by Laura Acton
Bram turned to the team and ground out, “We all knew he spent four hours in the cold rain covering us while we all remained warm and dry. We all heard his terrible coughing fit as he entered the lockers after the call. Not a single one of us checked to see how he was doing. Why?”
Loki gaped Lexa, Jon, Bram, and Boss with hurt surprise and spoke with condemnation in his voice, “You knew he was ill and you didn’t check on him? He’s all alone here. Hell, he would need to walk, take a cab, or bus to go to a doctor or pick-up medicine. It rained the last three days. You all called Ray and me every day. Is Dan less important than us?”
Glaring at him, Lexa reacted defensively to his censure. “I drove him home!” Internally she beat the crap out of herself for neglecting to follow up with Dan as she would’ve with any of the others.
“Yeah, nice, but did you call him?” Loki shot back, his tone heavy with criticism and failing to observe the flash of contrition in Lexa’s face.
Ray stood and went to Loki. “Calm down. I think it’s just we’ve all been teammates for a long time. Dan is still new. We’re still sorting out our relationship with him. I guess the reverse question is, why didn’t Dan contact any of us if he was so ill?”
“Maybe he tried, and we missed his call,” Bram suggested.
Everyone checked their phones, and no one missed a call from Dan.
“Looks like we have some additional things to work on,” Nick quietly said.
Dr. Bodean Compton scanned waiting area. Admitting said a group of TRF colleagues waited for news on his patient. Locating the officers he walked over to them. “I assume you’re waiting for word on Constable Broderick?” All six nodded. “I’m Dr. Compton. I asked his permission to speak with you, and he granted it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to give you any details.”
Jon zeroed in on the words that held potential relief. “He spoke to you?”
After a short, quick shake of his head, Compton explained, “Not words. I asked yes or no questions, and he responded by nodding. Your teammate has an advanced state of acute bronchitis. Auscultation revealed fluid in his bronchi, and the chest x-ray shows evidence of early stage pneumonia. He arrived in the nick of time. If treatment had been delayed any longer, it would have been worse … full-blown pneumonia, septicemia …” Bodean trailed off as he realized the last possibility … death. “I estimate he will be here three to five days, but don’t hold me to that because things can go catty-wampus at any time. They’re getting ready to move him to room 864. Any questions?”
Nick inquired, “Why couldn’t he speak?”
“His throat is extremely raw from non-stop coughing as his body tried to expel mucus. His vocal chords are quite swollen. Dan is also dehydrated from the fever and lack of water. From what I deduced, he’s had nothing to eat or drink for three days which made the mucus very thick and the secretions settled in his lungs since he couldn’t expel phlegm efficiently. We are pumping fluids into him which will help.
“Although his bronchitis most likely started as a virus we are starting him on a course of antibiotics to arrest the secondary bacterial infection which developed. He’s going to be with us for a few days. We need to monitor his oxygen levels. They were dangerously low when he arrived. Now that he is on oxygen, we’ve gotten them up to ninety-six. He must be able to sustain ninety-eight without the aid of oxygen before we can release him.
Ray queried, “You said his throat is swollen. Can you tell how long?”
“Hard to tell, but likely two or three days.”
Lexa’s self-blame increased recalling racing into the building under the shield avoiding the rain. She should’ve said something to Jon and switched with Dan. “Could being out in the frigid rain for hours have caused this?”
Compton shook his head. “No, the cause is most likely a bacterium, co-infecting with a virus. However, cold weather certainly could be a factor in the severity. Repeated exposure could’ve sped things up and made it worse once bronchitis set in. I sent specimens out for culture and viral PCR testing. I should receive prelims by tomorrow, final results in a couple of days.”
Lexa dropped her head staring at her boots. I made things worse for Dan.
After the doctor left, Nick scanned the team’s worried faces. “Dan may not have been able to call us even if he wanted to.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jon’s perceived failures as tactical lead compounded and he struggled to find a path forward. But a little part of him sought to blame this all on Dan, a rut he had gotten into since the rookie joined. The words slipped out before he thought better of them. “With the electricity out at his building, his cell phone probably died. If we had called, Dan wouldn’t have answered anyway.”
