Title: This Tear
Author: SydGillyKC
Author's Note: Okay, I lied! I did make you wait that long and then some lol. I'm so sorry! For those of you who read this over at SD-1, you already know that the whole TRL/Kelly Clarkson and tennis states thing happened. And of course there was the senior dinner-dance and the junior/senior awards night. And last weekend, let's just say that prom completely took over three days. Manicures, making a CD for the limo, and buying make-up on Friday, prom on Saturday, and sleeping all day Sunday lol. It's just been insane. But here's a chapter finally! Hopefully I'll get another one out later this weekend or next week. Starting Tuesday, the whole whirlwind of graduation sets in. Tuesday is the senior trip to Block Island, Wednesday my friend flies in from FL, Thursday I have a graduation rehearsal, Friday I have my last day of school, graduation, and the all-night graduation party our school sponsors. Saturday I'll probably be sleeping all day lol. Sunday I have my own party and some friends are staying over until Monday. Then Monday I leave for NH with my three friends (road trip! Lol). I'm there until Friday. So after this weeks, things get difficult in terms of this story. So all I can promise is that I will work on it as much as I possibly can. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I love you," he told her again. She closed her eyes, realizing she would never get tired of hearing him say that.
"I love you too."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 24: Judgment Day
Vaughn awoke the next morning with Sydney in his arms, a feeling he'd missed more than he realized. Her head was pillowed on his chest, her arm draped across his stomach. His arms held her securely against him. It was the most content he'd felt in weeks. He watched Sydney sleep for at least twenty minutes before reluctantly giving into his growling stomach and deciding to get up and eat some breakfast. He very carefully lifted Sydney's head as he moved toward the edge of the bed, placing it gently back down into a pillow. Her arm slid off him as he edged over and finally, he was able to get off the bed. Sydney had only stirred in the process, but had not woken up. He looked back down at her, now curled up on her side in the middle of the bed. He was so grateful to finally have her back.
When he reached the main room, Vaughn saw Weiss sitting at the table, eating. He walked up and caught Weiss's attention.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning," Vaughn replied. Weiss studied him for a moment.
"You seem better," he commented.
"How can you tell?" Vaughn asked.
"Because you're no longer a nervous wreck. What happened?"
"We talked," Vaughn told him.
"When?" Weiss asked.
"Last night."
"And?"
"And she's okay. We worked it out," Vaughn replied.
"Good. I'm glad," Weiss said sincerely.
"Thanks. So am I." Vaughn walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few pieces of bread from a cupboard, putting them into the toaster. "Anything from Jack?" He called out to Weiss.
"Nothing yet. It's still early, though. We should hear by this afternoon, tonight at the latest."
Vaughn nodded. "I could sure use some good news today," he said. Weiss looked up at him.
"I think we all could."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney awoke to the feeling of Vaughn's soft lips on hers. Eyes still closed, she smiled into his mouth and kissed him back. When he pulled back slightly, she forced her heavy eyes open. She saw him smiling down at her.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Good afternoon," he corrected. She glanced at the clock and groaned, realizing he was right.
"My sleep schedule's still out of whack," she explained. He nodded.
"I brought you something to eat," he told her, gesturing over to a tray he'd set down on the nightstand.
"Breakfast in bed? Are you trying to spoil me?" She joked, smiling at him.
"You bet," he said, kissing her again before reaching over and picking up the tray. He set it in front of her and leaned back slightly. He watched her pick through the food for the next ten minutes, relieved to finally see her eating again. She didn't come close to finishing it, but he was satisfied that she'd tried to get down as much as she could. He took the tray back into the kitchen once she was finished. When he came back in, he found her hunched over slightly, her arm twisted behind her so that she could rub a hand over her back. He walked quickly over to the bed and sat down beside her. She felt his weight on the bed and looked up quickly, smiling at him reassuringly.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a knot in my back. It happens when you've been laying around for too long," she told him.
