Author's note: It's been a long time since I've written a story for Flashpoint but I've just re-watched my favourite Sam episodes and something Ed said in "Clean Hands" peaked my muse's interest. I'm going to apologise for making Ed a little immature and out-of-character in this story, but it's all good in the end. It's only a short one-shot. Hope y'all like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Warning: Not betaed.

It wasn't a good day for Team One today. They had the distasteful assignment of escorting a serial killer from the airport to his mental competency hearing. There was a crowd of people who wanted the man dead. He tore apart so many families and as much as Team One hated the job, they had to protect the scum, Peter Wilkins. It was their job and Team One were the best when it came to their job. Donna Sabine was forced to shoot and kill Agent Delia Semple to protect a serial killer. Walter Volcek would be going to jail. The lives of two good people were taken today to protect the life of a serial killer. Sometimes, the good men and woman of Team One wished they weren't so good at their jobs.

Sam Braddock couldn't sleep. He didn't know if it was because of the headache he got from jumping on a concussion grenade or the less than desirable outcome of their assignment or something that's been niggling at his mind since their morning discussion in the locker room about hazing Donna. We wanna make her feel like she's part of the team, right? We don't know when Jules is gonna be back. It's been over a year since Sam joined SRU but he'd never been hazed. They wanted to make Donna feel like she's a part of the team. If that was the case, then did they ever want to make him feel like he's a part of the team?

Sam grabbed his pillow in frustration and brought it in front of his face, growling into it. He hated feeling so petty. He'd been on the team for a year now. It was a rocky start but the team accepted him and he liked to think he was a good fit for the team. Still, he wondered what the team thought of him. His father had fast-tracked his application and he allowed it because whether he protested or not, his father would have done it anyway. His father had to have a hand in every part of his life. However, Sam didn't let that control him. He was still doing what he loved so he couldn't complain. It hadn't been a smooth transition into the team. SRU teams chose new members as a team. They did that with Donna and every member before her. Sam was the only exception. Maybe that's why they never hazed him. They never felt that responsibility to make him feel welcomed because they didn't have a choice when it came to him. Damn it, Braddock. We've had one of the worse days since you joined and all you can think about is feeling left out. What's wrong with you? Sam put the pillow back behind his head and took deep breaths, clearing his mind. Go to sleep, Sam, tomorrow's a new day.

Sam woke up with a splitting headache and sore ribs. His sleep was restless which just exacerbated the pain. Sam got himself ready for work and took a couple of Tylenols before leaving. Hopefully that was all that was needed to take away the hammer in his head and the ache around his chest.

The ride to work helped to clear his head a little or maybe the Tylenol kicked in. "Sam!" Spike greeted him with a hard slap on the back. Sometimes Sam wished he had this guy's attitude to life. Nothing seemed to phase Spike. He couldn't imagine Team One without him. Sam gave a tight smile when Spike's greeting aggravated his ribs. "Are you ready for a brand new day?"

"Bring it on." Sam told him though he wasn't enthusiastic. It didn't take much to flare up his headache either.

Spike took a good look at his friend as they walked into the locker room. "You okay, Sam?"

"It's nothing. Didn't sleep well last night." Sam was as honest as he'd ever be when it came to his health. "Brain wouldn't power down."

Spike sighed, looking a little more sombre. "Yeah, that assignment was messed up. Wordy won't be in today. Those rounds he took in the back cracked a few ribs. The boss gave him the day off."

Sam opened his locker and threw his things inside. "That's a good idea. How about Donna? Do you know how she's doing?" Sam closed one of the locker doors to look at Spike when he didn't answer. Spike was looking at him suspiciously. "What?"

"Nothing." Spike shrugged, "Just that you never seemed to really care about Donna."

Sam thought about that. It was true. He felt as if Donna was trying to replace Jules on the team and no one else seemed to have a problem with it. "It doesn't mean I want her to be haunted by what she had to do. Nobody deserves that." Lethal shots were hard enough with dangerous suspects let alone a law enforcement officer. "I have nothing against her, personally."

Spike nodded, "You know she's never going to replace Jules."

