And Then They Were In Love And Lost

Chapter 18

All of Bravo stand waiting outside the triage hallways where they last saw their fallen team member as they wait very impatiently for any updates. Metal followed Liz back as Blackburn forced him to go and get checked out.

Davis slipped beside Sonny, leaning against the wall after his vigorous pacing. She knew he did not like to talk when stressed, but he had this hollow look on his face; she could not do nothing. So she slipped beside him and reached out towards his hand placed on the wall trying to anchor home. She glanced down, slipped her hand beside him, and looped her pinky with his. She knew he would not want to attract attention but needed her support. He needed comfort as his little sister was in an unknown status behind the doors, and the team sat there and blamed themselves for not being there to keep her safe.

Ray, Brock and Trent made their way to the chairs along the wall, all with their heads hung down and hands clasped in their laps. Almost like they were praying for their teammate to be ok and back under their watchful eye.

Jason was still pacing the hall on a rampage of fear, anger and stress. Everyone knew to avoid him when he was in this state as he rubbed his hands down his face and through his hair like if he did it enough times eventually, he would wash away all his emotions.

Blackburn was perched outside the doors trying to catch a peek into the windows as he amped himself up to go in and get an update. They needed answers, and at this point, he was the only one to get them, but he was scared to go in and have to report anything that could risk his sanity and the teams.

Clay was a mess. He was pacing for a bit and pulling at his hair under his hat, and after a while, he crumbled into the corner with his knees up, head tucked down and in, trying to hide from the situation. He was not ready to come out of his protective shell and face everyone. After seeing her awake and talking to him, his heart could relax for a few seconds. She was home, but then as she closed her eyes and did not respond to their calls or touch, his once-soothed heart broke and went cold. He was scared and the only one to help him calm down was lying unresponsive on a bed being rushed away.

Everyone's trance was broken as the doors pushed open, and one of the triage doctors stepped out. He had a solum look, and the team braced for impact.

"Who is here for Petty Officer Fox?"

Everyone grimaced as this had to be the worst case of deja-vu that karma seemed to love to throw toward them. They have been in this situation with Liz or Clay to many times to count on one hand, and they knew this was not the end. Each time they sat and waited for an update it was a cold slap in the face when their realty came crashing down on them from a doctor's report. The wonder twins did not make Bravo's life easy and although the team joked about grey hairs, it was slowly becoming a realty.

"Yes, we are her team; I am Lieutenant Commander Blackburn. Do you have an update?" Blackburn pipped in as the team stood around them in silence.

"She Is stable and will make a full recovery. It will be painful at times, but she will be ok. She has a second-degree burn on her back shoulder that will be painful as she heals as the nerves are damaged, but as long as she keeps it dry and clean, it will heal with a minimal scar. Her left forearm is broken, but it was a clean break, so no surgery is needed, and the cast will only need to be on for about six weeks and then some physio. According to the X-rays, her left ribs are badly bruised, but no breaks or fractures. They were a bit weaker from her previous injury, so her landing on them took a harder toll on her body than normal, and as they are still weak, any fall or impact can cause further damage and fractures. She needs to be mindful of her movements. Her thigh was punctured with a piece of metal from the car; we took it out, cleaned it and stitched it up. And with some time and strength, her leg and movements will return to normal. She also has a bullet wound stitched closed on her lower hip above the puncture, so her movements will be stiff. She has a concussion, so that she will be a bit foggy and, as of right now, can not remember the last few hours. She is a bit panicked, not knowing what happened to her and the team. But with some time, she will remember and be acting normally. We are most concerned about the smoke inhalation, which is causing damage to her throat, so she will need to stay here for a few days. With smoke inhalation, there is a chance of suffocation as the swelling can still occur hours after exposure." The doctor reported as he took in each wince and grimace from the team members. He was used to injuries and overprotective teams, but this time he was reading more emotion and fear as he went through the report of her injuries. This was a family, not just a team; he knew her recovery would be lengthy, but she was in good hands. He also mentally prayed for the nurses as he could tell her family would be overbearing and in the way during her recovery, but he got a glimpse of how stubborn she was already; even with her concussion fogginess, he was worried about what she would be like without them to tame her.