Jack was taken back to his cell. The nice guard from earlier helped him onto the bed and left him. Jack was lying down with his eyes closed because he had nothing else to do when he heard the door open. He moved slowly to sit up to see Palmer in the door with the guard that had hit Jack with the asp earlier, Jack knew what was coming so he just sat there unable to stop it.
The guard pulled him off the bed letting him fall to the ground. Jack cried out, but soon found something shoved in his mouth and his mouth tapped shut by the guard so that no sounds would come out of him. The guard leaned back against the wall and let Palmer do the rest. Palmer walked over to Jack and kneeled next to him, "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut could you. I'm probably going to loose my job because of you now." Palmer said looking in Jack's eyes noticing a small look of fear. He smiled at it and stood up. He kicked Jack repeatedly in the ribs. Jack moved his hands to block the kick's. He was doing a good job until the guard walked over and pulled his arms back. Palmer went at him again this time making sure to hit his injured side the most. The guard put his knee into Jack's back and pressed in hard. Jack muffled scream was barely heard. Palmer finished him off with a hard kick to the head that dazed Jack. The guard undid the gag and left Jack on the floor bleeding.
Jack was gasping for breath as they left. He felt immense pain in the left lung the one that had collapsed earlier. His eyes were watering from the pain and lack of oxygen. He knew a part of his lung had collapsed again, but there was nothing he could do. He fought to stay conscious and fight off the pain, he tried to take deep breaths in order to try to re-inflate the lung but they only hurt. He felt his eyes slowly closing as he fought to keep from passing out. He felt himself slip into darkness as he heard the door open again.
Hammond had come back to talk to Jack and was escorted to Jack's cell by the guard that had been nice to Jack earlier. When they opened the door the guard ran down the hallway seeing the state Jack was in, to get the doctor.
Hammond went in and check Jack's pulse. He found a faint one. He put his ear to Jack's lungs and could tell that one of them had collapsed again. He rolled Jack onto his back and began to force air into Jack's lungs hoping to help the collapsed one. The doctor came in and said to Hammond who was breathing into Jack's mouth, "The ambulance is on the way." Hammond continued on as the doctor checked over Jack, the only major problem he could find besides the damage done to the already damaged gun shot wound was the collapsed lung. The ambulance arrived and they loaded Jack onto the stretcher they quickly hooked up to a breathing machine they had with them and moved him quickly through the halls to the hospital. Hammond stood in the cell and asked the guard, "Who did this to him?" Hammond said threateningly.
"I don't know." The guard answered truthfully.
Hammond believed him he had been helpful and had told Hammond about how he had found Jack earlier that morning. Hammond left shortly after and followed the ambulance to the hospital.
They took Jack into surgery and after an hour they fixed all the damaged done. He was wheeled into recovery where there were now six security guards with the orders to only let Hammond and Jack's doctors in to see him. Hammond sat in a chair in the room with his head in his hands waiting for Jack to wake up. He heard a slight groan and smiled as he knew Jack was coming around. Hammond looked at him as he slowly opened his eyes. "Bauer you just can't keep yourself from getting beat up can you. I wonder how you survived so long with such crappy fighting skills."
Jack laughed and winced in pain caused by laughing, he said in a hoarse voice, "Don't make me laugh it hurts."
"You thought I was joking?" Hammond continued on, "Do you think you've taken this far enough now?"
"I still don't have enough evidence to hang him for Operation Nightfall."
"Jack you have more enough to hang him for what was done to you."
Jack snapped partially out of pain and aggravation, "But they can say they never knew I was undercover?"
"Were you the entire time? I don't think you're that great of an actor Bauer." Hammond said.
"For awhile there I wasn't sure myself. Yes when we went into CTU I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care because we had never discussed that part of the mission. It took me awhile to figure it was needed, but I never expected them to be able to break me like they did. When CTU caught me again, I was trying to continue with the undercover mission because I still had not found out who Nina was working for or who had set up Operation Nightfall. I didn't expect the treatment I got, but I went through it. I should have given up earlier, but a part of me believed in what I was doing with Nina. That scared me. I wasn't sure what side I was on at that time."
"I figured that. But we'll keep that between us. We will keep it as we had originally planned before . . ." Hammond stopped, "You do not that was never part of the plan Jack. After she died I really thought you had fallen off the face of the earth and found out later that you were in with Nina. I wasn't sure if you were doing as we had planned or if you were actually in with her."
"I wasn't either Brad. I'm still not sure."
"That's fine. Like I said we'll keep that a secret. No one needs to know. You had every reason to be in with her."
