Title: This Tear
Author: SydGillyKC
A/N: Dixon's finally in the story! I hope you guys like his addition and I hope my characterization of him is accurate. If not, just let me know. Like I said, I apologize if the story starts to get dark again. My writing tends to alternate from happy to sad based on my mood lol. Plus I've had most of this story worked out in my head since day one, and now I just have to write it that way. Whatever I write, though, never rule out the possibility for a happy ending. Hope you like the chapter, I think it's my longest one yet!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well, he was pretty shocked apparently, but that's to be expected. They showed him CIA files, though they can't take him to headquarters until he's agreed to join. Your father said the thing he seemed to have the hardest time believing was the fact that you're still alive," Weiss said to Sydney. "I guess he went to your funeral, and he's pretty convinced that you died. Your dad told him you were in hiding, but he didn't seem to believe it completely. So your dad made a deal with him. They're going to fly him out here, sedated of course, and he said that if you're really alive and can corroborate the whole story, he'll join."
"When's he being flown out?" Vaughn asked.
"Tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 16: Reunited
"Tomorrow?!" Sydney asked, surprised. "They can organize it that quickly?"
"Well, he's going to be sedated and put on a plane at 8 AM Pacific time. He'll come to around the end of the flight, be blindfolded, and I'll go to pick him up. They're going to have a windowless van waiting for me and I'll bring him back in that," Weiss explained.
"And he knows all this?" Sydney asked.
"Signed an agreement before he was taken to the safe house," Weiss replied.
"What time will he be here tomorrow?" Vaughn asked.
"We should get back from the airfield at about 5 PM," Weiss told him. Before either Vaughn or Sydney could reply, the phone rang again. Weiss reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?" Pause. "Oh hi." Pause. "Oh really? You want to talk to her?" Pause. "Okay, hold on," they heard Weiss say before he handed the phone to Sydney, informing her that it was Dr. Anderson.
"Hello?" She asked into the phone.
"Agent Bristow, hi. I just wanted to let you know that I got your results in. As I told you before, it's too early to know if the new chemo's working or not, but I can tell you that we didn't detect any other tumors, which is a good sign. Your bone marrow aspiration came back negative. My only concern right now is that your blood tests show you're a little anemic," Dr. Anderson informed her.
"Am I?" She asked.
"Yes, which is basically a concern due to the new chemo and the fact that it leaves you susceptible to secondary infections. So I want you to get as much rest as possible and start taking some iron supplements that I'll bring by probably tomorrow. But really, you should try to take it easy as much as you can," Dr. Anderson insisted.
"I will, doctor. Thank you."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Okay. Bye," she said, hanging up the phone and turning to face Vaughn and Weiss, both with expectant looks on their faces.
"What'd he say?" Vaughn asked.
"He said that it's too early to tell if the new chemo is working, but that there are no new tumors right now," Sydney replied.
"And?" Vaughn asked.
"How do you know there's more?" Sydney wondered.
"Because you asked him if you were something, and none of what you said fits with that," Vaughn explained.
"Damn CIA training," she muttered. "He said that I was a little anemic and that he was going to drop off some iron supplements tomorrow."
"And probably that you need to rest because anemia causes you to be quite tired," Vaughn guessed.
"You should consider a profession as a psychic, Vaughn," she joked. "You could fool a lot of people." Both Vaughn and Weiss laughed as Sydney gathered up the cards to put them away.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
That afternoon, Vaughn slipped quietly into Sydney's room. She was curled up on her side, facing away from him and holding a book. He walked over and joined her on the bed. He spooned up behind her, draping his arm over her stomach and kissing her neck.
"What are you reading?" He asked.
"Re-reading actually," she replied, closing the book and reaching over to put it on the nightstand. "I was so bored I figured I'd go through my books again, starting with the first one I read here."
"Well, you won't have to. Weiss went out to get some groceries and I told him to find a bookstore and get you some new stuff," Vaughn said, his face still partially buried in her neck. She suddenly shifted and turned over so that she was facing him. She remained close to him and rested her forehead against his.
"Thanks," she said softly. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth over her skin. She closed her eyes.
"Are you nervous about seeing Dixon?" He asked quietly. Without opening her eyes, she sighed.
"What if he doesn't understand?" She asked.
"We'll make him understand," Vaughn assured her. She smiled beneath her mask.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I'll think of something," he said, kissing the skin between her eyes.
"I was trying to go over in my head what I'd say to him. Everything I think of just seems inadequate," she told him.
"You shouldn't worry, Syd. Whatever you say, it'll be fine. You always seem to say the right thing," he said.
"Not always," she argued, laughing.
"Well, most of the time at least," he conceded. Both were silent for a moment.
"I heard he eulogized me," she said sadly.
"Yeah, I heard that too. I'm sorry, Syd," he said, moving his hand from her cheek and bringing it down to stroke her arm.
"What for?" She asked, confused.
"That things are, well, the way they are. I know it sucks," he said bluntly.
"It sucks for you too," she reminded him, smiling a little.
"Oh I don't know, it's not so bad. I get to be with you, I get to sleep in whenever I want, Weiss has stopped lecturing me about protocol. It's almost like a vacation," he joked. She laughed.
"Glad you're enjoying it," she said somewhat sarcastically. He lifted his head and kissed her forehead.
"You should rest as much as possible. Tomorrow will probably be a long day," He reminded her. She groaned.
"Don't remind me." Her eyes closed again and she turned back over on her side.
"You want me to go?" He asked. She didn't answer her question verbally, but reached over and grabbed his arm, bringing it down over her stomach. He moved closer to her and buried his face in her neck, closing his eyes as well.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney awoke hours later still feeling groggy. She noticed Vaughn was gone, so she moved herself into the middle of the bed, but her whole body felt heavy. She groaned when the movement caused her head to start hurting. She lay still for a moment, debating on whether she should go back to sleep or get up to get Vaughn to give her an injection he'd been instructed by Dr. Anderson to give her in the event of pain. It didn't take long for her to realize she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep without the injection. She threw back the covers and got off the bed, the action seeming to take twice as much effort as usual. She walked slowly down the hallway and into the main room. Vaughn was sitting at the table and immediately looked up at her. He smiled and got up, walking over to her. When he was a few feet away, though, his smile faded and he rushed up to her.
"Syd, are you okay? You look flushed," Vaughn asked worriedly.
