Title: Missing In Action
Part: 7/?
Rating: R
Beta Reader: Scotty Welles
Pairing: KW, KL, JC, PB, Ensemble
Disclaimer: Isn't it Ironic? Don't you think.
Robert threw the chart at the admittance desk. It had been three days
since the plane crash, he'd already lost his chief of emergency
services, and three more of his doctors had decided to take a vacation.
Leaving him with the clean up.
"Dr. Romano, you've got a call on line one."
"Can't you see I'm busy? Take a message!" In fact, he wasn't doing
anything at the moment, just standing there, scowling at anything that
moved.
"He says he's calling about Dr. Weaver."
Robert eyed Randi, looking for some hint of malice.
The desk clerk leaned closer and whispered softly. "It's some agent
named Robie."
"Great, just what I need, another agent."
Peter tightened his seat belt again, purposefully ignoring a withdrawn
Carter. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous. After everything
that Kerry and Robie had told him, he kept thinking of all the possible
disasters.
"So what do we do when we land?"
"We get Kerry to the hospital." Peter glared at the two women, daring
them to contradict him on this. They'd already crossed him once that
day and he was in no mood.
"What about Jefferson? If he finds Kerry...."
"I can take care of myself..." Kerry was starting to get angry.
Everyone kept talking about her like she was some invalid. She could
handle that, she handled that sort of prejudice everyday of her life,
but to then add insult to injury. Peter and John were demanding that
she get checked out. "...and I don't need to go to the hospital."
Kim rubbed her hand and spoke softly. "I know, but we should put their
fears to rest. Otherwise they'll never leave you alone."
"Fine, but I'm not staying overnight," Kerry muttered just loud enough
for Kim and Peter to hear her, the silent threat very clear.
The tall, lean shadow entered the second-story window with
long-practiced ease, his long legs gracefully taking him to the side of
the bed. He stared down at the senator, taking in the age-faded red
hair with peppered gray.
Here he was at last, the man who had infiltrated the Agency, protecting
and supporting the IRA in the process. Many of Robie's colleagues had
met untimely ends in the course of Jefferson's run, and another - Kerry
Weaver - was still in danger.
'Well, senator,' Robie thought silently, 'it's time for your big
finish...'
Robert pushed the wheelchair through the scarcely-used side door, in
time to see Carter and Legaspi helping Kerry out of the jeep. Peter was
standing back, not bothering to interfere with the trio. "Well," Robert
stated, "it looks like I'm right on time."
"Robert, what...?"
Robert ignored Kerry, afraid that he might say something that he'd
regret. "Robie called me and let me know what was going on. I've got an
exam room closed off and waiting for you. I've also taken the liberty
of creating a fake chart for you. Now will one of you gentlemen be kind
enough to help 'Miss Walsh' into the wheelchair?"
Peter's jaw snapped closed. "Uh...yeah, sure."
Kerry rolled her eyes and lowered herself into the wheel chair, too
exhausted to put up much of a fight. She sank down into it as Robert
pushed her back inside. The long hall that ran past the exam rooms
seemed vaguely abandoned. "Where is everyone?"
Robert threw the door to exam two open and pushed her on inside. "For
some reason they got the idea that I'd be conducting a surprise
inspection of the ER late tonight. Now... let's see what kind of shape
you're in."
Ryan moved through the halls of the silent household, his impassive
face showing nothing as he prepared his report for the senator's
benefit.
Jefferson's suspicions about Boyd Campbell had been correct; the man
was too much of a loose cannon. More interested in killing
unnecessarily than advancing the cause. Men like that were what gave
the IRA a bad name, Jefferson had said, and Ryan had to agree.
This latest obsession had been Campbell's downfall. His insistence
that he'd only carry out the latest operation in Washington if he could
first eliminate his treacherous estranged wife had been disturbing. A
true professional doesn't let such things get in the way of business.
But then, even after throwing away the lives of four men in an attempt
to kill Dr. Weaver, Campbell had passed up a chance to let Ryan take
her out, clean and safe, instead unable to resist the urge to make
direct contact with her.
In that event, the senator's instructions had been clear: Eliminate
Campbell. His relationship with Weaver had posed a threat in the past.
If he had a chance to speak to her again without Ryan present to
overhear, they couldn't be sure he wouldn't leak something to her.
So Ryan had taken the shot as ordered, and one of their biggest
liabilities had been removed. Jefferson would just have to make other
arrangements about Washington.
The only problem was that he might not have fired in time. Campbell
had spoken with Weaver for a few seconds. There was always the
possibility that he'd said something to her in that time. The senator
might still find it necessary to have her dealt with, but that was his
decision, not Ryan's. He stopped in front of the dark oak double
doors, and knocked.
There was no noise, no response. He took the two silver knobs in his
hands and threw the doors open. In the dim moonlight he could see where
Jefferson lay. He could also see a glass on the nightstand, and next to
it a bottle of sleeping pills.
Ryan approached the bed taking in the peace expression on the still
man's face. He turned on the lamp and picked up the bottle. It was
empty...
Well, that made his report a little moot, didn't it?
"...There doesn't seem to be anything that a week of rest won't take
care of." Robert figured a week without Weaver was a small price to
pay. Besides, three days without her or the others had left one hell of
a mess for her to clean up.
"For once, you'll get no argument from me." Kerry swung her feet around
and started to get up. She wanted to get out of there, now.
"I'll drive you home," Kim volunteered before Carter could even think
about it. She wanted to spend some time alone with her. They still had
a lot to talk about.
