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Chapter 4

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It was cold outside, the howling wind not making it any warmer. It had started snowing a couple of days back, forcing people to stay inside as much as possible. Not that anybody was complaining about that, it was too cold to stay outside longer then necessary.

A lonesome figure was jogging through that thick layer of cold snow, forcing himself to go faster every time he passed a tree. His breathing was regular, his movements smooth, like there was no snow or cold at all. Only the paleness of his face and his blue tinged lips were indicating he indeed was bothered by the weather. He glanced back, still seeing the house from where he was running. It was smaller then the old one, but the outside looked like his house. Not that he could be fooled, this wasn't his house, this wasn't home, it was work.

It had only been a few weeks since they had started working here, the house still smelled fresh, new. It was just like its new owner, cold, unfriendly and hating him. Security was a bitch to upgrade, the computers throwing him out of the system all the time and his room was empty. Their new precept Eric Giles, son of the ruling Precept, had taken his fathers advice; do not like Nick Boyle. From the first time they had started as a team, he had done the worst jobs, the most dangerous jobs and the most painful jobs. Three times he had ended up in the hospital; five times he had suffered from concussions and not to mention the bumps and bruises. One time he had been close to dying, but he wasn't giving up, Giles wouldn't get that pleasure. He was too stubborn to quit the Legacy, and too proud to say no to his precept. Rachel called it suicide what he was doing and he only helped Eric to get rid of him. Alex was only worried, trying to help him in the best ways possible. She even tried to contact the Council, but with Giles as ruling precept, she had failed.

Nick was so lost in thoughts, while looking back to his prison as he often called the house, that he oversaw a big branch right in front of him. He fell flat on his face, his foot stuck behind the branch, forced to make a movement it couldn't make. There was a snap, a sickening sound to Nick, and when he felt the flaming pain, he could only groan. Great, a broken ankle, just what he needed after recovering from a severe blow to the head. He stayed down for a few minutes before turning, or trying to. His foot was still stuck behind the branch.

"Fuck!"

He just needed to vent, to get his emotions out in the open where nobody could hear him. And then he realised some other things, he was stuck in the snow with a broken ankle where nobody could hear him. He could hardly move, he was getting cold from the freezing snow, and it was getting dark. Maybe he was trying to commit suicide after all. He lay back, and hoped somebody would miss him in a half hour, before he was the new invented and very tasty Popsicle. What Nick didn't felt or saw, was the fact his broken ankle was worse of then he thought. The snow around the foot was turning red where the bone had pierced the skin, allowing blood to flow free…..

~



Rachel sighed, looking at the window and then back to her watch. Where the hell was Nick? He was never gone so long, well, not all the time. She had found herself worrying about him more then she would like. Ever since he was released from the hospital after Derek had died, he had become silent. He rarely laughed, ate or slept. Eric wasn't making thing easy for him either. Nick had to do all the dangerous jobs, all the intense jobs. One time he had been so close to death, that she had feared the worst. But he pulled through and kept going. The fact remained though, that he couldn't keep doing it, and survive the process. In these five weeks, he had lost ten pounds, his best friend and almost his life.

"Is the window that interesting?"

Rachel turned around with a gasp, seeing Eric standing there, the smug smile on his face again. The blue eyes never laughed, and were harsh. Should she tell him about Nick? Or wait? But her friend's safety was more important to her.

"I'm looking for Nick; he left for a run an hour ago, and still hasn't come back."

Eric shrugged, not finding the news a bit interesting. Like he cared what the Boyle kid was doing. The sooner he got rid of him, the better. Maybe he fell down a cliff or something...He smiled, liking that idea. But he also knew that as precept, he had to look after his members and so, after sighing deeply, he motioned Rachel to follow him. He grabbed their coats.

"Okay, let's look around the grounds; see if we can spot him."

Rachel smiled, taking her coat. The moment they stepped out the door, they both shivered from the bitter and intense cold. Rachel didn't care, she wanted to find Nick. With this cold, he could suffer from hypothermia within minutes. She glanced to her watch, one and a half hour; time was running short if something had happened to him. Maybe she was already too late. The knot in her stomach only increasing with that thought. Oh god, let them find Nick.

~

It was cold, so very cold. He shivered, his whole body shaking when the cold seemed to seep trough his skin, reaching his bones. Why was it so cold, did nobody turn up the heat? He wanted to pull his blanket around him, but there was nothing there. Confused his hands reached around him, trying to grab his normal warm blanket, but found none. Why was everything so soft around him, he could grab right through it. A voice called out to him, shouting his name. It sounded like Rachel, but why was she waking him? He was okay right here, no need to shout that loud. Then he was grabbed roughly, and shaken thoroughly. He moaned, wanting to push away the person doing it.

Rachel exchanged a worried glance with Eric. Nick looked really bad, his face as white as the snow around him, the lips a frightening shade of blue. The foot was even worse, the snow around it coloured an awful bright red. The white bone had penetrated the skin, sticking out like some sick joke. And that was what had her even more worried. The snow could have infected the wound, or if the bone was really broken that bad, it meant surgery. And with hypothermia, it was not recommended to do surgery on a weak body. She tried to wake him, shaking him roughly. The only result was a soft moan and a failed attempt to stop her. Good, he was responding. Not the reaction she was hoping for, but at least it was something.

"Nick? Can you hear me honey? I need you to wake up now, c'mon Nick, now is not the time to take a nap."

He stirred, but did not open his eyes, he did not even moan, or sighed, or showed any reaction he actually understood what she was saying. She looked to Eric with a desperate glance. He knew she was looking at him, making him say something to the unconscious man in front of him. Okay, what could wake up a young man with hypothermia, still lying in the cold snow? Obviously not cold water.

"Wake up soldier, I need you. ATTENTION!"

Rachel glared at him, wondering what he thought he was doing. But it worked, because Nick's eyes started fluttering open, trying his very best to obey the command. Eric smiled, looking at his female colleague with a smug look. He knew it was going to work. Nick was a soldier, had been a soldier and still breathed like a soldier. A soldier never disobeyed a command, this time it was no different. Why he was doing this, was beyond his comprehension, but it felt good. Tired green eyes settled on the blond psychiatrist, a look of recognition on his face. He tried to speak, but his voice would not obey. Rachel made a soothed noise, making sure he would not move.

"Shhhh, hun, don't talk. It's going to be okay."

Eric picked Nick up, not waiting for one of them to tell him so. Nick started to protest, not wanted to be treated like a kid, he was fine, he could walk. His new precept on the other hand, did not agree with him.

"Look kid, I don't like you either, but your foot is broken and there's no possibility you'll be able to walk on your own. I can leave you here in the cold snow, but I don't think either you or Rachel will like that. So stop fidgeting and let me carry you to the car."

Nick received a stern look, when he was about to open up his mouth again. He frowned, not liking this situation that much, making Rachel laugh softly in relief. At least he was awake and being his old self again. Nick did look like a young child, being carried by the new precept, who was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders. The pout from Nick made it only worse and she laughed again. Eric wasn't that bad, she concluded, in the end he came through for his team. She fussed over her patient, making sure he was comfortable in the backseat of the car, wrapped in warm blankets, only a small amount of his brown hair visible and his hazel eyes. The ride to the hospital was spend in silence, Eric driving and Rachel making sure Nick wouldn't fall asleep again. The only one who was talking from time to time was the youngest occupant of the car, muttering things that couldn't be understood. Rachel knew it was a stage of the hyperthermia, but seeing it happening to her friend, disturbed her greatly. He was going into shock, and needed medical attention now soon. She could only hope traffic was going to be nice to them, and would let them arrive at the hospital in time.