Chapter 13: "I have to go."
Manhattan, late December, 2014
"I have to get up," she said, leaning back to put the clock on the table near her bed. She started to roll over to get up, but she felt his hand reach out and hold her back from leaving. It made her smile. Then he reached around and slid her back across the sheets, back to him. She giggled as he wrapped her in his arms, keeping her from leaving.
"Hey, now, Bear needs to go out – and I have to go take a shower," she said, turning over to face him. Reese lifted up a curly lock of hair hanging down and twirled it between his fingers. Even in this dim light he could see the blue blue of her eyes, the warm brown of her skin, and her soft smile. So quiet here. So peaceful right now. In this dim light, with her there next to him, it felt like this could go on forever. If no one broke the spell, If he didn't think about it, and just let it be - it could last just like this. He wanted to tell her, to say how she looked to him just now, but something made him hold back. He didn't say it.
Instead, he said to her, "I'll take Bear out this time - you can get your shower."
She smiled up at him. Those blue blue eyes. Soft, and full of feeling.
"That would be lovely," in her British accent.
She reached up with both hands and kissed his face. "This has been wonderful, today. I haven't spent a whole day in bed like this for ages," she whispered.
She watched his eyes, and for a moment Reese looked like he was going to agree. But then, he seemed to stop himself. Gelila nodded a little to herself. Something had just clicked one step too far, and she could feel a certain change come over him, like a tension that hadn't been there the moment before.
But she knew what she needed to do to get it back. In her mock-serious voice:
"Come on, get up now! Bear is waiting, poor dog. And it's time for us to get back to work. Can't lay around all day." And with that, she pulled the covers off of Reese.
He groaned and rolled himself over. Then, gingerly, he lifted his legs over the side of the bed, testing his weight first on the bad knee - to see how it felt today.
"Not bad – I think that stuff is working," he said, pushing himself to standing, and then weighting the right knee, gingerly again.
"Good. I'll leave some arnica for you while I'm away," she said. Reese heard her say it, and tried to think if she'd said something before, but he didn't ask her just yet. And she'd rolled the other way, up onto her feet on the far side of the bed. She was sliding a silky robe over her shoulders, and heading for the door.
Bear was there, standing on the other side when she opened it, and he smiled with his muzzle when he saw her. Then after she'd passed by him with a little rub on his head, Bear walked inside the bedroom to find Reese. He'd limped to a chair next to the bed where he'd seen his clothes neatly folded. Gelila must have done it when she'd gone with Bear out for his morning walk.
Last night, Reese remembered he was half-asleep on her couch, waiting for a cup of coffee, when she'd leaned into him. She'd pressed against his chest where the burns and bruising were. He'd flinched with the pain, and she'd insisted on seeing what was there, under his shirt. And once she'd seen those, she went looking for all the other places she could put her arnica cream and the gel from that plant in her living room.
She'd started undressing him there on the couch. One thing had led to another. And their clothes were down in a trail here to her bed. Reese smiled to himself, thinking of her hands on him last night, smoothing the white cream and the cool gel over the burns and bruising. She'd held him against her, until he fell asleep in her arms. He remembered her whispering to him to sleep - that he was safe there, in her arms.
Reese lifted the stack of his folded clothes, and brought it back to the edge of the bed. He sat down to take the weight off his right knee. It seemed like he could bend it a little better today, and the bruising looked a little lighter in color than yesterday, but it still hurt like a bad toothache at the joint. Reese felt around the knee with his finger pads, and found where the joint was the most painful. That's where they'd hit him the hardest with the stick, but it wasn't even where the bruising was the darkest any more. The bruising had drifted down to his calf, but when he pressed there, it wasn't sore there at all. Just purple bruising working its way down the calf toward his foot. In a week or two, the purple would turn to green and then yellow, until it faded away. The pain on the joint, though, near the knee would take weeks to go away. He'd heard the bone crack on that hit, when the Zheng had beaten Shaw and him with wooden sticks – down in the basement, in Queens.
Reese pulled on his tee shirt, then his white shirt. Then he stood up while he put on the rest. Then he tucked the white shirt into his slacks, and tightened his belt. Bear had come over – sitting down in front of him on the rug – cocking his head to one side. He flicked his ears forward and his eyes were bright, alert for any command. Reese smiled. Bear was a great dog. Better than most humans he'd run across in his life.
Bear needed little, and would give everything. Hard to imagine a better friend.
Looking over to him, he said softly, "staan," and Bear stood up. Reese turned away toward the bedroom door. Then he said "rechts," and Bear stepped to Reese's right side and waited.
