Title: Broken Bones; Broken Hearts
Author: Katelynne
Rating: PG-13, for possible future adult themes.
Characters: Martin, Danny, Sam, Vivian, and Jack from Without A Trace and my own characters Josie and Ryan Sinclair.
Disclaimer. The characters from Without a Trace are not of my creation, but I use them with only the utmost respect.
Description: Ryan is in the hospital!
Category: General; Angst; Friendship.
Feedback: please, on list or off, laws4907@uidaho.edu
Author's Note: There are plenty of stories knocking around in my head, so I'll keep writing until I'm tapped out.
Josie picked up the phone, "FBI, Missing Persons Unit, this is Agent Sinclair."
"Miss Sinclair. This is Roberta Cranston, the nurse at Ryan's school. I'm letting you know that he was just sent to the hospital. There was an accident on the playground..."
"What happened? Is he okay?" A cold fist grabbed Josie's stomach as she stood up from her chair. Danny looked over the wall of his cubicle at the sound of Josie's raised voice.
Roberta continued on the other end of the line, "He's fine, Miss Sinclair. He fell and broke his arm, but of course, you will need to meet the hospital personnel in the ER."
"Yes, of course. I'm leaving right now." Josie hung up and grabbed her coat and rushed toward Jack's office. She knocked and pulled her coat on at the same time. She heard Jack's voice from inside, "Enter."
Jack looked up as Josie walked into his office, the color drained from her face and her coat unevenly buttoned. "What's wrong?" He asked concerned for her welfare.
"Ryan is in the hospital... he broke his arm..." Josie started before Jack cut her off with a wave of his hand, "Go."
"I'll call later..." Josie said and dashed out the door and jogged to the elevator. When the elevator came, Josie stepped on right as Samantha stepped off, "Hey, what's going on?" The tall blonde asked. Josie breathlessly explained, "My kid is in the hospital," as the doors closed between them.
Sam walked away with a confused look on her face and met up with Martin in the hall. He chuckled at her, "What's that look for?"
Sam looked at him, "Oh... I just found out that Josie has a kid."
"Ryan." Martin nodded.
"You knew she had a kid?" Sam cocked her head.
Martin nodded, "Yeah... why?"
"He's in the hospital." Sam explained, "Why didn't you mention she had a son, if you knew?"
Martin sighed impatiently, "I didn't think it was anybody's business but Josie's. What happened to Ryan?"
"I don't know, Martin. I just spoke to Josie briefly as I was getting off the elevator." Samantha told him.
Just then Jack walked up and explained to them that Josie would be out for the rest of the day. "Do you know what happened, Jack?" Martin queried.
"Ryan broke his arm, so she's going to the hospital." Jack explained, "Zack from logistics is coming up to help out."
Martin didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he let it out. "Sorry Samantha. I didn't mean to bite your head off."
Sam shrugged, "Well, I didn't mean to be so nosy, I was just caught off guard. I have to type up a report. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Sure," Martin stepped aside to let Sam pass and then returned to his desk.
Danny slid his chair over to Martin's cubicle, "What happened with Josie? She ran outta here like a bat outta hell." Martin quickly explained what was going on.
At the Hospital:
Josie looked at the doctor as he put the plaster over her son's arm. "How long will the cast need to stay on?"
"We'll check it in six weeks and see how the break is healing." Dr. Chamberlin explained to her, "I'm not really worried about his arm though. Did the school explain to you that he hit is head when he fell?"
"No... he looks fine, is he okay?" Josie's voice quavered again.
"I'm waiting for his x-rays to come back. I'm positive that he's okay, but we would like to admit him for observation." The doctor looked at Josie.
"Overnight?" Josie asked worriedly.
"Yes, it's just a precaution." Dr. Chamberlin explained to her.
Josie bit her lip, "Okay, as long as my boy is okay." She reached over and gently ruffled Ryan's hair. She could feel a large bump beginning to form on the top of his head. "What were you doing?"
"I was just playing and I fell... it's no big." Ryan said defensively.
Josie sighed, "As long as you're in one piece, I don't care. Just don't scare me like this."
"Moooom." Ryan complained. "I'm not a baby."
The doctor finished the cast and left the room. He returned shortly with the x-rays. He and Josie looked at them together. "Like I said, everything appears normal, but because he briefly lost consciousness we should admit him. Common procedure with a concussion."
Josie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay."
Missing Persons Unit Offices:
It was almost time to leave for the day when Martin rolled his chair over to Danny's cubicle, "You've got a nephew. What kinds of comic books are appropriate for 8-year-old boys?"
