A Fresh Start
Chapter Ten
After Cassie went into Richard's room, Sam turns to William and Jeffrey and they begin to talk. As soon as Jeffrey spoke she knew that it was him. He didn't seem to realize who she was, but she felt his eyes on her the entire time she was talking to William. When they finally go into Richard's room, she goes to her office. Sitting down at her desk, she lays her head back and closes her eyes. Her heart is still pounding from shaking Jeffrey's hand and being that close to him, talking to him. The moment their hands had touched she knew it was him and talking to him only confirmed it and she had no idea what to do about it. It was a good possibility that he would be around a lot as long as Richard was there. "How am I going to handle this?" She says out loud.
"Handle what?" Jeffrey asks, from her door way. Sitting up quickly, she stares at the man that she knew, but yet she didn't. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Earlier, I got the impression that we know each other, but I can't put my finger on how." Jeffrey says, walking into her office without an invitation.
She nervously watches him walk over to her. "No, no, I don't think we've met before." Sam stutters. "I didn't come here until about twelve years ago after Med School. Unless you've been injured in the field, I don't think we've ever met." Sam says, picking up a pencil and nervously twirling it between her fingers. "Was there something you needed?" she asks, refusing to look him in the eye. She is sure that if she did, he would be able to see who she was. Jeffrey could always read her by looking in her eyes.
"No, we're letting Cassie and Richard get reacquainted. How did you get assigned to his case?" He replies, sitting down in the chair across from her, stretching his out legs and crossing them at the ankles, reminding her of the many times she had caught him sitting like that while they lived together.
"I'm the best internal medicine doctor the agency has, the Director asked for me to personally handle Richard's case. There really wasn't much I could do for him, except to make sure that he was comfortable, and try to keep him from getting to many infections that would wear his system down too much."
"How did he get the staph infection?"
"It happens with patients that have been in the bed for long periods of time, we try to make sure that everything is handled properly, but sometimes no matter what precautions we use it still happens. I was really worried he wouldn't pull through this time. This was his second infection in as many months and his fever kept spiking, sometimes getting up to 103.7. We kept him as comfortable as we could, and waited for the antibiotics to kick in." She had no idea why she was telling him this, except that when she got nervous she tended to talk a lot, and she wondered if he would remember that.
As if he read her mind, he said. "You know, there is something about you that makes me swear that we know each other."
"I'm sorry, but unless you were brought here for treatment, I've never been out in the field."
"How did you know I had been in the field? The agency has plenty of agents that work behind the scenes."
"You just have the look of a field agent." She says quickly, trying to cover her blunder.
"Field agents have a look now." Jeffrey replies, teasing her
"No, that's not what I meant. You just have that edge about you that field agents have."
"Edge." Jeffrey says, sitting back and watching her. "You have the most fascinating eyes. They look like…" Before he could finish, Noah knocks on Sam's office door. Releasing a sigh of relief, she calls "Come in."
"Dr. Whitley, I'm sorry to interrupt. Jeffrey, William would like to talk to the Director about the Camille situation and he would like you to be there." Noah says after he opens Sam's office door.
"Okay." Jeffrey says, standing up. "It was a pleasure talking to you Dr. Whitley." He says, turning back to her.
"It was my pleasure." Sam replies, hoping that he couldn't tell exactly how much he unnerved her. Stepping back, Noah lets Jeffrey leave the office before he closes the door.
Looking over at Jeffrey he asks. "Is there something going on?"
"No, of course not." Jeffrey replies, sounding rather defensive to his own ears.
"You seem quite interested in Dr. Whitley. Do you two know each other?"
"No, not that I know of, but there's something about her. I would almost swear that I do know her." Jeffrey says, as they walk down the hall to Noah's office. Being one of the best oncologists in the world, Noah spent some of his time at the hospital since he had retuned to active duty.
"She says that she's only been in the agency for around twelve years." Jeffrey says.
"I don't know when she came in, but she was here when I declared myself reactive. She's a very brilliant doctor, the best internal medicine doctor the agency has. That's why the Director asked her to personally take Richard's case."
"That's what she said. It's not that. There's something else." Jeffrey says, as they walk through the ward of patients rooms.
