SquidgeWorld Archive

Ambush
By Debbie S.

Some where in Guatemala the Adventure Inc. team is slowly making their way through some dense underbrush in search of a missing research team for the University in Mexico. The research team had been trying to locate a rumored Mayan settlement and hadn't been heard from in two weeks.

Mac is leading with Judson in the middle and Gabe taking up the rear. As she slashes at some brush with a machete Mac says, "Judson how much longer until we call it a day?"

Judson grins and says, "Hey your leading us remember!"

Gabe chuckles and says, "Judson you better watch it, remember she has the machete!"

Mac suddenly stops and spins around while says, "Okay you two we're here?"

Gabe grins at her and replies, "Here where?"

Judson stops and Gabe walks right into him then says, "Hey you could give a person a little warning you know!"

Judson looks at Mac and with a big grin on his face replies, "Yeah but then you wouldn't have something to complain about. You also might want to stay away from Mac for a little while I think she's a little mad about your last comment."

Gabe looks at her and says, "You know I think your right she does look a little upset. Tell you what why don't you two start setting up camp and I'll uh go get our canteens filled."

Mac glares at Gabe but tosses her canteen at him and says, "Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't get lost!"

Gabe catches her canteen and takes Judson's after slipping his pack off and cautiously begins to back up while saying, "Be back in a flash. What's for dinner?"

Before Mac can say anything Gabe dashes off and Judson chuckles at the look on her face, "Take it easy Mac. He's only kidding! Come on let's get the tent up and a fire started."

Mac slips her pack off grumbling to herself and Judson can't help but laugh.

"You know you're not helping here Judson!"

Judson begins to open his pack and says, "Sorry I can't help it the kids attitude is contagious. All right no more messing around I promise."

But as they begin to get the camp set up Judson can't help but rib Mac occasionally. After a few minutes she begins to join in the fun and before they know it the camp is set up and their enjoying some rest by a slowly building fire.

*******

In the meantime Gabe has ventured back to the small stream they had past not long ago and is slowly filling the three canteens. He's managed to get two of them filled and is beginning the third when he hears some rustling in the dense foliage slightly downstream and hears some voices.

Realizing that he's out in the open Gabe immediately snatches up the three canteens and moves back into some brush and takes cover. Before leaving town they had been warned of some trouble with scavengers and since there were no villages in the area Gabe knew he was in trouble.

*******

Judson and Mac are leaning back on their sleeping bags relaxing and occasionally discussing some of the possibilities when suddenly the radio crackles and they hear, "Judson, Mac trouble . . . headed your way. Not sure how many . . ."

Before Judson can grab the radio they hear a gun shot not too far off from their position.

Mac immediately pulls out her handgun and grabs the automatic rifle that was lying next to her.

As Judson gets up he activates his radio with his right hand while pulling his gun out with his left and softly says, "Gabe? Gabe are you all right?" Getting no response he shoves it into his pocket.

Just as Mac and Judson separate and take cover 4 men come out of the bush and open fire on their camp. Judson and Mac immediately return fire and after only 5 minutes 3 of the men are on the ground and the fourth is running away limping and trying to remain upright.

Mac and Judson cautiously move out and still on the alert for trouble approach the downed men. Judson checks the two closest to him and finds neither has a pulse, when he looks up he sees Mac has checked the third and is now beginning to follow the direction that the fourth man took.

"Mac wait! Let him go, we've got to find Gabe!" Judson yells toward her but Mac continues for several more steps then stops and slowly begins to crouch down.

Judson cautiously approaches her position and hears her says, "He's dead, knew he wouldn't get very far. All right we better start to look for Gabe. Did he have his gun with him?"

Mac turns around and seeing the look on Judson's face instantly knows the answer so she says, "Don't worry he's been with us long enough, he knows how to avoid trouble. Gabe's probably sitting by the stream trying to create some new weapon!"
 
Judson begins to turn around and says, "I hope so, it took us 2 days to get this far from town and I don't remember if it even had a hospital."

Mac puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Hey, don't think like that. Come on we better find him and move our camp just in case these guys had any friends."

Judson and Mac slowly begin to head in the direction of the stream, continuously scanning the area for any signs of more trouble and looking for Gabe.

Suddenly Mac sees something out of the corner of her eye and immediately points her gun in the direction but luckily she doesn't fire as Gabe cautiously comes into view.

Mac lowers her gun and with anger in her voice says, "What are you trying to do get shot? Get over here!"

Judson puts a hand on her shoulder and calmly says, "Mac take it easy. Gabe are you all right?"

Gabe takes a half step forward then collapses.

Part 2

Mac and Judson rush to his side. Mac instantly checks for a pulse and says, "I've got a pulse. It's steady but a little weak!"

Judson slowly begins to roll Gabe onto his back and the movement elicits a soft moan. It only takes them a few seconds to discover a bleeding bullet wound in his right thigh. Judson immediately removes his belt and secures it around Gabe's thigh above the wound. As Judson tightens the belt Gabe groans as he opens his eyes and tries to sit up.

Mac instantly grabs him by the shoulders and as she pushes him back says, "Easy Gabe, Judson's almost done."

Judson finishes and then moves up to Gabe's other side and says, "Gabe I know it hurts but we've got to move you. There might be others!"

Gabe nods his head and through clenched teeth says, "Give me a hand!"

Mac quickly grabs the 3 canteens he had dropped as Gabe begins to push himself up. Judson and Mac each grab an arm and haul him up into a standing position.

Judson tightly holds his right arm around his shoulders and says, "Keep your weight off your leg I got you. We're gonna have to move quickly, can you make it?"

Gabe continues to clench his teeth and nods. So Judson and Mac carefully but as quick as Gabe can manage head toward their camp. When they finally reach the camp they carefully lower him to the ground.

Gabe closes his eyes and says, "Guys I don't know if I can go any farther!"

Mac begins to take a closer look at his leg and says, "Don't talk, save your strength. Judson give me the first aid kit."

Judson looks up from what he is doing and tosses her the medical supplies while saying, "Mac make it quick we've gotta get moving."

Judson goes back to quickly gathering their supplies as Mac begins to bandage Gabe's leg. Once she's done Mac loosens Judson's belt and checks to make sure she can feel a pulse in his lower leg. After checking the bandage and satisfied that the bleeding is controlled Mac puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Just hang in there. We've got to get some distance between us and the bodies just in case they had friends."

Mac moves to help Judson and quietly says, "Judson he's not gonna be able to carry his pack. Forget about the second tent we'll have to make due with the one."

Judson nods at her and begins to take some stuff out of Gabe's pack and put it in his. Mac also takes some of his stuff and adds it to hers. They quickly get their bulging packs on and go back to where Gabe was resting.

When Gabe doesn't open his eyes Mac gently shakes him and says, "Gabe? Gabe come on look at us!"

Gabe's eyes slowly open and Judson softly says, "Gabe I know you're in a lot of pain but we've got to move. You ready?"

Gabe slowly nods his head and says, "Ready, but I'm not sure how far I can go."

Judson nods and says, "Don't worry about it we'll carry you if we have to but we've got to move now."

Mac and Judson each grab an arm and with a little effort manage to get him on his feet. Gabe's right leg buckles and Judson stumbles a little trying to get his balance now that he has the heavy pack on his back. But Judson quickly recovers and they slowly begin to move away from the camp. They head back in the direction of the town that they had come from but angled away from the direction of the attack.

After slowly walking for about an hour Gabe's legs buckle but Mac is completely taken off guard this time and is unable to keep her balance and they begin to go down.

As Mac lands on her knees she swears softly and Judson says, "Mac, look I think this is far enough for now. It's gonna be dark soon, lets set up camp now."

Mac nods her head then she notices Gabe's eyes are closed and he's breathing pretty heavy. With a lot of concern in her voice she says, "Gabe how you doing?"

Gabe opens his eyes and Mac instantly know the answer before he can say it, "Can't go any farther. Sorry . . . hurts too much!"

Mac nods and says, "It's okay, just rest. We'll get camp set up!"

Before she has finished Gabe's eyes close and he slips into a pain induced sleep. Judson and Mac carefully make him as comfortable as possible then begin to set up the camp. Within 15 minutes they've got a small fire burning and the tent set up and waiting.

Mac gently nudges Gabe's shoulder and softly says, "Gabe we're gonna move you into the tent. This is gonna hurt but we'll do it as gently as we can." Getting no response she nudges him a little more then says, "Gabe can you hear me?"

Judson reaches out toward Gabe's legs and says, "Mac he's out, let's do this now. It'll be easier on him."

She nods then quickly grabs Gabe under his shoulders and between the two of them they slowly walk him into the tent and get him onto a waiting sleeping bag. Gabe groans occasionally but never opens his eyes.

Once they get Gabe settled on the sleeping bag Mac grabs the first aid kit and as she opens it says, "Judson I better change this bandage it's soaked all the way through."

Judson moves to her side and says, "Mac wait we need to get the bullet out."

Mac looks up at him and says, "Judson if I so much as nick his femoral artery he'll bleed out. I'm not gonna go digging around in there. We're just gonna have to keep it clean and hope for the best."

Judson looks down at the wound again and replies, "Look Mac we've got to get him back to town. That means he either walks with our help or we carry him. Either way the bullet could shift and nick the artery. Then what?"

Mac finishes wrapping the wound and replies, "Judson more than likely its impeded in the muscle tissue or bone. If I try to dig it out I have a better chance of nicking the artery than it does if we leave it alone."

As Mac brushes a stray hair off Gabe's forehead he begins to open his eyes and she says, "Hey there. How you doing?"

Gabe tries to sit up but Mac quickly pushes him down and says, "Don't move around. You need to rest and get your strength back."

Gabe looks down at his leg and says, "How bad is it?"

Judson puts a hand on his shin and says, "It could be worse. Don't worry you're gonna be all right."

Gabe doesn't look convinced but says, "How far to town?"

Mac looks at Judson and says, "Don't worry about it. Just close your eyes and rest."

As Gabe closes his eyes Judson covers him with the rest of the sleeping bag and says, "I'm gonna get some food started."

Mac nods her head and then makes herself comfortable next to Gabe who is now sleeping soundly.

*******

2 hours later as the sun begins to set Judson and Mac are making themselves comfortable in the tent on either side of Gabe that way one of them is sure to hear him if he stirs during the night. They know the next few days are going to be strenuous so they have decided to rest when Gabe does.

Mac curls up on Gabe's left side and lays a hand on his shoulder to comfort him if he begins to wake up and help awaken her if he moves. Judson positions himself far enough away from Gabe's right side so he won't accidentally bump his wound but still close enough to hear if he begins to move.

*******

Fortunately the evening passes with out interruption and all three members of the team get some much-needed rest.

As the sun begins to rise Judson begins to stir he opens his eyes and seeing the early sunlight he is immediately awake and moves to check on Gabe. Since Mac still has her hand on his chest Judson can't check his leg wound but he lays a hand gently on his forehead to check for fever.

Gabe's eyes slowly opens and he whispers, "Judson?"

Judson smiles and replies, "Yep, How you feeling?"

Gabe looks to his left and seeing Mac is still asleep whispers, "Okay, I guess. Leg hurts some but it's not too bad."

Mac begins to stir and quietly says, "Morning! How bout I take a look at his leg while you get some breakfast started. Gabe hasn't eaten since yesterday afternoon so you better make some extra."

Judson begins to leave the tent as Gabe says, "Not too much I'm really not that hungry."

An hour later after finishing breakfast and getting some of the items packed into their backpacks Judson carefully helps Gabe out of the tent and makes him comfortable against a tree. Mac removes all of the items from the tent and then they quickly get the tent packed up and begin to put their backpacks on.

Gabe watches all of this while sitting against the tree and as they approach him he says, "How far is it to that town?"

Mac glances at Judson and quickly says, "Not far. We'll be there before you know it."

Gabe shakes his head and says, "Mac I got shot in the leg not the head. You don't honestly expect me to believe that. Do you?"

As they help Gabe up Judson says, "No, but there's no point worrying about it. Look we're gonna take this one step at a time okay. We've got you just let us know when you need a break and we'll take one."

With Mac and Judson on either side of him with his arm over their shoulders and a firm grasp of his wrist they slowly begin to walk in the direction of town.

*******

After walking for several hours Gabe's face is cover in sweat and he's obviously in a lot of pain. He focuses his eyes on the ground and tries to stifle a groan but Mac and Judson both hear it.

Mac looks at Judson and says, "I think we need to take a break. How about we take 15?"

Judson looks at Gabe and says; "Okay buddy there's a nice tree about 10 more steps from here. Looks like a good spot for a rest. What do you say?"

Gabe doesn't look up but weakly replies, "Kay!" For Gabe the next 10 steps seem to take forever and when they finally reach the tree he is more than ready to take a break.

After Mac and Judson gently lower Gabe to the ground and get him comfortable they take off their packs and sit down next to him. Judson opens the top of his pack and offers Gabe a protein bar but he shakes his head and leans back onto the tree and closes his eyes. Mac and Judson each eat a protein bar and then sip some water from their canteens.

Mac looks at Gabe and says, "Here you need to drink some water."

