Chapter Text
Nate and Sophie arrived at the hospital before Eliot. They entered the emergency waiting room and spied Hardison looking at his phone. The man was so engrossed, he hadn't noticed the arrival of his teammates until they were standing over him.
Sophie sat on the vacant chair beside him and asked, "How's Parker doing?"
Hardison jumped with a squeal, then turned to look at the grifter, "Um, good. As good as could be expected, I guess. Her ankle's broken, but it wasn't shattered. They set it, and are putting a cast on it now. Arm's cut and bruised, but not broken. Concussion, but not severe. She'll be admitted overnight. I'm just waiting 'til they get her settled."
He paused and looked up at Nate, then Sophie, "She's real shaken, an' we're both worried outta our minds for Eliot. Any word?"
"They were still trying to free him when we left," Nate flopped into an empty chair, deflated. "What'd we miss, Hardison? The mark was done. I hadn't seen any sign that he had connections of that caliber. We had to miss something."
"I know. I've been sittin' here and goin' over everything. There's nothing, man. I got nuthin'."
After what seemed to the hacker like ages later, Parker had been settled in a room, given something for nausea and to relax her, and was sleeping quietly. The trio peered in and swept appraising glances over the sleeping blond. Even in the half light, they could see patches of darkening bruises against her white skin. The thief looked pale, young, and vulnerable with a square of gauze on her forehead, bandages on her arm, and the cast extending from her toes to mid calf.
Hardison whispered, "I'm stayin' right here tonight, Nate. Don' wan' her to wake up alone," and he quietly entered the room and sat down in the lone chair.
Nate nodded. He and Sophie had assured themselves that Parker would heal with no lasting effects, which left one more teammate to worry about. Nate trembled, he hated hospitals. Grabbing Sophie's hand and sharing a glance, they gathered their courage to go find about Eliot's status.
They entered the hallway, turning back towards the ER where they saw a flurry of activity. Doctors and nurses in scrubs were running out the doors to an ambulance that was just arriving, lights still flashing.
"That's a pretty loud entrance for a guy used to the shadows," Nate breathed.
Sophie squeezed his hand tightly, "They wouldn't be in such a hurry, if he wasn't still alive, Nate. If there wasn't hope. It's a good sign." She began to pull him in the direction of the melee.
Before they had reached the emergency area, a stretcher zoomed passed them down the hall towards surgery. It was surrounded by medical professionals, one of them even perched up on the stretcher itself, straddling the patient and working a ventilator bag. Several more doctors, nurses, and emts followed them, bringing various bags and pieces of equipment.
They knew that if Parker had witnessed this under any other circumstances, she'd have been running off to try riding a stretcher at that speed herself, and were grateful she was asleep somewhere behind them. But the duo also knew the figure at the center of that, the one lying insensate on the stretcher while a crowd of doctors worked on him, their friend, was in serious trouble.
Nate trembled, "Still looking like a good sign, Soph?" He needed to be there for Eliot. He needed to stay. And he needed to get out, to leave this place, before the memories swamped him again. His feelings were in violent conflict, even as his worry grew.
She clutched his arm tighter, not letting him pull away, and replied with a sigh, "He's still alive, he's not trapped under that van, and he's getting some help, Nate. So yes, it is."
The brunette changed direction to follow the stretcher, stopping to let the first nurse she saw know that they were family of the crash victim just brought in. Sophie pretended she didn't see the surprise and then sympathy on the nurse's face before she covered it with professionalism. The woman nodded, directed them to a different waiting room, and said she'd try to keep them informed.
The surgical waiting room was empty, as Sophie and Nate entered and settled in for a long stay. Nate sagged in a chair with his head in his hands. This job was supposed to have been an easy one. The team had been about to take some well deserved vacation time when it had cropped up. They'd all agreed it wouldn't take much effort, not more than a couple of days, and with a shrug, they'd all decided to squeeze it in before their break.
In hindsight, Nate wondered if there had been more behind it's falling into their laps. Something more nefarious. The mark himself had been a rather milquetoast character. Easily manipulated. Definitely not a criminal mastermind. They had never really questioned how had he acquired that high tech device. That had to have been their mistake. They had missed some connection to a person or a group with darker designs.
Tomorrow, he would have to find out what had happened to that panel van, and send Hardison in to take a closer look at whatever was left of it. What was left of that device. Nate wondered if he should've sent Hardison with Parker, after all. If he'd have seen something that Eliot would not have. Something that could have prevented all this.
That thought had Nate shaking again. If Hardison had been in that panel van when it had been attacked, he'd now have two dead teammates, instead of two injured ones. Sophie and he would be visiting a funeral parlor, then, rather than sitting in a hospital. Of that, he was certain. He'd made the right call there, no matter what happened now.
