Chapter 25

Chips of ceiling lights scattered across the floor that was no longer leveled. Air was no longer safe to breathe in as white dust filled the hallway and rooms. As soon as her senses kicked in, Lucy opened her eyes, blinking a few times. Lying flat on the floor, she lifted her head inch by inch, being very careful not to make any movements that would cause the surroundings around her to collapse especially the wooden beam over her head that seemed to be secured in place at the moment. But that wasn't the only reason she's moving slowly. If she could move her right arm, she would move whatever it was that was on her back. It wasn't an earthquake. That, she knew for sure. It was an explosion, a gas explosion, maybe, but unlikely. The blast was so loud, it caused ringing in her ears. It was so powerful, it made her bones tremble. Every cell in her body felt the energy that came from the blast when it pushed her forward towards the wall.

"uhh…"

Lucy winced in pain as she tried to move her arms and legs. Every muscle in her body is still trembling from the high-energy blast.

"Shit…"

She wasn't cursing because of the blood that was dripping down from her forehead; it's because of what she saw. Where is it? The entrance where she came from is no longer there. There are no doors, no windows, only damaged walls, ceiling panels, wires and pipes dangling from the ceiling, poles, concrete, shattered pieces of glasses and debris. There is no way out. At least that's what it seems like at this moment.

"son of a bitch.." She realized that she should have stayed in the car with ZJ.

Plan B is to follow Jehan's car and Wes was going to create a diversion at a specific point, a block from the hospital, that will allowed her men, Lionel's men, to take control of the car or kidnap Jehan, whichever it's easier. But the plan didn't go as expected because rain suddenly began pouring down, causing vehicles to slow down. When there's heavy rain, there's heavy traffic and that will prevent Wes and Lionel's men from being able to escape with that son of a bitch. So Lucy had no choice and told them to wait. But she didn't wait long and decided to go in because what she saw around the hospital didn't seem promising. There was more than one exit and there were lots of people running inside to take cover. She had no idea where the car that Jehan was taken in was parked because she lost the sight of the car when someone cut her off. But one thing she knew for sure was that Jehan had to be inside the hospital. Not knowing when he will come out, she decided not to take the risk of missing this opportunity to kidnap him.

"Son of a bitch." Lucy cursed again as she slowly tried to lift herself up but immediately fell back face down against the floor. Inhaling the dust and the tiny particles of concrete caused her to cough not once, but multiple times. She wasn't the only one. She heard another. Not just the sound of coughing, there were sounds of footsteps walking across shattered glass and debris.

"Help! Help!"

Her hearing might not be at its best, but she could still recognize that voice. He's alive? Not only alive, but Jehan looked stronger than she expected him to be. It confused her when she saw him standing 10 feet away. He should be sick and weaker than she is. But the way he is walking around, looking for a way out, the way he tossed the debris to the other side looked like he hurt his leg but not sick. He should be sick because if he had eaten the meal that was delivered to his room, he should be holding his stomach at this moment and groaning in pain. Her heart pounded nervously when she saw him walking towards her. He might be dragging his feet but if he wanted to kill her, she wouldn't be able to do anything in the situation she's in. Lucy held her breath as well as the pain and tried to get herself out of the vulnerable position she's in. But she quickly realized that Jehan didn't recognize her when he removed the debris off her back. She had forgotten that she was disguised as a man.

"Do you have your phone?"

"no" Lucy spoke in a deep voice as she moved herself away from the wooden beam that was hanging a few feet above her.

