Chapter 75

The silence in the stark waiting room was almost deafening, as the occupants sat frozen to their chairs, hoping someone would break the ominous stillness. Only the long haired blonde in the corner didn't seem disturbed by the lack of noise as she stared blindly out the window while evening began to fall outside. Living in a world void of sounds every day, Sue hadn't noticed the others weren't talking as her mind was on the man in the operating room down the hall.

Having just opened her heart to let him in, Sue couldn't help but think how unfair it would be to have only these few short days together. The fear of losing him when she never had him before paled compared to the pain she felt now worrying if they'd waited too long. Will I ever feel his arms around me again? she wondered sadly, refusing to let the tears fall. Will I be able to tell him how much he really means to me?

Sue could feel the various eyes on her as she sat unmoving, but she really didn't want to talk right now. Risking a glance around the room, she looked at all of her friends that she knew cared about her so much.

Having arrived shortly after all of the chaos with Matt's little sister, Lucy immediate rushed to Sue's side. Sitting next to her now, Sue could feel the strength she was trying to share through their clasp hands. Their friendship was something that Sue valued from the day she arrived on the team and she would always cherish.

Sitting together, Tara's head was resting on Bobby's shoulder as he draped his arm around her waist. Sue couldn't tell who was comforting whom but she was glad that they had each other. The relationship she and Jack shared started as this kind of friendship and she knew it was nice to have someone who would be there for you when you sometimes felt overwhelmed.

Standing stiffly at the window, Myles was staring out into the city. While on the outside, the Ivy League grad always presented a tough persona, Sue had seen the tenderness beneath his shell. Though he wouldn't show it, she knew he was hurting just as much as the others were for their friend.

Carrie, D, and Ted stood in the doorway almost as if they were protecting their charges. Mike, Dale, and Katherine sat huddle in the far corner of the waiting room. While they were officially part of Carrie's unit, they weren't going to leave either until they heard about Jack's condition.

Six and a half hours after they first arrived in the waiting room, a white haired doctor finally returned with information. As one, the room stood when the doctor approached, crowding around hoping for good news, dreading what might come out of his mouth.

By silent agreement, Sue was positioned directly in front of the doctor, with Bobby and Myles providing reassuring arms around her as they stood on either side. Every stared at the doctor, waiting for him to speak as he looked at the group.

"I'm Dr. Brown, I was on the surgical team that worked on Agent Hudson," he announced. "I was told that one of you is deaf, but if I look at you when I talk, you can understand most of what I say," he looked around questioning.

"Yes, that's right," Sue swallowed, wishing he would tell them about Jack.

"Oh, that would be you then I guess," Dr. Brown smiled, tiredly. "Let me know if you miss anything, or if you don't understand something…that goes for anyone," he clarified.

Sue took a deep breath; her patience was beginning to wear thin. The events of the last few weeks – the stalking, the bomb, Jack's kidnapping, the shooting – she didn't know if she could handle much more.

"Agent Hudson lost a lot of blood. There was quiet a bit of internal damage," he started somberly. "Fortunately, we were able to repair everything, we did have to remove part of the spleen, but that should affect him in the long run," Dr. Brown continued, watching concerned as the blonde woman's expression never changed as he spoke. "The bullet did crack a rib so he'll be a little sore, but the recovery from the surgery will take about the same time."

"So he'll be fine," Ted finally asked, after a long pause.

"Yes, Agent Hudson will be as good as new in a few weeks," Dr. Brown grinned, looking for any reaction from the group. He jumped back in surprise when Mike and Carrie both let out shrieks of joy and the others soon followed.

"Let me know if you need anything," Dr. Brown told Ted, raising his voice over the rising din in the room. "We'll come and get you as soon as Agent Hudson is out of Recovery," he shook the big man's hand then turn to leave the others to celebrate.

Sue couldn't believe that she read the doctor right, but from the reaction of the others she knew that she had. Jack was going to be okay! she though as she accepted the hugs the others offered. We will be able to build on what we've started these last couple of days! she smiled to herself. Sue wasn't able to follow the others excited conversations, so she stayed lost in her own thoughts as everyone milled around, waiting for word they actually could go see Jack.

The others were preoccupied and didn't see Bobby slip quietly from the room. Concerned, Sue got up to follow making sure she wasn't seen as well. Following him down the hallway, she watched from the corner as he ran his hand down his face, turning into the bathroom.

Sue stood outside the door she contemplated her choices. Jack was Bobby's best friend and just as she had, Bobby had been through a lot. He was still a patient at the hospital too, she told herself, fingering the band on her arm. Making her decision, she pushed open the door and walked in.

