Chapter 55
Tara didn't know how long she'd sat with her hand in his, but it just felt so comfortable she didn't want to pull away. Allie had left to take her niece back home with the promise that someone would call as soon as they heard anything about Jack.
Tara hadn't meant to be abrupt with Allie, but she was worried about all of her friends – Sue, Troy, AND Jack. However, Allie seemed to be only concerned about Jack and listening to Allie's constant whining just grated on her last nerve.
"Hey!" Bobby called, squeezing her hand to get her attention. "It will be okay," he assured her. "Jack and Sue are tough, so if anyone can make it out of this, it will be them."
"I know," Tara sighed, remembering all the times they'd shared together as a team. "I'm just worried about Sue," she admitted, dropping her eyes to their joined hands. "I know she's with Troy, but still…she should have never left the hospital in her condition."
"But with how the two of them feel about each other, you really didn't expect her to stay here while Jack was missing, did you, shelia?" Bobby questioned with a grin.
Smiling, Tara looked up her eyes locking with his. Absentmindedly, his thumb stroked the back of her hand, sending shivers through her body. Since the day they started working together, she'd always felt some attraction to the tall Aussie. However, the last couple of days were the first time she'd realized the feelings had become so intense.
Her hazel eyes caressed his features from the strong jaw and cute dimples to his expressive eyes. Tara couldn't believe that less than twenty-four hours ago, she was wondering if she'd ever see those eyes again. Now, he was not only awake but also joking with her, as they'd done so many times before.
"Sue's been found," Sav came bursting through the hospital room door, breaking Tara out of her reverie. With a broad smile plaster on her face, she exclaimed, "Sue was brought into the Emergency Room a few minutes ago!"
"What?" Tara asked, pulling her hand out of Bobby's grip as she turned around. Did I really hear her right? she wondered, struggling to get her mind off the man in the bed beside her.
"Brenda from the ER just called up and said Sue was brought in," Sav explained, almost bouncing off the walls with excitement.
"Oh, my God," Tara declared, hand going to her chest as her breathing quickened. Not believing her new friend was alright, she questioned, "Is she alright? Was Jack with her? What about Troy?"
"I don't know," Sav replied. "Brenda just said she saw Sue and that two guys brought her in," she continued. "I'm assuming the two men were Jack and her friend she left with." Sheepishly, she grinned, "I forgot to ask, sorry."
"No worries, shelia," Bobby replied from his bed. "Thanks for coming to tell us," he winked, causing Sav's stomach to flutter.
"Do you know if the others know?" Tara questioned, taking out her cell.
"I don't think so," Sav answered, after taking a deep breath and looking away from those intriguing eyes she'd found herself drowning in. Watching Tara call her co-workers to inform them about Sue's appearance, she glanced back over at the patient.
Too bad I couldn't have this side of the wing, Sav though regretfully. I would have loved having him as a patient, she sighed, thinking 'sponge bath'.
"Myles and D will meet me in the ER," Tara announced, snapping her phone shut. Sav jumped at the sound of her voice, afraid she'd been caught staring at Bobby.
"Tara," Bobby pleaded.
Tara turned around and saw the puppy dog eyes he was giving her. His brown hair swept his forehand as he tilted his head imploringly, making it hard for her to deny him anything. Oh, that man, she thought, what he can get away with just using that charm of his.
"Can you get me a wheelchair?" Tara asked Sav, causing Bobby to smile broadly. "I'm only doing this because I don't want to lose another member of the team, and I know the minute you're left alone, you'll go out searching for Jack and Sue yourself."
"Ah, so this is sort of protective custody," Bobby teased, struggling to sit up. The pain was almost unbearable, but nothing would keep him from finding out if his friends were okay.
Bobby placed his arm around her shoulder as Tara helped him from the bed. At her touch, his body jerked as if it had been electrocuted. He looked down at the petite blonde, wondering when she'd become more than just a co-worker to him.
Settling into the wheelchair, Bobby grabbed her wrist as Tara arranged the blanket around him. With a soft look, he expressed his thanks to her for not leaving him here. As their gazes met, he could have sworn he saw something there before she abruptly looked away.
He hadn't felt anything like this since he and Darcy broke up. The pain at losing her was strong at the time, and he'd only discussed it with Jack and D. Though they remained friends, Bobby couldn't remember his passion for her running this deep.
While he wanted to pursue the energy he felt between them, Bobby felt it best to let it go until he found out about Jack. As Sav held the door for them, Tara pushed his chair out of the room and started down the hallway towards the Emergency Room.
