CHAPTER 14
As John swam up through the layers of consciousness, he was aware of people talking around him, aware of the fact that he no longer seemed to be lying on something hard and wet, he was warm and almost comfortable, but once more his right hand seemed to be attached to something. He opened his eyes, squinting a little at the light, and saw there were some people standing next to his bed. He was amazed when Rachel bent down out of the fog surrounding him, whispering his name. He tried to say something back, but was already being pulled back down in to the darkness.
The next time he came awake more quickly, he felt his body being touched and turned slightly, and opened his eyes indignantly, wondering who was taking liberties with him.
This time the room swam into focus much quicker, and he looked up to see Rachel and Grace talking to another person who was obviously a doctor. He watched them for a while, till Grace noticed he was awake, and she bent down over him.
"Hey about time you joined us, Grant," she said, "You're sleeping on the job." He smiled faintly at her, and she reached out and touched his arm. The doctor then asked him how he felt (lousy) and if he could remember what day/month/year it was, and if he could remember his phone number. He then went into his routine of how many fingers/ follow the light with your eyes etc, which John found extremely tiring. Besides, he wanted to talk to Rachel, but she stayed in the background. Finally the doctor left, after writing something in a chart, and Grace also backed off, leaving Rachel standing next to the bed.
John suddenly realized she was holding his hand, and smiled again, very faintly. He looked up at her, and whispered, "I have no idea how I got here, or what happened, but I'm really glad to wake up and find you holding my hand," and then looked in amazement as she started to cry.
"What did I say?" he asked, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she answered, a smile breaking out on her face. "I thought you were going to die."
"And this would have made you happy?" he asked hoarsely.
"Idiot," she replied, squeezing his hand again. "Just hurry up and get better."
"What did happen?" he asked again, more strongly than before. "Was I shot? I don't remember anything much - did we have an argument at work?" and he looked puzzled, frowning now as he tried to remember. "Why does everything hurt, my head, my chest, even my arm? And why.."
"Shush," she said, bending down to place her finger on his lips. "I'll tell you later, when you are stronger. When Bailey is here. Go back to sleep, I'll be right here," and she leaned over and kissed him gently. His eyes darkened and then closed again, but this time he was not in a drug induced but healing sleep.
Rachel went into the waiting room, and rang Bailey. He informed her that he had approved a fortnight's leave for her, and that a replacement profiler was on the way from Headquarters. She told him of John's progress, and he promised to meet her at the hospital in an hour or two.
When John opened his eyes again, several hours later, Bailey and Rachel were talking together, and Grace was standing at the foot of his bed reading his chart. He coughed slightly, and Bailey came to his side.
"This is a fine way of getting time off," he joked, squeezing John's hand. "You o.k.?" John went to shrug, but winced, and said "Not sure, don't really feel anything at the moment.just really tired. Bailey, what the hell happened, I don't remember anything."
Grace came forward, putting a hand on his forehead. "You see that machine," she said, and pointed at the heart monitor. John nodded slowly, looking up at her in puzzlement. "If we tell you what happened, and that machine's rhythm alters by one little beep, we will be thrown out of here, so don't get upset or agitated!"
"I'm getting upset not knowing anything," he said hoarsely. Rachel looked at Bailey, and sat down in the chair, and reached out to take John's hand.
"Well, the woman you knew as Carolyn Ross, she kidnapped you," said Bailey.
John looked at him in disbelief. "Why would she do that?" he asked, bewildered, "How did she do that?"
"We think she told you that you were needed on a murder scene, and drove you there. You probably got into her car without any question."
John frowned in concentration, "I think I did," he said slowly, "Oh God, there was somebody there, something hit me when I got out of the car. Why would she do that? I never did anything to her.."
Grace pointed to the heart monitor, and shook her head. "Don't get upset," she repeated, and Rachel squeezed his hand.
"It had nothing to do with you really," she said leaning over towards him, "she was using you as bait, for someone else."
"Bait? I don't understand," he said "There was someone else there, a big man, I don't think he was all there."
