AN: Thank you so much for all the support this story keeps getting. I'm so glad people still enjoy it. =)
As always, I try to be as realistic as I can. I did a little bit of research about the medical facts. But I'm just an aspiring reporter, so I probably made some mistakes, I apologize for that.
Nobody should worry too much. I'm incapable of killing Renee. I love her! (Unlike those stupid-sadist producers and writers. Wow… after all this time I'm still bitter). Anyway… enjoy the drama.
Warning: Tearjerker
Disclaimer: 24 is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran and Howard Gordon and FOX (Damn it!). I'm just having fun, not making any money.
EVERYTHING WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE
PART 3: THE RIDE WITH YOU IS WORTH THE FALL
Previously: Jack and Renee had a wonderful time in Disneyland and then in Telluride, Colorado. They talk about testifying in the hearings that will determine if Yuri Suvarov and Mikail Novakovich will go to trial. The date of the hearings is set for January 6th.
A Fat Russian stalked Renee for months. He works for a group of people with sinister plans. He had to disappear because that group didn't approve his stalking. The group wants him to kill Renee making it look like an accident.
Unknown best to Jack and Renee, this man is spying on them during their vacations. On December 31st, he kidnaps a young man called Dylan Whitmore and leaves him unconscious. Then, he uses Dylan's red Ferrari and hits Renee at full speed.
Next: Renee fights for her life while the year 2019 arrives.
CHAPTER 19:
Stay With Me
December 31st 2018- Tuesday
07. 19 PM – Telluride, Colorado.
Just before they could cross the town's main street, Renee stopped to tell Jack something serious. "Jack… last year I spend Christmas and New Year's eating cold pizza in bed… I was too depressed to even leave my bed. And look now…. I'm in this beautiful place. And I feel happy. I just… I just wanted to thank you".
Jack was so profoundly moved he could hardly speak. "Renee... don't thank me. You… you did all this". He squeezed her hand tightly. "I feel happy too. You know? I've spent a lot of horrible Christmases and New Year's eves… but, this year, for the first time in a very long time the Holidays have been perfect. So thank you…".
They held and kissed each other with passion, not caring that they were outside. And then it began to snow and the moment became more magical. They kept kissing for a while and then they got ready to cross the street.
Suddenly, a red Ferrari appeared running at full speed seemingly out of nowhere. Renee instinctively pushed Jack away from the car but she herself couldn't move in time. The card hit her ruthlessly. She hit the windshield of the car and the glass broke. Then she landed brusquely on the street and her head hit the ground harshly.
The Ferrari never even slowed down. It just disappeared at full speed. People who were in the nearby stores and heard the commotion quickly gathered in the street to see what had happened.
Jack was in profound shock. He couldn't believe what had just happened. And he was also terrified. Instead of chasing the car, he rushed to Renee's side to check how badly hurt she was. "Renee? Renee?"
Renee was conscious but felt a lot of pain. Her head ached terribly and so did her chest. She also had a nasty cut right above her eyebrow. She felt dizzy and her vision was blurred. She could hardly move. She was so scared. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave Jack. She looked around searching for him. "Jack? Jack?".
Jack sat down in the ground and held her, letting her rest his head in his lap. "It's okay. We are going to be okay". He quickly grabbed a tissue and pressed the wound she had above her eyebrow to stop the blood. Then he desperately looked at the small crow of people gathered there and watching them. "Somebody call an ambulance, now!". A woman then took her cell phone and called the ambulance.
"Jack… it hurts. It hurts", Renee complained feeling truly pained. She also had difficulty breathing.
Jack was feeling nothing but fear. He was nearly panicking. But he managed to act somewhat calm to help her calm down. "It's okay, sweetheart. An ambulance it's coming". He kissed her forehead and held her more tightly. He was truly frantic. "Just stay with me. Oh, please, stay with me". He looked directly into her eyes. She didn't look good. She seemed disoriented and was very pale. Renee then closed her eyes feeling really sleepy.
Jack knew he couldn't let her fall asleep. She had clearly injured her head. He shook her to wake her up and yelled rather loudly. "No! Renee… Stay with me! Renee?". He felt relieved when she opened her gorgeous crystal-blue eyes. He then spoke more softly. "Please look at me… talk to me… say something… say anything"·
"Hurts", Renee managed to say as she laboriously gasped for air. She tried to raise her hand to touch her head, but her arms felt numb. She could barely raise her hand.
"I know, sweetheart". Jack pressed his lips against her forehead. He wanted so badly to take away her pain. "I know. But we are going to be okay. I'm right here. Look at me. Stay with me". He tightened his embrace and pressed his lips against her forehead again. Then he repeated his desperate plea. "Stay with me".
Renee felt so sleepy and dizzy. All she wanted was to fall asleep. But she was using all her strength to stay conscious. Her eyes were on Jack but she could hardly see him since her vision was so blurred. She suddenly felt a strong wave of nausea and, since she could hardly move, she threw up all over herself and Jack. "I'm sorry".
"Don't worry. You'll be okay. Just stay with me". On the inside, Jack was panicking. Renee clearly had a severe head injury. It looked so serious. What if he lost her?. He looked at the crowd and yelled angrily, "Where's the fucking ambulance?". He very rarely used the F word, but he was a real wreck.
Right then, sirens were heard. Very soon an ambulance and two police cars showed up. The paramedics rapidly took Renee away from Jack and began working on her. Jack observed how they gave her oxygen. He felt desolated. His instinct was urging him to hold her and protect her. But he knew he had to let the paramedics do their jobs.
The police officers began closing the scene of the accident and questioned the people gathered around the injured woman. Meanwhile, two of the police officers at the scene rushed to question the woman's companion. "Sir, I'm Chief Sal Bucco, this is my partner Simon McCrane. Please, we need you to tell us what happened". But Jack didn't responded. He was too busy looking at Renee. Chief Bucco insisted. "Sir, what happened?".