Gabe opens his eyes and takes the canteen. After taking a drink he hands it back to her and says, "Thanks! You guys ready to go?"

Judson quickly replies, "Not yet! In a few minutes."

Mac moves over to Gabe's right side and while checking his bandage says, "Gabe how's your leg feel?"

Gabe looks at her and replies, "Hurts but I'll live, I think!"

Mac looks him right in the eyes and says, "I don't want to hear you say that again. We're gonna get you to a doctor and your gonna be fine. You hear me?"

Gabe nods his head and softly says, "Yeah! What about the research team?"
 
Mac seems satisfied that there is no new bleeding and sits back a little but continues to look directly at Gabe's eyes as she replies, "Don't worry about it. You come first then we'll worry about them."

As Gabe averts his eyes and begins to stare at the ground Judson clears his throat and then says, "Hopefully they just got lost and  Mac's right you're our first priority. Once we get you patched up and settled in a comfortable hotel we'll figure out what to do next. Right now it's time to hit the road. Mac lets switch sides."

Judson and Mac both get up and as they put their packs on switch sides and then slowly help him up. After getting Gabe positioned securely between them they once again begin walking.

Part 3

This time Gabe seems to have more strength and is able to go a little faster and longer than before. Judson is the one who finally calls a halt and insists that they stop and take a 20-minute break.

As they lower Gabe to the ground Mac says, "Gabe you need to eat something this time."

Gabe nods his head and says, "What do you have?"

Mac takes off her pack and after opening the top says, "Well you have your choice, Blueberry protein bar or Blueberry protein bar. Which do you want?"

Gabe grins and replies, "Strawberry!"

Mac smiles and replies, "Not one of the choices, have Blueberry!" and she tosses it too him.

Gabe catches it and as he opens it says, "We need to get a better selection of these things for the next trip."

As he begins to eat Judson grins at Mac and says, "Wasn't that your department?"

Mac shakes her head and replies, "Nope, I took care of the travel arrangements and you took care of the maps and permits."

Gabe finishes eating and after drinking some water says, "Okay I admit it I packed them. But out of the 5 boxes in the storage closet only the blueberry bars were left, we had already eaten the other 4 flavors."

For the next 10 minutes they continue to banter back and forth about the bad luck of having only one flavor to pick from. Then Mac and Judson put their packs back on and after switching sides again they start off.

*******

After walking for a few hours Gabe says, "So where do you think those guys came from?"

Mac sighs and says, "Doesn't really matter now does it!"

Gabe shakes his head and replies, "Guess not! Guess I really screwed up this time huh?"

Judson looks at him and quickly replies, "Gabe this isn't your fault unless you stood out in the open and insisted they shoot you?"

Gabe looks at Judson and says, "Even I'm not that stupid, I was hiding in some bushes calling you guys. Guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought though!"

Mac nods and says, "You did the right thing. If you hadn't warned us then Judson and I wouldn't have been ready for them."

Judson agrees with her and then they continue to walk in silence for another couple of hours.

*******

As the sun begins to go down Mac and Judson begin to look around for a good spot to make camp. As they enter a small clearing Mac looks to her left and notices a small stream.

After a quick glance at Gabe, who seems to be focusing on the ground and then Judson she tilts her head to the left and Judson says, "Yeah I noticed it. How bout we make camp here for the night?"

Gabe looks up and says, "What did I miss?"

Mac smiles and replies, "Not much just some beautiful scenery and a nice stream."

Judson looks at him and says, "We're gonna camp here for the night. Look we're gonna set you down over here by this tree and then get camp set up."

Gabe nods his head and says; "Sounds good but I can help. Put me over by the stream and I'll get the canteens refilled and get dinner started."

Mac looks at Judson and says, "As long as you don't over do it."

Gabe nods his head and they carefully head toward the stream. When they finally reach a good spot Judson and Mac slowly lower Gabe down to the ground. Then they hand him the canteens and begin to take off their packs. Mac quickly gets out the supplies for Gabe and as they begin to set up the cooking area Judson gathers some small branches and kindling.

As Judson and Mac begin to set up the camp Gabe gets a small fire started and then begins to fill one of the canteens. After Judson finishes setting up the tent he moves over to the fire and begins to start dinner.

Gabe rolls over and as he shuts the second full canteen says, "I can do that!"

Judson looks up and says, "I know but finish the canteens I've got it."

As Gabe is closing the last canteen Mac walks over and as she kneels down by him says, "I better take a look at your leg!"

Gabe flinches as she begins to unwrap the bandage and Mac says, "Sorry, I know it hurts but I really need to take a look at it."

Gabe nods his head and bites down on his lower lip and looks away so she won't see the pain in his eyes.

Mac slowly removes the sterile bandage and after a quick look says, "Gabe this is gonna hurt but I need to clean the wound."

Gabe nods his head and through clenched teeth says, "Go ahead!"

Judson looks up and seeing the look on Mac's face knows it isn't good so he moves over to Gabe's other side and tries to distract him, "Gabe what would you like for dinner?"

Gabe flinches a little when Mac begins to work on his leg but replies, "How bout a nice steak?"

Judson grins and says, "Well I'm sorry but we don't have one right now but as soon as we get you fixed up I'll buy you the biggest steak in town."

Gabe grins and says, "I'm gonna hold you to that. Whatever you're making just don't burn it!"

Mac finishes and then covers the wound with a new sterile pad and once again begins to wrap his leg.

Judson nods his head and says, "I'll try my best but you know a little charcoal is good for you."

Gabe closes his eyes and says, "Yeah you keep telling yourself that, but we know better don't we Mac?"

Mac puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Yeah we do! Just rest until dinners ready."

Gabe nods his head and Mac moves around him to help Judson. She checks to see if Gabe still has his eyes closed then leans over and whispers in Judson's ear.

"It looks a little red and inflamed. Tomorrow before we move out we better see if we can open it a little and get it to drain."

Judson looks over at Gabe and nods his head. Once the food is ready Judson takes a plate over to Gabe and gently lays a hand on his shoulder while saying; "Gabe dinner is served!"

Gabe opens his eyes and takes the offered plate and after thanking him slowly begins to eat. Mac comes over with 2 plates and after giving one to Judson they begin to eat also.

After finishing all of his dinner Gabe drinks a little water then once again closes his eyes and immediately falls into a deep sleep. Judson and Mac finish their dinner and after cleaning all of the dishes and putting out the fire they carefully move Gabe into the tent and get him settled into his sleeping bag. Then they quickly get into their sleeping bags and immediately fall asleep.

Part 4

As the sun begins to rise Judson wakes up and after a quick glance at Gabe he knows they are in trouble.

He immediately wakes up Mac and says, "Gabe's starting to run a fever."

Mac immediately gets up and moves to his side after a quick check with the back of her hand she says, "Your right. We better take care of his leg before we do anything else."

Gabe groans and with his eyes still closed softly says, "I don't like the sound of that. What are you gonna do?"

Mac and Judson look shocked since they thought he was still asleep and Mac lays a comforting hand on his shoulder then says, "We need to try and drain some of the fluid."

Gabe opens his eyes and reluctantly says, "Okay! But how about we do it outside?"

Judson grins at him and replies, "What's the matter you afraid we'll make a mess of your sleeping bag?"

Gabe begins to sit up and replies, "Kind of, besides if I pass out at least you can pack up with out my being in the way."

Mac and Judson help him up and begin to leave the tent as she says, "Hey, you're never in the way."

After making Gabe comfortable near the fire pit Mac heads back to the tent while Judson stirs the fire up and starts the coffee.

Gabe watches Judson for a few minutes then says, "Judson, we need to talk!"

Judson looks at him and says, "About what?"

Gabe looks down at his leg and replies, "It's infected and it's only gonna get worse. What if "
 
Judson puts a hand on his shoulder but before he can say anything Mac kneels down beside Gabe and says, "Look right now we're gonna deal with this the only way we can. I don't want you thinking past here and now you got that?"

Gabe nods his head and tries not to flinch when Judson begins to unwrap the bandages.

As Mac opens the first aid kit and begins to get out the scalpel she calmly says, "I know this is gonna hurt but it needs to be done. Scream if you need to, okay!"

Gabe looks at Judson and says, "Yeah right! Like that won't attract some more bad guys."

Judson grins at him and produces a stick and says, "You want to chomp on this?"

Gabe nods and opens his mouth for Judson to insert the stick then he looks away from Mac.

Judson moves to help Mac and after he pins Gabe's leg to the ground she carefully cuts into the bullet wound. Immediately some pus begins to come out and Mac stops and waits until it slows. Then she carefully cuts a little more and releases some more fluid, after a few minutes the discharge stops and she carefully rinses the wound out with the bottle of antiseptic and then loosely bandages the leg. Judson moves back to Gabe's head and removes the stick from his mouth and gently wipes the sweat off of his forehead while Mac cleans the scalpel and puts the medical kit away.

As Mac prepares breakfast Gabe's eyelids begin to flutter and Judson softly says, "Easy Gabe. Mac's all done."

Gabe groans then weakly says, "Feels like my leg is on fire."
 
Mac looks up and says, "Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Judson why don't you give him some aspirin that should help with the pain and the fever."

Judson helps Gabe sit up a little and after he takes the medicine Mac hands him a plate and gently says, "Now eat as much as you can. Okay!"

Gabe nods and slowly begins to eat. Mac gives Judson his and then they too begin to eat. Judson quickly finishes his meal then begins to break camp while Mac starts to take care of the dishes.

Gabe eats as much as he can but he can't seem to finish what's on his plate, Mac takes his plate and ruffles his hair while saying, "Did you have enough?"

Gabe nods his head and softly says, "Yeah, thanks."

Judson walks over with their two packs and Mac quickly packs the stuff in hers then they begin to put them on. After carefully helping Gabe up they slowly begin to walk toward town.

After walking for two hours Gabe stumbles and Judson quickly calls for a break.

As they carefully lower him to the ground Gabe groans and says, "Guys I don't know if I can make it to town."

Mac notices that the bandage is soaked full of pus and some blood and calmly says, "Gabe you're gonna be fine. I need to change the bandage just rest and save your strength."

Judson opens his canteen and helps Gabe drink some water then he helps Mac change the bandage and they exchange worried glances. After letting Gabe rest for 30 minutes they begin to get their packs on.

"Gabe we're gonna start out in a few minutes. You ready?" Mac looks down at him with a lot of concern and Judson carefully nudges his shoulder.

Gabe opens his eyes and weakly replies, "Yeah as ready as I'll ever be."

Judson and Mac help him up and slowly begin to walk again. Gabe keeps his head down and focuses on the ground. It takes less effort then holding it up and looking ahead. Mac and Judson can feel his fever and try to keep their concerns to themselves, but after a couple of glances at Gabe they catch the other sneaking a peek and give themselves away. After walking for a couple of hours Gabe's shirt is soaked in sweat and he can hardly manage to walk.

Judson notices a stream off to his right and says, "Mac lets take a break over there."

Mac nods her head and they alter their course and once they reach the edge of the stream they carefully lower Gabe to the ground and prop him up against a fallen log then remove their packs.

Gabe seems uncomfortable in his sweaty shirt so Mac says, "Why don't we rinse that out while we're here."

Gabe nods his head and with some effort manages to sit up and begins to remove his shirt.

Judson quickly refills their canteens and says, "Gabe why don't you rest for a little bit."
 
After getting his shirt all the way off Gabe says, "I'm not that tired just hot." He then leans back and closes his eyes.

Mac quickly feels his forehead then takes his sweaty shirt and rinses out in the stream several times then drapes it over his bare chest while saying, "Here you go this should help a little. Judson give me one of the canteens."

Judson knows what she wants to do so he opens the canteen and says, "Here but first get him to drink some of it."

Gabe opens his eyes and says, "What?"

Mac smiles at him and says, "Just drink as much of this as you can."

Gabe takes the canteen and after he takes a long drink he begins to shut it but Mac grabs it and says, "Gabe lean back and close your eyes."

Gabe looks at her and says, "Why? What are you going to do?"

Mac moves to sit on the log and replies, "I'm going to pour the rest of this over your head. It'll help cool you down."

Gabe sighs and says, "You do know that's kind of cold!"

Mac smiles at him and says, "Yeah and you've got a fever so this will help cool you off. Now enough stalling close your eyes!"

Gabe closes his eyes and Mac slowly begins to pour the water over his head. When she's all done Mac hands the canteen back to Judson and he begins to refill it.

Gabe opens his eyes and begins to sit up while saying, "Okay this has been a lot of fun but shouldn't we get moving?"

Mac takes his shirt and begins to rinse it out again while saying, "In a few minutes!"

Once she's got the shirt wrung out Mac soaks it again then moves over and helps Gabe get it on.

Gabe shivers a little but says, "Thanks!"

Mac gives him a smile and says, "Your welcome. You ready to get moving?"

Gabe nods his head and begins to push himself off the ground but forgets to keep his weight off of his right leg and bites his lower lip to keep from screaming. Judson quickly grabs his right arm and helps him the rest of the way up.

Gabe weakly says, "Thanks! Guess you guys are gonna get a little wet too."

