Chapter 3

"Hey," Lisbon said softly.

"Why am I in a hospital?" Jane groaned, slowly opening his eyes.

"What do you remember?"

"You got yourself kidnapped," Jane said, sounding annoyed. "You shouldn't have done that…and then…oh." Jane's face fell slightly as he remembered their conversation. He had said things he hadn't meant for her to ever hear. "Are you okay? How's your head?" Jane asked, making a very obvious attempt to change the subject.

"I'm fine," Lisbon told him. "Some bumps and bruises, but I'm fine."

"How long was I out for?"

"A couple of days," Lisbon said softly. "You were severely dehydrated, and you also had a head injury that you neglected to mention."

Jane frowned. "I don't remember getting one."

"You might have been unconscious. But it caused some swelling in your brain, which only got worse over time. They had to be really careful when they rehydrated you, because that could have made the swelling a lot worse."

Lisbon's anxious yet relieved expression told him everything that she had left out – how they had been worried he might not wake up, that if he woke up he might be a completely different person, that he might have permanent brain damage.

"Well, I'm fine now," Jane said. That wasn't exactly true – he had a headache and felt very tired – but he didn't want to spend a minute longer in the hospital. "When can I go home?"

"They're going to have to do some tests just to make sure everything is okay. After that…well, it depends on the test results, I guess."

"I'm fine," Jane insisted.

"Please just take it easy?" Lisbon implored. The anxiety in her eyes stopped the protest that was forming on Jane's lips.

"Fine," he sighed.

Just then, Lisbon's phone rang. "Lisbon," she answered. Her face fell. "Ugh. Okay. Yeah. I'll be there soon."

She exhaled loudly as she clicked her phone shut. "Kirsch lawyered up…we've been working on him for two days and he hasn't given us anything. But now that we've got DNA proving that he raped the girl, he wants to cut a deal."

"Did he say why we were kidnapped?" Jane asked.

"Not yet," Lisbon sighed.

"Go. I'll be a model patient, I promise," Jane said.

Lisbon gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him. "I'll get a nurse on my way out, okay?"

"Sure."

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

As expected, Lisbon was furious to see Jane walk into the observation room a few hours later, where she was watching Cho interview Kirsch and his lawyer.

"I wanted to watch. Maybe take a crack at him," Jane answered, totally nonchalant.

"You should be in the hospital," Lisbon hissed.

"Not according to the doctors," Jane shrugged.

"They told you that you're fine to work?" Lisbon asked doubtfully.

"Err…not exactly," Jane grinned widely. They had wanted to keep him for observation, but he had refused to remain trapped for any longer. "But look at me! I'm fine. What did I miss?" Jane asked, gesturing towards the one-way glass. That was when he noticed Kirsch for the first time. "He was at the crime scene," Jane said, realization dawning on him.

Lisbon glared at him. The man was absolutely insufferable sometimes. "Yes. Apparently he didn't like the way you looked at him. He searched you up, found out what you do, and thought you had picked him out as the killer. So, he took you. He says he wasn't planning on having you for as long as he did – he was going to let you go as soon as he could go into hiding. I have a hard time believing that, but he's insisting. Then when I showed up at the brother's house, they assumed that I was after them too, and things apparently spiraled out of control."

Jane found that he was less interested in what Lisbon was telling him than the way she was telling it. She refused to look at him, and her tone was cold. She wasn't going to forgive him easily, which he found intriguing. Compared to the stunts he usually pulled, checking himself out of the hospital against doctors' recommendations was inordinately tame.

"Look, he's just going through the details. He agreed to name names in exchange for leniency, and the FBI is taking over the case. Go home, get something to eat, have some tea. Please," Lisbon implored, finally turning to look at him.

"Well, see, that's the great thing about CBI. I can eat and have tea right here."

"Dammit, Jane! You almost died!" Lisbon didn't think she would ever forget the feeling of utter hopelessness, unable to do anything except hold him as his heartbeat grew weaker with each passing minute.

Ah, Jane thought, finally understanding. "I'm okay, Lisbon. Really. But you're right. I almost died because of this man, this case, and I'd like to know why. I'm just watching the interview. No harm in that."

"You're not resting, eating or drinking. So yes, there is harm. And you do know why he took you," Lisbon said. If he didn't remember what she had told him only a minute earlier, then things were much worse than she thought.

"No, I mean I want to know why he killed that girl. I want to know what her name was, so we can stop calling her 'that girl'. I want to know that it won't happen to anyone else." His voice was quiet, but determined. Cases with little kids were always difficult, especially for him.

Jane fixed Lisbon with a penetrating stare. "But you already know the answers to some of my questions, don't you," he stated, observing how she had averted her eyes as he spoke.

"The girl's name was Maria. No last name. She tried to escape, they fought and he killed her."

"Maria," Jane murmured. "What about her parents?"

"Kirsch says she was a street kid in Kiev, parents gone. The FBI is trying to verify, but it's going to be difficult." Lisbon hoped that once Jane had all of his answers, he would finally go home.

"How many others?"

"We're not sure. He's lower level. Most of the details are going to come from the people he names. But that's for the FBI to sort out…and probably Interpol. Please, Jane? Go home. All that's left for us to do now is paperwork."

"Fine," Jane shrugged. He really was feeling exhausted, but he wasn't about to let Lisbon know that.

Lisbon frowned to herself as she watched him leave. That was too easy.

After the interview was complete and Kirsch had been turned over to the FBI, Lisbon went back to her office to pack up her things. As she walked through the bullpen, a familiar sight caught her eye.

Switching course, Lisbon walked over to the couch where her consultant appeared to be asleep.

"Hello, Lisbon," Jane murmured, keeping his eyes closed.

"Jane," Lisbon sighed. "What are you still doing here?"

"I took a taxi here from the hospital. My Citroen is still at the motel. Besides, I missed the couch."

"Well, I'm sure the couch missed you too," Lisbon answered dryly. "Come on. I'll drive you home. We can stop for dinner."

Jane's eyes finally opened. This was Lisbon's way, Jane knew, of making sure that he was taken care of. It was nice, he thought, to have someone care about him like that. He grinned widely at her as he stood up. "Lead the way."

The End

There we have it! Let me know what you think :)