Jack looked at the police officer. He was dumbfounded. He still couldn't believe it was all happening. "I don't know", he admitted babbling nervously. "It all happened so fast. This car, a red Ferrari, came from nowhere and hit her. It didn't even stop".
Chief Salvatore Bucco and Deputy Chief McCrane exchanged a pointed look. Telluride was a very small town and they all knew one another. They only knew one person who came to town every winter an owned a red Ferrari. But, before saying anything, they had to investigate more. Salvatore then addressed Jack, "Thank you, sir. We'll get to the bottom of this".
Jack merely acknowledged what the cop was telling him with a nod. At that point, all he cared about was Renee's life. He later would care about punishing the bastard who had hurt her. He watched the paramedics work and got closer to take a better look at Renee. At least she was conscious. "Renee?".
Renee looked around desperately looking for Jack. Her vision was so blurred. "Jack?"
Jack held her hand tightly, doing his best to avoid disturbing the paramedics. "I'm right here, sweetheart. I'm right here". He then looked anxiously at a male paramedic. "How is she?"
"We need to take her to a hospital in Denver soon", the paramedic replied with the only information he could give.
Then a female paramedic approached hastily. "A chopper is on its way".
AT THE SAME TIME…
The fat Russian man kept drove the red Ferrari for 150 miles until he reached a lonely forest. Once there, he effortlessly picked up an unconscious Dylan Whitmore and then took him to the driver seat. Once the young college kid was in the driver's seat, the Russian gave him a lethal doze of heroin. Very soon, Dylan Whitmore was dead. All the Russian had to then was to leave the syringe in the young boy's hand and more drugs in his pocket.
08. 45 PM – Denver, Colorado. Saint Luke's hospital.
The team of paramedics rushed Renee to the emergency room of Saint Luke's Hospital. A team of nurses and ER doctors received Renee Walker and quickly began examining her. The patient abruptly threw up for the second time since the accident. One of the young doctors then realized without doubt what she had and, without hesitation, gave one of the nurses an order, "Get Dr. Parrish… now!",
The doctor nodded and went to do s ordered. Then the team began taking Renee to an examination room. Jack instinctively began following the gurney that had the woman he loved. But a big and tough nurse called Courtney Webber stopped him dryly. "Sir, you're gonna have to wait here".
Jack helplessly watched them take Renee away. He didn't know what to do. He felt lost and so scared. His hand was trembling slightly. Moving slowly, he took a seat on a bench, looking thunderstruck.
All the sudden, his cellphone began ringing. He looked at the caller id screen and saw it was his deputy, Nora McNally. He wondered what could she possibly want and he hoped it was not about a work crisis. It was the last thing he needed right then. He obviously had to take the call and find out. "Nora?"
"Hi, Jack. How are you? I'm just calling 'cause I wanted to wish you a happy new year, and to Renee too, of course"
Jack was speechless for a moment. He had forgotten for a moment that it was New Year's Eve. He felt crushed. Renee deserved to spend New Year's Eve happily, not in a hospital fighting for her life. It was not fair. Then he remembered that he had the people of the hotel spread rose petals all over the room and leave a bottle of champagne. He had been looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the year 2019 with Renee. What if she didn't get to see the New Year? The idea horrified him.
"Jack? Jack? Are you there?"
Jack suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be in a phone conversation. "Yeah, I'm here".
"Are you okay?"
Jack had to swallow a lump of angst in his throat before answering. "No, I'm not". His eyes then burnt with unshed tears. His voice was almost breaking. "Renee was hit by a car".
"Oh, My Goodness! How is she?"
"I don't know yet", Jack whispered feeling so useless and powerless. "But it doesn't look good".
"Oh, God I'm so sorry. I can't believe this. Please, tell me if there's anything I can do…"
Nora sounded very concerned. Jack appreciated her kindness. He then thought of something he needed. "Could you tell the president, please? She'd want to know. And, please, call Leo Craig and Chloe O'Brian".
"Of course. Consider it done"
"Thank you, Nora", he thanked his deputy sounding extremely sad.
"You're welcome, Jack. And, please, call me when you know anything"
Jack then disconnected the call and just waited impatiently for news.
09. 03 PM
After several endless minutes passed, Jack saw the medical team taking Renee somewhere else. Renee seemed to be unconscious. He stood up and instinctively attempted to follow the gurney. But a second year resident called Lionel Altman gently stopped him. "I'm sorry, sir. You can't go there".
"How is she?", Jack asked brusquely.
Lionel hesitated a few seconds and took a look at the man before him. "Are you her husband?".
Jack didn't reply at first. The question took him by surprise. But then he admitted the truth. "No. I'm her live in boyfriend". Suddenly, he realized he didn't like that reality.
Dr. Altman nodded, acknowledging the facts. "I should talk to a family member".
Jack quickly objected raising his voice. "She doesn't have a family. I'm all she has". He realized rudeness was not the way to get the information he so desperately wanted, so he then softened his tone. "Please".
The doctor thought about it for a moment. He looked at the man's begging eyes and, since nobody else was there for the woman, he decided to inform the man before him. "We still need to run some tests. But it looks like she has a couple a broken ribs, a pulmonary contusion and a subdural hematoma".
That did not sound good. Jack was even more concerned. But he also refused to believe the worst. He simply couldn't lose her. "But she's going to be fine, right? You can fix it".
"I don't know", Lionel admitted honestly. "But we'll know more after we ran the tests". He paused and the man just stood there looking distraught. "If you excuse me, I should get back to work".
"Of course", Jack naturally wanted the doctor to go back to do his job. The doctors had to save Renee. They just had to. If he lost her he would never recover. Jack felt like it was his own life on the line.
09. 23 PM- Washington DC. – Residence of the White House.
President Allison Taylor was absolutely horrified when she heard the news. Renee was her beloved friend and an amazing chief of staff. She couldn't lose that remarkable young woman. Impulsively, she called Secret Service agent Oliver Hobson, who was guarding the entrance of the residence. "Agent Hobson!"
