Checkmate and Holleran's Briefing

Toronto General – Room 513

Late in the afternoon, more like early evening, Sam woke from an incessant throbbing pain. Blindly, his hand searched for the call button, needing relief. He concentrated on breathing through his discomfort and only opened his eyes when the door to his room opened … the slight snick of the latch alerting him.

"Mr. Braddock, what do you need?" Reba asked in a hushed tone.

"Pain meds … my leg … hurts."

"Alright. I'll be back in a moment. Your dinner will arrive soon too. Hope you like roasted pork."

Sam grimaced. "Not hungry."

"I can bring you a popsicle or jello if you prefer."

A lopsided grin burst out despite his pain. "Orange, please."

"Which one?"

"Both."

"You got it." Reba's eyes drifted to the recliner. "Your mother is a dear woman … a tigress too. She's been here the entire time. Refused to leave."

Sam blinked. "She's slept in that chair every night?"

"Yep. Back in a jiffy."

Turning his attention to his mom, Sam gently flexed his left hand.

"You're not supposed to move your hand."

"What? How did you know? Your eyes are closed. Thought you were asleep."

Audrey lifted her lids, displaying weary, bloodshot eyes. "A mother always knows. And besides, I heard the rustle of the pillow."

"Mom, you should go to the hotel and get a decent night's rest. I'm okay. And you should grab something other than hospital food … the stuff is terrible."

"No, not if you pick the right stuff. Like fresh fruit and salads. Stay away from the rehydrated potatoes and overcooked meats." Audrey stretched. "How's your pain?"

"You're sidestepping the issue."

"My prerogative."

"Mom." Sam gave her an exasperated scowl.

"Sam." Audrey smiled.

"I love you and all, but I'm a big boy. I can stay in a hospital all by myself."

Audrey lightly giggled. "Well, seeing as you've never stayed overnight in any hospital in your entire life … are you sure that is the case?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I think a Special Forces trained soldier who's spent a year and a half in the Afghan desert can handle a night or two in a Toronto hospital. It's not like Al-Quadi or the Taliban are stalking the halls waiting to attack."

No, but that so-called team might try to come in, and you are not ready for that yet. I will protect you to the best of my ability. "I'm staying."

"Please. You've been here for three days. Even Dad would agree you need a break. All I'm going to do is sleep anyway. That Dr. Ferguson you said I talked with before will be coming tomorrow, and well, I'm pretty sure we both need to be well rested."

Reba entered wearing her usual bright smile. "Ah, Mrs. Braddock. I hope I didn't wake you when I was in here before." She set the jello and popsicle on the rolling table and pushed it toward Sam. "Let me check your wristband."

Sam lifted his right arm, which also held his IV port. "Still the same person, although I can't remember the last four months."

"Procedure. Must check before administering any medications. Yep, still Samuel Braddock." She pulled out the syringe and prepped the IV port before injecting the painkiller. "Should take effect in a few minutes. If this doesn't reduce the pain, call me again. The doctor wants you on the lowest dose possible but will increase the amount if you are still experiencing discomfort. I'll bring in your dinner tray as soon as they delivered it, but you don't have to eat it if it doesn't appeal. I have more popsicles and some animal crackers too if you want."

Audrey's grin grew. She liked the nurse who recently transferred from pediatrics. She remained quiet as Reba checked the swelling of Sam's hand, the laceration on his leg, and the IV drip before exiting.

Using his teeth, Sam tore open the wrapper and then sucked on the sweet, cold treat. He let out a sigh and stared at the ceiling as he asked, "What do I have to do to get you to agree to go to the hotel and rest?"

"Nothing, because I'm not going."

Sam turned his eyes to his mom. "Everyone has a price."

"Not me."

A chuckle emitted from Sam. "What if I promise to be good."

"You're always good. You make me and your father quite proud."

Out of the blue, melancholy overcame Sam as thoughts of Ben entered his mind.

Audrey lowered the footrest, stood, and moved to her son's bed, attuned to the change. "Ben?"

Nodding, Sam fought the tears but lost the battle as they filled his eyes and spilled out, running down his cheeks. So much guilt weighed him down, crushing his chest, and making it difficult to breathe. "I … killed … him."

Stroking his face with a tissue, drying his tears, Audrey's voice softened. "Let everything out … cry … you hurt … so deep … you can't hold it inside. We were wrong in the way we handled Sara's death. It is okay to feel the loss, to cry, to scream, to be angry or sad."

Sam leaned into his mother's shoulder and gave in. He silently sobbed while his popsicle melted in his hand. Unaware of how much time passed, Sam eventually quieted and regained his composure. His mother handed him several tissues, and he blew his nose. She wiped his face with a cool damp cloth, and the stickiness off his right hand. She stripped off the orange stained sheet and found a new one in the little closet.

Watching his mom tend to his needs, bringing him a fresh gown too, Sam counted his blessings. "I don't deserve a mother as caring as you."

"None of that kind of talk. Yes, you do." When she finished, Audrey opened the jello cup and handed Sam a spoon with a smile. "I love you, Sammy. You will get through this, I promise. Just like before."

Holding the utensil, Sam met her eyes. "So I stopped being an emotional wreck?"

"More or less. Dr. Ferguson helped you work through things, and he will again. We are all here for you, and will do anything to help."

Though the tears had been real, Sam's wildly fluctuating emotions were under tight control, at least for now. Sam's head cocked to the side as a thought entered his head. Underhanded, but I'm not above using every tool in my kit to obtain my objective. "Anything?"

Tucking in the covers, and not catching the glint in her son's blue eyes, Audrey nodded. "Yes, anything, Sammy."

