- This is my first A-team fic , so be kind
- My first languages are Dutch and French , so forgive me please if I have any
faults in grammar and spelling . I'm only a fourth grader in an academy of arts
, only have two hours a week of this subject which pass by with the teacher
talking 'bout everything but the lesson so we don't get to learn a lot .
- My fave characters are Murdock and Hannibal .
- A-team belongs to someone else - have no idea who . Don't sue .
___________________
An hour ago , BA had called him up in the middle of the night and the ringing
of the Mickey Mouse phone had stung deeply into his dreams . Not that he had
been dreaming well , not at all .
lot . The nightly air seemed cold and fresh , a lot different then the odors in
the cab . He breathed in a big gulp of air before he turned around and walked
into the big building .
and the USA was nicknamed 'the world' , because the contrast was between both
countries was
so big ... )
that ."
" Face didn't wake up yet ? "
" Yes , please ."
veteran . Crazy is not on the list ." Hannibal said thoughtfully as he
looked to the man . " Understood ? Don't let anyone tell you differently
."
body .
Hannibal didn't have to think twice to figure out what those 'things' were . He
, Face and BA were still fighting it , trying to forget it , all knowing that
it was impossible . The dead soldiers of the past still haunted them , both
Vietcong and US soldiers , with blood in their eyes and ears , the black
pajama's or the green soldier uniforms .
Hannibal had seen that there was a spare bed next to his , and he thought that
it might be a good idea to let Murdock sleep here in the room - after all ,
Murdock had always been able to sleep when he was with someone of the A-team in
the room . And after all , if he was getting nightmares , Hannibal knew what to
do . After all , Face had got the same problems years ago .
" Then you sleep here in that bed over there ." , Hannibal ordered
him boldly , sounding much more harsh then he'd meant to , but it worked .
" Okay , Colonel . But if it doesn't work , I ask my money back . " A
grin appeared on Murdock's face , and even Hannibal couldn't help it but to
smile .
" People might call him crazy , but he's more normal then the most of us .
" , he thought as he saw the man climb in the bed , tear the upper blanket
of the bed and wrapped himself in it . Hannibal didn't know how long it'd take
before the man would fall asleep , but he wished him peaceful dreams . Same
thing or Face .
How young that they had all looked in 'Nam , and how old they had seemed when
they got out . To him , war had not been a need thing when he had fought in the
Vietnam war . But to BA , face and Murdock it had been and they still had to
learn how to cope with their grievances . That was something he couldn't learn
them , as he still didn't know how .
Hannibal sighed as he realized that he was too warm and that he desperately
wanted a cigar . A Cuban one . He thought of himself that he'd disserved it
after all he'd been through . With his healthy arm he tore the blanket , under
which he was strapped in , a little bit more loose so that at least , he could
breathe without that his chest was pushed down by the fabric . Personally , he
wondered where BA had gone or if the Doc would let Face go off soon . But a
satisfied look on Murdock , who was asleep now , or at last seemed so , calmed
down Hannibal's tensed senses . It was going to be alright , as long they were
gone before Decker entered the hospital , disturbing everyone before even the
cops could interrupt them . Yeah , everything was going to be fine if they
hurried .
" Oh my God ..." Face , who had tried to sit up straight , dropped
himself back flat on his cushions
again , under the worried looks of BA .
" How are you feeling , man ? " BA's voice sounded really worried .
" Just keep calm and don't sit up . That will save you a lot of pain , boy
."
Hannibal's voice calmed him down , let him know that he wasn't alone in this
room with BA , even if he knew that it was a ridiculous thought . Hannibal was
now fully dressed , his arm in a tourniquet , but everything at him looked like
he was ready to leave . Face glanced the right , past Hannibal's bed and saw
Murdock , who looked like he was sleeping , and even if he didn't looked hurt
from his point of view , Face couldn't help but to ask .
" Is he okay ? I didn't know ..."
" He's just sleeping . " When Hannibal saw Murdock waking up , he
completed his sentence ." Or at least , he was . How are you feeling ? "
Hannibal looked at Face , with a smile around his mouth .
" Just fine ." , he said while he let out a sigh and brushed his
blonde hair with his left hand . " A few vitamins C and I'm as good as new
."
But Hannibal knew that he was in more pain then he let in . Damned , this
wasn't making it easy . It wasn't making it easy at all .