"I have a bit of a headache," she told him. "And I guess I feel a little funny," she admitted. His hand came up to feel her forehead and her cheeks.
"You feel hot. Go back to your room and lie down. I'll be there in a minute," he instructed. Too tired to argue, she merely nodded and headed back to her room.
He came in a few minutes later and found her lying on her back, the covers pulled up to her waist. She saw that he had a needle filled with clear fluid and an ear-thermometer in his hands.
"I called Dr. Anderson. He's on his way, but he told me I could give you an injection." he said, tapping the needle to get rid of any air bubbles. He tied a tourniquet around her upper arm before carefully injecting the needle into her vein. Once all the fluid was gone from the needle, he removed it and the tourniquet from her arm, placing them both on the nightstand. He grabbed the thermometer and she turned her head so that he had easy access to her ear. It took only seconds for the thermometer to beep. He pulled it away and looked at it. She instantly saw his forehead wrinkle and his expression change.
"What is it?" She asked.
"101.5," he told her. They both looked at each other, realizing with horror what that meant.
"I think I may have caught an infection."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Dr. Anderson arrived, Sydney was completely out, due to the injection Vaughn had given her. Vaughn explained what had happened to the doctor and led him straight to Sydney's room. They turned on the lights and walked over to her bed. Vaughn remained a few feet away from the bed in order to give Dr. Anderson space to do whatever he needed to. He rechecked Sydney's temperature to find it hadn't changed. He put a stethoscope against her chest and listened for a moment, moving it around a few times. He then turned to Vaughn.
"I'm going to need some blood and a throat culture. You may want to wake her up to make sure she keeps her arm still and doesn't hurt herself," Dr. Anderson suggested. Vaughn nodded and walked over to the other side of the bed. He sat down on the edge and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her a bit. He brought the other hand to her face and touched it softly. It took a minute of shaking her gently and stroking her face to bring her out of her heavy, drug-induced sleep. Finally her lids fluttered and her eyes opened, looking a little glassy. It took a second for her to focus on him, but her face softened when she did. He gave her a small smile and kept his hand on her face, trying to keep her awake.
"Hey," he said softly. "Dr. Anderson's here. He needs to take some blood and a throat culture. He's going to do the blood first, so I need you to stay awake and keep your arm still. Just a few minutes and then you can go back to sleep, okay?" He asked, knowing that the pain medicine really knocked her out.
"Okay," she said quietly. Vaughn nodded at the doctor and he repeated the same procedure with the needle that Vaughn had before, this time taking blood instead of injecting medicine. Once he was done, he nodded at Vaughn and got the swab ready for the culture.
"Okay, done with the blood. Now the culture," Vaughn told Sydney. She nodded and turned her head towards the doctor. Once he had the swab ready, she opened her mouth so that he could reach it in and swab her throat. She coughed once when he removed it and then turned her head back towards Vaughn, who smiled at her encouragingly, a contradiction to the worry in his eyes.
"Agent Bristow," Dr. Anderson said as he put the swab in a plastic tube. "Are you having any trouble breathing?" Sydney shifted her body so that she was once again facing the doctor.
"No," she answered simply.
"Well that's a good sign. Agent Vaughn informed me that you told him you felt funny. Can you tell me how exactly?" He asked.
"My whole body feels heavy and I feel a little dizzy, especially when I get up," she explained.
"It could be the beginnings of an infection, but the most common infection on this type of chemo usually turns out to be pneumonia, and since you're not having any trouble breathing I'm still hopeful that it's just a side- effect. A small amount of people did experience mild fevers. So I'm going to run your blood and culture to the hospital and run some tests tonight. I want you to have Agent Vaughn call me if you experience any other side- effects, anything at all, okay?" Dr. Anderson asked.
"Okay," Sydney responded. Dr. Anderson placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Whatever this is, we'll treat it. It's hopefully only a minor setback," he said encouragingly. She nodded at him. The doctor looked at Vaughn, gesturing to the hall almost imperceptibly with his head. Vaughn nodded and the doctor got up. Once he was out the door, Vaughn looked back down at Sydney, whose eyes were already half-closed, but still looking at him.
"I just need to go ask the doctor one thing, okay? You can go back to sleep now if you want," he said to her. She nodded at him and he leaned down and very softly kissed her forehead. When he backed away, her eyes were closed. He brought his hand up to touch her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. Finally, he got up and joined the doctor in the hallway, closing the door to Sydney's room behind him. The doctor looked at him, his face serious.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't want her to hear anything too discouraging in her state. It's vital that she keeps a positive attitude regarding her treatment," Dr. Anderson explained.
"I understand. Let's go to the main room and sit," Vaughn suggested. The doctor nodded and Vaughn led him out to the table in the main room, each man taking a seat across from the other.
"It's honestly very unlikely that this is a side-effect. It's possible but doubtful. Right now, her symptoms almost seem flu-like, which, in this case, is what I hope is true. The flu, though still a setback, can be easily treated with a course of antibiotics. Pneumonia is tricky, because it takes a while to recover from and really shuts down the immune system. I won't lie to you. in her condition, it could end up being fatal depending on how bad it is. Even if it's not, the longer she goes without treatment, the less chance she has for the cancer to go into remission. Though there are technically worse things it could be, I'm still going to hope to rule out pneumonia tonight by finding out if this is the flu or strep-throat or anything of the sort." The doctor was suddenly interrupted by the front door opening. Both men looked in the direction of the door and saw Weiss coming in, several bags in hand. He set them down on the floor before turning and seeing Dr. Anderson and Vaughn at the table.
"Dr. Anderson, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked, walking over to them and stopping right in front of the table.
"Syd's sick. She may have caught an infection after all," Vaughn told him. Weiss's face dropped as he sunk into a chair at the end of the table.
"Even with all the precautions?" Weiss asked.
"Afraid so," Dr. Anderson said.
"What about tomorrow? I'm sure you've been informed about Agent Dixon. Should he still come?" Vaughn asked Dr. Anderson.
"It's hard to say. If I can't find out what it is tonight, I'll need to bring her into the hospital for more testing. how important is this?" Dr. Anderson asked.
"Taking down SD-6 is Sydney's life," Vaughn responded. Dr. Anderson nodded.