Naturally, the agent appeared in the room in a second. "Madam President?".
"Get Nathan… right now", the president ordered.
The agent left the room to do as ordered. Ethan Kanin was by her side, as always, and looked at his wife with concern. "What are you doing, Allison?".
"I'm going to Denver. I have to be there for her", Allison explained with her don't-argue tone.
Ethan knew that was a bad idea. It wasn't safe for the President to just travel without giving Secret Service time to do the proper preparations. "Allison, I'm afraid you can't…".
"Ethan, I'm going", the president persisted. "She could die". Her voice began shaking but only slightly. As worried as she was, Allison Taylor always remained firm and in control. She had the kind of strength that the President of the United States needed. "She means a lot to me and she could die. I have to be there".
"I understand that, darling. But…", Ethan tried to reason with his wife.
Allison cut her off right there. "That's enough, Ethan".
Then, the Director of White House Secret Service operations, Nathaniel O'Malley, arrived to the residence. He decided to spend New Year's Eve working because his two daughters would spend it with their mother and he had nobody else in the world. He entered the residence and formally addressed Allison and Ethan. "Madam President,, Mr. Kanin… how may I help you?".
"Renee Walker had an accident. I need you to take me to Denver, to Saint Luke's hospital.", Allison explained.
Nathan took the information in. His response was categorical. "I'm afraid that's impossible, ma'am".
Allison stared at him in shock. Nobody ever said 'no' to her. "Nathan…"
Nathan immediately and with a great deal of confidence began listing the reasons why the president couldn't travel. "Ma'am… the Air Force One is not ready. We haven't vetted the hospital's personnel. We haven't checked the building. And we haven't checked the buildings surrounding the hospital. We haven't vetted the people living in those buildings. And we don't have any hotel properly prepared for you. When you travel it takes us at least a month to have everything ready".
Allison shook her head, not satisfied at all with Nathan's explanation. "If it were my daughter there you would take me in an instant".
Nathan couldn't exactly deny that. "With all due respect, ma'am… Renee is not your daughter".
"Pretend that she is. I have to be there", Allison insisted with her most presidential tone.
Nathan's job wasn't to care about the president's feelings. He had to protect her. He couldn't put her life at risk. He then said the only thing he could to stop the president from making a terrible mistake. "Ma'am, I'm afraid that I must resign. If you put your life at risk, it can't be on my watch".
Ethan was instantly alarmed. They couldn't afford to lose Nathan. The agent was too good. "Allison, please".
Allison looked into Nathan's eyes. She could tell the agent was serious. She thought about what she could do. She knew she couldn't let Nathan go. She pressed her lips together feeling angry and powerless. She walked toward Nathan in an intimidating way. "Fine. I won't go. But God help you if something happens to that girl and I'm not there. Not only I will fire you… but I will make it impossible for you to get another job, ever".
Nathan didn't look intimidated at all. "I don't doubt that, ma'am". Then he considered the meeting over. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to go back to work on the security plan for the state of the union".
"Fine", the president agreed unhappily.
Ethan was reasonable and pragmatic as always. "Allison, there's nothing you can do for her anyway". Then he gently made a suggestion. "Let's pray for her. That's something we can do".
Allison held Ethan hand and they both prayed together for Renee.
10. 36 PM – Denver, Colorado. Saint Luke's hospital.
Jack was going out of his mind. All he could do was to wait for news about Renee's condition. He couldn't so anything to help the woman he loved. He hated feeling so powerless and so scared. Time was going by very slowly. He then saw Dr. Lionel Altman approaching accompanied by a very young nurse called Danielle Cantrall. Jack immediately stood up and approached the doctor. "Dr. Altman, how's she?".
"Right now she's conscious but, unfortunately in a lot of pain", the doctor informed.
"What does she have?", Jack asked very impatiently.
The doctor proceeded then to explain everything talking really fast. "As I suspected, her 7th, 9th and 10th ribs are broken, she also has a pulmonary contusion, which is a bruise of the lung, Because of damage to capillaries, blood and other fluids accumulate in the lung tissue". The doctor paused and then continued the explanation. "But what truly worries us is that she has a subdural hematoma. That means blood is gathered within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater and the arachnoid mater".
Jack was overwhelmed by all that information. It sounded really bad. "Will she…? Will she be all right?".
The doctor replied as honestly as he could. "We don't know yet. She needs brain surgery. We already called Dr. Zeke Parrish. He's a neurosurgeon".
"Can I see her?", Jack asked rather abruptly. He was in no mood for good manners.
It was Nurse Cantrall who answered that question. "Yes. Please, follow me". While Danielle led Jack to Renee's room, Dr. Altman rapidly left to see his other patients. Danielle gave Jack a reassuring smile as they headed to the room where Renee was. "We received a call from President Taylor", she informed. "She told us Ms. Walker means a lot to her and ordered us to give her the best possible care".
A tiny smile appeared on Jack's features. "I bet she did".
Then they got to Renee's private room. She was lying in the hospital bed looking miserable and very tired. The nurse began checking her vitals while Jack quickly took Renee's hand. She looked terrible. The doctors had sutured the nasty cut above her eyebrow and she still had nasty bruises on her forehead and in her left cheek. It broke his heart to see her so hurt. He tried to look calm and together though. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?".
Renee removed her oxygen mask to respond. "Like I have just been hit by a car". Then she put the mask back on, since she could hardly breathe.
Jack chuckled and ran his fingers lovingly through her long auburn hair. "It's okay, sweetheart. Don't talk".
But Renee spoke in spite of his words. "I'm scared"
Jack was absolutely terrified. But he appeared strong as always. "Don't be. Everything we'll be okay".
Renee took off her mask again to tell him something that was truly important to her. "Don't be sad if I don't make it. Just move on".
Jack shook his head. What she was asking was absolutely impossible. Just thinking about her dying made his vision blurred by unshed tears. "Please, stop talking". He squeezed her hand lovingly and kissed her forehead. "We are gonna make it". He then repeated desperately. "We are gonna make it".
