Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
A/N Part of the Claudia story verse, story picks up right after Trimming The Tree (AU)
5.1-5 AU Boxing Day
"…save the world…"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Abby looked up at Becker, her chin was quivering and her blue eyes were shining bright. She blinked them rapidly to clear the tears. Abby had seen the CCTV film… she knew when she'd seen the image of Connor bouncing off the hood of the car that he had to have been hurt badly.
"Let go of me," Abby hissed. "I've got to see Connor… got to know he's alright."
The tall soldier shook his head. He was still holding Abby by the shoulders.
"He's not in there Abby," said Becker. He turned Abby to face away from the emergency room, and pointed down the corridor.
"They've taken Connor to surgery," repeated Becker. "I've been waiting for you… it's this way."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Abby walked with Becker. His big black boots made very little sound on the shining white tile floor, while her bedroom slippers made a soft slipping noise. Behind her Duncan's footsteps echoed loudly. Connor's pudgy friend kept an arm out for Connor's Mum. The older woman looked pale, and had hardly said a word since Duncan had knocked on the door early this morning.
"They found Connor," said Duncan as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I've come to take you to the hospital."
The ARC's big SUV was parked behind him, the motor still running. Two of the tires were up on the kerb. Abby hurried outside.
"Wait… wait for me," called Mrs. Temple.
The older woman was still dressed in the clothes she'd worn yesterday. She'd slept in them. She grabbed a coat and climbed into the SUV beside Abby. Jack started out the door too, but Abby shook her head.
"Someone's got to stay here," Abby said "we don't know how long we'll be…"
"Right," replied Jack "I'll just stay… keep an eye out Patrick... and feed the pets… and…"
And whatever else Jack might do was drowned out as Duncan revved the SUV just then, jerking the big vehicle forward, off the kerb and into the street. Connor's Mum was still trying to buckle her seat belt. She shoved the coat she was carrying towards Abby.
"Here Abby," said the older woman "you might want this."
That was when Abby realized she was still in her pajamas and bedroom slippers.
Becker was speaking to her. Abby shook her head to clear it.
"What?" she asked.
"How did you get here so quickly?" asked Becker "Jess called… she's just now on her way."
"Duncan picked us up in one of the SUVs," replied Abby.
Becker stopped walking. Duncan stopped short, just barely missing running into the tall soldier. Becker looked down at the smaller man.
"You're not authorized to drive the SUVs," said Becker. "Do you even have a driver's license?"
"I just did what I had to do," said Duncan squaring his jaw. "Somebody had to get Abby and Connor's Mum."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
The waiting room was empty except for seats made of chrome and an ugly off white vinyl that looked as if it need to be scrubbed. The chairs were horribly uncomfortable and Abby kept getting up and pacing across the floor. How Duncan had managed to fall asleep was beyond her.
"He's been up all night," said Becker stifling a small yawn. "He was tracing cell phones and computers, while Jess went through the CCTV tapes."
"Did I hear my name mentioned?" asked Jess as she peeked into the waiting room. She held up a carry container of cups. "I brought coffee."
"Jess," said Abby "you're a life saver."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Jess took Mrs. Temple to the hospital cafeteria for a proper cup of tea. Becker leaned against the wall next to where Duncan sat slumped in his seat. Duncan was snoring. Abby took a sip of her frothy coffee and regarded the tall soldier.
"Jack told me what you and Connor did," said Abby quietly.
It was almost funny to see Becker freeze at her words.
"It was Connor's idea," said Becker.
Abby smirked. She'd been upset with the two of them going off every other Saturday for the past several months… supposedly for pistol shooting practice, but Connor never seemed to improve. But from what Jack had said, the two men had been searching for her brother all that time.
"I check up on Dad when I can," said Jack "that's where Connor and Becker found me."
"Why didn't you come back with them then?"
Jack shuffled his feet and looked down. He seemed embarrassed.
"Didn't really think I should," mumbled Jack, "but Connor… he told me I needed to come back… or it wouldn't be Christmas for you…."
Abby's eyes softened as the thought of Connor and Becker tracking down Jack for her.
"Connor was right," whispered Abby.
"And Becker," said Jack, "he's pretty scary when he stares at you… with his arms crossed… he asked me… what kind of brother I was."
