Chapter 64

Jack watched the door swing shut behind Myles before turning back to the others. He didn't want to interrupt their conversation, but found them both staring at him. A soft smile played on Sue's lips and he thought about how beautiful she looked, even all banged up and bruised. Her eyes practically danced as she gazed at him from across the room.

Approaching the bed, Jack fitted the radio earpiece in his ear as he walked. He wanted to be able to hear what was going on outside. If Jarrett made it passed them, he wanted to be ready.

"Hi, there" Jack smiled down at her as he stood next to the bed.

"Hi, yourself," Sue grinned impishly back.

It took Jack a minute to realize that she hadn't turned to Matt for an interpretation. She'd actually responded directly to him, and that meant her vision had cleared.

"You can hear me?"

"No, but then I couldn't before," she smirked.

"Huh?" Realizing what he'd said, Jack grinned sheepishly. SORRY, he signed.

His smile slowly faded from his face when he realized Sue had been signing away to Matt earlier. Obviously, that was what she wanted. I'm being selfish making her give that up, he sighed. Even Matt can communicate with her better, after just a few days, than I can after more than two years.

NO-PROBLEM, she smiled back, wondering what had changed. I thought he'd be happy that I'm getting better, she thought. Have I done something?

"How do you feel?" Jack asked, taking the hand she offered.

"I'm starting to remember a little more from when I left you and Troy in the freezer, and before I woke up here," she admitted.

"Really?" Jack hadn't wanted to pressure her last night. However, he was very curious why it took so long for her to come back, only to return dirty and bruised, then pass out in his arms.

"Once I got in the vent, I realized I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face. I guess that is what scared me the most," she confessed.

"That's understandable," Jack sympathized, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "You rely so much on your eyes everyday."

THANK-YOU, she signed before continuing, "Well, it took me a little while to really get moving." Sue looked down at her hand encased by his. "Eventually, I got to a larger shaft and turned towards the light that I saw…," she stopped abruptly, her brow furrowing as she remembered the events from the day before.

Jack shared a concerned glance with Matt as she continued to stare at their hands. Something was clearly bothering her, and Jack wondered if she had shared it with the other man. Matt understood his questioning glare and gave a brief shake of his head.

With a sigh, Jack looked back at Sue. He wasn't sure if he was happy that she hadn't confided in the other man or worried that she was still fighting something locked inside her memory. Reaching out, Jack brushed her hair back from her face, getting her to look about at him.

"You don't have to go on," Jack told her, compassion filling his eyes. "It's okay. You're safe now," he said softly, stroking her hair gently.

He wanted to take the pain away that he saw in her eyes, but he knew she was strong enough to get past it. All she needs is my support, he assured himself, hoping that he didn't push her away by being to overwhelming.

O-K-ME, she signed, a veil coming down over her eyes masking her feelings. "I was almost to the light. I could see the roof beams through the vent cover," Sue continued slowly, struggling to control her breathing as she felt the panic rising in her again. "The shaft started shaking, and I felt myself falling," she gripped his hand tightly as she could almost feel herself falling again.

Jack wanted so much to crawl up on the bed beside her and make it all go away. He knew he couldn't though; Sue had to deal with it in her own way. If he intruded, she would just resent him, and she needed to come to grips with whatever happened. I just need to be there for her, he reminded himself repeatedly.

"I still don't remember coming to get you," Sue admitted shakily.

"It's okay," Jack reassured her, taking her into his arms as he saw the tears forming in her eyes. He held her tightly to him, rubbing her back soothingly, trying to squelch his own powerful emotions.

Noise at the door caused him to jerk back around suddenly. Shielding her behind him, Jack listened intently through his earpiece to the conversations outside. Signing NOISE DOOR for Sue, he couldn't hear anything on the radio indicating there was someone outside.

The doctors and nurses knew not to come in and were supposed to keep the hallways cleared. Watching the doorknob slowly turn, Jack signaled to Matt to get down and pulled the gun he'd borrowed from Myles from his waistband.

"Sam 3-6, I need backup in Room 312, NOW!"

Chapter 65

Jack raised his arms, aiming the gun at the door keeping Sue and Matt behind him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he anticipated what was to come while he watched the door slowly creak open.