"Like what, has she treated you before?"
"No, I've never been treated here and she says she's never been in the field. No it's something else. It's almost like…"
"Like what?"
"It's like I've looked into her eyes… It is her eyes." Jeffrey says, stopping just outside a patient's room. "I've seen them before, I've looked into them before."
"Maybe you saw a picture of her somewhere." Jeffrey looks over at him. "Okay, maybe you didn't, but her eyes?"
"I know it sounds strange, but I can't shake this feeling that I've looked into them before." Jeffrey says, starting to walk again. "They remind you of a…" Jeffrey stops again. He'd gone pale, as white as the sheets on Richard's bed.
"Are you okay?" Noah asks, noticing Jeffrey's expression along with his complexion.
"It's her. The eyes, they remind you of a cat. It's her. But how, she's dead. She'd been dead for more than twelve years." Jeffrey says, turning around and heading back the way they had just come.
"Where are you going? The Director…"
"Tell William, I'm sorry. Something's come up. He can fill me in when I get back." Jeffrey says, over his shoulder.
"Jeffrey." Noah calls, but he ignores him. Now that he realized who she is he has to find her again.
When he reaches her office, he doesn't stop to knock but just opens the door. She isn't there; walking back out into the hall he stops one of the nurses. "Dr. Whitley, where is she?"
"She went home for the day."
"Where!"
"Where Sir?"
"Yes, where does she live?"
"I'm not sure, Sir."
"Does anyone know?"
"Dr. Frost might." The nurse replies, nodding to the office two doors down from Dr. Whitley's.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, walking towards the office door. Knocking once, he opens the door without invitation. "Dr. Frost." Jeffrey asks, walking up to an older gentleman with gray hair and sharp blue eyes.
"Yes, may I help you?" Dr. Frost asks. Looking up, he is shocked to see the man standing before him but Jeffrey doesn't take the time to explain.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was told that you might know where Dr. Whitley lives." Jeffrey says.
"Why do you want to know?"
"We're old friends, went to school together and when I found out that she was in the agency I thought it would be fun to look her up, but she's left for the day, and I'm leaving tomorrow for an assignment overseas."
"Of course, she lives in Reston. 393 Rt3 Apt 3d." The older man says, scribbling the address on a note pad.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, taking the piece of paper and leaving the office. He is headed towards the elevators when he meets Cassie coming off them.
"Jeffrey, I thought you were in a meeting with William."
"Something came up. Did you need something?"
"No, I just went to get a soda from the machine." Cassie says, holding up the can in her hand. "Is everything okay?"
"It's fine." He replies. "I've got to go. Tell William I'll catch up with him later." He says, getting on the elevator and pushing the button for the first floor.
"Okay." Cassie says, as the door closes.
When he reaches the street, he hails a cab. When one stops he opens the door and says, "I need you to go to 393 RT3 Reston."
"That's nearly thirty miles away."
"I don't care." Jeffrey replies, closing the door behind him.
"Yes sir." The driver says, pulling away from the curb.
When Jeffrey left her office, Sam immediately told the head nurse that she was leaving for the rest of the day, carefully avoiding running into Jeffrey and Noah as she left. For a few seconds there, before Noah walked in she had thought that Jeffrey had figured out who she was.
Walking into her apartment, she collapses on the couch and closes her eyes. She is still there an hour and half later when someone knocks on her door. She hasn't called anyone, no take out. So she has no idea who is on the other side of the door, but she is too worried, distracted or both to bother looking through the peephole before she answers the door. If she had she might not have answered.
Pulling the door open, she is taken totally by surprise when someone pulls her into their arms and kisses her. At first she resists, but then her body recognizes who is holding her and she surrenders. Wrapping her arms around his neck she kisses him back. After several seconds Jeffrey breaks the kiss, taking a step back he looks down into her eyes and smiles. "I knew it was you." He says softly. She can't answer as she stares up at him. Over the years, there were times that she had fantasized about this day. Of him figuring out that she wasn't dead and coming to find her. But she didn't do it often and when she did afterwards she would always berate herself for wishing for something that just couldn't be. "How did you survive?"
