Title: Bridges
Author: smokeycat_430/Meg
Fandom: Journeyman
Rating: PG-13ish
Summary: Dan goes back on a mission to help a young father and his family.
Bunny: #10

Dan Vasser was not one to sleep in, as a reporter he was used to getting up at all hours of the night, going out whenever he got a call of a breaking story. Luckily, it was not one of those mornings. Even if he wanted to get out of bed, Dan did not know if he would be able to get very far. It hurt to roll over and look at the clock, but he managed and when he did so he was not happy at what looked back at him.

"Oh, shit," Dan cursed, sitting up quickly to rub the sleep from his eyes in order to make sure he had read the clock correctly. He looked back at the clock and groaned when the display did not change. He was late for work again.

Ever since starting at the San Francisco Register Dan had only missed work a handful of times without letting his boss know ahead of time. Once when his son was born, a couple times when he had been stuck in traffic coming into the city, a couple more times he had accidentally overslept after a night finishing a story or following a lead. For the life of him, Dan could not recall the last time he had missed work because he was sick. Dan coughed and rolled onto his back, placing his forearm across his eyes.

Katie walked into the bedroom carrying a basket full of clean towels.  She set the basket on the end of the bed and came around to sit next to Dan. She placed a hand on his shoulder," Dan, you're going to be late for work."

"I know," he sniffled, managing to raise himself on one arm.

"I tried to wake you earlier but I couldn't get you up but you were too far gone."

"You did? I don't remember," he sat up all the way and leaned against the headboard. "I can't afford to miss work now, Hugh is constantly on my ass, I've been getting farther and farther behind ever since...."

"Your, uh, traveling started?" Katie offered, still not quite sure what to call Dan's disappearances.

Dan nodded and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I can't afford to miss anymore work," he repeated as he let out a long breath, running his hands down his face. "I need to take a shower," he swung his legs over the side of the bed and carefully stood up. The room began to spin and for a moment and Dan thought he was going to travel. He stayed in place, in time, and Dan realized it was nothing more than the onset of a normal headache.

Katie saw her husband sway and quickly helped steady him by placing a hand on his back. "Easy there," she slid her arm down and wrapped it around Dan's waist. "Maybe you should sit down for another moment." Dan agreed and allowed Katie to help him back to the bed.

Dan sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over, resting bent elbows on his legs, resting his head in his hands. "I don't need this right now," he rubbed angrily at his nose as he felt a tickle slowly making its way to the tip. Too tired to fight the tickle anymore, Dan gave up and allowed the tickle to intensify into a sneeze. Dan doubled over at impact, bending over at the waist but Katie was right behind him, hand placed on his back making small circles.

"Ooh, that doesn't sound good," Katie observed, placing the back of her free hand against Dan's forehead. "You're warm. I'm going to get the thermometer." She stood and kissed the top of Dan's head on her way to the bathroom. "Be right back."

Dan put the back of his own hand against his forehead but could not feel a difference in temperature. Finally, Dan resigned and reached over for the phone to call Hugh when his headache suddenly intensified. "Katie!" he called. Knowing he did not have long, Dan slipped on his slippers that lay on the floor next to the bed. "Kat--"

"Dan?" Katie stepped out of the bathroom, waving the thermometer back and forth to clear it. "Oh," she sighed and went back into the bathroom to put the thermometer away.

The next thing Dan knew he was lying face up in the front yard of a townhouse. The clear sky above was dark; closer to the earth, streetlights cast an orange glow down to the sidewalks below. The fog that normally blanketed the bay was absent so Dan was able to walk out from the doorway and make out the dark ocean at the bottom of the sloping street. Judging by his proximity to the waterfront, and the couple street signs he could make out, Dan guessed he had landed near the Marina.

Fog also normally kept the bay insulated and warm but that night it was freezing cold, causing Dan's already runny nose to act up even more. He sniffled hard and rubbed his nose along the back of his hand as left the yard, taking in the houses around him. Christmas lights hung from the roofs of several houses and matching Christmas trees could be spotted through several windows. Decembers in San Francisco never quite felt like winter but sometimes they could get close. 

