AN: Still not mine…..despite my best efforts to hire Parker to steal it for me!!
AU started off loosely based around The Future Job, however I got sidetracked, Parker is falling in love, Sophie's back, Nathan's on the wagon, Tara is taking Hardison out for dinner and some evil toad shot Eliot….
Firstly, I'd like to wish all my readers a very Happy Easter. Thank you all for taking the time to review, I know that real life can be pretty hectic at times and for you to not only take the time to read this story, but review too, really makes my day. I also find the reviews useful as whilst I enjoy writing it doesn't necessarily mean I'm any good at it. So your reviews encourage me to keep going on the trickier days. As well as spurring me on to actually finishing the job. So without further ado:
A little recap from Chapter 7 for you. . ...
"Eliot, Eliot, can you hear me?" taking his hand, Parker was crying. Sophie put her arm around her shoulder while Nate applied pressure to the wounds with his hands.
"Alec, nearest hospital. Tara, IDs we need one for Eliot and Parker, same surnames. Husband and wife here to see the show." Nate checked the hitter's pulse once more, it was weaker than before, "dammit," he said. "I'm beginning to understand why he doesn't like guns!"
He looked into Sophie's eyes, nodding slightly towards Parker, unspoken words showed a need for the grifter to keep an eye on Parker, Nate returned to his first aid duties, grateful for those courses IYS had made him attend all those years ago.
Finally an ambulance made it's way through the crowd of bloodthirsty bystanders. Two paramedics jumped out and while one assessed Eliot the other began grabbing kit out of the back of the ambulance.
"I'm Jim, can you tell me what happened here?"
"I'm Nate, this is my friend Eliot." Nodding across to Parker who was holding Eliot's hand, "Parker, his wife." She certainly didn't need to be told how to handle this part he thought ironically to himself. "He tried to stop someone from being kidnapped and they shot him, hitting him twice in the chest. His pulse is weak and his breathing is heavily compromised."
"Okay everyone stand back and give us some room. Nate, hold these pads onto his chest for me, I'm just grabbing some kit with my partner Zac." Explained the medic rushing off to the truck. Pulling out a flat board and blankets and first aid box, Jim and Zac were back at Eliot's side in a flash. Swapping out the blood soaked rags for cleaner wadding, Jim cut open Eliot's shirts to expose a chest with two clear holes in it. Placing the wadding over the top he asked Nate "Are you able to keep applying the pressure while I check his breathing?" Turning to Parker "Ma'am can you keep talking to your husband, it helps a great deal." Parker nodded and began to whisper to Eliot. Sophie and Tara stood back with Alec in a state of shock.
Zac had the stethoscope on Eliot's chest, while Jim turned him slightly to listen from behind. "Collapsed on right" confirmed Zac, "Left too" confirmed Jim. "Bag him, we're losing him".
Lifting Eliot onto the gurney that seemed to appear from nowhere, they were breathing for Eliot. Turning to Nate as they wheeled Eliot away, "Can you follow us, there's not going to be room in the truck for passengers?" he was looking pointedly at Parker, who was stood back staring at Eliot's blood on her hands. As the doors slammed, they all piled into the van to follow the ambulance to the hospital, when Parker turned to Sophie, "But I didn't get to tell him yet?" Sophie just placed her arms around Parker, ushering her into the van and assuring her that there would be plenty of time, and desperately hoping that she was right this time.....
Chapter 8
Watching the gurney being loaded Parker had wanted to go with Eliot, Nate slipped one side of her, with Sophie on the other and they guided her away saying that the medics would need all the spare room to work on Eliot and that the team were going to follow on right behind the ambulance. With that, Parker tucked Eliot's hand in under the foil blanket and without taking her eyes off him allowed herself to be taken towards the open side door of the van. Jim had told Nate they were taking Eliot to the Boston Medical Center in South End, and that they should hurry along behind them.
