[U] Chapter 11 [/U]
"Sydney!" he let out before he fell to the ground.
"Oh god.Vaughn!?" Sydney gasped. She didn't have time to think. She caught him before he fell, shock still visible on her features.
"Syd."
I can't believe I just shot Vaughn. No.I didn't shoot him. I shot the intruder.Oh god. I shot Vaughn.
Sydney watched as the blood poured out of his stomach. No.
"Mike! Are you all right?" the short blonde woman asked, kneeling down beside him.
Mike? Who the hell is this woman? Calling him "Mike?"
"Yeah." Vaughn whispered, trying to ignore the pain.
"I am going to [I]kill[/I] you!" the woman shouted, turning her icy eyes on Sydney, she grabbed a nearby gun. The one Sydney had dropped.
"No! No. Erin.give me the gun.give it to me!" Vaughn said, between breaths. He reached out a hand and grabbed the gun. He was surprisingly strong for someone who was just shot in the stomach.
"But.but -"
"Vaughn.we have to get you to a hospital. Now," Sydney decided.
"No. They'll notice.where's Dixon."
"I came alone on this. He's on vacation with his family," Sydney responded desperately, pressing down on his wound with her bare hands. "And the guards are in the basement. Searching for a bomb."
"Bomb?"
"Someone called in. Bomb threat."
"SD-6?"
"How'd you guess? Now I'm getting you to a hospital if you want to or not," Sydney said decisively.
"Hey!" Erin cut in.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Sydney asked.
"Syd.I'm sorry."
"No. Vaughn, tell me later. Not now," Sydney pleaded.
"No. Have to.tell you now. Can't wait," Vaughn gasped. "I'm sorry.for leaving."
"It's all right. It's all right," Sydney said between tears.
"No, it's not." Vaughn said softly.
Sydney watched as his eyes drooped slowly. "No! Vaughn, stay awake. Keep your eyes open! Don't close them. Don't close them!"
His eyes closed.
"No! Vaughn! I lost you once, and I can't lose you again!" Sydney cried hysterically.
"Relax. It's all right. He just got shot in the stomach. He's been through worse than this, believe me," Erin said suddenly.
"No." Sydney gathered his body up in her arms, and Erin jumped up to help her.
"Where are we going?"
"The hospital."
--
"Is he going to be all right?" Erin asked, jumping up the moment she saw the doctor.
"Agent Vaughn is listed in critical condition, and he's unconscious," the CIA doctor said, in a British accent. "And we don't have the top equipment, like the ones in the States, to take care of him."
"What!"
"Is there a helicopter here?"
"For emergencies, yes," the doctor responded to Sydney's question.
` "I'm bringing him to LA. The CIA hospital there is one of the best."
--
He was supposed to be dead.Sydney thought, as she sat in the waiting room in the LA hospital. Erin was sitting in front of her, flipping through a magazine. You attended his funeral.what was he doing in England? With.Erin? Why didn't he call? Why didn't he tell me?
"OK, who are you?" Erin's voice cut through Sydney's thoughts like a sharpened knife.
"Sydney.Bristow," Sydney replied monotonously.
"I'm Erin Duval. I take it you're CIA?"
Sydney nodded. Then shook her head. "Double."
"You're a double?"
Sydney nodded. "SD-6."
"You knew Vaughn?"
"Yes, I know him."
"How?"
"He's.was my handler."
"What happened?"
"I thought he died."
"But he really went to Spain."
"Right. Wait.Spain?"
"Yeah, we worked at the American Embassy there together. Actually, we're both CIA."
"Hm."
"Sydney! Why'd you call me? Are you all right?" Weiss' voice exclaimed, breaking the forming silence.
She lifted her head to see a slightly disheveled Weiss barge through the waiting room doors.
"It's Vaughn."
"Mrs. Vaughn?"
"No. Vaughn. Michael Vaughn," Sydney said painfully.