The ground was cold and the thin soles of the slippers provided little insulation. Dan held his crossed arms over his chest in an attempt to keep what little heat he had close to his body. At that moment, Dan wished he had grabbed a coat on his way out. He reached up and rubbed his forehead only to find it wet, a thin layer of sweat had begun to coat his brow. Not a good sign, Dan thought.

Dan sighed and wiped his hand on his pant leg. Hearing a door slam, they looked up just in time to see a man walking down the driveway of the house Dan had just been at. The man appeared to be dressed no better than Dan, wearing flannel sleeping pants, T-shirt and slippers. Making his way to the car parked in the driveway, the man pulled keys from his pocket, fumbling around trying to find the right one.

Suddenly, from somewhere nearby, the low moaning of pipes could be heard coming from one of the houses. The noise intensified for a few seconds, crescendoing with a loud pop. The sound of gushing water could be heard coming from where the moaning had been.

"Oh, fuck. Please, no." Dan watched as the man quickly turned from his car and ran back to his house, instead of going back inside, he went around the side of the building. "Oh! God damn! I knew this was going to happen!" he exclaimed, voice seeming louder than it was as it echoed around the deserted street.

 "Need some help?" Dan offered as he rushed over to find the man crouching over his busted water pipes.

The man looked a little confused, trying to figure out why someone would be wandering the streets on such a cold night. "Er, yeah, sure. I'm gonna turn off the water main and get some duct tape. Not much to do until I get back," he straightened and went back into his house.

A couple minutes later the water was turned off and the man returned, roll of duct tape in hand. "Okay, here's the tape. You can start by wrapping some around the pipes on the left. I'm gonna go to the garage and see if I can find some old newspaper or something we can use as insulation." He left Dan again, this time for the garage around the corner.

Dan ripped the duct tape with his teeth and began to work. The pipes were brittle and ice was already beginning to form from the escaped water; it didn't take long before Dan's slippers were soaked through.

"Greg?" Dan looked up to find a young woman standing over him, a small baby cradled in her arms. "You're not Greg."

"Uh, no."

"Alisha, what are you doing out here? It's freezing cold," Greg came up behind Alisha, placing an arm about her shoulders. "You should get back inside with the baby."

"A loud noise woke me up. You weren't in bed with me and I couldn't find you in the house so I came outside to see if the car was gone."

"I couldn't sleep so I checked on the baby. He was fine so I decided to stay up and look over some shipment papers for work. I heard a groaning noise and then the pipes burst," Greg explained as he stooped over to help Dan with the pipes. "I can take it from here, thanks."

Dan nodded and stepped away from Greg and his family. He made his way toward the street once again but didn't get very far until a familiar pressure was back in his head...

Dan found himself back in the present, this time standing in the middle of the hallway outside his son Zack's bedroom door. Although Dan felt as if he had been gone less than thirty minutes, in real time he had been missing more than two hours.

Back in the warmth of his house, Dan was suddenly aware of how wet his pants were and how cold his leg had become. He shivered and made his way back to the master bedroom to change. Before he could make it back into the room he heard his wife calling to him from Zack's room.

"Dan? Is that you?" Dan stopped and turned, finding Katie walking down the hall toward him. "You're back," she gave a small half-smile and reached up to place a hand on her husband's chest. "And you're soaked," she observed, noticing the dark wet fabric.

"Yeah, I was just going to go change," he sniffled hard and ran the back of his hand against his nose.

"I was just checking on Zack, I think he caught your bug. Looks like you'll both be staying at home today. Dan. Dan, did you hear what I said?"

He held up his hand before quickly turned away from Katie, clasping a hand over his nose and mouth he released a loud and wet sneeze.

"Bless you, honey," she reached up and touched his forehead. "Go change. I'm going to grab the thermometer and go back to Zack. I want you to set a good example and show your son how to sit still when his temperature is being taken."

Back in his bedroom, Dan grabbed stripped down and toweled himself off then changed into dry pants and T-shirt and tennis shoes. Entering the bathroom, he tossed his soggy slippers in the bathtub to dry. Splashing warm water on his face, Dan ran his hands down his face and groaned. As sore and sick as he felt when he woke up, he now felt at least twice as bad as he had before. He tore at a roll of toilet paper and pressed a wad to his nose, blowing harshly. He then made sure to grab a handful of toilet paper on his way out, Dan make his way toward his son's room.

