AN: This time we've got a missing scene for The Carnival Job (s04e06). While the last chapter was hard, this one was easy and fun to write. It's one of the episodes I've been waiting for, along with The Grave Danger Job which will be next chapter. They are amazing episodes!

.oOo.

Hardison hates it. It overshadows any good feelings he has about finishing the job. Even Molly in her father's arms can't make a dent in the suffocating feeling of helplessness as he watches Eliot struggle across the parking lot.

It has never been verbalized, the fact that they're to leave Eliot be if he's injured. All the same it's crystal clear to them all that's how it is. Eliot never mentions any lasting effects of his part of the job, and they're not supposed to do it either. Parker has gotten the most leeway, poking at bruises and reminding Eliot that she knows, that they all know, but it never goes further than that.

The details of what happened to Eliot is still unclear. Hardison only knows he heard the sounds of a fight, a sharp clonk, and then absolutely nothing from their hitter. He guesses blunt force trauma to the head, but he'll confirm with the security footage as soon as he can. The minutes that Eliot was unresponsive are some of the worst in Hardison's life. There had been no way for him to go after his friend, not without endangering the lives of Molly, Parker and Nate. Eliot could have been dying or already dead, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

But Eliot woke up. He took out two more guys, got Molly, and made his way back to them. Hardison wants to hug Eliot, and cry, and hug him again. He doesn't want to pretend it's all good and get behind the wheel of Lucille like nothing happened. Yet that is exactly what he does.

Nate and Sophie ride in the back, and it feels slightly backwards with the kids in the front seat. No one even thinks of contending Eliot's silent claim of shotgun, and Parker worms her lithe form to the slim middle seat via the driver's side. A careful silence reigns during the short trip up to the Connell's house and Hardison has never been so aware of every bump in the road, every turn he makes.

"Mass General?" Nate questions as he and Sophie are about to switch to the car they left at the house when things went sideways.

Hardison is about to agree when Eliot speaks for the first time since handing Molly over to her father. "No," he says. It's weary, but adamant. They all look at him, but he keeps his face turned forward.

"Okay," Hardison says, because which ER is not important, just that they go. "So where to?"

"Home." Eliot says, and that is so far from what Hardison was thinking he just blinks and stares stupidly at the hitter.

"Eliot, you have to let us take you to a hospital." It's not as calm as it should be, coming from Sophie. All she gets in response is a stony silence.

There's an acute pressure in Hardison's stomach, like something needs to get out. He's not sure if it's vomit or anger, or tears. In his head he keeps hearing blows hitting skin, grunts of pain, and the harsh sounds of air being knocked out of Eliot's lungs. How is he supposed to pretend like this is nothing? With Eliot sitting so close to him, blood on his face and hands, folded in on himself in a way that speaks of numerous pains.

"It's not…" Nate starts, trying to reason, but he gets cut off.

"No. N. O. It's not a difficult word." Eliot speaks between clenched teeth, diamond sharp with a promise of pain to anyone opposing him. "I don't need a bunch of doctors telling me things I already know."

"Alright," Parker says, and her tone dares them to disagree with her. Maybe, Hardison thinks, this is one of those things where she and Eliot is separate from the rest of them, and Parker gets something he doesn't.

Or maybe, Parker just listens better than they do.

The added sag to Eliot's posture tells Hardison how tense he's been. It's like Parker's concession to let him go home cuts the last of the strings holding him up. "No hospital," Parker continues, "but you're coming back to the office with us. If you don't have everything you need there I'll go steal it for you."

For a split second Eliot looks like he's going to protest, but it washes away and he's back to weariness. Parker's offer to steal stuff is her way of saying she cares, and maybe that's what gets to him. "Whatever." He says and leans his head against the window.

"You'd tell us though?" Sophie makes a contained motion, like she's stopping herself from reaching out. "If you needed a hospital, you'd tell us?"

It feels to Hardison like they're all holding a collective breath waiting for the answer. Eliot lifts his head slightly to glance at the four of them, then puts it back against the glass. "Yeah," he says. Hardison would punch the air and whoop at that small victory if he wasn't so focused on keeping the mess in his stomach inside.

They split up and make their ways back to the office. The silence in Lucille has lost forty percent of its thickness and feels almost relaxed. Eliot is asleep, or pretending to be.

Eliot does this. When he's mostly okay he grumbles and complains and tells them how he was hit by a car, dammit, but there's none of that if he's actually hurting. Eliot is like an injured animal; biting, scratching and kicking anyone who tries to come close enough to help him. Often that means people miss the reason behind the behavior, mistaking it for anger. Hardison has seen it in Eliot a couple of times by now, the latest occasion during the clusterfuck with Moreau. He still hasn't figured out a way around it.

Walking next to his stumbling, disoriented friend from the car through the residential entrance and up the stairs leaves crescent red marks in Hardison's palms from where his nails dig into his skin. He should be right next to Eliot, helping him, but has been told harshly to "stop hovering" before Eliot even got out of the car.

Sophie and Nate are right inside the door when they enter, pretending not to be anxiously waiting. One look at their carefully masked worry gives Hardison a startling insight into Eliot's aversion to the situation. The only one among them who acts like Eliot isn't going to keel over any second is Parker, who's already in the kitchen serving herself cereal.

Before any of the others can find their voice Hardison tries to set the bar. "Seriously man," he says, trying to keep his voice in its regular teasing tone. "You look like shit, you'd better go clean up before the client gets here or you're going to scare people." Hardison can hear himself being slightly off but is still proud to manage it at all.

There's a softening around Eliot's eyes that might be the beginning of a smile. Even so he glares at Hardison. "What?" Eliot says, and it's not as quick as usual but enough to make Hardison relax a little. "You're going there? Really?"

"Let us know if you need anything." Sophie says, breaking up any discussion before it can start. She makes sure to catch Eliot's eye for a second, smiling softly when she finds whatever she needs. Eliot makes a sound that could mean anything, and limps through the door leading to the adjacent apartment they've joined with this one.

While the hitter is gone they speak in low tones, making sure they can hear if anything happens to Eliot. Nothing does, as far as they can tell. He emerges twenty minutes later, dressed in clean clothes and with his knuckles wrapped in a white package. There are grazes on his face, but they look smaller with the blood washed away. In the big hoodie Eliot looks uncannily fragile, and Hardison has to remind himself Eliot took out several men – one of them a high-class hitter – in this state.

Eliot glances at the time. "Client's here in five minutes," he says, "and I'm the only one who's changed?" They all look at each other, and scramble to freshen up and get clean clothes themselves before going downstairs. Hardison is sort of happy for the distraction.