OCEAN BLUES

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Thomas was tense. Even with his vision slightly distorted by the salt water, Rick could see that he was at the end of his rope. Magnum was not an impatient man; Rick was the one whose fingers itched behind the trigger, unable to remain immobile in the face of a situation that could blow at any moment.

Magnum had clearly been in a fight, probably with the man he was sharing the raft with, before the boat somehow disappeared. At least, that's what the fresh cut and the purpling bruise on Magnum's forehead told him.

"Drink up, there's a water bottle in there." Rick jerked his finger towards the emergency kit that Thomas had grabbed and couldn't help his frown when Magnum jerked minutely, almost as if he had been startled by the order.

The blissful (if worrying) silence was broken by Nadella, who started whining that he would die of dehydration and blood loss if he did not get any water to drink. Magnum tossed him the other bottle of water, effectively shutting him up without uttering a single syllable.

The action meant that Nadella missed the subtle tightening around Magnum's eyes that revealed how much pain the veteran was in, but Rick was paying attention for those signs. The second sign was the slight tremors running through Thomas' hand; exhaustion was clearly taking over.

"Coast guard's 15 minutes out, then we'll get you to a hospital," Rick raised his eyebrow when Magnum opened his mouth to protest. "You're getting checked out, at the very least. You spent a day running around cats, which you're apparently allergic to, and a little bird told me that you got hit by a car yesterday, so you're getting those ribs checked."

"You're like a brooding mother." The mutter was barely decipherable, but Rick was well versed in 'pouting-Tommy' language.

"And you're like a sulky teenager."

It was mundane, inane banter that helped them take their mind off the fact that Thomas could have died. That Nadella could have just as easily put a bullet in his brain, or else tied him to the boat before it exploded… too many possibilities. Too many different outcomes.

Rick had long since learned that it did them no good to think of what could have happened, but old habits die hard when one faces death as if she was a regular mistress.

A foot nudged against his arm, jolting him out of his reverie. Magnum was glaring at him.

"I'm fine, Rick. Stop worrying."

The foot was replaced by a hand that gently squeezed his arm, even if Thomas lost what little colour he had had in his face once he leaned forward. Rick was saved from chiding him when a sudden increase in the waves signalled the arrival of the coast guard, something which he was secretly glad for. Despite his insistence that he was fine, Magnum was evidently fading fast and drowning in his pain and exhaustion.

"Mr Wright, get Nadella on the ladder first." Katsumoto's order was almost tinged with concern, but mostly annoyed.

"He shot me in the leg, I can't climb any ladders!" Nadella lamented, grasping at his wounded limb a tad too dramatically for Rick to actually believe him.

"Well, you shouldn't have kidnapped him," Rick deadpanned.

Annoyance didn't even describe his sentiment when the medics on board promptly lowered a harness and told him to tie the rogue agent up properly so that they could pull him on board; nobody said anything if the straps were a bit too tight.

"Is Magnum okay to climb?"

"I think so." Despite being the first one to climb on the ladder, Rick remained close to Magnum so that he could help him if the need arose. Magnum didn't approve.

"I'm fine." Thomas seized the scales and hoisted himself up with a barely stifled groan that had Rick almost yelling for another harness before the other was pushing at his ass, hurrying him up. If it weren't for the fact that Magnum would surely lose his white-knuckled grip until the harness was lowered, Rick would have remained firmly where he was.

Rick didn't even manage to towel his face dry before all the warning bells went off in his head even louder than before. He and TC always teased Magnum for being cat-like, and it wasn't because of his habit to lounge around in the sun whenever he could. Magnum's steps, no matter what kind of shoes he was wearing, were always dead silent. So, even considering the fact that he was wearing thick-soled boots, the thump as he jumped on deck should not have been so heavy.

The warning gave him just enough time to turn and witness Thomas swaying before his knees buckled.

