Hi! Sorry for my long break between chapters. I have had some health issues which makes it difficult to write as often as I would like. But feeling better and hopefully chapters will be fore-coming.
Bagram Airfield Afghanistan
September 21, 2002
"The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost… the Minnow would be lost…"
Five voices echo in a rock cavern, which lays near the Syr Darya River in the Uzbekistan desert. Those individuals have managed to build a camp and a fire, which each member sat around to serenade popular TV shows' theme songs. Willie "Memphis" Ryder provided the acoustics with his guitar, the one luxury item he was allowed to bring.
This was survival training - day 1 of 5.
It was standard procedure to teach the recruits how to handle themselves in hostile conditions, which would make an encampment or base the a five star hotel in comparison. Six teams were made with five people each. Fiona Conner lead Team Charlie and included Vincent Keller, Marisha Lafferty, Willie Ryder, and Miguel Rodriguez. Fiona felt confident in leading her team to successful completion, but she wondered about a few of them. One of them being Vincent Keller.
However, she laughs along with the group as they assign nicknames based on their mad skills or hometown. It was obvious where "Memphis" came from. Along with the fruits and melons, they were roasting a fresh sidewinder over the fire. Early that day, the sidewinder almost ended Marisha's career if the woman had not reacted quickly and use her unique knife skills to end the snake first. Since that point, the group started calling her "Navaja" or the Spanish word for Blade.
However, the day didn't begin with this wondrous jubilee. After the assignment and selection of a luxury item, teams were flown to remote sections of the desert via Blackhawks. They wore hoods to avoid knowing the location approximately from base, which makes it essential to use all forms of orienteering. The only clothes they were wearing, two canteens for each person, and basic survival gear such as water purification tablets. Each team was dropped in different locations to avoid cooperation to simulate the exercise. For five days, each team would rely on each other for food, shelter, and water, which is not easy in the middle of an unforgiving desert with sand drifts ranging from three to thirty meters in height.
The Uzbekistan desert stood north between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. After coordinating their location, the team knew that the Syr Darya river was a fifteen mile hike. The weather was an advantage with cooler temperatures, which 18 Celsius was considerably comfortable in comparison to back at base. However, the trek to the river was a challenge given the terrain.
Once they had completed their journey to the river, finding shelter was simplified by an assemblage of large rocks close to the river banks that provided shade and easy shelter by layering branches and bark over the top of the rocks.
Once the journey was complete, the team was able to assemble shelter with large rocks and nearby fallen trees. The task was still arduous, but no one complained. Despite the exhaustion and dehydration, the team work efficiently to complete the necessary tasks to survive. It would be easier given the exhaustion for fights to breakout, but Fio kept the morale and discipline up. She made it clear that no one wants to walk fifteen miles in a desert, but they need each other to survive the task. It was suggested by her that infighting was unproductive because no one wants to hear anybody bitch, which meant that they should complete the task so they can rest. This mission objective help focus everyone's mind and found ways to keep the morale up with dirty jokes and songs to make the time go faster. She also allowed for breaks to allow for mild relaxation and assessment, which made the time move efficiently.
While each of them have water sanitation packs, it did not make securing clean water any easier. The river was contaminated due to lack of recent rainfall, which would cause the group to run out of packs before day three in an optimistic point of view. However, each member thought about the possibility of a poor ratio of sanitizer to bad water source prior to the trip. Rodriguez remember lessons of Chinese immigrants on the railroad and used a lighter to boil the water for sanitizing. Fio brought a small container of bleach, which a few small drops would decontaminate any contagions. Vincent brought additional gauze outside the group medical pack, which could filter the water through. Thanks to the planning, they had a method of cleaning the water to slake their thirst as well as have a roaring fire for the cold desert night.
Unbeknownst to the recruits, members of the Delta Attachment and medical staff were stationed nearby in case of emergencies. While survival training is meant to test the recruits, there are incidents that can occur outside the requirements. If a member is injured or ill, it will require an immediate medical evac that only the medical team can perform. There is also the possibility of insurgents traveling between borders that might target the recruits. The Delta Force soldiers were there to ensure that doesn't happen.
Captain Faulks monitors Conner's team. Although Alex clearly had more than professional interest in Fio, he did not request to be their guard. However, he didn't refuse the orders because it would jeopardize both of their careers, which was counterproductive. He felt he could remain professional as he monitors the team from a distance.
"Ok, does anybody know the theme song to The Love Boat?" Willie shouts over the laughter as the other's groaned at his request.
"Da hell?" Marisha Lafferty laughs and shouts back. "Don't you mean sailing with the has-been "D" listers?" She hollers back as the others broke out into laughter.
"Whaaaaat?" Willie bellows back at her. "That show was the SHIT!"
"It was shit alright!" She snorts. "Bullshit!"
"You don't know classic TV when you see it, Mari!" He broke out into a dance and spun around like the bartender on the show, then points to her as he came to a stop. "Isaac the bartender – he was the man!"
Everyone broke into applause as he finished his dance.
"Nobody cares about your ratchet show, Willie!" She retorts. "Go back to the rest home, old man!"
By now Fiona has lost interest in their continued banter and looks down at her area map to scout for food the following day. That sidewinder and fruit would hold them over for the night, but they would be tired and grumpy the following day with the requirement of more protein. She looks up briefly then shakes her head and smiles as her squad broke out into laughter.
