Sorry it has taken me so long. I had several reunions to write and I wasn't sure how to write them until just recently. This chapter took some interesting turns. But hopefully, I haven't left you guys with a cliff-hanger this time. I tried to include lots of Jack and Sue moments and I tried to make this chapter more happy then the last few ones. Also, I have become rebelcaptain trash. I love Rogue One and if you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should.
4:30 pm
Since Lucy had called them to tell them about Sue's disappearance, Lauren Thomas had not been able to sit quietly. She had needed something to do, something to occupy her mind and hands while she waited for news. Their neighbors in Ohio were buried in baked goods and homemade meals. It wasn't until she and her husband managed to get on the road to DC, was she able to relax. Even then, any rest that Lauren got was full of nightmares concerning her only daughter.
Being able to see Sue, and hold her hand had done wonders for the two of them. But that small miracle did not match the overwhelming joy and gratitude that Lauren felt when she heard Sue whisper her name. Tears immediately blocked the sight of her daughter's blue eyes. Lauren wept openly, gently squeezing the small hand that she held.
Jeffrey leaned in close to his daughter, after he pushed the call button. His little girl, his angel, was awake and she was alive! There was no greater blessing he could have asked God for. He placed his hand on Sue's cheek, wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes. "It's okay, you're safe," he murmured over and over again.
The doctor arrived, and upon seeing Sue, she smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, she is going to be alright. Now that she is awake, she can start healing even faster. She'll need to get up and walk around in a little while, but for now, just enjoy her company." The nurses fluttered around Sue, taking her vitals and giving her pills to swallow. Their explanation of what each one was seemed to go over their heads, since none of the little family was paying attention. Finally, the army of nurses left the hospital room and they were left in relative silence.
Lauren took command of the situation, and spoke quietly to her daughter. "Alright, dear, you just close your eyes and rest. You've had an awful four days, and you need to recuperate."
To her surprise, Sue shook her head. "I need to see Jack and Lucy first. They need to know." Her voice was weak from disuse, and talking seemed to take a lot of energy out of her.
Jeffrey stood up, and gently placed a kiss on his little girl's forehead. "I'll go find them and bring them here."
5:00 pm
Lucy tried to keep herself from dozing off in the uncomfortable hospital chair. She already felt guilty for using Bobby's shoulder as a pillow through most of the early hours. The past few days had been either moments of adrenaline and stress, with long hours of waiting for leads to pan out. The irregular hours were starting to catch up with her, and her head drooped down.
A hand reached out and gently shook her shoulder, startling Lucy awake. She jerked upright to find Mr. Thomas in front of her, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. Fear coursed through Lucy. He had the same look on his face that her mother had when she told her daughter that her dad died. Please, no. I can't lose her. I need her in my life. She makes me a better person, and I need her around. Lucy sent up a silent prayer.
"Sue's awake, and she wants to see you. She's going to be fine."
Lucy began to cry, her relief was so great. She looked down at Levi, whom she had brought in with her. He put his head on her lap, seeking to comfort. "It's okay, Levi. Sue's going to be fine. She's alright." At the mention of Sue's name, he perked his head up and looked around, expecting to see his beloved mistress.
The dark skinned beauty picked up Levi's leash and stood up. She knew where Sue's room was, having visited her frequently since she got out of surgery. Mr. Thomas said something, but Lucy wasn't paying attention. Instead she just agreed and focused on taking Levi to see Sue.
D and Myles watched her go, curious at her bizarre behavior since they couldn't hear what was being said. However, D thought, we've all been acting strange since Sue was kidnapped. As the oldest in their office, and the temporary supervisor, D felt responsible for the safety of their little family. When Jack had called him, worried about Sue's disappearance, he had tried to calm the anxious young man down. How he wished he could take back that conversation and try to change the outcome. The amazing woman they all loved could have been spared so much pain and anguish if he had only started the investigation that night, instead of waiting.
It was at times like these, D felt every one of his years, and felt a few more weighing down on him. Thankfully, Donna had understood how he felt and his need to stay at the office until Sue was found. For the first time since the video the kidnapper had sent, D had spent the morning with his family and relaxing. But, he still felt responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the young woman in the hospital, and so he had come to visit and spend time with Lucy and Tara in the waiting room.
Mr. Thomas approached the two agents, and broke D out of his thoughts. "Have you seen Jack anywhere? I haven't seen him in a while."
Myles answered, "Jack went with Bobby to interrogate Grant now that he is out of the hospital. He was released into police custody shortly after three this afternoon. I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"When you see him again, could you tell him that Sue is awake and would like to see him. Lucy's taking Levi to visit now."
