A/N: A big thank you to all of you who have reviewed this fic. Sorry about the long wait for the update but my computer crashed and I just got it fixed today. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
Jack, Jeff and Sam visit the boys in the ICU...
Jack spoke to Doctor Cassidy and asked him, if he, Samantha and Jeff could see Danny and Martin. Since Danny's condition had stabilized, Dr. Cassidy allowed them to see the boys, but only one at a time for fifteen minutes.
Jack Enters the Boys' ICU Room…
Jack slowly walked into the room to find Martin and Danny sleeping. So he decided to sit in the chair and watch them as they slept. A few minutes later, Martin woke from his slumber to see Jack sitting in a chair watching him and Danny.
"Jack? Hey, how did you get in here?" Martin exclaimed.
"Hey, Martin. I talked to Dr. Cassidy and since you guys have stabilized he's letting us visit you but only for a few minutes. It's good to see you awake, son. I'm glad that you're okay. How are you doing?" Jack said as he tried to hide the guilt from his voice. He closed his eyes and paused before continuing. "You scared the hell out of me. Are you feeling better? How's Danny doing? Is he okay?" Jack said nervously.
Their conversation is cut short when Danny awakens in a terrified state from the same nightmare. Jack rushed to Danny's side. "Whoa! Danny, Danny calm down! You're okay," Jack reassured as he ran a hand through Danny's hand in attempt to calm him. "Just breathe; you were just having a nightmare. Come on, just breathe. You're alright, you're in the hospital." Jack said fearful.
"Jack? What are you doing here? Did you get hurt, too?" Danny said in a small lost voice.
"He's been having the same nightmare since he came out of the coma. He keeps seeing Dornvald slit my throat and then I open my eyes and blame him for my death. But after we talked last night I thought they'd stop. I guess I was wrong," Martin sighed sadly.
"This is all my fault. You guys are here because of me. I almost got you killed. I am so sorry," Jack said in a guilt ridden voice, as he sat on Danny's bed and took his hand. But he could no longer hide the feeling of guilt that plagued him as tears began to stream down his face and he began to break down.
"Jack, this isn't your fault. Dornvald is the only son of a bitch to blame for almost killing us. He is the one that tortured and tried to kill us; not you, Jack," Martin said as got out bed and tried to console Jack.
"Yeah, Jack. If anything we owe you our lives. We wouldn't be alive if you hadn't looked for us. You didn't quit looking for us until you got us back," Danny said softly.
Jack looked away feeling too ashamed. He let go of Danny's hand and covered his face with his hands as he cried out in guilt. "Damn it, that's not true!" he cried. "I failed you both. None of this would've ever happened if I had sent you with backup to transport Adisa Teno. And I did give up!" He paused and took a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure. "The last time Dornvald called me about the ransom, I heard you guys screaming. Martin yelled to Dornvald that he was gonna kill him because he killed you. I don't know what happened next because everything went quiet." Jack said softly as tears streamed down his face.
"That's when he stabbed and kicked us because I yelled out to you. Danny went unconscious from the pain even though I tried to keep him awake. I couldn't yell out to you and tell you that we were still alive. I heard what he said to you on the phone; made you think that we were dead. I know you didn't give up so stop saying that you did," Martin said as tears ran down his face as he heard Jack's words of guilt.
"Damn it, but I did give up! I had the techs track the call so we could get a location but I didn't keep Dornvald on the phone long enough so they only got an approximate location. I was sure that you guys were dead and I went completely nuts and tried to choke one of the tech guys and destroyed all the equipment in the room. Jeff slammed me against the wall and cuffed me to calm me down and he told me that you guys weren't dead; that he wasn't gonna let that happen and that he was gonna personally make sure that Dornvald paid for what he did to you. He convinced me to keep looking for you," Jack said bitterly as tears continue to run down his face.
"Oh, God, Jack! You thought we were dead but you still looked for us anyway. Don't you understand that? You didn't give up because you knew somewhere deep inside that we were still alive and that we wouldn't let that bastard win no matter what hell he put us through!" Martin said as tears continue to stream down his face. He put a hand on Jack's shoulder, in attempt to console him.
