Alternate
Chapter 15: Unseen
A/N: Been a while but I finally got around to finishing this one. If I ever manage to get my act together you'll see a lot more Perception stories from me. I have ideas. Lots of ideas.
Dedicated to Wolfhound159 for just being all around awesome.
Kate first called Max. After filling him in on Daniel's situation she asked if he could give her a lift. Unfortunately he was already running behind schedule and the hospital was too far out of his way. Next Kate called Sandy. It was almost eight o'clock but Kate knew that Sandy was usually available since the girls often got a ride to school from one of their friends' mothers.
Sandy answered the phone sounding a little out of sorts. After Kate explained the situation Sandy agreed to come get her. Kate stood outside the hospital, enjoying the beautiful Spring weather while she waited. She found herself yawning. She hadn't realized how tired she truly was until that moment. When Sandy pulled up Kate practically collapsed in the passenger's seat.
"Long night?" Sandy questioned with a note of cynicism in her voice.
That one casual; off-hand remark broke Kate's defenses and she began to cry. She wept for all the mental anguish Daniel had been forced to endure and was still suffering. She wanted to murder Rosenthal and his cronies in the most horrific and painful ways imaginable but knew it would do nothing to change what they'd done. She began pouring her heart out to Sandy. She told her sister-in-law of having come back into Daniel's hospital room to find him scared out of his wits and how the only thing she could think to do was throw the water she was holding in his face.
Sandy offered a sympathetic ear and once they'd arrived at Daniel's house, she'd come inside with Kate and fixed her a cup of tea. Then she'd sat on the couch, holding the other woman while she continued to cry. After several minutes Kate's sobs diminished. Sandy continued to rub Kate's back until even the last sniffles had subsided.
Kate pulled away, somewhat embarrassed "Sorry," she murmured, taking a gulp of her hot tea and reveling in the warm sensation as it traveled from her throat to her stomach.
"Don't worry about it," Sandy assured her "Sounds like you needed a good cry."
Kate nodded "I did," she agreed "I hope I haven't made you late for work."
"I took the morning off," Sandy informed her "I have a doctor's appointment at ten."
"Everything okay?" Kate asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Sandy answered evasively, not wanting to bother Kate with her suppositions. She hadn't even told Joey yet what she suspected.
"Spill it," Kate demanded.
"No," Sandy replied "It's probably nothing anyway."
"What's probably nothing?" Kate persisted.
"Kate," Sandy deflected "You've been up all night, you should really rest."
Kate sighed heavily "You're lucky I'm tired," she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch "But I'm not gonna forget about this."
Sandy laughed "I know you won't," she stood from the couch "And give Daniel my best when you see him."
"Thanks," Kate reluctantly got off the couch so she could lock the door behind Sandy after she left. When Kate returned to the couch she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Donnie Ryan stared across the table at the reprehensible piece of scum he had come to see. Josiah Rosenthal looked as cool and collected as ever which only pissed Donnie off all the more. This smug son-of-a-bitch had been playing puppet master for too long. After learning of what Daniel had gone through, Donnie was Hell bent on putting an end to Rosenthal's game playing.
"I came to let you know that I'm pursuing further charges against you for witness tampering and facilitation of attempted murder;" Donnie stated simply.
"So Daniel's still alive," Rosenthal noted "Good for him. Though he probably won't be in any shape to testify anytime soon," Rosenthal's face broke into a wicked grin.
Donnie fought against the urge to leap across the table and strangle the prick. "He may not be testifying anytime soon but your two department of corrections cronies Wagner and Morris will be."
Rosenthal didn't seem at all surprised by this "I suppose that trial will be taking place before my retrial," he surmised.
"Get comfortable," Donnie advised "You aren't going anywhere." He got up from the table and turned to leave.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Rosenthal called after him "Wagner and Morris may not have been my only cronies." Donnie didn't dare turn back to face Rosenthal and give the killer the satisfaction of seeing the worried expression that had just crossed his face. That is until Rosenthal added "I was sorry to hear that you and Agent Moretti broke it off."
Donnie was absolutely dumbstruck. He turned to stare at Rosenthal but said nothing. There were other explanations for how Rosenthal could have learned this. Donnie himself could have said something to Wagner and Morris on Saturday night when they'd dragged him from his car in a drunken stupor.