That one question brought her back to reality. Taking a step back, she looks him in the eye and says. "We can't do this."
"Why? I love you. I have always loved you."
"You don't know me. You haven't known me for years." Sam says, walking back into her apartment with Jeffrey following behind her, closing the door.
"I'm still the man you knew."
"Are you? It's been more than twelve years since we were together Jeffrey. I'm not the innocent green agent you took under your wing in London. And you look completely different. Why, by the way?"
"That doesn't matter." Jeffrey says, knowing that she is trying to distract him. "You're still the woman that I loved. I felt it just now." Jeffrey says, stepping closer too her.
"No, we can't." She says, taking a step back
"Why not?"
"We just can't, too much time has passed. We're not the same people we were."
"Yes we are Beca." Jeffrey says, taking another step.
"Don't call me that. She's dead. Rebeca Whitmere doesn't exist anymore. She died in an accident in St. Petersburg, Russia over twelve years ago." Sam says turning and running into her bedroom, slamming the door as Jeffrey goes after her.
Slowly opening the door, he finds her curled up in a ball on the bed, crying harder than he had ever seen her cry before. Sitting down beside her, he pulls her to him and at first she resists but he wouldn't let her go. "Shhh, darlin." He whispers, gently stroking her long auburn hair. He holds her for several minutes until she finally stops crying.
"I'm sorry." She says, detaching herself from him and moving to the other side of the bed.
There are several seconds of silence until Jeffrey reaches out and takes her left hand, playing with her ring finger while he asks. "Would you tell me what's wrong? Why are you scared?"
Closing her eyes, she is still amazed at how easily he is able to read her after all this time. "You always could tell when I was hiding."
"So, what are you hiding from now?"
"I have no idea." She replies, looking over at him.
"Would you tell me what happened? Why did you leave? I don't believe you left because you were scared of what we had. I would have known."
"Maybe not, I could have…."
"Sam." He says, looking at as if to say, don't do that.
"When I left you that morning and I arrived at the club Sasha met me at the door and told me that my cover was blown. She didn't tell me how, but that I couldn't come in because Victor was on to me. She gave me keys to a house and told me to go there and wait for her."
"Why didn't you come back to the apartment?"
"She said that Victor had people watching the place. I couldn't risk the operation or your life, so I went to the house and I waited for two days. And then she came, with a car similar to mine and a plan. She had a woman that was about the same height and weight I was. She was already dead. I don't know how it happened. She said that the only way I could keep you alive was to make you think I was dead.
So we staged the accident and then I left the country. For the next six months, I moved from place to place. I was terrified that Victor would find out that I wasn't dead and come after me. I finally made my way back home, back to Georgia. I saw my mom just days before she died. After that I left Georgia for good, and I went to Nashville, changed my name and my appearance and applied for Med School. I got in and the rest is history."
"How did you get back into the agency? And why didn't I ever hear about you being found."
"First, my name is different." Sam says, looking at him as if to say you should know that, which he smiled at. "And second, when I was found and I came back, I made the Director promise me complete anonymity."
"Where did you get the name, and why red hair?'
"Sam is short for Samantha, my grandfather used to call me that when I was about two. I kept the Ann, for Momma, but I changed the Whitmere to Whitley. The red hair, well I had played around with the color when I was in high school. My parents hated it, but I liked the way I looked with red hair and so I went back to it."
"So how did they find you?"
"An agent was brought into the Med Center when I was a resident. He recognized me and told his superiors. They sent agents down to verify who I was and again the rest is history. After I finished my residency, I moved to Washington and I was assigned to the hospital. I only agreed to come if they would guarantee that I wouldn't be put back in the field. I couldn't take the chance that you would see me or we'd run across each other."
"You had to know that the operation was over, why didn't you contact me then?"
"I couldn't take the chance, you know Pertrinkov, and he has people everywhere. I didn't know if he was still looking for me or if he had found out about us and would use you to get to me."
"But it's been over twelve years; Petrinkov died in a Russia prison. The Soviet Union is no more. I've been off of active duty for the last five years, you had to know that."
