As the ambulance hit another pothole, Nash braced his foot against the stretcher's side. He glared at the paramedic, sitting in the jumpseat at the stretcher's head, who just shrugged. "These things are built for utilization, not comfort. Try starting an I.V. in the back of one of these things. It's a skill alright."

Nash noticed that the bump had startled Harvey awake again. The concussion, combined with exhaustion, had knocked him out shortly after the medics had him on the stretcher back at the warehouse.

Harvey looked around lethargically, then his confused expression changed to one of awareness. He fumbled with the oxygen mask, pulling it down to talk to Nash. The paramedic reached over and put it back. "Sir, you really need to keep this on. You're being given a breathing treatment right now."

Frowning, Harvey pulled the mask down again. He really needed to tell Nash something. The paramedic motioned for Nash to slide over on the long bench seat to make room, and sat on the bench to be eye level with his patient. He put the mask back where it belonged and pulled the elastic bands tight again. "Sir, you have to keep this on. You're wheezing pretty good there, and the albuterol will help that."

Knocking the medic's hand away, Harvey tugged the mask free and fixed the paramedic with a dark look. "Don't make me shoot you."

Cutting off the medic's protest, Nash held up a hand. "I think what he has to say may be fairly important and the sooner he says it, the sooner he'll cooperate with you. Go ahead, Harv."

Sighing with relief, Harvey smiled tiredly at his boss. "Thanks Nashman. Listen, Winwood is gonna skip. He said something about a flight he had to catch in the morning. My guess is...he's leavin' the country. I don't want that sneaky bastard gettin' away."

"Don't worry, he won't. We'll check out the rosters of all the international flights leaving tonight or tomorrow. We'll also get some unies out there with his picture to keep an eye out for him."

"Boss, there were nine others besides him. Did you get any of them? How'd you find me, anyway?"

"Michelle found the warehouse listed in his wife's name. We'd looked everywhere else, so it seemed like the logical place to keep someone out of circulation for a while. We've got Jack Duncan back at the SIU. Is he the one that hit you?" Nash pointed to Harvey's split lip.

Fingering his swollen lip, Harvey smiled wryly. "Yeah. Several times, if I remember correctly."

Interrupting the two, the paramedic replaced the non-rebreather once more. "That's it. Enough questions for now; you're wasting the albuterol. You're paying for it ya know."

Laughing, Nash shook his head. "No, the department's paying for it."

Moving back to sit in the jumpseat, the medic smiled. "Which means I'M paying for it, so he keeps the mask ON."

"Can't argue with a taxpayer, bubba." Seeing that Harvey's eyes were already starting to droop again, Nash's smile got even bigger. "Told ya he'd cooperate once he'd told me what he needed to."

When they pulled into the E.R. at the hospital, Nash stood outside as the medics wheeled Harvey through the door. Pulling out his cell phone, he gave Joe a call.

"Joe, have you managed to round up any of the other drivers?"

"No luck, Nashman. They gotta be in the city somewhere, though. We'll find 'em."

"Harvey told me that he heard Winwood say something about leaving the country. Get some people over to the airport to keep an eye out for our slippery Mr. Winwood. I want him. Also, have someone look into the flight rosters for today and tomorrow to see if he was stupid enough to use his own name. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot."

"Consider it done, bubba. I'm gonna stay at the SIU to get things done from this end. Evan and Michelle are on their way to the hospital. They wanted to see for themselves that Harv's gonna be okay, I guess."

"Alright. You take care of finding Winwood. I'll get Michelle and Evan onto the other drivers. Let me know the minute you find him."

"Will do."

Closing the phone, Nash slipped it back into his pocket. He felt a sense of deja vu as he walked down the hall leading to the room Harvey had been taken to. It had only been a few months since Harvey had been brought here after being shot by a pair of punk kids. He laughed to himself quietly, when he saw Barbara heading towards Harv's room. She was the same doctor he'd had before.

Looking up from her chart, Barbara saw Nash standing there. "Nash Bridges! What are you doing here? Oh, don't tell me...I'm treating one of your guys again?"

Smiling broadly, Nash reached out to shake her hand. "Actually, it's the same one as last time."

She gave Nash a surprised look and checked the file she held. "Leek. I remember...gunshot wound to the left shoulder." Glancing at the chart, she nodded. "Yes, three months ago. What brings him in here this time?"

Smile fading, Nash folded his arms. "My fault. I didn't keep up with my people, and Harv got himself knocked out and kidnapped. Took us most of the day to find him."

Placing a comforting hand on Nash's arm, Barbara gave him an encouraging smile. "Why don't you stay out here and give me a few minutes to check him out. I'll let you know how he's doing. Okay?"

"Thanks, Barbara."