Sophie felt Nate's trembling increase without knowing the direction of his thoughts. She assumed he was reliving one of the worst moments of his life, thinking of his son. She took one of his hands in hers, again, wishing she could help him.
Nate looked up, and she saw the strain in his red, worried eyes. "It's going to be hours. Why don't you go home. Shower, get some sleep. Come back in the morning. I can call you if there's any news."
Nate looked at her, and then towards the door of the room, willing someone to appear and bring them news. He hated to leave her to wait alone, but he knew they were looking at days -no, weeks-, of sitting in hospitals. If the hitter even survived the night. He sighed, and nodded. "You'll be OK?" She nodded back. "And you'll call me immediately if there's any news?"
"Immediately. Yes. I promise. Now go, get some sleep. I'll be fine." Sophie pulled him up out of the chair, patted his back, and pushed him towards the door. Nate went, hesitantly. He felt guilty about leaving her, but he'd been in this position before. With Maggie. And he knew they'd have to think about a schedule, so that each of them could have some time. Parker would need rest and time to heal, too. They had to take care of themselves, so they'd be ready for the long haul. So they could be there for Eliot.
He took a taxi home, telling himself he'd send Hardison, tomorrow, to find and retrieve Lucille from wherever she'd ended up after the confusion of the evening. Arriving home, he realized how late it was. McRory's was closed and dark. He let himself in through the back entrance, and headed to the stairs to his apartment.
At the bottom step, he pulled up short. There was noise from above. None of Hardison's alarms had been triggered. Either he was hearing things, or whoever was upstairs was Parker-level good. He waited, listening for more sounds, barely daring to breathe. Just as he was about to pass it all off as nothing, he heard another clatter. This time it was followed by a quiet curse.
Nate drew his phone and dialed a familiar number.
It was answered on the first ring, "Nate! I heard some weird stuff on the scanner tonight, and figured it had something to do with you all. Everyone all right?"
Nate whispered, "Patrick. Someone's here. In my place. McRory's. I'm downstairs."
Detective Captain Bonano was suddenly all business. "Go back outside, Nate. Stay clear. I'll send a car there now. I'm on the way." There was a pause, and then, "Eliot with you?"
Heading quietly back out to the parking lot, careful not to let the door bang shut behind him, Nate shook his head and whispered, "Hospital. All of them."
"Jesus. Dammit. Ok. Be there in 5. Car's been dispatched, it's on its way. Stay on the line. Stay with me."
Two minutes later, the back door of the pub opened again, and two black-clad figures with hoods drawn over their heads appeared. One knelt by the back door, the second stood watch. They didn't appear to be carrying anything. As Nate observed from behind a parked car, the first man locked the door and reset the alarms, and the pair disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
"Patrick, they're gone. Two men, dressed in black, black hoodies."
"Don't go after them, Nate. I'll inform the officers, redirect them to search the area. Wait for me before you head back in. We don't know what they did up there."
"Understood," Nate replied. "I'll wait here. I'm hanging up now. I need to notify my team." Nate quickly dialed the number for the conference line Hardison had set up. It would ring on all their phones, but he knew only Sophie and Hardison would pick up. He hoped they would pick up.
Sophie answered immediately, Hardison a moment later. He had left Parker's room so he didn't disturb her rest before taking the call. Once they were both on the line, Nate got right to the point, "We missed something. Something big. Someone was in my apartment when I got home."
As Sophie gasped in alarm, and Hardison began to protest, Nate cut them off, "They had the codes, Hardison. I watched one of them reset the alarm as they left. Bonano's already on his way here. You two watch your backs. I don't know who they are, or what they want. Until we get more information, assume we've all been targeted. And get back to work on this, Hardison. This job isn't over."
"On it," Hardison replied. He was personally insulted that someone was able to enter their offices, Nate's home, without him being alerted. Never again. He'd be increasing security on the place, and on them all. Then he'd find whoever was coming after them. And when they found them, -because they couldn't hide from him and his team, not for long-, they would pay. He'd make sure of it.
"You be careful, too, Nate. You and Patrick both. No telling what - or who - they were after. Or what kind of calling card they may have left for you," Sophie told him.
"Right. And get back on coms. Stay in touch, people. We're already down two. Let's not let these guys get anything more on us."
Nate ducked back behind the parked car as headlights appeared at the end of the alley, and pulled down into the back parking lot. The car stopped, and the lights went out. Nate saw a familiar form exit the car, and he stood, relieved.
"Patrick," he greeted.
"Nate? You good? The team?"
"That is a tough question to answer. Long story. Let's go inside."