"Okay, so maybe part of the reason I didn't come to you is because I didn't know how you would react. And I was scared to face you." Sam says, getting up and walking over to the window "Maybe I thought you would believe what I had written in the note and I couldn't stand you turning your back on me."
"Sam, I never believe that note. But I wish you would have come back to the apartment."
"I was scared. I couldn't loose you, not permanently, which it would have been if Pertrinkov would have found us. We promised to protect each other, even if it meant sacrificing ourselves."
"Your cover was never blown. Sasha only told you that to get you away from Pertrinkov. She knew that he was interested in you and she wanted him for herself, so she decided to tell you that your cover was blown and force you to leave. The body we found was burned beyond recognition and she had pulled out all of the women's teeth so we had nothing to compare it to. The agency didn't know for sure whether it was you or not."
"So all of this was for nothing, so she could have him, she could have had him anyway. I had no interest in Pertrinkov, no interest." Sam says, shuddering slightly
"Why didn't you tell me he was harassing you?"
"And have you go after him, in jealous rage and blow the whole operation, no!" Sam says, shaking her head. "All this time I thought I was protecting you."
"She was a good actress, and she took a lot of pleasure in seeing me hurt. I think she wanted both of us."
"Well, I see your ego hasn't changed, even if your face has, a face which I like by the way."
"You always did like my ego." Jeffrey says, walking over to her.
"Yes, I did. I can't believe you're here."
"You know, I've been having dreams about you lately." Jeffrey says, wrapping his arms loosely around her.
"What kind of dreams?"
"I think you know." Jeffrey replies, pulling her closer to him.
"Maybe I do and maybe I don't. You might be dreaming of all the ways you want to…"
"Yes, I have." Jeffrey replies in a sexy whisper, before he leans over and kisses her again. After several seconds, he leans back. "God, I have missed you."
"I missed you too. I ached for you so many times over the last twelve years."
"Was there anyone else?"
"No." Sam replies, shaking her head. "I couldn't get you out of my head. "What about you?"
"A few."
"Only a few, somehow I think there was more than that."
"Okay, so maybe there were, but most of them never replaced you."
"Most of them." She says, with one eyebrow arched.
"Now, don't look at me that way. I'm a man."
"What's that got to do with it?" Sam asks, looking up at him.
"Just that we operate different than women, but…" He continues, even though he knew she wanted to say something. "But you; are the only one that I gave my complete heart to, no one else." Jeffrey says. And when he said it like that, she couldn't stay mad at him.
"Okay, so men are different." Sam says. "How did you get to look like Richard?"
"It was consequences of one of those involvements I was talking about. The ladies husband didn't like that we were rather close and he ordered my brakes to be tampered with causing a severe accident, severe enough to warrant a complete reconstruction of my face. This all happened about the time that Richard started getting death threats and he needed a double. So, I became him in certain situations."
"How long were you Richard?"
"About a year, the last year that he and Cassie were on the island and he was President, that experience and the months afterwards completely changed my life."
"When you were in Europe with the fake Princess Cassie."
"You know about that?"
"Yes, most of the agency knows about that." Sam says. "You used the agencies power to get the woman responsible for Cassie's former fiancé's death, out of a European prison, on the pretense that it was an official investigation. You then turn her into a fake Princess Cassie and you both were seen across Europe together, until about three months after Richard's accident, then you dropped her and you come back to the states, but you didn't go directly to Cassie. You went to New York first."
"I was forced to go to New York."
"You did that yourself. What did you think would happen?"
"I… it doesn't matter."
"So, you went to New York and you built your reputation on being one of the least compromising and most effective DA's that city has ever seen, then and since. Then Salerno started selling drugs in Springfield, and the agency was asked to investigate. We found out that the main ingredients for the drugs were coming from San Cristobel, so you were brought back to active duty and a few months after that, you showed up in Springfield, Cassie Winslow's hometown."
"You've been following my career."
"Of course I have. It was my only connection to you. Is she one of those women you gave part of your heart to?" Sam asks, looking up at him.
"I care a great deal about Cassie, and I guess if you want to say I gave her a piece of my heart then I would have to say yes. But she loves Richard, she did when we were in San Cristobel and she does now and whatever I might have felt for her, doesn't matter."
