Once in the hallway after catching his breath, steadying himself Brody chewed his lip. Strategized.
He'd contend with Dana later, maybe even follow through on an appointment like she wanted.
But he wasn't about to sit twiddling his thumbs in a cell like exam room when Carrie could be just a floor or two above him.

He knew this was probably his last chance to have a face to face with her, and that before he could even think of leaving he had to apologize, explain himself, say a proper goodbye. Brody had accepted the fact he had to leave. What he couldn't accept was not getting closure beforehand.

Slowly maneuvering down the hallway he swore, feeling his leg seize up after just a few steps.

Still swearing he fumbled around in his back pocket for his prescription bottle with one hand, bracing himself on the wall with the other. Grabbing the bottle he went to empty it but found it already empty.

"Motherfucking..."
Shaking his head he winced but knew he had to keep moving. At the very least to a quieter hallway to get his bearings. But after forcing himself to press on again he was forced to stop. Hearing Carrie's voice.

Knowing he wasn't near ICU yet he frowned, rounded the corner just enough to see her leaving an exam room like the one he'd just escaped from.

"Ms. Mathison. As I said you should really consider waiting for the test results, I-"

"As I said, I don't have time to stand around here waiting for an hour. You can call me with the results. Right now I need to get back to my daughter and I need to visit my friend. A patient in your ICU who should probably be getting more attention here than me!"

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. I asked for a check-up and I got it. Now if you'll excuse me."
"But ma'am, I-"

"Good bye doctor. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

Heart in his mouth hearing "test results", Brody tried to get a better look down the hallway Carrie was in. Wanting to figure out if she'd been seen by a nurse or some kind of specialist, if he had a legitimate reason to be freaking the fuck out right now.

Too worked up to think of his own predicament though, after putting too much weight on his bad leg he stumbled, swore. Luckily he got back on his feet somewhat before Carrie turned around.

"Brody? What the-"

"Nothing. I...I just wanted to make sure you were okay.", he said honestly.

"What?"

"After Dana hit you at the community center, I-"

"Brody I've been fucking pistol whipped before, okay? I can handle being bitch slapped by a teenager."

"I'm sure. Look, I just. I wanted to.."

"You know I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"I know, I heard you. It's just..."

"What! Can you speak in complete sentences?!"

"I heard about Saul."

Thrown hearing that Carrie's scowl faded.

"You did?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I couldn't believe it. I mean a fucking coma? I can't even-"

"I know. It's been difficult.", she said awkwardly, running a hand through her hair.
"Look I should really go up and see him. That's the whole fucking reason I came here...", she sighed. Trying to walk around him he moved, blocked her path.

"Brody..."

"Wait! For Christ's sake just wait a second!"

"Look, I appreciate your concern but I'm managing, alright? I'm doing just fine!"

"Can the doctor you just finished with across the hall back you up on that?", Brody asked as her jaw fell.

"What the...Jesus Christ, Brody! You fucking spied on me?"

At her indignant look and her words all he could do was laugh.

"Really? You're going to be upset with me for... Really?", he laughed, but she was stone cold serious.
"I'm sorry. Okay, I am. It's just you saying that..."

"You thought it was funny. This is all just one big fucking joke to you, isn't it?"

"Carrie..."

"Look, I asked you to leave me alone. Please. Before we make things any worse between us."

"Things can get worse between us than they are right now?", Brody scoffed.

"Carrie, I owe you a fucking explanation. I can't just walk away from all of this until I-"

"Why not? You had no problem walking away before!", Carrie spat as he bowed his head.

"Really. It's better if you just do, Brody. For both of us. I mean, Jesus, after everything we've put each other through..."

"After everything don't we deserve some fucking peace?", Brody asked, watching her chin quiver involuntarily.

"You mean what we had before you took off? Before you lied and left and made a goddamn fool out of me!"

Not getting an answer, just a guilt ridden look that pissed her off more Carrie pressed on.

"I mean forget about how you broke my heart, made me feel horrible for letting Farrah anywhere near you, did you think about how your little trip would make me look in front of my colleagues? What I'd be up against at Langley after you blew off the meeting with Saul? Did you fucking care at all?", she cried as Brody looked on with even more remorse. Shook his head.

"Carrie. I'm sorry. For Christ's sake I never planned, I didn't want this to happen, okay! I didn't fucking want this!"

"Then why did you leave me that letter?!", Carrie hissed.

"What letter? What are you talking about?"

Laughing bitterly she rolled her eyes.
"Jesus. You know for an expert liar you're pretty pathetic at playing dumb."

"Who's playing?!", Brody sputtered. Breaking into a sweat as his leg began to throb.

"Carrie, can we just please go someplace quiet and-"

"Why? I'm fine right here!"

"Just someplace where we can talk!", he said through clenched teeth before forcing himself to take a deep breath, get it together. Then he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, retrieved a small white rectangle that Carrie recognized as her business card.

"Fuck...but I don't. Why do you still...?"

"I kept it."

"Why?"

"You said that I could use it anytime, 24-7. I want to use it now. It's like the last time. I...I've really had the worst fucking day.", Brody sighed, giving her a soft smile when he saw her eyes were welling up as she took, ran her thumb over the card.

When he took a painful step closer though she shook her head and shook him off. Stepped back as if he'd tried to burn her.