The two walked through the darkened apartment to the front door. Reese heard the shower running in the bathroom down the hall. And on her coffee table by the couch, Reese saw Gelila's key ring lying there, a handful of keys on it. He decided to leave it there. He'd lock the door when they left, then Gelila could buzz them in when they were back from their walk. Reese was thinking of a good spot to stop on the way - for coffee and some hot food to surprise her.
In his coat he found Bear's leash in a pocket. Gelila must have put it there this morning. She'd had it at the Vet office for the last few days with Bear. He clipped the leash on Bear's collar and the two of them went out into the hallway, latching the door after them.
They took the elevator down three flights, to save some wear-and-tear on Reese's knee. Outside, the air was cold, but still, and Reese could see Bear's breath in the cold air as he walked alongside.
The cold air should have helped to clear his head, but Reese could feel a dull headache coming on. Caffeine withdrawal headache. He just needed a cup of coffee, and the headache would go away, so he made his way to the nearest spot for coffee, a donut shop at the end of the street near the corner.
Bear had to wait outside while Reese went in, but it was quick, and he came out with something to share with Bear – some scrambled eggs and sausage inside a wrap. Reese unwound it a little and pulled out some egg and sausage. He handed it to Bear, and watched him gulp it down and look for more. Reese took a bite first, then unwound it again and handed Bear the next portion, metering it out between the two of them until the sandwich was gone.
"That's all, boy," he said, and opened the top of his coffee. The two of them went off down the street toward the park, Reese sipping as they walked. By the time they got there, his headache was nearly gone, and he was feeling good, really good. A little hungry, but his body felt the best it had felt in a long time.
He smiled to himself, thinking of Gelila, as he let Bear off the leash to roam. And then he remembered something from a dream – the one where he was walking on the beach, with Joss. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering her face in his dream.
She'd looked up at him, after she said he'd chosen well with Gelila.
He remembered her words. "You don't have to do all this alone, John."
Reese stopped for a moment on the park path. He put his hand over his heart and leaned forward. A sudden pain there, like a thump inside his heart. And more tumbled out in his head.
"What I saw was two people – two people who need each other," she'd said. And then the part again about not having to do all this alone. It was hard to hear it. He'd never thought there would be anyone else, after Joss. He took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips, slowly, gathering himself.
He straightened up, pulling his coat in a little closer, against the cold evening air - and then he could hear his phone going off in his pocket. Overseas number.
Italy?
He answered, and heard the sound of one of his guys at the other end. In Italy.
"Lose something?" he said. Reese's eyes furrowed. He didn't answer.
"We've got your friend here – Four-eyes."
"Tell me," Reese said, his throat tightening to his soft, raspy voice. He called Bear back, turned around, and headed back for the apartment while he listened.
"I've been trying to call you, Buddy – for the last week. We're taking hits here, from the bad guys you were telling us about. They're like cockroaches, coming out of the woodwork over here. Just wanted you to know so you could keep watch for the same, over there." Reese was silent for a moment.
"Yeah, we took some flak here, too. Crushed my phone – should have called with the backup number."
"Four-eyes told us what happened. You've been busy, my friend. Happy you're still here to talk about it."
They talked on the phone all the way back to Gelila's apartment. Reese buzzed her number when he got there, and then went up in the elevator to her floor. She met him at the door, but saw his face as he walked down the hall, signing off on his call.
"I know that look," she said as he closed the door behind him. He nodded, and realized he hadn't brought back food for them.
"Do you at least have time to eat something? I made eggs and cornbread. Strange combination, but that's all I had." She saw him hesitate and look down at his watch.
"I have to go."
She frowned. And then she stepped forward with her right foot, reaching out, pointing at him with her right index finger.
"One piece," she said, sternly. He shook his head, questioning.
"I want you to come back in one piece this time. You're a lot of work, for one person." And then she smiled, and crossed over to him, gathering him close to her. She kissed him and he pulled her in even closer, holding her, warm against his body.
The drone of the jet engine sounded in his ears, and he adjusted his long frame on the seat, again. Just a few more hours, and they'd be there, in Rome. Shaw was sleeping in the seat next to him. He hadn't slept much himself, but he kept wake-dreaming of the same thing, over and over. About going to pick up Bear, and then the long night and day they'd spent together in her apartment. It felt like a dream, but it was real.
He looked over at Shaw. Yes, there was the cut on her bottom lip. He'd seen it there when he'd gone back to the safe house to pack. And, in the hallway, when he was passing Root on his way to his room, a bruise on her left cheek, her angry eyes.
Shaw got up as soon as he'd arrived at the safe house. She'd packed already, insisting on going with him to Italy. While he showered and packed, she'd made food for the three of them, but Root took one look at Shaw's luggage, and left.
Reese frowned. Dissension on the team was never a good thing. Maybe things would get better with a little space.