"You haven't been laying around. You've been recovering," he argued.
"Potato, potato," she joked, pronouncing each differently. He smiled and shook his head. He then crawled up and sat behind her on the bed. He reached out and began to massage the muscles in her back. She sighed and leaned back against him.
"Did Dr. Anderson schedule you for another day of testing yet?" Vaughn asked as he continued to press his fists into her back.
"Radiation the day after tomorrow. Testing is in six days," she replied.
"You didn't have radiation yesterday, did you?" He asked.
"No. Aside from the testing, they just injected me with a drug that's supposed to help boost my immune system slightly. No side-affects thankfully."
"And Dr. Anderson didn't want to do anything aside from the radiation and testing? No further instructions?"
"Nope. For now, we wait."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was late that afternoon when the e-mail from Jack finally came. Sydney was stretched out on the couch, reading a book. Weiss called Vaughn into his room when he saw the letter in his inbox. Vaughn read it quickly before walking out into the main room to tell Sydney. He saw her on the couch and walked over to sit on the arm, facing her.
"What's up?" She asked, her eyes questioning.
"We just got an e-mail from your dad," he told her. Her eyes went instantly wide.
"What'd he say?"
"Dixon finally got a chance to meet with some of our agents. He had some useful intel about the Rambaldi artifact they're trying to uncover. Since SD-6 is the branch with the largest Rambaldi collection, though, they want to give Dixon higher clearance in the operation. They're giving him a lie- detector test, similar to the one I had to train you for. If he passes, we believe he'll be privy to information that bring us significantly closer to taking down the Alliance, Syd."
"Oh my God. Well, can the CIA train him for the test? Like you did for me?" Sydney asked anxiously.
"Well, that's the problem. His time with the agents today was limited. They were only able to train him on some basics. We're hoping he'll be able to set up another meet before the test, but we're not sure. If he can't, he'll just have to go for it based on the training he has," Vaughn explained, pausing for a second. "We'll make sure an extraction team is in place in case he fails."
"When's the test?"
"He said he wasn't sure. They only told him it would be within the next few days," Vaughn replied.
"I guess it's judgment week for both of us then."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Anderson took Sydney in for radiation two days later. She returned that afternoon tired, but otherwise suffering no other side-affects. She slept until dinner when Vaughn decided to wake her. For the first time in weeks, she decided to join them at the table to eat. Her appetite was slowly returning to normal. She managed to finish a good portion of the food before bringing her plate into the kitchen.
Once Weiss had vacated to his room, Vaughn gathered a blanket and led Sydney outside to the porch. They curled up on one of the lounge chairs together and Vaughn spread the blanket over them, making sure it covered Sydney as much as possible. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her as they silently looked up at the stars, an act that was becoming something of a ritual for them.
"It's weird," Sydney said suddenly.
"What is?" Vaughn asked, confused.
"I feel like I've been on this long, confusing path since the moment I was diagnosed with cancer. But now... I don't know, I guess I feel like I'm coming to the end of the road," she explained.
"You mean after the testing?" Vaughn clarified.
"Yeah. I mean, these results pretty much decide everything, don't they?"
"I guess they *are* pretty important," Vaughn agreed. A short silence settled over them.
"I know I've already said it, Vaughn, but thank you. I know I haven't been the easiest person to understand and deal with, but despite my attempts to push you away... I'm glad you're here. I honestly don't know how I would have done it without you," Sydney admitted. Vaughn's arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss into her hair.
"Don't you go and get morbid on me," Vaughn joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I'm not getting morbid! Jeez, I try to say something nice and I get accused of being morbid. I just can't do anything right," she said with mock exasperation. Vaughn laughed as he placed kisses along the side of her neck.
"I love you, Syd," he whispered into her neck. She smiled, looking up at the stars. She yawned and repeated the words back to him. As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, a silent prayer played through her head, asking the heavens to protect Vaughn... in case she could no longer be there to perform that duty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jack sent another e-mail the next morning. Coincidentally, Dixon's test was scheduled for the same day as Sydney's testing. Sydney had officially taken to call it "judgment day." Though she usually used the term with humor, Vaughn could easily see the fear behind that humor. Fear for both her partner and herself.