Rick lunged forward, catching Magnum against his chest and lowering him down to lie semi-propped on Rick's own knees – it was way too easy to restrain him when Thomas attempted to shake him off and sit up on his own. The effort left him positively grey in the face.

"Sip this." One of the paramedics was suddenly there and Rick only managed to hide his shock through sheer will as he opened the energy drink and gently tipped it into Magnum's mouth until the latter turned his face away.

The paramedic deftly opened Magnum's shirt, revealing the (now ruined) bandages and the myriad of colours that wrapped around his side like a cold blanket. Thomas' minute flinches and attempts to shuffle away sharply reminded Rick how south this particular investigation had gone, and he couldn't help but blister when the brisk paramedic prodded Thomas' torso a bit too roughly and bid him to breathe deeper as she listened to his lungs. A barrage of coughs interrupted her examination.

"His ribs are broken; can't you be any gentler?" Rick automatically grabbed Magnum's hand, uncaring of the spectators as weak fingers squeezed back, mutely thankful for the support. The lack of strength would have been concerning if Magnum wasn't still wheezing, his chest heaving in the attempt to fill his lungs with air.

"I'm just doing my job." Despite her biting tone, something seemed to soften in her approach as she cleaned the inside of his elbow, "I'm just going to push some painkillers, all right?"

"No," Magnum mumbled, painstakingly opening his eyes again and attempting to take his arm away. It was a vain attempt, which seemed to frustrate him.

"Don't worry Thomas, I've got you." Rick squeezed Magnum's hand, reminding the other that he was not alone, and Thomas seemed to relax slightly.

"Mr Magnum?" At least now she seemed actually concerned, and Rick couldn't help but shoot her a small smile.

"Okay." Thomas' arm promptly stopped moving, allowing the paramedic to insert the needle and hook him to an IV before injecting the painkillers.

"Morphine?" Rick couldn't help questioning when all the tension seemed to bleed out from Thomas' frame; he was asleep, but that wasn't surprising. Thomas never really took long to process pain meds.

"Yeah. A doctor will write him a prescription for weaker painkillers before he's discharged." She put her supplies away before patting down his legs, making sure that there were no hidden injuries.

"Rick, we're at the docks. Let them take him." Rick watched dumbly as Magnum was put on a stretcher and loaded in the ambulance. He was about to follow but the doors were closed and Katsumoto held him back – it took all of Rick's will to not punch him in the face, but that wouldn't transport him to the back of the ambulance.

"I'll drive you, come on." Katsumoto stirred him to the car and Rick knew that he ought to thank the man, but the whole trip to the hospital was a blur and he barely remembered making it to TC's and Higgins' side.

He was only shocked out of his stupor when he saw Magnum awake, even if evidently exhausted, and looking more alive than he had on the whole trip back to the island.

Apart from the never-ending bruises and contusions and the broken ribs, he was only suffering from dehydration.

He started to wish Magnum was still asleep when they were subject to him pestering every passing nurse and doctor to let him go home, but eventually his begging paid off and Rick filled Magnum's prescription before sinking into the backseat of TC's truck, thankful for the soft cushions.

Magnum dozed off immediately.

"You reek of seawater and smoke, so go take a shower before heading to bed, Magnum! You'll sleep more comfortably as well." Despite her seeming irritation, her voice was still somewhat soft, her concern seeping through the cracks of her armour. It was endearing, honestly, up until she walked out without even looking back at them.

"I'm tired, Higgins!" Thomas' protest was the result of his exhaustion, but Rick agreed with the woman.

"Do I need to take a shower as well, Thomas?" It was a subtle hint, one that would sound like a joke to most ears, but Rick had no doubt that both Magnum and TC would understand him.

"Give me ten minutes."

Higgins returned with a fully stocked first aid that would make James Bond jealous and dropped it in Magnum's room along with a blanket.

