Chapter 11

Hearing the door close behind Dr. Tillman, Elise leaned over and gently kissed John. Smiling as she pulled away, she patted his cheek. "John Reese, don't you EVER leave your phone at home again!" she whispered vehemently and in a harsh tone due to her injury.

Smiling back, John answered, "How about I promise to TRY and never do it again?"

Trying to look stern was not working out too well for Elise. The release of the tension, of no longer having to worry about WHERE John was and then the stress of finding him hurt…. it had all left her feeling almost giddy now that it was all over. Trying to retain control in those chaotic hours had taken their toll. She felt emotionally wrung out as well. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out his phone. Taking his hand, she carefully placed it in his palm and wrapped his fingers around it. "Don't leave home without it!" she rasped, causing John to frown at the rough sound of her voice.

Turning away, Elise looked at the shreds of John's clothes on the floor. Meg had cut away his shirt and undershirt to get to the bullet wound. There was no way that either would be usable again. She had no idea how long John might have to stay in the clinic. She knew he was very weak but she wanted him home with her, where she could take care of him, where she could assure herself at any given moment that he was safe.

Watching Elise clean up his shredded, bloody clothes, John was amazed at her composure. Even after all these months, she continued to amaze him. He'd been a basket case when Carter and Fusco had brought him back to the library to prove that Elise had not died. Looking down at his phone, he cursed himself quietly for forgetting something as important as his line of communication to her while we was anywhere away from her. He wondered how things would have turned out if he'd been able to call Elise instead of just leaving her with no explanation. Then again, he wouldn't have wanted Stanton anywhere near her.

"What happened to Stanton?" He asked quickly, trying to sit up and assess any danger that might be lingering with that sociopath still out there. The movement was painful and he groaned causing Elise to rush to his side.

"Lay down, John! Meg just got the bleeding stopped and you'll open up the wound all over again. Stanton is gone. Mark Snow finished off what I started."

"And Mark?"

"I'd say it was rather poetic that she took him out at the same time."

John sighed in relief and relaxed back onto the bed. Looking at his phone and noticing he had several missed calls, he checked and sure enough, they were from Elise and Harold. Then he noticed a text message. Opening the message saw it was from Elise. The message showed a picture attachment without an actual message. Puzzled, he tapped to open the message, gasped and then smiled. The picture was one Elise had taken of herself just about the time he'd gone missing. She was wearing nothing but a very sexy 'come hither' smile on her face and he recognized the background as the bed in her beach house. Even being shot, his body couldn't help but react seeing Elise looking so desirable. Making a slight groaning noise as his body reacted even more strongly as he perused her naked form, John shifted and Elise called to him in a frightened voice.

"John! John! What's wrong? Do I need to get Meg back?" Her hands flew over the bandages, checking for fresh bleeding but finding none.

"No, no I'm ok. Don't call her. I don't think she could help me with my problem." He grinned mischievously and Elise frowned in puzzlement. "I just saw your text message." Showing her his phone with her picture, his grin got even bigger. Elise blushed to the roots of her hair and tried to grab his phone. She had completely forgotten about that picture!

"Oh no you don't!" He told her. "That picture was sent to me! It's now officially my picture and I happen to love it." Holding the phone in his left hand, he reached up and put his hand around Elise's neck, pulling her down and giving her a kiss that made her realize he was not nearly as weak and pitiful as he appeared.

Pulling away, she looked down at John breathlessly, her eyes dilated with desire and need. Leaning back down, she hugged him as best she could while keeping away from the bandages on his stomach and side. She finally let the tears slide quietly down her face and drop onto John's neck. He held her as close as he physically could and closed his eyes, whispering words of comfort and love.

Meg took Harold's empty cup and put it with hers in the sink. Turning back around, she leaned against the sink and looked at him.

"We need to decide what to do with John. He's weak and he's going to need care. The library would be ok because of all the medical supplies you have there, but I get the feeling that Elise would prefer to have him elsewhere?"

"You are quite correct Dr. Tillman...er Meg." Harold cleared his throat. "John is not one to be coddled for any length of time. I think that with Elise's paramedic training she'll be able to handle his care. She may want to take him back to his loft."