After a moment, Fio realizes that Vincent was not cutting up with the rest of the group. Not that this was unusual; Vincent made every effort to join in the antics, but most could tell his heart wasn't in it. Fiona could sense there was sadness about him, and although he was always present at the activities, he was usually either studying or at the gym. Vincent was never stand-offish and did not reject any company. However, he usually kept to himself.
He was noticeably absent with the group, which cause Fiona to be concerned. She does a brief search and finds him against a nearby rock formation. Fio slithers over to not interrupt the festivities and joins Vincent.
"Hey." She smiles and speak softly as not to intrude on him "Are you ok over here?"
Vincent looks up startled.
"Yeah." He laughs and nods seemingly embarrassed he snuck away without letting anyone know. "Sorry, I just needed a little time to…"
He pauses for a moment, which allows Fiona to shake her head.
"No explanation necessary. We're all in each other's faces for 12 hours a day; sometimes we just need a break from each other." She extends her hand toward the place beside him as she smiles. "So is this patch of sand taken?"
Vincent grins and give a soft chuckle.
"All yours." He gestures at the spot giving it a pat. "Take a seat."
"Thanks." She giggles softly as she slid down the rock taking a place beside him. "So, I don't want to get in the middle of your stuff and I don't want to pry….you don't have to tell me anything, but if you need to talk to anybody…" She turns slightly in his direction. "Just know I'm here…ok?"
He smiles and wraps his arm around her shoulder giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Thanks Fio." He looks at her for a moment. "You have been a very good friend…and SO."
Fio looks at his arm on her shoulder then looks up at him raising an eyebrow.
"Am I considering this a friendly hug, or a grope?"
"Maybe both?" He wiggles his eyebrows. "I don't see you complaining."
Fiona chuckles looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Not complaining. But I don't want to mess up a perfectly good friendship by making things weird between us."
Vincent started to remove his arm from her shoulders.
"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly. "and truth be told it really was just a friendly hug."
She giggles at his embarrassment.
"I never said you had to take your arm away….I was just messing with you." She pulled his arm back to her and sat watching the stars. "Wow." She breathes with astonishment. "Living in New York, I forget the stars exist sometimes."
"Yeah." He smiles softly…the moment had gone from feeling awkward to two friends enjoying a moment away from the war. "I love the city, but you know when I see an infinite constellation…I'm just staggered…and the thought of this all going on forever….it's just…"
"Mind-blowing." Fiona's words flows into his sentence unintentionally and without effort. Both realizing this, they look at each other and laugh.
"Do you ever get the idea we knew each other in a different life?" Vincent lightly chuckles. "Maybe we were siblings?"
"Or a pair of bickering old ladies?" She giggles. "Wait! I know…we were a couple of barrio bums from the Bronx! We shared a big cardboard box we built all by ourselves."
"What?" Vincent asked incredulously. "So being siblings isn't good enough? Why are we crusty old people in your fantasy? There is no shame in being young and hot siblings?"
Fio grimaces and shrugs.
"Well, from the way guys make idiots out of themselves trying to get my attention…" she covers her mouth and coughs. "**ZachHayes** …I guess I am above average in the looks department…." She turns to look at Vincent. "And you…you look like one of Zeus's sons…your features chiseled by the gods themselves…" She shifts herself so she was looking at him. "I think this is going to come out sounding really wrong…but sometimes I wish I….ah…" It was very clear that she was uncomfortable saying she was attractive. "…didn't stand out so much?"
Vincent grinned and gave a soft chuckle.
"Don't you mean smoking hot?"
Fiona blushes as she covers her face and laughs
"Well no, for starters I don't think I'm hot, so let's go with reasonably cute..." She looks up at him again. "…but the point I am trying to get at is I wish I knew if people were looking at me because they like my smile…or because I have toilet paper hanging out of my ass…" she giggles. "…and I hate knowing that guys are looking at me because they like my ass or my boobs…."
Vincent nods.
"Your ass…definitely."
Fiona whips her head around and glowers playfully at him.
"So you are in agreement that I have the chest of a 12 year old boy?" She folds her arms and taps her boot against the ground.
"NO!" He laughs hard. "I just meant you have a nice ass! That didn't mean you don't have nice breasts."
Fiona playfully smacks him.
"You're an ass!"
"Yes…yes I am!" He grins proudly. "And to answer your previous question, there was a time I loved when the girls looked at me. To a certain extent I guess you could say I still do, but…" He stops talking for a moment. Fiona studied his eyes as he gulped audibly; it was clear that he was losing composure.
"Look…" She places her hand on his shoulder giving it a gentle caress. "Your business is your business and I'm not going to pry…but sometimes it just helps to talk to somebody and get it out there." She pulls her knees into her chest and clasps her hands around them. "If you don't want to talk to me, I'm good with that…but I can see something is eating away at you and you should at least…"
Vincent heaves a heavy sigh before she could finish her sentence.
"My older brothers were killed when the towers fell." He blurts out then exhales heavily..
Fiona's face fell as she sat up slowly replacing her look of concern to absolute horror.
"Oh my God." She whispers looked into his face which now was covered in tears. "Wow…" her own eyes grew misty as she searched for words that did not come. "I'm so sorry….I don't know how to even begin to know what to say."
Vincent gave a soft chuckle and shook his head.
