And here it is. The second to last chapter. Only took me 2 and half years. Sorry for that. :D
The first sense to return was hearing. Spike heard sirens although they were muffled and for a second he wondered if he actually wore ear muffs. He also heard distant voices, but he just couldn't for the life of him make sense of what was being said.
He also couldn't quite remember what happened or where he was. Someone's hand was on his face prying his left eye open and shining a small flashlight directly into it.
Instinctively he jerked his face to the side and blinked several times trying to get a clear vision.
After what felt like minutes he could finally make out the inside of an ambulance and a paramedic leaning over him.
Those first two senses returning was like the starting bell at the races for his nervous system. In a split second every other sense returned.
He felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, mixed with vomit and it made him want to puke instantly.
Something was covering the better part of his face and obstructing his view.
'Oxygen mask?', he wondered.
The disgusting antiseptic smell of the ambulance was suddenly forgotten, as his last sense returned full force.
He started to feel his body again. And with it came the pain. His left arm was being crushed by an unnatural force.
'Oh God, what's happening?', he wanted to cry out. His breath hitched, he felt like he didn't get enough air, like the mask was suffocating him instead of giving him the vital oxygen.
Next he thought someone had stirred his insides with a hot iron poker and he wanted to scream, wishing that he had never woken up in the first place.
He squeezed his eyes shut in pain and gasped, grabbing for the mask in blind panic.
But a firm grasp held his arm down. 'Spike? Can you hear me?'
A male voice pierced through the thick fog of pain and confusion.
'If you can hear me, just nod!'
Spike mustered up all his remaining strength to ignore the agony in his body and focused on the paramedic in front of him, breathing heavily, like he just ran three miles.
'If you can hear me, please nod once.', the young man repeated.
Spike nodded once. He wanted to curl in on himself so badly, to just make the pain stop, make everything go away, fall asleep again and never wake up.
'Good. Do you remember what happened?'
Spike shook his head slowly blinking at him.
'Okay. So you were shot and in an explosion. When we got to you your breathing was very shallow and your blood pressure almost bottomed out. So we bagged you to give you more oxygen and there's a pressure cuff around your arm to monitor your vitals.', the paramedic explained.
He remembered waking up after surgery once still feeling super droopy and wondering what the hell that pressure around his arm was. It was not a pleasant feeling and from then on he always made sure to explain to the patient everything that was going on.
Spike nodded slowly and felt the ambulance coming to a stop. A heavy weight was pulling at his eyelids begging him to just close and return to the darkness. The pain in his body, the confusion, the exhaustion of the last few hours all caught up with him in an instant. He was so tired. He didn't want to fight anymore.
'We're at the hospital now, we're getting you to the ER. You almost made it, stay with me.'
The voice of the paramedic was starting to get distant.
'Spike!', was the last thing he heard, before his vision whitened out.
Greg and Ed parked the car right behind the ambulance and jumped out almost simultaneously.
They saw Spike being wheeled out of the ambulance and towards the hospital entrance, and immediately jogged after him.
Inside everything was already prepared for Spike's arrival. The handover was quick and professional.
'He's unconscious now, but he woke up briefly in the ambulance.'
'BP's dropping. Pressure is 70 over 40.', one of the nurses told the doctors, who was busy checking the wound in Spike's stomach.
In a matter of mere seconds the staff had him hooked up to various machines. They worked like a well oiled machine, reminding Ed of his own team.
'Prepare to intubate. And get me an ultrasound, we need to see where the bullet ..'
'He's crashing!'
Suddenly the beeping of the machines increased to a cacophony of shrillness, making Ed want to cover his ears. He knew what the shrill alarm meant, but he couldn't believe it. He was frozen in his spot right in front of the swing doors to the ER unit, Spike had vanished behind only seconds before.
Time stood still for Ed. He couldn't move at all, not even blink, as the medical staff worked to resuscitate his friend.
He could not hear what was being said, but he knew that the commands were hectic and immediate.
'Please no. No, no no. You have to fight this, Spike!'
Fear and panic were setting in as he felt his heartbeat increase.