Mac slips under his left arm and replies, "Not a problem, don't worry about it. Look we're gonna take another break in 3 hours for lunch but if you need a break before that let us know."

Part 5

A little over 3 hrs later the team reaches a shady spot and settle down for another break. Gabe's fever has continued and once again he is covered in sweat and exhausted. Mac and Judson make him as comfortable as possible and after quickly eating something they set about trying to reduce his fever.

Mac gets Gabe to drink as much as he can then slowly uses the rest of her canteen to completely soak his T-shirt. Judson offers her the rest of his canteen and she proceeds to wet down his pants. Gabe seems oblivious to all of this and his eyes remain closed. By the look on her face Judson can tell Mac is really concerned and he tries to hide his concern from her.

Judson uses Gabe's canteen to wet his hair then takes all of the empty canteens and their small pot in his arms and says, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Mac continues to fan Gabe and fearing her voice will crack if she says anything, all she can do is nod her head at him.

Judson puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and whispers, "He'll be okay. Get him to eat something if you can."

Mac nods her head and Judson quickly leaves to find the stream he knows should be nearby.
 
The 20 minutes Judson is gone seems an eternity to Mac and by the time he returns her nerves are on edge and she angrily says, "Where have you been?"

Judson proceeds to start wetting Gabe down again and says, "Mac take it easy. Did you get him to eat anything?"

Mac nods her head and replies, "Sorry I snapped. Yeah but he's still pretty out of it."

Gabe slowly opens his eyes and offers a weak, "Hey!"

Judson grins at him and says, "Hey there kiddo! How bout you take some more aspirin and drink some more water?"

Gabe weakly nods his head and Mac quickly get out the pills and helps him take them. Judson continues to wet him down until the pot and 2 of the canteens are empty.

Gabe makes a face and says, "Judson enough please, I feel like a drown rat!"

Judson puts away the pot, closes the canteens then says, "Tough you're burning up and this will help cool you down."

Mac looks Gabe in the eyes and says, "Judson and I are going to rig a stretcher with one of the sleeping bags you rest."

Gabe replies, "That'll slow you guys down more. It'll take us longer to get to town."

Judson looks him in the eye and says, "Okay but once we reach the stream that's ahead we're taking another break and your getting a nice soaking."

Gabe nods his head and weakly says, "Okay but only if you guys join me, I shouldn't be the only one having all the fun."

Mac smiles at his attempt to lift their spirits and says, "Okay you got it but after that you ride in a nice wet sleeping bag stretcher."

As they begin to help him up Gabe makes a face and says, "Doesn't sound too appealing to me!"

The walk to the stream takes about an hour but once they reach it Gabe is grateful for the dip. After Judson and Mac make him comfortable in the stream and are satisfied that he won't drown if he looses consciousness they begin to work on the stretcher.

Judson locates some long tree saplings and after several break he finally finds 2 that will be able to withstand his weight. After chopping them down to the right length he drags them over to Mac who has gotten Gabe's sleeping bag out and has found some vines to use as webbing for the stretcher. Judson checks on Gabe and finds him trying to get out of the water.

As Judson helps him up he says, "What's wrong you get tired of soaking."

Gabe's teeth are chattering but he nods his head as Judson sits him down against a tree.

Judson gets the hint so he says, "Sorry about that. But at least your fever seems to have broken."

Gabe is finally able to weakly say, "Can I have something to eat?"

Judson instantly replies, "Of course. I'll be right back."

Judson quickly grabs his backpack and after grabbing 2 protein bars and his sleeping bag he returns to Gabe's side. As Gabe eats one of the bars Judson wraps him in the sleeping bag.

After he makes him comfortable Judson returns to Mac's side and she whispers, "How's he doing?"

Judson replies, "His fever's broken, his teeth were chattering pretty good. I think we should forget about soaking the sleeping bag."

Mac takes a quick look in Gabe's direction then returns to finishing the stretcher and says, "Okay but if it shoots up again then we douse him with the water in the canteens until we can soak him in the stream."

Judson nods his head and as he stands says, "I'll bring him over why don't you eat something."

Gabe looks up when Judson approaches and quickly raise his hands in a surrender pose and says, "No more water torture!"

Judson grins and after he sits down next to him says, "Don't worry your done with that for now. Think you can manage a few steps over to Mac?"

Gabe nods his head and begins to take off the sleeping bag but Judson easily removes it from him and tosses it back toward his pack. Then he helps Gabe stand and limp his way over to Mac and lowers him down onto his sleeping bag.

Mac reaches out with her left hand and puts it on his forehead and when Gabe looks at her she says, "Well you feel a lot cooler. How's your leg feel?"

Gabe shrugs his shoulders and replies; "It's still there, kind of numb right now."

Judson and Mac exchange worried glances with each other then Judson pulls out the first air kit and Mac reaches toward the soaking wet bandage.

Gabe reaches out and tries to stop her from touching it while saying, "Don't! Numbs better than pain!"

Mac swats his hands out of the way and sternly says, "I know but you prefer numb to pain but I really need to take a look at it. Just lay down and lie still for a few minutes."

Once Mac gets the bandage removed she can see that the wound is badly inflamed and very red. Judson hands her the scalpel and then quickly shifts his leg off of the sleeping bag and pins it to the ground.

Gabe tries to sit up and Mac gently pushes him down while saying, "We've got to get some of the infection out."

The terrified look in Gabe's eyes makes Mac put the scalpel down and she gentle pushes some hair off of his forehead while saying, "I'll do it as quickly as I can okay?"

Gabe nods his head and turns his head away, using his left hand he puts some of the sleeping bag in his mouth. Mac moves back down to his leg, and after giving Judson a sharp nod, quickly cuts open the angry crusted wound. As the putrid fluid begins to flow out of the wound Judson holds down Gabe's leg with one hand and uses the other to rinse the wound with some antiseptic. Gabe tries to jerk his leg away from the source of the painful fluid but Judson quickly uses his knees to help keep it in place.

After a few seconds Gabe's body goes slack and Mac instantly moves to check on his breathing. Seeing that his airway is partially blocked by the fabric of the sleeping bag she carefully lifts his head and removes it from his mouth. After a quick glance at Judson she sees that he is beginning to bandage the wound so she repositions herself so she can cradle Gabe's head in her lap.

Once Judson finishes bandaging the wound he puts the medical kit back in his pack and starts to put it on. Mac carefully slides out from under Gabe's head and gently puts his head down then she also puts on her pack. Knowing Mac will want to keep an eye on him Judson moves up to stand by her and points her toward the other end.

Mac nods her head and after she takes a quick glance down at Gabe's peaceful face she moves to the foot of the stretcher and they slowly lift it up. After getting a comfortable grip on the poles they begin to slowly walk toward their goal.

Fortunately Gabe falls into a deep sleep and remains that way. Judson and Mac walk for about 2 hours then stop to check his temperature. It hasn't risen too much so after a 15 minute break they switch positions and then start out once again. After a couple more hours of walking they stop again and Mac once again checks Gabe's forehead.

She looks up at Judson and says, "He's a little warm but the sun's going down. Let's keep going for awhile then make camp."

Judson nods his head and as they switch spots he says, "Okay, tonight let's skip the tent. The cool air might help keep his temp down tonight."

As they pick up the make shift stretcher Mac replies, "Sounds good to me. Tomorrow we're gonna have to consider the possibility that one of us should go ahead for help."

As the sunlight begins to fade they stop and gently put the stretcher down. Gabe stirs and begins to open his eyes.

Mac immediately takes off her pack and kneels down beside him then says, "Hey sleepy head! How ya feeling?"

Gabe blinks a couple of times then says, "Okay, I guess. Why's it so dark?"

Judson has finished getting the fire started and he replies, "Because the suns gone down. You slept through the rest of the day and missed the fun of riding instead of walking."

As Mac hands him a protein bar Gabe groans then says, "Sorry about that. But tomorrow I should walk. You guys can't carry me the rest of the way."

Mac finishes her bar then sternly says, "Gabe you've got a fever and walking will only make it worse. You're gonna do what we say and that's the end of it. Now eat!"

Gabe wisely continues to eat and as he finishes Mac hands him another and says, "One more then you take some aspirin and go to sleep."

"Mac your bedside manner leaves a little to be desired!" Gabe starts to eat the second bar and Mac glares at him for a minute then sees him flash a small smile at her and she can't help but sigh.

Judson takes out the medicine then moves to sit beside him it while saying, "Okay guys lets not start anything it's too late. Save it for the morning."

Mac smacks Judson in the head then she gets into her sleeping bag and gets comfortable while saying, "Night guys!"

Judson grins as Gabe takes the pills then he helps him get into his sleeping bag and after wishing both of his friends a good night he too gets comfortable and instantly falls asleep.

Part 6

Before the sun comes up Mac quietly gets out of her sleeping bag and grabs her canteen and 2 protein bars. After quickly checking that Gabe and Judson are still asleep she cautiously and quietly starts walking toward town.

When the sun begins to make it's presence known Judson stirs and begins to sit up. He immediately notices that Mac is not in her sleeping bag and begins to scan the area for her. Not seeing any signs of her Judson gets up and moves over to her pack and finds the top open. Instinctively he knows that she set out for town and only did so because of her concern for Gabe but still Judson is angry that she would do so without talking to him first.

He quickly checks on Gabe and finds that his fever has returned so he carefully checks the condition of the bandage. Finding it soaked with pus and blood Judson gets the first aid kit and takes out the last of the clean bandages. As gently as possible he cleans the wound and then loosely bandages it.

Realizing they are out in the open Judson decides to relocate their camp to some trees that will at least offer some shade when the sun begins to beat down on them. Checking that Gabe is still out Judson puts on his pack and picks up Mac's and carries it over to the trees and after tossing hers to the ground Judson removes his and tosses it down in frustration. Judson then goes back and collects the sleeping bags and the few items they had gotten out when they made camp last night. After making sure the fire was completely out Judson carries these items over to the new camp and after tossing them to the ground he returns to Gabe's side.

Judson tries to wake the young man with out success. So he carefully slides his arms under his sleeping bag and with some difficulty manages to pick him up and slowly begins to carry Gabe toward their new camp. Half way there Gabe moans and Judson quickens his pace and as he is lowering him to the ground Gabe's eyes slowly flutter open. Judson tries to minimize the jostling to Gabe's leg but the young man can't help but moan as it is lowered and repositioned.

As Judson lowers his upper body he softly says, "Sorry about that. Just hang on a little bit longer."

Gabe bites his lower lip and nods his head as Judson grabs one of the canteens and gets out some aspirin. After he opens it Judson puts the pills in his mouth then helps Gabe drink some water and says, "Do you feel up to eating something?"

Gabe weakly replies, "Not hungry. Where's Mac?"

His eyes begin to close as Judson replies, "Headed to town earlier for help. Just rest and save your strength."

Gabe immediately opens his eyes and says, "Your angry! Why?"

Judson looks at him surprised he had tried to mask his feelings but now he knows he wasn't successful at it so now Gabe was going to start worrying.

Judson puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "I'm not angry. Now close your eyes and rest. I'm gonna use one of your T-shirts for a cold compress see if we can get your temp down."

But Gabe can see that something is bothering him and he sternly says, "Judson your angry about something. What is it?"

After studying the young man for a few minutes Judson realizes that unless he admits the truth Gabe will continue to press him so he says, "Okay, Mac took off sometime this morning or late last night without discussing it with me. Now you know and I don't want you worrying about it. Close your eyes and rest."

Gabe tries to sit up but Judson grabs him by the shoulders and forces him down while saying, "I said rest. Look there's nothing either of us can do about it so you rest and I'll keep my eye out for her."

Gabe is obviously struggling to keep his eyes open and weakly says, "Kay, but it's really hot in here"
 
Judson immediately begins to unzip his sleeping bag while saying, "Sorry about that."

Judson unzips it the whole way down and then opens the bag and uses the flap of loose fabric to fan some of the heat away from Gabe then lets it fall back onto the ground.

Gabe's eyes are closed but he weakly says, "Thanks no problem you've got a lot on your mind."

Judson grabs a T-shirt out of his pack and after emptying one of the canteens in their small cooking pot he dunks the shirt in the water then places it on Gabe's forehead in an effort to bring his temp down some more.

Gabe cracks one eye open and offers a small smile while weakly saying, "How you doing?"

Judson looks at him and replies, "What? You're the one who got shot not me!"

Gabe replies, "And you've been lugging me around ever since. You okay?"

Judson removes the shirt and after a quick dunk and slight wringing returns it to his forehead while saying, "I'm fine. But I'm really looking forward to a nice long shower."

Gabe nods his head and weakly replies, "Sounds good to me too."

Judson looks down at him with concern and says, "Gabe you really need to eat something. How about a protein bar and some water?"

Not getting a response Judson takes an even closer look at him and sees that Gabe's breathing has evened out and he's asleep. So he pulls a bar out for himself and eats it while he watches Gabe sleep. Judson continues to cool him down with the shirt and every so often wrings some water out onto his chest. Gabe sleeps soundly through most of the morning and as noontime approaches his eyes flutter open.

