I am really sorry – it seems that you got my un-edited version, so here is the corrected version with the spell checker run over it this time and the final edits in place.

I hope this didn't spoil your enjoyment too much. Thanks again :-)

AN: Still not mine…..despite my best efforts to hire Parker to steal it for me!! I have limited first aid knowledge and am repairing Eliot using my muse's knowledge of technical medical stuff, in other words, I'm making it up as I go along although I use to watch ER!!!

AU started off loosely based around The Future Job, however I got sidetracked, Parker and Eliot are…..well, in love - though the haven't quite managed to tell each other yet. Nate's on the wagon, Sophie's back and Tara may just stick around with Hardison for a little while.....

I truly hope you enjoy what follows:

"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."

"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.

Chapter 9

Nathan Ford managed a whole twenty minutes after Parker had been taken through to her 'husband's room before he excused himself from the sombre and silent waiting room. He just couldn't sit with the others as he oozed guilt over the situation they found themselves in. He was in charge, invariably took the credit for the planning therefore should be ready to take the fall when it all went to shit. Thinking back he realised that he'd been drunk when he had come up with the initial plan, his plan, his fault that they'd gone into this job believing Rand to be an easy mark; I mean it wasn't like they'd taken on the Russian mob or any other mob for that instance! Okay they'd managed to shake off the slight hiccup with Parker, no job ever went completely smoothly and instead of keeping on their toes they had blazed ahead letting their hearts rule their heads, they all wanted revenge for their friend. Admittedly he had thrown out all the booze before Sophie returned and was serious about quitting, though he really didn't need all this extra heartache while he was trying to do it! He'd done it for Sophie initially, though had since realised he needed to quit drinking for himself and in essence the whole team, if he wanted to keep them alive and together. There was nothing else for it he needed to get the team back to being as sharp as they had been when they initially came together. He hated to watch another member of his family get hurt and physically couldn't spend anymore of his life standing outside ICU while someone he cared for fought for their very existence inside it. Ironically when he looked up he found himself outside the very corridor that led to the Intensive Care Unit of the Boston Medical Centre. He paced for a short while before steeling himself to even look through the window of Eliot's room. He wasn't as shocked to see all the machines that were keeping Eliot breathing as he was watching how still his friend was and even more unsettling was watching Parker, she was leaning across from her chair through the bars of the bed stroking Eliot's hand, the only part of the hitter that wasn't bandaged or dotted with IVs. He felt his heart strings pull when he saw the scared look Parker had on her face, she looked distraught and he wanted to go inside to offer her some comfort; although he felt he didn't deserve to draw comfort from Parker in return. He didn't feel he deserved to be comforted at all over this situation. Perhaps he would ask Sophie to check on their young friends. Pausing before he turned away he mumbled an almost silent prayer for them all, calling in all and any of his favours with God for Eliot, for all the good it might do, but the mere fact he'd even bothered to try after Sam had to mean something!

The waiting room had fallen silent once more. The doctor had left, followed shortly after by Parker who had been taken by a nurse, Sophie couldn't help but look to Nathan Ford, she was in love with the man, had been for years. She had always felt the excitement in their particular game of cat and mouse. Though now as she looked at him, all she saw was a deeply scarred man, petrified of hospitals and she secretly hoped he wouldn't choose this moment to disappear on the team in search of the closest bar. When he had left the room suddenly, Sophie looked to Alec Hardison, who seemed paled by the whole situation, he wasn't involved in the violent end of crime and she doubted he'd even seen someone who had been shot. She patted his knee and held it for a few seconds to reassure him that he would not be alone through this and between them all they would hopefully provide each other with the comfort that Eliot would get through this, somehow.

"I'm just going to see if they'll let us in yet," Sophie spoke softly, "will you be alright for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah..okay, I'll stay here… in case, well in case the doctor comes back. Tara will be back too, won't she?" Alec Hardison was in shock and there was no two ways about it.

"Yes of course, I think she had some calls to make. Can I bring you back another drink Alec?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah please Soph, anything with lots of sugar please." Hardison smiled up at the grifter.