Hardison brought the van close up behind the ambulance and as the lights and sirens started, Nate and Sophie ushered Parker into the van, where Tara waited for them in the front passenger seat. Hardison waited until the door slammed to put the van into drive and followed on behind the lights, fervently wishing they could silence the sirens. They just served a further reminder of the days tragic events. Tara kept busy by routing around in the first aid kit, passing back hankies and a bottle of water Sophie helped to clean Eliot's blood from Parker's hands. It was safe to say that the whole team was in shock, yet instead of giving into it, they all focused on Parker. It had become blatantly apparent today that Parker had strong feelings for Eliot and while Sophie was the only who knew the hitters intentions, it hadn't taken much nouse to imagine the pair together. Even Hardison was in favour of the pair, thinking they would be good for each other. Sadly today brought back into their minds the danger Eliot faced with all of their tasks, yes it was true that the hitter sometimes didn't have to use much muscle, but today was one such occasion and Eliot had been shot down by some completely unknown enemy, someone who'd clearly wanted Rand at any price. Discussing those details now wouldn't help and with Parker looking the palest the team had seen her and most certainly the stillest she'd ever been, any discussion had been vetoed until they knew how their friend was doing. Nate looked at the blood on his hands and as Tara passed more tissues and water across to him, he considered just what had happened, up until recently he hadn't considered the others as anything much but criminals and he recalled with some embarrassment how he had told Eliot that they weren't friends. This was something that would haunt him until he straightened it out with the younger man. There had to be a friendship there after all Nate had held Eliot's chest wounds together in order to stop his blood from oozing out onto the tarmac and staring at the water bottle he suddenly opened it and couldn't get the red marks off his hands quickly enough. He was feeling nauseous, but his primary concern had to be getting the team through this and in one piece.
Passing yet another bottle of water to Sophie, Tara suggested that Parker should try to take a few small sips. Tara was trying to keep her mind off watching the replay in her head, over and over, each time it happened slower and slower, the van came alongside. She had heard Eliot warn of it's arrival, so Tara had stepped back. Rand was dragged in the side door and as Tara went to protest she had seen the gun, when she looked where it was aimed she had seen Eliot sprinting across the parking lot. There was no time to warn him when the shots rang out, he had just dropped like a stone. There was nothing like watching someone you cared for being hurt in such a manner, but to hear the reactions of the team over their comms and to see their faces as they all arrived in the lot was indescribable. Except for Parker, she had screamed down the comms and bullied her way through the departing crowds to get towards the parking lot, when she arrived she skidded to the floor beside Eliot and had taken his hand in hers. Tara hadn't heard what she said, but the sentiment was real between the strange pair and Tara didn't know what to say to Parker by means of comfort for the young thief. Thank whatever powers that be, that Sophie had come back that week. The team clearly cared for each other, although they still had major trust issues, they just hadn't passed on the sentiment to each other and while they'd all had less than perfect childhoods it seemed that the time was nearing for them to have one big hug-fest and finally get the elephants out of the room, so to speak.
"Thank you Tara," Nate said, "Are you alright?" he continued. "We had best get our covers straight for the police, they'll undoubtedly visit us at the hospital."
"I'm alright thanks Nate, a little shaken but I'm holding up just fine," Tara replied, looking across at Parker, whose pale face was staring ahead at the ambulance, as if waiting for it to pull over and say there was nothing more they could do. "Alec has set up IDs and background." she continued turning from Parker to Hardison who was behind the wheel.
"I've set up Mr and Mrs Eliot Carmichael. A former stuntman and his wife, Parker, visiting the show as well as meeting their friends Nate and Sophie Sheridan, friends from old." Pausing he pointed to a folder for Tara to open, "In there are IDs for you all. Tara has her alter ego Mystic Meg's ID to use and once we get to the hospital I'll set up the school reunion page where you all hooked up again after all those years." he added sarcastically.
"Thank you Alec," Nate took the offered ID and passed Sophie and Parker they're ones. "good work getting it all together so quickly."
Sophie passed Parker her ID and watched as she slipped her and Eliot's ID into her bag. "Parker, here please, take a few sips of water," Sophie spoke calmly to the thief, Parker shook her head, "Sweetheart, you've got to look after yourself, Eliot is going to need help from us all to get him through this, although it's you he's going to want to see when he comes round from all this." Parker finally took a sip of water, but didn't trust herself to speak without the unshed tears falling rapidly from her eyes. She turned and continued to stare out the front windscreen, keeping the speeding ambulance in her sight at all times. Sophie slipped off the gold band she wore on her right hand and a diamond ring which would fit the bill for Parker's engagement ring. "Here Parker, pop these on," lifting up Parker's left hand Sophie waited for the nod of permission before slipping both rings onto the thief's slender hand.