"Then let Agent Dixon come, as long as Agent Bristow feels up to it and as long as she stays off her feet and rests as much as possible. Anything she can do to build up her immune system right now is good. I'll leave you some iron supplements for her to take once a day. We'll hope I can confirm what this is tonight and start treating her with antibiotics tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait until the next day to do testing. But right now I need to get these samples over to the hospital. You know how to reach me," Dr. Anderson said.
"You'll let us know anything you find out?" Vaughn asked as the doctor gathered his stuff and rose from his seat.
"Of course," Dr. Anderson assured him.
"Thanks," Vaughn said. Dr. Anderson nodded at both men and then left. Weiss immediately turned to Vaughn.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She slept for a while earlier and when she got up, she looked flushed. I gave her an injection for her headache and took her temperature. It was 101.5, so I called Dr. Anderson," Vaughn explained.
"Does she know what's going on? She's usually pretty out of it when she has those injections," Weiss recalled.
"She knows she may have caught something. She doesn't know how serious it is. Dr. Anderson says she has to keep a positive attitude towards her treatment. I'll tell her when we know for sure what it is," Vaughn told him.
"So what now?" Weiss asked, looking around the room. Vaughn thought for a minute.
"I have no idea."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney woke up the next day, feeling like she was coming out of a thick fog. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, surprised at the amount of energy the simple task expended. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to bring herself completely out of the fog and back to awareness. The action certainly helped, but left her feeling slightly hazy. She didn't hear the door open, but did manage to catch the sound of it closing. She looked up to see Vaughn entering the room. He smiled brightly at her.
"I was just coming to get you up," he told her, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, facing her.
"What time is it?" She asked, stifling a yawn with her hand.
"It's almost four-thirty. Dixon should be here in about half an hour," he replied.
"Four-thirty? How did I sleep that much?" She asked, surprised.
"Do you remember getting the injection last night? And getting checked over by Dr. Anderson?" He asked.
"I have cancer, Vaughn, not amnesia."
He smiled at her smart-ass comment. "Anyway, that injection knocked you out pretty quickly plus feeling sick, it's not that abnormal," he said. "How do you feel now?"
"A lot less out of it now that I don't have that drug in my system. No more headache. Otherwise, I feel pretty much the same," she admitted. He nodded and reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the thermometer that still sat there.
"Hold still," he said, bringing it to her ear. When it beeped, he moved it close to his face to read the temperature. She grabbed it and turned it around so that she could see also. It read 102.
"It went up," she observed.
"At least it didn't go up much," Vaughn reasoned. She looked away from him.
"Has Dr. Anderson told you anything yet?" She asked.
"He said he was pulled into a massive trauma last night in the ER, but he was able to get away long enough to rule out strep throat. He's still doing tests for some other things," Vaughn replied.
"So Dixon's still coming?" She asked, though already knowing the answer.
"Dr. Anderson said as long as you felt up to it, it was fine. I figured you wouldn't want to put it off any longer. But he also said you have to stay in bed and off your feet and try to rest as soon as he leaves. He says it's important to build up your immune system," Vaughn explained.
"What, you mean after the chemo destroyed it?" She said sarcastically. He smiled at her. "What?" She asked.
"You're nervous. you always get sarcastic when you're nervous," Vaughn said, still smiling. She couldn't help but smile herself.
"You know me too well," she told him. She looked at him for another minute before suddenly turning and starting to push the comforter down the bed.
"What's wrong?" Vaughn asked, confused at her action.
"Nothing, I'm just a little hot all of a sudden," she told him, still pushing at the comforter.
"That's the fever," Vaughn commented as he rose from the bed and grabbed the edge of the comforter, folding it over itself at the end of the bed so that she was left with only a light blanket covering her. "Be right back," he said, as he walked across the room and entered the bathroom. She heard the water running for a few seconds before he walked back into the room, a wet and folded washcloth in his hand. He sat back on the edge of the bed and brought the washcloth up to her cheek, gently holding it there.
"I can do it," she insisted as she brought her hand up to grab the washcloth. Before she could get a hold of it, though, his other hand came up and grabbed hers. He brought it back down to the bed and held it in his own, lacing his fingers through hers.
"I know you can," he said, moving the cloth to her other cheek. She closed her eyes at the relief of the coolness on her face. He alternated the cloth from one cheek to the other and to her forehead every few seconds, careful not to dampen the mask over her nose and mouth. After a few minutes of this repetitive action, Sydney brought her other hand to Vaughn's, lowering the cloth from her face. She opened her eyes and looked deeply into his.
"Better?" He asked.
"Much. Thanks," she replied, still looking into his eyes. He put the cloth down on the nightstand and brought his hand up to up her cheek.
"You're going to be fine. He'll be so relieved to see you," he told her. She closed her eyes and sighed. Suddenly, they both heard the opening and closing of the front door. She opened her eyes and looked at him nervously.
"I hope you're right."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Vaughn walked out into the main room and saw Weiss allowing Dixon to untie his blindfold. Weiss saw Vaughn before Dixon did.
"How is she?" Weiss asked.
"She's okay. Temperature went up a bit," Vaughn replied. He then turned and looked at Dixon, who was looking between the two men with an unreadable expression. "Agent Dixon," Vaughn said, approaching him. "I'm Agent Vaughn. It's nice to meet you." Vaughn held out his hand, unsure if Dixon would take it or not. He was obviously an extremely polite man, though, because he shook Vaughn's hand almost immediately.
"May I ask why you're in hiding, Agent Vaughn?" He asked, his tone somewhat accusatory.
"I was Sydney's case officer at the CIA. When they discovered her status with the CIA, they discovered me as well," Vaughn explained. He noticed that Dixon's expression softened a little at Sydney's name.
"Where is Sydney?" He asked.
"In her room. Her doctor's instructed her to stay off her feet and try to rest, so you'll have to talk to her in there," Vaughn responded.
"She's still sick then?" Dixon asked, his eyes sad.
"How much did Jack tell you?" Vaughn asked.
"Almost nothing," Dixon replied.
"Well I guess the leaves me to fill in the blanks then. Yes, she's still sick. Unfortunately, it's not one of her better days. She started a new type of chemotherapy recently that leaves her susceptible to secondary infections. We think she may have caught one recently despite our precautions. She's a little feverish and a little lethargic, but she's eager to see you and talk to you. Before you go, though. I know you're probably angry with her. I understand completely, but I'm going to ask you not to upset her. It's imperative that she focus on getting better right now and nothing else. I don't want anything to get in the way of that," Vaughn said, his words sincere. He wasn't angry at Dixon and he didn't want to come off as rude, but Sydney was his first priority.
