"Mom, I'm okay, just a little tired." Laurie finished washing the breakfast dishes as she spoke to Cecilia on the phone.
"Well, if you and Linda need any help with Melly, you call me. I know you're scared for the guys, Laurie." Cecilia added. "But you won't help any of them getting yourself sick."
Laurie sighed. "I know Mom, Rick and A.J. will take care of Dad. I just have a bad feeling about all this. I'll be okay when Rick checks in at lunch time."
Promising to call her mother-in-law at a later time, Laurie hung up, then started toward the guest room to talk to Rudy.
Suddenly a wave of dizziness hit, and she felt herself staggering. "Rudy?" she cried, then heard him respond.
"Coming, honey…"
"Rudy, please….." Laurie was paralyzed with cold then she heard the doctor's voice.
"Laurie…" Suddenly she felt herself pitching forward, landing on the floor, just as Rudy ran into the room.
He knelt by her side and called "Linda! Bring my bag!".
"Okay, Missy, breathe, just breathe." Rudy got Laurie onto the sofa as she started to speak incoherently, then Linda went to get her some water as the doctor held onto her.
"Let it go, honey, it's not going to happen, whatever it is…" he broke off as her eyes blinked, then her mouth opened as if to scream, her expression one of sheer terror.
"Come back, Laurie, come back to us, stay with me!" Rudy exclaimed, worried that Laurie had retreated from some horrific vision into a mental shutdown of some kind.
In response she raised her eyes to his, then fell into his arms, weeping silently.
"That's our girl, we're here, tell me what happened." Rudy embraced her, speaking soothingly to her. "It's okay, honey, it's okay." Laurie wiped her eyes, and tried to speak, but nothing came out, and fear covered her face.
"Take a deep breath, Laurie, just tell me what you saw." Rudy was scared now, as she spoke, no sound was produced, and it seemed to panic her more.
"Slowly, I'll read your lips, honey." Rudy signaled with his head for Linda to call the hospital.
"What's wrong with me, I can't talk!" Laurie was trembling, her eyes wide with fright.
"Calm down, Laurie. It's going to be all right. What did you see?" the doctor hated to press, but if he didn't, she might blank out the event all together or suffer another heart attack from repressing the memory.
Taking a deep breath, she mouthed, "I'm being dragged though the dark by 3 men, one of them, he's so familiar looking. I'm struggling with them, and then they throw me to the floor. One of them strikes me, ordering me to tell them where Dad and Rick and A.J. are. I tell them no, I won't, then one of them raises something, …" Laurie took a deep breath.
"Rudy, they bring someone else out, then .., I heard myself scream….." Laurie broke down in silent tears. Rudy tried to comfort her.
"Honey, it's all right. You're not going to get anyone killed, I promise you. I'm going to take you to the hospital to run some tests, okay?" he explained, then saw her nod, upset.
"Why can't I talk, Rudy? What did I see?" She asked, forgetting to speak slower. Rudy understood the gist of it and hugged her gently.
"I don't know, Missy, but I do know that when you remember, your voice will probably return. I just want to make sure you don't have something else wrong with you." He assured her.
As Linda held the door, he helped Laurie up, then assisted her to his car. "Rudy, you'll have to take her to Phoenix, there's been a bad car accident and Doc says they're full up. He's going to call Allen to let him know you're coming." Linda told him. "Sis, I'll get a hold of Rob and the Chief, then Melly and I will be there." She promised.
Laurie reached out a hand to her friend. "Thanks, sis." She mouthed, then put Linda's hand to her cheek.
"It'll be all right." Linda had tears in her eyes watching them drive away.
Sometime later, Rick was studying the files on the two OSI agents under consideration, while A.J. was in with Oscar. Suddenly he had a bad feeling, like something was wrong.
"Laurie?" he called, then felt a cold sensation. Worried that something had happened to his wife, he got up from his guard position, then realized there was no phone in the ante room.
"Rick, we've got something." A.J. came out of the meeting, followed by Oscar.
"What is it?" Rick asked, distractedly.
"Wright, Wade Wright. He's actually the grandson of that nutcase General Wainwright, the one who was going to sell Oscar and Laurie to the highest bidder, remember?"
Rick blanched. "Dad, his fingerprints were on the timing mechanism of the counter in your watch! How did he make it through screening?"
"He used his father's pull to skip giving a full set of prints in front of personnel. What I don't like is that he's apparently been up to his grandfather's old tricks. The FBI just informed us he's been talking to agents in the Middle East about selling information." Oscar explained, his face taut with anger.
"Rick, I'm going to call Laurie." He added, leading the way out of the meeting area down the hall to a staff room. "I want her to stay put and not leave the ranch, if he realizes he's missed with the bomb, I don't want to imagine what he'll do next!"
The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the light on Rick's transmitter flashed. Instantly his sense of foreboding returned.
"Laurie?" he responded, then heard a deep breath.
"Rick, it's Rudy. Laurie had a bad premonition this morning, she collapsed and when she came to, she couldn't talk. She seems to be fine otherwise, so I brought her to the hospital here in Phoenix."
Shocked, Rick barely could find words to answer.
"Rudy…what, what happened? What did she see?"
The doctor sighed. "Laurie saw herself being dragged by 3 men into a room, then tortured to give the location of you guys. Something happened at the end of her vision that was so frightening….she was trying to scream then she came to. Now she can't make a sound. Allen's running tests now, but, the most important thing is to get her blood pressure down, it's very high."
"Oh, God. My sweetheart." Rick choked. He was so torn, he needed to be with her, yet Oscar…..
"Rick?" Oscar was at his side, and wordlessly Rick handed him the transmitter. A.J. gave him a questioning look.
"Laurie had a bad premonition, she can't speak." Rick finally explained to his brother. Just then Oscar got his attention.
"As soon as she's checked out, Rudy's going to bring her here. He's concerned that one of the men in her vision is very familiar to her. I want her safe."
"Thanks, Dad." Rick managed a smile, then crossed over and hugged the older man.
"What else could I do, Son." Oscar said, the worry on his face eased a bit. "I want my girl to be all right; I won't let her be hurt."
Rick felt his own fear for his wife ebb, then he tried "calling" to her. "Laurie, sweetheart?"
A flood of emotion filled his mind, "Rick, darling. I'm all right. I miss you so, I love you."
He smiled as he "replied", "Darlin', I love you too. Please mind Rudy and Allen for me, angel. As soon as you're better, Rudy's going to bring you here for safety."
"I will, love. I'm feeling much better now. As soon as Rudy okays it, we'll be there." He felt her "answer." Looking up, Rick saw Oscar watching him worriedly.
"She's feeling better, Dad. Come on, let's find this creep."
During the next few hours Rick was almost fanatical about locating Wade Wright. While he and A.J ran reports to the local and state authorities and spoke with law enforcement, Oscar interviewed the last candidate for the agency head's position.
"Well, guys, I think he's the best choice." Oscar slumped into a chair as Rick closed the last of his files.
"Considering Steve vouches for him, I'd say that's a given." A.J. grinned, then Rick stretched.
"Well, I'm running out of places to look, this guy can't have gone…." Abruptly he heard Laurie crying out to him "Rick!"
He sat up, alarmed. "Laurie?"
Suddenly she was gone, and he couldn't feel her presence.