Murdock sat quietly watching TV, Face had wanted him to go to bed but Murdock protested, saying he wanted to stay up for once. It was now about 1:00 in the morning and he couldn’t fall asleep. He told Face it was because all he had at the VA to do was eat and sleep and he wanted to do more while he was with him. But in truth he didn’t want to go to sleep, for some reason he was worried about his friend leaving him, and he wanted to keep an eye on him.

Murdock’s eyes began to try to drift shut, but he fought it. He heard thunder in the distance.

As he watched the TV he looked over to the recliner that Face lay asleep in, making sure he was still there ever so often. The thunder got closer and after a few minutes, a large clap of thunder and lightning hit near the house, at that the power submitted to the weather, and BOOM! It was gone.

Murdock gasped he wasn’t sure what to do. He suddenly couldn’t make out Face in the chair.

“ Face?” he whispered.

Face had silently awoke during the noise.

“ It’s OK Murdock I’m still here.” He said gently.

“ But, Face, I can’t see you.”

“Come here Murdock.”

Murdock tried to feel his way through the darkness to Face.

Before he got there he tripped over the coffee table and fell on the floor.

Face quickly went to him, he was so scarred.

“ Murdock? Are you OK?”

He said leaning over to help him. Murdock couldn’t move.

“ Oh, Murdock. It’s OK.”

He sat down on the floor and held him close.

Then he felt something on his hand.

“ I felt that, Murdock.”

“ W…. what?”

“ That tear on my hand. What’s wrong?”

“ I …..I just don’t want to loose you, ever.”

“ Murdock I’m not leaving you.”

“ But what’s to keep you from dying?”

N….n..Nothing, but I think…….. You need to know something about that.”

He took Murdock’s hand and brought it to his chest.

“ You feel that?”

“ Y…yes.”

“ That’s half of my heart, when I die this half is going to join my other half.”

“ W..w..where’s the other half?”

He took the captains hand to touch his own chest.

“ Right there, When I die my heart will turn to one inside you. I promise”

Murdock began to cry again.

“H.M. don’t cry, whats wrong.”

“ I don’t want to loose you, Face.”

“ You never will Murdock. Like in the dark, you won’t be able to see me, but you will be able to feel me inside you. In that way I will repay all the warm and gentle love you’ve given me.”

“Please don’t leave me soon.”

“ Murdock” Face moved closer. “ Do you feel that?”

Murdock felt his heart beat near his ear.

“ Yes, I know my heart is inside you too, I feel it.”

Murdock gripped Face’s hand to his chest and they lay for a long time learning the beats of each other’s hearts.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

30 MIN LATER

Face squeezed Murdock’s hand and stood up.

“ We better get a little sleep, you can have the couch.”

Murdock still holding Face’s hand decided not to let go.

“ Face can you stay with me, I want our hearts to be as close as possible until they have to be one.”

“ Of course Murdock.”

Face made himself a pallet by the couch and watched Murdock fall asleep.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

HOURS LATER

Murdock awoke to look at his friend who lay asleep on the floor beside him.

Murdock had decided to ‘fall off’ the couch earlier, for fear of a returning nightmare.

He knew even before he opened his eyes that Face was there. He could feel his heart, that close. He then tentatively reached out to lay a hand on Face’s chest for reassurance.

Face awoke soon after that and Murdock tried to pull away.

“ No, Murdock leave it there, I need to know you’re here too.”

There was nothing else said but they communicated with their eyes for a long time before Face decided to sing so Murdock would go to sleep.

He sang clearly into Murdock’s ears.

Go to sleep

Dear sweet friend

Go to sleep in my arms

Go to sleep feel my heart

As I turn away all harms

For you see

If you sleep

You’ll wake up to see me

Sleeping right by your side.

Murdock was asleep soon after.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

NEXT TRAINING SESSION WITH HANNIBAL

Hannibal had sent Murdock and Face on a run together, and sat to talk to B.A.

“ Sergeant, have you noticed a difference in those two?”

“ No what you talkin’ about?”

“ Well they don’t talk to each other as much but, they are always communicating. Somehow…I don’t know.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

ON THERE RUN

Face and Murdock ran together out onto the road. They could both feel each other’s hearts racing. As they could now feel everything.

Something happened and Murdock felt his friend’s pace drop suddenly.

“ Face?”

Face lay on the ground in a heap of blood.

“ FACE!”

He heard another shot come from behind him and he saw the killer fall.

Hannibal and B.A. were not far behind.

Murdock knelt down to help his fallen friend.

“ Face, no, no, no please don’t leave me, not now, I just got all the love in the world don’t let me loose it now, please!”

“ M..Murdock? Do you feel it?”

“ NO! Face I don’t want to, you’ve still got it.”

Tears escaped Murdock’s eyes in full force.

“ No…no Murdock it’s all yours now, all inside here.”

Face reached up to touch Murdock’s chest.

“ It’s…a..all right….th…There.”

Hannibal and B.A. watched as Murdock and Face shared the last moments of his life together to in tune with their friend’s emotions to inter fear.

Murdock took his hand and broght it to his own face.

“ Please Face. Don’t.”

“ Murdock? I love you.”

“Face?…..face? p…please?”

He held Face’s limp hand in his and held it to his chest.

“ Face? Face listen to me! You feel it? I have your heart, I feel you, please talk to me.”

Murdock felt no pulse in the Lt.’s hand but a sudden jolt in his own and for a fleeting moment he felt a second pulsing rhythm, deep within him.

Murdock suddenly felt a strange warm feeling in his heart, Face had been right.

THE END