" Listen Face . Decker might be still looking for us and he might have
tipped Decker as well . I just need you out of here as quickly as possible ,
except that this doctor of yours won't leave you that quickly ."
Face panted heavily , and BA knew that he was in great pain , but Hannibal
didn't seem to notice .
" What are we going to do ? Are we leaving now or do we stay ? " ,
Face whispered as he grabbed his glass of water that had stood on the pedestal
cupboard ." Because you don't have to tell me twice . Hand me over some
clothes and I'm gone ." Face tried to get up once again , but in agony ,
fell back on the bed . " But I don't think that it will do me any good
."
" You still look good for someone who's got a hole in his stomach ." Murdock
got on his feet and walked to Face's bed .
" Nice said , you fool ! made him worried for nothing ! " , BA
shouted as he grabbed vainly in Murdock's
direction . He didn't succeed as Murdock quickly jumped aside .
" You're staying here , Face , until you're better ."
" Everything okay ? " Hannibal looked back to Face , who sat on his
seat , strapped in with his safety belt , who looked tired . " Don't ask
me a hundred times a minute , Colonel . I'll be fine . "
Hannibal sneered . He knew he bored the kid to death , but it was better to be
too careful then not caring about it at all . They were heading for the South
of Texas , to a little town named 'Dixie' , where a man and his lover were
totally rejected as farmers . It ended as so that all the goods of the farming
couple got trashed . It had been happening for a while , and only now the
couple had decided to call up the A-team .
Hannibal had accepted the mission , knowing that none of the would have
problems with those guys .
" Look there , there's Captain America with his blue red flag ! " ,
Murdock shouted out as he pointed outside to something only he could see . And
he knew it . Face laughed as he eventually looked outside , and saw
nothing at all .
" You had to be quick to watch him. He's in Timbuktu now . " ,
Murdock said seriously as he wriggled impatiently on his seat . His T-shirt
said Captain America , and luckily BA had stopped him from wearing the cape .
Suddenly Face's happy face grew dim as he felt the pain raise up again . That
had been happening since this
morning , and it didn't feel to good . Neither Murdock , BA or Hannibal had
noticed that , and for that ; he could be wishful to God . He breathed in and
out faster , to lessen the pain burning in his stomach and again it proved
successful .
" We're almost there . " , BA reported as he saw the sign of Dixie
appear on the freeway . Probably Dixie was going to be one of those towns that
they had visited so many times before , but you just couldn't grew weary of the
people that were in need . They had to earn their money with something , after
all . " And stop wrecking my good chair ! "
Murdock stopped constantly , but instead he started to tap on the window ,
impatiently to get out . Face agreed ; they had been inside , seated too long .
" C'mon BA , hurry up , I want to run around . " , Murdock insisted
as he again started to wriggle around
on his chair , pushing BA's anger up and up .
" Hannibal , if I find that chair wrecked , he's going to pay ! " And
again this time , Hannibal was there to calm down the tenseness between the two
men .
" Calm down BA , It's been a long ride . Besides , Murdock , we're almost
there ."
And Hannibal had been right . It hadn't been that far anymore , and Murdock had
stormed out the vette , to search for Captain America , and had ran into the
fields , as Face had stepped out calmly , taking all his time .
The two men had come outside as they had seen the vette arriving a long time . The
clouds of dust caused by the vehicle had told them a lot .
" Hannibal Smith . How do you do ? These are BA , Face and the man in the
fields is Murdock ."
" Nice to see you . My name is Kurt and he's Bret . " The person who
had said that , had dyed blonde hair , wore a jeans and T-shirt , while the
other men had brown hair and wore a short and T-shirt .
" We get what the problem is , but one of our men is wounded . He'll need
to rest . " , Hannibal warned them .
" He will not be able to work with us full time . "
" Hannibal , I already told you that I was fine ..." ; Face rejected
angrily as he suddenly felt the pain come up again . " Oh shit ... "
Face almost dropped through his knees , but BA's strong arms helped him up and
Face heard the man say : " No need of being though ."
---------------------------------------------------------
" Tell me Face , if it hurts . " Hannibal's voice sounded fragile and
worried , and Face almost wished for a second time that all this didn't happen
at all . And he also strongly wished that the two other men , the customers ,
got out of the room . But he didn't have the will or the strength to say that .
red , and that alarmed Hannibal . And Face saw his expression as he carefully
changed the old bandage for a new one , and he felt guilty . Strange maybe ;
but Face felt like he had every reason to be guilty .
