Chapter Twenty-Four
Oscar's head and his heart were at war. He watched Jaime as she slept, and he wondered if it would be better for her if he simply walked away quietly. She looked so vulnerable lying there, scratches on her porcelain-pale face and an IV in her arm. Oscar couldn't help feeling he had put her there, sent her straight into a maelstrom of danger with the assurance that everything would be okay. Jaime began tossing restlessly, in the throes of another nightmare, and Oscar sat down at her bedside, smoothing the hair from her face and wishing fervently for a chance to start this day again from the beginning.
Only...what could he have done differently? Not called Steve and Jaime into his office, perhaps? That would've enabled her would-be abductors to grab her from her home, when she was alone...and then she truly would've been gone for good. Should he have kept her in his office until she could be sent underground for safety? No – the ruthless attack in public (in broad daylight) meant they were capable of anything. They'd have likely stormed the building and hurt a lot more innocent people. Really, Oscar had made the best decision he could, under the circumstances...so why did he feel such conflict, such guilt? Because...it was Jaime lying in that bed. The sudden depth of his feelings for her terrified Oscar. His guilt was compounded by the fact that, at that very moment, his best friend was in the operating room fighting for his life. Rudy had told him that Steve's heart had stopped in the ambulance. What if Steve had died? Had emotions clouded Oscar's judgment to the point that he'd nearly given his friend a death sentence, in the guise of protecting Jaime?
Silent tears began streaming down Jaime's face as she continued to dream. Oscar picked up her hand and spoke softly to her, but in her deeply sedated slumber, the touch startled her even more...and failed to wake her.
"Steve...no!" Jaime murmured. "No!"
Feeling helpless, Oscar gathered her into his arms as she began to thrash wildly. He rubbed her back, whispering in her ear in an attempt to ease her from her nightmare. "You're safe now, Babe...Steve's safe...it's over. It's over and you're safe."
Gradually, he felt her begin to return the embrace. Her eyes opened and her head fell onto his shoulder as she sank gratefully into the comfort of his arms. "It's really...over?" she asked in a small voice.
"We got the two gunmen who shot at you – and three more men and a driver parked out front. It's over, Babe."
"And...Steve?"
Oscar smoothed her hair, tenderly caressing her and holding her as close as he dared. "He's in surgery, but Rudy is fairly sure he can repair the damage. Steve will make it."
"I was so scared," Jaime admitted, clinging to him.
"Babe, I am really sorry you had to go through that. I never should have let you -"
Jaime pulled back just far enough to look right into Oscar's eyes. "You made everything as safe as it could possibly be, Oscar! If you hadn't done what you did, I'd be in a hundred little pieces all over some dirty makeshift lab by now!"
Oscar looked at her, trying so hard to make him feel better in the midst of her own trauma, and he knew that he couldn't possibly leave her. "I have made one decision tonight," he told her solemnly. "I don't think I can be your boss for very much longer."
"Oscar – no! You can't think of retiring...please..."
Oscar quieted her with a soft kiss, and then he smiled. "Of course I can't retire. No one else would want this job! But...I don't think I can supervise your work any more."
"You're firing me? I didn't do that badly today...did I?"
"Of course not. We'll have to figure something out though, in terms of your assignments, because I have lost the ability – and the urge – to be objective where you're concerned." Oscar took a deep breath. He couldn't not say it. It was time. "Jaime...I'm falling in love with you."
Jaime didn't have time to answer before Rudy pushed the door open and stepped inside. His face was weary and drawn, but were the worry lines exhaustion...or something more ominous?