Chapter 4
Sometimes all you can do is laugh to keep yourself from crying.
Being totally useless in a time of great need is absolutely irritating. And what makes it even worse, you can't control when it happens. You force yourself to react but are unable to, your entire body resisting your commands.
When you finally do recover, and can see and hear again, you get up and charge back into the room. You aren't thinking straight, as you look around the smoky room for some sign of life. All efforts are futile, and her or her body is nowhere to be found.
You can hear shocked voices emanating from the doorway, and know that people are coming to investigate the scene. You have to act quickly and strictly on instincts, to avoid suspicion of any sort. The only escape that would evade most of that would be through the window.
You can vaguely see it though the haze, and hastily make your way over, attempting not to trip on anything that was thrown to the floor in the explosion.
You gaze out of the window and see that the building is only two stories off of the ground. It would be an easy jump. You look back at the unclear entrance to the room, and make out the indistinct outlines of people brave enough to look into the disaster. You launch yourself out of the window, finally able to breath easily again, and make sure you land correctly. Landing incorrectly would be devastating to your job, let alone your health.
You sprint in the direction of the front entrance, and pray that Leon has done exactly what you asked. It would be so much more valuable to this situation, helping the escape out greatly.
As you round the corner, you see a fairly new, shiny, cobalt blue mustang. You surmise that it is Leon, and hopefully he is ready to go. He has probably seen the explosion, because it could be seen from both sides of the hospital. No doubt there will be questions. You don't bother to do up your seat belt, as you get in and slam the door.
"Drive!" You demand urgently at Leon.
He twists the key in the ignition, and slams on the gas with such force that you are slammed onto the seat and lose your breath. You gasp for air, and his attention flashes between you and the road.
"I thought it was only for a few questions."
"It was." Your voice is hollow from the shock of the incident.
The blast wasn't what has upset you. It was the fact that you couldn't find her body, and are wondering if she is dead or if someone came in and took her.
"Care to tell me why the building has a hole in it?"
"Not really."
He's silent for a moment and you know he's thinking, the gears in his mind are working, furiously trying to come up with something. You can tell that he's not happy about you not distributing your knowledge.
"Where exactly am I taking you?"
"To my car. I'll tail you back to your house."
He doesn't reply and just shifts the gears, speeding up. He seems to be heading in the direction of the bar. You don't tell him anything as he finds the exact place your car is in. The only problem is that you don't recognize your car. Not in the way it should be recognized in anyway.
Leon had almost driven past by the time you had found your voice enough to speak. The sight filled you with sick amazement, making you want to scream out in lost agony. But you can't. Your mind is frozen, numb with the attempts to comprehend what has happened. You can't even open the door and force yourself to stumble out and look at the wreck.
The car is almost smashed beyond recognition. You know it's yours because you have had this car too long to forget what it looks like. It's too broken to be fixed, and a new car would be way easier to get anyways. But you don't want a new car. You want yours. It was a constant in your life of variables, and now even that was unpredictable.
"Go."
There is no time to dwell on such things, for there is only so much time left. That meant that there were two things that have gone wrong. One more was sure to happen, because they always came in threes.
He drives in silence back to his house, and you know it's for the best. You are pretty sure that if you speak, you will shatter into a million tiny pieces that cannot be repaired.
The car finally comes to a stop in the parking lot of a large apartment building. It appears to be well kept, but you don't expect less from Leon. You follow him to his room on the sixth floor, and some of the shock has worn off.
Maybe all of it was for the best. More feelings slowly disappearing until you are cold and that is all you will be. All your missions could be completed smoothly and without hesitation because you have nothing to lose. But that only makes you more dangerous. The most dangerous enemy is one with nothing to lose. But you still have one more connection to your emotions. Leon.
Maybe killing him will set everything into place…. Maybe… That thought sends cold shivers down your spine, and you quickly push it off. You don't want to lose yourself. That thought is too gruesome to even imagine.
His voice brings you back from reality. "Want anything?"
Food would be great, but that doesn't hold your interest right now. "Red wine, if you have any."
He gives you a dark look, and you roll your eyes. "I don't plan on over drinking, and you're here to watch."
"Mhm." He hums as he walks off into the kitchen and you take a good look at his apartment.
The most noticeable would be how open it is. There are no walls except for a room that looks like a spare. There is a big picture window looking over the city and it looks amazing. The sun is setting so it gives the apartment an eerie glow that somehow is comforting.
The kitchen is 'U' shaped and it adds to the openness. Across from it is a spiral staircase, which leads up to a small balcony. You guess that Leon's room is up there. Overall, the apartment is well designed, and to your liking.
You slip out of your heels, pushing them to the side and walk over to the couch. You throw your jacket over the couch and place yourself onto it, unwinding after that half a day of stress. You may have been out for the last two weeks, but you're still exhausted.