"I understand," Dixon replied, nodding.
"Okay then. She's ready to see you whenever you are," Vaughn told him. Dixon nodded again and Vaughn began to lead him out of the main room and down the hall. He stopped at Sydney's door. "This is it. Take as much time as you need," he said, turning and heading back down the hallway to join Weiss in the main room.
Dixon stood at the door for a moment before summoning the courage to open it. Finally, he did. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him before he even looked up from the ground. Hand still on the doorknob, he forced himself to take a deep breath. After a moment, he turned around. The first thought that entered his head was that he was seeing a dead woman. There, on the bed, was Sydney. She was sitting, her legs folded under the covers. The mask covered part of her face, but Dixon could see the worry in her eyes. For the first time, Dixon noticed the chair that sat next to the bed. He walked slowly over to it and sat down, looking at the ground for a minute before forcing himself to look up and into her sad brown eyes.
"Dixon," she said, her voice pained. Her vision suddenly swam with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you *so* many times. You have to know that."
"Sydney. when your father told me, it was the biggest shock I've ever endured. I couldn't bring myself to understand why you would've hidden it from me so long-"
"They wouldn't let me-" Sydney started to say, but was cut off with a wave of Dixon's hand.
"I was ready to be angry at you, to question your loyalty and your character. But walking in here and seeing you- after thinking you were dead- I realize that whatever you may have hidden from me over the last few years, you must have had your reasons. I am so relieved to see you alive, Syd. I thought you were gone," he said, his voice close to cracking. Sydney reached out her hand and Dixon took it and held it without hesitation.
"They were going to kill me. The CIA extracted me just in time. I was under anesthesia through the whole thing and I woke up here. I wanted more than anything for you to know I was still alive. There was just no way," Sydney explained to him.
"Well now I know," he said with a small smile.
"How are Diane and the kids?" She asked, changing the topic.
"They're fine. How are you?" Dixon asked. Sydney sighed and looked down at their joined hands before looking back up at him with a strained smile her mask could only do so much to hide.
"I'm managing," she offered.
"Syd. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I never got the chance to tell you that before. They had me on two separate missions, only a day in between. Without you, I was the only field agent readily available. When I got back from the second mission, they pulled me aside and told me you were dead," Dixon explained.
"Dixon, it's okay. I got your card and flowers. I knew you were working. I didn't expect to have to go into hiding, at least not so quickly. I guess I just figured I'd see you when you got back. It just didn't work out like that," she said regretfully.
"And now the CIA wants to recruit me. The people I thought I was working for all along," Dixon said, shaking his head.
"I know how you feel, Dixon. When they killed Danny, my dad told me the truth. It was the hardest thing in the world to go back there and pretend like everything was normal. But I had to. Just like I had to lie to you. Nothing else mattered to me, Dixon. I just wanted to take them down. But then this happened," she told him. "I'll understand if you don't want to join. If you want to keep your family safe and pretend this never happened."
"Are you kidding me? Working for SD-6 is only putting my family in more danger. Knowing that they could do to Diane what they did to Danny. There's no way I could go back and pretend. No way," Dixon said firmly.
"So you'll join?" Sydney asked hopefully.
"Of course I will. I'm just sorry we couldn't be partners in this," Dixon said, squeezing her hand.
"Me too. but I'll have them keep me updated on your missions. I'll keep in touch with my dad and be as involved as I can be. I promise," she assured him.
"We'll get you home, Syd. I know we will." Dixon saw Sydney's expression cloud for a moment before her smile met her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was around 8:00 PM when Dixon finally left Sydney's room. He walked down the hall and into the main room in search of Vaughn and Weiss. He found Vaughn at the table, working on his laptop, but Weiss was nowhere in sight. He walked up and sat in the seat across from Vaughn. Vaughn immediately shut his computer.
"Is she okay?" Vaughn asked Dixon.
"She's fine, but that's a question I should really be asking you. She's not doing very well, is she?" Dixon asked, his voice dropping.
"She's fighting as hard as she can," Vaughn argued, feeling the need to defend Sydney.
"But she's pretty sick," Dixon guessed.
"Right now, yes. But she's being treated," Vaughn added quickly.
"Is she," Dixon paused, visibly struggling with his words. "Is she expected to live?" Vaughn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was a long moment before he looked back up at Dixon.
"Just please do this. If things go well, do it so she can come home. If they don't. do it for her memory," Vaughn told Dixon, voicing out loud for the first time the possibility that Sydney may not beat the cancer. He felt sick the second the words had left his mouth, but he knew he needed to convince Dixon to join the CIA, for Sydney's sake.
"I'm in."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was two more hours of working out details and having Dixon sign agreements before he could be driven back to the airfield. Vaughn shook Dixon's hand and wished him luck before he and Weiss left. Vaughn sat down for a moment, trying to take everything in. It had been the longest 24 hours he could remember experiencing in a long time. He looked at his watch to find it almost 10:30 PM. Sighing, he got up and walked down the hall. He intended on going to his own room to change, but in passing Sydney's room, he couldn't resist the urge to go in and tell her the good news: that Dixon was officially a CIA agent. So he opened the door and slipped into the dark room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he made his way over to her bed as soon as they did. She was facing away from him, but he sat on the bed anyway and put his hand on her shoulder. That's when he noticed something was wrong. Her breathing sounded shallow and almost like wheezing. He shook her shoulder a little.
"Syd? Are you okay?" He leaned over her and asked softly. He didn't get a response, though. Instead, he saw that her forehead was beaded with sweat. His heart accelerated as he pulled back and reached over to the nightstand, his hand groping for the thermometer while his eyes never left her face. He quickly took her temperature and pulled the thermometer close to his face so he could see the numbers in the darkness.
104.
"Damn it!"
To be continued.
A/N: Wow that was a long one! I just wrote so much before Dixon even came into the story and I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer for that part, so I included it all in this chapter. Hope you all got through it okay. I know the story's getting depressing again, but please don't yell at me lol. Sometimes it just has to be sad. Other times I promise it'll be happy. Just bear with me. Hope you liked the chapter! Please please please review! I got this out pretty quickly and it's pretty long, so some reviews would be such a wonderful reward lol. And it would be great encouragement to make the chapters longer and more frequent (hint hint lol). Ok I'll stop begging now. I'll try to get the next part out soon! Thanks for reading!
