Chapter 4: What We Do For Love

Henderson Executive Airport- eleven miles south of Las Vegas, NV

The Fulcrum agent sprinted out of The Henderson Executive Airport into the late afternoon heat. He walked briskly with his ear to his cell phone.

"We have confirmation. A charter left four days ago with two injured men. Their destination was Escondido. I will take the next available commercial flight there."

"Have an intercept team meet me there. It looks like our lead is solid."

Chuck Bartowski's Hospital Room, Escondido, CA

"Sarah…"

Sarah thought that she might have imagined that she heard Chuck say her name. She clutched at his hospital gown praying that it was true.

She held her breathe as she willed him to speak again.

"Sarah," gasped Chuck, slightly above a whisper.

"Chuck, I'm here. Can you hear me?" cried Sarah urgently. She ran her hands over his forehead and along the side of his face, willing him to respond to her.

He held his hands over his eyes and mumbled something about the lights hurting his head. Sarah was slight surprised since the overhead lights were already off, but the urgency of Chuck's cries quickly spurred her to grab the room remote. She pushed the button for the motorized blinds and the room darkened noticeably.

"Is that better Chuck?" asked Sarah with concern.

He nodded and motioned for some water. She used the bed remote and raised him to almost a sitting position and served him some water from a pitcher that was at his bedside. As he drank thirstily, she sat next to him anxiously waiting for him to speak. She had to know whether he was alright; whether they were alright.

His lack of words alarmed her as she thought of the other victims of Dr. Lindermann's work. Chuck had only made hand gestures and grunts as a means of communication. It unnerved her as thoughts of brain damage filtered through her mind. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, to reassure him.

"Chuck, let me get a doctor. We've all been worried that you wouldn't wake up. I'm sure everything will be alright. I promise," soothed the blond agent, as she started to get off the bed.

Chuck swiftly reached out and grasped her arm. He shifted closer and turned his deep brown eyes on her. He murmured, "Need. You."

Sarah melted. His eyes were full of vulnerability as he struggled to form the words. It made her breath hitch. She knew then, that he had not come out of his ordeal unscathed.

But it didn't matter. He was alive. She leaned forward and gently grasped his jaw. Her blues eyes went soft as she tried to voice her need.

"Chuck, I need you too." She kissed him gently on the lips and in a broken voice she sobbed, "I've been so afraid that I lost you. I kept thinking that you weren't going to come …"

She gulped. He didn't need to know the seriousness of the situation. It was too soon.

She added quickly, "…come back to me."

She saw his surprise by her admission. But felt rewarded by the understanding in his eyes. He leaned forward and embraced her. She could tell that he was trying to reassure her. It was so Chuck.

She laid her head on his chest and bathed in the security of his arms. He put his chin against the top of her head. She felt him smile as spoke.

"Sarah. No afraid. Anything."

She pushed against his chest and sat up. She saw his teasing smile. With a furled brow she replied, "Don't joke. You scared me."

Her annoyed words belied the happiness she felt as he grinned at her.

She returned his smile, but let it fade as she realized it was time.

Sarah had promised herself that if he woke up, she would tell him how she felt. She tensed. Needing to reconnect physically with him, she reached out and interlaced her fingers with his.

Chuck watched her warily. He sensed her tension. He held his breath as she stilled.

Sarah looked up into Chuck's eyes intently. Rallying her courage, she spoke.

"I promised myself that the first chance I had…. I'd tell you."

Chuck shook his head in puzzlement at her words.

"I love you."

Her words felled him. It was everything he had ever wanted and thought he'd never get it. Startled by the sudden vulnerability in her eyes, he stopped short his reverie. He quickly embraced her. He whispered into her ear, "Is okay. Love you too."

His words were like a trigger in Sarah. She thought she would never hear them from him.

A flood of emotions that had been bottled up within her started bubble out.

She laughed and cried. She pulled out of his embrace and kissed him on the lips. But this kiss was short, because she had to wipe away the tears that flowed down her face.

Feeling silly, she returned to his embrace. His body was so warm and she felt loved. All was right in the world. She was home.

