Bruised
A/N: Thanks so so so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I was really super nervous about it so…yeah : ) Thanks! I hope you guys like this one!
Chapter Nine – 9 Crimes
Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be thinking of you
It's the wrong time
For somebody new
It's a small crime
And I got no excuse
- 9 Crimes by Damien Rice
Rick Almeida's eyes shifted from his hands to the person who had just slid into the booth beside him. Seeing who it was, he scowled and turned back to the glass in front of him. He'd taken about three sips in twenty minutes and hadn't tasted a drop of it.
Tony's hand moved into his line of site, grabbing the glass and taking the smallest of sips for himself. His face twisted in disgust and he dropped the glass back down on the table.
"Why are you drinking that shit?"
Rick shrugged because it was the only answer he could come up with in that moment.
"Thought it might kill some time I guess."
Tony's brow creased and he dropped the glass on the tray of a passing waitress. "You'll thank me in the morning."
Rick just stared at his hands.
"How'd you know I was here?"
"Claire called Michelle. Said you were supposed to come back to CTU after your meeting with Division to sign off on some stuff. That was three hours ago. She was waiting around for you."
The emptiness he'd been feeling was replaced with heavy guilt. The idea of Claire waiting around for him to come back made him feel, if possible, even worse.
"She left now?"
"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "Bill stopped off to sign the stuff for her."
Fuck. Bill wasn't going to be happy about that.
"She should've left it with the night shift."
"I think she was worried."
The fact that Hammond getting to him had kept Claire at CTU for an extra three hours made him feel like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. Hammond always got to him, why should Claire be paying for his problems? Claire, who'd been nothing but sweet and willing and as helpful as she possibly could be shouldn't have to put up with his crap. He'd have to make it up to her. Maybe flowers. Claire had always been buying flowers to keep around the house. He'd have to bring her some nice ones in the morning… orchids. She liked orchids.
"I was worried." Tony interrupted his reverie and Rick shrugged.
"Now you know what it feels like."
Tony sighed softly and placed a hand on his brother's back.
"If you wanted to get drunk and make an ass out of yourself you would've done it already. How long you been sittin' here anyway?"
"Fuck off."
"I know you miss her - "
"I'm sure you do," Rick snarled back. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Tony started to respond and Rick waved him off.
"Whatever, Tony. I get it. You can tell Michelle and Mom and everyone that you tried and failed…I'm a lost cause," he snarled with obvious exaggeration.
"That's not - "
"You did your thing, go home to your wife."
His brother's hand came to Rick's arm, but Rick shoved him off.
Tony sighed impatiently and rose from his seat.
"Fine. Do what you want," he grunted. Though as he moved to leave he squeezed his brother's shoulder firmly. It was a subtle gesture, but the point was made. Tony would be there if Rick changed his mind.
Rick lifted his eyes long enough to see Tony's retreating back push through the doors of the bar. Tony might have meant well but Rick didn't need words right now to snap him out of anything. He just wanted to sit and be depressed and miss her.
God, he really missed her.
Rick felt hands on his shoulders pulling him back quickly, watching Tony stumble back as his blood continued to boil.
"Rick, stop!" Alex ordered, yanking him back and moving her body between his and Tony's. Chase called out a warning that Alex ignored, shoving Rick back hard and staying firmly where she was.
"You almost killed her!" He snarled pushing against Alex, voice breaking slightly. "For ten goddamn months you watched me…what if she'd been…when we…How could you…"
"I told him to!" Alex shoved Rick firmly back again, drawing his attention to her and making him very aware she was in no shape to be having to fend him off right now. Rick glared at Tony but stopped pushing, his face contorted painfully.
Alex's cool fingers touched his cheek and she forced him to look at her.
"Rick, I told him to." She insisted, a lump forming in the back of her own throat and her eyes starting to water when his gaze found her. "It was my idea."
Breathing heavily, Rick stepped away from her, running a hand over his brow. He hadn't meant to hit Tony that hard but he didn't regret it either. Tony deserved it.
Tony winced and his hand touched his face as he stood upright gingerly. His lip was bleeding from where his teeth had bit down and he had to blink a few times before he could see straight again.
"Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!" Rick demanded, shaking out the hand he'd used to land the punch. Shuffling her feet Alex took a step back towards Tony, the gesture more symbolic than she'd meant it to be. With a heavy sigh she lifted her eyes, vision clouded.