"Be back in a few minutes sweetie." Sophie said heading for the door.

Sophie closed the door and rested back against it, taking a few deep breaths she pushed away and headed towards the nurses station.

"Can you tell me where I can get a coffee please?" Sophie put on her bravest smile, the first time in ages a stranger had been privy to one of the grifter's most genuine of smiles.

"Towards the main entrance on the right, Miss" Matilda replied. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but your friend isn't fairing too well in her husband's room. He's in a bad way and doesn't look his best at the minute, you might want to pop through there and have a look into the room – if you happen to pass by if you understand my meaning."

"Thank you, Nurse…" "Matilda" "Thank you Matilda, I'll check in on my friend and make sure she's alright."

Parker hadn't noticed Nate pacing outside the room, primarily because she hadn't taken her eyes off Eliot since being allowed into his room. The ventilator was so loud and each whoosh represented another breath the hitter couldn't take by himself, this was quite possibly the most unsettling noise she had ever heard. Eliot was pale, cold and silent, yet the scariest part had been his stillness. Even when they were alone he was always doing something, stroking her hair, tickling her hand, playing guitar, singing; hell anything but staying still. Parker was horrified to think that Eliot might not wake up. She had never seen or known anyone this injured. He couldn't assure her that everything was going to be all right this time and this scared her the most. Standing, she leaned over the bed frame somehow and planted a gentle kiss on Eliot's forehead, whispering quietly in his ear the words "I love you" and "I'm right here waiting for you", then taking her seat once more for the long wait until Eliot came back to her. Parker had known she liked Eliot, had done for quite some time. What wasn't to like, he was handsome with piercing blue eyes, long silky hair and the huskiest voice she'd ever heard. He also had an incredibly soft side that no one else got to see, she liked this secret side, for her eyes only and he cared for her, wanted to make her past right somehow. He was a gentleman, pulling out her chair, opening doors for her and she loved every minute of it. She never realised what it meant to be in love, not truly until today, the journey to the hospital following the ambulance was when it hit her like a speeding train. Thinking about life without Eliot had been the eye opener she needed to tell him her decision. She didn't want to be afraid anymore, not only did she need him in her life she wanted to be the only woman in his. There was so much she had missed out on without realising it; she had spent her whole life afraid and lonely, failing to trust anyone, she may have been a World-class thief, yet she missed out on so many other things because she lacked confidence in herself, except when she was thieving.

Meanwhile heading towards ICU, Sophie spotted Nate standing outside a door, hands in his pockets, it had turned out to be Eliot's room. She paused to watch him for a moment and could see grief evident in his demeanour. Nate didn't need to watch anyone else he cared for fight for their life again and walking towards him she heard him mumbling what she recognised as the Lord's Prayer, waiting behind him until he finished before she put her hand on his shoulder. He spun around and walked into her open arms.

"Nate they said he's going to be all right," Sophie whispered into his ear, "although we need to think about making a few arrangements for while Eliot is getting back on his feet. Maybe we could all have a few weeks together, taking it in turns to help with Eliot. Then perhaps we could take off for that break you promised us all." Sophie was smiling as she talked into Nate's shoulder.

"I'm one step ahead of you Soph, but I didn't want to presume that you'd stay, do you think you will stay even if we're off the grid somewhere, holed up together?" Nate spoke into her hair before placing a gentle kiss on her head.

"I'm back Nate, we've got to sort ourselves out or forget about it for the sake of the team and our sanity. Now we have a further incentive to stay together as a team, we need to help Eliot and Parker get through this." Sophie replied.

"So it's real then, she really is in love with him?" Nate was beginning to understand what was going on between the hitter and thief.

"Yes, I believe so Nate. I think Eliot needs this as much as Parker does and it will be good for both of them to have someone in their lives."

