Visiting Sam, Scott and Spike
Hospital – Sam's Room
Ed entered and stood quietly at the end of the bed. Sam's leg was elevated in something like they would use for traction. Ed saw the bandage covering the wound.
Damn. Ed recalled his words to Sam in the locker room when Sam had injured it in the first place … your leg could be hanging on by a gossamer thread and you would say it will be alright. How close to reality his statement almost came scared him. Ed wanted to be mad at Sam but Sam had been following the doctor's instructions. It truly wasn't his fault it became so infected.
Sam was covered in a light sheet only across his hips and upper thighs for modesty sake. It must be because Sam was sweating so much due to the fever caused by the infection. Ed saw the flush of Sam's entire body. He watched as the Army nurse wiped Sam with a cloth. She kept dipping it in a basin of water and wringing it out then wiping his face, arms and torso. She must be trying to bring down his temperature.
The nurse said "He's sedated. He won't lash out now. It is safe to come closer."
Those words pinched Ed's heart. Sam was combative, hallucinating and calling out for Matt to help him. Christ, Sam was in bad shape.
Ed walked to the side of the bed. He reached out and put his hand on Sam's hand. He felt the heat radiating off of him. Ed's voice was low and gravelly as he said "Samo you did good. I don't know if you did it on purpose or not. But you laying on Spike saved his life. You also saved that nurse. The Barton's are dead. They cannot hurt anyone else."
He stopped and just looked for a few moments. He saw the bandage around his head and the bruising on his shoulder and that it was strapped to his chest. The bruising on the shoulder was older. It must have happened when he ran into the tree. Strapped to Sam's chest like that usually meant a dislocation.
Ed did not recall that in what Laura told Greg. But then again, Scott had downplayed both his and Sam's injuries when he had called. Those cousins were so alike.
Squeezing Sam's hand slightly Ed said "You rest now and get better. When your leg is healed enough I'll help you rehab. We'll have you back on the job in no time. If you rest up and then work really hard I promise to minimize your light duty time. I promise to find you something more to your liking than being in the truck or doing paperwork. Okay?"
He knew he wouldn't get a response but it just felt right to try and get Sam's buy in. "Well I'm gonna go now. The rest of the team wants a turn to see you."
Ed released Sam's hand and turned to leave. He sighed hoping that he could make good on those promises. He hoped that Sam's leg wound did not prevent him from returning to work. He hoped it did not get into the bone.
Hospital – Scott's Room
Jules entered Scott's room and he appeared to be sleeping like the doctor said. Jules saw the humidified oxygen mask on Scott's face. He was not coughing now. Whatever medication they had given him was allowing him to breathe easier now. That was good.
She sat in the chair near the bed and images of Sam when he was in the hospital after his was shot in the chest came to mind. That was so hard waiting while he was in the coma. She had gotten to know Scott well then.
Jules spoke softly needing to tell him now and knowing she would tell him again when he was awake to actually hear her. "Thank you Scott. You risked your life to save Sam. I know that Laura and your babies need you. It was a huge risk."
She lightly chuckled "Ed would say unacceptable. But Sam would say necessary and calculated."
Becoming serious again Jules continued "Regardless of how it would be classified by them it was risky and I thank you with all my heart for being willing to risk it all to save Sam. I'm glad that you survived. I'm sorry you got hurt and ill doing it though."
A small smile crossed her face "You are going to be in so much trouble with Laura though. You better be completely honest with her in the future or you might not have a future. She's likely to kill you. Or have her father kill you. You're messing with the emotions of a new mother and the daughter of the C-in-C. You are either a brave or a stupid man. Not quite sure which yet."
"I won't stay long. Your cousin Zach is here. He is calling the General right now but he wants to see you. He's gonna fly you all home soon" Jules finished and then stood and walked to the bed.
She lifted her mask and leaned down. Jules kissed his cheek then said "Thank you again for saving Sam. I'm not sure what I would have done if he died."
Then she confessed to the sleeping man "Sam still holds my heart. I'm trying to move on because I have too. Just so you know, I'm sorry I hurt him so badly. I hope he finds someone that will cherish and love him as much as I do."
Jules replaced her mask and stepped back. She wasn't sure what compelled her to confess to Scott. Maybe it was because he looked so much like Sam. She wanted to tell Sam she was sorry she hurt him, but they could not have that conversation without actually hurting him again.
Hospital – Outside Scott's Room
Jules headed out of the door. Just outside she saw Zach and he was all suited up to go in. Jules could tell he was eager to get in to see his cousin.
She lifted her mask and said "Scott is sleeping soundly."
