A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken this long you guys but I lost my computer and all the work on it :(
My notes and layouts for this story (and plenty of others) are completely gone and for a while I was so bummed out that I was just done with fanfic but turns out I couldn't actually bring myself to do that; the urge to write and create was just too strong. So the next decision was whether I should toss out my old stories or if I should try attempting to rewrite what I'd already had. It's safe to say I'm no good at rewrites so I didn't even bother with attempting that, but I know I've promised you all that I'd never give up on a story and after dedicating over two years of my free time to this one I think if I did it would be more like giving up on myself than anything. So instead I'm gonna get over losing hours (and hours and hours and hours) of work and I'm going to continue on with Neliot because I love them to death just like I do each and every one of you. (Plus, it would really be awful to permanently leave Eliot in that kind of bind.)
Chapter fifty-Five
"Good morning Mr. Elliott!" A cheery brunet greeted as she walked through those sliding glass doors; arms full. "How are you today?" Her questions weren't searching, never searching, instead offering. Whether it be something for the patient to grasp, to pull themselves back with, or something for the family to hold onto she found they helped the day progress.
"Did you fare well last night?" Readjusting the thin sheet that was covering his torso; she began preparing to replace surgical bandaging. "I think we'll start with your abdomen," Though it hardly mattered at the moment she was sure to leave him a certain level of modesty out of pure respect. "Make sure it's not looking too bad." She did just that as she began humming a little tune to give them both some entertainment.
"So are you expecting any visitors today?" Usually the patient's family was all but breaking down the door as they waited for that next scheduled visit. "I bet a guy like you has a line up for the lineup." She smirked slightly as she carefully removed the binding on his thigh. "Rumor has it you're a regular around here… with a tongue that talks miles around the nurses." When she had heard that she knew she'd have to meet him personally, so far he looked every bit the part. "You've got Casey roped in from a mile." She laughed as she remembered her friend questioning if he had a girlfriend.
"Well…" A glance about as she tucked the sheet back around him told her the room was passable. "I think that's about it for now." As she moved to dispose of her gloves she added, "Rachael and Joe will be in later this evening to get you cleaned up and to make sure the bedding's changed." She also made a mental note to mark in his chart that he had yet to "eat". "I'll be back tonight." Though she doubted he knew it she had been his overnight nurse since he arrived. "And you sir…" with a last joke she was leaving the room. "better not keep me waiting."
She didn't witness the dance his eyelids started doing or the spike in his heart rate.
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His head was in his hands and he was trying his best to find the will to start the day.
In forty minutes visiting started and if he hurried he could be ready and arriving without missing
much of it. The thing was he didn't really know if he wanted to sit by El's bed side for an hour before
moving to the waiting room to watch another hour go by just to repeat those actions again.
Every time he left the room it was with a hope something would change and every time he returned to find it hadn't a little more pain and disappointment appeared. "What do you think Steve?" Technically she was sitting at his feet but he'd say it was more like glaring from them. "Should I go see how he's doing?" He knew the only reason he still had her complete attention was because she had yet to eat.
With that thought in mind he moved from his seat at the table to the lower left cabinets. "Don't worry…" Carefully he measured a bowls worth for the animal before lifting the other to get water. "I wouldn't dare leave without feeding you first." He could hear the rant already, 'Just because you don't like her don't mean you get to starve her'. Eliot really seemed to like the fuzz bucket and for that reason alone he'd be civilized toward her. His association with Eliot seemed to be the only reason she tolerated him.
"Well?" He had returned the water bowl but she had yet to move. "Are you not gonna eat?" All he got was a hard stare and a soft meow, he was clearly someone's second best. "I know," Third if you counted Parker. "I miss him too." Mind made up he leaned over to scratch behind her ear. It was a shock she didn't run. "Trust me girl, I miss him too."
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"Do you think he told him?" Hardison questioned as he turned from the plane's window.
"Told who what?" Parker's attention was on the movie playing, or at least on the passengers watching the movie playing.
"Told Eliot about Mrs. Stillmoore." They were in the middle of a ten hour
flight having decided to use the week they'd been given despite the situation.
"Probably" The past week had pushed the death from her mind but now that they were returning she could see how it had come to Hardisons'.
"How do you think he took it?" He certainly hoped he hadn't been pushed further into his pool of depression.
"I don't know," All she could do was imagine. "But we'll find out soon enough."
"You think he's doing better than when we left?" The last time he had seen him he'd been standing and though he seemed pretty tired he hadn't been looking nearly as green.
"It's Eliot… by now I bet he pulled out his PICC and has declared himself fine." She figured as much because the last thing she had heard from Eliot was an annoyed, 'I'm fine' as he itched around the thing near his forearm.