"Thanks Brad." Jack knew Brad was a stickler for the rules, and was going against everything he had believed in to help Jack.
"It's the least I can do for asking you to go through so much hell just to bring down a few people. Rest easily I'll be here most of the time and when I'm not Tony and Chase agreed to keep watch. You don't have too many fans out there. I'll let the tribunal know what was really going on and get the charges dropped against you. I'll make sure Palmer gets prosecuted for what he had done to you, and I'll check with a source I have to get more information on the Nightfall maybe we still can hang him on that. " Brad said knowing that was the one thing Jack had wanted, the only reason why Jack had decided to help Brad when he came to him with the idea of him letting himself be captured by Nina and than after some time of being interrogated giving in so that he could gain their trust and than work undercover from there to bring down the dirty people that were plaguing the government.
Jack smiled weakly at Hammond. "Thanks."
"I should be thanking you. I didn't do anything." He said smiling. "Get some rest Bauer that's an order."
Jack smiled as he closed his eye he was tired and he knew he needed to rest.
When Jack woke the next morning Tony was standing by his bed looking out the window. When Tony noticed Jack had woken up he scowled at him, "You know Jack you're an arshole."
"Why thanks it's nice to see you too Tony."
"I really thought you had switched sides Jack. You know how bad I felt as I watched that stupid arshole beat the crap out of you, how guilty I felt for not finding you while you were away with Nina. And to come and find out it all was one big deception." Tony said angrily.
"Tony I'm going to let you into a little secret. None of it was planned. Hammond came to me after I got back from Mexico. He knew the government was riddled with moles and he wanted to take some of them down. He promised me a chance to find out who set up nightfall. You know Nina hinted at while under interrogation that she knew who had done it, and done a lot more to hurt the country. I had to know. But when Michaels killed Kim that kind of put a screw in the wheel." Jack said sadly. "I really had hit the bottom and was ready to give up than. Nina and her men came to my apartment I'm sure Palmer sent them. I have no proof but I'm sure he did. They did break me Tony. I was in two literally. Part of me good and the other part bad. I had sort of switched sides. When I was with Nina everything seemed simple and if CTU had not stopped us I would of let her walk out of there with the disk. They broke me again, that big ars dude did. And than I was just to confused to do anything. I don't know how to explain it to you. But I never fully lost the good side, it went away for awhile, but I never lost it."
Tony understood what Jack was saying and decided to keep it to himself. It was much better if they made it sound like Jack was in control the entire time. "Michelle will be by later. She came last night with me and she spoke to the doctor. She said you were so thin, and you needed some real food. The doctor agreed so she has her mom cooking."
Jack laughed, "Oh thank God I didn't want to have to suffer through another one of her meals."
"You're telling me. She's my wife, think about that. If I don't get home and cook before she does than . . "
"Than what Tony?" Michelle walked in looking at him angrily.
"Than I get a lovely cooked meal from my lovely wife." Tony said smiling at her.
"You got that right." She set the small tupperware container of food in front of Jack. She helped him raise the bed so he could eat, "You eat that all now Jack." She said in a motherly tone.
Jack ate quickly starving from lack of food.
"It's nice to have you back Jack." Michelle said sitting next to him.
"It's nice to be back." He said. Than the realization hit him, Kim was gone for good, she would never be back and he frowned.
Michelle knew what he was thinking about and had already figured out a way to help him. "Hey once you get out of this place you are staying with me and Tony not arguments. I can take you know Bauer."
Jack was going to argue, but he was sure Michelle would try to take him and would win. "I don't want to be a burden."
"Well you aren't going to be able to live on your own either." She said.
Chase walked into the room and smiled at them, "Already laying into the poor man Michelle?"
"Shut up Chase. Or I'll make sure you come over to help."
"Yes ma'am." Chase said smiling at her. Chase felt a little weird going to see Jack, he wasn't sure if he should because he knew every time he saw Jack he thought of Kim and he was sure Jack did the same when he saw him.
"Hey Chase how's the hand?" Jack asked not knowing what ever came of it.
"Fine. I got most of the movement back." Chase said showing him.
"Great."
"Looks like you took worse. I think it's time you left field op's also." Chase joked. "What am I saying you'll be ninety and unable to move, but still trying to work undercover. I can see it your going to break the illegal marijuana selling in the old folks home."
"Very funny Chase." Jack said not laughing.
Michelle finally decided to tell Jack the bad news, "Palmer disappeared. We don't know where he is. No one does. We are trying to track him down."
"I figured as much." Jack said.
