Coming to their senses was a struggle, but Kai managed to lift their head after a minute and squinted in the darkness. Their eyes shut against a tiny sliver of light coming in from some boarded windows behind them. Dawn, maybe? How long had they been out? And then there was shifting, to their left. Turning their head, they caught sight of a silhouette – slim, dark haired, familiar. The person moved and the small rays of light hit her face – Bonnie Parks. Relief flooded Kai at the sight of the woman. There had been too much talk of the possibility of her being dead after a week's long search, so to see her alive was huge silver lining in the current situation.
It wasn't until Kai made to speak to her, though, that they noticed the gag in their mouth. A dirty rag, by the taste, stuffed almost hastily, held in by another strip of fabric, their hands bound behind their back. They looked down at their legs to find them free. Not that it would help much. Kai could feel the coagulated blood on their thigh. They were lucky; they knew that – a hit to their femoral artery would've bled them out before they made it to, well, wherever they were being held now.
Noise coming from the other figure distracted Kai and they tried to focus their vision once more. Bonnie's eyes were wide, face tear-stricken as she tried to communicate something, head bobbing towards the door. Kai's own eyes narrowed, listening, the sound of footsteps approaching. They turned back to Bonnie and tilted their head, closing their eyes. Pretend to sleep. When Bonnie only stared, Kai repeated the motion and dropped to the floor themselves. The woman's eyes lit up and she imitated Kai as they heard wood scratching wood. Something was being moved.
"So what'd the boss say about this one?" a man's low voice sounded. Kai's eyes were closed but they felt a presence hovering over them. "You think she's dead? I don't see her bleeding anymore," he added. "Maybe we should just dump her somewhere. I didn't sign up for dead bodies."
"She's fine," another voice came. "And now we have two aces in our sleeves. The reporter to keep word out of the news, and the girlfriend to get rid of that doctor digging around."
So that's why they'd taken Kai. A simple mix-up. The irony. They spent their life running from men like this and now here they were. Suddenly they were grasped by the arm and hauled into the air, a scream of pain muffled when Kai was set on their hurt leg. "Hiya, sweetheart," a man with a goatee sneered. Of course he'd use that nickname. "What's your name?" There was a pause and Kai glared at him. "Oh, where are my manners?" he cooed and he removed the gag. Kai worked their jaw for a moment. "Name?"
"What does it matter?" Kai asked coolly. "I'm not getting out of this alive, am I?" they asked.
"Now that depends entirely on you," he smiled and something about it revolted Kai. "See, we don't care about you, really. We want your boyfriend. The nerdy numbers guy. If you play nice and do your part, you can walk away scot-free. And a pretty girl like you, well…" His eyes wandered over Kai's body now and they had to fight the urge to spit in his face. "You'll find a new boy toy in no time. What do you say?"
When his eyes met Kai's, he was surprised to see them smiling. "No."
"What?" he asked.
"I said no. Absolutely not. No deal. Pass. Should I keep going?" Kai asked in a monotone voice. "Non. Niets. Nej."
"You seriously willing to die for this guy?" the man scoffed, unbelieving still. His fingers now dug into Kai's arms.
"Yes," Kai answered without hesitation, the shock growing on the man's face. "He's worth more than you and I combined ever will be. So yes, I'm willing to die for him."
There was a pregnant pause and then Kai was on the floor, their face stinging from the backhanded slap and a piercing, throbbing pain coming from their leg. "You dumb bitch," he spat before turning away. "Let's go. We'll figure out another way." The main entrance was blocked a few minutes later and Kai couldn't help a grin after spitting out a glob of blood. They waited, head cocked, until they were sure the two were alone.
"The idiot forgot my gag," they laughed as Bonnie sat up. "You're gonna need to come to me. My leg's messed up. I can try to get your ropes undone now that I've got my teeth."