"I…" she gulped hard as the entire memory of that day – that hour – came flooding back. She'd fought tooth and nail against reliving it, thinking she'd never have to again. She never thought she'd get to see him again. Tears threatened to overwhelm her but she kept them at bay. Tony's breathing was still a little ragged behind her.
"After I left Medical with Wiley that day…I saw Hammond and he…he said they were ruling my dad's death as murder. Warrington was involved and he was choosing to ignore the fact that he killed a few hundred people already I guess…" Alex breathed slowly, eyes still on the floor.
"He said they had a witness that said…that saw you kill him…and they were charging you…"
"What…?" he gasped in disbelief, remembering the exact moment he'd pulled the trigger while staring down Ben Evans. The shot hadn't been lethal. At least, it wasn't supposed to be lethal. A wave of nausea washed over him as he recalled what was on the confession. His heart stopped for an instant as he stared.
"What did you do?" he took a step towards her angrily. "What did you do, Alex?"
Alex lifted her head, her eyes squinted shut as a few tears slid down her face. She wiped them away quickly.
"I told him I did it."
"How…" he growled. "How could you do that…?"
She spoke barely audibly, "I was trying to protect you. "
No one said a word as Rick stared at her in horror, shaking his head.
"And what about you?" he snapped at Tony. "You agreed to this?"
Tony rubbed his cheek, inclining his head softly.
"Yeah."
"Hammond needed a witness." Alex explained. "If I confessed he wouldn't have to go to trial so no one else had to be involved," her distinctiveness wavered.
"I didn't think you did it," she bit her lip. "I didn't want you to go to prison for something you wouldn't have even been involved with because of me, and he was willing to let me cut a deal."
"So you made me think you just…ran away. What was supposed to happen then? I just forget about you while you go and get your head blown off? Damnit, Alex, what the hell were you thinking?! Do you even realized what could've happ- !"
"I was in love with you!" she threw up her hands and yelled exasperatedly, almost sarcastically as she found her words and indignation again.
An eerie silence filled the room and her cheeks colored. She hadn't meant to say that or to say it like that. A few feet across from her Jack's eyes lowered to his feet and Alex's flush deepened. She didn't look at Rick, just took a deep breath and continued:
"I wasn't just watching you get arrested for something I didn't think you did. My dad was my problem and I was the one who deserved to have to face the consequences - "
"And what if I did do it!?"
Alex inhaled sharply.
"Did you?"
For the first time Rick's eyes found the floor and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I…I don't know. I…" he licked his lips, remembering every second of the minute he'd stepped into that building to the minute his arms finally closed around her. He remembered the taste of the smoke and the sound of people trampling towards the exits and the weight of the contrastingly cold trigger behind his finger…
"I saw him in the building and he came at me but…" Rick shook his head softly. "It wasn't supposed to kill him. And there were definitely no witnesses around. I didn't…I guess it could've but…"
Alex shut her eyes and shook her head.
"You wouldn't have even have been there if it wasn't for me. Either way…"
"I can't believe you did this."
"Now you know," she replied simply, finally acknowledging everyone else in the room with a brief glance before turning back to Rick.
"We're done here?"
Rick's mouth hung slightly agape but he didn't protest. Alex nodded curtly before pushing towards the exit and out into the darkness.
When she was gone, Jack looked to Rick expectantly. Rick had instead focused on Tony who had folded his arms as Michelle came to his side, reaching out a hand to touch his cheek delicately. Tony glared at Rick.
"You're gonna live?" Rick checked.
"I'll get you some ice…" Michelle volunteered.
"I don't need any ice," Tony snapped.
Rick scoffed. "You will if you want to make it through the rest of this thing with two eyes to see out of - "
"Just get the hell out of here!" Tony wasn't angry, just annoyed. "You had to push so you go fix this..."
"Tony - "
"Go!" Tony ordered.
Tony rolled his eyes when Jack appeared out of nowhere with a bag of ice in his hand. Behind him Chase was straightening up the bookshelf. He felt Michelle's soft skin against his uninjured cheek and was coerced into moving to sit down on the couch. He was seriously re-thinking his brilliant idea to show Rick how to throw a decent punch after watching his little brother get his ass handed to him during a little league game one summer. Apparently he'd unleashed an animal, because Rick could definitely hit…hard. One half of his face was swelling, his lip stung and he still felt a little shaken up from the blow.
Settling beside him on the couch, Michelle replaced his hand on the ice pack and sighed a little. Her unoccupied hand rubbed his thigh and she didn't say anything.
