Safe Haven - Part 4
Nov. 26th, 2007 03:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
diandrahollmanTitle: Safe Haven
E-Mail: diandrahollman@yahoo.com
Website: http://diandrahollman.tripod.com/index.html
Rating: PG-13 to R for language and violence.
Keywords: Crossover, Alias/X-Files/Lost, slash, Vaughn/Mulder, Jack, hurt/comfort, angst
Spoilers: Only if you never watched season 5 of Alias or any season of Lost.
Disclaimer: All characters from The X-Files belong to Chris Carter and 1013. All other non-original characters belong to JJ Abrams and Bad Robot. I will put most of them back when I'm done with them, but I can't make any promises about Vaughn. The nurse is mine; any resemblance to the coroner on CSI: Miami is purely coincidental.
Author's Notes: See first chapter.
Previously
*****************
E-Mail: diandrahollman@yahoo.com
Website: http://diandrahollman.tripod.com/index.html
Rating: PG-13 to R for language and violence.
Keywords: Crossover, Alias/X-Files/Lost, slash, Vaughn/Mulder, Jack, hurt/comfort, angst
Spoilers: Only if you never watched season 5 of Alias or any season of Lost.
Disclaimer: All characters from The X-Files belong to Chris Carter and 1013. All other non-original characters belong to JJ Abrams and Bad Robot. I will put most of them back when I'm done with them, but I can't make any promises about Vaughn. The nurse is mine; any resemblance to the coroner on CSI: Miami is purely coincidental.
Author's Notes: See first chapter.
Previously
*****************
I stepped into Vaughn's room to find him lying on his side, heaving weakly into the emesis bin a motherly looking nurse held for him. The nurse supported his back with her free hand. She looked up at me in surprise.
"Are you family," she asked skeptically.
I showed her my badge. "Not exactly. Dr. Shephard said it would be okay for me to come in here."
"Christian or Jack," she asked, eyebrow raised.
What difference did it make? "Jack."
She nodded and smiled at me before refocusing on Vaughn, gently wiping his lips and chin with what looked like a glorified Wet-Wipe before replacing his oxygen mask. "I'm sorry - we've just had some miscommunication before," she explained. "I had to be sure."
I filed that piece of information away for later reference and stepped closer to the bed, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "How's he doing?"
"Better than he feels I'm sure," she said sympathetically. "Poor baby still has a lot of GHB in his system. He's just going to have to ride it out."
"How long will that take?"
"It depends. I've seen teenagers who overdosed on GHB take days to recover. Of course, most of them were female, so they were considerably more lightweight than your friend. The worst part about these drugs is that they make the victim feel helpless and vulnerable. Some girls can't even tell us what happened - all they can do is lay there and cry." She shook her head sadly.
"Can he hear me," I asked hesitantly.
"I'm sure he can, but he probably won't remember anything about any of this," she said kindly. "One of the side-effects of GHB. It can be a blessing and a curse." She finished making sure Vaughn was settled and stable before focusing her attention on me. "He should be okay now. Just make sure his mask stays on. If you need anything or if you hear any changes in his breathing, you let me know." She held her hand out to me. "My name's Mary."
I reached out to shake her hand. "Thanks."
"No problem," she said warmly.
"You know, I think Jack could learn some things from you about dealing with people."
She laughed. "If I had a nickel for every person who complained about Jack Shephard's social skills," she sighed. "He takes some getting used to, but his heart's in the right place. Your friend is in good hands." She gave me a wink as she walked out the door.
I sighed and sat in the chair beside Vaughn's bed, reaching over to stroke his hair back from his forehead. He flinched instinctively. "It's okay," I murmured. "It's me." I gathered his hand in mine, massaging his palm gently. He made a soft, indistinguishable noise between deep, sluggish breaths. His eyes hadn't opened since he collapsed at the entrance, but now they fluttered slightly, as if he wanted to open them but didn't have the strength. "Shhh...just relax," I soothed. "Try to sleep it off. I'll be right here with you."
Movement at the door to the room caught my eye. I looked up in time to see Jack appear just outside the open door and gesture toward the room, speaking softly to someone in the hall. Sydney brushed past him, an air of urgency about her.
I stood up quickly and met her halfway across the room. "Kate," I greeted.
She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a relieved hug. Whether or not this was for Jack's benefit, I wasn't entirely sure, but I hugged her back anyway. I gave Jack a grateful look over her shoulder, knowing he was probably stretching the rules a bit by letting us both in Vaughn's room. He just nodded at me and disappeared down the hall. Sydney let go and immediately moved to Vaughn's side.
"The doctor said they need to keep him overnight," she said worriedly.
"I'm sure they need to keep an eye on him at least until the drugs wear off," I replied.
She shook her head. "What happened?"
"Somebody slipped GHB in his drink. I was able to get Michael out of the bar, but the guy followed us to the car and tried to shoot us. I think he wanted to make Michael's death look like an accident and when his plan failed he panicked." I went back over the events in my mind. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't working alone. Do you have any idea who might have hired him?"
She shook her head again. "No."
She looked around furtively and then dragged me into the room's small bathroom, turning on the faucets in the sink and shower.