"When we went into that warehouse I still thought you guys were dead and I just wanted to kill Dornvald. One of the damn SWAT guys knocked over a box and they started shooting at us," Jack said as he shook his head.
"Yeah, we heard the shooting. What happened next?" Martin sighed nervously.
"Jeff got shot but luckily it hit the vest. He got up with the wind knocked out of him and Dornvald took him hostage," Jack said calmly, but he found it hard to keep it together as he continued to tell the boys what had happened. "That's when he told me that he had killed you two. He didn't know that there were SWAT guys in back of him so I told Dornvald that he could leave as long as he let go of Jeff. The SWAT guys got him from behind and stopped him from shooting himself. I lost it after Jeff was safe and away from him. I beat the shit out of him and put the gun to head. I was gonna kill him but Jeff stopped me. I should've killed him for what he did to you. Instead, I let him live. I failed both of you." When he finished he hid his face in his hands in shame as he continued to cry. "I could still hear your agonizing screams."
Martin took Jack's face in his face in his hands and forced Jack to look at him, tears streamed down Martin's face. "You didn't fail us, Jack. You continued to look for us even after you thought we were dead. You saved us, Jack. Even after you found us you kept us alive, even though I could tell that you were scared to hell. And you couldn't kill Dornvald because you're not a damn cold blooded killer like him. So, please, stop saying that you failed us, because you've never failed us and you never will," he said.
"I am so sorry. I never wanted you to get hurt and I never meant to give up on you," Jack cried.
Danny had been quietly listening to Martin and Jack's conversation as he tried to gather the strength to talk; as his throat is still soar from the breathing tube. He waved in his hand, in an attempt to get Jack's attention. But Jack, consumed with guilt, didn't notice. Danny continued to wave his hand and finally Jack noticed. He took Danny's hand – not wanting Danny's to hurt himself.
"Jack, you didn't give up on us and you didn't fail us," Danny said softly, he took a breath before he continued. "I remember what you said to me when you found us in the warehouse."
"W-w-what? B-b-but?" Jack exclaimed.
"I told you to let me die because that's what I deserved," Danny sighed as he smiled and slowly nodded his head. "I told you that I failed you. Do you remember what you said to me, Jack?" Jack looked down - feeling too ashamed. Undeterred, Danny continued. "You said that I was gonna be okay; that I didn't do anything wrong and you put your hand on my head when you tried to calm me down."
"That's because it was my fault; not yours," Jack said sadly.
"Like you said to me in that warehouse, this isn't your fault so get it through your thick ass skull. You told me to fight hard to stay alive and that you were gonna kick my sorry ass and bring me back from the grim reaper if I tried to die on you," Danny said as he shook his head and smiled. "Well, now I'm telling you, stop blaming yourself or I'll kick your sorry ass until you accept that none of this is your fault."
"But..." Jack started but he soon cut off by Danny.
"But nothing. We don't blame you for a damn thing that happened and neither should you so stop it right now. Jack, we know how much you give a damn about us and that you would never let anyone hurt us; and those who do regret it greatly," Danny said in a serious tone.
"None of this is your fault, Jack. We know how you feel about us and the rest of the team. We're a family, Jack. You're like the father that Danny and I have never had." Martin paused blushed as he felt slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, Victor's alive and well but he's never given a shit about me like you have. The only thing he's ever given a damn about is his damn appearance. You've cared more about me since the first day I joined the team than Victor has my entire life," Martin said bitterly.
"That's right, Jack. You have two sons here whether you like it or not. We're not going anywhere anytime soon. We're gonna keep causing you grief until you go completely bald from worry," Danny chuckled softly. Martin and Jack chuckled loudly for the first time together since whole ordeal had begun.
"How can you two say those things after all the times I've treated you so awful and kept you in the dog house?" Jack chuckled as he wiped the tears from his face.
"Because we know that you care about all of us and that you yell when you're worried or scared because you're afraid that something bad is gonna happen to us. That's what makes you a good boss, a great friend and a wonderful father," Martin said as he smiled. Without thinking, he took a hold of Jack and held him in a tight embrace.
"Oh, come on, let go of me before someone sees us," Jack said in a mock stern tone.