"So you're saying that because she loves Richard. I have no reason to feel jealous."
"Well, if you want to feel a little jealous…" Sam reaches out and slaps him. "Owww."
"That's for thinking you'll get to watch two women fight over you. You know that has never been my style."
"Yes, I do. But I can…" Jeffrey saw her raise her hand. "Okay, I'll drop it."
"That would be a wise choice."
"What happened to your mom?"
"She died of ovarian and stomach cancer. They wouldn't take her to the doctor, kept saying that if the lord wanted to heal her, he would. We would have to have faith and pray, faith and Prayer." Sam says with a ruefully laugh. "I guess that's why I became a doctor. So I can help people, by the time I reached my mom it was too late, the cancer had spread so far that there was no way chemo or radiation could have saved her. And it was definitely beyond surgery. I had enough time to tell her that I loved her and to say good-bye."
"How was your brother?" Jeffrey asks, reaching over and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Cold, would be the best way to describe Jeremiah's attitude towards me when I came home. Everyone's attitude was cold except for Gran's. I guess that's why I left again and went to Nashville. Whatever connections I had to my hometown died when my mom died. There's nothing there anymore." Sam says. "Have you gone back to your Mom's grave?"
"No, not since I took you there. I have a florist deliver fresh roses every birthday and at Christmas a poinsettia, but I haven't been back."
"I'm sure she would love to see you." Sam says, sitting down on the bed. He was used to hearing her say things like that and knew what she meant.
"She sees me everyday." Jeffrey says, sitting down beside her.
There were several seconds of silence before Jeffrey reaches over and turns her face towards his. "I missed you." He says, leaning over he kisses her, softly at first but then with deep burning passion, with one hand holding her cheek
His kiss held an immediate reaction for her, reaching up she wraps her arms around his neck as he pulls her against him, holding her tightly as they kiss. They were about to lie back across the bed, when the buzzing of her pager interrupts them. "Aw, damn it." Sam mutters as she pulls the pager off her hip and looks down at the display and realizes it is the agency and that it is an emergency.
"What's wrong?" Jeffrey asks hoarsely, fighting to get control again.
"It's the agency, an emergency of all nights and at all times." Sam says, looking over at him. "I have to go."
"Alright, I probably need to get back. William wanted to talk to me and I sort of skipped out on him." Jeffrey says, standing up and following her through the apartment to the living room as she grabs her purse and keys. They leave the apartment.
"Do we have to call…?"
"No, come on." Sam says, walking to the back of the apartment.
In the parking lot, directly behind Sam's apartment is a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. Jeffrey stares at the car as Sam walks up to it, unlocking the driver's door. "Well! Are you coming?" She asks, opening the car door.
"Where did you get this?"
"Actually, I had it. Well my grandfather had it. He saved it for me. When I went home, Gran gave me the keys and the title, absolutely infuriated Jeremiah, which made me happy." She replies, slipping in behind the wheel with a smile.
"He just gave it to you." Jeffrey says, opening the door and getting in after she reaches over and unlocks the door.
"Yes, the only changes I made were, I put in the AC, had to have that here. And I changed out the stock stereo, for a CD Changer and two 8'' woofers in the back, with 6x9 speakers in the doors and dash." Sam says, as she starts the car, and Reba comes on, and Jeffrey rolls his eyes.
"I see your taste in music hasn't changed."
She smiles as she turns up the CD and starts singing to "Little Rock." As they back out of the parking space and she heads for the agency.
Dr. Frost meets them as they walk off the elevator. "What's going on?" Sam asks, as Dr. Frost looks between Jeffrey and her.
"We've got agents coming in. A bomb exploded in a warehouse in Hagerstown."
"Why didn't they take them to Philadelphia? It's closer than here." Jeffrey asks
"This is the best hospital in the area, besides the hospitals in Philadelphia are over run by a massive car accident on I-76."
"How are they getting here?" Sam asks
"They're flying them in by helicopter."
"Alright, how long do we have?" Sam asks, immediately switching to crisis mode, which Jeffrey watches in amazement.
"ETA is about twenty minutes."
