***
"Wake him up," Rudolf ordered, nodding toward the man tied spread-eagle on the small four-poster bed.
Jimmy nodded and lifted the bucket of water from beside the bed and splashed the contents in the unconscious man's face.
Nick woke, startled and sputtering for air from the water that invaded his mouth and nostrils. "What the hell?" he growled, trying to move, but found he was bound, wrists and feet, to the bed he was lying on. "What's going on here?" he demanded of the two men standing near the bed.
"What's going on, is that you're going to sing for me, birdie. And if I don't like the tune, you won't enjoy having your feathers plucked one by one," Rudolf answered with a cold, evil smile.
"I don't understand..." Nick groaned and tugged at the ropes to no avail.
"Tell me where you stashed Sonny, and maybe I'll let you live. Or, at the very least...I'll let your family live."
Nick frowned as he continued to struggle. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Now, release me!" he demanded.
Rudolf shrugged easily. "It's not like I expected that you would fold that readily. You do have a reputation, you know. I would have been disappointed if you had given in right away."
"Reputation? What..." Nick trailed off when he noticed the needle and syringe the tall, thin man brought into view. "What's in that?"
Again, Rudolf shrugged. "It won't matter if you know, I suppose. Amobarbital."
Barbiturate. "What the hell?" Nick attempted to shy away from the needle the closer it got to his arm. "I'm not..."
"Yes, you will talk. Sooner or later you will. Just for shits and giggles, we'll try it the easy way first." Rudolf smiled easily. "And if you manage to hold on to the information I need, then we'll do it the hard way." His face darkened as he stared into the brown depths of his captive's eyes. "You look a bit frightened. Funny...for such a reputed hard-ass...you frighten easy enough. Have you wet your drawers yet?"
Nick blinked at the crude comment followed by the man's heartless laugh. This stick of a man believed he was...Frank. Nick flinched visibly when the needle penetrated his flesh. Jesus Christ...I'm going to die.
Rudolf waited patiently for the drug to take effect. Any strong mind could evade answering truthfully to an interrogation under the effects of Amobarbital, or any truth serum for that matter. Personally, he just wanted to see what this Fed was made of.
Nick groaned in his semi-conscious state. His muscles ached from being confined in one position for hours on end. His head ached from the conk he took at the airport. And, damn it all, he needed to use the bathroom. Through the haze of his muddled mind, he heard an insistent voice.
"Where is Sonny Walker?"
"Who...who is Sonny Walker?" Nick asked groggily, his eyes closed to mere slits.
"Sonny Walker. What name does he use now?"
"Who is Sonny Walker?" Nick repeated, tiredly.
"Stop asking me that and tell me where he is!"
Nick raised his head slowly, painstakingly, and focused his eyes on his interrogator. "IF I DAMNED WELL KNEW WHO HE WAS, I WOULD FUCKING TELL YOU," he growled as forcefully as he could manage.
Rudolf snorted and repeated his question until his throat grew dry from the effort. His captive was extremely unwilling to co-operate and continued to insist he did not know who Sonny Walker was. He was not surprised. He would have been stunned if Agent Frank Donovan had given in to such an inquisition. The man that lay before him was not going to be an easy egg to crack. Mental and physical torture would be the way to go, and even then, Rudolf had his doubts the man would talk. Time would tell just how strong Donovan was.
"What do you want to do with him now?" Jimmy asked, watching the captive's head slump back to the bed and his eyes close.
Rudolf moved to the door with Jimmy close behind him. He turned to face him. "He doesn't eat. He doesn't sleep. He gets no water whatsoever. Do you understand?" When Jimmy nodded, he continued, "If he tries to sleep, you wake him...by any means necessary. Take shifts with Rusty. If he sleeps, I'll take it out on your hides," he assured before he left the room and closed the door behind him.
Jimmy turned back to the bed. The man had drifted off to sleep. "Here we go," he groaned as he headed to wake the doomed bastard.
***
Predatory eyes watched the halls of the medical center as she went about her daily activities. More than once, her gaze fell to the ICU-3. For two nights she waited for the opportunity to go to that pitiful soul and take care of his needs. Unfortunately, he was never alone.
She smiled at Dr. Slingerland when he left the room and saw Nurse Chambers sitting at the patient's bedside. The patient being one of the Center's doctors fascinated her. She had taken care of many people, felt the thrill as their lives ebbed and flowed through her fingers, but to know the exhilaration of holding the life of a person whose stature rose to godlike in their profession excited her beyond anything she had felt before.
