NEW! "Hazard Pay - Chapter Fourteen"
Title: Hazard Pay - Chapter Fourteen
Pairing: Noah/OMC
Rating: M
Prompt: Action!Noah in action ripped from the headlines!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em. Don’t make no money.
link
***
Hazard Pay - Chapter Fourteen
“Luke,” Noah said wonderingly. “What the fuck are you doing in Iraq?”
Luke’s chin wobbled, like he wanted to burst into tears. Instead, he gently squeezed Noah’s hand.
“You’re not in Iraq, baby. You’re in Oakdale. You’re home.”
For a long, dizzying moment, Noah wondered if it all been a dream. He felt like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz, trying to convince Auntie Em that Oz had been a real, truly live place. Some of it was terrifying but most of it was beautiful.
The shock must have shown on his face, because Luke spoke quickly. “You were in Iraq. You were injured by a roadside bomb. Do you remember that?’
“No,” Noah said slowly. “I remember a cat...” A black cat, hissing and arching its back. Its fur was matted, its eyes a startling orange. Noah zeroed in on it through the lens.
“My gear!” He sat up further, fighting a wave of vertigo. “Where’s my gear?” He looked frantically around the bed.
“Noah...”
“Did it get damaged? Shit!”
“Noah, calm down.”
“Did I get the shot?” As Luke pushed his shoulders back onto the pillows, Noah frantically looked up into his face. “I got it, didn’t I?”
“I don’t know,” Luke said helplessly.
“Wait a minute.” Noah covered his eyes with his hands. “There was a bomb?” He tried to think, to remember, but his mind was all blackness.
A new fear arose.
“My God.” Noah uncovered his eyes, panic surging through him. “My head -- did I hit my head? Did I have surgery?”
The darkness. Not again. Please, God, not again.
“You’re fine,” Luke said firmly, still pressing down on Noah’s shoulders. “You didn’t sustain any head injuries. Your head’s fine, your eyes are fine.”
“I can see?” Noah asked stupidly.
Luke smiled. “Do you see me right now?”
“Yeah...”
“Okay, then, you can see. You didn’t hit your head again, thank God.”
Noah can’t keep the tears back any longer. “Then why don’t I remember?”
“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Luke soothed.
“No, it’s not!” The panic was spreading. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
“Should I get the doctor?” A new voice, familiar but strange.
Luke kept his eyes on Noah’s face, but nodded sharply. “Noah, listen to me.”
More panic. “Why do I need a doctor? My head--"
“Your leg.” Luke took Noah’s hand again, his grip firm. “Your leg was injured by the blast.”
“My leg?” Noah stared down at it.
“You’ve had three surgeries.”
“What the fuck?” Noah stared at Luke. “When?”
“You were in Germany,” Luke said carefully. “That’s where you had the initial surgery. Then you came here, back to the US.”
Luke’s voice broke. “You’re in the neurology wing. You’ve been in a coma for several weeks. You’re expected to make a full recovery,” he added quickly. “The surgeries were successful. You’ll need to do physical therapy, but you will walk again, Noah, I promise you that. We’ve got the best doctors in the country on your case. You will walk again.”
Noah wasn’t even listening. He was staring at the window. The light was dim and cool, rather than glaring. Streaks of water ran down the glass.
“I was in Iraq.” Something was still so wrong.
“Yes, but now you’re here.”
“There were people with me...Oh, my God!”
Just once, I’d like to do what I really want. Just go all the way to the edge and see what happens.
“Are they okay?” Noah clutched at Luke’s hand. “Did they make it?’
“Shh, don’t worry about that now.” Luke stroked Noah’s hair.
“No!” Noah tried to sit up again.
Murphy, don’t move, you hear me? Don’t move a fucking inch.
“There was a trip wire.” Noah could feel tears running down his face, hot as drops of blood.
No matter what, that little girl is gonna know her daddy loved her.
Noah inhaled sharply. “Jesus, he stepped on the wire. Did they make it?”
Luke turned his head, his voice impatient. “Where the hell is he?”
The other voice murmured something.
“Luke!” Noah said urgently. “Did they make it?”
Luke bit his lip. “I’m sorry, Noah. You were the only one who survived.”
“No.” The tears came faster. Noah fell back on the pillows, his arm over his face.
“Baby, it’s okay.”
“No! I don’t understand.”
“Noah, you have to lie still, do you hear me? Just lie still, okay?”
“I don’t understand,” Noah said miserably. “How did I get here?”
“I told you.” Luke’s voice is patient and kind. “You were taken to a hospital in Germany. Then you flew here.”
Noah hesitated.
A high humming noise.
“On an airplane?’
“Yeah, baby. On an airplane.”
“When?”
“It’s been a few weeks,” Luke said casually.
Hearing his tone, Noah pulled his arm down and glared at Luke.
“How many?”
“A few,” Luke repeated.
“God dammit, Luke, how many?”
Luke sighed. “You were injured in Iraq in September.” He paused. “It’s November now.”
Noah stared at him, aghast. “November?" He looked at the window. “Is that why it’s raining?”