January 1st 2019- Wednesday
12. 17 AM
Jack didn't even notice the New Year had begun. He was sitting in the bench waiting for Renee's surgery to end. Deputy Chief of police Simon McCrane was also there. He had come from Telluride with Jack and Renee to question them. Both men were silent at the moment, since Jack had already said everything he knew. Simon looked at his watch and noticed the time. He then announced flatly, "It's 2019 now".
Jack shook his head and puffed. Instead of celebrating Renee was in some OR fighting for her life. It was all so unfair. So unbelievably unfair. "She deserved to be happy and celebrate the New Year with me. You know? This was our first new year together… we were truly happy for the first time in a long time".
Simon felt so sorry for the poor guy who was a real wreck. He gently tried to comfort him. "It's just a day, sir. You can celebrate all you want when she gets better".
Jack nodded, wanting desperately to believe McCrane was right. "I truly hope so".
Then Simon's cell phone began ringing. He stood up to take the call somewhere else. "Excuse me, Mr. Bauer". He walked away and took the call. "Chief?". After Chief Bucco told him the news, Simon went back to Jack to tell him what they had just found out. "Sir, we found the red Ferrari. The owner was Dylan Whitmore".
Jack was surprised by the use of the past tense. "Was?"
"Yeah. Mr. Whitmore was found dead inside the vehicle", Simon informed the other man. "He was a regular drug user and it seems he gave himself an overdose after hitting Ms. Walker". He paused to allow Jack to take in the information. "It's not the first time he causes trouble, sir. He was a college kid who came to Telluride every year and drove like a maniac. He hit a little girl just last year".
"Then how come he's not in jail?", Jack asked feeling absolutely outraged.
"His father is Conrad Whitmore", Simon answered like it explained everything. But Jack looked confused, so Simon added, "The sixth richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine. They solved the issue with money".
Jack's face darkened. Some stupid rich kid had hit Renee with his car just because the father could easily get him out of trouble. Jack felt sick. Renee was fighting for her life because some rich kid thought money allowed him to do whatever he wanted. And now the kid was dead. 'At least he got punished', Jack thought bitterly. He didn't have to worry about making justice.
AT THE SAME TIME…
Rome, Italy – 07.06 AM (Central Europe Time)
In a very fancy apartment in Rome, Italy, a middle-aged American man in a wheelchair was making breakfast. Then a beautiful young Italian woman emerged in the kitchen. "Buon Giorno, Joe".
"Buon Giorno, Marcela", the man greeted back. Joe was not his real name. But he had been using Joseph Bennett as an alias for nearly two years now. He was truly an American businessman who had been living in Rome since 2017. But he couldn't use his real name and he couldn't talk about his business.
Marcela approached her lover and kissed him on the mouth. "I see you're making pancakes, amore mio'"
"I know you love them", the man told her with a smile.
Marcela smiled back at him. "I can make breakfast for you".
The man looked at her with sudden anger in his face. "I told you, Marcela. I'm in a wheelchair but I'm not useless. Don't try to do everything for me".
Marcela then felt bad. She had offended him. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'll just sit here". She took a seat by the kitchen table. Soon, the man finished making breakfast and coffee efficiently. She drank some coffee and looked pensively at Joseph. She finally dared to ask the question she had been dying to ask since she met him. "Joe, why are you in a wheelchair?". Joe looked at her surprised by the question. "I'm sorry. I'm just curious".
"It's okay", the man reassured her with a father-like tone. "When I was living in my country I was tortured. Because of it I had a heart attack and a stroke. And when I woke up… I couldn't use my legs".
Marcela seemed horrified. "Tortured?"
Joe unfazed elaborated, "I was arrested for a crime I did not commit. I had nothing to do with it. But this lunatic cop wanted to force me to confess something I didn't do".
Marcela looked at him with compassion. "I hope that lunatic is in prison".
His face suddenly darkened and hatred appeared in his eyes. "I'm afraid the lunatic is free and enjoying a great life. That's why I left my country, amore. There's no justice there".
"I'm so sorry to hear that", Marcela said sincerely.
"Don't worry. That person is going to pay for what happened to me", the man assured her deadly serious. "They say everything you do comes back to you. Do you believe that, Marcela?"
"Absolutely", the sexy woman replied solemnly.
Then the man's cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID screen. It simply read 'Brooke'. "Excusi, amore. It's my business partner. I've got to take care of it". With clear urgency, he wheeled himself to his bedroom where he could speak privately. "Brooke… is it done?"
"No, she's still alive. The Russian failed".
The man frowned, visibly angry. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Her condition is critical but she's still alive. She is a tough bitch".
"We need her out of the picture, Brooke", the man reminded her impatiently. He wanted Walker dead and buried.
"Right now we can't do anything. They think a college kid did it. If we finish the job, her boyfriend will figure out the truth .And he won't stop until we are all dead. Think about the bigger picture, Joe".
"That's exactly what I'm doing", the man affirmed definitely.
"Things are easy for you, Joe, because you're far away. But me? I'm too close. If she dies and Bauer learns why, I'll be the first one he kills. And I've got the feeling that he'll do a lot worse than shooting me several times"
"Fine. Have them both killed then", the man said annoyed, with a what's-the-big-deal tone.
"But if we do that now there'll be others who'll connect the dots"
"Brooke, enough", the man raised his voice and was getting truly upset. "We need to eliminate them. Putting my personal vendetta aside… I know these people. If we let them live they are going to ruin our plan. You are the one who has to think of the bigger picture".
"Joe…"
But the man cut her right off abruptly. "I'm tired of your wining. I want to hear solutions"
"I do have a solution. Don't worry. We will take them out. But from now on we do things my way or I'm out of here"
The woman sounded deadly serious. The man looked pensive for a moment. They needed her. They truly needed her. He had no other choice but to go with her plan. "What do you propose?".
