Chuck vs. The Cerebral Assassin
The story is coming along quite nicely and judging by the reviews you like the story. There is the general consesus from the CHARAH gallery that Dr. Burke is not well liked. Anyways, trust me when I say there will be more Chuck and Sarah interaction.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read.
I don't own Chuck but I would like to own Casey's Crown Vic.
A Step In The Right Direction?
XXX
"And that makes it better." she repeated again. This time Sarah keenly notices a questionable look appearing on Chuck's face as if he's attempting to mentally search for a particular thought relating to what she just said. As he does, the blonde agent slowly begins to realize they have had that conversation before when she first walked up to the nerd herd desk at Buy More. A sudden glimmer of hope is restored within her heart as she attempts to help kick start his memory. "Are you okay Chuck? Are you starting to remember something?" questioned Sarah.
Chuck rubs his forehead with his right hand as he finds himself struggling to get a hold of the particular memory triggered from the conversation he just had with Sarah. "I don't know." he replied with uncertainty. "It's like we've had this conversation before but I don't quite know for sure." added the former nerd herd leader.
A small hint of a smile appears on her face as Sarah tries to help encourage him in any way she can. There is absolute excitement she's experiencing within her own heart but knows she has to calm herself down because if she gets too over excited it would freak him out. As she walks over to where Chuck is she could feel herself shaking but pulls herself together in order to make him more comfortable.
"Here…" she said pulling out the chair from under the square table next to the window. "…sit down." she added guiding him gently down.
Sarah walks over grabbing the chair on the other side of the table and places it in front of him. She sits down and can see that Chuck is trying his best to figure out a possible memory that is on the tip of his mind as he's hunched over. In that moment, she wants to wrap her arms around him and tell him that they actually did in fact have the conversation and it was during their flirtatious banter where she fell for him.
She never forgot how nervous and flustered he looked when he glanced up and then immediately dropped the phone when he realized she was standing there. It was sweet, cute, and most definitely adorable the way he immediately straightened up as if he never sang that impromptu rap song, which she wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for Chuck's little bearded best friend Morgan.
In her mind, that specific moment in time is considered significantly important for her to have him to remember even though the interaction between the two of them was brief. Yet, its essential to have the memory of their first meeting and all that went on because it was…still is special more for her than him. For it set the tone of how she would come to know Chuck as a thoughtful, caring guy who went out of his way to help people.
She knows that somewhere in that Swiss cheese brain of his is her Chuck and it's only a matter of time before the light switch is turned back on. They both have been through so much over the past 3 and half years from ex's showing up to dealing with Chuck being engaged to another woman when the two of them were kids. To say they've had a complicated relationship is an understatement.
However, through all the complications the two of them experienced it has led them to where are they now. Unfortunately, where they are now is not exactly where she wants to be adding yet another complication to their not so normal relationship. In her heart of hearts, she hopes things will become a lot less complicated one when Chuck gets his memory back and they can finally get married in June, which will happen.
"Don't force it Chuck." she softly said leaning over lightly touching his right arm.
"I know." he replied. "Dr. Burke told me if I do try to force it I end up becoming not only confused but frustrated as well. She told me I just need to relax because stressing myself out doesn't help matters any."
As much as she hates to admit it, Dr. Burke is right in what she told him because she doesn't want to end up unintentionally adding on to the stress that he may be feeling right now. Sarah remembers witnessing the mixture of emotions he was experiencing after finding out he works for the C.I.A. The look of shock, panic, fear, and then followed by absolute sheer confusion.
"Talk to me Chuck." said Sarah. "What's going on?"
There is a brief moment of silence but then Chuck lifts his head with a look in eyes as if he's locked on to something concerning the conversation at the nerd herd desk. Its at this point, Sarah's pulse is racing and her heart is pounding a million miles a minute as she looks directly into his brown eyes and waits with bated breath as to what he's about to possibly say.
"Nerd herd." he breathes out. He looks down shaking his head as he struggles a bit and then looks back up at Sarah. "Did I work at a store as my cover?" questioned Chuck.
Sarah flashes a smile as he says that. "Yes you did. Do you remember anything else?"
"A little bearded man and…" Chuck pauses as he briefly looks to the side and then back at Sarah. "…you." he said pointing at her.
When Chuck pointed at her, it took everything in her power not to reach over to place both her hands on the side of his cheeks. "What about me?" she nervously stated with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"I fixed your phone..." he responded once again. "...I think." Chuck recalled.
"Yes you did." she happily responded. "Anything else?"
Chuck pauses as he continues thinking about it. "Coat..." he blurted out. "...you wore a brown coat." the former nerd herd leader answered pointing at her.
"I did." said Sarah with a smile. "What else can you remember?" the blonde beauty inquired.
