A/N – I'm glad you all like what's going on! Keep posted, I'm trying to update as much as I can!

Chapter 31:

Jack saw the doctor heading towards them. Sue was still leaning against him, her legs curled up on the seat beside her, passed out from exhaustion, and he didn't want to wake her up, but knew that Sue wouldn't want to miss the news about Bobby. He turned to face her, and gently tried to wake her up. Her eyes opened and it took her a moment to remember where she was, but quickly understood as Jack squeezed her hand and nodded towards the doctor. They all stood up and crowded around.

"I'm Dr. Mackay. Your friend Bobby Manning is out of surgery and in recovery." The doctor started.

"Is he going to be alright?" Jack asked anxiously.

"Mr. Manning suffered from bleeding in his brain, from his concussion. It doesn't happen often, but if the head trauma is severe enough, it does happen. We expect a full recovery, but will know more when he wakes up." Tara spoke up, her cheek still red and swollen,

"Can we see him?"

"You can, but only one person is aloud in at a time."

"What about Howie?" Sue asked. The doctor answered, looking at her intently,

"He should be released. He only has a mild concussion." He kept watching her as she turned to look at Tara. Sue knew how upset she was about Bobby. The doctor looked at Jack and nodded in Sue's direction,

"Is she going to need a doctor?" Jack shook his head, and watched her, as she turned back to look at him. The doctor directed them to where Bobby's room was, and excused himself. They let Tara have the first 15 minutes, and Myles decided to head over and see how D was doing before he was released. Jack and Sue took a seat outside of the room.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked concernedly.

"Fine." She answered and looked away. Jack knew was she upset but he could tell something was bothering her.

-----

Tara sat down next to Bobby's bed, taking his hand, trying to ignore the machines beeping around them. His head was wrapped in gauze, and he had cuts and bruises all over his face, like Jack and Dimitrius had.

As Tara sat there, she didn't know what to say. She had never seen Bobby look so weak and vulnerable. She could feel the sting in her cheek, as the local anesthetic began to wear off. She figured the least she could do was tell Bobby the good news and not treat him any differently,

"We caught French. Well, Myles did. You have to wake up soon so you can keep him in line before we all go crazy with him boasting. Actually, he hasn't been too bad. Everyone's really worried about you, especially me. You know I broke things off with Stanley…" Tara stopped as she saw Bobby's head turn slightly, and eyes begin to flutter open. She heard his voice whisper,

"Good to hear. I like Stanley, but you could do better." She felt him squeeze her hand tightly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, thrilled that he was awake and seemingly okay.

"My head hurts, but otherwise happy to see your beautiful face." Tara couldn't help but smile.

-----

Myles strode into Dimitrius' room, as both he and Donna turned to look at him.

"How are you feeling?" Myles asked, pulling up a chair.

"Bad headache, but otherwise fine – the doctor said I can go home as soon as he comes back with the papers. How is everyone else?"

"Everyone is doing okay. Jack is fine, Tara has stitches and will probably be sore for a bit, Howie has a bad concussion but should be able to go home in the next few days."

"Bobby?" D asked, already concerned.

"He just got out of surgery. Tara's with him right now. The doctors said they'll know more when he wakes up," explained Myles. The doctor came in and said D could go home, as long as he took it easy for the next few days. Donna decided to go get the car, as Myles agreed to escort D to the doors.

-----

A few minutes had past and Jack and Sue had both been lost in their own thoughts. Jack knew something was bugging her, and he wanted to keep up the expectation that she could confide in him. If anything, she should've felt relieved that they had finally caught Ben French. He touched her shoulder gently, and she turned to look at him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He could see her eyes filling up with tears. She shook her head.

"Can we talk about it at home?" She asked quietly. Jack nodded, understanding that she wanted privacy. She went to say something, but closed her mouth again, deciding not too.

"What?" Jack asked kindly.

"Are you sure we caught him?" Jack gave her a small reassuring smile, squeezing her hand.

"I promise." She gave him a small smile back, before standing up quickly, as Tara made her way into the hall.

-----

"He's awake!" She said happily, as the doctor and a nurse went through the door she had just exited.

"How is he?" Sue asked quickly.

"He's tired and it looks like his head really must hurt, but I think he's going to be fine. He's thrilled we caught French."

They chit-chatted for a few moments until the doctor came in, saying that Sue and Jack could both visit him now, and informing them that in a few days, Bobby would be good as new. Tara decided to go find Myles and see Dimitrius, as to let Sue and Jack have some time alone with their friend.

They walked in quietly, and saw Bobby half sitting up, his eyes closed with what looked like a white turban on his head. Jack pulled over another chair, and let Sue sit down closest to the bed, making it easier on her tired looking eyes to read his lips.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked. Bobby smiled.

"It would take more than a bomb to stop me!" Sue turned and gave Jack a small grin, though he noticed it didn't reach her eyes. They talked for a bit, before deciding to let Bobby rest, and take Sue home to do the same.