"So I take it you have an idea," I said, making sure to keep my voice low.
"We're CIA field agents. We make a lot of enemies. I'm sure there's plenty of bad people out there who could have a vendetta against Vaughn. But I need to know: are you sure this wasn't random?"
"He referred to Vaughn by name. He had orders to kill Vaughn and he asked me how it felt to watch someone close to me die."
She flinched. "Definitely not random." She sighed. "I don't know who did this yet, but trust me, we'll find them."
"I know you will. I'm just wondering if I should start getting the paperwork ready to move Vaughn into witness protection."
She smiled. "You know as well as I do he would never go for that. Don't worry, he can take care of himself. The fact that they tried to poison him and make it look like an accident tells us they don't want to draw attention to themselves. He'll just have to be more careful."
I sighed. "All right. I trust Vaughn's instincts."
Her smile turned into a grin. "Good."
Next chapter
"Are you family," she asked skeptically.
I showed her my badge. "Not exactly. Dr. Shephard said it would be okay for me to come in here."
"Christian or Jack," she asked, eyebrow raised.
What difference did it make? "Jack."
She nodded and smiled at me before refocusing on Vaughn, gently wiping his lips and chin with what looked like a glorified Wet-Wipe before replacing his oxygen mask. "I'm sorry - we've just had some miscommunication before," she explained. "I had to be sure."
I filed that piece of information away for later reference and stepped closer to the bed, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "How's he doing?"
"Better than he feels I'm sure," she said sympathetically. "Poor baby still has a lot of GHB in his system. He's just going to have to ride it out."
"How long will that take?"
"It depends. I've seen teenagers who overdosed on GHB take days to recover. Of course, most of them were female, so they were considerably more lightweight than your friend. The worst part about these drugs is that they make the victim feel helpless and vulnerable. Some girls can't even tell us what happened - all they can do is lay there and cry." She shook her head sadly.
"Can he hear me," I asked hesitantly.
"I'm sure he can, but he probably won't remember anything about any of this," she said kindly. "One of the side-effects of GHB. It can be a blessing and a curse." She finished making sure Vaughn was settled and stable before focusing her attention on me. "He should be okay now. Just make sure his mask stays on. If you need anything or if you hear any changes in his breathing, you let me know." She held her hand out to me. "My name's Mary."
I reached out to shake her hand. "Thanks."
"No problem," she said warmly.
"You know, I think Jack could learn some things from you about dealing with people."
She laughed. "If I had a nickel for every person who complained about Jack Shephard's social skills," she sighed. "He takes some getting used to, but his heart's in the right place. Your friend is in good hands." She gave me a wink as she walked out the door.
I sighed and sat in the chair beside Vaughn's bed, reaching over to stroke his hair back from his forehead. He flinched instinctively. "It's okay," I murmured. "It's me." I gathered his hand in mine, massaging his palm gently. He made a soft, indistinguishable noise between deep, sluggish breaths. His eyes hadn't opened since he collapsed at the entrance, but now they fluttered slightly, as if he wanted to open them but didn't have the strength. "Shhh...just relax," I soothed. "Try to sleep it off. I'll be right here with you."
Movement at the door to the room caught my eye. I looked up in time to see Jack appear just outside the open door and gesture toward the room, speaking softly to someone in the hall. Sydney brushed past him, an air of urgency about her.
I stood up quickly and met her halfway across the room. "Kate," I greeted.
She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a relieved hug. Whether or not this was for Jack's benefit, I wasn't entirely sure, but I hugged her back anyway. I gave Jack a grateful look over her shoulder, knowing he was probably stretching the rules a bit by letting us both in Vaughn's room. He just nodded at me and disappeared down the hall. Sydney let go and immediately moved to Vaughn's side.
"The doctor said they need to keep him overnight," she said worriedly.
"I'm sure they need to keep an eye on him at least until the drugs wear off," I replied.
She shook her head. "What happened?"
"Somebody slipped GHB in his drink. I was able to get Michael out of the bar, but the guy followed us to the car and tried to shoot us. I think he wanted to make Michael's death look like an accident and when his plan failed he panicked." I went back over the events in my mind. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't working alone. Do you have any idea who might have hired him?"
She shook her head again. "No."
She looked around furtively and then dragged me into the room's small bathroom, turning on the faucets in the sink and shower.
"So I take it you have an idea," I said, making sure to keep my voice low.
"We're CIA field agents. We make a lot of enemies. I'm sure there's plenty of bad people out there who could have a vendetta against Vaughn. But I need to know: are you sure this wasn't random?"
"He referred to Vaughn by name. He had orders to kill Vaughn and he asked me how it felt to watch someone close to me die."
She flinched. "Definitely not random." She sighed. "I don't know who did this yet, but trust me, we'll find them."
"I know you will. I'm just wondering if I should start getting the paperwork ready to move Vaughn into witness protection."
She smiled. "You know as well as I do he would never go for that. Don't worry, he can take care of himself. The fact that they tried to poison him and make it look like an accident tells us they don't want to draw attention to themselves. He'll just have to be more careful."
I sighed. "All right. I trust Vaughn's instincts."
Her smile turned into a grin. "Good."
Next chapter