Sarah hadn't let herself think about how it would affect her to not be with him. But tucked securely in his arms, she recognized how empty her life would be without him.

She needed to tell him. She moved her lips up to his ears and spoke.

"Chuck, I don't think I can live without you."

He furled his brow and turned his head to look at her. His eyes smiled at her as he murmured.

"Me too."

Escondido Airport, Escondido, CA

The Fulcrum agent spoke in to cell phone.

"We have a positive sighting of two injured men taken off the plane and taken by private ambulance out of the airport. It looks like they might be in the area. Check the admission records of all the private hospitals in the area,' barked the Fulcrum agent.

Listening a few minutes, the agent nodded his understanding. "I will be on standby with the rest of the intercept team. Out."

Psych Ward, Private Hospital, Escondido, CA

Casey held Ellie's hand as he directed her back to her room in the Psych Ward. It was a drab room and he knew that Ellie was under strict isolation. Ellie would be unable to communicate with anyone except Walker and himself.

It bothered him. The doctor had saved his life and had always treated him with generosity. Yet, he was imprisoning her in the Psych Ward, while in considerable emotional distress.

He tensed his shoulders. He knew his job sometimes required him to do some distasteful things. He told himself it was a necessarily evil. Still, he could at least try to make the situation a little more tolerable for the doctor.

"Is there anything I can get you, before I leave," offered Casey, as he directed her into her secured room.

Ellie snorted in disdain. The young doctor replied, "Yes John, how about some answers. Is it really necessary to keep me imprisoned here for reasons that I can't understand and to be threatened by some cold blooded blond…"

"Stop! Just stop," retorted Casey angrily. "Sarah isn't like that! She had to get you out of The Panic Room as quickly as possible. If you hadn't been such an idiot, things wouldn't have gotten to so out of hand. You could have gotten everyone including your beloved brother killed."

Ellie's body jerked away as if Casey had struck her. He realized that he had said the wrong thing. He watched Ellie's eyes fill with tears. She crossed her arms around her torso and started to shake.

"I would never do anything to harm my brother. I'm not like you people."

Casey sighed and moved across the room in order to comfort her. But after taking a few steps, Casey stopped. He recognized the stupidity of getting entangled with Ellie. This wasn't him. He wasn't normally a hands on type of guy. He was somewhat surprised by his own behavior.

Unaware of Casey's sudden hesitation in offering her a hug, Ellie moved towards the agent. She had missed the feeling of safety that Devon's arms provided. She just needed to feel safe and the offer of a strong male's arms was too enticing. She took the last remaining steps to Casey and embraced him tightly.

Casey tensed at her touch, but he willed himself to stand still. He had initiated it and he couldn't blame her. She was so small and troubled. He knew the last few days had been hard on her. Casey's arms slowly inched around her.

"Ellie, it's going to be okay, honest," commented Casey, as he tried to figure out how to eject himself from her warm embrace.

Casey was torn. He disliked getting entangled in people's feelings, but Ellie Bartowski had saved his life. It was his duty to try to make her feel better. Against his better judgment, he continued to hold her, as she cried in his arms.

Casey was attempting to say something comforting when he heard the door open behind him. A mixture of anger and embarrassment coursed though him. He knew Walker was going to witness his display of softness. It irritated him.

Sarah was astounded when she saw Casey and Ellie in an embrace. It was so unlike her reticent partner. She struggled to maintain her neutral facade.

However, her façade was quickly replaced by a small smile as she watched Casey attempt to extract himself from the doctor's embrace. He was obviously uncomfortable and annoyed that she was witnessing his attempt to comfort Ellie. Her eyes narrowed in amusement.

Casey pushed Ellie away. The young doctor looked somewhat confused until she spotted Sarah. She immediately straightened up and stiffly moved to the far side of the room.

Ellie eyed Sarah and started to pace around the far side of the room angrily. Finally after rallying her courage, Ellie bit out, "Hello bitch."

The words were like an electric bolt coursing through Casey. He coughed in surprise and turned towards Ellie with wide eyed shock. Did those words actually come out of her mouth?

Casey blinked his eyes several times. He turned back towards Sarah and gave her his most questioning look.

