What Riled Ed, Jules Comforts Sam & Laura's One Smart Woman

Hospital – Outside Surgery

Ed sat on a stool just outside the crime scene tape that blocked off the surgery. The Barton brother's bodies had been removed by the RCMP officers. For lack of a morgue their bodies were stored just outside the hospital. He had seen the black body bags against the hospital wall when he had stormed out of the hospital after seeing Sam.

It was too cold to stay outside so he had come here and collapsed onto the stool someone had left in the hall. Ed's eyes were riveted on the blood covering the floor. Spike's blood. It pooled and congealed in a large area but it was also tracked all over the floor from the medics.

Ed was so upset and worried. Sure he promised Sam he would help him rehab and he would be back with the team. But he wasn't sure if that was just a pipe dream. Something he wanted that may not be rooted in reality.

Because in reality both Spike and Sam were fighting for their lives and may not make it back to the team. Nothing would be the same if they didn't. How could a simple ski trip go so wrong?

Ron approached Ed slowly. He had needed to talk to him. He knew from talking with Spike in the sno-cat on the way to the hospital that Ed was Spike's and Sam's Team Leader. He stopped a little way away and then said "I hope I'm not intruding."

Ed turned and looked at who approached. It was the ski patrolman. He answered "No not intruding. What do you need?"

Ron leaned on the wall. He said "I wanted to let you know that you have some awesome officers. Minna woke up for a bit."

Ed interjected "She was one of the hostages?"

Ron slid down the wall and sat down feeling exhausted "Yeah, Minna is a nurse here. Her father is Captain Lundgren. She wants me to tell you that both Sam and Spike saved her. Spike kept Noah calm for so long. How he did it was amazing to me. Noah was all over the place. But Spike just kept making sure Noah knew we were taking care of Jonas and that calmed him down."

"Spike saved me too. He was able to get me and Doc Landry out of the surgery and into the recovery room. He cuffed the doc loosely and told him to uncuff himself as soon as he closed and locked the door and then to uncuff me and for us to get out. That saved our lives and quite possibly some nasty concussions. I was able to get Doc Landry upstairs before the blast because of what Spike did."

Ed's eyes moved from Ron to the blood pool again.

Ron saw the direction of Ed's eyes and sighed. That was not something Ron wanted to look at.

He kept his eyes on Ed as spoke "I'm sure Spike tried to talk to Noah before he went after him. He did that for hours. I'm sure it was a last resort. Just as I'm sure Sam's action when he jumped at Noah to save Minna was a last resort. Minna was really surprised Sam was even lucid enough to know what was going on. And that he had the strength to throw himself at Noah and knock the guns out of his hands."

"Minna wants to thank them both. But I doubt she will get a chance to do it personally before the Army evacuates them. So would you pass on all our thanks to all three of them. Scott, Spike and Sam went above and beyond to protect everyone" Ron concluded.

Ron briefly felt guilt that he was the one that actually brought the Bartons to the hospital. If only he did not stop, those two would have frozen to death and no one would have been hurt. But he had done the humanitarian thing and stopped.

He knew that given what he knew at the time, Ron would have done the same thing again. But he decided that he needed to be a little more alert. Sure it was a small town and everyone was friendly but he should not be quite so trusting anymore.

"Yeah I'll pass it on to them" is all Ed said when Ron had stopped.

In his head, Ed was trying to make sense of it all. What Ron was saying made sense. Spike would try to talk it out. Sam had skills none of them truly understood but Ed realized Sam probably quickly assessed his options and determined talking was not one of them. Sam would have acted to try and save Minna.

Then he thought that Noah must have decided that if he was caught then he was going to kill everyone. Ed had seen subjects turn to that thought process many times when they were cornered and capture was imminent. It was irrational but it happened more often than Ed liked to see. That is why they had the Scorpio protocol.

Too bad Spike and Sam did not have a Sierra One sighted on Noah. Things could have been so different if he or Jules had been in the Sierra One position. Spike and Sam did the best they could in the situation.