Sarah watches as Chuck as he turns his head as if he's searching for more but then shakes his head looking directly at her. "That's it. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry Chuck." she responded rubbing his right arm. "You were able to remember what I was wearing at least that's something."
"Yeah, it's a start." responded Chuck scratching his head. "Question, do I know a little bearded man?"
"Morgan."
"Is he a spy too?" wondered Chuck.
"No." replied Sarah shaking he head. "He is your best friend though."
"Awesome." retorted a smiling Chuck. "At least I know I have more than one friend and that I'm not completely alone."
It saddens Sarah to hear Chuck say that but her sadness is overshadowed by him being to able to not only remember fixing her phone but what color coat she was wearing at the time. Things are certainly progressing in the right direction she thinks to herself. Sarah glances down at her watch and even though she doesn't want to leave she'll certainly end up hearing it from Dr. Burke.
"Listen, I have to go." she says standing up and grabbing her stuff. "I'll be back Friday."
"Oh okay." Chuck stands up handing her purse that was laying on the table. "Thanks for visiting I really appreciate it."
"Any time. I'm always her for you and if you need to reach me…" Sarah opens her purse rifling through it and takes out a pen and small piece of paper. "…here's my number." she said writing it down and then handing it to Chuck.
"Thanks." he replied holding it up.
"No problem." stated Sarah. "Get some sleep." she added opening the door and stepping out.
She is standing between the doorway and hall as Chuck holds the door. He leans over with a smile on his face and responds to what Sarah just old him. "I intend to." said Chuck.
Sarah restrains herself from leaning up and kissing him. It would look bad on her part in Chuck's eye because she is in fact an engaged woman even though she is actually engaged to him. Instead, she takes her leave before she makes the mistake of doing just that. "Goodnight Chuck." she said smiling at him.
"Goodnight Sarah and drive safe." he stated leaning against the doorway returning the smile as she walks off down the hall.
The blonde agent takes one quick look behind her to see Chuck waving at her before heading back into his room. When she hears his door close, she immediately stops and leans with her back the wall. She takes a deep breath and briefly looks up at the ceiling then turns her head in the direction of where Chuck's room is located. A very wide smile appears on her face as she faces forward heading down the stairs on her way home.
XXX
Sarah couldn't get the smile off her face as she drove home and her family definitely noticed a change in demeanor once she walked the front door. She shared with the 3 of them of how he was able to remember bits and pieces of their first meeting at Buy More. For her, it was a step in the right direction giving her renewed hope but her father told her that he still has a long way to go before he has his full memory back.
It's around 11 p.m. and the Wexler family turned in for the night with Sarah's father and mother taking the guest room while Cassidy bunked with her younger sister. It had been years since the two of the not only slept in the same room but when it came to sharing the same bed that was something new. After doing the essentials before going to bed, the two Wexler sisters find themselves sitting and talking instead of sleeping.
"He remembers me Cass." she softly said with a smile on her face. "That's good isn't it?" questioned Sarah as she turns to look at her older sister."
Cassidy is glad that her little sister was able to experience a glimmer of hope as she helped her future brother-in-law recall a small part of his memory, especially when it was her very first visit to see him. Any woman would be thrilled to have that happen when it concerns the man she loves causing her to have a sense of accomplishment in which she was able to start the balling rolling.
However, if she visits for the second time it may not happen again and she doesn't want to have her become disappointed or come to the point where she feels like she's failed if it continues to happen visit after visit. To her, it was a good sign that he is on the road to recovery and to have it occur just by a simple conversation that inevitably triggered the memory of their first meeting is wonderful but she has to focus on the now rather than what's ahead.
"It is good but I don't want you to get your hopes up. He remembers fixing your phone but that's pretty much the extent of his memory." she responded back.
The youngest Wexler sister turns to face her older sister giving her a questionable look towards her. Sarah knows Cassidy is looking out for her and that's what a big sister is for in times likes these but it seems to her she's implying Chuck may not fully get his memory back causing to shake her head a bit. She knows it going to get tougher before it gets easier.
"I'm not giving up on him." stated Sarah shaking her head. "If it were me, Chuck would do anything he could to help me get my memory back."
"I know you won't sis and I know Chuck won't either if the roles were reversed." retorted Cassidy. "I'm just saying it's going to be a marathon and not a sprint for Chuck. I know you want him to regain his memory as soon as possible but we have to trust in Dr. Burke's timetable because she knows what's she's doing." she added.
Sarah let the words that her sister sink in as she lay there on her side of the bed. True, it is going to be a marathon and a not a sprint so she has to have patience if the both of them are to get through this. After talking a few more minutes with her sister, Sarah reached over to her right and before turning the switch off to the lamp she glances back to say goodnight to her sister.