If she could get just one moment alone with him...
***
"Shay...phone!" Cody yelled.
Thinking it might be Frank calling to check in, Shay hurried from the gym and picked up the closest extension. "Donovan."
"Shay? It's Michelle."
Michelle's voice held a note of sadness and Shay's smile faltered slightly. "Hi, Shel. How ya doin'?" Since meeting Frank's cousin and his girlfriend when they had come to town for a medical conference, she had gotten to know them quite well.
"I'm fine, Shay...but Nick's been injured in a car accident and has amnesia. We're hoping family...things familiar will help jog his memory. Can you and Frank fly out here right away?"
Shay nodded absently. "Of course. Frank's out of town, but I'll get hold of him and we'll be there ASAP. I'll call you back with flight information."
"Thanks, Shay. See you soon."
"Hang in there, Shel. I'm sure everything will be fine." After saying a saddened goodbye, Shay hung up the phone and turned to Cody. "Please call Quantico and get Frank on the line, Code. His cousin's been seriously injured and has lost his memory."
Cody nodded and began dialing. After asking for Frank, he waited patiently for the operator to connect. The answer he received was on the perplexing side. "Shay...Frank's not in Quantico."
"Yes, he is," she insisted. "We were all here when he announced he was going for re-certification."
"I'm telling you, he's not there. When I checked his status, DoJ shows him 'on leave'."
Alex looked up from the file she was going through. Frank was missing. "Cody..." Alex began.
"Already on it," Cody answered while his fingers flew over his keyboard. "Got it!" he yelled only moments later. "Frank took a flight from Chicago to San Francisco yesterday."
Shay frowned and began pacing the room. Frank was not answering his cell phone. Why would he lie and why had he gone to San Francisco under false pretenses? His cousin was there, but if he wanted to see his cousin, she would have been more than happy to go along with him to visit Nick. "Get us on the next flight to San Francisco, Code," she said, coming to a stop in front of the techno-genius. She glanced at Alex who nodded her agreement. Jake was on vacation and the team was on standby until Frank returned from Quantico. Since he was obviously not going to be returning from Quantico, they would go looking for him.
After making the flight arrangements, Cody got on the phone to let Katie know what was going on. Just as he expected, she wanted to join them, but he talked her out of it. They had no idea what they were walking into and he was not about to put his wife into danger.
"I called Dad. Of course, he's taking care of LJ, Ariel, and Zack anyway, so that's covered. I'll keep him posted. Sweet Jesus, guys...what the hell is going on?" Shay cried out, distressed.
"Stay tough, Shay," Alex said as she draped an arm around Shay's shoulders. "We'll find out what's going on, and as soon as we know he's okay...we'll take turns kicking his ass."
A tiny smile touched her lips. "You bet, Alex. Thanks."
"Anytime."
***
During the flight, Shay, Alex, and Cody called every hotel and motel in San Francisco looking for Frank. No one bothered to keep track of the times they called Frank's cell phone. Cody kept a close eye on Shay the entire trip. Although she was putting up a good front, it was not too difficult to see she was hurting. Her husband was missing and she had no idea where to look for him. Cody hoped for all their sakes, some clue to Frank's disappearance would be uncovered. That possibility also looked bleak. Nick was their only lead at the moment, and if he did not regain his memory, Cody was not sure what they would do.
Alex and Cody trailed behind Shay as she entered the hospital and asked the receptionist what room Nick was in. She was informed that earlier that morning he had been moved from ICU to a private room. After receiving directions, the trio made their way to the appropriate floor and found Nick's room easily.
Shay entered the room first, almost in slow motion. She had to do a double take and force herself to remember that, although the man lying battered and bruised in the hospital bed was identical to her husband, it was not her husband. She smiled wearily at Michelle when she rose from the bedside chair and caught her up in a mutually comforting hug. Pulling away from Michelle, she focused on Nick. "How're you feeling, Nick?"
