Chapter Two
47.50 Hours Missing (9:30pm)
Danny and Elena walked onto the twelfth floor from the elevator straight to the bullpen. They took off their coats and Elena called Van Doren.
"Van Doren."
"We're back."
"I have the paper and the cash. Have Danny come to my office and I'll have Mac bring up the mic."
"All right. Bye."
"Bye."
"Van Doren wants you to mic up in her office," Elena said, raising her eyebrows.
He raised his eyebrows in return and laughed, pulling his tie off and opening his shirt a few buttons before walking to the elevator. He walked off the thirteenth floor and headed straight to Van Doren's office. Heading to her office he walked in and stood there, waiting for instructions.
"Hi, jacket off, shirt open, please," Mac said, setting up his gear.
Danny complied watching. Ten minutes later he was wired and went down to the twelfth floor.
"I'm all set," he said to Elena.
"Great, let's go."
They walked to the elevator and then to the street to catch a train up to 46th St. They walked into the hotel together, seeing that it was 10:40. Elena sat on one of the comfortable chairs in the lobby while Danny walked up the narrow staircase set against the wall to the bar. Five minutes later, Agent Darby and Joe Enkland walked in. Joe headed up the stairs, while Agent Darby sat with Elena.
"Hi, let's go find the manager," Danny said.
Joe nodded and followed him to the maitre'd station.
"I need to speak to the manager," Danny said, quietly flashing his badge.
"Of course, one moment."
Five minutes later, a handsome man in a dark suit and dark tie came up to them.
"My name is James Andrews, what can I do to help you, gentlemen?"
Danny explained in great detail what was about to take place. He handed the baggie of shellfish powder to Andrews.
"Got it?"
"Yes, but I need to let my security supervisor know. We don't like working girls in here."
"All right," Danny said. "Here's the money, Joe. You'd better stay here. I'll go wait for them."
"Okay,"
"Joe, it'll be all right. You have to trust me."
"I know, uhm I guess. I've just never done anything like this."
"Here they come," Elena said into Danny's wireless earpiece.
"They're coming," Danny said, walking to stand near the top of the stairs.
He watched them move across the lobby. The brunette was leading but Lucy was close behind. They walked up the stairs carefully in their high heels. Jasmine started to walk by Danny.
"Excuse me, are you Jasmine? I'm Danny, Joe's friend from college."
"Oh, hello, where's Joe?"
"Men's room. He should be back in a minute."
Lucy started to caress Danny's arm.
"This is Lila."
"What's she on?" Danny asked.
"Just a little X, just to get her relaxed. She's new," Jasmine explained.
"Oh, good idea. Don't want my girl to be uptight," Danny said, giving Lucy a kiss on the cheek.
He led them to a table and they sat down. A waitress came over to them quickly.
"What would you like to drink?" Danny asked.
"I'll have a glass of champagne. Lila, what would you like?" Jasmine asked.
"Patron margarita no salt, please," she said, her hand firmly on Danny's knee.
"Joe will have a Stoli and tonic," Jasmine elaborated.
"I'll have Patron on the rocks," Danny added.
"Thanks," the waitress said.
Joe picked that moment to arrive. Danny took Lucy's hand in his tightly.
"Hey, babe. Are you feeling okay?" Jasmine asked, kissing him.
"Yeah, why?" Joe asked, sitting next to her.
"Danny said you were in the toilet," Lucy said, not really looking at him.
"This is my friend, Lila," Jasmine said.
"Pleased to meet you," Joe said, reaching out his hand.
"I think I love you," Lucy said, gazing at Danny.
"She's had a little X to calm her down. Jasmine explained that she's new to this," Danny explained.
"Oh, I see."
"Joe, do you have the money?" Jasmine asked.
"Sure, honey," he said, reaching for the black velvet jewelry box that Danny had given him earlier.
Jasmine took the box and opened it briefly. She smiled and shut the box before putting it in her purse. The waitress brought the drinks and distributed them.