Incensed at Jon statement, Loki retorted, “Yeah, but you could’ve left a message and then wondered why he didn’t call you back, especially if he didn’t return any of your calls. Let’s face it. We let Dan down again.”
Regretting his previous words, Jon directed his gaze at Loki. “Not you and Ray. You didn’t know. You didn’t see how he appeared his last shift. I’m tactical leader … this on me. I left him in the freezing rain. He might not be here if I only treated him like I treat all of you.”
“You, me, Lexa, and Boss own a fair share.” Bram hung his head in shame.
Lexa realized they were not the only ones at fault. “Dan owns some of the blame too. Hiding his illness from us is stupid and could’ve been dangerous. What if something happened to him during a call? Not smart at all.”
Decisively, Nick stated, “I’m Alpha Team Sergeant. This falls to me. I failed to ensure we operated as a team and to make my expectations clear to Dan. This is my mess to fix.”
“We’re a family. We’ll fix this together,” Ray countered Nick.
November 29
Mercy Hospital – Room 864
Dan woke up coughing. His whole body ached, and he grew so tired of coughing, but the mucus came up easier now. Miraculously, hands lifted him, and a basin appeared below his mouth. He spat out the foul sputum. As he lay back, it took him a moment to realize he was no longer in his apartment.
Opening his eyes to find himself in a hospital room, Dan realized Jon’s hands supported him. Sarge, who stood on his left, had the dubious honor of holding the basin. He had a very vague recollection of them in his bedroom holding him while he coughed. But the memory evaporated after catching sight of the rest of the team resting in chairs around his bed.
Glancing back at Sarge, Dan asked, “What?” in a raw and unused voice.
Loki sprung up and handed him a water glass with a little bendy straw. As he sipped the water, Dan tried to recall how he ended up here, but his mind remained fuzzy, and memories eluded him.
From her seat, Lexa smiled. “Welcome back to the land of the conscious. You should’ve told us you were ill.”
Catching the glares the guys shot at her, Dan wondered what prompted them. His curiosity was sated as Sarge said, “Lexa, don’t start with accusations. We discussed this.”
Lexa stared directly at Dan, emotions so mixed up she allowed anger to be her cover as she scolded him. “Broderick, you tell us next time. None of this macho, he-man, all brawn, and no brain crap. If you used your brain and let us know you were sick, you might not be here now.”
Dan’s jaw dropped open at the heat of her words and the flash of fire in the golden flecks of her eyes.
A slight grin forming at viewing the astonished expression on Dan’s face, Nick tapped Dan’s shoulder to draw his attention. “What Lexa is trying to say, not so well I might add, is that you’re a member of this team. We care what happens to you. If you’re ill, we’d like you to tell us.”
“Like I did. You were there when I went home mid-shift. No harm, no foul,” Loki piped in.
“We’re all human, Dan. We get sick. We sometimes need someone to care for us,” Bram said softly.
Seeking to take in everything they said, Dan’s his mind remained clouded and unsure how he en
ded up here. He lifted his hand to his face and using his fingers traced the nasal cannula. I’m on oxygen, in a hospital and the whole team is in my room.
Weak as a kitten and his chest aching, he could find no bandages and no wound. Baffled, he took another sip of water, and he tried talking again. “How … did I … cough, cough, cough, spit … get here? What’s wrong … cough, cough, spit … with me?”
Jon said, “Nick and I found you unresponsive in your apartment with no heat or electricity. The doctor said you caught a viral infection and a secondary infection, bacterial bronchitis, which started to turn into pneumonia.”
Nick’s eyes filled with real concern. “You gave us quite a scare when you didn’t show up for shift. We went looking for you.”
“Why didn’t you call one of us?” Ray probed with a curious expression and worry in his voice.
Exploring six concerned faces, not sure they gave a damn about him, Dan remained hesitant to tell them the truth. After all, he was the unwanted teammate forced onto them, he screwed up a lot, and was not one of them since they didn’t choose him. They were only stuck with him and didn’t care.
No, I can’t … it would be whiny and weak. The last thing he wanted to reveal was a vulnerability. He couldn’t prove his worthiness if he was weak. Being sick is weak—or so the general and his training pounded into his head.
