chapter six: pandora's gift

Nurse Hatcher stood at the foot of Frankie's bed, her arms folded across her chest. She was in full Nurse Ratchet mode but Frankie was too preoccupied to care.

"You're not going to get better if you don't finish your meals, Frankie."

Frankie sighed. "I'm not hungry."

"You should listen to her," Faye said.

Nurse Hatcher turned her attention to Faye. "You're one to talk, Mrs. K. I don't want to come to work tomorrow and find out you're a patient here too."

"It's been a tense couple of days." Frankie irritably tucked her hair behind her ears then pushed her lunch tray away. "I'm sorry. I can't finish this."

Nurse Hatcher looked from one woman to the other, shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

She picked up the tray and left.

"Some Christmas, huh?"

"There are still two days to go, Frankie," Faye said. "We can't give up hope."

"It's not as if Santa's going to deliver Kilmer on Christmas morning." Frankie regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just can't help but worry."

"I know."

"I feel like I should be doing something." Frankie swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I hate feeling so useless."

"You know, I imagine John felt the same when you were missing."

"I guess." Frankie stood, stepping into her slippers. "I'm going to see Bella. Do you want to come?"

Faye shook her head. "I think I'll listen to your Nurse Hatcher and go get something to eat."

They hugged. "He'll come home," Frankie said. "He always does."

Bella smiled when Frankie sat next to her. "Look, Mommy brought a Christmas tree. She said Santa would bring my presents here."

"I hope he doesn't forget about me."

"Were you good? 'Cause he only brings presents if you were good." Bella yawned.

Frankie smiled. "Well, I think I was good. I don't know if Santa would agree."

Bella's laugh was weak. It horrified Frankie how quickly the child was dying. "I have a present for you. But you're only getting it on Christmas. Will you still be here then?"

"Yes."

"Will you come help me unwrap my presents?"

"If you'd like me to."

Bella nodded. "Nakeisha's my bestest friend in the whole world, but you're my second bestest friend."

Frankie grabbed a Kleenex from the bedside table and dried her eyes. "You know what, Bella? You're my second bestest friend too."

"Frankie, will you tell me a story?"

"Okay." Frankie moved from the chair to the edge of the bed so she could tickle Bella's back. "Once upon a time there was a woman named Pandora. And she was a very inquisitive woman so one day, the gods gave her a box . . ."

Two days earlier

"Angel? Angel, are you okay?" Kilmer crawled to the front of the van. Angel was struggling to free her leg, which was trapped between the dashboard and Kasim's limp body. Kilmer helped her pull loose.

"Thanks." She felt for Kasim's pulse. "He's dead."

Kilmer pulled his body into the back of the van then climbed into the front and turned the ignition. Nothing happened.

"Great."

"It could be worse," Angel said. "We could be dead."

"We're stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a car that doesn't work, and two dead bodies." Kilmer glared at Fareeda's body. "I thought she was one of us."

"She was sleeping with Kasim."

"How do you know that?"

Angel took her boot off and winced. "They were, uh, making plans on the drive."

"I didn't know you spoke Arabic."

"One of my many hidden talents." She took a deep breath, then exhaled on a hiss. "I think my ankle's broken."

Kilmer was quiet for a while. "We can't stay here."

"I know."

"And I'm not leaving you behind."

Angel smiled. "Good to hear."

"Let's see if we can find something to bind your foot." Kilmer climbed in the back again. He eventually took Kasim's shirt and ripped it into strips. "Sorry, this is all there is."

"Thanks." Angel took the material and wrapped her foot. "So what's the game plan, boss?"

"We need to get back to town ASAP. I'm thinking Nathalie is meeting with Alexandru now to arrange the bombing."

"You think The Hague's not the real target?"

"I don't know." Kilmer took Fareeda and Kasim's guns, then got out the car. He opened the door for Angel. "I guess you can't walk on that foot."

Angel shot him a dirty look.

"Okay." He handed her the guns. "Climb on my back."

"What?"

"It's the only way."

She shook her head. "I – You can't carry me all the way back."

"Angel, there's no other way."

"Okay." Angel nodded. "Let's do it. But if I get too heavy, put me down."

Neither Kilmer nor Angel were in the mood for small talk. Kilmer navigated their way back using the stars, prompting thoughts of Frankie. He'd taken her stargazing before they were married and impressed her by naming all the constellations. They'd made love for the first time that night, and Kilmer had known then that she was the one.

An hour into the journey, Kilmer heard the sound of an approaching car. He set Angel down and waved at the car. It stopped and an old man rolled down the window. He uttered something in Arabic and Kilmer looked at Angel.

The man and Angel exchanged a few sentences, then she smiled at Kilmer. "He can take us back to town."

Present

Atkins studied Angel. She'd sat down to give her report, leaning her crutches against the table. She looked exhausted, he thought. That was no surprise, given recent events. He wondered how Kilmer had fared.

He frowned. "Speaking of Kilmer, where is he?"

Angel looked away. "He, uh, he took a slight detour past GW."

Atkins chuckled. "Of course. So you made it back to Marrakech. What happened then?"

"Kilmer got me to a hospital then went after Nathalie and Alexandru. He found Alexandru at the restaurant, toasting his impending victory. Nathalie was long gone."

"Alexandru wouldn't say where?"

Angel shook her head. "But he did confirm that The Hague was the target. He didn't know I wasn't who he thought I was until the real Nathalie showed up."

"We've informed The Hague of the threat. In the meantime, we keep looking for Nathalie. Do you think she'll still do it?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been paid but she might go ahead just because it's something to do." Angel yawned. "Sorry. It was a long flight back."

"Go home. Get some rest. You two did good work."

Angel stood, picked up her crutches and began to hobble to the stairs. "Oh, if Kilmer's in a bad mood tomorrow, tell him 'I told you so'."

Intrigued, Atkins asked, "What did he do?"

"He didn't tell Frankie we were getting back today. He said he wanted to surprise her." Angel smiled. "Good night, Colonel."

Kilmer didn't care what the time was. Screw visiting hours, he thought as he entered the hospital. To his surprise, Nurse Ratchet didn't try to stop him from entering Frankie's room. Instead of Frankie, he found his mother. She dropped the magazine she was reading and stood.

"John?"

"Mom." He hugged her. Assuming the worst, he asked, "Where's Frankie? What happened?"

Before she could answer, there was a voice from behind him. "John!"

He turned. Frankie was standing in the open doorway. He reached her in two strides and pulled her into his arms.

"Ouch. Ribs."

He loosened his hold slightly but didn't release her. He kissed her, two days' worth of stubble scratching her face. She didn't seem to mind; wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him back.

Then she pulled away and slapped him. He raised his hand and rubbed his cheek. "What was that for?"

"For not calling to say you were okay. For making us worry. For waltzing in here as if nothing's wrong. Pick a reason."

Kilmer grinned and put his arms around her again. "It's good to be home."

"Don't we even get an explanation?" Faye demanded.

"It's a long story."

Frankie got comfortable on the bed. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kilmer sat on the edge of the bed and glanced from Frankie to his mother. "Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you . . ."