Okay here's the latest. Please forgive the abrupt cutoff point. Thanks so so much to to lipamo and also Bookworm and zarqa for the reviewage! Going to catch up on your fics now, along with yours indigo! In the meantime take this as you will. More to come soon. :)
Rolling onto her side in bed Carrie glanced at the clock on the nightstand, rolled her eyes. 4 AM. At this rate she was going to need a sedative if she had any hope of catching up on lost sleep.
She'd been back in the hospital for four days. And hadn't seen or heard from Brody in three of them. She'd heard him when he said he wanted to get back to the cabin and lay low. She wasn't sure though he'd heard her when she'd promised him that she'd fix this. Find some way to get the press to back off. Use her resources, connections, sheer force of will to make things right again.
He'd just hugged her tightly, told her he loved her and to take care of herself and the baby before walking out, leaving Abby to walk her over to her room.
Since then she'd gone to group, made infernal pasta art with Olivia. She was supposed to journal but her notebook had been sitting in the corner of the room since she'd tossed it against the wall yesterday.
Ever since she'd been lying in bed on her side, tempted to throw out her meds each time they'd been brought to her. But then the baby would remind her with a butterfly kick or two she had to keep it together. That according to the wall calendar her release date, circled in sparkly purple, was in less than a month. She just hoped she could get some sleep between now and then.
Feeling restless, jittery she grabbed her sweatshirt and crept out of her room, walked down the hall that was quiet at this time of night. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go, but realized after ten minutes her feet had led her to room 205. Saul's. She was surprised to see he was still in the hospital, but a part of her was glad he still was.
Quietly opening the door she crossed the room to the arm chair in the corner. Sitting down in it, legs curled under her, she draped her sweatshirt over herself as a blanket. Managed to drift off in a matter of minutes.
The next morning, stirring when the sun poked through the blinds, Saul squinted, reached for his glasses on the nightstand to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.
Realizing his eyes weren't playing tricks on him he shook his head, got out of bed and slowly walked over to her.
"Carrie?" he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "Carrie?"
"Huh? What, I'm up, I'm up," she muttered, running a hand over her face as she sat up.
"How long have you been here?"
"Since four? I think. I couldn't sleep, I-"
"Come and sit on the bed. You look like a fucking human pretzel," Saul sighed, helping her to her feet as she nodded, sat on the bed.
"I didn't think you'd still be here," Carrie said. "It's been how many weeks since you-"
"I had a setback in PT. Got pissed, tweaked my back. They've been untweaking me ever since."
"Jesus. Why didn't you say anything to me?!"
"You weren't around. That was a big part of my griping. I was furious they let you get scared out of here. And I took it up with Abby and those schmucks on staff that drugged you."
"Saul, you didn't-"
"You're supposed to be in here to get better, Carrie. Not worse."
"Yeah, well..." Shaking her head she stood up, crossed her arms over her chest.
"Carrie?"
Looking on concerned when she bowed her head, Saul stood back up, slipped an arm around her before she sniffed, started crying.
"Easy, easy."
"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I just..."
"Don't apologize you understand?"
When she turned, nodded, hid her face in his shoulder Saul sighed, rubbed her back.
"It's okay. It's gonna be okay."
Holding her until she calmed down, Saul led her back to the bed, sat her down.
"Did one of those fuckers try something else now that you're back?" Saul asked angrily as she shook her head.
"Something happen on the outside then?" he asked.
"Guess you could say that," Carrie scoffed, wiping her eyes.
"Brody. Virgil told me you went up to your cabin with him. Went on a little joy ride after?"
"I wouldn't call it a joy ride. Far from it," she said with a scowl. "And if you're going to attack him I'm just gonna go back to my-"
"I'm not attacking, I'm just asking. And you wouldn't have jumped down my throat if this had nothing to do with him," Saul said knowingly as she snorted.
"You don't want to tell me?" he asked. When she bit her lip, avoided his eyes he nodded. "Fine, then you mind stepping out so I can-"
"His father's the fucking deserter," Carrie spat, taking Saul aback.
