Chapter 11

Leonard had lost track of time. He had been chained to this chair for hours or days; he didn't know which. He had stopped demanding to see his lawyer after he had been brutally punched in the stomach repeatedly; which had sent his broken or bruised ribs into excruciating pain. He had cried without shame and now he was teetering on the edge of praying for death. He flinched as he heard the door open and looked up to see the young man, who had been his tormentor, enter the room.

"Mr. Hofstader" he leered, "Ready for another game of 'Truth or Pain'?"

Leonard shuddered but lifted his chin. "Don't you mean 'Truth and sadistic bastard'?" He closed his eyes in expectation of the blow; it came as expected, to his torso. "three point one four one five nine two six five…" a second blow. He gasped and struggled to breathe. "one point six one eight zero three three nine eight…"

"You'll give in eventually. Why not tell me now and the pain can stop. I'll get a doctor in here and he'll bind your ribs and get you something to re-hydrate." The man stood behind Leonard and taunted him.

"I've told you the truth; over and over. Can't you get it through your head? The last time I saw Larry he was leaving my lab. We had talked about his suspicions and he admitted to me that he was suffering from…" a electrical shock coursed through his body. 'Damn' he thought, 'he's starting with the electrical prod quicker than usual'. "He was being treated for a tumor in his frontal lobe. He knew that it was causing paranoia. He was trying to remain lucid long enough to get his details in order. He was going to tell Samantha the next day." He paused; he had repeated this over and over. Another shock hit him like a ton of bricks and his chest felt like it was on fire. The gray overtook him again.

"Leonard. Leonard, wake up." The voice was melodic. He opened his eyes expecting the bright lights to send searing pain through his optic nerve, but the light only brought him peace and inner joy. The figure before him smiled down at him and he felt love cover him like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night.

"Clara, is it really you?"

"It's me, darling. Everything is going to be okay. I..." she paused and he saw her shudder. "Help is on its way."

"What help?" he asked.

"I did something; something I was told not to do, but..." she admitted.

"Are you in trouble?" he reached for her but his hand slipped right through her non-corporeal form. "Whatever you did; take it back."

"I can't and I won't" she replied emphatically. "You are about to regain consciousness, but I promise that I'll be there with you." She reached to his cheek and he felt as if a warm breeze was caressing him. "I promise to be with you always."

The pain reasserted itself and Leonard opened his eyes to see his tormentor; they were in the room alone. He noticed that the chains had been removed from his arms and legs, but he did not have the strength to move.

"So" Leonard began stoically, "Are you the asset that insinuated himself into Isybol's life?" The agent stared at him in shock. "Ah, must have hit on a raw nerve there; so you are."

"Leave Isybol out of this" he said angrily. "You manipulated her into covering for you and for some strange reason she trusts you."

"She is my friend and she knows that everything I have said is the truth..." the agents face twisted into a mask of anger, but Leonard also saw fear in his eyes. "She still hasn't worked out that you are an FBI asset. Did you follow her out here? Did you put a tracking device on her? That's how Amy was able to follow us to the cemetery."

The agent's face morphed back into his cold dead eyed look and he raised his hand and made a gesture toward the plate glass mirror. A few seconds later Amy entered the room warily; she was carrying a syringe.

"I don't think this is a wise course of action" she told the torture agent.

"It's my call and I say we proceed" he said coldly as he took the needle from her hand and lifted it to calmly look at its contents. "Mr. Hofstader" he said with a hiss, "This is a brand new miracle drug; Dr. Fowler's creation. It is similar to sodium..."

"Quit you yacking and just do it" Leonard bellowed. "I've seen all the spy movies; you shoot me up and I start rambling on about this and that and you get your answers. Well surprise buddy, but I'm gonna say the same thing I've been saying since you first brought me here; so get on with it."

"As I was saying, it's similar but better. It will put you into a euphoric state and decrease your ability to fabricate lies. The bad part is the euphoria is fleeting. It makes the mind think that it being deprived of oxygen. Your body begins to shut down; your heart slows and unless we give you the counteragent, your mind will basically kill you."

Leonard heard this and he felt his bowels clench and release; they were going to kill him unless he told them that he had killed his friend's husband. He could smell his fear; no, that was his bowels that had released,

He swallowed hard and through tears he said, "Today is a good day to die'" He heard a snort and then a pain in his arm.

