Burn Notice - The Man He Is
A/N: Chapter 5! My apologies for not posting yesterday! It was a very long day full of school.
Her image didn't fade, her mouth began moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying, he'd used up the last of his energy and he could feel his body shutting down.
Closing his eyes, Michael smiled, grateful his mind had given him this mirage to die to.
"Sam!" Fiona yelled, falling to her knees beside Michael's now still form. Feeling for a pulse, she found a faint one, he did not look good and she was going to kill Jesse.
"Fi, did you find him?" Sam asked, their distraction having pitted the Russians against the Serbians for the time being.
"I've got him, but he's fading, Sam, we have to get him out now. Where is Jesse?" Fiona asked, her tone dropping to a dangerous level as she asked about Jesse.
Carefully, Sam lifted Michael's unconscious form from the ground, swinging one of Michael's arms over his shoulders without jostling him as much as possible.
"He's watching our escape route. Things are going to get a little hairy, but so far we're okay." Sam replied, watching the determined set of Fi's shoulders, knowing Jesse's life may very well be in danger once Mike was safe.
Cautiously picking up Michael's other arm, Fiona flinched when he let out a loud groan, his head listing toward Sam.
Fiona grimly noted the cauterized skin over what she presumed to be the gunshot wound, courtesy of Jesse, and the various bruising across his ribcage and face, along with the burn marks in various places across his torso. His skin was so pale against the dried blood covering his upper torso and plastered in his hair. There was also a gray tone to his skin that frightened her. She'd seen Michael in bad shape, but this was something altogether different. The heat radiating off of his body was also highly concerning.
Carefully and quickly, they supported Michael's weight as they made their way out of the building, Sam checking behind them while Fiona covered the area they were heading into.
Michael's weight wasn't as much as it should have been, but it was still wasn't easy to bear.
Finally making it outside, they saw Jesse running from the other exit, sweat pouring down his face, but otherwise unharmed.
Jesse took one look at Mike and began swearing under his breath. This was his fault. Just as Jesse reached Sam and Fiona, Michael began moving his head, trying to lift it as he returned to consciousness.
"Fi-fionnn-a" He attempted to say, but it came out as little more than a whisper before he dropped his head again.
"They're distracted, we need to move now," Jesse said, avoiding eye contact. Fiona's glare promised him that he'd pay, and he found himself not blaming her. He'd been in a really bad headspace. Most of what happened had been a blur of anger. He'd been so angry that he'd shot Michael, and then he'd been angrier at himself for not being able to kill Michael. He'd rashly decided that if he couldn't kill Michael, he'd let someone else try.
When he'd called the Serbians, he'd known that they'd beat up on Michael, but deep down he knew Michael was good, there was a reason Michael had survived this long, and that he'd escape. At least that's how he'd justified his decision when he'd woken up four days ago, the morning after shooting and selling Michael.
Sam and Fiona nodded, moving towards the car, parked a few yards away behind some crates and bushes. Making a run for it, they took off as fast as they could, Michael groaning with each footfall.
Halfway to the car, they were spotted. Hearing Russians and Serbians yelling, Sam and Fiona ducked lower, Michael let out a yell as he stumbled between them, almost causing them to drop him. Sam barely managed to catch his falling form, Fiona holding on and trying to move them forward. The gunfire was uncomfortably close, the bullets' impact on the ground spitting dust all around them.
Jesse fell behind to cover them from the rear while Sam and Fiona made it to the car with Michael.
Making for the driver's side, Sam left Fiona with Michael, carefully propping Michael against the back of the car, Fiona moved to open the rear passenger door. Jesse had almost caught up with them when one of the Serbian henchmen made a play. Rushing towards them, with no regard for himself, the Serbian left all cover in a desperate attempt to recover the prize they were losing.
Michael was in so much pain, he didn't know which was worse, moving or not moving as his whole body was on fire and his head was pounding. When Fiona had let go of him to open the car door, he'd had a brief moment of panic, thinking she'd left him. When he'd managed to lift his head and throw a quick glance around his surroundings, he'd seen Jesse rushing towards him.
His first instinct had been to throw his hands up, at least as much as he could, but then he'd caught sight of the Serbian hot on Jesse's trail. Before he could think, he was moving. Jesse wasn't going to make it, the Serbian was too close.
Catching Michael's movement out of the corner of her eye, Fiona thought he might've lost consciousness again and moved to catch him, but he was out of reach before it registered that he wasn't falling. Looking on in horror, Fiona watched as Michael threw his arms around Jesse and pivoted his body, putting himself between Jesse and the gunman as another gunshot rang out.
Michael grunted, nausea hitting his system, and his vision darkening as his body made contact with Jesse's and he used his momentum to swing Jesse in front of him, his system so overwhelmed, he barely felt the bullet lodge itself in his back.
Michael and Jesse both hit the ground hard. The breath knocked out of him, Jesse was shocked to find Michael on top of him, not moving. Sam yelled as he rushed past Fiona, who was also screaming as she shot the Serbian. Shaking with fear and adrenaline, Fiona managed to get to Jesse and Michael just as Sam was picking up Michael.