"Be patient and hear my out… this is what we are gonna do…"
05. 46 AM (Colorado time)– Denver, Colorado. Saint Luke's hospital.
Jack was going out of his mind. Renee had been in surgery for hours and he still didn't know anything about her. He kept switching between pacing nervously around the waiting room and sitting down. He was pacing around nervously when he saw something that surprised him. Leon 'Leo' Craig and Liz Stockard showed up and were hurriedly walking towards him. Liz was in tears and she gave Jack a hug. "Jack… I can't believe this".
"How is she?", Leo asked brusquely. Jack had told them over the phone what Renee had and he and Liz had flown all the way to Colorado from Washington Dc as soon as they could. Liz's son stayed at a classmate's house.
"I don't know. She's still in surgery", Jack replied. He didn't bother to hide his deep concern.
"Look, Jack… I can go to Telluride and get you your things", Liz offered kindly.
Jack hadn't even thought about his things. He realized just then that he had to get them. He truly appreciated Elizabeth's help. "Thank you".
Liz gave him another comforting hug. "She's a fighter. She'll be all right". She gave him a reassuring smile and left to Telluride to bring Jack and Renee's thing.
"Have you eaten anything?", Leo then asked merely for confirmation. He was sure Jack hadn't eaten anything since before the accident. Jack shook his head, to nobody's surprise. "Okay. You have to eat something. We'll go to the cafeteria". Leo was not making a suggestion. He was giving an order. Normally, Leo and Jack didn't get along. Indeed, the last time they saw each other Leo punched him for kissing Audrey Raines. But now that Renee was in peril nothing else mattered. They both shared the same fear and were on the same team now.
Jack quickly dismissed the other man's idea. "No… I couldn't eat anything".
"You have to, Jack. She would want you to", Leo persisted. He figured Renee would want him to take care of Jack.
"What if there are news?", Jack argued crankily.
Leo had to admit to himself that it was a good point. "Well, I'll bring you something". Without waiting for an answer, he left quickly to get Jack something to eat.
06. 04 AM
Leo soon came back to waiting room with donuts and two coffees. He handed Jack one of the large cups of coffee and the bag with the donuts. Jack appreciated the coffee since he felt exhausted, but he didn't feel hungry at all. He felt a big knot in his stomach. He just drank some coffee.
Leo drank some coffee too and looked pensive. "I remember the first time I took her to the hospital. Four months after she began working undercover with Vladimir. He beat her up. She ended up with a black eye, broken ribs, a broken jaw and a concussion". He sighed. "That's when I started calling her 'gorgeous'. She actually looked like shit and I wanted to cheer her up".
"I can't imagine her looking like shit". Jack declared shaking his head. He hated to imagine her so badly hurt. And now she was even worse.
"I know. It sounds impossible", Leo agreed.
Jack then stared at the other man silently for a moment. Then, since Leo had brought up the topic of Vladimir, Jack decided to ask the question he had always wanted to ask. "Why did you let her go through all that?".
Leo's features darkened. "I wanted to destroy those bastards", he replied with clear sorrow in his tone and features. "We wanted to find those Red Square bastards and put Vladimir in jail. That was all I cared about then", he admitted. "You know? I had a woman I loved". His voice began breaking. Even though he was madly in love with Liz now, the reminder of his former love brought back a lot of pain. "Her name was Ulyana. She was forced to work as a prostitute and then Vladimir killed her because she cheated on him with me. I wanted to make justice… for her". Then he finally looked at Jack in the eye. "You of all people should understand".
Then it was Jack the one who was ashamed. He had too sacrificed people for the sake of a mission. Paul Raines and Curtis Manning were two examples of that. He decided to cut Leo some slack. "You're right. I shouldn't be judging you. It's just that I truly love her. She means the world to me".
"I know", Leo nodded solemnly. "And she's like a sister to me now. But back then I hardly knew her. And I was too messed up to care about anybody. I just cared about the results".
"I can understand that", Jack admitted sadly.
"You know? We talked on the phone yesterday", Leo commented.
"I know", Jack told him.
"She sounded really happy. She told me about your granddaughter". Leo sighed sadly. It was not fair that Renee's happiness had been cut short so abruptly. "She really worships you, you know?".
"I don't know why", Jack simply said with his voice breaking slightly. His aquamarine-green eyes got teary for the millionth time since the accident. He thought about the happy days they had shared. He wanted that happiness back more than anything in the world. Why, whenever he found happiness, it was taken away from him?
Leo devoured a donut and drank his coffee. Jack ate the donut too, but he had less appetite, and then drank his coffee. Both men were in silence for a very long while. Then Leo broke the silence. "Hey, Jack". Jack gave him an uninterested look. "What do you think will happen with her testimony? She was supposed to go to The Hague".
Jack honestly hadn't thought about that. "I don't know. She obviously won't be able to go".
"But she's gonna get through this. She will get better", Leo affirmed as if he were merely pointing out the obvious.
Jack was not as confident. But he tried to be. "Yeah".
"So, you think they'll let her testify once she gets better? Or will it be too late?", Leo wondered with concern.
Jack didn't reply right away. He took a moment to consider the issue. "I really don't know".
06. 46 AM
Leo and Jack kept waiting. They were both going out of their minds with concern.
Then a man in his fifties wearing a grey suit appeared with a sexy young Asian woman. The man politely addressed Jack. "Excuse me. Are you the man who was with Ms. Walker during the accident?".
Jack stood up and looked at the man distrustfully. "Yeah?"
"I'm Blair Garvey, from Garvey-Fowler and associates, Conrad Whitmore's lawyer", he explained, and got a hate dart from Jack's eyes. Unfazed, he introduced the woman, "And this is Cynthia Wang, an investigator for our firm". They had both traveled from Chicago, where their firm was, to solve the problem of their most important client.
"What the hell do you want?", Jack asked brusquely.