He came out 9 minutes and 50 seconds after going in, huddled in a fluffy bathrobe and completely spent. Rick, having been by the door about to go in, promptly steered him towards the bed and allowed him to sink heavily in the mattress. TC kept him sitting up while Rick bandaged his ribs but considering how Magnum's head lolled backwards, he wouldn't be awake for long.

"Did he even take a nap during the last two days?" TC questioned as he attempted to keep Magnum's head from slipping off his shoulder.

"Not 'eally," Magnum slurred, batting away Rick's hand after the latter finished tying off the bandage and making a move to lie down.

"Wait, you need to take your pills," Rick said, making sure that his voice was soft even if he was leaving Magnum no option.

"I'm still loopy from the other drugs Rick," Magnum mumbled, half glaring at the blond.

"You're exhausted, not loopy, and I don't want you to wake up in the middle of the night because you're in too much pain to sleep or else you're having a belated allergy reaction." Rick pressed the pills against Magnum's lips, easily overpowering his resistance even if it broke his heart to hear the small whimper that escaped from Thomas' throat. He hoped that the glistening sheen in Magnum's eyes was either due to exhaustion or else a trick of the light, because he wouldn't be able to be strict with a crying Magnum.

"We'll wake you up if you start having nightmares," TC commented, squeezing Magnum's ankle in a silent display of brotherhood – Thomas nudged him with his foot in return, slowly calming down as he let their presence wash over him.

"Come on Tommy, just wash 'em down." Rick gently held up Thomas' head until the latter drank enough water to swallow the pills, then covered him with the blanket and sat up next to him, a book already at hand.

Thomas was asleep before Rick even opened it.

Their first hint was Magnum's fist curling into the duvet.

The second hint was the full-body flinch.

Rick all but tossed the book to the floor when Thomas attempted to curl into himself and a whimper escaped him as his wounds protested his movements.

TC immediately came to the bed and gathered Thomas in his arms, making sure that he was not putting pressure on his ribs as he restrained him against his chest. Even though they were as gentle as possible, the sudden shift in movement seemed to panic Magnum and he attempted to escape TC's hold (or the hold of whoever had his hands on him in the nightmare).

Rick barely managed to avoid the kick that would have shattered his nose, but Tommy's wide, unseeing eyes seemed to somehow track his movements and he was still clocked harshly enough for him to see stars for a brief second before he managed to trap both of Magnum's legs underneath him.

A cushion went on Thomas' knees when he attempted to ruin Rick's ability to have children.

"You'll never get to them, you know."

Thomas was deadly still. The morbid grin was nauseatingly sweet and promised the most extreme pain to those who did him wrong.

Rick never thought that it would be aimed at him.

"We're fine, buddy. Nobody's hurting us now." Rick raised his hands in the universal placating gesture, but the action seemed only to reel Magnum up even more; he bucked once more against TC, stopping himself when pain flared across his chest, harshly reminding him of the broken ribs.

The snarl was expected, but no less disturbing.

"You're the only one hurting yourself, Thomas." TC's baritone seemed to startle Magnum, but it also seemed to displace the illusion that had grasped him.

"Who are you?" The thrashing was somewhat limited now, Magnum's doubts easily echoed in his body language. Despite the seeming pliancy, TC didn't completely loosen his grip; Magnum could still be trying to trick them in order to get free.

"It's Orville and TC, we're in Hawaii – you're safe." Rick replied, proving his statement by loosening his grip on the pillow that successfully restrained Magnum's legs. Like TC, he didn't fully let go; Thomas had deceived them one too many times.

"Hawaii? Nuzo?"

TC felt Magnum's heart skip a beat before a full body tremor successfully shed away the last hold of the nightmare and plunged Magnum headfirst into a panic. It was a known routine now; TC loosened his hold and allowed Rick to gather Magnum in a hug, letting the smaller man curl up against his chest and stifle the gut-wrenching sobs that escaped as his grief washed over him again and the shock of being back in the hole, albeit in his mind, oozed out of his system.