"Carrie..."

"No! Stop it. You can't just track me down after everything, hand me my goddamn business card you kept and just expect me to go to pieces and cry and fall in your fucking arms or something. Was that what you wanted!"

"No! It wasn't...it's not! Jesus, I don't want you to go to pieces, or fall anywhere! You...you're too strong for that. You're one of the strongest people I've ever known..."

"Brody..."

"No, you...you're brave, you're brilliant, fucking beautiful." he lightly laughed, but with a dazed look in his eyes that were darting around, starting to have trouble focusing.

"You know me better than I know myself! I need that, Carrie. I need to talk with the only person out there who understands. Please."

"Brody..."
Thrown at how vulnerable he was acting, sounding, Carrie frowned, only to notice the locked, rigid way he was standing. Frown deepening she glanced up at him, noticed beads of sweat on his brow.

"Brody? What's wrong with you? Why are you..."

"Nothing! I..I'm fine! It's like I just said, all I want is to go someplace quiet and talk."

"You're sweating bullets right now!"
When she moved closer, reached to feel his forehead now it was his turn to jerk back.

"Hey! If you're allowed to question me after I leave a goddamn doctor's office, I'm allowed to do this.", she spat but Brody backed away again, winced in the process.

"Why are you favoring that leg?"

"Hey, I...I told you I wanted to sit down didn't I?", he shrugged as Carrie rolled her eyes, swore then tried to cut around him.

"Wait! Where.."

"Where the fuck do you think? Trust me, you're way beyond your usual shade of pale right now."

"For Christ's sake...Carrie!", Brody growled, still not getting out of her path.

"Jesus. You really think I'm going to let this go? You're sweating, you're in pain, you're in a hospital. I'm finding you a goddamn doctor!"

"I don't need one I..I don't. I...I just need you, okay?", he insisted as she protested, kept yelling at him but he had trouble hearing and understanding as her face and image began blurring.

"I just... need..."

Looking on in horror as his leg all but gave out, Carrie took a grip on his biceps. Tried to keep him from collapsing entirely.

"Goddammit, Brody! BRODY! Can I get some fucking help over here!" she yelled over his shoulder, still tying to hold him upright as best she could as he slumped over more in her arms.

"Jesus, fuck. Someone get over here!"

Finally two male nurses, and the candy striper she'd frightened earlier ran up. She and the one nurse eased Brody to the floor while the other ran to get a gurney.

Watching them load Brody onto it, Carrie tried to follow but was stopped by the first nurse.
"What the fuck are you doing? I'm going with him!"

"Ma'am I'm going to need you to tell me as best you can what happened."

"He fucking collapsed in my arms, what do you think happened?!"

"Are you kin? Family?"

"Yeah, I'm his little sister.", Carrie said as the nurse rolled his eyes.

"Well be that as it may, I can't let you access his room until the exam's complete."

"He's going to want me there when he wakes up!"

"I see. The two of you are close siblings?"

"Yeah, thick as fucking thieves.", Carrie spat, but got an eyeroll that made her cringe, tense up.

"Please, I just want to see him for a few minutes. That's all."

"My apologies ma'am but I'm afraid I can't allow it.", he said, turning to walk away.

Focusing on her frustration and sheer rage at the situation so she wouldn't break down crying, Carrie shook her head, let out a snort.

"This is complete bullshit, you know that right?!", she hissed as the nurse rolled his eyes again, turned back toward her.

"He's going to want me in there when he wakes up. I know it. You may as well just let me in right now, I-"

"I'm sorry ma'am but as I said, I'm afraid I can't do that. I can though let the cops in to take care of him."

"Excuse me?!", Carrie laughed as the nurse stepped closer.

"Between you and me, that 'brother' of yours looks an awful lot like that Langley bomber. The one they're offering that reward for?"

Carrie's heart was in her mouth but she managed to keep her face impassive, unaffected.

"Not to me, no.", she shrugged as the nurse looked at her skeptically, then turned to walk away, made a grab for his phone.

Seeing the hall was empty for the moment aside from the two of them, running up Carrie tapped him on the shoulder, stopped him by a supply closet.

"Yeah?"

"There's actually something I'd like to tell you. Do you have a minute?", she asked, giving him a suggestive smile.

"Well that depends..", the nurse said, slipping his phone back in the pocket of his scrubs.

"You know how I said that guy was my brother? I wasn't exactly telling the whole truth.."

"Didn't think so...", he grinned as Carrie moved closer. Reached up and around to the nape of his neck where she toyed with the strings on his smock.

"You want to know the rest of it? The whole story?", she breathed, reaching her free hand back to the knob of the supply closet.

"I think I might...", he said as she giggled, opened the door.

"Come closer, I gotta whisper it."
When he was laughing too and close enough, Carrie reached up to pinch down hard at a pressure point near his neck, managing to effectively knock him out.

"Good riddance, fucker."

Easing him onto the floor of the closet, with trembling fingers she fumbled around in her purse, grabbed her phone and dialed the second speeddial.

"Hi. Yeah, it's me. Um, I'm at St. Mary's and...no I know Saul's condition hasn't...Farrah's fine! Don't worry she...she's fine. It's about...yeah, how'd you fucking guess?", she sniffed, wiping at her eyes.
"Please, Maggie. I...I really need your help."