Sam was impressed, Spike was perceptive. "I thought you all thought I was just being an ass."

Spike shrugged a shoulder, "Well, you can't blame us for thinking..." Sam through his towel at him, making him laugh.

"Hey! If you guys are done monkeying around," Lou walked in then in his gym gear. "Ed's ready to start our morning workout. Get out there before he decides on one of his maniacal ones."

"Yeah, yeah…we're coming." Spike closed his locker doors and followed Lou out, throwing Sam back his towel. Sam was right behind them, not looking forward to their morning exercises.

Ed glared at Spike and Sam. "Glad you could join us." He looked at his watch. "You're five minutes late." Clearly Ed woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, which meant they were going to pay for it during work out. Sam and Spike exchanged groans, knowing they were going to get the brunt of this routine. Sam's headache turned up a notch. "You have something to say, Braddock?" Everyone in the gym turned to look at Sam.

Sam sighed, "No Sir."

"Wordy's taking a sick day. I need all of you at your best." Ed glared at Sam, making Sam wonder what he'd done wrong. Spike frowned. Both he and Sam were late but Ed seemed to be focusing solely on Sam. "Let's start. Sam, you're on the treadmill, Spike; X-trainer, Boss; bench press, Lou; bike and Donna; weight stack. Two minutes! Go!"

Ed spotted Greg as he did his presses, but he kept an eye on the others. He clenched his jaw when Sam started at a jogging pace. "Sam, pick it up unless you want the entire team doing push-ups."

Sam swallowed. The impact of the jog was causing pain in his ribs but he upped the pace, ignoring the headache and the ribs.

Greg was worried. Ed was unusually hard on Sam this morning. "What's going on, Ed?" He grunted as he lifted the weights.

"Nothing's going on. Just running our morning routine." Ed said casually.

"So you're not being harder on Sam?" Greg pressed.

Ed shrugged, "He's jogging, Greg. He knows better than that."

"Yes, he does." Greg said thoughtfully, it was odd of Sam to not push himself.

"Anyway, he needs a little lesson in teamwork."

"What does that mean?" Greg was a little shocked.

"I took Donna home last night. She asked me about Sam and why he doesn't like her. He was the newbie before her, if anyone here should know anything about trying to fit in, it's him." Ed revealed.

Greg looked at him as if he was dense, "Are you trying to tell me you don't know why he's being that way?"

"He didn't even want to haze her. Outright told us all that it wasn't necessary because she wasn't going to stay." Ed didn't let it show then how much it irked him that Sam said that but it did.

"Ed…"

"Change it up!" Ed interrupted Greg, much to his annoyance.

"This conversation isn't over, Ed." Greg warned him before moving onto the bike.

Sam got onto the X-trainer. He was dripping with sweat and they had only just started. He was beginning to wonder if he would survive the morning. Sam didn't dare to start at a slow pace, not wanting to get the entire team punished or have Ed's wrath directed at him again, but his ribs were protesting. He looked down at Spike doing the bench presses and groaned. He wasn't looking forward to that.

Spike saw the look Sam gave him and started to worry. Something was up with Sam. He did his presses for the two minutes but kept his eyes on Sam. "Change it up!" Ed called. Spike pushed the dumbbell back on its holder and got up.

"You've got it, Sam." Spike encouraged, giving his friend a pat on the arm before he moved onto the bike. Sam nodded and laid back. Spike frowned when he saw Ed adding weights to the dumbbell. "What are you doing, Ed?"

"I have to fair, don't I? You're our tech and bomb guy. I expect ex-special forces here should be able to handle more weight than you." Ed told him but he was looking down at Sam. Spike wasn't happy. Ed was definitely targeting Sam this morning.

Sam huffed, looking at the weights. Two minutes…you can do this, Braddock. He carefully gripped the bar and took a breath. Ed placed his hand underneath the bar. Sam lifted the dumbbell from its holder, taking a quick breath through his nose as he pressed his lips together. He was trying to keep in the gasp of shock from the pain in his ribs. Spike and Greg stopped what they were doing when they saw the effort Sam needed just to lift the weights. They've both done it and even with the extra weight, Sam should've been able to handle it without a problem. They watched Sam's arms shake as he lowered the bar to his chest. Sam could feel the strain on his ribs. He tried to push the weight back up but he didn't have the core strength to do it. The bar started pressing on his chest, threatening to cut off his air.

