OK, something I have had for a while, a little doctored. Hope you ENJOY!

Bethany Collins quietly entered the hospital room in the hope her patient may be awake. A blonde nameless teenager had been rushed into hospital a week ago with severe injuries and infections and had yet to wake, he slept fitfully, speaking in multiple languages leaving the nursing staff in the dark as to his nationality. She sighed resignedly when she saw he was still asleep.

"Come on. You need to wake up kiddo." She murmured calmingly. Shockingly there was a quiet response,

"Don't like hospitals." She wasn't sure if it was a drug induced sleep talk or conscious thought.

"Can you tell me your name?" Bethany asked gently before remembering he may not speak Spanish, her fears were unfounded as he soon haltingly replied.

"Alex. Alexander... Rider, no Winters," Alex had briefly forgotten his adoption, "British." He paused for breath fighting a wince, "Why am I in Spain?" He winced at the light so the nurse flicked them off and called for the doctor.

"We were hoping you could tell us that." The doctor announced entering the room impatiently.

"Sir, he's English." Bethany informed him.

"Ah, so English it is then." The doctor sighed annoyed.

"No. I am fluent in Spanish." Alex corrected surprising both the medical staff in the room, Bethany realised she should have guessed from the unhesitating Spanish seconds after waking.

"Very good. You can go." He dismissed the nurse. "Name?" He asked bluntly.

"You first." Alex shot back.

"I am Doctor Allan Luca, you are in Saint Marie hospital in Bilbao."

"Alex Winters, why can't I feel my legs?" Alex asked a deep sense of foreboding stirring in his gut.

"Well Mr Winters. What do you remember?" Luca asked.

"Just Alex. I remember,

Pain, the building had exploded with Alice and Mark Winters inside, Alex was thrown back onto the ground from the shock wave winding him, there was a blinding pain in his legs, Marco, his contact, crouched beside him.

"Alex, Alex stay with me. Come on you little smart arsed English school boy, stay with me now." The Spaniard begged.

"Hurts." Alex gasped out.

"I know. I know, but stay with me, no, no!" Alex's eyes closed. A branch crunched behind them both and a guard stepped out the trees, two shots were fired then both men dropped to the ground.

"Explosion, Marco was shot. Pain and fire." Alex sighed steeling himself. "They're gone aren't they." He whispered.

"Yes. Your injuries were so great your right leg had to be amputated just below the knee and your left just above your ankle. Do you want to talk about rehabilitation now or at a later date?" The doctor asked briskly.

"Leave me the booklets and I'll read through them." Alex compromised. "What are my other injuries?"

"Three broken ribs, superficial burns, severe concussion and three breaks in your legs, one right, two left. Other than that a few mild infections and cuts and bruises. You should be back to yourself in no time." Alex found himself wishing for the affectionate nurse to come back, this man was blunt and just plain rude. He left the room before Alex could flip out at him.

Gently Alex flipped back the covers of the bed and held back a sob. There was nothing where his feet should be, he gently fiddled with the bandages and hissed as his stumps gave out cries of pain, Alex flopped back on his pillows too late remembering the breaks in his ribs.

Alex felt tears building when he thought of his adoptive parents, Alice and Mark Winters were two SIS agents, one MI6 one ASIS. The family had lived in Holland with Alex receiving a personal tutor, he had been adopted by them after the Pleasures had died in a gas explosion in their home, Alex hadn't been home due to being thoroughly blackmailed by the CIA into doing a mission.

"Hello dear, I have more pain killers for you, lets get you sat up and comfortable." Nurse Bethany was back, she raised his bed and fluffed his pillows up pity coating her face when she saw him flinch away from her hands.

"Here you go." She held out a small cup full of multicoloured pills and a another cup of water, "Most of your liquids and nutrients have been intravenous but these pain killers work better taken orally. Don't drink too much at once." She handed them over and Alex obediently knocked back the pills, he hated taking drugs of any form but for now he'd do anything to make the throbbing in his legs go away.

"Now, Alex, I need to ask you some questions, Alex? Alex!" She pressed the button as her patient started wheezing,

"I can't breathe." He gasped out before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he grew motionless. She grabbed for his pulse and checked his breathing but as she was doing so they both stopped.

"SHIT!" Bethany dropped the bed and began chest compressions. "Neil! Get me adrenaline for severe anaphylactic shock." She shouted to the man who had just run into the room not stopping in her attempt to revive the young boy she knew nothing about.

"Here." Neil injected it into Alex's arm and eventually his heart restarted, it was slow and weak but definitely there. Both breathed out dual sighs of relief. "Come on, ICU for you young man."

"Neil wait." Bethany felt Alex's forehead and watched as shivers and tremors raced along his body his heart rate rising fast. "Fast heart rate, high temperature, shivers and tremors. He hasn't asked for anything to eat which is what most coma patients do when they wake so we can assume loss of appetite he wasn't breathing deeply because of his broken ribs. His lips, fingers they're turning blue." Bethany sighed.