"What the hell are you talking about Sydney? It's not funny," Weiss replied, narrowing his eyes at her.
"She's not making it up," Erin spoke up softly.
"And who the hell are you?" Weiss turned his deadly gaze towards Erin.
"Erin Duval. Agent Duval. CIA branch in Madrid."
"OK, so what's this about Vaughn?"
"He's in critical condition."
"OK, now you lost me. What the hell are you talking about, critical condition?"
"Yeah.I thought he was dead too," Sydney responded in a small voice, staring down at her shoes.
"Wait. Thought? He's not? How? Then where was he?"
"He's alive. I don't think he ever died. I think Devlin set it all up, the dying part that is. And I think he was in Spain, working with Erin."
"All right, then why's he in the hospital here in LA in critical condition?" Weiss asked, shuffling his feet on the tile floor.
"I um.I.I -"
"Sydney shot him."
"WHAT?!"
"She thought he was a guard or something."
Sydney nodded at Erin gratefully. She wasn't so bad, but what was that "Mike" episode?
--
"Anyone here for Michael Vaughn?" a doctor in a white lab coat asked, stepping into the room.
Sydney, Erin, and Weiss all stood up.
"How is he?" Sydney asked, locking her desperate eyes on the doctor's.
"He's still unconscious, and in critical condition.and he's lost a tremendous amount of blood, but other than that, he's fine."
"Can we do anything to help?" Weiss questioned.
"You can give blood. Who here is type O?"
"I am," Sydney said.
"I'm A," Erin replied.
"And I'm B positive.I think."
--
Vaughn opened his eyes slowly. Then he shut them again. The bright white light was hurting his eyes. And why does my stomach feel as if it's on fire? He asked himself. Then if all came back to him. Erin and Sydney fighting. Sydney shooting him. Sydney.was it all a dream? No.God wouldn't be that cruel.It can't be all a dream. It's not.Vaughn thought as his eyes rested on a sleeping figure next to the bed.
"Sydney!" he let out before he fell to the ground.
"Oh god.Vaughn!?" Sydney gasped. She didn't have time to think. She caught him before he fell, shock still visible on her features.
"Syd."
I can't believe I just shot Vaughn. No.I didn't shoot him. I shot the intruder.Oh god. I shot Vaughn.
Sydney watched as the blood poured out of his stomach. No.
"Mike! Are you all right?" the short blonde woman asked, kneeling down beside him.
Mike? Who the hell is this woman? Calling him "Mike?"
"Yeah." Vaughn whispered, trying to ignore the pain.
"I am going to [I]kill[/I] you!" the woman shouted, turning her icy eyes on Sydney, she grabbed a nearby gun. The one Sydney had dropped.
"No! No. Erin.give me the gun.give it to me!" Vaughn said, between breaths. He reached out a hand and grabbed the gun. He was surprisingly strong for someone who was just shot in the stomach.
"But.but -"
"Vaughn.we have to get you to a hospital. Now," Sydney decided.
"No. They'll notice.where's Dixon."
"I came alone on this. He's on vacation with his family," Sydney responded desperately, pressing down on his wound with her bare hands. "And the guards are in the basement. Searching for a bomb."
"Bomb?"
"Someone called in. Bomb threat."
"SD-6?"
"How'd you guess? Now I'm getting you to a hospital if you want to or not," Sydney said decisively.
"Hey!" Erin cut in.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Sydney asked.
"Syd.I'm sorry."
"No. Vaughn, tell me later. Not now," Sydney pleaded.
"No. Have to.tell you now. Can't wait," Vaughn gasped. "I'm sorry.for leaving."
"It's all right. It's all right," Sydney said between tears.
"No, it's not." Vaughn said softly.
Sydney watched as his eyes drooped slowly. "No! Vaughn, stay awake. Keep your eyes open! Don't close them. Don't close them!"
His eyes closed.
