Chapter 11- The Light of Day
Marie awoke with that horrible itchy feeling in her eyes of dried tears. She scrubbed her face with her hands as she sat up and surreptitiously eyed her two companions. Surely, if they were as tired as she was, they hadn't heard her crying in her sleep. Brains held out his glasses automatically to her to be cleaned on her silk camisole. His gaze could have been sympathetic, but she just put it down to myopia. Virgil looked angry or worried, but that seemed more normal for him than the fellow last night who was more amenable. Maybe daylight didn't suit him. She shrugged muscles that were sore and strained from using the wooden stick as a crutch. She didn't suppress the startled cry of pain when a strong pair of hands began kneading at the tautly knotted muscles.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" Virgil breathed into her ear as his thumbs found points of pain to rub into submission.
"You d-didn't sleep w-well." Brains laid his free hand on her knee, just above the amputation point.
"Matter of fact you had a pretty bad nightmare." The insistent voice was as insistent as his hands setting her more firmly in place. They had her well and truly trapped between the two of them.
"I am s-surprised you didn't g-get th-therapy for th-this." Brains tapped the stump. "N-not m-much of a j-job th-that doesn't take c-care of its employees."
"Of course I got therapy. I'm quite all right with my loss of limb. I can do my job still." Marie congratulated herself on her unwavering voice. It would take a lot more than these two men to throw her off balance. She wiggled her shoulders under Virgil's hands to let him know she'd had enough.
"G-gurmukistan." Brains said and she turned her head towards him with a sharp snap. "You w-were speaking G-gurmeese in your sleep." He explained further.
"That's a real rough place. They've been torn apart by civil war for the last four years." Even though she had stopped struggling against him, Virgil let her go and turned so he could face her.
"War makes a lot of orphans." Marie said flatly. "I go where the job has to be done."
"B-but not alone." Brains said shrewdly.
"No. Not alone." Virgil answered for her. "You had a partner."
"Yes. I did." Her voice was low as she forced her head up to look Virgil in the eye.
"He l-left you b-behind." Brains made an educated guess.
"No. He didn't. I killed him."
"Hold it. I don't think you are the kind of person to do that. Start at the beginning and tell us what happened." Virgil insisted.
"Why? If my nightmares bother you then I'll just sleep elsewhere." Marie felt the beginnings of a terrible headache. Here she was stuck on a desert island without her pain pills and with two really pushy men.
"Because we care."
"And you n-need to t-talk."
"It was classified. I'm not supposed to." She muttered and dropped her gaze for the first time.
"Marie." Virgil tried to reach her with his voice. "Trust me." Their eyes met and something important passed between them and strengthened.
The two men waited patiently as she clearly struggled to come to some sort of decision. Virgil hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until she sighed and looked at them. She had decided to trust him, them, he added to himself.
"I - yes. It's not a pretty story and I was a fool. I paid for it too." She looked down at the remains of her leg and began...
Marie awoke with that horrible itchy feeling in her eyes of dried tears. She scrubbed her face with her hands as she sat up and surreptitiously eyed her two companions. Surely, if they were as tired as she was, they hadn't heard her crying in her sleep. Brains held out his glasses automatically to her to be cleaned on her silk camisole. His gaze could have been sympathetic, but she just put it down to myopia. Virgil looked angry or worried, but that seemed more normal for him than the fellow last night who was more amenable. Maybe daylight didn't suit him. She shrugged muscles that were sore and strained from using the wooden stick as a crutch. She didn't suppress the startled cry of pain when a strong pair of hands began kneading at the tautly knotted muscles.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" Virgil breathed into her ear as his thumbs found points of pain to rub into submission.
"You d-didn't sleep w-well." Brains laid his free hand on her knee, just above the amputation point.
"Matter of fact you had a pretty bad nightmare." The insistent voice was as insistent as his hands setting her more firmly in place. They had her well and truly trapped between the two of them.
"I am s-surprised you didn't g-get th-therapy for th-this." Brains tapped the stump. "N-not m-much of a j-job th-that doesn't take c-care of its employees."
"Of course I got therapy. I'm quite all right with my loss of limb. I can do my job still." Marie congratulated herself on her unwavering voice. It would take a lot more than these two men to throw her off balance. She wiggled her shoulders under Virgil's hands to let him know she'd had enough.
"G-gurmukistan." Brains said and she turned her head towards him with a sharp snap. "You w-were speaking G-gurmeese in your sleep." He explained further.
"That's a real rough place. They've been torn apart by civil war for the last four years." Even though she had stopped struggling against him, Virgil let her go and turned so he could face her.
"War makes a lot of orphans." Marie said flatly. "I go where the job has to be done."
"B-but not alone." Brains said shrewdly.
"No. Not alone." Virgil answered for her. "You had a partner."
"Yes. I did." Her voice was low as she forced her head up to look Virgil in the eye.
"He l-left you b-behind." Brains made an educated guess.
"No. He didn't. I killed him."
"Hold it. I don't think you are the kind of person to do that. Start at the beginning and tell us what happened." Virgil insisted.
"Why? If my nightmares bother you then I'll just sleep elsewhere." Marie felt the beginnings of a terrible headache. Here she was stuck on a desert island without her pain pills and with two really pushy men.
"Because we care."
"And you n-need to t-talk."
"It was classified. I'm not supposed to." She muttered and dropped her gaze for the first time.
"Marie." Virgil tried to reach her with his voice. "Trust me." Their eyes met and something important passed between them and strengthened.
The two men waited patiently as she clearly struggled to come to some sort of decision. Virgil hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until she sighed and looked at them. She had decided to trust him, them, he added to himself.
"I - yes. It's not a pretty story and I was a fool. I paid for it too." She looked down at the remains of her leg and began...