Once again I have enjoyed the reviews I am getting. I hate Melanie, too, so don't worry.
Enjoy!
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I open my eyes and find myself staring at the ceiling in an unfamiliar room. For a moment I have no idea what the hell is going on, that is until I lift my arm to my head feel the pain throbbing through my entire body. Right, Vaughn's wife kicked my ass, how fitting.
"Looks like you've come back to join us," an entirely too cheerful voice interrupts my thoughts. "You were out pretty cold there for a while – your body's way of regrouping. When Agent Armstrong brought you in we thought you had tried to escape and he had been forced to immobilize you; we've never had something like this happen in the training room – a few bruises maybe, but that's all."
A nurse is standing over me smiling, flashing a light into each of my eyes; she's lucky any movement of force is impossible because I am quite tempted to give her a swift kick to the head.
"Can I get some pain killers or something," I mumble, my tongue feeling like a giant cotton ball in my mouth, "And a glass of water."
"Let me just get the doctor, we were waiting until you woke up to give you anything for the pain, we wanted to make sure you'd regain consciousness as quickly as possible."
"How long was I out?"
"Only about 45 minutes," the pert little nurse smiles at me, "Don't worry though, all your vital signs are fine, you just got knocked around a bit."
"You could say that again," I mutter under my breath.
"You sit tight a minute, I'll be right back with something to take the edge off." She is out of the room in a flash, taking all her happy energy with her.
I lie still on the bed, thinking about how I have spent much of my time since waking up in Hong Kong, sitting, laying or sleeping in beds – it's quite ridiculous. It has been a long time since I have felt this awful physically and seems only right that the woman who put me here is the same woman who is in part responsible for the emotional beating I have been taking. Though I can bet it will be a long time before we are alone together in a room again, Melanie better watch her back – Vaughn or no Vaughn, I'd kick her ass in a minute if given the opportunity.
Before I can continue my thoughts of tearing ever strand of red hair out of her head, the door to my room swings inward and open. I look up, wondering if it is Vaughn, hoping that he will have thrown his wife to the wayside for beating me up. Damn, it's only another doctor, but he looks to be carrying pills and water so it's not all bad.
"Agent Murphy said you were asking for some medication and water?" He smiles warmly and I can't help but smile back, the man is probably in his mid-sixties and I instantly feel soothed by his presence. "I'm sorry to say that I can only give you ibuprofen but it should do the trick, just not as fast as some of the other stuff."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," I say, taking the small cup holding the pills and the water bottle from him. I sit up, ignoring the pain that is trying to keep me flat against the bed and down the caplets with a huge gulp of water and continue drinking until the bottle is empty.
"Very good," the doctor approves, I half expect him to pat me on the knee and give me a lollipop. "Agent Armstrong is going to take you back to your cell if you are able to walk. We think it's best to take a break from testing for the rest of the day."
On cue, Bryce enters the room, coming straight to my side, "Good to see you up and alert. How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," I offer a weak smile, "Is there any way we could make a pit stop at the shower again?"
"I don't see why not, I'm sure they are willing to be quite accommodating considered what went down this afternoon."
Bryce offers his arm and I take it, pulling myself off the bed. My legs are a little unsteady and Bryce moves to wrap his arm around my waist. By the time we get to the bathroom I am feeling much better, though my muscles have tightened up significantly from all the strain they have endured today.
After a hot shower and another change of clothes, I am almost back to normal, though still a little worse for the wear. This kind of exertion is nothing new to me, but I doubt I have seen this much action since my fight with Allison two years ago, so it's bound to take its toll.
When I exit the bathroom, Bryce takes my arm, more out of sympathy than out of a need to keep me secure. We walk silently towards the main room. I feel like I have to psych myself up to walk through the room, like a fallen soldier returning to the home front.
"Hey, I forgot to tell you, Will Tippin came by while you were in the shower, he said he would bring dinner by after a meeting he was going to, sometime around 6:30 or 7:00."
"Oh, thanks."
Bryce moves ahead of me to open the door for the both of us and pushes me gently through in front of him. I'm almost surprised when no one turns to stare at me as I enter the room, but I can't say that I am not thankful. I quickly glance around the room to see if either of the Vaughns are in sight – at the moment I am not looking forward to seeing Mr. or Mrs.
Midway through the room, Agent Sherman approaches Bryce and I. "Agent Bristow, I'm glad to see you back on your feet. I'm very sorry about this afternoon, Agent Edwards tends to get a little zealous with new recruits and I had told her that is what you were, she feels terrible about what happened, as do I."
"It's not your fault, I just paused and didn't keep my guard up, sometimes that happens. I can't blame her for taking advantage of the situation, I probably would have if I were her," I give the most honest, gracious answer I can; I'm still pissed off but my anger doesn't make anything any better, I'll save my venting for counseling sessions – I'm sure there are many more of those to come.
We make it back to my cell without any other encounters. And Bryce leaves me once I have promised him that I will get lots of rest and think of a joke to tell him in the morning. I feel like explaining to him that my whole life is a joke so really he only needs to look at me in lieu of a punch line, but I don't want to chance another lecture on looking at the bright side of things and remembering who it is that I am supposed to be: Spy Girl Extraordinaire.
