On Your Mind

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Nine

The following morning, Philippe woke up slummed in the uncomfortable chair beside Lisa's bed. He had not left her side for more than a few minutes when he would stand up and stretch or walk around her room.

Please come back, Lisa. I need to speak to you. I want to help you. I need to get to the bottom of this mess.

He was still holding her hand. He rubbed the soft skin and felt a finger twitch.

"Lisa? Lisa, can you hear me?" he questioned eagerly.

A soft moan reached his ears and he saw her eyelids flutter. Lisa was coming back. She was finally waking up. He had been the one to bring her back.

"Lisa, it's Philippe. I'm ready to listen now."

"Philippe?" she said hoarsely, her green eyes peering at him.

"Yes, I'm here. I believe you now, Lisa, I do. I need you to tell me everything. I need to know what's going on."

"You believe me?"

"Yes, I do. I believe you."

I'm not lying either. I truly want to believe you. I have to know everything.

"Philippe, did you see him? Did you see Jackson?" Lisa wanted to know—her face a mixture of hope and fear.

"No, I didn't."

"Then why do you believe me?"

Excellent question, Lisa. If only I knew the answer…

"Something doesn't seem right, that's all," Philippe remarked with a distant look. He could see the medical records still spilled across his desk. The perfect, yet still illogical alibi, for Lisa's demons.

She nodded in agreement. "That's because of him."

"What makes you so dead certain?"

Lisa shivered at his word choice and Philippe mentally berated himself for slipping up. Usually he was extra cautious around patients. What was it about Lisa that set her apart from everyone that he had treated in the past? Was it because, unlike the others, she was sane? Then why did the papers all tell him a different story?

"I know Jackson," Lisa replied firmly in a no-nonsense tone. She's been pushed around for too long, hasn't she? "I know what he'll do. He's unstoppable when he wants something. He wanted me, so he kidnapped my child to lure me."

For a mentally disturbed woman, Lisa is incredibly lucid. Someone with her problems would not be able to reason that well. How is that possible?

"Lure you to what? What does he want from you?" Philippe's curiosity was getting the better of him. He was discarding logic in favor of emotion. He really honestly cared about her. He wanted to understand her on as many levels as possible. He wanted to be inside her mind. He wanted to cure all of her problems and fight her demons for her.

The disheartened look upon her face was enough to sink his heart straight down to his feet before she even spoke.

"He…he wants me. To punish me, break me, use me. It doesn't matter really—it's all the same to him. Control and domination is all he cares about. I'm some sort of prize to him in his demented mind," Lisa sighed dejectedly.

"What if I told you that I'd never him hurt you? That I could help save your baby from him?"

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Am I still dreaming? How could any of this possibly be true? It's just wishful thinking on my part.

"What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously. She could never trust the word of any man after what he had done.

"You have to help me catch him. Tell me everything about him. That way he can never hurt anyone ever again."

Lisa smiled for the first time that he could think of. "Count me in," she agreed joyfully.

He has to pay for what he's done. He has to be brought down. This has to end here and now. I can't let it continue any longer.

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Time passed quickly. Lisa and Philippe grew closer and became good friends. He spent as much of his free time in her room as possible. She learned to grow out of her hard shell some and associate with people. He learned to relax and enjoy life.

But they both knew in the back of their minds that their time together was limited. Soon, she would have to return home and to unknown dangers. Philippe had kept her destination secret from her. He had already offered to return her home at the end of her stay and she had accepted his generous offer.

The day of their separation finally dawned and Lisa was released from the hospital's care into Philippe's. He was supposed to deliver her home.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, wheeling the wheelchair out of the hospital doors.

"I need to get back to my life. And you promise to help search for her?"

"I promise."

"Good. She was all that kept me from killing myself after what happened. She kept me sane. I want her back before he pollutes her mind. I just want my baby…"

"I know, Lisa, I know. I promise that I'll do everything in my power to get her back safe and sound."

"Thank you, for believing in me," Lisa told him gratefully.

"Not a problem," Philippe lied, trying to disguise what he was about to do. He was anxious and nervous. Luckily, Lisa was far too preoccupied to realize it. She was safe in her joyous naivety.

Philippe helped her into the passenger seat of his blue BMW convertible. She was smiling and his heart was pounding. Can I really go through with this? Is handing her over really in her best interests? Is this the only way to catch this monster?

He casually closed her door and wheeled the wheelchair to a nearby nurse. The nurse accepted it and turned back to the hospital. Philippe swallowed hard.

Now, for the moment of truth…

He strode purposefully towards the driver's side of his car, only to feel a throbbing pain in his head and then he slowly sank to the pavement. He could faintly hear Lisa's voice as the darkness sank into his vision.

"Philippe? PHILIPPE! HELP!" she was crying out.

Lisa… I'm sorry…

Author's Notes:

I'm not too happy with this chapter, but it'll do I think. The entire bit between Philippe, Lisa, and Jackson is confusing and tricky to write. Time will explain it all. The next chapter is the long-awaited reunion between Lisa and Jackson! Enjoy and thanks for all the kind reviews!

Mooey714- Thanks! Lisa is very lucky to have Philippe. The original script was crazy, wasn't it: )