"Hey, don't keep him all for yourself, little brother," Danny said as he slowly sat up and faced Martin. Jack looked at him and chuckled. "What, Dad, no hug for me?" He laughed, as Jack carefully embraced him with one arm while still holding Martin with his other arm.
"You two are pain in the ass; but I'm glad that you're okay," Jack said laughing, but he suddenly turned serious. "I know that I've never let it shown but…but I do think of you as…" He cleared his throat and added, "… sons."
"We already knew that, Dad," Martin chuckled as tears ran freely down his face. "And you have let it shown by the way that you treat us."
"You two scared the hell out of me. Don't you ever do that to me again! Do I make myself clear?" Jack said seriously as he continued to hold the boys protectively.
"So when can we go back to work and into the field again? Hmm? I'm already tired of being here," Danny joked.
Jack looked at Danny sternly as he broke from the embrace. "Are you out of your mind? You just got out of a coma and you're asking about going back to work? Neither of you will be setting foot in the office anytime soon; until you're both fully recovered. When you get back, you'll be put on desk duty for a while. And you can forget about going into the field alone. From now on you'll both be teamed up with me or somebody from the team but only if and when you get cleared by Doctor Harris," he exclaimed.
"Aww, come on, Jack! You can't be serious!" Danny protested.
"Yeah, Jack, come on. We're not crazy. We don't need to see Lisa," Martin said as he joined Danny in his protest.
"This isn't open for debate. There's always permanent desk duty," Jack said seriously.
"Fine! We'll see Lisa," Danny and Martin exclaimed.
"But only if you see her too," Martin added boldly.
"Geez, you two are worse than my girls. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about not seeing Lisa," Jack sighed. "Van Doran's making it mandatory for everyone involved in your case to go to counseling with Lisa," he groaned.
"Thanks for everything, Jack," Martin said as his voice began to break again.
"Yeah, thanks for everything Jack. Thanks for not giving up on us even when you thought that we were…" Danny said as tears stream down his face. He tried to continue but he couldn't.
Jack pulled Danny and Martin into another protective embrace, as tears continued to run freely down his face. "I'm never gonna give up on you two again. And I'm never gonna let anybody hurt you ever again…my…sons. Whenever you need me I'm always gonna be there for you for the rest of your days and for the rest of mine. And don't worry about Dornvald," he reassured.
At the mention of Dornvald's name the boys tense up and let out a muffled cry. "Shhh, calm down. You won't ever have to be afraid of him or his accomplices because they're paying severely for what they did to you. They'll regret the rest of their miserable lives the day they messed with my team," Jack reassured.
Having never had a father who cared about them, Danny and Martin are moved by Jack's words. They softly elbow each other as they nod to each other and smile; silently agreeing on their next words to Jack. "Thanks…Dad." They say together.
"You're welcome…sons," Jack chuckled as he wiped the tears from his face. Unable to contain it any longer the boys begin to chuckle as tears stain their weary faces.
Jack is still hugging the boys when someone at the door clears their throat. They break the embrace to see Sam and Jeff standing at the door holding on to each other and crying. Apparently they had been listening in on the entire conversation between Jack and the boys.
Tears run down Sam's and Jeff's faces as they wave hello at Jack and the boys and chuckle lightly. "Hi…Dad," they said in a lighted hearted tone.
Feeling embarrassed Jack covers his face with his hand as he chuckled. "Oh, brother! Now you see what you two have done. I better go. I'll be back to see you later."
Jeff chuckled as he wiped away his tears. "Hold on, I'll walk you out…Dad," he said in a light hearted mocking tone. They all chuckle at Jeff's comment. "Only one of us can see you guys at a time. Sam, why don't you talk to them and then I'll come by after you're done. Okay?" he said to the boys and Sam.
"Thanks, Jeff. I really appreciate it," Sam said with a smile, as tears continue to run down her face.
"Not a problem. I'll be back in a few minutes when you're done," Jeff said with a smile. He nodded in the direction of the boys and returned the gesture with a smile and a nod. "Come on, Dad. I'll follow you out," he said as he turned to Jack.
"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" Jack said in a mock annoyed voice as he shook his head.
"Nope, not anytime soon. Come on, let's go," Jeff laughed.
