Darkest Before Dawn
Time was passing so slowly, every minute drawn out indefinitely. He couldn't take his eyes off the prone form lying on the infirmary bed, it just seemed impossible that Cruger could be lying there like that, hovering near death. It hadn't been a great day, in fact, all in all it had been a bad day right from the start, but he'd never thought something like this could happen. To see the Commander like this, it just rocked his world view, and he didn't know how to deal with being helpless in the face of it.
He had to keep it together though, at least as much he could, if for no other reason than to keep his squad together. Sky was off hunting down the assassin while the rest of them lurked in the infirmary. Z was sticking close to Bridge for some reason and Syd was pressed against his side. She looked so lost, her perfect poise gone, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. It was about the only comfort he could give right now.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. 11:05. Just over an hour. Had it only been that long? It seemed like half the day had been and gone while they were in here. Had Sky found Dru yet? Was he confined or had he escaped? Could Sky arrest his best friend? He didn't know.
"Is he going to make it?" Z asked quietly and the feline scientist sighed.
"If he were human, he'd already be gone. But this old dog is tough. There's no telling."
"Who are you calling an old dog?" came the faint growl and Jack couldn't help grinning, relief washing over him as it sank in that the Commander would be alright. His arm tightened around Syd's shoulders automatically, the petite blonde warm at his side. Across the bed he could see Bridge and Z hugging each other but it was the expression on Kat's face that gave him pause; the relief on her face was scary, as if losing the Commander was something that would destroy her. He wondered if the two of them had a thing going on that he didn't know about, although he couldn't really picture the two of them kissing or anything. Then again, he couldn't really see the Commander letting his guard down enough to get involved with anyone, so maybe not; the big blue dog was more repressed than Sky when it came to personal issues.
Speaking of Sky, Jack sighed quietly and pulled his morpher out, eyeing it uncertainly. He figured he should get an update or something, maybe let Sky know the Commander was okay, but if Sky was dealing with Dru he didn't want to interrupt. He glanced at his teammates and slid the morpher back in its holder. Ten minutes. He'd give Sky another ten minutes and then he was sending in the cavalry.