Author: SydGillyKC
A/N: Dixon's finally in the story! I hope you guys like his addition and I hope my characterization of him is accurate. If not, just let me know. Like I said, I apologize if the story starts to get dark again. My writing tends to alternate from happy to sad based on my mood lol. Plus I've had most of this story worked out in my head since day one, and now I just have to write it that way. Whatever I write, though, never rule out the possibility for a happy ending. Hope you like the chapter, I think it's my longest one yet!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Well, he was pretty shocked apparently, but that's to be expected. They showed him CIA files, though they can't take him to headquarters until he's agreed to join. Your father said the thing he seemed to have the hardest time believing was the fact that you're still alive," Weiss said to Sydney. "I guess he went to your funeral, and he's pretty convinced that you died. Your dad told him you were in hiding, but he didn't seem to believe it completely. So your dad made a deal with him. They're going to fly him out here, sedated of course, and he said that if you're really alive and can corroborate the whole story, he'll join."
"When's he being flown out?" Vaughn asked.
"Tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 16: Reunited
"Tomorrow?!" Sydney asked, surprised. "They can organize it that quickly?"
"Well, he's going to be sedated and put on a plane at 8 AM Pacific time. He'll come to around the end of the flight, be blindfolded, and I'll go to pick him up. They're going to have a windowless van waiting for me and I'll bring him back in that," Weiss explained.
"And he knows all this?" Sydney asked.
"Signed an agreement before he was taken to the safe house," Weiss replied.
"What time will he be here tomorrow?" Vaughn asked.
"We should get back from the airfield at about 5 PM," Weiss told him. Before either Vaughn or Sydney could reply, the phone rang again. Weiss reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?" Pause. "Oh hi." Pause. "Oh really? You want to talk to her?" Pause. "Okay, hold on," they heard Weiss say before he handed the phone to Sydney, informing her that it was Dr. Anderson.
"Hello?" She asked into the phone.
"Agent Bristow, hi. I just wanted to let you know that I got your results in. As I told you before, it's too early to know if the new chemo's working or not, but I can tell you that we didn't detect any other tumors, which is a good sign. Your bone marrow aspiration came back negative. My only concern right now is that your blood tests show you're a little anemic," Dr. Anderson informed her.
"Am I?" She asked.
"Yes, which is basically a concern due to the new chemo and the fact that it leaves you susceptible to secondary infections. So I want you to get as much rest as possible and start taking some iron supplements that I'll bring by probably tomorrow. But really, you should try to take it easy as much as you can," Dr. Anderson insisted.
"I will, doctor. Thank you."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Okay. Bye," she said, hanging up the phone and turning to face Vaughn and Weiss, both with expectant looks on their faces.
"What'd he say?" Vaughn asked.
"He said that it's too early to tell if the new chemo is working, but that there are no new tumors right now," Sydney replied.
"And?" Vaughn asked.
"How do you know there's more?" Sydney wondered.
"Because you asked him if you were something, and none of what you said fits with that," Vaughn explained.
"Damn CIA training," she muttered. "He said that I was a little anemic and that he was going to drop off some iron supplements tomorrow."
"And probably that you need to rest because anemia causes you to be quite tired," Vaughn guessed.
"You should consider a profession as a psychic, Vaughn," she joked. "You could fool a lot of people." Both Vaughn and Weiss laughed as Sydney gathered up the cards to put them away.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
That afternoon, Vaughn slipped quietly into Sydney's room. She was curled up on her side, facing away from him and holding a book. He walked over and joined her on the bed. He spooned up behind her, draping his arm over her stomach and kissing her neck.
"What are you reading?" He asked.
"Re-reading actually," she replied, closing the book and reaching over to put it on the nightstand. "I was so bored I figured I'd go through my books again, starting with the first one I read here."
"Well, you won't have to. Weiss went out to get some groceries and I told him to find a bookstore and get you some new stuff," Vaughn said, his face still partially buried in her neck. She suddenly shifted and turned over so that she was facing him. She remained close to him and rested her forehead against his.
"Thanks," she said softly. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth over her skin. She closed her eyes.
"Are you nervous about seeing Dixon?" He asked quietly. Without opening her eyes, she sighed.
"What if he doesn't understand?" She asked.
"We'll make him understand," Vaughn assured her. She smiled beneath her mask.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I'll think of something," he said, kissing the skin between her eyes.
"I was trying to go over in my head what I'd say to him. Everything I think of just seems inadequate," she told him.
"You shouldn't worry, Syd. Whatever you say, it'll be fine. You always seem to say the right thing," he said.
"Not always," she argued, laughing.
"Well, most of the time at least," he conceded. Both were silent for a moment.
"I heard he eulogized me," she said sadly.
"Yeah, I heard that too. I'm sorry, Syd," he said, moving his hand from her cheek and bringing it down to stroke her arm.
"What for?" She asked, confused.
"That things are, well, the way they are. I know it sucks," he said bluntly.
"It sucks for you too," she reminded him, smiling a little.
"Oh I don't know, it's not so bad. I get to be with you, I get to sleep in whenever I want, Weiss has stopped lecturing me about protocol. It's almost like a vacation," he joked. She laughed.
"Glad you're enjoying it," she said somewhat sarcastically. He lifted his head and kissed her forehead.
"You should rest as much as possible. Tomorrow will probably be a long day," He reminded her. She groaned.
"Don't remind me." Her eyes closed again and she turned back over on her side.
"You want me to go?" He asked. She didn't answer her question verbally, but reached over and grabbed his arm, bringing it down over her stomach. He moved closer to her and buried his face in her neck, closing his eyes as well.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney awoke hours later still feeling groggy. She noticed Vaughn was gone, so she moved herself into the middle of the bed, but her whole body felt heavy. She groaned when the movement caused her head to start hurting. She lay still for a moment, debating on whether she should go back to sleep or get up to get Vaughn to give her an injection he'd been instructed by Dr. Anderson to give her in the event of pain. It didn't take long for her to realize she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep without the injection. She threw back the covers and got off the bed, the action seeming to take twice as much effort as usual. She walked slowly down the hallway and into the main room. Vaughn was sitting at the table and immediately looked up at her. He smiled and got up, walking over to her. When he was a few feet away, though, his smile faded and he rushed up to her.
"Syd, are you okay? You look flushed," Vaughn asked worriedly.
