Guilty

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so guilty.

He had meant it as a joke…as a form of payback.

This time he was going to beat them to the punch and decided to do to Face what they were always doing to him.

So he snooped around and found the little vial inside of Face's jacket pocket marked simply "B.A." Popping open a can of soda he let out his high-pitched giggle as he emptied the contents into a glass and then followed up with the white powder.

Walking into the living room he had to wipe the grin off his face so as not to give himself away. "Wanna drink, man?" he asked Face, trying his best to con the conman.

"Yeah…thanks, B.A." Face accepted and smiled his genuine smile, the one that lit up his eyes as well as the entire room. It almost made B.A. feel bad…but just almost. But then B.A. remembered that no Face meant no plane…and that was enough to make him feel better.

It took longer than B.A. expected for the drug to kick in. The four of them sat around just shooting the breeze for a good five minutes after Face's had finished his soda before they saw the first signs that something was wrong.

Face put a hand up to his head and shut his eyes.

"Hey, Facey…you okay?" Murdock asked.

"Hmmm," Face mumbled opening up glassy and unfocused eyes. He then proceeded to fall over onto his side.

Hannibal jumped up and was at his lieutenant's side in an instant. "Hey…kid…what's wrong?"

"Dunno…don't feel…good. Dizzy…so dizzy." Face's eyes shut again and would remain that way for a long time to come.

Hannibal and Murdock were shocked when they heard B.A. giggling. They looked to see him standing in the corner, his hand covering his mouth, and his gold shaking along with the laughter.

"B.A.? What did you do?" Hannibal questioned.

"Nothin' you wasn't all about to do to me later."

"How much did you give him?" Murdock asked, as he sat on the couch and gently lifted Face's head into his lap.

"It wasn't much…just whatever was in that small bottle I found," B.A. said not understanding why they looked so panicked.

Fear gripped at Hannibal's heart. "Oh no."

"What?" B.A. asked his brows furrowed in confusion.

Murdock ignored him. "What're you thinking, colonel? Hospital?"

"What!" B.A. asked even louder.

Hannibal shook his head, also ignoring the man. "No. I don't want to risk it unless we have to. Let's just monitor his vitals here and see if we can bring him out of it ourselves."

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" B.A. exploded finally.

"What's going on, sergeant, is that you gave Face twice the amount that he would normally give you…and don't forget that you are twice his size to begin with!"

B.A. hung his head…it was only supposed to be a harmless joke.

It took a little over 24 hours for Face to start coming around. Another day for him to become somewhat coherent. And still another before he wasn't so ill that he had to remain in the bathroom perched next to the toilet.

"Hey, man," B.A. said sitting on the loveseat adjacent to the couch Face was lying on. "Gotta minute?"

"Sure, B.A." Face moved to sit up, but was still lightheaded and fell back with a groan. "Ugh."

B.A. stood back up. "You alright, man?"

"Yeah…m'okay," Face paused taking some deep breaths. "Please tell me you don't feel this bad when we knock you out?"

B.A. moved and sat on the arm of Face's couch next to his feet. "Nah…'cept for maybe when you hit me upside the head with a 2-by-4."

Face smiled weakly. "That's only a last resort. We never want to hurt you."

"I know that, Faceman." B.A. fidgeted with his rings and added, "And I never meant to hurt you."

Face held out a shaky hand of forgiveness and B.A. grasped it… but still, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so guilty.