"You were eight once, weren't you?" Danny chuckled.
"It's been a while." Martin said, "Come on, just help me out."
Danny shrugged, "All right... is it for Josie's son?"
Martin nodded, "Yeah, I thought I'd stop by on my way home."
"You sweet on her or something?" Danny teased.
Martin blushed a bit but shook his head, "No. We're friends. She's a nice girl, and Ryan's dad is gone somewhere. I just thought it'd be nice if I brought him some comic books."
Danny chuckled, "Ever the nice boy scout, aren't you Fitzgerald? X- men, Spiderman, and Superman are probably safe bets."
At the Hospital:
Ryan lay in the hospital bed watching Disney channel and Josie sat in the chair next to him, "You should eat something, honey."
Ryan wrinkled his nose at the green hospital tray, "That? Smells gross and looks even grosser."
"More gross." Josie corrected and smirked at her son. "All right, I'll go get you a candy bar from the vending machine."
"You're the best mom ever." Ryan grinned groggily.
"You're just saying that because I'm letting you have candy for dinner." Josie laughed and stood up. "Be right back." Josie left the room and returned a few minutes later, "I got you a Snickers..." she stopped when she saw that Ryan had fallen asleep.
Josie closed the space between her son and the door and kissed his forehead, "The medicine must've kicked in."
Sitting down, Josie grabbed the remote and switched the TV over to the news. The 6 o'clock program had just started when the door opened. Martin poked his head in and said, "Can I come in?"
Josie looked over and smiled, "Hi. Yeah, come on in." She said softly. Martin looked over at Ryan's sleeping form, "How is he doing?"
"Okay... he broke his arm in two places." Josie sighed.
Martin looked at her, "Have you eaten anything?"
Josie realized she hadn't, "No... I haven't left Ryan's side."
Martin opened the door, "Go, get something to eat."
"I don't want to leave Ryan. He might wake up." Josie shook her head.
"I'll be here." Martin reminded her, "You should take care of yourself. Eat. That's an order."
Josie sighed, "All right. I won't be gone very long." She slipped out the door and let it close softly behind her.
No sooner had Martin taken her place in the chair than Ryan opened his eyes, "Mom?" His brown eyes settled on Martin, "Oh hi. I remember you. Where's my mom?"
"She went to get something to eat." Martin said.
"She was supposed to bring me a candy bar. Did I fall asleep?" Ryan looked confused.
"You were asleep when I came in." Martin looked at the bedside table, "Looks like she got you a Snickers, though. Here." The federal agent picked up the candy and began unwrapping it, while Ryan awkwardly pulled himself upright.
Martin handed the candy to the boy. Ryan put a piece of the chocolate in his mouth and sighed heavily, "I feel really bad."
"Are you in pain?" Martin glanced at Ryan.
"No, I don't mean that. I feel bad for making my mom come here."
"I'm sure your mom is just glad you're okay." Martin consoled.
Ryan shrugged, "No, I mean. I feel bad... she spent enough time in hospitals when my dad was sick."
Martin looked at Ryan intently, "Your dad was sick?"
"Yeah," Ryan nodded sadly, "I don't really remember anything about him except him being in the hospital a lot. My mom, she was always here too. I was real little then, but I do remember that."
"What did he have?" Martin asked.
Ryan struggled with the words, "Non... Hog-skins... limp... lim.."
"Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?" Martin frowned.
"Yeah that's it." Ryan nodded. "Mom was sad for a long time after dad died. I think that's why we moved. Living in our old house was too sad for her. She was starting to get better and then I have to do something stupid and get hurt, so she has to come back here."
Martin smiled gently at Josie's son and took his hand, squeezing it in his larger one, "Hey. Your mom loves you and I'm really sure she's just relieved that you're okay. You don't need to feel bad. You didn't get hurt on purpose."
Ryan gave Martin a lopsided smile, not fully convinced that he wasn't hurting his mom by being in that hospital bed, but talking to the man had helped. Martin remember the comic books, "Hey, I brought you something." He pulled the books out of his briefcase and handed them over.
Josie walked into the room right as Ryan was whooping, "All right, the new X-men comic, 'Wolvie's Revenge'!! Look what Martin brought me, mom! Oh! And Spiderman!" The boy bounced around happily in the bed, his guilt assuaged for the moment.
"Wow... that was nice." She sat on the bed next to her son and looked at the books in his hands. Looking at Martin, she smiled, "Thanks."
Martin looked back at the woman who was stronger than he realized, "No problem."