Judson grins at him and says, "Hey sleepyhead how about something to eat?"

Gabe weakly replies, "Water?"

Judson quickly lifts his head and lets him drink as much as he can then as he lowers him back down says, "You hungry?"

Gabe doesn't seem to be focusing on him and Judson begins to worry when he doesn't get a response so he sternly says, "Gabe?"

He blinks and with effort replies, "Not hungry . . . Hot!"

Judson once again wets down his chest and forehead and says, "I know buddy. Hang in there helps on the way."

Gabe's eyes close again and Judson begins to consider what to do next. There's no sign of Mac returning and the last canteen is already half empty. Soon they will be without water and Gabe's temp has continued to rise since he woke up. Without some fluids going in or on him Judson knows Gabe temp will continue to rise and he'll soon reach a critical situation.

Judson scans the area for any sign of Mac returning and not seeing anything he decides to take action. Grabbing the two remaining sleeping bags he returns to their previous campsite and uses them to form an arrow pointing toward the new camp and the unconscious Gabe.

Judson then returns to Gabe's side and after using the last of the water to soak the shirt he applies it to the young mans fever hot forehead while whispering in his ear, "Gabe I'm going for more water hang in there."

He quickly grabs the canteens, their small cooking pot and two clean t-shirts then quickly jogs away from their camp.

*******

By the time Judson locates the stream, which thankfully seemed to meander its way through the area they had been traveling, he's completely out of breath. He quickly fills the canteens, and dunks the pot with the shirts into the water and pulls it out. After drinking a little water Judson heads back towards Gabe hoping that he'll get there and find Mac has arrived with help.

But as Judson approaches the camp he sees no vehicle and his heart feels like it is sinking into his stomach causing him to quicken his pace. Afraid he's been gone too long and Gabe will no longer be breathing Judson drops down on his knees beside him. Seeing the slow steady rise of Gabe's chest sends a wave of relief through his body. After taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down and steady his hands Judson begins to apply the cool water to Gabe's fever consumed body.

As Judson pours the last drop out of the first canteen into the now empty pot he hears the unmistakable sound of a vehicle. As he stands up Judson sees it coming into view and realizing it is heading directly for the old campsite he begins to walk toward it while waving his arms.

The land rover suddenly turns and heads toward him braking only a few feet from where Judson stands waving his arms and he lets out the breath he never realized he was holding.

Mac all but leaps out of the door and says, "Judson how's Gabe?"

Judson looks relieved and at the same time angry as he replies, "He's alive but he's burning up."

As Mac kneels beside the unconscious young man a white haired man exits the passenger side of the land rover and begins to walk toward her.

Judson watches him approach and says, "Mac who's this guy?"

As the man kneels beside Gabe Mac replies, "Doctor Manuel came along to treat Gabe."

As the man begins to examine the bullet wound Judson looks at him and says, "He's been unconscious all day. I couldn't get him to eat anything this morning but he drank a little water."

The doctor nods his head and as he opens his bag says, "He's got a pretty bad infection. I can only release some of the fluid and put in a drain. He needs to get to a hospital and see a surgeon."

As the doctor pulls out an IV and begins to insert a needle into Gabe's arm Judson asks, "How far is it to town?"

Mac uses some of the water in the pot to bath Gabe's forehead and replies, "Not quite 2 hours but the closest hospital is in Flores."

Judson stares at her and says, "Mac it's gonna take us what another 10 hrs to drive to Flores?"

The doctor begins to work on Gabe's leg and says, "I'm sorry but there's no surgeons in town. I can give you some medical supplies. If either of you can handle giving him fluids and antibiotics every 4 hrs you will improve his odds."

Judson nods his head and says, "I can do it. Mac lets get the gear into the truck. If we put our sleeping bags in the back and then Gabe's on top it should provide some cushioning."

Mac covers Gabe's forehead with the wet shirt and helps Judson quickly relocate their stuff into the truck once they lower the back seat and create a big enough space to make their friend comfortable. With the doctors help they manage to relocate Gabe to the truck and once the doctor and Judson get in with him Mac shuts the back door.

She quickly gets in and after starting the truck carefully turns it around and heads back toward town.

Part 7

An hour and half later Mac pulls up outside the doctors office and when she opens the back Mac says, "Doc lets get the supplies Judson hang tight I'll be right back."

Judson doesn't bother to look up at her he's too busy concentrating on bathing Gabe's forehead and chest with some water and checking the IV.

The doctor gets out of the truck and leads Mac into his office. He pulls out several IV bags and then opens a cabinet and selects several small bottles of clear fluid.

As he puts them into a small box he says, "Tell your friend to administer 500 mg every 4 hours. Make sure he cleans the shunt on the IV every time with these alcohol swabs." The doctor tosses a hand full of the small packets into the bag with the IVs.

Mac nods her head and says, "I will. Doc thanks I appreciate everything you've done and I promise we'll pay you for all of this as soon as we get Gabe taken care of."

The doctor hands her the supplies and says, "Your very welcome. When you stop for gas as you leave town get some ice it will help keep your friends temp down."

As Mac opens the door she gives him a smile and says, "We will thanks doc."

*******

10 minutes later Mac is pulling up at the small gas station on the outside of town. As the attendant starts filling the tank Mac goes inside the small store and purchase several bags of ice and two small coolers along with some drinks and food for her and Judson.

Judson spends the time checking out the supplies they had received from the doctor and as Mac loads the supplies she has purchased into the front seat he looks up.

Mac hands him a bottle of water and says, "Here drink this you look beat so I'm gonna drive for a while. Lay down and get some rest I'll wake you when it's time to give Gabe the first dose."

Judson quickly drinks the water then says, "Okay what's in the coolers?"

As Mac gets in and starts the truck she replies, "Ice! The doc said to use it to keep Gabe's temp down."

As they begin to leave the gas station Judson reaches over the back of the seat and as he looks at the ice says, "How am I supposed to keep it on him?"

Mac smiles and says, "Look just put it under his shirt and tuck the shirt in his waist band."

Judson nods his head and begins to do just that. After he gets enough around the young mans chest Judson proceeds to put some between Gabe's legs figuring it can't hurt. Then Judson adds some of the ice cubes to the water in the pot to cool that as well.

Once Judson has done all of this he checks Gabe's pulse then he curls up closes his eyes and instantly falls asleep.

*******

Several hours later Mac wakes Judson up and says, "It's time for his medication. How's his temp?"

Judson administers the antibiotic and then checks Gabe's forehead and says, "It's still high but not as bad as it was. How we doing on gas?"

Mac continues to drive and says, "We have more than enough to make it to the next stop. Don't worry about it put some more ice on him?"

Judson starts to do as she said but then he notices Gabe's eyes opening and he stops. Leaning down so he can be seen Judson says, "Hey kid how you doing?"

Gabe blinks his eyes a few times, then tries to sit up but Judson holds him down and says, "No Gabe you need to stay still. Look we're on the way to the hospital your gonna be fine just rest."

Gabe doesn't seem to hear him and continues to fight Judson's efforts to keep him still until he looses consciousness again.

Judson turns toward Mac and with a lot of concern in his voice says, "Mac how much further till we reach that hospital?"

Mac also looks worried as she replies, "I'm not sure maybe another 6 hours but we're gonna have to stop for gas soon."

Judson once again begins to put some ice on Gabe and when he's done with that stares out at the quickly passing scenery lost in thought.

********

Judson is jarred awake when Mac slams on the brakes and he quickly begins to check on Gabe.

When the back door opens Judson all but yells, "Mac what the heck?"

Mac opens the back door by Judson's side and says, "Take it easy we're here. They're gonna get Gabe inside."

Several people begin to relocate Gabe from the truck onto a hospital gurney as Mac guides Judson out through the door.

Seeing the stunned look on his face Mac gently says, "Sorry I didn't realize you were asleep. I thought you knew we were arriving. You okay?"

As they follow the crowd of people pushing Gabe into the hospital Judson says, "Yeah I'm fine."

A nurse bars them from following their friend any further and hands them some paperwork to fill out while at the same time promising the doctor will be out to see them soon.

Mac and Judson reluctantly sit down in the waiting area and begin to fill out the forms. Before they get the first page done a nurse enters the room and asks them to follow her.

After taking them back into the treatment area she stops outside a room and after knocking on the window, in the door, points toward Judson. She asks them to wait there and leaves.

A few minutes later the door opens and a man comes out and says, "You brought this young man in?"

Judson nods and says, "Yes! How is he?"

The man all but glares at Judson and says, "He's critical. We'll probably have to amputate his leg and even then he may not make it. He should have been brought here immediately after it happened. Why "

Mac immediately interrupt him, "We know that but we were out in the bush and it took us days to get back to town then here."

Judson puts a hand on her shoulder and calmly says, "Mac take it easy." Then he looks at the doctor and says, "Doc do you have to amputate? Can't you remove the bullet and fight the infection with antibiotics first?"

The doctor looks at both of them and seems to notice for the first time just how haggard and tired the pair is then says, "I'm sorry it's been a long shift. Let's start over here, I'm Dr. Raul. Your friend's leg is badly infected and the best thing to do would be to amputate. But even then I can't guarantee he'll pull through."

Mac calmly says, "Doc we've had a rough couple of days ourselves. He's too young to loose his leg can't you try to save it?"

Raul looks into the room then back at them and says, "I understand how you feel but he's got a pretty bad infection. We could remove the bullet now and try massive doses of antibiotics but that may take too long. The best thing to do would be to amputate removing the majority of the infection would buy us time for the antibiotics to start working."
 
Judson shakes his head and says, "Doc I understand what you're saying but I think Gabe would prefer to keep his leg if at all possible. You've got to try to save it."

The doctor nods his head and reluctantly says, "All right we'll only remove the bullet and as much of the infection as we can. But you do understand that the odds are against his keeping that leg. More than likely we will have to operate again to remove it and this could also mean the difference between life and death for your young friend."

Judson and Mac both nod their heads and Judson calmly says, "Yes we understand. Gabe's a fighter. He managed to walk most of the way with that bullet in his leg and he isn't going to loose it without a fight."

Raul nods his head and says, "I just hope he has some fight left in him. This is going to take several hours. Why don't you leave a number at the desk and go get some rest, we can call you with updates on his condition."

Judson quickly replies, "We'll go get cleaned up and changed but nothings gonna keep us out of here for long until we know Gabe's out of the woods."

The doctor studies the two of them taking in their dirty clothes and obviously exhausted state and says, "He sure must mean a lot to you. But I really don't need 2 more patients tonight so after you get cleaned up and eat a proper meal see the nurse at the desk. I'll tell her to set you up in my office, there you can get a little sleep and I'll let you know how he's doing as soon as I get out of surgery."

Before Judson or Mac can thank him the doctor turns and enters the room were Gabe is being tended to.

Part 8

3 hours later the doctor slowly enters his office and finds Mac and Judson sounds asleep on his couch. He can't help but chuckle at the sight before him. Judson is in a sitting position with his head resting half on the back of the couch and half on the wall and his left arm is draped over Mac who is curled up sideways on the couch using his thigh as a pillow. Both have obviously showered and changed their cloths and seeing some empty take out containers on the end table the doctor figures they have also eaten as well.

Figuring it won't hurt to let them sleep a little more he goes to his desk and tries to quietly do some paperwork but the faint sound of rustling paper is enough to wake both of them.

Judson lifts his head and seeing the doctor says, "How's Gabe?"

Mac sits up as the doctor closes the folder he was working on and replies, "I didn't mean to wake you. Your friend came through the surgery without any major complications, but he's still critical. We removed the bullet, luckily there wasn't any damage to the bone but we did have to excise some muscle. We should know more with in the next 24 hours."

Mac gives Judson a look then says, "Will there be any permanent effects because of the muscle damage?"

The doctor studies both of them for a few minutes then says, "I'm sorry I can't answer that right now. Remember what I said earlier, we might still have to amputate. If the antibiotics don't start kicking in by tomorrow night you're going to have to decide what is best, no leg or the risk of permanent brain damage from the high fever or even death."

Mac shudders and Judson wraps his arm around her and pulls her even closer to his side while he says, "We understand. Can we see him?"

Raul nods his head and replies, "Since you've made it clear you won't be going anywhere I don't see why not. At least with you out of my office I can get some of this work done." He motions to the vast amount of paperwork on his desk as he stands.

Mac and Judson quickly stand up and follow him out into the hallway as she says, "We don't want him to wake up alone. Gabe hates hospitals."

The doctor nods as they approach the elevator and says, "Most of our patients do. I just want you to be prepared; your friend most likely will not regain consciousness for some time. We can provide all the support his body needs but he really needs to remain calm."

As they ride up in the elevator Judson says, "Can't you sedate him?"

The doctor nods and replies, "Yes but I don't want to sedate him unless it's absolutely necessary. Sedation has some negative side effects and I would prefer not to add that to the long list of problems. Your presence in the room and the sound of your voices might keep him calm and give us one less thing to worry about."

As the elevator doors open Mac says, "What long list of problems? I thought it was just his leg and the infection?"