"I have a bit of a headache," she told him. "And I guess I feel a little funny," she admitted. His hand came up to feel her forehead and her cheeks.
"You feel hot. Go back to your room and lie down. I'll be there in a minute," he instructed. Too tired to argue, she merely nodded and headed back to her room.
He came in a few minutes later and found her lying on her back, the covers pulled up to her waist. She saw that he had a needle filled with clear fluid and an ear-thermometer in his hands.
"I called Dr. Anderson. He's on his way, but he told me I could give you an injection." he said, tapping the needle to get rid of any air bubbles. He tied a tourniquet around her upper arm before carefully injecting the needle into her vein. Once all the fluid was gone from the needle, he removed it and the tourniquet from her arm, placing them both on the nightstand. He grabbed the thermometer and she turned her head so that he had easy access to her ear. It took only seconds for the thermometer to beep. He pulled it away and looked at it. She instantly saw his forehead wrinkle and his expression change.
"What is it?" She asked.
"101.5," he told her. They both looked at each other, realizing with horror what that meant.
"I think I may have caught an infection."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Dr. Anderson arrived, Sydney was completely out, due to the injection Vaughn had given her. Vaughn explained what had happened to the doctor and led him straight to Sydney's room. They turned on the lights and walked over to her bed. Vaughn remained a few feet away from the bed in order to give Dr. Anderson space to do whatever he needed to. He rechecked Sydney's temperature to find it hadn't changed. He put a stethoscope against her chest and listened for a moment, moving it around a few times. He then turned to Vaughn.
"I'm going to need some blood and a throat culture. You may want to wake her up to make sure she keeps her arm still and doesn't hurt herself," Dr. Anderson suggested. Vaughn nodded and walked over to the other side of the bed. He sat down on the edge and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her a bit. He brought the other hand to her face and touched it softly. It took a minute of shaking her gently and stroking her face to bring her out of her heavy, drug-induced sleep. Finally her lids fluttered and her eyes opened, looking a little glassy. It took a second for her to focus on him, but her face softened when she did. He gave her a small smile and kept his hand on her face, trying to keep her awake.
"Hey," he said softly. "Dr. Anderson's here. He needs to take some blood and a throat culture. He's going to do the blood first, so I need you to stay awake and keep your arm still. Just a few minutes and then you can go back to sleep, okay?" He asked, knowing that the pain medicine really knocked her out.
"Okay," she said quietly. Vaughn nodded at the doctor and he repeated the same procedure with the needle that Vaughn had before, this time taking blood instead of injecting medicine. Once he was done, he nodded at Vaughn and got the swab ready for the culture.
"Okay, done with the blood. Now the culture," Vaughn told Sydney. She nodded and turned her head towards the doctor. Once he had the swab ready, she opened her mouth so that he could reach it in and swab her throat. She coughed once when he removed it and then turned her head back towards Vaughn, who smiled at her encouragingly, a contradiction to the worry in his eyes.
"Agent Bristow," Dr. Anderson said as he put the swab in a plastic tube. "Are you having any trouble breathing?" Sydney shifted her body so that she was once again facing the doctor.
"No," she answered simply.
"Well that's a good sign. Agent Vaughn informed me that you told him you felt funny. Can you tell me how exactly?" He asked.
"My whole body feels heavy and I feel a little dizzy, especially when I get up," she explained.
"It could be the beginnings of an infection, but the most common infection on this type of chemo usually turns out to be pneumonia, and since you're not having any trouble breathing I'm still hopeful that it's just a side- effect. A small amount of people did experience mild fevers. So I'm going to run your blood and culture to the hospital and run some tests tonight. I want you to have Agent Vaughn call me if you experience any other side- effects, anything at all, okay?" Dr. Anderson asked.
"Okay," Sydney responded. Dr. Anderson placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Whatever this is, we'll treat it. It's hopefully only a minor setback," he said encouragingly. She nodded at him. The doctor looked at Vaughn, gesturing to the hall almost imperceptibly with his head. Vaughn nodded and the doctor got up. Once he was out the door, Vaughn looked back down at Sydney, whose eyes were already half-closed, but still looking at him.
"I just need to go ask the doctor one thing, okay? You can go back to sleep now if you want," he said to her. She nodded at him and he leaned down and very softly kissed her forehead. When he backed away, her eyes were closed. He brought his hand up to touch her face, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. Finally, he got up and joined the doctor in the hallway, closing the door to Sydney's room behind him. The doctor looked at him, his face serious.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't want her to hear anything too discouraging in her state. It's vital that she keeps a positive attitude regarding her treatment," Dr. Anderson explained.
"I understand. Let's go to the main room and sit," Vaughn suggested. The doctor nodded and Vaughn led him out to the table in the main room, each man taking a seat across from the other.
"It's honestly very unlikely that this is a side-effect. It's possible but doubtful. Right now, her symptoms almost seem flu-like, which, in this case, is what I hope is true. The flu, though still a setback, can be easily treated with a course of antibiotics. Pneumonia is tricky, because it takes a while to recover from and really shuts down the immune system. I won't lie to you. in her condition, it could end up being fatal depending on how bad it is. Even if it's not, the longer she goes without treatment, the less chance she has for the cancer to go into remission. Though there are technically worse things it could be, I'm still going to hope to rule out pneumonia tonight by finding out if this is the flu or strep-throat or anything of the sort." The doctor was suddenly interrupted by the front door opening. Both men looked in the direction of the door and saw Weiss coming in, several bags in hand. He set them down on the floor before turning and seeing Dr. Anderson and Vaughn at the table.
"Dr. Anderson, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked, walking over to them and stopping right in front of the table.
"Syd's sick. She may have caught an infection after all," Vaughn told him. Weiss's face dropped as he sunk into a chair at the end of the table.
"Even with all the precautions?" Weiss asked.
"Afraid so," Dr. Anderson said.
"What about tomorrow? I'm sure you've been informed about Agent Dixon. Should he still come?" Vaughn asked Dr. Anderson.
"It's hard to say. If I can't find out what it is tonight, I'll need to bring her into the hospital for more testing. how important is this?" Dr. Anderson asked.
"Taking down SD-6 is Sydney's life," Vaughn responded. Dr. Anderson nodded.
"Then let Agent Dixon come, as long as Agent Bristow feels up to it and as long as she stays off her feet and rests as much as possible. Anything she can do to build up her immune system right now is good. I'll leave you some iron supplements for her to take once a day. We'll hope I can confirm what this is tonight and start treating her with antibiotics tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait until the next day to do testing. But right now I need to get these samples over to the hospital. You know how to reach me," Dr. Anderson said.