"There are no words. Believe me…I have searched for answers for over a year and all I have found is anger and pain looking back at me." He gave her a stoic half smile. "When I woke up that morning, I had my fiancé lying beside me; I was thinking how lucky I was to have such a wonderful woman in my life as I was heading to the hospital where I worked as a resident. "
He shook his head and looked up at the sky then turns to her.
"I had it all. I was happy. I started my morning working in the ER…the day was slow." He pauses momentarily taking a deep breath as Fio tenderly caresses his arm waiting for him to continue. "And then the first plane hit the tower…then the second. I knew my brother's unit would be called…" He paused and gulped audibly. "I lost my two best friends that day…I lost my job when I walked away…and I was so consumed with anger I lost many of my friends and my fiancé. And it all happened so damn fast…I had just talked to them the night before…"
Vincent could not talk anymore. He had broken down into anguished sobs placing his hands over his face as Fiona placed her arms around him gently rubbing his back.
"You don't have to say anything else…" Fio's own voice breaking as she spoke. "You're right. There are no words that can be said to take that away. I'm so sorry."
Vincent sat back up wiping his face as he struggled to regain his composure.
"Sorry."
Fio blinked and jerked back her head. "Sorry? Keller, you lost your brothers in the most horrible way possible! Why in the hell should you be sorry?"
"Because big boys aren't supposed to cry." He attempts a smile as he wipes his tears away.
Fiona cocks her head and blinks.
"Says who?" She shrugs. "I hear that all the time but who in the fuck made that rule? That was NOT part of the 10 Commandments, and it ain't in the bible, so who made up that shit?"
Vincent laughs through his tear.
"It's an unwritten guy rule!"
Fiona shakes her head and laugh while placing her hands over her face.
"It's a crock of shit is what it is. Where do you men go to learn this crap?"
"Probably the same place you girls learn that you all have to go to the bathroom together." He pulls her in using his knuckles to Indian Rub her head.
"Hey!" She shouts while struggling to break free. Taking a handful of sand she opens up the back of his pants and let the sand run through her fingers.
"Whoa! HEY!" He shouts and stands up. He quickly grabs the back of his belt and flaps the loose sand from one leg and then the other shaking the particles loose as Fiona stood close by breaking out in a fit of laughter.
"Shit!" she was ready to split a gut at the sight of Vincent . "Why in the hell didn't I bring my camera as my luxury item? You look like a retarded turkey!"
After he had finished freeing the sand from his drawers, he stood laughing for several moments; although he had impure of her upon their first meeting, Fiona was starting to feel like the sister he never had.
Taking the sleeve of his uniform, he wiped away the tears from his eyes once their laughter had dissipated.
"Hey, you're right…talking about this helped a lot. I'm feeling better than I have for a long time."
"I had a feeling you were one of those guys that gets moody for a damn good reason." She folds her arms and smiles. "I'm here anytime
He reached over and touched her face.
"Someday when I look back and think about the people in my life that were there for me… I will always remember that you were one of those people that had my back when I really needed someone to be there."
Fio half-smiles before embracing him again.
"I always got your back." She gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. "And I have a feeling we are going to be friends for a long time."
Vincent nods.
"I think so too." He grinned then bopped her nose playfully as Fiona giggles bopping his in return.
As they moved closer to their camp Memphis's guitar could be heard.
"Oh thank God that damned TV hootenanny is over…I was getting ready to hang myself." Fiona looks up at Vincent. "Should we head back? I can stomach Green Day so much more than the Lavern and Shirley theme song."
Vincent chuckles and held his hand out in a flourish.
"Lead the way." He grinned and placed his hand on the small of her back walking her back to the camp singing loudly as they sat down.
"So take the photographs and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable but in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life"
As Vincent and Fio bond together and with their team, they were not aware that the moment was observed by Captain Faulks. Only watching from an inaudible distance, the moment of closeness between the two friends was immediately misunderstood. As he watches them walk back toward their camp together, he closed his eyes and heaves a dejected sigh.
Alex knew he was in essence forbidden from entering into anything other than a professional relationship with Fio, but in working with her team in training, and running into her by chance on her evening runs,(there was no by chance about it…he would venture out in hopes of running into the girl) he had grown very attracted to her. There was something about her from the moment he first saw her that drew him. Fio was a pretty girl. Yes, this made him look, but he knew lots of pretty girls, both back home and in the army. And there were some lookers even within her own squad.
Alex would be the first to tell you that he was no saint. The officer's club was filled with beautiful women and he enjoyed the occasional one-night-stand to fill the physical need. Yet his emotional needs remained unfulfilled.
Fio was different. She was not like other girls he had encountered. She was fierce, determined with strong work ethics; a spirit that was very common growing up in a working class family in Hell's Kitchen, New York. With the exception of the time she unbuttoned her uniform top, to deter his focus on that first day of training, she did not use her looks to rest on her laurels; in fact, she was one of the best on the squad.
It was none of these reasons in particular for the growing intensity of his feelings; maybe it was her soft, feminine smile that made his heart skip every time he looked at her; or the way she laughed, or how her dark hair fell across her face in soft curls when it fell out of her military standard braid…
All he knew was that seeing her growing closeness to Vincent Keller made his heart sting like a bitch.
JT's Gentlemen's Club - Manhattan, NY
Present Day
"Well…" JT Forbes exhales as he put away his blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. "The good news is you are fine. The bad news is you have Liam Cullen juice floating around in your system."