"Toast, to a memorable evening," Danny said, raising their glasses.
"To a memorable evening," the others responded and touched glasses before taking large sips of their drinks.
Danny started an inane conversation about where to have dinner, but before he could finish the sentence, Lucy sat up abruptly. Her face started to turn bright red as hives began to appear on her skin.
"Lila, what's wrong?" Jasmine asked.
"Can't breathe," she gasped
"She needs a doctor," Joe said.
"She needs an ambulance," Danny said, pulling out his cell phone.
"Yes, a woman has collapsed in the lobby bar of the Paramount Hotel. Thank you."
"Danny, uhm…" Jasmine started.
"Go ahead, Jasmine. I'll get her to the hospital. Joe, you go too. Have a good time," Danny said, as he manhandled Lucy back on the loveseat.
"Are you sure?" Jasmine asked.
"Yeah, does she have ID in her purse?"
"She should. Uhm, Joe, we need to get going before the police get here," Jasmine said, standing.
"Of course, I'll get the bar bill."
"That's okay, Joe. I took care of it when we got here," Danny said.
"Thanks, I owe you one. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Joe said, heading to meet Jasmine at the top of the stairs.
"Bye," Danny said before returning his attention to Lucy.
Jasmine and Joe walked by Elena out the door and disappeared into the night. Elena and Agent Darby stood and walked quickly upstairs to find Danny rescue breathing, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Five minutes later, the EMTs arrived and administered epinephrine before transporting Lucy to NYU Medical Center. Danny rode in the ambulance as Elena drove behind them. Agent Darby went back to the office.
12:00am (Thursday)
"I think I've got him!" a cry came from somewhere in the house.
Ritchie and Vivian ran up to the edge of the collapsed building. They looked into the debris towards the men who were working and saw the uniformed men carefully clearing an area standing mid-shin in filthy water.
"Get the litter down here," Ritchie directed.
The EMTs of the FDNY sent the litter down and almost thirty minutes later, Jack was lifted from the basement. His normal pale pallor was almost blue. His skin had an odd texture from being under water. Immediately, the EMTs put blankets on him and slid him into the ambulance.
"We're taking him to Queen's General, like we did the other one," the technician said.
"I'm riding with him," Viv said, remembering how Jack rode with her when she collapsed from her heart condition.
"Get in now." The tech ordered.
"I'll meet you there, Vivian," Ritchie said, starting to remove his body armor.
"Okay."
They shut the ambulance door and raced to the hospital with the sirens blaring. Jack appeared unconscious as they unbuttoned his shirt and started to cut off his Kevlar vest. Parts of his shirt were soaked with blood. Vivian stared at the shards of metal which were embedded in his vest and then at Jack's chest, now covered in bruises from the impact. Jack's eyes fluttered open and Vivian was disturbed to see the blood in them. He started to panic, but Vivian reached a hand to his face to calm him. As she did so, the technician restrained him. Then the monitors were put on his heart and the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Jack shut his eyes and passed out. The ambulance arrived at the hospital moments later and Vivian was told to wait as they took Jack into the ER. She called Danny to give him the update.
"Taylor."
"Danny, it's Viv. We got him. We just rolled up to Queen's General."
"That's great news. I just left Lucy at St. Luke's. She's going to be fine."
"Put an officer with her until they arrest Alvarez," Vivian suggested.
"Done. I'm heading home for some sleep."
"Would you call Elena and tell her about Jack? I have to make one more call before I head into the hospital.."
"Sure I will, night, Viv."
"Night, Danny."
Vivian searched her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?"
"Anne, it's Vivian. Jack's been in an accident. They've taken him to Queen's General. He's in the emergency room right now. I don't know the extent of his injuries. I'll keep you posted."
"I'll get dressed and be right there."
"There's nothing you can do right now. Come by in the morning when he's settled in his room."
"Oh, thank you for calling, Vivian. I'll talk to you soon," Anne said, hanging up the phone.