Zach nodded "That's okay. I just have to see him. Then I'm going to go see Sam. The General made it to Laura's home. He told them everything."
Jules asked "How much trouble do you think Scott is in for not telling Laura the truth?"
Zach's face screwed up "A lot. I fear for his life. He's either very brave or very stupid. I'm leaning towards very stupid right about now. The C-in-C can make Scott's life hell if Laura talks to her dad."
Grinning Jules' tone was light and humorous "I'm sure Scott will survive. He might not be allowed to go on vacation with Sam again though."
Zach laughed "Probably not, unless they have a full security detail and medical staff. Oh, and satellite phones too."
Jules nodded "I'll let you go in now. I'm going to go check on Spike and then Sam."
Zach opened Scott's door and walked in. The door was left slightly ajar.
Needing to recompose herself before visiting Spike and Sam Jules leaned on the wall a moment. Both were in a bad way. God they could have lost both of them. Nearly had.
She did not mean to eavesdrop but Zach's voice filtered out into the hall.
"Hey cuz. Man you look like hell. You remind me of Sam when he was in the coma. Damned glad you are alive though. You are one crazy idiot for going out in that storm" Zach said louder than he should have.
Jules froze when she heard Scott reply "Had to do it. Sam would have died. How is he?"
Oh crap Scott was awake. Did he hear her confession? Jules held still as she deliberately eavesdropped now.
Zach answered "Hey you're awake. They said you were sleeping."
Scott responded "You woke me. Do you have an inside voice?"
Chuckling Zach said "Apparently not, too many hours in loud cockpits. Sorry I woke you. I'll shut up."
Jules relaxed a bit knowing that Scott had not heard her. That he just awoke. She was starting to move when Scott spoke again. Something compelled her to stay put.
"No. How is Sam?" Scott asked.
Zach pulled the chair close and said "They sedated him. He was hallucinating and his fever is still high. But they figured out it wasn't MRSA. They got him started on the right antibiotic. The ones he was on had no effect on the type of staph infection he has."
"Good he is sedated. He was hallucinating earlier too. Kissed a nurse thinking it was Jules. God I felt so bad for him" Scott said with a wheeze.
He had to stop to cough several times but then Scott continued "When the nurse backed away Sam cried out to her. What he said broke my heart. He thought she was leaving him again. The again part shocked me. Apparently, she broke it off and I didn't even know it. Sam never told me."
Coughs interrupted him again and after he took several deep breaths Scott said "Jules ripped out his heart and stomped all over it. He was so confused and hurt when he thought the nurse was Jules and he begged her to choose him this time."
Jules cringed at Scott's words and wished she had left moments earlier so she did not overhear this. Pain lanced through her own heart. Part of her wanted to curl up right here and cry for the pain she caused Sam. But she could not give up the team. Neither could Sam. This was the way it had to be.
Zach's voice was incredulous "Jules and Sam were dating and she broke up with him. Why?"
Scott realized that he had just broken a confidence Sam shared with him. His mental and physical state must have contributed to his lapse. Scott quickly said "You cannot say anything to anyone about this. Sam shared his relationship with Jules to me in confidence. They were breaking the rules. It is over now so just don't say anything" Scott said then dissolved into another coughing fit.
"Scott no more talking. You are not doing so well and you need your rest. I'll keep this to myself. You can talk to Sam later about it" Zach stated.
Jules moved away from the door quickly heading to Spike's room. Jules wasn't so sure she could see Sam just yet. The emotions were just too raw at the moment.
Hospital – Spike's Room
Lou quietly entered Spike's room. There was the constant and reassuring beep of the heart monitor. He came close to the bed and looked down at his best friend.
Spike's dark hair was plastered to his head, in no way was it spiky right now. He was so pale and he had a nose cannula providing him some oxygen. Lou looked at the bag of blood that was still slowly transfusing into Spike.
It made him smile. They were blood brothers now. In a quiet smooth voice Lou spoke to Spike. "Hey buddy. Good thing you rented that really bad movie. I'm glad we are the same blood type and I could help you."
Lou let a long deep breath out. Then he took up Spike's hand and held it. He looked closely at Spike. He noticed bruising on his neck. It looked like fingermarks.
No one said anything about Spike being choked. Lou wondered when that happened. One hand reached out to Spike's shoulder and he squeezed lightly.
Lou began to feel a bit lightheaded. So he turned and pulled the chair close. He sat down and then picked up Spike's hand again with one of his. Lou put his elbow on the bed and then leaned his head into the palm of his free hand. The medical team took the maximum amount of blood from him in order to help Spike. As a result, Lou was more exhausted than he would admit to the team.
