"Well," the doctor said with a smile, as he returned with Vaughn's chest x-
rays. "I think you're gonna live."
"Goddamn it," Weiss sighed, pushing Vaughn's wheelchair. He jumped out the way just before his friends elbow connected with his solar plexus. Weiss, could tell, however, than Vaughn had just cracked his first smile in probably about two days.
"You do have some water in your lungs, but not enough to be too much of a danger. We'll monitor you over the next few days, and hopefully that'll slowly clear up on its own, but if not, we might have to drain you. Two of your ribs are cracked, but for the most part they're just pretty badly bruised. We'll get someone to tape you up in a few minutes. Also, it looks like you bruised your spleen and you have a pretty mild concussion. So in a few weeks you'll be completely fine. But for now, I'd prefer to keep you here so we can observe you, at least for the next 24 hours or so."
"Thank you," Vaughn said as Weiss began pushing him back to the room that had been assigned to him.
"Hey, there's two things I need you to do for me."
"What?" Weiss groaned, almost afraid to ask.
"I need to go to my house and feed my dog. He will be thoroughly pissed at me for not being fed in two days. Also, for god's sake get me some clothes. I am not wearing this thing or that leather getup from Taipei." Weiss smiled.
"No problem man, because you know what? This hospital gown does nothing for your figure."
"If I wasn't in a hospital gown at the moment, I would have already kicked your ass buddy. Now take me to see Sydney, chauffeur."
"Yes, sir."
Jack Bristow watched as his daughter slept peacefully, her injuries tended to properly. All he could do was wait. All he wanted was his daughter to wake up so he could go home, shower, and change his clothes. And stop worrying about how long she would be like this.
Her doctor came into the room to check her vital signs, as someone had been doing all night.
"Have you released her list of injuries yet to the CIA?" Jack asked the doctor.
"No, actually, I was just about to go do that right now."
"Well, then perhaps you could do my daughter a favor." The doctor, confused, walked closer to Jack with questioning eyes.
"There is at least one thing on there that I would like you, as a personal courtesy, to remove from the list. My daughter will have enough to deal with when she wakes up, and I don't want everyone around her to already know what has happened to her. She has been through hell and back, and I know she won't exactly be the same for quite some time. But am begging you, to please not list sexual assault on her injury report. I think she would much rather tell who she feels comfortable telling, when she feels comfortable telling them."
Jack realized he had been holding the doctor by his lab coat lapels. He muttered an apology and released him. The doctor sat next to him.
"Sir, believe me, I do understand where you're coming from. I do get lots of female agents in this condition who do request the same thing. But the fact of the matter is that I will lose my job if it is discovered that the perpetrator assaults another agent, and I didn't report an earlier one. There has to be a special warning added to his file."
"The man who did this is dead. Shot through the head. Close range."
"Who?"
"I'm pretty sure it was Sydney, although I'm not sure."
The doctor sighed resignedly.
"If you tell anyone that I did this for you..."
"Did what?" Vaughn asked as Weiss wheeled him into the room.
"Nothing," Jack responded quickly. The doctor rose and left the room.
"So how is she doing?"
"The doctor's determined that she isn't in a coma, she's just unconscious. Which is very good -- it means she should probably wake up sometime within the next few hours."
Vaughn rose slowly and lowered himself into the chair next to Jack.
"Weiss? Do me a favor and get that infernal thing away from me and for god's sake get me some clothes."
"You got it buddy. I'll be back in about an hour."
"What? You don't enjoy itchy backless hospital gowns?" Jack quipped.
"Actually I have five just like it at home..." Jack smiled. "Holy shit, Jack, you were funny and you smiled, all within ten seconds of each other. Perhaps you need to see Barnett." Vaughn joked, reaching for the phone.
"You know I could take you." Vaughn dropped his hand back into his lap. And he smiled too.
A nurse poked her head into the room. "Mister Vaughn, why aren't you in your room? I've been waiting for you to come back from x-ray so I can tape your ribs."
Vaughn threw a sideways glance at Jack. "Looks like they caught me. Come find me if anything changes." He rose and began to exit the room. He stopped to take one last glance at Sydney, and laid his hand on Jack's shoulder. He felt Jack's hand reach up to rest on top of it for just a brief moment before releasing. And with that, Vaughn exited the room.