Leon comes from the kitchen and hands you your wine, before turning on the lights and settling into the lay-z-boy. He knows that darkness is coming too. He has chosen scotch for himself.
"Do you mind telling me why the building exploded now?"
After some reluctance, you decide to answer, finally giving him something that he wished. "I guess you deserve to know."
You tell him about Kaitlyn and the incident at the hospital, but you leave out certain details. He wouldn't even know they were missing and he didn't need more stress anyways. He listened intently to your story, soaking up all the detail he could. He would take a drink occasionally and so would you. It eases the pain a little.
When you had finished the first glass, he gave you a second. The wine was high quality and it just added to the whole setting. It was relaxing and that scares you. If you aren't paying attention, things can happen. When you finished your story, the light outside had faded and the city was glowing as far as the eye could see. In these cities, it seemed like the stars came from below instead of above. It was beautiful, in a suburban kind of way.
Leon breaks the silence with an obvious comment. "You two were close."
You hum your agreement and take another sip of the cool liquid. Unfortunately, he had put the pieces together in his head and one important one was missing.
"Why didn't you return?"
"There were… complications." You gave him a simple answer hesitating slightly and he isn't content with it, but you know that he knows better then to question you. He won't get the answers he's looking for nonetheless.
"Well, I don't think she's gone. If she's your equal, then there's no doubt in my mind that she survived."
You aren't sure if this is a compliment or not but brush it off anyhow. When he sees that you aren't going to answer, he gets up, taking your empty glass and places it next to the sink with his. He turns to you before he speaks up again.
"If you don't have to leave then you can stay here tonight."
You look at him and see the honest kindness resting in his eyes. He truly wants you to stay. He knows you are hurt and is trying to help the healing. It's a harmless offer, so why not accept?
"Alright."
He seems relived.
"The spare bedroom is right there and there is a bathroom attached. Towels are underneath the sink."
As he mentions the bathroom, you feel slightly disgusted. You haven't washed yourself in two weeks and are wearing the same clothing from then. You decided to test Leon's hospitality, stretching it to his maximum.
"Do you have a change of clothing I can borrow?"
He cocks an eyebrow and there is a ghost of a smirk on his face. He knew you were going to ask that. "Sure."
You watch from the couch as he climbs the stairs and disappears into his room. He reappears moments later with a pile of clothing that appears to be comfortable enough. You force yourself out of the comfortable position on the couch and grab the pile of clothes from him before sauntering off to the bedroom and closing the door behind you. You can feel Leon's eyes burning into your back, unsure of what he is feeling.
You place the pile on the bed and go straight into the bathroom and strip yourself clean, avoiding the mirror. The hot water drumming on your back puts your mind at ease. You are at a loss of time, and the only thing that warns you that its time to move is the water beginning to cool. Your skin was hot from the long extension and the cooling water raises goose bumps on your skin. You quickly shut it off and get out.
You dry yourself and pull on the clothes that Leon has given you. It's a pair of grey boxers and a faded chocolate brown t-shirt. The boxers have the most unique feeling, and it definitely is an acquired taste. They fit perfectly which is strange and makes you wonder why they are in his possession.
You look down at the bed and it looks so warm and inviting, but someone knocking at a door other then yours draws your attention away. It seems to be emanating from a door just outside of yours, but that would be the front door.
Who would possible come over at this time? You exit your room and open the door. Both to your dismay and approval, she has survived.
"Kaitlyn. You did survive." Your voice is calm and collected.
She smirks, but you can tell she is drained from some effort. "Well, who were you expecting? The pizza guy?" Even in this state she can still be sarcastic.
You hastily scan over her, taking in all the injuries. She has a bandage wrapped around her head, but there is no blood soaking though. Her arm, on the other hand, is dripping blood through all of her attempts to stop it.
"Come in. I need to fix you up." You are not going to let her suffer like this.
"Will your friend be okay with this?"
"He won't mind. Now get in here." You hope Leon won't mind, and with a bit of luck, his hospitality will stretch that far.
She limps inside, shutting the door behind her, and you know that Leon has probably heard it and is coming to check it out. On cue, he comes around the corner and stops abruptly, eyeing her up and down and unsure of what to make of her.
"Don't just stand there. Go get a first aid kit."
There is no time to dawdle, she needs immediate treatment, and it shows in your voice. He doesn't question you and hurries into the bathroom. You let him get what you asked for and lead Kaitlyn to the couch and insist she sit on it.
"I'm going to make a mess of it."
"I don't care. I'll buy him a new couch if he complains."
She complies but as she turns her back to you, you can see small spots of blood, pinpricks all over. "You need to take off your shirt. I need to take a look at your back too."
"No, I'm okay. It's the arm that needs to be looked after."
You stare into her eyes, enforcing your words with a glare. "I'm going to fix you up, whether you like it or not."
"Fine." She sounds annoyed in a sarcastic way, and it makes you smile.