"Well, I need to find him some clothes then. I pretty much destroyed what he had on trying to get to that bullet wound. I'm still amazed that his previous gunshot wounds actually SAVED his life. That scar tissue kept the damage to a bare minimum. His biggest problem was blood loss which was pretty serious, but I've got him back up to normal blood volume and he seems to coming around quite well."

Pushing away from the sink she asked, "Shall we go check on our patient? I think he and Elise have had enough time together for the moment, don't you think?" Standing up, Harold gave her a small, reserved smile and nodded his head.

Knocking on the door, Meg waited for an answer before opening it. Hearing a muffled 'come in' she turned the knob and walked in with Harold behind her.

Elise was standing to the side with her back to them. John was looking much better than when she'd last seen him about fifteen minutes ago. Color had returned to his face, his breathing was not as labored and there didn't seem to be any bright red blood on the bandage. Actually, there seemed to be quite a bit of color in his face, almost if he were….blushing. Meg had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she stepped up to check his vitals. Her efforts were gifted with a thankful smile topped with beautiful blue eyes.

"Thanks Doc, for taking care of me."

Harold stopped at the door and waited as Meg went to John. Seeing Elise off to the side with her back to him, he made his way over to her. He knew her well enough to know she was very close to the breaking point. She had maintained iron control of herself from the moment she had entered that NOC until now. He knew she had forced herself NOT to kill Stanton with her bare hands. Something he wasn't sure she would have regretted or not. He also knew she had come to him and helped with the computer despite the fact that she desperately wanted to go to John.

Walking up and standing by her side, he didn't touch her, knowing intuitively that if he touched her, her control would break. Quietly he said her name, "Elise?" Turning slowly at the sound of his voice, he could tell that despite her kiss swollen lips, she'd been crying. Her eyes were red, making their blueness even more pronounced. Holding his hand out to her, she looked down and slipped her hand into his. The physical contact was almost too much but it was something they both needed. They both had almost lost someone who meant a great deal to them. Words were not necessary, their hearts understood and accepted.

"Well John, I'd really like to go back to meeting you for coffee instead of patching up either you or Elise."

"Me too Doc, me too. But in our line of work...things happen."

"Your vitals are good. You can leave here but you are going to need some looking after for a couple of days at the very least. Your scar tissue helped save you but it doesn't heal like regular skin and bones. Do you have a place to go to? I'm sorry that I can't keep you here overnight. Kinda scares away my normal clientele." Meg said with a smile.

"You just gave me the best news I've had in a while. I'm ready to get out of here." John said, trying to sit up but an involuntary moan escaped, causing Elise and Harold to turn around. Elise was at his side in a second, worry causing blood to drain from her face.

"John! John! What's wrong? Meg? What's wrong with him?" she rasped.

"It's just John being John. He's been SHOT but still thinks he can get around as easily as ever." laughed Meg. "John, take it easy, let us help you sit up...SLOWLY."

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, John held onto Meg and Elise and slowly sat up. Moving his long legs over to hang off the side, John exhaled. He didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath. He kept his eyes closed and waited until his equilibrium kicked back in. Once it did, he opened his eyes and looked at Elise and smiled. "I'm ready to go home please, sweetheart." Smiling from ear to ear, Elise hugged him as carefully but as tightly as she possibly could.

Meg cleared her throat, "I think I've got some clothes you can wear John. I'll be right back."

Harold walked over to John. They exchanged looks but no words. The things they had been through for each other being upper most in their minds. Their belief in each other and their mutual 'cause' was becoming stronger every day. Being complete opposites in personalities, they complimented each other, one's strong points taking over for the other's weaknesses.

"Glad to have you back with us, John." He finally said.

"Glad to be back, Harold." And that was all that was said about the matter.

Meg walked in with a flannel shirt, a clean white undershirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. "I think these will fit you. You don't have to worry about returning them."

John accepted the clothes and looked down at the pants he still had on. There was blood all over them. He looked up again at Meg and Harold and waved his hand over his lap. His meaning was quite obvious; he was going to have to strip to put on the clean clothes.