Bobby was bent over the sink, splashing his face with cold water and didn't see her at first. As he stood to dry his face with a paper towel, he caught her reflection in the mirror and turned with a surprised look on his face.

"You alright," Sue asked concerned as she stepped forward, brushing some lint from his hospital robe.

"I should be asking you that, shelia," he grinned wirily as he looked down at her.

"I'm fine, just worried about you," she told him, her brow furrowed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Bobby asked, throwing the used paper towels in the trash can.

"Well," Sue stated, looking around the room. "You're in the women's bathroom," she smirked, raising her eyebrows at the tall agent.

"Oh," Bobby stammered as he glanced around. Taking her by the arm, he started to lead her out. "Let's not tell anyone about this," he pleaded.

"Oh, please, Crash," she begged sarcastically. "Just when I have a good story to tell…not a chance," she teased as the door swung shut behind them.

Chapter 76

The room lights had been dimmed, casting eerie shadows around the room from the many machines attached to the man in the bed. The monitors droned on in their steady tones lulling the tall man propped on the sofa against the wall to sleep, his head slowly dropping down onto the shoulder of the blonde sitting next to him.

At his touch, Sue startled out of the thoughts, looking down at his tired face. With a grin, she turned slightly, shifting her arm around the Aussie's broad shoulders to allow him to settle more comfortably against her. Just like him, she knew she needed her rest, but she couldn't turn off her mind as her eyes returned to the dark-haired man in the bed.

From that fateful day when they met, Sue knew their friendship was going to be a wild ride. Most hearing and deaf relationships, especially between a hearing man and a deaf woman, usually resulted in one of them giving up their culture – their life before the relationship started – and adopting the other person's. She remembered all too well what she witnessed herself between her friend, Carol, and her husband.

However, for Sue and Jack that wasn't their only obstacle standing in their way. Their own job was riddled with complications, the 'no-dating' policy just being one. A minor one at that, Sue thought with a sigh.

One thing this case opened her eyes to was how dangerous their jobs were. A seemingly simple case of stolen defense documents turned into a life and death struggle for Jack and Sue as well as several of their friends. Fortunately, they were able to escape relatively unharmed this time, but she couldn't help but wonder about the next time.

Could I handle losing Jack? Sue wondered sadly. She'd already proven once how she reacted when she thought he'd been shot in the field, and ended up putting herself into more danger in the process. She wondered how she'd manage if it had been Jack who disappeared that day with Joseph Wheeler and Mohammad instead of D.

D couldn't tell Donna everything about their cases because of their confidentiality, but Sue knew. She had been on the streets with them knowing the situations they'd gotten into. Would I be able to separate my personal life from the life of protecting her country? she wished she knew the answer. Especially when I can't be on the same cases with him every day...knowing what he is doing?

As the night wore on, the fatigue finally set in and Sue succumbed to the sleep that she'd been fighting. Her head dipped over to rest against Bobby's as the events of the last few days finally caught up to her. Together, they slumbered, giving and getting comfort from each other by just being there.

Several hours later, a soft groan from the bed caused the Aussie to stir in her arms. The movement quickly woke Sue, her eyes immediately going to the bed. Inadvertently, her arm tightened around Bobby, rousting him from his slumber as her breath caught in her throat.

Disoriented, Bobby blinked up at the strange ceiling before realizing he was sprawled on top of Sue on the sofa. Noticing that Sue's arm had suddenly become tense around him, he looked up to see what was wrong.

"Jack," Sue whispered breathlessly, her eyes locked with the dark haired man across the room.

"Not exactly what a man expects when he gets shot," Jack murmured tiredly from the bed as Bobby and Sue continued to gape at him. "To wake up and catch my best friend and my girlfriend sleeping together," he explained dryly, a soft smile playing on his lips as they looked at him in confusion.

"How are you, mate?" Bobby asked, untangling himself from Sue and helping her to her feet. The two battered people gingerly approached the bed, achy from their injuries as well as the night on the lumpy sofa.

"Better than you'd be if I wasn't in this bed when I found you lying in my girlfriend's arms," Jack quipped, grinning as he held tight to Sue's hand.

"Well, I've always told you, it's the accent…gets them every time," Bobby smirked broadly, draping his arm over Sue's shoulders.

"But, Bobby," Sue started, biting her bottom lip as she glanced down at Jack, mischief dancing in her eyes. "I can't hear the accent," she told him innocently, trying hard not to laugh when his face dropped in defeat.

"Well, there goes that theory," Bobby groaned as the three of them chuckled, the tension from the last few days gone…at least for a while.