He eyed the cell phone on the table and came up with a deflection. “Phone dead. cough, cough No electricity. cough, spit, cough Went to bed … cough, cough, sleep it off. cough, cough, cough, spit, cough Thought power would … be restored … next morning, cough, cough, cough, spit.
“Would’ve called. cough, cough, cough, cough Guess I didn’t … wake up. cough, cough.” Exhausted by the simple act of speaking and the laborious effort of hacking up a lung, Dan concentrated on inhaling as he scanned their faces. They seemed to accept his explanation.
Jon followed-up with another inquiry. “Did you see the note on the elevator?”
Dan shook his head not wanting to aggravate his throat, and Jon told him about the notice. Then he began to think and asked, “How many … days?” He was walloped by another round of coughing and found hands assisting him again. Wrung out he sagged back on the bed, and his heavy lids fell to half-mast until Lexa’s edgy voice caused them to open fully to stare at her.
Defenses up in full force, Lexa’s tone became caustic. “You were all alone in that damned apartment for three and half days. It’s been touch and go for two days… you could’ve died.” Unable to show the emotion she really felt in front of the guys, Lexa rose and strode out the door leaving speechless men in her wake.
In the hall, she leaned against the wall striving for composure. Goddamned Broderick is under my skin. Those expressive blue eyes. She read them as he struggled to answer the question about why he didn’t call. His reply was a crock of bullshit. He didn’t think they cared enough to give a damn about him. Damn, we sure did a number on Dan. Pulling on her professional mask, putting her emotions in check, she strode back into Dan’s hospital room.
She grabbed Dan’s phone from the table and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened, it was indeed dead. All eyes were on her as she focused on Loki. “You have a spare charger?”
Loki dug into his backpack and pulled one out. As he handed the cord to her, he asked, “What are you doing, Lexa?”
Not answering, Lexa went to a wall outlet and plugged in the cell phone. Everyone remained silent, watching her. When the phone finally had enough charge to come on, Lexa began pressing buttons.
Lexa halted a moment and stared, not liking what she discovered. He doesn’t have our numbers. He couldn’t have called us. Dan only had two contacts, TRF dispatch, and Commander Gambrill. Though, Gambrill’s was not his work number. It didn’t have the TRF telephone prefix. This appeared to be a personal one. Why does Dan have the commander’s home number? No one else on the team does, not even Boss. Odd!
Her mind raced off in many directions. The most sinister path taken was Dan was with Internal Affairs and running an investigation on one of them, hell maybe the entire team. Panic hit her fast. She slept with him, would he cause her to be kicked off the team? Fortunately, rationality returned, and she dismissed the wild notion.
Though still a conundrum, with many possible answers. Perhaps Dan knew Gambrill personally, and that’s how he finagled his position on Alpha Team without having to try out. Lexa peered over at Dan, and his eyes locked on hers. She noted a bit of wariness in them as he observed her actions.
Jon crossed his arms. Lexa appeared wholly distracted as she gawped at Broderick. “Lexa?”
Halting a moment to shake her crazy thoughts, Lexa briefly glanced at Jon before returning her focus to the glowing screen. “I’m putting our numbers in Dan’s phone. The only number he has is the direct line to dispatch. Loki, you’re gonna locate and order Dan one of those emergency battery chargers for phones you gave all of us last Christmas.” She lifted her eyes and studied the men she trusted, going from Nick, Jon, Bram, Loki, and finally to Ray. “We go equals on the charger.”
They all nodded in agreement.
Lexa returned her piercing eyes to Dan, holding him in place with a death glare. “You stubborn idiot! You almost died from bronchitis. You’re a member of this team. Next time, you call! No excuses. Got that, Broderick?”
Mesmerized by the fire flaring in the golden flecks of Lexa’s eyes, Dan could only nod in answer to her. A zing of electricity went through him as she scolded him, and started to enter all their numbers into his cell phone. Did she care about him? He also wondered why she lied. No way in hell she missed Gambrill’s name in his list. Why didn’t she question me?
