Chapter 61

The morning sun had risen a little over an hour ago, but Jack barely noticed as his eyes were still transfixed on the blonde asleep in the bed. He hadn't moved all night afraid if he blinked, she'd disappear.

Jack knew he'd made so many mistakes with Sue, but he was going to work on fixing them. He intended to make sure she realized just how important she was to him. She was so different from anyone he'd ever meet before. She wasn't disabled like so many others made her out to be, far from it. Her abilities far exceeded just lip reading. Her caring, compassion, and empathy for others were unmatched.

Sometimes Jack wondered if Sue could handle the stress of their cases. However, she seemed to manage better than the others did sometimes. As he sat watching her sleep, he thought about just how amazing this woman really was. He just hoped that one day he'd be able to be half the person she was.

"Well, I'm not sure if the right person is in that bed," Dale quipped as he entered the room with Myles and Matt. "You okay, man?" he asked, concerned about the dark circles evident under Jack's eyes.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jack whispered, shifting his tired eyes towards the visitors.

"How's she doing?" Matt questioned, quietly indicating the sleeping woman.

"About the same," Jack sighed softly, looking back down at Sue, raising his hand to her face to gently brush a stray hair back from her face. "I'm just waiting for her to wake up," he murmured sadly.

"Um, why are we whispering?" Myles questioned, looking around at the other three. "It's not as if the noise will wake her up?" he said with a grin, causing everyone to laugh.

"From the looks of her right now," Dale smiled broadly, "I don't think a sonic boom could wake her!"

"I don't think the three of you came by here to comment on Sue's sleeping habits," Jack smirked, just a little jealous over the attention the other three men were showing Sue.

"Anything new on the Jarrett or this mystery person he's working for?" he inquired, his thumb stroking the back of Sue's hand absent-mindedly.

"Well, um, we learned a little more about Jarrett's wife," Dale stated, uncertainly looking at Myles.

"What?" Jack asked, concerned at the glances being shared between the two men. His heart was pounding as he waited for them to continue. "Myles?" he pleaded.

"There may be more of a connection between Sue and this case than we thought," Myles started, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder. "We think Dunne purposely sought Sue out with false information about stolen documents," he declared regretfully.

"What are you talking about, Myles?" Jack questioned in disbelief, gripping Sue's hand tighter as if he was protecting her from the unseen evil.

"Dunne asked for Sue specifically…" Dale began.

"I know that!" Jack exclaimed irritated. "What is this about false information?" he demanded.

"We think it was a ruse," Myles continued unwaveringly, even though he knew the dark haired agent was getting extremely tense. "We think he picked her specifically because, uh, she's, um…" he stammered uncomfortably, shifting his feet nervously as he ducked his head to the floor.

"Because she's deaf?" Matt asked, supplying what he saw as a likely reason to have Sue singled out.

"Um, yeah," Myles agreed awkwardly, still failing to meet Jack's questioning gaze.

"Why would you think that?" Jack insisted worried.

"Well, it's just a hunch right now, but we discovered information about Kyle Jarrett's wife that makes us suspect there's a connection," Dale offered.

"Jarrett's wife?" Jack was getting more and more confused.

"Katherine found information on Jarrett's wife, and she has some things in common with Sue," Myles explained, quickly as he could see Jack's impatience rising. "His wife's name is Kayla Jarrett…"

"Sue's friend," Jack muttered disbelievingly, hoping Myles would ease his worry by saying it was a different Kayla. However, the look on Myles face told him it was true. How could we have not made the connection? he wondered frustratedly.

"And she's deaf," Matt confirmed the information everyone else already knew.

Please don't let it be true, Jack prayed, gazing back down at Sue. Please don't let it be that someone singled her out because she's deaf!

"That's not all, Jack," Dale interrupted, knowing the next bit of information was even worse.

"Please say you know who is behind all of this," Jack pleaded, just barely able to control his rage. However, his anger was evident in his dark eyes as he turned to meet the younger agent's stare.

"Not yet," Dale denied remorsefully.

"Then what?" Jack practically shouted.

"Jack, Jarrett is on his way here," Myles interjected. "We think he, and the guy he was with, are coming here after Sue," he finally stated, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

Oh, God, this can't be happening! Jack cried to himself. Why is someone doing this?

Chapter 62

Jack stood in one corner of Sue's hospital room with Myles, Dale, and Mike, not really listening to their conversation. His eyes were focused on the blonde in the bed, who had just woken up a few minutes before. She had been just a little disoriented finding so many people in her room, but soon recovered and currently was joking and laughing with Matt.

Jack could not help but be a little jealous over the easy camaraderie she and Matt enjoyed. From the day they had met him, Sue seemed very comfortable, not like she had been when she met Jack two years ago. She had always been so reserved, at least until recently, but with Matt, she appeared to be much more open.

He wondered if it was because she did not have to work so hard to talk to Matt. Since the other man signed so fluently, Jack worried again that he was not good enough for her. He knew it would take years before he could even begin to hold a comfortable conversation totally in ASL. Would she be willing to wait that long? he considered. Will I be forcing her to live in a hearing world with me?

"Yo, Jack, you with us, man?" Mike questioned, slapping him on his arm.

Reluctantly, Jack broke his focus on the others across the room and turned back to the group. They had been discussing the plan for when Jarrett arrived, and how to get his wife back while apprehending whoever was behind the whole thing.

D had gone down to coordinate the surveillance with Carrie and Katherine. They wanted Jarrett and the other man in the van to make it into the hospital. However, they all swore the two men would not make it back out.

