Chapter Six

Steve flew out the back door so hard and so fast that the door sailed off its hinges onto the porch. He ran toward the woods - toward their tree - at bionic speed, praying as he ran. When he reached the hole beside the tree, Steve breathed a sigh of relief. General Bailey was already there, holding an unconscious Jaime in his arms.

"General, thank God! And thank you." Steve reached out for his wife.

"Step back, Steve," the General said softly, suddenly brandishing a gun which he pressed directly to Jaime's head.

"General...what the hell? It's - been - you?"

Bailey laughed. "Give the boy a Kewpie doll!"

"Why?" Steve was beyond shock, nearly unable to absorb the sight of his former mentor threatening Jaime's life. "You've never even met Jaime. What happened to you, that you could hurt an innocent woman" Steve could plainly see that Jaime was hurt - dreadfully hurt. He couldn't tell if she was breathing.

"I might not know her," Bailey sneered, "but I know you, far too well. The Elite Force should've been my ticket to becoming an Oscar Goldman or a Jack Hansen, but one report shut it all down. Your report, Steve. You destroyed the most important part of my life, and now I'll be destroying the most important part of yours. I wanted to bury your wife alive and see your face when you found her, just minutes too late, but killing her right in front of you is almost as satisfying."

An unexpected voice both broke the tension and added to it. Oscar had snuck into the woods, silently and unnoticed, and stood next to Steve, holding a gun of his own as he warily eyed the one Bailey was threatening Jaime with. "Franklin, look at what you're doing," Oscar said, forcing himself to speak in a calm, quiet voice.

"Put your gun on the ground, Goldman." Bailey ordered. He shifted his arms to dangle Jaime's limp body over the hole. One hand still held the gun to her head. "Do it now."

With no other choice, Oscar complied. Bailey flung Jaime roughly to the ground, right at the edge of the 'grave', and scowled at his two adversaries.

"Claudia's grave was empty," Oscar said flatly, "but you knew that all along, didn't you?"

"So that's how you found me," Bailey chuckled.

Oscar kept his voice low. "General, you've had an exemplary career. Is this really how you want it to end?"

"It ended over a year ago; Austin signed its death warrant." Bailey glanced down at Jaime. "He signed hers, too."

Steve felt utterly helpless. He thought about rushing Bailey, tackling him and pummeling the hell out of him, but that gun was inches from Jaime's head. The next thing he noticed made his heart sing with hope and break with despair: Jaime opened her eyes and then instantly closed them again. She was awake! Had Bailey noticed?

"It's just a shame she's not awake to enjoy her own grand finale," the General mused. He hadn't seen her! Steve fixed his gaze on Bailey, not even glancing at his wife, so as not to give her away.

"How long did you and Claudia plan this?" Steve asked, determined to hold his attention.

"When you ran instead of taking the blame for the files I helped Claudia sell, and then we heard that you'd gotten married...I guess you'd call it a spur of the moment decision. Why should you be happy when -"

Jaime, too weak to get up or to really fight, had correctly judged that the situation was dire, and did the only thing she had enough strength to pull off. With do-or-die determination, she swung her right leg out and hit Bailey in the ankles, sending him backwards into what was supposed to be her grave. Steve instantly leaped forward to grab the General's dropped weapon and pointed it into the hole.

"Don't even think about moving, General," he warned. With his other hand, he very gently caressed his wife's cheek and took her hand. "Jaime...Sweetheart, can you hear me?" She didn't answer.

Oscar finished giving orders via his Datacom and joined them next to the hole. "I'll keep an eye on Bailey," he told Steve. "You've got someone a lot more important to tend to. Medivac's on its way."

Steve nodded and turned his full attention to his wife. He took off his jacket, positioned it as a pillow and carefully turned her head so she wouldn't be lying on the bump. With one hand, he applied firm pressure to the bullet hole in her side. Judging from the amount of blood he could see (and what she must've lost before getting there) Steve knew it was a miracle she hadn't bled to death.

"It's over, Sweetheart," he whispered, lightly squeezing her hand. "You're safe now, and you're gonna be ok."

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