"Judgment day" came faster than anyone anticipated. Vaughn had half- expected the sun to darken and the skies to go black for such a monumental day. It turned out to be a breezy, sunny day. It couldn't have been more normal. Sydney had to leave early for testing. Vaughn made sure he was up before she left. He didn't say anything, didn't attempt to encourage her by citing examples of her strength. He held her for a brief moment, gave her an encouraging smile, and watched her walk out the door.
The day was such a blur, he realized that if someone had asked him a week later what he'd spent the whole day doing, he wouldn't have been able to answer. He didn't remember anything until Sydney returned. She walked back through the door sometime after dark. He was on the computer at the table. The computer was quickly forgotten as soon as she entered, and she was in his arms in seconds. He could tell by the way she leaned into him that she was exhausted. The long days of testing usually wore her out completely. He held her for another moment before reaching underneath her and scooping her legs up. He felt her tense in surprise, but she didn't protest. She relaxed into his arms as he carried her carefully into her room. He set her gently on the bed before reaching down to remove her shoes. She moved into the middle of the bed and under the covers as he removed his own shoes. Still clothed and not caring a bit, he joined her in bed, draping his arm over her waist. He looked into her eyes for the first time that night as his hands brushed non-existent strands of hair away from her face. She smiled weakly at him.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered, choking on his words slightly. He saw a slight shimmer of tears appear in her eyes before she slowly nodded. He reached out and held her closer, listening to her breathing slowly even out as she drifted off to sleep. He wasn't sure how long he watched her, but he knew it was well past midnight when he finally drifted off himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As usual, Vaughn was up before Sydney the next morning. He was careful not to wake her as he got out of bed and headed into the main room. He found Weiss there, looking as if he was ready to go somewhere. He appeared to be looking for something, but his searched halted when he heard Vaughn walk into the room.
"Hey," he greeted. "How's Syd doing?"
"She's okay. She got back pretty late and just went straight to sleep," Vaughn replied.
"She didn't say anything about the tests?" Weiss asked.
"I don't think there was much to say. When I talked to Dr. Anderson a few days ago he said the results probably wouldn't be in for two days. So I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow until we know anything," Vaughn explained. "So where are you going?"
"Oh I have to pick up a million and a half things. We're out of almost everything. I figured I'd start early. I'll probably be gone most of the day," Weiss replied. "I just can't seem to find the car keys anywhere."
Vaughn laughed, walked over to the table, and lifted up Weiss's closed laptop. Sure enough, the keys were sitting right underneath. Weiss looked confused for a second, before shaking his head at Vaughn and walking over to grab the keys off the table.
"I'll see you later," Weiss said, heading for the door.
"Bye," Vaughn called out right before the door shut.
Vaughn sat and started up the laptop to do some work himself. It couldn't have been more than an hour when he heard the front door open. He looked up and saw the doctor walk into the house.
"Oh, hi," Vaughn said, surprised to see him.
"Hi," the doctor greeted. "I just came by to talk to Agent Bristow and give her these," he said, holding up a pill bottle. "It's something a little stronger for her headaches."
"Oh," Vaughn said, nodding in understanding. "Well, she's in her room. I'm not sure if she's up yet, but I can go check if you want."
"No, that's okay. I can go check. If she's not up, I'll just leave these for her and talk to her a little later."
"Okay, well go ahead. I'll be out here if you need anything."
Dr. Anderson nodded before heading down the hall and toward Sydney's room. Vaughn turned his attention back to the computer screen. He spent somewhere around twenty minutes checking sites before he heard the doctor emerge and walk back out into the main room.
"She was up, I take it," Vaughn guessed.
"Yes, she was," Dr. Anderson confirmed.
