Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.          

Shawn put his mountain bike into the back of Buzz McNabb's truck.  He rubbed his sore abdomen and took off his helmet.  Earlier, he almost took a header over his handlebars when he hit a rut and his tire got stuck.  Instead of going over, his lace got caught in the pedal and his body stopped and his abdomen slammed against the handlebars.  He remembered the pain of the blow and then falling over on his side as he tried to put the foot that was caught down to catch himself.  He just sat there and laughed after it happened.        

The ride back to the truck was more exhausting than it should have been, but Shawn didn't want to wuss out.  Buzz invited him along on the ride after he found out that Shawn was a mountain bike rider.  It was what Shawn considered a sign of acceptance at the station.  Buzz dropped him off at his apartment and Shawn brought his bike in.  Shawn was supposed to meet Gus and Juliet there and head over to Lobero Theater for the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra's performance.  Shawn and Gus received free tickets after locating the stolen violin of one of the musicians.  Shawn was pretty sure he didn't want to go, until Gus was bragging to Juliet that they were going.  She told them how much she wanted to see the group perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major.  Gus agreed whole heartedly and commented that the conductor was renowned for that piece.  Shawn shook his head and refrained from shouting geek at his friends.  He told Juliet that she should come with them.  Then proceeded to get an extra ticket for her. 

He had about two hours before his friends were to arrive.  He couldn't understand why he was so tired after such a little spill.  He jumped into the shower and let the hot water pound his sore body.  He noticed that he was getting a spectacular bruise on his stomach.  As he got out of the shower and was drying off (I think I just fainted, give me a minute), he noticed that his left shoulder was sore.

"That's weird," he said to himself as he thought about the fall.  He brushed it off and started to get dressed.  The pain was starting to increase.  He entered his kitchen to make sure the tickets were where he left them, and only saw two.

"Oh, man.  I left the other one at the office."  He had called their violinist friend yesterday and asked for the extra ticket, which she was happy to provide and dropped off at the office.  Looking at the clock, he swayed slightly as it went out of focus. 

"Whoa," he said as he caught himself on the edge of the kitchen counter.  He stood up and wondered if he was more tired than he originally thought.  He grabbed his helmet and keys and thought if he hurried he could get to the office and back before Gus and Jules arrived. 

The ride over there was a lot harder than it should have been.  At every light he hit, he stopped and stretched out his abdomen.  The muscles seemed to be tightening up on him.  The pain in his shoulder was increasingly becoming a throbbing ache.  He made there and took off his helmet as he walked to the door.  He felt suddenly light-headed and grabbed onto the door frame to steady himself. 

"What the hell? Ow, Ow," he said out loud.  He pulled himself into the office and walked over to his desk, placing the helmet on his desk.  A sudden wave of pain hit him and he doubled over grabbing the desk as he dropped to his knees.  He gasped loudly.  He suddenly did not have the strength to get back up and his body decided to deposit him on his ass against the wall.  He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself.  Something was wrong, really wrong.  He needed to call someone.  He took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and looked at it confused.  Why was he holding his phone?  He put his head back against the wall, the pain was becoming excruciating.  He couldn't think.  He closed his eyes and let himself drift out for a minute.

Meanwhile, Gus had picked up Juliet at the station and headed over to Shawn's place.  When they arrived Gus opened the car door to go and get Shawn.

"I'll run in and get him.  Mind if I keep the car running?"

"No not at all," she said with a smile.  She watched him walk up to Shawn's apartment complex and out of sight.  About five minutes later, he emerged alone and got back into the car.

"That's weird, he's not here.  I went into his apartment and his mountain bike is there, but he's not," Gus said puzzled.                     

"You told him you'd meet him here, right," she asked as she watched him scan the street.

"Yes, but where's his motorcycle," Gus asked. 

"Maybe he had to run out for a minute," she commented.  Gus smiled at her politeness.  He was annoyed that Shawn wouldn't have called him to let them know that. 

"I'll call his cell and find out where he is," Gus said and Juliet nodded.  After about three rings, someone had picked up but no voice answered.

