Caring Nurses, Ed's Nap & Prepping Sam for Surgery

Hospital – Second Floor

Vera had gotten a room ready for Ethan. She knew that Jeremy would be bringing him up soon. She sat down at the nurses' desk and then slipped off her shoes and rubbed her aching feet. It was one of the hazards of the job she loved. Vera truly loved taking care of patients.

She looked up as she saw Jasmin approach. The two of them worked well together. They were both of the same mindset and enjoyed their job. The patients' needs were their priority even if it meant they got very little rest.

Jasmin sat down in the chair next to her and sighed "I'm so beat I could sleep for a week."

"Yeah me too. My feet are killing me. Wanna do rock, paper, scissors to see who goes down for the next round of meals and meds?" Vera asked.

Chuckling Jasmin replied "I might just as well go. You beat me every darned time. Besides I want to get a gander at Spike again. He is one handsome man."

Vera grinned "Yes he is. Italian stud mixed with sweet boyish charms mixed with guardian. You know I told him that Officer Barton gave me the creeps and he stepped in and kept him from walking this way again. I was really relieved."

"That officer gave me the creeps too. Did you see his wrists?" Jasmin asked.

Nodding Vera answered "What makes marks like that?"

Shrugging Jasmin answered "Not sure but it looks like he was tied or something."

"He brought in a prisoner that tried to escape. Shot him. Maybe something happened to him in the struggle" Vera responded.

Jasmin stood up "I'll be back in a bit. Can you do me a favor and check in on room three? Dear old Mrs. Culberson needs a little extra TLC. She's missing her family a lot."

Vera nodded "Sure thing. She is the sweetest little old lady in the world. I sure wish her family had been able to get here before the storm. But the roads were impassable by the time we knew she would be staying a few days."

Ed's Home

Greg had called him several hours ago to tell him that Spike and Sam would not be making it on Thursday. He settled back onto the couch and Sophie snuggled closer to him. He smiled as he thought of all the drills he was going to run Sam and Spike through.

Sophie looked at Ed "What are you thinking about?"

Ed looked down at Sophie and responded "How much fun I'm gonna have drilling Sam and Spike."

Sophie sat up "Hey, it is not their fault they got snowed in. Beside didn't you say Sam was run into some trees by some woman and got hurt?"

There was that Ed thought. Gruffly Ed spoke "Okay Soph I'll cut them some slack but only a little. By the time they get back Sam will be fit for duty at least. Being snowed in he will have to give his leg the rest I ordered him to give it. I swear I don't know what to do with Sam sometimes. He exasperates me to no end. There is no way he should have gone skiing with that injury. But it is like talking to a wall sometimes. He's too cocky and stubborn."

A soft laugh came for Sophie "Eddie you can't hide it from me. You care about Sam." Sophie turned back to the movie as she saw Ed's expression turn contemplative.

Ed sighed. Yeah he did. There was just something about Sam though that still got his hackles up. He had learned a lot about Sam since he joined the team. Yes, Sam was cocky and stubborn. Cocky maybe wasn't the right term anymore now that he knew Sam better. Sam definitely had what it took to back up his self-assured actions.

But that did not mean Ed liked it. He worried that Sam took too many risks; unacceptable risks. Sam never put himself first; he always put the team's well-being before his every damned time.

Ed closed his eyes and leaned his head back. How did he solve a problem like Sam? He was tired of getting on him. But Ed didn't know what else to do. Could he ever get Sam to see that he was just as important as the rest of the team?

He was thinking on this problem as he drifted off to sleep.

Sophie heard the soft snoring and smiled. Ed pushed himself too hard, too often. It was nice to see him relax and take a nap. She cuddled closer and pulled the warm blanket over both of them. She would enjoy the rare time they had together.

Hospital – ER Treatment Area

Minna set up the nitrous oxide and changed out the IV solution on Sam. She gave furtive glances at the prisoner. She turned to Ron and said "After Doc Landry gets Sam all numbed up. I need you to move Sam to the OR, I will push the doc."

Sam was beginning to fly with the nitrous oxide. He grinned at Minna and said "Taking charge like always Jules."

Spike said "Sam that is Minna not Jules."

Sam's eyes were slightly glazed and his words came out a little slurry "Nu uh. See brown hair, ponytail, brown eyes, short and bossy. It's Jules."

