I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! I just want to take a second to thank everyone for their patience. My computer is still wonky, but I'm finally able to resume posting chapters! YAY! This chapter is extra long, so enjoy and please review!
Disclaimer: Not mine!
PsychPsychPsychPsychPsych
EMTs rushed over to tend to the fallen man. Juliet kept Shawn's head in her lap, still trying to rouse him. She was certain that nothing had hit his head, but he was unconscious. Maybe his injuries were even more severe than they had first suspected… Her stomach did an anxious flip.
The EMTs gently brushed Henry's hands away, then began applying pressure to the still-bleeding wound in Shawn's abdomen. "Let's get him out of here."
"I'm going," Henry, Juliet and Gus chorused simultaneously. The medics looked at each other.
"Is anyone here family?"
"I'm his dad," Henry answered.
Juliet hesitated. "I have his medical proxy." Shawn was not a man who put a lot of thought into the future, but after a small accident, Juliet had convinced him to name someone as his medical proxy. Someone who could make medical decisions for him, and do what was in his best interests.
She had been shocked when he had named her.
The medics exchanged glances. "Okay, the two of you can ride. But someone has to ride up front."
They eased Shawn onto a stretcher, and as they loaded him into the back of the bus, Henry looked at a devastated Gus. "It'll be okay, Gus." He squeezed the younger man's shoulder, trying to reassure him.
"Come on!" one of the paramedics shouted.
Juliet climbed into the back of the bus with Shawn, refusing to let go of his hand. She sat down close to his head and rested her free hand on his forehead.
Henry jogged to the front of the bus and got in.
The engine roared to life, and Gus watched helplessly as they pulled out of the cemetery.
As the ambulance raced toward the nearest hospital, Juliet watched the paramedics work. An oxygen mask was placed over Shawn's mouth and nose, and his shirt was cut away. Absently she remembered how much he liked that shirt, and she had to stop herself from telling the medic to leave it intact. The damn shirt didn't matter. Shawn's life mattered.
One medic looked up at Juliet. "Does he have any allergies?"
She shook her head. "No. None."
"How old is he?"
"Twenty-nine."
He was only twenty-nine. Just a year older than herself. She smoothed his hair back gently.
He finally stirred, groaning softly behind the oxygen mask.
Juliet watched him, her expression worried.
He began to thrash, groaning again.
One of the medics gave Juliet a pointed look. "Can you calm him down? It would be better if we didn't sedate him."
Juliet nodded immediately and leaned forward. "Shawn…?" Her fingers slid through his hair. "Shawn, can you hear me?"
He groaned again, his eyelids flickering.
"Come on, Shawn. Look at me."
Finally his eyes cracked open, and Juliet felt a stab of pain at the fear she saw there.
"Shawn, it's okay." She rested her head against his. "I'm right here." Her hand slipped into his. "Squeeze my hand for me."
He wheezed softly, his fingers slowly closing around hers.
She smiled softly, relieved.
"J-Jules…"
Her voice cracked as she nodded and whispered, "Yeah, Shawn. I'm here, and I'm not going to leave you. You're safe now."
His grip tightened on her hand. "Don'… go…"
Her heart shattered all over again. "I won't, Shawn. We're going to take you to the hospital to get you taken care of, and I'll stay right there with you. I won't leave." She had no intention of leaving his side anytime soon. At least not until she knew for certain that he would make a full recovery.
He finally started to relax, and the medic nodded in approval.
Juliet didn't notice the medic. Her entire focus was on Shawn, and keeping him as calm and relaxed as she possibly could. His breathing was still shallow and slow, but the oxygen was helping. Slowly she stroked his cheek with her thumb.
He managed to give her a pained grin. "Knew…"
Her brow furrowed. "What, Shawn?" She leaned in closer in an attempt to hear him better.
"Knew… you'd find me…"
Her eyes welled up with tears. "Of course, Shawn… I never would have stopped." She would have searched until she found him.
His eyes slipped shut.
