A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Yes, Heller is back again... we'll see what he has in store... (In Chapter 10, when Dr. Besson is treating Audrey's arm, he asks one of the guards to go get Jack. Joe answers that Heller has stomach flu and will be out of their hair for a while. My mom read that, and her response was this: "Heller has stomach flu! Yay!" LOL! I have such a nice, caring mother.) By the way, jen, when I read your comment on this last chapter, I laughed so hard that my dad came in to check on me! Thanks for the laugh. As for what's in store for Heller, Jack, and Audrey... you'll soon find out...
Chapter 14
Jack flinched involuntarily, and the sudden movement startled Audrey. She turned to glance at Jack, eyeing him questioningly. "What...?" Then she spotted her father, and Audrey's eyes widened. "Dad?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"The better question," Heller snapped, "would be, what is Jack doing here?" He glared at Jack with such fury that Audrey half expected to see flames shoot from her father's eyes. She had no idea how he had gotten there or what he was doing there; all she knew was that she didn't want him there. For lack of a better idea, Audrey clamped her fingers around her nurse call button as though it was a lifeline and frantically pressed the button.
Dr. Carlson arrived in moments. "Audrey? Is everything — ?" She stopped in her tracks when she saw Heller. "Mr. Secretary," she managed. "This is a surprise. Are you feeling better?"
"Fine," Heller said shortly. "But I want an explanation! What is Jack doing here?"
Dr. Carlson hesitated. "Visiting your daughter."
"How did he get here?" Heller demanded. "Who let him in? Elaine, I left specific instructions that he was not to be allowed anywhere near Audrey!" He turned his fury on Jack. "I want you out of here. I'm calling Security."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary," Doug spoke up from behind him, smirking slightly.
"I meant real Security," Heller snapped. "Or have you managed to coerce the rest of the teams as well?"
"Jack didn't do anything," Dr. Carlson insisted. "It was my doing."
"And mine," Doug said quietly.
"And mine," Joe added.
Heller was speechless. His steel-gray eyes were shooting sparks at Dr. Carlson and the guards, and especially at Jack. "I can't believe it." He glared at Doug and Joe. "I'll be putting in a word with Division, and you two will pay for this. You as well, Elaine," he added to Dr. Carlson. She bit her lip slightly, but nodded silently.
"Enough!" Audrey's cry echoed in the room, startling everyone. She glared at her father with an intensity that none of them had ever seen before. "I'd like to speak with my father," she said. Her voice was like steel. "Alone."
"Of course," Dr. Carlson said quietly. She, Doug, Joe, and Jack left the room without a word.
When the door had closed behind them, Audrey turned fiercely on her father. "How dare you!" she cried. "How dare you!"
"Me?" Heller asked coolly. "How about you? I posted guards at the door of your room to — "
"To keep Jack away," Audrey finished. "Of course." She met her father's gaze. "Jack told us what you said to him. About him being cursed." Her voice was shaking. "Frankly, I'm amazed. You knew that it would hurt Jack, and that's why you said it. The US SecDef has resorted to painful insults to get his point across to one of America's top federal agents? That's nice, Dad. That's really nice."
"Audie — " Heller tried.
"Don't!" Audrey cut him off. "Don't even try to say anything."
"Audrey," Heller said firmly, interrupting her. "Listen to me. You must try to understand. When I told Jack to stay away, I did it for your protection. Bad things happen to people that he gets close to, and I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."
"Looks to me like I already have," Audrey shot back, motioning to her bandaged arm and leg, and the scars beneath her clothing. "You haven't seen what's under here, Dad. The scars are pretty gross."
"Exactly my point," Heller told her. "Why did you go to China? To look for Jack. Why did you get captured? Because you were looking for Jack, and they didn't want you to find him. Why do you think they didn't want you to find him? Because he did things that made the Chinese want revenge. He's dangerous, Audie. Can't you see that?"
Audrey didn't answer. "You know, Dad," she spat, "you and I got kidnapped and almost executed because of your job. Jack didn't have anything to do with that. That was your fault. Seems like you're pretty dangerous, too."
Heller's mouth dropped open. "I cannot believe you just said that."