Nash was still pacing the hallway, when Michelle and Evan hurried over to him. Evan stared at the closed door for a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, Nash, what does the doctor say?"

Stopping his pacing, Nash squinted at his watch. "She hasn't come out yet. She's been in there a while, though."

Michelle felt really guilty about the whole thing. She wondered if the others blamed her for what happened. "Nash, I'm really sorry about this. Maybe I should have found someone to be with my mother so I could come to work. I just thought you guys would all work it out, you know?"

Rubbing his forehead, Nash shook his head. "No, it's not your fault Michelle. You did what you should have done, and that's take care of your mother. None of you blame me when I have to take care of Nick, do you?" Seeing the two shake their heads, he smiled. "See there, you did the right thing. It wasn't any one person's fault, really. It's just...Harvey's got a big heart, and will do anything for you. I guess we just take that for granted and, this time, too many people were asking for help."

All three turned to look expectantly at the doctor when she stepped out into the hallway. Seeing the slight frown on her face, Nash became worried. "Well, Barbara, what's the verdict?"

Leading them a few feet away from the door, so they wouldn't be in the way, she sighed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm a little concerned. He seems to be having great difficulty staying awake, and that could indicate a serious head injury. I'll have them do a skull series and CAT scan to be sure." She stopped when she saw the guilty looks all three cops shared. "Is there something I should know?"

Glancing off down the hall for a moment, Nash turned to look back at Barbara. "I don't think it's the blow to the head that's causing him to sleep like that. Well, things have been a little crazy around the SIU lately and Harv had been on duty the better part of 48 hours...before getting waylaid this morning. I doubt that he managed to get much sleep chained to a poll in an empty warehouse for nearly 12 hours, either."

Frowning at this information, the doctor made a note in the chart. "Well, we'll do the tests anyway just to be sure. In light of what you've told me, I don't think it's anything serious. We'll keep him for 24 hours to keep an eye on him, and make sure that wheezing clears up. It's going to be a few hours before he's sent up to a room, so why don't you guys just come back in the morning. He's likely to sleep for the next twelve hours at least."

Nash nodded at the other two, and held up a hand to forstall Ev an's protest. "Why don't you two go in and say goodnight to Harv, then see if you can't track down those other drivers. Okay?"

For a moment, he thought Evan was going to argue, but the younger man finally just nodded and led Michelle into Harvey's room.

Before he could ask Barbara any more questions, someone walked up behind him and slapped him on the back.

"Bridges. How's Inspector Leek?"

Wondering what the head of Auto Theft was doing at the E.R., Nash frowned thoughtfully. "He's gonna be fine. He'll spend the night and be home tomorrow evening. No offense, Captain Rodriquez, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, Michelle called me up asking to send someone to cover surveillance for you guys. Naturally I asked her why you needed the help. She explained what was going on, so I sent two of my guys to take over for her. She cashed in a few favors getting you guys some coverage, you know."

"Thanks for the help, Rodriguez, but that doesn't really explain what you're doing here. Somehow, I don't think this is just to see how a fellow officer is doing."

Rodriguez' teasing look faded and he shook his head. "You don't know me very well, do you Nash? As a matter of fact, I live near here and dropped by to check on Leek. It was just a social call to a fellow officer. You're too suspicious for your own good, Bridges. Michelle told me what's been going on for the last few days. I know the SIU has been hit hard with this flu, but you should take care how you use your personel."

Seeing guilt, anger, and regret flit across Nash's face, Rodriquez softened his tone. "Nash, I didn't come down here to lecture you on how to run your operation. I know circumstances have been a little crazy around the SIU for the last week. I just wanted to warn you...did you know Leek's passed up several job offers from other departments over the last couple years?"

Seeing Nash's surprised look, Rodriguez chuckled. "He never mentioned them to you, did he? I know of three offers in the last year alone. One was from me. I know the other two guys were offering Harvey more than he makes working for SIU. He turned us all down. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is...Howard Telly over in Computer Fraud wants Leek in the worst way. He's been bugging Harvey for the last six months to transfer. Telly heard about what happened and sees this as a golden opportunity to lure Leek away from you. My advice is you make nice with your Inspector, or you might lose him."

Leaving Nash to ponder what had been said, Rodriguez slipped quietly into Harvey's room as Evan and Michelle stepped out. Michelle threw Nash a curious look.

"Nash, what's Rodriguez doing here?"

Waving a hand distractedly, Nash answered, "He said he just came by to see how Harv's doing. You guys take off and see if you can't dig up some of those missing drivers."

Exchanging glances with Michelle, Evan shrugged. "We're on it, Boss."

Finally able to get Nash's attention, Barbara laid her hand on his arm. "Listen, talk to your Inspector for a few minutes, if he's awake, and come back tomorrow. You look like you could use some sleep yourself."

