Chapter 49

The bright lights of the emergency room aggravated Tara's headache more as she lay on the hospital bed waiting for Jack and Sue to return. After seeing him almost pass out as the group came through the hospital doors, she was worried about Bobby. However, Jack had effectively threatened her if she stepped foot out of the room.

I guess Myles and D told him about my little 'adventure' with Bobby the last time we were in a hospital and supposed to 'stay put', Tara smirked wearily, recalling the fear she felt for her friends as they were being held by that mad woman.

Leaning back against the pillows, Tara swallowed hard as she closed her eyes, remembering the time she and Bobby shared at the beach before his accident. She didn't know what time it was now – an hour or so before sunrise, she supposed – but everything had changed for her.

It was hard to believe so much had happened in such a short time. That her feelings for Bobby could alter so dramatically since all this had started.

Tara wasn't sure what woke her much later that same day. Bright sunlight was streaming through her hospital room window when she opened her eyes, so brightly she squinted in reaction. It had to be late afternoon; she'd been sleeping for hours.

Tara stirred against the pillow, wincing when she remembered the bandaged lump on her forehead. She raised a tentative hand to it.

"Does it hurt?" The deep voice made her gasp and sit up in surprise.

Bobby sat in a chair near the bed, looking as though he'd been there for a while. He was wearing a hospital gown and robe, his face haggard and drawn, obviously still drained from the previous evening.

"How long have you been sitting there?" she asked him, her voice husky from sleep.

"Not long." He shrugged, his voice sounding strained. She knew he must be feeling terrible and here he was checking on her instead of getting the rest he needed.

"Haven't you gotten any sleep?" Tara questioned biting her lip nervously.

"Enough," Bobby nodded.

Tara studied him anxiously and noticed he did look somewhat more rested. There was more color in his face, and his eyes were clearer than they had been.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" she asked.

"I wanted to check on you," Bobby shrugged again. "The nurses said I could sit in here."

"Oh?" Tara's brow furrowed in confusion before realization hit her. "Oh!" she whispered breathlessly. The hospital thinks we're married, she thought, understanding their willingness to let a 'husband' sit with his 'wife.'

"Excuse me a minute," Tara blinked. Suddenly shy, she avoided looking at him as she flipped back the covers. While she had to exchange her bloodstained clothes for a hospital gown when she arrived in the emergency room, Sue had brought her an oversized nightshirt from home to wear.

Bobby nodded as she passed his chair on the way to the bathroom. Tara felt him watching her, but he remained still as she closed the door between them.

Tara took her time in the bathroom. She washed her bruised face, brushed her teeth and her hair. She knew she was stalling, but still she didn't hurry. She needed this time to find the nerve she seemed to have misplaced since she seeing him again.

Bobby was still sitting in the chair when Tara finally rejoined him. He didn't look like he'd moved a muscle.

As she moved across the floor toward the bed, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and grabbed the back of the chair as she began to sway. Bobby was immediately on his feet, his hands gentle on her arms as he helped her to the bed.

"You're not okay. I'm getting a doctor," he stated as he reach for the call button over her bed. "You're still too pale."

"I'm fine," Tara groaned, waving her hand to stop him, but still not looking up at him. "The doctor said it was just a little bump."

"I don't care what the doctor said," Bobby growled, as if his patience had worn much too thin. "I don't want to lose you."

Surprised at the desperation in his voice, Tara raised her eyes to his. To her chagrin, she felt her eyes brim with hot tears as he searched her face. Bobby reacted immediately, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, shelia," he murmured, one hand supporting the back of her head. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Tara clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder. The robe was scratchy and smelt like antiseptic, but she didn't care. She closed her eyes, laying her cheek against his chest soaking up his warmth, his strength.

Bobby stroked her back, soothingly, slowly, murmuring something she couldn't quite catch. After a moment, Tara lifted her head and looked at him.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I didn't mean to fall apart."

"You have every right to," Bobby assured her, still holding her close. "The last couple of days must have been hell for you."

He could say that again, Tara groaned silently. She'd fallen in love with him, almost lost him in the car accident, witnessed an attack on Wayne Franklin, gotten herself captured and thrown in with him, stumbled onto the people behind all the disappearances, discovered people she'd worked with weren't all they'd pretended to be, been held at gunpoint, watched her friend get shot…

"Yes," Tara grimaced. "I guess you could say it's been an eventful couple of days," she admitted, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," Bobby whispered, his clean-shaven cheek against her hair as he pulled her back into his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said Franklin wasn't involved. If I had, maybe we would have caught Cameron and Colton before anyone else had to get hurt. I'm sorry I made such a mess of everything and almost got you killed."

"No, Bobby, it wasn't your fault," Tara pulled back slightly to look up at him. "You had no way of knowing," she tried to assure him.

"But I did," Bobby admitted remorsefully. "We had intelligence about someone on the team being involved, but I didn't tell you. I didn't want to fight with you about Franklin again so I kept it to myself and you were hurt," he continued, almost as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"Bobby," she whispered, touching trembling fingers to his hard, tanned cheek. "It's okay. Jack told me. I knew when I went in there."

"You did?" Bobby looked at her confused. "Why did…" he cut his words short, shaking his head.

"Why did I follow them?" Tara raised her eyebrow questioningly. "I had to. Whether or not Wayne was bad, I had to find out for myself. I had to do it myself."

