AN: Two chapters in 24 hours? Whaaaaaat?
I've decided that I'll flip back and forth between Natara's POV and Mal's for each chapter. So since the last one was in Natara's, this one will be in Mal's.
She was alive. Natara was alive. She was cut and bruised and beaten almost beyond recognition, but she was alive and breathing. And that was more than anyone had dared to hope for.
She'd been gone for eleven days. For eleven days, we'd searched high and low for her. It was Amy who had managed to track her phone to a trashcan just outside of town. The seventh day was when we'd all pretty much given up hope of finding her alive.
I quickly crossed the tiny room and knelt by her side. The room Miller had kept her in was tiny, about the size of a large closet. There were no windows and it was cluttered with junk; old newspapers, empty beer bottles, trash. I think I even spotted a few bricks and refused to think what those could have been used for.
She seemed so dazed and unfocused, so unlike her normal self. When she closed her eyes, an indescribable panic seized me. I was sure that we'd gotten to her to late, that she'd managed to hold on long enough to see her rescuers but not to be rescued.
"Natara, please open your eyes," I begged, fighting to keep my fear from flooding into my voice.
"Special Agent Williams, you need to answer us." There was still no response. I sadly let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. As I began to stand up, I realized her eyes were open again.
"Where's that ambulance?" Captain Yeong demanded, turning back to the door.
"It's about ten minutes out," one of the uniforms replied. I wasn't so sure she could hold on for that long. Seeing my partner shiver, I ripped my jacket off and reached out to cover her with it. She flinched and shrunk back, and I immediately felt horribly guilty. I hadn't thought about what she'd gone through for the past week and a half. When she saw someone reaching out to her, she probably connected it with pain and fear instead of comfort.
I drew back my hands quickly, not wanting to frighten her. I simply knelt there, trying in any way to assure her that I would never hurt her. Her hand twitched by her side, then slowly, shakily, began to reach towards my own hand. I held perfectly still, letting her decide whether or not to close the distance. As our hands connected, a small smile flitted across her face.
When the paramedics lifted her onto the stretcher, her face contorted in pain, her mouth opening in a silent scream of agony. I even grabbed one by the sleeve and yelled at him to be careful. I tailed the stretcher all the way to the ambulance, where they blocked my way. As my temper flared again, Ken grabbed my shirt and pushed me into his car.
"It ain't worth it, Mal," He told me as he shoved the keys into the ignition and twisted them. We went flying down the road after the ambulance. I gripped my head in my hands. If only I'd insisted on going with her to find Miller. If only I'd gone with her, or stopped her, or something. If only I'd done something, maybe she wouldn't be in this condition.
The doctors wouldn't allow us in Natara's room for a while. I paced uneasily in the waiting room as Ken, Amy and Kai watched. Captain Yeong had gone back to the precinct after we found Natara. The minutes seemed to stretch on for eternity, and finding things to do to occupy my mind was difficult.
I settled for imagining Miller's trial. Not only would he be going to jail for selling drugs to minors, and thus causing three deaths, he would also be charged with the kidnapping and assault of a Federal Agent. My fists clenched. If she didn't make it...
I shoved the thought from my head, pounding my fist against the wall. But it was too late. The thought was already implanted in my mind and had begun to grow. If she didn't make it, Miller would be charged with second-degree murder. The SFPD would feel like it was missing someone. Natara would leave behind a crater-sized hole in my life. She was one of my best friends; I trusted no one more than her and Ken. If she didn't make it, Miller was a dead man.
"Are the four of you here for Miss Williams?" I glanced over my shoulder to see an impossibly young doctor staring at us. I lowered my hand and turned to her as Ken, Amy and Kai stood up.
"How is she? Will she be alright?" Amy asked, stepping closer to the doctor. The doctor peered at her clipboard for a second.
"Miss Williams was extremely dehydrated and malnourished," she began. "She has a fractured wrist, a few cracked ribs, lacerations all over her body, and a severe concussion. The problem with her broken bones was that they were days old. The had set incorrectly, so we needed to re-break them." I closed my eyes as I tried to block out her words. I didn't want to imagine them re-breaking Natara's bones or her pain.
"Are we allowed to see her?" I heard myself ask.
"Yes, but only one or two at a time. She needs to rest, and more than two may overwhelm her."
"What room?" I demanded.
"Room 217, but sir, she's-" But I was already brushing past her. I strode quickly down the halls, checking each room number as I went. Her door was closed, the black numbers staring me in the face. As much as I wanted to see her, to know for certain that she was here and alive and (for the most part) well, I couldn't bring myself to open the door. I stood there battling with myself, trying to make my hand reach out and open the door. I jumped when a smaller hand touched my shoulder lightly.
"Mal? Are you alright?" I heard Amy ask.
"Fine," I responded gruffly. "I'm just fine." Amy attempted a smile at me before reaching out and pushing the door open. With one hand on my arm, I allowed her to guide me inside.