He could hear the commotion from the cubicle before he even got there, and his heart began to pound. As Noble let go of the wheelchair at the ICU entrance, an unfamiliar sound reached his ears: his partner's highly distressed and slurred voice. "No… I don' b'lieve you… ee'd be eere… ee's dead, I know ee is… I know ee is…" Pushing the wheels of the chair even harder, he closed the gap quickly and turned into the small room.
With his heart in his mouth, Noble stood at the entrance, watching the chair and its worried young occupant disappear through the doorway; he knew it was vital that this be a personal and private reunion between the partners. "Mike!" he could hear Steve call out as he turned and left the restricted area, heading back to the waiting room where he had left Olsen and Caudill.
Mike was thrashing around, trying to get up, the doctor's hand on his left shoulder in an attempt to settle him down and keep him on the bed, when Steve came into view, repeating his partner's name loudly once again. At the sound of his voice, Mike stopped moving. Doctor O'Neil glanced quickly over his shoulder, a relieved smile appearing instantly, and turned back to his patient. "He's here. I told you, he's all right and he's here." O'Neil backed away from the bed as Steve wheeled himself closer.
"Mike," he said again, calmer this time, as he stopped the chair and snapped the brake levers down. "Mike, it's me, I'm here, I'm okay," he began the reassuring litany as he pushed himself up.
He could see his partner's wide eyes staring at him as he rose into view. The older man was breathing heavily through his open mouth, and he looked both terrified and devastated. Smiling, trying to keep his voice calm and even, he leaned over the bed, reaching out with his left hand to stroke his partner's still stubbled cheek. "I'm okay, I'm okay, Mike, it's all right, I'm okay," he kept repeating, soothingly, and watched the fear in the eyes very slowly begin to recede, to be replaced by tears.
Peripherally Steve saw Mike's left hand, which had been gripping the side rail of the bed, rise slowly until the fingers gently touched the side of his face.
"I thought you were dead." Mike's voice was strained and almost inaudible, and he started to tremble. He was barely blinking.
Shaking his head and trying to keep smiling, Steve leaned even closer. "No, I'm okay, I really am. It is me, Mike, I'm really here. It's really me." Careful to avoid the heavily bandaged right shoulder and immobilized arm, he laid his hand on Mike's left shoulder, like the doctor had done.
Continuing to stare, as if not believing what he was seeing, the tears brightening his eyes, Mike put his hand on the back of the young man's neck and pulled him closer. They stared at each other for several long moments until Mike closed his eyes, his entire body shuddering, taking deep gulps of air as the relief overwhelmed him.
It hadn't even occurred to Steve that Mike might think he was dead, and watching the reaction that misconception had produced was overwhelming. After all they had been through, he was being torn apart inside watching Mike come to grips with the almost paralyzing reality that his partner was alive and well and standing in front of him. It took everything he had at the moment to remain calm enough to help the wounded, distraught man who meant so much to him.
Sitting up slowly when Mike released his grip on the back of his neck, Steve pulled himself onto the edge of the bed, hoping Mike wouldn't notice the grimace of pain, his left hand remaining on his partner's shoulder.
Starting to get himself under control, Mike's breaths began to slow but he kept his eyes closed, feeling the gentle touch of his partner's hand. He opened his eyes slowly to see the grinning features of his best friend hovering over him, and he caught his breath with a small gasp, the tears stinging his eyes. "I thought you were dead," he said again, unsteadily.
Steve nodded and his smile wavered. "I know," he said, his voice quiet and gentle, "I thought you were too." They stared at each other for several long seconds then Steve grinned again and leaned back. "I'm glad you're awake. You were scaring me there for awhile." He had managed to lace his voice with a tinge of lightness, and relaxed when he saw his partner smile briefly then sober again.
"I heard shots. I thought it was you." The confusion was rapidly disappearing, as was the agitation. The Mike he knew and loved was coming back fast.
Steve nodded, the smile dissipating. "I heard them too. We haven't found out what they were yet."
Mike's eyes had traveled down from Steve's face to what he could see of the wheelchair and suddenly his eyes went dark and his brow furrowed in concern. "But you were hurt…" he said forcefully.
Reluctantly, Steve nodded, tilting his head slightly. "I'm okay, believe me, all right? I'm okay. I'm not hurt that bad –"
"Where?" Mike cut him off, and Steve could see the fear rise in eyes again.
With a heavy sigh, and laying a gentle hand once more on his partner's shoulder, Steve said quietly and simply, "Right upper arm and left calf."
"Twice?" Mike asked, alarmed.
Nodding slightly, Steve increased the pressure of his hand on Mike's shoulder, trying to reassure him that he was all right. "I wasn't hurt as badly as you were."
Blinking slowly, trying to stay focused, Mike took a deep breath. "What happened?"
Shaking his head slowly, Steve sat back slightly and lifted his hand. He didn't want to get into details; he was pretty sure Mike wasn't ready to hear about Rutter just yet. "Not now. We'll talk about all this later, when you're better. Not now, okay?" He smiled. "I'm on the mend, now we've got to get you there too." Mike held his stare for several long seconds then nodded. "How's the shoulder?"
Even in his debilitated state, Mike knew Steve was trying to shift the attention away from himself, and he smiled as reassuringly as he could. "It's okay," he said vaguely, knowing his attempt at nonchalance was not lost on his young friend.
Steve stared at him, then nodded once. "Unh-hunh, right, I'll ask the doc to up your meds." He smiled and shook his head slightly, and Mike did the same. They knew each other too well.