Chapter 56
Jack sat beside yet another bed in the hospital. The last couple of days he had gotten quite a bit of experience at that. No wonder I hate these places, he thought wearily as his thumb caressed the fragile hand he held.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jack looked up at Troy's concerned face. He owed that man a lot for helping him get Sue to the hospital. When they left the warehouse, Troy was the one that turned them in the right direction to where they quickly found a cab that brought them to the hospital. It was almost as if he knew where they were, Jack thought.
O-K, Troy questioned indicating Sue. Having been outside when the doctor examined Sue, he didn't know what the doctor said.
B-R-O-K-E-N-R-I-B-S, Jack signed, THREE. He looked down at the blonde woman lying asleep in the bed, his heart twisting as he listened to her labored breathing. Her pale face was etched in pain even in sleep.
C-O-N-C-U-S-S-I-O-N, Jack continued turning back to Troy. While he had to admit he didn't know the signs, Jack wasn't going to let go of her hand anyway so fingerspelling was easier, even though it took him longer. However, it was a way he could talk with Troy with the one hand he had available. He hoped Troy realized why and didn't get too frustrated with him.
SLEEP LONG HER NOW, Troy asked, smiling understandingly when he had to repeat it for Jack slower.
NO, Jack replied. Almost as if on cue, Sue's eyes slowly drift open and looked bewilderedly around the room.
When Troy nudged him, Jack turned back and saw her opened eyes. Standing up, he cupped her hand in both of his as Troy moved to the other side of the bed.
His breath caught in his chest when her eyes locked with his dark eyes and a smile spread across her face. It had to be the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. She was like sunshine breaking through the clouds.
"Jack," Sue croaked, wincing at the pain in her chest, closing her eyes again. As it settled into a dull ache, she opened them again slowly, squeezing his hands.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked worriedly. His concerned deepened as her brow furrow, struggling to see what he was saying. "Sue," he glanced up at Troy both men concerned about her inability to respond.
Troy traced his bent index and middle finger in a circle in front of his lips, and then placed his fist under his chin running his thumb forward. Jack was afraid he was right, and it bothered him greatly.
"So how's the patient doing?" a voice asked from the door. When Jack turned to the door, both Troy and Sue followed his line of sight to see a young nurse standing in the doorway.
"Ah, she's awake," the nurse stated with a smile, coming forward to stop at the side of the bed. "I'm Brenda and I'll be taking care of you. How do you feel?" she asked Sue as she noticed the confused look in the young woman's face.
"She's deaf," Jack explained tentatively, relieved when he saw the recognition on the nurse's face. Much to Jack's amazement, she turned back to Sue and started signing.
B-R-E-N-D-A ME. NURSE, she signed timidly. FEEL YOU HOW, she questioned slowly.
"My vision's blurry," Sue answered, her free hand coming up to sign VISION BLURRY before rubbing her eyes. "I can't see your lips," she told them as she continued to sign words as she spoke.
Brenda turned to Jack, confused about what she was saying. Why was she worried about seeing my lips? she wondered. Was her head injury worse than we thought?
"She reads lips," Jack supplied, still very surprised the nurse could communicate with Sue. "You sign?" he just had to ask.
"I had a neighbor for several years that was deaf," Brenda clarified briefly. "We went to a lot of dinners and deaf events together, which helped me pick it up," she pressed the button over the bed to call the nurse's station. "Since she moved, I haven't made the time to continue going so I actually have forgotten a lot," she admitted.
"No, that was good," Jack reassured her. "Very good."
"Thanks," Brenda grinned as she blushed at the attention he was showing her. Turning back to Sue, she signed, INTERPRETER COME NOW. HELP-ME.
THANK-YOU, Sue smiled slightly as she was worried why she couldn't see properly. "Am I going to be okay?" she questioned.
Brenda glanced at the two men standing next to the bed watching her intently. Looking back at the young woman, she took a deep breath not sure what to say, if she should say anything at all.
Chapter 57
"What's wrong?" Jack demanded, concerned at Brenda's hesitation. "Is there something the doctor didn't tell us?"
Brenda could tell that this man really cared for the woman in the bed. However, he was upsetting the other man, who was now questioning what was wrong. Even the young woman looked on concerned, not understanding what was going on as she could read the signs of the other man.
"No, no, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," Brenda spoke as she signed the best she could for the other two. "I'm not an interpreter and she has the right to have one with her," she explained. "But it's going to be wait for one and I really don't want her to worry so I was trying to figure out how to tell her," she continued.