"Carolyn Ross, or rather her name is Christine Landers, - she was using you to lure Patrick O'Doyle to her," said Bailey bluntly. "We don't know what went wrong, but at some time you were shot, probably by her accomplice."
"I was trying to escape," whispered John, "I almost got out, but the floorboards creaked. I think I broke his arm - then I don't remember." He sighed, and then looked up at Bailey through narrowed eyes
"Did you say O'Doyle?" he said in incredulous tones.
"She found out you were his son," said Bailey, "And thought she could force him to accede to her demands, by using you as a lever. If he hadn't come to us for help, you would have died."
"He came to you?" said John and his voice hardened "Did you throw him in jail?"
"John, he saved your life," whispered Rachel, "He didn't have to, he could have ignored the whole thing. He came to us, and led us to where you were being held, then caused her to shoot him, instead of you. He saved your life."
John's blue eyes were cold and blank. "Is he dead then?"
"No, he was only slightly wounded, but that's not the point. The point is, he saved your life, and also told us that it was this woman, this Christine Landers, that caused the accident that killed your mother."
John looked at Rachel angrily. "He's a liar, a cheat and a liar," and he pulled his hand out of hers, and threw his arm across his face. "I can't believe you fell for his bullshit! He's a vicious bloody criminal."
Grace came forward, taking Rachel by the arm, and indicating that they leave him alone. "He's getting upset, just leave it," she whispered to Bailey and Rachel, but Rachel pulled her arm free. "John - don't shut yourself off like this," she pleaded, "What he told us was the truth," but John turned his head away, leaving his arm across his face, and said "I'm tired, please leave me alone."
Rachel stood there for a moment, in frustration, and then turned on her heel. "Fine," she said frostily, and walked off.
The others were waiting just outside. "Well, that went well," said Grace, sarcastically.
"I'm going home for a while," said Rachel, "Can you drop me off Bailey. I'll have a shower and freshen up, before I come back."
Bailey smiled "So you are coming back?" he asked gently.
"Oh yes," she replied, "I'm not letting one of his sulking fits scare me off. He'll have to
try harder than that!"
As John swam up through the layers of consciousness, he was aware of people talking around him, aware of the fact that he no longer seemed to be lying on something hard and wet, he was warm and almost comfortable, but once more his right hand seemed to be attached to something. He opened his eyes, squinting a little at the light, and saw there were some people standing next to his bed. He was amazed when Rachel bent down out of the fog surrounding him, whispering his name. He tried to say something back, but was already being pulled back down in to the darkness.
The next time he came awake more quickly, he felt his body being touched and turned slightly, and opened his eyes indignantly, wondering who was taking liberties with him.
This time the room swam into focus much quicker, and he looked up to see Rachel and Grace talking to another person who was obviously a doctor. He watched them for a while, till Grace noticed he was awake, and she bent down over him.
"Hey about time you joined us, Grant," she said, "You're sleeping on the job." He smiled faintly at her, and she reached out and touched his arm. The doctor then asked him how he felt (lousy) and if he could remember what day/month/year it was, and if he could remember his phone number. He then went into his routine of how many fingers/ follow the light with your eyes etc, which John found extremely tiring. Besides, he wanted to talk to Rachel, but she stayed in the background. Finally the doctor left, after writing something in a chart, and Grace also backed off, leaving Rachel standing next to the bed.
John suddenly realized she was holding his hand, and smiled again, very faintly. He looked up at her, and whispered, "I have no idea how I got here, or what happened, but I'm really glad to wake up and find you holding my hand," and then looked in amazement as she started to cry.
"What did I say?" he asked, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she answered, a smile breaking out on her face. "I thought you were going to die."
"And this would have made you happy?" he asked hoarsely.
"Idiot," she replied, squeezing his hand again. "Just hurry up and get better."
"What did happen?" he asked again, more strongly than before. "Was I shot? I don't remember anything much - did we have an argument at work?" and he looked puzzled, frowning now as he tried to remember. "Why does everything hurt, my head, my chest, even my arm? And why.."
