Chapter 9:
Hands bound behind her back by masking tape, Bailey Winters looked at the man, who continued to dig a hole in the ground. Tears ran down her face as she tried to speak through the masking tape across her mouth. Lying against the cold ground, her eyes moved up toward the moon and then back to the man, who now stared at her. She let out a scream as he grabbed her.
Matt was now clutching her hand. He had seen what had taking place inside her mind. If he had the Haitian's ability, he would remove that memory. Maybe, without it, she wouldn't be so volatile. It took a lot of convincing for Peter and Nathan to agree to allow Matt to bring her to a hospital, but he took her to a hospital away from her hometown. And he was relieved when Peter and Nathan finally left for New York in search of Sylar. Maybe, it was better to leave Sylar to Peter and not Bailey.
Bailey sat up in bed. She winced as she looked at Matt and then down at her hand. His grip tightened over hers as she shivered. She pulled the covers closer to her and slowly lied back down. She bit her lip, but that didn't stop the tears. She continued to cry, looking at the wall and refusing to look at Matt.
"Hello," a nurse sang as she walked into the room.
"Dale," Matt said.
"Matt," she responded as she checked Bailey's vitals. "All done."
"Did the labs come back?"
"They did." She looked at Matt before looking over at Bailey. She slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry." Her pager beeped. "Hmmmmm. Emergency number. Have to take this," and she hurried out of the room.
"Sure." He watched her leave. "Bailey?" She continued to look away. "Okay, Bailey, but I'm not going anywhere." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm staying right here." She still didn't answer him.
Dale walked over to the nurses' station. Nobody was there. She wondered who had paged her and dialed in the number. The phone rang a few times, and then somebody picked up. They just didn't say anything. "Hello," Dale spoke into the phone. "Someone called me from this number."
"Yes. I did."
"Mr. Linderman?" She swallowed hard. "I thought I was finished with…"
"You are far from finished, Dale." She nodded to herself. "And I need a favor with our new friend."
"She… She's not alone."
"I know. My associate will help you with that. Are you listening?"
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"Then, listen close," and Dale glanced over at Bailey's room.
An hour later, Dale walked into Bailey's room. She found Matt still sitting in the chair. He was gazing at Bailey like a deeply concerned friend. It moved her heart, but no matter how she felt, she had to do what she had to do. "Here. Thought you might need this," and she handed Matt a cup of coffee.
"Thank you," and he took a big gulp of it. "Tastes good."
"You're welcome." She checked Bailey's vitals. Then, she busied herself in the medical closet nearby. She was about to check Bailey's chart when the coffee cup fell to the floor. "I'm sorry, Matt," and she pushed the unconscious man back further into his chair. "I have no choice."
Dale closed the door to the room. She sat down on Bailey's bed, watching her sleep. The sedative that she slipped into the IV would keep her under. She took Bailey's hand in hers and held it tightly. She closed her eyes and focused on Bailey, choosing one memory to find her way inside.
Dale found herself standing next to Bailey, who was bound and gagged and lying on the ground. Her eyes turned toward the man, who continued to dig his hole. Her eyes returned to Bailey, and she leaned down beside her, placing a hand on her forehead, and digging in deeper. Bailey moaned and cried in response, but Dale continued to push. And the memory rewound back.
Bailey was now in the basement, his basement. There was another girl in the room with Bailey. They were both bound by masking tape, but they were not gagged yet. They looked around the cramped space and then finally over at each other.
"You okay," the girl asked Bailey.
"No," Bailey responded. "He's going to kill us."
"Maybe, the police or the FBI will find us first."
"Do they know that you are missing?"
"I don't know."
"Nobody knows that I am," Bailey said. "And nobody is going to catch this guy. We're good as dead."
"Don't say that," the other girl cried.
The man entered the room. He grabbed hold of the girl. As he pulled her away from Bailey, the girl screamed, and he smiled. He smiled wide at Bailey. "You're next," and the door slammed shut behind him.
Dale opened her eyes. She gently touched Bailey's face. Leaning down, she kissed her on the forehead. She leaned closer. Her lips brushed against Bailey's ear. "I know you can hear me, Bailey. I could end your life. Right now. Right here. You're lucky that Mr. Linderman wants you alive, so when you can, get out of here. And go find him. He'll be waiting for you."