Chapter 46

A few days passed, and Clay stayed asleep more than he was awake, and this did nothing but spark worry within the team. Trent was all over the doctors demanding more tests to find a cause. Clay should have been getting better, not worse, and when he was awake, he was plagued by motion sickness, light sensitivity from his concussion and coughing to the point he would get sick and choke on his phlegm. He still hovered in the land of crossing the line towards sepsis and a fever that kept wanting to spike out of the blue as the infection on his leg refused to let up and run its course.

"Pneumonia."

"You sure?" Trent asked the doctor as he came into the room and got the team's attention all gathered around the blonde's bed as he tried to catch his breath after a coughing fit while Liz held a pillow onto his ribs, pushing softly with each jolt of his body. Her other hand rubbed small circles on his upper back as he winced in pain. Ray and Brock stood at the foot of the bed, lightly holding down his legs at the ankles to try and stop them from jerking, flying up with each cough, and risking the breaking of stitches. Jason brought over a small basin in case Clay felt the contents of his stomach appearing. Sonny held a cold, damp cloth on his forehead, covering his eyes to help ease some tension from the light seeping into the room from the hall while mumbling encouraging words and trying to make light of the tension in the room.

"All tests point to pneumonia from inhaling water and the extra infection within his body. We will start him on another round of stronger antibiotics and fluids to help get the rest of the infection out of his body and lungs, as well as make sure he stays hydrated since he can't seem to keep things down. The best we can do is let it run its course and intervene if it worsens, but I do not want to go that route. If we intubate him again, getting him off the vent and back to full strength is risky."

"Thank you, doctor."

As the doctor left the room, Trent returned to the head of Clays bed as he scanned his vitals and watched his chest rise and fall as he struggled to breathe.

"Jase put some more pillows behind him and raised the head of the bed some more. He should sit up as much as possible, but make sure it's not too high to squeeze on his ribs. Liz, keep that pillow on his chest; if he's too weak to hold it, you may have to keep it there. Son, get another cloth for the back of his neck; we must keep him cool. Brock, Ray, do you guys want to go out for a coffee run and maybe get some food? It's going to be a long day. Jase, we need to keep him awake as much as possible so he can cough out what's stuck in his lungs." Trent started to order out in medic mode. He did a slight flinch, realizing he was ordering Jason around but received a reassuring nod in return and knew he was not overstepping. Everyone on the team respected him and his medical knowledge and orders in any medical situation. Although no one said it when there was an emergency and medic Trent stepped forward, Jason stood aside and always let him take charge. There was no order and level of ranking when someone was injured, and it was all about treatment and having every one of their team members home and alive and healthy.

"Im… fine. You guys… don't need… don't need to cater… cater to me." Clay barked out between coughs, clenched teeth from wincing and trying to catch his breath. "Really."

"Yeah, sure, Bam Bam. You sound right as rain." Sonny rolled his eyes as he returned with another cold cloth for the back of Clay's neck and replaced the one over his forehead.

"You all… must have… better things to do…. Don't need to… to stay."

"You need to stop talking."

"I…-"

"If you say your fine one more time…Clay, just stop talking." Jason narrowed his eyes as he shook his head, knowing this would be a battle.

Clay went to open his mouth to protest again as he refused to be waited on. And Trent cut him off, "That's an order."

"I support that." Jason backed him up, knowing Clay would not try and fight, well, not fight too much if he was ordered by Bravo 1 as well as Medic Trent. Everyone knew when those two teamed up; there were no questions asked. No matter how much the cocky shit sitting in front of them tried, but always seemed to cave—well, only surrendered here. Jason, Trent and Blackburn were the only ones that seemed to be able to pull rank on him and have him listen. There was always a protest, but he listened and did as ordered.

Liz could not help but laugh watching the guys on her team strong-arm Clay. They ordered him to be quiet, propped him up on pillows, and shimmied him around the bed to get him comfortable and in the proper positions, per Trent, for healing and comfort. Clay sat there pouting like a little child as he objected to their every touch and movement but kept his grumblings to himself. He did not fight them or object, but he did not help them either, and when Clay wanted to be deadweight, he was good at it. He took pride in his body and build and did not consider himself heavy, but when he went limp and sometimes even put a bit of inner resistance and extra weight on a limb, he knew he was a pain to move around. And slightly took pleasure in being a nuisance. He didn't get his reputation around the teams of being a cocky little shit for nothing.

"Just let them help." Liz laughed as she watched Clay focus a bit extra weight on his leg as Trent tried to prop them up on a pillow.

"Listen to Pebbles there, Bam Bam. She knows what's best, and wipe that pout off your face before you get wrinkles." Sonny quipped as he grumbled, grabbing a chair for himself and Liz. Trent and Jason settled on the other side of the bed in their chairs, somewhat satisfied with their work. It was the best they were going to get from him.