"How's our boy doing back there, Jules?" Henry called from the front of the bus.
Juliet resumed stroking Shawn's hair, barely registering the use of her nickname by Shawn's father. "He's holding on," she assured him.
The medic continued surveying Shawn's injuries. "The sooner we get him to the hospital, the better."
Those words troubled Juliet, and she held Shawn's hand tighter.
"Just hold on, Shawn."
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Vick was already there with Lassiter.
They unloaded Shawn out of the bus, and Juliet nearly broke down in tears when the doctors and nurses separated them and took Shawn behind double doors that she wasn't granted access to.
Vick spotted Juliet, and she called out. "O'Hara!"
Juliet spun around, and her eyes widened. "Chief!" She broke into a run. "Did you find Lassiter? Is okay? Where is he?"
Vick took the younger woman by the shoulders. "Shh… Your partner is going to be fine. He's just behind those curtains over there-"
Juliet didn't want for Vick to finish that. She broke free of Vick's grip and launched herself in the direction Vick had indicated.
Lassiter was laying on the exam table, his eyes closed and his hands heavily bandaged. His shirt had been cut away, and his broken ribs had been taped up. There were bruises all over his body, as well as minor cuts, but he would live.
He would live.
The curtain opened, and he growled, assuming it was a nurse. "Can't you people give me some peace?"
Juliet watched her partner, waiting for his eyes to open. But they didn't, and she inched toward his bed.
He heard the footfall, and he sighed. "Just give me a break. I'm trying to sleep."
"Carlton…"
He opened a single eye. "O'Hara?"
She swallowed a soft groan and stopped by his head. "Oh, God…" She reached down and gently took his hand into hers.
He let her hold his hand. "It's not as bad as it looks."
She sniffled. "Carlton, I'm so sorry…"
"Why? You didn't do this."
"But…"
"No buts, Detective. You did exactly what I wanted."
Those words broke her, and before she could stop herself, she launched herself into her partner's arms.
Stunned, Lassiter gasped at the surge of pain in his ribs and hands. But he clumsily wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers. "Shh…"
Juliet held him tighter. "I thought you were both dead…"
"Hey… I'm not dead. It's going to take more than a loser with barbed wire to take me out, partner."
She sniffled, closing her eyes. It hadn't registered before, just how afraid she was of losing both of them. She loved both men, in separate ways. And the thought of losing either of them from her life forever scared the hell out of her. She couldn't lose either of them.
For the first time in too long, Lassiter allowed himself to enjoy the embrace. Then he tensed. "What about… Spencer?"
Juliet shuddered. "He's… it was bad, Carlton. We found him, but there was so much blood, and…" She buried her face in his neck.
He rested his hand against her head. "And what?"
"He was buried alive… there were bombs under the coffin… We barely got him out in time."
"But you got him out."
"Yeah…"
He pulled away just enough to meet her eyes. "Then you did your job, Juliet." Whether it was the fact that he had nearly lost his life, or the medication coursing through his system, he found the courage to run his thumb over her dirt-smudged cheek. "Spencer and I are both alive. You saved both of us."
"But…"
He shook his head. "No buts. I'm… I'm proud of you, Juliet. I really am."
She stared at her partner's exhausted face, and she felt badly. Recalling his earlier words when she had first walked in, she hugged him again. Then she slid off of the bed, pulling the curtain completely shut.
Lassiter watched her curiously, his eyelids growing heavier.
She made sure that the area was completely closed off before moving to the only chair she could find. Dragging it up to Lassiter's bed, she sat down in it. She knew that if there was any word on Shawn, Henry or Vick would find her and tell her. Right now, Lassiter had no one else to look out for him. And as his partner, the task fell to her.
He sighed. "What are you doing, O'Hara?"
She made herself comfortable in the chair. "You need some uninterrupted rest, Carlton. Close your eyes. I'll keep the nurses out of here."
The idea was tempting. It felt like months since had last slept, and it was becoming harder to keep his eyes open and focused on his partner.
