Chapter 3
It was almost four hours later before a doctor finally came to talk to them. He looked exhausted as he approached the agents. They all got to their feet when they saw him approaching, their faces etched in concern.
"Are you here for Jack Malone?" he asked, checking to be sure.
"Yes, how is he?" Sam answered immediately.
"As you know, Mr. Malone was shot three times, the most serious wound being the one to his abdomen. The bullet caused a lot of internal damage but we were able to remove it and stop the bleeding. With such abdominal wound and the involvement of the colon, there is a high risk of infection, but we will treat for that with high dose antibiotics. We also removed a bullet from his leg. There was no fracture, so he was lucky. A third bullet went through his shoulder. There is some muscle damage but, again, no orthopaedic involvement," the doctor explained thoroughly.
"So, he's going to be okay?" Sam asked tentatively.
"He's not out of the woods yet, but the prognosis is positive. His condition is still listed as critical. He's been moved to the ICU on the third floor if you would like to see him," the doctor informed them.
"Thank you, Doctor," she said, relieved but far from reassured.
She looked at the others and suggested that someone call Viv and let her know that Jack was out of surgery. She told them that she was going to the ICU. Martin volunteered to call Viv while the others took the elevator to the third floor. They told the ICU nurse who they were and they were shown to Jack's room. She informed them that he could only have one visitor in his room at a time.
They all looked through the glass partition into Jack's room. Sam stood there, with her hand over her mouth, hardly able to take in the sight of Jack hooked up to so many monitors and machines. Elena placed her hand on Samantha's shoulder in a gesture of support and comfort. Sam turned towards her and smiled as she tried to hold back yet more tears.
"Do you mind if I go in alone?" she asked Elena and Danny.
"Of course not. We'll be here if you need us," Elena replied kindly.
Hesitantly, Sam entered the room. It was dimly lit, the lights from the monitors illuminating the room. An almost eerie stillness hung inside and the only sound to be heard was the intermittent hissing of the respirator and the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor. Sam looked at it, finding some comfort in the apparent strength of the heartbeat. Her eyes were drawn to Jack's face. To her he looked like he was just sleeping, the blue sheet pulled up high covering his chest, his two arms lying by his side. The only obvious sign of injury was the square, white bandage that covered his shoulder wound.
She approached the bed slowly, checking if Danny and Elena were still looking in. Then she realised what she was doing and chastised herself for it. Why should she hide her feelings? Danny and Elena were work colleagues and they were involved with each other. It wasn't any different for her and Jack, well not much different. She had fallen for a guy she worked with. Unfortunately, that guy happened to be her boss. She took Jack's hand in hers, raised it and placed a kiss on the back of it. She knew Danny and Elena were standing there but didn't care.
She loved Jack. He was her man. He was hurt and she was going to be there for him, not only as a colleague, but as his partner. He had stood by her when she had fallen pregnant, even though it wasn't his. He supported her and had become very close to her baby son. He was a father figure in his life. She admired him for that. She had always known that he was a good man but was finding more and more reasons to love him lately. She broke from her thoughts when she felt a tear land on her arm and realised that she was crying again. It was so unfair. Why did this have to happen? She leaned down and whispered into Jack's ear.
"I love you, Jack Malone. Please don't leave me."
She settled in the chair beside him, her elbows leaning on the bed and watched as his chest rose and fell in rhythm with the respirator. She held his hand with one hand and occasionally stroked his hair with the other. A nurse entered the room and began to adjust the drip feeding into his arm.
"When will he wake up?" Samantha asked her, as she went about her business.
"He's under heavy sedation at the moment, so it's likely to be some time yet," the nurse informed her.
Sam nodded and thanked the nurse, who then left the room. Sam remained by Jack's side for over an hour before Danny and Elena tapped the window. She looked at her watch and realised that she should really go home to her son. She felt torn. The man she loved was lying critically injured in Intensive Care, and she desperately wanted to be there for him. However, it had been almost sixteen hours since she had held her infant son. He needed her too. Difficult as it was, she decided to leave Jack's bedside to go and pick up her son. She knew Jack would understand. He knew how important the little guy was to her. Jack had also become very attached to him, obviously relishing spending time with him, playing with him and watching TV with Finn on his lap. He volunteered to babysit whenever he could. In fact, he had practically moved in over the last few months.
