Will was on his second lap of the hospital floor for the day, complying with the Doctor's orders. And the nurses watched him pass with twinkles in their eyes. Hospital gowns were definitely designed by the nurses, he concluded.
It was an odd sounding shuffle, but a rhythm nonetheless. Shuffle, clomp, squeal. His right leg created the shuffle, his right side still aching from the stab wound, the left leg trying to compensate and carry most of the weight and followed by the squeal of the wheels of the IV stand. Will was following the rhythm, nodding at the other patients doing the same laps when he spotted a familiar figure coming down the hall towards him. A smile spread across his face with the knowledge that if Vaughn was here, Syd probably was too.
"It looks like you're getting around pretty good Will. Good to see you up and about."
"Hey Mike, good to see you. Where's Syd? Did she come with you?" Will asked, his eyes searching the halls.
"She couldn't make it today, but she sends her love and the plant. She also sent a kiss, but you can get that from her the next time you see her." Vaughn shrugged and held up the plant. He hoped that Will didn't push more; Jack and Vaughn had decided not to tell Will yet that Syd was missing.
"Too bad, tell her thanks for the plant and she needs to come visit me soon or else. She working late?"
"Something like that," Vaughn replied, his eyes dropping to study the tiles.
"Man, she's out on a mission, right? Because, no offense, you look like crap and we all know you never sleep when she's on a mission." Will said quietly, steering them both towards his room.
"Yeah, mission, right." Somehow that response didn't reassure Will at all. They were all hiding something from him, he was certain. Sooner or later though, he would find out.
How Vaughn wished that she were only on a mission. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten any significant amount since she had gone missing. He and Jack had been spending all of their time trying to get leads on what had happened to Sydney.
Will lowered himself slowly into the bed while Vaughn found a spot on the windowsill for the plant.
"So how are you feeling Will? Any idea when they're going to release you?"
"I'm feeling pretty good. Moving slow but the pain is subsiding. The doc told my parents that I could get out of here at the end of the week."
"That's good, really good. Are your parents going to stay with you for a while or go back to Chicago?"
"I'm going to stay with my sister Amy and her husband for a while, doctor's orders. Mom and Dad are staying one more week, but then going back to Chicago. I think Mom has already set up a dedicated phone line so she can check on me every hour when she's back in Chi-town." Will chuckled.
Vaughn smiled and nodded. "That's how Mom's are I guess. Mine wracked up a huge international phone bill when I was in the hospital earlier this year."
After a small pause, he continued, "I know that Jack's been to see you a couple of times and said that we'd have someone come by to get your statement. I'm going to have Agent Weiss, Eric, stop by tomorrow after lunch. Is that okay? Anything he can bring you?"
"After lunch sounds good to me. If he wants to sneak in some real food, I wouldn't send it away," the two men conspired to have Weiss pick up a reuben from the deli. Vaughn started to make his excuses, needing to return to work.
"Sure man, get out of here. Go make sure Syd doesn't get hurt. Speaking of Syd, what happened with the apartment? Jack had mentioned that it showed signs of a struggle."
Vaughn's face turned completely white for a moment and he sputtered, "Uh, we had a CIA team go in to gather any pertinent evidence and then had it cleaned and repaired."
Will got very still and in a quiet voice, "Right, the double. Any word on what happened to Francie?"
"Sorry, no. If I hear anything, I'll let you know right away."
"Thanks. Give Syd a hug for me and tell her to get over here soon. I'd like to see her and not just her men sometime soon."
Vaughn gave a half smile, nodded and left the room.
Will leaned back into the pillows and stared off for a bit. He reached over to the side table with a groan and grabbed his cell phone. He hit a speed dial number.
"Hey Brad, this is Will Tippin. How are you doing?"
"Yeah, I'm doin' good. I'll be getting out of the hospital in a couple of days."
"Thanks. Say, could you do me a favor and look up some articles for me? I'm interested in any articles that were in the paper about my accident or any police blotter notes on the whole thing. Could you get me copies?"
***
Vaughn returned to the Joint Ops Center, worn out by the visit with Will. If anything, seeing and talking with Will made him miss Sydney more. Will was one of her best friends and he couldn't even tell him yet that she was missing. He let out a heavy sigh and sat heavily at his desk. He rested his head in his hands and tried to refocus on the task.
Jack spotted Vaughn sitting at his desk and gave his some time to compose himself. He wanted to talk more about the search for Sydney, but seeing the state Vaughn was in, he turned back to his desk and began shuffling papers and checking files on his computer. Jack was just as tired as Vaughn but maintained more of his composure and wits. He was determined to find his daughter; she was hurt somewhere and needed him. He had a suspicion that Sloane was involved, but no definitive connection had been made as of yet. Jack was convinced that there ultimately would be a connection.
"Hey buddy, how you holding up?" Weiss pulled up his chair next to Vaughn.
"God I miss her. Seeing Will made me miss her that much more." He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed at his neck. His fist slammed down on the top of the desk, startling everyone including himself. "I can't fathom that we've spent three weeks searching for clues and haven't found a f*#king thing. She's got to be somewhere and I KNOW she's not dead." He breathed in heavily and tried to compose himself.
"Will's beginning to wonder where she is too and I hate lying to him. He's agreed to the interview tomorrow. You just need to bring him a reuben."
"No problem, I'll take one for my self." Weiss smiled in anticipation. "And I know I cannot let on that Syd is missing just yet. We'd also like him to start meeting with Dr. Barnett for counseling." Weiss had been given the drill several times, they had thought about sending Eric sooner, but waited until Will had recovered more. They all were holding out hope that
Will might remember something to direct their search.
"Have faith Mike, have faith. We're going to find her real soon."
"I really hope so, Eric. I don't know if I can keep going without knowing." Weiss saw the complete heartbreak in Vaughn's eyes and really wished that he could find a lead for them to chase. The whole situation was slowly killing his best friend.
"And I think Jack is nearing his breaking point," Vaughn said in a hushed tone. He was beginning to be really worried about Jack. Jack was just too composed, too together and wound so tightly that Vaughn feared that when Jack finally broke, the results would be catastrophic. Vaughn also feared that Jack soon would be taking matters into his own hands, frustrated with
governmental red tape.
"Come on, let's go get some food before we head back into the thick of things."
"Would you mind if we invite Jack too? I think he needs our support." Vaughn asked looking over at Jack, who was trying to concentrate on the computer screen in front of him. Eric looked at Vaughn incredulously until he determined that Vaughn was quite serious and wouldn't be swayed.
"Sure, but don't be surprised if he declines."
"I know. I just want him to know that we're feeling the same way."
"Ok, but you're sitting next to him in the booth at the diner. He scares me and I want there to be at least a table between us in case he doesn't appreciate my sense of humor," Eric winked as they walked over to Jack's desk.