With a Kacy background of course. Because you know that despite that look from Lucy, those smiles say they’re rooting for Kacy too. Ernie and Jane too.
Characters: Jesse Boone, Kai Holman, Lucy Tara, Gracie Boone.
Prompt: Ambulance Ride
Summary: Much to his displeasure Jesse doesn’t come through his ordeal with the pirates unscathed and it’s up to his teammates and daughter to make sure he gets some necessary medical attention. A 1x15 Coda
With every step back to shore Jesse absentmindedly wondered how he was still standing. Every bump, scratch and hit from the past day was making itself known with a vengeance; his ribs protested every small movement, his head was beginning to ache and mess up with his balance, and his knee was about ready to kill him. But he was all too aware of the worried glances Lucy, Agent Pike, and even Adrian, kept sending his way so he took deep breaths in and out, and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
At long last after what felt like forever walking, or rather stumbling, through the forest, the ocean came into view, and as Jesse’s eyes landed on the Coast Guard dinghy beached on the shore he almost sank to the ground and kissed the sand under his feet. He knew he was still far off from the city and total salvation but for the first time since the attack he felt safe and like he would live long enough to see another sunrise. But more important than his own well-being was the fact that Gracie was out of harm’s way and unharmed after the ordeal.
With that thought Jesse scanned the shoreline searching for his daughter and instantly relaxed when he saw her talking to Kai and the other kids. Across the beach, Kai stopped whatever he was saying and quietly pointed at him, making Gracie turn around and run to her father. Ignoring his injuries and pain, Jesse hugged her tight and closed his eyes, letting relief wash over him.
Stuck on fight-or-flight mode, Jesse clung to Gracie’s arm as they waited on the beach while the other agents transported the prisoners to the Coast Guard’s Response Boat, and only let her go when it was their turn to use the dinghy to get to the main boat. Still he held her hand through the short trip and squeezed back every time a wave made the little boat sway, threatening to flip it over.
Aboard the Response Boat Gracie seemed completely at ease and back to enjoying the voyage, making Jesse realize she had held onto his hand without complaint and grasped it tighter with every wave for his benefit and not her own. And in that moment he smiled to himself knowing he and Heather must have done something right.
“Ready to go home?” Jesse asked his daughter once they docked back in Oahu.
Kai huffed and looked at Lucy pleadingly but she just shrugged. “I don’t think you’re going home anytime soon, buddy,” he said when it was clear that she wouldn’t be the one to point out the obvious. “There’s an ambulance with your name on it.” He pointed to the parking lot where a few rigs were waiting for them and looked at Jesse pointedly.
“I don’t need an ambulance.” Jesse rolled his eyes and swung his arm over Gracie’s shoulder. “Let’s go, kid.”
Gracie let herself be led away, but shot her dad concerned glances every time he tripped and stumbled. “Are you sure you don’t need to be looked at?” She asked after they almost crashed against a parked SUV.
Jesse nodded but at the same time closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness hit him. He set his hand on the wall and willed his nausea to go away, not wanting to puke his guts out in front of his team and daughter.
When he felt clear-headed enough, he opened his eyes again but the world around him became indistinguishable as soon as he took his first step. Blurriness then gave way to full blown darkness and before he could process what was happening, he was falling forward and would have face planted if not for Kai and Lucy running to catch him.
“Whoa there,” Kai gasped as he tried to steady him.
Lucy signaled the paramedics to come over and softly pushed Jesse down on the curb. “Sit down and let yourself be checked out. You’re definitely going to the hospital now. No questions asked.”
Jesse would have been more inclined to argue if he didn’t feel like he was under water, everything around him blurry and no air reaching his lungs.
“Hey dad, hey. You got to breathe. Just like you taught me when I was little,” Gracie whispered, kneeling in front of her dad and holding his gaze. “In through your nose, hold, and out through your mouth.”
Jesse did as directed and slowly felt his panic receding. He matched his daughter’s breathing and couldn’t help but smile proudly at the sight of her coaching him out of a panic attack. “Thank you,” he rasped, stifling a cough.
Gracie nodded and squeezed her dad’s shoulder before she stepped away, giving the paramedics space to work.
It took less than ten minutes for them to stabilize Jesse and load him into a stretcher, his grumbled protests following him all the way inside the ambulance.
“Anyone coming?” The lead paramedic asked when they finished carrying their bags and equipment back into the rig.
“We are,” Lucy called, looking back at Kai for confirmation.
“Wait, where are you going?” Jesse croaked from behind the oxygen mask, lifting himself from the stretcher and putting up a fight when the paramedics pushed him back down as they tried to hook him to the heart monitor.
Lucy stopped suddenly but her resolve didn’t waver. “I told you, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“That’s not necessary, Luce. We’re home, I’m safe. We’re all okay,” Jesse argued, pulling the mask away and complaining when the paramedics settled it back on his face.
“I don’t mean to overstep, but you don’t seem to be the easiest patient so we’d appreciate it if one of you could come with us,” the younger of the two paramedics said, giving them a shy but cheeky grin.