“Yeah, baby.”
Noah could barely feel Luke’s hand in his hair. His mind was reeling. The room seemed to tilt upward and then fall over with a crash as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Noah covered his mouth with his hand to keep from screaming. He could feel something sharp and prickly under his fingers. It took a few moments for his brain to register what it was.
His beard. He touched it wonderingly with his fingertips, patting at the moustache over his lips and the full growth underneath them. He’d been asleep long enough for it to--
Going native, Mayer?
Maybe. Afraid I might give you whisker burn?
Bring it on.
“Jeff!” Noah sat bolt upright.
The pain was overwhelming. It was someone stabbing him in the leg. Like the time he got shot, only a million times worse.
He fell back in the pillows in agony. He might have even screamed.
“Noah!” Luke’s hands were on his shoulders again, pressing him back on the bed. “Don’t move!”
“Jeff,” Noah whispered. Darkness was growing at the edges of his vision. The pain in his leg came in hideous waves.
He tried to get Luke’s attention, but he was looking over his shoulder. “There you are,” he snapped at someone. “What the fuck took you so long?”
Another voice answered, indistinct.
“Luke!” Noah grabbed on to Luke’s wrists. “Where is he?”
“Noah, just lie still, okay?’ The doctor--"
“Dammit, Luke, listen to me!”
Luke looked down at Noah again. “Shhhh. I’m listening, baby, I’m listening. Just relax.”
“My partner,” Noah whispered. He squeezed Luke’s wrists harder, trying to focus. The darkness was growing closer. “He was with me in Iraq.”
“The doctor just needs to check you over--"
“LUKE!” Noah yelled.
Luke sighed. “Okay, okay, just try to stay calm.”
“My partner,” Noah said urgently. “His name is Jeff Carter. We were in Iraq together. Did he make it out? Is he okay?”
Luke’s face went blank.
“Luke...” Noah whispered
Luke’s face shut down even more. “I’m sorry, Noah--"
“No.” The pain surged again, only this time in his heart. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
“Noah, settle down.” Luke pressed down on Noah’s shoulders, but he fought against him.
“Get off me!” Ignoring the pain, Noah tried to get up again, to go look for Jeff, but his leg wouldn’t cooperate.
Another voice, much closer. “--administer a sedative.”
More hands on him, holding him down.
“No! Get off me!”
As the darkness converged and swallowed him, Noah covered his face with his hands, sobbing in mingled frustration and grief. He could feel Luke’s gentle, loving touch in his hair.
“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. “It’s okay. I’m right here. I've got you.”
To be continued...
Pairing: Noah/OMC
Rating: M
Prompt: Action!Noah in action ripped from the headlines!
Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em. Don’t make no money.
link
***
Hazard Pay - Chapter Fourteen
“Luke,” Noah said wonderingly. “What the fuck are you doing in Iraq?”
Luke’s chin wobbled, like he wanted to burst into tears. Instead, he gently squeezed Noah’s hand.
“You’re not in Iraq, baby. You’re in Oakdale. You’re home.”
For a long, dizzying moment, Noah wondered if it all been a dream. He felt like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz, trying to convince Auntie Em that Oz had been a real, truly live place. Some of it was terrifying but most of it was beautiful.
The shock must have shown on his face, because Luke spoke quickly. “You were in Iraq. You were injured by a roadside bomb. Do you remember that?’
“No,” Noah said slowly. “I remember a cat...” A black cat, hissing and arching its back. Its fur was matted, its eyes a startling orange. Noah zeroed in on it through the lens.
“My gear!” He sat up further, fighting a wave of vertigo. “Where’s my gear?” He looked frantically around the bed.
“Noah...”
“Did it get damaged? Shit!”
“Noah, calm down.”
“Did I get the shot?” As Luke pushed his shoulders back onto the pillows, Noah frantically looked up into his face. “I got it, didn’t I?”
“I don’t know,” Luke said helplessly.
“Wait a minute.” Noah covered his eyes with his hands. “There was a bomb?” He tried to think, to remember, but his mind was all blackness.
A new fear arose.
“My God.” Noah uncovered his eyes, panic surging through him. “My head -- did I hit my head? Did I have surgery?”
The darkness. Not again. Please, God, not again.
“You’re fine,” Luke said firmly, still pressing down on Noah’s shoulders. “You didn’t sustain any head injuries. Your head’s fine, your eyes are fine.”
“I can see?” Noah asked stupidly.
Luke smiled. “Do you see me right now?”
“Yeah...”
“Okay, then, you can see. You didn’t hit your head again, thank God.”
Noah can’t keep the tears back any longer. “Then why don’t I remember?”
“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Luke soothed.
“No, it’s not!” The panic was spreading. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
“Should I get the doctor?” A new voice, familiar but strange.
Luke kept his eyes on Noah’s face, but nodded sharply. “Noah, listen to me.”
More panic. “Why do I need a doctor? My head--"
“Your leg.” Luke took Noah’s hand again, his grip firm. “Your leg was injured by the blast.”