The van returned to comparative silence and after what seemed like an eternity they pulled up at the hospital, Sophie had asked Nate to go on ahead and find out where they needed to go while she took Parker to the ladies room. Hoping to clean the thief up a little before settling in for what may be a lengthy wait to hear about their friend.
Nate headed straight for the reception desk and asked the nurse who stood sentry for the hitter's alias. Eliot Carmichael "Please could you tell us how he is? He was admitted by EMTs a few minutes ago?" Nathan pleaded with the nurse.
"Are you family?" queried the overworked nurse.
"He's my friend," holding up his hands and pointing to his clothes, he said "I'm covered in his blood. I just need to know that he made it to the hospital alive, please." Nate was in no mood to deal with a jobsworth just now and was getting antsy.
Hardison stepped up to speak to the nurse, she reminded him of his Nana. "Ma'am, our friend was brought in with two gunshot wounds, he was in a bad way, his wife is in the restroom cleaning his blood off her hands," pleading was not beyond the hacker to get information on their friend, "We just need to know where he is and if he's alright? Do you think you could help us, please?"
Looking up at the handsome young man in front of her and noticing that he had been joined by three woman, one of which looked shell shocked, she decided to help. "Of course, I understand entirely. Let me just check." looking down to her compute and tapping a few keys, "I see, Mr Carmichael has been taken straight through to the operating theatre. I'm going to call through for an update and see if someone can come out to talk to you." Smiling sympathetically she waved the group towards a comfortable looking waiting room and turned to make a call.
Sophie guided Parker towards a sofa for them to sit on, leaving her with Tara, moved across to Nate. "Are you alright?" Sophie whispered into the mastermind's ear as she joined him staring out the window. "I've never seen so much blood Sophie, I….eh.. I'm fine, I just don't like hospitals". He stammered. Hardison offered to get drinks for the team and Tara switched with Sophie to join him and help carry the order.
"Are you okay Tara, I didn't even get to check, they didn't hurt you when they.....when they shot Eliot", Hardison asked his helper as they searched for the canteen in the large hospital.
"I'm fine, I didn't even have time to warn him, Eliot just moved so fast, there was no time and then the gun went off, it all happened so quickly." Tara's eyes watered as she told Hardison exactly what happened in the parking lot. Alec pulled Tara into a hug to try to sooth the fair haired grifter, all the while he was feeling a guilt of his own.
"I never truly appreciated what Eliot does for all each time we pull a job, he puts himself on the line every time…and now…. well we don't even know if he's gonna make it…..". Hardison was staring at the floor by the time he finished, "all I ever do is tease him about being angry all the time. I haven't even told him that he's my friend and I'd trust him with my life". Alec was quite pale and Tara noticed he was close to tears himself. She pulled his arm to turn him around and pulled him into another hug.
"There's still time you know, he's not gone yet and I'll bet it would take a lot more than a couple of bullets to take Eliot down. So don't go writing him off just yet." Taking hold of Alec's hand in hers, Tara led the way towards the canteen.
Parker was starting to shiver and Sophie detected that she may be going into shock. "Parker, sweetie, are you feeling alright?" asking these questions were difficult as the answer was evident, but Sophie still needed to check how lucid Parker was.
"I'm fine, nothing wrong with me, Eliot's the one with holes in him…… why aren't they telling us anything?" Parker surprised Sophie when she spoke, it had felt like a long time since she had uttered a single word.
"The nurse was going to call the theatre and I'm sure they'll come and talk to us as soon as they've checked him over," Nate assured both ladies, "you know what Eliot's like, he's probably giving them hell and telling them they're doing it all wrong or not to touch him!" adding a slight smile in an attempt to lighten the uneasy mood.
"I know how I feel now Sophie," Parker spoke, yet stayed staring directly towards the door waiting for someone to appear with any news at all, "I've been thinking about it all day, I couldn't wait until tonight to tell him, but he won't be at home tonight, will he?"
"Do you want to tell me, or would you prefer to tell Eliot first?" Sophie asked cautiously, Nate understanding what was going on thanks to Sophie's heads up the day prior.
"I love him, ….. I'm in love with him," Parker finally broke down in tears at her own admission of feelings for the hitter. "What if I never get to tell him?"