"I understand now, we'll just need some minor alteration to my plans, will you help me?" he asked, "and perhaps later, you and I could talk, alone. I want to make this work Sophie. I've been grieving too long and I had almost forgotten how to live. This team has helped me with that and watching those two in there has made me realise even more what a fool I've been. Maggie is gone, moved on with her life and Sam has been gone for a long time now. I need you Sophie, I want you in my life." Nate's eyes were watering by the time he'd finished talking and when Sophie pulled out of his arms, he saw her beautiful face and the tears wavering on the edge of her eyes too.

"Oh Nate, I've waited for so long….." Any conversation was halted by a sudden clashing of mouths and a full on passionate embrace, breathing into each other as they kissed for the first time, to celebrate the beginning of their new life together. They were oblivious to the outside world, to anything going on around them until they were interrupted by a small cough. They looked around to find Nurse Matilda waiting to get into Eliot's room. Embarrassed they apologised and stepped apart the watched the nurse step through them with a sly grin on her face. Their gaze met with Eliot lying unnaturally still and Parker sat closely next to the bed with her head lay upon his hand, resting on the bed.

"Can we come in please?" they asked the nurse.

"It can't hurt, perhaps Mrs Carmichael could do with a break?" Matilda nodded towards Parker who had yet to even acknowledge their presence.

"Parker,…. Parker honey," Sophie looked at the nurse who waved her into the room, "Parker" Sophie said as she approached the thief, warning her she gently placed her hands on her shoulders to turn the thief around.

Tears were streaming down her face and she was sobbing silently so it would seem. How on earth could anyone cry so hard but be as silent as she had been. Practise was the only thing that Sophie could think of and it broke her heart to realise how Parker had obviously been treated before. Pulling the young blond into her arms, she held her and rocked her gently as she kissed her head and told her that everything would be all right. "Let it all out sweetie, you don't have to hide your tears from us, we're your friends and your family. We're here to help you, help Eliot." Sophie had joined her friend in crying. "Oh look, you've started me off now. Come now lets take a walk, a little break. Eliot wouldn't want you getting sick too, you should at least have a drink. He'd want you to look after yourself too. Nate will stay with him while we're gone and I'll bring you straight back," Sophie explained softly to the worried thief, "I promise. We're all here to help you both."

" 'kay," Parker nodded and she turned back to kiss Eliot's forehead and reassure the comatose hitter that Nate was going to watch over him and she would return very shortly. Walking past Nate, who took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, Parker managed a small smile for the mastermind. "Thank you Nate," she whispered.

Meanwhile Hardison was struggling back in the waiting room, Tara had since returned but Sophie had yet to come back with any update. If this had been any other situation, it would have been Eliot that kept their spirits up by leading the reassurances among the team, ensuring everyone was coping through whatever crisis had befallen the team. He would prepare food for them, something they all liked, just to keep them balanced. He knew all their favourite meals. They had all worked alone before Leverage Associates, yet since the teams inception Eliot had declared himself their protector and be it physical or mental anguish, he would normally have been the one to keep the team motivated, keep them from worrying by letting them know that everything would be alright. Of course the doctor had explained Eliot's injuries and as scary as they sounded, Alec had managed to drown them out. Dr Meyer was giving the options for a normal man, not Eliot they didn't know what he was capable of. So Hardison tried to block the worst of it out. All he cared about was that Eliot would be fine after lots of rest and recuperation. How on earth were they supposed to keep the man down, he didn't sleep for more than a few hours each night when he was healthy. If his Nana had been around still he might have called her for some advice on what to do or say, but he was going to have to work this out himself and that scared him more than one of Eliot's threatening growls. Finally he and Tara decided to go in search of their own answers. It would seem that Sophie had got caught up somewhere else. Heading around towards ICU they were shown to his room but told that someone was already in there. They could wait outside and swap with him when he came out if they liked. Going swiftly to the door to check who was in with Eliot, grateful to discover it was Nate and not the FBI or local cops. Resting against the wall outside the room, they talked quietly between themselves about how awful the job had turned out. Tara was feeling especially guilty; after all it was her whom Eliot had been racing to protect. She had seen the gun too late and there was no time to warn the hitter before the shots rang out. She wouldn't blame the team if they held her responsible for getting Eliot hurt so badly. Hardison seemed to sense her guilt and before she knew it, he had crossed the corridor and put two fingers under her chin to lift her face to look up at him.