"Look for one. Hurry…the building might collapse…"

Lucy wasn't following his line of sight towards the ceiling nor was she thinking of what he just said. She realized she didn't need to wait anymore. This would be the right moment to kill him and no one will know. She could feel the pain in her right hand as she lifted it up. Damn it. She had wanted to use the taser watch to taze him but found that it wasn't working. She reached into her jacket pocket for her Swiss knife as she kept her eyes on him. There were no windows and no ceiling lights but it wasn't completely dark. She could still see that perverted face of his with the light coming thru the holes of the barrier of piled-up debris. Bastard. Should've killed you a long time ago. Lucy slowly got up with only one thought in mind. All I have to do is stab his neck, that will do it. Each step she took, she took it slowly. She had to because her body is still a little shaken up from the blast. She took another step, then another and another; she didn't realize how painful it was until she applied pressure on her right foot. But that pain is nowhere near as painful as when she found out what he did to her lover. Almost there. Dragging her right foot through the debris, she lifted her left hand up, with fingers clenched tight around the knife. Go to hell, son of a bitch. As she was about to strike, the sound of a ring caught both of their attention. It wasn't her phone, it was someone else's. It was too late to pull back. Jehan saw what she was about to do. Lucy continued with the plan and thrust the knife forward, but Jehan was able to dodge it. She tried again and this time she was successful but it didn't hit the spot where she was aiming for.

"AARGH!"

"Die! You bastard!" Lucy was speaking in her normal voice as she plunged the knife deeper into his upper right chest. Letting him know who she is at this point no longer matters. Lucy moved closer, using her whole body to keep him in place against the debris. Her wig was pulled off when Jehan grabbed her hair. Lucy threw one punch at his side below the ribs with her injured right hand when he tried to grab her throat. That loosened his grip on her wrist. Lucy immediately pressed the 3 inch knife harder into his chest.

"AHH!"

Seeing him in pain, hearing his cry in agony was satisfying but it wasn't enough.

"I told you not to touch her. You should've listened. Go…to…HELL! You Son of a bitch!"

The whole point of kidnapping him before killing him is so that he knows why. Blood is dripping from her forehead but she ignored it. Her whole body is aching, she ignored that too. The only thing on her mind is to kill. One more stab to his heart, that should do it.

BANG!

Sometimes her plan works and sometimes it doesn't but most of the time the outcome turned out okay even though the process of getting there wasn't how she planned it. But this isn't one of those times.

"shit…damn…you" Lucy didn't see it coming. She had no idea he had a gun behind him. She reached down, covered the hole on the side of her stomach, trying to prevent the blood from gushing out as her aching legs took a few steps back before they gave way, falling hard on the floor. She might have survived an explosion and gun shots but this time, she realized she might not make it. If she's not, she's going to make sure he doesn't either. She looked around to see if she can find anything to defend herself with. Maybe there's a gun hiding beneath the debris? Her hands reached out to the sides, moving whatever she could out of the way but it seemed that her luck had run out. There is nothing surrounding her except broken pieces of glasses, wood, and thin coating of white dust.

With one quick pull of the knife out of his chest, Jehan cried out in pain. Holding his upper chest with one hand while holding the gun firmly with the other, he didn't bother to look around for a first aid kit because what he's more concerned with at this moment is the person lying on the floor. Looking at her face, her beard and the outfit she had on, he never would have known it was her if she didn't say anything. In the current situation, there is nothing to laugh about but he couldn't resist laughing in triumph because the one whom he heard so much about while he was in prison, the one whom he was told not to mess with numerous times and the one whom he wanted to kill, he never thought he would be able to…but there she is…lying helpless on the floor. "Lucy...Diamond"

"Bastard" She may be hurt. She may die but she wasn't just going to lie there and let him think that he won. "I'm going to die but you will too." She let out a laugh the same way he did. She expected him to take his anger out on her and he did by kicking her. C'mon, get closer. Get closer. Her body may be weak and in pain but she's not giving up yet. All she needed was to get him to drop his gun, then she might still have a chance. But it seemed that he learned from the mistakes he made last time because he stepped back a few steps after kicking her. There was something else she didn't expect. "You…actually think I would tell you." Lucy laughed even harder than before.

"Tell me or I'm going to shoot!"

Lucy looked up, blinking a few times to focus when everything started to spin. For sure, she had underestimated him because there was no way for her to get the gun that was pointing at her a few feet above her face with him standing behind her. If she thought she could, she would've tried to talk him into letting her go. But in her condition, in this situation, she couldn't see a way for her to get out alive.