"Thanks Becker," said Abby.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lester arrived shortly after Jess and Connor's Mum returned from the cafeteria. He carried flowers and a box of candy.
"Limited selection at the hospital gift shop," apologized Lester. "Is Connor still… have we heard…"
"We haven't heard anything yet," replied Abby with a sigh.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
The doors to the surgery finally opened. Three people dressed in hospital scrubs came out of the room. Behind them, an orderly wheeled out a hospital bed. Connor's pale face and dark brown hair could be seen at the far end of the bed, the rest of his body was covered with a white blanket.
"Connor!" exclaimed Abby.
She jumped up from the seat, and ran towards him, but the orderly moved to block her way.
"What do you think you're doing?" snapped the doctor. "Get away from my patient."
"You don't understand," replied Abby. She stepped from side to side, trying to see around the big orderly. "I have to see Connor… I have to know he's alright."
"Patient care is our first concern," said the doctor in a stern tone. "Protecting the safety of our patients…"
"I wouldn't hurt Connor!"
Another orderly came out of the operating room, bumping the first orderly forward a bit. Abby could see Connor clearly. An IV drip dangled from a hook above his head, the drip line fed into his arm. There was another tube of some sort disappearing into Connor's nose. The second orderly pushed a tray full of equipment. Wires ran from the tray to Connor's arm.
"And our second concern is all the government's rules and regulations. There are privacy laws to consider," sniffed the doctor as he took off his latex gloves. "Are you Mr. Temple's emergency contact?"
"I'm his partner," said Abby, staring in dismay from Connor to his mother.
"And I'm his mother," added the older woman. She stood nearby, holding on the back of a chair to support herself. "Anything you can tell me… Abby should know as well."
Abby gave Connor's Mum a trembling smile.
"Well I can't tell either of you anything," snorted the doctor "unless you are Mr. Temple's emergency contact."
"That would be me," said Lester. The ARCs director stood slight in front of Jess and Becker. He frowned at the doctor. "And you'd better tell us everything."
The doctor sniffed in disdain. He wasn't going to be intimidated by Lester.
"My patient needs quiet," said the doctor. The surgeon gestured with his hand. "Take him to the recovery room… until the anesthesia wears off."
Abby watched as the two orderlies resumed moving. Connor and all the equipment disappeared further down the corridor.
"We can talk in my office," the doctor added.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"The splenectomy went well, no complications," said the doctor. He looked at the clipboard he was holding and jotted down some notes.
"Splenectomy?" asked Connor's mother. The older woman looked paler now than she had before.
"What's that?" added Duncan. He squinted his eyes and stared suspiciously at the doctor. "What did you do to Connor?"
"I removed his spleen," replied the doctor.
"What for?" asked Duncan. "Why didn't you just fix it?"
The doctor shook his head at the pudgy man's insistent questions.
"Some things can't be fixed," answered the doctor. "Maybe… if Mr. Temple had been brought in directly after the initial injury…"
"Connor was hit by a car," said Jess. The field coordinator was standing next to Abby, with an arm around the petite blonde.
"Ahh…," said the doctor with a nod. "Yes, that would explain the initial injury. If he'd been brought in then… maybe, we could have saved the spleen. But the subsequent trauma… made it necessary to remove…"
"What subsequent trauma?" interrupted Becker.
The doctor stopped speaking and stared at the tall soldier.
"Not having seen exactly what happened to Mr. Temple," replied the doctor "I won't speculate…"
"Tell me!" demanded Abby. "What happened to Connor?"
The doctor sighed. He pointed to an anatomical chart of the human body hanging on the wall.
"The initial injury caused a small rupture to the spleen," lectured the doctor. "And may also be the cause of the head injury… bleeding resulted, but there are indications of subsequent injuries…"
Becker remembered the CCTV images… of an unconscious Connor being dragged across the pavement and shoved into a car… and Becker remembered watching the care the emergency crew took to load Connor onto the gurney… counting… one… two… three… lifting his friend gently and evenly.
"So if someone moved Connor roughly," asked Becker "would that have caused the additional injuries?"
A pained look crossed the doctor's face. The man closed his eyes and breathed in sharply. He didn't answer Becker's question.
"Mr. Temple should be able to go home within the week," said the doctor, "I expect he'll make a full recovery, and resume normal activities within the next four to six weeks."