"I asked Nate if I could talk to him yesterday; he hung up on me." That was the main source for most of his worry.
"Maybe he didn't want their day interrupted." She didn't blame him.
Even though it hadn't been much they had all needed this break from each other.
"Or maybe they're fighting again." His feelings were mixed on that and they had him shifting in his seat.
A sigh escaped Parker's lips as she gave the idea extra thought. "I doubt it."
The only doubt she really had was in her own words.
Frustratingly enough when it came to those two it was more than plausible.
He didn't have much of his own so he'd borrow some of her optimism. "Yeah you're probably right."
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"You're a damn liar, you know that?" Aaron spoke the first words that came to mind as his gaze fell to Eliot. He could barely find what was supposed to be his brother past everything he was connected to. "You said you weren't going anywhere."
Uneasily he took the seat next to the bed. "Hell you promised!" He was hesitant in taking his brother's hand into his own. It felt like pure skin covered bone and he was honestly scared he might break it. "Do you have any idea how hard the last couple of days have been?" He hadn't had a choice; he'd had to keep on going with his day to day despite the fact that he wanted beyond anything else to make the trip to his brother's side. "I nearly lost a damn finger!"`
The unresponsiveness was disturbing; exactly seven days ago they'd been having a complete conversation.
"I can't lose things like that! Not when I need them." Anger had him tightening the grip on his brother's hand as he tried his best to get his thoughts and feelings under control. Soon he was covering it with the other, wanting to believe the warmth he was creating would do some kind of good. "I've…" He shook his head as he changed that thought. "We've been through too much for you to just up and go. Not now that we've actually gotten our asses on track." He huffed half a laugh at that. "I mean you actually found someone stupid enough to stick with yours and I found one dumb enough to marry mine."
They were both intelligent by most people's standards but Aaron would say they lost the rights to that claim when
they mixed their lives with that of a Spencer. He would have run far and fast had it been him and he certainly wouldn't have looked back. "There's just too much going on right now for you not to be part of it." Even if it was a long distance Eliot it was preferred to a non-existent one. "Plus," A somber smile crossed his features as he pushed back a bit of Eliot's unruly hair. "I'm your lil' brother and that's a thorn that ain't leavin' your side for the next forty years at least, and I'll swear to it."
He'd sworn to a lot of things over the past few days but he highly doubted it had helped, nor had the prayers or tears. His brother was still unresponsive, still seemed to be waging a war everyone was beginning to doubt he could win, and still looked to be getting worse. A word that he'd never have used to describe his brother was now piercing his mind as he looked over the 120-125 pounds the man had shrunk down to.
Fragile.
"You know…" It wasn't something he could think about. "If you don't wake up I'll kick your ass." He clenched his eyes with as much force as he squeezed Eliot's hand. They could burn as much as they liked; he'd already promised himself it wasn't happening.
With a quick sniffle to compose himself he placed a kiss on the back of his sibling's hand with a whispered, "And that's a promise."
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"So what did you find out?" When Hardison had called to inform they'd be returning he'd offered them a ride from the airport. It was obvious where he'd rather be but Aaron had claimed the days visiting hours for himself so he figured this as good a way as any to make use of some time. In the very least it was preferable to moping.
"I've written a few programs that are looking but so far their tracks have been covered.
They wanted us to know they were there alright but that's about it." It was suspicious to him.
"Some kind of warning maybe?" Parker suggested from her seat on the passengers side.
"Warning for what?" They hadn't been stirring nobody's kool-aid.
"No it wasn't a warning." Nate dismissed that idea with a simple shake of his head. "They want us looking."
"For?" It was echoed in confusion more than anything else.
"That's what we're going to find out." Keeping his attention on the highway was easy; it was stopping himself from driving to Timbuctoo that was hard. Right now it seemed like a great escape.
"I'm not nobodys tool." Doing something that somebody obviously wanted him to do spelled TRAP.
"Well for the moment you'll have to be and make sure to be careful. They'll be searching for your searches and I'd prefer to find them without being found." The last thing he needed was trouble following them back to Oklahoma.
"What's Eliot say about this?" She was wondering why he hadn't come with.
"He hasn't said much about anything." It was shocking to find Sophie hadn't told them.
"Ya'll didn't start again did ya?" He couldn't help but ask what he already suspected.
"No we didn't start again Hardison." It was annoying how he just always assumed they'd be fighting.
"Well then?" Hardison more accused than questioned.
"He's not doing well right now." Eliot hadn't been in the greatest of shape when they left so he didn't see why they'd be expecting different.
"Is it because of Mrs. Stillmoore?" Once again Parker was sad for him.