"Go…to…hell"

She extended her right hand behind her head with the intention of grabbing on to his ankle but was unsuccessful. Even if she could, she wouldn't have been able to hold on to him with her injured hand and with the fatigue slowly consuming her body. There was nothing to smile about but she did so to let him know that he didn't win.

"Tell me!"

It's not the first time she had a gun pointed at her head. She wasn't afraid then and she certainly isn't afraid now. Amy...sorry.

BANNG!

"LUCYYYYY!" There was no sound. There was before, a man's voice and someone else's but now it seems like it got disconnected. Amy looked at the phone and held it up against her ear again.

"What happened?" All were watching the news of the bombing until they heard Amy calling out.

Amy held up her hand, motioning everyone to be quiet. She wasn't sure if it was Lucy since it's a number she didn't recognize but she was able to hear the man's voice. It sounded like Jehan's voice but she's not sure. He was talking to someone else and was unaware that the phone was on. It couldn't be his phone, he's in custody, she knew that for sure.

"Lucy?"

Amy walked towards the window and covered her other ear, hoping to hear something, anything. The last sound she heard was no doubt a gunshot which she heard many times before when she was a DEB. It was loud. It was clear. Then there was dead silence. Amy didn't want to hang up but there was nothing she could do. She pressed on the redial and hoped to God that she's wrong. All she heard was the man's voice, the gunshot and someone else's which wasn't clear enough for her to know who that person could be.

"Please….pick up…"

After hearing an automated voice mail, not Lucy's voice, she tried again and again. Tears brim her eyes as she tried to think of a way to find out what happened. Who can she call to find out?

"What happened?"

"I…I don't know." What could she possibly say since she had no idea? It was just a guess. "I heard a gunshot." She decided to tell them everything, knowing how serious the situation could be. "I don't know if it's her. I don't know if it's him. I…I don't know." Her heart beat had been pounding the moment she heard the shot. Lucy's in trouble. Lucy's in trouble. That's what her mind kept thinking but one thought never occurred to her until Bobby spoke.

"She killed him." Bobby was smiling with satisfaction.

That is possible but somehow that didn't make her feel any better because what she heard sounded like the man was the one with the gun. "no….he said…he's going to shoot."

"Kim, see if you can find where the number came from."

That also didn't make her feel any better. What if Bobby is right? Giving them the anonymous phone number would lead them to her. It was a mistake to let them know. She should have kept it to herself. She realized what a big mistake she made until Kim asked her for the phone#. It was the wink that Kim gave her, Amy understood and internally thanked her. She felt better knowing that even if Kim is able to find the location of the phone, she's not going to tell them. But half an hour later, she realized that she entirely misunderstood Kim's signal because Kim came running down the stairs in a state of panic and told everyone where the call came from.

"She's there!"

Amy snapped her head at the direction where Kim was pointing and instantly felt lightheaded, feeling as though her internal system is shutting down. If she wasn't already sitting down, she would have collapsed on the floor because she, Bobby, Petrie and anybody who had been watching the news had just witnessed the collapse of the St Quinn hospital.

updated: 11/19/16

It was frightening to see the building collapse as people tried to get out. Amy had to see it for herself. She's not going to believe what anyone says until she sees the body herself, not Kim, not Bobby, not even Helene who confirmed that Jehan was being taken to that hospital. It still might not be him. Even if it is, he might not be in the hospital at the time half of the building collapsed since nobody can confirm that he was.

"Oh my god." Kim had seen situations like this on tv but never in real life. She may not be hurt but this is the first time where she felt completely shaken up by the sight in front of her.

