Chapter 14

Natalie Brent stood in the shadows of the hallway listening to her two colleagues talk. Her brow creased as she heard them discuss Sophie Ford and her husband David Jenkins. So, she thought to herself, now they knew that Sophie Ford was related to her patient. She knew what that meant; they would come and get him. The doctor was sure to tell her about the fact that David or Nate was still alive tomorrow during rounds. They were going to tell him about her relationship to him and then he would bring them down to the isolation room. They would come and take him from her. She was not going to allow that. Quietly she took the supplies she had come to fetch when she had stumbled on the two nurses during their conversation and made her way back down to Nate.

When she entered the room Nate was sitting up on the edge of the bed with his feet touching the floor.

"What are you doing?" Natalie said as she hurried to his side.

"I need to get to a phone." Nate said as he levered himself into a standing position, then swayed and almost fell forward onto the floor. Natalie caught him and eased him back onto the bed.

"What has brought this sudden need for a telephone about?" Natalie said trying to get him to lie down.

"I know who I am…" Nate said smiling at her.

"Really, and who are you?" Natalie said trying to hide the rising panic she felt. He was going to leave her. Why was this happening, why?

"Nathan Ford, my wife Sophie is seven months pregnant and I need to phone her, I need to tell her I am alright." Nate said. "I remember Natalie, I remember everything, why I was on that ship, everything."

"I see…" Natalie said trying to figure out a way to avoid this. She was not going to lose him. That woman up there did not deserve him. She had abandoned him, left him for dead and it was she, Natalie that had saved him. He belonged with her. She loved him; she would take care of him. He needed her. "Well just lie back and I will get you a phone. You are still very weak David…"

"Nate…" Nate said. "My name is Nate, not David."

"Of course…" Natalie said soothingly. "Please Nate, if you try to stand you are going to end up face down on the floor and neither one of us wants that do we?" She said.

"No…" Nate said hesitantly. "But I need to phone Sophie. My friends, my friends that were on the ship with me, I need to know they are alright."

"And you will…but I need you to stay in bed. You are still very weak Nate and you could hurt yourself…please…" She said. "Now mobiles do not work down here I am afraid but there is a phone at the nurses' station outside. I can call whoever you want me too and let them know where you are and that you are alright." She assured him as he finally allowed himself to lie back in the bed.

"Natalie, I need to speak to my wife…please." He told her.

"Ok…we can try to figure something out, but remember why you are here Nate, down here in the bowels of this hospital. Because somebody tried to kill you, do you remember that? Only a few days ago somebody tried to end your life. Now I know you want to speak to your wife and your friends, but have you considered that if you tell them where you are, if you come out from hiding, then the same people might try to kill you again and maybe hurt your wife and friends?" She asked him and smiled inwardly as she saw her words where having the desired effect on him.

"You're right…Markison, if Markison knew about Sophie…" Nate said shaking his head as he thought about the consequences of that happening.

"Right, so maybe the best policy is to remain where you are for now, and then we can figure out how to get a message to your wife and friends. They probably believe you to be dead anyway…" Natalie said watching him closely for his reaction to those words. "They are probably not even in the country anymore…"

"Oh God…you're right…Sophie…" Nate whispered. He had not even thought of that. It had been almost a month since he had left to help Eliot and the others. They probably thought he died in the explosion on the ship.

"Shhh…it's alright, everything will be alright…" She soothed taking his hand in hers. She could see her words had struck a chord with him and could see the emotions welling up in him. "We'll find a way to fix this, I promise…" She said.

Nate lay back in his bed. The effort of trying to stand had tired him out. Now his mind was overwhelmed with the thought of the danger he could pose to Sophie, if she came here looking for him, and Markison found her…He could not allow that to happen. He was almost sure that Eliot and the others had made it off the ship, but he did not know what happened after that. The explosion should have given them enough cover to get away, but he could not be sure about that either. What if they hadn't escaped from those docks…what if they were injured, or worse…dead. He closed his eyes tightly trying to remain calm as he thought about everything. He could have lost his family.

"Nate…it's going to be alright…" Natalie said softly as she ran her hand over his forehead. "I will take care of you. You and I will get through this and everything will be alright, you'll see." She said soothingly. "Just lie back now and rest, we'll figure this out…" She said.

Nate felt himself drifting, his mind becoming less focused as she spoke and he was drawn down into darkness.

"That's it, just rest Nate…just sleep…you are safe here with me…" She said as she replaced the syringe after administering the sedative through the IV. She stood like that with him until his breathing became even again and she was sure he was asleep. Then she leaned down and kissed him gently. "I'll take care of you." She whispered.

Natalie sat down on the side of the bed holding Nate's hand as he slept. She had to make a plan. Dr Hunt would be here in the morning before he did rounds. They had to be here for that. Then he would go on rounds. It would take him a while to reach her room, but she was sure that they would tell him who she was and that would be the end. He would definitely bring them down here; to him… they would come and take him away. They had no right she thought angrily. They had abandoned him, now they wanted him back, no, he was hers now and he would stay with her. She had to get him out of the hospital before they came for him. That gave her only a very small window of time after he had been to see Nate in the morning. The other problem was that Nate remembered. He remembered and he would tell the doctor. She had to prevent that from happening too. She had to keep him sedated until the doctor had left. She sighed heavily. It was for his own good she told herself. She was protecting him against not only the men who had tried to kill him, but from a family that obviously did not care about him. They had not looked for him, and only now, when it was convenient and the danger was passed did they want him back. Well they could not have him. She looked down at the sleeping man. He looked so peaceful now, so…handsome. She had never had anybody to love, anybody who needed her, who relied on her. She had always been alone and she had been happy with that lot. But when he had come into her life she knew he was the one for her. Her love for him had grown over the weeks she nursed him. She had felt a bond, a connection that could not be wrong. She could feel his love for her too, feel his need for her, he was dependant on her for everything, and she would always be there for him. He would forget those other people, that woman, and he would love her and only her, she was sure of that. She would become his family. They would love each other. She would have a family, she would give him a child, if that is what he wanted, one he could love and cherish…Yes she smiled to herself…she would have a family with Nate and they would be happy together. She moved herself onto the bed and lay down beside the sedated man resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes.

"We will leave here and find a home, a home where I can take care of you forever…you need me Nate, you will never be able to look after yourself again…you will always need me…you know you love me…" She whispered lifting herself up to kiss him gently again. Then she lay back down her hand running up and down his arm as her head rested on his chest. Lying there with him, she began formulating a plan for the morning. "Tomorrow my love, we will start our new life together…" She said as a plan came together in her mind.

Please let me know what you thought…It seems Nate is in a lot of trouble. Will the Eliot be able to figure out what is going on and that it is Natalie herself that has Nate? How will they be able to find Nate and Natalie? What is Natalie's plan? What about Sophie, will she give birth without Nate being there? Thank you for your reviews and please keep them coming.