"No! Vaughn! I lost you once, and I can't lose you again!" Sydney cried hysterically.
"Relax. It's all right. He just got shot in the stomach. He's been through worse than this, believe me," Erin said suddenly.
"No." Sydney gathered his body up in her arms, and Erin jumped up to help her.
"Where are we going?"
"The hospital."
--
"Is he going to be all right?" Erin asked, jumping up the moment she saw the doctor.
"Agent Vaughn is listed in critical condition, and he's unconscious," the CIA doctor said, in a British accent. "And we don't have the top equipment, like the ones in the States, to take care of him."
"What!"
"Is there a helicopter here?"
"For emergencies, yes," the doctor responded to Sydney's question.
` "I'm bringing him to LA. The CIA hospital there is one of the best."
--
He was supposed to be dead.Sydney thought, as she sat in the waiting room in the LA hospital. Erin was sitting in front of her, flipping through a magazine. You attended his funeral.what was he doing in England? With.Erin? Why didn't he call? Why didn't he tell me?
"OK, who are you?" Erin's voice cut through Sydney's thoughts like a sharpened knife.
"Sydney.Bristow," Sydney replied monotonously.
"I'm Erin Duval. I take it you're CIA?"
Sydney nodded. Then shook her head. "Double."
"You're a double?"
Sydney nodded. "SD-6."
"You knew Vaughn?"
"Yes, I know him."
"How?"
"He's.was my handler."
"What happened?"
"I thought he died."
"But he really went to Spain."
"Right. Wait.Spain?"
"Yeah, we worked at the American Embassy there together. Actually, we're both CIA."
"Hm."
"Sydney! Why'd you call me? Are you all right?" Weiss' voice exclaimed, breaking the forming silence.
She lifted her head to see a slightly disheveled Weiss barge through the waiting room doors.
"It's Vaughn."
"Mrs. Vaughn?"
"No. Vaughn. Michael Vaughn," Sydney said painfully.
"What the hell are you talking about Sydney? It's not funny," Weiss replied, narrowing his eyes at her.
"She's not making it up," Erin spoke up softly.
"And who the hell are you?" Weiss turned his deadly gaze towards Erin.
"Erin Duval. Agent Duval. CIA branch in Madrid."
"OK, so what's this about Vaughn?"
"He's in critical condition."
"OK, now you lost me. What the hell are you talking about, critical condition?"
"Yeah.I thought he was dead too," Sydney responded in a small voice, staring down at her shoes.
"Wait. Thought? He's not? How? Then where was he?"
"He's alive. I don't think he ever died. I think Devlin set it all up, the dying part that is. And I think he was in Spain, working with Erin."
"All right, then why's he in the hospital here in LA in critical condition?" Weiss asked, shuffling his feet on the tile floor.
"I um.I.I -"
"Sydney shot him."
"WHAT?!"
"She thought he was a guard or something."
Sydney nodded at Erin gratefully. She wasn't so bad, but what was that "Mike" episode?
--
"Anyone here for Michael Vaughn?" a doctor in a white lab coat asked, stepping into the room.
Sydney, Erin, and Weiss all stood up.
"How is he?" Sydney asked, locking her desperate eyes on the doctor's.
"He's still unconscious, and in critical condition.and he's lost a tremendous amount of blood, but other than that, he's fine."
"Can we do anything to help?" Weiss questioned.
"You can give blood. Who here is type O?"
"I am," Sydney said.
"I'm A," Erin replied.
"And I'm B positive.I think."
--
Vaughn opened his eyes slowly. Then he shut them again. The bright white light was hurting his eyes. And why does my stomach feel as if it's on fire? He asked himself. Then if all came back to him. Erin and Sydney fighting. Sydney shooting him. Sydney.was it all a dream? No.God wouldn't be that cruel.It can't be all a dream. It's not.Vaughn thought as his eyes rested on a sleeping figure next to the bed.