Tiredly Lou said "You rest now Spike. You are going to make it. I'm proud of what you did. You saved so many including Sam. It looks like Sam returned the favor too. You both saved each other."
Lou's eyes closed as they got heavy. He was relaxing now that he could see Spike was going to make it. His hand loosened a bit on Spike's. As his hand started to fall off the bed it jerked Lou back awake and he opened his eyes.
"You know though that I'm not gonna let you go on vacation with Sam without me in the future. Too much weird shit happens to Sam. Trouble always seems to find him. Not fair but it does" Lou yammered trying to stay awake.
A thought popped into Lou's head and he shared it with Spike "Next vacation will be just you and me. We will go someplace warm. Spend some time on a beach with all the ladies in bikinis. Maybe Jamaica. How's that sound? Just you, me, the ocean, margaritas on the beach and some babes in bikinis."
Then he grinned a bit as he added "We won't take Sam. That way all the girls will pay attention to us."
Lou laid his head on the bed next to Spike as he imagined a beach vacation with his brother on a beach with babes. He drifted off to sleep still holding Spike's hand.
Ten minutes later Jules slowly opened the door to Spike's room. She had recomposed herself enough to see Spike but not enough to go see Sam. That would take a little more effort to push those feelings down and lock them away.
She saw Lou's head on Spike's bed and quietly came forward. Making it to the bed she saw his eyes closed. Lou was sound asleep.
Jules saw an extra blanket folded at the foot of Spike's bed. She picked it up and shook it to unfold it. Then Jules gently laid it over Lou's shoulders.
As she was doing so Greg entered the room. They were not following the one person rule but he did not care. This was his team and they were important to him.
A soft smile played on Greg's face as he watched Jules cover Lou. She did not see him until she returned to the other side of Spike's bed. Greg moved forward and stood next to Jules.
He whispered "Lou was worn out."
Jules nodded and whispered back "Yeah he was. It did him good to see Spike though." Her hand reached out and clasped Spike's other hand "Does me good too."
With her other hand she wiped at tears that started to fall as she looked at Spike's pale face. She almost lost Spike. What would she do without him? What would the team do without him? Spike was the one that brought humor and lightheartedness that kept them all balanced.
Greg looked at Jules and asked "How are you holding up?"
Jules was stiff and not sure how to answer. She was oh so FINE but didn't want to say that and add to the Boss' worry. So she settled on "I'm holding."
Removing his hat Greg finally rubbed his face in frustration. He knew it was a stupid question to ask Jules. He could tell that all of them were fine, Sam's definition of FINE. Lou was in the worst state. But at least Lou was resting now. Lou needed it. Hell they all did. After they visited the guys, Greg would make sure that his team got something to eat and then got some rest too.
Greg put his arm around Jules "Spike did good and we will do everything in our power to help him recover and make it back to the team."
Jules nodded and got control over her emotions. Then she asked "How was Sam?"
"I haven't seen him yet myself. Came to see Spike first. Wordy is in with Sam" Greg stated.
"Where's Ed then?" Jules asked.
Greg pulled Jules a little closer "Ed needed a break. Seeing Sam affected him big time."
Jules' heart clenched "That bad?"
Greg rubbed his head with his free hand "Not sure. Only saw Ed storming down the stairs. I could tell he was upset. It's best to give him a little space. When he is under control he will come see Spike. He knows he needs to be calm when he sees Spike."
An Army nurse came in to do a vitals check. She observed there were way too many people in here. Quietly she said "I'm afraid two of you will need to leave."
Greg looked to Lou sleeping and then at Spike. Turning to the nurse he asked "Could we get a cot in here for Lou? He is too wiped out after giving blood to Spike to make it down stairs?"
The nurse saw the man asleep on the bed. So that was who had helped Spike. She smiled and said "Yes I'll take care of that and have an orderly help me move him to the cot. But I'm afraid I need the two of you to leave."
Jules squeezed Spike's hand and said "I'll be back later Spike. Sleep well." Then she leaned down and kissed his cheek. She stepped back so the Boss could come close before they left.
Greg moved into the spot vacated by Jules. He placed his hand gently over Spike's heart and said "Figlio del mio cuore io sono così orgogliosa di te. Tu sei forte e si arriva di nuovo a noi. Io sarò lì ogni passo del cammino per aiutare voi. Resto ora figlio."
(Son of my heart I am so proud of you. You are strong and you will come back to us. I will be there every step of the way to help you. Rest now son).
Spike's eyes fluttered open. He was confused. He thought he heard the Boss's voice. He made a valiant attempt at focusing his eyes. Briefly he saw Greg standing beside him. But then he was pulled back into unconsciousness.
