Chapter 7 (part 1): Friends Forever
Sue awoke at Bobby's touch. She discovered that someone had covered her with a blanket, given her a pillow, and brought her some breakfast.
He gave her a ghost of a smile as he said, "I thought Jack was the patient."
"So did I." She responded in kind. "How are you doing?"
"As well as can be expected I guess." Bobby told her. "He is my best friend after all."
"Yeah. He is." Sue agreed quietly. She looked over at the monitors, glad that she had made a note of where his blood pressure had been when she had fallen asleep last night. "He's doing better." They stood there in companionable silence for a few minutes. Finally Bobby broke the spell.
"I have to get to work. We still have to track down Jameson's wheelman." He said, not really that anxious to leave. "Once we told Jameson that we not only had him on the bank robbery but also on the attempted murder of an FBI agent, he squealed like a canary. I guess I really should be going. I'll come by again tonight." Sue nodded and he left her alone once more in the room. She sat there a minute, and then decided to eat her breakfast. That proved to be a challenge with one hand firmly clasped in Jack's. The tray kept sliding all over the little table, and it reminded her a little of Levi when he was trying to get every last drop of his food out of his dish. Sue chuckled softly at this. She was equating herself with Levi, remembering some of his funnier moments. But those memories also reminded her of when Levi had been lost and Jack was there to comfort her and to help her look for him. She hadn't even had to ask, he was just there. She was glad that they had met; otherwise she may never have known the calm steadiness of his presence, and the kindness in his heart. She remembered when it had been Levi who was hurt and he had given her his little speech about her not being personally responsible for everything. That had released her from a sort of prison she had put herself in, not taking any chances or doing anything new, lest it go wrong. She knew now that even if something did happen, her friends were there to support her, especially Lucy and Jack. They were her closest friends since Judy, and for that she was grateful. Sue looked over at him and wished that she had told him how she felt about him. She missed his smile and conversation. He seemed to know what she needed to hear, whether she could actually hear him or not. He also knew when to just be quiet and let her sort through her thoughts while all the time being there. They had grown to know each others moods and expressions, and could tell when something was wrong. Staring down at his still form, Sue realized that the team had become like her extended family. Each knew the other well enough to know what they were thinking without having to actually say anything. Jack was like her brother, or father. Always looking out for her and giving her advice when she needed it. The only difference was that she wasn't actually related to him. Sue blushed slightly as she realized that she had been thinking along the lines of marriage. She knew from their past undercover assignment that he would make a good husband and, undoubtedly, a good father too. Right now, she just wanted him to wake up so that she could tell him the truth. She needed to tell him the truth.