"Goddamn it," Weiss sighed, pushing Vaughn's wheelchair. He jumped out the way just before his friends elbow connected with his solar plexus. Weiss, could tell, however, than Vaughn had just cracked his first smile in probably about two days.
"You do have some water in your lungs, but not enough to be too much of a danger. We'll monitor you over the next few days, and hopefully that'll slowly clear up on its own, but if not, we might have to drain you. Two of your ribs are cracked, but for the most part they're just pretty badly bruised. We'll get someone to tape you up in a few minutes. Also, it looks like you bruised your spleen and you have a pretty mild concussion. So in a few weeks you'll be completely fine. But for now, I'd prefer to keep you here so we can observe you, at least for the next 24 hours or so."
"Thank you," Vaughn said as Weiss began pushing him back to the room that had been assigned to him.
"Hey, there's two things I need you to do for me."
"What?" Weiss groaned, almost afraid to ask.
"I need to go to my house and feed my dog. He will be thoroughly pissed at me for not being fed in two days. Also, for god's sake get me some clothes. I am not wearing this thing or that leather getup from Taipei." Weiss smiled.
"No problem man, because you know what? This hospital gown does nothing for your figure."
"If I wasn't in a hospital gown at the moment, I would have already kicked your ass buddy. Now take me to see Sydney, chauffeur."
"Yes, sir."
Jack Bristow watched as his daughter slept peacefully, her injuries tended to properly. All he could do was wait. All he wanted was his daughter to wake up so he could go home, shower, and change his clothes. And stop worrying about how long she would be like this.
Her doctor came into the room to check her vital signs, as someone had been doing all night.
"Have you released her list of injuries yet to the CIA?" Jack asked the doctor.
"No, actually, I was just about to go do that right now."
"Well, then perhaps you could do my daughter a favor." The doctor, confused, walked closer to Jack with questioning eyes.
"There is at least one thing on there that I would like you, as a personal courtesy, to remove from the list. My daughter will have enough to deal with when she wakes up, and I don't want everyone around her to already know what has happened to her. She has been through hell and back, and I know she won't exactly be the same for quite some time. But am begging you, to please not list sexual assault on her injury report. I think she would much rather tell who she feels comfortable telling, when she feels comfortable telling them."
Jack realized he had been holding the doctor by his lab coat lapels. He muttered an apology and released him. The doctor sat next to him.
"Sir, believe me, I do understand where you're coming from. I do get lots of female agents in this condition who do request the same thing. But the fact of the matter is that I will lose my job if it is discovered that the perpetrator assaults another agent, and I didn't report an earlier one. There has to be a special warning added to his file."
"The man who did this is dead. Shot through the head. Close range."
"Who?"
"I'm pretty sure it was Sydney, although I'm not sure."
The doctor sighed resignedly.
"If you tell anyone that I did this for you..."
"Did what?" Vaughn asked as Weiss wheeled him into the room.
"Nothing," Jack responded quickly. The doctor rose and left the room.
"So how is she doing?"
"The doctor's determined that she isn't in a coma, she's just unconscious. Which is very good -- it means she should probably wake up sometime within the next few hours."
Vaughn rose slowly and lowered himself into the chair next to Jack.
"Weiss? Do me a favor and get that infernal thing away from me and for god's sake get me some clothes."
"You got it buddy. I'll be back in about an hour."
"What? You don't enjoy itchy backless hospital gowns?" Jack quipped.
"Actually I have five just like it at home..." Jack smiled. "Holy shit, Jack, you were funny and you smiled, all within ten seconds of each other. Perhaps you need to see Barnett." Vaughn joked, reaching for the phone.
"You know I could take you." Vaughn dropped his hand back into his lap. And he smiled too.
A nurse poked her head into the room. "Mister Vaughn, why aren't you in your room? I've been waiting for you to come back from x-ray so I can tape your ribs."
Vaughn threw a sideways glance at Jack. "Looks like they caught me. Come find me if anything changes." He rose and began to exit the room. He stopped to take one last glance at Sydney, and laid his hand on Jack's shoulder. He felt Jack's hand reach up to rest on top of it for just a brief moment before releasing. And with that, Vaughn exited the room.