But that realization did not make Ed feel any better. He could have lost both Spike and Sam today. If Sam had not had such a cavalier attitude to his own health Ed wondered yet again if Sam, Spike and Scott would be in the condition they were in. If Sam had cancelled or postponed the ski trip to care for his wound none of this would have happened to them.

That thought was what was eating at him. Yes this time he would help Sam rehab. If it wasn't in the bone Sam should be able to get back to the team. But what about next time? Would Sam's deflections and downplaying his injuries cost him his life?

Ed felt the anger rising again in him at those thoughts. Damn, he needed to get a handle on this before he went to check on Spike. He clenched his fists several times as he did sniper breathing to try and calm himself.

Ron watched Ed for several minutes as Ed continued to stare at the blood stain. It was clear he was struggling with something. Ron thought Ed could use something light to think about so he said "You know Sam was run down by a lusty snow-bunny while skiing."

Ed looked back to Ron with a confused look "A lusty sno-bunny?"

Ron laughed and then recounted the full story of what had happened. He and Scott had talked about it on the ride to the cabin. Ron realized he had dodged a huge bullet when Scott had come into the lodge and needed assistance. By the time Ron finished recounting the story, adding in his experience with the lusty college woman both of them were laughing.

Ed looked up when Ron finished and saw Wordy heading in his direction.

Wordy was glad he found Ed and that he was laughing "What's so funny?" he called out as he approached.

All three were laughing again as Ron retold the story for Wordy.

Ed shook his head "Only Sam could attract a lusty sno-bunny that almost killed him. Now the bruises on his shoulder make sense."

Wordy smiled "I've got good news about Sam. His fever is down. Doc says the medicine is working and she will be lowering the sedation."

Feeling a little more centered Ed stood up feeling every hour of today weighing down on him. He was so tired but he needed to actually see Spike before he could rest. So Ed responded "Good. I should probably go check on Spike now."

Slinging his arm over Ed's shoulders Wordy said "I'll go with you. We can check on Lou too. They set him up with a cot in Spike's room when he conked out visiting him."

Ron watched the two go. He could see that the SRU team was tight knit. He pushed himself up and decided to go look in on Minna again. That petite little woman was starting to embed herself into his heart in so many ways. He had been beside himself with worry when the explosion occurred.

He had thought for sure she was dead and that hurt a lot. They had been friends for so long. Ron wondered if there could be something more between them. After the number his ex-wife had done on him, ripping out his heart, Ron wasn't so sure he was ready for a serious relationship with another woman. The fear of getting hurt again was always in the back of his mind.

But maybe with Minna it might be different. Maybe it was time to try again. Ron had always wanted to have a marriage like the Craig's had; long and always loving. He just had to find the right woman for that. His ex-wife definitely was not, but maybe Minna was?

Hospital – Cafe

After checking on Spike and Lou, and finding both sleeping, Ed and Wordy had popped in to check on Scott. There they found Scott sleeping and Zach quietly speaking with Scott's wife Laura. They left quickly not wanting to intrude. One last check on Sam told them he was doing better. He was now dressed in pj pants and his temperature was down to one hundred.

The two entered the café and saw that many people had found a bed on the cots. The Craig's were fast asleep. The nurses, Vera and Jasmine and the orderly Jeremy were asleep on cots near the Craig's.

Greg waved them over to cots that he and Jules has set up for the team. When they approached Greg said quietly "Jules is asleep already. Eddie, how are you doing?"

Ed shrugged "Better. Sam's temperature is down more. Scott, Spike and Lou all seem to be resting well."

"Good. Now you two need to get some rest too. Cots all set up" Greg said as he sat down on one and looked at Ed and Wordy.

He was so weary he felt like he could sleep for a week. But Greg needed to make sure his team was all set before he actually laid down himself. Greg then realized Ed had not eaten.

