I Feel It In My Bones (Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader)

A Bad Day: Part One

It was one of those days where, if something could go wrong, it did.

It started off when you tried to roll out of bed the wrong way.

Having been back in your flat for the past two weeks, you had forgotten that your bed in the base was pushed against the wall, and promptly smacked your face against the scuffed paint.

When you had tried to roll the other way, your foot had got trapped in the sheet, and you had folded onto the floor in a heap. You had laid there for a few moments, blinking up at the plain ceiling, half-heartedly contemplating how much shit you would get into if you skipped the meeting and tried to restart the day.

The rational part of you had won, pulling you back to your feet and away from your bed.

When you reached the conference room with minutes to spare, braid swinging behind, you were still pissed off, and your nose was sore to the touch.

Price, Soap, and Ghost were already in the room, crowded around the table. Laswell was on the screen, those stormy eyes focused. You dipped your head in silent greeting and slid into the empty chair beside your lieutenant.

'It's good to see you, Doc,' Soap said, leaning back in his chair as he always did. Your eyes crinkled in a soft smile as Price and Laswell echoed the sentiment. From the corner of your eye, you could feel your lieutenant's eyes on you.

'Where's Gaz?' You asked, peering around the room. Your stomach twisted as your mind instantly delved into the worst possibilities - Gaz was too unwell to join the meeting, too sick to leave the hospital, or he had succumbed to his injuries.

At that moment, the door squeaked open once more. 'Here. Sorry I'm late.'

The last member of the task force slowly entered the room. He wore his combat pants and compression top, and while he normally stood straight and tall, he was slightly hunched over, one hand resting on the side of his rib cage. When the two of you made eye contact, your empty gaze flickered, allowing him to see the sympathy and understanding behind the mask.

While you had suffered a mild concussion and internal bruising, the fall into the river saving you from a worse fate, Gaz had fallen until he has crashed into a rock. Price had told you over the phone while you were covering from your own injuries that Gaz had suffered from three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen - that was the cause of the dark bruising you had seen before passing out. The event, though it felt a lifetime ago, had only been a couple of weeks prior, and Gaz was clearly still recovering from the fall.

The gentle sergeant approached the table and slowly lowered himself beside Price. The older man gave Gaz a pat on the back, quietening his voice to say something into his ear that the rest of you couldn't hear.

'It's good to see you both on your feet again, Kyle and Bones. Now that we're all here, let's begin. We don't have much time to waste.' Laswell's commanding voice rolled the room, silence falling upon your team. 'The truck driver you captured was identified as an employee of Verre, a small French company that produces and exports laboratory equipment for universities, biotech companies, hospitals... you get the idea. Verre weren't aware that anything was stolen until they received a phone call a few days ago from a disgruntled customer. They hadn't received any of the equipment they had ordered for a new laboratory facility at a German university - the equipment that we now have. It seems as though Verre also doesn't have any paperwork that shows that the university purchased anything in the first place.'

'So was the driver a hostage or a willing participant?' Ghost asked. You were sitting to close you could almost feel the vibrations of his low voice.

'That's still unclear.'