Michael's limpness, along with the blood spreading across his back, made Fiona sick, but she pushed aside her fears, knowing that it wouldn't be too long before some other Serbian or Russian decided to get brave.
Gritting his teeth, Michael slowly came back to reality, briefly making eye contact with Jesse as Sam pulled Michael up and helped Michael into the backseat. Grabbing Jesse's arm, Fiona helped him to his feet and they moved to the car, Jesse climbing in the passenger seat and Fiona getting in the back with Michael, trying to apply pressure to the wound in his back. As soon as everyone was in the car, Sam took off, bullets pounding the ground behind them.
Sam focused on his driving, knowing they needed to put some distance between themselves and any Serbians/Russians in the area. Jesse sat as still as a stone in the front seat, his mind replaying over and over again the look on Michael's face when his head had shot up. Jesse hated that he was the source of that instant fear response, and then Michael's eyes had hardened in determination and Jesse was sure Michael was going to leave him behind.
Then Michael had thrown himself at him, Jesse found himself with Michael acting as a shield between him and a crazy Serbian. The very Serbians that Jesse had sold Michael to. When the shot had rung out and the force of the bullet knocked them to the ground, Jesse was sure he'd hit his head and that this was not happening. But it was. Then Sam had lifted Michael off of him and Fiona had been grabbing his arm. Then they were in the car and on their way. Faintly, he registered Fiona in the backseat, yelling at Jesse to get his attention, but he couldn't stop replaying what had just happened.
"Michael?! Michael, open your eyes!" Fiona yelled at Michael, giving up on Jesse. This amount of blood was not good. Michael getting shot again was not good. Jesse selling him to the Serbians was not good. But, judging by the look on Jesse's face, Fiona figured he was putting all of those pieces together himself. Maybe she didn't need to shoot him after all.
Michael's eyes fluttered, but since being put in the car, he hadn't regained consciousness. Far enough away from the warehouse, Sam made for the hospital. He knew that Michael needed more care than any of them could give him.
Once they reached the hospital, things moved fast. Michael was rushed back to surgery, Fiona was fighting through her tears, looking at her bloodstained hands and avoiding Sam's gaze. Sam resigned himself to pacing back and forth as he filled out paperwork. Jesse couldn't seem to do anything but stare straight ahead.
The cops came, Sam answered their questions, gave them the abbreviated truth, and settled any ruffled feathers. Then he moved to sit beside Jesse.
"Jes? Are you okay?" Sam asked, not making eye contact, knowing that Jesse was trying to make sense of and process what had happened.
Finally seeming to break away from the endless cycle of repeating events inside his head, Jesse briefly looked at Sam before looking away, "He pushed me out of the way, Sam. Half-conscious, most likely starved and tortured for the five days it took us to find him, and he pushed me out of the way. Me. The one who sold him in the first place."
Sam didn't say anything, he knew Jesse needed to talk it through.
"Why? He burned me. He ruined my life. I shot him. If I'd been in his position, I would have let me die. Why would he save me?" Jesse asked, incredulous and exhausted after everything that had happened, his head now resting firmly in his hands, trying to hide the tears that were making their way down his face.
"Because, Jesse, because that's the man he is." Sam carefully laid a hand on Jesse's shoulder, his anger at Jesse less than it had been before, after all, if Michael could find it in his heart to take a bullet for Jesse, then Sam could find some compassion. This wasn't an easy life they lived, emotions ran hot, mistakes were made, but in the end, all they had was each other.
"Michael fights for what is right. Regardless of the cost to himself, he fights for his country, his family, his friends, anyone who needs it. Despite everything that happens, you are his friend."
Jesse finally looked up, and Sam could see the tears in his eyes, with a sigh, Sam continued, "There was a time when I was worried that Michael had a darker side," Fiona suddenly found herself listening intently to Sam, her own doubts in Michael's character causing her shame, "…that he would cross a line one day and never come back. But every job I've pulled with him, every time Larry has come back into the picture, Michael's biggest weakness had been his fear of being alone. That's what had driven him to Larry's arms way back when, not some inner desire to be a psychotic murderer," Sam shook his head.
"Time and time again, Michael's character has been pushed to its limits and he still manages to come out without compromising who he is. Yes, he's done things, we've all done things. Yes, he's made mistakes, followed bad intel, followed orders that led to unwanted consequences, but he's always done what he can to make it right. That is who Michael is. He does what is right, he protects, even if it means putting himself in danger." Sam finished, realizing just how worried he'd been about Michael.
Sam understood Fiona's fears, he'd even shared them for a while, but ultimately, he knew who Michael was, and Fiona did too. Soon enough, Jesse would figure it out as well.
Needing to do something, Sam stood and began pacing again. Jesse put his head back in his hands and pondered what Sam had said. Fiona found herself doing some soul-searching, she had a lot to say to Michael when he was out of surgery.