Sue was sitting on the couch with Levi, scratching his head and talking to him in low tones. Bobby spoke to the dog to alert his mistress. She looked up and pulled the Retriever closer so her friend could sit down.
"This is weird."
"How so, sheila?"
"What are we supposed to talk about?"
"Oh, I'm hurt." Bobby put a hand to his chest in mock shock. "Well, I could tell you all kinds of stories about me and Sparky but-"
"But this isn't the time, is it?"
"No, Sue. This is…" He searched for the right word. "Weird."
She looked at Bobby closely. "How do we not talk about this to the team? I don't understand, I mean, I do but…it's weird."
"Seems to be the recurring theme here." He locked her with his blue eyes. "Sgt. Hauser was right though. We have to tell the truth. Anything less and the pressure will eat you alive. As FBI agents, we each understand about confidentiality. All of us have things in our jobs that we can't talk about. So the truth is what we will rely on."
Sue nodded in understanding. "I agree. Anything less…although most surveillance occurs at a distance and witness interrogation is usually us against them."
With a shrug, Bobby answered, "Special circumstances call for special actions. Figuring out the code. It was a good catch. Sparky would be proud." He grinned as a blush crept across the blonde analyst's face. It faded, as she became serious again.
"I don't want to have secrets from—"
"Don't, please, Sue. Jack will understand. It's part of the job. Like James said, it's for your protection as well. You never know who is listening that can use this information against you or us or…or them." He tapped a gentle knuckle against her cheek. "'Kay?"
She shook her head yes and turned away.
The tall Aussie rose from the couch and walked to the window. He looked out in the stillness and could see the stars. This time yesterday he was looking for the woman behind him and today… Today seemed like a strange dream. One that he could only share with one other person. Heck of a thing to share. He heard Sue rustling behind him, getting ready to sleep he figured. The lights switched off plunging the room into darkness. Still staring out the window, he found the Southern Cross and suddenly wished he were home.
He heaved a sigh and turned back. He found the mattress with the pillows set nicely and the covers folded and ready for him. Smiling in the dark, he eased himself down and got comfortable. Levi scootched over and took the open spot. Bobby absently reached over to scratch the dog's back. He lay there staring at the ceiling for a long time. He was about to turn over and commit to actual sleep when a quiet voice called his name. He looked at the edge of the couch and saw a small hand hanging down. He reached and took it, letting her know he was listening.
She began speaking to the dark. "There was a point when I really felt lost." She paused. "It was before I called you. Hector, I, we…I got the room and we got Hector inside. Here I was with two total strangers because I needed to be. James started to clean Hector's wounds. It isn't like I have seen injuries before. Like you said, it's part of the job. But seeing his head all cut was different. Seeing the care James took to repair the damage." She took a deep breath and he squeezed her hand.
This was the talking that had to be done. She continued. "James tried to take off Hector's jacket and he woke up. I watched him change back and forth. James had to pin him down so he wouldn't hurt himself or us. Everything moved so fast, I could only make out about half of what he said." Her breathing quickened, thinking about it. Her grip on his hand tightened. "James," her voice cracked at this point, "had gotten out a sedative but when Hector got wild, I had to—" She stopped and tried to control her breathing. "It hurt. It hurt him. Me. James. I want to hate them."
He clenched his eyes closed to stop his own tears. Raising his other hand, he let it rest on her shoulder. She took shuddering breath. "There was blood, on James' shirt. It was Hector's. We cut off the jacket. I helped to clean his back up." He could feel her tense and he held tight when she tried to pull her hand away from his. He was going to ride it out. She wouldn't do this alone. "James rolled him over. We've seen what killers do. Seeing it on someone who is still…" He could hear her sobs now. "Burns on cuts…Bruises on burns …I couldn't…"
She jerked away then, curling toward the back of the couch. He came to his knees and caught her in his arms. With his head to her back, he held her. She cried and fought. "They hurt him… They gave him something he never had and took it away. They hurt him." He realized then she was hurting not just for what they had done to Hector but also for what they had done to his heart…and he hurt too.