Jack chuckled in defeat and they left the room; leaving Sam to talk with the boys.
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Sam's Visit with Martin and Danny…
Once Jack and Jeff left the room, Sam held Danny and Martin in a protective embrace as she cried.
"I'm so happy that you two are okay. We thought…that you had both…" Sam cried, but she couldn't continue as she broke the embrace and turned away from them both.
"Hey, Shhh, calm down. We're okay. We're not going anywhere," Martin said softly as he turned Sam around and gently hugged her.
Danny smiled but felt sad by the look of guilt on Sam's face. "He's right sweetie, we're not going anywhere. All of you are gonna have Danny and Martin for a long time to come," he said gently. But Sam looked away as she began to cry again and it caused Danny's heart to break as he knows part of what he just said isn't true; she wouldn't have Martin.
"Sam? What's wrong? We already told you that we were okay. Why are you crying? Is there something going on that we don't know about?" Martin said softly, concern laced into his voice.
"No! Everything's okay, really," Sam said nervously, her voice breaking with emotion.
"Then what's going on? Why do you keep looking away from us?" Martin said fearfully.
Danny had been quietly observing Sam as she and Martin talked and could clearly see the guilt she felt about how her relationship with Martin had ended. He gently held Sam's face in his hand as he wiped the tears away. "I know what's wrong with her," he sighed deeply as his voice broke with emotion. His words cause a cold chill to run down Sam's spine. "Sam feels horrible about how things ended between the two of you and how she's been avoiding you lately. She thinks she let you down." Tears ran down Danny's face.
Danny words cause Sam to cry in shame and cover her face as she tried to get out of the room.
Sam tried to run but Martin grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Is that true, Sam?" he said, his voice breaking with emotion. Sam tried to cover her face as she cried but Martin grabbed both of her wrists; refusing to let her hide her true feelings behind her hands. "Look at me, Sam. I said look at me!" he said, a little more forcefully this time when Sam continued to look away. "You don't have anything to feel bad about just because our relationship didn't work out. You and I just…weren't meant to happen, Sweetheart."
"I don't blame you for breaking up with me. If I hadn't of denied our relationship from the beginning…" Sam sobbed.
Martin shook his head as tears ran down his face. "Don't, I know that's what you think but it's not true. Our relationship was complicated from the beginning. "Shhh, I'm not trying to be cruel, Sam, but you and I both know that in the long run it wouldn't have worked out because we both have issues that we haven't gotten past," he reassured.
"I'm so sorry, Martin! I never meant to hurt you! You have to believe me. I…I never wanted to let you down," Sam said, in between the tears. Martin released her wrists as he held her in a protective embrace. "I never would've forgiven myself if you had…"
"Shhh, don't you dare say that to me! None of this is your fault. And you didn't hurt me. The time we spent together were the happiest I've ever been and I'm always gonna remember and treasure that, Sam. Besides, just because our romantic relationship didn't work out, that doesn't mean that we still can't be good friends," Martin said with tears streaming down his face.
"How can we possibly be friends after the horrible way I've treated you since you broke it off?" Sam sobbed.
"We were friends once, Sam and we can be friends again. I know that it'll be hard at first but we can work through it. I'll always be here for you, Sam. Always," Martin managed to say in between the tears.
"I know that I haven't been here for you and I'm sorry. I swear to you that I'll always be here for you from now until the end of my days. I'll never hurt you again," Sam said, not bothering any longer to try and control the tears.
"I already told you that you didn't hurt me. So, what do you say, Sweetheart? Friends for life?" Martin said with a sad smile. Sam smiled sadly at him and nodded and hugged him as she cried. "Shhh, no more tears. No more tears of sadness, guilt or pain; only tears of happiness. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
Danny had been crying silently though out the whole exchange. "Hey, what am I, chopped liver? Stop trying to keep her for yourself. She's mine, too. Come on, baby brother, share the love," he joked as he tried to break the thick tension in the room. His words caused Sam and Martin to laugh out loud for the first time together since this ordeal began.
Sam chuckled; tears stained her face as she kissed Danny on the cheek. "Oh, Danny!"