"I'm not really good enough, but if she'll let me," Brenda said, then turned to Sue directly. "If you'll let me, I'll do my best to let you know what is going on?" she offered smiling uncertainly.
"Yes, thank you," Sue agreed, not noticing the way Jack looked away embarrassed.
I should have asked for the interpreter when we got here, Jack told himself frustrated. He'd gotten so used to her not needing one, that he had forgotten about her needs once again. Like a jerk, I was only thinking about mine, he sighed, running his free hand through his hair.
Turning back to Brenda, he watched her carefully tell Sue about her condition. Her signs were a little hesitant and she fingerspelled most of the medical terms, but it wasn't long before Sue and Troy both understood.
Jack as relieved to hear that Sue's blurred vision was probably because of the blow she'd sustained when she fell. He laughed out loud when Brenda suggested Sue stop getting hit in the head or the hospital might recommend she get fitted for a helmet.
"So I'm going to be okay?" Sue asked, looking at Jack for reassurance as she squeezed his hand in hers.
YES. FINE YOU SOON, Jack replied, smiling returning the squeeze.
His breath caught as a smile brought a light to her face he hadn't seen in days. With the concern over Bobby injuries, and then being locked up in that warehouse, Jack had only seen worry and fear in her eyes.
Even the few minutes after she woke up in the freezer when she was so elated to see him, dark emotions clouded her eyes. He never wanted to see her that afraid and worried again, but he knew that was just a fantasy.
"Knock, knock, is the patient up to some company?" Jack turned at the voice, seeing Sav standing in the doorway with his team standing uncertainly behind her. He waved them forward as Brenda told Sue to use her call button if she needed anything.
"I'll be back when the interpreter gets here, and we can see about getting her back up to her room," Brenda explained to Jack. "Use the call button if you need anything before then," she finished by making a few notes in her chart, and then moved around the others to check on her next patient.
"Interpreter? Jack, what's wrong?" Tara questioned as she pushed Bobby closer to the bed.
Sav had checked at the desk and told them that Sue had suffered a few broken ribs and a concussion. However, the young blonde had a concussion when she came in after the bombing and didn't require an interpreter. This news dramatically increased the teams' concern for their friend and her injuries.
"She has a concussion and it's affected her vision," Jack explained, caressing her hand gently. "Her vision's blurry, so she can't read anyone's lips well enough to understand," he said turning to Sue signing, UNDERSTAND LIPREAD NOT.
"So we need to sign," Tara verified, moving to the side of the bed. FEEL YOU O-K, she asked smiling down at her friend.
"I'm told I will be," Sue grinned. "Just got to stop getting hit in the head," she joked, releasing Jack's hand long enough to hug the petite blonde.
"Ah, tell her we're glad she's okay," D requested with a smile, standing at the end of her bed.
"And if she tries that again, we're going to tie her to her bed," Bobby offered from his
wheelchair. Tara shared the men's words with Sue, causing her to laugh, a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.
"But at least I found him," she grinned defiantly, and even Myles chuckled at her tenacity.
"Thanks to Troy seeing you get in the van with Jarrett, we have an APB out for him as our document thief," Myles informed Jack.
SEE-ME T-H-E-M-A-L-L BEFORE? Jack signed to Troy, surprise as he thought Jarrett had just grabbed Sue and Troy like he had done him. Jack was annoyed that he didn't question them when they showed up at the warehouse, but he was just happy to see Sue again.
SAY THEM J-A-R-R-E-T-T MAN NAME, Troy nodded. MAN BAD, he added his face showing how angry he was for the man hurting Sue and Jack.
"Kyle Jarrett?" Sue asked from the bed, having followed the conversation between the two men.
YES STEAL DOCUMENTS HIM, Jack signed in explanation.
"No," Sue interjected loudly. "He's not behind the stolen documents," she advised them.
"What?" the others cried in unison.
WHAT, Jack inquired doubtfully, worrying the knock on her head was even worse.
"Jarrett locked us up in that warehouse, Jack," Sue started shifting on her bed. "But I saw him talking with the other man on the way to the warehouse, and he's being forced to what he's done," Sue told them sincerely.
FORCED, Tara requested clarification as all of them were confused about this change.
"Someone has his wife and is blackmailing him," Sue explained, looking from one of person to the next. "She'll be killed if he doesn't do what he's told."
WHO, Jack signed. He thought they were so close and finding out now there was another player in the game had his head spinning.
"I didn't get it," she shook her head. "But it looked like girsvan or grrswin," she shrugged apologetically.
"So not only do we need to find Jarrett, but we need to find his wife too, before it's too late," Myles stated gloomily.