"Is she okay? Did she want something to eat?" Vaughn asked.
An unreadable expression passed over the doctor's face, but was so quick that Vaughn nearly missed it. "I think she just wanted to rest for a little while longer."
Vaughn nodded. "Okay."
"Anyway, I have to head back to the hospital. I'll call tomorrow," the doctor said as he headed for the door.
"Okay. Thanks for stopping by." The doctor nodded at him before leaving. Vaughn stared at the door for a moment, slightly confused by the doctor's somewhat odd behavior. A noise from the computer pulled him back to reality, though. He instantly recognized the noise as a notification of new e-mail. He opened up the mailbox and saw an e-mail from Jack. He opened it immediately.
By the time he was finished, he'd forgotten completely about the comment Dr. Anderson had made about Sydney wanting to rest a little longer. He was out of his seat instantly, heading for Sydney's room. He reached it and knocked quickly, not waiting for a reply before entering the room. He saw her sitting up in bed.
"Syd! Your dad just e-mailed us. Dixon passed his test," Vaughn announced anxiously, walking over to the bed. He sat on the edge, facing her. She didn't seem to want to meet his eyes, though. "Syd?" He asked tentatively.
She looked up suddenly. His good news about Dixon was instantly forgotten. His focus now was solely on the tears that were pooling in her eyes.
To be continued.
A/N: OMG this chapter is *finally* done! And I know that was a bad cliffhanger, so I'll really try to get it done later this weekend or early this week before everything starts. Who knew that graduating from high school took up so much of your time lol. Also, part of the reason this chapter took so long was because I write it on my mom's laptop and it broke this week. So I lost bits and pieces of stuff. Part of that unfortunately was my PM list for SD-1. So if you're reading this there, I'm sorry you're not getting a PM right now. But I'm just going to start a whole new list. So please reply and let me know if you'd like to be added to the list. Anyway, after that way too long wait I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! I've probably missed the reviews ten times as much as you've missed the story lol. Stupid school. It always gets in the way :P.
Author: SydGillyKC
Author's Note: Okay, I lied! I did make you wait that long and then some lol. I'm so sorry! For those of you who read this over at SD-1, you already know that the whole TRL/Kelly Clarkson and tennis states thing happened. And of course there was the senior dinner-dance and the junior/senior awards night. And last weekend, let's just say that prom completely took over three days. Manicures, making a CD for the limo, and buying make-up on Friday, prom on Saturday, and sleeping all day Sunday lol. It's just been insane. But here's a chapter finally! Hopefully I'll get another one out later this weekend or next week. Starting Tuesday, the whole whirlwind of graduation sets in. Tuesday is the senior trip to Block Island, Wednesday my friend flies in from FL, Thursday I have a graduation rehearsal, Friday I have my last day of school, graduation, and the all-night graduation party our school sponsors. Saturday I'll probably be sleeping all day lol. Sunday I have my own party and some friends are staying over until Monday. Then Monday I leave for NH with my three friends (road trip! Lol). I'm there until Friday. So after this weeks, things get difficult in terms of this story. So all I can promise is that I will work on it as much as I possibly can. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I love you," he told her again. She closed her eyes, realizing she would never get tired of hearing him say that.
"I love you too."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 24: Judgment Day
Vaughn awoke the next morning with Sydney in his arms, a feeling he'd missed more than he realized. Her head was pillowed on his chest, her arm draped across his stomach. His arms held her securely against him. It was the most content he'd felt in weeks. He watched Sydney sleep for at least twenty minutes before reluctantly giving into his growling stomach and deciding to get up and eat some breakfast. He very carefully lifted Sydney's head as he moved toward the edge of the bed, placing it gently back down into a pillow. Her arm slid off him as he edged over and finally, he was able to get off the bed. Sydney had only stirred in the process, but had not woken up. He looked back down at her, now curled up on her side in the middle of the bed. He was so grateful to finally have her back.