"Shush," she said, bending down to place her finger on his lips. "I'll tell you later, when you are stronger. When Bailey is here. Go back to sleep, I'll be right here," and she leaned over and kissed him gently. His eyes darkened and then closed again, but this time he was not in a drug induced but healing sleep.
Rachel went into the waiting room, and rang Bailey. He informed her that he had approved a fortnight's leave for her, and that a replacement profiler was on the way from Headquarters. She told him of John's progress, and he promised to meet her at the hospital in an hour or two.
When John opened his eyes again, several hours later, Bailey and Rachel were talking together, and Grace was standing at the foot of his bed reading his chart. He coughed slightly, and Bailey came to his side.
"This is a fine way of getting time off," he joked, squeezing John's hand. "You o.k.?" John went to shrug, but winced, and said "Not sure, don't really feel anything at the moment.just really tired. Bailey, what the hell happened, I don't remember anything."
Grace came forward, putting a hand on his forehead. "You see that machine," she said, and pointed at the heart monitor. John nodded slowly, looking up at her in puzzlement. "If we tell you what happened, and that machine's rhythm alters by one little beep, we will be thrown out of here, so don't get upset or agitated!"
"I'm getting upset not knowing anything," he said hoarsely. Rachel looked at Bailey, and sat down in the chair, and reached out to take John's hand.
"Well, the woman you knew as Carolyn Ross, she kidnapped you," said Bailey.
John looked at him in disbelief. "Why would she do that?" he asked, bewildered, "How did she do that?"
"We think she told you that you were needed on a murder scene, and drove you there. You probably got into her car without any question."
John frowned in concentration, "I think I did," he said slowly, "Oh God, there was somebody there, something hit me when I got out of the car. Why would she do that? I never did anything to her.."
Grace pointed to the heart monitor, and shook her head. "Don't get upset," she repeated, and Rachel squeezed his hand.
"It had nothing to do with you really," she said leaning over towards him, "she was using you as bait, for someone else."
"Bait? I don't understand," he said "There was someone else there, a big man, I don't think he was all there."
"Carolyn Ross, or rather her name is Christine Landers, - she was using you to lure Patrick O'Doyle to her," said Bailey bluntly. "We don't know what went wrong, but at some time you were shot, probably by her accomplice."
"I was trying to escape," whispered John, "I almost got out, but the floorboards creaked. I think I broke his arm - then I don't remember." He sighed, and then looked up at Bailey through narrowed eyes
"Did you say O'Doyle?" he said in incredulous tones.
"She found out you were his son," said Bailey, "And thought she could force him to accede to her demands, by using you as a lever. If he hadn't come to us for help, you would have died."
"He came to you?" said John and his voice hardened "Did you throw him in jail?"
"John, he saved your life," whispered Rachel, "He didn't have to, he could have ignored the whole thing. He came to us, and led us to where you were being held, then caused her to shoot him, instead of you. He saved your life."
John's blue eyes were cold and blank. "Is he dead then?"
"No, he was only slightly wounded, but that's not the point. The point is, he saved your life, and also told us that it was this woman, this Christine Landers, that caused the accident that killed your mother."
John looked at Rachel angrily. "He's a liar, a cheat and a liar," and he pulled his hand out of hers, and threw his arm across his face. "I can't believe you fell for his bullshit! He's a vicious bloody criminal."
Grace came forward, taking Rachel by the arm, and indicating that they leave him alone. "He's getting upset, just leave it," she whispered to Bailey and Rachel, but Rachel pulled her arm free. "John - don't shut yourself off like this," she pleaded, "What he told us was the truth," but John turned his head away, leaving his arm across his face, and said "I'm tired, please leave me alone."
Rachel stood there for a moment, in frustration, and then turned on her heel. "Fine," she said frostily, and walked off.
The others were waiting just outside. "Well, that went well," said Grace, sarcastically.
"I'm going home for a while," said Rachel, "Can you drop me off Bailey. I'll have a shower and freshen up, before I come back."
Bailey smiled "So you are coming back?" he asked gently.
"Oh yes," she replied, "I'm not letting one of his sulking fits scare me off. He'll have to
try harder than that!"