Chapter 02
***James Bond***
James was finally in the position he had only fantasized about, at two in the morning. After almost a week, he was standing in the same room as M.
The room had the look of a normal bedroom not a medical facility. The equipment and bedside table full of medicine was the only clue.
Soft light was shining down on her still, ashen form. The machines were pushed to the far wall out of the way. She clearly didn't need them anymore.
M looked like a sleeping angel. A very pale, very beautiful and as always very distinguished angel. Bond couldn't stop staring at the way her breasts moved with every breath. He'd never seen her look so fragile.
Bond felt the magnetism pull him to her, but resisted the pull, and stood watching over her. The hand on her stomach was rising the same way her chest did. It was almost too tempting to touch her, hand, leg, forehead or cheek, anything. His fingers itched with the need to feel her skin, to reassure himself that she really did lay in front of him, alive. He carefully closed the door behind him and went to speak to the doctor.
"What did you tell her?" The doctor waited until James had closed the door. The doctor must realize that although it was 2 am, MI6 operatives worked as a well oiled machine twenty four seven.
"When she woke up, she didn't know what was going on." The doctor whispered. "We told her someone wanted to keep her safe and she immediately claimed that she didn't remember anything at all. So to explain the agents, I told her that she saw something dangerous and that the agents needed to guard her as a result."
"How did she react?"
"She was confused, wanted to know the name of who or what she saw. We couldn't answer her questions, so we gave her a mild sedative. She's been sleeping from that moment till now."
"How is she? Apart from the amnesia?" He still didn't know the truth. Mallory didn't mention her condition. He carefully closed off his expression. His internal panic rose and everything now depended on the doctor's words.
"It was touch and go for 48 hours after she was admitted. Stab wound to the left side of her chest cavity. Punctured and collapsed lung. The knife almost grazed her heart, but she's recovering well."
"Can she move? Walk? Eat solid food?" His voice was cold. This information mattered the most. His plan would need to wait, if she couldn't manage these things.
"Walk? No. She doesn't have enough strength. Moving is a problem. Her wound is healing very well, but she can't do anything. As for eating... gradually. She hasn't ingested solid foods for the four days she's been sleeping."
"Sex?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Bond watched the doctor without outward reaction. If the doctor reported back to Mallory, he needed him to mention Bond really wanted to know the answer to this particular question.
"You heard me."
"What? I mean that should be off limits. She's an older, injured and recuperating woman. She needs her rest and her stitches will have to be removed in the next few days and her dressing need to be changed twice a day. She may be in a great amount of pain when she wakes. She can't do anything alone except breathing and that may cause her pain for some time yet."
"Ok." Good news M's not in immediate danger. He should and would take her away from this place. He would look after her to ensure she would be all right.
James silently waited until the doctor had left for his office before entering M's room and closing the door. He walked over to her bed and plucked up the nerve to touch her. M's skin was still as soft as he remembered. Not that he had the opportunity to touch her often. This all registered as she began to wake and he put a hand across her mouth to stifle any noise.
M's eyes flew open in terror and her hand made a grab for him. Bond restrained her, to prevent any sudden movements and tearing her stitches.
"Sh... I'm not here to hurt you, M," he was looking into her eyes. The moment their gaze met, she froze. "Just, please keep quiet and I will explain everything." He could feel her heart drumming in her chest against his forearm. He scared her which is not a good start, if she really can't remember.
Bond slowly slid his hand away, her demeanor suddenly changed in front of him. She was no longer the terrified person he'd woken up. She was once again M.
"What took you so long, 007?" She whispered with a cross look on her face.
His heart dropped down to his stomach. She'd played them. Thank god! It was M's commanding tone, her amused, but still bossy and beautiful voice. She remembered everything and they probably knew, because her room may have been bugged. They would know if she had nightmares or talked in her sleep. Shit!
James carefully removed her IV, stripped one of her pillows and tossed surgical tape, bandages and sterile gauze into the temporary sack. He swept his arm across the bedside table dropping the contents into the pillowcase.
"We have to go." He placed the pillow case in her lap and took her carefully into his arms, mindful of her dressing gown. He took M along with the blanket covering her as he wrapped her loosely in the woolen material. She was almost unbelievably weightless. She must have lost a great deal of weight. Her small form was so light and fragile, at least it felt like that in his arms.
James cautiously opened the door, looked to both sides and hurried to the entrance door in the corridor without making a sound and trying not to bump her too much.
"Bond?" she whispered tensely.
"Am I hurting you?"
"I'll live."
It wasn't a no. He couldn't do anything less than continue with this plan. He unlocked the car doors and took special care to place her to the front seat without jostling her too much. He tilted the seat back to recline and grabbed for a seatbelt, but she stopped his wrist.
"Will the weight of this be too much?" Bond asks. She nodded to him.
It may aggravate the wound if she does sit up eventually, so he left it unlatched. Bond ripped out the tracker on the company black Audi that he took from MI6's garage when Mallory ordered him on this mission.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled and in a flash he was behind the wheel and the tires were shooting gravel everywhere.
"Are you alright?" The sweat on her forehead was alarming sign. "Ma'am? Is your chest ok? They told me you're healing fine. Do you need immediate medical attention?"
"Just get me out of here and stop with the questions."
He loved that pissed off tone of hers, she was getting better. "Yes, ma'am."
"And stop smirking, it's not a good look on you, Bond."
"Yes, ma'am." Their interaction amused him and he couldn't stop his trademark grin from breaking free. She had died in his arms. No matter what she said to him, life couldn't be better at the moment.
It took her a few minutes to finally ask another question. She was probably gathering her strength. "Do you have any idea who wants me dead? Besides the obvious...Silva."
"Four people knew about your condition. Mallory included and he's got your job now. I will start the elimination process with him, once we are somewhere safe."
"Don't be prejudiced against him, Bond."
"Never, Ma'am." He couldn't help with addressing her like that. He missed that so much.
"Do I have anyone on my side besides you and Mallory?"
"The official report stated you were wounded and killed in action. Nobody knows the truth but Mallory and the other three individuals who know. The Prime Minister is likely one of those."
"Did they tell my children I'm dead?"
"I assume Tanner and Mallory did." He watched her from the corner of his eyes. "I only found out today that you were still alive. I will ask Mallory next time I report to him if you like."
"It's not necessary. We have a way to contact Mallory?"
"Yes."
"Good. I won't be very happy playing the damsel in distress for too long. I need the situation resolved quickly and now it's your job to help."
Bond wondered who the other two individuals were that knew about M being alive. Was it Q and Tanner? Was it some cabinet minister who she politically embarrassed over the years as M? Or was it someone from the outside beside those individuals who came across the information from the medical centre or was it by some other means.
As is stood now, they fled in the early hours of the morning, heading north away from London and the trouble that was bound to be after M. The secrets that she held would be tempting to many. There were likely enemies who would like to finish the job Silva started and kill her for good. All the while thinking that she was weak and relatively unguarded.
Bond gripped the steering wheel of the company car tighter as he took the motorway North. He would have to make it difficult for them to trace him by switching cars at some point soon.
He stole a glance at M's resting form in the seat beside him. M's chest rose in even breath's as she closed her eyes and tried to rest.
It is going to be a long night.