"Okay, call the surgeons…"
"All ready done." The head nurse replies, walking up to them.
"Neurology."
"They've been paged two."
"Then move Tompkins, Wilkins and Jacks up to the second wing." Sam orders, before she turns to Jeffrey. "I'm going to be busy for a while."
"I'll just go check on Richard. And then see if William and Cassie are still around." Jeffrey says.
"Okay, I'll see you later." Sam says, smiling up at him.
"Yes." He replies, walking towards Richard's room as Sam turns back to head nurse.
"What was that about?" she asks, watching Sam.
"Nothing." Sam replies, but she can't hide the slight blush that stains her cheeks.
"Umm hmm." The nurse replies. "I've already contacted the Red Cross and they're sending over as much O- as they can spare. This is exactly why more people need to donate blood."
"You're preaching to the choir, Mary."
"Inbound, two minutes." One of the nurses calls.
"Okay people, places." Sam calls as the staff converges on the hallway leading to the elevator.
Two minutes later, the first of the three agents were wheeled off the elevator. It is the one with the head wound, Sam sends it to neurology. There isn't much she can do for him. About a minute later, the second victim is wheeled off the elevator. He has pieces of shrapnel in his chest from the explosion. The paramedics stabilized him as much as they could. But the shrapnel has punctured both lungs and nicked his heart along with his small intestine and spleen.
"I need a chest and abdominal x-ray stat, hook him up to O- as well." Sam says, as she reaches over and brushes back the hair from his forehead. She can see the shock and terror starting to settle in the agent's eyes. "You're going to be fine."
"Take care of Megan, she can't die." The agent whispers before he starts to cough.
"She'll be fine." Sam says, turning to the nurse. "Get him on oxygen too. And get some blankets on him, he's going into shock."
"Yes ma'am." The nurse replies, as the last gurney is rolled off the elevator.
She is shocked at the woman laying on the gurney, and amazed that she is alive. Her chest is riddled with piece of shrapnel. She had several lacerations to her stomach and intestines, along with a ruptured spleen and kidney. Her lungs looked like they had been punctured by the explosion as well. But thankfully only one was punctured and the shrapnel had missed her heart, Sam realizes after a quick examination.
"Get her up to the O.R. stat!" Sam orders not even taking the time to order any x-ray's.
While Sam is busy with the new patients, Jeffrey is with Richard. "I don't know what to say to you?" Jeffrey says, sitting down beside Richard's bed.
"I want to thank you for taking care of Cassie after the accident. I was worried about her. I know I was unconscious but I knew that she would be lost, especially since we were just getting settled into Springfield and starting our lives. But even though I was here and she wasn't I knew she was alright, some how I knew. I knew you would come and look out for her, make sure she was alright. She can be stubborn, but I think you're just as stubborn. I appreciate you looking after her."
"I don't know how well a job I did of that." Jeffrey says, looking away.
"She's alive, she looks like she doing fine and I know that it's because you were there, protecting her and I could not be more thankful."
"Looks can be deceiving; these last five years have been hell on her."
"But you were there, you kept her safe."
"I did the best I could, when I could. She didn't make it easy."
"No, I don't suppose she did. But it wasn't just you protecting her. Reva was there and Josh. She had her family and the kids. I can't imagine what RJ and Will look like. I know he's with Alon… William. I keep forgetting that. And Tammy, I'm sure she's quite the lady now."
"The boys are fine. But there were a few times when I wasn't sure she would be."
"Why?" Richard asks.
"Just some of the people she chose to hang around with. She's not an easy woman to look after."
"No, she's not. She has a mind of her own."
There are a couple minutes of silence before Jeffrey spoke again, bringing up the subject that had been bothering him since he'd heard about Camille and that Richard was awake. "You know that she knows about my time in San Cristobel." Jeffrey says, he could tell by the look on Richard's face that he hadn't realized that Cassie knew.
"No, I didn't."
"I had to tell her." Jeffrey says, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Okay?" Richard says, watching him.
"I guess there's no easy way to tell you this, but Cassie and I…"
"You're together?"
"No, no not anymore. But we were for a while, a short while a very short while. Right after her and Edmund broke up."
