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. 🙂
*****
Nemesis Chapter 25
"Jim?" Nicholas gasped, and walked into the room. A nurse was taking note of Jim's vital signs. She looked up at Nicholas sternly.
"Excuse me," she said. "Are you next of kin?"
"Yes," Nicholas managed to stammer, recalling the cover story that they often used in situations like this one. "He's my uncle. What happened to him?
"Can you verify some information for us?" she asked, evading Nicholas' question for the moment.
Nicholas supplied Jim's full name and date of birth - they all knew each other's, for this very reason - and then the nurse seemed satisfied. She stepped aside so that Nicholas could approach Jim's bed. The elder agent was wearing oxygen and looked very pale.
"Do you know if your uncle has any history of heart problems?" the nurse asked.
"None that he's ever told me about," answered Nicholas. "Is that what happened?"
The nurse nodded. "He collapsed at a bar in town. They thought he was drunk, but one of our off-duty nurses recognized the symptoms of a heart attack and called the medics." The nurse paused. "The doctor said it was a very mild one, and that his heart looks quite healthy for his age."
The nurse looked Nicholas dead in the eyes. "Do you suppose it could have been stress related?"
"Could be," Nicholas answered quietly. "We just found out that a couple of close friends were killed yesterday." And that would explain why Jim, who normally did not drink, ended up in a bar, he finished to himself.
The nurse nodded in sympathy. "That would do it, all right. At any rate, he's going to be just fine. He'll be here for a day or two to get some rest, and we'll run some tests to be sure. Then he can go."
Nicholas sighed heavily in relief. "Thank you," he said aloud. Thank God, he added to himself.
"You can stay here with him if you want," she added. "He's been in and out of it all morning."
Nicholas smiled his appreciation, and then the nurse was gone.
A few minutes later, Nicholas laid his hand on Jim's arm as his mentor began to stir.
"Jim," he whispered. "Jim, can you hear me? It's Nicholas."
Jim opened his eyes slowly and fixed on his teammate. His eyes grew wide in recognition, and the monitor above him began to display a highly erratic rhythm.
"Calm down, Jim, it's all right. It's just me," Nicholas soothed, tightening his grip on the elder man's arm.
"Nicholas?" Jim gasped, looking down at his arm. He could feel Nicholas' warm hand there. He didn't feel like a ghost. He didn't look like a ghost.
"You're alive?"
Dear God. Jim had thought they were dead.
Nicholas nodded, a lump in his throat. "Shannon, too," he quickly reassured his leader. "She's a few rooms down from you. She's still critical, but the doctors are hopeful."
Nicholas paused for a moment. "How are you feeling?"
"Are you all right?" Jim countered quickly.
"I'm fine," Nicholas answered. He squeezed Jim's arm gently in an attempt to refocus him. "Jim."
Nicholas waited until Jim was looking him in the eye. "How are you?" he repeated softly.
Jim averted his eyes and took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something," he said, his voice barely audible.
"If it's about Max and Grant, Jim, I already know," Nicholas answered, matching Jim's tone. "It's in the paper."
"Grant told me they were crashing," Jim mumbled, "then I lost him. I thought you and Shannon were dead, too - burned up in that fire. And I didn't know what to do, so I went down to the bar to have a drink. I was trying to hold on to hope...but then the news came on..." Jim's voice trailed off.
Nicholas' stomach lurched. "You saw the story - about the crash - and your heart gave out."
Jim nodded, unable to speak for a moment for fear of losing his composure. "I'll be okay," he said, trying his best to be reassuring. "I'm just glad you and Shannon are alive and that Christie was wrong about that."
"Christie?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "John Christie? From five years ago?"
"The same," Jim confirmed. "He's Garcia's boss."
*****
(c) 2016
Create Your Own Website With Webador