Another bout of coughing interrupted his thoughts. His eyes shut as he panted for breath and sweat ran in rivulets down his face. A cool cloth wiped his face. Cracking his lids open he found Sarge holding a washcloth.
Nick set the rag down. “Better?”
Surprised by the act of kindness, Dan nodded. Can this be a place where I can begin again? Do they truly care? Am I ready to let others in? Do I dare try again? Will it be like every time before—gain the emotional security of belonging and being cared for only to have everything ripped from me again? Dan was uncertain he could survive again—losing all he valued hurt too much. No, he was not ready, even though he yearned to belong somewhere.
Finished storing contacts, Lexa softened her voice, “I entered all our numbers. Call one of us if you ever need anything.” She put his phone on the rolling table and placed her hand on his blanket covered leg. “You’re part of our team. You should rest now. We want you back soon.”
The warmth of her hand on his leg sent a charge through Dan like nothing he experienced before, and he closed his eyes again. He desperately wanted her to care for him.
Nick smiled. The heart of their team was now behaving like herself again. She reached out to Dan, a definite improvement. Noting Dan struggling to keep his eyes open, he said, “Lexa’s right, you need rest to regain your health. We’ll leave now so you can sleep. We’ll be by tomorrow to check on you.”
The force needed to lift his eyelids again took most of the energy Dan possessed. He didn’t dare speak again fearing talking might summon another spasm, so he only gave a slight nod to Sarge.
Loki stood and grinned. “Ma’s gonna make you some chicken soup. I’ll sneak it in for you. That should fix you up.”
Lightly squeezing Dan’s left bicep, Bram noted the brief flash of emotion the action caused. He wondered for a moment what it meant. “When they release you, I’ll be here to pick you up and drive you home.”
Jon drew in a deep breath as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against. “You should consider buying a vehicle. Running in the rain is part of the reason you’re in here. The other part is spending four hours up on that roof in the freezing rain. You should’ve told me it was raining.”
After coughing several times, Dan attached his focus firmly on Jon. Speaking bec
ame important—he wasn’t weak. His hackles rose at Jon’s words. “My job … no reason to tell you.”
The ever-present ire at the risks Dan took rose in Jon. “If you informed me, I would’ve swapped with you.”
“Why?” Dan asked perplexed by Jon.
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache started to build. Why indeed? Ire infused his words. “Because only a damned fool spends hours in the ice-cold rain when he’s already sick.”
Dan didn’t understand Jon. “I’ve spent longer … in worse.” cough, cough, cough, “No need … to switch.”
The fire in his throat flamed up, and the constriction in his chest prevented inhaling enough breath. Dan reached for the water, fumbling and almost spilling the contents. Bram’s quick action saved him from becoming drenched. His hand shook as he swallowed the much-needed cooling liquid. Someone, he didn’t know who, relieved him of the plastic cup as he dissolved into yet another miserable round of barking. With much difficulty, he managed to catch his breath.
Recognizing Jon was winding up to lecture Dan, Nick stepped in before Jon said anything he would later regret. “We’re going now. You need rest.” He made shooing motions to the team coupled with a commanding expression.
Everyone told Dan goodbye, and that they would be back tomorrow, before leaving the room with a final well-wish.
Several minutes after they left, Dan picked up his phone to examine the new data. Going to his contacts, he noted the list increased by six, eight contacts now. TRF dispatch desk, Gambrill, Jon, Bram, Loki, Ray, Boss, and Lexa. He wondered about the term Boss. He always addressed him as Sarge, but everyone else called him Boss. Perhaps time for a change.
Brody’s voice whispered, “Small steps.”
His thoughts turned to Lexa. She didn’t pry when she could’ve. It would’ve been awkward if she asked. He couldn’t think of a truthful deflection, and he would’ve revealed the personal connection. The glint in her eyes told him she suspected something but refrained from being nosy.
He pulled up Lexa’s contact and stared at the number. A wild notion popped into his head, and before Dan changed his mind, he edited her name to Sexy Lexie. She will undoubtedly bruise the shit out of my arm if she ever sees this. It’ll be worth the price to spark a fire in her eyes again. Exhaustion won the war of wills, and Dan slipped into a restless sleep.