In the hallway, Doctor O'Neil grinned, relaxing. He turned quickly and started for the ICU entrance; there was something he needed to do and the sooner he got started, the sooner it could be brought into play.
# # # # #
About twenty minutes later, O'Neil stepped into the small cubicle once again and approached the far side of the bed. He glanced at Steve and grinned before turning his attention to Mike. "Lieutenant, how are you doing?"
Though exhausted and sore, Mike managed a smile as he turned his head slowly in the physician's direction. "Much better, doc, thanks." He glanced at his partner and his eyes lit up again.
O'Neil nodded, including Steve in his relieved look. "Listen, ah, I know it's late in the day, but there's no need to keep you in ICU anymore, now that you're improving. So we're gonna move you upstairs to a private room." As he spoke, two orderlies entered the cubicle and crossed to the bed. O'Neil looked at Steve. "Inspector, if you could give us a couple of minutes, we're gonna 'free' your partner here and take him upstairs. If you want to wait for us in the corridor…?" He nodded towards the door.
Frowning, confused by the sudden decision to have Mike moved, Steve slid off the bed carefully and lowered himself back onto the wheelchair. He pushed himself out into the corridor and he could hear O'Neil talking softly to Mike as he made his way to the ICU entrance and exited.
Olsen, Noble and Caudill stood quickly when they saw him and crossed the waiting room to join him. "How's Mike?" Olsen asked, concern so evident in his voice.
"Ah, he's okay, he's good, he was just confused when he was waking up, but he's okay." He glanced over his shoulder. "They're moving him upstairs."
"Now?" Noble asked, surprised. "It's rather late in the day for somethin' like that, isn't it?" He looked from Steve to Olsen, eyebrows raised.
Steve shrugged. "Well, that's what I thought, but O'Neil seems to think it's the right thing to do. He asked me to wait out here."
"That's odd," Noble said quietly as he took a step towards the ICU double doors, his brows knit in apprehension. Steve and Olsen exchanged baffled looks and the younger man managed to shrug slightly. Everyone looked a little worried.
A young male orderly came down the hall and approached Steve. "Inspector Keller?" he asked politely.
"Yes," Steve answered tentatively.
"Dr. O'Neil asked me to help you back to your room." He gestured towards the push handles of the wheelchair. "Do you mind?"
With another quick, confused glance at the three men standing around him, Steve shook his head. "Not at all, go right ahead."
The orderly turned the chair and started towards the elevators. The others remained behind, not sure exactly what was going on.
It was a silent ride up in the elevator and Steve was taken straight to his room. The strain of the long and taxing day was beginning to exact a toll, both physical and emotional, from the exhausted and injured young man. Finally horizontal, Steve laid back on the slightly raised bed with a tired sigh and closed his eyes. As confused as he was about what was going on with Mike, he was more than a little relieved to be back in the hospital gown and lying down, as uncharacteristic as that may be.
It seemed he had just gotten settled when the orderly that had brought him up re-entered the room, joined by a second. With a broad smile, the first orderly went straight to the small bedside cabinet and began to pick up the few personal effects that were there: the shaving kit from his suitcase, his watch, wallet and badge. The second orderly went to the small closet and removed Steve's suitcase; the items were carefully placed inside, as were the clothes that Steve had been wearing that day.
"Excuse me," Steve began quietly, gesturing at the suitcase when the first orderly looked at him. "Uh, what's going on?"
"Oh, you're being moved to another room for the night. Sorry, I thought Dr. O'Neil had told you."
Shaking his head, continuing to frown, Steve said tentatively, "Um, no." Deciding to keep his concerns to himself for the moment, he allowed them to put the now filled suitcase on the end of the bed, which was then wheeled out of the room and down the corridor.
They rounded a corner then slowed down in front of an open door. The gurney was pushed past the door, then turned to enter the room footboard end first, which Steve knew right away wasn't normal. But the second the gurney cleared the door, he realized what was going on, and a relieved and grateful smile lit his face.
Already in the room, still hooked up to the antibiotic and IPN IV lines, a sleeping Mike Stone lay on the hospital bed near the far wall. The room wasn't big, and there was just enough space for the two gurneys to be placed side by side with adequate access around them.
The bed Steve was on was pushed alongside the first one, touching sides, head to tail. One of the orderlies removed the suitcase and Steve could hear the closet door open and close. Two sets of footfalls exited the room, followed almost immediately by another set entering. "I thought you two could use a little time together," Doctor O'Neil's voice filled the air behind him. "You need the rest and he needs the company." There was a soft, gentle chuckle as O'Neil crossed to the door. "Get a good night's sleep, Steve. You both deserve it." The heavy wooden door closed soundlessly.
Mike's bed was almost fully raised, and he looked comfortable lying against the pillows stacked against the side rail. His left hand was at his side and, with no real effort at all, Steve reached out, picked it up and squeezed. Mike stirred and his head came up slightly. His eyes opened a slit, then widened a little more when he recognized his young partner so near. A warm and happy smile surfaced under the heavily lidded eyes.
Steve returned the smile, shaking Mike's hand slightly. "Go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere," he said softly. He watched as very slowly his partner's smile disappeared, the blue eyes gradually closing. He leaned back against his own pillows and closed his own eyes. Sleep came quickly for them both.
Sorry, folks, but RL is getting way too busy right now and it might be a day or two till my next chapter. A thousand apologies to those who appreciate the daily updates - but I want to make sure I don't shortchange my readers or myself with this story.