This barely counts as a chapter - it's so short. Sorry. I'll have the fourth chapter up shortly.
As always, thank you for all of the reviews!
When Jane woke up, he was lying in the backseat of a car. He was sweating heavily, shocked and admittedly a little frightened. It took a while for him to convince himself that it had all been just a dream. The images of the forest were still vivid in his head. He could still feel the pain in his muscles. Though, the latter was probably from getting beaten up.
As he came to his senses, he realized that the car belonged to Lisbon. She was in the driver's seat, unaware that he was now conscious. He wasn't sure whether or not he should speak up. Still lying down, he did.
"Lisbon?"
She jumped in her seat, startled. "Jeeze, Jane." He could hear her breathe a sigh of relief. Her voice was soft again - she wasn't angry anymore.
He sat up in the backseat, groaning as a pain shot through his head. "Where are we going?"
"To the hospital."
"Why?"
"So they can check and see if you have a concussion."
Jane clambered over the middle storage compartment and into the passenger side seat. He didn't bother to buckle in the seat belt. "I don't have a concussion."
Lisbon didn't look at him. Instead, she kept her stare aimed straight ahead, on the highway in front of them. He could tell that she felt guilty. She said nothing.
"I don't have a concussion, Lisbon," he repeated.
"You were unconscious for over twenty minutes," she said softly, after a long pause. "And it's better safe than sorry."
She still didn't look at him. Jane tried to see his reflection in the car's mirror, but could not due to the late hour. It was almost one in the morning. His face hurt, a lot, and he guessed that it was also bruised. He'd probably have a black eye for a while, at the least. Jane put a hand to his cheek and winced as the pain elevated.
He switched his focus back to Lisbon, who seemed to be very focused on driving, although the highway was nothing but a dull, straight path with barely any cars.
He noticed that she had gotten tense. Her grip on the steering wheel was too tight, her body looked too stiff. She was angry at herself now, for hurting him. For losing her trademarked cool and calm. It hadn't been her fault, he thought to himself. I was the reason why she was so mad in the first place. I should apologize.
He did.
"I'm sorry I was an ass."
She was surprised, but didn't show it. Lisbon thought she was hearing things at first. Did Patrick Jane just apologize to her? He never apologized. She had never heard him say the word "sorry" before. She never thought she would. The woman finally turned her head to look at him.
"I'm sorry I punched you so hard."
Jane laughed and smiled, although it made his face hurt even more. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I've been punched much, much harder."
Lisbon smirked. "No you haven't."
"Yes I have!"
"Noo."
"Yeah, you're right. I haven't."
They both chuckled in spite of themselves.
Chapter 4 will be up very soon! Thanks for reading.