When he reached the main room, Vaughn saw Weiss sitting at the table, eating. He walked up and caught Weiss's attention.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning," Vaughn replied. Weiss studied him for a moment.
"You seem better," he commented.
"How can you tell?" Vaughn asked.
"Because you're no longer a nervous wreck. What happened?"
"We talked," Vaughn told him.
"When?" Weiss asked.
"Last night."
"And?"
"And she's okay. We worked it out," Vaughn replied.
"Good. I'm glad," Weiss said sincerely.
"Thanks. So am I." Vaughn walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few pieces of bread from a cupboard, putting them into the toaster. "Anything from Jack?" He called out to Weiss.
"Nothing yet. It's still early, though. We should hear by this afternoon, tonight at the latest."
Vaughn nodded. "I could sure use some good news today," he said. Weiss looked up at him.
"I think we all could."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sydney awoke to the feeling of Vaughn's soft lips on hers. Eyes still closed, she smiled into his mouth and kissed him back. When he pulled back slightly, she forced her heavy eyes open. She saw him smiling down at her.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Good afternoon," he corrected. She glanced at the clock and groaned, realizing he was right.
"My sleep schedule's still out of whack," she explained. He nodded.
"I brought you something to eat," he told her, gesturing over to a tray he'd set down on the nightstand.
"Breakfast in bed? Are you trying to spoil me?" She joked, smiling at him.
"You bet," he said, kissing her again before reaching over and picking up the tray. He set it in front of her and leaned back slightly. He watched her pick through the food for the next ten minutes, relieved to finally see her eating again. She didn't come close to finishing it, but he was satisfied that she'd tried to get down as much as she could. He took the tray back into the kitchen once she was finished. When he came back in, he found her hunched over slightly, her arm twisted behind her so that she could rub a hand over her back. He walked quickly over to the bed and sat down beside her. She felt his weight on the bed and looked up quickly, smiling at him reassuringly.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a knot in my back. It happens when you've been laying around for too long," she told him.
"You haven't been laying around. You've been recovering," he argued.
"Potato, potato," she joked, pronouncing each differently. He smiled and shook his head. He then crawled up and sat behind her on the bed. He reached out and began to massage the muscles in her back. She sighed and leaned back against him.
"Did Dr. Anderson schedule you for another day of testing yet?" Vaughn asked as he continued to press his fists into her back.
"Radiation the day after tomorrow. Testing is in six days," she replied.
"You didn't have radiation yesterday, did you?" He asked.
"No. Aside from the testing, they just injected me with a drug that's supposed to help boost my immune system slightly. No side-affects thankfully."
"And Dr. Anderson didn't want to do anything aside from the radiation and testing? No further instructions?"
"Nope. For now, we wait."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
It was late that afternoon when the e-mail from Jack finally came. Sydney was stretched out on the couch, reading a book. Weiss called Vaughn into his room when he saw the letter in his inbox. Vaughn read it quickly before walking out into the main room to tell Sydney. He saw her on the couch and walked over to sit on the arm, facing her.
"What's up?" She asked, her eyes questioning.
"We just got an e-mail from your dad," he told her. Her eyes went instantly wide.
"What'd he say?"
"Dixon finally got a chance to meet with some of our agents. He had some useful intel about the Rambaldi artifact they're trying to uncover. Since SD-6 is the branch with the largest Rambaldi collection, though, they want to give Dixon higher clearance in the operation. They're giving him a lie- detector test, similar to the one I had to train you for. If he passes, we believe he'll be privy to information that bring us significantly closer to taking down the Alliance, Syd."
"Oh my God. Well, can the CIA train him for the test? Like you did for me?" Sydney asked anxiously.
"Well, that's the problem. His time with the agents today was limited. They were only able to train him on some basics. We're hoping he'll be able to set up another meet before the test, but we're not sure. If he can't, he'll just have to go for it based on the training he has," Vaughn explained, pausing for a second. "We'll make sure an extraction team is in place in case he fails."
"When's the test?"