Damned . Face didn't want this - make Hannibal feel guilty .
" It's okay , really . I feel just fine . " , Face grunted as he
tried to get on his feet , not caring about the fact that he was only half
dressed . " I have a mission to do . Don't want to drop you guys ."
But Hannibal pushed him down on the bed again ;and told him that he had to rest
:
" And that is an order , lieutenant . "
Hannibal drew a deep breath before he answered the black man's question .
" His stomach wound is inflamed . "
" Maybe ..." , Hannibal said as he watched the blue skies with the
few white clouds between it , frowning his head as he thought deeply . "
But Face is strong . He'll hold on for a while . I have the feeling that from
the first second that we're on that road there , Decker's there to catch us . "
" Better take the risk then let Face here ."
" Maybe ..." Hannibal looked at Murdock , who was still playing in
the fields , chasing some chickens and birds . It looked comically and terribly
ironically at the same time .
And as BA was checking out the rest of the vette , Hannibal took his time , and
peacefully sat down on one of the benches placed before the colonial farm house
, and he enjoyed the shadow . Hannibal winced as he felt a cold wind set up . His
usual white jacket didn't provide him enough shelter against the wind , now
cold and biting , and as Hannibal watched Murdock run back to the vette , he
suddenly felt awfully tired . Not knowing how the feeling came up , and surprised
by it , he tried to make the weary feeling go away . Something that didn't
worked instantly .
" Did you see Captain America ? " , Murdock let out breathlessly , as
he sat down next to Hannibal , not noticing that Hannibal didn't pay any
attention . " But I should quit doing that , running around in the fields
. My back's killing me . How's Face ? "
" Hannibal ? How's Face ? " Murdock looked at the Colonel , in the
hope to figure out why he wasn't listening . But he found no reason for that
whatsoever , as Hannibal woke up from his thoughts .
" We'll need to get him to a hospital as quickly as possible . His stomach
wound is inflamed . "
Murdock frowned his eyebrows in an act of compassion and wondered what the hell
Hannibal might be thinking of himself now . " Well , shouldn't we have to
get him to a hospital ? "
Hannibal slowly chewed on his cigar (sorry , don't know to describe that ) ,
like he tried to find a solution to get Face in good care and go on with the
mission . He needed every man he had to get through with this mission , and
that meant that he couldn't miss Face ." Murdock will have to get him
there . " , Hannibal thought . " That means that BA and I will have
to do double work ... Maybe if Kurt and Bret helped ... "
In the corner of his left eye he saw the blonde kid come nearer , heading for
him . " MR . Smith ? He wants to talk to you . "
That's all he needed to know . Face had his mind made up and the visit to him
would only make that double clear .
" Murdock , get the guns out , we're on a mission here ! " Murdock
sneered happily as he heard Hannibal say those words . Once Face had his mind
made up , not even Hannibal could stop him .
" Okay Colonel ! "
-------------------------------------------------------------
'good guys' could deliver their goodies again . It had never sounded this easy
before . At least , not in Face's ears . He had made his mind up , he wasn't
going to let these guys down and surely not his
team ; especially not when they needed him most . Well, that was a point of
discussion , but hell , he wasn't going to let them down just because he didn't
feel alright , was he ? The hobbling of the vette upon the unequal roads made
Face nauseous , and he felt like he had to throw up everything he had gotten
for dinner , but he tried to resist the feeling . He had gone through worse ,
hadn't he ? Those endless days spent in that prison camp was nothing compared
to this .
" We're almost there , guys . Get ready ! " Hannibal looked back to
look if they were doing it and also to see how Face was coping . And he didn't
look to good . Almost he felt tempted to tell BA to turn over and go to the
first hospital they'd meet - everyone would feel a helluva better then . But
somehow he didn't .
" Okay , let's learn them a lesson . " , Hannibal shouted before the
vette's tires stopped in the yellow sand and the brakes peeped out of protest
of the urgent stop . The door flew open and Murdock and Hannibal jumped out ,
followed by Face , all of them armed with M-16 , a reminiscent of the war they
all had been in . The war that they still tried to let go on .
