A/N – I love keeping you guys in suspense! Sorry you're going to have to stick it out!
Chapter 9:
Jack unlocked the door and entered Sue's apartment. It didn't take long for him to find her, fast asleep on the couch. She looked so peaceful, as he moved over to cover her with the blanket that had fallen on the floor. Making sure she was still breathing, he put his hand on her cheek, relieved to feel her warm skin. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. Jack moved to the kitchen, setting up his laptop. Since he wasn't at work, and had nothing better to do while Sue slept, he figured he could at least help out with the case everyone else was working so hard on.
He felt like he wanted to vomit as he scrolled through the pictures of the four victims, lying helplessly and defenseless in their own pools of blood. The worst was the two children, their eyes wide open and terrified. Jack sat back in his chair, thinking about his life and how fortunate he was. These kids never even had a chance to grow up, have jobs, get married, and have kids of their own.
It made him think about his priorities in life and what he had done with his life. How much he hadn't accomplished yet that he wanted! Looking into the living room once again, just to make sure she was okay, Jack sighed to himself and decided it was time he did something about all the feelings he had inside for the woman fast asleep, only a few steps away.
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"They think he might be a serial killer?" Bobby asked. Dimitrius and Myles nodded, as Tara came over to listen in.
"From the note he left, they think he alludes to having other victims, or that there will be other victims. Now that I re-read it, I can see why they think that." Myles explained. Tara joined in,
"Have there been any similar murders in the area?" Dimitrius shook his head, and answered.
"No, which is why we think that maybe he intends to kill more."
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Sue's eyes opened to a dim light coming from the kitchen. From the look of it, after glancing out the window, she realized that she must have been asleep for hours. No dreams invaded her sleep, hours past quickly beyond any of her consciousness.
She got up and straightened out her old t-shirt and sweats that she had changed into once she got home, trying to smooth out all the wrinkles. She could only imagine how bad her hair must have looked, but it didn't even bother her. She saw Jack sitting at her kitchen table, laptop running, as he was typing out an email to someone. He heard her come in and turned around. He gave her a small smile, which she returned, though once again, he noticed how her eyes didn't seem to light up like they used too.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, as she sat down on the chair beside him. She pushed the hair out of her face, and gathered it up in a messy ponytail.
"Tired." She answered; somewhat wishing she hadn't taken that sedative the doctor had prescribed her, as it made her so groggy.
"I hope I didn't wake you up…" Jack said, closing up his laptop, and taking in all of her features. He wished he could be there every day she woke up. He pushed those thoughts aside, as he had done for the last three years.
"Not at all. I've been sleeping way too long anyways. Are you hungry? I can make us something to eat?" She suggested, getting up. Jack moved to make her sit back down.
"We can order something in. Doctor says you're supposed to take it easy." Jack got up and made a phone call. In the mean time, Sue moved back to the couch, where she had already spent most of the day. By the time Jack got back, Sue was sitting on the couch watching the TV. When she saw him sit down next to him, she clicked the button to turn it off.
"Tara's going to be here later tonight and she's going to stay overnight here. I'll come back before work in the morning." She nodded in agreement.
"And I'm staying home tomorrow. As long as I can work on my computer on the case here, at least for a little while." Jack looked at her, but he could see that stubborn gleam in her tired eyes.
"Just for a little bit. I'll come by after work again, and we'll see how you're feeling. Are you still dizzy?" She shook her head no.
"I'm feeling okay, just really tired still. I'm really sorry Jack." She said, looking into his deep eyes. He grabbed her hand and held it tenderly.
"For what?"
"For putting you through all this. I'm sorry for being such a bother." Her eyes began to water, as Jack's heart broke to see her like this. He wanted to tell her everything he felt inside, let her know that he would be beside her, no matter what, but he knew this wasn't the time.
"Sue, look at me. You're not a bother. You've never been to me. I would do anything to help you. You know that? I'm here for you no matter what, and you can tell me what's wrong when you're ready, and I will do everything I can to help you get through it and make things right for you again."
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By the time Tara had arrived, Sue had fallen fast asleep again on Jack's shoulder. He couldn't help but notice how comfortably she fit in his arms. Jack picked her up easily into his arms, her head resting against his chest. He laid her down carefully in her bed, before covering her up again before kissing her on her forehead and heading back into the living room to talk to Tara.
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Sue woke up in the middle of the night, feeling more awake than she had in days. She checked Lucy's room and saw Tara fast asleep. She closed the door and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Levi came to sit at her feet.
"I'm sorry buddy. I know I haven't been myself lately." She reached to stroke his warm fur. "I've got to pull myself together. I need to work this case, and if this keeps up, Jack will never let me go back to work. We're going to do this buddy. I'm going to put everything I'm feeling aside and do this for them. Just like I promised." Levi whimpered at her sympathetically. She rubbed his fur one last time before sitting in front of her computer. She took a deep breath to stead herself before diving into the case that touched her very soul.