Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the Pretender, because if I did, things wouldn't have ended with an almost kiss! The point is, no profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
The Evolution of Things
Chapter 4
By M. Rose
Since initiating their newfound friendship, bound in a quest to find the truth and end the suffering the Centre had caused them both over the years, certain addictive behaviors became the norm. Like his habitual phone calls, and Parker always answering those calls on the third ring without a beat, even when she was furious at him.
It was comforting to know no matter what happened in their lives, she would always be there, on the other side of the phone.
To say that he was surprised when she didn't answer his call was an understatement. He rationalized several logical reasons why she wouldn't answer; she was in the middle of meeting with Raines, had an inconvenient run-in with Lyle, or maybe it was as simple as her cell phone battery dying, but it did nothing to pacify his fears. Jarod was an extremely patient man, 30 plus years in the Centre had taught him that. However, he couldn't get passed the feeling that something terrible had happened. He needed to contact her, needed to know she was okay, so he called her office, but her secretary stated that she didn't know where Parker was either.
Where the hell was she? His highly trained mind began processing all the possible scenarios that could have happened to her, but his emotions kept getting in the way.
His emotions always got in the way when it came to her.
In a panicked state, he called Sydney and demanded to know where she was. He bounced between bubbling anger and bitter anguish as his mentor told him about Parker's encounter with Raines and her subsequent illness from what he thought was another stress-induced ulcer. Concerned, Sydney decided to check on Parker only to find her on the floor of her bedroom unresponsive.
Jarod ignored Sydney's warning against coming to the hospital for fear it was a trap by the Centre to catch him. It never ceased to amaze the Pretender the depths in which the Centre would go to get him back. With Lyle firmly attached to Raines's side and Parker's recent defiance, it was only a matter of time before they cut their loses and use her to get to him. But Jarod's fear of never hearing her voice again was far worse than any method of torture the Centre could ever inflict upon him.
In an effort to buy him more time and fewer Sweepers, Jarod called a few friends from past Pretends and with their help, created the most elaborate lead to date. Raines was becoming desperate and would strain his resources to catch the wayward Pretender. As a result, there were only a handful of Sweepers for Jarod to contend with at the hospital.
After all these years, they still underestimated him. He smirked at the thought. There was no doubt in his mind that had Parker put her full attention on returning him to the Centre, his ass would be in a cell today, never to see the light of day ever again. They wanted her to be another Centre drone, wanted her to forget the warmth her mother radiated, and to never question their methods. They hadn't counted on the connection forged between a boy and a girl long ago to spoil their plans.
It was amazingly easy to slip in undetected, put on a fake beard, pair of glasses, grab a doctor's coat and be on his way. He had already supplied the usual paperwork to appear he had been transferred and in charge of one patient in particular, a woman by the name of Miss Parker.
One of the first rules that Jarod learned about being a doctor was that in order to treat his patient's symptoms, he had to detach his feelings from them.
But those people were strangers.
He stood frozen in his tracks as he watched her lifeless form on the bed.
This wasn't some stranger on a Pretend he befriended. This was a woman who as a girl captured his heart with an innocent kiss. A woman who for years he tried to banish from his consciousness, but just couldn't. This was a woman who, whether she was aware of it or not, made him see what true love was
As the unexpected shock wore off, the reality of the situation slammed into him at full force. He curled hands into fists and squeezed his eyes as tight as he could as silent screams of agony ripped through him from the inside out. After a few moments, he took a couple of deep breaths and slowly opened his eyes. He had to control his emotions if he was to be of any help to Parker.
Jarod approached the bed and placed his hand on top of hers, caressing her impossibly soft skin back and forth as if that alone could rouse her from her comatose state. He could not stop the tears from flowing as he watched such a strong and formidable woman suddenly so frail and helpless.
"Dr. Williams?"
He realized someone was calling his name and quickly collected himself. He would never be able to pull off his Pretend if the staff knew how emotionally attached he was to the woman lying on the bed before him. Feeling Miss Parker's pulse, Jarod turned to see a nurse with kind eyes look back at him. "Ah, yes, Nurse Thompson, is it?"
"Yes, um, you … asked for me? Uh, I know you're new here Doctor Williams, so you may not know that this isn't exactly my floor. Honestly, I'm baffled as to why you asked for me."
Even though Jarod had the Centre's attention temporarily diverted, didn't mean that they wouldn't still send someone to finish off Parker. He was taking every necessary precaution to ensure her safety. That included any hospital staff that would interact with his patient. He couldn't just trust anyone with Parker's well-being, she was too important to him.
"I am sorry to take you away from your patients, Nurse Thompson. I heard how highly regarded you are among the staff," the young, but well-experienced nurse, blushed slightly, "Why, thank you, doctor."
"This is a VIP patient and I need someone I can trust explicitly."
"Anything you need, Dr. Williams. I am at your beck and call."
Jarod took a blood sample from Parker, handed the vial to the nurse, but didn't quite let go until he said, "I need toxicology report on this ASAP. It's very important that you are the ONLY one to handle this sample, understand?" Nurse Thompson took the sample and nodded, "Yes, Doctor. I'll make sure it doesn't leave my sight."
"Thank you."
She nodded in appreciation of his gratitude and left the room. Jarod immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello?"
"Sydney." He was relived to hear his mentor's voice.
"Jarod. How is she?" The Pretender smirked; there was no question that he would be right by Parker's side despite Sydney's warning.
His smile disappeared the moment he set eyes on Parker. "There's … no change. I should know more after the toxicology tests come back, but I suspect Parker was poisoned."
"Poisoned?"
"It wouldn't be all that hard for someone to put some in her morning coffee at work or worse, sneak into her house and put something in her Scotch. For all I know they did both! Look, you and I both know that they will stop at nothing until she is dead, regardless of whether they catch me or not which is why I am moving Parker somewhere safe."
"Jarod, I do hope you are being careful. Broots and I will do our best at stalling Raines and Lyle from here, but it is only a matter of time before the Centre discovers where you are."
"I know. Thanks, Sydney."
Jarod realized he could indeed trust indeed trust Nurse Thompson. Not only did she get the test results to him in record time, but she also helped him with the necessary paperwork to transfer Parker to a private location he had arranged.
As the Medivac Helicopter lifted off the tarmac and towards it's destination, Jarod caught sight of the Centre's unmistakable black Sedans pull up to the hospital.
Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed a number from memory, "I need your help."