The team settled into a grove as they all chatted and tried to keep Clay awake while waiting for Brock and Ray to return with food. They developed a system and became a well-oiled machine, to no one's surprise as they were Bravo, the best, and every time Clay went into a coughing fit, they all took their respective places. Liz holding the pillow, Jason and Trent each on a leg as they coaxed him through the cough and reminded him to breathe. Sonny at Clay's head as he held a cloth to his forehead and neck while trying to support his shoulders without jostling him or touching his injury. Once the coughing was settled, they cleaned up any of his phlegm or stomach contents that did not make it into the basin. Liz tried to get to him in time, settled back into their chairs, and tried to keep Clay awake but not overstimulate him with his concussion. It was a fine line; they were learning the dos and don'ts. This process repeated until the last two members came in with some bags of food and trays of drinks.

"Please tell me…. Tell me one… of those coffees… are for me." Clay gasped as he slumped in his bed, lightly sinking his head back onto the bed.

"In your dreams, kid. No caffeine for you. But we did manage to score you a milkshake." Ray laughed at the glare from Trent as silent words were thrown at them, saying they better not have gotten him coffee.

Clay glared at Ray and Trent. He was so tired, and if he stayed awake as they all insisted, he would need some caffeine.

"Hey now, wipe that pout off that face. There is no way we are going against Trent's orders." Brock huffed as he let out a breathy laugh dishing out everyone's drinks and food.

"Im not… pouting." Clay all but whined as he tried to lift the cup off the side tray table but could not seem to reach in that direction, let alone lift anything with any weight, even if it was a mere quarter of a pound if that.

Liz watched the struggle for a few seconds before she clued in. He was wincing in pain but trying to hide it as he hurt to twist, even to perform a second attempt at reaching for the cup.

"I got it."

"Thanks."

Liz held up the pillow with one hand against his ribs as she reached over the bed and grazed his arm with her body, causing them both to suck in a breath as she returned from the lean and her chest ended up skimming his harm again. Damn her for being short and having a slight reach. As she straightened herself, she could feel blue eyes piercing her with a fire behind her. He may have just been on his death bead a few days ago, still fighting his health, but he was still a man. And the woman that ruled his thoughts for the past year had accidentally rubbed her chest against him, sparking some deep ideas he had pushed down for far too long. The tension between them grew briefly before Sonny cleared his throat from across the bed, grinning at Liz as she shot daggers through her eyes. He could only let out a laugh as her eyes went from fire to ice in a matter of a second, and he was going to get whiplash.

"I think you will have to spoon-feed him there, Pebbles." Sonny kept teasing as the rest of the team was unaware and involved in their own conversations. With a wink, he leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee and grinning as he watched Liz huff, roll her eyes and lifts the cup and straw towards Clay as he glared at Sonny. "Hey, it's not me; every Ken needs a Barbie."

…..

A week passed, and Clay was more irritable than ever. The team was still on leave and made a schedule to have at least one member always with Clay, day and night. When he was hard off, they tried to have two members there to help with nausea that came with the coughing as well as help keep his body still and calm.

But now, much to his irritability, he was showing minimal signs of pneumonia and the infection in his leg was completely gone. He was still in pain, full of stitches and a sling, but concussion symptoms did not plague him. He was on the road to healing now, and it was just managing the pain, gaining his appetite again, and starting PT once his stitches came out and he could move around more.

…..

Week two had come and gone, and although the team was visiting as well as Blackburn and Davis now that they were back, no one wanted to be there. But they could not blame Clay at the same time. He was grumpier than ever, closed off and took all his anger out on anyone who stepped foot in the room or shut down entirely and did not utter a word and just stared out the window. He was over being in the hospital and watching everyone come and go and leave him behind, stuck in the bed. Alone.

No team member did well in a hospital and always went stir-crazy being in there for a few days. Clay has been in here for three weeks now. Everyone in his situation would be ruthless and grumpy. They didn't blame him but did not enjoy being a punching bag and needed to get him home. It was becoming more of a problem now as he was not so much taking his anger out on people but shutting down more and not speaking for everyone's shifts at the hospital. He even shut down Liz and Sonny, a massive red flag that worried everyone. If they could not get to him soon, it would be game over, and no one then knew how to get him back.

Liz, Sonny and Jason were hunkered down in the corner of the room, talking as Clay lay in the bed after returning from PT. They started going in groups the past few days to try at least to keep each other company, as Clay was not talking or out of his room for PT and tests.

"Time to go home." Clay's doctor boomed into the room, looking at the PT's notes chart.

"Home?" Sonny popped his head up mid-sentence.

"Yup. We are discharging him this afternoon. Physio has signed off. He is minimal weight bearing, just enough to get by with some assistance but does not need to stay in bed. With his ribs and shoulder, we had to wait a little to discharge him as crutches were not an option, with both legs sustaining significant injuries. But he is cleared now, with some restrictions and rules."

Clay snapped his head towards the door from brooding at the window. Liz, Sonny and Jason got up from their chairs and walked over to the bed to sort out instructions and information with the doctor before texting Trent.