"Shawn, I'm sitting outside your apartment, and you're not here," Gus said, clearly annoyed.

"Gus," Shawn asked softly.  Gus thought he sounded tired and possibly confused.

"That's what the caller id and The Proclaimers ring tone (and I'm gonna walk 500 miles, and I'm gonna walk 500 more) should have told you," Gus paused and waited for the witty comeback.  When there was nothing but loud breathing and a faint moan of pain, he asked concerned, "are you all right?" Gus looked over quickly to Juliet.  She looked back at him and mouthed, "Where is he?"

"No," came the short reply.  Gus could hear that Shawn was breathing hard and he began to suspect that was the answer before he heard it. 

"No?  What's wrong, Shawn," Gus said sternly.  Juliet fidgeted in the passenger seat.   

"Help."  It was a whisper followed by a grunt of pain.  Gus' almost dropped the phone.

"Shawn," Gus tried to keep the panic out of the word.  Juliet knew something was wrong by how the tone of Gus' voice changed so quickly.

"Give me the phone and start driving.  I'll find out where he is," she demanded.  He handed it to her without question and he put the car in drive. 

"Shawn," she asked.  There was a few seconds of silence.

"Shawn, you there?"
"Unfortunately," was the reply followed by a sob/laugh.

She felt her stomach flip at the pain she heard in his voice.  It scared her.

"What's wrong?  Are you hurt? Can you tell me where you are?  Did you crash your bike," she rambled off quickly.

"Too many questions," he said softly.

"Okay, we'll do yes and no."

"'Kay."

"Are you okay?"

"No. Told that to Gus."

She almost smiled at the annoyed tone his voice took. "I'm sorry, stupid question.  Are you at your office? Shawn?  Are you at the office?"

"Ummm, yes.  Hurry."  His voice was much softer now.  He seemed disorientated and that scared her.

"We are.  I promise."

As she put her hand over the mouth piece, she turned to Gus, "Gus, he's at the office."

Gus nodded and he turned the car around to head in that direction.

"Keep talking. Good to hear.  Your voice," Shawn said to her.

She smiled and admitted, "I'm so worried about you, I can't think about something to talk about."

It was his turn to smile. "Fell on my bike"

"When? Today?"

"Yeah. Ow, oh crap." She heard him take a deep breath and then moan softly.  It was clear that he was trying hard not to let her hear him.  Her hand tightened subconsciously around the phone.

"Shawn, are you there?  What hurts? Shawn."

"My shoulder," he paused, "stomach's really tight. Feel light-headed." 

Juliet was starting to get an idea of the problem, or at least had a theory. 

"Shawn, did you hit your stomach hard," she asked.

"Yeah.  Jules. Hurts. Bad."  At that point, she wanted to cry or scream at his clipped tones.  She looked at Gus.

"Gus, we need to call an ambulance.  I think I know what's wrong."

"What?  Is he okay," Gus said in a panicked voice.

"I think it might be his spleen.  My brother hit his stomach hard in a car crash and his ruptured.  The symptoms sound similar to what Shawn is describing."

"Did he fall or something?"

"Yes," she said and went back to Shawn. "Shawn, we're here."

Gus parked the car in front of the office.  They both scrambled out of the car.  Gus opened the office door. 

"Shawn, Shawn," he and Juliet called.

He found his best friend behind his desk, sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.  Shawn was practically in a ball.  His knees were up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around his legs.  His hands were clenched into tight fists and his head was down resting on his knees. 

Gus ran over and dropped to his knees in front of him and placed his hand on Shawn's right shoulder. Juliet picked up the phone to call for the ambulance and explained the symptoms to the dispatcher.

"Shawn," he said worried.  Shawn looked up at him, dazed.  His face was pale and slightly sweaty.  The pain in Shawn's eyes freaked Gus out for a second.  Shawn's expression changed quickly to relief and then he closed his eyes again pushing his head back against the wall.  He moaned and a lone tear tracked down his face.  Gus gripped his shoulder tighter. 

"It's okay buddy.  Help's on the way."  Gus kept his hand where it was and turned to face Juliet.  "Can you sit with him?  I want to call Henry and have him meet us at the hospital."