Sarah looked up at Casey and gave him a resigned smile. Her small gesture let him know that she had been dealing with Ellie's anger for awhile. It also helped him understand why the doctor was still in isolation. He grunted in disapproval.

"Hello Ellie," replied Sarah coolly. "I can see your temper hasn't improved any. Most people would have calmed down by now."

The young doctor stared at the floor not acknowledging Sarah. The blond agent didn't think that they doctor was going to respond, when Ellie interjected.

"Apparently I'm crazy. But don't mind me. It's just hard to mind your manners when you're locked in a Psych Ward. "

Both agents flinched at Ellie's sarcastic tone.

Ellie's attitude pained Sarah, but she did not let her feelings show. Trying to take the high road, the blond agent offered, "Chuck is awake and he wants to see you."

Ellie's sullen attitude faltered and she looked up at Sarah with wide excited eyes. "He's awake? Can he speak?"

Sarah gave Ellie a reassuring smile. "The doctors are with him now. He can speak, but he's having some difficulties putting together sentences. But it's still Chuck."

Ellie stood up straight and squared her shoulders. With eyes flashing, Ellie demanded, "I need to see Chuck right now."

Sarah sighed. She knew that Ellie was going to be unhappy with what she was about to say.

"Okay. I'll take you to him. But I need to go over some ground rules."

Sarah smiled wanly at Casey alerting him to the explosion that was about to happen.

Ellie clenched her fists.

"He's my brother. Why should I have any ground rules to see my own brother?" seethed the young doctor. Ellie wasn't about to let the icy blond make stipulations on her time with Chuck.

Sarah took a deep breath in an effort to keep her temper under control. Sarah was not someone who normally dealt with people's attitudes well.

Sarah continued evenly, "For his safety, I don't want him to know about what happened at The Institute. He's not strong enough to deal with it now. He wouldn't want to see us fighting."

Ellie looked at Sarah with disdain, and asked, "And you think I'm going to hurt him?"

Sarah didn't respond, but her eyes gave her away.

"Bullshit. I've protected him his whole life. I'm not going to hurt him. It's you! You are just trying to hide who and what you really are," replied Ellie heatedly.

Sarah tried to explain, "Come on Ellie. We both care for him. As a doctor, you know…"

But Ellie would have none of it. She knocked over her bedside table.

"Don't you dare talk about caring to me, Sarah! You don't know a thing about caring for someone! You're just a cold blooded killer and the only reason you're with my brother is because… you have an agenda, " yelled Ellie.

Sarah looked awkwardly at Casey. She didn't want to express her feeling in front of Casey, but she knew that is was important for Ellie to understand.

"Ellie, I know you don't understand. I do have an assignment regarding Chuck. But…I…we care deeply for each other," explained Sarah earnestly.

Ellie laughed. Her eyes narrowed and in her most spiteful voice she replied, "So what if you've used the sex card."

Sarah flinched.

"I practically raised my brother. Do you really think he's going to care for you once I tell him what you did to me? Do you really think he'll care for you once I tell him that you threatened to kill me and Devon?"

Sarah blanched.

Ellie saw the color drain from the blond agent's face. It was the first time that Ellie felt like she had any power in her situation. It emboldened her.

"He thinks he loves you. But he could never love someone like you. That's why you don't want me to tell him. You know he will stop thinking that he loves you."

Ellie pointed a menacing finger at Sarah. "When he finds out what you did to me…he's going to hate you Sarah Walker."

Sarah stood completely still. She did not respond. Sarah couldn't respond, she was thunderstruck.

For a few moments, Sarah felt raw naked fear run through her veins. It was true, Chuck's reaction terrified her. She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not ever.

However, Sarah knew she had to be strong. She couldn't let Ellie take control. So with a steely resolve and more calmness than she felt, Sarah took action.

Casey watched as Sarah lost all emotions from his body. He grimaced. Casey knew that this wasn't a good sign. He realized that the young doctor's words must have hit their intended mark.

Casey had always suspected that Sarah had real feelings for Chuck. But hearing Ellie's threats and seeing Sarah's reaction confirmed his suspicions.

