4.
The first thing Francie noticed as she walked into the room was the large bandage covering the side of Sydney's head. Sydney's arm was also heavily bandaged and a few bruises were beginning to surface.
Taking the seat by the bed Francie gently took Sydney's hand carefully avoiding the IV drip in it. Will took a seat on the opposite side.
"Thank god she's ok." Will whispered to Francie.
"Yeah I'm so relieved it's nothing more serious," She whispered back, "I mean she was held at gunpoint. A gun was actually held at her!"
They were both silent for a while, thinking about what could have been. A lone tear ran down Francie's check.
"Hey Fran? " Will whispered suddenly. When she looked at him he carried on. "Do you really believe what they said about what happened to her?"
"Will, this is not the time for any of your reporter BS! Of course I believe it. Why shouldn't I?"
"It's just that Syd was supposed to be in San Francisco…"
"Aahhh no Will, she must have finished her trip early and decided to do some shopping, she doesn't have to let us know what she's doing 24/7."
"And who was that guy outside?"
Not bothering to keep her voice down, Francie replied; "I'm not having this conversation with…" Before she could finish her answer Jack entered the room followed by the other man.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on in here?" Jack asked quietly.
"We were just discussing the accident Mr Bristow. We were so surprised by it all. We hadn't even realised she was in town, we thought she was away on business."
The other man softly cleared his throat. "That would be my fault. I lost a deal and business in San Francisco was cut short. Sydney mentioned she had a few errands to run in the mall and she thought she'd do them before she went home." Noticing the quizzical looks both Francie and Will were giving him he carried on. "My name's Michael Vaughn. I work at the bank with Sydney." They all shook hands.
Five minutes later, talk had turned to small talk. Will and Vaughn both found they had their love for sports in common and Francie was politely asking how Jack's work was going. Sydney stirred in her bed her eyes flickering awake.
"Hey, what's going on?" A confused Sydney asked quietly from her hospital bed. She couldn't have spoken any louder even if she had wanted to, as the pain in her head was so great.
"It's ok honey," The affectionate term sounded strange even to Jack's own ears. "You had a minor accident at the mall." He said indicating the cover story he had created before Will or Francie had a chance to speak.
"Minor!" Will exclaimed. "Being mugged at gunpoint isn't minor."
Sydney glanced around the room. Instantly everything came back to her almost in slow-motion; stealing the prototype from Owens' hotel room, racing to the roof, hiding until she could hide no longer, Owens bullet grazing her arm at her at exactly the same time she stepped off of the roof. Luckily she had been wearing a jacket designed by SD6's own Marshall Flinkman, a jacket with a parachute hidden in the lining. If only Owens' bullets hadn't destroyed the parachute she would have landed safely, instead of free-falling the last two storeys. Everything after that, until now, was a blur.
Sydney was suddenly hit with a feeling of great stupidity. 'I should have waited until I was more prepare to get the prototype,' She thought looking around the room at the people who cared about her most in the world. Her best friends Will and Francie the people who knew everything about her but didn't really know her at all, people she had to lie to everyday only because she loved them so much. Her father, a man who she was only just starting to get to know after they were practically estranged for almost twenty years. And lastly, her CIA handler Michael Vaughn, the only person who knew absolutely everything about her. 'I wasn't ready and I nearly lost my life because of it.'
"How are you feeling Syd?" Francie asked her voice full of concern.
"I'm ok," Sydney replied and tried to sit up. "Ooohhh." She cried out, her vision blurred and a feeling of nausea came over her
"Here Syd, let me help." Francie straightened Sydney's pillows so she was able to sit up. "I think you're going to be in here for at least another day. When my cousin Michelle had an accident she was in hospital for three days after due to the concussion."
Sydney shot Vaughn a worried glance. She knew she was a sitting target here. Even though Owens probably had the prototype back he more than likely wanted her dead. Vaughn shook his head, silently telling her not to worry.
Francie patted Sydney's pillows down and misinterpreted the look "Don't worry Syd, we'll get a TV in here and as much chocolate as you can eat and you'll be out of here in no time."
'If only that was all I had to worry about Fran,' Sydney thought.
