IMPORTANT NOTE:

This chapter contains some brutal torture.

Don't hate me afterwards!

I promise, in the end, everything will work out…eventually.

Undercover Disaster

Keiko Fujiwara

Chapter Eleven:

On the Edge

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Catherine squirmed as Thomas danced his blades along her stomach. As much as she tried to remain still so her wrists and ankles wouldn't burn from the shackles, the pain was too excruciating to bear.

"Come on, Catherine. I want to hear you scream." Thomas said as he slashed her right thigh. Her body tensed but she refused to let him see her agony. She couldn't let him win. She just couldn't allow herself to let him gain the amusement as he rips her apart. She still believed Vincent would find her. He always does no matter how late he is.

"Go to Hell!" she shouted as she managed to spit into his face, earning her a gash to her cheek.

"THE ONLY SOUND I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU IS SCREAMING!" Thomas yelled. "NOW SCREAM!" Instantly, he stabbed his blade into her left hand, piercing through her palm. Catherine bit her lip to choke back her shrills of pain as she snapped her head as far right as possible.

She could feel tears falling from her eyes but she wouldn't give in. She couldn't give in. When she thought he was going to remove the knife, he didn't. She felt him grip her chin as he pulled her face towards him.

"You're such a looker when you're in pain." Thomas smirked before shoving his tongue down her throat. As fast as she could, she slammed her teeth down onto his tongue as hard as she could. In an instant, he removed his lips from hers and rammed his fist into her eye. "YOU BITCH!"

Catherine spat out Thomas's blood towards him before earning another punch to her already swelling eye. Catherine deliberately tried to pull her right hand out of its shackle but no matter how she tried; the burning sensation was too much. Suddenly, she couldn't help but release a murderous scream as Thomas smashed her right leg with a large mallet, shattering her bone.

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, he started cranking a lever, rotating something underneath her. She instantly felt hundreds of spikes drive into her back and rip her skin apart.

"That's right, Catherine! Scream! Scream for the help you'll never get!" Thomas laughed. After he stopped cranking the table, he turned around, picked up a small heated iron and asked, "Do you know what this is for?"

Catherine didn't dare look up. She didn't want to know what he planned to do with her next. Suddenly, he pressed it against her right breast and shouted, "ANSWER ME!"

Another shriek of pain resonated from her lungs. Shakily, she looked at the little iron and said with as much hatred as she could muster, "Burning your balls off?"

He smirked. "Close…but not quite." Suddenly, he jammed the hot iron between her legs, inducing another painful scream. Echoes after echoes of Catherine's screeching filled the tunnels as Thomas continued to burn her sensitive tissue between her thighs.

Little did Greenbrier's CEO know that Catherine's screams of agony could be faintly heard by a man determined to save the love of his life.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Vincent felt like he was about to lose it. Every five seconds, he would hear Catherine's shrills of pain echo beneath him. He didn't know how much he could handle running Evan and Tess's pace. If it were just him, he would be down there by now. As he focused on her heart beat, it was still beating strong despite how many screams his ears registered.

"How much further, mate?" Evan asked.

"She's still about 150 feet below us…" Vincent replied but did not stop his speed.

"I think I see stairs ahead of us." Tess stated. "That must lead to whatever level Cat is at."

The three of them started down the stairs within seconds. Evan could see the worry in Vincent's expression. He realized that Vincent was holding back for the sake of him and Tess. If it weren't for their human pace, Vincent would most likely be there by now. "Vincent!" Evan shouted.

"What?!"

"Listen! I know you're holding back on us!" Tess looked at Evan like she thought he was crazy. "I know you can get to Cat five times as fast as we probably could. She's probably counting on you saving her. Don't hold back on our account. We'll get there eventually but she needs you now more than ever—as much as I hate saying it."

"I never thought I'd say this, Evan, but thanks." Vincent replied, instantly speeding off like a roadrunner.

"What the hell just happened?! No human is able to run that fast!" Tess's eyes blinked as if she imagined things. "Who is that guy?!"

"He's simply a man who is head-over-heels-in-love." Evan slightly smirked, knowing Tess was going to be demanding answers as soon as this case was over.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Catherine felt lifeless. She couldn't scream or cry anymore nor could feel the pain. It was as if her body completely shut down aside her brain. She couldn't even feel Thomas glide a blade against her lower abdomen, slowly creating a red line across her body.

"Too bad you won't live through this, Catherine Chandler." Thomas said as he brought his knife to her neck. She clenched her eyes closed as she waited for the inevitable. "Any last words?"