"Oh Parker," Sophie too was crying, "You'll get to tell him, I'm sure of it. You've both waited so long for happiness and now it's your turn to be happy, both of you." Sophie couldn't get the words out she wanted, she couldn't make promises for Parker because the truth of it was that Eliot hadn't even been breathing on his own when they'd seen him last. How could she persuade Parker that everything was going to be alright.
Turning to look back out the window, Nathan Ford couldn't help but think of the irony of it all. Eliot Spencer, the Worlds best Retrieval Specialist, an extraordinary fighter and undoubted lover of many women, finally finds a woman who loves him. The one woman who is just about crazy enough to actually understand the loner and his strange habits and he manages to get himself shot before she can tell him how she feels. If it hadn't been so damned sad it might have been ironic. However ironic, he found himself wiping his eyes before turning back to the two women.
Tara and Hardison came back in with some drinks, heavily laiden with sugar to help prevent the lingering effects from shock within the team. Shortly after the drinks had been handed round a man with surgical scrubs on, who looked as though he'd just come out of an abattoir, walked into the room.
"Family of Eliot Carmichael?" the surgeon looked around the room of faces.
"This is his wife, Parker." Nate directed towards Parker. Moving forward when she failed to speak, "How is he?" as he greeted the surgeon, hoping he could shelter the team from the answer to that question.
"Mrs Carmichael, I'm Dr Meyer, may I speak in front of these people?" the surgeon asked Parker.
"Of course, just tell us how Eliot is?" Parker moved forward to stand in front of the man who was currently withholding the most important information in the world as far as she was concerned.
"Your husband arrived to us in very bad shape indeed. He was hit twice in the chest, breaking several of his ribs. Initially we believed he had two collapsed lungs, though once we had him in theatre we discovered it was one lung only, his left lung. Two of his broken ribs on the right hand side were compromising his breathing sounds on the right which is why it seemed like both were punctured. He's still not out of the woods. He lost an awful lot of blood and old scar tissue made surgery difficult. The surgical team have retrieved both bullets and are closing him up now, assuming all that finishes well, he'll be moved to ICU and placed on the critical list. The immediate first aid given was extremely beneficial to your husband and whilst he has lost a lot of blood, which we are replacing, it is likely that with plenty rest and recuperation, there's no reason why your husband won't make a good recovery."
"Oh thank God," Parker said as she broke down crying, with Sophie by her side. "When can I see him?"
"He'll be in theatre for another half hour at least then recovery, he's still receiving a blood transfusion and won't be allowed visitors for at least another two hours. After that we'll move him through to the Intensive Care Unit for the first 24 hours to monitor his recovery. Only you will be allowed to visit him in there, however if he makes good enough progress through the night, he'll be moved to a private room where we'll continue to monitor him closely. Then you'll all be allowed to visit for short periods of time. Now if you have any questions for me, please ask the nurse to page me and I'll have a nurse come and fetch you Mrs Carmichael as soon as Eliot is set up in ICU." Stepping closer to Parker and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Mrs Carmichael, your husband is clearly a fighter and I can't impress upon you how close he came this time. He is going to need considerable rest and recuperation after these injuries and there is a long way to go yet, but I'm confident he'll be absolutely fine in a few months." Patting her shoulder, which confused Parker completely, Dr Meyer disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.
"Thank God for that," Nate said as he rubbed his hand over his face, "Parker he's going to be fine," stepping closer to the thief and opening his arms for her to step in to, which she actually did to his surprise, "this is great news indeed."
Tara, Hardison and Sophie were all smiling too, there was a tough time ahead but Eliot was still alive and would be fine, which was all that mattered. Finally feeling settled enough to sit down the weary group took their seats and started to plan what they would do with Leverage Associates while Eliot was getting better. Parker was still quiet and her features had yet to gain any colour and although she was quieter than usual, she kept a firm grip on Sophie's hand throughout. Nate and Tara went to talk to the police who had arrived to discuss the kidnapping and Sophie staying with Parker, while Hardison was off in the van with his computer fixing up the back stories that Nate and Tara were telling the cops. Dalton Rand had been kidnapped and in any other circumstances they would have made an effort to get him back even if only to finish him off, so to speak. This time they were going to let sleeping dogs lie and when Rand turned back up they would deal with it there and then. They would ensure the client received some money, which Sophie had offered up from her loot, they wouldn't be taking on new clients until they understood the extent of Eliot's injuries and necessary recovery time.
