She was as prepared as possible, under the circumstances, but Nina knew in this life preparations meant nothing. Her shoulder ached from the bullet wound and her arm was almost numb. But she was alive, and that had almost surprised her as much as waking up next to Jack had.
As she came too out in the cold open desert air she had felt tired and groggy. Pain had been her initial sensation, until she saw Jack sprawled out next to her, covered in his own blood. Shock had consumed her, and as she looked down at her own wound she wondered if she was delirious.
The last thing she could remember was fleeing from the agents as one of Ramon's stray bullets had hit her. She could vaguely remember trying to fight the pain but eventually she had passed out. There were no images of Jack in her mind.
Groaning in pain she tried to sit up and was again shaken when she realised Jack and herself were cuffed together. A startled almost worried expression covered her features for the slightest moment, before she noticed the cloth dressing covering her wound. With a shake of her head Nina had smiled smugly to herself, he was here again. Bauer was like a recurring nightmare, when she was on the verge of making it big, he turned up and things quickly spiralled downhill.
She had softly checked her own wound, before leaning over Jack and taking a quick look at his own hand which was similarly wrapped up in the remains of his shirt. As she watched him sleep she smiled victoriously to herself, she had been right - he was working with CTU. That was the only sufficient explanation for what had happened.
The agents were clearly there for him, and the fact that he had dressed her wound instead of shooting her again himself, made it clear to Nina that she was hear for a reason. He needed her. Alive.
But did she need him?
Nina surveyed the hut as she paced. There was blankets and a bed, but not too much of anything else. She had been pleased to find a first aid kit strapped to the wall above and sink and had greedily fumbled through its contents. There were no pain pills but a thick roll or bandages and antiseptic wipes which pleased her.
After carefully untying Jacks make-shift bandage she stripped her top off and carefully washed the wound out with cold but clean water. Clean water meant they were not far from habitation and as she worked she silently debated if that was good or bad news.
The wipes stung but gave her confidence that she would survive the wound as she had others. As she tossed the empty packet onto the floor she cast her eyes on Jack, who she had laid on the bed with much difficulty. His hand was held protectively against his chest even in his sleep, and the bandage was coated in a thick layer if dried and crusty blood.
Shaking her head she tried not to feel guilty for using the wipes on herself. He was the reason she was injured anyway. He had abducted her, then threatened and used her against her own will, before kidnapping her again after getting her shot. How could she feel any guilt at all for him, she wondered as she refused to meet her own eyes in the reflection of the small dirty mirror.
After tightly bandaging the wound Nina saved what was left of the material for Jack, knowing there was no point in wasting it when he would need it for his own injuries. Sitting on an upturned crate with her wet top pulled back on Nina wrapped one of the cabins blankets around her shoulders for warmth as she watched the sleeping beast, gun ready in her hand.
As she tried not to doze she wondered if she was doing the right thing by being here. Why hadn't she left him and ran for her life as soon as she had freed herself from him? She knew that her odds of survival were higher in his company, he needed her for information, and right now she didn't fancy taking her chances against the desert, Ramon and her clients people who had probably started the hunt for her already.
She sighed as she played with the gun. Jack was her best chance of survival - how pathetic was that! It was safer for her to stay with a man who would kill her in a heartbeat to avenge his wife's murder. How had she gotten so low? Her cheeks went red with anger as she thought about how Jack was the reason she was so low - if he hadn't turned up she would have either the virus or a huge payoff in her possession.
Jack grunted in his sleep and moved slightly, Nina sat up and cocked the gun. Jack needed her for information but that didn't mean he wouldn't kill her anyway. She needed to take control right from the start, he was her prisoner, she would not let him turn the tables on her again. She would use his need to find the virus to her advantage, she could easily cut a deal with CTU without hurting her employers.
Grumbling again Jacks eyes began to blink as he slowly came around. Taking a deep breath Nina leant besides him and pressed the gun tightly into his cheek, willing herself not to pull the trigger out of spite alone.
"Wake up sleeping beauty," she whispered seductively into his ear, before moving the gun away and quickly firing a around through the pillow next to his head.