Ed glared at him, "Come on, Sam, you can't even do one?" He was clearly not himself this morning otherwise that in itself should've set off alarm bells.

Sam grunted and gave it one last push. "Aahh!" He bit his lip, cutting off the cry.

"Get it back up! Get it back up!" Spike yelled as jumped off the bike. Ed was shocked at the cry and quickly grabbed the bar, relieving Sam from the stress. "Sam!" Spike spared a second to give Ed a glare before gripping Sam's hand and helping him sit up. "Are you okay?"

Sam closed his eyes while he tried to regulate his breathing. He wrapped his left arm around his middle. Every breath hurt. "What happened, Sam?" Ed knelt down on the other side of the sniper. He looked down at Sam's ribs. Sam flinched when Ed pulled his arm away by the wrist, making him flinch. "Easy, Sam. I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Could've fooled me." Spike growled at his team leader.

Ed looked at him, already feeling the guilt. Somehow he'd missed something Spike hadn't. He lifted Sam's shirt and gasped at the large bruise covering his abdomen. "How the hell…"

"Sam, you should've said something when you came in." Spike was shocked at the damage. It's no wonder Sam didn't look himself this morning. He should've said something to the boss. Greg would've done something. "Maybe then Ed wouldn't have tried to kill you!" Spike couldn't help himself.

"Spike." Greg warned. Ed was still his Team Leader no matter how he acted this morning. He turned to Sam. "Sam, why didn't you tell us?" Greg admonished. It was dangerous for team members to hide their injuries. "We can't send you out on the streets with that."

"They're not broken. I'm fine." Sam's had enough broken and cracked ribs to know that his were only bruised. He finally got the pain under control when the room started spinning.

"Woah!" Spike and Ed steadied him by the arm and shoulder when Sam started swaying. "You're definitely not going out on the streets like this!"

"What happened to him?" Donna asked in concern.

"We should take him to the E.R." Lou suggested after seeing Sam pale in front of him.

"Guys, I'm fine." Sam complained at the hovering. "Just don't make me do anymore weights."

Ed sighed. "I'm sorry, Sam." He felt really bad for acting so immature. He looked up at Greg looked disappointed but was glad to see his TL coming back to his senses. Greg liked his team to solve their problems on their own, especially when it involved the tactical members. Ed's their team leader. They had to trust that Ed had his hand on their backs. However, he still needed to have stern word with Ed.

"Not your fault. You didn't know." Sam looked at him blearily, "I'm fine."

"Like hell you're fine!" Spike was angry and even though he was looking at Sam as he spoke, Ed knew the anger was directed at him. "You need to get checked out. I'm going to guess that the concussion grenade caused this?" Spike lifted Sam's shirt again and gently pressed against his ribs. "Sorry." Spike said, feeling Sam jump at the pain. "Well, you might be right about it just being bruised but you're dizzy which means you might have a concussion."

"You're going to the E.R, Sam. No arguments." Greg pulled out his phone and called 911. "This is Greg Parker of the SRU. I have an officer injured at our headquarters, send EMS." He slipped his phone back in his pocket. "Spike, why don't you take Sam to the break room and get some ice on that."

"Sure, boss." Spike helped Sam up. He kept close as they walked towards the break room, keeping a light hand on his back.

Greg waited for Sam and Spike to disappear around a corner before he spoke to Ed. "We need to talk." Ed sighed and nodded, knowing he had dropped the ball badly today. "Lou, Donna, go get changed and ready for the day."

"Yes, Sir." Lou and Donna exchanged worried looks as they left the gym.

Greg turned to Ed and nudged his head towards the briefing room.

