Chapter 33
Irina's scream startled Jack out of sleep. He turned on the lamp to find her sitting up, white and shaking. "Irina? Are you all right?" She'd periodically had nightmares during their marriage, but she hadn't had one while she was with him during the year they'd been searching for Sydney; he thought she'd gotten over them.
"It's Sloane, Jack," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"The hand dream." She was still staring into space, wide-eyed; he put his hands on her shoulders. He remembered 'the hand dream'—she'd told him while they were married that she'd had a recurring dream since childhood in which someone cut off her hand with a meat cleaver. It always took her a while to calm down.
The bedroom door burst open to reveal Sydney and Tatiana, both with guns drawn. They froze on the threshold, taking in the lack of intruders and Irina's stricken expression. "Is everything okay?" Sydney asked,
Jack suddenly decided he was very glad he and Irina had put pajamas on before going to sleep. "It's fine. Your mother just had a bad dream," he said when he saw that Irina wasn't going to answer.
"Um...is she okay? She looks kind of out of it," Tatiana said.
Irina blinked and shook her head a bit. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a bad dream."
When neither of them moved for a moment, Jack cleared his throat. "We'd appreciate it if you'd knock next time."
"We thought...Mom screamed..." Sydney sputtered.
"Okay, going back to bed now," Tatiana said. She grabbed Sydney by the arm and pulled her out of the room.
Jack turned to Irina. "You're still having that dream?"
Irina nodded. "It was Sloane, Jack. He's the one that ordered my hand cut off."
Jack took her hand and stroked her palm. "It's just a dream, Irina. Your mind probably put Sloane in there because of his picture in that Rambaldi book."
Irina looked pensive. "Maybe," she said. She kissed him. "Let's go back to sleep now, okay?"
Jack frowned, sensing that there was more to it. But she obviously didn't want to talk about it. "All right." He reached over and turned out the light; she curled into him and went back to sleep.
***
Irina jerked out of sleep suddenly and opened her eyes to see morning sunlight slanting through the room. "Morning," Jack said from beside her, and leaned in to kiss her.
She smiled. "Morning."
"I love waking up next to you," Jack said. Her smile disappeared, but he was kissing her neck and didn't see. "Hey, remember how I used to go out and get donuts for us all on Sunday morning? Maybe I should go do that..." Irina sat up abruptly and got out of bed. "Irina?"
Irina dug in her bag and started pulling on clothes. "We've got to get out of here."
***
Tatiana woke up with a start and sat up, shaking her head to clear her dream away. Yawning, she made her way to the bathroom. The door was open, and she looked in to see that Sydney was just finishing brushing her teeth. "Hi!" Sydney said brightly. "Sleep well?"
"Um, yeah," Tatiana said, frowning.
"Hmm...I remember on Sundays when I was little Dad used to go get us donuts. I wonder if we could convince him to go?"
Tatiana paled. "Sydney...Mom and I, we have to leave. Now."
Irina's scream startled Jack out of sleep. He turned on the lamp to find her sitting up, white and shaking. "Irina? Are you all right?" She'd periodically had nightmares during their marriage, but she hadn't had one while she was with him during the year they'd been searching for Sydney; he thought she'd gotten over them.
"It's Sloane, Jack," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"The hand dream." She was still staring into space, wide-eyed; he put his hands on her shoulders. He remembered 'the hand dream'—she'd told him while they were married that she'd had a recurring dream since childhood in which someone cut off her hand with a meat cleaver. It always took her a while to calm down.
The bedroom door burst open to reveal Sydney and Tatiana, both with guns drawn. They froze on the threshold, taking in the lack of intruders and Irina's stricken expression. "Is everything okay?" Sydney asked,
Jack suddenly decided he was very glad he and Irina had put pajamas on before going to sleep. "It's fine. Your mother just had a bad dream," he said when he saw that Irina wasn't going to answer.
"Um...is she okay? She looks kind of out of it," Tatiana said.
Irina blinked and shook her head a bit. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a bad dream."
When neither of them moved for a moment, Jack cleared his throat. "We'd appreciate it if you'd knock next time."
"We thought...Mom screamed..." Sydney sputtered.
"Okay, going back to bed now," Tatiana said. She grabbed Sydney by the arm and pulled her out of the room.
Jack turned to Irina. "You're still having that dream?"
Irina nodded. "It was Sloane, Jack. He's the one that ordered my hand cut off."
Jack took her hand and stroked her palm. "It's just a dream, Irina. Your mind probably put Sloane in there because of his picture in that Rambaldi book."
Irina looked pensive. "Maybe," she said. She kissed him. "Let's go back to sleep now, okay?"
Jack frowned, sensing that there was more to it. But she obviously didn't want to talk about it. "All right." He reached over and turned out the light; she curled into him and went back to sleep.
***
Irina jerked out of sleep suddenly and opened her eyes to see morning sunlight slanting through the room. "Morning," Jack said from beside her, and leaned in to kiss her.
She smiled. "Morning."
"I love waking up next to you," Jack said. Her smile disappeared, but he was kissing her neck and didn't see. "Hey, remember how I used to go out and get donuts for us all on Sunday morning? Maybe I should go do that..." Irina sat up abruptly and got out of bed. "Irina?"
Irina dug in her bag and started pulling on clothes. "We've got to get out of here."
***
Tatiana woke up with a start and sat up, shaking her head to clear her dream away. Yawning, she made her way to the bathroom. The door was open, and she looked in to see that Sydney was just finishing brushing her teeth. "Hi!" Sydney said brightly. "Sleep well?"
"Um, yeah," Tatiana said, frowning.
"Hmm...I remember on Sundays when I was little Dad used to go get us donuts. I wonder if we could convince him to go?"
Tatiana paled. "Sydney...Mom and I, we have to leave. Now."