Bonnie shook her head before lifting her chin. At the motion, Kai saw the rope tight around her neck. It explained why they hadn't bound her feet, at least. Kai turned back to their own leg, trying to shift, but even the slight motion shot a shock of pain up their leg after being dropped on concrete. The creep's manhandling had also cause the bleeding to start up again on the gunshot wound along with a thudding pulse at the back of their head. "Alright," Kai muttered before lying on their back and using their good leg to try and push off the floor to slide towards Bonnie. "Okay, I'll go to you, then."
The stone-walled dungeon was small and the two hostages were set on opposite side of the room. A short distance, Kai knew, but their current state wasn't the best. They were exhausted, starving. Pain filled their head, starting to feel fuzzy, probably from the hit that knocked them unconscious the night before, and their leg thudded in tandem with the migraine that only seemed to grow. "Just, a minute," Kai sighed, closing their eyes for a pause.
A grunt from Bonnie caught Kai's attention and they tilted their head back only to hiss in pain. "Another wound for the books," Kai barked out a laugh before turning on their side and looking at Bonnie now who was shaking their head.
"Yeah, I get it. It's not a good idea for me to move. But, if I don't, neither of us will make it out of here otherwise." There was a resolution setting into Bonnie's features, mixed with gratitude, and she nodded slowly. Taking a breath, Kai laid back down and pushed off, a grunt of pain spilling from their lips. "Fuck. That doesn't feel nice," they said through gritted teeth as their head began to swim suddenly. "Alright. We can do this."
They made to push again when Bonnie's alarmed, muffled sounds caught their attention again. Kai stopped, head tilted once more, and they heard the sound of footsteps again. "Fuck," they muttered and rolled over, shifting bit by bit while biting back growls of pain, and making it to their corner just as the entrance cleared.
"Food," the other kidnapper said and went to Bonnie first, undoing her gag. Unlike the man who slapped them, this kidnapper seemed to show some sort of sympathy, unconsciously maybe.
"She needs a doctor," was the first thing out of Bonnie's mouth.
"Shut up and eat," the man growled. Silenced then gagging and muffled coughing.
Kai forced themselves to sit up and watched as the man force-fed Bonnie. "What a gentleman," they said with sarcasm. "You're going to choke her and then you'll have two dead bodies in your hands, smart guy."
Their words seemed to sober the man up immediately and he held back, waiting for Bonnie to chew and swallow. So he wasn't in for the killing at least. "Should've accepted my partner's deal," he said after a moment. "You can still change your mind, be out of here in an hour. Get treated."
"I'll take it if you throw Bonnie into the deal," Kai replied immediately. The response shocked him and he stared openly at Kai. "What do you say?"
He looked way when Kai's own gaze didn't falter. "Can't do that," he muttered, finishing feeding Bonnie and moving to Kai next. "Eat."
Kai took a bite of the sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "Why does she matter?" they asked after. "She's just a reporter."
"Yeah, well, reporters have big mouths," he stated before offering more of the food. "She'll be fine, though. But, you," he paused and glanced down at her thigh. "I don't know if you have the time, sweetheart."
"Don't call me that," Kai growled. The intense reaction caused the man to flinch. "And don't worry about me. I'm tougher than I look."
The kidnapper studied them for a moment before shaking his head. The food was gone a minute later and he stood, crumbling up the napkin. Unlike the other man, he didn't forget the gag, killing Kai's hope of escape. "We'll be back to feed you again tomorrow." He paused after he finished tying the gag. "If you're alive." And with that, he turned away and went out of the dungeon, closing it back up.
Bonnie grunted and Kai looked towards her. The sun was setting, they could tell by the changed color of the light spilling through the boarded windows. They tried to give the woman an encouraging nod. We'll try again tomorrow. Even with the food, though, Kai was lightheaded and they shifted to rest their temple against the wall.
Sleep stole over Kai before they realized it. It was Bonnie's desperate attempts at screams that brought them back to consciousness. Blinking blearily, they roused from their spot, catching Bonnie's eyes then saw her motioning towards the roof.