Greg stood and said "I'll go get you a sandwich. Would you prefer the turkey or the beef?"

Ed should go get his own but he was dead on his feet. He sagged down on the cot Greg and Jules had set up for him "I'm almost too tired to eat. But I'll take the turkey."

Wordy sat down as Greg headed off. He undid his tact vest and wondered briefly why he hadn't taken it off much earlier. He really should have. Wordy put it on the floor under his cot and then laid down.

He didn't realize how tired he was until his head hit the small pillow. He pulled the blanket over himself and sighed. Wordy was asleep before Greg made it back with the Ed's sandwich.

Greg held out a sandwich and a bottle of water "The sandwiches are quite good."

Ed took a bite as Greg sat down. It was good "Thanks Greg."

"So you want to tell me what got you so riled when you saw Sam?" Greg asked.

Slowly chewing Ed contemplated how to answer. He finally stated "I'm concerned about Sam's overall health not just the current infection. Sam is too cavalier about his own health. If it continues this way, someday Greg … someday we won't be able to rehab him. Sam will push too far … he will deflect and downplay too much and … we will lose him. I don't know what to do about it and it makes me very angry."

Greg softly said "Ed you are too tired to think clearly right now. Speaking of being cavalier, you need to hear your own words and get some rest. It has been a very long day. Put it away for now. Once you get some sleep things will be back in perspective and you will be able to think clearly on a Sam solution."

As Greg laid down on his cot he added "We can talk more about this tomorrow Ed."

Ed nodded. Greg was right. He was exhausted and he did not think clearly in this state. Finishing the last of his water Ed laid down too. Ed closed his eyes and sleep soon found him.

Hospital – Sam's Room

Jules had woken after sleeping restlessly for several hours. She had sat up and found everyone was sound asleep. It was early morning, going on six am. She had quietly rose from her cot and headed out of the café. The hospital was so quiet now. Only the essential Army staff was awake to care for the regular patients, the hostages and unit men that were hurt and Scott, Spike and Sam.

She carefully opened Sam's door and peeked in to see if he was alone. He was. She slipped in and went straight to his bed.

Knowing Sam was sedated, Jules could not resist as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. She would not dare do this if there was any chance he was awake. It would be too cruel. It would give him false hope. But she needed to touch him. She needed to know he was really going to be okay and she want to give him comfort too.

But she never wanted to hurt him again. So this touch could only be done when he was sedated.

Jules could feel a little heat radiating off him. But it was nothing like the guys had described to her earlier. His fever must be reducing nicely now.

Her voice was unsteady as she said "I dreamed about you yesterday, God that was only yesterday morning. Well I think it was you because it sort of fits. In my dream it was all white and cold but then it turned yellowish and it got all hot and painful. Scott said that your fever spiked and you started to have a seizure. That they had to pack you with snow to try and bring you fever down. Also that is when Scott and Spike saw how bad your infection was. The dream made me worry about you."

Jules did not say out loud why she was worried. What worried her most was the image of Sam looking at her longingly and saying 'I'm sorry'. She wondered what he was sorry about. She would probably never figure that part out. But the rest fit with Sam's situation. Something had clued her in to the fact Sam was in trouble.

She would not ignore a feeling like that again. Jules determined they must have a connection. But then her mind went back to Sam saying he was sorry. She should be the one to say it. She was the one that hurt him deeply. After overhearing Scott, she had hurt Sam more deeply than she had realized.

Gently stroking his hair Jules got up the courage and said "I'm so sorry I hurt you Sam. I wish it could be different. That we were …"

She stopped herself from going down that path. She had been down that path too many times. That they were less needy of the team. That they were in a different place or time. That they were allowed to date and be on the same team.

Blowing out a breath Jules said instead "I'm sorry I hurt you. But we both know it has to be this way. We both need the team more than we need each other."

Jules took another deep breath and blew it out slowly trying to ease the pain in her heart. She said flatly "In time we will both find someone new. Someone we can be with and still be on the team."

