"Come on, Cowboy."
Auggie held her elbow as they walked into the airport and was unusually quiet as they made their way through security. She didn't have to ask him if he was okay, one look at his face told her that he wasn't.
"45 Minutes until our flight. Do you want some food or something?" Annie asked.
"I need some coffee, and for you to check my stitches. That run across Medellin probably wasn't the best idea."
Annie pulled back the side of his jacket. "Well, you haven't bled through your shirt."
"That's good because if I ruined this one, I'd have to get one from the gift shops." She brushed his good arm and he re-took her elbow.
"Come on, we'll go in the bathroom and I'll clean you up."
"The blind man in the bathroom gig doesn't work so well with a guide."
"Yeah, well... just come here." She led him to a chair facing the wall in an empty waiting area where he took a seat. He shrugged off his jacket and she lifted his shirt. Seeing the large red area on the bandage she groaned.
"That bad?" Auggie asked.
"I told you the stitches would be janky."
"Well they are better than nothing."
Annie opened her bag and pulled out the remains of a first aid kit. "I don't have many supplies left to work with, but most of the stitches are still intact." She carefully wiped off the blood and put a fresh bandage on the wound. "Be careful until we get home and I can patch you up for real. You should probably go to a doctor."
"I'm not going to a doctor."
"I thought you would say that." She pulled his shirt back down and he slipped back into his jacket.
"You know me well." He said, tenderly.
"There's just enough time for some coffee before our flight. Want some?"
Auggie gave Annie a look that questioned her sanity. "I take back my previous statement."
Annie laughed.
Annie ordered quickly and Auggie felt the cup of coffee against the back of his hand. She led them to the back of the plane and put her bag overhead. "Didn't look like many people out there. I hope the aisle seat is empty."
Auggie nodded, his gaze toward her as she put away her things. The coffee was already helping him feel better but he was coming down from all the adrenaline rushes of the day. Just after they were in the air, he told her about Teo being Arthur's son. With that weight of his mind, which was only a small portion of the larger secret he was keeping from her, they both relaxed and he was able to fall asleep with her head on his shoulder.
The impact of the plane hitting the runway woke Auggie with a searing pain. He steadied his breath as they taxied to the gate.
"You okay?" Annie asked.
"Yeah," Auggie replied, unconvincingly.
Annie took his hand in hers for a moment, then got up to de-plane. Auggie followed, keeping his cane folded and tucked into his bag until they were in the terminal. He inhaled an exaggerated breath. "Ah. Home sweet sterile home."
Annie laughed and led him to the customs line. "Mind if I stay at your place tonight?"
"Not at all."
When they finally reached Auggie's apartment, he went straight for his cabinet. He pulled out a small bottle of pills and swallowed one dry.
"What's that?" Annie asked.
"A tiny American comfort." Auggie drawled out. "Teo was right. I need a painkiller. I almost never take these, but I also almost never get shot."
Annie filled a cup of water from the faucet and handed it to him while he leaned on the counter. "Go to bed. I'll be right there." She ordered.
Auggie drank the water and nodded. He walked to the bedroom and peeled off his clothes. He ran his hand over the edge of the bandage, feeling for moisture. Assuming it was clean, he sat on the bed. He listened for Annie, and heard the shower running.
"Annie?" he called, but not too loudly.
There was no reply, so he dialed a number.
"Yes?" Arthur answered.
"I need to talk to you, outside of Langley." Auggie replied.
"Now?"
"6:30 tomorrow, the reflecting pool." Auggie said. Hearing the shower turn off, he hung up before Arthur could reply. He laid back and took a deep breath, the searing pain in his chest ebbing as the medicine worked it's magic. A few minutes later, Annie slipped into the bed next to him.
Auggie's alarm clock was quiet but effective. His whole body was sore from the adventure of the previous day. Now that the painkillers had worn off, the searing pain of his gunshot wound had returned.
"Mmmm?" Annie mumbled as he sat up.
"Good morning." Auggie replied quietly.
"Why so early?" Annie asked. "It's still dark out."
Auggie twisted toward her. "Really?"
"Yeah. It's not even six yet. We can sleep another hour."
"I must have mis-programmed my alarm. You go back to sleep. When you wake up I'll have some pastries from the bakery around the corner here for you." He gave her a grin that melted her heart.
"I'd rather you lay here with me." She replied with a sweet tone.
He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Yes, but I'm starving."
He quickly showered and put a fresh bandage on his wound before dressing and heading out of the apartment, calling his usual cab company. They always responded to him instantly, as they kept a car or two parked at a hotel a few blocks away. The driver waited for his meeting with Arthur, and stopped at a bakery on the way back to his apartment.
Keeping in mind that his window faced the street and he was dating a spy, he had the driver drop him off around the corner and walked the last block.
"Breakfast is ready!" He announced as he walked in.
"I wasn't sure when to worry about you." She replied.
"Never." Auggie answered.
She walked up to him and stared at his grinning face before giving him a peck on the lips. "What did you get?"
"Couple of different flavors of whole grain muffins. Take what you want, I'm not picky."
"Yum," Annie said as she looked into the bag and pulled out a blueberry muffin. "How's your wound this morning?" She asked before taking a bite.
Auggie shrugged. "Sore."
"Let me take a look, in case it bleeds through to that white shirt."
Auggie gently shrugged out of his coat and Annie unbuttoned his shirt. She saw the red stain on the fresh bandage. "You bled through a little. Let's put on a fresh bandage before leaving."
"I think you just want an excuse to look at my chest." Auggie joked as they walked to the bathroom.
"Darn, you've figured it all out."
She quickly cleaned him up and applied the fresh bandage, not liking the current state of the stitches she had put in. "So should we file our C&C today?" She asked casually.
"We are close, and I do hope this continues." Auggie replied.
"So do I." She replied with a smile that came through her voice.
She was buttoning up his shirt, tickling his skin in the process. He couldn't resist reaching around and pulling her in for a kiss before they headed to the office full of intentions to tell Joan and Arthur everything.