"Promise?"

Audrey stopped and peered at Sam. "Promi…" she trailed off. Checkmate. I should've never taught him chess. "You win. I'll go to the hotel on one condition."

"What?"

"You eat all your dinner … whatever it is."

Sam groaned. "Deal."

SRU Barn – Briefing Room

Having to duck out of Clark's recital, Ed was the last to arrive after receiving a page to come in. He expected it to be an emergency but halted as he spied only Team One congregated in the room. "What's up?" He strode to his usual chair and sat.

"That's what I want to know too?" Jules said, clearly dressed up for a date at someplace fancy.

Ed eyed Jules. "Scotty, again?"

"No … and its none of your business."

"But he's your personal assistance," Spike chimed in as he played with the wristband from the local laser tag place.

Wearing the same sort of band as Spike, Lou chuckled. "True. So if not Scott, who is it this week?"

Jules rolled her eyes and focused on Greg. "We're all here now. Can you tell us why we all had to drop everything and come in if there isn't a hot call that needs our attention?"

Swiveling in his chair, Wordy offered, "Probably has to do with our leave or Sam."

Ed's gut twisted, wondering if news of his little visit this morning had reached Commander Holleran or if the commander had spoken with Sam since he had awakened.

"I'm as much in the dark as the rest of you. Got the same page, and came." Greg paced near the windows but halted when Holleran entered.

"Everyone take a seat." Norman strode to the front podium, placed a folder on the surface, and gazed at SRU's best team. After they settled, he cleared his throat. "As of tomorrow, Team One will be back on duty, minus Constable Braddock."

"Why? Sam didn't do anything wrong," Spike blurted out.

Giving the techie a stern glare, Norm said, "If you can refrain from interrupting, I will explain." He received nods from all. "As I said, you are off Administrative leave effective tomorrow. However, this matter is not closed … only postponed. Braddock woke this morning, which is good news. The bad news is he possesses no memory of the past four months."

Norm waited for them to digest the information, noting shocked and concerned expressions. "The order not to visit Braddock is still in place on the advice of his doctors. It is unclear if his memories will return, but they want to give him an opportunity to regain them organically. Therefore, he has only been given minimal, pertinent details of where he is, his condition, and the date.

"He is currently unaware he left the military and joined SRU, which means, you all are strangers to him. It is imperative you do not ignore this directive. Braddock is in a sensitive emotional state, and General Braddock indicated he would pursue restraining orders if necessary. He said, and I quote, 'they will not try to assuage their guilty consciences and cause my son further harm.' Please respect this because I don't want to lose any of you to legal proceedings."

"Commander? A question, please." Greg waited.

"Go ahead."

"Did they share his physical condition, and can you tell us?"

"Yes, and yes. Physically the outlook is optimistic. Dr. Sawyer worried about nerve damage in both his leg and left hand, but after testing, it appears he will have full use of both with some time to heal and therapy."

Sighs all around filled the room, and Wordy ventured, "Sir, you said he didn't know he is out of the military. I assume at some point they will tell him, and will they also inform him of being on SRU if he doesn't recall on his own?"

"That has not been discussed with nor conveyed to me." Norm hoped to have a civil conversation with Warren, but he was not holding his breath. Warren would likely use this as a chance to get Sam to return to the army … though perhaps in a different capacity.

Ed's gaze met Greg's across the table before he turned to Holleran and asked, "Is Sam aware of what happened before he left JTF2 … the incident?"

Norm blinked. "Are you?"

"Yes, Sam told me. Opened my eyes to a few things. Namely, I acted like a jackass. He told me after the warrant call on Keenan, where the kid died. He's right, I should've asked instead of letting Steve's comment cause me to second-guess Sam."

"What did Sam tell you? He never talked to me about his service, and I asked him about it." Spike's eyes narrowed.

Ed turned to Spike. "Sorry, buddy, not my place to share."

"Oh, come on. We're a team. How are we supposed to work with him with some major secret hanging over us?" Spike retorted.

Norman stepped in to shut down Spike's prying. "If and when Braddock wants to disclose personal information with any of you, that will be up to him. Afford him the same privacy and respect you give to the other members of your team. All I'll say on the matter is, Braddock is a highly trained sniper and an asset to SRU. I sincerely hope he chooses to return.

Nodding Greg asked one more question, "Will we have a temporary until Sam's status is determined?"

"No. Team One will operate with six members until Braddock makes a decision. There are three possible outcomes. One, he decides to return and resumes his position on this team. Two, he comes back and transfers to another team, which will be an option granted him. In which case, you will gain whoever he swaps with. Three, if he decides to resign, you will run trials to select a new member."

Wordy sighed, hoping for option one. "Sir?"

"Yes."

"What about the investigation into our failures?"

Norman took a moment to just breathe. "A lot depends on if Braddock's memories return and what details he provides. That is all I can offer you at this time. I understand it is an anvil over your heads, but I expect you to take advantage of the leeway shown to you to return to duty, and take to heart our motto … Connect, Respect, and Protect. It applies internally as much as it does to the public. Your shift starts at seven, so go home and get some rest."

He stood at the podium several minutes after the team filed out. Norm's hands gripped the edges tightly, and he blew out a heavy breath. I hope things can be salvaged. I don't want to lose any of them, including Sam.

.

AN: Sorry for the long delay in posting a chapter, but I needed to focus on my 10th novel, WHITEOUT is about 50% done, and I had to let EM (evil muse) whump Dan, Loki, and Scott for a bit. And while doing so, EM came up with something juicy for this story too which I didn't originally plan.