She turned on her bedside light and started to cry.
"No, where's Sam? How's Sam?" Jack shouted.
He hurt all over. He eyes felt full of sand, his head pounded, and his entire left side pulsed with pain.
"Agent Malone, please relax," the nurse soothed.
"Where's Sam? I need Sam," he continued.
"Is there a Sam here who knows John Malone?" a nurse asked the people sitting in the waiting room.
"Yes, Samantha Spade, she's a patient. She was brought in with a concussion at around twelve noon, yesterday," Vivian answered.
The nurse picked up the phone and five minutes later, Sam was wheeled into the ER. She looked at Jack's face and felt fear. Standing slowly, she stopped as he shouted. The doctor stood at her side, motioning for her to comfort him.
"Where is Sam? Is she all right? Why won't you answer me?"
"Hey, Jack, I'm here," she said taking his right hand.
"I need, Sam," he said, the fear evident in his voice.
Sam looked at him and gently released his right hand. She put her right hand on his bare belly and softly rubbed in a circle. Her left hand brushed through his hair as she kissed his cheek.
Smelling the faint odor of her shampoo, he relaxed slightly.
"Thank God. Sam, I can't see, I can't hear. My left ankle hurts like crazy, as does my left knee, hip, wrist, and shoulder. It hurts to breathe…Sam, I'm scared."
Sam picked up his hand and put it to her lips.
"Don't be scared. I'm here," she said, softly.
"Okay, Agent Spade, that's enough for you. I don't need you any sicker," the doctor noted.
"Wait, do you have a pen?"
"Yeah," he said, handing it to her.
"Just in case he forgets," she said as she wrote on the palm of his right hand.
I'm okay. You'll be fine. Love, S. S.
Jack smiled when he felt the pen on his hand and then fell asleep into the pain.
"Let's get to work, folks. Sally, call Dr. Stevens and get him down here to consult on eyes and ears. Where is the rest of his vest?"
"Uhm, here," a resident answered, picking it up.
Dr. Aswan looked at the pieces of metal sticking out of the vest and then regarded his team.
"Strip him, he might have shrapnel wounds"
Indeed, they found four pieces of shrapnel; one in Jack's left shoulder, one in his left hip, one in his left calf and one barely lodged in his occipital lobe, visible only due to his recent haircut. They slid him through x-ray after packing blankets around him to get his temperature up. His left ankle was broken, left knee, hip, and shoulder bruised. His left wrist was dislocated. An hour later, Dr. Aswan came out to talk to Vivian and Ritchie.
2:00am
"You brought in John Malone? I'm Dr. Aswan."
"Doctor, how is Jack?" Vivian asked.
"He'll be fine, but he'll be here for several days. His hearing should return shortly, as it's been more than sixteen hours since the explosion. Dr. Stevens said that Jack's eyes were flashed. He's flushed and bandaged them. We'll see later how they are. I'm keeping him sedated for six hours just for him to get warm and for his body to catch up. You can come by later this morning to see him if you wish."
"Thanks, Dr. Aswan," Vivian said.
"I have to go on my rounds," Dr Aswan said, stepping away.
"One more thing, Doctor, we're going to need the shrapnel you recovered from Jack's body," Ritchie said.
"Yes, I believe that it is in a bag at the nurse's station."
"Thank you, again."
"You're welcome," Dr. Aswan said, leaving them alone.
Vivian looked at her watch and sighed.
"I need to go to bed."
"Me too, can I drop you?"
"If it's no trouble, could you take me back to the mother's house and I'll pick up my car," she said, heading to the nurse's station to pick up the evidence to give to Ritchie.
"No problem, Vivian. Just let me get this to an officer to hotfoot it to the lab and we'll be off."
8:00am
Anne walked up to the nurse's station carrying her overcoat and showed her ID again. They showed her to his room and she walked in. Nothing had prepared her for what she saw; the bandages over his eyes, the stitching, bruising, and oozing wounds on his chest, arms, and legs, and his broken ankle. She felt faint, and reached for the chair, before collapsing to the floor.