Greg smiled. He had connected ever so briefly with Spike's eyes. There was recognition in them. It made his heart burst with joy. He knew the team would work hard to help both Spike and Sam recover.
Hospital – Sam's Room
Wordy sat in the chair and silently observed Sam while the nurse tended him. He quietly asked "How long until his fever breaks?"
The nurse stopped and looked at the SRU officer "Uncertain. But it has gone down some. So it is heading in the right direction."
He nodded and wished it would go down quicker. Wordy hated seeing Sam like this. It was almost as bad as sitting with him when he was in the coma.
But this time he did not speak. After that blast Sam was sure to have a headache. But then again he was sedated. But with Sam that did not always mean he was completely out of it. Wordy leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes as he let his mind think on Sam a bit.
Wordy had never known anyone quite like Sam. On the exterior he was hard, rough, tough, and cocky. When he was happy though he would smile and it would transform him. It was then that Wordy could see the inner sensitive man Sam was.
Sam had feelings he rarely showed to the world. He was so guarded. There for a time when Sam and Jules were dating, before everything hit the fan after Jules was shot, they had seen a different side of Sam. None of them knew it at the time that it was due to the two of them dating.
But after the fallout, after Ed and Greg laid into Sam, after Sam was abducted by those dirty cops, things changed back to the way Sam was before. The smiles came but they were mere shadows of what they used to be.
Wordy wondered just how deeply Sam had cared for Jules. Was it just a fling for him or was it something more? To the general observer Sam was still Sam. But Wordy knew all the terrible things Sam had shared with him. He knew how close to losing Sam the team had come.
That first Christmas was eye opening too. Sam was so wounded inside. He carried a heavy burden of guilt for being the one that shot and killed Matt. Wordy was so glad the team had changed towards Sam in time to save him from doing something terrible. Sam was a kind hearted man that went above and beyond for those he care about. Wordy wanted Sam to find some happiness. Sam deserved to be happy.
A sound from Sam had Wordy immediately opening his eyes and whipping his head to Sam. When the sound repeated Wordy stood, went to the bedside and stared at the nurse in complete disbelief. He was trying to see if she heard the same thing. There it was again.
Wordy asked "You heard that right?"
The nurse nodded her head, her eyes wide and just as confounded. She said "I've never heard anyone giggle while they are sedated. I'm going to get the doctor." She quickly left the room.
Wordy turned back to Sam. Sam continued to intermittently laugh. Then his hand started to move up and down slowly as a smile played on his face.
It made Wordy smile. Just what the heck was happening to Sam? Whatever it was Wordy was happy to see Sam seemed to be enjoying it. Maybe it was a good memory.
Sam stood in nowhere really. The gray mist swirled around him and it was really, really hot but he didn't care. Sam smiled as she ran up to him out of the gray mist. Her long blonde hair was flying behind her as she ran. He bent and picked her up. He was so much bigger than her now.
He held her close then swung her around and around. Sara giggled and he was so happy to see her. Sam found himself laughing too. Dizzy Sam finally stopped turning around.
Sara smiled at her brother "Hi Sammy. I've missed you." She kissed his cheek then wiggled out of his arms.
Her big, bright emerald green eyes shone as Sara laughed and said "You wanna play with me?"
Matt watched as Sara took Sam's hand and led him in his direction when Sam said yes. Matt liked it when Sara was able to establish a connection in Sam's dream state. This was Sam subconscious so Sam never remembered when Sara succeeded. But for just a little bit of time the three of them could enjoy being together.
Sara stopped with Sam in front of Matt and said "Got the yo-yos?"
Matt nodded and produced three yo-yos. He handed a yellow one to Sam and said "Hey Sammy good to see you."
Sam smiled at Matt "I see you found your green yo-yo."
Sara laughed "I found it. I got one too. Mine's blue so we don't get them mixed up since you have a yellow one."
Matt handed Sara her blue one. They were not real but that didn't matter in the dream state. All that mattered to Matt and Sara was that to Sam it would appear real and feel real. At least for a little bit.
Sam slipped his string on his finger.
Sara giggled as Matt fumbled with his.
Sam watched Matt fumble with the string as he easily sent his yo-yo down and back up with a flick of his wrist several times. He loved being with Sara and Matt.
"After all this time you still haven't gotten the hang of it Mattie?" Sam asked with mirth as he made the yo-yo do the cradle.
Matt grinned and laughed heartily "At least I'm not bashing you in the head with it anymore."
Sam chuckled "There is that. You are improving. But Sara has you beat."
