Chapter 19

A woman's high heels clicked rhythmically against the tile floor. A voice called over the intercom for a doctor to report to radiology. A loud clang echoed through the hallways as the meal cart was wheeled room to room.

The hospital was obviously busy after the recent downtown explosion, but all the activity was lost on the quiet brunette in the wheelchair. Lifting her hand to her face, her fingertips brushed the thick gauze covering her eyes, shielding her from the visions everyone else could see, but she could only hear.

Bobby and Tara had been with her when Hannah woke up after surgery, and while they had tried to reassure her, she wasn't as confident about her condition. After pressuring them for information, she learned from her friends that the explosion had caused some damage to her optic nerve.

While she really wanted to demand answers that they couldn't give her, Hannah understood when they told her the doctor said she'd have to wait until her eyes were given time to rest. She understood, but she didn't necessarily like it.

Her irritation at the lack of information about her own condition as well as the worry Hannah felt when she remembered the last time she'd been with Myles, had her wanting to see him. She'd never been a person to lie around doing nothing, and her current condition wasn't going to stop her now.

Initially, Bobby had refused her request to see Myles for herself telling Hannah that she needed her rest. However, when she threatened to go on her own, even making it as far as the door with her IV pole, Tara had finally relented and promised to return with a wheelchair if she'd wait.

Now Hannah was on her way to Myles' room, comfortably seated in a wheelchair, a blanket tucked around her legs and her IV hanging from a pole behind her. She was exhausted from the effort that it took to make it the few steps she took to the door earlier, but she wasn't going to let the others know.

Hannah couldn't get the image of Myles out of her mind. He'd felt so cold when Bobby had finally gotten him out of the water, and the sounds of the alarms as he went into cardiac arrest still echoed in her ears. Her heart twisted with worry as she thought of the heavy debris on his legs and arm, the time he'd spent underwater, the gas leak. Oh, God, she prayed. Please let him be okay.

When she felt Bobby slow the wheelchair, Hannah's heart began pounding in her chest. She was sure Tara could hear it as the petite blonde came around to open the door. Myles, she thought silently, wishing she could see what was happening as Bobby slowly pushed her into the quiet room.

"Someone is here to see you," Hannah heard Lucy say softly and felt her breath catch in her throat.

He's awake! Hannah wanted to shout from the rooftops. She tried to say something to break the silence but couldn't find her voice as Bobby wheeled her closer.

"Hannah," Myles whispered hoarsely as she reached toward the bed to touch him. She gasped slightly when he took her hand in his, running his thumb tenderly across the back. "Are you okay?" he asked, the concern thinly veiled in his voice.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Hannah chuckled nervously, trying to ignore the tingling his touch caused as she choked back hot tears.

"Your eyes?" Myles questioned, reminding her of the reason she was in the hospital relying on her hearing to figure out what was going on around her. Hannah could hear the sadness in his voice as he spoke.

"Bobby tells me they're still there under all this," Hannah commented with a cheeky smile, trying to lift the somber mood in the room as she touched the gauze covering her eyes.

"Hannah…" Myles interrupted impatiently until she lifted her hand to cut him off.

"The doctor relieved some pressure on my optic nerve caused by the explosion," Hannah started as she lowered her head, taking a shaky breath. "But he couldn't really tell me anything, until we give them a couple of days to start healing," she explained gently, feeling Myles squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"She should be in bed, but insisted on making sure you were okay, mate," Bobby stated from across the room, startling Hannah. While she'd been talking to Myles, she'd forgotten the others were in the room.

"She threatened to walk down here by herself if we didn't bring her to see you," Tara added to which Hannah felt her cheeks warming as Myles gripped her hand tighter.

"You wanted to see me?" Myles repeated breathlessly.

"I, uh,…" Hannah stammered suddenly at a loss for words. Despite her best attempts, a myriad of emotions flashed through Hannah's mind as she thought of the repercussions that simple statement might cause, especially with a perpetual matchmakers like Lucy and Tara.

For the millionth time since she'd woken up, Hannah wished she didn't have the thick bandages covering most of her face. Being able to see him would have at least given her some indication of what the tall New Englander was thinking.

She would have sworn she heard a hint of longing in his voice, but figured it had to be her ears playing tricks on her. This was Myles, Hannah reminded herself.

Hannah was saved from commenting further when the door creaked open, garnering everyone's attention. When Myles quickly released her hand, she turned in that direction curious, hoping someone would let her know who had arrived.

"Anne!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, her shoes clicking against the floor as she crossed to the door. "When did you get in?"

Anne? Hannah wondered, having not heard that name before. A girlfriend? she fretted, listening to them approach the bed.

"A little while ago," the other woman stated. "I was able to get the first flight out after you called."

"You should have called," Tara told her, joining them at the end of the bed. "We could have picked you up at the airport."

"I didn't know when the plane was getting in, so it was quicker grabbing a taxi," Anne responded. "Besides I wanted to stop by the house and pick up some pajamas for Myles. You know how he is if he doesn't have the finest," she teased.

Stop by the house. Pick up some pajamas for Myles, Hannah heard the woman's voice repeating in her head, her accent mirroring the sophistication she become used to in the tall New Englander's. Her hands gripped the handles of the wheelchair as she struggled to control her breathing, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. How could I be so stupid to think someone like him would be interested in me? she wondered, hot tears welling to her eyes behind the gauze.

She never been one to have panic attacks, but Hannah felt the emotions swell up inside her threatening to overwhelm her. All she wanted to do was get out of the room before she made a fool of herself in front of Myles and this woman, but didn't know how.

"Hannah," Bobby's voice penetrated the fog that had developed around her. "Are you all right, shelia?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I-I think everything is just starting to catch up with me," Hannah muttered, pressing her fingers to her temples. "I'd like to go back to my room, please," she requested quietly, hoping no one would question her sudden change in levity.

"Hannah?" Myles whispered, reaching out to take her hand again.

"Can we go now, please?" Hannah asked pulling her hand away sharply as if his very touch burnt her skin.

"Of course, shelia," Bobby agreed quietly, moving behind her to release the break on her wheelchair.

"Hannah?" Myles repeated urgently.

"I'm glad that you're doing okay, Agent Leland," Hannah interrupted firmly, professionally, forgetting she hadn't asked about the extent of his injuries. "I'm really tired, Bobby. Can we go?" she asked, relieved when she felt him push her into the hallway. Sighing with relief as the door swung shut behind them, Hannah swallowed around the thick lump that had developed in her throat.

Hannah hoped that once they got back to her room that Bobby and Tara would give her some time alone. She needed time to think, to figure out she was feeling, why the arrival of this new woman had affected her so much.