9:00am
The day nurse came in to check on Jack and found Anne lying in a pool of blood on the floor. He was, thankfully, asleep. She called for assistance and a gurney arrived to take Anne to the ER. Jack woke up briefly to the commotion in the room but it was confusing and chaotic. He felt a hand on his shoulder and then fell asleep again.
"Simpson."
"Mr. Simpson, my name is Dr. Aswan from Queen's General Hospital in New York. I have two patients who both have your name and phone number in their wallets. I thought you might be the next of kin."
"Jack Malone and Annie Cassidy?" Tyler said, walking out of his meeting to take the call in the hallway.
"Yes."
"What is the extent of their injuries?"
"Mr. Malone was in an explosion and was buried for several hours. He has flash burns to his eyes, a broken ankle, some shrapnel wounds and basic bumps and bruises. We'll know later about his eyes."
"And Annie, how is she?"
"Well, I'm afraid she had a miscarriage."
"Damn!" Tyler exclaimed.
Jack had just called him two weeks before to let him in on the great secret. He seemed thrilled at the prospect of being a father again although he did admit to being scared as well.
"Mr. Simpson, I hate to ask this, but I think you are needed here. I don't even know this area code. I don't know where you are."
"At this point, I am in Virginia. I could be in New York by the middle of the afternoon."
"Excellent. I will have Jack's eye exam rescheduled until you are here. Also, I wish to speak to you privately on how to help Ms. Cassidy."
"Dr. Aswan, you should know that the baby was Jack's."
"Then I echo your previous comment. I look forward to meeting you."
"Thanks for calling, Dr. Aswan. Bye."
"Bye, Mr. Simpson."
10:00am
Elena walked into the office, giddy from their successful operation the night before. She dropped her bag on the desk and walked back to get a cup of coffee. Returning to her desk, she saw the message light blinking on her phone. She sat down, and pulled up her pad and pen before retrieving the calls.
Twelve ten a.m.
"This is Jaye Holmes. My guys report your snatch went well and so far there is no ripple effect on this end. Call me when you can."
Nine-thirty a.m.
"Hi, Elena, it's Samantha. They're discharging me at one o'clock and I can't leave on my own. They won't let me. Could one of you guys come get me? Thanks."
Vivian walked in to the bullpen.
"Morning."
"Morning, how's Jack?" Elena asked.
"Bruised, battered, waterlogged, but it could have been worse. They're keeping him at least until tomorrow."
"Morning," Danny said, as he walked in.
"Morning," they replied.
"How's Jack?" he asked.
"Battered and bruised but he'll be okay," Viv answered.
"I'm going for coffee. Viv?"
"Yes, Danny, please. Just a black coffee today, thanks."
"I'll be right back."
Vivian put her bag in her desk drawer, and hung her coat on the hook before seeing the message light on her phone. She dialed to retrieve her messages.
Nine forty-five
"Viv, it's Tyler. Call me, please; I can't get through on your cell phone."
Vivian immediately reached for her cell phone and saw five missed messages, all from Tyler.
She dialed the number and waited.
"Simpson."
"It's Vivian, what's wrong?"
Tyler pulled his car to the side of the road, trying to keep his composure.
"It's Annie. She…she…" he stopped, feeling the tears track down his face.
"Tyler, what's happened?" Vivian asked, taking the hot coffee from Danny and seeing the confusion on his face.
"She miscarried. She's at the same hospital as Jack. I'm on my way up there."
"My God!" Vivian exclaimed, feeling the tears start to form.
"Please can you meet me at the hospital at three? I don't think I can do this alone."
"Of course I can. How are you getting up here?"
"My boss authorized the jet after I looked through the case that you were working on. There are a bunch of missing girls in Queens. Maybe it's your guy, maybe it's one of mine. It's a ninety minute flight, but I can't leave here until noon at the earliest. So after security and meeting my driver, I figure I can make it by three."