Tess snickers with JT at the last remark before Vincent glares at the two.
"Grow up!" He snarls irritably.
"Oh my GOD!" Cat paces back and forth placing her hands over her face. She was exasperated with the unnecessary ribbing when her husband's health was in questions. "Can we all stop fucking around for 5 minutes?"
The three turn around to look at Cat. Vincent took the ribbing in a good enough nature. If Vincent was fine, JT would rib to lighten the mood. Tess picks up that trait from him, which made double-teaming Vincent a regular occurrence. However, Cat was usually more tolerable towards the bad jokes. Instead, Cat stares at the three like they committed sacrilege.
"Jesus! I spent half the night terrified that my husband was going to die right in front of me!" She turns and glowers at JT. "So if he isn't going to die, why was he hemorrhaging all over the carpet for which, by the way, we will not be getting our deposit back!"
"From all my tests, he didn't hemorrhage." JT spoke defensively. "But I got some crime lab grade solution that should get the blood out of the carpet."
JT was at a loss for words about Vincent. Each physical exam short of imaging him shows nothing. Either he heals at a rate that occurrence don't appear or the event didn't happen. The former contradicts because Cat description of the events shouldn't have occurred. A small amount of blood and then he should clot quickly.
"Sweetie, I'm fine." Vincent stands up and wraps his arms around Cat before softly kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry I frightened you, but I was as scared as you were. I don't know why I am suddenly having these memories about Fiona and what this urgency is that I am feeling in regards to her."
Cat half smiles and reached up touching his face.
"I know and I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch." Her green eyes brimmed over with tears. "But when I saw you like that with blood coming out of your ears and nose, and watching you scream in agony…"
Vincent pulls her close because he knew she was going to say. Between a medical practice and other experience, he knew what he had looked like. He has seen too many people bleed out before having to tell someone that a significant other didn't make it. It was not one of those stories he ever wants Cat to hear..
"Shhhhh." He closes his eyes and held her close to him, stroking her beautiful dark hair soothingly. "I'm so sorry."
She pulls her face away enough to look into his eyes.
"It's ok. The important thing is you are ok and that's all that matters to me." She stands on her toes to softly kiss him. "You're my whole world. If anything ever happens to you, I would be so lost."
Before Vincent could speak again, Tess clears her throat.
"Ok, as nauseatingly touching as this all is, I can't be the only one that is wondering who in the hell this Fiona is…" She glares at Vincent then looks at Cat. "…and why your spouse is crying out in his sleep over her?"
"Tess!" Cat whips around glaring daggers at her.
"Tess!" Vincent grumbles. "I know what you're thinking and it's nothing like that. We were friends; nothing more, nothing less."
"Just friends, eh?" JT raised his brow.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Vincent groanes. "She is a very beautiful woman and yes, at one point I wanted to badly get into her pants! However, she didn't join the army to meet guys and wanted to serve her country like the rest of us. She made that point very clear on the first day we met." He pauses for a moment then smiles giving a short laugh. "But that didn't stop her from falling in love with a captain."
"Isn't that taboo?" JT asked questionably.
"Yeah, it's taboo." Vincent nods. "Sometimes, these things are let go if it doesn't outright affect their actions in the field. However, she never confirmed or denied the relationship. But I do know they spent a lot of time together and every time they were near each other they made googly eyes at each other. Her roommate said she would sneak off at night and be gone for hours." He shrugged. "Fiona was incredibly hyperactive and could never fall asleep right away. I ran into her a few times taking a walk around the base. She was a Jr. Parkour champion and she didn't want to lose her competitive edge, so she would go out and practice her moves. She could have been doing that, or sneaking off with Alex."
"And forbidden sex is always the most fun." Tess smirked then cleares her throat when JT folded his arms and glared at her. "Or…so I've heard."
Cat covered her mouth to stifle a giggle at JT's reaction then grew serious again. "Last night you were crying out 'Fiona No' and you sounded terrified; like something horrible happened to her." She sat down next to him taking his hand. "What do you remember?"
Vincent sat for a moment shifting his eyes upward with a blank expression as though he was focusing with his entire efficacy before shaking his head sighing aggravated.
"I don't know. There are still a lot of blanks and questions I do not have answers to." He stood up agitatedly and slammed his fists on the bar breaking the entire end. "WHY IN THE FUCK CAN'T I REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT HER?" He sat on one of the bar stools nearly sobbing. "Why do I have this feeling of urgency?"
JT was stunned that Vincent had broken 1/3 of his bar, but this would not be the time to ask him to pay for the repairs.
"Whatever it is must be buried deep in your subconscious. Between Muirfield's mindfuckery and what Bob Reynolds did to you…." He stopped suddenly and looked at Cat. "Cat, I am so sorry. That was not cool."
Cat shook her head slowly; she too was stunned by Vincent's outburst, and barely heard JT's apology.
"All good." She answered weakly. "He may have redeemed himself, but it doesn't erase what happened. " She quickly walked over and stood next to Vincent rubbing his shoulder. "Was she there with your squad the day you received your injections? Did she become a beast?"
Vincent tried to listen, but their words sounded like there were coming to him from a distance. The Image of Fiona turning to smile before walking away and vanishing from his sight replayed over and over. He could almost hear her voice imploring him to look at these images in his mind and learn from what they are telling him. Why could he not remember…where was Fiona and why could he remember so many details about her but nothing about the last time he saw her, or the morning they were injected.