"There was nothing you could have done Tara," Alec explained to her, "Eliot will tell you the same when he wakes up, it's his job and some days his job sucks."

"You don't believe that anymore than I do, remember as a grifter I read people for a living," scolded Tara, "but…thank you for trying."

"I wasn't lying, but I was trying to distract you." Hardison explained with his hands up in mock surrender. "Eliot wouldn't have it any other way. The guys' wired wrong!"

Looking through the window to the room, they say that Nate was sat close to the bed and seemed to be talking to Eliot. They couldn't hear what he was saying,

Inside the room Nate had began to talk to Eliot, to tell him about the first time he'd ever heard of the retrieval specialist, he knew of his time in Myanmar with the Monkey. Had laughed about it when Eliot told him that he believed he was retrieving a precious antiquity yet when he arrived he was horrified to discover it was an actual living and breathing monkey. Nate had never understood what happened to Eliot in Myanmar and why he had gone off the grid for months afterwards, however since working with Eliot he realised that the hitter had been tortured and badly malnourished during his imprisonment that he had required a lengthy recovery period after his escape. Nate was convinced that anyone with that shear amount of willpower to live wouldn't voluntarily choose to become a retrieval specialist in the first place. Nate wanted to ensure the hitter knew how much he was appreciated, how much the whole team appreciated everything that Eliot did. Nate wanted the whole team to understand how much he appreciated them also. Though Nate felt particularly bad about how he had first spurned Eliot's attempt at friendship, thinking he was too good for the criminal initially, now he would make sure Eliot knew how good a friend he was to them all, trusted by them all. They were practically family now. If Eliot could only see the way they all paced this hospital waiting for news of his recovery then perhaps he would begin to understand. Nate would explain this to Eliot when he was stronger. He would make sure that the hitter knew his true worth, and stopped taking unnecessary risks.

Nate had gathered files on all of the team members when he had worked at IYS as he had chased each of them individually before they had met up to take on the Dubenich job. He had lots of information on Sophie, gathered more for personal reasons than professional. There hadn't been much information on Parker, not even her real name. Certainly nothing of her brother dying in a road accident or what followed after. Hardison left little by way of a paper trail, his real name was Alec Hardison but he went by many aliases on the internet, mostly depending on which site he was hacking. He was raised in the system and the woman he lovingly referred to as Nana was his foster mother, who had raised him from a young child. He had seen the lighter side of crime, less physical and more mental acuity required. As for Eliot, well that had not been a happy story at all, there wasn't much written information but there were sealed court records and little by way of information on his family life. He started to appear on the insurance companies radar around 16 years before hand, no one knew much about the latest retrieval specialist on the streets, other than he was scary good.

"We're going to help you get better Eliot, now there are others to see you too and I'll be back later, I've got some things organise." squeezing the hitter's hand before he got up from the chair and opened the door, inviting Hardison and Tara inside.

"Is there anymore news?" Hardison immediately asked

"No, I was just going to check with the nurse?" Nate replied.

"Do you think he can hear us if we talk to him?" enquired Tara not sure she could take her eyes off the injured hitter.

"I don't think it can hurt to talk to him, I've been doing it and Parker was when I came in," explained Nate as he watched Hardison look around for the missing thief, "to answer your question, Parker and Sophie have just gone for a short walk. Parker is very upset."

"Oh, I see." Alec was looking at his feet unsure of how he felt seeing the hitter looking so vulnerable.

"Well it's not easy to watch someone you love go through this, and she's taking it very badly." Nate wanted to make sure they understood what was happening within the team, "we need to set up some place where we can all stay and help Eliot recuperate from this. I understand entirely if you want to go your own ways, and come back when the team is ready to set up Leverage Associates once more. We could always run small jobs or internet jobs on the side to keep our hands in."

Tara looked from Hardison to Nate, then to Eliot, and the newly arrived Parker and Sophie. "Of course I'll stay, anything to help."