Sam also loved this softer, gentle version of Jack Malone. She rarely had the opportunity to witness Jack Malone, the family man, in their previous relationship. He was more Jack Malone, the cheater or the lover, at that time. How things had changed. He was always so hard on himself for not being able to be there for his daughters, but despite what he thought, he was a good dad. She liked to think that he would be a good dad for Finn some day.
She leaned over and kissed Jack on the cheek before going out to Danny, Elena and Martin. She explained that she had to go and pick Finn up from the babysitter's apartment and take him home and asked if one of them could stay with Jack at all times. They promised they would and said they would call her if anything changed. Martin volunteered to drive Samantha home while Danny and Elena maintained the vigil at Jack's bedside.
Jack spent a comfortable night in ICU and his condition steadily improved. Early the next morning, Samantha returned. Martin was dozing in the chair next to Jack's bed. Danny and Elena had gone home in the early hours of the morning. Martin woke with a start when he heard movement in the room.
"Oh, hey," he said, standing up and stretching out his back.
"Good morning," Sam said with a smile. "How's he doing?"
"He's doing better," Martin told her, looking down on his boss, who remained sedated. "The nurse said she was told to hold the sedation and let him come to, so that has to be a good sign."
Sam moved closer to Jack and took hold of his hand. All she wanted was to feel his touch once more. Martin felt a twinge of jealously, knowing that Sam had never loved him the way she did Jack. Not the time for thoughts like that, he said to himself.
"So, I bet Finn was happy to see you," Martin said, changing the subject.
"He sure was. I hated dropping him to the sitter this morning, but I had to get back and see Jack," Sam said, never taking her eyes off Jack.
"He'll be fine," Martin said, referring to Finn. "I might go and grab a few hours sleep. Are you okay to stay for a while?"
"Absolutely," Sam replied.
Martin turned to leave before Sam called him back.
"Martin!" she said. "Thank you….for everything."
Martin nodded and left Sam sitting there, clutching Jack's hand as if his life depended on it. There she remained for hours, getting up only once to grab a coffee and a sandwich. By early afternoon, Jack started to show signs of waking. Sam talked to him continuously, trying to encourage him to open his eyes. Eventually, to her delight, those brown eyes were staring up at her.
"Hey, Jack. You're in the hospital," she said, as she leaned over him.
Jack moved slightly and tried to talk. His throat was raw from the tube, which had only recently been removed.
"Sshhh!" she said, stroking his face. "Don't try and speak. You were shot but you're going to be okay," Sam said, hoping to reassure him.
She could see the confusion and fear in his eyes even though he nodded, indicating he understood what she had said. For Jack, waking up in the hospital was all a bit surreal. He knew he was in a hospital but couldn't remember why. But regardless, he felt safe. Samantha was there. To him, she was the best medicine a man could ask for. He felt so tired and struggled to keep his eyes open. He had no idea how long he remained awake the first time but remembered waking the second time. She was still there. He was delighted that she had stayed. He tried to read the expression on her face. He definitely saw worry, which made him wonder how seriously injured he actually was.
He took a mental inventory of any messages of pain when he shifted slightly in the bed. Of course, Samantha was up like lightening, trying to stop him injuring himself further. He felt the tightness in his belly, where the stitches were being pulled. His shoulder screamed at the same movement.
"Shot twice?" he asked Sam, when his voice returned.
"Three times actually," Sam corrected him.
"Really? Shoulder, stomach and where else?" Jack asked curiously.
"Thigh," Sam replied. "But that's a relatively minor one."
"Man, I guess I don't do things by halves," Jack joked.
Sam tried to laugh along but the fact that he could have died was never far from her thoughts. Jack could see something was on her mind. She was trying to hide something from him but he knew her far too well by now.
"What is it?" he asked gently.
"What? Oh, nothing, I'm fine," Sam replied.
"Something's on your mind. Tell me," Jack insisted.
Sam bit her lip, unsure whether to say what was on her mind. She looked at Jack, the man she knew she loved. Was it the right time? Is there ever a right time?
"Jack, we almost lost you. I almost lost you," she said, correcting herself. "Things have been really good between us lately. You've shown me another side of you and I like it. I really like it. What I'm trying to say is, I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you," Sam admitted.
A wide smile lit up Jack's ashen features.
"Come 'ere," he said, pulling her closer to him. "I'm not going anywhere."
Sam placed a tentative kiss on his lips. She felt his reaction and placed a second, more passionate kiss there. As they both withdrew from the kiss, Jack looked into her moistening eyes.
"We have all the time in the world," he said lovingly.
THE END
A/N - Good on you, Kimberleah! Your first fic is now published!