"Really?" Robert replied. "You going to bodyguard her, too? Or is
this Robie guy gonna take care of that?"
"No, and no," Kerry answered for her. "Boyd's dead, and the senator
will have too many people investigating him to worry about me. I do
not need a damn bodyguard!"
"Kerry...!" Carter and Kim began at the same time, then glanced at each
other. Whatever else they disagreed about, on this they were of like
mind.
The tension was broken as Peter walked briskly into the room. "You
hear the news?" he asked everyone.
"What news?" Robert asked for them all.
"It was just on CNN. Senator Jefferson killed himself while staying at
his Washington home. Apparently he'd just been diagnosed with HIV. The
virus that causes Aids," he added unnecessarily.
There was a moment as this new development sank in.
"Well, I guess that means you don't have to keep pretending you're
dead," Robert stated, as if it were nothing important. "Maybe now we
can stop all this spy crap and get back to work." He walked out
without another word.
The remaining group looked at each other. "Pretty convenient, huh?"
Peter said, the implication clear in his voice. "The one guy who might
have reason to kill you suddenly ends up dead?"
Kerry kept her face impassive. "He was responsible for a lot of people
dying, Peter," she said. "Sometimes, fate just gives people what they
deserve."
"Kerry, excuse me, but everyone in this room knows that's utter
bullshit," he replied, quietly, his gaze intense. "And where's your
pal Robie gotten to?"
She met it with an equally steady look. "We're all better off not
knowing a lot of things," she said. And it was clear that it was her
last word on the subject.
Peter met her eyes with cold understanding, then turned and left the
room. John paused, feeling like an intruder, then followed him.
Out in the hall, he leaned against the wall and tried to sort out his
feelings. He knew he should be relieved that Kerry was all right, and
no longer in danger, but all he felt was emptiness. Part of it was the
sense that huge, far-reaching events had transpired just outside his
awareness, things that had nothing to do with him and were beyond his
control. But more, he knew that the part he wanted to play in her life
was filled by someone else. He had tried to make himself believe that
Kerry wasn't interested in Kim, but now, he couldn't deny it. He knew
it was selfish of him, but he just felt unappreciated and rejected by
someone who meant a great deal to him.
There was a touch at his shoulder, and he looked into Kim's gentle
eyes. "John, do you have a moment?" she asked. "Kerry wanted to see
you, alone."
It amazed him that she seemed to have none of the resentment towards
him that he felt towards her. But then, she was the one in Kerry's
favor. He nodded and moved past her, into Kerry's room.
Kerry lay back in the hospital bed, watching Carter curiously. The
younger man stood up and moved to sit on the side of the bed. His hand
came to rest over hers. She took it warmly, in one of her rare
gestures of affection. "You wanted to see me?" he asked.
She nodded. "I thought we should talk," she said. "I get the feeling
you wanted to say something, or maybe to ask me something."
Oh Lord, could she see how he felt? Was he that transparent? "There
is," he said. "How...how could you...?" The words wouldn't come out.
He didn't even know himself how the question would end.
"How could I risk my life that way?" she filled in. "Or how could I
have married a man like that?"
Actually, he was thinking, how could she want Kim instead of him?
"Yeah, both of those," he lied.
"I suppose I should tell you it's none of your business," she said,
patting the back of his hand, "but I want to be honest with you, John.
Kim's told me all the things you've done to help find me, and how
concerned you've been. That means a lot to me."
He forced a smile, like it was no big deal.
"Boyd Campbell was the most exciting man I had ever met," she began.
"And then, when Robie recruited me, and it all sounded so dangerous and
exotic, well...you have to remember, I was young and stupid back then.
I was abandoned by my real parents, I've been disabled all my life, and
I was nursing a bit of a self-destructive urge, so I threw myself into
every adventure I could find, no matter how crazy. Along the way,
thank God, I met people like Gabe Lawrence and Amelia Rynes, who helped
me tame that wild streak and focus it constructively. For a while, I
thought Robie was one of them."
"But he dragged you into a life that could have killed you."
Kerry met his eyes and smiled sadly. "I know. I knew that, even then.
That was part of its attraction."
"Apparently it still is," he said bitterly. "Why on earth did you
agree to meet him now?"
She looked away. "I know that doesn't make sense to you," she replied,
"and I don't know if I can explain. For better or for worse, Boyd was
a part of my life. He told me he needed my help to get out of the
life, and I felt I owed him that chance. If he was telling the truth,
I'd help him, if not, I'd try to find out what he was up to."
"Kerry, didn't you think he might try to kill you?"
Their eyes met again. "I had to take that risk. I loved him once, or
the man I thought he was, and yet I betrayed him. It's a part of my
character, John, I end up hurting all the people I care about."
She squeezed his hand a little tighter at that, and he wondered if
maybe she did know how he felt, after all. Was that why she had chosen
someone else over him? "So...you're going home with Kim until you're
better?"
Kerry nodded. "I don't know exactly how I feel about her," she said,
the first hint of uncertainty entering her voice, "but I think that's
another risk I need to take."
John considered that, then nodded.
"Did you have any other questions?"
"No," he said. "I just wanted to say, uh, I... I lo.... I'm glad
you're okay..."
Her smile was warm. "Thank you, John."
Carter let go of her hand and stood. As much as he loved her, he had
to admire and respect her more. And part of loving someone, he was
discovering, was supporting them in the choices they made, whether they
were the choices he'd hope for or not. "I'll let Kim know you're ready
to go, okay?"
Kerry nodded tiredly, only wanting to go home and sleep. Maybe even
celebrate her new divorce.