Chapter Nine

Steve was finally where he longed to be – at Jaime's side – but there was no joyful reunion, only sad, anxious hours spent waiting for the sedative to wear off. Those hours passed with excruciating slowness, and still Jaime didn't open her eyes. Chris came and left several times throughout the night, but he had agreed that, for now, Steve should be the one staying with her since he was the one she was expecting to see. Rudy checked his patient every hour, trying not to convey his own grave sense of concern to an already devastated Steve.

Morning dawned, and Jaime began to stir restlessly, her eyes moving rapidly behind their lids as though she was dreaming. Every so often, a lone tear streaked silently down her face. Steve spoke to her softly, unsure if she was actually hearing him, but trying nonetheless to maintain some sort of contact. When there was no response, he began gently circling the palm of her hand with his fingertips, a gesture that had always calmed her as a small child. Finally, Jaime opened her eyes.

Her head didn't turn; she stared straight up at the ceiling without blinking or even seeming to actually see anything. Steve hit the call button as he watched her tears begin to flow freely, still without a sound.

"Hi there," he said in a quiet voice. Jaime flinched, just slightly, at the sound of his voice and a tiny whimper escaped her lips. "It sure is good to see those beautiful eyes again. The doctor tells me you're starting to heal. You'll be outta here and in a regular room in another day or two; isn't that great news?"

"Hi, Jaime." Rudy greeted her from the doorway, so as not to startle her, before walking slowly toward the bed. "Do you remember me? I'm Doctor Wells – but you can call me Rudy. Are you in pain, Honey?" Jaime nodded wordlessly, almost imperceptibly, and the two men breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least she was hearing them. "This should make you a lot more comfortable," he told her, adding medicine to her IV fluid.

Steve, still rubbing Jaime's palm, leaned in a little closer. "If you need to, you can squeeze my hand until the pain goes away. Go ahead; my fingers can take it." Slowly, her fingers curved around his and stayed there. "That's it. I'm here, Sweetheart. And...I love you."

- - - - - -

Seeing Jaime in that condition made Steve even more furious with Chris, but he tried to remind himself that Williams had also been victimized and was hurting, too. While Jaime slept, Steve mulled over what they knew about the accident for at least the hundredth time, and the picture still didn't gel; there were too many pieces missing.

Parr couldn't have acted alone, and most likely had hired others to do the dirty work. Possibly Parr, himself, was an underling - a mere cog in someone's twisted idea of revenge or a path to instant wealth. What did Senator Renshaw know that he wasn't saying? It was frustrating to leave the search for answers to someone else, but Steve knew he was exactly where he belonged – next to Jaime, keeping her safe.

- - - - - -

When Jaime woke up again, she was in a new bed, in a 'regular' room, in the hope that she'd feel more comfortable away from the constant bright lights and activity of the ICU. It worked. As she took in her new surroundings, the tension seemed to drain from her body and her eyes drifted until they found Steve's and stayed there, drawing strength from the warmth and love reflected back to her.

"Steve..."

"Hi, Sleepyhead. Welcome back." He flashed his best lopsided grin and reached out to carefully caress her cheek. Jaime's head turned, nuzzling his hand, so he kept it there a little while longer. Finally, she smiled back at him.

"I'm...glad...that you're here. I've been...so scared..."

"I know, Sweetheart, but you're safe now. Everything's gonna be OK."

"Steve...who was that man?"

"His name is Chris."

"Oh." She looked puzzled, then sad and frightened, all at once. "He was so upset, and he said -"

"Shh," Steve soothed, giving Jaime a gentle kiss. "Let's work on getting you stronger, and not try for too much too soon, OK?"

"But – he knows me, and he said that he's...that we're engaged. I don't even know him - why would he say that? What's happening to me?"

Steve glanced up just in time to see Chris standing in the hallway, out of Jaime's line of vision. He raised one eyebrow to warn him off before turning his attention back to Jaime. Wisely taking the hint, Williams turned and slowly walked away.

- - - - - -