XXX
"So how are you feeling this morning Chuck?" inquired Dr. Burke as they both sit down on a bench.
Chuck and Dr. Burke met the next morning around 9 a.m. in her office for their second session. To his surprise she suggested that they go outside and enjoy the nice clear, sunny day while they discuss what's next on the agenda for him. He was totally up for it and where she took him to is the meditation area with benches situated in different locations. The two of them would eventually find a nice spot, sit down, and begin talking.
"I'm doing good Leslie." he said with a smile on his face. "I had a good night sleep."
"That's excellent to hear." she replied expressing a brief smile. "Have you been doing not only the mental but physical exercises I told you to do?"
Chuck was given mental exercises that consisted of first off keeping a list. In her own words, it is easier to remember details this way and it has been an effective tool in regaining one's memory. The next thing for him to do is follow a simple routine because the human brain tends to remember set routines. What's next is make associations by connecting things in your mind like landmarks or people to help you.
In addition, Dr. Burke told him to keep a detailed calendar of what's he's supposed to. Other things he was told to do was put any important items in the same places every time so he could find it. In other words, it's a matter of repetition. Such things like repeating names when or if he meets new people helps which he hopes to do, especially the guy named Karl who is a whiz at call of Duty on Xbox.
One of them main things that Dr. Burke wanted him to do on a consistent basis is keep his mind and body busy. So doing activities like reading, doing crossword puzzles, puzzles with more than 1000 pieces, and physical exercise will help him push him more forward than backwards. Lastly, she advised him to run through his ABC's in his head in order to help think of words or possibly names that will jog his memory.
"Yup." he answered with a nod.
"Have you been putting your journal to good use?" questioned Dr. Burke. "Did you write anything down?"
"As a matter of fact yes I have." answered the brown haired business owner holding up his journal in his right hand.
"You seem to be in good spirits Chuck." she said.
"I am especially after last night."
A concerned look appears on Dr. Burke face when he said that. "Does this involve the visit you had from Agent Walker?" asked Dr. Burke quirking her right brow.
"Yeah, we were talking and something she said triggered a memory."
Dr. Burke expresses a smile as she nods her head. "Could you elaborate?"
Chuck looks around and then leans over a bit towards her. "This is between you and me right?" he asked with a bit of hesitancy.
"You and I have doctor-patient confidentiality. Anything that you say to me stays between you and me." she firmly stated.
"I was making fun of Dr. Vale's name. It sort of similar to the Batman character Vicky Vale." he said quickly looking behind him so see if the aforementioned Dr. Vale is behind him.
"You can trust me not say anything to Dr. Vale Chuck." she said. "Out of my own curiosity, how did you make fun of it?"
"I rapped his name." he answered with a hint of laughter. Chuck once again looks around for any sign of Dr. Vale and then commences to do the rap causing Dr. Burke to sit there for a moment in disbelief but after a few seconds later she begins laughing. "And that's what I did."
The good doctor claps her hands while exuding a wide smile at Chuck's brief performance of the Dr. Vale rap. "You are both a funny and talented man Chuck. It makes me wonder what other hidden talents you may have."
"What can I say Leslie…" he responded expressing a boyish smile. "…I got skills." he added forming Westside with both hands.
The two share a laugh and after a few moments she expresses a soft side glance towards him causing Chuck to respond. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing." she responded shaking her head. Dr. Burke decides to get back to more important matters as she brushes her hair back behind her left ear and begins scanning over her notes. She turns her head to face Chuck wanting know more about what Sarah did afterwards when he started to remember something. "What did Agent Walker do when you started to remember?"
Chuck sits there for a brief moment reflecting back on last night. "Well, she asked me if I was okay and then she sat down with me. She encouraged me to talk about what I saw."
"What did you see?" questioned Dr. Burke.
"Bits and pieces really. I think I worked in the nerd herd and I'm best friends with a little bearded man named Morgan." Chuck pauses for a moment and then snaps his fingers. "Oh and I remember fixing Sarah's phone. She also wore a brown coat as I recall."
"Sarah?"
"Yeah. It's cool since she told me we're close friends and she told me I could call her by her first name." he says with a wry smile on his face. "Plus, she's wearing an engagement ring so she's marrying a very lucky guy and she says I've met him."
"I see." she slowly sees. "Thank you for telling me this and I'm glad you were able to remember something from your past. Is there anything else she did or said that you would like to share with me?"
"Nope…" said Chuck shaking his head. "…that's pretty much it."
"Okay." nods Dr. Burke. She jots down a few notes in her notebook and then turns her attention back to Chuck. "Let's go ahead and discuss the routines you've been doing."