"Will she be okay?" D asked, his concern for her obvious.
"The doctor said that she will be fine, especially now that she is awake." Mr. Thomas smiled at the two agents who had given up their time and energy into finding his daughter. Sue had picked good friends for herself.
5:00 pm
Jack sat in the corner of the interrogation room watching as Bobby used a variety of tactics to try and get Gabriel Grant to talk to them. He had yet to ask for a lawyer, but he wasn't answering anything either.
"If I confess, what kind of deal would I get?" Grant said, in a smug voice. He seemed confident that the FBI would never find out about his past, or his wife.
Bobby slammed his hands down on the table, and put his face within inches of the kidnapper. "After everything you've done to Sue and what we suspect you have done to other women, even if you confess, you will likely never taste the sweet air of freedom again."
Jack stood and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Bobby turned away angrily, and paced back and forth throughout the room. Grant's smile widened a little. "Are you really playing good cop, bad cop? That Aussie is not very good at playing mean and aggressive. The FBI should send him back to Quantico."
"We might be doing the good cop, bad cop routine, but I can promise you, Agent Manning is not the "bad cop" in this room right now. I am." Jack purposely kept his voice low and calm. His eyes were like icicles, even though he smiled. Long ago, Jack had perfected his dangerous look for this very purpose. "Now, I have some questions, and you will answer them. Why did you target Agent Thomas?"
Grant was still maintaining his cocky expression. "I don't know, she was hot?"
Jack shook his head. He placed a recorder on the table in front of them. "I'm sure you know what this is. After all, it has your voice recorded on it, telling us that you wanted revenge on the FBI. Why did you choose Agent Thomas?"
Gabriel Grant had looked at the tape recorder as if it was a rattlesnake. His confidence seemed to be a little shaken and he muttered a little under his breath. "I chose Sue because she was one of the finest agents in the Bureau. As a partnership, you and Miss Thomas were unstoppable, the pride of the FBI. I needed to destroy the FBI, and what better way than to ruin their best agents. I waged a psychological and physical war on the two of you. And though you didn't die, like you were supposed to, I'm pretty sure I made a lasting impression on you and especially on Sue."
Bobby jumped in again, "You will never refer to her as 'Sue'. You will call her Agent Thomas. Understand?"
The confident look was back again. "You, know, I never considered that there could be a love triangle. Jack loves his girlfriend, but also loves Agent Thomas. But look, the Aussie, the best friend is also head over heals for this woman."
At this, Jack grabbed the tape recorder from the table and Bobby's arm, and marched them both out of the interrogation room. As soon as the door was closed, he motioned for the two agents to escort Gabriel Grant back to his cell.
"Come on, Bobby. Let's go see how Sue is doing. I need a break from talking to that monster."
5:10 pm
Lucy knocked on the door, and waited until Lauren opened it a crack. "I heard Sue was awake. Could I see her please?"
Sue's mom immediately nodded. "Of course you can. She wanted to talk to you."
Lucy entered the room and caught sight of her best friend. But she was pushed aside as Levi raced over to his mistress. Sue opened her eyes when she felt the cold wet nose pushing on her hand and looked down at her loyal dog. Tears began to stream down her face.
"Oh, Levi, I thought you were dead. I watched him shoot you. I'm so glad you're alright!"
Lucy came and sat down on a chair next to her best friend's bed. She, too, was crying as she witnessed the reunion and heard Sue's voice for the first time in several days. "I'm so glad you're alright," she said as she signed to the deaf woman. "I've been worried sick about you."
"It's good to see you." Sue's eyes closed for a moment, and Lucy thought she had drifted off to sleep again. But then she opened her eyes again and looked at her best friend and roommate. "I need to tell you something before I fall asleep again. You need to know. Gabriel Grant is a serial killer. He needs to be caught and brought to justice. He is an awful man and he hurt me so badly." Sue's voice dropped to a whisper. "He raped me, multiple times. You need to make sure Jack and Bobby know. They need to know."
Lucy had to bite her tongue to stop from crying. She nodded and said, "I'll make sure they know. He won't get away with this." She held Sue's hand as the blonde fell back into a deep sleep.
She sat like that for a few more moments. Then, Lauren's voice broke the silence. "I'm glad that she told you. The doctors did an initial test with a rape kit, and it definitely came back positive. We wanted to tell you, but we felt that Sue should decide who would know about that. I am really glad you know. When Jeffrey and I go back to Ohio, she will need someone she trusts with her."