Chaos surrounded the area. Barricades were placed far away from what used to be a five floor building but now looked like a structure where half of it was demolished. Patients were still being moved out from the other half of the building. Ambulances were being filled quickly and driven to another hospital. Police were directing traffic and leading those with non-life threatening injuries to specific areas where they can be attended to by paramedics, nurses and doctors. The smell, the sight, the sound of destruction could be heard from a mile away. Cries for help, screams of pain, sounds of fear, flashes of lightning and small droplets of rain from the gray clouds added to the confusion.

Lucy. Where are you? At this moment, Amy would rather have the brunette captured than not knowing where she is.

"You stay here. Bobby, let's go."

Amy didn't have to be told and knew exactly where Petrie wanted to go. Hospitals…to search for Lucy. It seemed that Petrie had lost trust in Bobby because Kim was told to stay here with her.

"yes, ma'am"

Amy couldn't hear what Petrie whispered to Kim but she didn't care because what's most important to her now is finding Lucy. She hurriedly searched for her lover before it gets dark. It's not dark now but it was still difficult to search thru the chaos as young and old in wheelchairs and gurneys were being moved rapidly towards an ambulance. Hearing screams of pain from people due to the loss of their body parts sent a shiver down her spine. "God, please help her." Droplets of rain fell on her face and mixed with the tears that she had been holding inside of her. She no longer cared if Kim noticed. If she wanted to tell Petrie, then go ahead. That's the least of her concern. "Lucy?" Her heart pounded faster than before when she saw someone being carried out of the hospital by a man. That someone has dark hair. That man has the body frame similar to Jehan's. She ran as fast as she could with Kim following from behind. The closer she got, the clearer it became that the man isn't Jehan which made more sense because she couldn't think of a reason why Jehan would be carrying the brunette. "Lucy!"

Meanwhile, at the St John's hospital where injured ones were being taken to, Petrie found herself incapable of doing anything in this country. She may have authority back in the US but not here. She was being treated as a civilian and had to stand in line to get information. The place was chaotic as phones rang off the hook. Making use of time, she ordered Bobby to stand at the entrance to look out for anyone coming in.

It wasn't Lucy. Amy didn't want to leave the site even after being told to stand outside the marked area in the darkness. Diggers were brought in, rescuer workers were digging thru the debris by hand, rescue dogs were seeking for bodies, it was quieter than a few hours ago, there were no screaming, no crying, only the voice of reporters standing nearby and sounds of diggers, trucks and mini-excavators. Cops were assessing the area, British FBI most likely. Finding out what caused the explosion was the least of her concern. All she wants to do is find Lucy.

Amy wanted to stay there overnight but her body gave in. She didn't want to talk to anyone including Kim who tried to comfort her with a story of what could have happened.

"It could have been a prank call." Kim said.

The gunshot she heard might not be from a gun. It might not even be Jehan. Someone might have turned on the phone by accident without knowing it. The gunshot and voice she heard might be from the tv inside the hospital. It seemed possible but Amy wasn't convinced. Then Kim had another theory. The voice she heard might be from a terrorist who had taken control of an area in the hospital and he was threatening the people inside. The call she got might be from someone inside who dialed a random number to let someone know what was going on because he or she might be in a situation where he/she had to dial it blindly.

"That random number just happened to be yours."

Her second theory sounds possible too but there is just one thing that doesn't make sense. Wouldn't it be easier to press the emergency# instead of a random number?

"maybe he wanted to call his family" Kim thought it was possible because some people call their love ones first before calling the police if they knew they weren't going to get out alive.

That didn't make Amy feel any better because that's what she was thinking of. Lucy might have been in that situation so she called her.

"I have to see her. I have to hear her voice."

She was in self-denial before but came to accept the possibility that Jehan could be inside since the agents who escorted him were also missing. If they were able to get out safely, they would have contacted their superiors and Helene would've let her know by now. Kim's theories might make some sense but there were just too many coincidences. If Kim knew about Jehan's food poisoning and his sudden need to go to the hospital, if she knew what kind of person the brunette is, she too would've found her theories unlikely.

"It's my fault."