As they approach Gabe's room the doctor stops at the door and says, "Yes that is the beginning of it but there is also the severe dehydration, plus exhaustion both physical and emotional that goes along with what he's been through. All of this puts a strain on his heart, lungs and other vital organs. He's got a long hard fight in front of him."

The doctor pushes open the door and says, "You'll have the room to yourselves. Feel free to use the other bed. I'll instruct the nurse to wake one of you if he shows any sign of waking, she'll be checking on him every hour until he stabilizes. So get some sleep."

As they enter the room he shuts the door and leaves them alone.

Judson and Mac slowly approach Gabe's bed and Mac gently kisses his forehead and whispers, "Gabe we're here!" She then looks at Judson and says, "He's so pale, do you think we made the right decision?"

Judson puts an arm around her and says, "Gabe's a fighter and I don't know about you but there's no way I could look him in the eye and tell him I let them amputate with out so much as trying to save it."

Mac nods and says, "Neither could I but Judson if his fever spikes are we gonna risk his having brain damage or god forbid his life to save his leg."

Judson guides her to the other bed and says, "Mac right now we're too exhausted to get into this. Lay down and sleep I'll take the chair."

Mac looks at the chair and says, "Judson you're not gonna get any sleep sitting in that thing. We're adults we can share the bed and I'm not in the mood to argue so don't."

Judson looks at the chair and then back at Mac and seeing the glare she is giving him he says, "All right, besides I'm too tired right now to care."

10 minutes later their both sound asleep lying on their sides turned toward Gabe's bed and Judson has his arm draped over Mac's waist.

*******

Judson slowly opens his eyes not quiet sure what woke him up until he sees a woman standing in front of the bed he's occupying with Mac. She smiles at him and puts a finger to her lips then points toward Gabe's bed. Judson slowly and carefully gets out of bed and walks around it to join the nurse at Gabe's bedside.

Before Judson can say anything to the nurse she whispers, "He's starting to wake up. The doctor said to tell you he's stabilized now and he's been downgraded to serious."

Judson takes Gabe's hand in his and whispers, "Thank you. Did the doctor say anything else?"

She nods her head and replies, "Yes, you and your other friend should take shifts. He doesn't want either of you becoming a patient as well. Says he's got his hands full with this one." The nurse gives him smile then quietly leaves the room.

As Judson makes himself comfortable in one of the chairs Gabe's eyelids begin to flutter and a slight groan escapes his lips.

Judson quickly stands up and leans down so Gabe can see him if he opens his eyes and says, "Easy Gabe, we're at the hospital. You're gonna be just fine."

Gabe slowly opens his eyes and after blinking a few times focuses on Judson and croaks, "My . . . leg?"

Mac suddenly appears next to Judson and replies; "The doctor removed the bullet and patched it up. Now you need to rest and let the medicine do its job."

Judson looks her with a stunned expression on his face and Mac says, "What you didn't honestly think I wouldn't notice you getting out of bed?"

Gabe's eyes begin to close and he softly says, "Not that cold in here?"

Judson starts to chuckle and Mac looks down at Gabe with her mouth open ready to say something. Seeing his eyes are now closed and he's once again asleep Mac turns to glare at Judson and says, "Go get something to eat and stretch your legs for a while. I'll sit with him."

Judson gently squeezes Gabe's hand then lowers it to the bed and slips out of the room.

Once Judson has left the room Mac moves the chair closer to the bed and makes herself comfortable. As she studies Gabe's pale form on the bed tears appear in her eyes and she quickly wipes them away. Mac carefully picks up Gabe's hand and begins to caress the back of it with her thumb lost in thought. Mac can't help but recall how she yelled at Gabe when he came out of the brush and the fear she felt when he fell to the ground. The thought of his losing his leg made her continually rethink her decision to not remove the bullet. If she had maybe he wouldn't be in danger of losing it right now.

*******

Judson slowly makes his way to the cafeteria and after getting something for breakfast he finds a seat by a window and watches the sun begin to brighten up the outside.

After eating his breakfast and taking a short walk outside Judson makes his way back towards Gabe's room. He notices things are a little hectic once he steps off the elevator and Judson immediately quickens his pace fearing something might have happened while he was gone.

When he steps into the room and finds Mac sitting in the chair he stops in his tracks. Obviously happy to find nothing has changed he carefully walks up to the bed and quickly sizes up Gabe's condition.  Seeing he is still asleep Judson moves around the bed and takes a seat next to Mac.

She looks up and says, "I thought you were gonna get out of here for a while?"

Judson leans back in the chair and replies, "Mac I was gone for an hour. Now it's your turn, go get something to eat and take a walk outside. He's sound asleep I'll be here if he wakes up."

Mac gives Gabe's hand a squeeze then she stands up and as she walks toward the door she says, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Judson nods his head and watches the door close then his eyes drift toward the still form on the bed and he begins to think about the last few days. He can't believe what was supposed to be a simple search for a missing research team had turned out to be such a disaster. Now Gabe's was in danger of losing his leg and if that happened he didn't know how they would be able to cope. Judson was also extremely worried that if Gabe lost his leg he would give up his fight against his families and their constant push to get him to return.

Part 9

When Mac returns an hour later she finds Judson standing out in the hall and the look on his face makes her heart skip a beat. She puts a hand on his arm and says, "What happened?"

Judson looks up and replies, "His fevers gone up. They kicked me out of the room so they could work."

Mac looks like she is ready to charge into the room so Judson quickly puts an arm around her waist and walks her away from the door. To Mac it seems to take hours for anybody to come out but when she looks up at the clock she sees it's only been 10 minutes and she can't help but groan.

Judson hugs her a little tighter and says, "Hang in there. Gabe's a fighter, he's gonna be fine."

Mac looks at him and after forcing a small smile says, "Yeah before we know it he'll be racing off to get into trouble again."

Judson grins and says, "Yeah and we'll probably be in front of him leading the charge."

The door to the room opens and the Dr. Raul exits and walks toward them and says, "Well you two definitely look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

Mac smiles at him and says, "Yeah it's amazing what a hot shower and some clean clothes can do. How's Gabe?"

The doctor hands a passing nurse a folder then replies, "His temps gone up a bit but right now it's manageable. I've increased the dosage of the antibiotics and we've cleaned out the wound again."

Mac and Judson can't help but smile at this news but the doctor quickly adds, "The next 24 hours could be a little rough. If his temp doesn't come down by tonight you'll have to consider the alternatives."

Judson nods his head and says, "We understand doc thanks. Can we go in now?"

Dr. Raul shakes his head and replies; "The nurses are finishing up. Wait until they come out then you can go in. Did the nurse talk to you this morning."

Mac chuckles and says, "Yes, don't worry I'll make sure he eats and sleeps. He's a lousy patient and you definitely don't need him driving you crazy."

Judson glares at her and says; "Look who's talking! You're a bigger pain than either of us when you're sick."

Raul raises his hands and says; "Okay I see I started something here so I think I'll just go visit some of my other patients."

Judson and Mac continued to banter back and forth until they see the door to Gabe's room open again and they instantly fall silent. They watch 2 nurses leave the room pushing a cart and then quickly head toward the room and enter.

They slowly approached the bed and immediately noticed that Gabe now has an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth as well as a damp cloth on his forehead.

Mac carefully sits on the edge of the bed and picks up his hand and gives it a slight squeeze.

Gabe's eye lids flicker but he doesn't open them as he says, "Hi!"

Mac gives his hand another squeeze and says, "You gave us quite a scare, how you doing?"

Gabe opens his left eye a little and says, "You tell me, they wouldn't tell me anything. Just told me to rest! How bad is it?"

Neither Judson nor Mac say anything right away so Gabe opens his other eye and says, "That bad?"

Judson puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Your fevers gone up and it has the doctor concerned. He's increased the dosage of your meds so hopefully that works?"

Gabe studies his friends for a few minutes then says; "If it doesn't, what happens?"

Mac squeezes his hand again and says, "It's gonna work so don't you worry about it!"

Gabe looks directly at her and says, "Mac what aren't you telling me?"

Mac puts his hand down on the bed and walks over to the window to hide the tears in her eyes from both of them.

Gabe tries to take off the oxygen mask but Judson stops him and quickly says, "Gabe don't mess with that. Come on you need to take it easy this isn't going to help. Just close you eyes and rest right now. We'll talk later when you're stronger."

Gabe tries to remove the oxygen mask again but gives up when Judson refuses to allow it.

So Gabe forcefully says, "Tell me what's going on. Don't I have a right to know?"

Judson lets out a sigh and finally sits down on the edge of the bed and says, "Yes you do, but this isn't easy! I don't know how to tell you."

Gabe looks over at Mac who still has her back to them and is continuing to stare out the window. Then he looks at Judson and says; "If you can't then at least have the doctor tell me what's going on. He refused to say anything said all I needed to do was rest. Those nurses wouldn't even look up at me just down at what they were doing. What's going on?"

Mac turns around and approaches the bed then she picks up Gabe's right hand and softly says, "You're right you have a right to know what's going on. When we got here you were in pretty bad shape. The doctor wanted to amputate your leg but we refused to allow it."

When Mac stops Gabe looks down and at his leg and says, "Okay so why didn't they just tell me that?"

Judson picks up his other hand and says, "If the antibiotics don't start working soon then the doctor says we have to consider the alternatives."

Gabe looks at Judson then Mac and finally back down at his leg and says, "You mean he wants to amputate."

Mac squeezes his hand and softly says, "Yes, he said at the beginning if your fever spikes there could be risks. Risks I don't even want to consider."

Gabe looks at her for a minute then turns to Judson and says, "What risks?"

Judson looks uncomfortable but finally he says, "There's a risk of permanent brain damage or even death if your temp spikes and they can't get it back down."

Gabe closes his eyes and after a minute Judson says, "Do you want us to notify your family?"

Gabe's eyes open even wider than before and he immediately says, "NO! Don't you dare call them."

Mac gently says, "Easy Gabe I know you don't want to hear this but don't you think they have a right to know?"

Gabe glares at her and says, "NO, they have no say in this at all. It's my leg and my life not theirs. They don't want me working with you guys so they'd jump at the chance. Ten minutes after you got off the phone with them they'd be calling the doctor and ordering him to operate."

Judson calmly says, "Gabe you don't know that."

Gabe turns to glare at him and replies, "Think about it. You don't need 2 legs to be a lawyer or a politician, but for everything we do there's no way I could continue to work for you if they cut it off."

Mac can see that Gabe is getting way too agitated and she quickly says, "Okay we promise not to call them. But right now you need to calm down. Getting upset right now isn't going to help."

Gabe takes a deep breath and says, "I mean it! Don't contact them at all and that doesn't mean just by phone." Gabe glares at Mac and continues, "No telegram, e-mail or third party contacts. NOTHING!"

Judson firmly says, "We got it already. Nobody will contact your family. Gabe I promise we're not going to let them take your leg with out a fight. But I'm also not willing to risk your life if there's no choice we'll deal with it together. Right now I want you to rest and let the drugs do their job."

Gabe studies his friends for a few minutes then finally seems to relax a little and as his eyes close he says, "Next time somebody else fills the canteens."

When Judson notices his breathing has evened out signaling Gabe's  inally asleep so he returns his hand to the bed and  stands up. Mac does the same with Gabe's other hand then she removes the cloth from his forehead and heads toward the bathroom. Judson watches her as she rinses it out and comes back with it in a small container of cold water.

Mac smiles at him and says, "Florence nightingale I'm not but somebody's got to do it."

Judson grins at her and says, "Hey I did my fair share of it after you took off. Which by the way we need to discuss."

Mac ignores him and proceeds to put the damp cloth on Gabe's forehead after wiping his face and neck off.

When she finally sits down in the chair Judson clears his throat and she turns to look at him while saying, "What?"

Judson sits down in the other chair and says, "I know you heard me."

Mac leans back and as she watches Gabe sleep she says, "Okay so I took off without talking to you so now what. Look Judson you know if I had waited to talk to you, we would have both insisted on going and time would have been lost. I left and now we're here so just drop it."

Judson studies her face for a minute then says, "Your right we're here now but I don't ever want you to do that again. What if something had happened to you and you weren't able to get to town?"

Mac looks at him and says, "All right I won't do it again and there's no use in what ifs we're here so that's the end of it."

Judson looks over at Gabe and slouches down in the chair and so does Mac. For the next few hours they take turns wiping off Gabe's face and neck with the damp cloth in an effort to help cool him off.

Judson and Mac are lost in thought when they hear, "You guys argue like a married couple."

Judson and Mac look at Gabe and find him grinning at them.

Mac gets up and moves to sit on the bed while saying, "How would you know you were sleeping and you're supposed to still be asleep."

Gabe shrugs and says, "Couldn't help it you weren't exactly whispering. Right now I'm tired of sleeping so I figured I'd add my 2 cents."

Judson studies him for a minute then says; "Sorry about that, I guess we got carried away. You okay? Do you want me to get the doctor?"

Gabe shakes his head and replies, "No, I'm okay. I'm hungry, don't they feed the patients around here?"
 
Judson chuckles at this and replies, "Well I think that's a good sign. You actually want to eat some hospital food?"

