Quick note: just like there's no canon evidence of Murdock's first name, neither is there a mention of B.A.'s mother's name. So I picked one.
Stella helped Angel get more comfortable caring for B.A., telling her essentially what Murdock had: have a serious relationship with an ex-military man and him being under the weather wasn't the worse she would have to deal with. The older woman didn't go into details, but made passing references to inflicted wounds that needed tending versus standard sicknesses.
Angel understood, but comprehension wasn't much consolation when B.A. hacked so hard he retched, or when he struggled for breath occasionally.
She steeled herself for him, and learned to coupage his chest and back to help loosen the phlegm. She willed herself to stay with him even when he was asleep. His mother commented out of earshot that that girl had the constitution of a horse and the stubbornness of a mule. The men would have agreed.
Mrs. Baracus was concerned with her son of course, but also helped with the cooking and care of the other two sick men. Stella appreciated her assistance, and told her so gratefully.
After another day or two had passed, however, Stella told her she was getting more concerned.
"John and Templeton seem to be shaking this thing. It's slow, but it's going. B.A., however . . ."
"I ain't got no medical background, Stella. You're gonna have to tell me straight."
Stella shook her head. "I think that there's not much more I can do here. I think we need to consider getting him someplace that can get prescription drugs and IV fluids."
Mrs. Baracus wrapped her arms around herself and rocked. "My boy don't have health insurance. How we gonna do that?"
"Let me talk to Murdock, but I may know someone who can help."
With a single thought, both women realized they hadn't seen Murdock for awhile. He hadn't come to dinner. He hadn't hung around, asking to help or looking lost. They didn't know . . . anything.
Both of them immediately began to search. They tried to be quiet in calling for him, but Angel popped her head out the bedroom door. Once she heard the reason for the search, she told them he hadn't been in, and she hadn't seen him either. She reluctantly left B.A. to help look.
Face groggily lifted his head and sat up. He told them Murdock would be outside and made to get up to go with them. As Mrs. Baracus and Angel hurried out, still calling for him, Stella forced Face back onto the couch, telling him he shouldn't be up yet; don't worry; we'll find him.
Since she could still hear the other two women shouting for Murdock, she left Face wrapped in the quilt to join the search again.
As she went through the room, however, she noticed the grill to the fireplace was moved. On a solid hunch, she moved it completely out of the way and tugged open the hatch.
Peering into the darkness of her bunker, she asked quietly,
"Murdock, honey? You there?"
A very faint movement from below convinced her he was.
Carefully she climbed down the ladder. She left the hatch open, which let light in, but it was still too dark to see well.
"Could you turn on a small light?"
Stella didn't know if Murdock would do it, but after a moment, one of the reading lamps set into the wall flipped on. It wasn't overly bright, but Murdock squinted his eyes as they adjusted. He stood up from the built-in bunk and, in an eerie déjà vu from the night he'd driven in, didn't seem capable of meeting her eyes.
"Are you okay, Murdock?" Stella asked, going over to him.
"I'm cool, Stella."
He sounded dull, so Stella carefully sat on the bunk. "Please sit down, Murdock?"
To her relief, he complied. She didn't touch him.
"I'm cool," he repeated, staring at his lap.
"Really? Why are you . . . hiding down here?"
"Wasn't hiding. Just needed a place to sleep, since I gave Mama Baracus the bedroom."
"We would have set you up on an air mattress."
He shook his head sadly. "Not necessary. It was nice to be down here, dark and quiet."
Stella felt herself nodding, even though it was involuntary.
"Sometimes, sometimes I . . . need the dark," Murdock continued softly. "It's soft and hushed . . . I can't see anyone, and no one can see me . . ."
"Okay," she replied.
"Okay," he repeated. It wasn't a question; it sounded resigned.
A thought came to Stella. "Murdock," she said, "you've done so much. You did so much getting everyone here. It must have been terrifying, trying to be calm and . . . rational while everyone else was so sick."
He glanced up at her.
"And then when B.A. wasn't getting better you got his mother and girlfriend—you physically went and got them; I'm glad we were able to find a Cessna to rent on such short notice! You went out of your way to get people here to help take care of him.
"But now I think . . . you didn't get anyone for you. Is there someone I can call, or someone you can go visit to . . . help you out right now?"
His expression went from remote to sad and troubled all at once.
"There was this . . . one woman," he offered with a slight hesitation. "I was with her for a little bit."
Stella nodded in encouragement.
"But . . ." He dropped his head to watch himself pick at his fingernails. ". . . we decided to take a break. I miss her. She didn't mind that I had . . . some problems. And she helped me when my meds weren't cutting it."
"Maybe you should contact her," suggested Stella.
Murdock shrugged one shoulder and shook his head. "We haven't spoken for awhile. I don't think I should call her out of the blue just . . . just for something like this."
Stella didn't push him. "Okay, Murdock. But you know you can always come to me or Angel or Irene if you need to. You know that, right?"
"I know," he muttered.
"Okay. Come here so I can hug you."
He scooted next to her and let her embrace him and smooth his hair. Unlike that night in the kitchen, he didn't pull away or make her stop until she was ready this time, so they sat quietly together. Finally Stella pressed a kiss in his hair.
"You're welcome to stay here, Murdock, but I need to get back up there. We were looking for you, and everyone'll worried if they can't find me either."
He nodded.
"And something else," Stella added with a sigh. "B.A.'s not getting better like I'd expect him to. I have a friend who's a doctor who would probably help us. Is it okay that we take B.A. to go see him?"
Murdock looked a little startled that she was asking his permission. Then he realized with Hannibal still not right and because he technically outranked Face, he was XO and needed to make these decisions. He needed to push through the ululating voices in his head and step up to deal with this situation. He'd tried concealing himself; it didn't work. He would try taking command; sometimes that did.
He sat up straight.
"Whatever you think is best, Stella. You're the nurse."
"Thank you. Can you help us get him to the van?"
"Sure."
"And—I know this'll be hard, but I'll need you to stay here and watch John and Templeton. Angel and Irene will want to be with B.A., I imagine."
"Of course."
The voices behind his eyes clamored and tried to dig their tiny talons into the inside of his skull; Murdock chased them with a mental broom and forced them into specially designed mousetraps to hold them fast.
"I'll take care of them, Stella. You can count on me."
Watching him with a smile creeping over her face, Stella didn't know what had changed in the past few minutes, but was glad Murdock seemed to be back with them again instead of skulking in the periphery.