ATF Alternate Universe
EIGHTEEN
"I'll be fine Buck, where am I gonna go?""I just think I should stay just one more day."
"I been home a week Buck, I think I can manage," JD smiled.
"I'm sure Chris won't mind me stayi.."
"Buck, go! I'll be fine. Go!"
"Okay..but ca.."
"I'll call."
"You sure about this?"
"Yes. Now go before you drive me crazy!" JD said as he hit Buck with the end of one of the crutches he leaned on.
"No walking! You get up you take them with you!" Buck ordered pointing his finger.
"Go," and Buck shut the door.
JD waited and counted to three to himself, and smiled as the door opened again
"I mean it!"
"Bye Buck," JD sung out in a light voice.
JD made his way over to the living room, swinging between the crutches. He had walked around once or twice when Buck had run to the store for something and the truth be told, after the adrenaline had wore off, it hurt pretty bad; he guessed the crutches weren't so bad after all.
He sat carefully on the couch, bending still was a little tricky because where the incision was, folded over each other, and moving his leg still caused some discomfort..but not as bad as it had.
He reached over and grabbed one of the many phones Buck had strategically placed around the apartment, just in case, and dialed it.
"Hey...yeah, he finally got out of here...no, I'm sittin on the couch...yes, I used the crutches.....I had some toast...no, two pieces, well, I gave Casey half of.....God Ezra..you're as bad as Buck.....no, you're right..it is an insult..I'll get some rest..bye..I said I would.....well how am I supposed to lay down if you keep telling me to do it....okay..Bye".
JD did as promised and after turning on the TV, he laid back on the couch, pulled the blanket over him and closed his eyes, Should I still be this tired? he thought to himself, right before he fell asleep
+ + + + + + +
"Well..look who decided to come back to work!" Vin said as Buck made his way off the elevator.
"He finally get sick of you?" Chris asked.
"Has he called?" Buck asked.
"Mr. Dunne called a littl.."
"He okay? Somethin happen? He fall? He.."
"If you would allow me a moment, I will divulge the contents of our conversation," Ezra stated.
"Sorry Ezra, just.."
"Yes, I know, you didn't want to leave him alone. The young man in question called to let us know that you were on you're way in," Ezra smiled.
"He called, from where?"
"The couch, he used the crutches, he indicated that he ate, he al.."
"I was there when he ate Ezra..did you ask him if he ate?" Buck said in a teasing manner.
"Well.I ..yes I did, were you aware he shared his meal?" Ezra asked, wondering if Buck knew.
"How much did he share?" Buck asked, none too happy; JD's appetite had been slipping again.
"Half a piece of toast."
"I'll go check on him later for ya' Buck," Vin offered.
"Naw, I'll go," Buck said, still a bit aggravated.
"I think Vin checking on him will go over a little better than you Buck," Chris reasoned, seeing Buck was about to protest.
"Probably right, I think I been driving him a little crazy," Buck smiled.
"You? No, never," Chris said not hiding the sarcasm.
+ + + + + + +
Buck sat the next 5 hours trying to keep himself busy, he would glance at the phone and on two occasions had actually picked up the receiver ‘just to make sure it was working', like there weren't six other phones in the pit.
"He'll call if he needs you Buck," Josiah said quietly as he passed Buck's desk.
"Not as stubborn as he is, you know how he can be Josiah."
"I think we all know how he can be, this time is different Buck, he knows how close he came," Chris reminded Buck. They had talked to JD about just how close he had come, as well as discussing what had happened in the warehouse.
"Yeah, I guess. Just wish I'd stayed home, just to make sure," Buck said.
"I'll go check on him," Vin said as he made his way to the elevator.
"Here, he might be sleeping or sittin' down, that way he don't have to get up," Buck said, handing Vin the key to the apartment.
+ + + + + + +
Vin made his way to the door and unlocked the door. He looked around to see if he could see JD, and heard the TV on in the living room.
"Hey JD, you awake?"
He didn't hear anything, but he saw Casey look from the couch, and like JD was Buck's shadow, Casey was JD's, wherever she was meant he was close.
He tossed the keys on the table in the kitchen on his way to the living room, he got in front of the couch and sat on the coffee table that was in front of it. He smiled, as he saw JD was fast asleep on his left side, knees bent slightly, and Casey had curled up behind JD's knees.
He saw JD's shoulders were exposed, and knowing the kid liked to be covered completely, he moved the blanket to cover him, as he did he touched JD cheek, and Vin's smile disappeared.
"JD, Hey JD, come on wake up," Vin said urgently.
JD opened his eyes, he looked to the sharpshooter.
"Hey, JD. You're not feeling to good huh?" Vin said quietly, again reaching up and touching JD's forehead, finding just how hot the kid was.
"No," JD almost cried out quietly.
"Why didn't ya call?" he still said softly, just looking at JD you could tell he felt bad.
"I tried," he said through a whimper, his eyes spilling over.
"Okay..real sleepy, huh?" Vin asked, noticing the phone was off the hook, making it to the arm of the couch.
"No...just hurts," he said, he really wasn't tired, but his body was, the tiredness just seemed to take over his eyes.
"Where's it hurt, kid?"
"Every..Vin.."
Vin was going to ask what, but he didn't get the chance to ask..he found out the hard way.
"Sorry.." JD said, he didn't even have the strength to move, his body just reacted to his stomach purging itself.