"And you run late," Vivian tried to tease.
"Yes, and then there's that. I'll see you soon. Bye."
"Bye, Tyler."
Vivian put the phone back in the cradle and wiped her eyes. She took a sip of coffee and then turned to face her colleagues.
"Anne's had a miscarriage. She's at Queen's General Hospital with Jack and Samantha."
Danny and Elena were speechless.
"I'm meeting Tyler at three with their doctors to find out how to proceed. For now, I don't think we should say anything to anyone."
"That may be difficult, Samantha called to get a lift from the hospital at one."
"I'll do it," Danny volunteered.
"Thanks, I guess we'd better start the paperwork," Elena said, reaching for her phone.
"Holmes."
"Hi, it's Elena."
"Hi, so give me the details."
Elena told her everything from the girls' entrance to the hotel to the ambulance.
"Wow, and she's safe?"
"Guarded at the hospital. I haven't called the roommate, yet. I was going to wait until your operation was in play."
"Thanks, well I hope to work with you in the future. Quin speaks highly of you."
"And you also. See you soon, bye."
"Bye."
Quickly, Elena hung up the phone and dialed again.
"Hello?"
"Joe, it's Elena."
"Oh, uhm hi."
Elena sensed that he wasn't alone or that there was something else going on.
"I have a part that I want you to read for. Can you meet me for lunch?"
"Sure, where?"
"The restaurant in Battery Park near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Noon okay with you?"
"Fine, thanks, Elena."
"You're welcome."
"Who was that?" Jasmine asked, shifting her hand from his chest to between his legs.
"A girl from my agent's office. They have a script for me to read. Now, where were we?"
11:00am
Jack woke up, confused at first. He could hear someone in the room.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Jack. I'm Nancy, your day nurse. It's eleven in the morning. You were brought in at midnight. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Could you get my doctor, please?" he said, hoping his fear wasn't obvious.
"Sure, I'll be right back."
Five minutes later, Dr. Aswan walked in.
"Morning, Jack. I'm Dr. Aswan. How are you feeling?" he asked, setting his hand on Jack's uninjured right shoulder.
"I have a lot of pain on my left side. My eyes hurt. I have ringing in my ears, and a killer headache, and I'm cold."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"I sensed something wasn't right in the house. I ordered Sam to leave and…and that's all."
"You were in an explosion. The house collapsed on you. You were found sixteen hours later in the basement in about 5 inches of water. Your left ankle is broken, all your major joints are bruised on the left side, and your wrist was sprained. You are alive because you were wearing your vest. Still, pieces of shrapnel hit you where the vest stopped. You had your eyes open when the blast occurred and flashed them. Dr. Stevens is going to examine you again this afternoon and see how you're doing. The ringing in your ears will dissipate. You have no permanent damage there."
"Was Sam here?"
"Yes, and she left you a note," Dr. Aswan said, reaching for Jack's right hand. "It says, I'm fine, you'll be okay, love, S.S."
"Okay," Jack said, as the pain started to overwhelm him.
"Here's the morphine drip," Dr. Aswan said, slipping the pump into Jack's hand after pumping it once.
Jack pumped it himself before falling asleep. Dr. Aswan took a look at the machines that monitor temperature, heart, and breathing rates. He frowned, seeing Jack's temperature was only 96. Leaving the room, he walked to the nurses' station and pulled Jack's file. Making a note, he turned to Nancy.
"Can you give Jack Malone another blanket? He's not getting warm."
"Of course, Doctor."
Elena sat at the bar, looking out onto New York Harbor, sipping a glass of white wine when Joe Enkland walked in. He looked tired and was wearing the same clothes as the night before.
"Thanks for coming. I hope I didn't disturb you this morning."
"No, it's fine. How's Lucy?"
"She'll be okay, but they're keeping her overnight for observation. I wanted to see you, Joe, to remind you not to say anything to Allison about Lucy until I tell you. There are other players in this and until they are arrested, Lucy is at risk."