It was useful information, but he knew he needed to diffuse the situation. The hospital was too exposed to have such strong discourse between the women. It was still a dangerous situation and it was important for them to work somewhat as a team.

He eyed Sarah critically. He knew Sarah was close to busting a gasket, which wouldn't be good for any of them.

Casey approached Sarah to usher her out the door. But Sarah ignored his advance and stepped around him. Casey sighed. He knew it was not going to be pretty.

Sarah was no longer in the mood to indulge Ellie. The doctor had hit upon a vulnerable spot and the blond agent's temper boiled.

She ambled predatorily towards Ellie. Sarah knew it would scare the young doctor, but she didn't care. Looking as dangerous as possible, Sarah invaded the young doctor's personal space and stared menacingly at the brunette.

"Ellie, do you realize that I don't have to let you see Chuck?" asked Sarah dangerously.

The young doctor's eyes flashed, but she did not respond. Fear was visible in the brunette's deep blue eyes.

"I don't even have to admit that you are alive. I'm in control here. I could tell him you died in The Institute and you would never see him again," taunted Sarah.

Ellie's face turned white.

Sarah smiled at the doctor's reaction. "Now I think you're catching on," replied Sarah with satisfaction.

"The only way you are going to see Chuck is under my rules and at my discretion."

Sarah paused for effect. Then in her most icy voice she spoke.

"It's your choice. See Chuck under my rules. Or you can rot in this room; dead to your brother and to the rest of the world."

Ellie fell to the floor. "No Sarah, please…."

Sarah ignored Ellie and walked away. Sarah motioned to Casey that it was time to leave. Casey rolled his eyes.

Both agents walked towards the door and Sarah left without a backwards glance. Casey hesitated as he watched Ellie crying upon the floor. He wanted to pull her up, but he knew that he and Walker needed to maintain a united front. He sighed and followed the blond agent out the door.

Once outside in the hall, Sarah's shoulders sagged and she let herself fall against the wall. Casey secured the door and angrily turned towards Sarah.

"Christ! What the hell was that, Walker?" seethed Casey. "Ellie Bartowski turned into the Tanzanian devil when she saw you….and you…"

Shaking her head, Sarah interjected, "I know. I tried to be reasonable, but she just pushed me into saying things…that I shouldn't have."

Casey grunted noncommittally. He knew Sarah wouldn't appreciate his thoughts on the matter.

"I'll let her stew a few more minutes and then hopefully she will be ready to go see Chuck under my stipulations, explained Sarah. Shaking her head, she lamented, "But it's one more time that I've used threats to make her behave. The woman is starting to hate me."

"Starting?" replied Casey, dubiously.

"Thanks Casey. I really needed to hear that," mocked Sarah. "We have more important things to think about. The doctors are checking out Chuck now. We need to move soon. Someone is bound to be on our trail. How about you continue working on our travel plans and I'll take Ellie upstairs to see Chuck."

Casey smirked. "Walker, you sure you can handle the little lady all by yourself?"

Sarah eyes narrowed. She didn't appreciate his ribbing. "Speaking of handling Casey, what the hell was that embrace I walked in on?"

Casey's smirk dropped and he suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"She was distressed. I was just helping," replied Casey.

Sarah smiled conspiratorially and winked at Casey.

The hulking agent grunted with disdain. "I am going to check on our new transportation."

Sarah watched Casey scamper down the hallway. She smiled at his reaction to her ribbing.

Rallying the last bit of her patience, she stood up and entered Ellie's room.

Gates of the Private Hospital, Escondido, CA

"Confirmation found, Delta leader. Staff confirms that two injured men and one mentally incapacitated female registered into the hospital four days ago. No agency activity noted. Standby."

The Fulcrum agent tensed. He was anxious for his next set of instructions. He hoped there would be gun play.

Chuck Bartowski's Room, Private Hospital, Escondido, CA

As Sarah predicted, Ellie Bartowski had acquiesced to all of Sarah's conditions. As such, the women made their way to Chuck's room. Neither spoke. But Sarah was keenly aware of the intense hatred that emanated from Ellie. The blond agent chose to ignore it.