"Believe it," Audrey snarled viciously. "And, remember, the only reason that I went to China on my own is because no one would help me. The government had abandoned Jack; they weren't going to do anything to get him out of that hellhole of a prison that he was in. So I decided to go. I know for a fact that you have plenty of friends in high places that would have been willing to help me search for Jack and bring him home, but you refused to contact them. So I had to go to China on my own. I could have had a team of Delta agents or someone with field training accompanying me and watching my back, but I didn't. I had my passport, a tiny Chinese-English dictionary, and an old, falling-apart rental car. Frankly, I'm not surprised that Cheng managed to find me." She glared at her father. "And I think you're forgetting one important fact."
"What's that?" Heller asked with forced patience.
"You and I owe our lives to Jack," Audrey said. "Or have you forgotten about being shackled to a chair in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, with terrorists aiming assault rifles at your head and preparing to execute you on live television? And, Dad, don't forget that I was there too. Once they had killed you, they were planning to come and put a few bullets in my head as well." Heller flinched slightly, and Audrey continued. "Why didn't the government help us? Oh, that's right. I remember. Keeler had ordered them to destroy the building. There was a surface-to-air missile aimed at our heads, Dad! Remember that?" He said nothing.
Audrey continued. "And don't forget that Jackwas the one who figured out where we were in the first place. He was the one who put the pieces together and gave the details that allowed CTU to capture Sherek. Their interrogation methods weren't worth crap, so Jack put a bullet in Sherek's knee. That got him talking fast. He gave up the info that we were the targets. By then, it was too late to stop the kidnapping, but it wasn't too late for a rescue. Since nobody else seemed to care about us, Jack took matters into his own hands. Remember? Ignoring the fact that the building was about to be blown up by a missile, Jack went in. Alone. He took out the guards, killed the terrorist goons that were about to shoot you in the head on live TV, and shot the guy that was using me as a human shield. Does any of that ring a bell, Dad? Because it should. If it wasn't for Jack, you and I would both be dead," she snapped. "You owe him a huge thank-you, or even a medal or something. But did he get one? Nope. Not even close. As a reward for all that he's done for this country, as a thank-you for all the times that he's saved our asses, he was 'killed', forced to fake his death and go into hiding, and then snatched up and thrown into a frozen hellhole of a prison in the snowy mountains of northern China! Maybe it's just me, but I think something is seriously wrong with that picture!"
Audrey took a deep breath to control her rapidly mounting rage, and continued on. "Doyle told me about what happened at the warehouse. Jack rigged it with about a hundred pounds of C-4. Once he was sure that I was safe, he was going to blow up the building. It would have killed everyone there, including Jack. He was willing to blow himself up and kill himself in order to save me. I'd say that that's pretty damn brave. So, what exactly is your problem with someone who shows that much selfless love?" She met her father's gaze with a steady stare of her own, refusing to break eye contact.
It was Heller who finally did. He pulled away and lowered his gaze, glancing away from Audrey's unflinching stare. "Audie... please, don't do this."
Audrey shook her head. "Nice try, but we're long past the point where your pleas and guilt trips will work. I am not going to forget about Jack and what's happened. I want to be with him. It's my choice to be with him. What part of that don't you understand?"
"He's bad luck, Audrey. He's evil," Heller said desperately. "Can't you see that?"
Audrey shook her head. "Jack is evil? Are you sure it wasn't your reflection you were looking at in the mirror when you decided that?" Heller's mouth dropped open. "You say that you don't want me to be hurt any more," Audrey scoffed, "and yet you told Jack that he was cursed; you hurt him, and you tried to lie to me. What did you honestly think I was going to do? Hug you and say thank you?"
"Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind," Heller said coolly.
"Yeah," Audrey scoffed, laughing bitterly. "Evidently!" She glared at her father. "Here's the deal. You're going to stop this nonsense with Jack, and you're going to walk away."
"Or what?" Heller demanded.
"Or you won't ever see me again," Audrey said coldly. "Let me make this clear. Whenever Dr. Carlson releases me, I will not be coming home with you." She saw a flicker of something in her father's eyes. "I can't Dad. I can't be near you. I'll find somewhere else to stay. You'll be in DC, so I'll either go back to my apartment here or stay with one of my friends. Or, most likely, I will stay with Jack."
