Disclaimer: I do not own either of the Mission: Impossible series or any of the characters therein. I receive no compensation or any other tangible benefit from this story. I am just a fan who enjoys taking the team out for an adventure every now and then. 🙂
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Nemesis Chapter 19
Nicholas had no idea where he was going, but he broke every speed limit getting there. Once he got off the deserted highway, he followed the direction most of the traffic seemed to be going, hoping he'd end up where he wanted to be.
He talked to Shannon periodically during the trip, and occasionally reached over to squeeze her hand. He knew that she was fading fast. His own chest felt like it had been branded with a hot poker, but he pushed his pain aside to focus on his friend.
After what seemed like an eternity, Nicholas pulled in at the hospital and killed the engine by disconnecting the battery wires. He opened the driver's door and got out of the car. Knowing he wouldn't be able to carry Shannon inside, he yelled at the top of his lungs for assistance. He was aware of two nurses pushing a wheelchair and opening the passenger side door to extract Shannon...then everything went black and he knew nothing else.
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When Nicholas opened his eyes several moments later, the brightness was intense and he immediately squinted and closed them again. He was lying down in a bed that wasn't very comfortable, dimly aware of light pressure between his nose and mouth.
He reached up to make the pressure go away, and suddenly a lady in white appeared beside him. She grasped his hand and lowered it again, all the while speaking softly to him in a foreign language. Italian, perhaps?
She disappeared for just a moment, then reappeared just as quickly and began to evaluate Nicholas' condition. A couple of moments later, a man with a stethoscope came in. This must be the doctor, Nicholas reasoned.
When he saw Nicholas gazing at him, he smiled and extended his hand.
"I am Doctor Luccini," he said, as Nicholas accepted it. "I am pleased to meet you. You were in a fire, yes?"
Nicholas nodded. "An explosion," he replied, his voice raspy.
The doctor nodded. "Your lungs have some damage from the smoke, but you are going to be all right. You need to just relax for a while and breathe the oxygen."
"Shannon?" he asked anxiously.
"Is that your lady friend?" Nicholas nodded, and the doctor smiled faintly.
"She is stable," he answered, "but her lungs are much worse than yours. Right now we have her in an oxygen chamber, trying to heal what damage we can. We also have her sedated. The next few hours will be critical, and we'll know more after that."
Nicholas nodded, pleased that his teammate was holding her own, but still deeply worried about her.
"Can I see her?" he questioned.
The doctor shook his head. "It's already nightfall," he replied. "Just stay here and get some rest tonight. We'll figure things out in the morning."
Nicholas longed to contact someone from his team, to let them know what had happened. But he didn't have a communicator to contact Jim, and there was no landline phone at the warehouse they were using for the team's headquarters. Max and Grant had gone undercover as prison inmates and were also out of reach.
He thought briefly about sneaking out of the hospital and making his way to Jim's place tonight. But he figured they had probably towed their car by now, and he had no desire to try to hotwire another one. And besides, he was exhausted. The doctor was right; they'd figure things out in the morning.
Nicholas closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, and within moments he was sleeping soundly.
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(c) 2016
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