They had gone into hiding for a couple of hours so that Jack could clean up Chloe's wounds. It was beginning to get dark so they'd checked into a motel just outside of town. Chloe had booked the room as Jack's face was likely to be plastered all over town by now. She had her story straight in case she was asked any questions, something about getting away from her abusive husband. Not that it was a problem, the motel clerk really wasn't interested in anything other than his beer and the football game on TV – he hardly noticed her really.
The room was functional; large bed, TV and relatively clean. They had picked up a first aid box in a local drug store, along with some food to keep them going for a while. First off Jack cleaned up her face, gently bathing her bloody nose and mouth then placing ice on her now swollen eye.
"Well I think you'll get away with the battered wife routine for a while longer if necessary" he said to her.
Chloe snorted derisively "yeah and as soon as anyone gets a glimpse of my crankiness they'll be fully supportive of the jerk that supposedly did this to me."
"Except that the jerk was not your husband, but a known terrorist who has been working with men behind our own government, powerful men who seem determined to cause death and destruction in the name of stabilising our country's economy" Jack said with a sigh.
"You mean, those guys had something to do with Logan?"
"No, not Logan particularly; more powerful than him, the guys who have been pulling his strings."
"You mean to tell me that the ex-president of the US was not the most powerful man in the world when he was in office."
"Seems that way" Jack said as he removed the ice pack from her face to survey the damage. He probed gently around her cheekbone to see if it was actually broken. "Nothing broken here Chloe, despite your dramatic statement earlier" he said with a smile.
"So, no sympathy from you then Mr Hard-ass Bauer?" she said with a roll of her eyes.
"I didn't say that. Now, take off your shirt and lie down on the bed."
"What? Why?" she asked stammering nervously.
He laughed then. "Don't worry Chloe, believe me if I was aiming to seduce you I would try a slightly more subtle and romantic approach than 'take off your clothes and get on the bed.' I want to have a look at your stomach wound; I noticed there's some blood oozing through the dressing."
Chloe blushed furiously, peering down at the wound in question. She started undoing the buttons of her shirt, then blushed again at the thought of being half naked in front of him. But she did as he asked, realising that to protest would make the situation even more awkward. She lay back on the bed, propping herself up on the pillows as he was getting fresh water from the bathroom.
Jack came back into the room to find Chloe with her eyes closed, looking pale and drawn. He sighed angrily at what had happened to her today. Could he have done things differently? Kept her out of it in some way? Possibly, he told himself but it would have taken much longer to get where they were now and time was one luxury he could no longer afford. They had managed to stop two threats already today, the third one of the day being planned by the men who had taken Chloe. He was also closer to finding the men behind the threats.
He walked over to where she lay on the bed, sitting down on the edge. Chloe opened her eyes and smiled at him, scrambling over a little to make more room for him. He leaned over to peel off the dressing on her side, gently examining the still swollen and throbbing flesh. Chloe winced a little despite his gentleness "sorry" he said trying to be gentler still. He cleaned the wound thoroughly and redressed it; by the time he was finished the lids of Chloe's eyes were drifting shut. He pulled a blanket up over her and decided to let her sleep for a while.
Jack walked over to his bag and pulled out the new cell phone they'd bought, deciding that now was the time to bring Bill up to speed with what was happening. He called CTU direct, determined to keep the call short so they couldn't trace it. Bill came on the phone instantly.
"Hey Bill, its Jack."
"Jack, what the hell are you doing? Where's Chloe?"
"She's here Bill, I found her at a construction site, being held by a group of men who had been planning some of today's terrorist activities."
"And where are these men now Jack?"
"They're dead."
Bill sighed, "What's this all about Jack?"
"I don't know everything Bill, just enough to know that there are some very powerful people behind what has happened today and they were also involved in the Logan conspiracy."
"Jack, I know Chloe believes that you are working for us on this thing. I want to believe that but the evidence is damning."
"I know" Jack said shortly, "Bill, do what you have to do. Just send some men to the address where the bodies of the terrorists are and I will keep doing what I have to do."
"And Chloe?"
"She's fine, I'm keeping her with me" Jack said, looking over at the sleeping form of Chloe O'Brian before snapping shut the phone and cutting off Bill before he could trace them. He'd only just decided he was keeping her with him, but he felt she was safer that way.
He walked over to where she lay and, deciding they had some time before they needed to move again, he lay down next to her. Chloe leaned into the warmth of his body. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to him so he gathered her in his arms and held her close to his chest. Jack didn't sleep, just closed his eyes concentrating on the gentle rhythm of her breathing; his gun not leaving his side.
