Chapter 4

"Oh my God Nate." Sophie said as he held his hand listening to what he told them. He was dying, infected by a neurotoxin and they did not know what toxin or if there was a cure for it.

"The bullets were coated?" Eliot said thinking about what Nate had told them. If the bullets were coated then this was personal and aimed at Nate.

"Yes. Eliot I need you to get Sophie to a secure place and make sure she stays safe." Nate said looking at his Hitter.

"Nate…"

"No Sophie that man was in the bar and after you. Those bullets were meant for you and I am not taking any chances with you." Nate said pushing himself further up in his bed as he spoke and winced slightly, he may be dying of a neurotoxin, but he had also been shot twice he reminded himself as pain shot though him.

"Nate…"

"I'm ok." He said then took her hand and held her gaze. "Sophie promise me, promise me that you will do whatever Eliot says, you have to think about our child now too."

"We have to find the antitoxin." Sophie said quietly, she was not going to go into hiding while Nate died here in this hospital.

"And we will, but you are going to be safe…please Sophie." Nate almost begged her. "I need to know you will be safe no matter what."

"We will keep her safe Nate." Parker said seeing the fear on Nate's face as he spoke to Sophie. "Sophie you can help, but we need you to stay where we can ensure your safety, for his sake and ours."

"There is nothing you can do here." Nate said softly. "They will find it and get the antitoxin, but I need to know you are safe and in a secure place. If they tried once they will try again and…and if anything happened to you and our child…"

Sophie looked down at him, he wanted her to leave him here alone and he may die. How could he ask that of her? She looked up at Eliot and saw in his eyes that he understood but that he agreed with Nate and she knew the others felt the same. She was carrying Nate's child and that was the most important thing to him she knew. But she could not leave him, not now, not when she may never see him again.

"Sophie darling…" Nate said and then he stopped speaking and his face contorted into a mask of pure agony his eyes squeezed tight trying to shut it out.

"Nate…Nate…" Sophie cried out watching as Nate fought the pain that had struck without warning causing him to writhe in the bed.

"Get the doctor." Eliot told Parker as he took Nate's hand and squeezed it as Nate rode out the obvious wave of pain he was experiencing.

Two minutes later the doctor entered the room, and they were asked to leave. They stood outside the room and watched as the doctor and nurses worked on Nate and Eliot saw them inject him with what he presumed was pain medication and a sedative as Nate's body immediately relaxed and he became still. The doctor did some more checks and then nodded to the nurse to tell them they could come in.

"I assume Mr Ford has told you all the situation." The doctor said as they gathered in the room.

"Yes…is this…"

"Mrs Ford I am afraid this is the toxin that is causing the pain Mr Ford is experiencing. I was hoping we had more time before it got to this stage."

"What…what do you mean?" Sophie asked stepping forward and taking Nate's limp hand in hers.

"It seems the toxin is faster working than we thought and has worked its way into the nervous system which is causing this pain."

"How…how long before…"

"I don't know Mrs Ford, as I am sure Mr Ford told you we have no idea what this toxin is and until we do there is nothing we can do and we don't know what course it will take. Now I have sedated Mr Ford, and I will make him as comfortable as possible, but that is all we can do for now. I am sorry." The doctor said seeing the devastation on the woman's face. Then he made a note in Nate's file before leaving them alone again.

"Sophie…"

"Don't say it Eliot because I am not leaving him." Sophie said raising her eyes to his. "I am not leaving him understand. You can do whatever you want here, and I will follow every instruction you want to give but I am not leaving him."

Eliot stared at her for a minute then nodded turning to Hardison.

"We need everything, and I mean everything about that man Hardison from birth till now. Parker you need to get me a sample of that neurotoxin, the best option is to get that bullet, find it and bring it to me I know a few people who can maybe help, people who have access to things that this lab won't." Eliot ordered. "Hardison we also need to make this place secure. Sophie does not leave this room unless accompanied by one of us and nobody, I mean nobody comes near her." Eliot said.

He was not afraid of a gunman coming into the hospital, but they did not have to do that, they just had to get close enough to inject her or even scratch her to get the toxin into her. It was his responsibility now to ensure nothing happened to her, he owed that to Nate, hell he owed it to himself he thought.

"Ok where do I take the sample?" Parker asked breaking though his thoughts.

"Bring it here Parker, I will get it to where it must be after that." Eliot told her and she nodded before leaving.

Eliot looked around the room, Hardison had set himself up in the corner of the room with a table and chair that he was not sure where they came from and Sophie sat beside Nate his hand firmly gripped in hers. He moved to the windows and pulled the blinds closing off the room to outside prying eyes. Then he pulled out his phone and spoke for a few minutes to his friend, getting his agreement to examine the samples of the toxin for him once Parker had retrieved it.