Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers in beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
the siege guns had been pounding through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the fields I'd known
I recognized the walls that I once made
Had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge, for I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Then I went off to fight some battle
That I'd invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought or even wished that I was dead
While the armies are all sleeping
Beneath that tattered flag we'd made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge, for I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
The prison has now become your home
a sentence you seem prepared to pay
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the lands I'd known
I recognized the fields where I once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge, for I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Chapter 1
Girl's night out. That has such a nice ring to it.
Elizabeth Webber rushed to change from her scrubs into a pair of snugly fitting blue jeans and a black turtleneck. She was late and knew the 'girls' were likely getting tired of waiting for her. Standing after zipping up her new black boots, she glanced in the mirror and used her ring finger to apply lip gloss to her perfect pout.
Swack…The locker room door bounced off the concrete wall. Elizabeth startled and snapped her head to find Emily Quartermaine standing in the threshold.
"Are you almost ready?" Emily asked quickly. "Kelly's been waiting half an hour and she's getting antsy."
"Yeah. Lemme grab my purse," Elizabeth responded just as rapidly and leaned to pick up her bag, slamming the locker behind her as she exited the room.
Dr. Kelly Lee stood at the nurse's station, taping her nails against the counter, watching the women impatiently. "Goodness woman. What has to happen to get you out of this place?" Kelly quipped.
"Sorry, Kelly," Elizabeth stated, grimacing slightly. "We had a continuing education seminar that ran over. Thanks for waiting."
"Are we ready to suck it, shoot it, slam it ladies?" came Dr. Lainey Winters' voice from down the hall.
The women chuckled in unison.
"Very professional, Lainey," Emily teased.
Elizabeth smiled. "And totally off base. It's lick it, slam it, suck it, my dear," she said, laughing.
The chit chat continued as they rode the elevator to the first floor lobby and began to exit the hospital.
Stepping out into the cool night air, Elizabeth stopped, digging through her purse with frustration. "Damn it," she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Emily.
"I can't find my cell phone." She groaned, "I must've left it in the conference room. Listen, I'm going to run back and grab my phone, then I'll meet you at Jake's. Can I take yours in case I need to call mine?" she asked, looking at Emily.
"Sure," she responded, pulling her phone from her purse and handing it over.
Walking back into the hospital, Elizabeth, too impatient to wait for the elevator, shot up the stairs; the heels of her new boots clicking against the industrial steps as she ran.
Turning the corner to the third floor landing, she heard the distinct sound of a heavy, metal door closing… but nothing else - no movement, no talking. She slowed her gait. The hospital stairwells were never overly crowded, typically doctors and nurses used them when the elevators were slow, but at almost seven o'clock at night Elizabeth had not expected to see much traffic.
She leaned over the railing and peered down, a quizzical look marred her features when she did not see anyone. With a shake of her head, she told herself she was being ridiculous and quickening her pace to the fourth floor exit.
The conference rooms were dark and quiet. As Elizabeth moved down the corridor towards the farthest room on the left, she felt an eerie sensation building in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard as she opened the door to the empty room.
The space was partially illuminated from the light in the hallway. Her eyes moved to the seat she had occupied during the lecture and she saw the gleam from her phone. "Ah, ha…There you are," she said aloud.
Not bothering to turn on the light, Elizabeth moved to grab the phone, stopping short as the silence was cut by a vibrating buzz. An inch from her fingers, the phone lit as it shimmied on the table. The unexpected action caused adrenaline to shoot through her system. Shaking her hands, she scolded herself for being too uptight and grabbed the offending item, placing it to her ear.
"Hello?" she clipped unintentionally.
"Hey E, what's shakin'?" came the decidedly male voice on the other end of the line. "It sounds kinda quiet. Slow night?"
"No, I haven't made it to Jake's, I'm still at the hospital. I lost my phone and had to come back for it." Elizabeth noticed a shadow dance across the table and quickly turned towards the open door.
"Again?! Damn E, I'm gonna have to construct some sort of device to help you keep track of phones, keys and credit cards," he teased. "How 'bout a belt with pockets?"
"Uh, huh," Elizabeth responded, drawing out the syllables, as she moved away from the table, angling to get a better view through the threshold of the doorway.
"Oh-kay," the male voice shared his confusion. "That was supposed to be funny. What are you doing?" he questioned.
The strange feeling in Elizabeth's stomach grew as she continued slowly, flattening her small frame beside the door. She peered down the long, narrow hallway, squinting at what she could have sworn was the door of the adjoining conference room closing.
"Elizabeth?" he pressed when she didn't respond.
Her attention was brought back to the person on the line. "Yeah. Sorry. Um…will you stay on the phone with me for a minute?" she asked. "Don't make fun of me, but I have totally freaked myself out and am going to run to the nurse's hub."
"Where are you?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she affirmed. "I'm in a conference room and it's late. There's no one around and I've gotten myself all spooked. Just stay on the phone please."
"Not a problem," he said assuredly.
Elizabeth started trotting down the hallway, her new shoes betraying her as she slipped and nearly fell. "Shit!" she exclaimed, smacking the wall.
"What?!?"
"Nothing," she laughed as she turned the corner, nurse's station – and people – in sight. "I almost busted my ass. Love these shoes, but they are not made for running."
"You kill me, E," he chuckled, relaxing at the sound of her laughter. "So will I see you later?"
"Girl's night," she clipped.
"What, I can't just happen upon you at Jake's?" he pushed.
"I'm not sure Emily would buy it," Elizabeth panted, slightly out of breath.
"What if I brought her boyfriend? Think she'd complain then?"
"Just give us a couple hours first. But I must warn you, Kelly gets all grabby after a few shots," she chuckled.
"I think I can handle myself. But what about you?" he asked.
"What about me?"
"Do you get all grabby?" he teased.
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," she responded flirtatiously.
Spooked enough for one evening, Elizabeth decided against using the stairs and waited for the elevator to arrive. Fiddling with her cell phone, she never detected the tall, stone-faced male who had followed her path from the conference room corridor.
He moved behind a large support beam and watched as she entered the elevator, doors closing behind her, blocking his view. He quietly entered the stairwell and left the floor unnoticed.