As he heard the voices of Cat, Tess and JT trying to break through, as though they were all lost in a storm. His body began to shake violently. He had to get out of there. He needed to get far away from them.
"STOP!" He shouted startling them all. "Just STOP."
He looked at each of their faces and shook his head.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I am so very sorry, but if I don't get out of here I am going to have a repeat of last night. I don't want to feuge and I don't want to hemorrhage again."
He lunged for the door stopping to look at Cat before doing so.
"Please forgive me. I love you so much." He implored her before sprinting out the door.
"Vincent!" JT shouted and started to take off after him, but Cat gently grabbed his arm.
"Let him go." She told him gently. "He has to process this his own way and he does not want to take it out on any of us."
"Ok." JT nodded and sighed. "I have never seen him like this."
His concern for his best friend was unmistakable.
"I have known him my entire life. I honestly don't know what to do here." He looked at Cat as Tess walked up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist.
"What about hypnotizing him?"
Both Cat and JT turned and looked at her oddly making her roll her eyes.
"I don't mean like having him act like a chicken or something stupid, but having somebody actually dig down deep into his memories to fish out what he has buried deep."
JT nodded quickly snapping his fingers.
"Baby, that is a great idea." He sat in front of his computer and began typing out an email. "I have a buddy on campus who also happens to be head of the psyche department. I can ask him to come over and try a few techniques to get those images clearer without his body breaking."
JT sends a message on his phone before looking at the group.
"Ok…so now we wait." He shrugged. "So what should we do while we wait on him to get back to me…and for Vincent to work shit out?"
"Drink." Tess walked to the bar and grabbed a beer for each one of them.
"Oh God yes!" Cat reached for a beer. "Drink a lot."
She opened her beer then popped open JT's before handing it to him.
"Cheers." JT offered as he took the beer from her.
"Cheers." Cat and Tess reciprocated the gesture.
The Hospital
Present Day
After leaving JT's place, Vincent rushes to the hospital to check on Jacob and run some tests to attempt to gain insight on his sister. Upon entering the double glass doors, he notes that lobby was atypically quiet. Normally, gang fights and bar brawls would fill the place up on this friday night, but it didn't concern him as he makes his way to the seventh floor.
He walks carefully towards the Intensive Care Unit, which had family members in anguish. The two nurses stare hopelessly at the family member before turning to their pictures of their children to make it through the night.
"Hi Dr. Keller." One of the nurses calls out to him smiling widely. "What are you doing here on a Saturday?"
"Isn't today your day off?" The other nurse chimes flirtatiously as she raised an eyebrow.
Vincent stops and saunters towards the nurse station. He was hoping to avoid contact, but it didn't stop him from flashing the infamous grin at the women. In normal situations, his extraordinarly handsomeness and smile could charm Satan into buying oceanfront property in Iowa, it would take special coaxing to get blood tests that out of protocol from nurses who work the ICU. At least, it would take coaxing so they would not ask questions.
"Hi Jessica." He nods to the first one then glances at the second. "And Angie….how are you ladies today?"
"Well we are just fine doctor." Angie smiles and leans forward.. "Now how were you able to get out of the house today? Doesn't your wife keep you locked up and away from other ladies stealing you away."
Vincent chuckles and lightly blushes.
"Catherine is the love of my life and I am hers. I have no desire to even look at another woman." He presses his lips together and the half-smile strongly indicates that this conversation was over. "Now could I trouble you lovely ladies into some blood tests for the patient in room 713?" He reaches behind the counter grabbing a form then clicks his pen. "Patient's last name is Conner, first name Jacob. And when the tests are completed, bring the results to me?"
"Of course Dr. Keller." Jessica purrs. "Do you want a rush on this?"
"Yes." Vincent nods. "I would like that as quickly as humanly possible?"
"Ok Doctor Keller." Jessica wrote something on the form and headed down the hall. "I'll get that to the lab right away."
"Thank you!" He hollers after and turns to her then turns to Angie. "And I hope your day goes well. Thank you for your help."
He turns to leave while the nurses stare at him
"Anytime, Dr. Keller." She calls out after him then places her chin against her palms smiling dreamily. "My God, he's beautiful." She sighs absent-mindedly as she watched him head down the hall.
As he walks away from the nurse's station, he felt very bad for the flirtation. While it was not normal for Vincent to use his charm for a personal favor, he justifies it with his need to discover what happened to his friend.
Questions exasperate Vincent's mind, since he could recall mere moments with Fiona. The first day of training, hell week, and the war. He could even recall her drinking him under the table, but he couldn't recall when he saw her last. He was even beginning to wonder if his time in Afghanistan were real because of all the fuzzy details and mind games.
He stops by Jacob Conner's room and observes him. He remains in a coma with life support. There was no next of kin or a DNR on his file, which ties Vincent's hands. The hospital tried to search, but all the known relatives were gone. His parents, Jacob Argus and Grace Elizabeth died in a car accident a few years ago. While the police did note it was suspicious, it did not help the next of kin situation. Each next of kin were systematically showing up decease, which made him think that Project Muirfield went after the family member it could find to cut off resources.