XXX
It's around noon and Sarah is in Orange Orange busy wiping down the counter. Before coming into work, she called Chuck's secretary, who is always the first one to arrive at work, in order to update her on the situation regarding his memory loss. She told them to give them the cover story that he went on an impromptu business trip overseas and that he will be back sometime next week to which she complied.
She could always count on Beckman's former secretary Beverly Kim to run Whiz Kid, Inc. during Chuck's absence. In any case, business for the most part was busy with the occasional rude customer but that didn't ruin how she has been feeling at the moment. She's riding high last night after talking with Chuck in his room. The fact that he was able to remember a small insignificant detail such as the color of her coat meant so much in relatively big way.
There is a considerable lull with hardly anybody in the place. She continues wiping down the counter and refilling the napkin dispensers and the cup with plastic spoons. It's at this point, she hears her cell phone ringing causing her to become excited thinking it may possibly be Chuck calling her but when she looks at the name on her screen its Ellie. She totally forgot that she's coming back tomorrow causing her to become a bit worried.
"Ellie, glad to hear from you." she happily said.
"You too Sarah. Listen, I've been trying to reach Chuck but I can't get a hold of him. Apparently, his phone is out of service of something."
Sarah knew she had to think quick and tell her something remotely true on why his phone isn't working. "Oh yeah. You know how clumsy Chuck can be at times. He accidentally dropped it in the water while he was doing laundry and well you know the rest." she said with a hint of laughter.
"Say no more." responded Ellie. "Listen, Devon and I were supposed to be coming home tomorrow but since we're on a sabbatical from the hospital he's taking me on a surprise cruise. He says it's a surprise gift for me."
"How romantic." replied Sarah. "I'll relay the message to Chuck and you two lovebirds have an awesome time on your cruise." she added.
"Thanks soon-to-be sis." she happily replied.
The other end of the line clicks off leading Sarah to stick her phone back into her pocket. It would be seconds later that her phone would ring again leading her to quickly take her phone out of her pocket but would see an unfamiliar number on the small screen. She answers the call with a bit of hesitance as she places the phone to hear and gives the standard greeting.
"Hello?" she said expression hesitance in her voice.
"Agent Walker." the female voice firmly stated. "This is Dr. Burke."
"Oh, hi doctor." responded Sarah. "Is everything all right with Chuck?"
"He's doing fine."
"That's good to hear." Sarah hears a brief pause on the other end of the line causing Sarah to be concerned. "Is there something wrong Dr. Burke?"
"You want Chuck to fully recover don't you?" questioned Dr. Burke.
"Of course, more than anything." she answered expressing concern on her face."
"Then you understand what I do is considered a delicate process and must be handled by a trained professional." she sternly stated.
"I understand." she responded with concern.
"I don't think you do Agent Walker." replied Dr. Burke. "Chuck told me during our early morning session that during a conversation you two had a memory was triggered." she added.
"Yes he did. I tried to help him remember."
"I know. I'm his doctor he tells me everything."
"What did he tell you exactly?" wondered Sarah.
"He told me that he remembers working in the nerd herd and then you told him he has a best friend named Morgan.
"He asked me if he knew a little bearded man so I told him about his best friend." she responded.
"Okay." said Dr. Burke. "He also said you told him you two were close friends and mentioned he saw the engagement he gave you."
"That's right." answered Sarah. "Have I done something wrong doctor?"
"My job is to slowly ease him back to the way he was before he lost his memory. Seeing the engagement on your finger could have instantly bombarded him with so many memories it could have irrevocably damaged his psyche, especially on his first day." she quickly said.
"But it didn't." she replied. "Doctor, I know you're an expert in your field but I'm an expert on Chuck."
"Without correct treatment by a licensed professional Agent Walker there is no Chuck." he emphatically stated. "Because you care so deeply for him you have to understand that Chuck is at a critical juncture and I'm trying to help him fully recover saving him from confusion and mental chaos . How am I able to do that if you're doing my job." said Dr. Burke.
A look of agitated frustration appears on Sarah's face. "I'm sorry." she replied.
"I know I sound harsh Agent Walker but you have to think of Chuck's mental health." she said. "If that doesn't sit well with you I'll sign the release papers and inform General Beckman your choice?" Dr. Burke sternly said.
"No." she stated.
"I need you to follow the rules and pretty soon Chuck will be back to his old self." she retorted. "Will you do that for me."
"Yes, I will do it your way." she breathed out. "Just keep me informed of everything that happens with him."
"Of course." she replied.
Sarah hears the other end of the line click off. As she then lowers the phone placing it on the counter in front of her, she feels a mixture of emotions going on within her heart. Things have certainly changed quickly in the past 24 hours. The happy demeanor she exuded last night after talking with Chuck and this morning suddenly faded away after talking with Dr. Burke.
XXX