Tara lowered her eyes as Bobby continued to watch her intently. How can I explain this so he'd understand? she wondered as she drew a shaky breath.

"I trusted Wayne and I didn't think that I was wrong, but all the evidence kept telling me I was," she breathed, her tone even as if it was the hardest thing she'd ever said. "Regardless, I learned that I can do things on my own."

"Tara," Bobby interrupted.

"Let me finish," Tara insisted, pushing away from him to walk over to the window. Taking a deep breath, she stood watching the activity outside, trying to collect her thoughts. Bobby waited impatiently behind her, shifting from one foot to the other as the silence dragged on.

"This was the first time I ever worked with anyone besides you, Jack, Myles, and D," Tara finally continued, never turning from the window. "Over the years, I wondered if I could make it, if I transferred to another team, but was always too afraid to try. Now, I know I can and I want to," she finished.

Chapter 50

Feeling his chest tighten as he listened to her talk, Bobby could hardly breathe. I wonder if this is how Jack felt when he had his heart attack, he thought distractedly. Even though he heard what she was saying, he couldn't believe she was seriously considering transferring after all they'd been through. Didn't everything change that day on the beach? he wondered, trying to figure out what went wrong.

The day Darcy left for the job in Los Angeles, Bobby had felt some sadness. When they finally called their long distance relationship off, he'd been disappointed more than anything. Nothing in his life compared to the sense of loss and abandonment that he felt right now. Even the day his dad left paled in comparison.

It's your life. You say you need a change.
Don't all the dreams we've seen come true mean anything.
You say it's different now and you keep staring at the door.
How can you walk away? Don't I matter anymore?

If being free is worth what you leave behind,
And it's too late for love to change your mind,
Then it's goodbye time.

If we had known our love would come to this,
We could have save our hearts the hurt of wasted years.
Well, its' been fun. What else can I say?
If the feelings gone, words won't stop you anyway.

If being free is worth what you leave behind,
And it's too late for love to change your mind,
Then it's goodbye time.

Bobby couldn't stand there anymore as she went on about how this assignment made her feel more independent and empowered. If he heard one more time how Wayne helped her figure out who she was, he'd put a fist through the wall.

"Ah, well, I'm glad you figured out what you want, shelia," Bobby droned monotone as he dragged his suddenly heavy feet towards the door. "I, uh, better let you get some rest. Er, I guess I'll see you around," he muttered distractedly, his hand on the doorknob.

"Bobby wait!" Tara cried, crossing the floor quickly.

When she touched his arm, Bobby felt a bolt of electricity course through him. How can I go on without her? he groaned silently, closing his eyes trying to shut it all out.

"Bobby," Tara repeated quietly, almost pleading.

Slowly opening his eyes, Bobby turned to look at her, his breath catching in his throat. What am I going to do without you? he asked himself again, his eyes scanning her face as if trying to remember every detail.

"What's happened over the last couple of weeks is nothing like what I expected when I took this assignment, but I'm glad I had this opportunity to work with Wayne…and the others," Tara admitted, her eyes never leaving his.

Bobby stiffened at the sound of the other man's name. He couldn't believe she kept throwing him in his face, as he recalled gentle, caring way she was with the injured agent back at the warehouse.

"Well, shelia, I'm sure I can get Garrett to put you in for a permanent transfer," Bobby growled, hurt that he had lost her. "Hannah mentioned something about being interested in a position at the DC office," he stated, staring unseeingly over the top of her head, the muscle in his jaw twitching.

"Oh, that's very big of you, Manning!" Tara snarled, slapping his chest in frustration. "But then I guess you'd really be doing it for your gorgeous new partner," she sniffed, turning away dejectedly.

"Hannah?" Bobby looked at the petite blonde in confusion.

"Yes, Hannah!" Tara spat, spinning back around.

"She's a friend, shelia. A good friend," Bobby insisted angrily. "What about you and Franklin?" he questioned looming over her.

"Wayne and I are just friends!" Tara maintained indignantly.

"Friends?" Bobby puffed in disbelief. "I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other. That drongo has a eye for you!"

Tara opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Bobby could see that he'd irked her temper again, and she was doing everything she could to control it.

Seconds turned into minutes as a heavy silence hung between them. Continuing to stare at each other, they both waited for the other to speak.

"You're jealous," Tara finally said. It was more of an affirmation than a question.

"I'm not jealous," Bobby muttered, trying to turn away before she could see the truth in his eyes. Tara's hand on his arm made him look back at her almost expressionless face.

"Do you love me?" Tara asked simply, only the nervous nibbling on her bottom lip betraying her anxiety.

"More than I ever thought possible," Bobby answered without hesitation before he could think. "I didn't mean to. After Darcy, I didn't think I'd ever love again. Now I realize I didn't even know what love was until I started falling for you," he rambled, pacing the floor in front of her.

"I love you too," Tara whispered when he stopped talking. She giggled slightly when Bobby turned, his mouth dropping open. "Not exactly what I had in mind, but it works," she grinned, her eyes filled with happiness.

A moment later, Tara was swept up as Bobby's powerful arms wrapped around her. Tears of joy began flowing from her eyes.

"Oh, Tara," he groaned into her hair.

Almost dizzy with love and happiness, Tara wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to hers.

"Oh, God, Tara," Bobby kissed her, roughly, deeply and then he kissed her again more gently, lingeringly. It was a long time before either of them spoke again.

Song: Goodbye Time by Blake Shelton