Fiona's status did cause him some anguish. When Muirfield systematically killed off all of its participants, the dead were categorized as KIA. Even when Vincent escaped, the company assumed he was dead. He couldn't wrap his head around what MIA meant. This thought caused enough anguish for him pick up a replacement saline bag and throw it against the wall with enough force to burst it.
He barely misses a young girl walking. Full goth makeup and clothing with a black mini-skirt. She avoids the bag, but lets out a scream.
"Hey! Easy doc!" The girl shouts in a characteristic Brooklyn accent. "Look at what you did? You got my sneakers wet! A whole month's pay! A MONTH!" She held up the bag and shakes it at him. "Oh sure, it's nothing for a rich doctor like you."
"I'm sorry!" He cuts her off partially because he generally was sorry. However, her loudness did annoy him. She was a blonde Brooklynite version of his sister-in-law Heather. He did love his sister in law, but often thought about prescribing her some tranquilizers with how much her chatterbox syndrome goes on. "What it is, I will pay for it, miss."
"Yea, you better!" She nods quickly before pointing to Jake. "What'cha gonna do for him? You're gonna fix him, right doc? He can't die, he just can't.."
As the girl begins to wail, he took note of her appearance. She was wearing a mild goth attire offset by black lipstick and nail polish. Her hair was pale blond and cut in a curly a-frame, which lays against even paler skin. She looks like a fangirl for a certain CW show that he and Tess got obsessed about. Cat didn't like watching it because of the different cuisines made from brains, which made her think too much about Silence of the Lambs.
Once she had finally finished her tirade, Vincent exhales loudly with his growing irritation.
"Are you family, miss? If not, I have to ask you to leave the area and wait in the lobby."
The young girl looks at him with fiery eyes.
"That's my Boo in there! You got my Boo and I ain't leaving this place until you save his life! Stop standing around with your thumb up your ass and do it!"
Vincent maintains his smile despite fact he was seething inside. This girl was being insubordinate and insolent.
"I'm sorry, young lady, but you aren't allowed in this area unless you're a family member. You can wait in the lobby or waiting area, but you cannot.."
"I am not going anywhere!" She screams loud enough for heads to turn in his direction. "I'm going to stay right here and you can't make me leave!"
She folds her arms and stomps her foot for emphasis.
He was officially angry, which is normally a problem for beasting out. However, he knew enough to keep a separation between human angry and beast furious. It was a good thing considering where they currently were.
"Ok, I've been kind enough to ask you to leave the area, but now I have no choice but to call security. They'll remove you one way or another." Vince looks back and sees three security guards approaching the scene. "Now are you going to be a good girl and take a seat in the lobby? If not, these gentlemen will escort you out."
The girl sighs and crosses her arms while tapping her foot. She rolls her eyes and blew a bubble, which she lets pop all over her face.
"Whatever."
Vincent turns towards the guards that walk towards the ICU upon hearing the commotion.
"Excuse me, gentlemen." He have a courteous smile towards them before turning to the girl behind him. His smile distorts as he turns and he hisses towards the girl. "You don't have a lot of options. This is an restricted unit with families dealing the possibility of losing a loved one." He points towards families sitting in another ICU unit. "What they don't need is a snarky girl undermining hospital authority and causing trouble. Therefore, I am going to politely ask you to walk away and go sit in the waiting area."
He wants to say a lot more, but he had to think of the families as well. If he flew off the handle at her, it would only aggravate their situation, which would break his heart. It would also make it to his supervisor, which he did not want to hear from at the moment.
The girl smirks insolently like she was hiding a deep dark secret as she stares at Vincent for what felt like an eternity. After snapping her bubble gum yet again, she turns on her heel before giving the bird towards Vincent and the security team as she exits.
"Fuuuuuuuuuk!" The three guards drop out of formation laughing at the girl's unruly behavior. "What the hell did you do to piss that one off, Keller?" One of the guards calls out incredulously as the 2 barrels over.
"That was one crazy ass BITCH!" Another guard bellows. "Daaaayyyyym! You know how to treat those ladies, Keller!" He chortled.
"Guys, this is the ICU." he reminds the men of the reason why she couldn't be in here. The security officer straighten up and quietly apologized. Vincent was still incensed by the encounter, but he didn't mean to take it out on the guys. "It's ok, just keep those crazy idiots out of here." He spoke before heading out and gave the first guard a slap on the shoulder.
"Presumed dead!" His mind reels. "Did anybody even try to find you?"
The MIA status struck him again. What did it mean? Was she transferred out before the injections were given? He remembers the day with exact detail, but he doesn't recall seeing Fiona. The strange fact was that he didn't recall him wondering why she wasn't there. It bothered him now because she was their squad leader and mother hen.
As Vincent enters his office, he shut the door behind him and flops against the door placing his hand over his forehead. He losing control over how difficult the answers were becoming. He need to focus or everyone is at risk.
"You may never learn the truth." He heard his wife's voice speaking to him which startles him. "How are you prepared to deal with that if you never find out?"
Vincent looks in the direction of her voice where she was sitting at his desk.
"Sweetie?" He smiles very happy to see her. If there was ever a time he needed her, with all of the uncertainty and opening of wounds he thought had long healed, it was now. Pulling her out of his chair, he wraps his arms around her and held onto her tight.
Cat smiles and returns his embrace.
"Well is that your stethoscope in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
Vincent smiles down at her and bopped her nose. He loves the way it crinkled when she smiled. She may have been one of New York's finest badass female cops, but that was easy to forget with that little girl smile and dimples.
