Title: Patterns

Author: scgirl_317

Summary: Once is a fluke. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern.

Author's Note: With Drew back in Afghanistan, presumably deployed not long after he and Rick tied the knot, I started to wonder how Rick would handle being the one left behind. So after mulling on it for several days, this is what materialized.

The first time was early on a slow night. TC knew better than to question anything, just be thankful for the few cold and flu patients that made their way in. Molly directed him to the next patient, and he almost did a double take when he saw who it was.

"Rick, what did you do?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The Army vet had the decency to look chagrined. There were several bruises and superficial scrapes on his arms, and his left leg was propped up on the bed to display a rather angry looking knee.

"I was rock climbing, and slipped repelling down. Think I twisted my knee."

"Didn't know you climbed," TC commented, setting the chart aside to examine the injured appendage.

"Used to," Rick replied. "Drew and I used to go on these hiking trips, and more than once, we'd find ourselves free climbing a two hundred foot cliff. After the accident, there never seemed like time. Thought I'd see if I still had it in me, and when Drew gets back…"

Rick trailed off, but TC knew the rest of that sentence. The younger doctor's deployment had hit them all hard, but none more so than the man he had just married. Hell, the two hadn't even had a chance for a proper honeymoon when Drew's reserve unit had been called up.

"Doesn't feel like anything is out of place," TC stated, turning back to business. "Looks like just a mild sprain. Nothing an ace bandage and some Tylenol won't take care of. I would say to stay off it for a while, but I know who I'm talking to, so I'll settle for try to keep it elevated as much as possible, and ice it regularly."

Rick nodded, and TC set about wrapping the joint. There was a moment of silence before TC spoke up again.

"You been able to talk to Drew recently?"

"Yeah, he managed a few minutes on Skype, this morning," Rick replied. "There's apparently some guys stationed on base that he's served with before. They've got a weekly pick-up basketball game on Fridays."

TC could feel Rick tense up as he spoke, and he had a pretty good idea why.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

The response was short and clipped. The fact that Rick was not as okay as he proclaimed was obvious, but TC let it lie. But he did make a mental note to keep an eye on Rick until Drew returned.

The second time was roughly a month later. Rick was back in the ER, this time with a deep slice in his hand.

"So how did this happen?" TC asked, cleaning the cut before suturing the wound closed.

"I was sealing the shower in our bathroom, and the blade I was using to remove the old caulk slipped."

TC paused, looking at Rick with a raised eyebrow. "You were sealing a shower at one in the morning?"

Rick shrugged, "Wasn't tired, so I figured I'd do something productive."

"Having trouble sleeping?" TC asked as he began cleaning the wound.

"Not really, my brain just didn't flip the off switch when it normally does."

"Well, let me know if it keeps up, and I'll write you a script for some Ambien. Can't have you keeling over on the job because you're exhausted. Drew would kill me."

Rick looked about to protest, but then apparently ceded the point. While Rick might try to brush it off if something like that ever happened, he knew the odds of TC finding out and telling Drew were pretty high.

"I got an email from him, the other day," TC said, finishing up bandaging the hand. "He seems to get along with the rest of the medical staff pretty well."

"The medical staff, yes. His CO, not so much. According to Drew, he's an egotistical paper-pusher who's never actually seen combat, strictly admin. He drives Drew crazy. Just another reason Drew can't wait to get back."

"You're already counting the days, aren't you?" TC asked softly.

"Have been since the day he left. Doesn't help when our already too short conversations get cut off by some emergency."

"Something happen, today?"

Rick shrugged, "All I know is he got pulled away less than thirty seconds into our call."

"Drew's good at what he does, both as a doctor and a soldier," TC stated. "He can make it."

The ER was humming with activity. Molly had gotten the call that multiple gunshot victims were en route, the result of a police operation gone sideways. It wasn't long before the doors parted and the first gurney came wheeling through, paramedics rattling off stats. A second gurney came through, but the third caused TC to freeze for a split second.

Memories came flooding back of a panicked Drew all but screaming for his help; softly saying, "This is Rick," his eyes conveying all the meaning he was then still unwilling stop say out loud; begging TC to do whatever he could to save Rick's leg. This couldn't be happening again.

TC quickly gathered himself and tuned in to what the EMT was saying. Two GSWs, one in the shoulder, one in the neck, both flesh wounds. Ten milligrams morphine administered on site. Blood pressure ninety over seventy, pulse eighty. Patient lucid and no longer swearing like the soldier he was, apparently.

Satisfied that Topher and the day shift fill-in had the other patients under control, TC got to work on Rick. The shoulder wound was a through and through, and rather straightforward to patch. The neck was another story. While nothing more than a graze, the knowledge that it could so easily have been worse made TC's gut clench. Less than an inch to the left, and Drew would be a widower. Yeah, Rick wasn't getting off so easy, this time.

Several hours later, when all of the official business had been dealt with and things slowed down, TC made his way to Rick's room. As much as he knew this was something that needed to be done, he was still somewhat reluctant to actually start the conversation. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and checked that Rick was actually awake.

"Knock, knock."

"Hey, TC," Rick replied, eyes glassy from the morphine. "You're probably pretty tired of patching me up, at this point, huh?"

"That's one way of putting it," TC muttered, moving to sit in the chair by the bed. "Rick, we need to talk."

"Nothing good ever follows that sentence," Rick groaned.

"You're not okay," TC stated plainly. "I should know, I spent four years telling people I was okay when I wasn't. You've never been the one left behind, and I get that it sucks, but you have got to get your head together, because the next time you come in here, it may be something I can't fix. Do you know how close Drew came to being a widower, tonight?"
Rick seemed to shrink in on himself as TC's words hit home.

"I thought dealing with my leg was hard, but at least that was something I had some control over," he said in a small voice. "With this, I'm helpless. All I can do is sit and wait for the next email or phone call, and pray that he's all right when I hear shelling in the background."

"Is that what happened today?" TC asked softly. Rick looked at him with some surprise, and TC shrugged, "The last two times you've been in here have been after talking to Drew. Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern."

"This time, the line went out," Rick explained. "I was going to go nuts if I just sat waiting to hear something, so when one of the SWAT commanders I've worked with asked me to join his unit for a raid, I jumped. I figured it was something to keep my mind off of Drew. Obviously, things did not go as planned. I'm just not used to not being so helpless, TC."

"I know, Rangers do not take inaction easily," TC replied with a grin. "You're not the only one who cares about him, you know. We're all waiting for him to come home, too. I just want you to realize that we're here for you, as well."

"Thanks, TC. I'll try to remember that."
TC smiled and stood to leave.

"That's all I ask. Get some rest and I'll be back to check on you later." He was almost out the door when he paused and turned back around. "You and Drew ever think about getting a dog? Might help keep you occupied. Just a thought."

Fin.