Tnx for the reviews! Sorry I´m a bit late with this one, but I´ve had a busy week.
Chapter 4
Kate heard the sound of the door opening and looked up to.
˝Morning. ˝Jack said, entering the room.
˝Morning. ˝she replied; surprised with the fact that her mood lightened up a bit the moment she saw his face.
˝Did you sleep well? ˝he asked, taking the nearby chair and drawing it nearer to the bed.
Kate nodded, but he could see she was edgy.
˝You okay? ˝
˝Yeah, I´m fine. ˝she replied, shrugging her shoulders.
˝Kate, come on, what´s wrong? ˝Jack insisted, placing himself on the chair.
˝Nothing, it´s just… I´m not used to staying at one place for very long. I guess I´m going crazy in here. ˝she added, giving a small, sad smile.
Jack nodded. He knew a free spirit when he saw one and he didn´t even want to imagine what the prison would do to her.
˝How´s your hand? ˝he asked to change the subject.
Kate smiled. ˝A bit sore from being in this position all the time, but otherwise okay. ˝
˝Well, I´m glad to hear that. ˝he said, smiling. ˝The scans should be done till tonight, by the way. ˝he added, going into his doctor-mode again. ˝The good news is that I don´t think anything broken. The bad news, ˝he said, his voice serious now. ˝…is that once they´re done, I won´t have any more excuses to keep you here. I´ve tried to drag this out as much as possible, but the Marshal is getting impatient and I don´t think… ˝
˝It´s okay. ˝Kate said, interrupting him; but he wasn´t done apologizing.
˝I´m really sorry. If there was anything I could do… ˝
˝Hey, it´s okay. ˝Really. You´ve already done enough. ˝she repeated, placing her hand on top of his to stop him.
*flash*
He´s in a room or something, he´s sitting on a chair. He opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. He´s so tired, emotionally drained. He´s trying so hard to keep his emotions under control, battling with all his willpower to keep the defense walls he built to survive this meeting. But then a hand closes over his, and he knows he has just lost that fight…
*end of flash*
Jack blinked, stunned by what he had just seen. What was it? Was he hallucinating? Was he going crazy?
But before he could say anything, a voice spoke on the intercom. ˝Dr Shephard in Room 8! Dr Sherphard in Room 8! ˝
˝I…I have to go. ˝he stammered, pulling his hand out of hers. ˝I´ll…I´ll try to stop by later. ˝
Kate opened her mouth to reply, but he was already out of the room.
...
What was supposed to be just an ordinary surgery turned out into a 7 hours long nightmare, so by the time he left the emergency room, Jack had forgotten all about the weird flash he had had.
He was tired, hungry and bordering on exhausted. He didn´t feel like going home to the empty apartment immediately after a day like that, so he decided to grab something from the hospital´s cafeteria and finish some paperwork.
He had just placed himself down behind his desk and opened the first file when he heard a knock on the door.
˝Got some time? ˝
Jack looked up to see the Marshal standing at the doorway. His first instinct was to tell him to fuck off, but he managed to put his temper under control, so he just nodded instead.
˝You look like you´ve had quite a shitty day, doc. ˝the Marshal said as he placed himself down in the chair opposite to Jack.
˝I´ve had better ones, yes. ˝Jack replied briefly.
˝Any of these problems related to our favorite criminal? ˝the Marshal asked sarcastically, making Jack immediately regret letting him in. ˝´Cause we both know how easily she can make the men do what she wants them to do. ˝
Jack ignored him. He knew the guy was taunting him, trying to bring a reaction out of him; and he was determined not to fall into his trap.
˝You know, she´s done this plenty of times before. Played an I´m-innocent-and-vulnerable card to get what she wants. It always fascinated me how easily men fall under her charm. But, then again, I see you already know what I´m talking about, don´t you? ˝he added, that annoying smirk still plastered on his face.
Jack said nothing, although his insides were boiling.
˝I´m gonna give you an advice, doc. ˝the Marshal said. ˝No matter what she does… no matter how she makes you feel, don't you trust a word that she says. She will do anything to get away. Anything. ˝
He watched the doctor closely to gauge his reaction, but he had damn good poker face – he had to give him that.
˝That being said… ˝he added; his voice cheerful again. ˝…she won´t have much time to trick you anyway. ˝
Jack looked up at him.
˝Oh, didn´t I tell you? ˝the Marshal said, tilting his head. ˝We´re moving her back to jail first thing in the morning. ˝
˝What? ˝
˝You heard me. ˝
˝You can´t take her. The CT results still haven´t arrived and… ˝
˝Then you can send them by post. ˝he said sarcastically; then continued. ˝Listen, doc, I know what you´re trying to do here, but it won´t work There´s nothing wrong with her hand and the boo-boo on her head wasn´t a big deal in the first place, so CT or no CT, there´s no reason to keep her in hospital anymore. ˝
Jack got up on his feet and passed the desk to reach the Marshal. ˝You made both of those injures, you son of a bitch! ˝he said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
The Marshal just snickered. ˝Careful, doc. You don´t want to end up in jail for assaulting a federal officer, do you? Who´d look after your dearest patient then? ˝
Jack stared at him, his eyes full of hatred. What he wanted the most was to beat the crap out of the guy, but he knew that would only make things worse. So he took a deep breath and released him.
˝I´m her doctor and how long she stays in hospital is my decision and my decision only! ˝he said, forcing himself to calm down.
The Marshal snickered. ˝Normally, I´d agree with that, but seeing how she has you wrapped around her little finger... I don´t think so, doc. ˝
Jack took a step forward. ˝You sound so sure of yourself, Marsh, ˝Jack said, imitating the Marshal. ˝But you still need my signature on the release papers and I won´t give it until I make sure she´s okay. ˝
The Marshal stared at him. ˝Okay, doc. I wanted to go with the easy way, but you seem determined to try the hard one. So be it. ˝he said, taking a step forward too. ˝If she´s not released by tomorrow noon, I´m going to the judge to get the court order. And then you´ll have to give her to me. The difference is – I´ll be way more pissed off then. And we all need a punching bag when we´re pissed off, don´t we? ˝
They stared at each other for a few moments; then Marshal broke the eye contact.
˝Let go, doc. I told you, she´s not worth it. ˝he said, putting his hand on Jack´s shoulder. ˝You might not believe me, but I´m telling you this for your own good. ˝
˝As touched as I am by your concern,… ˝Jack said sarcastically, pulling himself out of the Marshal´s touch. ˝…I can take care of myself. ˝
The Marshal smirked. ˝If you say so. Just remember: tomorrow noon. ˝
Jack waited till the Marshal left the room; then slammed his fist into the closest wall. ˝Dammit! ˝
He sat behind his desk again and brought his hands together, the Marshal´s words still echoing in his head. No matter what she does…no matter how she makes you feel, don't you trust a word that she says. She will do anything to get away.
Jack sighed. In any other circumstance, he´d trust a cop rather than a criminal; but there was something about that woman that made it impossible for him to stay unbiased.
Still, he knew he had to find out the facts – and find them out soon. He picked up the receiver and dialed a couple of numbers.
˝James, it´s Jack. I need a favor. How fast can you get me a file of a certain person? ˝