OK, not really sure what happened, but apparently chapter 2 disappeared. So, we try this again.
Hardison had pulled off on a side road. Down the slope. He had Parker had given up on finding anything below. They travelled the area several times, with no success. Frankly, he didn't want to find Eliot down there. It was a sheer drop in most spots, or a rocky landing in others. He didn't want to think about what he'd find. Better to look from above. Find where he went off the road. He was up there, somewhere. Not below.
Parker was scrambling down the hill. She was a lot more suited to that, and left him behind so she could move faster. She stopped every now and then, climbing onto something for a better vantage. He watched her scan the area. Even from here he could see the tension in her. She was still scared, and getting more so with every passing minute. It had been close to 12 hours since the last communication from Eliot. 12 hours he'd been hurt, bleeding, unconscious, dying. NO – not dying. Hardison kicked the thought out of his mind. That wasn't helping.
He jumped about 3 feet in the air at the sound of a car door slamming. He hadn't heard Nate pull up.
"Did you spot something?" Hope poured from Sophie's question.
"No, well maybe. Parker thought the road looked beat up. The grass looked flat."
Nate looked – it didn't seem special to him, but he'd take any glimpse of a chance at this point. He turned his attention to Parker. She was scurrying through the underbrush. Her voice echoed in his ear. "The grass is crushed down. I know it is." She sounded more wishful than convinced, but was not going to surrender that wish.
"Just be careful Parker. We don't want to have to rescue you too." He saw her freeze her movements.
"Did you guys hear that?"
"What?"
"I'm sure I heard something. Someone. 'Focus'"
"Focus on what."
"No Nate, that's what the voice said. You didn't hear it?" She started shouting before anyone could answer her. "Eliot – is that you? I heard you. Say something else. Where are you Eliot?"
They were all quiet. They held their collective breath, waiting for an answer. Nothing. Nate stepped back to the car and leaned on the horn. Then silence again. Then Parker leapt again. "Eliot – we're here. Say it again. Show me where you are."
"What did he say – what did you hear Parker."
"'Hurry'. Nate, he's in trouble. He's here somewhere."
Even though he was fairly certain he was hallucinating at this point, it was something that passed for human contact. Parker's voice sounded good to him. Never expected to be so glad to hear from anyone. She sounded scared though. God, he hoped she wasn't in trouble. He was in no shape to help her out. What was she doing out on a hillside in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain. That made no sense. Yep – definitely hallucinating. Still, would be rude not to answer.
"Over here Parker." Well there was no way she'd hear that. Needed to be louder. "Hurry." That was no help. He could scream. He could try moving the motorcycle. He knew the pain would make him scream in a way she was sure to hear. Of course, it would probably kill him, so that might not be plan A.
Wasn't really sure anything could be heard over the damn car horn. Wait – the motorcycle. It had one of those. Could he reach what he needed? Had to. Had to try anyway.
"Parker, we need more than somewhere. Which direction did it sound…" Nate was cut off by the sound of a horn – a motorcycle horn. Hardison's eyes went to a spot near the edge, and he started down. Sophie's eyes were drawn to the same spot. Parker was already running toward the sound. Nate followed more slowly. He was digging out his cell phone, dialling 911 as he moved. To hell with Eliot's aversion to hospitals. There was no debate coming on this.
He could hear Parker speaking to someone. "Hang on Sparky – we got you. God, you look cold. You can stop pushing the horn Eliot – we're here. Eliot, can you hear me." Panic was working into her voice.
"Easy Parker – he's probably in shock. Just go slow."
"Nate, he's in bad shape." Hardison had arrived at the ditch, and the fear in his voice was evident. "The bike's on top of him and he's almost underwater. He's freezing – probably hypothermic."
"Ambulance is on the way. Don't touch him Hardison. I'm almost there."
Sophie watched from above, for once in her life cursing her choice of footwear. There was no way she could do the hill on heels, and going barefoot wasn't an option. So she waited. "What can I do up here Nate?"
"Nothing right now. Watch for the ambulance. I told them you'd be there to signal them in." He turned his attention to Eliot as he slid up to the ditch and moved in. Parker was on the other side, gently holding his head up. "Hey Eliot – can you hear me? Hell of a stunt to pull just to get out of a morning meeting. Eliot? Eliot?"
It seemed like hours, but really was only minutes for the ambulance and rescue squad to arrive. Extraction was proving to be another matter. Part of the bike had punctured his leg. The pressure it exerted kept him from bleeding out, but made removal a bitch. The medics had secured him so there was no further danger of his head going below water again, and Parker was holding on to him so tightly he was losing feeling in his right hand. He didn't mind. It had taken him about 10 minutes to accept they weren't a figment of his imagination, and the pressure she exerted was a good reminder. He could do without Hardison's ramblings, but even that was better than the previous silence.
The IV they had managed to get into him (hard to insert a needle into veins that were halfway to being popsicles) included a pain suppressant in anticipation of what was bound to be a difficult motorcycle extraction, along with the local anaesthetic they'd given him. He could feel them putting the tourniquet around him to stem the bleeding that would start when the pressure was released. They tapped the leg every few minutes, waiting for the anesthetic to kick in. Problem was, he'd developed a resistance to pain pills over the years. He'd conditioned himself to fight drugs through past interrogations and inquisitions, so he knew the effective of this would be marginal at best. He finally let them know the drug had started to kick in and they began. The pain still shot through him bought he fought back as much as he could. Parker was now getting payback for the pressure she'd applied earlier. He hoped he hadn't broken her fingers. A safe cracker really needed her fingers.
Once he was freed, they moved fast. He was on a backboard and placed on a stretcher and quickly moved up the hill. Even covered with blankets, he couldn't control the shivering. They kept trying to tell him it was a good sign, his body trying to warm up. He just knew it made him feel foolish. Parker rode with him. She'd been in the water with him through the process since she was small enough to sit with him and not be in the way. She was shivering by the time they got him free, but wouldn't leave. No one had been able to pry their hands apart. They weren't sure who was gripping who, but the bond was solid. Hardison drove the others, leaving Nate's car for the police to drop at the hospital for them.
Parker was waiting in Emergency for them, still wrapped in a blanket. "They wouldn't let me go in. Said they needed the space."
Sophie put an arm around her. "It's all right Parker. He knew you were there. He knew we were all there for him." Finally – she thought to herself. "We'll all wait together."