Tony lifted his visible eyebrow and sighed back.
"You think I deserve this."
"I didn't say that."
"C'mon Michelle…"
She bit her lip, eyes flitting briefly in Jack and Chase's direction.
"Tony, you would've killed him with your own bare hands and asked questions later if he did that to you," she breathed softly against his ear. At this Tony snorted a laugh. She was right about that.
Chase glanced around worriedly.
"Are you sure we should've…y'know…are you sure she's okay out there with just - "
"Yes." Michelle answered definitively first. Chase glanced at her warily, but Tony also nodded his agreement, feeling like he might've gotten even worse had Alex not stepped between them.
Chase rubbed the back of his head, obviously wanting to go after her but keeping his feet rooted firmly to the floor. After a few moments, Jack inclined his head softly and excused himself, not saying where he was going. Chase took the hint and left with him.
Michelle shifted again at Tony's side and he felt the icepack move.
"Y'know I can hold this thing up myself," he declared. It moved again and the coldness was replaced with a soft kiss on his cheekbone.
"You did deserve it," she declared, lacing her fingers through his.
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I know."
His fingers moved to hold the pack to his face and her now free hand smoothed back some hair.
"Are you okay?" she put on her best "rife with sympathy" voice. As long as he knew he deserved it.
He smirked a little and nodded. She kissed him softly, a smile playing on her lips now.
"Good."
Alex's head fell forward in her hands, fingers in her hair. It was very dark already and she was pretty sure someone would be telling her to get inside in a few minutes. It was dangerous; Juma's men were everywhere and a lone woman sitting on the edge of the road would be an easy target. She probably should've grabbed herself a gun on the way out.
But she needed the air. This wasn't about her needing to be intentionally reckless; it was about just needing to breathe.
The gravel crunched behind her and Alex spun around her pulse quickening when she saw him. Without asking he slumped down beside her.
They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke.
"How's Tony?"
Rick shrugged. "Fine."
She licked her lips.
"And he deserved a hell of a lot more than he got."
Her eyes lifted slightly to meet his, her voice hoarse but certain.
"He just did what I asked, Rick."
"He almost got you killed!" Rick snarled back.
"That wasn't the plan…"
"It might as well have been!" suddenly he jumped from his reclined position and started pacing aimlessly, his hand against his brow. After a few seconds he stopped and started at her.
"For Christ'ssake Alex, if we hadn't gotten there when we did you could've been dead. Tony signed the statement knowing you didn't do anything because you asked him to!?"
She just lowered her eyes to the ground, playing with some dirt near her fingertips.
"If you had…" he shook his head gruffly, eyes shining in the moonlight. His voice cracked. "He watched me go through hell for the last ten months because I thought you'd just…"
She knew how the sentence ended and her heart clenched. He thought she just didn't want to be with him.
"You didn't…I mean…how could you not…"
She reiterated softly. "I was trying to protect you…"
"I'm supposed to protect you!" he cut her off so abruptly she started. "I don't care what Hammond was planning on doing to me, it could've been worse than what they did to you…"
She said nothing.
"And you were pregnant!"
Alex lowered her eyes to the ground.
"Tony didn't know that until I'd already left - "
"How could you not tell me you were…?" He broke off looking hurt. He rubbed his brow furiously and clenched his fists.
"I didn't find out until I'd sighed the confession…"
"But you knew enough to get a test."
"Yes."
"And then you just…"
She shook her head to stop him from saying the words, the tears catching her by surprise. No matter how long it had been, thinking about it still hurt more than anything. She couldn't even start to recall that day in the clinic with Jack without fighting a breakdown and it had been almost a year before. So much had happened and yet she still remembered every second of it so vividly. She still remembered the way she felt lying on the exam table and the feeling of…
She started crying harder, unable to contain herself anymore. She hadn't cried like this in forever and it'd been even longer since she did this in front of anyone. The last time would probably have been post-Michelle's funeral and she was drunk then. She'd bawled on Rick's shoulder then.
Suddenly he was right beside her and quietly shushed her, swallowing the lump in his own throat as he pulled her into his lap and cradled her against him. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other slid into her hair and smoothed it away from her wet cheeks. She cried hard and he felt her shaking against him, the restraint he held on his own emotions slipping a little as he tried to squeeze the shakes out of her.
"I'm so sorry…" she managed to get out. "I'm…I d-didn't know what I was d-doing when I f-found out and then…"
She started crying hard again.
