Author's Note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Close to an hour passed before Kurt pulled back and scanned Remi's face. She looked exhausted and this cold warehouse was not the best place for her. He may not be able to protect Jane from the consequences of the ZIP poisoning but he could certainly make sure her body received the care it needed.
"Let's take a ride back to our place and you can get some sleep. We'll go to the lab in the morning and see what Patterson can do."
It wasn't really "their" place and she knew it. But it was the closest thing she'd had to a home since her parents had died. She didn't fight him as he picked her up and carried her out to his car. When they left the warehouse, she looked over his shoulder, and a quick glance confirmed he really had come alone. He settled her in the passenger side seat taking care that she was buckled in. She allowed herself to close her eyes and she thought she felt his lips brush against her forehead. Sleep beckoned and she didn't have the energy to resist.
Kurt got himself settled in the driver's seat and looked over at her. Either she was feigning sleep or she really was sleeping. He hoped it was the later. It was clear to him that she needed rest and care. He was fairly certain she hadn't been getting much of either in the last few months. Who knew what she had been doing when he was sleeping? Or during the times she hadn't been with him? Clearly he didn't have a clue but he was sure she hadn't been sleeping. She would have been feeling that there were too many things for her to do and too little time to get them done.
He started the car and wrapped his fingers tightly around the steering wheel in frustration as he gave thought to their current situation. It was clear her condition was deteriorating rapidly and he was certain she wasn't faking it. Remi wasn't one to give up which meant their fight had come to an end only because she couldn't get her body to follow her lead. The blood that had been dripping from her nose was also a concern as he knew none of his strikes had touched her face. The blood had been flowing for a whole different reason and he was certain it was an indicator of something bad.
He put the car in drive and carefully made his way back to their apartment. Once there he turned off the engine, and waited for Remi to stir, but she continued sleeping peacefully. He decided there was no harm in letting her stay that way. Walking around to her side of the car, he gathered her into his arms before making his way over to the elevator that would take them to their floor. He felt her cuddle in closer. Something Jane would often do but not something that Remi would voluntarily do. Another sign that they were two sides of the same coin.
He made it to their apartment and managed to get the door open without disturbing her. The apartment was still a mess but she was back home with him so the rest seemed unimportant. He sat her gently on their bed and pulled back to make sure her nose hadn't started bleeding again. Much to his relief it had not. He carefully removed her jacket before laying her on her back to remove her shoes. She stirred when he removed her pants.
"You're safe. Go back to sleep," he murmured.
She never fully woke and he waited a minute or two before pulling the covers up to her chin. It was only a brief moment later when she curled onto her side facing him and whispered his name. Remi could pretend all she'd like that she hated him but she was lying to herself.
Grabbing a chair, he pulled it close to where she lay on the bed and closed his eyes to rest as well. He listened to the sound of her breathing in her sleep. Something he had done often but this time there was a notable change. It was subtle but her breathing was irregular. Not terribly so but just another sign that the ZIP poisoning was causing dangerous side effects. He drifted off to sleep worrying about the next steps.
Their bedroom was lit with sunlight when he opened his eyes. Remi was still curled on her side and soundly asleep. He checked his cell phone and Patterson had sent a message that she would be ready when they were. He leaned towards her, "Jane. Wake up."
Her face wrinkled and she cuddled deeper into the covers. It was kind of cute. Jane usually went from sleep to awake in a split second so he'd never had the chance to see her fight the transition.
"Jane," he said more insistently.
"I told you, I'm not Jane," she mumbled.
"Today you are. Remember what we talked about earlier?"
Her eyes opened as she remembered the events of the day before. Or what she could remember of the day before. It was a bit disturbing to realize that there were a couple of blank spots in her memory of the day. However, based on what she could remember, she didn't believe anything concerning had happened during her missing time. She did remember that today was the day they would try the experimental procedure.
"They're trying to kill you, you know?", Roman informed her from just beyond Kurt's shoulder.
She shook her head. Kurt wouldn't try to kill her. If he killed her, he killed Jane, whom he was desperate to get back.
"You shouldn't trust him. He's trying to push you off mission," Roman said.
She knew that at least was true. Kurt didn't want her to leave him behind to pursue her larger mission. He knew whatever she'd planned would be risky. A dead Remi equaled a dead Jane and in his mind that couldn't be allowed to happen.
She pulled her focus away from Roman and back to Kurt who was encouraging her to get up, showered, and dressed. She did get out of bed without a word. After picking up an outfit from the clothing that had been tossed on the floor, she retreated to the bathroom.
Kurt watched her go. He knew she'd been listening to something, as well as looking at something, over his shoulder. For a split second he had feared an ambush but her gaze hadn't focused on any one spot. He was certain she was still hallucinating. Who knew what the hallucination of Roman had been saying to her? It wouldn't have been anything good. It would have been things to encourage her to draw away from him. It certainly wasn't going to be anything that would help him keep Remi and Jane safe. He imagined Roman would say things similar to what Sheppard would say to her. Things to focus her back on mission regardless of the cost to her.
It wasn't long before Jane stepped back out into their bedroom. He vacated the chair grabbing his own clothing before turning back to look at her.
"I won't be long. Don't go far."
He had to hope she wouldn't make a run for it. He couldn't watch her every second of the day. Even knowing he had to give her a chance to make her decision, it was probably the fastest he had ever gotten ready for work. When he opened the door he was surprised to see she had only gone as far as the chair by the bed. He couldn't prevent himself from worrying when he saw she again had tissues pressed to her nose.
"Jane?"
"I'm fine."
He crouched down next to her, "Let me see."
"No, I said I was fine. Let's get this over with," she stated before she stood and walked away to the living room.
He would have liked to feed her breakfast but he imagined her stomach should be empty for the procedure. Grabbing his keys, badge, and gun, he found her looking in the mirror on the living room wall confirming that her nose had stopped bleeding. Based on her attitude, the sleep had done her good, as she was back to strong Remi. He missed the Remi of last night who had allowed him to care for her. It was almost like having Jane back. If he tried to pull her close now he would be in for a fight.
"Remember that you're Jane. You're not pretending with me anymore and the changes, while subtle, are definitely noticeable."
She looked at him in disgust. She had managed to play Jane so well in the last months, that even her husband couldn't tell the difference, and now he was telling her how to play the role?"
"I've got this, Kurt. Stop telling me what to do," she snapped.
Her head hurt and the buzzing was like a type of torture. Sometimes it was loud enough to drown out the sounds around her but other times it was like background white noise that she couldn't turn off. She couldn't stop herself from giving her head a little shake. Since Jane had ZIP poisoning too at least she didn't need to hide those symptoms.
Kurt watched as she rubbed her temple. They were almost out of the apartment when she turned suddenly to look behind them. She almost said something but clamped her lips shut instead. Apparently the hallucination of Roman was back. Kurt hoped the procedure would stop that symptom. He could only imagine that seeing Roman, when she knew he was dead, was confusing and upsetting.