Author: Katelynne
Rating: PG-13, for possible future adult themes.
Characters: Martin, Danny, Sam, Vivian, and Jack from Without A Trace and my own characters Josie and Ryan Sinclair.
Disclaimer. The characters from Without a Trace are not of my creation, but I use them with only the utmost respect.
Description: Ryan is in the hospital!
Category: General; Angst; Friendship.
Feedback: please, on list or off, laws4907@uidaho.edu
Author's Note: There are plenty of stories knocking around in my head, so I'll keep writing until I'm tapped out.
Josie picked up the phone, "FBI, Missing Persons Unit, this is Agent Sinclair."
"Miss Sinclair. This is Roberta Cranston, the nurse at Ryan's school. I'm letting you know that he was just sent to the hospital. There was an accident on the playground..."
"What happened? Is he okay?" A cold fist grabbed Josie's stomach as she stood up from her chair. Danny looked over the wall of his cubicle at the sound of Josie's raised voice.
Roberta continued on the other end of the line, "He's fine, Miss Sinclair. He fell and broke his arm, but of course, you will need to meet the hospital personnel in the ER."
"Yes, of course. I'm leaving right now." Josie hung up and grabbed her coat and rushed toward Jack's office. She knocked and pulled her coat on at the same time. She heard Jack's voice from inside, "Enter."
Jack looked up as Josie walked into his office, the color drained from her face and her coat unevenly buttoned. "What's wrong?" He asked concerned for her welfare.
"Ryan is in the hospital... he broke his arm..." Josie started before Jack cut her off with a wave of his hand, "Go."
"I'll call later..." Josie said and dashed out the door and jogged to the elevator. When the elevator came, Josie stepped on right as Samantha stepped off, "Hey, what's going on?" The tall blonde asked. Josie breathlessly explained, "My kid is in the hospital," as the doors closed between them.
Sam walked away with a confused look on her face and met up with Martin in the hall. He chuckled at her, "What's that look for?"
Sam looked at him, "Oh... I just found out that Josie has a kid."
"Ryan." Martin nodded.
"You knew she had a kid?" Sam cocked her head.
Martin nodded, "Yeah... why?"
"He's in the hospital." Sam explained, "Why didn't you mention she had a son, if you knew?"
Martin sighed impatiently, "I didn't think it was anybody's business but Josie's. What happened to Ryan?"
"I don't know, Martin. I just spoke to Josie briefly as I was getting off the elevator." Samantha told him.
Just then Jack walked up and explained to them that Josie would be out for the rest of the day. "Do you know what happened, Jack?" Martin queried.
"Ryan broke his arm, so she's going to the hospital." Jack explained, "Zack from logistics is coming up to help out."
Martin didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he let it out. "Sorry Samantha. I didn't mean to bite your head off."
Sam shrugged, "Well, I didn't mean to be so nosy, I was just caught off guard. I have to type up a report. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Sure," Martin stepped aside to let Sam pass and then returned to his desk.
Danny slid his chair over to Martin's cubicle, "What happened with Josie? She ran outta here like a bat outta hell." Martin quickly explained what was going on.
At the Hospital:
Josie looked at the doctor as he put the plaster over her son's arm. "How long will the cast need to stay on?"
"We'll check it in six weeks and see how the break is healing." Dr. Chamberlin explained to her, "I'm not really worried about his arm though. Did the school explain to you that he hit is head when he fell?"
"No... he looks fine, is he okay?" Josie's voice quavered again.
"I'm waiting for his x-rays to come back. I'm positive that he's okay, but we would like to admit him for observation." The doctor looked at Josie.
"Overnight?" Josie asked worriedly.
"Yes, it's just a precaution." Dr. Chamberlin explained to her.
Josie bit her lip, "Okay, as long as my boy is okay." She reached over and gently ruffled Ryan's hair. She could feel a large bump beginning to form on the top of his head. "What were you doing?"
"I was just playing and I fell... it's no big." Ryan said defensively.
Josie sighed, "As long as you're in one piece, I don't care. Just don't scare me like this."
"Moooom." Ryan complained. "I'm not a baby."
The doctor finished the cast and left the room. He returned shortly with the x-rays. He and Josie looked at them together. "Like I said, everything appears normal, but because he briefly lost consciousness we should admit him. Common procedure with a concussion."
Josie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay."
Missing Persons Unit Offices:
It was almost time to leave for the day when Martin rolled his chair over to Danny's cubicle, "You've got a nephew. What kinds of comic books are appropriate for 8-year-old boys?"
