CHAPTER 2

He pulled out the IV and grabbed the few belongings he had there. String crept carefully into the hallway and toward the elevator. Pain throbbed throughout his body, but he'd just have to get used to it and take a few generic pain killers; there wasn't enough time to grab anything on the way out. Just outside the hospital he caught a taxi.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

He gave the address to Saint John's apartment.

"You sure man? You don't look so good."

"Just get me there."

The driver obeyed, trying to make the best possible time for once instead of letting the meter run. If something happened to the guy in the back he didn't want to be held accountable.

Arriving at the apartment complex, String paid the driver and wearily stumbled toward his brother's unit.

"Just a minute," Saint John yelled upon hearing the knock at the door. "Alright, thanks Dom, bye." He hung up the phone and went for the door, puzzled at who it could be this late. The only one usually around by now was Mike Rivers, but he was out of town doing something for the Airforce.

"Who is it?"

A muffled answer from the other side sounded a lot like String, but he was still in the hospital.

"Who?" he asked even as he pulled the heavy door open.

"String," the exhausted slightly younger man answered again. Saint John helped him to the sofa, but before he could form a question his brother made his request. "I need a ride to the cabin. I-I'd do it myself but the medicine…" he said woozily. "Will you fly me to the cabin?"

"What are you even doing here? Dom just told me you were still in the hospital," Saint John blurted out.

"And I told him not to bother telling you. I wasn't going to stay there any longer; they had been going to let me go today anyway."

"What about the EKG and stress levels?" Saint John asked worryingly. "They were trying to help you."

"I'm fine," String assured him. "That's the least of my problems."

"You always are," Saint John retorted. "It may not be anything big now, but it can turn into something serious."

"Then I've been screwed for the last seventeen years. It was a nightmare, that's all."

It made sense. A nightmare would increase brainwaves and stress levels, and String's could be pretty gruesome at times. "So you decided to just take off?"

"Pretty much," String replied matter of factly. "Nobody would listen to me. Now, are you going to fly me to the cabin or do I have to fly myself?"

"I'm not sure you'd make it right now," Saint John said noticing the exhausted figure threatening to collapse right before him. "You look pretty tired and I don't even know half the stuff they've got you on."

"That's my problem not yours," he snapped.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you, but can it wait until morning? You can crash here tonight; it looks like you're about to do that anyway."

"Fine," he subsided, "but we go first thing in the morning."

"You want the bed?" Saint John offered. He couldn't in good conscience let his brother, who was obviously in pain, take the lumpy couch without at least offering the bed.

"I'll sleep here," he answered, grimacing as he dropped down into a laying position.

"Suit yourself." And with that, Saint John went back to bed.

\A/

Bacon sizzled in the pan before it was added to two of the plates. Saint John finished the coffee and poured it into the mugs.

Hawke pushed away the covers his brother had bestowed on him and groaned in pain as he struggled into a sitting position. He carefully padded barefoot into the kitchen where Saint John and Le were setting out breakfast.

"So much for first thing in the morning," Saint John teased. "I've never seen you sleep so late in my life."

"What time is it?"

"Just past nine."

"Nine?! We gotta leave now or Cait'll be at the hospital and she's going to be mad when she finds out I'm not there."

"Relax. Five minutes to eat breakfast won't kill you. Here," he said handing him two pills, "Aspirin. You're going to need them and a lot more."

String gratefully swallowed them without question. He may be somewhat better, but he wasn't ready to be off all the pain medicines. Next he took the fork in hand and began digging through the plateful of eggs and toast. It tasted so much better than the hospital food that he was almost tempted to even try the bacon. "Thanks-for everything."

"What are brothers for? Now let's get to the cabin."

\A/

Caitlin buckled Chance into his seat and started up the Jet Ranger. Another one came around the mountainside. It was the other Santini Air chopper. She shut off her borrowed helicopter and waited for the second one to land.

"String?" she asked questioningly. "What are doing here?"

"What does it look like?"

"I know, but you're supposed to be at the hospital. Her anger returned. "I know you don't like the places, but you have to stop being so stupid about your healthcare."

"It wasn't anything to be worried about," he said calmly.

"Nothing to be worried about! It was too, and you are going straight back to that-"

"It was a dream," he interrupted.

"A what?"

The reason the readings were so high is because last night I had a nightmare."

"That's all? You're sure?"

"Yeah, that's all."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but you don't always listen to common sense when your health is concerned, and I figured you were just being pigheaded."

"I know. I'm just glad to be home."

"Saint John, when you fly back up, will you tell Dom I'm taking the day off to care for String? He looks like he needs it."

He shook his head persistently until a nauseating wave of sickness hit him. "Go to work. I'll be fine."

She looked at him skeptically. "Sure you will, just like you look fine, and you probably feel fine too."

"I feel like I got hit by a semi truck," he admitted, " actually, that might have been less painful, and I probably don't look much better, but I don't need you standing over me all day either. I'll stay here and be a good boy. I promise. You can even take both choppers to make sure I don't run away; I wouldn't get very far on foot."

"You win this time, but remember, you promised."

As promised, he took a warm bath, had a small lunch, and even took a nap, all without even thinking of leaving. What he'd told Cait about not getting far was far more truth than she needed to know.