She quickly sat down to the side of Shawn as Gus got up and started dialing.  She placed a hand on his shoulder.  He opened his eyes and looked at her.  He looked so miserable that all she wanted to do was reach over and hug him, but she did her best to suppress that desire.  She quickly moved to sit shoulder to shoulder with him.  He placed his head on her shoulder.  He gripped her hand and didn't move.  She moved her other hand around his shoulder and started to rub circles on his back.  He sighed loudly and seemed to move closer to her, not that she minded.

As soon as Gus was finished talking to Henry, he looked up and saw the two of them.  As worried as he was, he couldn't deny the sudden thought that maybe something was beginning to happen between the pair.  He crouched down in front of them and quietly said, "Shawn, your Dad is going to meet us at the hospital."

Shawn nodded.  About two minutes later, the paramedics arrived and confirmed Juliet's suspicions after looking at the bruising on Shawn's abdomen.  As they probed the area, he screamed and passed out.  The paramedics rushed to get the gurney into the ambulance, not bothering to ask the other two if they wanted to ride along.  Gus and Juliet jumped in his car and made it over to the hospital.

TBC

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Juliet sat in the in the waiting room of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in a sort of dazed detachment.  For some reason, she could not focus on the world around her.  She found herself staring at the coffee machine in front of her.  She knew Gus, who was sitting next to her, was talking with Henry.  Every once in a while, she would catch a few words: mountain bike, fall, pain, and finally "accident prone with things with two wheels."  She suddenly felt that someone was looking at her, so she turned to see Gus and Henry staring at her, like they were waiting for an answer.  Gus smiled at her, "are you okay?"

            "Oh yes, I'm fine.  Just day dreaming," she said as a cover.  To be honest, she was sick with worry and the waiting was not helping.  She kept replaying the scene of finding Shawn and seeing him in such pain.  The waiting was driving her crazy, but she had to admit it had been nice to be that close to Shawn, even under the circumstances.  The logical part of her brain said that they couldn't be together because they were co-workers.  Okay, maybe more than co-workers.  They were friends, just good friends.  The emotional part of her brain wanted to lock herself into a room with him and not come out for several days.  She could swear that sometimes he was thinking the same type of thoughts.  She remembered seeing the disappointment in his face when she told them that she didn't put much stock into the dating profiles.  It was a subtle change in his expression.  She kept thinking that maybe she had imagined it.  It was easier to be around him if she thought that he didn't like her. 

            "Do you want me to go to the cafeteria and get us some coffee?  Those machines make nasty stuff," Gus said to her.

            "Sure, that would be nice.  Just sitting here is making me sleepy.  Coffee, cream, and sugar for me.  Thanks Gus."

            "No problem.  I'm getting a little stir crazy myself.  Henry, can I get you anything," Gus asked.

            "No thanks Gus."

            "Okay, I'll be right back," Gus said and walked off.

            Juliet went back to the aimless staring at the coffee machine.  She thought that maybe she should talk to Henry.  If she was this worried, he must be more so.  She turned toward him and said, "I don't think that we've been formally introduced," she said, "I'm Juliet O'Hara."

            "You're one of the detectives that Shawn works with.  I know the name.  He's mentioned you," he said to her.

            "Oh.  He has?"  She couldn't help but smile, but she turned away from him so that he couldn't see it.  He did and smirked in amusement.  "She likes him," he thought.

            "Yes.  We talk about some of the cases he's worked on."

            "He's, um, gifted.  I'm constantly amazed at his abilities."  She suddenly realized the undertones of those last remarks and quickly added, "His psychic abilities."  She could feel her face blush.  His smile got wider and was about to make a comment when Gus returned with their coffee.  He sat in the seat in between them again and looked at one and then the other.  He saw the bemused look on Henry's face and the flush of Juliet's cheeks.

            "Did I miss anything," he asked.

            "No, no word yet.  I'm going to check with the nurses again," Henry stated and left.  Juliet sipped her coffee and looked straight ahead.  Then she covered her mouth as she yawned.