Before she could muster the energy to reply, a loud roar reverberated through the walls as a dark figure smashed his way into the small room Thomas and Catherine were in.

"Who are you?!" Thomas asked.

As the figure walked closer, Thomas swore he saw some sort of beast standing in front of him. The figure looked over to Catherine's limp body and somehow, it instantly changed into a man.

"Y-you're Vincent Z-zalanski." Thomas stuttered but then realized why he was there. "Take one more step and I'll kill her."

Suddenly, Vincent's expression changed back to Beast and he growled at Thomas for challenging him. As Vincent approached her, Thomas grabbed a machete and charged towards the Beast.

Vincent whirled around as the blade grazed his shoulder before smacking the weapon away. He then grabbed Thomas by the shirt and dangled him in the air.

"P-p-put m-me d-down!" Thomas demanded.

Just as Vincent was about to smash his brains against the wall, he heard a faint cry of his name. In an instant, he dropped Thomas and rushed to the source of the small voice. As he approached Catherine, his body changed from Beast to Vincent Keller and examined her injuries. Because he heard Tess and Evan running down the small hallway he took to get into this little room, he didn't worry about the man responsible for Catherine's injuries. Did he want to kill him? Absolutely! Did he want the man dead so he couldn't face his crimes? Definitely not. Vincent saw the padlocks hanging from each shackle and instantly ripped them off before releasing Catherine's wrists and ankles from their holds.

His eyes marveled at her burnt skin where the shackles had been and then noticed the blade in her hand. She needed medical treatment and FAST. Vincent grabbed one of Thomas's daggers and lifted Thomas into the air again. He pressed the dagger into the sleeve of Thomas's shirt before doing the same thing to his other shoulder sleeve and jeans. Without stalling any more time, he rushed back over to her and noticed she had passed out. He carefully lifted her from the table and gasped when he felt the many abrasions running down her back. He set her down, took off his shirt and slipped her arms and head through it to give her some protection from other eyes. He was glad she had passed out, knowing that if she were conscious, she'd be screaming her lungs out as he carried her.

He heard Tess and Evan walk in and he looked over to his right. "He's all yours." Vincent said as he tilted his head toward Thomas. Vincent picked up Catherine once again and started walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Evan demanded.

"Catherine needs medical attention. I'm taking her back to my suite. I have supplies that'll suture her cuts to stop the bleeding."

"I'm coming with you. You may need help." Evan stated, not taking no for an answer.

"Don't worry guys. I've got this. Wolansky and Philmore should be on their way. You two go ahead and get the help Cat needs." Tess said as she handcuffed Thomas. "Thomas Gilmore, you are under the arrest for the murder of Zachary, Lilly, Timothy and Colette Phillips, Lilly Phillip's unborn child, Eliza Summers and Agatha Gilmore. You are also under arrest for the attempted murder of an officer of the law…."

As Tess stated all of Thomas's rights, Evan and Vincent darted out of the room and headed for the cellar door. The entire way to Vincent's suite, Vincent held Catherine much like he did when she was shot the night of her car wreck. He couldn't bear to lose her. Not now. Not ever! It was up to him to save her.

Vincent handed Evan his key card and Evan hastily opened the door. As they went in, Vincent said, "Clear off the dining table!"

"Right!" Evan shouted as literally raked his hands across the table to knock everything off. Vincent gently placed Catherine on the table and said, "My medical case is underneath the bed."

Evan ran to grab it and placed it on a chair. As he opened it, Vincent said, "Scissors."

"Here." Evan said as he handed Vincent a pair of scissors. Vincent snipped off his shirt from Catherine's body and assessed her injuries. "I need 4.5 mils of Lidocaine. She's going to need the entire dosage for everything I have to do."

"Right." Evan said as he pulled out a syringe and filled it with the Lidocaine. He handed it to Vincent so he could inject it into her body. Vincent lifted her up slightly to examine her back and realized there was no way he had all of the equipment needed to do what needed to be done. "Evan, call 911. She's going to have to be taken to the hospital. I'll do what I can here but she's losing blood and will need a blood transfusion. I don't have the equipment for that."

"On it!" Evan exclaimed, pulling out his phone.

As Vincent started sewing up the gash on her lower stomach, he could overhear Evan making up a story to what happened to Catherine. Within minutes, Evan said, "They're sending an Ambulance as we speak. They should be here in ten minutes."