Her hand trembled as she held onto Kim's. Uncontrollable tears ran down from her red-rimmed swollen eyes. The only time Amy cried so hard was when she learned of her parents' death. This is the second time and is the first time she cried in front of someone whom she hardly knows but she just couldn't control herself.

When it comes to lying, Amy thought she was pretty good at it. When it comes to playing her part, Amy thought she convinced everyone. When it comes to hiding the truth, she thought she could keep the truth to herself. Nobody needs to know unless there is a reason to tell them. She realized that the young blonde computer whiz who was holding her head in a tight embrace to comfort her had known all along.

"You did what you had to do. It's not your fault." It wasn't difficult to figure out what the blonde agent was thinking. Victims of sexual assault would want to cry, they wouldn't want to talk about it, they would take long showers as a way to cleanse their body, their souls. That's what Amy did. She noticed Amy had spent lots of time in the bathroom with the water running. What she was doing inside, Kim wasn't sure. But one thing she knows for sure is that the blonde agent lied about her sacrifice. She may have played her part well, convincing Bobby and Petrie, but if they knew what she did that night, they too would have found her behavior strange. Anyone who had been sexually violated wouldn't want to be reminded of the ordeal. Amy may be a strong woman but she is still a woman. Watching porn and having no reaction from it other than being disgusted by it clearly indicated that she lied about her sacrifice.

"I…didn't mean to…it just…happened." Amy sobbed quietly into her hands as her mind thought of that moment. She had no intention of lying to Lucy. But when she noticed how worried Lucy suddenly became after finding out what happened at the financial building, she saw it as a way to get Lucy to trust her again. I did it for you. She could still remember the pain she elicited in her lover. She got her trust but now regretted the decision she made.

That day felt like it was the worst day of her life. Seeing Lucy's display of anger towards her, Amy thought that she had lost the brunette forever. That night, Amy wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone especially Jehan but she had to because that night was the deadline. She went inside the room alone with a gun which Helene, who was guarding outside the hotel room, didn't know she had. The moment she saw him, she wanted to kill him. She never felt this way towards anyone before. He's the first. His perverted smile, his eyes full of lust, his mouth practically drooling made her sick. It was clear to her what he was thinking of. The words that came out of his mouth weren't threats. They were words of love for her, they were words to make her feel comfortable, they were words of promises. There was no way to know if he will keep his promise. Whether he will or not, it didn't matter because she wasn't there to submit to his demand. The moment she took the gun out from her bag, he immediately stood up, his hands handcuffed behind his back. Amy wasn't there to threaten him, although she had thought about it. She was there to tell him the truth. But before she did, she gave him a lesson on how to use the gun, identifying each part in detail, dropping the magazine and shoving it back up, sliding the top part off and putting it back in. Amy did it one more time, disassembling it and putting it back together in a quicker movement like a pro. After she was done, she pointed the 9mm Beretta at him. It wasn't loaded, he shouldn't be afraid, but she noticed that he was. She placed the gun down on the table and took out a pocket knife, then tossed it high in the air and caught it with one hand on the handle. Anyone could have done what she just did but not many could throw it hard enough to penetrate deep into the wooden dresser. Show's over. Time to tell him the truth.

"I'm one of them."

Letting him know who she worked for and what her motive was for being with the brunette sent him into a state of shock. She expected that and she also expected him to know that his threat to expose the brunette's identity no longer can be used as a bargaining chip. Jehan didn't have anything to say after that but she did. She let her frustration out. She let her anger out. She let him see the side of her he has never seen before. She let him know that she's not the person he thinks she is. She's not the babysitter, not the art student, or the person whom he talked to years ago. If he was thinking he could still use the lives of others to threaten her, she let him know by saying very bluntly that she wasn't going to sleep with him no matter what. After saying what she had to say, she had enough. There was nothing she could do except leave. But before she did, she warned him that the agreement between him and the British officials will be forfeited and he will be back in prison if the next attack can't be prevented.

Confused, no longer. Shocked. Yes. Kim now understands why Amy said "I did it for you."