Safe Haven - Part 5
Dec. 19th, 2007 11:46 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.h
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
Hours later, I was woken from a restless sleep in one of the hard plastic chairs beside Vaughn's bed when the door opened and a man in a lab coat entered. He looked familiar, but it took several seconds for my mind to process that he was the man I had seen in the ER - the senior Dr. Shephard.
I sat up straight. "Where's Jack?"
"I sent him home," he said with a sigh. "I'll take over until the night shift comes in."
"Sir? With all due respect, somebody tried to kill Michael. I'd prefer to keep the number of people around him to a minimum. I only met Jack a few hours ago, but I trust him. I'm willing to extend that trust to you for the time being, but I'd prefer if nobody else was brought in on this."
He hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly at me. Then he sighed and looked over the monitors displaying Vaughn's vitals. "Well, he's stable now. I suppose I could notify the nurses and make sure Jack checks on him first thing tomorrow morning."
"That would be great. Thank you."
"You understand that if anything happens during the night..."
"I know. If there's an emergency, I'll take whoever is on shift. But unless he starts getting worse, I'd rather it was just you and Jack."
He nodded stiffly and finished making notes on Vaughn's chart.
"How is he?" I leaned forward, placing my hand on Vaughn's arm. His eyelids fluttered slightly, but he made no further movements.
"He's not getting any worse. There's still some GHB in his system, but it should be flushed out by tomorrow. He should be fine."
He was obviously better at talking to patients and their loved ones than Jack. However, I got the distinct impression that he was simply telling me what I wanted to hear. Jack, poor people skills or not, didn't sugar coat things. He was honest... brutally so maybe. But that was why he had instantly earned my trust and respect.
I picked up Vaughn's hand as the senior Shephard left the room. "Can you hear me," I asked tentatively.
Vaughn didn't respond. I sighed and kissed the back of his hand gently. "You'll be okay," I whispered.
I paced the room and the hallways outside restlessly for the better part of the night, feeling helpless, angry and scared. Sydney went home, came back and fell asleep in a chair in the corner of the room. I covered her with a blanket and then sat quietly holding Vaughn's hand until exhaustion finally overcame me and I fell into a restless sleep again.
*******
The next time I woke up, Jack was standing over Vaughn, scribbling on the chart and adjusting tubes and sensors. Sydney was still fast asleep in her chair.
"I hear you're refusing to let anybody in the room," Jack said softly, mindful of Sydney.
"Just being cautious," I said.
He nodded. "He's doing better. The worst part's over, but it's hard to tell how long it'll be before he's completely back to normal."
Sydney stirred and came awake with a start, her body going rigid, looking at Jack suspiciously. I gave her a subtle head shake before Jack noticed and she relaxed slightly.
"So who is he," Jack asked curiously.
"Excuse me?"
"What does he do for a living," Jack clarified.
"He works for the government. That's all I can say."
He nodded. "I would've guessed military. He tried to take my head off when we pumped his stomach and that was after I gave him a muscle relaxant."
"He's had martial arts training," Sydney piped up cautiously.
Jack nodded. "That would explain it." He made one last note on Vaughn's chart and replaced it at the foot of the bed. "I'll come back in a couple hours to check on him. You can call the nurse at the desk if you need anything."
"Thanks," I said softly.
He nodded and left the room.
"I don't like this," Sydney said in a low voice as soon as Jack was out of earshot. "How do you know we can trust him?"
"Because from what I've seen of him so far he's honest to a fault. He's harmless."
"For someone who doesn't trust people you're pretty quick to trust this guy."
"I see Michael's told you a lot about me," I sighed. "I know, but I trust my instincts. I really think this guy is on our side."
She relaxed gradually.
"Believe me, I'm the last person who would knowingly put Michael in danger," I added.
She smiled. "Maybe not the last."
*******
(later that day)
Sydney and I were watching a 24 hour news station with the volume on low when I felt a minute twitch in the hand I was holding. My eyes shot to Vaughn's face. His eyes were still shut. I stared at him for several long minutes, all but holding my breath, waiting for something to happen. Just as I was beginning to think I had imagined the movement Vaughn's lashes fluttered slightly. His fingers twitched again and this time there was no mistaking the movement as anything but deliberate.
"Kate," I blurted, barely stopping myself from calling out her real name.
Sydney sat up straight, her attention immediately focusing on Vaughn.
"He's waking up," I said urgently.
She was out of her chair and headed for the door immediately. "I'll get the nurse!"
I leaned closer to Vaughn as his eyelids began to flutter. "Michael? Michael, it's me, Fox. It's okay. You're at a hospital."
