grabbed his hand.
"Come on,"
"Bonnie, I don't-"
"You need a hot shower. I'll whip up one of your favorites, then we can sit on the couch," said Bonnie. "You know what the doc said about sleeping,"
"Yeah, I know," it sucked, but he knew the concussion protocol. "I just don't feel like doing anything, including showering,"
"Even if... I helped you?" said Bonnie with a smirk.
Tan smiled back. "That'd make it better,"
Bonnie leaned in for a kiss before jogging off to their bedroom. "Start the tap?"
"You got it,"
Tan flipped the light on the bathroom when he arrived, then turned the faucet on. After waiting a few seconds as the water warmed up to a decent temperature, he removed his shirt and tossed it aside. However, that was as far as he got once he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.
There, still blooming across his chest, were two dark black and blue bruises. After he told Bonnie what happened, he was prepared to face any reaction she may have. When she gently pulled him in for a hug, he could only slump into her embrace with relief. This was just one of the many reasons why he loved her. She accepted the good and the bad, along with everything in-between.
"You okay?" asked Bonnie, breaking Tan from his straying thoughts.
"Yeah, just," he paused. "Thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life,"
"Hmm," mumbled Bonnie as she kissed Tan over and over. "Sounds like you're ready to help me pick out Save the Date cards,"
"Absolutely."
AN: I was excited at the possibly of there being some solid aftercare, or even worried teammates, after Tan got hit. But no. So this was born to fill my need for that, and to have Bonnie show up. I miss her. If you made it this far, let me know what you think! :)