"And I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I'd been given a choice." She blurted out suddenly, a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. For all those months she'd convinced herself she did it because she had to but in the back of her mind she knew the truth. She knew that being pregnant and a field agent wasn't an option and she didn't want a baby and they weren't even close to being in a secure, stable relationship. She couldn't honestly tell him that had the circumstances been better she wouldn't have done the same thing. Had she not actually experienced it she wouldn't have known how it felt like she'd killed a piece of her.
His lips found her forehead and then her eyes. By the time he'd kissed her nose she'd stopped crying.
"Forget about it…" he told her gently. She wished she could. She wished he could snap his fingers and make it all go away even if just for a little while. He stroked her hair gently, observing her silently now.
"When we got there if you…" he clamped down on his bottom lip, eyes stinging. "If you hadn't been…" one hand dropped from her and he rubbed his brow. "I don't even know what I would've done."
"It wasn't…" she gulped hard at the expression on his face. "It wasn't supposed to go down like this. I never thought I'd see you…And I'm…" she hiccupped. "I'm scared because Hammond wants me dead, and I'm tired of running and fighting everyone, and I just want it all to go away now…"
And suddenly the tears started flowing again. Rick looked on in horror as she struggled for words. He hated seeing her cry and she hated that she couldn't get herself under control. Her throat ached; her lungs burned and she felt as exhausted now as she had the day they'd pulled her out of the encampment. It was cathartic though and she only hoped she would feel better when it was done. She only hoped she would feel a little less dead inside when everything was out in the open.
"And then you were there and I…I wanted to tell you everything and I couldn't because I still thought I could…" she lowered her head, wiping her eyes gruffly.
"And I love you - "
His breath caught and he tilted his forehead, resting it against hers with his eyes shut tightly as he caressed her cheek.
"I uh…" he broke off. They were both surprised when the pads of her thumbs swiped across the dampness beneath his eyes. Rick Almeida didn't cry…ever.
"Yeah," he finished nonsensically. She felt his face in her hair as he gathered her close. After a minute he readjusted his grip and tightened his arms around her and she leaned back against his chest. The sobs had finally stopped a few remaining loose tears slipped down her cheeks. She felt tired now, drained and she could've fallen asleep on him right then and there. He inhaled softly and sighed, reveling in the feel of her curled against him.
With everything out in the open he wasn't sure how to feel anymore… He didn't want to let go of her though, that he knew for sure.
It was several minutes before either of them said a word. With the sun down it was surprisingly cold and he felt her shiver. He cuddled her closer silently cursing himself for not having enough common sense to grab a jacket on his way out. He felt the goose bumps appear on her skin when he dropped his mouth to her neck and suggested they head back inside. His arms squeezed her tightly a final time before she got up. They trudged slowly back up to the house, his hand in the small of her back as he guided her tired body inside.
Her cheeks colored a split second before they stepped inside again, realizing the whole world would get to see what a mess she'd become in those minutes out there with him. She felt his hand on her far hip, smoothing against her. He broke contact just as they pushed through the door, him leading the way.
She brushed her cheeks quickly, trying to obscure her puffy eyes from the stares of everyone who were trying to discretely observe them. Her blush deepened and she saw Chase first, looking bewildered.
"Hey guys…" she managed to inject some wryness into her voice. "What's goin' onnn?"
"Jack says we gotta get out of here," Tony explained from across the room, icepack still on his face. "There's a good chance they know where to look for you and if that's the case…we uh…we can't put everyone in danger here."
She nodded understandingly, hating the idea she could be putting a bunch of kids in danger as well as everyone else.
"We're leaving at dawn?" Rick interjected with a glance at Tony.
"Yeah…" Tony nodded. "We gotta go over some stuff though in case Juma's men are watching the road. Jack'll be back in a minute."
" 'kay…" Alex licked her chapped lips, feeling like every eye in the room was on her puffy face. She inclined her head towards the door.
"I'm just uh…gonna get some water..." she excused her self hurriedly, moving across the room without looking at anyone.
Rick watched every pair of eyes lift to stare at him. He sighed a little in exasperation.
"She's fine," he said simply. "It's fine, alright?" he looked directly at Tony who bit his lip.
"Get comfy; I think we're gonna be at this for a while."
By the time Alex returned everyone was seated around the small coffee table, staring at a map of Sangala. Tony had slumped down in the cushy wingback chair and Michelle had curled against him, her hand slowly manipulating the tension out of his neck. Chase was on the floor and Rick was sitting on the couch and slumped back against it. Jack stood at the end of the table, leaning over the map with a pen in his hand.