"Parker, is this the first time you've had to wait on a loved one in the hospital?" Sophie hazarded a guess as Parker paced back and forth for the hundredth time in the two hours they had been in the surgical waiting room.
"I've never had to wait like this about someone I've cared about," Parker thought carefully about her reply, then added almost silently, "I've never loved anybody before."
"You've never been in love?" exclaimed Sophie, slightly louder than she had intended, "Sorry Parker, I just didn't expect that from you, you're a beautiful young lady with so much to offer I would have thought someone might have caught your eye before now."
"You have to say that, you're like my unofficial big sister, but no one has ever been close to me like this before. No one has even tried in a long long time." Parker admitted, staring at the floor tiles, embarrassed by her lack of prowess in the situation.
"Parker, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's sweet that you have waited to find the right person instead of declaring love to anyone you've ever dated, that's a dreadful habit that the younger generation have gotten themselves into and it doesn't always end well." Sophie was trying to make Parker feel better about her virtues. "But you've had boyfriends before, haven't you Parker?"
Parker was looking around for exits now and Sophie was regretting having asked the question, suddenly putting two and two together from Eliot's conversation with her that morning, she had understood what he meant by "they were supposed to look after her, not hurt her", if she had assumed correctly then there were much details to deal with in this budding romance. Dear God, why can't things ever be straight forward for these twothought Sophie. Moving closer to Parker, without frightening the startled thief even further, Sophie reached out her arm and put it around Parker's shoulders, "You don't need to talk about these things, and I'm sorry I pushed you. I'm just got overexcited about you and Eliot getting together. You both deserve a great deal of happiness and I'm sure you can give that to each other." Smiling Sophie pulled Parker into a hug and watched over her shoulder as Nate and Tara approached. Whispering in Parker's ear that the others were on they're way back, they moved apart and sat back down. Statements given to the Police including several questions as to how Tara had failed to see the shooting of a friend despite her powers, it had all gone fairly smoothly. Shortly after a nurse arrived to take Mrs Carmichael to the ICU to see her husband. Parker got up to leave with the lady. It wasn't until she was part way out the door that she realised she'd never seen anyone who'd just come out of surgery, she didn't know what to expect. Would he even be awake yet?
Luckily the nurse, Matilda, was careful to ensure Parker was prepared for that sight which would meet her in ICU. "Your husband will look a little different, firstly he has lots of tubes coming from his arms and mouth, one is still supplying blood, another anti-biotics and another saline. He has a TMA which keeps his pain manageable while he is asleep. He has a breathing tube down his throat so his lungs can get better and whilst he made it through surgery well the doctors felt it best if they placed your husband in a medically induced coma for the next 24 hours to help his body heal."
"Do you think he will be able to hear me?" Parker asked, quite sure of what she needed to tell him.
"Some say that people can hear and remember things they've been told, and while we encourage people to talk to their relatives, there's no medical evidence to back up the claims. If I were you, I'd talk away and tell him about everything and anything. Just pretend he's asleep and I'll be right outside if you need me. He's just in here," Matilda pointed through a door to a bed surrounded by machines. They were all beeping and a loud whooshing noise to her left made her jump slightly.
Noticing this Matilda pointed out "That's the machine that is helping Mr Carmichael to breathe for the moment".
"Eliot" Parker whispered, afraid to speak too loudly in case she set all the machines off. Eliot looked pale and uncharacteristically still. He had large black circles under his eyes and was stripped to the waist. His muscular chest was covered in bandages and tubes came from everywhere she could think of. All she wanted to do was run away, she didn't want to see him like this, this was a vulnerable side of Eliot she couldn't believe existed. Eliot was a tower of strength, an enigma, like superman or maybe batman suited him better. Whichever it was, there was no way in Hell that this was the same person lying so still on this bed.
Matilda returned with a chair for Mrs Carmichael a few seconds later to discover the woman sat cross legged on the bedside locker leaning across and holding her husband's hand through the bed frame and plethora of wires. Halting at the door she barely made out the sentence the woman whispered over and over, but knew the phrase well enough to make out "I love you", and closing the door she left the couple to it, silently praying that the man would make it through the night.
AN: Anybody want more?