Chapter 25

Bobby looked over when he heard Sue's gasp and saw Jack comforting her. He was sure his expression mirrored their shock and dismay at seeing Tara on a respirator. He knew they had expected it to be bad when the found out she was in I.C.U, but even passing the other patients on their way in, they had not expected this.

Almost as if he was on remote control, Bobby was almost unaware that his feet were carrying him closer to the bed until he was standing next to Myles. Finding it difficult to breathe, he placed his hand gently on Myles' shoulder waking him.

"Myles?"

The blonde agent lifted his head from the bed, but did not turn around to great the new visitors. His eyes immediately went to Tara's pale face, the anguish on his face evident to everyone as he searched her features for some sign that she was waking.

"How is she?" Sue asked quietly as she and Jack moved closer to them. "What happened, Myles?" her voices sounded foreign to the others as she struggled to control her inner turmoil.

Myles cleared his throat carefully as he gathered his thoughts. Part of him was glad they were there so he was no longer shouldering this burden by himself, while another part wanted them to leave him alone. In just a few short hours, just barely two full days, he had gotten so used to just being him and Tara that he did not want to share her. Finally, he took his eyes away from her and turning to Sue, he spoke.

"It started as a broken collar bone and her lungs were bruised when we hit a tree that had fallen during the storms," Myles muttered. "The doctor said that she developed pneumonia and empyema."

Not being able to read what he said Sue turned to Jack with a confused look on her face. Jack quickly signed what he had said before asking him what empyema was. Myles continued to mumble as he explained it, so Jack signed the information he shared.

As Myles talked, he could feel the bile crawling up his throat as he thought of what Tara was going through. When it was explained earlier, he barely wanted to listen and now having to say it himself made him sick.

His attention jerked back to the bed when he felt her hand twitch in his. Touching her cheek, he felt a shiver run through her body and hoped that meant the worst was over. She still felt very warm but not as hot as before, so he took it as a good sign.

"Tara," he said softly.

Very slowly, she opened her eyes looking up at him. Their eyes locked as she recalled the events of the last couple of days. She tried to speak but the tube in her throat made her gag instead.

"Shh, don't fight it, Tara," he told her soothingly as she brushed her hair from her face. "They're going to take it out soon, I promise."

Tara's face was lined with worry as she looked at him. She lifted her hand and he closed his eyes as she tenderly touched his swollen face.

"I know it looks bad, but I'm going to be fine," Myles assured her.

Unseen by the two injured agents, Jack, Bobby, and Sue watched them from the back of the room. They were amazed at the calming tone of his voice and the gentleness he was showing to the petite agent. It was so unlike him to show any kind of emotion or sympathy, so they were surprised to see him acting this way.

Tara couldn't take her eyes off him, sitting next to her as he held her hand in his. He looked like something the cat dragged in. His battered face was all the colors of the sunset, but he was alive and they were safe.

Suddenly, she felt completely overwhelmed as she tried to process what all had happened and how she had ended up on a ventilator. Myles easily picked up her disorientation as he watched the mounting concern, fear, and confusion cloud her features and her inability to speak heightened her frustration.

Her struggle for control was a battle. The haze in her brain refused to clear due to the potent sedatives and anesthetics she'd been under. Nightmarish images, partial memories, and the indescribable discomfort of the endotracheal tube dominated her thoughts, and she felt helplessly adrift. Myles grew frightened as he listened to the alarms on the ventilator and heart monitors signal Tara's fight.