"You'll let us know anything you find out?" Vaughn asked as the doctor gathered his stuff and rose from his seat.
"Of course," Dr. Anderson assured him.
"Thanks," Vaughn said. Dr. Anderson nodded at both men and then left. Weiss immediately turned to Vaughn.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She slept for a while earlier and when she got up, she looked flushed. I gave her an injection for her headache and took her temperature. It was 101.5, so I called Dr. Anderson," Vaughn explained.
"Does she know what's going on? She's usually pretty out of it when she has those injections," Weiss recalled.
"She knows she may have caught something. She doesn't know how serious it is. Dr. Anderson says she has to keep a positive attitude towards her treatment. I'll tell her when we know for sure what it is," Vaughn told him.
"So what now?" Weiss asked, looking around the room. Vaughn thought for a minute.
"I have no idea."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney woke up the next day, feeling like she was coming out of a thick fog. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, surprised at the amount of energy the simple task expended. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to bring herself completely out of the fog and back to awareness. The action certainly helped, but left her feeling slightly hazy. She didn't hear the door open, but did manage to catch the sound of it closing. She looked up to see Vaughn entering the room. He smiled brightly at her.
"I was just coming to get you up," he told her, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, facing her.
"What time is it?" She asked, stifling a yawn with her hand.
"It's almost four-thirty. Dixon should be here in about half an hour," he replied.
"Four-thirty? How did I sleep that much?" She asked, surprised.
"Do you remember getting the injection last night? And getting checked over by Dr. Anderson?" He asked.
"I have cancer, Vaughn, not amnesia."
He smiled at her smart-ass comment. "Anyway, that injection knocked you out pretty quickly plus feeling sick, it's not that abnormal," he said. "How do you feel now?"
"A lot less out of it now that I don't have that drug in my system. No more headache. Otherwise, I feel pretty much the same," she admitted. He nodded and reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the thermometer that still sat there.
"Hold still," he said, bringing it to her ear. When it beeped, he moved it close to his face to read the temperature. She grabbed it and turned it around so that she could see also. It read 102.
"It went up," she observed.
"At least it didn't go up much," Vaughn reasoned. She looked away from him.
"Has Dr. Anderson told you anything yet?" She asked.
"He said he was pulled into a massive trauma last night in the ER, but he was able to get away long enough to rule out strep throat. He's still doing tests for some other things," Vaughn replied.
"So Dixon's still coming?" She asked, though already knowing the answer.
"Dr. Anderson said as long as you felt up to it, it was fine. I figured you wouldn't want to put it off any longer. But he also said you have to stay in bed and off your feet and try to rest as soon as he leaves. He says it's important to build up your immune system," Vaughn explained.
"What, you mean after the chemo destroyed it?" She said sarcastically. He smiled at her. "What?" She asked.
"You're nervous. you always get sarcastic when you're nervous," Vaughn said, still smiling. She couldn't help but smile herself.
"You know me too well," she told him. She looked at him for another minute before suddenly turning and starting to push the comforter down the bed.
"What's wrong?" Vaughn asked, confused at her action.
"Nothing, I'm just a little hot all of a sudden," she told him, still pushing at the comforter.
"That's the fever," Vaughn commented as he rose from the bed and grabbed the edge of the comforter, folding it over itself at the end of the bed so that she was left with only a light blanket covering her. "Be right back," he said, as he walked across the room and entered the bathroom. She heard the water running for a few seconds before he walked back into the room, a wet and folded washcloth in his hand. He sat back on the edge of the bed and brought the washcloth up to her cheek, gently holding it there.
"I can do it," she insisted as she brought her hand up to grab the washcloth. Before she could get a hold of it, though, his other hand came up and grabbed hers. He brought it back down to the bed and held it in his own, lacing his fingers through hers.
"I know you can," he said, moving the cloth to her other cheek. She closed her eyes at the relief of the coolness on her face. He alternated the cloth from one cheek to the other and to her forehead every few seconds, careful not to dampen the mask over her nose and mouth. After a few minutes of this repetitive action, Sydney brought her other hand to Vaughn's, lowering the cloth from her face. She opened her eyes and looked deeply into his.
"Better?" He asked.
"Much. Thanks," she replied, still looking into his eyes. He put the cloth down on the nightstand and brought his hand up to up her cheek.
"You're going to be fine. He'll be so relieved to see you," he told her. She closed her eyes and sighed. Suddenly, they both heard the opening and closing of the front door. She opened her eyes and looked at him nervously.
"I hope you're right."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Vaughn walked out into the main room and saw Weiss allowing Dixon to untie his blindfold. Weiss saw Vaughn before Dixon did.
"How is she?" Weiss asked.
"She's okay. Temperature went up a bit," Vaughn replied. He then turned and looked at Dixon, who was looking between the two men with an unreadable expression. "Agent Dixon," Vaughn said, approaching him. "I'm Agent Vaughn. It's nice to meet you." Vaughn held out his hand, unsure if Dixon would take it or not. He was obviously an extremely polite man, though, because he shook Vaughn's hand almost immediately.
"May I ask why you're in hiding, Agent Vaughn?" He asked, his tone somewhat accusatory.
"I was Sydney's case officer at the CIA. When they discovered her status with the CIA, they discovered me as well," Vaughn explained. He noticed that Dixon's expression softened a little at Sydney's name.
"Where is Sydney?" He asked.
"In her room. Her doctor's instructed her to stay off her feet and try to rest, so you'll have to talk to her in there," Vaughn responded.
"She's still sick then?" Dixon asked, his eyes sad.
"How much did Jack tell you?" Vaughn asked.
"Almost nothing," Dixon replied.
"Well I guess the leaves me to fill in the blanks then. Yes, she's still sick. Unfortunately, it's not one of her better days. She started a new type of chemotherapy recently that leaves her susceptible to secondary infections. We think she may have caught one recently despite our precautions. She's a little feverish and a little lethargic, but she's eager to see you and talk to you. Before you go, though. I know you're probably angry with her. I understand completely, but I'm going to ask you not to upset her. It's imperative that she focus on getting better right now and nothing else. I don't want anything to get in the way of that," Vaughn said, his words sincere. He wasn't angry at Dixon and he didn't want to come off as rude, but Sydney was his first priority.