"What?"
Sighing she went on to explain what she and Virgil and Max had found out, where she and Brody had driven, much to the disbelief of the older man.
"Jesus fucking Christ."
"I had pretty much the same response."
"It's probably stupid of me to ask but how is...?"
"Not good, " Carrie said softly. "It triggered something in him, Saul. I fucking know it. He doesn't trust me when I tell him that I can fix this."
"Well if I was in his shoes I'd have trouble taking your word on that too," Saul said as she glared. "Hey, it's not a reflection on you! It's the situation,"
When the scowl left her face he continued.
"The man Brody trusted, respected, admired and thought died a war hero, surfaced a week ago as nothing but a goddamned deserter. I doubt he's trusting much of anything right now. Let alone anyone saying they're gonna try and make this mess right. Even you."
"Well I'm not just going to try. I will!" Carrie snapped. "I fucking have to. It's just a matter of getting the press to back off of him. Once I do that we'll be fine, he can come out of fucking hiding. Be with Farrah."
"Well last I checked you played your trump card as far as getting the press to fixate on something else."
"So what? I'll just find another trump card."
"How exactly will you-"
"I don't fucking know!" Carrie shouted before quiet set in. Biting his lip, Saul broke it.
"Is that where Brody's been since you got back? Hiding?"
"Yeah. Why? Did you think we'd broken up?"
"Carrie..." he sighed as she rolled her eyes, spoke after a beat.
"I'm not used to having a civil conversation about him with you," she said softly.
"I'm not used to civilly conversing about him," Saul scoffed. "But I'm making an effort. Give me some credit for that."
"I'm trying."
"Well, maybe you won't have to try so hard."
"What are you saying?" Carrie asked.
"That I may know a way to help."
"Help me help Brody?" she asked skeptically, getting a nod. "Tell me."
"Honestly I'm surprised the idea hasn't occurred to you yet," Saul shrugged.
"Tell me what it is. I'll see if it was good enough to," Carrie snorted.
"The paper that picked up Lauder's blog post. It ran a fabricated story."
"But Lauder was telling the truth, Saul. The blog claimed an 'N' Brody deserted."
"But it's not Nathaniel's name and picture plastered everywhere, is it?" Saul asked, getting a nod.
"If we threaten to sue the paper for libel, they'll turn around and blame whoever provided them with the false story. It'll shut Lauder up. Maybe even shut the rumor down for good."
"Well who's going to file the lawsuit? Brody? Me?"
"Langley. The powers that be. Galvez, some other higher ups. If it comes from some high ranking official outta D.C they'll print a correction or redact it all together. They may even try and sue Lauder for presenting them with the misinformation in the first place."
Nodding in understanding Carrie lightly laughed. "You're right. That should've fucking occurred to me."
"It may backfire, but I think right now it's the only option. Aside from Brody staying in hiding and you getting more and more depressed as a result."
Smile fading she sighed. "Saul, I'm not-"
"My feelings about him aside, you're in love with him and you're having his baby. You want and need him with you. I get it. So it's for your sake I'm gonna try and pull a few strings. Yours and my godchild's. Are we clear?"
"Yeah. We're clear."
"Good. I'll set up a meeting with Galvez as soon as I'm sprung. Maybe even before."
Nodding, Carrie gave Saul a grateful smile. "Jesus. I don't know even know how to thank-"
"You want to show your gratitude? Curl up in that bed right now and get some real sleep."
"I can just go back to my room, I-"
"But you're here, this bed's closer and since I wrangled about five extra pillows out of the nurses it's one of the damn comfiest in here."
After thanking him, giving him another hug, Carrie reluctantly curled up in bed and dozed off, while Saul made his way down the hall to get some coffee, then over to Abby's office. Knocking twice on her partially open door.
"Well, Mr. Berenson. You've been discharged?"
"Almost. Still have a few fucking papers to sign. But I have something I wanted to ask you first. More of a favor than anything."
"Sure, take a seat and tell me.", Abby said, nodding to the chair on the opposite side of her desk. "Let me see what I can do."