An involuntary shiver went down Donnie's spine at the memory of that portion of the interrogation of the two corrections officers. Apparently Rosenthal had initially wanted to make Donnie "disappear". His two lackies however had thankfully not been too keen on that idea and upon finding Donnie passed out behind the wheel of his car had improvised the plan to discredit him rather than murder him. It was ironic that Donnie's reckless and idiotic behavior had probably saved his life.
Seeing that he had Donnie's attention, Rosenthal decided to toy with him a little more "How does it feel to know that your ex-fiancé is screwing your star witness? Wouldn't it have been better for all of us if Daniel had just slowly run out of air and died? All the years he was my patient I'd never have thought he'd ever concede to carrying a cell phone with him."
Those words turned Donnie's stomach. Sure it still hurt that Kate loved and probably always had loved Daniel but even in his darkest moments Donnie wouldn't dream of doing more than roughing Daniel up a bit. Rosenthal's implication that Donnie somehow might be happy if Daniel had died was horrific. Then there was the part about the cell phone. Neither Wagner nor Morris had ever been told that detail. Was this just a lucky guess on Rosenthal's part or...?
"You look a little green Mr. Ryan," Rosenthal observed "Maybe you should sit down."
Donnie shook his head quickly before departing. As he walked through the halls of the prison Samantha Ulrich fell into step beside him. She had been observing the interview and found herself profoundly unsettled by it.
"Well that was creepy," she observed as the pair emerged into the bright mid-morning sun.
"No kidding," Donnie replied as he got into the driver's seat. He had agreed to Sam's continued presence at Parsons's request after Wagner and Morris had explained about Rosenthal's desire to get Donnie out of the picture. Donnie had one condition however: he would do the driving.
Sandy sat on the edge of the exam table waiting for her gynecologist to finish some business on the phone. The blood test had already confirmed that she was pregnant. All that remained was the pelvic exam to determine how far along she was.
Sandy pulled the hospital gown close around herself as she fretted. She and Joey had been talking about having another baby. But those discussions often ended badly with talk of their hectic work schedules and whether they could even afford another child. The rent on their already crowded apartment had recently been raised and June had begged her parents to enroll her in a none-to-cheap day camp over the upcoming Summer.
Sandy wanted to be overjoyed about the news that she was pregnant but it felt as though it couldn't have come at a worse time. She found herself worrying about how Joey would react. He would be thrilled initially of course but the joy would surely wear off and reality would hit hard. And the girls, would they be okay with the idea of a new baby?
The gynecologist, a pleasant round faced woman by the name of Dr. Jane Maryweather, entered. "Alright Sandy," she smiled gently as she put on a pair of gloves "Let's get a look at that uterus."
Sandy lay back and put her feet in the stirrups. All the while her worries persisted. She would call Joey once she left the doctor's office and give him the news.
Daniel sat in a chair beside the window of his hospital room in the psychiatric wing of the hospital. He had changed from the hospital gown with its pale green diamond pattern he had worn the night before into a pair of sky blue scrub pajamas. They were far more comfortable and far less breezy in back. Across from him Dr. Ashbury sat in an identical chair, a notepad open on her knee and a pen poised over it.
"We only spoke briefly last night and this morning," she began "I thought a one on one session might be beneficial rather than just dumping you into group therapy with everyone else right off the bat."
Daniel nodded but otherwise made no effort at communication. His gaze drifted out the window. On a nearby tree branch he spotted a fledgling tufted titmouse. The tiny bird flapped its wings but remained on the branch. Daniel found himself projecting emotions onto the little bird. He found himself sympathizing with the creature. Like him, the bird was afraid. The metaphor did not hold forever as the next time the bird spread its wings it flew away.
"Show off..." Daniel muttered under his breath.
"Hmm...?" Dr. Ashbury inquired.
"Nothing," Daniel replied dismissively.
"Well at least I got you to say something," Ashbury noted. "Now why is it that in the last few hours you seem to have retreated into yourself?"
Daniel stared straight ahead without saying a word.
"We've been over this before Daniel," Ashbury stated gently "I'm not Rosenthal. I understand that you have trust issues stemming from your previous experience but this is a safe place."
Daniel nodded again "I understand that," he said as way of placating the doctor's need for communication. His monotone recitation of the words spoke quite clearly. He didn't want to talk about his experience the previous evening, his true issues (which predates but had definitely been made worse by Rosenthal) or other feelings. He was going to keep as closed off as possible.