Sophie led Parker to the chair where she sat down and took Eliot's hand immediately in hers, then went to stand by Nate. "Count me in too, I'm with you."

Nate decided to tell the team, as they were all there. "This situation with Eliot has shown us that we need to talk, we need to decide what we're doing with our lives, do we need to be together or apart from now on." Sophie was smiling up at the mastermind. "I was just asking if the others wanted to stay. Now you're all here I can tell you the plan."

Suddenly the alarms starting beeping and they were all ushered out of the room by the team of Nurses and Doctors that fled into the room.

A sobbing and frightened Parker was being held by Sophie and Nate: She was scared to look at what might be happening, yet couldn't take her eyes off Eliot.

For twenty five minutes they all paced outside the ICU's private room where Eliot was in a drug induced coma to rest his damaged lungs, when finally Dr Meyer came out of the room with Nurse Matilda at his side.

"Mrs Carmichael," he spoke softly to the young lady who had stopped crying and was staring almost catatonically towards the room. "Excuse me, Mrs Carmichael. The alarms were warning us of the low oxygen output that the ventilator machine was managing. It would appear that while one lung is repairing from the puncture, the side with broken ribs seems to have pneumonia."

"What does this mean," Nate asked Dr Meyer amid cries and sobs from Sophie and Tara. Parker had clearly gone into shock and was no longer displaying any sign of emotion, which was even more scary than the upset version.

"Well we've started a broad spectrum antibiotic to begin attacking the pneumonia. We've taken blood tests to narrow down the exact virus infecting Mr Carmichael. It really is a setback in Eliot's recovery but we do still expect him to make a full recovery, but it may lengthen his time both in hospital and recuperating. I see that you have a large family Mrs Carmichael and I'm sure they will help you through this, please do not give up hope, he really will pull through this. For Eliot to have come so far already is testament to his will to live, he's not likely to give up now." Dr Meyer spoke with Matilda with some instructions on observations.

"Excuse me, Mr..." Dr Meyer approached Nate, "Ford, Nathan Ford, what can I do for you Doctor?" "May we talk for a moment privately?" Dr Meyer asked.

"Of course, guys why don't you take Parker to get some food while the doctors get things set up for Eliot, I'll come and meet you in the cafeteria shortly." Nate addressed his family, Sophie and Tara took a side each of Parker and led her away, followed by Hardison who paused to ask if Nate needed him with him. "Nah, I'll be fine thank you Alec, please keep an eye on the ladies, they aren't doing so well. Make sure Parker eats something full of sugar and gets some caffeine into her too, okay."

"You mean everything she isn't normally allowed then," smiled Hardison, "I can do that man!"

Turning to the doctor "Okay, I'm all yours, what seems to be the problem?" Nate got straight down to business.

"Thank you for being so candid, we do have another worry regarding Mr Carmichael's recovery. It would appear that he has suffered from pneumonia on previous occasions due to the amount of scarring that we found on his lungs during the surgery. He will hopefully be able to fight it, frankly the amount of scars on his body worry me. He has considerable scar tissue under his skin and it made the surgery to remove the bullets difficult, any further surgery would be nigh on impossible. So when Mr Carmichael is released it is paramount that he takes things extremely easily. His ribs need to recover fully and preferably not be broken again."

"Ah I see, well thank you for your directness also, it is often difficult to get Eliot to take better care of himself. He is a bodyguard, who was previously a stunt man and therefore his injury list is quite lengthy. He has broken ribs on a number of occasions. I plan to rent a home close by where we can bring Eliot here for his out patient treatment and we can all stay together to help Parker through this too."

"That's a great idea, she looks strong and capable but it's going to be a long and slow process, you've got a great family there Mr Ford." Dr Meyer shook Nate's hand before turning and going back into Eliot's room with Matilda to check back in on Eliot. "One of us will come down to the cafeteria when Eliot is ready for visitors again, just look after each other."

"Thank you once again Dr Meyer." Nate said then headed off to join the others in the cafeteria.