"I understand," Dixon replied, nodding.
"Okay then. She's ready to see you whenever you are," Vaughn told him. Dixon nodded again and Vaughn began to lead him out of the main room and down the hall. He stopped at Sydney's door. "This is it. Take as much time as you need," he said, turning and heading back down the hallway to join Weiss in the main room.
Dixon stood at the door for a moment before summoning the courage to open it. Finally, he did. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him before he even looked up from the ground. Hand still on the doorknob, he forced himself to take a deep breath. After a moment, he turned around. The first thought that entered his head was that he was seeing a dead woman. There, on the bed, was Sydney. She was sitting, her legs folded under the covers. The mask covered part of her face, but Dixon could see the worry in her eyes. For the first time, Dixon noticed the chair that sat next to the bed. He walked slowly over to it and sat down, looking at the ground for a minute before forcing himself to look up and into her sad brown eyes.
"Dixon," she said, her voice pained. Her vision suddenly swam with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you *so* many times. You have to know that."
"Sydney. when your father told me, it was the biggest shock I've ever endured. I couldn't bring myself to understand why you would've hidden it from me so long-"
"They wouldn't let me-" Sydney started to say, but was cut off with a wave of Dixon's hand.
"I was ready to be angry at you, to question your loyalty and your character. But walking in here and seeing you- after thinking you were dead- I realize that whatever you may have hidden from me over the last few years, you must have had your reasons. I am so relieved to see you alive, Syd. I thought you were gone," he said, his voice close to cracking. Sydney reached out her hand and Dixon took it and held it without hesitation.
"They were going to kill me. The CIA extracted me just in time. I was under anesthesia through the whole thing and I woke up here. I wanted more than anything for you to know I was still alive. There was just no way," Sydney explained to him.
"Well now I know," he said with a small smile.
"How are Diane and the kids?" She asked, changing the topic.
"They're fine. How are you?" Dixon asked. Sydney sighed and looked down at their joined hands before looking back up at him with a strained smile her mask could only do so much to hide.
"I'm managing," she offered.
"Syd. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I never got the chance to tell you that before. They had me on two separate missions, only a day in between. Without you, I was the only field agent readily available. When I got back from the second mission, they pulled me aside and told me you were dead," Dixon explained.
"Dixon, it's okay. I got your card and flowers. I knew you were working. I didn't expect to have to go into hiding, at least not so quickly. I guess I just figured I'd see you when you got back. It just didn't work out like that," she said regretfully.
"And now the CIA wants to recruit me. The people I thought I was working for all along," Dixon said, shaking his head.
"I know how you feel, Dixon. When they killed Danny, my dad told me the truth. It was the hardest thing in the world to go back there and pretend like everything was normal. But I had to. Just like I had to lie to you. Nothing else mattered to me, Dixon. I just wanted to take them down. But then this happened," she told him. "I'll understand if you don't want to join. If you want to keep your family safe and pretend this never happened."
"Are you kidding me? Working for SD-6 is only putting my family in more danger. Knowing that they could do to Diane what they did to Danny. There's no way I could go back and pretend. No way," Dixon said firmly.
"So you'll join?" Sydney asked hopefully.
"Of course I will. I'm just sorry we couldn't be partners in this," Dixon said, squeezing her hand.
"Me too. but I'll have them keep me updated on your missions. I'll keep in touch with my dad and be as involved as I can be. I promise," she assured him.
"We'll get you home, Syd. I know we will." Dixon saw Sydney's expression cloud for a moment before her smile met her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was around 8:00 PM when Dixon finally left Sydney's room. He walked down the hall and into the main room in search of Vaughn and Weiss. He found Vaughn at the table, working on his laptop, but Weiss was nowhere in sight. He walked up and sat in the seat across from Vaughn. Vaughn immediately shut his computer.
"Is she okay?" Vaughn asked Dixon.
"She's fine, but that's a question I should really be asking you. She's not doing very well, is she?" Dixon asked, his voice dropping.
"She's fighting as hard as she can," Vaughn argued, feeling the need to defend Sydney.
"But she's pretty sick," Dixon guessed.
"Right now, yes. But she's being treated," Vaughn added quickly.
"Is she," Dixon paused, visibly struggling with his words. "Is she expected to live?" Vaughn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was a long moment before he looked back up at Dixon.
"Just please do this. If things go well, do it so she can come home. If they don't. do it for her memory," Vaughn told Dixon, voicing out loud for the first time the possibility that Sydney may not beat the cancer. He felt sick the second the words had left his mouth, but he knew he needed to convince Dixon to join the CIA, for Sydney's sake.
"I'm in."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was two more hours of working out details and having Dixon sign agreements before he could be driven back to the airfield. Vaughn shook Dixon's hand and wished him luck before he and Weiss left. Vaughn sat down for a moment, trying to take everything in. It had been the longest 24 hours he could remember experiencing in a long time. He looked at his watch to find it almost 10:30 PM. Sighing, he got up and walked down the hall. He intended on going to his own room to change, but in passing Sydney's room, he couldn't resist the urge to go in and tell her the good news: that Dixon was officially a CIA agent. So he opened the door and slipped into the dark room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he made his way over to her bed as soon as they did. She was facing away from him, but he sat on the bed anyway and put his hand on her shoulder. That's when he noticed something was wrong. Her breathing sounded shallow and almost like wheezing. He shook her shoulder a little.
"Syd? Are you okay?" He leaned over her and asked softly. He didn't get a response, though. Instead, he saw that her forehead was beaded with sweat. His heart accelerated as he pulled back and reached over to the nightstand, his hand groping for the thermometer while his eyes never left her face. He quickly took her temperature and pulled the thermometer close to his face so he could see the numbers in the darkness.
104.
"Damn it!"
To be continued.
A/N: Wow that was a long one! I just wrote so much before Dixon even came into the story and I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer for that part, so I included it all in this chapter. Hope you all got through it okay. I know the story's getting depressing again, but please don't yell at me lol. Sometimes it just has to be sad. Other times I promise it'll be happy. Just bear with me. Hope you liked the chapter! Please please please review! I got this out pretty quickly and it's pretty long, so some reviews would be such a wonderful reward lol. And it would be great encouragement to make the chapters longer and more frequent (hint hint lol). Ok I'll stop begging now. I'll try to get the next part out soon! Thanks for reading!