Gabe smiles and replies, "No! Somebody owes me a steak."

Mac shakes her head and says, "Forget it. There's no way your getting a steak right now. But I'll go check with the nurse and see if there's anything they can get you."

She gets up and heads toward the door as Gabe says, "Just make sure whatever it is doesn't have blueberries in it!"

Mac turns to smile at him before she leaves the room and as the door shuts all the way Judson says, "So how are you feeling? And I want the truth!"

Gabe shrugs his shoulders and replies, "Okay I guess. So how long do I have before the doctor wants to chop it off?"

Judson moves to sit on the edge of the bed and says, "Hey, I meant what I said earlier. Your not gonna loose it without a fight. So don't go getting worked up about it."

Gabe glares at him and says, "You haven't called my father have you?"

Judson shakes his head and replies, "No, we said we wouldn't and we haven't. Now just take it easy."

Gabe closes his eyes and says, "Would you be able to if it was your leg they wanted to chop off?"

Judson shakes his head and replies, "No I guess not. I'll make a deal with you. You take it easy and rest, and I promise not to let the doctor amputate unless it's the last resort. Okay?"

Gabe opens his eyes and studies him for a minute then quietly says, "Okay!"

The door to the room opens and Mac enters she feels the tension in the air and says, "Uh guys what's going on?"

Judson looks up at her and replies, "Nothing!"

Gabe looks at her and frowns while saying, "Hey I don't see any food. What gives?"

Mac sits down in the chair and replies, "First of all I don't buy the nothing out of Judson and second your not allowed to have any solids yet."

Gabe groans and says, "I hate hospitals."

Judson chuckles and says, "Yeah we know. Look just close your eyes and get some sleep. Mac can I see you outside for a minute?"

As Judson and Mac stand up Gabe glares at him and says, "Judson?"

As they walk toward the door Judson looks over his shoulder and says, "Take it easy. I made you a promise and I'm gonna stick to it, now rest."

Part 10

When the door to Gabe's room shuts behind them Mac immediately says, "Judson what did you promise him?"

Judson leans against the wall and replies, "That I'd only let the doctor amputate if it was the last resort."

Mac glares at him and angrily says, "How could you do that?"

Judson looks her in the eye and says, "Because he's terrified about what could happen and it was the only way to ease his mind. You heard the doctor he needs to stay calm and let the medicine work."

Mac leans against the wall beside him and says, "Yeah I heard him. But do you honestly think lying to Gabe now is gonna help in the end."

Judson pushes himself off of the wall and says, "I wasn't lying to him."

As Judson walks down the hallway Mac stares after him completely shocked by his last statement. A nurse heads toward the door pushing a cart and Mac looks at her.

The nurse smiles and says, "I need to change his bandages and take care of some other stuff if you'd like to take a walk."

Mac nods her head and replies, "Okay we're gonna go get something to eat. Could you tell Gabe where we went and we'll be back in a little bit?"

The nurse nods her head then enters the room as Mac quickly heads down the hallway in search of Judson.

*******

Mac finds Judson and as they walk toward the cafeteria she says, "Look I don't want to argue about this but do you think it's wise to make promises to him right now?"

Judson shrugs as they enter the cafeteria and says, "Probably not but if it keeps him from getting all worked up then I'm willing to take the heat at the end."

After they get their food and sit down near a window Mac quietly says, "What about his family, maybe we should call his sister. She's not as bad as the rest of them."

Judson shakes his head and says, "NO, he's adamant about them not knowing and if we went against his wishes on this he might not forgive us. Mac his sister might understand his wanting to work with us but she'd definitely call her parents once she heard all the details about this and they'd only barge in and take over. Gabe's probably right about them forcing the surgery right away and if that happens Gabe would give up and you know that wouldn't be good."

Mac nods her head and says, "All right we don't call them. I guess we don't have any choice, we'll do it his way and hope for the best."

They eat their meal in silence each lost in their own thoughts and concerns then head outside and take a short walk around the block to get some fresh air.

*******

When Mac and Judson return to Gabe's room an hour later they find him sound asleep and the oxygen mask replaced by a nasal cannula. As they are getting comfortable in the chairs the door to the room opens and Dr. Raul enters. He slowly walks toward them while looking at a chart.

After he quickly checks on Gabe Raul turns to them and says, "It seems you were right about your friend being a fighter. He gave the nurse a hard time earlier so we sedated him."

Judson immediately stands up and says, "I thought you said that could cause more problems?"

Mac gets up and as she looks at Gabe with concern says, "Why didn't you send someone to get us?"

Doc Raul closes the chart and replies, "There wasn't time and quite frankly from the looks of his vitals it needed to be done immediately. His temp has come down some and with the IV's he's been receiving he's more stabile then when he came in so the sedation shouldn't be a problem. He needs to rest and from what I saw earlier he wasn't getting it. I take it you told him about what we had discussed?"

Judson nods his head and replies, "Yes we did, he knew something was bothering us and insisted on knowing what was going on. It is his leg and life doctor so he certainly had a right to know."

The doctor nods his head and says, "Yes he did but I would have preferred if you had waited until he was stronger. But there's nothing we can do about it now. He'll be asleep for the rest of the day so why don't the two of you get out of here and try to relax."

Mac picks up Gabe's hand and says; "We're staying!"

Judson puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "Don't worry doc we won't get in the way. But one of us is gonna be here from now on, just in case."

The doctor nods his head and as he heads toward the door says, "Very well. Try not to worry your friend is improving."

Judson sighs and as he sits down in the chair says, "Mac why don't you get out of here for a while. Get us a hotel room and try to get some more sleep."

Mac continues to stand next to the bed and doesn't answer him so Judson gets up and moves to stand next to her.

He puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "Mac the doctor said he's gonna sleep for the rest of the day. I got some sleep while you were driving and you did all that walking while I stayed with Gabe. You're beat so go get some more rest. I'll be here, he won't be alone."

Mac reluctantly puts down Gabe's hand and as she looks at Judson says, "I'll call you with the number for the hotel if anything happens you better call me."

Judson walks her to the door while saying, "Not a problem. Try not to worry everything's gonna be okay."

Mac glances over her shoulder and says, "I'll stop worrying when he's running around driving us crazy."

Judson grins as he opens the door and says, "Give him a couple a days and that's exactly what he'll be doing. After you get to the hotel could you try and get in touch with our contact at the university. Maybe they heard from the research team."

Mac nods her head and walks toward the elevator. Judson stands in the doorway until he sees her get on the elevator and the doors begin to shut in front of her. Then Judson returns to the chair by Gabe's bed and after a few minutes of watching Gabe sleep he turns on the TV and tries to find something to listen too.

*******

A half-hour later the phone rings and Judson picks it up. Mac gives him the number for their hotel room and then informs him that the research team has been in contact with the university. It seems they had gotten lost and had some radio problems but they're okay and have managed to finally find the settlement they were looking for. Their contact is arranging to take care of Gabe's medical bills and the hotel in appreciation for their efforts. Judson is surprised but satisfied and after telling Mac that everything is fine at the hospital he once again tells her to get some rest and not come back until after eating her dinner.

As Judson is hanging up the phone the door to the room opens and a nurse enters.

She smiles at Judson and says, "Hello, I need to change his bandages and his IV. If you'd like to take a break."

Judson stands up as he replies, "No thanks, I'm okay."

The nurse nods her head and goes about her duties while Judson watches from the foot of the other bed.

The nurse checks Gabe's temp and makes a note in his chart and as she heads toward the door Judson says, "Has his temp come down any more?"

She stops and turns to look at him then replies, "Yes it's down another 2 degrees, but 101.5 still high but it's no where near as bad as it was. The doctor is continuing with the increased dosage of antibiotics and he should be around in a couple of hours. Hopefully the fever continues to come down."

Judson thanks her then returns to his seat and after watching Gabe sleep for a few minutes turns his attention to the TV.

*******

Judson is watching an oceanography special when the doctor enters the room and takes a quick look at his patient.

Judson grins and says, "How's he doing?"
 
Raul closes the chart he was looking at and replies, "Surprisingly well, looks like the increased dosage has done the trick. His temp is down and it looks like the infection is under control."

Judson's grin gets a little bigger and he says, "Does that mean what I think it does?"

The doctor nods his head and replies, "Yes it does. When he wakes up you can tell him to stop worrying about losing his leg."

Judson stands up and offers the doctor his hand and as they shake he says, "Thank you very much doc, we really appreciate it."

Raul releases his hand as he says, "You're very welcome. He's out of the woods but he still gonna be a little weak for awhile. So he needs to rest as much as possible. He'll have to be on crutches for a while until he gets the mobility and strength back in that leg. But considering everything he's already been through somehow I don't think that should be a problem."

Judson nods his head and says, "Don't worry we'll make sure he behaves and gets plenty of rest. Gabe's pretty stubborn and you're right the crutches won't be a problem."

Raul takes one more look at his patient then heads toward the door as he says, "I'm off tonight but the nurses will call me if there are any problems. Goodnight!"

Judson sits down in the chair again as he says goodnight to the doctor and he can't help but smile broadly as he looks at Gabe sleeping soundly.

*******

A few hours later Mac returns to Gabe's room and finds Judson watching the evening news.

She smiles at him as she holds out a hotel key and says; "You're relieved. Go get something to eat and turn in for the night."

Judson stands up and takes the key while saying, "Okay but I'll be back first thing in the morning. By the way Doc Raul is off tonight but the nurses have orders to call him if there are any problems."

Mac nods and as she sits down says, "What else did he say?"

Judson smiles broadly and replies, "Gabe's out of the woods but he's gonna be weak for awhile. Plus he'll have to use crutches until he gets full use of his leg back."

Mac looks up at him and says; "Does he know?"

Judson shakes his head and replies, "Not yet, he's been asleep since you left. You get to tell him the good news when he wakes up."

Mac smiles at him and says, "Is the doctor sure? I don't want to tell Gabe if there's still a chance the situation could change."

Judson opens the door and says, "You can tell him the doc says to stop worrying about loosing his leg cause it's not gonna happen."

Mac moves her chair closer to Gabe's bed and picks up his hand as the door closes behind Judson. She picks up the remote and flips channels for awhile and settles on the news when there is nothing else to watch.

*******

Mac is flipping through a magazine one of the nurses was nice enough to provide her when she senses movement. She looks up and finds Gabe's eyes are opening so she gets up from the chair and moves to sit on the edge of the bed.

As Mac picks up his hand Gabe turns to look at her and she can see he is still a little drowsy so Mac says, "Hey there sleepy head it's about time you woke up!"

Gabe gives her a small grin and hoarsely says, "Hi!"

Mac instantly gets up and grabs a small pitcher of water from the end table and pours some into a cup then offers it to him.

Gabe drinks some of it and then says, "Thanks! Where's Judson?"

Mac puts the empty cup down on the end table and as she sits down on the bed replies, "He went to get some dinner and turn in for the night. We got a hotel room and we're gonna take shifts until they let you out of here."

Gabe yawns and says, "Guess I slept through the whole day huh?"

Mac nods and replies, "You sure did. But it's what your body needs right now. By the way I have some good news for you."

Gabe's eyes were closing but he forces them open and says, "What?"

Mac smiles and replies, "The doctor says you're out of the woods. You're gonna need plenty of rest and you'll have to use crutches for awhile but no more surgery. Everything is gonna be fine!"

Gabe doesn't say anything for a few minutes so Mac says, "Maybe this should wait until you're more awake. Close your eyes and go back to sleep."

Gabe looks at her and says, "No I'm awake. When can I get out of here? Did he say anything about how long it would take until I could get rid of the crutches?"

Mac smile gets a little bigger and she replies, "Slow down, your still a little too weak to get out of here. Judson didn't mention anything about that just what I already told you. Right now you need to close your eyes and go back to sleep."

Gabe makes a face and says, "I'm tired of sleeping. When can I have something to eat? I'm hungry!"

Mac shakes her head and says, "I doubt they'll give you anything just yet but I'll ask the nurse if you want."

Gabe smiles and says, "It can't hurt to ask!"

Mac ruffles his hair as she gets up and says, "All right but I'm not gonna push it with them. They weren't too happy with you earlier, I don't know what you did but they had to sedate you."

As she walks toward the door Gabe innocently replies, "Hey all I tried to do was get some information out of them and they wouldn't say squat just kept poking and prodding my leg, which hurt by the way."

Mac grins as she opens the door and says, "Keep it up and more than your leg is gonna hurt."

As the door shuts behind her Gabe begins to flip the channels until he finds a movie and he settles back to watch it with a grin on his face.

Mac enters the room and after looking at the screen says, "You're watching this movie again. How many times have you seen it now?"

Gabe shrugs his shoulders and replies, "I stopped counting after the 12th but it's a good movie. Experimental rig in the ocean finds friendly aliens beats out boring news any day. Still no food?"

As Mac sits down she says, "You're real observant, the nurse said if you behave tonight you can have a light breakfast in the morning."

Gabe sighs and says, "I'm hooked up to all of this stuff how can I possibly misbehave."

Mac grins and replies, "Knowing you, you could find a way. Just lie there and watch your movie then go to sleep."