"He said he wasn't sure. They only told him it would be within the next few days," Vaughn replied.
"I guess it's judgment week for both of us then."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Anderson took Sydney in for radiation two days later. She returned that afternoon tired, but otherwise suffering no other side-affects. She slept until dinner when Vaughn decided to wake her. For the first time in weeks, she decided to join them at the table to eat. Her appetite was slowly returning to normal. She managed to finish a good portion of the food before bringing her plate into the kitchen.
Once Weiss had vacated to his room, Vaughn gathered a blanket and led Sydney outside to the porch. They curled up on one of the lounge chairs together and Vaughn spread the blanket over them, making sure it covered Sydney as much as possible. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her as they silently looked up at the stars, an act that was becoming something of a ritual for them.
"It's weird," Sydney said suddenly.
"What is?" Vaughn asked, confused.
"I feel like I've been on this long, confusing path since the moment I was diagnosed with cancer. But now... I don't know, I guess I feel like I'm coming to the end of the road," she explained.
"You mean after the testing?" Vaughn clarified.
"Yeah. I mean, these results pretty much decide everything, don't they?"
"I guess they *are* pretty important," Vaughn agreed. A short silence settled over them.
"I know I've already said it, Vaughn, but thank you. I know I haven't been the easiest person to understand and deal with, but despite my attempts to push you away... I'm glad you're here. I honestly don't know how I would have done it without you," Sydney admitted. Vaughn's arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss into her hair.
"Don't you go and get morbid on me," Vaughn joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I'm not getting morbid! Jeez, I try to say something nice and I get accused of being morbid. I just can't do anything right," she said with mock exasperation. Vaughn laughed as he placed kisses along the side of her neck.
"I love you, Syd," he whispered into her neck. She smiled, looking up at the stars. She yawned and repeated the words back to him. As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, a silent prayer played through her head, asking the heavens to protect Vaughn... in case she could no longer be there to perform that duty.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jack sent another e-mail the next morning. Coincidentally, Dixon's test was scheduled for the same day as Sydney's testing. Sydney had officially taken to call it "judgment day." Though she usually used the term with humor, Vaughn could easily see the fear behind that humor. Fear for both her partner and herself.
"Judgment day" came faster than anyone anticipated. Vaughn had half- expected the sun to darken and the skies to go black for such a monumental day. It turned out to be a breezy, sunny day. It couldn't have been more normal. Sydney had to leave early for testing. Vaughn made sure he was up before she left. He didn't say anything, didn't attempt to encourage her by citing examples of her strength. He held her for a brief moment, gave her an encouraging smile, and watched her walk out the door.
The day was such a blur, he realized that if someone had asked him a week later what he'd spent the whole day doing, he wouldn't have been able to answer. He didn't remember anything until Sydney returned. She walked back through the door sometime after dark. He was on the computer at the table. The computer was quickly forgotten as soon as she entered, and she was in his arms in seconds. He could tell by the way she leaned into him that she was exhausted. The long days of testing usually wore her out completely. He held her for another moment before reaching underneath her and scooping her legs up. He felt her tense in surprise, but she didn't protest. She relaxed into his arms as he carried her carefully into her room. He set her gently on the bed before reaching down to remove her shoes. She moved into the middle of the bed and under the covers as he removed his own shoes. Still clothed and not caring a bit, he joined her in bed, draping his arm over her waist. He looked into her eyes for the first time that night as his hands brushed non-existent strands of hair away from her face. She smiled weakly at him.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered, choking on his words slightly. He saw a slight shimmer of tears appear in her eyes before she slowly nodded. He reached out and held her closer, listening to her breathing slowly even out as she drifted off to sleep. He wasn't sure how long he watched her, but he knew it was well past midnight when he finally drifted off himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As usual, Vaughn was up before Sydney the next morning. He was careful not to wake her as he got out of bed and headed into the main room. He found Weiss there, looking as if he was ready to go somewhere. He appeared to be looking for something, but his searched halted when he heard Vaughn walk into the room.