"You have approximately eleven minutes before the drug can not be counteracted." torture agent said.

"Damn it Leonard stop this" Amy pleaded. The euphoria was already kicking in as he heard her say, "Tell me the truth and let me call Sheldon to come get you."

"Sheldon will never love you like a real woman needs to be loved; he's just as warped as you and your friend 'torture Tim' here" he slurred as he pointed to the agent. His eyes widened as he looked past Amy and saw the image of Clara take form behind her. He smiled at her and he saw her smile back. "Thank you Amy." He said as he reached toward Clara but was held back by torture agent. "Dammit you can kill me but you can't stop me from loving."

Amy looked at her fellow agent and they both looked at Leonard confused.

"You want the truth? Here's the truth." He stood and the agent let him. He walked over to the mirror and stood beside Clara and pointed to her, "this is the truth. The woman standing before you is the truth; the truth, the truth is that I love her. The truth is that without her I would never have found happiness. She made me happy; happy she did make me. I'm happy." He pirouetted, "weeeee, I'm happy."

"The truth Leonard," Amy insinuated, "The truth about Larry."

"Shhhhhh, don't tell Samantha or Eva; Larry's sick. He 's scared. He loves Sam and Eva soooooo much. Doesn't want to hurt them." Leonard's eyes refocused and a look of panic crossed his face. "Clara says its time to come home." He dropped to the floor. "But not before Isybol knows about you." he rasped as he looked at the agent. "I am assuming that you are using the time-honored method of letting the other subjects of your 'interrogation' hear my screams in order to intimidate them" he saw a flicker of acknowledgement in his face and screamed, "Isybol, Nathan is an evil FBI agent and he is tort... ooffff" he was halted by a blow to his midsection.

"Shut your dam mouth" Nathan demanded.

"I thought you wanted the truth" Leonard gasped for air; it would not come. He began to fight for every breath.

"The truth is you killed Larry Dereveaux" Nathan screamed. "You killed my mentor."

Leonard looked over to Clara who had sat down beside him. "This pencil neck thinks I killed my friend. He can't conceive a world that is not black and white. Does he not see that maybe Lar..." he gasped for a breath, "Larry may have left town to get away from his family; not because he didn't love them, but because he did. He didn't want them to see him suffer in his final days."

Amy and Nathan watched as he lifted his hand and looked as if he was caressing someone's cheek.

"I understand now; why you did what you did." He began to sob. "You loved me sooo much; but baby I loved you too. You should have let me love you."

Clara smiled at him. "I do love you more than you will ever know and I know that you love me. You've got to hold on. They are almost here."

"Who's almost here?" he asked as his chest tightened and he was gasping for air.

Amy looked at Leonard talking to himself; it was a manifestation of the compound that she had developed but she stared in disbelief when she saw him reach up and stroke the cheek of the girl beside him; there was a young girl sitting beside him and then she was gone. What the hell was going on?

"I talked to your mother after you were shot; she called your brother and he contacted an acquaintance in the Department of Justice. You've just got to hold on for a few more minutes."

"I can't," he rasped as he slid down to lie on the floor, "I can't hold on."

Amy lurched forward with a second syringe, but Nathan held her back.

"We still have a few moments of consciousness; he will break" he demanded.

"I will not let you torture him any more. This ends now" Amy screamed as she plunged the needle into his arm.

Nathan slapped Amy with all the force he could muster and she flailed across the room. A moment later the door to the interrogation room burst open and three men entered the room.

"Agent Nathan Hale, you are to desist immediately and are to be taken into custody to face charges for insubordination and other charges that may arise from the abduction of US citizens and illegal detainment of said citizens." He looked down at Leonard lying on the ground. "Let's get that medic team in here."

Amy had gotten to her feet. "I've given him the counteragent, but he'll need oxygen and someone to look at his ribs. Do you have transport? We need to get him to a hospital."

"Taken care of" the rescuer said. "Are you Dr. Fowler?"

"Yes" Amy replied.

"Agent Fowler, you are to be taken into custody and charged with unlawful..."

"Yeah, let's forgo the list of stupid things I've done." She walked over to where Leonard was beginning to regain consciousness. "Leonard, I am so sorry. I was told that you had killed my predecessor."

"Why did you do that?" he pleaded, "Why did you take her away?"

Amy was confused, "Take who away?"