"Don't worry about it kid, I'm gonna call the hospital, then I'll call the guys to meet us there," Vin said as he dialed the phone, keeping one hand stroking JD's hair, JD closed his eyes.
"John Gabarini..thanks," Vin said to the receptionist as she put him on hold.
"Gabarini."
"Hey , John, Vin."
"Vin, everything okay?"
"No, JD's sick."
"He have a fever?"
"Yeah, I don't know how bad, he said he hurts."
"Where?"
"He didn't finish, he threw up."
"Okay, Vin, is he sleeping?"
"Kinda, he was talkin' with his eyes closed, he was makin' sense."
"Vin.." came a quiet plea from the couch.
"Right here kid.... He did it again John," not hiding the concern and panic.
"I already called for an ambulance Vin, they shouldn't be too much longer okay?"
"Okay," Vin tried to mask his ever building panic.
"I'll get a hold of Chris for you, just keep him warm."
"Okay thanks."
NINETEEN
"Thanks for calling," Chris hung up his phone and walked out into the pit, and right to Buck."Vin's taken JD to the hospital, he's sick."
Not another word, the pit emptied like they had found a bomb with 2 seconds left until activation.
+ + + + + + +
Vin paced in the waiting room, as he made his way to the all to familiar ER window where Gabarini had closed the curtain, which did nothing to ease the ex-bounty hunter's mind. He turned back and headed for the chairs again, Casey never leaving Vin's heel.
"Vin," Chris got out before Buck could as the 5 men entered the hospital.
"Haven't heard nothin yet," Vin answered the unasked question.
"He was fine this mornin.. I shoulda stayed home."
"Why didn't he call when he didn't feel well?" Ezra asked.
"He tried, the phone was off the hook, an the arm of the couch."
"John?" Chris asked anxiously seeing the doctor coming from the room.
"Let's sit down," John motioned to the group.
"I don't wanna sit down," Buck said, he'd been in hospitals long enough to know that when a doctor said ‘let's sit down' or ‘we need to talk' it was followed by something bad.
"Buck, I've been here goin on 30 hours, can we sit down?" John asked again.
"Buck, lets sit," Chris ordered, knowing what Buck was thinking.
"Okay, he's got the flu," John said, no smile, no ‘that's all', the men seemed to attribute the lack of a smile to the fact Gabarini was tired.
"So, you give him somethin' for that and he'll be fine," Buck smiled, noticing that Gabarini didn't respond, he added "Right?"
"Well, yes and no. We give him medication, get him rehydrated and wait," John said, rubbing his face with his hands.
"You're gonna admit him," Chris said.
"I have to. Hopefully he'll just be sick for a few days, we get his strength back up and he can go back home."
"Hopefully? What's that suppose to mean?" Buck asked, impatiently.
"His fever's at 102 right now, when he got here it was just over 101. All we can do is try and keep the fever steady, he's basically completely wiped out. Just because his eye's are closed doesn't mean he's sleeping."
"He's delirious?" Ezra asked
"Hardly, he's very aware of where he's is. He's just so weak from everything before; he looks like a five year old who..well..just feels like crap. He just wants to go home," John said with a small tired smile.
"Can we see him?"
"Sure, come on, you can go with him when they move him up to a room. Guys, she can't come, I'm sorry."
They all nodded knowing that Gabarini had let Casey into places in the hospital she probably shouldn't have been, and if Gabarini said Casey couldn't come with them when they moved JD out of the ER, then she couldn't.
JD lay on his side, back to the door, covered with blankets. His knees were slightly bent, as the group made their way round to face JD, his arms under the blanket, both hands making the blanket stay close under his chin, the IV line disappearing under the blanket.
"Hey JD?" Buck said, sitting on the small stool with wheels at the end of its legs.
JD opened his eyes, and Buck would have taken 100 of the ‘looks' to the one he was getting from the pale faced, fever glazed eyed kid in front of him. It was like John had said, a 5 year old who just didn't feel good.
"Guess I shouldn't have left ya' home, huh?" Buck stated his guilt.
"I wanna go home," JD said as he rolled to his back, the voice he had was worse than the look on his face.
"I know. Not feelin too good huh?" Buck said, rubbing JD temple with his thumb, and creating a damn for the big tears that rolled down from his eyes.
"Uh-uh," and his eyes closed.
"Just let them do what they need to, few days you'll be back home okay?"
"Promise?" JD asked as he rolled back to his side, eyes still closed.
"Promise."
"Kay."
+ + + + + + +
JD stayed in the hospital a day longer than the two that was promised, but Dr. Gabarini said he just wanted to make sure he was okay; he said he knew JD didn't want a repeat of the episode and JD agreed.
A week after he came home, he was allowed to use one crutch, which lasted two days and he put the other down, Buck showed his disapproval by his facial expressions and little lectures he would try and bring into conversation.
Two weeks later, JD was finally allowed back to work. He did his first sweep a week later, he was third line in an operation with 3 lines; he was last again, partnered with the same rookie he had when the sweep had gone bad and two officers died.
The sweep was routine and pretty much uneventful, which both men were happy about. JD and Mike had cleared the the last area and made their way to the check in station, turned in their tags and found JD's friends waiting for him.
"How'd it go kid?" Buck asked JD.
"Better than last time," JD said with a sideways smile.
"So last isn't so bad then?" Chris asked.
"No, bein' last still bites," JD smiled at the words.
THE END
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