"You were eight once, weren't you?" Danny chuckled.
"It's been a while." Martin said, "Come on, just help me out."
Danny shrugged, "All right... is it for Josie's son?"
Martin nodded, "Yeah, I thought I'd stop by on my way home."
"You sweet on her or something?" Danny teased.
Martin blushed a bit but shook his head, "No. We're friends. She's a nice girl, and Ryan's dad is gone somewhere. I just thought it'd be nice if I brought him some comic books."
Danny chuckled, "Ever the nice boy scout, aren't you Fitzgerald? X- men, Spiderman, and Superman are probably safe bets."
At the Hospital:
Ryan lay in the hospital bed watching Disney channel and Josie sat in the chair next to him, "You should eat something, honey."
Ryan wrinkled his nose at the green hospital tray, "That? Smells gross and looks even grosser."
"More gross." Josie corrected and smirked at her son. "All right, I'll go get you a candy bar from the vending machine."
"You're the best mom ever." Ryan grinned groggily.
"You're just saying that because I'm letting you have candy for dinner." Josie laughed and stood up. "Be right back." Josie left the room and returned a few minutes later, "I got you a Snickers..." she stopped when she saw that Ryan had fallen asleep.
Josie closed the space between her son and the door and kissed his forehead, "The medicine must've kicked in."
Sitting down, Josie grabbed the remote and switched the TV over to the news. The 6 o'clock program had just started when the door opened. Martin poked his head in and said, "Can I come in?"
Josie looked over and smiled, "Hi. Yeah, come on in." She said softly. Martin looked over at Ryan's sleeping form, "How is he doing?"
"Okay... he broke his arm in two places." Josie sighed.
Martin looked at her, "Have you eaten anything?"
Josie realized she hadn't, "No... I haven't left Ryan's side."
Martin opened the door, "Go, get something to eat."
"I don't want to leave Ryan. He might wake up." Josie shook her head.
"I'll be here." Martin reminded her, "You should take care of yourself. Eat. That's an order."
Josie sighed, "All right. I won't be gone very long." She slipped out the door and let it close softly behind her.
No sooner had Martin taken her place in the chair than Ryan opened his eyes, "Mom?" His brown eyes settled on Martin, "Oh hi. I remember you. Where's my mom?"
"She went to get something to eat." Martin said.
"She was supposed to bring me a candy bar. Did I fall asleep?" Ryan looked confused.
"You were asleep when I came in." Martin looked at the bedside table, "Looks like she got you a Snickers, though. Here." The federal agent picked up the candy and began unwrapping it, while Ryan awkwardly pulled himself upright.
Martin handed the candy to the boy. Ryan put a piece of the chocolate in his mouth and sighed heavily, "I feel really bad."
"Are you in pain?" Martin glanced at Ryan.
"No, I don't mean that. I feel bad for making my mom come here."
"I'm sure your mom is just glad you're okay." Martin consoled.
Ryan shrugged, "No, I mean. I feel bad... she spent enough time in hospitals when my dad was sick."
Martin looked at Ryan intently, "Your dad was sick?"
"Yeah," Ryan nodded sadly, "I don't really remember anything about him except him being in the hospital a lot. My mom, she was always here too. I was real little then, but I do remember that."
"What did he have?" Martin asked.
Ryan struggled with the words, "Non... Hog-skins... limp... lim.."
"Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?" Martin frowned.
"Yeah that's it." Ryan nodded. "Mom was sad for a long time after dad died. I think that's why we moved. Living in our old house was too sad for her. She was starting to get better and then I have to do something stupid and get hurt, so she has to come back here."
Martin smiled gently at Josie's son and took his hand, squeezing it in his larger one, "Hey. Your mom loves you and I'm really sure she's just relieved that you're okay. You don't need to feel bad. You didn't get hurt on purpose."
Ryan gave Martin a lopsided smile, not fully convinced that he wasn't hurting his mom by being in that hospital bed, but talking to the man had helped. Martin remember the comic books, "Hey, I brought you something." He pulled the books out of his briefcase and handed them over.
Josie walked into the room right as Ryan was whooping, "All right, the new X-men comic, 'Wolvie's Revenge'!! Look what Martin brought me, mom! Oh! And Spiderman!" The boy bounced around happily in the bed, his guilt assuaged for the moment.
"Wow... that was nice." She sat on the bed next to her son and looked at the books in his hands. Looking at Martin, she smiled, "Thanks."
Martin looked back at the woman who was stronger than he realized, "No problem."