"Carl says Juma's men have checkpoints set up all along the main roads and that the best way to avoid them would be to take the car as far as we can and then go on by foot."
Alex winced a little anticipating the journey. That was going to be fun.
Jack suddenly stopped mid sentence and looked up to study her. A wave of concern crossed his face.
"You should be resting."
"Yeah, yeah." Alex grumbled, not really thinking as she slid onto the couch beside Rick who didn't bat an eyelash. "I'm not tossing and turning while you guys sit out here trying to figure out how to get us out of this. At least let me feel useful."
Jack conceded, apparently understanding where she was coming from. A glance at the clock on the wall said it was already past one in the morning and they were all feeling the jet lag. With the commotion of earlier time had flown, it seemed. Her eyes were burning and she struggled to focus on what was being pointed out on the map.
"Would Juma's guys really bother us though?" Chase intervened with a frown. "I mean I know we're American but it's not like we're a team of commandos…"
"You seen me with a gun lately, Chase?" Alex snorted, hearing a soft laugh come from her side.
"Besides," Tony insisted softly. "If there's any chance they might…I mean…"
"He means if they see Alex or Michelle and feel like having a little fun it'll become pretty apparent we're not just tourists." Rick growled. Michelle flinched at his words and Tony rubbed her leg gently and kissed her shoulder through her t-shirt. They would touch his wife over his dead body.
"The point is to not make problems where there don't need to be any. If we can avoid the check points we will," Jack explained rationally.
"Won't there be…" Michelle hesitated. "I mean it's not as simple as just hiking through some woods to get to the other side."
"No," Jack agreed. "There could be mines, booby traps, anything for people who are obviously trying to avoid getting stopped. We'll have to move slow and make sure we're prepared for any kind of an…"
Tony bit his lip and squeezed Michelle a little tighter against him. This was going to be a lot more dangerous than they'd been anticipating and it made him nauseous just thinking about it.
"Why didn't we get stopped on the way down?" Alex suddenly asked quietly. "I mean…we didn't get pulled over once and we were driving for a couple of hours to get here from the airport."
"We might not this time either, but Juma's men are moving." Jack explained. "Rick and I heard it when we landed. They're repositioning troops and grabbing more and more kids from their homes to try and build his army. We can't assume it'll be easy going."
"But we can risk someone stepping on a mine?" Chase growled, shooting a glance in Alex's direction. She sighed.
"We're picking the easiest route we can. Carl says the ground is pretty open…not a lot of coverage. If we take our time and do our due diligence we can minimize the chance of…"
Everyone's breath caught in their throat.
"The chance of one of us having to get blown to bits?" Chase checked. Jack's jaw clenched.
"That's always a possibility. You know that Chase. If I didn't think this way gave us the best chance of getting everyone out I wouldn't be taking it. We'd look too suspicious if we got pulled over and we don't have the ammo or the coverage if they ambush us in the middle of the road. We'd lose a firefight. We have to avoid that at all costs."
"What if we hid the girls and went in two groups?" Tony suggested, stroking Michelle's arm lightly. "Two of us driving around wouldn't be threatening. They might not make a big deal out of it and then we don't have to take a chance with the mines."
Jack seemed to consider this.
"We'd need a cover story."
"Photographers?" Michelle piped in. "Nature photographers? Something like that."
"That's one group."
"Can't another group just have been visiting Carl?" Rick interjected. "They know the school's here anyway."
Now Jack winced. He knew Juma's men considered the school a place to pick up more child soldiers and planned on moving in sooner than later. Carl had people paying attention to it for him, but Jack still felt guilty leaving all those boys and his friend to fend off Juma.
"We could," Jack agreed hoarsely.
Rick insisted rationally. "They're already a target Jack. It's a good excuse for us to be here and we're not giving away their position."
Jack nodded, knowing he was right. He would worry about Carl needing his help after the rest of them were out of Africa.
As the night wore on Alex hadn't perked up in the slightest. Her eyes were starting to droop as she listened to Jack continue to talk logistics. She should've been more attentive but the dramatics of the night had taken a lot out of her. Her eyes still stung from the crying she'd done and everything was out of focus. Without warning or making a production out of it Rick's arm curled around her waist and he angled her back against his chest, her cheek resting against his shoulder. The warmth of his body soothed her and she found herself letting her eyes close for a moment.