It was Cynthia who unfazed stepped up to answer that question. "I just want to ask you a few questions, Mr. Bauer. We believe Dylan Whitmore was not driving the vehicle when Renee was hit", she explained and then showed pictures of the Ferrari. "Were you aware that driver's seat was moved? Dylan was a very short young man. He couldn't have reached the pedals with the seat in this position".
"But he was found in the vehicle", Leo protested, standing up in alert.
"And it was his car", Jack added, visibly in a very bad mood.
"It could have been stolen", Blair argued.
"And he didn't report it?", Leo asked sarcastically.
"We are still investigating what happened", Cynthia said patiently. "Did you actually see Dylan driving the car?".
"No", Jack admitted. "It happened so fast. I couldn't see anything". He then looked at the lawyer and stated, "But your client did it. He got high and he wanted to have fun speeding. He didn't care who he might hurt because his daddy is important and he felt the world was his playground".
"The Mr. Whitmore doesn't want his son's reputation damaged by accusations such as those, especially when Dylan could be innocent", Blair explained calmly, never losing his temper for s second. "He wants this to be settled in a friendly manner".
Jack's features darkened, guessing what Blair meant. "You want to give Renee money".
"In exchange for her not pressing charges and remaining silent about what happened", Blair confirmed in a pure-business tone. "Naturally, if she dies the money would go to you, if you let this whole thing go".
Jack was livid and disgusted. That weasel lawyer had mentioned the possibility of Renee dying and Jack getting money to just forget about that. It made Jack go ballistic. "Get the hell out of here!".
"Sir…", Blair was about to insist.
But Jack pushed the lawyer rather violently. "Get the hell out of my sight! We don't want his fucking money".
Blair and Cynthia were actually scared. But Blair just cleared his throat, trying not to act intimidated. "Okay. We… we'll come back at a better time". He then gave Leo a business card. "We'll stay in touch".
Leo brusquely took the card and put it in his pocket. He figured Renee should have it, once she woke up. She was the victim, after all. Then Jack madly pushed the lawyer again and yelled at him. "Get out of here!".
07. 17 AM
A bunch of reporters from the white house press corps arrived from Washington DC. To cover the shocking accident of the president's chief of staff, who kept growing more popular everyday because of her closeness with the president and her involvement in the operation to save Omar Hassan. People were interested in her.
Arthur Stern, from 'The Chicago Tribune', was one of the reporters. Sean Callahan, from Newsweek magazine, was another one. There was also Travis Herncastle, from WorldNetDaily (WND), a short young man in his late twenties, with russet-brown hair and russet-brown eyes. Obviously, Ted Carson was also there. He was a liberal from Reuters and the runner of 'Walker Watch', political website dedicated to the Chief of staff.
Even Meredith Reed was there. She covered the developments of the upcoming trial, and now a key witness was at the verge of dying. She was deeply worried about the trial. She wanted justice for Omar Hassan. And, unlike other reporters, she had an especial interest in the matter because she was still in love with the late kamistani president. Omar had left the world, not her heart.
The group instantly recognized Jack Bauer, national security advisor, and Leon Craig, Director of FBI DC. They knew very well that both men were personally connected to Walker. So they approached them to begin asking questions. Travis was the first one to shoot a question without wasting much time with formalities. "Jack… Leo, how is she?".
Jack and Leo stared at the group of reporters. Jack recognized Meredith Reed instantly. He didn't remember the names of the others, though. But he knew they were all reporters and he didn't want to talk to them. Leo knew they had to say something, even if they didn't want to. He got up to informally talk to the press. "Unfortunately she's not doing well. . Her 7th, 9th and 10th ribs are broken, she also had a pulmonary contusion and a subdural hematoma. Doctor Zeke Parrish is operating on her right now".
"Will she be okay?", Ted Carson instantly asked.
"Is she going to recover?", Travis asked at the same time.
Leo and Jack exchanged a sad look. Then Leo candidly responded. "Only God knows that".
Meredith then asked a question that was in all her peers's heads. "The fact that she won't be able to testify… how will this affect the case?"
Sean Callahan asked a question at the same time. "What will happen to the case without her testimony?".
"We don't know for sure. Maybe they'll postpone the hearings until she's able to testify", Leo speculated.
"So, you think she will be able to testify?", Meredith asked.
"As I said… we don't know that", Leo replied with obvious sadness all over his features.
"Is it true that Dylan Whitmore was the driver?", Sean asked.
"That's what the investigation revealed", Leo informed.
Then Sean's eyes shifted from Leo to Jack. "Jack, you were there. Did you see Dylan?".
Jack reluctantly gave an answer. "I didn't see anything. It happened so fast".
09. 13 AM
Jack and Leo kept anxiously waiting for news about Renee. Right then, they were wearily sitting on a bench and they were, naturally, talking about her. She was the reason they were now bonding after being hostile with each other since they met. Leo was actually the one doing most of the talking. He then remembered a story Renee had recently told him. "Did she ever tell you she was born too prematurely?".
Jack was actually surprised to hear that. "No".
"She was", Leo reaffirmed. "And the doctors gave her a few weeks. But three months later she was out of the woods. So her mother decided to name her Renee, which means reborn. She felt Renee had been born twice". Jack simply looked at him sadly without saying a word. "She's a survivor, Jack. That's my point".
Jack felt slightly better. Leo was right. Renee was strong and a real fighter. "True".
Then Dr. Ezekiel 'Zeke' Parrish finally appeared. He was a big black man who looked like a football player and a brilliant neurosurgeon. He approached Jack and Leo. He looked truly serious. "Hi. I'm Doctor Parrish, the neurosurgeon who operated on Renee".
"How's she?", Jack asked brusquely, not in the mood for formalities.
"I'm afraid I don't have good news. There were some complications during the surgery", the doctor began explaining, to Leo and Jack's horror. "Complication sin this type of cases are, unfortunately, quite common". The men stared at him with shocked expressions on the faces. "Renee is alive but in a coma".
Then Jack and Leo sighed immensely relieved because she was, at least, alive. For a moment, they thought that doctor was delivering the worst possible news. But they were also alarmed because of the gravity of the situation. Jack was the one asking the jackpot question. "What's going to happen to her?"