They all embrace and hold on tight to each other in a protective embrace. However, they hug too tightly; causing Danny to cry out in pain as he clutched his stomach. "Oh my God, Danny! I'm so sorry!" Sam gasped in horror.
"Honey, relax, I'm not going anywhere. Sorry, babe, but you're not getting rid of me that easily," Danny chuckled lightly as he coughed.
"You're not getting rid of me either," Martin said softly with a smile.
"Well…I…um…" Sam said nervously. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Better get out of here before that nurse comes in and kicks me out. I'm sorry boys but time's up.
"Fine, leave us all alone!" Danny and Martin said together in mock anger.
"I promise you both that I'll be back as soon as the doctor allows us to visit for more than fifteen minutes. If you need anything at all, just call me and I'll be here right away. Okay?" Sam laughed, as she hugged and kissed Danny and Martin.
"You got it, babe," Danny said grinning as he wiggled his eyebrows. He threw Sam a kiss and chuckled; causing Sam and Martin to chuckle loudly.
"I guess time really is up," Martin said sadly when he saw Janice at the door looking in.
"Sorry, Honey, but her fifteen minutes are up. You have another visitor that's waiting to come in but after that both of you need to get some rest," Janice said sympathetically. "You can come back tonight or tomorrow, Sweetie, all right?"
Sam nods to Janice. "Well… I better get going. Take care and…I'll be back as soon as I can. Okay?" She said, as she tried to stop her voice from breaking with emotion again.
"Stop crying! No more tears!" Danny and Martin replied light heartily.
"Okay, no more tears. I promise." Sam chuckled as a few more tears escaped. "I'll see you soon?" she said as she turned to Martin.
"You better or I'll come get you myself," Martin said with a smile, as Sam hugged and kissed him. "Bye, baby," he said as his voice trembled slightly.
"Take care, sweetheart," Danny said with a grin as Sam hugged and kissed him.
Sam was about to cry but Janice took a hold of her hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. They're gonna be just fine. Come on," she said in a soothing voice. Sam nodded her head and waved goodbye to Danny and Martin as she and Janice left the room.
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Jeff's Visit with the Boys…
After Sam left Jeff entered Danny and Martin's room. Once in the room Jeff carefully and protectively embraced the boys.
"I'm really glad that you guys are okay," Jeff sighed – voice cracking with emotion.
"Thanks to you. We know everything that you did," Danny said, his voice cracking with emotion. Jeff gave them a quizzical look.
"We know that you risked your life to save us even when you weren't certain that we were even still alive," Martin said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"You have nothing to thank me for. I know that you guys would've done the same for me. It's part of the job. We're family; we take care of our own," Jeff said as tears began to fall freely down his face. "So how are you guys feeling?"
Danny and Martin can no longer hold back the tears that have been threatening, as they stream down their faces. "About as good as can be expected. We're just glad to be back," Martin replied sadly.
"But that never would've happened without you or Jack or everyone else. If weren't for all of you, you'd all probably be visiting our graves right now instead," Danny added.
"Don't say that! Shhh! I'm just glad that you're both safe now and away from that freakin' psycho," Jeff exclaimed.
"So, apart from visiting us what else brings you here? I'm not trying to be ungrateful but I know just by looking at you that there's something you have to do but don't know how to do it," Martin said, with a small sad smile.
"He's right, Jeff. You've got guilt written badly all over your face. Come on, Jeff. Just get it over with and do whatever it is they ordered you to do. We don't blame you. We know that if it were up to you would wait until we were out of here," Danny interjected.
Jeff put his head down as his voice broke. "Listen, I'm really sorry that I have to do this but the boys in Washington are breathing down my neck. Um…I have to…interrogate you about everything that happened. Just take your time, guys. If you can't answer the questions just forget it and I'll tell those pricks in Washington to piss off.," he said regretfully.
"We understand, Jeff. You're just doing your job," Danny and Martin said together.
"Are you ready?" Jeff sighed sadly. He watched as the boys nod before continuing in an emotion filled voice. "Um…what's the first thing you remember that happened?"
"We…we were at a stop light transporting Teno, when a blue van pulled…up in front of us," Danny said, as his voice started to break with emotion. Tears streamed down his face as he remembered the ambush as he struggled and failed to continue.