Since they had already seen Bobby with Sue, D told Tara to remain in his hospital room with him, just in case. Jack and Matt would stay with Sue until Lucy got back from picking up Emi at the hotel. They were concerned just how much their mysterious stalker watched Sue the last couple of weeks. Since they found them in Berkeley Springs, they might know about Matt and Emi, and if the stalker knew Matt was an interpreter, he and his sister could be in danger too.

"To summarize," Myles started, since he knew where Jack's attention had been elsewhere. "I'll be at the nurse's station just outside the panel of elevators, while Dale and Mike will be at each end of the halls by the stairs."

"As soon as they approach this room, we'll grab them," Dale assured Jack. "They won't get anywhere near here."

"They better not," Jack stated firmly, glaring at each of the men in turn. If it was anyone else, the others would have taken offense, but they knew out much pressure Jack had been under, and easily excused his outburst.

"Okay, people, let's get into position," Mike instructed, moving towards the door as he adjusted the earpiece in his ear. "Jarrett should be here soon," he called as he left the room followed by Dale.

"We'll get him," Myles guaranteed him, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. The look in the blonde agent's eyes assured Jack that he would do anything to prevent anyone from hurting Sue. With a brief nod, Myles was gone.

Chapter 63

In Bobby's hospital room, Tara sat on the couch listening to the chatter on the radio through her earpiece, while pretending to read a magazine Sav had brought her from the nurse's lounge. However, glimpses out the corner of her eye at the tall Aussie in the bed distracted her, both from the words in front of her and from the conversations going on in her ear.

Feeling a hot flush rise on her cheeks, she flashed back to the kiss they shared last night. In the years Tara worked with Bobby, she'd felt some attraction to him but had resolved herself to being treated like a sister by all the guys on the team.

While she knew her work in the surveillance van was important, Tara really enjoyed going out with the guys to question suspects and on other undercover assignments. Though it was just a brief 'assignment', she remembered how it felt at the museum when D and Bobby faked the fight to get the security guard's attention.

At the time, they had thought they were trying to capture a serial killer, and Bobby had called her his wife causing Tara's heart to do flips in her chest. Why she felt like such a schoolgirl around him sometimes, she didn't know.

It wasn't as if Bobby noticed her as anything more than just good old "Tara-tech". That is until last night, she thought shakily. She couldn't understand what had changed, but something sure had.

Tara glanced at him over the top of her magazine and caught him looking at her. Though Bobby quickly turned away, she could see the faint pink tinge on his cheeks, very reminiscent of Jack reaction when Sue caught him watching her.

Could it be? Tara wondered, staring unseeingly at the magazine before her. Could it be that he's starting to see me differently? Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of this possibility.

Nah, she admonished herself for thinking something like that. She'd seen the women Bobby dated, and there was no way she'd remotely met his expectations. She was way too mousy and plan to attract someone like Bobby.

A groan from the bed brought her head snapping up from the magazine. Bobby's eyes were squeezed shut, his face contracted in pain with his arm clutching his side where his incision was.

"Are you okay?" Tara asked, lowering the magazine. When he didn't answer and continued to groan in pain, she dropped the magazine and rushed to his bedside.

"Bobby?" Tara whispered lightly, placing her small hand gently on his muscular forearm. The light sheen of sweat on his forehead as he struggled to control the pain caused her to worry. "Bobby?" her voice was heavy with concern.

When she reach for the nurse call button, Bobby's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Tara watched him pull her hand to him, cradling it against his chest. Her breath caught in her throat as she raised her gaze to his face.

"I'm okay," Bobby gritted through clenched teeth, his eyes slowly opening to lock with hers. "I just moved wrong, and my stitches really pulled, but I'm okay now."

"When was the last time you had any pain meds?" Tara asked unevenly, trying hard not to jerk her hand from his grasp, but finding it torture to leave it there with him touching her.

"Last night, just before Sue was brought into the ER," Bobby admitted, laying his head back on the pillow with a sigh.

"But that was more than twelve hours ago, Bobby," Tara exclaimed, reaching for the call button with her free hand, allowing him to retain his hold on her captured hand. "You need some more pain medication if you are hurting that bad," she insisted.

"Tara!" Bobby moaned and she paused with her hand over the buzzer.

Looking back at him, Tara saw something in his eyes that she couldn't explain. Was it a longing, a desire? she wondered. She'd only seen looks like that on soap operas, and certainly never expected to have one directed at her.

Keeping her one hand pressed to his chest, Bobby raised his arm caressing her cheek with his fingertips. Tara closed her eyes at the touch, savoring the feel of him and relishing the attention he was showing her. Even if it is, it's just a fantasy that will soon be over, she thought.

When he slid his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head in his hand, Tara's eyes flew open. The heat she felt was electrifying as Bobby pulled her to him. Closing her eyes again, she sagged against him, feeling to bolt of energy coursing through her when their lips touched.

Tara could feel each emotion as it passed between them, leaving her wanting more with each taste. Their years of friendship had brought with it a depth that she treasured and held onto intensely.

With a reluctant sigh, Bobby released her, but only allowed her to pull away so far as he gazed into her eyes. Taking a ragged breath, Tara couldn't believe this was happening. All of the feelings she held inside surface threatening to drown her if she wasn't careful.

Suddenly, Tara heard the yelling in her ear, reminding her of the radio she was listening to and the case. Breaking eye contact, she concentrated on the conversations, trying to take in what was happening.

"What is it?" Bobby asked, seeing the panicked look slide across her face. When Tara shook her head, putting her hand up for him to be quiet, he realized she'd heard something on the radio. Growing concerned for his friends, he waited impatiently for her to let him know what was going on.

"Oh, my God, Sue," Tara muttered, pulling her gun out of her holster as she pulled away. "Stay here," she ordered and before Bobby could ask what was going on, she was out the door and gone.