Chapter 4
After Jack finished eating, Margie handed him a mini shaving kit. She told him, "Before you go, why don't you freshen up. You wouldn't want anyone at Headquarters' thinking you're losing control."
Jack reached up and ran his hand across his face. He defiantly needed a shave. He accepted the shaving kit from her.
"Give me your coat and I'll steam out some of those wrinkles for you," she said to him, as she helped him remove his suit coat.
Fifteen minutes later, Jack returned from the men's room, looking just slightly better than he did before shaving and combing his hair.
Margie had steamed out as many wrinkles as she could. She also steamed his tie that she had found stuffed in his pocket.
While putting on his tie, he thanked her again for all that she has done for him.
While he was putting on his coat, Margie reached into the pocket of her smock and told him, "I almost forgot. You left this behind, when you left before." She then handed him the card with Dr. Barnett's phone number on it.
"I don't need that," he told her, making no effort to take the card.
"I wrote my number on it, in case you want to talk again, or if you want an update on Will," she said, trying to bribe him to take the card.
Jack accepted the card hesitantly, as he would not mind being able to find out first hand information on Will's progress. "Thank you. Your husband was a lucky man," he said as he placed the card in his wallet. He then left the hospital and drove to the Op Center.
Once he arrived at the Center, Jack headed straight to the basement where morgue was. When he got off the elevator, he was greeted by a security guard. "She's in room three, sir."
When he arrived at room three, he found two guards on duty in front of the door and a third one inside the room. It was obvious that the CIA was making sure they did not lose track of the body.
After entering the room, Jack's attention was directed to the exam table and the white sheet that was covering a body. Vaughn was sitting next to table with his head down. The doctor was working at his desk.
Jack walked up to the table and drew back the white sheet that covered the blacken form. He held his breath in order to stop from getting sick. He was never able to tolerate the smell of burnt flesh.
Once he over came the nauseous feeling, he examined the charred remains. The length of the body, fingers and hands, all appeared to be the same as Sydney. There was no hair. The body was wearing a blackened ring and a bracelet, that was now encrusted into what was left of the skin. The jewelry did resemble something he had seen Sydney wear.
Dr. Asten walked over to the table, while Jack was examining the body. Jack asked him why he hadn't started doing the autopsy yet.
"We've started the DNA testing, but Director Kendall asked us to wait until you had a chance to see her, before we did any cutting."
Jack was surprised by Kendall's thoughtfulness. He didn't want Jack seeing his daughter, for the last time, with her internal organs sitting in a metal pan and her brain cut open. He was surprisingly grateful for the gesture.
He asked the doctor, "Can you open her jaws?"
"Yes, sir," he said as he used a pair of pliers to spread her mouth open. Jack turned the overhead light so that it was shining into the mouth of the corpse. He looked inside to see if there was a capped molar. He knew that his daughter had only one missing tooth. The one that was extracted on her Taiwan operation.
"Alright," he said, giving the doctor the clearance to let go of the pliers.
"I want a copy of your autopsy the minute it's available," he told the doctor.
"Yes sir."
He then addressed Vaughn for the first time. "Vaughn," he called out.
Vaughn looked up at him. "What a cold bastard," he thought to himself.
Vaughn's disapproving look did not go unnoticed by Jack, but he had no time or desire to offer an explanation for his actions. If he stopped now, he was afraid that he would not be able to continue and he had to continue. For his own sanity, he had to find out what happened.
Once he had Vaughn's attention, he gave him an order. He told him, "I want you to stay here and supervisor. Bring me the report the minute it's available."
Vaughn wanted to reach over the table and strangle Jack. How could he carry on like this was just another dead body? "This is your daughter, for god sake," he thought to himself.
"Did you hear me," Jack repeated, when Vaughn did not reply.
"I heard you. I'll stay with her."
Jack checked his watch. It was 12:30. He had a half an hour to make it to the one o'clock debrief meeting.
On his way up to the 12th floor he stopped in the men's room and proceeded to heave out his stomach contents. After he was done heaving the meal that Margie had forced him to eat, he sat back against the wall of the stall. He wrapped his arms around his bent knees and slowing banged his head against his knees, trying to beat out the pressure that was consuming his head.
After a minute of head banging, he rested his head against his knees and for the first time, he thought about Irina. "I have to contact her. She needs to know. What am I going to tell her?"