Dan knocked on the door as he entered, finding Katie sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking the side of their son's face with the back of his hand.

"Hey, bud," Dan came over to join his wife, sitting on the opposite side of the bed.

"Dad," Zack smiled up at his father.

"Not feeling so hot, huh?" Zack shook his head. "I know how you feel and we are going to spend all day together trying to change that," Dan smiled back at his son before leaning back against the headboard, resting his hands behind his head. "First, we need our temperature taken, okay?"

Katie stood up and walked over to Dan's side of the bed. "Dad is going to show the grown up way of getting you temperature taken. Open your mouth." Dan did as he was told and Katie slipped the thermometer under his tongue. "No talking, no laughing, ah, and no sneezing," she added, noticing Dan's wiggling nose. Zack giggled. Katie looked at her watch and counted down the seconds out loud with Zack until it was time to remove the thermometer. "Let's see...101.2. Not a good number, but you did a good job keeping you mouth closed so I could get a good reading.

"'Kay, buddy, your turn," Dan said, reaching for the tissue he had stuffed in his pocket he managed to bring a bunch to his nose in time to catch another round of sneezes.

Katie and Zack paused to stare at Dan until he was finished. "My goodness," Katie commented when he was done.

"Sorry."

This time Katie turned toward her son. "Okay, Zack, you ready?" The little boy shook his head. "You can do it, just remember what I told you, all right. One...two...three," she slipped the thermometer in, two minutes latter they received the results of a 99.7 fever.

"Looks like its back to bed for you and me both," Dan said, reaching around to embrace his son in a big bear hug. "Later we'll get up and have some lunch and watch cartoons, all right?" Dan stood carefully made his way back down the hall to his own room.

He was half way back when his headache came back...

Dan appeared across the street from Union Square. He waited until the traffic light turned red and crossed the street. It was there Dan saw Greg waiting at the cable car stop. Seeing his chance, Dan quickly bought a ticket then got to the back of the line behind Greg as the cable car brakeman and driver got out to rotate their car on the turntable.

Dan tapped Greg on the shoulder, "Do you have the date?"

Greg looked at his watch, "It's February 22, 1996," then turned to look at Dan. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh, maybe. What's your name?"

"Greg Dunnigan," he held his hand out for Dan to shake.

Dan held his hand up." I'm just getting over a cold...My name is Dan, though."

"Dan...Yeah, you look really familiar. Don't tell me, it'll come to me soon," he chuckled.

The line started to move and soon Dan and Greg were seated next to each other on the cable car.

"So where do you work?" Dan asked, trying to make casual conversation.

"I work at the shipping yard. I have the day off though; I'm going to meet my wife down at the St. Francis for lunch."

Dan shoved a hand in his pocket, searching for a tissue. "Sounds nice," he managed, before a sneeze escaped.

"Hope it is. Alisha and I have been going through a rough patch lately. We just found out that our son has a heart condition. Something real obscure, can't even correctly pronounce the name of it," he let out a nervous chuckle.

"That's terrible, man," Dan balled the tissue in his hand.

"Yeah, well, we're trying everything we can for him but there's only so much we can do; both money-wise and other-wise," Greg looked up as the cable car came to a stop. "Well, this is where I get off. I'll see you around."

Back at home in the present, Dan went downstairs to his desktop computer and started a search for information on Greg Dunnigan. Seconds after pressing the enter key hundreds of matches came up. Dan clicked on the fourth match, a newspaper article about a Greg Dunnigan who committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in 1996. Dan now knew what he had to do.

"Oh, thank God your back, I got a call from work, they want me to come in to prep for a story," Katie stepped into the room and came to stand behind her husband. "Zack is in watching the living room watching TV. I called Jack, he's coming over to help you watch Zack so you can get some rest as well," she wrapped her arms around Dan's shoulders.

"Sounds like a plan," he sighed and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back to look Katie in the face. "I'm really sorry for all that's been going on lately."

"It's been a strain but I think we've been dealing with your new ability, er, condition pretty well," she chuckled and kissed Dan's forehead. "You still have a fever. Make sure to take care of that, okay? I'll be back in a few hours."

Dan turned off the computer and went to the living room where he found Zack sitting on the couch watching cartoons. "Hey, buddy," he said, sitting down next to Zack. "What are you watching?"