Neither one of them said anything. They had long since learned that Thomas did not respond well to sweet nothings once in such a state; he'd calm down on his own as long as they were there with him, a physical proof that he was not alone and that their brotherhood had survived beyond the clutches of the Taliban.

Their touch made up for the lack of words. TC rubbed Magnum's back, massaging out the tension at times or simply letting his hand rest there, its weight both warming and comforting. Rick allowed Thomas to cling to him and idly brushed his fingers through Tommy's hair, blunt fingernails scratching against his scalp and offering Thomas something to focus on while he calmed. (It was painful to hear the wheezing as his ribs protested the heaving lungs underneath them, but Thomas was quite obviously oblivious of the pain.)

Less than a half hour later, Magnum's deadly grip on Rick's shirt slowly loosened until his arm fell lifelessly to the bed. They gave him another five minutes to make sure that he was truly asleep before lying him down and smoothing the duvet over him again.

TC wordlessly got a washcloth and wiped away the sweat and tear tracks before settling on the chair again.

The second nightmare managed to wrench a blood-curdling scream from Thomas, despite all of their efforts to quiet him down. Rick flinched at the evident pain; it was raw – an open soul that Thomas didn't want to be examined but that he was having a hard time hiding at the moment.

The door barging open had Rick reaching for the invisible gun on his hip, but he realised that it was Higgins before he reached for the actual gun strapped around his ankle.

"Is he okay?"

Her question was answered by a long wheeze as Magnum bucked against their hands, tears trailing down the sides of his face as the pain refused to loosen its hold on him. The painkillers seemed to be absolutely useless in such a scenario; Magnum's thrashing reawakened the slumbering pains and the fact that he had managed to somehow curl in a ball against the headrest of the bed was not helping matters. His face was buried between his arms and knees, chin digging in his chest – they couldn't even see his face.

Neither Nick nor TC attempted to touch him.

"Nightmare."

"It hurts, Nuzo!"

Rick felt himself at the phrase, and he had no doubt that TC was just as unsettled. Thomas never, ever, complained of the pain. It was one thing that really annoyed them in the pit; when out of his solitary confinement, if he had enough strength, Magnum would bury his pain under a joyful mask and take care of all of them, making sure that their hope never dwindled.

Rick knew that they wouldn't have made it without Magnum's optimism and encouragement, but it killed him that their friend barely talked about his own pains of that time.

The only time he had complained of the pain was when Nuzo had had to crudely cauterize his wound. Their ideal situation had led to an infection that only left Magnum alive via a miracle sent from above, but it had wrecked him completely, stripping away every mask and layer until he lay quivering in their arms, crying against the pain and the burning and how they didn't deserve this.

He never quite talked of himself, and whether he deserved it or not.

"Magnum? It's okay, we can help with the pain." Higgins said clearly as she sat on the edge of the bed and spread her arms in a non-threatening gesture.

Magnum merely snorted in response, clearly not believing whoever he was hearing.

"You're going to irritate your ribs, you absolute arse," Higgins claimed, trying to inject her usual annoyance in her voice rather than her worry.

"I doubt he's hearing you, Higgy," TC murmured.

Despite his claim, Magnum's tension shifted from hostile to curious; something had almost managed to break through his haze.

"Tommy? We're not there anymore, we're safe. We live in Hawaii." Rick gingerly reached out and squeezed Magnum's ankle, a reassuring sign that he was not alone. Thankfully, Magnum didn't lash out or attempt to kick him again.

"You live on Robin's estate and have made it your personal goal to annoy me." Higgins pointed out, providing a semblance of normality that seemed to slowly drag him back from wherever he was. TC's and Rick's physical proximity aided the matter, as evident from him suddenly reaching out and grabbing Rick's wrist, fingers tracking his pulse almost unconsciously. (Rick didn't mention that the grip was strong enough to bruise.)

"Keep talking, Higgins." TC urged, resting his hand on Magnum's shoulder gingerly – he relaxed once Magnum didn't shake him off.

