Chapter 11

Bobby found Jack a short time later, leaning with his back against the wall of the ambulance bay. His head was tilted back and his eyes closed as he fought to regain his composure. Jack felt a presence beside him and knew it was Bobby without opening his eyes.

"You okay, mate?" He heard Bobby say, the concern for him clearly evident even in just those three simple words.

"Yeah, I'm just glad she's going to be okay," he sighed. Jack took a deep breath continuing, "I never should have let her follow us in there." Jack opened his eyes, hanging his head. He was angry with himself for letting her get hurt.

"And that little shelia in there would have fought you tooth and nail to come with us," Bobby said quietly hoping his best friend wasn't blaming himself for Sue's accident.

"I should have MADE her stay in the car," Jack shouted in frustration, running his hand wearily through his dark hair.

"You didn't know this was going to happen, Jack," Bobby was beginning to grow angry now himself. How can he blame himself? Bobby wondered. I couldn't have told her NO either.

"But the floor was weak," Jack struggled with his own feelings of failing one of his team and the logic of his best friend's words. "I knew it was a possibility."

"POSSIBILITY!" Bobby exploded. "There's a possibility you'll get hit by a car standing on the sidewalk, but does that mean you're going to stay off the sidewalks?" Bobby saw Jack's head snap up at his angry words, staring at him in shock, but he continued, "NO, because you've got to take some risks every day in order to live your life. You can't protect Sue…any of us…from every possibility."

Calming some, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Unless you plan on chaining us all to desks, Sparky, you've got to accept that in our job people get hurt. It's a risk we all know and are willing to take."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word out, Bobby interrupted, "I know Sue's not an agent, but she's good at her job. She's independent and she's strong. You know as well as I do that at least half, maybe more, of the cases we've solved have been because of Sue."

Jack looked down at the ground again trying to digest his words. "Blaming yourself isn't going to make the risks go away. That could have very easily been you or me going through that floor." Bobby paused, hoping that his words penetrated Jack's thick skull.

However, Jack continued staring at the ground. After several moments of standing there in silence, Bobby was about to walk away when Jack raised his head to look at him.

"Just how did you get to be so smart?" Jack asked with a wicked grin.

"Years of practice, Sparky, my boy. Years of practice," Bobby smiled back. "Come on, mate, let's go see Sue before she thinks D is the only one who cares!" Bobby slapped his pal on the back as they headed towards the hospital entrance.

"You know, Crash," Jack grinned as they walked. "That's got to be the most words I've ever heard you string together at one time. Did it hurt?" he asked mischievously.

"Get in the hospital, before you're the one that needs a doctor," Bobby smirked, pushing Jack towards the door. "But you better not say anything to anyone. Don't want to ruin my image as the strong silent type."

Both men's laughter could be heard ringing through the bay as they entered to hospital.