Sam closed his eyes as he sat at the table in the break room with a cold pack over his ribs. He was already starting to feel better. He wished he didn't have to go to the hospital but he knew about regulations. Now that his injuries were made known, he had to get checked out and cleared for duty. "It'll be a quick trip to the E.R, Sam and then you'll be right back here, keeping the peace." Sam opened his eyes and smiled at his friend, sitting opposite him at the table.

"How'd you know what I was thinking?"

Spike shrugged, smiling. "It's not hard to guess. I've known you long enough now to know that you're tough and hate being taken off the job."

Sam nodded, "Thanks for having my back in there."

Spike's smile faded and his expression turned angry, "I shouldn't have had to have your back here at SRU, especially with Ed."

"It's not Ed's fault."

"Not for the injuries but he pushed you unnecessarily hard this morning. If he was doing his job he would've seen what I saw, that you were off your game this morning." Spike folded his arms and sat back, clearly unimpressed with his TL.

Sam sighed. He thought he and Ed were getting along fine. He didn't know what he did to earn Ed's anger this morning. He was about to ask when Kira walked in with the paramedics. "Thank goodness." Spike got up. "He jumped on a concussion grenade yesterday. We think he has a possible concussion and bruised ribs."

"Sir, my name is Jack, what's yours?" Jack asked as he pulled away Sam's hand away to take a look at the ribs.

"Sam Braddock."

"Sam," Jack took out his light and turned Sam's head towards him. "Look straight ahead for me." He looked into Sam's eyes, then flicked the light in and out to see how his pupil's reacted. "Okay." He stood up. "I'm going to recommend an X-ray for the ribs but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a concussion. The doctor's at the E.R will reconfirm that. Are you okay to walk, Sam?" Sam nodded. "That's good."

"Can you get the doctor to call us with any news?" Spike asked the paramedic as he walked out with them.

"Of course."

"I'll come get you once the doctor clears you for duty." Spike assured Sam.

"Thanks, Spike."

Ed and Greg sat in silence in the briefing room. Ed had nothing to say that could excuse his behaviour this morning and Greg was disappointed in his team leader. "You and Donna have a connection. You and she clicked, unlike you and Sam." Greg began. Ed's head spun at that. What was Greg getting at? "She was in bad shape yesterday. Who wouldn't be? She shot a cop to save a murderer. I'm glad you were there for her but getting into Sam for something she said? That's crossing the line."

"Boss, I wouldn't have done that if I knew Sam was injured." Ed begged Greg to believe that.

Greg sighed, "You think I don't know that? Even Sam knows that. The point is, as team leader, you shouldn't be siding with any one team member."

Ed nodded, "I know. Donna was vulnerable last night and she got very upset when she spoke about how Sam's been treating her. I got caught up in her emotions."

"She was vulnerable which means she was emotional. She never let Sam get to her at work. Donna doesn't need you to stick up for her." Greg told his friend. "Sam, however, deserved to have you defend him not side with Donna."

"You have to admit, he hasn't been very fair to Donna." Ed tried to argue.

"He's been cold towards her, yes, but we both know he's doing that for Jules. He's protecting her place on this team. We all love Jules, Ed. It's not fair to punish Sam for protecting our own." Greg's voice was calm and reasonable. "What you did today tells Sam that you don't have his back. Fix it."

Ed knew he was right. "I'll talk to him as soon as I get the chance and straighten this out. Sorry, boss. I was being unprofessional."

Greg nodded, accepting the apology. He smiled, "Hey, I've made more mistakes than I can count and you've always been there with a hand on my back. It's good to be able to return the favour every once in a while."

Spike walked into the briefing room and saw his boss and TL all smiles. It made him even angrier. "Glad you're pleased with yourselves." Spike glared at them.

"Spike," Ed got up, quickly, "How's Sam?"

"On the way to the hospital thanks to you." Spike spat. "What the hell is wrong with you? Couldn't you tell something wasn't right with Sam this morning? Why would you push him like that?" He was pissed. Spike respected these two men in front of him more than anyone he's ever known.

"Spike…" Greg tried to placate the young man but he was on a roll.

"And you!" Spike gestured to him, "Didn't you see it? I'm not the most observant guy when it comes to stuff like this but it was obvious to me. Why wasn't it to you?"