"He doesn't know about her yet." And wasn't that gonna be a kicker of news to wake up to.
"You can't just not tell him." Hardison disapproved. "He's got the right to kn-"
"He's back in the hospital Hardison!" Annoyance over took logic and he spilled something he'd been trying to save until they got to the house.
"Why?" He could feel how hard she was staring as she waited for her answer.
"It's a long story Parker."
"I've got time." Sighing deeply he took a second to look at her before looking back out.
Though it was about 90 degrees out there the intensity of her stare had
it feeling like at least 200 in their air conditioned confines. "He's in a coma."
"A coma!"
Yep, this ride had just tripled the distance.
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"Anything?"
Sean?" It wasn't all that surprising to have Torlyn bombard his office.
"I brought his latest workups, maybe they'll add something to the others."
"Sean I didn't look at the others." The stunned look he received wasn't unexpected
as Torlyn stopped fiddling through the papers and asked, "Why? I gave them to you three days ago!"
"Don't you think it's time to move on? His brother all but threw you off the case."
"He's just looking for answers Jordan and I want to give them to him."
It wasn't long before he had the better of three different files pulled apart.
"Do you want them for him or for yourself?" The man was becoming obsessional.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Accusation was clear in those words.
"That you had your chance Sean. You got it wrong and now it's time for someone else to give it a go." This case had snuck under his friend's skin in a way he had witnessed from no other.
"Well until you find that someone else I think I'll go another round."As far as he knew the only physician currently on the Elliott case was putting in minimal effort at best and to him that just wasn't acceptable.
"Sean he's got a doctor, and you're not it!" He raised his voice with the hope that it would somehow make the message clearer.
"Not one that knows his case like I do!" He still studied the files, had most of the information memorized.
"You know what your problem is?" Jordan reached across the desk to take away as much of the records
as he could manage. "You're taking it personally man and that isn't healthy. You did what you could but it's time to let it be."
"That man came in here freshly scraped off the ground a broken and battered mess back in April.
I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I've invested in him since then but after what's sure close
to 4 and a half months you can bet I'm taking the damn thing personally." He snatched some reports back as
he tried to defuse a sizzling anger. "So unless you've got ideas that are relevant don't tell me what it's time to do!"
"You tell me what ideas have had relevance in this case." The biggest problem was that it was all over the map.
"Jordan please…" He sighed in frustration as much as annoyance. "Just give me something to start with."
"You're not going to give up on this are you?" He pulled himself a pile of those fresh
workups already resigning himself to a night of trying to appease his friend.
"I've just got to see it to the end one way or another." He wouldn't be in peace until he did.
"So you've got an irritated liver and gallbladder and a bunch
of negative labs." It sure didn't put any fresh ideas in his head. "I'm loving the progress."
"The labs have got to be false negatives." He'd already been tested for every by the book answer.
"The trouble with that is knowing what to test for." Jordan tossed in. "I mean we obviously can't test him for it all."
"Why not?" Trying to keep Jordan's eyes from falling out he furthered, "Why not start with all of it and deduct it down to a handful we can test for?"
"Do you have any idea how long that could take!"
"Then let's get started. Give me some ideas."
Still staring at Torlyn disbelievingly he deadpanned, "Polio."
"Really? Polio!" Now he knew Jordan had pulled that straight out of his ass.
"You said to start with all of it." Jordan spoke factually from across the desk.
"And Polio made sense to you?" If the man dared say yes he'd be first in line to petition his license be revoked. "Have you lost your mind!"
"This coming from the man that thought it was Lyme disease!" There was no need to add insult to the night.
"Hey, Lyme disease had damn good merit. In fact I'm still not 100% it isn't." He found himself biting at a fingernail out of habit more than anything else.
"He was hit by a car! How did that at all lead you to being poisoned by a tick?" Never had it made sense to him though it did seem to fit.
"Poisoned?"
"Yeah poisoned." He could once again see the gears turning and he wanted to be filled in. "Why? Are you thinking toxins."
"I think I've been thinking too much." Spencer had been hit by a car, simple as that.
"Where are you going?" Clearly he'd given him an idea and he was quite literally taking off with it.
"Come on." Torlyn stopped in his tracks only to coax Jordan to join him.
He didn't hesitate in standing, he knew how that mind worked and he could just see the pieces being flipped about. "Where to?"
That question actually had him thinking good and hard about what he was going to do. He absolutely needed the proof, and if he turned out to be wrong at least he could prove that too. "Just come on."
A near sadistic glint appeared in his eye and it had Jordan worried.
He'd never seen such a look come from this reserved guy. "Let's go steal us a patient."
E/N:Updates might be a little slow but I swear there's more on the way!
So who else thinks Torlyn's been around Nate too long?