Becker exchanged a glance with Lester. The ARCs director was frowning.
"Right now, we're just waiting for Mr. Temple to wake up," continued the doctor.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lester watched as Abby, Becker, Jess, Duncan and Connor's mother trailed out of the doctor's office. Lester looked down at his hand. He ran his thumb lightly across the fingernails of his hand, looking for all the world as if he were inspecting his manicure.
"If you were to speculate," asked Lester slowly "what do you think might have caused Connor's additional injuries?"
"The injuries," said the doctor, "remain consistent with blunt force trauma, but I don't know the cause… and I won't speculate."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Sarah and Jamal were in the waiting room with the others when Lester rejoined the little group. Sarah had brought a tin of biscuits to share. Jess was leaning tiredly against Becker. The soldier was dunking one of the biscuits in his cold coffee. Sarah looked at Lester in dismay.
"Someone should have called," said Sarah "I would have been here sooner if I'd known…"
"Didn't want to wake you," replied Lester "someone is going to have to be awake at work tomorrow."
Lester turned and looked at Jess and Becker. They had been up all night. So had Duncan, but at least he'd slept some in the waiting room.
"Go home now," ordered Lester. "Go home… and get some rest. You're both on the next shift."
"No," said Jess "not until we know about Connor…"
The waiting room door burst open as a very irate Scot strode in.
"What happened to Connor?" asked the Professor. "Lester… no one called me. Did you know that?"
Lester turned to glare at the man. Dark circles showed under Lester's eyes.
"It was my idea," replied Lester.
"What?" asked Cutter. "Why on earth wouldn't you want me to be informed when one of my team is injured?"
"Did you really want me to wake you and your family up in the middle of the night?" asked Lester. "Just so you could stay up and worry with the rest of us?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Cutter left the waiting room and Claudia came back in his stead. She sat down next to Abby and squeezed her friend's hand.
"Hospital staff," said Claudia "won't let Stephanie in this ward. So Nick is taking Stephanie to my father's… he'll be back soon."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
When Cutter returned, he was carrying a large flat box.
"Turkey sandwiches," explained Cutter as he passed them out. "I thought you might be hungry."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Matt and Emily arrived later, bringing Charlotte, Patrick and Jack with them.
"We just wanted to stop by and see how Connor was doing," said Emily. She stood next to Abby, near the window. "But I think the hospital staff might not like visitors."
"Why do you say that?" asked Abby.
"The nurse asked me how many more people were coming," replied Emily.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lester, Becker, Cutter and Matt were huddled together in the corner on the other side of the room. They were whispering.
"Jenkins locked the race track anomaly," Matt informed them. "We didn't see any signs of an incursion... I've got a full security team… including LRAD and canine units on site."
The race track anomaly had closed shortly after Abby, Connor and Danny had initially disappeared. And when the delta coordinator told the location of the newest anomaly alert, Lester had made a decision.
"The non-interference policy does not apply to that future," ordered Lester. "Lock it."
"Why did the anomaly reopen now?" asked Cutter. "It seems to be too much of a coincidence."
"I don't know," replied Matt. "Connor might know..."
There was a moment's silence as the men stared at each other.
"Was there any word on the driver of the sedan… or the mugger?" asked Lester.
"The delta coordinator was able to trace the sedan, using the information Jess obtained," answered Matt. "We still haven't identified the blonde woman... and the picture of the other person isn't clear enough to do anything with… but he found where they left the sedan… and stole a red Volkswagen Beetle."
"Good," said Becker "then we can trace that car too."
"Already done mate," replied Matt "but it's not going to tell us much."
"Why?"
"There was an explosion," said Matt "the car was totally incinerated…"
"I want those two found," said Lester. "I don't care where they're hiding… just find them."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
An orderly pushed Connor's hospital bed out of the recovery room. He started making his way towards the large lift, while the nurse frowned at the crowd of waiting people.
"He can't have visitors," the woman informed them. "He needs his rest."
Abby pushed through the friends and family gathered together in the waiting room until she stood directly in front of the nurse.
"How is Connor?"
The face on the hospital bed turned towards the sound of Abby's voice. One raspy word sounded.
"Abby."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N Claudia's universe continues… in one form or another… for all time.