Mac begins to read an article in the magazine and is completely engrossed in it when Gabe says, "Hey Mac here's your favorite part!"

She looks up at the screen and says, "Gross who would want a rat as a pet. Don't you dare suggest it to him again or I will make sure they serve you blueberry something or other until they discharge you. Then you will eat every last blueberry protein bar left on board the Vast Explorer."

Gabe smiles and says, "You wouldn't dare!"

Mac gives him a big smile and says, "Oh yes I would."

Gabe mumbles something under his breath and Mac says, "What's that I didn't hear you?"

Gabe glares at her and says, "Nothing. What are you reading?"

Mac smiles at his obvious attempt to change the subject and says, "Nothing you would be interested in. Now watch the movie or go to sleep!"

Gabe makes a face at her but Mac is focusing on the magazine and doesn't see it so he returns to watching the movie.

********

When the nurse comes in an hour later Gabe is asleep and Mac has changed the channel and is watching the news again. Mac moves out of the way so the nurse can change the bandage on Gabe's leg.

The nurse quickly completes her tasks and as she begins to leave Mac says, "Excuse me can you tell me how he's doing?"

The nurse smiles and replies, "Certainly, your friends fever has come down and it's only a degree and a half above normal. All of his vital are within the normal range and if he continues at this pace he should be getting out of here within a few more days."

Mac smiles and as the nurse begins to head toward the door says, "Thank you, he'll be happy to hear that."

As the nurse opens the door she says, "Your welcome and the doctor has okayed your friends request for solid food but nothing too heavy. I'm afraid he's only getting toast and juice for breakfast."

Mac smiles and says, "Something is better than nothing, thanks!"

Mac returns to watching the news and occasionally glances over her shoulder to check on Gabe, but he continues to sleep soundly through the night.

*******

As the sun begins to fill Gabe's hospital room Judson peeks his head in the door and seeing Mac slumped in a chair carefully opens the door and tries to not wake her up.

He's not successful and Mac opens her eyes before he can reach her side and says, "Hey, your early!"

Judson shrugs his shoulders and replies, "Woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I might as well get up and come over here. How's he doing?"

"He's doing fine! When can I get out of here?"

Judson and Mac look toward the bed and find Gabe's eyes opens and he's grinning at them.

Judson smiles and replies, "You're supposed to be sleeping!"

Gabe shrugs and says, "The suns up! I slept last night and yesterday, I'm tired of sleeping. Any word on the research team?"

Mac shakes her head and replies; "You needed the rest. I talked to our contact they're safe and sound. Seems they got lost and had problems with their radio. Last night the nurse told me you can have a light breakfast this morning. I'm gonna get out of here for a while. You guys behave!"

As Mac walks toward the door Judson takes a seat and says, "I think we can manage that. How bout you Gabe?"

Gabe flashes a big smile and replies, "Nah that wouldn't be any fun!"

As Mac opens the door she glares at him and says, "You better behave or the doctor might just sedate you again. See you later this afternoon."

Before Gabe can sling another smart comment at her the door closes and leaves the 2 guys alone.

Judson chuckles and says, "I take it your feeling better?"

Gabe nods his head and replies, "Yep! So what's next now that this job is done?"

Judson grins and replies, "You rest and do everything the doctor tells you. Once your recovered then we'll deal with what ever comes our way."

Gabe frowns and says, "Sounds boring!"

Judson turns on the TV and says, "Tough, your gonna have to take it easy for a while until you get rid of the crutches. So your new motto is gonna be slow and steady."

Before Gabe can say anything the door to his room opens and a nurse enters carrying a tray.

She smiles at them and as she places the tray on Gabe's sliding table and pushes it within his reach says, "Here's your breakfast. The doctor's gonna be around in a few hours and I'll be back to change your bandages and IV in an hour."

Gabe lifts the cover and when he sees just two pieces of toast he says, "This is it?"

As the nurse heads toward the door she replies, "Yes, until the doctor says otherwise."

As she leaves the room Gabe looks at Judson and says, "I'm starving and all I get is 2 pieces of toast and juice. Can we leave now?"

Judson chuckles and replies, "NO! Now stop complaining and eat. Somehow I get the feeling this is gonna be harder on us then it is on you."

Gabe glares at him as he eats some of the toast and after he swallow some orange juice says, "Very funny. You know your not much fun to be around when you're not feeling well either."

Judson nods and as Gabe eats the rest of his toast says, "Yeah I know! Hopefully if the doc likes what he sees he'll allow you to have something more substantial for lunch."

Gabe swallows the rest of his orange juice then says, "I hope so. Because this could be considered cruel and inhumane treatment."

Judson shakes his head and says, "No cruel would be making you eat blueberry protein bars until they release you. Now stop complaining and rest."

Gabe glares at him and says; "You've been plotting with Mac haven't you?"

Judson laughs and replies, "No but if you keep it up I will."

Gabe looks like he is about to make another comment but decides against it and settles on turning his attention to the TV screen instead.

Judson chuckles and says; "Smart decision kid!"

Part 11

A couple of hours later the doctor enters the room and finds them playing cards. He takes a quick look at Gabe's chart, nods to Judson then says, "Well young man I hear you're chomping at the bit to eat some real food."

Gabe nods his head and replies, "Uh huh!" He looks at Judson and says, "Gin!" then puts his cards down.

Judson grumbles as he counts the points in his hand and the doctor chuckles and says, "Well you seem to be in good spirits and from all the readings I see in your chart I think your doing pretty well. Considering the shape you were in when you arrived you are a very lucky young man."

Gabe grins and says, "Does that mean I can get out of here?"

The doctor looks at Judson and says, "He sure is in a hurry to leave us isn't he?"

Gabe rolls his eyes as Judson replies, "Yeah I get that impression too. Don't know why though, lounging in bed all day being waited on hand and foot. Sounds like a pretty good gig to me!"

Gabe groans and says, "Fine then you get jabbed the next time the nurse comes in with a needle. By the way this isn't very funny, I'm hungry!"

Judson and the doctor laugh a little then Raul finally says, "All right I'll instruct the nurses to put you on the schedule for lunch and dinner. But it's not gonna be anything heavy today. We'll see how your system handles it and then decide how to progress from there."

Gabe finally grins and says, "Thanks doc. By the way when can I take a shower and how long until I get out of here?"

The doctor shakes his head and as he heads toward the door says, "All these questions, you got shot remember. If you behave I'll instruct the nurses to help you take a shower after lunch as far as getting out of here, that's for me to know and you to find out later."

"I don't need a nurse to help me shower!" The door closes behind the doctor as Gabe finishes.

Judson chuckles and says, "Hey! You got shot in the leg and had surgery your not gonna be able to put any weight on it for a while. Your gonna need help whether you like it or not!"

Gabe glares at him and says, "I'm not taking a shower while a nurse watches and don't you dare say anything more about it."

Just as Gabe finishes his sentence the door to his room opens and a nurse enters and as she picks up his tray says, "Don't worry we have a couple of male nurses one of them will help you with your shower."

Gabe begins to blush and Judson can't help but laugh as the nurse leaves the room. Gabe turns to glare at Judson and when he finally stops laughing he says, "Why don't you go get some fresh air?"

Judson shakes his head and replies, "And miss all of this fun no way. Besides Mac would kill me if I left you here alone."

Gabe sighs and begins to flip the channels on the TV but he can't find anything to watch so he settles on the news.

Judson picks up the cards and begins to shuffle them again as he says, "How about another game?"

Gabe nods his head and replies, "All right but aren't you getting tired of sitting around here. You guys don't need to keep me company the whole time. You could go do some sight seeing."

Judson deals as he replies, "We don't mind besides somebody needs to keep an eye on you and make sure you behave. Now stop trying to get rid of me and play."

Gabe sighs but he picks up his card and they begin another game.

*******

When Mac enters the room several hours later she finds Judson watching TV and Gabe picking at his lunch.

Mac walks over and as she smiles says, "Wow that looks real appetizing!"

Gabe makes a face at her and says, "Yeah right. Soup and jell-o, yuck!"

Judson stands up and says, "Stop complaining and eat it. I'll see you guys later. Mac he's being a pain in the butt so your gonna have your hands full this afternoon."

Gabe is eating his food slowly and glaring at Judson the whole time as he walks toward the door. Just as Judson opens it Gabe says, "Just don't forget you owe me a big steak and I'm collecting just as soon as I get out of here."

Judson looks over his shoulder and replies; "You'll get your steak. Now behave!"

As the door shuts behind Judson Mac says, "So other than the new diet your on what else has the doctor said?"

Gabe puts down his spoon and replies, "Not much, I get to have a shower this afternoon. But he wouldn't tell me when I could get out of here."

Mac nods her head and says, "You know you were in pretty bad shape when we got here, it's pretty much a miracle you're doing so well right now, I wouldn't tempt fate by insisting on getting out of here right away."

Gabe leans back and replies, "Mac I hate hospitals, there's constantly somebody either coming or going from the room, the intercom is constantly buzzing, not to mention all the poking and prodding, IV's and this stupid oxygen thingy in my nose."

Mac nods and in a softer voice says, "I know, but for now you need all of this so try to go with the flow. Now finish your lunch."

Gabe sighs and begins to eat the last of his soup. But when he's done that Gabe pushes the tray away and Mac looks up at him.

She takes a look at his tray then says, "You didn't eat the jell-o?"

Gabe shrugs and replies, "I don't like jell-o. You can have it if you want."

Mac shakes her head and says, "Maybe you should eat it any way."

Gabe shakes his head and says, "NO!" He then closes his eyes and pretends to go to sleep.

Mac doesn't buy it though and says; "Nice try but I know your not going to go to sleep so give it up."

Gabe opens his eyes and grins while he says, "Okay I'm bored now what?"

Mac looks up at the ceiling and says, "Start flipping channels and if you find the Abyss again your not allowed to watch it so keep going."

Gabe picks up the remote and starts channel surfing until he finds there is nothing on then he turns the TV off and says, "That was fun, nothing on. Now what?"

Mac glares at him and says, "You know you can be impossible at times."

Gabe smiles at her and replies; "Yeah but you still love me don't ya?"

Mac shakes her head as she stands up and approaches the bed. When she's standing next to it Mac reaches out and ruffles his hair while saying, "About this much right now!" Mac hold her fingers less than an inch apart then smiles and says, "Look I know you're bored but try to give me a break. It's been a long couple of days."

Gabe grins and replies, "I know, look I told Judson earlier you guys really don't have to stick around here. Go do some sight seeing or shopping I'll be fine."

Before Mac can reply the door to Gabe's room opens and two nurses enter. Gabe's grin immediate turns to a frown and Mac gives him a questioning look. Gabe immediately turns the TV on and begins to flip channels.

The female nurse picks up the tray as she says, "Mike's gonna help you take your shower Mr. Patterson."

Gabe sighs as Mike looks at Mac and says, "This might take a while if you'd like to go for a walk."

Gabe immediately says, "Sounds like fun how about I join her and I'll get back to you on the shower later."

Mac glares at him and as she walks toward the door says, "No you're going to stay here and behave. Mike if he gives you any problems sedate it."

Before Gabe can say anything Mac is out of the door and he's left alone with the male nurse.

Mike grins and says, "Look this really isn't a big deal. I'm gonna unhook all of this stuff and then get you into the bathroom. By the way there's a chair in the shower you can sit on while you take your shower and change. When you're done you hit the call button and I'll come back and help you back into bed and hook you IV up again."

Gabe looks at him and says, "What about the bandages?"

Mike grins and replies, "You can get them wet, I'll change them before you get back into bed. There's a change of clothes in the bathroom for you."

As Mike begins to unhook everything Gabe says, "Can I get something besides another gown?"

Mike shakes his head and replies, "Sorry but since you need your bandages changed regularly your stuck with the gown."

Gabe doesn't look happy but he doesn't have a chance to dwell on it since Mike has gotten everything unhooked and begins to help him out of the bed. Gabe doesn't hesitate to try and put some weight on his right leg and is immediately rewarded with a stab of pain and if Mike hadn't of been there, Gabe would have fallen.

*******

Over an hour later Mac returns to Gabe's room and finds him sleeping in his bed. She immediately notices that the oxygen has been discontinued and assumes that means more good news. Mac quietly takes a seat and begins to read the book she picked up in the gift shop.

About an hour later Gabe wakes up and watches Mac read until she looks up and says, "Hey there! How was the shower? You look a little pale are you okay?"

Gabe nods and softly replies, "Felt good, I'm okay."

Mac doesn't look convinced she stands up and moves over to sit on the edge of the bed and says, "That wasn't very convincing. Now how about the truth?"

Gabe closes his eyes and says, "I'm just tired, no big deal."

Mac pushes some hair off of his forehead and at the same time checks to see if his fever has gone up. Gabe moves his head trying to get her to leave him alone but he doesn't open his eyes. This along with the fact that he feels a little warm causes Mac to close her book and hit the call button.

A few minutes later a nurse enters the room and Mac says, "He feels a little warm and he seems kind of pale to me."

The nurse quickly checks Gabe's temperature and his vitals and makes a note in his chart then says, "His vitals are okay but his temp did go up just a little. It could be because he was up for the first time. I'll notify the doctor and have him stop by."