Greg got up and approached Spike, his hands out, trying to calm the bomb and tech expert down. He placed his hands on Spike's shoulders, "We let Sam down this morning. We know that and we're sorry. Now can you tell us how Sam is?"

Spike still wasn't happy but he calmed down, "Doctor will call us once Sam's been X-rayed. Paramedics don't think he has a concussion but he still wants Sam monitored if he's released today."

Greg nodded, "Thanks for having his back, Spike."

"Shouldn't have had to." Spike glared at Ed.

"I'm sorry." Ed told him.

Spike saw the sincerity in Ed's eyes and let his anger go. "Fine. I'm going to get changed." He left the room.

Ed turned to Greg, "Didn't know he and Sam were that close."

Greg shrugged, "Neither did I but this is Spike. He gets along with everyone and everyone gets along with him. And don't forget, he has strong family values and Team One is his family."

"Yeah, can't help but love that kid." Ed smiled.

It was almost 10am when Sam was released from the hospital. The doctor wanted to call his team to tell them the results but Sam told him he'd do it himself. He had the papers from the doctor to say he was cleared for duty so that's all they needed. Sam was right. It was just bruised ribs…three to be exact. He also didn't have a concussion, but due to the cause of his injuries, the doctor still wanted him monitored. He lived alone, which made it hard but he'd figure something out. Sam pulled out his phone and called the office. "Hi Kira, it's Sam."

"Sam, how are you?"

"I'm good. Can you patch me through to the team?" Sam requested.

"Hold a sec."

Sam waited and was connected quickly. "Sam, buddy, what did the doctor say?"

Sam smiled at his boss's concern, "I'm fine, Sarge. Just a few bruised ribs. Wouldn't mind a lift though."

"Lou and I will be right there, Sam." Sam guessed they weren't on a hot call, otherwise Kira would've told him and Spike wouldn't have the time to pull around to get him. Team One was making their presence known.

"Thanks, Spike. I'm right out front." Sam was shocked when the black SUV pulled up in front of him with Spike grinning at him through the window.

"So are we!"

Sam hung up his phone. "How?"

"We're patrolling." Spike gestured to Lou, "We decided to patrol close to the hospital."

Sam laughed, "Thanks, Spike, Lou."

"Get in. We got your uniform in the back." Spike nudged his thumb at the back seat of the SUV.

The rest of the day went smoothly for Team One. There was one hot call, which resulted in Greg talking down a woman with a child off the ledge. It was an emotional one, especially with the five-year-old daughter crying that she didn't want to fly any more. Her mother had told her that so that she would follow her onto the ledge but adults underestimate how much children can sense. In the end, the mother couldn't hurt her child that way.

Sam showered and got dressed, getting ready to leave with Spike. He had offered to stay with Sam at his apartment for the night to watch over him. Sam didn't realise how tired he was until he closed his locker doors and took a seat on the bench, waiting for Spike. He stretched himself along the benched and closed his eyes, resting them. He didn't realise he had fallen asleep until someone was shaking him and calling his name.

Ed had just finished speaking with Greg and walked into the locker room to get into his civvies and go home when he saw Sam asleep on the bench. He was going to leave him to rest when he remembered Sam's injuries. Ed sat on the edge of the bench and gave Sam's shoulder a gentle shake. "Sam…" He shook him again. "Hey, Sam, wake up." He didn't realise he was holding his breath until Sam's eyes fluttered open, much to his relief. "Hey, you need to go home."

Sam looked up at his TL, tiredly. He groaned as his ribs protested at him getting up. He should've known better than to lay down flat on his back. Ed helped him to sit up. "Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's understandable, considering the day you've had."

Sam smiled at him, amused, "Almost had the same day as you, Ed."

Ed chortled, "I guess so." He hesitated before speaking again, "Listen, I'm sorry about this morning."

Sam stretched, careful of his ribs, "No need. You didn't know about my ribs."

"That's not exactly what I'm apologising for." Ed knew he had to tell Sam everything no matter how ashamed he was of his actions today. "I was a little annoyed that you never really gave Donna a chance and yesterday, when I took her home, she was upset that you're cold towards her." Ed sighed, "I let it get to me."

