Chapter Two

Happy to finally be back in her own home after being away for too long, Jaime was also wide awake...and torturing herself with questions. What did I do today? she admonished herself silently. Was it too soon - Steve is still in the hospital, for God's sake! - and should I have just kept my big mouth shut?!

It wasn't that she was questioning her own motives; she'd said what she said solely out of love - and the joy of discovering that love, all over again. Her relationship with Steve was not the same one they'd had three years earlier but their feelings for each other were strong and solidifying more and more with each passing day. But what if -

Jaime's thoughts were broken by a soft yet insistent knock on the door. At 2am? she wondered.

It was Rudy. ''I was just driving by on my way home,'' he told her, ''and I saw your light was still on. Everything okay?''

Jaime smiled warmly at the doctor's kindness as she motioned him into the living room (seeing right through his charade). ''Rudy, you're just leaving the hospital now, in the middle of the night?'' she asked.

''I checked on Steve around 11...then fell asleep at my desk.''

''Still - even though I'm always glad to see you - this is not on your way home. Why -?''

Rudy grinned. ''You caught me. Call it instinct, mixed with a healthy dose of good old 'checking up on you.' Thought I'd drive by, see your light off and be able to tell myself my patient was resting comfortably. Except...you're not. What's wrong, Honey? Are you in pain?'' (Jaime's injuries from the car crash had been severe and although she seemed to be fully - or at least mostly - healed now, Rudy eyed her carefully.)

Jaime shook her head and then slowly, haltingly, began telling him what was on her mind. Rudy hadn't been aware of the 'I wanna be your wife' conversation but it didn't surprise him. As an interested and caring bystander, it was hard for him to miss what had happened between his only two patients. He was happy for both of them - and he told her so - but he wondered, although he didn't voice it to Jaime, if the timing was slightly out of whack. He was almost as happy as Steve that Jaime had regained most of her memories of their earlier life together, but the doctor wondered how much of 'now' Jaime was actually feeling...and how much was simply due to her new warm, glowing memories. Yes, she and Steve had grown much closer again - over their Monopoly marathons and especially while they'd been shipwrecked and stranded together in the middle of the ocean. But had it been love pulling them together on that tiny atoll where they'd waited for rescue...or was it adrenaline? Rudy suspected it was a hefty dose of both.

''Rudy...'' Jaime began hesitantly, ''Was it too soon? Was I too pushy; did I...rush things?''

''Honey, you're really the only one who can answer that. Well, you...and Steve.''

Jaime made them each a cup of cocoa, set out a plate of cookies - and the doctor and his patient became more like two old friends, talking, dissecting the situation and finally even laughing just a little. (Would Steve ever beat her at Monopoly without her having to throw the game?)


At his desk at OSI-Los Angeles, Oscar poured himself another cup of coffee. In his world, there were always at least half a dozen 'fires to put out', but for the last few days tensions in Russia and China threatened to boil over into an ugly, violent triad of destruction with the United States - and it fell to Oscar to make certain that didn't happen. He gauged situations by how often his 'red phone' rang (as opposed to the regular 'black' line)...and tonight it had been ringing off the hook. Now, at 2am, there was finally a respite.

As things began (for the moment) to settle down, Oscar's thoughts turned to Jaime. She was healthy again - strong and healthy - and Oscar knew the time was fast approaching when the Secretary would press him more adamantly to call her back into service. Oscar had hoped that the passage of a bit more time might bring back more of her memory, particularly of her work as an operative: her training and the years of experience she'd acquired since then. This was why he'd been stalling the Secretary. Well, this...and his intention for her to spend as much time as possible with Steve. They both deserved that! Maybe, he reasoned, it would even trigger the memories she would need if she was to safely step back into an operative's shoes.

The phone rang again - and Oscar groaned inwardly. When he picked up, though, the call was not one that he saw coming...


Their visit was ending on a pleasant, lighter note with Rudy agreeing that he'd have to join his friends for a Monopoly match very soon. Jaime saw him to the door and then - since they were still talking and laughing together - walked him to his car. Rudy kissed her cheek and was just climbing into the driver's seat when his car phone rang.

''At this time of night?'' Jaime questioned. Then her heart sank. ''Oh God...Steve! Something's happened...''

She waited expectantly, watching as the doctor's jaw dropped and his face turned pale. ''Oh no...'' she heard him whisper. ''I'll be right there.'' He listened for a few moments more and then his voice was determined and firm. ''NO; I am coming! I'll be there in 15 minutes.'' Rudy hung up the phone and turned to Jaime, his eyes dark with worry...and anger. ''The hospital - MY hospital - is under attack...''

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