Mac thanks her and after the nurse leaves she moves back to the chair and instead of picking up her book she keeps an eye on Gabe as he sleeps. Mac can't help but worry about the sudden change. Before she left he was wide-awake and driving her crazy now he was so still and quiet, and she didn't like it one bit.

*******

A half-hour later the doctor enters the room, and finds Mac, watching the still sleeping young man. Mac looks up and says, "Has he taken a turn for the worse?"

The doctor checks the chart and after a quick check of his patient replies, "Not necessarily. His temp seems to have come back down to its previous level before he took that shower. Remember I told you he was gonna be a little weak for a while. If he doesn't rebound by dinner then I'll have the lab run another blood test but I think it's safe to say he's just tired from the physical activity."

Mac takes a deep breath and lets it out then says, "So he's gonna be okay?"

The doctor smiles and replies, "He's gonna be fine, just needs a little time to recover."

Mac finally relaxes a little and as the doctor heads toward the door says, "Thanks doc. I guess you'll be pretty happy when we stop bothering you?"

As the doctor opens the door he smiles and replies, "Not at all. Actually it's kind of refreshing to see how much you and Cross care for the young man. Sadly it's not always the case around here. The nurses will keep me informed and I'll be back later."

Mac nods her head as the door closes and after watching Gabe sleep for a few more minutes then she settles back and begins to read her book again.

Only a few minutes goes by then Judson suddenly enters the room and takes a seat next to her while he says, "How you doing?"

Mac looks at him surprised that he's back so soon and says, "What are you doing here?"

Judson shrugs his shoulders and says, "I got bored at the hotel so I figured I'd come back. I ran into the doctor in the hall and he filled me in. Are you okay?"

Mac closes her book and says, "I'm fine, he's the one in the hospital bed not me."

Judson studies her closely and says, "Yeah, I know. Look the doctor's pretty sure he's just wiped out from being up and around."

"Guys I'm okay!"

Mac and Judson look up and find Gabe looking down at them from his bed. He grins at them and says, "You two really need to get out of here for a while."

Mac moves to sit on the edge of the bed and says, "Well you certainly look better. How do you feel?"

Gabe looks at her and replies, "I'm fine, really."

Gabe then turns to look at Judson and says, "Judson why don't you take Mac and get out of here for a while. Just cause I'm stuck here for a while doesn't mean you guys have to be."

Judson moves to stand next to Mac and says, "Gabe we are not going to leave you alone in this hospital room alone. The last time we did that they had to sedate you."

Gabe sighs and then says, "Judson that was before I knew what was going on. Things are different now. Come on guys, your bored out of your minds just admit it and get out of here."

Mac glares at him and sternly says, "We are fine and you have no say in this." She gets up and as she walks toward the door says, "Judson I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Judson nods his head then turns to Gabe and says, "You are stuck with one of us whether you like it or not. Now how about a game of cards?"

Gabe shakes his head and replies; "You guys are unbelievable!"

Judson sits down in a chair and says, "How so?"

Gabe grins and says, "You don't have to be here but yet you refuse to leave but when you have to be in the hospital you'll try anything to get out."

Judson shrugs his shoulders and says, "Yeah sounds about right. But somebody has to stay here and make sure you rest and stay out of trouble."

Gabe scowls at him and says, "Look if I promise to behave will you get out of here and go relax?"

Judson shakes his head and begins to flip the channels on the TV. Gabe glares at him but Judson refuses to give in and an uncomfortable silence fills the room.

*******

Mac returns 2 hours later and finds them quietly watching TV, she enters the room and immediately feels the tension.

Gabe continues to look at the TV and completely ignores Mac; Judson however smiles at her and says, "What's in the bag?"

Mac happily replies, "Oh just some reading material. So how's it going?"

Judson looks over toward Gabe and finds him ignoring them he turns back to Mac and says, "Okay, he tried to get me to leave, but I wouldn't go for it. Now he's gone into the ignoring stage."

Mac frowns and says, "I was hoping you'd be able to get him straightened out."

Judson shakes his head and says, "I tried but it's not easy to change his mind once it's made up. Tell you what you give it a try I'm gonna go stretch my legs for a while."

After Judson leaves the room Mac turns off the TV and says, "So do you want to talk this out or what?"

Gabe closes his eyes and shifts his position on the bed and replies, "NO!"

Mac sighs and picks up the book she had left on the end table and begins to read. After about 20 minutes Mac closes her book and says, "Gabe I know your not asleep so stop this silent treatment right now!"

Gabe doesn't open his eyes but says, "Just leave me alone! I need my rest remember!"

Mac moves to sit on the edge of the bed and says, "Yeah I remember. Come on is it really that bad having one of us around here with you?"

Gabe opens his eyes and looks at her then says, "No but I'm bored out of my skull so I know you guys have to be. I'm stuck here but you guys don't have to be. You guys have talked to the doctor and you know I'm gonna be fine so why don't you stop worrying and go have some fun?"

Mac grins and says, "Because it would be a little difficult for us to have fun knowing that you were stuck here. However I can fix your being bored."

Gabe gives her a questioning look and Mac's smile gets even bigger then she says, "You were so set on ignoring us earlier that you didn't look when I showed Judson my new reading material."

Mac picks up the book she had showed Judson and says, "I picked this up for you when I went out earlier, it should keep you busy until they release you."

Gabe takes the book and says; "Mac thanks! Uh not to be rude or anything but I've never even heard of this guy how do you know it's any good?"

Mac grins and says, "I don't but they only had a few books in English, if you don't like this one I bought the other 3 for you also."

Mac plops the other books in his lap and Gabe says, "Mac your crazy you know that right?"
 
Mac laughs and says, "Ha ha very funny. Now pick one and start reading."

She moves over to the chair and begins to read her book while Gabe checks out the 4 books in his lap and settles on the horror book.

*******

They're both completely engrossed in their books that they don't even look up when Judson returns an hour later.

He shakes his head when he sits down and says, "I can't believe you two. How can you read that stuff?"

Gabe looks over at him and says, "What a horror book is almost as good as watching one of the movies. Here give it a shot you might like it?"

Gabe holds out one of the other books and Judson says, "No thanks, I can't stand that stuff. But I'm happy to see your mood has changed."

Gabe shrugs and says, "Yeah I'm in a better mood but I really think you guys need to get back on a real schedule."

Mac closes her book and says, "What real schedule would that be?"

Gabe simply replies, "You know the one where you sleep at night in a real bed and get up in the morning have breakfast then eat lunch at noon and dinner later when the sun begins to go down then go to bed again at a normal hour."

Judson sighs and says, "Now we're right back where we we're before."

Gabe shakes his head and replies; "No we're not. I'll give up trying to get you guys to leave me alone during the day but only if you guys get out of here at night."

Mac raises her eyebrows and says, "It sounds fair to me, but if we get any bad reports from the hospital staff then we're gonna make some changes to this arrangement."

Gabe grins and says, "Mac I'm gonna eat my dinner then go to sleep honest no trouble now get out of here and enjoy yourselves for a while."

Judson shrugs his shoulders and says, "I'll tell you what when they show up with your dinner then we'll leave. How's that?"

Gabe nods his head and as he goes back to reading his book says, "Okay sounds fair. You sure you don't want a book?"

Judson shakes his head and turns on the TV while he says; "I'll pass on the gore books thanks."

Mac looks up and says, "It's your loss."

She goes back to reading her book and Judson settles on the news. An hour later a nurse enters and serves Gabe his dinner.

Gabe looks at his meal and then says, "Okay guys my dinner is here. I hope the restaurants around here serve better food then this. Now get out of here and let me eat this stuff in peace. Have some fun tonight and get some sleep. I'll be here in the morning honest."

Mac and Judson look at his meal and as they head toward the door Judson says, "Just remember what we said. Any bad news from the hospital staff and we will but the brakes on this arrangement."

Gabe glares at him and says, "All right but that doesn't mean I'm gonna eat my vegetables now go!"

Mac and Judson walk out of his room chuckling and discussing where they should go.

*******

The next 2 days go pretty quickly, Judson and Mac alternate shifts during the daytime, so Gabe's never alone but make sure not to stay longer than a few hours so he doesn't feel guilty about their being there. At night Gabe occupies himself with reading or watching TV and trying to talk the doctor or nurses into letting him wear some real clothes or anything else he comes up with.

*******

Judson and Mac enter Gabe's room shortly after visiting hours on the fifth day and find the room empty.

Mac is immediately concerned and says, "Judson you stay here I'm gonna go talk to nurses and find out what's going on."

But before Mac can open the door Gabe exits the bathroom wearing a set of clean clothes.

Mac clears her throat but before she can say anything Judson says, "What do you think your doing? And were did you get those clothes?"

Gabe smiles as he maneuvers toward the chair by the bed and says, "Getting ready to get out of here."

Mac quickly walks across the room and takes the crutches away from him as she says, "You haven't been released yet so stop putting those shoes and socks on and get back into bed. And you didn't answer Judson's second question mister!"

Gabe continues to put his socks on as he says, "Doctors gonna be here with my walking papers soon. The head nurse already gave me my prescription of antibiotics and Becky was nice enough to pick up the clothes for me." Gabe finishes putting his hiking boots on and when he finally sits ups sees Mac still glaring at him and Judson leaning against the end of his bed.
 
Judson grins at him and says, "So who's Becky and why would she go clothes shopping for you?"

Gabe smiles and says, "She's one of the night nurses. I thought you guys would be happy to find out we could finally get out of here and head back to Beau Harbor."

Mac crosses her arms and says, "You didn't answer Judson's second question again."

Gabe makes a move to grab the crutches but Mac moves them out of his reach so he says, "What's the matter you get out of the wrong side of bed this morning?"

Judson chuckles at this and says, "I wouldn't push it if I was you right now junior!"

Gabe shrugs his shoulders and says, "Gotta have some fun. Okay look after you guys left that first night she came to get my tray. Then later she came back to do her check and we started talking. No big deal I made a comment about the lousy gowns and she said to have you guys bring some clothes. I knew you guys wouldn't until they were gonna release me so I asked her if she'd do me a favor and she said yes."

Mac rolls her eyes and says, "Then how come we didn't know you were gonna be released today?"

Gabe's smile gets even bigger and he says, "Cause after Becky agreed to get the clothes for me I talked to the doctor and asked him not to say anything. Surprise!!"

Mac gently whacks him in the head and says, "You are impossible!"

Judson chuckles and says, "But you have to admit it Mac he was pretty conniving. I guess we need to call the airport once we get out of here and book a flight?"

Gabe instantly says, "First we are going to a restaurant and I'm having some real food."

Mac laughs and says, "What's the matter didn't they feed you this morning?"

Gabe makes a face and says, "They tried but somebody owes me a steak and I'm collecting right away."

Judson grins and says, "Somehow I knew that was coming. All right our first stop will be to feed you then we call the airport."

The door to Gabe's room opens and Dr. Raul enters cheerfully saying, "Good morning!!"

Gabe makes another grab for his crutches but Mac pulls them out of his reach again and says, "Not so fast. So doc what gives with keeping us out of the loop?"

Raul grins and says, "Well Gabe asked me too and there is that nasty thing called doctor patient privilege. Besides it seemed fair since he was a pretty good patient."

Judson makes a face and says, "I don't know about that, he was kind of annoying at times."

Gabe glares at him and says, "Like your not when your stuck in the hospital or sick. Give me a break!! So doc can I get out of here now!"

Mac chuckles and says, "He's got you there Judson!"

Raul quickly says, "Okay I think I've heard part of this before. So yes your free to go as soon as the nurse arrives with the wheelchair. She'll escort you to the lobby. Now just because you're out of the hospital doesn't mean your cured. You need to take all the antibiotics and take it easy on that leg. Use the crutches and when you get home make an appointment with your doctor."

Gabe makes a grab for the crutches while saying, "I don't need a wheelchair. Mac come on give me those."

Mac glares at him as she begins to walk toward the door and says, "NO! I'll meet you downstairs Judson."

Judson chuckles and says, "Doc thanks for everything and don't worry we'll make sure he takes it easy and takes his medicine."

Judson shakes the doctors hand as Gabe says, "I'm not a little kid, I don't need you guys supervising me!"

Raul chuckles as he walks toward the door and says, "I don't think you have much say in the matter young man. Take care!"

Gabe grins and says, "Thanks doc! Judson just you wait till you get sick your gonna regret this!"

Judson grins as the nurse enters with the wheelchair and says, "Probably but it's just so much fun right now. I'll deal with anything you dish up later."

Judson grabs Gabe's book from the end table as he gets into the wheelchair and they proceed to the lobby where they find Mac waiting.

She hands him his crutches and says, "Okay kiddo slow and steady now."

Gabe makes a face at her and then proceeds to speed out the doors. Mac and Judson have to walk a little fast to catch up to him but when they do he slows down and says, "You know Mac these make great weapons so I'd watch it if I was you."

The three of them proceed to banter back in forth the whole way to the restaurant and through out the meal signaling things are finally back to normal for the crew.

the end