Before It's Too Late

Bobby barged into the ER and walked straight up to the front desk. "Special Agent Tara Williams please, where is she?" he desperately needed to see her.

The RN working the main desk was startled by his abruptness but saw the agony and determined look in his eyes and showed him to her room. Even though this kind of thing wasn't allowed, she felt that this case was different somehow. He did flash his FBI badge at her. She did this out of sheer fear of the agent, fearing that he would snap if she didn't do his desires. "Yes, uh, she was just brought in. Follow me."

Bobby didn't really need to be so intimidating, but this was Tara. He felt an overprotective instinct envelope him that was strong that it went beyond the plutonic plain. He tried to shrug it off and think coherently before he arrived at Tara's room.

"Here you are Agent..." she didn't even know his name, she only knew he was an agent.

"Manning, Bobby Manning, and thank you, thank you so much," he shook her hand before quietly entering the room leaving the baffled nurse in the hallway.

Tara actually looked peaceful, lying unconscious in the bed before him. Bobby held his breath as he looked her over carefully. She wasn't awake yet. She had sustained bruises of varying sizes on her arms, and a gigantic bruise on the left side of her forehead along with a deep gash that was probably from the window breaking. A small wrist brace bandaged her left hand, indicating that she probably had a sprained or broken wrist.

"Bobby?"

Sue's entrance into the room startled him and he only turned his head to say, "Oh Sue, I didn't see you there," then went back to gazing at Tara.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything," she paused before going on, noticing that Bobby barely even took his eyes off Tara, " I talked to the doctor. He said the worst of her injuries was a broken wrist and thumb. She also sustained a broken rib and minor cuts and bruises. Jack went to find out about the other driver."

Bobby snarled at the thought, hoping that whoever caused this was in just as much pain as Tara was, "Did anyone see what happened?"

"Yes, there were two witnesses. It happened at a four way, it was Tara's turn to go and the other driver neglected to stop."

Bobby's clenched one of his fist. Why he was acting like this he truly didn't know. But the thought of someone being so careless made his blood boil, and now his Tara had to pay for his stupid mistake. Wait, his Tara?

At just that moment, Tara's eyes started to flutter open. Bobby and Sue were still talking and didn't seem to notice.

"Bobby are you okay?" Sue asked her Aussie friend, she didn't know what had happened between him and Tara, but she had never seen her friend so angry and hurt.

"I think so," then he noticed that Tara was starting to wake up and shifted his attention back to Tara, "Hey, look who's decided to join us." He tried to joke with a small grin playing across his face.

"Bo..bbby?" Tara managed to spit out. She still looked bewildered, "Sue, what happened?"

She stared down at her body and noticed that she was in a bed and in a place she was not familiar with, "Where am I and why am I here?" all of a sudden she was apprehended by a pounding head ache and went to massage her temple but gasped as she notice the cast around her wrist.

Bobby and been eyeing her carefully, "You were in a car accident."

Tara closed her eyes and tried to remember. She had a blurred memory of just leaving the four way, and then a car screeching toward her, then BOOM! It was complete blackness after that. "The other driver?" she asked warily.

At that point Jack joined them and he responded to her question, "No word. The witnesses say he bolted after the whole incident with nothing but a limp in his leg and was seen clutching his wrist."

"Why would he just leave like that?" Tara was worried. After it was his fault she was still worried about the other driver's well being.

"We're working on that." Jack responded matter of factly. "Now onto more important matters, how are you feeling?"

Tara sighed, "Okay I guess except for this grand headache that invaded me."

"Well, I can get you something for that Agent Williams," A doctor entered the room for a check up, "Dr. Macbride at your service," he gave the others a stern look, "Now I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can do a proper check up."

The other three agents reluctantly left, Bobby lingering a minute longer to giver her one last look, which the doctor had caught, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," The doctor shooed him out of the room and proceeded to do his job.

Once gave Tara a thorough check up, he gave her some pain medication and a list of things she needed to do to recuperate, "Now Ms. Williams, you should at least take a couple days of work to let that rib heal. Sleep is the best medicine I can give you."

"Dr. Macbride," Tara interjected him, "Will my wrist take long to heal? Seeing as how I spend most of my time at work typing, two hands are a necessity."

"It should heal in about three weeks, if taken care of properly." He noticed Tara didn't like this information too much, "I know it'll be tough, but you'll be back in shape in no time. You just get some rest while I pass the information along to your co-workers."

Tara didn't object to his orders and got up to go use the bathroom as he left her room before she went back to sleep.

Dr. Macbride approached the agents and told them about Tara.

Jack didn't like the idea of not having Tara around for the next couple of days, she was really needed in this case of wrapped around new technology. A flash of paranoia crossed his mind and he wondered if this accident wasn't really an accident at all.

"Would it be wise to have her stay with someone?" Bobby had finally asked, with a tiny glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"It's not necessary, but if you so desire, than so be it." He wondered what the relationship between his patient and the young man before him was, "Well, that's all I have for you. I'd like to keep Tara for a few more hours. She should be able to go home at the end of today. But I suggest you all should get back to work." He said his good-byes and went back to his busy schedule.

"Bobby, we need to get back to work, you can come back later and check on Tara at lunch time, I'm sure she won't mind." Jack wondered if his two teammates had something going on that they weren't coming clean about. Granted he was mad that this happened, but not as mad as Bobby was. Then again if this was Sue, he probably would be as mad as Bobby.

"As I recall, you and Tara were supposed have lunch today, weren't you?" Sue spoke up.

"Yeah," Bobby nodded, but his mind obviously still somewhere else. "Well the sooner i get the work done, the sooner I can come get Tara out of here, right?"

Sue and Jack shared knowing smiles as they head for the elevator. But before they stepped on, a pitch scream was coming from down the hall.