Chapter 30:

Now that the bad guys had been caught, the rest of the team in the bullpen felt relieved. All they were concerned about was Sue's recovery. D and Myles were both sitting at their desks, finishing up reports and paperwork. They all had plans to go together to the hospital to visit Tara and Sue, once Jack called and let them know what was happening. Bobby went ahead to spend some time with Tara. Tara was relieved that they had finally found Sue and begged Bobby to wheel her to Sue's room.

"Bobby- honestly, I'm feeling better! I want to see Sue and make sure she's okay."

"Sorry love - can't do that. You need to stay in bed. You've still got that nasty bump on your head and you almost pass out every time you stand." Bobby responded with a small smile. He loved being around Tara. She pretended to mop in her dreary hospital bed, but Bobby didn't back down.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Bobby said nervously. Tara turned to him, all former anger dissolved.

"About?"

"How much I care about you. I saw the torment Jack went through watching Sue, not knowing where she was, finally finding her almost dead. I couldn't help but think that I would feel the same way if it was you." Tara looked at him slightly surprised. She hadn't expected that. "I feel so awful about what happened to Sue. I'm partly to blame. I'm just so happy that you're on the mend." Bobby didn't know how to finish. Tara reached over and touched his arm.

"It's not your fault Bobby." She said quietly. "And, I care a lot about you too and…" Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Hi Tara, how are you feeling?" Jack asked quietly, his face pale and stained with tears.

"I'm better – what's wrong are you okay?" she replied

"Is it Sue? Is she okay?" Jack didn't answer right away,

"Actually, Tara, if you don't mind, I need to talk to Bobby privately in the hall." Tara just nodded, knowing that it had to be extremely important. Bobby bent over and kissed her forehead before following Jack out into the hall.

"Spill – what's the matter Jack?" Bobby said, completely overwhelmed in worry. Jack just looked at him with wounded eyes.

---

Jack had followed the doctor out into the hall, dreading what his next words would be. Lasting damage? Irreversible problems? He just wanted Sue back, the way she was. He didn't care about any scars on her body, only that she would be healthy and back to normal as soon as possible.

Dr. Jake Miller turned to Jack, not sure how to start. Of course, he knew the truth was preferable to lies, but the truth would be hard to explain.

"First off, Mr. Hudson…" he began

"Please – call me Jack." He started to fidget with his fingers.

"Thanks – Jack. Thankfully, because of the document she signed last time she was here, she wavered her right to privacy, and placed you as dependant, so therefore she has given us permission to talk to you or her immediate family about her condition." Jack just nodded, thankful that Sue had signed the form so he would know what was going on, and how best to help her.

"Miss Thomas awoke briefly when she was first admitted to the hospital, shortly after she was stabilized. She was still unresponsive to any stimulation, but that is normal after such trauma. We expect her to gain better cognitive function hopefully within the next few days. Physically, I am almost certain she will heal completely. She had early stages of pneumonia, but thankfully you were able to pull her out of the water and start warming her before it got worse. She couldn't have been in there too long. The stab wounds on her right arm and abdomen will take some time to heal. The one on her arm got slightly infected, but we're treating it and watching her temperature. Also the contusions on her arms and face will heal with time. Her nose was cracked, but we re-aligned it and besides 2 broken ribs, there are no other broken bones to report." Jack sighed in relief.

"So, she's going to heal okay then?"

"Physically, yes. She will be sore for a while, but considering the trauma she underwent, she came out relatively fortunate. However, I am concerned about her mental health. From what you've told me, she stayed coherent for a lot longer than most other patients would. Normally after a significant amount of stress and fear in a dangerous situation, a patient will start to block out what's happening and withdraw. That's what you witnessed in Sue when you first found her. She's still in a catatonic state, but like I said, in a few days her coherency should return. I want her to start seeing a therapist as soon as she awakens. However, there will be some need to dedication on your part, or that of a friend. She's going to need to have people around her, people to talk to, to discuss what she's feeling and what she went through. To walk her through the steps of dealing with what's happened."

"Of course – ill be with her every step of the way." Jack said gratefully. He never even questioned anything else.

"I knew you would say that. Miss Thomas is very lucky to have you. Not many other co-workers would go to such length to make sure their colleague is okay." Dr. Miller answered with a bit of a smile. Jack hesitated.

"Well. She's not just my colleague…" Jack responded

"I figured as much. Let her know how much you care – trust me, it could do wonders. Before you go back inside there's 2 more things we need to discuss." Jack couldn't think what else more there could be.

"Okay?"

"One – your health. I understand you wanting to stay with Miss Thomas, but you need to get your rest and your strength. I brought you some vitamin C as well as some good multivitamins and minerals. I'm not much for natural medicine, but I know they can work wonders and since you're not my patient, I'd rather not write you a prescription."

"Thanks doctor. What else?" Jack said, Thinking that nothing else could possible be wrong.

"I'm notorious for leaving things last. Maybe we should sit down." He motioned Jack to sit on the chair outside Sue's room. Then Dr. Jake lowered himself beside Jack, ready to break the news.

"We took a rape kit." Jack went tense. The doctor continued,

"It was positive."