Dressed in nurse's uniforms, a young, light-brown haired woman followed by a dark-haired woman entered the room. Jack felt the momentary surge of relief quickly fade when the first woman's hazel eyes locked with his. More than just seeing a gun pointed in her direction, the fear and anguish hung in the air between them, causing Jack to swing his attention towards the other woman.

The emptiness in this woman's eyes chilled him to be bone as he realized quickly there'd be no negotiating here. In all of his years in S.W.A.T. and with the Bureau, he'd never seen such utter evilness.

"Drop the gun, Agent Hudson," the woman sneered, lifting the gun she hid at her side to the other woman's temple.

Jack looked between the two women weighing his options. Can I take her out before she can pull the trigger? he wondered.

The distance between him and the two women couldn't have been more than twenty feet. However, the woman had the gun barrel pressed firmly against the other woman's head, the tension in her body making it too risky.

"Drop it now or you'll regret it," she snarled. "Show them what's under your sweater," she spat at the other woman, before turning back to Jack. "You can talk to these freaks. Tell dummy here to open her sweater!"

Jack's eyes widened as realization set in, his eyes flashing to the younger woman. My God, can this be Kayla Jarrett and the person who's been after Sue? he thought, his anger at the dark-haired woman boiling inside him.

"Matt?" Jack requested, his defensive stance unwavering.

Matt, who'd been listening closely to the exchange, shifted slightly in his seat. Waving to get the young woman's attention, he signed the request to her.

With shaking hands, she grabbed the ends of her sweater and slowly pulled it open. Matt and Jack heard the audible gasp from the bed, when the woman revealed the bomb vest strapped around her.

"Unless you want to be the reason for this hospital losing a lot of its patients, I suggest you put the gun down now."

Chapter 66

Tara had come around the corner in time to see two female nurses enter Sue's room. Catching a glimpse of the light-brown haired woman, she immediately recognized her as Kayla Jarrett from the pictures Carrie had brought by earlier. Sue and Jack are in trouble, she muttered quietly to herself.

Expecting to see Myles and D or even Mike and Dale, Tara looked around from her vantage point at the end of the hallway. She couldn't see anyone else in the hallway and couldn't tell where everyone was at from the conversations in her ear. I wish I would have gotten a two way, Tara moaned.

Tara had heard the call from Tracey, the agent assigned to the nurse's station. Before she was abruptly cut off, Tracey called in about a nurse walking towards Sue's room. Since all medical personnel and patients had been moved from this wing, Tracey called that she was going to ask the nurse to leave when a loud crash was heard and all contact was lost.

Bobby's room was on the same floor, but in a different wing so Tara quickly arrived. However, she didn't know where anyone else was and knew that she shouldn't go in without some kind of backup. I have to see what is going on, Tara told herself. Someone will be here soon.

Inching her way down the hallway her gun ready, Tara almost screamed when a large hand clamped down on her shoulder. Spinning around quickly, she sighed in relief when she saw Bobby leaning heavily against the wall behind her.

"What's going on?" he whispered, putting his hand on her wrists angling the gun away from him.

"Sorry," Tara muttered, vaguely noticing the way he didn't release her wrist when she dropped her arms to her sides. "I think that Girvin or Gorin, or whatever that name was Sue saw, is in her room now."

"What?" Bobby gasped. "Where's backup?"

"On their way, I guess," Tara replied quietly. Pointing to her earpiece, she told him, "It's a one way. All I heard was Tracey calling that a nurse was heading towards Sue's room." She turned to look down the hallway towards the room before continuing. "I just saw Kayla Jarrett going in with another woman."

"What?" Bobby turned her back towards him. "You mean Girsvin is a shelia?"

"Looks that way," Tara confirmed. "I was just about to go see what I could hear."

"Let's go," Bobby agreed, propelling her forward before she could argue he was too weak. He was not going to wait in his room for someone to tell him what was going on. He'd done that yesterday, and Sue ended up getting hurt again.

As they approached the nurse's station, Tara saw a foot sticking out from behind the counter. Signaling Bobby, Tara covered him while he cautiously peered over the desk.

"It's Tracey. She's been shot," he announced moving closer. "She's alive," he told her as he checked her neck for a pulse.

"We need to get her some help," Tara said.

She flinched as she heard a gunshot come from the direction of Sue's room. Bobby grabbed her arm pulling her to him, shielding her body with his against the wall as a second shot was reverberated through the hall.

"My God, Sue!" Tara mumbled against his chest, her hazel eyes wide with fear.