"Hey," he greeted. "How's Syd doing?"
"She's okay. She got back pretty late and just went straight to sleep," Vaughn replied.
"She didn't say anything about the tests?" Weiss asked.
"I don't think there was much to say. When I talked to Dr. Anderson a few days ago he said the results probably wouldn't be in for two days. So I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow until we know anything," Vaughn explained. "So where are you going?"
"Oh I have to pick up a million and a half things. We're out of almost everything. I figured I'd start early. I'll probably be gone most of the day," Weiss replied. "I just can't seem to find the car keys anywhere."
Vaughn laughed, walked over to the table, and lifted up Weiss's closed laptop. Sure enough, the keys were sitting right underneath. Weiss looked confused for a second, before shaking his head at Vaughn and walking over to grab the keys off the table.
"I'll see you later," Weiss said, heading for the door.
"Bye," Vaughn called out right before the door shut.
Vaughn sat and started up the laptop to do some work himself. It couldn't have been more than an hour when he heard the front door open. He looked up and saw the doctor walk into the house.
"Oh, hi," Vaughn said, surprised to see him.
"Hi," the doctor greeted. "I just came by to talk to Agent Bristow and give her these," he said, holding up a pill bottle. "It's something a little stronger for her headaches."
"Oh," Vaughn said, nodding in understanding. "Well, she's in her room. I'm not sure if she's up yet, but I can go check if you want."
"No, that's okay. I can go check. If she's not up, I'll just leave these for her and talk to her a little later."
"Okay, well go ahead. I'll be out here if you need anything."
Dr. Anderson nodded before heading down the hall and toward Sydney's room. Vaughn turned his attention back to the computer screen. He spent somewhere around twenty minutes checking sites before he heard the doctor emerge and walk back out into the main room.
"She was up, I take it," Vaughn guessed.
"Yes, she was," Dr. Anderson confirmed.
"Is she okay? Did she want something to eat?" Vaughn asked.
An unreadable expression passed over the doctor's face, but was so quick that Vaughn nearly missed it. "I think she just wanted to rest for a little while longer."
Vaughn nodded. "Okay."
"Anyway, I have to head back to the hospital. I'll call tomorrow," the doctor said as he headed for the door.
"Okay. Thanks for stopping by." The doctor nodded at him before leaving. Vaughn stared at the door for a moment, slightly confused by the doctor's somewhat odd behavior. A noise from the computer pulled him back to reality, though. He instantly recognized the noise as a notification of new e-mail. He opened up the mailbox and saw an e-mail from Jack. He opened it immediately.
By the time he was finished, he'd forgotten completely about the comment Dr. Anderson had made about Sydney wanting to rest a little longer. He was out of his seat instantly, heading for Sydney's room. He reached it and knocked quickly, not waiting for a reply before entering the room. He saw her sitting up in bed.
"Syd! Your dad just e-mailed us. Dixon passed his test," Vaughn announced anxiously, walking over to the bed. He sat on the edge, facing her. She didn't seem to want to meet his eyes, though. "Syd?" He asked tentatively.
She looked up suddenly. His good news about Dixon was instantly forgotten. His focus now was solely on the tears that were pooling in her eyes.
To be continued.
A/N: OMG this chapter is *finally* done! And I know that was a bad cliffhanger, so I'll really try to get it done later this weekend or early this week before everything starts. Who knew that graduating from high school took up so much of your time lol. Also, part of the reason this chapter took so long was because I write it on my mom's laptop and it broke this week. So I lost bits and pieces of stuff. Part of that unfortunately was my PM list for SD-1. So if you're reading this there, I'm sorry you're not getting a PM right now. But I'm just going to start a whole new list. So please reply and let me know if you'd like to be added to the list. Anyway, after that way too long wait I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! I've probably missed the reviews ten times as much as you've missed the story lol. Stupid school. It always gets in the way :P.