Chapter Eleven

Two dear friends had suddenly become painfully shy strangers. "Oscar...?" Jaime began in a tentative voice. She wasn't afraid of him – and she didn't need Rudy to tell her he wasn't dangerous, either – but she was terrified of causing him any further pain.

"Oscar doesn't remember any part of what happened," Rudy had explained to Jaime and Steve that morning.

"Well, that's really for the best," Jaime said quietly. "'Cause it wasn't really him, you know."

"We told him, Honey; we had no choice," Rudy explained. "If he's ever going to take his job back -"

"If?" Steve and Jaime protested in perfect stereo. "Of course he's gonna go back!" Jaime added. "He just needs some time...How'd he take it?"

Rudy hesitated. "He's talking about resigning."

"He can't do that!" Jaime argued. "I'm gonna go and see him."

Rudy wished he could pull out a few of his teeth without anesthetic rather than tell her, but she had to know. "He...doesn't want to see you, Honey," he said as gently as possible.

"The hell he doesn't! We've both got a lot of healing to do, and we're gonna do it together!"

Rudy smiled. "That's exactly what I'd hoped you would say."

So, here she was – and Jaime had no idea what to say. Luckily, her heart did. "I know you think you don't wanna see me," she told her silent friend, "but you need to see me, and I need to see you."

"Jaime...I..." he couldn't bring himself to face her. "Telling you that I'm sorry isn't enough, but there's nothing else I can say..."

"Oscar, you didn't do anything to apologize for." She sat down next to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "We have something in common now – something huge. And I'm not gonna tell you what it is until you look at me."

Oscar slowly turned his head toward Jaime, but his eyes were on the floor. She waited patiently until his gaze finally – reluctantly – met her own, then smiled and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before going on.

"We each have a part of our lives that we aren't too happy with but can't remember for the life of us, and so we have to take it on faith, through someone else's say-so." Oscar nodded slowly; she had his attention. "It's not fair, and it's damn hard, but you helped me through it, and now it's my turn to help you."

"Jaime, I don't deserve -"

"See, that's part of the problem. You feel like you're all alone and you don't wanna let anyone get close enough to possibly understand. I've been there in spades, and guess what? I'm here, I do understand, and I am not giving up on you. As for you resigning...forget it! There's no one else insane enough to want your job!"

Oscar reached out and awkwardly took Jaime's hand. "Thank you," he said softly; then he smiled.

- - - - - -

Jaime walked out of Oscar's hospital room several hours later and found Steve waiting for her. "Ok – spill it," she said lightly.

"Huh?"

"You've got that 'I'm-Only-the-Messenger' look. So...what's the bad news?"

"Michael is asking to see you."

"No; forget it. I have nothing to say to him, and absolutely no interest in hearing whatever it is he wants to say. Not now, and not ever."

"Good. I told Hansen I'd give you the message, but -"

"When did you see Hansen?" Jaime asked.

"While you were talking to Oscar, I sat in on some of Michael's interrogation."

"Oh. And?"

"And...it didn't go well. He's not saying much of anything, other than 'I need to talk to Jaime,' but Jack doesn't think that's a good idea, and neither do I."

"Make that unanimous," Jaime agreed, linking her arm with Steve's and smiling the most genuine smile he'd seen from her in days. "C'mon, Colonel...let's go home!"

"And which 'home' would that be? Mine...or yours?"

Jaime spun halfway around Steve to stand directly in front of him, diving straight into his eyes with her own. "You pick; as long as we're together...it's home."

Steve grinned. "Did I ever tell you I love how you think?" After a very long, very soft kiss, he snaked an arm around Jaime's waist to head toward the car. "We have one other stop to make first, though..."

- - - - - -

When the first car crossed the peak of the highest summit, Jaime held her breath. Before they began the downward plunge, it seemed for a split second as though they were suspended in space, with nothing below or even in front of them. Then, with a sudden whoosh and a metallic creak, the Behemoth's train hurdled down the steep incline at a speed even faster than bionics. Jaime was once again clinging to Steve – not for comfort or out of fear – but simply because she loved how it felt.

END