Chapter Four
Three weeks later.
Sydney hesitated outside the hospital door, hand poised above the handle and the other wrapped around a pot of flowers she'd picked up on the way over. Resting her forehead against white wood of the door, she took a deep breath and counted to ten. Sure, she'd been to visit Will everyday since he had been brought to Cedar Hospital, but he had woken up from the coma last night, and today she would be faced with questions she wasn't sure how to answer.
Resolutely she turned the handle and pushed the door open. Will was her best friend, and she was going to answer whatever question he had to the best of her ability.
He was asleep, his head resting peacefully on the limp pillows and a light snore issuing from his nose. Sydney smiled and placed the new flowers next to the old. As she sat down in her usual chair, tears began to slide down her face in rapid succession.
'It's just Will,' she told herself, and smoothed down the blanket surrounding his slumbering form. His hand jerked when she touched it, and his eyes opened slowly.
"Hey," she whispered, and his hand came up to touch her cheek.
"Syd." His voice was hoarse and he licked his lips before trying to say anything else.
"Shhh, you should sleep." She brought her hand up to cover his on her face, and she closed her eyes. "You've been through a lot."
He brought his hand down and took her other and squeezed it. "I've been in a coma for three weeks. Moving is a nice change of pace."
"Yeah, well you don't want to overdo it and end up in another coma." She paused there, unsure of how to approach her next question. "Do you... do you remember how this happened?"
Will's eyes glassed over a little, and for a moment Sydney thought she might have gone way too far too fast, might have already broken him. But he blinked and locked his blue eyes with hers. "There was... Allison. In your apartment. The medicine... and the phone call... she had a knife..." he trailed off.
"Alright, it's okay Will. We don't have to talk about it just yet."
"Syd... how could I have not realized? I... I should have known. Every time I kissed her... or touched her... I should have known."
Sydney shook her head vehemently. "Don't think that way, Will. No one knew, not you, not me. She was good at what she did. We can't blame ourselves."
He looked up into her eyes and smiled sadly. "You're such a hypocrite, Syd." When she opened her mouth to protest, he just closed his eyes. "Don't deny it, you blame yourself for everything."
He was fading, she could tell by how slow he was talking, and how hard he struggled to keep his eyelids from dropping. To avoid an argument, she just nodded and touched his face with her fingers. "If you need me or just want to talk, don't hesitate to call, okay?"
Nodding into her hand, he drifted off into sleep.
When she was sure he was completely asleep, Sydney removed her hand and stood. She leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek, then walked quietly out of him room feeling as though something large and heavy had been removed from her shoulders.
"Hey," a soft voice greeted her outside the room. Her smile of relief grew wider, now becoming a smile of happiness.
"Hi."
"How is he?"
"Physically, he'll be fine. Emotionally..." she trailed off, letting him decide what she would have said.
"And you?"
"I'm okay."
Vaughn looked at her. After a second's pause, she sighed. "Really. I will be."
He nodded, and she knew he only half believed her. He knew her too well. "Okay... if you're sure. Because, you know, if you want to wait a little while before we go on our trip, I'd completely understand."
She let herself smile a little again and grabbed his hand. "Oh, no. You are not getting out of this that easy."
A slow grin crept up his face. "I'm just looking out for you, Sydney. I don't know if you can handle me for a whole weekend. Your stamina could use some work, so if you want to save up your strength, it's okay."
Sydney's hand snaked up his chest to the collar of his jacket and tugged at it threateningly. "You'll be sorry you said that, mark my words."
He pulled her by the waist so that she was up against him, looking up into his eyes. He whispered, "I'll hold you to it," and then brushed a soft kiss against her lips. She sighed when he released her, and they walked out of the hospital ward hand in hand.
Out in the parking lot, Sydney and Vaughn had made it only halfway to her blue Ford Focus when an incessant beeping sounded from both of their cell phones.
Reluctantly, they pulled their clasped hands apart to allow Sydney to answer hers. "Hello?"
"We need you in here," Kendall's stoic voice demanded.
"Can it wait? We just visited Will and I'm a little drained-"
"We need you in here," he repeated, and the line went dead.
"Bastard," Sydney muttered under her breath, immediately rejoining her hand with Vaughn's and squeezing it a little too tightly for comfort, on his part anyway.
Vaughn, who luckily was left handed, answered his phone to talk to Weiss, who insisted that it really was important, and that they should hurry their asses up. Sydney frowned as she started the car, turning to Vaughn before she backed out of the parking space. "What do you think is so important? Do you think they found out who tried to kill us?"
"Don't get your hopes up, Syd. It could just be Kendall being an ass, like usual," Vaughn warned, watching her expression carefully. For the past three weeks, since he had held her in his apartment, she had been working nonstop to find the people that killed Francie and attempted Will's life and her own. The only time she would sleep would be by Will's side, and Vaughn had lost count of the times he'd walked into the hospital room to find Sydney's head on Will's shoulder.
They drove in silence, but it was comfortable, their hands intertwined the whole ride.
"Ah, Agents Vaughn and Bristow. Glad you could make it," Kendall greeted them.
"Oh, so are we," Sydney retorted, a sweet smile on her face. Vaughn shot her a look but hid a snicker behind his hand.
"You'll be working with an investigator from the NSC here to investigate your mother." Kendall's voice dropped to a lower tone, "I advise you to be courteous to her because the NSC has wanted to take control of this Ops Center for a while, and I don't want to give them any reasons to stay. " A woman walked up to the group, and Kendall stopped talking.
The woman smiled at Vaughn and stuck out her hand. "Hello, I'm Lauren Reed."