"Clara. Clara was here with me. She was here," he moaned. "Do it again. Give me the damn shot that will bring her back."

"It wasn't the shot Leonard; she was really here. I saw her; I saw her" she repeated to herself.

The door opened again and another agent brought Penny into the room, she broke free from his grasp and flew to Leonard's side. "Are you okay?" she said as she placed kiss after kiss on his face.

Leonard broke into a fit of sobs and haltingly said, "I'm okay."

Leonard awoke in a hospital bed. Penny sat beside the bed and he could see Eva and Isybol chatting in a corner.

"My three favorite ladies" he said quietly. Penny opened her eyes and grabbed his hand.

"I'm glad you're awake; the nurses all said you would be..." she trailed off with a sob, "… but I wanted to hear it from you. I needed to hear your voice."

"I'm good; I guess the drug is out of my system. I don't feel any air restriction at all." Leonard assessed.

"They've had you on a steroid and oxygen all night," Eva said.

Leonard looked over at Isybol who was still standing in the corner. "I'm so sorry Isybol..."

"It's not your fault, Lennie..."

"But it is; if I hadn't..." he started.

"If we hadn't," she interrupted.

"Have you spoken to Nathan?"

"Briefly. Just to tell him that it is over and that any personal items he has left at my apartment will be on the sidewalk as soon as I get back to Savannah." He saw a tear slide down her face. "But on a more positive note; I've decide to take a job that I was offered at a design house in Hollywood. I had originally declined, thinking that Nathan needed to be on the east coast for his job in finance. But we know that was a lie." He held out his hand and Isybol walked over and took it.

"I love you Izzy," he said as he pulled her into a hug. They wept together as Penny and Eva looked on.

As the sobs abated, Leonard looked up at Penny and asked, "Penny could you close the door? I need to tell Eva a few things and we don't want any eavesdroppers."

Penny stood and walked toward the door, "Do you want me to wait outside?"

Leonard shook his head, "No, please this is the part of the story you need to hear," Penny closed the door and walked back to sit beside the bed. Leonard looked directly at Eva and started his story.

"Eva, your father loved you and your mother very much. The night of the dinner that we had the altercation..." he looked to Eva to confirm that she remembered the night and she nodded her head, "I had gone back to the lab; I was living there until I could find a new place to live." He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Eva asked.

"The next day was the day I met Sheldon. I went searching for apartments and well..."

Isybol laughed, "I'm the reason you met your roommate and by extension the reason you met and fell in love with Penny."

"Why do you say that?" Eva asked. Isybol just looked from Leonard to Eva and froze.

"Let me back up a minute," Leonard said. "Your father did suspect that your mother and I might be 'involved'. We had a few discussions about it and we had sat down; your dad, your mom and me, and talked about it. There was never anything, romantically or sexually between your mother and me; let me state that outright. We were able to assuage your father fears and thought everything was copasetic. Then the tumor made itself known. Your father came to me the night of the dinner; he confided in me about his diagnosis. He told me that he had been fighting it with drugs for about six months; an experimental drug that they were developing. He was taking them from the trial they were doing and giving the subjects placebos. He said he was keeping a journal on his reactions so as to have something to show for the research; but they never found it. Anyway, he didn't admit it or come right out and say it, but I'm pretty sure the paranoia that he was suffering as a result of either the tumor or the medication led him to start the fire in my apartment building."

"So you're saying my father burned your apartment building; why do you think it was your fault Isybol?" Eva asked. "Wouldn't my father be the reason for his meeting Sheldon and Penny?"

"That's true," Isybol said, "If it was your father; it's just conjecture. We never had any proof."

"So that doesn't explain why it might be your fault?" Eva said.

"About a week before the fire, I was sneaking into Leonard's apartment. I was living there without his knowledge; you'd think for someone so smart he would notice someone living with him." Isybol chuckled.

"You would think," Penny snorted, "But he had a girlfriend move in with him and he didn't even notice."

"Hey," Leonard protested.

"Admit it. Dr. Stephanie had moved in and Sheldon had to be the one to tell you it had happened."

Before Leonard could respond, the door opened and two men walked in with an air of authority.

"Mr. Hostader, I am Special Agent McQuirk. This is agent Adams. We need to talk." He stepped forward and hovered over Leonard.

