Woo Hoo! Here we go-another chapter. Thanks again to all of you who are reading and reviewing. It keeps me motivated. I hope you are enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it.
Usual disclaimers: I do not own or profit by anything G.I. Joe or affiliated.
"Flint."
The soft voice from the bed woke him instantly. Flint scooted his chair closer and reached for the outstretched hand. He had a crick in his neck from sleeping in the chair and a pain in his side.
But it was well worth it.
"You're awake." He grinned.
"Flint—" She struggled to sit up.
"Easy there, Jaye." He moved quickly to sit on the edge of her bed. Then, he gathered her in his arms, taking care not to jostle the IV taped to the back of her hand, or hurt her injured shoulder. "It's ok," he said, again, gently. "You're ok."
She leaned her head against his chest and shuddered. "There were so many times I thought I might never see you again," she whispered.
"I know, honey. I know."
He held her, breathing in deeply. Her scent was like balm to his own wounds. When she looked up at him and smiled, he kissed the top of her inky-black head, giving thanks once again that she and Scarlett had made it alive.
Flint could easily count on one hand the number of times Lady Jaye had admitted to being afraid. For her to make even a partial admission of her fear, now, spoke volumes about what she had been through recently. Scarlett had told him their story in brief, and he was certain that she had left out many parts.
He could only imagine what.
Flint had seen Lady Jaye face death and manage to shrug it off more times than he liked to remember—just as he had faced death multiple times, himself. All the Joes had. But in his worst nightmares it was always Lady Jaye's death that he saw—Lady Jaye falling from a skyrise window—a thousand feet to her death. Or plunging into a river gorge and drowning after having the bridge underneath destroyed. He saw her body burned, torn apart by polar bears, and left bruised and broken by Cobra. He watched her jet explode after she had failed to eject.
Having held Lady Jaye as she cried out and thrashed in her sleep, he knew that she experienced her own share of nightmares—the deaths of her friends, of Flint, and her own—but she never talked about them. It was too personal.
Facing one's own mortality and that of your friends came with the job of being a Joe.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
"Two days. You collapsed right after you and Scarlett—"
"Shana? Wait— Where is she?" Alison pushed away, looking around frantically. "She's not—"
"She's right here." Scarlett stepped into view, smirking. "I didn't want to interrupt anything important." She glanced at Flint and arched an eyebrow.
Alison's cheeks pinked. Then, noticing her friend's uniform, her eyes went wide. "Shana, you're Scarlett again!" she exclaimed.
"I figured it was about time," Scarlett smiled.
Alison grinned. "It's good to have you back."
"Thanks. Speaking of which—" Scarlett held up Lady Jaye's BDU's with one hand.
"My uniform!" Alison cried.
Scarlett held up a box of brown hair dye in her other hand and grinned.
"And my hair!" Alison laughed. "You thought of everything."
"Welcome back, Lady Jaye." Scarlett laughed, placing the gifts in Lady Jaye's lap before giving her a hug.
Flint chuckled.
Doc pushed open the door and entered. "Well, hello there, Lady Jaye—And Flint. Scarlett." He nodded to each before returning his gaze to Lady Jaye. "It's good to see you awake."
"Hi, Doc." Alison smiled and stretched out a hand.
He took it and smiled back. "How are you feeling, young lady?" he asked.
"A little sore." She admitted, touching her arm.
"That's to be expected."
She nodded.
He peered at Flint and then at Scarlett over his glasses. "Alright, you two. Out of here. I need to check on my patient. You three will have to choose another time to catch up."
"Sure, Doc," Flint grinned. He bent over Lady Jaye and gave her a light kiss. "I'll see you after dinner," he said softly, ruffling her hair.
"Ok." She smiled.
"I'll come back later and help you with your hair," Scarlett said, waving a hand.
"Thanks, Red," Lady Jaye said. "I owe you one."
"Hey, forget it. I recall using that line a time or two myself." Scarlett smiled. "I think we'll just call it even."
Lady Jaye stifled a yawn and smiled. "Deal," she said.
Doc took Lady Jaye's uniform and the box of hair dye and placed it carefully on the chair Flint had just vacated. Then, he unwound the stethoscope from around his neck. He listened to Lady Jaye's heart and lungs. He jotted down some numbers and then motioned for her to lay down. Once she had made herself comfortable, Doc put his hand on her forehead. Then, he pulled out a thermometer and placed it in her mouth. While he waited for the reading, Doc hummed softly as he ran through some more tests.
Lady Jaye felt her limbs grow heavy. The need for more sleep began coming over her in waves.
Doc pulled out the thermometer and read it. "Still a fever." He frowned and jotted down something in her chart.
"Is it high?" she asked.
"High enough. I'll need to take another blood sample."
Lady Jaye frowned.
He chuckled. "It's not that bad."
She yawned again, fighting the urge for sleep. "Says you." She made a face. "How much longer until I can get out of here?"
"Already tired of my company?" He teased, continuing his examination. "You're going to need to rest a few more days. Then, once your bloodwork clears, I'll release you. Not an hour before."
Another wave of sleep washed over her, sinking her deeper. She nodded, already too far gone to protest.
Doc tucked the blanket up under her chin and she gave in, closing her eyes. "Sweet dreams, Lady Jaye," he whispered. Then, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
In the waiting room, Scarlett and Flint stood up. "How is she, Doc?"
"She's asleep. And mending quickly."
They smiled in relief.
Doc rubbed his chin. "But there was something I needed to ask you, Scarlett."
"Sure, Doc," she said slowly. "What is it?"
"You said you gave some antibiotics to Lady Jaye?"
"Yes, amoxicillin."
"Do you have any left, by chance?"
She frowned. "No. I gave them to her for a couple of days, but she didn't improve. Instead, she seemed to get worse. So, I tossed out the rest."
He nodded thoughtfully. "You did right, Scarlett. I ran a toxicology report on her. I don't know what you were given, but it wasn't amoxicillin. It was a slow acting poison." He paused, as if choosing on his next words. "It was meant to kill her."
"What?" Scarlett and Flint both exclaimed.
"I'm sorry." Doc said softly.
Scarlett's eyes blazed. "That lying, underhanded, medical—fraud! When I get my hands on him, he's going to wish he—" She clenched both hands into fists.
"Easy, Red." Doc said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "From what you already told me about Lady Jaye—" He shook his head. "I don't think she would have made it here without medical treatment. That doctor who took the bullet out and sewed her up—" A sense of awe entered his voice. "I've never seen a better job." He fixed his eyes on Scarlett. "That man saved Lady Jaye's life."
Scarlett stared. "Then, why did he give her—"
Doc frowned. "I don't have the answer to that," he said quietly. "But—maybe he had to. Maybe he was being watched. Maybe he even hoped you would notice that it wasn't what he said it was. You said he kept asking if you were a nurse, right?"
She nodded.
"Maybe that was his way of hinting, Red. Maybe he really was trying to help Lady Jaye."
Scarlett flexed her hands. "That doesn't change the fact that he—" Her eyes flashed.
Doc squeezed her shoulder. "Scarlett, until I know for certain, I am not going to assume the worst. I have to believe there are people out there who still support us. Good people." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I have to cling to that hope," he said softly. "It's all I have left."
Scarlett felt her anger bleed out. "Doc, I—" She wrapped her arms around him.
Did you catch the Sunbow references? There are at least five. :)