"Okay. Find a towel from the bathroom and place pressure on the cut on her leg. We need to slow down as much bleeding as possible. Whatever you do, do not remove the knife from her hand. It will only make the bleeding worse." Vincent commanded.

Evan ran to the bathroom, grabbed a towel and rushed back. As he pressed the towel against Catherine's leg, Vincent continued to keep his focus on the cut. While sewing her up, he continued to listen to her heart beat. It was slow but it was steady—for now.

"Do you have a BP cuff?" Evan asked.

"Not with me. I didn't think I would need to actually USE my equipment. I only brought it to help with my cover-up story." Vincent replied as he wiped his brow. "The abrasion along her lower abdomen is almost sutured up. Just six more stitches."

"How are you able to stay calm?" Evan asked, shaking like a maniac.

"I was an ER doctor before going into the military. In order to perform procedures, I had no choice but to be calm. It is the doctor's job to diagnose the patient as accurate as possible and to fix the problem with precision. Unlike you, who almost always deal with the dead, the patients I had to deal with were facing death. If I made even one mistake because I lost my cool, a person's life could be lost. There. Done." Vincent replied as he tied the last stitch along the cut of her stomach. "How long has it been?"

"Almost 7 minutes. I told them which suite we were in. They should be bringing a gurney down here. I can go check if you'd like."

"Wait outside and wave your hands. I'll bring Catherine out there. It'll be faster if we take her to them rather than wait for them to come to us." Vincent said as Evan already started taking off.

Carefully, Vincent picked Catherine up before planting a small kiss on her forehead. "Stay with me." He whispered.

He ran her outside and met the ambulance team with a gurney. "I'm coming with her!" Vincent demanded.

"Are you a family member?" a paramedic asked.

"I'm her husband." He lied, knowing it was the only way to ride with them. "I'm also her personal doctor."

"Alright. What's the status of the patient?"

"I've managed to stitch up the gash along her stomach. She has a broken, possibly shattered, left tibia and fibula, at least twenty long, deep abrasions upon her back, burns along her wrist and ankles and her hand has a knife jammed through it. She needs a blood transfusion." Vincent said but still didn't place her on the gurney.

"Alright. We'll do what we can on the way to the hospital. Hop in the front of the ambulance." The paramedic said, pointing to the front of the vehicle.

"I'm not leaving her side."

"Sir, there won't be room for you in the back. Please, sit in the front."

Vincent hesitated but placed her on the gurney before kissing her on the cheek. He quietly made his way to the front but stopped when Evan said, "What about me?"

"Stay here, Evan. Someone will need to be here to explain what's going on to Tess and the rest of your coworkers. Don't worry, I have Tess's number so if anything happens, I'll call."

Evan nodded as he watched Vincent slip into the front seat of the ambulance before the vehicle sped off towards the hospital.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Vincent was pacing back and forth in the waiting room as the EMTs emitted Catherine into the hospital. The team of doctors wouldn't let him help since he was emotionally attached to Catherine. Vincent understood their reasoning as if he were still practicing, he would have most likely told another person in his predicament the same thing but the waiting was driving him crazy. He even called JT a few times to help keep him sane. JT, of course, wasn't really a big help because even HE was hyperventilating.

It was one thing to know Catherine's status but to be away from her and NOT know what the doctors were doing was practically making him bounce off the walls. As he paced back and forth, he continued to keep his focus on her heartbeat. If, at any time, it started to fail, he was going to barge in the ER despite doctor orders.

Eventually, Evan, Tess, Andrew and Sam arrived at the hospital. Tess explained that the WVPD took over the investigation. Luckily, Tess had found Catherine's purse and was able to deliver the Q-tips to the WVPD's coroner to be analyzed. Even if the evidence doesn't peg Thomas as the killer, she as well as Vincent and Evan are key witnesses to Thomas's CRAZINESS.

Three long hours have passed and Vincent was just about to steal a doctor's coat to sneak in and check her status. As he was about to leave the waiting room, a woman with a clipboard walked in and said, "Friends and family of Catherine Chandler?"

Everyone looked at the doctor and listened keenly to what she had to say. "Hello. My name is Doctor Reilly. As you know, Catherine was not in great shape upon her admittance. Luckily, we've been able to stabilize her blood content after long hours of suturing her extensive cuts. Her right leg—that is, the bones of her fibula and tibia were shattered from a large impact centered on a small area. Unfortunately, the chances of fully using her right leg are slim. We implanted two metal rods, one for each bone, to help her bones regrow properly overtime. She received hundreds of stitches, 720 to be exact, excluding the stitches she received before her arrival.