Kai chuckled and raised his hand. “I’ll go,” he offered, knowing that their kind usually made for terrible patients.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Jesse tried to sound serious, he really did, but only managed to sound like a whining child that in fact needed to be looked after.
Kai’s lip twitched up into a smile even as he rolled his eyes. “Clearly,” he said sarcastically, looking from the crusted blood on Jesse’s face to his tattered and bloody clothes. “Today we saw what happens when you’re left without adult supervision. We learned our lesson.”
Jesse looked at himself and took the hint, begrudgingly accepting the company and finally settling down and letting the paramedics continue their work.
“Wait, why can he go?” Lucy questioned, trying not to look too offended as Kai climbed into the back of the rig in her place.
“I need you to take care of Gracie,” Jesse said easily, his tone sincere. “So if you really want to help me, please just make sure she’s okay.”
“Nice safe,” Lucy muttered, but wasted no time taking a step closer to Gracie. “Just focus on getting better, I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you,” Jesse told Lucy, then directed his attention to his daughter. “I will see you soon. Listen to Miss Tara and do whatever she says, alright?”
“I will, I promise.” Gracie agreed before she said, teasing, “and you do everything the doctors say.”
Taking that as his cue to leave, Jesse gave the thumbs up to the two paramedics who proceeded to shut the doors before one of them moved to the driver’s seat and began driving.
Jesse and Kai fell into comfortable silence as the other paramedic continued treating him, starting an IV and reattaching electrodes that had gotten loose, and it was only when he touched his knee that Jesse let out a stream of loud curses.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “What happened here?”
Jesse took a few deep breaths and proceeded to tell the tale of the seashell that cut into his skin and his improvised aloe vera treatment. All throughout the story his voice was tight as waves of pain hit him every time the man touched the wound.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re not supposed to remove an impaled object?” Kai hissed, but the way he drew comforting circles on his shoulder told Jesse that he was trying to distract him from the pain rather than nag him about his actions.
“Too busy trying not to get caught, shot at, or beaten,” Jesse explained through gritted teeth, and he wasn’t able to stifle a groan and stop a few tears from spilling as the rig hit a bump in the road, jostling his injured leg.
“Pushing in some morphine,” the paramedic said apologetically. “I managed to remove the makeshift bandage and the rest will be taken care of at the hospital. Now just relax and wait for it to kick in.” He sat back against the bench and began to scribble some notes.
Jesse doubted he could relax even if he tried, but he still nodded and closed his eyes trying to think of anything but this agony. Not only was his knee pulsating and sending electricity up and down his leg, but the siren was making his headache worse and he was beginning to feel dizzy and nauseous again.
When Jesse began breathing hard again, Kai set his arms on his knees, leaning forward, and asked, “Hey, how are you doing brother?” Heavy-lidded eyes flicked to his, and he winced at the pain swirling there. “We’re almost at the ER.”
“Hanging in there,” Jesse admitted, and it was a testament to how terrible he felt that he didn’t go for his usual ‘I’m fine’. “Thank you for coming,” he added sincerely, needing his teammate to know how much he appreciated not being alone right now. “I love Lucy, but in a moment like this, I need someone more level-headed.”
Kai chuckled and nodded, knowing what he meant. “Of course.”
They fell silent once again, until Jesse’s eyes began fluttering shut making Kai speak once again. “But just so you know, Lucy was really worried today.” He could see Jesse was out of it now that the morphine was kicking in but he needed to keep his friend awake and talking, especially as they didn’t know if there was any serious injury hidden below the surface. “She crossed an ocean for you, and you know how much she hates it.”
That seemed to grab Jesse’s attention and he turned to Kai, rewarding his attempts with a half-smile and squinted eyes. “Yeah, I thought about that. How did she get there anyway? Was there another helo I missed?”
“Nope. Coast Guard boat. I told you, she was really worried.” Kai sobered at the memory and set his hand on Jesse’s wrist, squeezing once as he quietly felt for a pulse. “We all were.”
“Aww, you do care,” Jesse said, giving him a loopy grin. “And just so you know, I would cross an ocean for any of you too.”
Kai’s eyes widened marginally before he was grinning too. He turned to the paramedic when he asked, “how much morphine did you give me?”
“I take it this is not his usual level of openness?” he asked knowingly, well acquainted with the effects of morphine on the human body.
“You could say that,” Kai retorted, before he turned back to his friend, continuing to make small talk for the remainder of the ambulance ride.
Five minutes later they reached the hospital and the paramedics wasted no time lowering the stretcher and rattling numbers and explanations to the waiting medics. But it all went over Jesse’s head as his mind floated in a haze of pain and painkillers.
“We will all be waiting for you,” Kai promised as he walked beside the stretcher. “Be nice to the doctors and we will get you some ice cream when you’re discharged.”
“Ha-ha,” Jesse said, but otherwise stayed silent. Even a grown man and Federal Agent knew not to argue against ice cream, so no grumbles or complaints were heard this time as his stretcher was pushed past the double doors of the ER.