The women entered the darkened room. Ellie immediately went to Chuck's bedside. Sarah followed and stood on the other side of Chuck's bed. They both peered down at his prone form.

"Chuck, Are you okay?" asked the young doctor anxiously.

"Ellie," replied Chuck warmly. "Is good. Sis." Chuck furled his eyebrows frustrated by his inability to talk.

Ellie smiled, but saw the fear in his eyes. She realized that he was upset at his inability to form sentences well. She tried to comfort him.

"Chuck, it's common for patients with traumatic brain injuries to initially have difficulty speaking. It usually goes away. It just takes time," explained Ellie soothingly, as she ran a comforting hand through his hair.

Chuck brightened with her explanation. He reached out and grasped Ellie's hand and squeezed it encouragingly.

"Love you," said Chuck to his sister. The young doctor smiled warmly in response.

Happy that the most important women in his life were with him, Chuck turned to Sarah and said, "Love You."

Chuck reached out and clasped Sarah's hand with his free one. Sarah smiled at Chuck as a tear fell down her cheek. It was a tender moment.

However Sarah's heart stopped, when Ellie jerked her hand out of Chuck's grasp and stared at Sarah with undisguised hatred.

Sarah watched in horror as Chuck saw his sister's reaction. Looking at Ellie with puzzlement, Chuck asked, "What?"

Ellie just shook her head. But a lone tear escaped from her tear filled eyes. Chuck's eyes widened with concern. Chuck dropped Sarah's hand and reached for his sister.

"What. Tell. " implored Chuck.

Before Sarah could say anything, Ellie broke. "Oh Chuck. You can't love Sarah. She's a cold blooded killer. She threatened to kill Devon and me." The brunette started to cry.

Chuck's body tensed as Ellie's words sunk in. He turned his head and looked at Sarah imploringly. His eyes begged Sarah to tell him that Ellie was lying.

Sarah didn't respond. She just stared at Chuck helplessly. However, the look of horror in her eyes was enough of an answer.

Chuck realized that Ellie spoke the truth. His heart plummeted and he fell back against his bed. He felt his pulse explode and before he could speak, his eyes rolled into their sockets and he went into a seizure.

Ellie screamed, "Oh God, what did I do?" and started to check her brother's vitals. "Call for some help now," yelled Ellie to a paralyzed Sarah.

Sarah was stunned as she watched Chuck's body convulse. Fear gripped her. She couldn't move. A sharp cry from Ellie finally made Sarah look towards the doctor who was attempting to keep his airways clear.

"Sarah, press the button on the wall. Now!" yelled Ellie urgently.

Sarah engaged. She lunged for the emergency button and hit it with force. She watched as a group of doctors and nurses entered the room. They quickly pushed a panicked Ellie away from Chuck. A doctor began administering anti-seizure medication to Chuck as several nurses attempted to keep him from hurting himself as his body contracted erratically.

Suddenly a gigantic wave of anger coursed through Sarah. She saw red. She marched to Ellie; grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the room.

Sarah was furious and out of control. She slammed Ellie against the wall of the hallway.

Ellie hit the wall with a thump and fought to maintain her balance. Her scalp ached and she struggled to re-establish her footing after being manhandled out of the room.

"How could you?" screamed Sarah. "I told you he wasn't strong enough!"

So upset, Sarah struggled to take two large breaths before she continued to berate a stricken Ellie, who braced herself against the wall for support.

"You couldn't wait! It wasn't even five minutes before you started upsetting him. Don't you realize how lucky we are that he's even alive?" Sarah screamed.

Sarah grabbed Ellie shirt and shook the young doctor. Ellie was aghast at her own actions and allowed Sarah to tear into her unchallenged. Tears rained down Ellie's face as the realization that she had hurt Chuck engulfed her.

"You had to open your mouth," yelled Sarah as she gripped Ellie's shirt tighter. "I swear I am going wipe…"

Sarah stopped her tirade in mid-sentence, when she heard the first burst of gunfire.

She looked to her left and yelled, "Oh shit!" as she tackled Ellie to the ground while simultaneously reaching for her gun.

Thanks for Sharp and Norcali for the review. All new mistakes are my own!