"Edmund, what was she doing with Edmund?"
"I couldn't get to Springfield right after the accident, because I was in New York. When I did, she and Edmund were a couple, that's what I meant when I said she made it hard to protect her."
"Cassie was with Edmund. She wouldn't do that?"
"He made her believe that he had changed. He told her that he'd changed because of your death."
"And Cassie bought that, she's smarter than that." Richard says, staring at Jeffrey in shock.
"She is, but she was going through something she never thought in a million years she would have to face again. You were gone, and with you went all the dreams you both had together. She needed someone to hold on to and for a while she thought that was Edmund. Even though, her gut was telling her something different, she chose not to listen. She was hurting Richard." Jeffrey says, pleading with him to understand. "Anyway, after Edmund showed his true colors, Cassie came to me."
"What do you mean his true colors? Cassie has always been able to see right through Edmund."
"Yes, well. Either Edmund got better at lying or Cassie was looking to hang on to you."
"So she turned to my brother, the man that locked her in a tower. That killed our child. That did so many other terrible things." Richard says. "This was just an affair; please tell me this was just an affair that was over in a few months."
"He convinced Cassie that he had changed and because of that she married him."
"She married Edmund."
"For a short time." Jeffrey says. "By this time I was in Springfield, and Edmund resorted to what he always resorts to when he feels threatened. And he felt threatened by me.
"What did he do?"
"He hit me over the head with a shovel while the barn was on fire. He had every intention of leaving me there but for some reason he came back and pulled me out. From there things sort of snowballed and it ended up with Edmund and Dinah…"
"Dinah, the Dinah Marler. The one that shot Hart."
"Yes, Dinah came back to Springfield and she was still intent on getting everything Cassie had, including Edmund."
"Well, those two seem to fit each other."
"They did for a while. Edmund convinced Cassie to have a child with him."
"Oh god! Edmund a father, what was she thinking?"
"I don't think she was, at least not clearly, anyway Edmund convinced Cassie to have a child with him through IVF only before Cassie could have the procedure done and it take she found out about Edmund trying to kill me and she left him. While she was away, Dinah convinced Edmund to have the embryo's implanted in her without Cassie's consent and the procedure took. To make an even longer story short. Dinah lost the baby, so she tried to get Edmund to sleep with her, he wouldn't, she staged a kidnapping and that's when Cassie and I got together."
"How?"
"She caught Edmund standing over Dinah after the kidnapping with a pitch fork like he was going to stab her with it. At the time we didn't know that she had lost the baby because she was wearing a pregnancy pillow, so Cassie thought she was still pregnant and she thought that Edmund was crazy enough… I guess that's the only way to describe it… she thought he was crazy enough to kill the woman carrying his child. After that Cassie didn't want anything more to do with him and she filed for divorce. He tried to manipulate her into coming back to him by using Will as a pawn with William."
"That's why Alon… William wanted Will back in San Cristobel."
"Mostly, his advisors were pressuring him to bring Will back, but Cassie being with Edmund sort of sealed the deal, even though Edmund was given your job as Ambassador."
"He was Ambassador at large for San Cristobel."
"Yes, Alexandria Spaulding got him that job. So it was really bought and not given. When William found out that Edmund had used Will in a plot to get Cassie back, he was arrested and thrown into prison in San Cristobel."
"He's still there."
"Yes."
"And all this happened while I was here?"
"Yes."
"Is there anything else?
"Ahhh, yes but it's not my place to tell you that and I probably shouldn't have told you about Edmund. Although I'm sure Cassie would have eventually."
"So there's more."
"Sort of, I will tell you the other part that involves me. And why I had to tell Cassie about my time with in you in San Cristobel."
"Beside the fact that you slept with my wife."
"Actually, I slept with her more than once."
"More than once!"
Jeffrey knew this would upset him, but it was started he figured he would have to finish it. "I slept with Cassie when I was in San Cristobel, posing as you." Jeffrey says as Richard stares at him.
"No, that's not possible. I never left you with her for that long."