Sam listened. He kept his breathing even and he was in stealth mode. He had been awake when Jules came in. When she first touched his hair he wanted to sigh. It was a touch that always brought him comfort. But he maintained his stealth mode for fear she would stop.

What Jules was saying hurt. He did not want to find someone new. He wanted Jules. But he understood that they both needed the team. Friends, is what it had to be even though he wanted more. So much more.

The statement about finding someone new felt so hollow to Jules. So she added words that rang true in her heart "We will always be best friends. We have a connection that cannot be broken, like the dream I had when you were in trouble. I will always be here when you need a friend. When you need help you can count on me for that."

Those words soothed Sam's heart. Jules was not abandoning him completely. She would be there if he needed her. As a friend he knew but knowing she thought they had a connection that could not be broken gave him hope. But having hope was painful too.

All those years his mom had suffered holding onto nothing but hope that he would realize that she still loved him, had always loved him. But her hope had turned into reality. It took nearly twenty years. Well less than that really, he had begun to reach out to her in earnest after Yankee died and she sent him his yellow yo-yo.

Sam wondered where that thought has come from. He had not thought about the yo-yos in such a long time. Both his and Matt's yo-yos were tucked away a shoe box in his closet with a few of Matt's personal items like his dog tags and his wallet. Matt's wallet contained a picture of his mother. The only one Matt had of her. It was so worn after years of Matt pulling it out to look at it.

Sam could still see the picture in his mind's eye. It was of Matt's mom and Matt when he was nine. It was from one of those photo booths and Matt said it was taken only a few weeks before his mother was murdered by his father.

Matt said his mom had the first three pictures taken with just Matt. Matt had smiled in one and made funny faces in the next two. But when Matt begged his mom to take one with him she had jumped in just before the flash. Both were smiling and their heads were together. The only sad part about the picture was that Matt's mother was sporting a black eye.

But Matt looked past that and only saw his smiling mother who loved him dearly. Sam remembered asking Matt for one of the three pictures of him as a kid. Matt refused to give it up thinking Sam would tease him by showing the other guys. Matt never did give him one.

However, when a small box of Matt's possessions was delivered to him months after Matt died Sam had cut out the picture of Matt smiling. He had written 'Matthew Benjamin Hunter, age 9' on the back of it and slipped it into his wallet next to a picture of Sara he carried with him. It was a small way to keep Matt and Sara close to him.

As Sam was relaxing under Jules ministrations he thought about the yo-yos again. He was still surprised his mother had salvaged his yo-yo and his blue dog from the trash. He was glad now that Matt had urged him to try and reconnect with his mom. It was slow and stilted at first. But after the yo-yo arrived he tried to write more often.

Those letters laid the foundations that allowed him and his mom to reconnect. While he recuperated and regained his lung capacity he had forged a deeper connection. Then when Bella and his mom whisked him away to Lake Louise after he was beaten nearly to death for a second time by the dirty cops, their connection was solidified.

It had taken years and his mother never gave up hope. She was patient. His mom had urged him to not give up hope in relation to Jules. So he would take a page from his mother's playbook and be patient and maintain hope.

Sam noticed that Jules had not spoken in quite some time but her hand continued to massage his head. It helped with the headache he felt. The thought of a headache brought him to the present. Spike?

He blinked open his eyes. His voice was a bit dry as he urgently asked "How is Spike?"

Jules was startled by Sam's words. She had her eyes closed and was deriving comfort herself from touching Sam. Jules jerked her hand away.

Instantly missing Jules' touch and feeling the headache surge up and take firm hold of him Sam quietly pleaded "Don't stop, feels good on my headache."

Their eyes met. She saw the pain in them and Jules now wondered when Sam woke up. His breathing had not changed at all as she stood here. Was he awake the entire time? If he was he didn't say anything.