She removes her shirt with some difficulty due to her arm, and you eventually help her. When you look at her back you are stuck in dismay. Small glass shards have implanted themselves in an array of places. Picking them out is going to be hell, but at least there are small spots of blood marking their location.
You can hear Leon making his approach before you can actually see him. He hands you the package and sits on the opposite couch, at a loss of words. You turn back to Kaitlyn and her arm and the blood that is seeping through the cloth.
"We need to take a look at the arm."
She hums almost inaudibly, and she knows what you are going to find. You remove the makeshift bandage and blood instantly beings to rush out. The hair on the back of your neck stands up fully perceiving the full extent of the injury. The metallic sent fills your nose, but it doesn't bother you. You know that the world has gone mad when that smell doesn't nauseate you. It's just not right.
You reach for the materials to stitch it up but she stops you. "You have to get the bullet out first."
You stare at her blandly. "I really want to know what happened when I left that room."
"Don't worry. I'll spill." She grimaces.
You dig out the bullet quickly with tweezers, stitch her up and bandage it. She already looks paler because of the loss of blood. All that she needs now is time to relax and cover from whatever horrors she has experienced.
She relaxes into the chair fatigued at what she has gone through. She hasn't told you anything yet, but she will all in good time. She can't pass up telling and watching your reaction.
She sighs. "That feels much better." She's trying to draw the attention away from her other wounds that, to her, don't need attending to.
"I'm not done with you yet."
She shuts her eyes. "Yeah, I know." Fail.
You get off the couch and silently invite her to the familiar position. She falls onto her side and rolls over onto her stomach, her knees bent and her shins on the arm rest. You smile faintly, remembering how it used to work.
"Exactly."
You grab the tweezers off of the coffee table and climb onto the small of her back. It's comfortable enough for both of you, which helps in these situations.
The next part is like the game of operation. It's frustrating taking the time to remove each individual piece perfectly, being sure to not hurt her more. It takes patience and accuracy, something that happens to be running a little thin lately. When you finish that part, you have to rub it down with antiseptic, feeling her hiss at the acidic burn of the liquid.
She relaxes in that position and it makes the job much easier. She stays silent through the entire thing, and you wonder if she has fallen asleep. When you move off of her, she reacts, pushing herself into a sitting position. She looks horrible. Tonight is obviously not a good night for her story, but first thing in the morning, she will have some explaining to do.
Leon had been watching you in soundless admiration, and you seem to break him from that trance, demanding something more from him.
"Can you go get Kaitlyn some pants she can use for the night?"
"Sure."
He doesn't seem to be bothered by her staying here, at least on the outside. If he is hiding anything from you, he is doing it pretty damn well. He heads up the stairs once more for your request.
"Take off your pants. I want to look at the knee for good measures."
She takes them off, too tired to fight with you. Her knee is in horrible shape. It's swollen an angry crimson with a gash running along the side of the patella, right where the ligaments are. You hope that it hasn't hit anything, ruining her knee forever. That would make her handicap to any of part of the career she used to have, depressing her beyond belief.
There's not much you can do to it and she knows that too. You clean it and dress it, finishing as Leon makes his return. He hands you a pair of long, black sweats. His attention, on the other hand, is on the half dressed, should-be supermodel.
The unnerving feeling of jealousy fills your mind and blinding you, making you want to comment. You hold it in, knowing it will only make things worse. Kaitlyn feels the same way beside you, not wanting his attention. There is another feeling coming from her too. You are unsure of what it is, but you can't dwell on it any longer when she quickly covers it up.
You hand her the pants and a bottle of Advil from the coffee table.
"You can have the spare room. You look like you need the sleep."
She glares up at you, knowing that you are putting her before yourself. You're the one who was out for two weeks due to an injury and too much alcohol. She doesn't have the energy for voicing her opinion right now. Leon stiffens as well, wondering what you are going to do. If Kaitlyn notices it, she gives no sign, as she pushes herself off of the couch and to the bedroom.
"Goodnight."
"Carpe Noctem."
You freeze up wondering exactly what she is implying with that. She closes the door softly behind her, and you sink back into the couch and shut your eyes, utterly drained. Kaitlyn doesn't need to see this weakness, and it doesn't really matter if Leon does.
His voice is dark and quiet as he speaks. "Where are you going to sleep?"
You don't open your eyes to his voice. "Right here." Your voice is warm and uncaring, as if this really doesn't bother you.
The truth is, it doesn't. There have been worse situations. This would be luxury compared to most of them. You hear him getting off the couch and you slowly open your eyes.
He gathers the supplies, shuts of the light and heads for the stairs. He never leaves so quietly, and you know there is something happening in his mind, but you could care less. Right now, all yours is doing is shutting down.
I tried to make this a little more exciting. I hope it worked. With exams and studying for my 'L' and everything that's going on the next one may take a while. Just saying. It could be fast too. It all depends on when I get it finished. If you get bored, check out my other story. Hope you like it.