Minna chuckled at bossy. "Bossy huh?"

Sam nodded "Bossy, bossy, bossy."

Scott and Spike laughed. It was a good thing that Jules wasn't actually here to hear Sam. He would surely earn a punch in the arm. Luckily Sam dropped into a light sleep shortly after that.

Maisie looked at Landry and whispered only to him "He's really sweet on whoever this Jules is."

Landry looked at Maisie "How can you tell?"

Grinning Maisie said "It's so obvious." But seeing Landry's confused look she added "Something a woman sees. Now get on with numbing the boy up. I don't know what happened to this dear boy but he was never afraid of needles before. He let you stitch him up at the lake with no painkillers after that skate sliced open his calf. Just laid there and made not a sound or a movement."

Landry nodded as he began to administer the local anesthetic. He recalled that day. Maisie and he had taken the afternoon off to go ice-skating at the lake.

Sam was playing a pickup game of hockey with a bunch of local boys. They were all having so much fun. But then four boys all went for the puck at once. It was an accident but Sam's calf was sliced wide open when one of the boy's skates caught the back of Sam's leg in the pile up. But none of them knew it for a few minutes.

After the first scream of pain there had been no more. Sam had gotten back on his feet with the rest of the boys and started to skate away ready for the game to restart. It was Wilson who yelled for Sam to sit down as he raced to him. There was a trail of blood and a puddle that formed under where Sam was standing waiting for the game to start.

Landry remembered it was so deep that he had wanted to take Sam to the hospital. But Sam insisted he would not go to the hospital and that he wanted to finish the game. Wilson finally relented and he had stitched Sam up, right there at the lake with all the other boys standing around and watching. That was the first time he treated Sam but not the last.

He treated Sam for mild hypothermia when he rescued the little girl who skated onto thin ice and fell in. That turned into a bad case of bronchitis. That's when Maisie insisted on making Sam her famous chicken noodle soup. That boy would spurn all other foods but Maisie's soup when he was so ill.

Then there was the avalanche. How that boy survived those winter trips Landry never quite knew. Sam surely tested his skills. The boy surely hated the hospital but Sam was never afraid of needles. He wondered what could have happened to cause a fear that deep.

Then again, Landry thought perhaps he didn't want to know. Whatever it was that caused the fear had to have been horrific. He was happy Sam's friend Spike had a solution.

Landry finished and said "Okay Minna you can stop the nitrous. But bring it along just in case Sam needs more than just the local. I'm not sure how deep I have to go and if I have to go to the bone Sam is likely to need more than just a local."

Minna reduced the nitrous. Then she took Sam's vitals again. She frowned "Doc his temperature has risen again?"

"That infection has the upper hand right now. Let's get going. I need to move fast if I'm gonna save that leg" Landry said as he sat in the wheelchair.

Spike stood by Scott's bed as Sam was rolled out by Ron followed by Doc Landry pushed by Minna and Maisie bringing up the rear. He didn't like what he just heard. He was terribly worried about Sam. But his mind turned to their other problem.

He said to Scott in a soft undertone "So we give it ten minutes so that they are all secure in the OR. Then I'll go get Barton and bring him in here under the pretense that the doctor needs to speak to him about the prisoner."

Scott nodded "I'll be ready. But take precautions when you go get him. From what you have told me about this man, you need to be careful. He has no regard for human life."

Spike patted Scott's shoulder seeing the worried look in his eyes that had nothing to do with the prisoners. Spike said "Sam's gonna be alright."

"I hope so. If he loses that leg I'm not sure what will happen to him. The SRU saved his life. I'm not so sure he can stand his life being ripped away from him again" Scott said softly letting all the worry he had concealed from Sam flood out for a moment.

His voice firm with conviction Spike said "Not gonna happen. Sam is family. Even if he cannot be on SRU he will still be family. We all will help him like you and your cousins helped him before."

"Spike I like you" Scott said sincerely.

Grinning Spike said "I have my moments. I'm gonna restrain our sleeping prisoner before I go."

Scott shifted his gun to his hand and said "Okay I have you covered."

Spike smirked "He's asleep. What do you think is gonna happen?"

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AN: Short chapter I know but I've been slammed by work and my muse has been on strike. Hopefully this little bit will get her back in the groove.