"Jack…" Rick interrupted softly when he was sure Alex was asleep. Jack lifted his head.
"We're all exhausted here. We need a few hours sleep before we move on this thing and it's almost three."
Jack exhaled softly, glancing in the direction of Tony. Michelle was awake, but just barely. Her jaw was resting against Tony's temple and she yawned a little.
"Michelle?" Jack checked.
"Mhmm?"
"You're up for this."
She nodded sleepily. "Whatever gives us the best chance of getting everyone out safely. I'll be fine."
"Al?" Chase glanced over. Rick shook his head softly, a small smirk on his lips.
"She's been out cold for twenty minutes. She'll be up for anything."
Jack nodded his agreement, the smallest of smirks appearing on his lips. Alex was always up for anything.
"Okay…" Jack nodded. "Let's get some sleep then."
Michelle kicked her jeans to the floor and unclipped her bra, tossing them both in a heap beside the small bed as Tony threw his own jeans into the mix. It was a little weird knowing that everyone was seeing her basically in her underwear but it was dark and it wasn't like anyone was really paying attention. Jack was busying himself with something in the corner and Chase had already conked out on one of the cots. Privacy was a luxury no one was really getting right now. Having everyone watch her and Tony touch constantly and cuddle and share a bed was a little strange too, but she'd gotten over that quicker. She needed him too much right now to care.
When Tony slid into the bed beside her she let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding. Tony wasted no time pulling her close.
"Where's Alex?"
"Still asleep. He's bringing her in in a bit."
"So…I mean…are they…"
"I dunno, Michelle," he cut her off softly. She sighed and snuggled closer.
"How's your eye?"
"Alright. I can see out of it so that's always a plus."
She laughed softly and kissed his mouth.
"I love you, Tony."
"Yeah honey, I love you too. This is gonna be fine, alright?"
She gulped and nodded. "I know, I just…"
"Michelle…" he interrupted her firmly. "Listen to me," his arm tightened around her waist and he brushed back some hair out of her eyes.
"It's gonna be fine. Okay? I promise. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
She sighed.
"It's not just me I'm worried about, Tony."
"Alex will be fine too," he insisted. Michelle shook her head.
"I wasn't talking about Alex either."
He bit his lip; she was talking about him.
"Tony, I'm not Alex and Chase is not Rick or Jack and if something happens when we're on the road…I don't know if…"
"We'll work it out. Trust me."
Her eyes showed her uncertainty and he kissed her again.
"Try and sleep, alright? You're exhausted."
She sighed again and pressed into his chest. A few minutes of him stroking her back and she fell into sleep.
Tony was still awake when Rick stepped through the door of the room, Alex curled in his arms. She looked tinier than ever as he watched Rick move towards the small cot and place her down gently. He bent down to stroke her hair and whisper softly something Tony couldn't hear before moving back towards the door.
"You're not sleepin'?" Tony checked. Rick turned, apparently unperturbed by the fact that he was still awake.
"You're not either." He reminded pointedly. Tony shrugged.
"You were the one who suggested sleep."
"Only because your wife was passing out in your lap," Rick teased softly. "I figured someone should be looking out for her."
Tony snorted a little and bit his lip.
"I'm worried this whole thing is gonna blow up in our face."
Rick nodded. "I know. Jack and I are gonna go over some more stuff right now."
"You want me in there?"
Rick shook his head.
"Stay with your wife, Tony. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
Tony watched Rick start to leave before calling to his brother softly. Rick cocked his head and waited expectantly.
"You're okay, right?" his eyes shifted to Alex's bed. "You guys are good?"
Rick shrugged and shook his head.
"I can't believe she did that," he murmured in disbelief. "I'm not worth that..."
Tony shrugged a little as Michelle curled more tightly against him.
"Guess she thought you were."
"She is," Rick smiled a little to himself, his throat tightening as he glanced at her bed. "…Worth it, I mean. Always has been."
"You know she's planning on disappearing with Jack again when this thing is over. If Palmer doesn't exonerate her." Tony reminded him. "She told Michelle; she's afraid if she goes back she's gonna y'know…have a tough time with everything…"
"Yeah…" Rick nodded, not seeming surprised by this. "Yeah, that's Al."
"Then uh…" Tony shifted a little against the mattress. "Find a way to get her to stick around, will you? She keeps me on my toes; I like it."
Rick laughed softly.
"I'll work on it."
Tony smirked back. "Good…"
"See ya in a bit."
"Yeah…night."