"There's no way to know right now. We have to see if she makes it through the night", the doctor responded dryly.
Jack and Leo were about to ask more question but Nurse Courtney Webber suddenly appeared and interrupted the conversation. "Doctor Parrish, you are needed in the emergency room. It's about Don Thomson".
"I'm sorry", the doctor rapidly said to the men and then left.
The nurse was about to leave too, but Jack stopped her. "Nurse… We need to see Renee Walker".
"Okay. I believe she's in her room now- Follow me". Courtney diligently led them to Renee Walker's bedroom. But once they got there they saw that the bedroom was empty. Courtney was not alarmed. It was common for patients to be moved from one room to another.
On the other hand, Leo and Jack were freaking out. They exchanged horrified looks with the same burning questions in their heads. Where was Renee? What if something horrible had happened?.
They quickly followed Nurse Webber, who left the room to find out where Renee Walker was. She then saw another busy nurse. "Danielle, do you know where Renee Walker is?".
"She was taken for a CT-Scan", Danielle replied casually.
Jack was relieved to hear that. But all the tension was catching up with him. He couldn't stay calm when it came to Renee. "You people scared the hell out of me!", he suddenly yelled at Courtney, like it was her fault.
Courtney was unfazed. She was used to being yelled at by distraught family members. She knew they were simply too nervous. "I'm sorry, sir. You'll see her soon".
Jack softened slightly. "Okay".
09. 44 AM
Jack and Leo could finally see Renee. They walked into their hospital bedroom fearfully. Jack nearly started crying. She looked so tiny and frail. Her skin was white as milk except for the horrible dark-purple bruise and the nasty cut above her eyebrow.
"I'm sorry. But only one of you can stay. One visitor at the time", Courtney Webber informed them.
Jack and Leo exchanged a look. Leo finally stepped up. "You stay with her". But before leaving the room, he gave Renee a gentle kiss in the forehead. "You'll be okay, gorgeous".
Once Leo left, Jack took a seat by her side. He observed the nurse carefully changing Renee's bandage. Jack felt so useless and helpless. He couldn't do a damn thing for the woman he loved. "I wish I could do something".
Courtney could see his deep sadness. She felt so sorry for the man. "Talk to her", she suggested gently.
"Can she hear me?", Jack asked, surprised by the suggestion.
"Nobody knows for sure", the nurse admitted. "But I believe she can. And I believe it helps".
"What should I talk to her about?", Jack asked. He wanted to do things right.
Courtney thought about it for a moment. "About her life. Things she likes. Things she was looking forward to".
After doing her job, the nurse left. Once he was alone with Renee, Jack held her hand and began talking to her softly. "Hey. It's me, Jack". He paused. A part of him was hoping she would wake up and greet him back. But she didn't. He sniffed. Then words began coming out his mouth from his heart. "Please, wake up, sweetheart. Wake up. Just open your eyes". He paused again to wait anxiously for her reaction. There was no reaction at all. Jack then squeezed her hand. He truly wanted to hold her tight but he couldn't. All he could do was to hold her hand and kiss it. And he could also beg her. "Renee, you have to wake up. You can't leave me".
Then he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. But, before he could do that, he suddenly couldn't take it anymore and broke down sobbing loudly. His entire body was shaking. He needed to sit down as he cried. He took a seat on a chair next to her bed. When he finally could stop crying, he continued talking to her. "Do you know how much I love you?". He softly brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I love how beautiful you are. And I love how you don't even know you are so unbelievably beautiful. I love your blue eyes and your hair". He then ran his fingers through her long dark auburn hair. He also kept holding his hand. "I love how smart and how brave you are. I love the fact that you are willing to do anything for your country, even if it makes you feel terrible afterwards. I love how great you are with my granddaughter. I love how you became President Taylor's best friend in a few months. I love talking to you because you understand me better than anyone else. Gee… I even love that we argue". He paused and swallowed a lump of angst in his throat. "I love how you can read my mind. I love comforting you when you're upset. Above all I love to see you smile. Please, don't tell me will never see your face light up again". The idea of not seeing her smile again terrify him. He rested his head next to hers and began weeping.
Once he was more composed, he continued talking. "I don't want to live without you, Renee". He nearly broke down again. But instead he swallowed his angst and kept talking like the nurse said. "You know how horrible my life without you would be? Only with you next to me everything makes sense". He sighed sadly. "You know? When Teri my wife died I lost the best part of me. But then you brought back all the good that there is inside me. You bring up the best of me". His voice began breaking again. "If you leave now everything you love about me will be gone for good. I swear I won't be able to move on like you want me to". He then broke down in sobs again. He tried to fight the tears but he couldn't. "You have to live".
Once again, he managed to compose himself. His hands were shaking. He still held her hand between his and kissed it. He then thought about how young Renee was and all the things she still had to live. "You… you said you want to travel and you want to write a book. Please, wake up and do that. You… you also want to testify against Suvarov and Novakovich. You want to make justice. I bet you also want to go back to work. You want to work for President Taylor until she leaves office. But you have to wake up. You can't give up now". He brushed with the back of his hand her cheek and squeezed her hand with his other hand. "You have to live so we can celebrate your birthday, my birthday, I never had a birthday with you, and we also need more Christmases… and we need to have a great New Year's Eve because this one was horrible". He desperately held her hand and kissed it repeatedly. He wanted her to know he was there. "You deserve to be happy, to have a long and happy life". Paused and massaged the back of his hand with his thumb. It was killing him not being able to hold her tight. He wanted to take her in his arms and protect her. Yet, all he could to was to touch and kiss her hands or touch her soft cheek. Once again he broke down in sobs. "Don't… don't leave me".
10. 25 AM
After a long time, Jack decided it was Leo's turn to be with Renee. He obviously didn't want to leave her side, but it was only fair to let her friend be in the room, just for a little while. After all, Leo had come all the way from DC. Just for her. He slowly began making his way to the door, but he turned around to look at her. It was amazing how she still looked beautiful. She looked pale, small and with bruises on her delicate features. Yet, Renee still remained the most beautiful woman on the planet.
