The Night Shift One-Shots

TCxJordan+Child - I'm coming home - Part 2

I panicked for a moment, thinking Jordan had changed the locks, but let out a sigh of relief as the satisfying click sounded and I was let into my home.

We crept down the corridor, and up the stairs as quietly as we could, then went into mine and Jordan's room. She was sound asleep, and I contemplated leaving her there so she could sleep fully before work, but upon consulting my watch, I saw she only had ten minutes before her alarm was due to go off anyway, so I chanced waking her up.

"Jordan?" I said, standing at the bottom of the bed, Niamh still in my arms. She stirred but didn't fully wake up. "Don't make me release the little monster I have sat on my hip!" I commented casually, but completely unable to keep the grin off my face.

Her eyes snapped open. "T?" She sat up as she spoke, rubbing sleep-dust from her eyes, then looking at me. "I have to be dreaming. Niamh, honey, am I dreaming?" She asked, though the wide smile on her face told me she knew she wasn't dreaming.

"No, mommy. I brought daddy home!" Niamh announced proudly, nestling into my shoulder and tucking her thumb into her mouth.

"T!" Jordan exclaimed, scrambling out of bed and running at me. She kissed me first, then wrapped her arms around my middle, leaning into my other shoulder. "Oh my god, when did you get home?" She was laughing through a sheen of tears.

"About six hours ago. I went to get this monster first, then came home." I explained, then looked to Niamh. She'd fallen asleep on my shoulder. "Must have tired her out on the park – we took a detour on the way home." I whispered, kissing my daughter's forehead. Taking Jordan's hand, I put Niamh to bed, changed out of my mud-covered uniform, then sat cross-legged on my bed while Jordan got ready for work.

Julia was going to babysit Niamh while I went with Jordan to the ER. I needed to surprise everyone else. Jordan drove, but something hit me as I got out of the truck, causing me to fall against the hood. Topher.

"T, I know he's gone." Jordan whispered, coming up behind me and snaking her arms around my waist. "It's going to be hard, I know this, but we can go as slow as you need, OK?" I nodded and allowed her to guide me inside. She turned around to face me and held both my hands in hers just before we went in. "We're treating more vets then ever before now, but there are a few things that come up that even set Drew off, and you know not much sends him back. Remember the signals we have. Use them and we get out, OK?" I nodded, and she continued to lead me inside, still gripping my left hand.

There was no-one around – staff wise – when we entered, and as Jordan was acting chief attending, she called a staff meeting. She was well aware she was late, but she didn't care. She hid me under the nurse's station, crouched behind Molly's chair. "Ok everyone, I apologise for being late, but I have something to show you – or more, someone" She began. That was my cue to stand up. Trust me to smack my head on the underside of the desk as I stood up though, making my entrance unceremonious and about as graceful as a new-born giraffe. Jordan snorted a laugh, along with most of the rest of the team, but their laughs were soon replaced with slack jaws and smiles. Drew was the first to move, pulling me into a hug.

"Hey, man! I heard some idiot gave away half of his blood over there." Was his greeting, though he wasn't wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"He's bleeding out!" Marty called, pressing hard onto a wound on Luke's shoulder. TC skidded to his side.

"Let me suture it, get out of the way!" He roared, grabbing the suture kit and sealing the bleeding artery.

"He's lost too much blood." Marty commented.

"No shit, genius!" TC snapped, working on sterilising the wound as best he could.

"You're the only one with O-neg blood type." Marty continued, once again stating the obvious. What he hadn't noticed, however, was that TC had had an output line in his elbow for the past hour on the drive to where Luke had been shot.

TC was well aware that having O-neg blood would be a godsend at times, but it also meant he'd had more blood transfusions than the rest of the team, replacing the amount of blood he'd given away. It seemed he would be getting another tonight.

"Put an IV in him, stat." TC ordered, slightly distracted in getting his sleeve up without dislodging the needle in the crook of his own elbow.

"Done, doc." TC took the tubing from the IV and attached it to his line, then turned the valve; the flow between him and Luke started immediately.

The drive back to base took longer due to driving carefully, but that meant felt the effects of blood loss kick in about three quarters of the way back. He felt lightheaded and ever so slightly sick. "Hey, Marty, gimme a hand brother." TC muttered, stars popping in front of his eyes. "Help me get my feet above my head, lean them up against the back of the cab." With Marty's assistance, TC was laid down, a jacket under his head, his boot-clad feet up against the cab of the pick-up.

"How you doin' man?"

"Light-headedness is fading a little, but I'm not," His speech began to slur. "doing too bad for a guy who's-" TC passed out.

Two hours and four units of O-negative later, TC was conscious in the med-tent. "Jesus, T. You gotta stop doin' that man!" Marty snapped, punching his shoulder lightly. "How're you feelin'?"