            "Excuse me," she said.

            "You know that you don't have to stay.  I can run you home," he offered.

            "That's sweet Gus, but I don't think I could sleep until I know he's okay."

            "He will be.  And I'm going to let all the air out of his bike tires before I let him go riding again."

            She smiled and asked, "He listens to you?"

            "No.  But I don't want to do that again.  I mean, what if we weren't going out?  He might have been like that all night."

            "The really scary thing is that he could have died, bleed out," she replied.   They both shivered at that thought.

            Henry came back into the room with another person.  She looked to be in her early forties, long dark hair in a pony tail and wearing green hospital scrubs. 

            "I found Shawn's doctor.  Doctor Nelson.  Could you tell us all how he's doing?"

            "Hello," she said to Juliet and Gus, "Shawn did have a ruptured spleen.  I had to go in and do a splenectomy.  He received two units of blood.  The surgery went really well and he's being moved into a room.  He'll be here for at least two to three days, so that he doesn't move around."

            "Good luck with that," Henry said.  Gus and Juliet chuckled.

            The doctor smiled as she continued, "Because we had to remove the spleen, he was vaccinated against pneumococcus infections and we'll recommend yearly vaccinations against influenza.  I believe he'll make a full recovery.  Once he's settled in his room, I'll have the nurse bring up to see him."

            "Thank you doctor," Henry said and Dr. Nelson left.  The three sat down and about 30 minutes later the nurse arrived to show them to Shawn's room.  The trio entered and saw a very pale, quiet Shawn lying on the hospital bed. 

            "He's pretty heavily sedated right now.  He probably won't wake up until tomorrow.  Dad, you're welcome to stay if you'd like," the nurse said before heading out.  Henry planted himself in a chair near the bed.

            Gus walked over to the other side of Shawn's bed and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and whispered, "Glad you're okay.  I'll see you tomorrow."   

            He turned and walked toward the door to wait for Juliet.  Juliet took his place at Shawn's side and leaned over and kissed Shawn's forehead.  "Feel better," she said and joined Gus.

            "I'll see you tomorrow, Henry."

            "Bye Gus, Juliet."

            "Bye Mr. Spencer," she said.  Gus and Juliet left.

            "Well, kiddo.  She's cute.  You should really ask her out," Henry said to his unconscious son and got ready for a long night in an uncomfortable chair.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sleeping in your child’s hospital room does not lend itself to a deep, restful sleep. So when Shawn’s murmuring woke Henry up around 3 a.m., he wasn’t surprised. He got up and walked over to the bed. He placed his hand on Shawn’s forearm. Bleary green eyes looked over at him.

"Hey kid, not nice to scare everyone like that," Henry said playfully.

"Sorry," was the soft reply.

"How’s the pain?"

"Pretty sore, but better than before."

"I think it might be time for some painkillers."

"That be nice," Shawn mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"I’ll go get the nurse." By the time the nurse got to the room, Shawn was sleeping again, although it was restless. Every time he moved, he winced. She gave him the medication and left. Henry watched as Shawn settled down. He sat back in his chair and soon was sleeping himself.

Around nine a.m., Shawn opened his eyes again. He saw that Gus was standing by the window. "Hey," he croaked thanks to his dry throat.

Gus turned around. He was so glad to see that his best friend was awake and okay. Shawn looked tired and pale, but much better than he did the last time he’d seen him. "Shawn. Hey, so you decided to rejoin the world."

"Can you get me some water?"
"Sure." Gus helped move the headrest up, so Shawn could sit up.

"Thanks," Shawn said when he handed him the water.

"Your dad left at about 8 a.m. He was pretty tired from sleeping in these chairs. He went home for a while to shower. He’ll be back about noon. I brought you some stuff from your place."

"Oh good. I thought maybe I dreamed he was here. I think I woke up earlier."

"You did. Oh by the way, I’ve given your mountain bike away."

Shawn chuckled. "Gus."

"I’m kidding. Although after yesterday, I seriously considered it."

"Hey, um thanks for everything."

"I don’t want to do that again. Ever."