"Audrey," Heller sighed, shaking his head. "Stop this. You're not thinking rationally." He saw the expression on her face, and his tone softened. "It's all right, sweetheart. It's the medications. They're affecting your ability to think. It's not your fault. Maybe I should have Dr. Carlson give you something to help you sleep. Maybe it'll help clear your mind."
"Stop it," Audrey snapped. "Just shut up. Don't try to patronize me, Dad. For your information, I'm not taking any medications. My mind is perfectly clear. My thinking ability is just fine, thank you very much." She paused. "Dad, I'm not sure if Dr. Carlson told you this, but I remember. I remember everything." Heller's eyebrow arched. Audrey nodded. "That's right. I remember it all. Who I am, my life, you... and China, and Jack. So don't try to change things or twist them around, because it won't work. Like I said, my mind is perfectly clear. I can think for myself, and I know what I remember. There's no point in you trying to lie to me." She pushed her bedcovers back and moved to the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing?" Heller questioned, watching her.
"Getting up," Audrey replied. "Getting out of bed and walking out of this room. I need to talk to Dr. Carlson." She winced slightly as her right leg touched the floor. The graft harvest site was still slightly sore, but the pain was manageable now. Audrey ignored the brief twinge of pain that shot through her leg as she moved to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side.
"Audrey." Heller hurried to her side. "Should you be getting up? Is it okay for you to walk on that leg?"
"Yes," Audrey snapped. "It's fine. And I don't need your help," she added, firmly pushing her father's hand away. "I can manage by myself." She slid forward until her feet touched the floor, and then carefully pulled herself into a standing position. "See?" With a toss of her head, she walked calmly across the room and out the door, closing it behind her.
Dr. Carlson, Jack, and the guards were standing farther down the hallway, talking in low tones. They all glanced up in surprise as Audrey approached them. "Audrey!" Dr. Carlson exclaimed, hurrying to her. "What are you doing out of bed? Is everything all right?"
"I'm attempting to reason with my father," Audrey replied. "He's ready to bite my head off, and he accused me of being too drugged to think clearly. Other than that, everything's just great," she said dryly. "I came out here to ask you for a favor."
"Of course. What?" the doctor asked.
"Can you please call Security and get my father out of my room?" Audrey asked seriously. "No offense, Doug and Joe, but he's not exactly going to listen if you try to do it. Do you think you could call someone else?"
They nodded. "No problem," Doug assured her. "I don't blame you. If I was you, I'd want him out of my room too." Audrey laughed bitterly. Doug reached for his radio and held a brief conversation with someone on the other end. In minutes, two uniformed security guards arrived.
Audrey held open the door to her room and ushered the men inside. "Please escort my father out of here."
Heller's mouth dropped open, and he stared at his daughter in shock. "Audrey! What...?"
Audrey stood back. "I'm through talking, Dad. I want you out of my room. I asked these men to get you out of here."
Heller fell silent as he stared at his daughter. At last, he nodded. "If that's the way you want to be." The guards stepped towards him, but Heller shook his head. "There's no need, gentlemen. I'll go willingly. My daughter has made her feelings clear." They refrained from touching him, but followed closely as he walked towards the door.
"I only have one more thing to say to you, Dad," Audrey told him. Heller waited patiently. "It's something you said. After Jack rescued us from Marwan, when we got back to CTU, Paul was waiting for me. He met Jack, and practically threatened him. Then he went and complained to you, calling my relationship with Jack 'unprofessional.' Your answer was this, 'Audrey's a big girl. She can do what she wants.' " Audrey met her father's eyes with a steady, unflinching gaze of her own. "Remember that? Because I do. I love you, I really do, but you've gone too far now. So I am going to do what I want, Dad. And what I want is to be with Jack. I will be with him. And you can't stop me." She nodded to the guards. "You can go." Audrey watched as they escorted her father out of the room. The door closed behind them, and then there was only silence.
Audrey realized for the first time that she was trembling violently. She exhaled hard and ran a shaky hand over her face. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway and went to talk with Dr. Carlson, Jack, Doug, and Joe.
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