He looked at his watch. It was fifteen to one. He got up and washed his face. He'd have to worry about Irina later. For now he had a meeting to attend.
tbc
After Jack finished eating, Margie handed him a mini shaving kit. She told him, "Before you go, why don't you freshen up. You wouldn't want anyone at Headquarters' thinking you're losing control."
Jack reached up and ran his hand across his face. He defiantly needed a shave. He accepted the shaving kit from her.
"Give me your coat and I'll steam out some of those wrinkles for you," she said to him, as she helped him remove his suit coat.
Fifteen minutes later, Jack returned from the men's room, looking just slightly better than he did before shaving and combing his hair.
Margie had steamed out as many wrinkles as she could. She also steamed his tie that she had found stuffed in his pocket.
While putting on his tie, he thanked her again for all that she has done for him.
While he was putting on his coat, Margie reached into the pocket of her smock and told him, "I almost forgot. You left this behind, when you left before." She then handed him the card with Dr. Barnett's phone number on it.
"I don't need that," he told her, making no effort to take the card.
"I wrote my number on it, in case you want to talk again, or if you want an update on Will," she said, trying to bribe him to take the card.
Jack accepted the card hesitantly, as he would not mind being able to find out first hand information on Will's progress. "Thank you. Your husband was a lucky man," he said as he placed the card in his wallet. He then left the hospital and drove to the Op Center.
Once he arrived at the Center, Jack headed straight to the basement where morgue was. When he got off the elevator, he was greeted by a security guard. "She's in room three, sir."
When he arrived at room three, he found two guards on duty in front of the door and a third one inside the room. It was obvious that the CIA was making sure they did not lose track of the body.
After entering the room, Jack's attention was directed to the exam table and the white sheet that was covering a body. Vaughn was sitting next to table with his head down. The doctor was working at his desk.
Jack walked up to the table and drew back the white sheet that covered the blacken form. He held his breath in order to stop from getting sick. He was never able to tolerate the smell of burnt flesh.
Once he over came the nauseous feeling, he examined the charred remains. The length of the body, fingers and hands, all appeared to be the same as Sydney. There was no hair. The body was wearing a blackened ring and a bracelet, that was now encrusted into what was left of the skin. The jewelry did resemble something he had seen Sydney wear.
Dr. Asten walked over to the table, while Jack was examining the body. Jack asked him why he hadn't started doing the autopsy yet.
"We've started the DNA testing, but Director Kendall asked us to wait until you had a chance to see her, before we did any cutting."
Jack was surprised by Kendall's thoughtfulness. He didn't want Jack seeing his daughter, for the last time, with her internal organs sitting in a metal pan and her brain cut open. He was surprisingly grateful for the gesture.
He asked the doctor, "Can you open her jaws?"
"Yes, sir," he said as he used a pair of pliers to spread her mouth open. Jack turned the overhead light so that it was shining into the mouth of the corpse. He looked inside to see if there was a capped molar. He knew that his daughter had only one missing tooth. The one that was extracted on her Taiwan operation.
"Alright," he said, giving the doctor the clearance to let go of the pliers.
"I want a copy of your autopsy the minute it's available," he told the doctor.
"Yes sir."
He then addressed Vaughn for the first time. "Vaughn," he called out.
Vaughn looked up at him. "What a cold bastard," he thought to himself.
Vaughn's disapproving look did not go unnoticed by Jack, but he had no time or desire to offer an explanation for his actions. If he stopped now, he was afraid that he would not be able to continue and he had to continue. For his own sanity, he had to find out what happened.
Once he had Vaughn's attention, he gave him an order. He told him, "I want you to stay here and supervisor. Bring me the report the minute it's available."
Vaughn wanted to reach over the table and strangle Jack. How could he carry on like this was just another dead body? "This is your daughter, for god sake," he thought to himself.
"Did you hear me," Jack repeated, when Vaughn did not reply.
"I heard you. I'll stay with her."
Jack checked his watch. It was 12:30. He had a half an hour to make it to the one o'clock debrief meeting.
On his way up to the 12th floor he stopped in the men's room and proceeded to heave out his stomach contents. After he was done heaving the meal that Margie had forced him to eat, he sat back against the wall of the stall. He wrapped his arms around his bent knees and slowing banged his head against his knees, trying to beat out the pressure that was consuming his head.
After a minute of head banging, he rested his head against his knees and for the first time, he thought about Irina. "I have to contact her. She needs to know. What am I going to tell her?"
He looked at his watch. It was fifteen to one. He got up and washed his face. He'd have to worry about Irina later. For now he had a meeting to attend.
tbc