Both Harold and Meg beat a hasty retreat out the door. Elise watched them leave with her mouth hanging open. Then she giggled. She had John alone again and she was going to have to help him get UNdressed and then dressed again. She couldn't think of anything better than that given John's current weak state.

Standing next to John where he sat on the gurney, she helped him get his feet on the floor and held him as he found his balance. Leaning against the gurney John was surprised just how weak he was. Unzipping his pants he let them drop to the floor. As usual, he was commando and a slow smile spread over Elise's face as she looked at him.

"Good to see that everything looks ok and seems to be in working order." she whispered, her voice husky with passion.

"Hmm... perhaps you should examine me yourself, doctor?" Elise laughed throatily and leaned into kiss him deeply but briefly.

"Come on. I'd hate to REALLY scare Meg's clientele away."

Stepping out of his pants, John was glad to have Elise's help pulling on the jeans. They were a little snug, especially in his current state, but they would do as long as he didn't have to wear them too long. Grinning broadly, Elise helped him very carefully zip up the pants, having to exert quite a bit of control to keep from caressing him and making the fit even snugger. Leaning into him, she buttoned the button and nuzzled his neck and sighed. She was so glad to have him back.

Pulling away, she reached for the white t-shirt to help him put it on. Suddenly John grabbed her arms and pulled her back in front of himself. Taking her chin in his hand, he gently turned her head to one side and then the other.

"Where did those bruises come from? They're on both sides of your neck. They look like somebody... like somebody tried to choke you? Who did this?" John growled as his voice grew louder.

Backing away from John, Elise's eyes grew wider, barely able to look him in the eye. Lowering her gaze she answered, "It's ok, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt."

"Don't lie to me! It does hurt! That's why you're talking the way you are. All whispery & raspy! Who did this to you?" John demanded.

Shaking her head side to side, Elise blinked back the tears his concern was eliciting. "It was Mark Snow. Bear took care of him, don't worry, gave him a nasty bite as a reminder not to touch me. But it doesn't matter now, he's dead. Stanton shot him and he shot her. They're both dead."

The deadly glint in John's eyes faded as the realization that Stanton and Snow were no longer a threat to them sunk in. If they hadn't been, John would have hunted Mark down and ripped him apart for daring to lay a hand on Elise like that. Holding his arms out to Elise, she walked back in to them and was enveloped in a bear hug. John's long arms wrapped around her. This was where she belonged, in his arms, always. He tried to shove down the fear and anger over the fact that they'd almost lost one another.

Once she had him dressed, Elise stood back to get a good look. John's normal attire was his black suit and white shirt. Except for the occasional day when he wasn't working the numbers, she seldom got to see him dressed casually. She smiled. There was something HOT about seeing him in a flannel shirt open at the collar. Walking to the door, she opened it and called to Meg and Harold.

Back in the room, they discussed where was the best place for John to recuperate. Elise was adamant that she take him back to her house on the beach. She wanted out of this city, away from the 'real world' so that John had time to heal.

Meg and Elise discussed the care that John's wound would need. Loading her up with the necessary bandages, antibiotics etc, Meg gave her instructions about what to expect.

Harold wanted to talk to John about the chip. Pulling it out of his pocket, he handed it to John and waited to see what he had to say. John immediately explained what he knew about it from Stanton. He told Harold that Stanton hadn't explained how it worked but that it interfered with the digital recordings from security cameras and alarms, allowing them to slip in unseen and unnoticed. In turn, Harold explained what he had discovered, that analog cameras were not interfered with and still provided a clear picture while digital cameras showed a distortion. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you wouldn't even notice it. Harold knew this was a VERY dangerous device he held in his hand. He needed to take it back to the library and see the technology that had created it. This could very easily undermine the very core of the Machine's program by taking away its 'eyes'.

Harold offered his town car to John and Elise so that they were able to return to the beach house. It was big enough for John to stretch out for the ride. It would also allow them to take Bear back with them. Harold really did not want the dog to stay with him. He was worried about what he would find when he returned to the library where Bear had been staying.