"Jesus kid, you sure know how to keep us on our feet." Neil cursed as Bethany covered Alex in blankets they raced him down to ICU, he was taken straight to examination then the doctor reappeared.

"You were right, pneumonia. He's stable but due to complications he has developed a severe case of septicaemia. You say he's English?"

"Yes doc." Neil replied.

"Contact Great Ormond Street. He needs to be transferred." The doctor vanished back into the room.

Doctor William Daniels frowned as he sat on the bed causing his wife to kiss him lightly before clambering in next to him.

"What's up?" She asked gently, she hadn't seen him look like that since their son had been shot.

"A new patient for me, he was transferred from Spain six weeks ago due to complications out of medical neglect. I have filed a complaint to the hospital and it is apparently being dealt with. Its a young boy and all we know is that he is called Alex Winters and is British. I don't know his age but I would guess young, senior school age and he seems to have no family. He lost both his legs in an explosion and has numerous cuts and bruises, not to mention broken bones that had been poorly treated.

"He is in a coma and all I want is answers. He is a patchwork quilt of scars, most of them old. He has a bullet wound over his heart Lizzie. His heart. I can't bear to think of the therapy and trauma treatment he will have to go through when he wakes." William broke off and sighed.

"Think about it tomorrow, take each day as it comes, when he wakes you will find the best therapist for him. Now sleep." She pulled him down as he eventually complied.

"Hey, calm down, look I won't touch you!" The doctor held his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender, still the boy regarded him with large, fearful eyes, and he was as far away from the other man as he could get and still be on the bed. "I just thought you may like to be more comfortable. Can you sit up and I will arrange your pillows to better support you."

"I can do it." Alex whispered still not trusting the doctor.

"OK. Don't harm yourself you have just woken from a seven week coma, add that to the week you had in Spain that's two whole months without moving, take it slow. Water?" He put a small cup on the table letting his patient pick it up, in return he got a small nod.

"Thanks." Barely above a whisper.

"Can I ask some questions?" The doctor asked.

"Who are you?" Alex didn't answer the question.

"Sorry, I am forgetful at times. I am Doctor William Daniels, you are in GOSH in London." He seemed to brighten at this. "Are you from London?"

"Chelsea." Alex confirmed.

"Do you live with family?" At this an incomprehensible sorrow crossed his face and the boy turned away curling in on himself. "I'm leaving my phone in case there is anyone you want to call." Daniels left the room, Alex eyed the phone warily, then ignored it. Instead he tried to think about the situation he was in and read the therapy leaflets. Two day's of one sided conversation between Alex and Dr Williams and Simon his psychiatrist he picked up the phone. Quickly he dialled a number he knew by heart and waited as it rang.

"Hello?" As a familiar Liverpudlian accent answered the phone Alex felt what little resolve he had crumbling.

"Ben? It's Alex, can you come to GOSH, room 34 ward E? I really need to see you."

"Everything OK Al? I'm coming, be there in ten. Why are you in GOSH? Are Alice and Mark with you?" There was no response. "Al?" Ben was worried, Alex always kept everything together and hid behind his emotionless mask that only ever came off when he was around those he trusted and liked.

"Please." The one word had Ben nearly running, he had never heard Alex beg for anything, he was always an independent boy who knew nothing of family care, only of being left alone for weeks on end.

"Stay on the line Alex, talk to me squirt. E 34. A minute at most." Ben promised, Alex watched the door expectantly. "I didn't think you were going to be in hospital for a while. You promised you would stay safe." Ben realised Alex wasn't going to reply so decided to talk to him and hopefully reassure him somewhat. Room 34 there it was, Ben entered and was shocked at the pale, thin boy who lay in the bed, where the outline of his feet should be was nothing and his arms were littered with small cuts.

"Alex?" Ben sat on the edge of the bed.

"Ben." And Alex was gone, Ben wrapped his arms around the worryingly small frame as the tears of grief and pain came and once started wouldn't stop.

When Dr Daniels reappeared he was shocked to see the boy who wouldn't have anyone touch him or talk or show emotion in the arms of another person. Both were lying against the headboard Alex's head resting on the elders chest fast asleep, the other man grinned at the doctor.

"Hey dad. Surprise." Ben Daniels grinned like a fiend as the doctor blinked repeatedly then opened his mouth. "Shhh." He pointed at Alex who had stirred slightly, Ben gently ran a hand through his hair and he calmed again. William regarded his son in a new light, astonished.

"How?" William whispered.

"I'll tell you later. If I'm allowed to." Ben replied smiling faintly. Then there was a quiet mumble in a language the doctor didn't recognise, Ben obviously did as he smirked and replied.

"I guessed right." Alex murmured now in English.

"What right young man?" William asked cautiously. Alex glanced at Ben who nodded encouragingly.

"Daniels. You don't look that much alike and he has an Liverpudlian accent, you sound like you're from Perth in Oz." Alex replied slightly louder.

"Ben's adopted, he was our first. Since him we have had four, three girls and a boy. At the moment we have a three year old little girl called Alyssa." William smiled fondly.