"Sure Agent Delgado. Whatever you say."
"Where are you going now?"
"Home, I need a shower and some sleep," the actor smiled.
Elena paid for her glass of wine and stood.
"I'll be in touch."
"Thanks for getting Lucy back," Joe said, standing as well and extending his hand.
"You're welcome."
12:45pm
Samantha sat on the edge of the bed waiting for someone to come and get her. Her headache was minimal and the pain from the cuts on her hands and knees was manageable. Still, her doctor told her she couldn't go back to work until Monday. That was fine, although she didn't know what day it was.
"Hey, college girl!"
Samantha looked up and saw Martin standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing back? I thought your class went till Friday?"
"Let's just say that being the Deputy Director's son is a card I don't play often. Anyway, Viv and Elena are finishing up the paperwork from last night. Danny had to get Jack's car before it was towed. So I was assigned to pick you up."
"Thanks," Samantha said, starting to stand.
"Hey, wait, I have to get the wheelchair," Martin said, ducking back into the hallway.
He returned a few minutes later with a wheelchair and carefully helped her into it. He pushed her into the hallway and headed for the elevator.
"Martin?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we see Jack?"
"Sure, I'm sorry. Do you know what floor he's on?"
"No, they took me to him late last night. He was so scared, Martin."
"I'm sure he'll be all right. Let me check where he is."
Martin went back to the nurses' station and asked about Jack's room.
"Two floors up, 518," Martin said, pressing the elevator button.
"Great," Samantha said.
Martin looked at her, noticing her chewing the edge of her lip as she did when she was nervous. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they finished the quick trip. Wheeling her out, they found Jack's room and went in. He was dreaming. Samantha got out of the wheelchair and touched his face.
"He's cold," she remarked.
Martin looked at the monitor and saw it said 94. The blanket had slipped a little and he pulled it over Jack's chest and saw him calm slightly. Samantha touched his face and kissed him. Jack smiled, waking from his dream.
"I'm glad you didn't change your shampoo," Jack's voice rumbled.
Samantha giggled and Martin cleared his throat. Jack turned his head to the noise and paused.
"Martin?"
"Wow, Jack, do you know my shampoo too?"
"Nah, it's your aftershave. Gio, I think, by Armani. How did you get out of your class?"
"I pulled some strings. Oh, and I have news from the team. They located your missing person and were able to get her without blowing a six month investigation by NYPD."
"She's all right?" Jack asked, his voice suddenly softer.
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Martin said, looking at Jack and then the machines.
Jack reached for the morphine drip and hit it twice. Martin and Samantha watched him silently until he fell asleep.
"Let's get you home," Martin said, helping Samantha back into her wheelchair.
3:00pm
Vivian stood outside Jack's room and waited for Tyler. Moments later, he came out of the elevator and walked quickly into her arms.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Dr. Aswan wanted to talk to me before we go see Jack."
They walked to the nurses' station and asked for Dr. Aswan.
"He'll be right down. You can have a seat there," the nurse said pointing to the row of plastic chairs.
They walked over and sat down, holding hands and trying to remain calm.
Five minutes later, Dr. Aswan arrived.
"Agent Johnson, Mr. Simpson,"
"Actually, he's an agent as well. But I think you should call us by our first names. I'm Vivian and he's Tyler."
"Fine, the first thing I want to talk to you about is Jack. He's not out of the woods. His core temperature has not risen to 98 degrees yet. That could prove dangerous to his kidneys. He's still in a lot of pain. Dr. Stevens will be here in a few minutes and we'll remove the bandages from Jack's eyes."
Before either of them could comment, Dr. Stevens walked up.
"Malouf, are you ready?"
"Yes, Philip. These are Jack's friends. I would like them to be in room with us."
"Sure, I'm Dr. Stevens."
"Vivian Johnson and this is Tyler Simpson."