I flop down on my bed and ignore the fact that my sheets are still in a pile sitting at the end of it (no CIA maid service for me) and curl into a fetal position, pulling the blanket off the floor and back around my body. I'll just sleep until Will comes with my supper.
* * *
I wake up pretty stiff, muscles tight from an abrupt end to their use. Will still hasn't come with food, even though the clock in the hall says it is close to eight, the meeting must have gone long. I decide to stretch out before he comes, hoping to alleviate a few days worth of sore muscles and aching joints.
A half an hour later my stomach is beginning to growl and still there is no sign of Will. Have I been forgotten in my lone cell? Then I hear it, the gate sliding up and into the ceiling, finally.
"You're late," I call out as I bend forward to touch the floor in front of me.
"Sorry, something came up," Vaughn's voice brings flying out of my stretch. "Will thought it would be a good idea if I brought your food."
"What, as a peace offering for your wife beating me up? That's sweet," I laugh sarcastically, not really meaning to take my anger out on this man, but letting it flow none-the-less, "For that I just might let you in my cell."
"I'm sorry, I don't know what they were thinking by having the two of you spar, it wasn't the best plan," Vaughn's forehead becomes lined with wrinkles and I notice a few new ones have made a home there.
"I'm sorry too, it's not your fault, or maybe even her fault for that matter. I don't think she knew who I was until afterwards. And I only found out it was her right before she knocked my feet out from under me. I can't say it makes me like her all that much, but even if we had met under other circumstances I still think I would hate her."
"She is a nice woman and normally very mild…" he sounds like he is defending her which makes the bile rise up in my throat.
I interrupt, "We didn't meet, Vaughn, she knocked me out and learned who I was in the process. And even though she acted like she didn't know who I was, I find it hard to believe that she actually thought she was training with a new recruit, or that she would have treated anyone else the way she treated me."
"Yes, Melanie's actions were out of line and I am surprised too," Vaughn is still standing in the doorway, as if waiting for permission to enter. "Look, I'm not defending her, but please don't get mad at me about it, I was out at another site all day and if I had known what Sherman had planned I would not have let it happen."
We stand there, facing each other until I finally relent and move aside for him to enter.
"Come on in," I'm too tired to argue or ask how he would have rather had us meet, at a cozy dinner at his place or in passing out in the operations center – no matter how we met I'm quite certain she would have knocked me out. "Let's just not talk about her right now, I am starving. What did you bring me?"
"Chicken Marsala," he follows me over to sit down on my sole piece of furniture, the bed. "It's from Francie's restaurant, I guess Dixon ran out and got it for you."
"Yum, please pass my thanks along," I rub my hands together in anticipation. There are two takeout containers; looks like Vaughn will be eating with me tonight. "Haven't you eaten yet?"
Vaughn shakes his head as he hands me my meal, "No time, I didn't get back here until fifteen minutes ago, it's been a long day."
We eat quietly for a while. The food is delicious and I concentrate on chewing each bite thoroughly, feeling more and more awkward after each one.
Finally I have to say something, "So, what are you working on, can you tell me?"
"Just following up on a lead that came in before you came back and doing research at an outside facility; pretty boring stuff but time-consuming and necessary."
"Have there been and leads to show how I ended up in Hong Kong or where I came from?"
"Nothing so far, at least not that I know of, but another team is working at that right now, I just read the reports as they pass over my desk. If something were to come up then I would look into it." Vaughn leans over to grab something from the bag he carried in, "I almost forgot."
In his hand he has a small bottle of milk. I love having milk with my meals. That is something from my childhood – I remember it from before my mom leaving, I always had to have a glass of milk with dinner and as I grew older my dad made sure whatever nanny was staying with me poured me at least one glass of milk for dinner, sometimes two. Vaughn used to laugh at me because I ordered milk on occasion at a nice restaurant instead of a glass of wine.
"So who do I owe thanks for the milk?"
"That would be me, I stopped by a store on my way back here, I thought you might be missing your daily dose of lactose," Vaughn smiles but his eyes have turned sad again.
"I'm glad you remembered."
"Sydney, I haven't forgotten anything, please don't think that I have. Just because I have gotten married doesn't mean…" Vaughn stops himself before continuing, "It's just complicated, that's all."
No doubt the encounter this afternoon hasn't made things any more clear. "I know, you are an honorable man and you have made a commitment to another woman. You and I weren't even dating that long, aside from the fact you thought I was dead. Who knows what would have happened between us?"
"I know what would have happened," Vaughn sets his dish down and takes the things out of my hands, setting them on the floor next to his. "It should have been us, Syd, us getting married. And it probably would've happened pretty soon after that night."
I hold up my hand, which Vaughn takes and folds between his own. "I don't want to hear this, Vaughn, it doesn't make it any better or easier or hurt any less."