Martin took a protective hold of Danny and continued where Danny left off - tears fall from his eyes. "I honked the horn at the van because the light went green and they still didn't move. As soon as I honked the horn, the back doors flew open and Dornvald and another guy came out and started shooting their guns. I put the car in reverse but lost control after they blew out two of the tires then I slammed into some parked cars. I blacked out briefly."
"Just take your time, okay? Do you remember what happened next?" Jeff said gently.
"I woke up again and got out the car. I started shooting at Dornvald and his men but my gun jammed so they surrounded me with their guns. I couldn't do anything. Dornvald grabbed me and sent his men after Danny. When they were gonna grab him…they yelled out…that they thought he was dead….because he was covered in blood," Martin said as he tried to hold it together, but he felt his grip on his emotions slipping as he started to cry. "I started yelling for Danny and when I tried to run for him, to help him, Dornvald knocked me out cold with the gun and I couldn't help him!"
Jeff, shocked by Martin's account of what happened, took Martin's face in his hands. "Shhh, it's okay. Maybe we should just stop this now," he said gently. "Screw those assholes in Washington!" Jeff said angrily.
"No, I just wanna get this done already, so they'll leave us the hell alone!" Martin said in-between tears. Jeff sadly nodded his head, showing that he understood. "The next thing I remember is Dornvald throwing ice cold water on me and punching me in the face when I wouldn't answer him. He told me that if I didn't tell him where Paige Hobson was he was gonna kill Danny. He…told me…that I had to choose between Danny and her."
"Son of a bitch," Jeff growled. "What happened next; when you wouldn't give him Hobson's location?"
"He threw more water on me after he punched me then he…he grabbed live jumper cables…and put them on my chest; shocking the hell out of me. The fuckin' bastard told me that it could all end right there if I just gave him Paige. I told him to go to hell and he shocked me again; the bastard was laughing the entire time," Martin said in a shaky voice that was riddled with fear.
"What happened next, Martin?" Jeff said in a gentle, quiet voice.
"He lit a cigar and burned my body but I still wouldn't talk-so he told me that I needed some motivation," Martin sobbed. He grabbed Danny's hand tightly. "They threw Danny on the floor and kicked him in the ribs. After that they…"
"They threw me on top of a table and ripped my shirt open. When they saw the gunshot wounds, Dornvald jabbed his fingers into them, and then poured salt. I don't remember anything after that," Danny said through his tears. Jeff squeezed Danny's good shoulder as he cried.
"I grabbed a hold of Danny and wouldn't let him go. Dornvald starting laughing and threw a picture of us. He said that we never should've meddled in his affairs. A while later, he called Jack and when I screamed for Jack not to give him what he wanted, he stabbed me in the arm. When I screamed out to Jack again…he…oh God, Danny. I'm so sorry!" Martin cried.
"Martin, calm down! Everything's okay. You don't have to say anything more," Jeff said gently.
"No! It's all my fault that Danny got hurt! When I screamed to Jack that Dornvald was gonna kill us, he kicked Danny in face and stabbed him! If I never would've opened my stupid, big mouth that never would've happened!" Martin exclaimed.
"Damn it, stop it! You know that's not true! None of this your fault. It was him. He was gonna do it anyway whether or not you screamed. Don't you understand that!" Danny said firmly.
Tears ran down Jeff's face as he tried to regain his composure. "Danny's right, Martin. None of this is your fault. Just calm down, please!" he said gently.
"I can still hear his screams and see his blood on my hands," Martin continued in the same distraught tone. He gasped for air and grabbed his stomach as it began to convulse. He knew what was going to happen, so he let go of Danny's hand and stumbled towards the bathroom; causing Jeff to run after him. Martin got to the bathroom just in time as he lost the contents of his stomach. He fell onto knees crying and vomiting. Jeff, scared out of his mind and not knowing what to do, soothingly ran a hand through Martin's hair and back, as he tried to calm him down.
"Martin? Martin, can you hear me? Jeff! Jeff, how is he! Please tell me!" Danny called out, in a terrified voice.
