Chapter 18

All of Bravo stand waiting outside the triage hallways where they last saw their fallen team member as they wait very impatiently for any updates. Metal followed Liz back as Blackburn forced him to go and get checked out.

Davis slipped beside Sonny, leaning against the wall after his vigorous pacing. She knew he did not like to talk when stressed, but he had this hollow look on his face; she could not do nothing. So she slipped beside him and reached out towards his hand placed on the wall trying to anchor home. She glanced down, slipped her hand beside him, and looped her pinky with his. She knew he would not want to attract attention but needed her support. He needed comfort as his little sister was in an unknown status behind the doors, and the team sat there and blamed themselves for not being there to keep her safe.

Ray, Brock and Trent made their way to the chairs along the wall, all with their heads hung down and hands clasped in their laps. Almost like they were praying for their teammate to be ok and back under their watchful eye.

Jason was still pacing the hall on a rampage of fear, anger and stress. Everyone knew to avoid him when he was in this state as he rubbed his hands down his face and through his hair like if he did it enough times eventually, he would wash away all his emotions.

Blackburn was perched outside the doors trying to catch a peek into the windows as he amped himself up to go in and get an update. They needed answers, and at this point, he was the only one to get them, but he was scared to go in and have to report anything that could risk his sanity and the teams.

Clay was a mess. He was pacing for a bit and pulling at his hair under his hat, and after a while, he crumbled into the corner with his knees up, head tucked down and in, trying to hide from the situation. He was not ready to come out of his protective shell and face everyone. After seeing her awake and talking to him, his heart could relax for a few seconds. She was home, but then as she closed her eyes and did not respond to their calls or touch, his once-soothed heart broke and went cold. He was scared and the only one to help him calm down was lying unresponsive on a bed being rushed away.

Everyone's trance was broken as the doors pushed open, and one of the triage doctors stepped out. He had a solum look, and the team braced for impact.

"Who is here for Petty Officer Fox?"

Everyone grimaced as this had to be the worst case of deja-vu that karma seemed to love to throw toward them. They have been in this situation with Liz or Clay to many times to count on one hand, and they knew this was not the end. Each time they sat and waited for an update it was a cold slap in the face when their realty came crashing down on them from a doctor's report. The wonder twins did not make Bravo's life easy and although the team joked about grey hairs, it was slowly becoming a realty.

"Yes, we are her team; I am Lieutenant Commander Blackburn. Do you have an update?" Blackburn pipped in as the team stood around them in silence.

"She Is stable and will make a full recovery. It will be painful at times, but she will be ok. She has a second-degree burn on her back shoulder that will be painful as she heals as the nerves are damaged, but as long as she keeps it dry and clean, it will heal with a minimal scar. Her left forearm is broken, but it was a clean break, so no surgery is needed, and the cast will only need to be on for about six weeks and then some physio. According to the X-rays, her left ribs are badly bruised, but no breaks or fractures. They were a bit weaker from her previous injury, so her landing on them took a harder toll on her body than normal, and as they are still weak, any fall or impact can cause further damage and fractures. She needs to be mindful of her movements. Her thigh was punctured with a piece of metal from the car; we took it out, cleaned it and stitched it up. And with some time and strength, her leg and movements will return to normal. She also has a bullet wound stitched closed on her lower hip above the puncture, so her movements will be stiff. She has a concussion, so that she will be a bit foggy and, as of right now, can not remember the last few hours. She is a bit panicked, not knowing what happened to her and the team. But with some time, she will remember and be acting normally. We are most concerned about the smoke inhalation, which is causing damage to her throat, so she will need to stay here for a few days. With smoke inhalation, there is a chance of suffocation as the swelling can still occur hours after exposure." The doctor reported as he took in each wince and grimace from the team members. He was used to injuries and overprotective teams, but this time he was reading more emotion and fear as he went through the report of her injuries. This was a family, not just a team; he knew her recovery would be lengthy, but she was in good hands. He also mentally prayed for the nurses as he could tell her family would be overbearing and in the way during her recovery, but he got a glimpse of how stubborn she was already; even with her concussion fogginess, he was worried about what she would be like without them to tame her.

"I can keep an eye on her burn after she is released. Make sure that stubborn woman follows directions for once with an injury." Trent half-joked with a lace of concern as he knew everything needed her back, and burns were tricky, and if not healed properly, they could hinder movements.

The doctor has a herd of the famous Bravo medic and his ability to keep the most accident-prone twins alive and still fighting. He nodded his head in agreement and respect as he knew she was in great hands, and if it was not for the smoke inhalation risks, he could have released her to his care for rest in the bunks.

"Is she awake?" Ray asked as he put his hands on Sonny and Jason's shoulders as they had not relaxed their tense postures since the doctor came out. She was ok and would be back to them probably sooner than they would hope, as she was one of the most stubborn humans they knew other than the blonde hair blue eye kid standing silently beside them, hands in fists.