He frowned and struggled to open his eyes, wincing at the harsh daylight pouring through the windows.
"Can you hear me," I asked worriedly. I only had so much time before the nurse arrived.
He squeezed my hand and coughed lightly, a fine cloud forming on the inside of his oxygen mask. His eyes finally opened fully and warily scanned the room.
"We were getting really worried about you," I said slowly, pitching my voice to sound soothing. "I contacted your mother. She couldn't get away to come visit you but she wants you to call her the second you're up to it."
He stared at me blankly.
Before I could say anything else the door opened and Sydney entered, followed closely by Jack Shephard. I sent up a quick prayer that Vaughn had understood the message. There was nothing more I could do now.
"Welcome back," Jack greeted absently, pushing a couple buttons on the monitors next to the bed. He bent over Vaughn and removed the oxygen mask, placing it under his chin in case he still needed it. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Michael Delorme," Vaughn rasped.
My posture relaxed slightly in relief. He had gotten the message. Jack shot me a brief questioning look and refocused on his patient.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Vaughn's forehead wrinkled as he struggled to recall the events leading up to that moment. "No. Where am I?"
Jack removed a penlight from his breast pocket and flashed it in Vaughn's eyes one at a time, watching their dilation. "You're at St. Sebastien's hospital. Somebody gave you an overdose of GHB. Do you have any idea why?"
Vaughn hesitated, his eyes darting to me briefly. "No," he said calmly.
Jack looked at me again and this time I detected an air of annoyance in his gaze. I tore my eyes from Vaughn and watched as Jack stuffed the penlight back in his pocket and continued asking questions to determine Vaughn's mental state, his posture suddenly stiff.
'He knows,' I thought. 'He knows we're lying.'
Jack turned off the oxygen and removed the mask entirely. "I'll have a nurse check on you in an hour or so but I don't see any reason you can't go home once you're ready."
Vaughn nodded.
Jack scribbled a couple notes on Vaughn's chart and left without another word. Sydney and I exchanged a knowing look and she nodded.
I reached over to squeeze Vaughn's hand. "I'll be right back," I said softly.
Jack was turning the corner at the end of the hall by the time I caught up with him. "Listen," I began lamely. "I wanted to thank you for..."
"What the hell is going on here," he demanded, stopping mid-stride and spinning around to face me, his eyes flashing.
"I've told you..."
"I know what you've told me," he snapped. He stopped talking as a nurse walked by, shooting us a curious look. He grabbed my arm and guided me to the nearest empty room. "In here," he growled. He shut the door behind us, muffling the noises of the bustling hospital hallways.
He turned to face me and blew out a breath, resting his hands on his hips and fixing me with an accusing stare. "You realize that I have to report signs of domestic abuse."
I scoffed. "You think I tried to kill him?"
"I don't know what to think," he snapped. "All I know is he's lying and it looks like you coached him to."
'You have no idea how wrong you are,' I thought. "You know why he can't tell you the truth," I said defensively. "Somebody just tried to kill him. I shot the guy who did this but I'm certain he wasn't working alone."
Jack laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, I know. Self defense, right?" He stepped closer to me. "I did a little research...turns out there was no report of a shooting in Los Angeles yesterday that fits your story."
I stared at him as I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out. If that was true then it meant that somebody was covering up the entire assassination attempt. The situation was worse than I had thought.
"If there was a man who tried to kill Mr. Delorme - and you - and you killed him," Jack continued. "Then where's the body?"
"What possible reason could I have to want Michael dead?"
Jack raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
A sudden commotion at the end of the hall interrupted whatever I might have said, drawing both of our attentions to the source of the movement. My heart stuttered as I saw a nurse run into Vaughn's room. No...
Jack threw open the door and jogged back down the hall toward Vaughn's room with me close at his heels.
"Dr. Shephard," a nurse shouted.
"What happened," Jack demanded.
"I don't know..." she babbled frantically. "There was a man..."
Jack didn't wait for her to finish before ducking into Vaughn's room.
I tried to follow but another nurse blocked my path. "You can't be in here," she said sternly.
I debated arguing with her but realized it wouldn't do me any good. Instead I watched helplessly through the open doorway. Vaughn was curled into a half-sitting position on the bed, his left hand clutching his right where I could see a small amount of blood welling. Sydney stood over him, her hands gripping his shoulders, ordering him to "stay with her". Jack pushed her aside and a nurse hustled her away. Jack pried Vaughn's hand loose so he could see the wound. Vaughn grabbed his lapel and dragged him closer, whispering something in his ear. Jack frowned and murmured something back. Vaughn nodded and slumped back against the bed, his face rapidly turning pale.