"Honestly, screaming in the middle of the night? Some people actually sleep you know." It was difficult to conjure up insults when she was actively trying; it didn't help that she usually didn't mean half of them.

It was even more difficult when all of her instincts were screaming at her to stop kicking an already downed soldier.

Despite all logic, the familiar banter seemed to be working; Magnum's grip on his knees loosened until his hand was pulling at the loose threads in a blanket that she had never seen before.

"I'm surprised that the lads didn't run you up a tree; they usually hate people who disturb their sleep."

There was an unintelligible grumble and Magnum lowered his knees, shifting until he was sitting cross-legged. He still slouched, but that could easily be attributed to his exhaustion.

"You with us, Tommy?" Rick twitched the wrist that Magnum was still holding, hoping that the slight movement would be further evidence that they were all still very much alive. Magnum's grip abruptly loosened, fingers caressing the reddened skin for a brief moment before tired (but thankfully coherent) eyes met Rick's gaze. "Don't you dare apologise. I'm fine."

"Yeah." The guttural affirmation prompted a short cough that had all pretences dropping away; Rick could see the pain etched in the lines around Magnum's eyes, the slight down-curl of his mouth, the tense jaw. Tommy's fingers flexed around the blanket that he was staring at; the threads were apparently remarkably interesting.

"That wound is closed, brother. Nuzo did what he had to do." TC stated softly as he squeezed the back of Magnum's neck; it was a familiar gesture, as familiar as Rick's habit to tousle Tommy's hair or squeeze his closest limb.

"I know." The short answers were both annoying and concerning. It told everybody that Magnum was still captured in his brain, trying to find his way to them completely.

"Drink some water, Magnum, then you're due for another dose. I don't think you've noticed yet, but the moon is full tonight; it would be beautiful near the pool or on the beach." Higgins' voice startled all of them – they had nearly forgotten that she was there as well.

Despite the fact that they were not used to her brashness after such naked vulnerability, they were also surprised by the short, genuine, laugh that Magnum gave. It was a new normal, but for Magnum, it seemed to be a good addition.

They ended up sprawled on Robin's private beach, drinking tea (and lots of water, in Magnum's case) and huddling together against the cool morning air. They ended up talking about everything and nothing as the guys made sure that Magnum took all of his medications, even if he tried to throw them away. (He didn't admit that he liked to hear their voices and didn't want the medicine to drag him under so soon. Higgins' accent in particular was a stark, yet subtle reminder that he was home, not there.)

Sure enough, the drone of their words, the medicine, and the reassuring presence of his brothers (and their cuddling) lulled Thomas back to sleep soon enough, and Higgins watched as TC scooped him up in his arms like a toddler, ignoring the half-assed complaints and the attempted wiggling.

She remained on the beach, allowing them to tuck him in without her witnessing how Rick tenderly brushed Tommy's hair back, palm lingering on his forehead before withdrawing, or how TC pulled up the blankets and made sure that Magnum was aware of his presence by allowing one hand to drape over Magnum's legs.

It wasn't in her place to witness those tender moments, but it was in her place to keep her eye on him throughout the day, listing every shift and whimper and groan and breath, making sure that he was getting anything he needed.

Anything to make a friend's recovery as comfortable as possible.

(If Kumu found her dozing off at the desk, she wisely didn't say anything but drape a blanket over her shoulder and offer a cushion for her neck.)

Hi! This has been promised a long while ago, hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave any prompts below - I usually get around to writing them after university.

Anyway, if you have any pointers on characterisation, mishaps I did, or any comments you'd like to leave on this fic feel free! I love to hear feedback, even if it is simply whether you liked it or not!

Kudos,
Chrisii x

PS: Disclaimer; I do not own Magnum PI and am not making any profit from this, but I do own this story and I sincerely wish I will NOT see my work copied elsewhere without my explicit permission, as I have already seen this week.