"The cuts along her back were extensive. She was stabbed in the left hand, fracturing her middle two metacarpals. Because of the stitches on both sides of her hand, we didn't give her a cast. Until a week passes, she will be wearing a splint along with a sling instead. Once her stitches are removed, I suggest she be given a cast to replace the splint depending on the healing of the bone. We also had to suture the muscle along her back because the abrasions ran deep into her tissue. The stitches used to sew up her back muscles are dissolvable so they will not need to be removed. However, the stitches along her skin will need to be in a week. We will keep her overnight and monitor her vitals to ensure everything is alright for her to leave tomorrow. Let me ask, will she be home by the time a week arrives?"

Everyone nodded and Vincent spoke up. "I'm her private doctor. I can remove the stitches when the time arrives."

"If that is what she wants." Doctor Reilly smiled. "If there are any family members of Catherine Chandler, I would like to speak to you privately." She walked out of the room as Evan tapped on Vincent's shoulder. "Go, mate. You can represent her family since you're the closest to her."

"Thanks." Vincent replied, realizing that Evan really wasn't all that bad as he thought he was. Vincent followed Dr. Reilly out of the room and stopped when she stopped.

"Before I say anything, what's your relationship to Catherine?"

Vincent thought about lying again but realized she didn't have any family with her so he would just tell the truth and hope the doctor would be nice and tell him what she wants to say. "I'm her boyfriend…her family is in New York…I'm the closest person to her."

She smiled. "Thank you for your honesty. First of all, are you and Catherine in a sexual relationship?"

He blushed and answered, "Yes."

"I'm afraid I have bad news." She frowned, causing Vincent's heart to drop. "I don't know if you were aware of this since you were the one who sutured her lower abdomen, but as doctors and due to the condition she was brought in, we examined her very thoroughly."

Vincent nodded, knowing how true Dr. Reilly statement was. "I understand. W-what did you f-find?"

"Whatever happened to her was tragic. I think we both can agree on that. Apparently, whoever did this to her, mutilated her genital region by use of a burning method. The burns, however, did not run deep but did damage several layers of tissue. In a few hours, an OB/GYN will be in to see her to assess the damage. Until the OB/GYN sees her, I do not have any other information. She is awake if you would like to see her now."

"M-may I tell her what you told me? Knowing Catherine, she wouldn't understand why an OB/GYN will be seeing her and she doesn't like surprises."

"If you feel like you must, tell it to her slowly so she can soak it in. Okay?"

"Thank you." Vincent replied and headed to see Catherine.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Catherine stared at the wall. She remembered everything that happened to her and was mentally unstable. The only one she wanted to see and talk to was Vincent. She heard the door open and slowly turned her head to see who her intruder was. She tried to smile as she watched a familiar face walk into her room. "Hey." She muttered tiredly.

Vincent looked at her clipboard and scanned over it to make sure Dr. Reilly didn't miss any details. After looking it over, he placed it back down and took a seat next to her bed. He clasped her right hand in his and kissed her knuckles before whispering, "Hey…"

"I knew you'd come for me." Catherine said through her parched, overly used voice. Vincent's heart dropped as he heard how dry her voice was from all of the screaming. It took him a minute to compose himself as he stared into her eyes. He could tell she was still traumatized from the way her eyes didn't smile when her lips did. He felt disgusted with himself as he noticed the now very visible black circle around her right eye. "I'm so sorry, Catherine."

"T-this wasn't your fault, Vincent." She said before clearing her throat. "I was the one stupid enough to conduct a solo investigation. This was my fault and my fault alone."

"Catherine, if anything, I should have been with you!" Vincent stated.

"Vincent…Don't do this to yourself…it wasn't your fault. I'm alive because of you." Catherine squeezed his hand. Vincent brought his lips to her palm and kissed it. He dreaded of the news he had to tell her but while she was awake, she needed to know.

"Catherine…has the doctor spoken to you?" Vincent asked, taking a look at her clipboard again.

"Yes…some…but I don't remember much of what she said. Something about stitches…" Catherine replied as she tried to search her memory for her prognosis. "Has she spoken with you?"

Vincent nodded and retold her everything aside from the last piece of information to Catherine.

"So…does my broken leg mean I can't work anymore?" Catherine asked, wanting Vincent's opinion.