"Calm down, Danny. He's gonna be okay. Just stay in the bed. We'll be out in just a few," Jeff said soothingly but with fear still evident in his voice. He gave a cup of water to Martin, so he could rinse the horrid taste out of his mouth and then offered him another small cup of water to drink. He wet a washcloth with cold water and wiped Martin's mouth and face with it. "Come on, Buddy. Let's get you back in bed." He carefully put Martin's arm over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around Martin's waist then slowly led Martin back to his bed. "That's enough, Martin. You don't have to tell me anything else." Jeff said gently.
"No, please, just let me get it all out. If I don't it's gonna eat me up inside. I can't let Dornvald win," Martin said breathlessly. Jeff sadly nodded. "After you guys found us in the warehouse and left to get help, Danny was barely breathing and he kept on telling me that everything was his fault. He started coughing up blood and then about a minute later he smiled and said goodbye to me. He died in my arms and I started screaming. I started CPR but when I did the chest compressions the only thing that came out was blood. He died in my arms!" He inadvertently grabbed the pillow from his bed and smothered his face as he screamed and cried uncontrollably.
Jeff quickly took the pillow away from Martin's face and held Martin in a tight, protective embrace. "Damn it, Martin! That's enough! Shhh, please calm down! It's over, Martin. Danny's here with you, he's not dead. Shhh, Martin. I swear on my life that I'm gonna make that son of a bitch and his accomplices pay for the rest of their fuckin', miserable lives for what they did to you and Danny. They're gonna wish that we had killed them in that warehouse. But, please calm down," he said gently as he continued to try and keep his emotions at bay.
Against orders, Danny got out of bed and went to Martin's side. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Fitzy. I never meant to put you through that. Please forgive me," he said, in-between tears, as he hugged Martin.
"I am so sorry for what you guys went through and I'm sorry that we didn't get to you sooner; but I swear that those goddamn bastards are gonna pay hell for what they did to you. We're never gonna let anybody hurt either of you ever again!" Jeff said as tears streamed down his face.
After several minutes passed Jeff and the boys finally stopped crying and broke the embrace.
"Listen, I'm really sorry that I made you go through that," Jeff sniffled.
"It's not your fault. You were following orders," Martin said, exhaustion evident in his voice.
"Yeah, but if anybody tries to ask us again what happened we're not gonna answer anymore damn questions. Let them go to you; you fill them in," Danny sighed wearily. Martin nodded in agreement.
"I better go write up the report and send it to those pricks in Washington. You told me everything that happened so if anybody tries to make you guys talk again, tell them to go to hell then send them on over to me and I'll fix them good. I'm gonna get outta here so you guys can get some sleep. Okay? But if you need anything at all just have somebody here call me and I'll be here as quick as I can. Get some sleep, I'll be back soon," Jeff said wearily and emotionally as he saw the boys yawn. The boys slowly nodded and they gave in to sleep. Content that the boys are fully asleep he smiles and whispered. "You two are going to be okay; I swear to you that no one will hurt you again." With that he smiled and left the room.
FOUR HOURS LATER
Victor Visits Martin…
Back to his old, cold self again Victor entered Danny and Martin's room to visit Martin as if nothing significant had happened.
"Martin? I'm glad that you're doing well," Victor said emotionless as he shook Martin's hand.
"Thanks…Dad," Martin said through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his anger at bay.
"Well, Son, I'm glad that you're doing fine. I have to get back to Washington right away, but before I leave I just wanted to tell you that there'll be some members of the OPR coming to interrogate you about everything that happened. They wanna make sure that everything was done by the book. They also wanna see…if Malone had any responsibility for what happened to you and Taylor," Victor said in a disinterested, impatient tone as he looked at his watch.
"I knew it! You're trying to go after Jack again when he didn't have a damn thing to do with what happened to me and Danny! Why do you hate him so much! You've been after him since he accepted me on his team. Why don't you just leave him the hell alone! He's never done a damn thing to you!" Martin yelled – no longer able to control his anger.
"How dare you defend him after what he…" Victor yelled. He was about to blame Jack again for what happened to Martin and Danny but Martin cut him off abruptly.