Smiling his gratitude, Nash studied her beautiful face for a moment. "Barbara, why don't you and I grab dinner some night? I know a nice, quiet place that has fabulous lobster."

Barbara flashed him a smile, and pretended to think it over. "Lobster, huh? Well, I think you might be able to twist my arm. I'm on tonight and tomorrow night so...let's say Friday night? About eight?"

"I'll be here", Nash promised, returning her smile.

When Rodriguez left, waving at Nash as he walked off down the hall, Nash went in to talk to Harvey. The oxygen mask had been replaced with a nasal canula, and he seemed to be breathing much better. Harv's eyes were closed and Nash hesitated to wake him. He decided to just wait, and looked around for place to sit. Finding a chair against the wall, he slid it a little closer to the bed to sit down. The chair legs scraped on the floor, and Harvey's eyes popped open.

Looking around for the source of the noise that he'd heard, Harvey found Nash looking back at him. Smiling tiredly at his boss, he waved an arm for Nash to come closer. "Hey, Nashman. What time is it?"

Pulling up his sleeve, Nash peered at his watch. "Almost nine o'clock."

"Ummm, a.m. or p.m.? I've kinda lost track of the time." Harvey had a sheepish look on his face.

"Well, it's no wonder, bubba. It's evening, Harv."

"Oh. Um...boss...what day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, Harvey. Listen, I want to have a little talk with you for a few minutes before the doctor comes in to stitch up those cuts." Nash paused, uncertain how to put into words what he wanted to say. "Harv, have you ever considered leaving the SIU?"

Harvey's felt his stomach drop. His thoughts raced frantically. Was Nash gonna kick him off the team for this little fiasco? He hadn't meant to screw up like that and get himself kidnapped; he'd just been so damned tired his reflexes were slower than they otherwise would have been. Surely Nash would give him a second chance. His pulse raced as he tried to think of ways to talk Nash out of dismissing him.

Glancing up at the monitor next to Harvey's bed, Nash was surprised to see the heart rate increasing. He wondered what was going through his friend's mind to get that kind of reaction. "Harv?"

His mouth suddenly dry, Harvey swallowed and shook his head. "N-no, boss. It's never crossed my mind to leave the unit. I like my job, and the people I work with. Why?"

There, he'd asked it. Harvey waited for Nash's answer, practically holding his breath.

Leaning his elbows on the bed rail, Nash laced his fingers together and stared unwaveringly into Harvey's blue eyes. "I don't know if you were awake to see him, but Rodriquez from Auto was here. He stopped by to see how you were doing."

"That was nice of him. Wish I'd been awake to talk to him, he's a nice guy."

"Harvey, he told me he'd offered you a job a while back. He said you've had several offers over the last couple years. Some of them paying you more than we can." He paused to gauge Harv's reaction.

Picking at the edge of the blanket pulled up to his chest, Harvey glanced at his hands and nodded. "Yeah, some of the guys have been pretty persistant. Telly especially. I finally had to tell the idiot to drop dead. The guy just couldn't seem to understand the word 'no'."

Surprised that Harvey had never told him, Nash asked incredulously, "Harvey, why have you never mentioned this? Why did you turn all those offers down?"

Harvey shrugged and looked away. "I didn't want to tell you, 'cause I knew you'd encourage me to leave...for my own sake. A promotion and all that. I didn't want to leave, though. I like working with you guys; you're like my family, you know? I like my job, Nash. I like to think I'm pretty good at it. At least I hope so."

Smiling in relief, Nash gave Harvey's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're damn good at your job, Harv. This whole mess never should have happened. It's like those drug slogans, man. Just Say No. Next time we start taking it for granted that you'll be there to cover our butts...just slap us upside the head and say 'No'." Releasing Harv's shoulder, Nash stuck his hand out. "Deal?"

Clasping Nash's hand, he gave it a firm shake. "Deal."

As Nash turned to leave, Harvey reached out to snag his sleeve. Blinking his eyes sleepily, Harv asked, somewhat anxiously, "So, you're not gonna kick me off the team, right?"

Nash laughed at that and shook his head reassuringly. "Go so sleep, Harvey. You're hallucinating, bubba."

When Harvey started to drift off, Nash made his way quietly to the door. Just as he got the door open, he heard a soft chuckle coming from behind him. Turning around, he couldn't help but smile at the goofy look on Harvey's face. "What's so funny, Harvey?"

He had to wait a few second for the chuckling to die down, before he got a sleepy reply. "I suddenly had a strange image of Evan...pregnant."

Nash shook his head, trying desperately to get that image out of his head. "Go to sleep, Harv. You really ARE hallucinating." He let the door swing shut behind him as he stepped out into the hall. They were a strange bunch at times...Harvey, Evan, Michelle and Joe...but they were HIS team. He wouldn't have it any other way.

END