And then I didn't see anything else as a nurse pulled the curtain, blocking my view of Vaughn's bed.
Next chapter
I sat up straight. "Where's Jack?"
"I sent him home," he said with a sigh. "I'll take over until the night shift comes in."
"Sir? With all due respect, somebody tried to kill Michael. I'd prefer to keep the number of people around him to a minimum. I only met Jack a few hours ago, but I trust him. I'm willing to extend that trust to you for the time being, but I'd prefer if nobody else was brought in on this."
He hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly at me. Then he sighed and looked over the monitors displaying Vaughn's vitals. "Well, he's stable now. I suppose I could notify the nurses and make sure Jack checks on him first thing tomorrow morning."
"That would be great. Thank you."
"You understand that if anything happens during the night..."
"I know. If there's an emergency, I'll take whoever is on shift. But unless he starts getting worse, I'd rather it was just you and Jack."
He nodded stiffly and finished making notes on Vaughn's chart.
"How is he?" I leaned forward, placing my hand on Vaughn's arm. His eyelids fluttered slightly, but he made no further movements.
"He's not getting any worse. There's still some GHB in his system, but it should be flushed out by tomorrow. He should be fine."
He was obviously better at talking to patients and their loved ones than Jack. However, I got the distinct impression that he was simply telling me what I wanted to hear. Jack, poor people skills or not, didn't sugar coat things. He was honest... brutally so maybe. But that was why he had instantly earned my trust and respect.
I picked up Vaughn's hand as the senior Shephard left the room. "Can you hear me," I asked tentatively.
Vaughn didn't respond. I sighed and kissed the back of his hand gently. "You'll be okay," I whispered.
I paced the room and the hallways outside restlessly for the better part of the night, feeling helpless, angry and scared. Sydney went home, came back and fell asleep in a chair in the corner of the room. I covered her with a blanket and then sat quietly holding Vaughn's hand until exhaustion finally overcame me and I fell into a restless sleep again.
*******
The next time I woke up, Jack was standing over Vaughn, scribbling on the chart and adjusting tubes and sensors. Sydney was still fast asleep in her chair.
"I hear you're refusing to let anybody in the room," Jack said softly, mindful of Sydney.
"Just being cautious," I said.
He nodded. "He's doing better. The worst part's over, but it's hard to tell how long it'll be before he's completely back to normal."
Sydney stirred and came awake with a start, her body going rigid, looking at Jack suspiciously. I gave her a subtle head shake before Jack noticed and she relaxed slightly.
"So who is he," Jack asked curiously.
"Excuse me?"
"What does he do for a living," Jack clarified.
"He works for the government. That's all I can say."
He nodded. "I would've guessed military. He tried to take my head off when we pumped his stomach and that was after I gave him a muscle relaxant."
"He's had martial arts training," Sydney piped up cautiously.
Jack nodded. "That would explain it." He made one last note on Vaughn's chart and replaced it at the foot of the bed. "I'll come back in a couple hours to check on him. You can call the nurse at the desk if you need anything."
"Thanks," I said softly.
He nodded and left the room.
"I don't like this," Sydney said in a low voice as soon as Jack was out of earshot. "How do you know we can trust him?"
"Because from what I've seen of him so far he's honest to a fault. He's harmless."
"For someone who doesn't trust people you're pretty quick to trust this guy."
"I see Michael's told you a lot about me," I sighed. "I know, but I trust my instincts. I really think this guy is on our side."
She relaxed gradually.
"Believe me, I'm the last person who would knowingly put Michael in danger," I added.
She smiled. "Maybe not the last."
*******
(later that day)
Sydney and I were watching a 24 hour news station with the volume on low when I felt a minute twitch in the hand I was holding. My eyes shot to Vaughn's face. His eyes were still shut. I stared at him for several long minutes, all but holding my breath, waiting for something to happen. Just as I was beginning to think I had imagined the movement Vaughn's lashes fluttered slightly. His fingers twitched again and this time there was no mistaking the movement as anything but deliberate.
"Kate," I blurted, barely stopping myself from calling out her real name.
Sydney sat up straight, her attention immediately focusing on Vaughn.
"He's waking up," I said urgently.
She was out of her chair and headed for the door immediately. "I'll get the nurse!"
I leaned closer to Vaughn as his eyelids began to flutter. "Michael? Michael, it's me, Fox. It's okay. You're at a hospital."
He frowned and struggled to open his eyes, wincing at the harsh daylight pouring through the windows.
"Can you hear me," I asked worriedly. I only had so much time before the nurse arrived.
