"I never did like hospitals". Those self-same hands that had stroked the dead woman's cheek so gently were now pushed deep into pockets, as Martin paced the corridor. It was a stab at normality when nobody could think of anything else to say.
"Go home then" came the immediate reply. Slung apparently nonchalantly against the window of her room, the dark agent who had held her struggling in his arms was dishevelled and exhausted, but Danny's replies, as ever, were fast.
"Give over, it's you that needs the beauty sleep" the blonde head was raised from the young woman's hands. Sitting on a visitor's seat, however much she wanted a shower and however confused she was, Sam couldn't let that one pass.
"Looks like all you kids need a nap" was the wearily amused answer, as Danny smiled sarcastically and Sam responded in kind. Martin somehow seemed less nervous; he even stopped pacing. The only other woman on the team was standing with the rest, arms folded, faint smile upon her lips. Now that conversation was going, Viv didn't want that aching silence to return.
"I don't need all of you here, if you want to get off home be my guest" the older agent, the last to speak and the one with the most authority in his voice, stood up from leaning on the desk. "Someone could get back to the office and try and find out what we're dealing with."
Shocked and unnerved as they all were at being given a choice, Sam was the first to react. "I'll wait for a name first thanks Jack."
"Then you'll be waiting a long time honey"
"Why's that?" Danny jumped.
"She says she can't remember a thing. Doesn't know, so she says."
"How long before we can talk to her?" Martin was in.
"We shouldn't be too long, but that doesn't mean she'll be ready to talk to you. And we don't like those things round here", the nurse indicated the agent's guns, "cause us too much trouble."
Moving as one, all of the agents shielded their weapons from view. "Thank you nurse, we understand." Jack turned to address his agents. "That settles it. I only need one of you to stay. Martin, you could go and finish digging up on that guy from earlier, and find a next of kin for them both please. Viv, you can get back to Reggie."
"You sure?" She didn't want special treatment, although she did want to see her son.
"It's fine, we won't be long here, and Martin should nearly be done anyway"
"Why won't we be long here?" Jack turned to Danny – he didn't explain himself to his agents however much he respected them, but it had been a long three days with only snatches of sleep, and had ended in having to cart off two body bags. F.B.I. agents or not, some things always got to you.
"Because we're not missing identities – I don't know how much we can do."
"If you want to stay Danny, I'll help Martin with the paper-pushing." Sam said with an odd look. Through the chorus of good bye's, Danny's grin was back in place with his "Sleep tight", followed by Sam's "Don't let the bed bug's bite" over her shoulder.
Nevertheless, once Viv, Sam and Martin had left down the winding corridor, the joking stopped and the reality of the situation once again settled onto their shoulders.
Two dead. One person almost drowned. Found weighed down at the bottom of a bath full of water, palely turning blue. Unlooked for and now without a name apparently, they didn't have much to go on. Jack tried to concentrate on the facts, the situation, but it got to him, like all the others did. Especially this one, because he didn't understand – it didn't add up.
Danny tried to think of other things, but it was the scream as he touched her that he really thought of. The fear he'd made her feel…maybe seeing her safer would help. Although honestly, a good night's sleep would do the job better.
For Martin, it was the blonde woman's face he saw. Her blood on his hands, his clothes – it wouldn't wash out. For Sam, the girl's eyes through the water, the violence of the other woman's death. Viv's hands were still cold after pumping back life into the colder body of the girl.
But in truth, it was their failure that quietened them all. Their person was murdered, probably as they made their way to the scene. The murderer having slipped through their fingers mere hours before. But then, this was their job; they knew it and its consequences. They'd all be right as rain the next morning.
"What're we going to do?" Danny glanced at the girl's window again, even though the blind's were drawn.
"We're not missing identities" Jack sighed again. "I don't know."
"She's all yours" the nurse smiled. She was the only one.
---Thank you for the reviews! I hope this cleared things up a bit, any suggestions on how the story or I can improve are welcomed, as indeed are all reviews…I may just have to feed you all chocolate as a reward! If it's too slow or too short, or whatever, just say…so thanks a lot! Updates should hopefully be fairly regular ;)