"Good thing I only have one spleen," Shawn said with a smirk. He let out a big yawn. "How can I be tired? I slept all night."

"It’s the medication they have you on. I might try to get some for you all the time."

"Ha. Ha. You’re mister funny man today. Trying to take advantage of my slow mental reflexes."

"Oh, that one is too easy," Gus said. Shawn mock glared at him.

The door opened and Shawn’s doctor arrived to do a full examination. Gus vanished for a while and arrived back to find Shawn asleep again.

Henry came back to the hospital as promised. The three were watching the Padres play the Mets , when Juliet walked in with a gift bag. She saw Gus and Henry sitting in chairs on either side of the bed. A tired Shawn was sitting up with his head leaning back on the pillow. All three turned toward her as she approached the bed. She watched as Shawn’s face light up when he saw her.

"Hi Jules," he said softly. His voice sounded as tired as he looked. "Did you bring me a present? I didn’t think they made cards for getting your spleen taken out."

"Sure they do," she quipped, "They’re right next to ‘Congrats on your appendectomy’."

They all laughed at that. Then Shawn stopped, "Ow, ow. Don’t make me laugh Jules. Stitches." He was still smiling though, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Gus, why don’t you and I go get some lunch while we have a babysitter," Henry said as he looked at Gus with a wink.

"Sounds good," Gus said understanding Henry’s sign to leave these two alone.

"Hey, I don’t need a babysitter," Shawn objected.

"Oh really. I think that’s my full time job," Gus said as he walked out the door.

"Try being his father," Henry said as he followed Gus.

"Oh can you feel the love," Shawn laughed.

Juliet sat on the edge of the bed. "So, how are you feeling? You look much better."

"Hey, I always look good. I feel okay. Little sore, but if I don’t laugh, move, or breathe, I’m good. Thanks for all your help, by the way," he said.

"Sure, no problem. You’d do the same for me."

"In a heart beat," he said as he looked directly into her eyes. She blushed slightly and glanced down.

"Oops, said too much," he thought, "Stupid painkillers." The next part was out loud.

"So, um, do I get to see my present?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she said as she handed him the bag.

He looked inside and pulled out a box. He opened it and pulled out a sneaker-like shoe.

"Oh cool, mountain bike shoes. Wow, thanks Jules."

"Look, there’s a place where you attach the clipless pedals and there’s no laces. Only Velcro. So you don’t have anymore shoe lace incidents," she said with a smirk.

"Oh very funny. But seriously, thanks. That was sweet." He reached out and patted her leg. "How did you know my shoe size?"

"Gus told me. Buzz told me what to buy. He felt so bad when I talked to him today."

"Why? It’s not his fault. I’m not usually that klutzy."

"Well, he still felt bad. Although, I did have to make Gus promise not to give your bike away to the emergency room doctor."

Shawn laughed out loud and winced. "Jules," he whined.

"I’m sorry. You do realize you owe me a night out at the symphony," she said.

He grinned, "I can’t convince you to go somewhere a little less boring."

"Boring? I thought you wanted to go to the concert."

She watched him smirk at her mischievously.

"You didn’t, did you?"

"Not really. I would have, for Gus, and tortured him the whole time. I didn’t really want to go until I knew you wanted to."

"Shawn," she said quietly as she looked down, "we talked about this. Working together and all."

"No, you talked about it. I just agreed, kind of, because of the bowling thing."

Now it was her turn to laugh, "So, you’re not on the Lego tour."

He smiled. "No. Not even close. Hey, that’s what we can do. Go bowling. Just me and you. You can be my personal tutor."

"I think we’ll have to wait until you can stand straight up," she said and placed her hand on his leg.

He grinned widely, "Details, details."

They made eye contact and for a second, Shawn thought she might lean over and kiss him. He would never find out because his dad and Gus came back in. She stood up and said, "Well I should run. I have to get back to work."

"Stay. Let Lassie do it," Shawn teased her.

"Bye guys," she said cheerfully and walked out the door. He watched the door as it closed.

"So did you ask her out yet," his father asked him.

The End