Footsteps. That woke Kai up, adrenaline flooding their veins, raising their heartbeat. It couldn't be the kidnappers. Too many footsteps to start. Then, a voice. A familiar voice. Using their good leg, Kai began to stomp on the concrete floor. The sound was muffled, but Bonnie joined soon and both began to scream through their gags.
There was a terrifying silence suddenly, Bonnie and Kai sharing a look before picking back up again with renewed, desperate effort. It wasn't until the entrance began to be cleared that Kai stopped, leaning their shoulder against the stone wall with relief. Lights swept the room and Kai winced, turning away from them as FBI and SWAT flooded the room.
"Dr. Flores?" Kai sighed through the gag. They would've preferred anyone but him. "I got you." They couldn't help instinctively moving away from Don, glaring. "Okay. Okay. David," he called over his shoulder and another agent came forward, immediately cutting off the rope from their wrists and removing the gag. "You alright, Dr. Flores?"
"I'm fine," they stated firmly, despite the dizziness seeping in.
"Can you stand?" Don asked.
"She's hurt," Bonnie stated before a SWAT agent began to escort her out.
"I said I'm fine," Kai spat now and used the wall to push themselves up. Don's hand rested on their back suddenly and Kai slapped it away. "Don't touch me," they hissed and was only satisfied when Don stepped back. "I can walk."
Kai gritted their teeth, intent on proving their words right, but the moment even a bit of their weight landed on their hurt leg, the dizziness exploded and ate at their vision with black. Just as they swayed towards the floor, Don caught them in his arms and his face was the last thing Kai saw.
When Kai came to it was with a gasp, eyes scanning their surroundings for danger. "You're awake," Charlie stated with intense relief, standing from the chair to approach the bed. "Thank god."
"Hospital?" Kai asked, their voice hoarse and low. They'd really ruined their vocal chords screaming, it seemed. "You alright?"
Charlie couldn't help a disbelieving scoff. "You get shot and you ask if I'm alright?" he said. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Kai motioned around the room. "How long?"
"You've only been here a couple of hours," Charlie answered, as if reading their mind. "Don got you in just in time." At the sound of the older Eppes' name, Kai's nose wrinkled in dislike. Charlie didn't notice. "No need for a blood transfusion, at least. The doctor stitched your head wound, got the bullet out and stitched your leg, too. You're going to have a battle scar from it, though. But, he said some days of rest and you'd be as good as new."
They relaxed back into their bed, grunting softly. "I hate hospitals," Kai muttered and closed their eyes. "I want to go home."
"You need to stay here," Charlie stated firmly and he made to add more when an older gentleman walked into the room. "Dad? What're you doing here?" Kai opened their eyes, brows furrowed as their gaze landed on the man at the door. The resemblance was hart to miss, not just Charlie's features but Don's too.
"I came to thank the person that saved you," he replied and stepped towards the bed. "Alan Eppes. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for what you did for my boy, Dr. Flores."
The situation made them uncomfortable. "Mr. Eppes, there's no need," Kai assured, unable to keep eye contact with the man.
"Nonsense," Alan continued staunchly. "Charlie might not be here if it wasn't for you, Dr. Flores. There's no way we can repay you, but," he paused and looked towards the open door before sneaking an aluminum-wrapped package. "I hope you like Philly Cheesesteak. I promise, this is much better than what they serve here."
Kai couldn't help a laugh at this and smiled up at the Eppes patriarch afterwards. "Thank you," they said only for their eyes to widen when Alan pulled up a chair to sit with them. "Oh, it isn't necessary for you to stay. Either of you," they added, looking at Charlie after. "I'm fine, really."
"You're my friend, Kai," Charlie retorted as he relaxed back on his own chair. "I'm not leaving your side until you're fully recovered." Kai shifted awkwardly at this. This was dangerous, they knew – for Charlie more than Kai. But, they'd been so lonely, for so long. And his words had brought a warm, soothing comfort to that hidden pain.
They could only hope that this time it would be different.