"SpongeBob Squarepants," Zack replied, engrossed with the cartoon.

"Ah, I see. You want some lunch soon? I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry. I could fix some cinnamon toast, how's that sound?" Zack did little more than nod his head. Dan sighed, "Okay, then. I'm going to the kitchen. Uncle Jack's going to be coming over soon to visit. You know how he likes cartoons."

Dan was opening the breadbox to get out a loaf of bread when he heard the doorbell ring. Zack could be heard running to open the door. "Uncle Jack!" Dan placed two slices of bread in the toaster and went to greet his brother.

"You are so lucky, Zack. I want your cold!" Jack reached down and picked up his nephew. "If I did I could stay home from work and watch all the cartoons I wanted."

"Don't encourage him," Dan said.

"I'll be in a minute to watch TV with you, okay." Jack set Zack down, watching the little boy run back to his show before "Katie told me you weren't feeling well and needed help watching Zack. And you know, I have nothing better to do than to come over and help my baby brother once again," he smirked, sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Dan apologized for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. "I'm making cinnamon toast and hot chocolate in the kitchen if you want some."

"Nah, I'm good, really," he turned his back towards Dan. Making his way to the living room, he heard his brother sneeze and spun back around. "I'm supposed to be in court tomorrow, I really don't want to testify with a stuffy nose."

"Shut up," Dan shot back from the kitchen. "I thought I'd be a good host and ask anyway," he grumbled as he washed his hands at the sink before returning to the toaster. He was pulling the toast out when his headache hit again; he had just enough time to drop the toast on a plate before he was gone once again.

The wind whipped at Dan's face making his eyes blur with tears. There were cars and tour busses parked all around him, the Strauss Statue towering over him, signs all around announced he was at Fort Point, the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan could make out a man getting out of his car. It was Greg Dunnigan; today was the day. Dan made to rush after Greg but was stopped when he head a familiar voice.

"Dan," from the other side of the parking lot he could hear Olivia calling to him. "I thought you'd show up here today," she walked toward him, hands in her pockets.

The sight of his former fiancé made Dan's heart skip. "Livia," he tried to call back but the words caught in his sore throat, making her name sound raspy.

"You really don't need to be caught up in all of this now," as she came closer to him, Dan could see Livia pull a handkerchief from her pocket. "Colds always seem to hit you hard. I saw you with the pipes, I'm surprised you haven't died of pneumonia yet," she handed him the cloth which he took gratefully and blew his nose.

"You've been following him, too," Dan realized. "I've got one more thing to do then I'll rest. Promise," he looked down as Livia took his hand and stoked it. "Livy..."

Livia smiled, "Don't worry; you know I haven't caught a cold from you yet."

"I gotta go..." Dan reluctantly pulled away from Livia and rushed to catch up with Greg who had started his walk across the bridge.

Dan managed to keep a short distance between himself and his mission so that Greg wouldn't get spooked and do something rash. When Greg paused at one of the towers, Dan paused as well. Greg leaned against the metal railing and peered over the edge to the ocean below before taking a step up, straddling the railing, the standing on the platform between the edge of the bridge and a very long fall.

"Taking a stroll, Greg?" Dan asked, once again trying to keep his tone casual.

Greg hooked the back of his arms around the railing and looked back at Dan, confusion clouding his face. "Something like that...Wait. I know you from somewhere."

"My name's Dan. I helped you with you when your pipes burst a few years ago."

Greg swallowed, "Oh, yeah," he said, still not sure where to place Dan.

"I know things have been rough for you lately, with your kid and Alisha," Dan offered, slowly making his way toward Greg.

"He's gone," Greg spat. "Benjamin died last week," tears stung the man's eyes but he dared not let go of the rail to wipe them.

Dan nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry, really," he took a couple steps forward, arms outstretch as if he were going to catch the other man if he fell backward. "But it doesn't have to be this way," he quickly turned his head to sneeze into the crook of his arm.

"The last few weeks have just been a nightmare...And now Alisha is going to leave me. Somehow she thinks this is all my fault, like I could have done more to help," Greg poured his heart out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Like I didn't spend every dime I made to help already."

"I know, I know. You did all you could. But there is only so much you can do; only so much anyone can do. Come on, man, I know you know that."