"Which answer will help me score with the pretty girl?" He grins evilly wiggling his eyebrows. "And I am sorry for the cliché…but you are most definitely a sight for sore eyes."
This time Cat did not smile.
"Well if you ever run off like that again you will have two very sore eyes." She glowers hard into him. "It was all great at first, we were going to spend the day getting drunk, but then JT and Tess started getting all lovey dovey making me feel like a third wheel. If I went home I would have been crazy worried…" She slaps her hips with her palms then threw them outward in a flourish. "…so I came to the one place I knew you would be."
Vincent sighs and run his fingers through his dark brown hair half-smiling at her.
"I'm sorry. " He caresses his hands against her shoulders then quickly removes them dropping at his sides exasperated. "I hate this feeling! It's like I'm on vacation and left the iron on or the shower running…" He stops and walks toward his desk before turning towards her. "I remember so much about her…but there are so many holes…"
Cat exhales.
"Vincent, know this is frustrating. I can't even imagine what you must have gone through. Knowing what Muirfield did to you, it frightens me to think of what that poor girl may have suffered if they got ahold of her." She leans against his desk with her arms folded across her chest. "But like I said when you walked through that door…we may never know what happened to her…and if you don't…"
Before she was finished, Vincent cut her off.
"We WILL find out the truth!" He stated gravely. "Catherine…there is a reason her brother was brought to my hospital and there is a reason I am having these memories. I have to learn the truth and I will find out no matter what it takes!"
Cat smiles this time.
"I was hoping you would say that and just hear me out on this because I know what you are going to say." She stares at him looking for a reaction before moving on. He gave her a nod approving her to continue.
"Ok…" She spoke cautiously. "JT feels that your memories…or lack of are probably related to a tragic event. I know Muirfield erased a lot of your memories and some you have blocked out on your own. He recommends that we contact a one of his colleagues who can use hypnosis to...dive into your subconscious or something like that. He hopes it will uncover some of the blocked memories safely without nose bleeds and other hemorrhages." She stops talking and looks at him. "Ok…I am done. You can talk now."
Vincent listens intently and nods once she told him was finished.
"Are you sure?"
Cat nods.
He smiled then scoffs.
"No. No fucking way! I have had too many people mess with my head and I am not going to allow another person in there. So JT can tell his colleague thanks…but not happening. Not now….not ever!"
"I was afraid you were going to say that." He heard JT's voice just before he heard the sharp sound of his tranq gun being fired hitting him in his right hip.
"I hate you so much right now." He snarls weakly as he fell to the floor.
Cat turns to JT staring at him as if he were out of his mind.
"Why in the hell did you tranq him? This was supposed to be his choice JT! We can't force him into this! And now he is going to think I had something to do with this! What is wrong with you?"
JT exhales, vexed by Cat's reaction.
"Ok, so would you rather have him spend the rest of his potentially short life like this? All the symptoms you had mentioned point towards a systematic block by someone, which can spooks can use to cause significant damage rather than let secrets get out. If you can't completely wipe the memories due to lack of equipment or time, drugs and subliminal messages can do that. Ok, call me paranoid and tinfoil hat, but with what you have seen Muirfield do, it is not far off. He would never quit and eventually his body would give out, which I don't want to see." He shrugs. "I know what your answer is going to be…and since we are in full agreement, I took the proactive approach."
He picks up his phone and dials as Cat watched him dubiously.
"JT!" She shouts which he just held up his hand shushing her while he was on the phone to which she scoffs irritably and paces back and forth waiting for him to finish. She barely let her husband get away with that, so what was JT thinking.
"Heather!" His ecstatic voice bellowes over the phone. "Yeah, I'm ready when you guys are…we're at the hospital…"
"What the HELL!" Cat shouts incredulously. "You got my sister involved with this?"
JT glares at her giving her the universal hand gesture telling her to shut up the pointed to the phone again incensing her further. Best friend or not, there will be a reckoning. She is so telling Tess.
"No…no…she's fine Heather…just get here whenever you can."
He snaps his phone shut then looks back at Cat.
"Ok, Cat! I'm sorry. And no, I did not get your sister involved, but she is dating Hoss…"
Cat narrows her eyes wrinkling her nose repugnantly.
"Who in the hell is Hoss?"
JT rolls his eyes.
"Her new boyfriend. His name is Jax….Vincent and I call him Hoss because he reminds us of Hoss on Bonanza…" He looks at Cat who looked like she was ready to book him for idiocy. "Ok…never mind…so JAX is going to come over here and help us carry Vincent back to my place. My buddy Stewart is going to meet us there in about an hour. I only told Heather that Vincent needs a ride and Hoss…ah…is big enough to carry Vincent. After all these years, you know Vincent is heavier than he looks."
"You know he is going to be pissed when he wakes up." She cocks her head as a warning to remind him that Vincent does not always wake up calm. "And this is all on you. I had no part in ANY of this and I know for a fact that Tess would not approve of this either. Are you ready for that?"
"Noted." JT replies and looks up at her. "And I know he is going to be pissed…but I would rather have him pissed at me than have him dead.."
Cat softens a little and smiles at him. Yes, she could get furious with JT and his crazy ideas, but she also knew how much he loved Vincent and would do anything for his friend.