Sam was reminded of his thoughts from last night about the hazing and how the team never hazed him. Now Ed was confirming what's been niggling at him for a while now. He was never really a part of the team. He felt his heart drop at that, wishing he never found out. Ed frowned when he thought he saw a curtain of despair fall over Sam, but it disappeared quickly and was covered up with a forced smile. "Tell her I'm sorry." Sam spoke once he managed to get his voice back. "I just don't want her thinking she can replace Jules on the team."

Ed nodded, Greg was right again. Sam was just protecting Jules. "No one can replace Jules." He promised.

Sam nodded. But I'm replaceable. He closed his eyes. This wasn't him. He faced his problems. He was honest and was never afraid to tell people what he was thinking. As much as Sam wanted to get up and leave this conversation, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wanted to know why Ed refused to accept him as a team member. "Can I ask you something?" Ed nodded. "Yesterday morning, you said you wanted Donna to feel like she's a part of the team. That's why you wanted to haze her." Ed nodded again albeit more slowly, unsure of where this was going. "You guys never hazed me." Ed felt like a rug was pulled from under him. So not only did Ed try to punish Sam for not accepting Donna but he'd been punishing him for something he was, unknowingly, guilty of himself. "Makes me wonder if I was ever a part of the team." Sam said softly.

Spike and Lou stood behind the lockers, dressed. They heard Ed start talking and didn't want to interrupt them. At first they were glad that Ed was apologising but hearing that last part sent guilt through them as well. They looked at each other asking the same question to themselves; why didn't we haze him? They waited for Ed to respond but he didn't and they knew they couldn't let Ed face this alone. This was as much their responsibility as it was his. They stepped out from behind the lockers. "Sam."

Sam turned around, a little embarrassed at seeing Lou and Spike. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Lou answered. "We're sorry."

Sam let out a long breath. Great, now everyone was going to know he was a whining idiot who felt left out. "Can we just forget what I said?" He got up and tried to leave the room when Ed grabbed his arm.

"No, we can't." Ed told him firmly. He watched Sam shut his eyes, as if trying to block out what Ed was about to say. "They follow my lead. We don't usually haze a new team member until I feel the team start to gel."

Sam felt worse and worse with every word. He opened his eyes and shrugged his arm out of Ed's grip. "Thanks for the explanation." Sam said softly, turning to leave again.

"I'll be the first to admit, that I didn't like the way you joined." Ed spoke quickly, stopping Sam from leaving but his words weren't helping. Sam did stop though. He might as well hear what they thought of him. "I didn't like how cocky you were, but you matured. By the time I realised you were a perfect fit for Team One, you'd already saved my life and proven yourself ten times over." Sam turned around tentatively, as if he didn't dare to believe Ed's words. Ed shrugged, "I can't haze a guy who managed to save my life when another teammate was fighting for hers. We didn't haze you because by the time I realised that we didn't, I already had too much respect for you, Sam."

"It didn't feel right. Anyway, you knew us too well. You would've noticed something was up." Spike spoke up. "It doesn't mean you're not a part of the team. We need you."

Sam ducked his head, feeling embarrassed for a different reason now. "Thanks, guys."

Ed turned to Spike and Lou, smiling. He was relieved to have cleared that up. He nudged his head towards the entrance to the men's locker room. "Take him home, Spike." Spike nodded.

Lou and Spike gave Ed a pat on the back as they passed him. "Come on, Sam. You look like you're going to keel over." Spike turned Sam around. Lou followed behind them.

"See you in the morning, Sam." Ed called out. Sam waved behind him before he disappeared from his sight. Ed smiled. He made a big mistake today but it was a blessing in disguise. He wasn't sure Sam would've talked to him if he hadn't brought it up and he only brought it up because he needed to apologise and explain his actions this morning.

Ed shook his head, not quite understanding what came over him. Greg was right. He and Donna clicked as soon as she joined the team. He was protecting her at the expense of Sam. He'd never make that mistake again.

The End.