Then a hand gently gripped his left shoulder and Greg suddenly occupied his vision of the working doctors and nurses.
'Eddie?'
He couldn't give an answer as his vision blacked out around the edges. Ed felt his knees folding in on himself.
The last thing he heard before he sank into unconsciousness was Greg calling for help.
'Mr. Morrow, we've got you surrounded! Put your hands behind your head!', Jules called approaching the older man carefully.
The subject, father of young Derek Morrow, sat on a stool head bowed and arms hanging loosely by his sides.
He looked broken, not even seeming to acknowledge Team One's presence.
'Mr. Morrow!', Sam tried to get a reaction.
Jules, Sam and Lew slowly inched closer, their weapons trained steadily on the subject.
As it appeared the man was unarmed. Though that didn't mean there were no sudden surprises to be expected.
'I didn't mean for this to happen.', Timothy Morrow mumbled and lifted his head. His face was tear stricken. 'I didn't mean to..', he cried.
'Sir, please surrender. Put your hands behind your head.', Sam said in a softer voice.
Timothy slowly lifted his hands doing as he was asked.
He sobbed uncontrollably. 'I heard on the news.. I just wanted them to stop. These gangs are ruining families. They ruined my family. I.. I didn't mean for anyone else to get hurt. I swear I didn't.'
'I believe you, Mr. Morrow. But that doesn't make this whole thing right.', Jules saw how much pain this caused the older man. She tried to muster up as much sympathy as she could. 'Come now.'
Jules and Lew led the still crying man out of his home and into a waiting police car, while Sam called it in.
'Boss, we got him. He surrendered.'
'Okay, that's good. Get cleaned up and then come to the hospital.'
Sam moved out of the house and towards his teammates. They exchanged one look and knew that neither of them wanted to shower. They all wanted to be at the hospital with their family.
'No, we're coming right away.', he hung up as all three of them got into the car.
Greg hung the phone up and smiled to himself sitting down in the waiting room. He knew they would want to be there as soon as possible, but he still wanted to give them the option of taking a shower after this exhausting day.
He was damn lucky to have a team, a family, like that. Everyone was ready to sacrifice for the others. He knew that this was not a given and he vowed a long time ago to always appreciate this.
'Anyone here for Ed Lane?', a gruff voice broke him out of his reverie.
He got up and walked towards the doctor. 'Yes. How is he? Can I see him?'
'Hello, I'm Dr. Stevens.', the older man guided him out of the waiting room. 'Mr. Lane has a concussion. We have detected no internal bleeding so far. He most likely collapsed due to exhaustion and dehydration. But we will monitor him closely for the next day or two.'
They came to a halt in front a two bed room.
'Is he awake yet?'
'No, however you are welcome to sit with him and keep him company.', the doctor gave him a warm smile.
'Thank you, Sir. Do you have an update on my man Scarlatti as well?', Greg suddenly felt very nervous. 'He was brought in right before we arrived with a GSW and a broken leg.'
'Yes, I know. I am not the attending physician, though I am sure he is in surgery right now. Let me see what I can find out for you.'
'Thank you so much. I'll be in here.', he excused himself.
As the doctor left, Greg took a deep breath and entered the room.
Ed was lying on the bed closest to the window, hooked up to a blood pressure machine and some IV to replace the fluids he lost. He was fast asleep.
Greg took a seat next to him in one of the more comfortable chairs, his gaze going back and forth between Ed and the closed door.
Finally after what felt like hours, the door swung open. But to his slight disappointment it was not the doctor with news on Spike, but the three remaining members of his team.
'Hey.', Greg was surprised at how tired his own voice sounded. 'Ed's fine, got a nasty concussion. There's no word on Spike yet.' Greg cleared his throat for a moment contemplating whether or not he should actually mention what he was about to say. But they deserved to know.
'He coded in the ER.'
All three of them looked as if he just told them that dragons existed. Jules' eyes sparkled treacherously as she put a hand over her mouth in shock.
The look on their faces almost made him cry as well and he instinctively lowered his head to pull himself together.
After the initial shock was digested, each of them grabbed a chair and positioned themselves around Ed.