Jules put her hand back and gently brushed through Sam's hair, only because he asked. She saw a bit of the pain diminish from his eyes. Jules was glad Sam wanted her to touch him and she could give him some relief from the pain.

But then Jules focused on his question. "Spike is in stable condition. He is going to be okay. The bullet did not hit any vital organs. He lost a lot of blood but Lou donated his blood so Spike is topped off now. Scott and the two hostages are okay too. Scott is sick from being out in the weather but he is getting proper care. The two women, Vanessa and Minna I think, have concussion but are expected to be okay with some rest."

"Bartons?" Sam asked wondering if the threat still existed.

"Dead. They did not survive the blast" Jules told Sam.

"What blast?" Sam asked.

Jules looked at Sam's confused expression and asked "What's the last thing you remember?"

Sam thought a bit then answered "Seeing Spike on the floor." He closed his eyes then added "No wait. Noah Barton was going to shoot you."

"Me?" Jules asked.

His head was hurting more now and he opened his eyes "No not you. Minna. The nurse. She looks like you. Sort of. She's short, brown hair in a ponytail and really bossy."

Sam couldn't believe he just said that to Jules. He screwed his eyes tightly closed and waited for the punch to the arm. When it didn't come Sam ventured to open his eyes. He saw the amused look on Jules face.

Jules laughed "Bossy huh?"

Sheepishly Sam nodded. "I'm sorry Jules."

Jules smiled and let it drop. She was just so glad that Sam was awake and lucid. But then she recalled something he said "You said your head hurt. Do you need some pain meds?"

Sam debated whether to deflect but he decided that he needed them. The massage felt good but the headache was increasing not decreasing. He was beginning to recognize the signs of a migraine so Sam said "Yeah, probably something for a migraine."

Jules pressed the call button "Then let's get you something. No reason for you to be in pain. Do you want me to stay or go?"

Quietly Sam answered "Stay. Please."

"Anything for my best friend" Jules said with a smile.

Sam smiled and closed his eyes as he waited for the pain meds. He leaned into Jules' hand as she resumed the massage. Right now Sam thought being best friends would not be so bad while he waited patiently and hoped for something more.

Jules watched Sam's eyes close and smiled. If he had heard her it would be okay. Because he would know she was sorry for hurting him. If he did not hear her, that was okay too. Because right now Sam was asking for her help and allowing her to comfort him in his time of need. That felt so good.

Hospital – Scott's Room

Zach woke up when he heard Scott coughing. He checked his watch and saw it was a little after ten am. Zach was surprised he had slept so long. But then again yesterday had been very long and he had not fallen asleep until nearly three am after checking in on Sam and Spike.

He stood and poured Scott some water. Handing it to him when he was done coughing Zach said "I spoke with Laura after you drifted off last night."

Scott grimaced "So how much trouble am I in?"

Zach took a seat and propped his legs up on the end of Scott's bed "Not as much as you might think. I told her everything. How you had no choice but to go into the storm to save Sam's life. That won you lots of points with her."

"So she is not mad?" Scott asked tentatively.

Chuckling Zach said "Oh I didn't say that. You have some fence mending to do with Laura."

Sighing Scott put the water down and leaned back "At least I still have a fence to mend. I didn't like omitting things and downplaying the injuries with her. But I did not want her worrying when there was nothing she could do."

"You don't have to convince me cuz. I understand. But I think you need to give Laura more credit. She is stronger than you think. Just like all the Braddock women" Zach said.

Coughing a bit Scott answered "Yeah but I've never been in a situation like this before. I guess a little bit of Sam's methods rubbed off on me."

Zach chuckled again "Sam is a master at deflection from what I saw when we helped him rehab his lungs."

"That he is. Do you have any update on Sam's condition?" Scott asked as worry creeped into his voice.

"His fever is down a lot. When I checked about three am the nurse called it a low grade fever." Dropping his feet and sitting up he broached another subject "I also spoke with Uncle Will last night."

Scott eyed his cousin. Zach's tone implied he was not going to like what he heard. "Yes?"