Three weeks later.
Sydney hesitated outside the hospital door, hand poised above the handle and the other wrapped around a pot of flowers she'd picked up on the way over. Resting her forehead against white wood of the door, she took a deep breath and counted to ten. Sure, she'd been to visit Will everyday since he had been brought to Cedar Hospital, but he had woken up from the coma last night, and today she would be faced with questions she wasn't sure how to answer.
Resolutely she turned the handle and pushed the door open. Will was her best friend, and she was going to answer whatever question he had to the best of her ability.
He was asleep, his head resting peacefully on the limp pillows and a light snore issuing from his nose. Sydney smiled and placed the new flowers next to the old. As she sat down in her usual chair, tears began to slide down her face in rapid succession.
'It's just Will,' she told herself, and smoothed down the blanket surrounding his slumbering form. His hand jerked when she touched it, and his eyes opened slowly.
"Hey," she whispered, and his hand came up to touch her cheek.
"Syd." His voice was hoarse and he licked his lips before trying to say anything else.
"Shhh, you should sleep." She brought her hand up to cover his on her face, and she closed her eyes. "You've been through a lot."
He brought his hand down and took her other and squeezed it. "I've been in a coma for three weeks. Moving is a nice change of pace."
"Yeah, well you don't want to overdo it and end up in another coma." She paused there, unsure of how to approach her next question. "Do you... do you remember how this happened?"
Will's eyes glassed over a little, and for a moment Sydney thought she might have gone way too far too fast, might have already broken him. But he blinked and locked his blue eyes with hers. "There was... Allison. In your apartment. The medicine... and the phone call... she had a knife..." he trailed off.
"Alright, it's okay Will. We don't have to talk about it just yet."
"Syd... how could I have not realized? I... I should have known. Every time I kissed her... or touched her... I should have known."
Sydney shook her head vehemently. "Don't think that way, Will. No one knew, not you, not me. She was good at what she did. We can't blame ourselves."
He looked up into her eyes and smiled sadly. "You're such a hypocrite, Syd." When she opened her mouth to protest, he just closed his eyes. "Don't deny it, you blame yourself for everything."
He was fading, she could tell by how slow he was talking, and how hard he struggled to keep his eyelids from dropping. To avoid an argument, she just nodded and touched his face with her fingers. "If you need me or just want to talk, don't hesitate to call, okay?"
Nodding into her hand, he drifted off into sleep.
When she was sure he was completely asleep, Sydney removed her hand and stood. She leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek, then walked quietly out of him room feeling as though something large and heavy had been removed from her shoulders.
"Hey," a soft voice greeted her outside the room. Her smile of relief grew wider, now becoming a smile of happiness.
"Hi."
"How is he?"
"Physically, he'll be fine. Emotionally..." she trailed off, letting him decide what she would have said.
"And you?"
"I'm okay."
Vaughn looked at her. After a second's pause, she sighed. "Really. I will be."
He nodded, and she knew he only half believed her. He knew her too well. "Okay... if you're sure. Because, you know, if you want to wait a little while before we go on our trip, I'd completely understand."
She let herself smile a little again and grabbed his hand. "Oh, no. You are not getting out of this that easy."
A slow grin crept up his face. "I'm just looking out for you, Sydney. I don't know if you can handle me for a whole weekend. Your stamina could use some work, so if you want to save up your strength, it's okay."
Sydney's hand snaked up his chest to the collar of his jacket and tugged at it threateningly. "You'll be sorry you said that, mark my words."
He pulled her by the waist so that she was up against him, looking up into his eyes. He whispered, "I'll hold you to it," and then brushed a soft kiss against her lips. She sighed when he released her, and they walked out of the hospital ward hand in hand.
Out in the parking lot, Sydney and Vaughn had made it only halfway to her blue Ford Focus when an incessant beeping sounded from both of their cell phones.
Reluctantly, they pulled their clasped hands apart to allow Sydney to answer hers. "Hello?"
"We need you in here," Kendall's stoic voice demanded.
"Can it wait? We just visited Will and I'm a little drained-"
"We need you in here," he repeated, and the line went dead.
"Bastard," Sydney muttered under her breath, immediately rejoining her hand with Vaughn's and squeezing it a little too tightly for comfort, on his part anyway.
Vaughn, who luckily was left handed, answered his phone to talk to Weiss, who insisted that it really was important, and that they should hurry their asses up. Sydney frowned as she started the car, turning to Vaughn before she backed out of the parking space. "What do you think is so important? Do you think they found out who tried to kill us?"
"Don't get your hopes up, Syd. It could just be Kendall being an ass, like usual," Vaughn warned, watching her expression carefully. For the past three weeks, since he had held her in his apartment, she had been working nonstop to find the people that killed Francie and attempted Will's life and her own. The only time she would sleep would be by Will's side, and Vaughn had lost count of the times he'd walked into the hospital room to find Sydney's head on Will's shoulder.
They drove in silence, but it was comfortable, their hands intertwined the whole ride.
"Ah, Agents Vaughn and Bristow. Glad you could make it," Kendall greeted them.
"Oh, so are we," Sydney retorted, a sweet smile on her face. Vaughn shot her a look but hid a snicker behind his hand.
"You'll be working with an investigator from the NSC here to investigate your mother." Kendall's voice dropped to a lower tone, "I advise you to be courteous to her because the NSC has wanted to take control of this Ops Center for a while, and I don't want to give them any reasons to stay. " A woman walked up to the group, and Kendall stopped talking.
The woman smiled at Vaughn and stuck out her hand. "Hello, I'm Lauren Reed."