Chapter Six

Steve waited in Doctor Corrigan's make-shift office while the psychiatrist and two doctors conferred about Jaime. He thought he was about to pace a groove into the floor when Andrew finally joined him, alone.

"Let's sit down," the doctor suggested.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, still standing. "Where's Rudy Wells?"

"Doctors Marchetti and Wells have released Jaime from medical treatment and into my care," he said, knowing the news wouldn't sit well.

It didn't. "They're...committing her?"

"No, not exactly. However, there's nothing medically wrong with Jaime, and the wild accusations she's made have convinced me she's crossed the line into paranoia and possible psychosis."

"Jaime is NOT psychotic!"

"No, definitely not. But she is having an episode brought on by external stress – and a vivid imagination - "

"Now wait just a minute!" Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I thought you said you believed her!"

"I did, until she started accusing the Director of the OSI of trying to gaslight her, and also backed away from you."

"She was scared to death! That does NOT make her crazy!"

"Of course it doesn't," Andrew concurred. "With a few weeks of treatment, Jaime will be just fine, and -"

"I'm not letting you put her away!"

"No, of course -"

"She's not getting thrown in some padded cell! That's only going to make things worse! And what about the gash in her side? If she's hallucinating, how did she get cut?"

"Perhaps she rolled over in her sleep and gouged herself without realizing it. Doctor Wells has filled me in on her special capabilities, and the fingernails on her right hand could certainly have -"

"They didn't, and you know it!" Steve took a deep calming breath. This was obviously going nowhere. "Where's Jaime now? What are you doing to her?"

"She's been heavily sedated, in preparation for transfer to my facility, where -"

"You're not taking her anywhere. I want her released into my custody – today. Now."

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Where. Is. She?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but -" If Andrew hadn't been told that Steve had the same capabilities as Jaime, he certainly knew it now. Steve was out the door and down the hall before the doctor could finish his sentence or even pick up the phone to call Security.

- - - - - -

Steve ran at bionic speed toward Jaime's hospital room. It was an OSI facility, the personnel well-aware of the bionic program but at the moment, Steve couldn't have cared less who saw him. His only thought: find Jaime.

Her room was already empty, but his eye caught a flurry of activity at the far end of the hallway by the elevators. Not willing to wait his turn for a car to take him up, he bounded up the stairs in just seconds, arriving in time to see Jaime lying on a gurney and being wheeled toward a waiting helicopter.

No way! He swore to himself. Without enough time to consider his actions, Steve caught up with the gurney, swooped Jaime's unconscious form into his arms and, thinking quickly, leaped off of the second-story roof and began to run.

- - - - - -

The cat had scored an impressive double victory. The first mouse had crumbled into a cowering shadow, and her impending confinement had caused the other mouse to do exactly what the cat had hoped he would do. A rash, irresponsible move borne out of – what? Love? In the cat's world, there was no such thing. Irrationality – that was a good word. A totally irrational act meant the mice were now alone...and exceptionally vulnerable.

- - - - - -

"What the hell do you mean she's gone?" Oscar fumed. Even through the phone receiver, Doctor Corrigan could hear Oscar's fist slamming into his desk. "How do you lose a patient who's out cold?" As Andrew explained what had happened, Oscar puffed hard on his cigar and slammed his fist a few more times for the doctor's benefit. "Dammit," he finally said in a voice that, although very quiet now, still made the OSI 'shrink' cringe. "I'll be right over."

- - - - - -

Oscar looked around the table at each of the three doctors. Corrigan seemed angry – this had, after all, happened on his watch. Michael looked worried and Rudy's face was the picture-definition of sadness.

"What, exactly, is Jaime's current condition?" Oscar demanded.

"She's been very heavily sedated," Michael told him.

"Aside from that," Oscar said, frowning, "is she psychotic?"

"Possibly," Corrigan answered.

"I don't believe she is," Rudy interjected. "We signed her over to Andrew for evaluation, Oscar, nothing more. For what it's worth, I believe she's legitimately afraid of a very real threat."

"Which is all the more reason to find her as quickly as possible," Oscar added.

Corrigan shook his head. "I'm afraid you're wrong, Doctor Wells. She was terrified of the man you've all said she's in love with, and her accusations toward Oscar and God-knows-who-else border on true paranoia -"

"Or an honest, frightened mistake," Rudy argued.

"I think we can all agree on one thing," Michael said softly. "Jaime needs help."

- - - - - -

Oscar was forced to make the most crucial decision himself. Jaime was missing – in itself a national security issue – but technically she'd been taken by force by an unauthorized party. Legally, that fact made this a kidnapping, requiring him to call in the Secret Service, but he couldn't bring himself to do that...yet.

- - - - - -