"What are the rules, doctor?" Sonny asked as he pulled his phone out and opened the notepad app, as there was no way he would miss anything regarding his best friend.

"First, there is minimal movement. Yes, he can walk, but it will be painful and needs to be limited daily. He does not need to be bed bound, but staying sitting most of the day is needed; his ribs and shoulder will still be compromised and leaning back in a reclined position will help. Showering is ok but no bathing with the stitches. We have taken some out, but a few needed to be replaced from being ripped with the coughing. If there is an option of a walk-in shower, that is ideal, as stepping up and over is still dangerous, and he has no balance. Stairs are not allowed unless he has support. No exercise or strenuous activities, and I feel like I should not have to say that, but I know you teams, guys. These injuries will take a few months to heal, and be ready to start training again. I do not want to see you back here, Clay. Remember you clinically died and have various injuries and trauma to your body. You have to take it slow."

"As much as I love you, buddy, I am not helping you shower, so you better listen up and obey." Sonny huffed out, still focused on making notes on his phone, looking up at Jason.

"Don't look at me. I am not showering him either; that is below my pay grade." Jason laughed.

Sonny glanced at Liz, "Well then, he better take it easy; the doctor said no strenuous activities and the only other person here is defiantly not allowed to help him shower then."

As Sonny's teasing grin grew, Liz's red face got darker as she looked down at her hands, avoiding the three men's eyes. No way was she getting involved in this in front of the doctor, her boss and her coworkers, no matter how close they all were.

"Can you guys stop? I can shower myself, thank you. My tub in my apartment is not very high." Clay shot out.

"You're not going home."

"The hell I'm not."

"Clay, they will not discharge you then."

"That is my sign to leave, but she is correct. You can't leave unless someone is staying with you." The doctor said as he scribbled a few more things on the chart and left.

"Well, I am not sleeping on your tiny couch, so your apartment is out of the question. And you can not stay with Liz. She is way too small to carry your ass up any stairs." Sonny reasoned as he started to pack up Clay's things.

"Your place is too small, and the elevator is broken half of the time, so yours is out to Sonny." Jason chuckled as he watched Sonny's grin shrink. He knew his game plan was to have the boys together for a few days, and nothing good would come of that. "Clay, you are staying at mine. I have a spare room with the kids being away at school."

"Well, better make room for me too. I'm not leaving my lil buddy at your place alone, bored out of his mind." Sonny shrugged as he scanned Liz's face. He knew she was torn inside, wanting to stay too but not wanting to say anything, and felt like she could not say anything in front of her team. "Shorty here is staying too. We will make a party of it, at least for tonight."

As Jason rolled his eyes and knew there was no point in arguing as he would lose this battle, he walked out of the room towards the nurse's station to gather all the needed prescriptions and appointment details for Clay's physio and testing.

"Thank you," Liz mumbled only to Sonny, who returned her with a slight squeeze of her shoulder as she went to grab Clay's bag to allow Clay to change in peace as he just sat on his bed, silently staring at his clothes trying to drum up a game plan as well as get the strength to get started.

"Need some help there, lil buddy? Won't be the first time I have had to change you." Sonny joked as he closed the curtain and grabbed Clay's clothes, ignoring his protests and whining.

Liz walked into the hall to wait with Jason as he finished a call. She could only guess it was him reporting to Trent.

"You going to be ok with this?"

"With what?"

"Staying over... With Clay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you have been all Jackle and Hyde with him the past three weeks. I have seen the way you act and move around him, but then with a blink of an eye, you give him the cold shoulder when we are around. You have not talked to him yet, have you? You know the team will support it, even if I didn't give my support."

"I know they will. But will he? I don't even know what he wants anymore. So much has changed in the past three weeks."

"Of course, he will. I can see it. He may be grumpy and pissed at the world, but he still holds onto something that keeps him going, keeping him centred. You have no idea what you mean to him, do you? The ball is in your court right now. He won't do anything to upset you and ruin things. So you miss, need to grow some balls and do something about it. Have to step up; I didn't raise a coward."

"Tough love does not suit you."

Jason laughed as he stood there and pulled Liz into a hug, "You only respond to tough. Doing anything the hard way is your default. But love should not be hard when it's two people made for each other."

As they pulled apart, Sonny opened the curtain, hulled Clay to his feet, and started of the room as, of course, Clay refused any help.

As they all made their way down the hallway towards the doors, Clay was hobbling behind and refused to ask for a break or call out for help. Liz looked behind her, shook her head and migrated towards Clay, and, without a word, tucked herself under his arm and wrapped one arm around his waist, and the other grabbed his good arm over her shoulder, lacing her fingers with his. Clay looked down, wincing in pain at his new position but then settled and relaxed against her and gave her some of his weight as he pulled her in closer to him with a smile limping beside her.

"Did we just sign up to watch two teenagers for the next week?"

"God, I hope not." Jason huffed as he rolled his eyes, holding the door open for the two youngest teammates.