They shook hands and walked into Jack's room. He was asleep but dreaming as he tried to move past the constraints of the tubes and wires. Dr. Aswan looked at his temperature and noted it was still at 96.
"Tyler, do you know if Jack's temperature is generally low?"
"Yeah, we used to joke about is it 98.6 or 96.8."
"So, this may be normal for him," Dr. Aswan mused.
"Let's wake him and then raise the bed up a little," Dr. Stevens said.
"Jack, wake up Jack," Dr. Aswan said.
Struggling through his dream, Jack woke, moving his head to face the voice.
"It's Dr. Aswan, Jack. Dr. Stevens is here to remove your bandages and examine your eyes."
"Viv is that you?" he asked, recognizing her perfume.
"Yes, Jack," she said, leaning over to kiss him on his cheek.
"Hey, Malone. We have to stop meeting like this," Tyler joked, resting his hand on Jack's right shoulder.
Jack grinned momentarily.
"Don't make me laugh, Tyler. It hurts too much."
"Okay, Jack. We're going to raise the bed up so you're in a sitting position. Tell me if it's too much pressure on your hip," Dr. Aswan said, pushing the remote control.
The head of the bed moved to thirty degrees before Jack's heart rate started to speed up and his breathing increased.
"That's it, Jack. No more. I'm going to turn off the lights, and then remove the bandages," Dr. Stevens said.
"Go ahead," Jack replied softly.
In the darkness, Dr. Stevens unwrapped Jack's eyes. He took a pretreated gauze bandage and opened the wrapper. Gently, he wiped Jack's eyelids to free them from the dried gunk. Jack took in a breath quickly against the pain.
'Where is the pain, Jack?" Dr. Aswan asked.
"My left wrist."
"Sorry, Jack. I must have been leaning against it," Dr. Stevens said, gingerly lifting Jack's arm and setting it across his chest.
Pulling out his handheld direct ophthalmoscope, Dr. Stevens instructed Jack to open his eyes. He did so slowly. He set the UV filter on the scope and turned on the light, away from Jack. Very deliberately, he started his exam. Ten minutes later he was done.
"Okay, Malouf, put your hands over his eyes and I'll turn on the lights," Dr. Stevens said, slipping is ophthalmoscope back into his pocket.
"Ready."
Dr. Stevens turned the lights on and then turned back to face Jack.
"Jack, open your eyes."
"Opened."
"Malouf, remove your hands."
Immediately Jack squinted, raising up his right hand, ignoring the pain from the IV, to block the light. He blinked several times as his eyes grew accustomed to the light. Finally, he lowered his hand and looked around the room.
"Your right eye may be a bit blurred for the next day. But you should be fine."
"That's my favourite necklace of yours, Viv," Jack commented, almost shyly.
"Good for you, Jack. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to see," Dr. Stevens said.
"Thanks, Doc," Jack said.
"You're welcome, Jack," he replied before leaving the room.
"Vivian, Tyler, can you give me the room for a minute? I need to examine him."
"Sure, we'll be back soon," Viv said to Jack.
"I'll be here."
Tyler and Vivian walked to the hallway and then went in search of coffee, returning to Jack's room fifteen minutes later as Dr. Aswan walked out.
"Give me five minutes to catch up with my notes, and I'll be right with you," he said as he headed to the nurses' station.
"Okay," Tyler replied, sitting outside Jack's room, sipping his coffee.
"Let's go to my office," Dr. Aswan suggested.
They walked to the elevator and ten minutes later they were in a crowded office. Dr. Aswan cleared the files off of the two chairs in front of his desk and then sat down himself. Vivian and Tyler sat in the vacant chairs and waited.
"It appears that Ms. Cassidy went to see Jack and collapsed from the shock at the sight of his injuries. At her age of forty-five, unfortunately, the percentage of being able to bring a baby to term is very low and the risk of miscarriage is very high. In addition, the stress of seeing her partner in the hospital added to the general stress she was under from the pregnancy itself."
"How far along was she?" Vivian asked.
"About two and a half months."