He squeezed my hand and coughed lightly, a fine cloud forming on the inside of his oxygen mask. His eyes finally opened fully and warily scanned the room.
"We were getting really worried about you," I said slowly, pitching my voice to sound soothing. "I contacted your mother. She couldn't get away to come visit you but she wants you to call her the second you're up to it."
He stared at me blankly.
Before I could say anything else the door opened and Sydney entered, followed closely by Jack Shephard. I sent up a quick prayer that Vaughn had understood the message. There was nothing more I could do now.
"Welcome back," Jack greeted absently, pushing a couple buttons on the monitors next to the bed. He bent over Vaughn and removed the oxygen mask, placing it under his chin in case he still needed it. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Michael Delorme," Vaughn rasped.
My posture relaxed slightly in relief. He had gotten the message. Jack shot me a brief questioning look and refocused on his patient.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Vaughn's forehead wrinkled as he struggled to recall the events leading up to that moment. "No. Where am I?"
Jack removed a penlight from his breast pocket and flashed it in Vaughn's eyes one at a time, watching their dilation. "You're at St. Sebastien's hospital. Somebody gave you an overdose of GHB. Do you have any idea why?"
Vaughn hesitated, his eyes darting to me briefly. "No," he said calmly.
Jack looked at me again and this time I detected an air of annoyance in his gaze. I tore my eyes from Vaughn and watched as Jack stuffed the penlight back in his pocket and continued asking questions to determine Vaughn's mental state, his posture suddenly stiff.
'He knows,' I thought. 'He knows we're lying.'
Jack turned off the oxygen and removed the mask entirely. "I'll have a nurse check on you in an hour or so but I don't see any reason you can't go home once you're ready."
Vaughn nodded.
Jack scribbled a couple notes on Vaughn's chart and left without another word. Sydney and I exchanged a knowing look and she nodded.
I reached over to squeeze Vaughn's hand. "I'll be right back," I said softly.
Jack was turning the corner at the end of the hall by the time I caught up with him. "Listen," I began lamely. "I wanted to thank you for..."
"What the hell is going on here," he demanded, stopping mid-stride and spinning around to face me, his eyes flashing.
"I've told you..."
"I know what you've told me," he snapped. He stopped talking as a nurse walked by, shooting us a curious look. He grabbed my arm and guided me to the nearest empty room. "In here," he growled. He shut the door behind us, muffling the noises of the bustling hospital hallways.
He turned to face me and blew out a breath, resting his hands on his hips and fixing me with an accusing stare. "You realize that I have to report signs of domestic abuse."
I scoffed. "You think I tried to kill him?"
"I don't know what to think," he snapped. "All I know is he's lying and it looks like you coached him to."
'You have no idea how wrong you are,' I thought. "You know why he can't tell you the truth," I said defensively. "Somebody just tried to kill him. I shot the guy who did this but I'm certain he wasn't working alone."
Jack laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, I know. Self defense, right?" He stepped closer to me. "I did a little research...turns out there was no report of a shooting in Los Angeles yesterday that fits your story."
I stared at him as I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out. If that was true then it meant that somebody was covering up the entire assassination attempt. The situation was worse than I had thought.
"If there was a man who tried to kill Mr. Delorme - and you - and you killed him," Jack continued. "Then where's the body?"
"What possible reason could I have to want Michael dead?"
Jack raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
A sudden commotion at the end of the hall interrupted whatever I might have said, drawing both of our attentions to the source of the movement. My heart stuttered as I saw a nurse run into Vaughn's room. No...
Jack threw open the door and jogged back down the hall toward Vaughn's room with me close at his heels.
"Dr. Shephard," a nurse shouted.
"What happened," Jack demanded.
"I don't know..." she babbled frantically. "There was a man..."
Jack didn't wait for her to finish before ducking into Vaughn's room.
I tried to follow but another nurse blocked my path. "You can't be in here," she said sternly.
I debated arguing with her but realized it wouldn't do me any good. Instead I watched helplessly through the open doorway. Vaughn was curled into a half-sitting position on the bed, his left hand clutching his right where I could see a small amount of blood welling. Sydney stood over him, her hands gripping his shoulders, ordering him to "stay with her". Jack pushed her aside and a nurse hustled her away. Jack pried Vaughn's hand loose so he could see the wound. Vaughn grabbed his lapel and dragged him closer, whispering something in his ear. Jack frowned and murmured something back. Vaughn nodded and slumped back against the bed, his face rapidly turning pale.
And then I didn't see anything else as a nurse pulled the curtain, blocking my view of Vaughn's bed.
Next chapter
