A Prayer for Every Year

December 23rd

December 23 was a snowy day, not terribly cold but snowy. It made the day that much more tense with Tara, Myles, D and Bobby out on surveillance. With the snow it would be harder to see and put them in more danger than even Sue wanted to admit. Lucky for Sue, and she felt guilty for feeling this, Jack was busy in meetings all day. He wouldn't be leaving the office.

"Sue?" Lucy asked, getting her attention with a wave of her hand. Sue looked up from the file she was going over. She and Lucy were busy at work, trying to find a connection to break open the case. Holed up in a conference room, door looked to pretty much every body, they'd been systematically working through the files for hours.

"Find something?" she asked, setting the folder down in a pile to her left and picking up another one on her right.

"Well, we're looking for something weird in the employee files, right? The financial files are just as weird. I've got six different statements here and all of them have a thirty thousand dollar withdrawal. I really don't think that's normal." Sue took the folder from her and looked it over. Her blackberry vibrated against her hip and she looked down, Tara's number flashed across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Sue? I have some bad news…"

Sue and Lucy ran into the hospital almost colliding with Tara in the waiting room.

"What do you mean Jack's been shot? He's supposed to be in meetings all day!" Sue screeched. Tara winced at the sound and Sue belatedly noticed the bruise forming on the side of Tara's face. She smiled apologetically, turning Tara's face to get a look at it.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Everything was going as planned, I swear, but the snow got thick so we were going to come back to the office. That's when they ambushed us. Jack got shot just before they all left. We can't figure out why they left but…"

"Is… Is Jack okay?" Sue asked apprehensively, absently twisting the ring on her left hand. Tara smiled sympathetically.

"They've got him in surgery right now, trying to get the bullet out. I called you as soon as they looked at my bruise and told me I'll be alright."

"And the others?" Lucy inquired. Sue sighed and Tara looked away.

"Myles is unconscious upstairs and Bobby's getting a broken arm set from a fall. D is calling Donna to tell her that he's okay. He and I got off easy," Tara whispered. Sue nodded and walked up to the desk and the attendant there.

"Excuse me? An FBI agent was brought in earlier, Jack Hudson?"

"Yes, he's in surgery Miss?"

"Thomas. I'm his fiancée. Do you know when he'll be out?" The attendant smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry I don't, but if you want to wait here I can notify you when he is."

"Thank you. Um… there were others?"

"Mr. Leland is up on the third floor and Mr. Manning should be getting his cast on for his broken arm," the woman said checking her notes. Sue nodded and went back to Tara and Lucy.

"Myles is still unconscious and Bobby's getting his cast on," she said, leaving out Jack. Tara sighed.

"And Jack?" Tears sprung to Sue's eyes.

"He's not out of surgery yet and the nurse doesn't know when he will be." Lucy pulled Sue into a hug and the tears broke.

For the next couple of hours, Tara and Lucy stayed with Sue to wait out Jack's surgery. Bobby joined them and sat their vigil every once in a while wandering upstairs with Tara to check on Myles. Finally, the nurse approached the group.

"Mr. Hudson has been moved into recovery but he's still out from the anaesthetics. You can visit him if you'd like but he won't respond."

"Miss? Is he going to live?" Lucy asked, the question the same as the rest.

"Yes, but I'm afraid he will have to stay here over Christmas," the nurse said apologetically. Sue nodded and she left to see to other duties. Lucy pulled her close.

"At least he'll live," Sue whispered, pulling away and heading to the elevator before remembering that she didn't know where they'd taken Jack. Bobby returned – Sue hadn't even noticed he'd left – and wrapped a steadying hand around her upper arm.

"I'll go up with you Sheila," he told her, his tone brooking no argument and Sue wasn't about to fight him. Her tears had left her drained physically and emotionally. Thus, she was secretly thankful for Bobby's thoughtfulness.

"We're going to go visit Myles," Lucy said, she and Tara going in the opposite direction. Sue and Bobby took the elevator up to recovery in silence, worried about their friend. Jack looked much paler than Sue ever remembered him and she reminded herself it was because of the blood he'd lost due to the shot. He smoothed back his hair and smiled down at him. Inside she was warring. Part of her wanted to scold Jack for lying to her and another part was thankful that he hadn't told her he was going to take on the mission.

"The doctors say they want to keep you for Christmas," she whispered to him, Bobby having made some excuse to leave them alone, "but you are going to live." Then she kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well. I'll be back later to visit."