Poison

Jason is just a little surprised as Katie takes his hand, but he gives it slight squeeze before turning to go. “Sleep well,” he whispers, and turns to go.


Con is too weak to resist any help, and simply accepts Jamie’s nursing. He tries to wake up and clear the fog from his mind, but it seems an impossible task. He finally just gives up, settling back on his pillow.

His eyes still closed, he feels Jamie’s form next to him, and finally her head resting on his shoulder. His arm automatically moves to wrap around her as he tries to reassure her, despite being unable to make any words form…


Rick barely takes time to throw his car in park before jumping out and sprinting for the TJY door, bag in hand.

Jason is just locking his helmet to his bike when he sees Rick. “Hey, what’s the hurry?”

Rick simply yells over his shoulder. “Con’s in a bad way. Gotta check a blood sample.”

Jason’s heart skips a beat and he immediately runs after Rick, following him into the building. “What do you mean he’s in a bad way? Jamie checked on him yesterday – I assumed no news was good news.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t care about yesterday.” Rick waits impatiently for the elevator to stop. “It was Jamie who found him this morning and called me. Con’s got a dangerously high fever and he’s barely responsive.”

“And you don’t think he’s just got a bug?”

Rick pauses just a moment as the elevator doors open, to look at Jason. “Since when have you seen Con sick, let alone sick enough not to work?”

“Never.”

“That’s what worries me. The only times I’ve ever treated him were for bullet and knife wounds, and even then he was rearing to go before I’d even released him.” Rick quickly makes his way across the main floor with Jason close behind. Both hardly take time to greet anyone. Once in Rick’s quarters, he goes to the small adjoining lab, retrieving the blood sample and donning a pair of rubber gloves.

Jason watches intently, worried at seeing Rick so concerned. He simply stays and waits.

Rick works with the equipment available in the lab, eventually getting the sample under a microscope. It takes only a few moments for Rick to sit up straight. “Oh, no.” He moves to a filing drawer and begins flipping through files at a rapid rate.

Jason steps closer. “What? What is it?”

Rick ignores the question and finally pulls out a file with Jason’s name on it.

Jason raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing? What did you find?”

Rick sits back down to look in the microscope and jots a few notes, then turns to a readout of the blood analysis. Taking it, he opens the file, scrounging for a certain paper. Finding it, he compares the two readouts.

Jason moves a little closer, genuine concern taking over. “Rick…what is it?”

Finally Rick moves his chair away from the lab counter and looks up at Jason, worry filling every part of his face. “Con’s been poisoned. It’s a different strain of the same poison that put you in a coma and almost killed you.”

The blood drains from Jason’s face. “What…how…what can we do?”

Rick throws his arms in the air. “What could they do for you?”

“Nothing.”

Rick’s jaw tightens. “The poison probably would have killed Con in the night, had he not been so strong to begin with, let alone his body size helps. His body resisted it, and the poison found a way to come out, mimicking the flu.”

“So what are you saying? There’s nothing we can do?”

“I don’t know!” Rick stands with frustration.

Jason looks at him, still in shock. “Well we need to get him to the hospital then.”

“We can’t.”

“What do you mean we can’t?”

“We’ve already got one person in the hospital,” Rick reasons in exasperation. “If we show up with another patient, let alone one who’s been poisoned, we’ll immediately be under suspicion and TJY’s security will be in danger. You know that’s the way it works – it always has.”

Jason scowls at him. “So what? We just let Con die?”

“I don’t know!” Rick begins to pace. “Even if we did take him to the hospital, Jase, they couldn’t do anything for him. JT himself couldn’t find a cure for you.”

“Well then how come I didn’t die?”

“You tell me.” Rick looks at him with sternness to mask his own worry. “Take a look at your own files and you tell me. No one could explain it, Jase. God’s intervention is the only thing that could have saved you.”

Jason swallows hard, trying not to let his emotions take over. He didn’t want Katie to worry. “…And you don’t think that will happen with Con?”

“Who are we to say?” Rick turns and starts busying himself with preparations.

“What are you doing?”

“The only thing I can do. I’m gonna get an IV over to Con so he gets some nourishment in his body. This poison has created an infection throughout his whole body, which is why he’s got a fever. His body is trying to fight it. The poison will attack the weakest spots he’s got, and I need to be there if that happens. And then I’m going to do what everyone else does…wait.”


Con winces as he wakes up, his head throbbing, and his mouth feeling as though he’s been chewing on cotton balls. A sharp pain surges through his left ear and he squirms, feeling the sweat run down the side of his face. Dream after dream runs through his mind, and reality becomes fuzzy. He can hardly make out anything in the bedroom, and fights to try and sit up. “Jamie?” he whispers hoarsely in desperation. Moving, a wave of dizziness hits him, and he falls back to his pillow, his pulse racing.


Wyatt hears his phone and he sees it’s Katie. Grabbing it, he tries to go through the files on his desk, while keeping an eye on what’s going on around him. “Hey, good morning, Sunshine.”