"There was one time, after the dinner for the British Ambassador. That's why we're not together anymore, and that's why I had to tell her about my time in San Cristobel. Josh found out that I was there, he told Cassie, and I had to tell her the rest. After that she couldn't forgive me…"
"I don't know if I can forgive you. I trusted you." Richard says. "I thought we were pretty good friends."
"We were, we are and I tried. I really did. When I realized that I was in love with her I asked the agency to transfer me, but they refused the request. They said, I had to stay till the job was over, I couldn't leave. So, I spent as little time as I could with Cassie when I was posing as you. It was only one time Richard."
"It was one time too many. Why didn't you tell me?"
"How was I supposed to tell you? That speech was great, thankfully no one tried to kill you, oh and by the way, I'm in love with your wife." Jeffrey says, getting up and walking over to the window. After a few minutes of silence Jeffrey turns around. "This wasn't her fault."
"I know it wasn't. You took advantage of her."
"Yes, I did. But the rest of it, Edmund, it wasn't her fault. She was lost after the accident. It tore her world up, and I think she was looking for anyway to stay connected to you, that is why she believed Edmund so quickly, why he was able to trick her into believing that he had changed. I think she turned to me, well that's fairly obvious."
"I think you need to go. I need to think." Richard replies, quietly
"Okay, but please Richard don't turn your back on her. She couldn't handle it, not after everything that's happened." Jeffrey says, pleading with him.
"I'm not going to turn my back on Cassie, I love her. But I have to talk to her about this. As for you, I don't know. I thought we were pretty good friends and now I find out you took advantage of that friendship by sleeping with my wife. If I could get out of this bed, I'd…"
Jeffrey nods, getting the picture loud and clear. "I'll go." He says, walking towards the door.
"That would be a good idea, before I do try to get out of this bed."
Opening the door, Jeffrey walks out. Letting the door close behind him, he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes. Sam finds him like that a few minutes later.
"Hey, are you okay?" She asks.
"I'm fine. I just need to get out of here." Jeffrey says, slowly standing up
"Okay, but I can't leave for a few more hours." Sam says. "Not till they're settled and stabilize."
"That's fine. I need to talk to Cassie anyway."
"Cassie."
"Yes, I need to give her a heads up of sorts."
"About what?"
"I can't get into it here."
"Okay." Sam replies, watching him for a few seconds before she asks. "Are you really okay?"
"I'll be fine." Jeffrey says, reaching for and hugging her tightly.
"I'm worried about you. Are you sure you're alright?" Sam asks, leaning back and looking up.
"I'll be fine. I promise. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Sure, I'll probably be here all night." Sam says, leaning up to kiss him.
"I'll go back to my hotel after I talk to Cassie. Try to get some sleep tonight."
"Okay." Sam says, as Jeffrey releases her and turns towards the elevator. Richard is watching through the window in the door as Sam and Jeffrey hug and then he leaves.
"I can't believe he slept with Cassie. I trusted him." Richard thought, lying back in the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe it would be better if I went back into the coma… No, Cassie needs me. I've been away long enough." Richard thought. "But he slept with my wife. He took advantage of her." "But he said he loved her." "If he loved her he wouldn't have taken advantage of her." "Thing's happen, he tried to walk away." "Maybe he did, but he still took advantage of her and me. We are… were friends. I trusted him." All these thoughts are rolling around in Richard's head as he lays back and closes his eyes.
About six hours later all three patients are back down on the ward, and in the rooms that Sam had ordered vacated. During surgery, Megan had crashed twice but the surgeon was able to bring her back. They also found that she had been about six weeks pregnant, whether she knew or not they wouldn't know until they told her that the baby hadn't survived.
Her partner had done considerably better. They had repaired the nick in his heart and the puncture in his lungs along with removing his spleen and repairing the damage to his intestines. The agent with the head wound, turned out to be a superficial cut. But he had been hit several times in the head by falling debris. All three were hooked up to monitors, and neurology was monitoring the agent with the head injury for swelling and possible bleeding in the brain. If the pressure got to be too great, they would have to go in and relieve some of the pressure.
Sam is looking over their charts when her mind wonders to Jeffrey and what was going on between him and Richard. She starts to put the charts down and go talk to Richard, but then she thought about it and decided to talk to Jeffrey first.
10.16