"She is in and out of it from the pain meds, but she is awake and can have visitors. I ask you to keep the noise to a minimum; she is still battling a headache and seems very irritable."

"Ha, that's just an injured, hungry Tinkerbell. Have to brace yourself to have your head bitten off on a moment's notice." Sonny laughed as he relaxed, knowing she was back to herself somewhat if she was biting off heads already.

The doctor chuckled a bit under his breath as he told them the room number and turned around back behind the door.

Slowly the team piled into her room, pushing Clay in first so he could finally relax. Bruting silent type was not his style, and it worried the team. He reminded them of a scared, awkward toddler who refuses to go to bed and tries to push and pout the whole way to bed, all while dragging their heels. He was always very vocal and assertive, trying to get all the information about his team members being injured and involved with all aspects of their recovery. And the look of defeat right now wrapped around his body was concerning.

They all shifted in towards the room, gathered on the chairs, and pulled them up towards the bed. Clay sat on the bed on one side of Liz, and Davis sat on the other, cupping her hand with the cast. She looked at her best friend and tried to tug a smile on her lips as she was finally here in front of her.

As the bed shifted around Liz, her eyes started to flutter open, and she grimaced as she furrowed her brows before her eyes shot open in a slight state of panic. She tried to move her arms and break free from the hold her bed had on her but could not move without pain shooting through her limbs, causing her to wince and curl herself up.

"Shhhh, it's ok, Darlin, your safe." Clay grabbed her hand and slowly rubbed the back of her hand as he laid the other across her hips to hold her down slightly. "We got you, your back on base at the hospital."

The rest of the team noticed his pet name for her again but decided not to say something. Usually, they would jump at the opportunity to tease him about this and the lazy drawl in his words, saying he is spending too much time with Sonny; his southern charm is making an appearance. But this moment was not the time and was too special between the two youngest members of the team. They were now in their world, sitting together on the bed.

Liz slowly blinked as she focused on the team around her, and then her eyes found Davis, and she smiled. Then her gaze turned to Clay, and the smile that graced her lips grew, and her eyes lit up. He had no idea the effects he had on her. As her eyes met him, her body relaxed into the bed as she knew she was safe.

"You're here." She mumbled, still not losing sight of Clay as he smiled at her, rubbing her hand and leaving his arm draped lazily across her waist as her non-cast arm slowly reached out and grabbed onto his forearm, not wanting to let go.

"Oh, course Jellybean. Where else would we be?" Jason told her. "Someone needs to keep you on your best behaviour."

Liz finally looked away from Clay, met Jason's stare, and smiled as she laughed under her breath and a slight cough escaped.

This made Trent jump to his feet as he grabbed her chart, handed Davis water for her and watched her swallow in one motion.

"I'm ok. I promise. It was just a tickle." Liz told Trent as he mumbled under his breath, reading her chart. "How did you guys get here? I was with Delta?"

After a few minutes and the team watched his reaction, he seemed to settle and sat back down, keeping his eyes closed on her breathing.

"Tinkerbell, we were here already in JBad with you before you up and disappeared with Delta without us," Sonny looked at her, a bit confused. He glanced at Trent concerned who returned a nod as he pursed his lips and slipped out of the room for a moment to track down the doctor. He thought the doctor told them she could not remember the last few hours; this was more like she could not remember days ago.

Liz looked at him and furrowed her brows as she tried to focus on his words and remember the past few days. Her facial expressions were too cute and showed her age compared to the rest of the team. As she came up blank she started to pout a bit and reminded everyone of a baby trying to figure out a new toy.

The group slowly went into their usual banter and teasing everyone as Liz tried to pipe in as much as she could between moments of sleep; they wanted to keep things simple and normal for her while she was still confused. After she fell asleep for longer than the few cat naps she took, the team took that as a sign it was time to leave and rack out themselves to come back tomorrow fresh and relaxed.

"You need to sleep; ill stay with her tonight," Davis told them all but directed her comment towards Clay. "I promise I will call you if anything happens."

As the team got up and headed out the door, Davis said, "Make sure to bring coffee tomorrow when you come."

As the team entered the hall, Sonny put his hands on Clay's shoulders, directing him out and giving him a quick squeeze, "Don't worry, Peter Pan, you and your boo-boo buddy will be back at it together in no time. You know this won't keep her down for long."

"No, no, you better make sure she rests. There will be no sneaking off to the range or the gym until she is fully cleared. We learned the hard way the last few times one of you was injured and supped to be on bed rest. You two are not allowed to go off hiding together injured!" Jason ordered with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Is there a flow chart for these two, a guidebook, and maybe flashcards we can create for their injuries and tendencies? It is getting hard to keep track." Blackburn joked as he tried to remember Liz's injuries and what she was still capable of doing and would for sure try to do on her own if she was not watched.

With this, the hallway erupted with snickers and laughs as they all thought about the past situations with Liz and Clay when they were told they could not do something. This was going to be an interesting few weeks.