“My leg?” Noah stared down at it.
“You’ve had three surgeries.”
“What the fuck?” Noah stared at Luke. “When?”
“You were in Germany,” Luke said carefully. “That’s where you had the initial surgery. Then you came here, back to the US.”
Luke’s voice broke. “You’re in the neurology wing. You’ve been in a coma for several weeks. You’re expected to make a full recovery,” he added quickly. “The surgeries were successful. You’ll need to do physical therapy, but you will walk again, Noah, I promise you that. We’ve got the best doctors in the country on your case. You will walk again.”
Noah wasn’t even listening. He was staring at the window. The light was dim and cool, rather than glaring. Streaks of water ran down the glass.
“I was in Iraq.” Something was still so wrong.
“Yes, but now you’re here.”
“There were people with me...Oh, my God!”
Just once, I’d like to do what I really want. Just go all the way to the edge and see what happens.
“Are they okay?” Noah clutched at Luke’s hand. “Did they make it?’
“Shh, don’t worry about that now.” Luke stroked Noah’s hair.
“No!” Noah tried to sit up again.
Murphy, don’t move, you hear me? Don’t move a fucking inch.
“There was a trip wire.” Noah could feel tears running down his face, hot as drops of blood.
No matter what, that little girl is gonna know her daddy loved her.
Noah inhaled sharply. “Jesus, he stepped on the wire. Did they make it?”
Luke turned his head, his voice impatient. “Where the hell is he?”
The other voice murmured something.
“Luke!” Noah said urgently. “Did they make it?”
Luke bit his lip. “I’m sorry, Noah. You were the only one who survived.”
“No.” The tears came faster. Noah fell back on the pillows, his arm over his face.
“Baby, it’s okay.”
“No! I don’t understand.”
“Noah, you have to lie still, do you hear me? Just lie still, okay?”
“I don’t understand,” Noah said miserably. “How did I get here?”
“I told you.” Luke’s voice is patient and kind. “You were taken to a hospital in Germany. Then you flew here.”
Noah hesitated.
A high humming noise.
“On an airplane?’
“Yeah, baby. On an airplane.”
“When?”
“It’s been a few weeks,” Luke said casually.
Hearing his tone, Noah pulled his arm down and glared at Luke.
“How many?”
“A few,” Luke repeated.
“God dammit, Luke, how many?”
Luke sighed. “You were injured in Iraq in September.” He paused. “It’s November now.”
Noah stared at him, aghast. “November?" He looked at the window. “Is that why it’s raining?”
“Yeah, baby.”
Noah could barely feel Luke’s hand in his hair. His mind was reeling. The room seemed to tilt upward and then fall over with a crash as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Noah covered his mouth with his hand to keep from screaming. He could feel something sharp and prickly under his fingers. It took a few moments for his brain to register what it was.
His beard. He touched it wonderingly with his fingertips, patting at the moustache over his lips and the full growth underneath them. He’d been asleep long enough for it to--
Going native, Mayer?
Maybe. Afraid I might give you whisker burn?
Bring it on.
“Jeff!” Noah sat bolt upright.
The pain was overwhelming. It was someone stabbing him in the leg. Like the time he got shot, only a million times worse.
He fell back in the pillows in agony. He might have even screamed.
“Noah!” Luke’s hands were on his shoulders again, pressing him back on the bed. “Don’t move!”
“Jeff,” Noah whispered. Darkness was growing at the edges of his vision. The pain in his leg came in hideous waves.
He tried to get Luke’s attention, but he was looking over his shoulder. “There you are,” he snapped at someone. “What the fuck took you so long?”
Another voice answered, indistinct.
“Luke!” Noah grabbed on to Luke’s wrists. “Where is he?”
“Noah, just lie still, okay?’ The doctor--"
“Dammit, Luke, listen to me!”
Luke looked down at Noah again. “Shhhh. I’m listening, baby, I’m listening. Just relax.”
“My partner,” Noah whispered. He squeezed Luke’s wrists harder, trying to focus. The darkness was growing closer. “He was with me in Iraq.”
“The doctor just needs to check you over--"
“LUKE!” Noah yelled.
Luke sighed. “Okay, okay, just try to stay calm.”
“My partner,” Noah said urgently. “His name is Jeff Carter. We were in Iraq together. Did he make it out? Is he okay?”
Luke’s face went blank.
“Luke...” Noah whispered
Luke’s face shut down even more. “I’m sorry, Noah--"
“No.” The pain surged again, only this time in his heart. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
“Noah, settle down.” Luke pressed down on Noah’s shoulders, but he fought against him.
“Get off me!” Ignoring the pain, Noah tried to get up again, to go look for Jeff, but his leg wouldn’t cooperate.
Another voice, much closer. “--administer a sedative.”
More hands on him, holding him down.
“No! Get off me!”
As the darkness converged and swallowed him, Noah covered his face with his hands, sobbing in mingled frustration and grief. He could feel Luke’s gentle, loving touch in his hair.
“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. “It’s okay. I’m right here. I've got you.”
To be continued...