Hesitating, Juliet reached out and placed her small hand on his arm.
"Promise you'll keep those damn nurses out…?"
She chuckled softly, her thumb stroking his skin. "I promise, Carlton. I'll keep them out."
He sighed, closing his eyes completely. "Thanks, partner…"
Her shoulders shuddered, and tears stung her eyes again. But she managed to hold them back as Lassiter finally gave in to his body's desperate need to sleep.
"You're welcome, partner."
"Juliet!"
Startled awake by the voice calling her name, Juliet jerked her head up. "What?"
Her body was stiff and sore from the hours spent sitting by Lassiter's bed. Her eyes briefly settled on his still-sleeping form, and she felt a strange surge of relief.
Henry shifted uncomfortably. "Juliet, Shawn's doctor is out here. He needs to talk to you."
She jumped to her feet, any traces of sleep suddenly gone. How long had she been with Lassiter? She quickly followed Henry out of the exam area, to a waiting room where Vick, McNabb, Gus and a dozen officers were waiting. A doctor in a white coat was by the door, and he looked her over.
"Miss O'Hara?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
The doctor glanced over his shoulder, then nodded toward the door. "Would you step out in the hall with me?"
Her stomach sank. He wanted to talk to her in private... that couldn't mean anything good.
Henry came up beside her. "I'm going with her."
"So am I," Gus added.
The doctor started to protest, but Juliet cut him off. "They're family. Whatever you say to me, you can say to them."
"Okay. Come with me."
Relieved, they followed the doctor into the hall.
Opening his file, the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Bailey, and I'm in charge of Mr. Spencer's care."
"How is he, Doc?" Henry asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It was rough for a while. We almost lost him a couple of times in there. But Shawn is a fighter."
Juliet almost smiled. He absolutely was.
Henry shifted uncomfortably. "When can I see my son?"
"In just a minute. He's in the ICU right now, and if he does well over the next few days, we'll transfer him into a private room." He eyed the trio. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to limit visitors to one at a time, fifteen minutes each."
There was a deep reluctance in her eyes as Juliet said, "Henry is his dad. He'll go first." She nodded to Gus. "And he'll be second."
Bailey nodded, glancing over his file. "If I might ask... what happened to my patient?"
Juliet hesitated. "He was... abducted and buried alive. We only recovered him last night."
He skimmed the file in his hand. "He was also stabbed several times. One of those came dangerously close to damaging his heart."
Henry groaned. All through his childhood, Shawn had suffered with heart problems. He had thought it was finally behind them. Apparently he was wrong.
Juliet gasped softly. "But... he'll be okay... won't he?"
"If we can keep him from contracting any infections, I think he'll be fine. He has a long road to recovery, but it's my professional opinion that he will recover."
Juliet's knees buckled, and she let out a relieved breath.
Bailey nodded at Henry. "Come with me, Mr. Spencer."
Juliet looked at Gus. "I'll be... with Lassiter."
"I'll come get you," he assured her.
"Thanks, Gus." She looked at Henry, then walked back down the hall.
By the time she got back to the exam area where she had left Carlton, he was nowhere to be found. Panic bubbled up in her throat at the sight of the newly made bed. "No..." She started to shake.
A nurse came up behind her. "Are you here for Mr. Lassiter?" she asked gently.
Juliet spun around. "Yes! Where is he?"
The nurse smiled kindly. "We moved him upstairs, to a private room. He should be able to go home tomorrow."
"What room is he in?"
As soon as the nurse gave her the room number, Juliet hurried upstairs. She easily found the room the nurse had indicated, and she hesitated before easing into the room.
Lassiter was resting comfortably in the bed, his eyes closed.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Juliet eased over to the bed. She wasn't sure her heart could take much more of these scares.
Sitting down in the chair by Lassiter's bed, Juliet made herself comfortable. At least Carlton seemed to be resting easily. She could take some comfort in that.
Now all she could do was wait for her turn to see Shawn.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Hope everyone liked this chapter! Thanks so much for reading and being so patient!