Zach looked down at his hands as he got courage to speak.

Then he looked up at Scott "I told Laura and Uncle Will what happened with Sam. How he thought one of the nurses was Jules. That Jules broke his heart. I had to talk to someone about it. I'm sorry I broke the confidence. But it made me so very angry I almost went to Jules and yelled at her for being so insensitive to Sam. But I knew I could not do that. So I talked to them to help me calm down before I did something I would regret."

Scott was angry at first but as Zach explained he could see why Zach had done it. So Scott asked "What did they say?"

"I was surprised when Uncle Will told me he was aware of what happened. Did you know Sam was recalled? He spent several weeks with Uncle Will in Kandahar. It was right after Jules broke up with him. It was also right after Sam was beaten up by those dirty cops. I thought he spent the whole time with Aunt Yvonne and Bella at Lake Louise. But apparently Uncle Will had to recall him for a special assignment and Sam went to Kandahar" Zach shared.

Surprise etched into Scott's expression. Sam never said a word about going to Kandahar or being recalled. Damn.

Zach continued "Uncle Will suggested that we bring Sam home to recuperate; especially if he was hallucinating about Jules. He's worried it will cause Sam problems with his team if they suspect Sam has any feeling for Jules. I heard bitterness in his voice when he said Sam's team but he would not elaborate when I asked him why. It was really strange. Almost like he was mad at Sam's team."

Scott wondered too but did not ask since apparently Zach had gotten no answer.

"I heard all of them discussing Sam coming home to recuperate in the background. Heard your mom and dad along with Sam's, my mom and Aunt Kim. It got rather loud. Sam's mom thought it was best if Sam went to Toronto. Uncle Will was adamant that Sam stay at their home" Zach shared.

Zach grinned when he added "I was a bit surprised when Laura's voice won out though. She said that it would be best if you and Sam recuperated together. The others finally agreed. So I'll be flying you and Sam to Ottawa when the weather clears and Sam will be staying with you and Laura once you two are released from the hospital."

"What about Spike?" Scott asked.

Zach answered "My buddy Heath, the one who flew the medical team here, will be taking Spike and the SRU team back to Toronto.

A coughing fit came over Scott and when it finished he said "Okay." His eyes closed feeling very tired again.

Zach patted Scott's shoulder and said "I'll be back in a bit. Going to get something to eat and some coffee. Then check on the weather to see when we can blow this joint."

"Don't use that slang Zach. This place has been blown up enough" Scott quipped lightly as sleep was dragging him back down.

Grinning Zach headed out of the room. He could tell that Scott would be recovering. He was glad Scott was not angry with him for talking to Uncle Will and Laura.

Laura had been very helpful. She told him it was none of his business and to butt out. Whatever was between Sam and Jules was between Sam and Jules. They did not need nor would they appreciate others sticking their noses into their relationship.

She reminded him that Jules was a wonderful person. Then said if Sam and Jules ever got back together Zach would not want his actions to be an impediment or to cast a shadow over his relationship with either Sam or Jules. So Zach decided to pretend like he knew absolutely nothing of their relationship and treat Jules as he always had.

Zach thought that Laura was a very smart woman. He hoped one day he would find someone like her. But for right now he was too young to be thinking about settling down. He had too many things he wanted to do. Too many aircraft he wanted to learn how to fly.

He headed down to the café with a smile on his face thinking how fortuitous his latest training had been. Who knew he would get to put his all-weather flight training to such practical use so soon. And for his family too. That was the cherry on top of his sundae. His skills were used to help his cousins when they needed him.

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AN: Hope you enjoyed the quick second chapter. Already working on the next. There is a reason for the tangent on photos and wallets. It will be revealed in due time.

For those wondering about Sam/Jules, this is the catalyst to the shift in their relationship from being friends to being best friends with a deep connection that is needed in The Swim.

As always I appreciate hearing from my readers. Reviews make me smile.