"Does she know?" Tyler asked.
"No, the nurses found her at nine this morning. She was rushed to the ER and immediately went into surgery when they realized what had happened. She's sedated and probably will sleep through the night. I plan on speaking to her in the morning. If Jack improves overnight, then I'll remove his catheter first thing in the morning and get him on his feet. He has no idea she's here and the staff is forbidden to say anything. Tyler, I'd like you to take him to see her tomorrow. She has to tell him. It's part of the grieving process for both of them."
"I understand, can we go see him, now?" Tyler asked.
"Of course. He's still in pain and tired, so just take it easy."
"We will," Viv confirmed.
4:30pm
They walked into Jack's room and found him awake, staring at the ceiling. He looked at them as they entered and closed his eyes before opening them again.
"You up for some visitors, Malone?"
"Sure."
"I wanted to tell you that we found Lucy and she's safe," Vivian said.
"Good, was the actor involved?" he asked, not remembering his conversation with Martin.
"Not in her disappearance, no. He helped us to get her back, though."
"Hmm," Jack murmured as he tried to get comfortable.
"Jack, it's been a long day. I'm going to go home. I'll come and see you tomorrow," Vivian said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
"Thanks for coming by, Viv."
"You're welcome."
The door closed and Tyler pulled the chair up to Jack's bedside.
"You want to talk about it?" Tyler asked.
"Could you turn off the fluorescent lights? My eyes really hurt right now."
"Sure," Tyler replied, standing to reach the switch on the control panel mounted to the wall behind the bed.
Jack took a rocky breath, catching with pain.
"You can hit the morphine button, Jack. You don't have to live through the pain."
"I know, but I wanted to talk to you."
"I'm not leaving, Jack. I'm here."
Jack looked at him in the dim room, seeing his blonde hair curling over his ears and over his collar. Jack smiled and then shut his eyes tight as another wave of pain started in his shoulder and ended up in his ankle. He reached for the pump and hit it twice, before finally getting relief.
"Night, Jack," Tyler said, settling back in the chair.
As he did, he noticed something on the palm of Jack's right hand. He smiled as he read Sam's note, and reminded himself to show it to Jack when he woke up.
Tyler had sat in the chair, watching Jack sleep, occasionally walking around to take a break and get a coffee.
"Mr. Simpson, visiting hours are over," the nurse said.
"All right, let me just wake him to tell him I'm leaving. Jack … Malone, wake up!"
Jack opened his eyes and tried to focus.
"Jack, I have to leave; visiting hours are over. Okay?"
Jack blinked a few times and tried again to focus.
Tyler leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"If you get scared just look at the note Samantha wrote you on your right hand."
Jack nodded and fell back asleep.
8:00am (Friday)
Dr. Aswan opened the door to Anne's room and quietly walked in. She was asleep, He checked her vitals and she woke up while he was listening to her heart.
"I'm Dr. Aswan, Ms. Cassidy. How are you feeling?"
"I'm sore and tired," she said, groggy from the medication.
"I need to speak to you-"
"Oh, God, no, Jack's dead, isn't he?" she interrupted in a whisper as tears began to stream down her face.
"Jack? What? No, Jack will be fine. I wanted to talk about you."
Anne looked at him through her tears and started to sob when she realized what had happened. Turning away from him, she curled up, continuing to cry. He sighed and left her alone.
Arriving on Jack's floor, he found Nancy and went in to remove Jack's catheter. He was asleep, but judging by the sheets and blanket, he had not had a restful night.
"I need to see his chart. I'll be right back," Dr. Aswan said, leaving her side.
Nancy began to get set up so she would be ready when he returned. A few minutes later, Dr. Aswan walked in.
"We'll continue and I think I'm going to change his pain medication to pills rather than the pump."
Nancy nodded and pulled aside the sheet and hospital underwear so they could start the procedure. Fifteen minutes later, Jack was lying in a neater bed with the covers tucked to his chin. They left him sleeping.