"I know you don't want to hear it but I think you have to, I want you to. I want you to know that I didn't give up on you, that I didn't stop loving you. You are right, I am an honorable man, I stand by my commitments, but Sydney, some commitments aren't meant to last forever. Please, just be patient with me, hopefully someday I can give you what you want."
I feel the tears on my cheeks before I realize that I am even crying. How can he say this to me and then go home to another woman? How can I want him to break someone else's heart, to break a promise he has made to someone else? Yet how can I not want him for myself?
"Okay," is all I am able to get out.
Vaughn reaches out to wipe the tears from my eyes and cheeks, "No more crying, Syd."
All I want to do is lay down on this bed and pull Vaughn's arms around me, to feel his chest rise and fall against my back, but that is not going to happen. Not tonight and maybe not ever. I just don't see how Vaughn is going to extract himself from the life he has built. But I will take what I can get and right now feeling his touch on my skin has to be enough for me.
"Why don't you drink your milk and then we can make your bed properly," Vaughn grins at me, "You never were very good at making the bed."
"Whatever, Vaughn, you're lucky we never went to your apartment, I'm sure I would have found plenty of flaws there," the mood is successfully lightened.
I reluctantly let go of Vaughn's hand and reach for my drink. Four large, purposefully audible, gulps and the bottle is empty.
"Gee, if I had know you would drink that down so quickly I would have brought a few more."
Vaughn hops up off the bed, tugging my hand to get me up as well. Rolling his eyes, he pulls the wrinkled blanket off of the bed and picks up the sheets from the other end. "You get that end and I will get this end."
Together we get the corners of the mattress into the fitted sheet and Vaughn whips the top sheet open so it floats down like a cloud onto the bed, he repeats the motion with the blanket, leaving me to smooth out the wrinkles. Once the ends of the sheet and the blanket are tucked beneath the mattress we are done with the task.
"We'll see how long that lasts," Vaughn teases. "I never could understand how you could be so ordered in every part of your life but your bed would be a mess."
It's my turn to roll my eyes at him as I bend down to pick our trash up off the floor, my shirt sliding up my waist.
"That's quite a beauty, Syd, did you have that in Hong Kong?"
"What?"
Vaughn reaches over and pulls up the back of my shirt, "That huge bruise on your back."
I turn to try and get a glance at what he is talking about, but end up spinning around in a circle, unable to see anything. Vaughn removes the trash from my hands, stowing it back in the bag before leading me across the room to the mirror above the sink. He turns me so I am facing him and lifts my shirt again; looking over my shoulder I can see a football-sized bruise just below my ribcage.
"No, that's a new one."
"How did that happen, Melanie said she knocked your legs out from under you, I don't think you would have gotten that bruise from that happening, though you probably have one on your tailbone. Did Sherman do it when you were sparring?"
"No, it wasn't Sherman," I'm not quite sure how to tell Vaughn that his wife sucker-punched me, better to be honest, "It's from Melanie, after she knocked me down and I rolled to my side and she kicked me. Pretty hard too, judging from the speed of the pain that went shooting through my body. I guess she likes to finish what she starts."
I move my eyes from the mirror and shift my head back so I can look at Vaughn. I notice that one hand is still on my back, holding my shirt up, while the other is resting on my hip. But when I look at his face, he isn't looking back at me, but instead at the mirror and no doubt at the bruise on my back.
I have never seen him this angry. As I watch his face I can see that his green eyes are brimming with rage. "I can't believe she did this to you," he spits the words out.
"Vaughn, it's okay, I'll be fine, it really doesn't hurt that much," I don't know why I am trying to protect her from this.
He moves his hand and firmly presses it into my back, causing me to wince and quickly suck in the breath that I was taking. His eyes to shift down to mine, one eyebrow raised to make his point. But his point is lost on me, my focus is now on his lips, so close after his demonstration had caused me to move slightly forward. I can feel myself drawing closer to them, anticipating their union.
"No." A single word stops me in my tracks; I look quizzically at Vaughn, who is motioning with his eyes in the direction of the camera over his shoulder. Silently he mouths, "Not here, not now."
Vaughn's hands drop to his sides and he steps back from me, his eyes locked with mine.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Syd, I have to go take care of something now," Vaughn breaks eye contact as he turns to retrieve the garbage from the floor.
I am still standing in front of the sink as he exits the cell. "Good night, Vaughn, get some sleep."
"You, too," he tosses a killer smile my way and I almost groan thinking that just seconds ago those lips were almost on mine.
And then he is gone and I'm alone, but I can't help but smirk when I think of Vaughn's next encounter with his wife. It's too bad for her she doesn't have better control of her actions, I would gladly suffer a few bruises and a couple days of soreness if it meant that Vaughn would be mine. And here I never thought I would be a home wreaker, the kind of woman who breaks up a marriage, but here I am, hoping for a marriage to end.
I can only hope that the days get better from here.
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Thanks for reading (again!), I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more; I have a little plot worked out in my head that I think people will like. Oh yes, I am on vacation until next Monday (7/28) so you will have to wait a while for an update, but I will be writing while I am gone!