Dr. Ashbury tried very hard not to sigh by covering it with a yawn which wasn't much better. She tried a different tactic "Are the medications working well for you? Do we need to play with the dosage a little?"
Daniel shook his head "No," he replied "I haven't had any hallucinations since last night and I can still manage to focus for the most part. I think we've struck a good balance for now."
"And how long after you're released from the hospital do you think you'll continue to take your meds?" Ashbury asked pointedly.
Daniel was taken aback for a moment before the answer came to him. He closed his eyes and disdainfully uttered a single word "Lewicki..."
Ashbury couldn't help laughing at Daniel's reaction "He wouldn't have mentioned it if he didn't care about your wellbeing," she pointed out.
Daniel sighed "I'll get back at him somehow," he murmured.
Ashbury chuckled as she scratched something on her notepad. "So how long?" she questioned again.
Daniel sighed, his eyes drifting closed. There was a long pause before he spoke "Two or three months usually before I stop," he admitted. "I'll suddenly realize I can't focus the way I used to or become paranoid about developing irreversible side effects." He hadn't been planning on being this open with Ashbury but his defenses weren't what they usually were. He'd focussed all his attention on guarding his thoughts and feelings about having been buried alive that the refocusing of the discussion to the topic of medication had allowed Ashbury to find a way around the metaphorical walls he had constructed.
Ashbury nodded silently "And when you do go off your meds are you happier than when you're on them?"
Daniel shook his head "That's complicated," he replied. Dr. Ashbury talked with him for another half hour. At the end of their session Daniel felt emotionally drained. It was another hour before Kate came to visit. Daniel spent the better part of that hour staring out the window watching birds flit from branch to branch and the occasional patient meandering through the courtyard below.
"Hey you," Kate smiled softly in his direction as she entered the room.
He turned from the window to face her. He cracked a genuine smile "Hi," he replied.
Kate took the seat across from him that Dr. Ashbury had occupied earlier "How're you feeling?" she asked.
"Much better now that you're here," he told her.
Kate laughed and to Daniel it sounded heavenly "That was corny," she said honestly.
"I could be cornier," Daniel countered.
"Please don't try," Kate pleaded.
"You're just making me want to even more," he teased.
She laughed again "Seriously though Daniel."
"Seriously, I do feel better seeing you again," he told her as he reached out and took one of her hands in his.
"I feel better seeing you too," she laced her fingers through his and squeezed.
"Did you get some rest?" Daniel inquired "Or are you just running on caffeine?"
"Both," Kate answered "If it weren't for caffeine I'd still be asleep on the couch."
"The couch...?" Daniel almost asked why she hadn't slept in the bed but he was all too quickly reminded of the awkwardness that had arisen when he'd asked her to move in with him.
Kate ignored Daniel's half asked question "Why don't we go for a walk?" she suggested.
Daniel nodded and still holding her hand, rose to his feet.
The hospital courtyard was nothing awe inspiring by any means. A few well kept trees and shrubs, a few early flowers dotted swaths of green grass and a row of wooden benches offering a view primarily dominated by dingy brick walls. Daniel and Kate strolled hand in hand along a meandering path of their own choosing. Eventually the pair paused to sit together on one of the benches.
Kate leaned in to Daniel's side as he put his arm around her. She snaked an arm around Daniel's back and held tight. Her eyes began to drift closed. She just wanted to forget about the events of last night, the crippling fear that she was going to lose him forever. But those memories refused to retreat to the back of her mind.
She felt Daniel lean his cheek against the top of her head and she knew he was probably trying even harder than she was to forget. She looked up at him and was about to say something when her cell phone rang. She groaned but did not move at first "Someone has shit timing," she muttered.
"You should probably get that," Daniel reluctantly pulled away from Kate.
Kate sighed and pulled her phone from her pocket. The second she answered she met with a verbal onslaught.
"...Donnie...? Yeah, I'm fine... I'm with him right now he's fine. Why do you...? WHAT?!" Kate was on her feet in an instant, holding her phone in one hand as she continued exchanging sentence fragments with Donnie, her other hand clamped down protectively on Daniel's shoulder as her eyes scanned the immediate area.
Daniel strained to hear the other side of Kate's conversation and eventually was able to catch a few words from Donnie. Unfortunately what he heard did nothing to ease his worries.
"Danger... Threat... Rosenthal."