"Catherine," he took rubbed his thumb over her hand, "Right now, work should be the worst of your problems. There's more…" he replied gravely.

"More?"

"Yeah…I'm not sure how to bring this up…" Although Vincent was a super-soldier, it was rare times like this where he could still feel nausea overwhelming him.

"Vincent, are you alright?" Catherine asked, concerned as she watched Vincent breath slowly and heavily.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He said, assuring her with a sad smile. "Catherine, this isn't easy for me to tell you but…Dr. Reilly told me something you need to know."

"What is it?"

"D-do you remember if…Thomas…burned you anywhere besides your breast, wrists and ankles?" Vincent asked, remembering seeing every injury aside from the one he's about to tell her about.

Catherine nodded as she felt her eyes swelling with tears. Oh, she remembered it too well. She remembered the agonizing pain surging through her body the moment the iron touched her sensitive flesh. "W-will I b-be a-able to h-have sex again?" she asked, scared of Vincent's answer.

"As you k-know, your genital region was burned…as to the extent of the burn, I don't know. Dr. Reilly said that an OB/GYN will be here in a few hours to make a diagnosis." Vincent replied nervously.

Catherine nodded. "A-and then what?"

"I don't know…" Vincent's voice dragged on. "Do you want me to be here when she comes?"

Catherine nodded. "I don't want you to leave again."

Vincent leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I won't. I promise."

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

A few hours passed and Catherine was eventually visited by her friends briefly until Dr. Reilly shooed them out. "Dr. Danford will be here in a few minutes. Catherine, would you like your boyfriend to stay?"

Catherine nodded and Vincent continued to squeeze her hand. Not once, since he walked in, has he let go of her hand. Dr. Reilly watched as Vincent kissed Catherine's knuckles and smiled. "Very well then."

As Dr. Reilly left, Catherine muttered, "Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you do something for me?" she asked, sheepishly.

"Anything." He replied as he gazed into her eyes.

"Could you…um…could you kiss me? I just…I need courage before the OB/GYN arrives…"

Vincent smiled as he watched her cheeks heat up after asking him to kiss her. He stood up from his chair, carefully leaned over her and gently pressed his lips to hers for a placid, passionate kiss. As he receded, he heard her whisper, "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled before kissing her one more time. This time, however, he didn't move away until both of them heard a loud 'ahem' coming from behind Vincent. He almost immediately pulled back, careful not to hurt Catherine in any way and leaned back into his chair.

"Miss Catherine Chandler?"

"Yes?" Catherine looked to the woman as Vincent turned around.

"I'm Dr. Danford, the OB/GYN of this hospital. Dr. Reilly informed me of your condition. Do you mind if I have a look to better assess the situation?" Dr. Danford asked.

Catherine shook her head and Dr. Danford said, "Alright. I'll send for a nurse to help you down to my department. It will be easier to examine your genital region using a birthing chair."

"Is that wise?" Vincent asked. "To move her, I mean. She's suffered from several cuts, earning stitches which, the smallest amount of movement this early after her stitches were sewn could risk tearing them."

"And who are you?" Dr. Danford asked, giving a quizzical look towards Vincent.

"I'm h-her boyfriend…and private doctor." Vincent replied quickly.

"Well, I can assure you moving her will be okay for this examination. As soon as the nurse comes, she'll bring you to my department, as I have said. Unfortunately, the room is off-limits to men due to female privacy and emotional security." Dr. Danford stated snootily.

"Please, ma'am. I don't mind if he comes with me. I'd rather him be there with me during the entire examination." Catherine pleaded.

"Very well." Dr. Danford sighed. "See you in a few."

With that, she disappeared to fetch a nurse.

"You okay?" Vincent asked as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

She nodded and he leaned to kiss her one more time for strength because only the Lord knew how much they both needed it.

~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~

Like I said, there was some brutal torture within this chapter. Please don't hate me for what I've done with it thus far. I promise everything will turn out for the better in the end! :)

Remember the title?

Undercover DISASTER…I'd say this was a disaster alright. (on many levels).

I liked how Evan and Vincent seemed to put aside their differences in this chapter as they tried to help Catherine.

Next chapter will deal with what'll happen concerning Catherine's condition as well as what will happen to Thomas based on his charges.

Oh and all that medical stuff in this chapter? I had to search about it online. That's why the update took a while. Next chapter will also entail a lot of medically inclined stuff so update might take a day or two. Well, it is 1 AM in the morning soooooo have a good night!