Frank shrugged. More strangers, he thought as the newcomers filed into the room. Strangers he was supposed to know. He felt that familiar tickle at the back of his brain again. Still, he could do nothing more than chase the elusive fragments until they disappeared. He sighed heavily as his gaze fell upon the woman who was speaking to him. Her sky blue eyes had a haunted quality, as if she was in pain of some kind, and he felt the overwhelming urge to hold and comfort her. He tore his gaze from her for a moment to take in the others, but found himself studying her again within moments. He was drawn to her, the color of her honey-blonde hair, the shape of her lips, the need to be near her. Although he felt a twinge of something for every person in the room, this woman affected him differently. He felt he knew her, like she was of grave importance to him. Looking into her eyes, he felt he was looking into his own soul. He shook himself mentally. Matt had told him earlier that he and Michelle were involved. Should he not be feeling these things for her?
Shay returned Nick's intense stare as he studied her. They had spent such a short time together while he attended a medical conference in Chicago, but their friendship had grown through phone conversations and a multitude of email correspondence. She broke from the group and sat on the edge of his bed. Besides his being a little pale, she could see a dark bruise under the bandage on his forehead and his dark eyes seemed clouded in confusion. For some unexplainable reason, she ached to take him into her arms and hold him. Instead, she touched a gentle hand to his cheek and was thrown by his reaction when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. A reaction she had seen from Frank so many, many times. She blinked back the tears that threatened and smiled softly at Nick. "Have you recovered any memories, Cousin Nick?"
Cousin Nick. Why did that sound so foreign coming from her beautiful mouth? Why did he have such a strong urge to kiss his cousin's wife? And he was not thinking about an innocent peck on the cheek. He wanted to cover her mouth with his and attempt to lick the back of her throat. He wanted nothing more than to possess every inch of this woman. How unnatural was it to feel this way for his cousin's wife? And yet, it felt very natural. "No. No memories," he finally answered.
Shay lightly touched the bandage that covered his forehead and sighed. What information was locked inside his mind? Could it lead them to Frank? He was close; she could feel it. "It's okay...you'll get it all back."
Michelle watched Nick and Shay speak quietly while she briefed the others on his condition. The odd twinge hit her again that something was just not right. As the minutes ticked by, and the silent body language between Shay and Nick persisted, she began to suspect that Frank Donovan was the man lying in that bed.
"So, I think we'll head over to the local FBI offices and see what we can dig up. Shay?"
"Go without me, Cody. I'd feel better if I stayed with Nick," she insisted. "Keep me posted?"
"Of course we will," Alex answered and laid a hand on Shay's shoulder. "And, Shay...try not to worry too much, we'll find him."
Shay nodded and gave Alex's hand a squeeze. "Thanks. Make sure Cody checks into this accident. Odd thing that Nick is hurt and Frank disappears at the same time."
"Not to worry, Shay, " Cody acknowledged.
Shay nodded and watched the group leave. She looked down when she felt fingers entwining with hers and glanced up at Nick. He looks and feels so much like Frank, it's just not right! her mind cried out. Yet, she could not stop herself from leaning in and placing a feather light kiss to his lips. "Everything will be fine, Nick," Shay whispered before moving away from him to sit in a nearby chair.
Michelle sat in the chair next to Shay. 'Nick' was drifting off to sleep. Although his vitals were improving steadily, he was still on some potent painkillers and they were taking their toll. She realized the odd feeling was chasing her when she felt absolutely no jealousy toward the exchange between 'Nick' and Shay. He had shown more emotion in the few minutes he had spent talking to her than in all the time since he had awakened from his trauma.
--
"Excuse me."
Alex and Cody paused just outside Nick's hospital room. "Yes?"
"Are you Nick's family?"
Cody half smiled and shook his head. "No. We're friends and co-workers of his cousin," he explained.
"Ah. I'm Dr. Slingerland and I've been handling Nick's case. Might I have a moment of your time in private, please?" He indicated for them to follow as he led them to an exam room and closed the door.
"What can we do for you, Doctor?" Alex asked patiently.
"I've been keeping the police from questioning Nick. I don't think he's ready to answer any questions, and he most certainly doesn't appear to have any answers," Matt began.
"What exactly do the police want?"
"Apparently they found two men shot to death near Nick's vehicle. Personally, I can't see Nick owning a gun, let alone murdering anyone. This is the detective's business card, if you could check things out? Michelle said Nick's cousin was with the FBI, so I am assuming that if you are co-workers..."
Alex nodded and pocketed the business card. "Justice Department, actually. We'll check this out and find out what's going on."
"Thank you," Matt said gratefully. "Michelle's been at his side practically every moment he's been here. I've kept the police away more for her sake than anything. She doesn't need the added stress."
***
To be continued...