Matt and Sam watched as Sara made the yo-yo walk the dog. The three of them had fun playing with yo-yos for a very long time. Sam enjoyed spending time with Matt and Sara laughing and joking around. It felt so good.
But all too soon it was time for them to go. Sam never understood why they had to leave but they did and he didn't want them to go. But Sam waved goodbye as Sara slipped her hand into Matt's and the two of them walked away. He heard Sara call out to him "See ya later Sammy."
Sam was about to call out to her but all of a sudden he was all alone in nowhere again as a cool gray mist swirled around him. Sara and Matt had vanished. It was really hot but not quite as hot as it had been earlier. He felt really tired so he laid down right where he was. As Sam drifted off to sleep he wondered wherever this was if Ed would think it was an unacceptable nap location.
It felt like hours to Sam but as with dreams, split seconds can seem like minutes. In the real world it lasted less than three minutes.
Wordy watched as Sam's hand appeared to wave goodbye. The smile on Sam's face faded and there were no more chuckles. Whatever had just happened Wordy was glad it seemed to be pleasant to Sam. He sat back down and waited for the doctor to come and check on Sam.
Several minutes later Dr. Parker rushed in with the nurse on her heels. Fiona checked Sam's vitals and flashed a penlight in his eyes as she lifted his lids. The nurse said he was laughing in a sedated state. That was really odd. But she could not find anything to account for it. Sam was in a fully sedated state.
Fiona turned to Wordy and asked "Was he really laughing?"
Wordy answered "Yeah and smiling. His hand moved too. It seemed like he was having a good dream or something. It didn't last long. Maybe three minutes at most."
The nurse finished taking Sam's temperature and then stated "Doctor his fever is down significantly. He's now at 101.4. That is a full two degree drop."
Fiona smiled and said to Wordy "This good news. It means the medicine is having the right effect and Sam is on the mend. We should be able to back off the sedation now. As his fever reduces so too will the possibility of him hallucinating."
Grinning Wordy said "I'll go let the others know. Thanks doc."
Clasping Sam's hand Wordy turned to Sam "Keep dreaming nice dreams buddy. It's helping. I'll be back to check on you later. I hope to hear that your temperature dropped again."
Then Wordy turned and hurried out of the room to tell the team the good news.
Fiona watched him go and then turned back to Sam. She had read the Proper Care and Feeding of Samtastic manual. Parts of it made her laugh. This man's recuperative abilities were amazing, especially given his body's unique reaction to so many medications. She thought she might just have to talk to her father-in-law about this man.
Sam was surely unique. She knew he was the General's son so she wondered if her father-in-law had ever treated him. He was one of the main doctors for Special Forces. So the probability was pretty high that he had treated him at one time or another. Especially given the amount of scarring on Sam's body.
Fiona wondered if her husband would be able to minimize scaring like Sam had on his chest and back. Probably not now, those scars looked years old. Well except for the large one that he received only about a year ago when he was shot in the chest.
She pulled herself out of her musing and looked at the nurse. "Please keep up with the cooling efforts. You can stop when his temperature reaches one hundred point five. When it does that, please dress him in a lightweight set of pajamas. According to the manual on him he does better dressed that way instead of a gown."
"Will do doctor" the Army nurse stated out loud and then silently to herself added 'with pleasure'.
The nurse resumed her cooling efforts gently wiping Sam's face and neck. She smiled as she looked at the handsome man. She was happy that he was getting better. Everyone here had heard what Sam, Spike and Scott had done. All three were heroes in her book. She was happy to be able to help them in a small way.
Hospital – Hallway Outside Spike's Room
Wordy met Greg and Jules in the hallway outside Spike's room. He quickly updated them on Sam's condition. Greg and Jules shared what happened in Spike's room with Lou. Then Jules updated them all on Scott.
Greg suggest that since it was rather late now and none of them had eaten in a very long time that he go to the café. Wordy and Jules both agreed and all three slowly moved down the hall to head down to the café. Greg figured he would suggest they get some sleep after they had eaten.
Wordy asked "Where do you think Ed went?"
Greg shook his head "I'm not too sure but he could not have gone far. The storm is too strong for him to go outside for more than a few moments."
Wordy said "I'll go look for him after we eat if he still has not shown up. You two should probably find a cot and get some rest."
Greg grinned, Wordy was on the same page as he was it seemed.
Jules nodded as she yawned "You should get some too."
"I will after I find Ed, that is if he doesn't show up" Wordy added.
Greg gave Wordy a single nod then led the way down the stairs. The generator that the RCMPs brought was powering the elevator now but they decided that the stairs were safer. None of them wanted to get trapped in the elevator if the generator gave out for any reason.