He made himself strong somehow and left the room. He found Leo waiting right there. The man's hazel eyes stared at Jack with concern and he immediately stood up. Jack knew what the other man wanted to know, so he directly informed him, "She's the same".
"Can I see her?", Leo asked hopefully.
"Yeah", Jack replied with a nod. When Leo began heading to the room, Jack stopped him by grabbing his arm. "But only for a little while. I wanna be there for her". Leo nodded in agreement. Then Jack added another piece of information, "And talk to her… the nurse said that helps".
"Okay", Leo nodded once again and quickly entered Renee's room. He first watched her from the doorway. It was heartbreaking to see her so hurt. He felt so bad for her. He made himself strong and sat next to her. He held her hand. But the talking was a bit weird for him. He didn't know how to talk to someone who couldn't reply, to someone who maybe couldn't even listen. He tried to talk to her anyway since, according to Jack, it helped. "Hey, it's Leo. Well, I really don't know what to say, gorgeous. Can you even hear me?". He waited for an answer that never came. He sniffed and kept on talking. "You have to wake up so we can truly talk. I love talking to you, but not when you can't reply, not when you are like this". He gently caressed the nasty bruise on her cheek and looked sorrowful "I hate to see you hurt, you know that. I want to see you smiling and happy". He paused and thought about how happy Renee was with Jack, after a long and painful fight against depression, now that happiness had been interrupted. He felt there was no justice in the world. He couldn't help but to weep softly. "You know I love you like a sister, right? And I can't lose another sister. I just can't", he said with his voice breaking. The memory of his sister Tina, who died when he was seventeen, brought a wave of immense pain, no matter how many years had passed. He struggled to compose himself. "I… I don't want to put any pressure on you… but your man, Jack… I… I don't think he could survive losing you. If you could see him now… he's a mess. He's not the Jack Bauer I heard so much about. And the president… she needs you too. Who's gonna help her lead the free world? And… and I need you too". He squeezed her hand tenderly. "You have to wake up".
10. 46 AM
Jack was in Renee's bedroom again. There were now flowers all over the room, sent by people who wanted to wish her a fast recovery. The flowers and get-well cards have been sent by cabinet members, including James Heller, a few senators and White House staffers. Nora McNally had also sent a big bouquet of roses.
"You should open your eyes and see the beautiful flowers", Jack told Renee as he held her hand between his. "To be honest with you… we don't like half of the people who sent the flowers. And they don't really like us. But the flowers are beautiful. There are lilies, a lot of red and white roses… you should wake up and look at them".
And then Leo knocked on the door and walked in with Chloe O'Brian. "Jack, your friend is here".
Jack took his eyes from Renee and he felt glad to see Chloe there. He stood up to greet her. "Hey".
Chloe greeted him with a comforting hug. "Hey… how is she?". She took a look at the woman in the bed and she easily realized that Renee was not doing well.
"The same", Jack explained and then sniffed softly. Chloe had been already briefed regarding Renee's condition because she had talked to Jack over the phone several times. "I've been talking to her because, supposedly, it helps. But it's not working".
"That doesn't mean it won't work", Chloe stated to make her deeply distraught friend feel better. Jack looked like mess. "Look, why don't we go to the cafeteria? I'll buy you a coffee".
"I can stay with her", Leo offered in an instant. Only one person could stay in the room anyway.
Jack sighed and gave Renee a concerned look. But then he figured there was no harm in him simply having a cup of coffee with a dear friend. There was a cafeteria right upstairs. "Fine".
10. 58 AM
Jack and Chloe were sitting at a table with their respective cups of coffee. Chloe was the one who awkwardly broke the silence. "So, how are you doing, Jack? This can't be easy for you".
"I'm fine", Jack lied, feeling uncomfortable. He stared nervously at the black liquid inside the cup. "I'm not the one in a hospital bed. I got out without a scratch".
"You told me she pushed you away from the car", Chloe acknowledged. She knew how guilty Jack felt.
Jack looked down and away. "Yeah", he whispered sadly. Then he looked at his best friend in the eye. His eyes where sparkling with unshed tears. "What if I lose her?".
Chloe's hazel eyes were full of compassion. She didn't know what to tell him, though. She had the feeling that Jack would be a real wreck without Renee Walker. But she couldn't tell him that. She had to say something encouraging. But she couldn't think of anything. So she simply reached out her hand and held his firmly to show him her unconditional support.
January 2nd 2019- Thursday
07.43 AM
When fatigue finally beat him, Jack fell asleep with his head resting next to Renee and a hand on top of hers. Now he was waking up. He had dreamt of her. He had dreamt a beautiful dream in which they were safe and happy together. Reality was very different. He hated waking up.
He then had to go to the bathroom and, after that, he washed his face with cold water. He felt so exhausted. Then he headed back to Renee's side. And then something strange happened. Renee was groaning indistinctively in protest, with her eyes closed, and the hand he had held was now moving slowly.
Jack was shocked at first. He didn't know whether it was a good sign. Then he noticed her hand moving, slightly. Understanding now what was going on, Jack held her hand and her groaning stopped. She now seemed calm again.
"I'm here, sweetheart", Jack assured her. He looked at Renee expectantly. He spoke to her very softly. "Come on, Renee. Open your eyes. Wake up. Please. Wake up". He could see now her eyes moving under her eyelids. Then she squeezed his hand back. Jack was then full of hope. "Wake up, sweetheart. I'm right here".
Renee blinked rapidly a few times. The light was hurting her eyes. A few minutes later she could finally open them and look at Jack. She still felt sleepy and her body ached like hell. But she was awake. Then she tried to speak. And she could finally form one word. "Jack"
TO BE CONTINUED…
(Please, send me your opinion. Reviews are welcome and they are the reason I'm doing this).