Hannibal was the first one to fire as he saw that the 'bad guys' were also
getting out their arms and shot on them . Seeking shelter behind some water
tons , Face felt everything but safe .
" A great place to take showers ! " , he heard Murdock shout out as
Murdock's ton was hit and the bullet went through the wood , water and wood . "
Should check it out ! "
" Let's hope that BA comes quick ! " , Hannibal's mind shouted out ,
as crazy as Murdock had sounded seconds before , and almost instantly he
regretted this mission . His plan didn't work . Or it would ,as long as BA came
.
" C'mon BA , C'mon BA ... " , Face prayed after he'd run out of
patterns and the bullets almost flew around his ears . Hannibal was absolutely
wrong . Maybe the ' bad guys' were going to learn , or maybe
they were going to get killed . Murdock dared to look past the ton and saw a
familiar face .
" Damned Hannibal , it's one of Decker's men ! "
Shocked by Murdock's voice , who had sounded full of agony , Hannibal cursed as
he looked back to check where the hell BA staying . Maybe Stock well had gotten
him already . No , he couldn't think that way .
Especially not in a place in the south of Texas , sitting on dirty yellow sand
, with guns rattling , bullets flying around his head , taking him to the
cursed place of his nightmares .
" He Colonel , do you still have ammo ? " Murdock looked at him , him
being in the midst of the three and he watched in all agony that Hannibal
slowly nodded no ; Face did the same thing . And Face didn't look good at all .
Haggard and pale , and he was sweating like a pig .
" Now I need the big strong guy . Where the big strong guy when you need
'im ? Always around when you don't ..."
Hannibal heard him stutter nervously and he wished that he could say something
to calm him down , but he couldn't . This time it was for real ; Decker got the
A-team . How come ? What had he done wrong ?
Slowly , they heard the shooting stop and but before Decker got a chance to
open his mouth , the three members heard the familiar sound of the vette
arriving , the tires screeching in all fastness .
BA swung the door open so that Hannibal could 'drop' in and pull the other
inside . As the vette drove away with a speed none of Decker's men could be
able to catch up , Hannibal looked back to watch his men .
" Everybody okay ? " He had faith in his question , but as he saw the
nervous nodding of Murdock .
" Colonel , it's Face . "
" What ? " Hannibal crawled back and kneeled next to Face . No new
wounds , but that wasn't what Murdock meant . Face looked extremely pale and was
panting like crazy . The fight had acclaimed his last strengths , that was
clear .
" Face , do you hear me ? " Hannibal waved with his right hand before
his eyes , but Face didn't cared enough to blink .
" Is he okay ? " , BA asked brute as he looked back a second . "
I don't know . " , Hannibal said while he shook his head .
" Take control of the vette ." , BA ordered with a harsh voice. Hannibal
crawled back between the seats and took over the vette as BA went to the back .
" He's not breathing steadily , his pulse is going way to fast . And
..." , BA tore Face's shirt open , hastily removed the bandage and watched
astonished as a flood of yellow pus came out of Face's wound .
" Holy shit ! " BA couldn't help it . " Get me the Emergency kit
; Murdock . " Murdock didn't have to tell him twice . In what seemed even
shorter then a mil-second , Murdock had given him the kit but the only thing BA
could do was bandage the wound with a fresh one .
" We need to get him to a hospital , Hannibal ! " , BA muttered as he
looked at Hannibal in the look back mirror .
" I know ..." , Hannibal said regretfully . " I shouldn't have
waited . I should've kept him there ."
" C'mon , man . Look at what I have for you ! " Murdock neared Face
and gave him one of his personal teddies , but Face didn't notice anything at
all . He was too far gone to realize that it was Murdock there waving with a
little white bear , and BA glanced angrily to Murdock .
" Go away from him , you fool ! Can't you see that he's not feeling fine ?
Little kid ! "
" Get to the right . That's the way to the nearest hospital not in Texas
." , BA muttered . " After all , we've been speeding ."
In a town not so far after they've crossed the border of Texas , they indeed
found a hospital that could help them . As they rushed inside , Hannibal felt
Face's hand squeeze his .
" We've got better days, haven't we ? " , he mimicked slowly as the
nurses replaced him on a board .
Hannibal nodded . " Yes , son , we've got better days ."
THE END - HOPE YOU LIKED IT . BYE , HAVE A NICE DAY , COME AGAIN !
