NOTE: I am so, so sorry for the incredibly long wait. I have so much crap going on in my life that I completely forgot about it. Since I'm begining to see the light at the end of the tunnel, updates should be much more frequent.

Chapter 193: Assessment/Evaluating Options

"Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness." – Charles Caleb Colton

"Ever notice that what the hell is always the right decision?" – Marilyn Monroe

"This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act, and in acting, to live." – General Omar Bradley

"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." – George Eliot


Vaughn sighed tiredly, "Shoulder, ribs, chest."

"Ok," Tom said and moved the blanket down to start his examination, "Let's start with the shoulder…"

Vaughn said nothing and Tom took that as his cue to start looking at Vaughn's shoulder. He took hold of Vaughn's wrist and placed his other hand on the shoulder socket and slowly moved the arm out.

Pain was evident immediately; Tom kept moving it, and the more he moved, the more noise Vaughn made.

Tom looked down at his friend in pain and then looked over at Sydney, "Have you been keeping it in the sling?"

She looked down momentarily, "Not so much…" she admitted.

Tom nodded and went back to manipulating the painful shoulder, but finally stopped when he knew it was causing Vaughn too much pain.

"You still have those morphine shots?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sydney said.

Will walked out the door to get them instantly; Sydney noticing that they had been by the door the whole time.

He came back in a few moments later and handed one to Tom, who took it and expertly gave Vaughn the shot directly in his shoulder.

"K, that should help with the pain for now…" he said before continuing, "I'm gonna look at your ribs now…"

Vaughn nodded through his state of semi-euphoria, happy that his shoulder was at least in less pain. A new and intense wave started however when Tom started to prod at his ribs.

Tom stopped immediately, knowing that there was obviously something wrong with the ribs. He looked to Vaughn, "How bad does that hurt?" he asked.

Vaughn looked up at him with pained eyes, not saying anything, but knowing that he didn't have to.

Tom nodded, "Ok…" he continued on to the other ribs, slowly and carefully checking them through the wrap. He knew that if it hurt that much with the wrap on, it could be something much more serious.

"Just hang in there with me…few more minutes," he said quietly, trying to finish the exam as quickly as he could, but still being thorough enough.

When he was finished, he laid a gentle hand on Vaughn's chest to let him know he was done. Then he stood back and looked at Sydney before his gaze moved back to his friend again.

"Ok…" he said slowly, taking a deep breath, "The shoulder needs to be rested…it needs to stay in the sling…but right now, that's now what's concerning me…" he stopped, making sure that Vaughn was looking at him. "I know this is probably not what you want to hear…and I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it was necessary…but I think we need to re-x-ray your ribs…" he stopped, letting the idea linger in the air a moment before he continued, "Now…this would only be a x-ray…" he tried to assure them, "but…if we find something…" he let his thought trail off.

Vaughn looked at him for a few minutes and then looked over at Sydney. She shook her head in disbelief or shock, or a combination of the two and about a million other emotions, "Well…" she said, but her thought trailed off too.

Vaughn looked between the two before he piped up, "It's only a x-ray…" he said, "It's Tom's hospital…" he added, looking at them again.

Tom smiled, "You ok with this?"

"What choice do I have?" Vaughn asked.

Sydney ran her hand through his hair, smiling at his acceptance, "I'll be right there too…"

He smiled, "I know…"

Tom nodded, "Ok…well I'll call for an ambulance."

"Can't we just take a car?" Vaughn asked.

Tom smiled; "I don't want to risk injuring your ribs any more…sorry buddy…" he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the hospital number, talking to the ER receptionist to arrange for transportation.

Francie and Will moved farther into the room while Tom was on the phone. Will said, "We'll follow you guys there…"

"You don't have to do that," Vaughn said.

"We want to do it," Francie stated plainly.

Vaughn didn't argue. Sydney smiled at her friends, thanking them silently for their support.

"Ok…transportation is on its way…" Tom said with a smile.

"How fast can it go?" Vaughn asked.

Tom grinned, "This is transportation in style – you think I'd let you go in a crappy ambulance? This thing can do 150 man!"

"Can we go 150?" Vaughn asked as Sydney rolled her eyes.

Tom chuckled, "If we turn on the siren…" he said with a raised brow.

Vaughn chuckled but stopped when it hurt too much.

After a few moments of silence, Sydney asked, "Where's Kaia? Why didn't she come with you today?"

Tom smiled bashfully, "Well…she's sort of resting…"

"Resting?" Sydney asked.

"Yeah…she couldn't come…well see – that was the problem…"

Sydney gave him a strange look, but Vaughn started to chuckle, wincing painfully, but not caring at the moment.

Sydney looked down at Vaughn and that back at Tom, "I don't get it."

"She's at home on bed rest…"

"Why?"

Vaughn was snickering and near tears, almost coughing to the point of choking, but he couldn't stop, "Oh man…stop…just tell her…you're gonna kill me…"

Tom chuckled, "I…WE…got a little overzealous in our…lovemaking…she came too much…"

Vaughn was coughing painfully, trying to just breathe, and failing miserably. When realization hit Sydney, it just made him laugh more.

"Easy…" Tom said chuckling.

"I can't help it," he said, giggling more.

Sydney shook her head, "Tom…Jesus…"

"Yeah – that's what she said too…"

Vaughn had finally stopped laughing, until he heard Tom say that, and it set him off again.

Finally, after a few more minutes, he stopped, "Oh my God…I need more morphine," he said with a cough.

Tom smiled, "Do you really…or are you just laughed to the point of exhaustion?"

Vaughn chuckled, "That was…just great…"

Tom smiled, happy that he had seen his friend laugh despite the pain he was in.

"I can't believe you didn't get that," he said looking at Sydney.

"Well!" she said, "How was I supposed to know THAT'S what he meant?"

Giggles abounded again until the doorbell rang.