Chapter 7: Missing
Three days pass. Carrie has not seen Quinn during this time and begins to wonder if he is avoiding her. She decides to stop by his office before leaving one night, but finds it dark and empty. So she takes out her phone and calls his cell. It goes straight to voicemail.
"He's on an assignment, Carrie." It's Dar. He is walking up behind her, looking ominous as ever.
"I figured as much. When do you expect him back?"
Dar looks at her, pausing to consider his options. Tell her he doesn't know or tell her the truth. He doesn't need another problem on his hands but he knows it's probably time to bring Carrie in on this.
"He's at Walter Reed."
"What?! Why?"
Dar doesn't answer. She squeezes her eyes shut because she know he won't tell her, fucking CIA protocol.
"Carrie, I'm only telling you so that you don't interfere. Stay out of this."
She knows she's on notice, has been since returning from Iran, and needs to watch her step with Dar. She bites her lips and nods her head in understanding.
"Well then just tell me if he's okay."
"He was in surgery this morning but he's stabilized. It's best we stay away, Carrie. You understand me, don't you?"
Surgery?! Now the concern starts to rise in Carrie's stomach. Dar can see it in her face.
"Carrie…you'll serve him best by staying away."
But she's already gone and getting on the elevator. Fuck this, she thinks, and calls Hannah to let her know she's going to be late.
By the time she arrives at the hospital, it's 6:30p and visitors are not being allowed to the ICU or SICU floors, but one flash of her credentials and Carrie is permitted entry. She knows she'll be reprimanded for that later. She heads to the 7th floor, clears security again, and approaches the nurses' station. The charge nurse, having been given notice of Carrie's arrival from security, greets her.
"You must be Ms. Mathison. Nice to meet you. I'm Betsy Schall, nurse supervisor. You're here for Peter Quinn?"
"Yes, may I see him?"
The nurse walks with Carrie towards Quinn's room.
"His surgery went well and he's in stable condition right now. He should be resting, so please don't disturb him."
Carrie looks through the window into his room and sees a bruised and battered Quinn lying in the hospital bed. He is intubated and on a ventilator. She didn't know what exactly to expect but seeing Quinn like this was a shock. The nurse holds Carrie's arm with concern, knowing full well people often faint at the first sight of their friend or family member.
"May I go in? I won't bother him."
Betsy looks at Carrie and can see that she has only concern in her face and that this visit is personal, not typical CIA business. She opens the door for Carrie.
"Just a few minutes."
Carrie slowly walks into Quinn's ICU room and approaches his bed. Her face contorts again – he looks like shit. What the hell happened, she wonders. She quietly pulls a chair up next to him and sits. She listens to the rhythmic beeps and bells of the machines helping to keep him alive. Carrie reaches under the bed rail and takes Quinn's hand in hers. She caresses it with her thumb, stares at him and thinks of all the times he has comforted her and how ungrateful she has been. Never again.
"I'm sorry, Peter…" she whispers with a shaky voice. The tears well up and she bows her head. "I'm so sorry."
Carrie sits beside Quinn's bed a few minutes longer, holding his hand and praying to the Gods above that they help pull him out of this. The door creaks open and nurse Betsy pops her head in the room.
"Ms. Mathison?"
Carrie turns to the nurse and nods. She gives Quinn's hand a final squeeze, stands, then bends down and lightly kisses his forehead.
Out in the hallway, Carrie thanks the nurse and hands her her cell number and asks her to call her when he's awake.
"He's lucky to have you," she tells Carrie.
Carrie smiles. "It's the other way around."