Leonard stared at him with annoyance. "It's Dr. Hofstader; Mr. Quirk," he said with derision. "I don't believe I asked you to come in. If you would like to step outside and knock, I may ask you to enter." He looked over and saw a small smile form on Penny's face.

"I apologize, Dr. Hofstader," the agent rebutted, "But I am trying to get to the bottom of this fiasco with Agent Hale."

"The bottom; as you call it, is that Nathan Hale had me followed, shot and then personally tortured me…" his voice cracked, "…just because he had some hair-brained notion that I had killed and man; a man that has never been found. He was going to let me die if I did not confess to something I didn't do."

"He and Agent Fowler are being dealt with; but as to not being found…" he stared Leonard in the eyes, "Dr. Devereaux's body has been found." He turned his head quickly as Eva gasped.

"Typical FBI. Could you not have found a better way to tell his daughter that you had found him?" He held his hand out to Eva and she strode to him and took it. "It's okay sweetie; we always knew this day might come." He used his free hand to stroke her back.

"Sorry again, I didn't realize this was his daughter" The agent eked out.

"You may want to know who your audience is before you start talking" Leonard said with venom in his voice. He pulled Eva down and put her head on his shoulder. Penny stepped closer to him and rested one hand on Leonard's arm and the other on Eva's shoulder. Isybol took two small steps backwards and Leonard saw that she was glancing towards the door. He turned his attention to the agent in charge, "Well at least now you should be able to tell when and how he died. Where did you find his… where did you find Dr. Deveraux?'

"I can not discuss details of an ongoing investigation" McQuirk said crisply.

"Well, if you're not here to discuss details; may I suggest you leave. My attorney is not present and from your previous actions I can only conclude that your agency harbors ill will towards me and my friends. If you want to stay, I insist that you place me under arrest and advice me on my Miranda Rights." He puffed his chest out and looked from McQuirk to the door. McQuirk and Adams glared at him and then turned and strode to the door. As the door was about to close behind them Leonard called after them, "Let Ms. Fowler and Mr. Hale know that my attorney will be seeking retribution for their heinous actions."

The door closed and Leonard sank back down into the comfort of his pillows. Penny sat on the bed beside him and cradled his head into her chest.

"God, Leonard. That was so…" she began to gush but stopped when she realized his whole body was shaking. "Leonard, what's wrong? She asked.

"Would you please call the nurse for me? And if you don't mind; go grab something to eat or…" he looked up at her pleadingly, "I just need sometime to myself."

Penny pressed the call button for the nurse and said, "What's wrong baby? Let me help you."

Isybol touched Penny's arm and said, "Let's give him some time Penny; I'll buy you and Eva a cup of coffee." She looked at Leonard with sympathy and Eva caught the look.

"Yeah, Penny let's grab a cup of coffee" Eva said as she stepped beside her. Penny looked up to her and nodded.

"Okay, but you tell the nurse to call me if you need anything. We'll be back in a few minutes." The nurse walked in and the three friends walked out of the room; each gazing back as they left.

"What can I do for you Mr. Hofstader?" the nurse asked as she walked to his bedside.

"This is embarrassing…" he hedged, "but those men that were just in here; they pissed me off, but they scared me too…" He looked at the nurse and blushed.

"It's okay, Leonard. Part of that is some of the medicine you are on too. We'll get you cleaned up and get the bed sheets changed out. Don't think twice about it" she said in a calming voice, but in her mind she was ranting against the men that had upset her patient. She would have to talk to the charge nurse and have them banned from seeing him.

A few minutes later she had everything back in order and was about to leave when Leonard spoke, "Nurse, can I ask a question?"

"Sure" she said.

"Does the doctor know what the drug was that they injected me with?"

"He asked the agent in that brought you in and was informed that the compound was secret and could not be revealed; but assured him that with the counteragent there should be no ill after-effects."

"Oh," he said sadly.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

Leonard looked abashed but said, "It took me somewhere; somewhere that I would like to go again."

"Are you saying that you are having cravings for the drug; did it have addictive properties?" She asked in alarm.

"No. No physical cravings. It's just that when I went under the… I saw someone that I miss dearly. I would like to be able to talk to her again." A tear rolled down his cheek and he lowered his head in shame. "I love you Clara" he said to void in his soul. The nurse quietly left and a tears were rolling down her cheeks. Leonard looked up to see the room was now empty. 'No, it's not empty. Clara is here with me. She is always here with me.'