"You're lucky." Alex smiled sadly. "When were you adopted?"

"I was three. Don't remember my parents, but apparently it was bad." Ben shrugged, William blinked at his son, normally he didn't tell anyone, the first people he had told were K unit in the SAS and that was only to explain his actions when they had come across a severely abused child while on tour.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor fell back into medical mode easily.

"Fine." Alex lied.

"Alex. Come on, we have been over this." Ben groaned.

"He like you?" William grinned at his eldest son.

"No, he's much, much worse." Ben sighed.

"I'm going to have fun with you. For now, sleep." William ruffled his hair and winced at he still flinched away. "Sorry. I forgot." Watching the pain interact had made him forget his dislike of contact he found himself desperate to know how Ben had built up his trust in this seriously injured and independent child.

"Knock, knock." A head stuck his head around the door. "Ben!" Simon Alex's psychologist appeared grinning. He was a specialist in trauma.

"Simon!" Ben smiled and shook hands with him not moving from beside Alex.

"What are you doing here?" Simon asked confused,

"I know Al, you his psychologist as well?" Ben queried,

"Yeah, but you have got much further than I have with him. I can barely get a peep out of him. Yet here you are talking like old friends." Simon sighed.

"Can I have a minute then he's all your doc." Ben asked the pair who nodded and left the room.

"You trust him." Alex stated almost as a question.

"Yes, he had been my shrink for almost three years, since I joined the SAS. The guys have others but I didn't like them, Simon I can get along with. I don't see him regularly but it helps a lot." Ben replied encouragingly.

"I don't trust him." Alex whispered.

"I know, but give him a chance to earn that trust. He won't tell a soul." Ben promised, slowly Alex nodded, Ben ruffled his hair laughing at the disgruntled look he received in response. "Have fun." He grinned mischievously.

"Ben." The elder spy stopped and turned, "Thank you."

"Any time squirt." Ben smiled and left. "All yours doc."

"Can you tell me?" William asked as Simon entered the room.

"Later, I need to ask him first. Christ I haven't seen him that broken since Jack died." Ben slowly slid down the wall.

"If you need to talk you know where to find me, come to dinner tonight, Lizzie would love to see you again." He kissed the top of his sons head and left to continue on his rounds.

"Talk to me Ben." William asked that night, his son sighed thinking about Alex's past.

"Alex is a boy who was dealt a shit hand of cards in his life. He has been orphaned five times of which four of them have been in the past two years." Ben started, his mum gasped.

"His parents died when he was about three months so his uncle looked after him, when he died Alex was fourteen and then was looked after his American housekeeper, Jack, whom he loved like a sister, that is when I met him. The Jack died and he lived with me briefly until he was adopted by the Pleasures, a family he knew and had moved to the states, then when they died he was back with me and was adopted again by Mark and Alice. In the explosion that cost Alex his legs they both died." Ben ran a hand through his hair and took the plunge.

"His dad, uncle and Mark were MI6, Jack was CIA sent to keep an eye on John Riders only surviving child and Alice was ASIS. None of the deaths were accidental and Alex has spent the past two years being blackmailed and manipulated by almost every intelligence agency in the world. I know more about him than most as, you may have gathered, he is rather private.

"His lack of trust is well fuelled, the only people he trusted betrayed him horribly. His uncle claimed to be a banker and everyone will have him believe Ian trained him from birth to follow in his footsteps, whereas in actual fact Ian trained him to keep him alive and to retain the ability to stay away if he wanted or to survive in that world if he so chose to. Jack was an agent behind his back and was continuously feeding information about him to the CIA, information that they later used to manipulate him. His own government were arseholes to him and his godfather blew up his parents and sister.

"His other godfather was framed for the murder of his uncle but in fact was innocent, for that murder at least. His old boss shot his best friend to manipulate him into a mission and when he first came to BB he was grieving and confused, then we were utter bastards to him. I met him again after I had been seconded and was scared at how well he did what he did, he has been shot outside the HQ of MI6, a place he should be safe and his old friends an teachers believed him a druggie. He has been kidnapped and tortured, beaten and shot, threatened and manipulated and is not even 16." Ben put his head in his hands as his parents sat their in shock, both at what they had heard and the jumbled, disjointed flow of words that came out the sons, normally eloquent and flowing, mouth.

"Jesus." Lizzie cursed, both men in the room looked at her in surprise, she never cursed. "It's warranted." She defended her actions.

"How long until he can walk with prosthetics?" Ben asked worried.

"His legs are mostly healed so as soon as he can build up the strength to do so then he had have them fitted. Depends on his determination, he is severely malnourished due to the imprisonment prior to his accident but that is slowly improving and I hope he is opening up to Simon, Lewis, the physiotherapist, is working on him and is surprised as how determined he is." William replied. "I never expected that to be the answer to my question."

"That's why I needed his permission before I told you." Ben smiled grimly.

Disjointed I know, but I had to get all the cards on the table.

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