"Don't you dare blame him again! If it weren't for him we wouldn't be alive right now. Besides, he's been more of a father to me, since I joined his team, than you have been my entire life. All you've ever given a damn about is your political career and how things look with your constituents! So, you leave Jack the hell alone and don't you ever try to go after him again; because if you do you can forget that you ever had a son. And you can forget about us talking to anyone from Washington because we already told Jeff Carmichael everything that happened and we're not talking to anyone else. If they wanna find out what the hell happened to us they better get off their asses and talk to Jeff!" Martin said angrily as he fought back the tears that threatened.
"It's better if I leave. I will tell your mother that you're doing well," Victor said angrily through clenched teeth. Without another word to Martin, he left the hospital.
A few minutes after Victor left, Martin could no longer take all the pain and anger that he felt and began to cry.
"Martin? Martin, what's wrong?" Danny asks, as he sees Martin crying.
"Nothing. Everything's okay," Martin said quietly as he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.
"Everything except for that pisshead father of yours; the high and mighty Victor Fitzgerald," Danny said bitterly.
"Maybe it would've been better if Dornvald had killed me. Maybe then, that cold-hearted bastard would give a damn more about me than his damn political career and appearances," Martin said as he began to cry again.
"Don't you dare ever say that again! I never would've forgiven myself if you had died! How dare you say that! You're my best friend and my brother! My family! You fucking selfish bastard!" Danny yelled out of anger, fear and pain. He put his face in his hands and cried.
"Look at me! I'm sorry, okay. I'm so sorry. I didn't say all that because of you, Danny. I said it because of that cold bastard," Martin exclaimed. Feeling guilty about hurting Danny with his remarks, he went to Danny's bed.
"You had no right to say that! I don't know what I'd do if you died, Fitzy! I know that your father may not give a shit about you but I do! We all do! The entire team cares about you; hell the entire NY FBI office cares about you. We're a family, don't you understand that! Damn it, you bastard!" Danny said angrily – still hurt by Martin's words.
Martin hugged Danny protectively and cried as he held Danny. "I do! I swear to God I do! I'm sorry Danny. I know that all of you are my family. I never meant to hurt you, Danny. You have to believe me!" he sobbed.
"Then why the hell did you say it!" Danny cried angrily.
"I was pissed off at Victor. He had the fucking nerve to come over here just to tell me that OPR was gonna come to interrogate us and see if what happened to us was Jack's fault. I got pissed off and told him to leave Jack the hell alone; that he was after Jack because he let me join the team. He was about to blame Jack for what happened to us," Martin said regretfully, his voice full of emotion.
"What did you do?" Danny sobbed.
"I told him that Jack was more of a father to me than he's been my entire life. Then, I told him that if he went after Jack again, that he could forget he ever had a son," Martin sniffed as tears streamed down his face. "That's when he got mad and left without saying anything else; except that he'd tell my mother I'm doing well."
"Miserable, cold-hearted bastard! Even if he doesn't give a damn about you or doesn't show it, don't you ever say that again; that you would be better off dead. Do you understand me, you bastard!" Danny said angrily in between tears.
"Yeah, I understand but…" Martin sniffed, "…but can you stop calling me a bastard?" he chuckled.
Danny chuckled as he hadn't realized that he was calling Martin a bastard. "Yeah, I'm sorry," he said, but he soon turned serious and broke from the embrace and looked at Martin. "You have to promise me, brother… that you're never ever gonna say that or anything else like it, again!" Danny said his voice breaking with emotion, while tears stain his face. "Promise me!"
"I promise you, brother, that you will never hear those words come out of my mouth again. I swear to you," Martin said with tears streaming down his face.
Danny hugged him once again like a brother then kissed him softly on the head. "Good!" he said. After several minutes the crying subsided and they broke the embrace.
"I'm really sorry, Danny. Come on, we better go back to sleep before Janice comes in here and chews our asses off," Martin said in a tired voice. They both chuckle lightly. Danny slowly groans in pain as he tries to lie down in bed. "Easy, bro, just take it easy." He slowly pulls the covers up to Danny's chest and ruffles Danny's hair as he goes off to bed. Both men sleeping contently the rest of the night.
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By the way, my apologies to anyone who doesn't like the Sam/Boys scene. I'm not too happy with it, but I had a major case of writer's block and it was the only thing I could come up with.