Lucy couldn't speak. She couldn't even imagine what horrors Sue must have gone through with that monster. She simply nodded at Mrs. Thomas as she walked out of the room and looked back at her friend.
It was then that Jack tapped on the door and stepped inside, followed by Bobby. "D said that Sue was awake."
"She was for a little while, but she is still on some heavy pain killers. She fell back asleep just a few moments ago," Lucy said. "She did want to tell you both something though. She said that Grant is a serial killer and that he raped her. She wants you to make sure that he is brought to justice."
Bobby looked incredulously at the dark-skinned woman, anger evident on his face. But Jack just stood there quietly.
"I wish that I had pulled the trigger when I had the chance. That drongo-." Bobby was so angry he couldn't even finish the sentence. There was no insult in his vocabulary that could adequately express his hatred.
Jack spoke, "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas told me earlier. They asked me to keep it quiet since Sue deserves to determine who knows about it. They wanted to make sure that Grant was charged accordingly and brought to justice."
Lucy looked relieved that Jack already knew; it was hard enough witnessing Bobby's fury. She stood up from the chair and took Bobby by the arm. "Come on, I think you need to go to a gym or something."
Bobby allowed himself to be lead out of the room and into the hallway. Jack, however, stayed in Sue's hospital room.
"Sorry I missed seeing you awake. I would really like to hear your voice again. I've missed you so much the past few days. It kind of made me think of how I would have felt if you had taken the job in New York and left DC. I would have missed you every second of every single day. But I am so grateful that you are here with us today. That you're here with me.
"Allie told me to take a chance with you and actually ask you out on a date instead of just going to dinner as friends. Your mother also seemed to want me to date you. They both saw how much I love you. I just need to figure out a way to make that happen without breaking any rules at work.
"Please, Sue. I want you to wake up and talk. I want to see your beautiful eyes and hear your lovely voice. I've missed you so much, my beloved Sue."
Jack fell silent, just watching the woman of his dreams as she gently breathed in and out. The heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm, reassuring Jack that Sue was, indeed, alive. Gradually, his head drooped, and rested on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on Sue's.
He slept peacefully, without any nightmares or worries about the wonderful woman that had captured his heart so completely. He gradually awoke to something moving near him. He opened his eyes, and first saw Levi staring up at him. Then he looked up and saw blue eyes looking into his own.
"Sue," he breathed out in complete wonder and relief.
She smiled at him, the smile that was saved only for him. "Hi, Jack."
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm floating on air. I think they have me on too many pain medications. But I am mainly happy to be alive. I didn't think that I would make it for a while, there."
"Well, I've never known Sue Thomas to give up. You pulled through."
They were both quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. Then Sue looked over at him, and asked, "Did Lucy tell you?"
"Yes, she did. Don't worry. We'll make sure he isn't given any leniency in court. We got him already. He is already in our custody. You don't have to worry about him anymore."
Sue sighed in relief. One concern was taken off her mind. Jack reached up his other hand to hold hers, but it pulled on his stomach a little. He winced as his wound made its presence known.
Unfortunately for him, Sue was watching his face, and didn't miss the small expression. "Jack, what happened? Are you alright?"
"It's nothing. Just another scar to show and tell."
"Jack." Sue didn't have to say anything else.
"Grant shot me, but the vest caught it. It was point blank, so it caused some minor damage. I had to get some staples to keep the edges together, but I wasn't even prescribed pain meds. I really am okay."
Sue seemed to relax a little. "I'm glad that you weren't hurt too badly. You promised that you wouldn't get killed. It would be a shame to find out that you don't keep your promises."
Jack laughed, simply glad to hear that she was teasing him. "Well, you need to promise me that you won't get kidnapped or be targeted by evil men anymore."
Sue pretended to think for a moment, then fingerspelled "Deal."
They chuckled. The couple sat in silence, then Jack suggested that they watch a movie together. She laughed when he pulled out Star Wars from a small bag. He blushed a little bit.
"It's a classic. I swung by my apartment and packed a bag of books and movies for you. I figured, once you woke up, you would be pretty bored. So I came prepared."
"You're right, it is a classic." Sue watched as Jack figured out how to operate the DVD player in her hospital room. She felt her heart warm when he put on subtitles and turned down the volume. He was willing to watch a movie with her without the sound.
She fell asleep shortly after the movie started, but Jack didn't mind. He sat by her bedside, holding her hand and would watch as she slept peacefully.
"I'm glad you're back, Sue."