"JT, I'm sorry." She pauses a moment. "I know that you are only thinking the best for Vincent…and you are right…he would dig his heel into the ground and refuse to do this." She held up her finger and furrowed her brow. "Now I still don't condone this…but I can issue a years' worth of parking tickets to you if this goes badly…just so we're clear?"
"Crystal." JT nods.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Ok, that's going to be JAX…let's get this big lug out of here." He approaches Vincent and grabbed him under the shoulders crying out in pain. "No more gummy worms for you, big guy."
Uzbekistan Desert
September 21, 2002
Survivor Training Day 3.
Despite having sand and dirt fill every body cavity possible, the team manages to sleep on a soft pile of leaves through the cavern. It wasn't as cozy as soft cushion at home, but it was enough to not be too horrible.
Vincent lays by himself towards the outside of the rock formation with Lafferty about three feet to his right and Conner just past his feet. The three of them did manage to spend a portion of the night telling dirty jokes and stories before the two ladies fell asleep.
Vincent couldn't sleep with two beautiful and available women laying in close proximity. Despite his medical training, he had no cure for his hormones going into overdrive. He hasn't been with a woman in a long time since he left Zach's ex-girlfriend Gabriella. In his defense, she did not mention she was in a relationship, which made Vincent chose not to feel guilty over it. Sure, he knew it stings Zach, but he was not psychic and can't predict who is cheating.
However, he is a man of honor. He knew that Fiona and Alex have an interest in each other, which Vincent decided to forsake any physical interest. He didn't mind because she started to become like a sister to him, which is actually an awesome situation out here when things can go to hell. With her bawdy sense of humor and ability to drink them all under the table, most of the squad felt she was one of the guys. They did silently admit she has a rock hard ass and pleasant curves that could drive a red-blooded male to the brink. However, they did also respect her because she was there to fight rather than find a husband. While Captain Fawkes did admire that, it was clear that the fighting going between them is the admission of how they felt towards each other.
Mari Lafferty presents a different case. The African-American beauty has a stunning smile and the curve ration like Fio. The difference was that she didn't mind if boys look at her. She did display an interest in Vincent, but they both didn't put a stock into marrying in the future. They both knew that war was hell and things can change in a short period of time, but it would be ideal to enter a physical relationship understanding terms.
He decides to wake Mari up in order to someplace private, but he heard strange footsteps in the camp. After being with the group for a couple of days, he could distinguish everyone's pattern, which neither of the sounds he heard matched.
"Fio." he whispers as he nudges Fio awake.
Fiona opens her eyes and begins to speak, but Vincent places his finger over his lips to signal her otherwise. Her focus turns towards the footsteps outside of the cave, which was unexpected. She and Vincent try to wake the others before a squad of men with assault rifles move in and begin shouting in Pashto, which the group had a vague understanding of from their time amongst the locals. The squad look at each other before looking at the terrorist, which held them at a disadvantage. Vincent kneels down and places his hand around his head. The others follow his example and do the same.
The terrorist drag the squad outside the shelter and threw them at the feet of a man in a black cloak and shawl that covers the face. From the stance and position, Vincent assumes this was the leader of this group. However, the steel blue eyes and the lack of olive skin made him think of something other than the local Afghans, which he also observes strands of greyish flyaway hair flowing from under the headgear. The other difference was the man stood in an at ease stance. While the United States don't own patents on military stances, this formality is a little distant from what he thought of with terrorists.
"On your knees! Now!" Was heard from behind from one of the men who kicks Willie in the small of the back. Willie falls to the ground with tears in his eyes as he face met the sand.
"Leave him alone, you piece of shit!" Fiona screams at the man.
"Fio, stop!" Vincent shouts at her with the knowledge that her vocalness and these men tolerance of it did not equate. They would sooner shoot or behead her for being insubordinate than listen to her. A man walks up to her and backhands Fio, who spits blood out as she crumbles to the ground.
"Fuck you!" She retaliates. The man aims the rifle at her head. Vincent is to horrified to utter a sentence at what he was seeing. The man looks ready to shoot Fio, who was trembling and whimpering in pure terror.
Before the man holding rifle could pull the trigger, the leader shouts in Pashto. The tone of the voice and the dropping of the rifle makes it sound a threat was given. The man lets go of Fio immediately and falls into line.
By now, all of them were crying in fear that this could be the last minutes of their lives. They wonder how this all occurred because hostiles were not suppose to be here. The only people who knew their location were command and Project Muirfield, which makes them question why this group was here.
Vincent looks up as the man in the black cloak paces before stopping to briefly examine them. His attention focuses on Mari before turning to Fio and Rodriguez. Finally, he steps in front of Vincent, who took a majority of the attention. The uncomfortable silence made Vincent nervous before the man grabs him by the collar.
"This one." The leader spoke before tossing Vincent to the other men.
"No!" Mari stood up screaming. "Let him go, Please!"
She sobs as she pleas for Vincent's release.
"Silence!" The leader shouts and hold his hand before any of the men could react. Instead, he pushes her down and her face hits the sand.
The squad could only watch helplessly as the terrorist load Vincent into the truck. Before he disappears, he looks at Fio with pleading eyes. As though he wants her to find him. Fio saw the looks and gave him a nod through her tears, which was an unspoken pact that she would find him no matter the cost.
After the truck disappears over the horizon, the leader looks at the remaining squad. He turns towards the terrorists and waves his hand.
"Kill them all!"