At that moment sirens could be heard in the distance; the cops would be arriving any minute.

"There is another way, let me help you," Dan took another step. He was close, he knew it. Greg only need to come back over the railing and he could go back home.

"This is the San Francisco Police Department," the sound of someone over a bullhorn cut through the tension. "Step back over the railing and onto the bridge."

"Dan is that you?" somewhere in the mob of police Dan heard Jack's voice. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Come on, Greg. You don't want to do this," Dan ignored his brother and tried once more. "I know where you've been. I've hit what I've thought was rock bottom several times. There is always a way out and this isn't it."

Greg looked at Dan's face, sincerity crossed with worry and tiredness. "All right," he gasped, resignation dawning. Still gripping the railing, he turned on the ledge so he was facing Dan. Carefully he lifted one leg over then the other, dropping back onto the walkway. Dan rushed over to him and was immediately embraced by the other man.

Cops swarmed around Dan and Greg but it was Jack who managed to take Dan aside first. "What the hell do you think you were doing? Do you even know this man?"

"Yes, Jack," Dan answered; carefully taking into consideration it was 1996 Jack he was talking to.

"You are going to have to come down and help us sort this whole thing up," Jack said, putting an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry," Dan looked down the walkway, seeing Livia walking toward them.

"Dan, what have you been doing?" Livia said, coming to stand in front of Jack and Dan.

"I've just been asking Dan the same thing."

"We were taking a walk and Dan saw this guy he knew standing on the ledge...He couldn't just pass him by so he tried to help while I went to call for help," Livia explained.

"Right," Jack said, still skeptical. "You just happened to be at the right place at the right time, is that all?"

Dan nodded his head quickly before turning away to sneeze. "'Cuse me," Dan blushed, coloring his cheeks. "I guess I'm lucky."

Jack's eyebrow peaked, "You'll still have to come in."

"Fine, whatever," Dan gave in. "Just give me a call, all right. I need to get home before I catch pneumonia."

Dan and Olivia made their way across the south side of the bridge back to the parking lot where a small crowd had begun to form. Standing next to the statue, Livia took Dan's hands again and rubbed them.

"I wish I could have done more to help," she offered gently. "I know you don't feel very well."

"Everything turned out all right, I think, that's all that really matters," Dan sniffled, taking Livia's handkerchief out to blow his nose once again.

"I think you're right," she reached up and stroked Dan's forehead. "You need to get home."

Dan gasped, bringing his own hands up to massage his temples. "Yeah, time to go."

Livia released Dan's hands and stepped away just in time to watch him disappear.

The cool leather couch felt wonderful beneath Dan's fevered skin, his body protesting when he stood up to find out what was going on.

"Jack?"

"Dan," Katie's voice sounded equally wonderful to Dan's ears. "I'm glad to see you," she came out of the kitchen, dishrag in hand. She clasped her hands around Dan's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "My poor, sick husband," she smiled reassuringly.

"Katie, I--."

"Don't want to hear it," she placed a finger over Dan's lips then took the towel and wiped the underside of Dan's nose. "Jack's been gone for over an hour and Zack's in bed for the night," she took his hand and led him back to the living room where a fire was blazing in the fireplace. "I kept the fire burning for you; I thought you might need a warm chair when you got home."

"Just what I need," Dan collapsed back onto the couch, relaxing for the first time that day.

"I'll be right back," Katie said, disappearing up stairs.

Spying his iPhone resting on the coffee table, Dan decided to find out the results of his mission. Browsing through the results of his Greg Dunnigan search, he came across a newspaper article with the headline "San Francisco Man Starts Camp for Terminally Ill Children."

Dan set the phone back on the table and leaned back, letting his gaze settle on the crackling fire. A few moments passed and Dan began to nod off...only to be stirred when a familiar tickle returned to his nose. He closed his eyes and concentrated on quelling the sensation to no avail. Wearily clasping his hands over his nose once again, Dan tensed as the sneezes escaped.

"Bless you," Katie offered, coming to sit next to her husband. "I got a blanket and some Tylenol," she handed Dan the pills and a glass of water then draped the blanket over Dan's legs.

"Thank you," he said after downing the pills. He leaned his head back against the back of the couch and sighed loudly, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.