Chapter 2 (Wyatt)
Wyatt was so pleased that the team was back together he failed to notice at first that Lucy was moving slower and slower and falling farther behind as they trudged back to the lifeboat. He and Rufus had been discussing famous serial killers, brought on, no doubt, from their own nearly fatal encounter with H.H. Holmes in his infamous "murder hotel." At the unspoken question in the pilot's eyes, Wyatt assured Rufus that he had absolutely no qualms about ending the bastard's life, not after the emotional and psychological torture he had put the two of them and the architect, Sophia, through earlier in the day, and most importantly, after he had nearly murdered Lucy. Wyatt was not about to lose another woman he cared for in such a brutal manner.
Speaking of Lucy, the two men stopped and turned around, startled to see that she had come to a sudden halt a few yards away and was just standing there with her eyes closed. His gaze fixed solely on her, Wyatt nodded absently when Rufus said he would just go on ahead to the lifeboat and get everything ready for the jump home. Wyatt slowly approached Lucy, and cautiously putting his hand on her arm, asked, "Lucy, are you okay?" Standing this closely to her, he couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes, and her face looked hollow and about as pale as he'd ever seen it. His guilt at letting Flynn take her rose up in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Pushing that feeling back down (after five years, he was a pro at it), he repeated his question, "Hey, Lucy, you doing okay? It's not much farther to the lifeboat. If I walk with you, can you make it?" and as she blinked slowly, the dull, unfocused look in her usually lively brown eyes made his heart ache. Wyatt carefully took her hand, and gently tugging her forward, turned them in the right direction toward the lifeboat. Lucy's hand felt small and cold in his, and he couldn't seem to stop himself from worrying about her.
Thank God, a few minutes later the lifeboat came into view, because Wyatt was just about to pick Lucy up and carry her. All the adrenaline from earlier had definitely worn off, and her small frame was fairly drooping with weariness. Once they were in front of the open hatch, he put a steadying hand under her elbow as Lucy tried valiantly to climb up and in, but between her heavy skirts and obvious exhaustion, it was no surprise when she tripped and fell backwards. Wyatt easily caught her and just held her against his chest for a moment. She shivered with the cold as he set her back on her feet, and he began rubbing his hands slowly up and down her arms to try and warm her up.
To Wyatt's dismay, as she gazed up at him, Lucy's lips trembled and silent tears made delicate, silvery tracks through the faint residue of ash and soot left on her face by her imprisonment in one of Holmes' coffins. He pulled Lucy to him, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her as she cried softly against his neck. Wyatt was so proud of the way Lucy had kept her head when that bastard Holmes had grabbed her and trapped her in a shallow wooden box. As extremely claustrophobic as Lucy was, she must have been nearly paralyzed with terror, yet she still managed to stall the serial killer long enough for them to find her, and Jesus, this was on top of whatever Flynn had already put her through.
Wyatt fought to suppress his rising anger at Lucy's ordeal. She needed him now, and he was damned if he was going to fail her again. As her tears subsided, Rufus climbed out of the lifeboat, a concerned expression on his face, "Is she okay to jump?" and waited patiently near the hatch when Wyatt asked for a minute so Lucy could compose herself. She was quiet now but for the occasional shuddering breath, and Wyatt put his hand on her cheek and gently tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes as he asked her to try and board again.
Sniffing, she nodded, and with help from Rufus, was successful the second time. Wyatt quickly boarded after her and took his seat before leaning across and buckling Lucy's restraints securely. Motionless, her only response when Wyatt told her how much he and Rufus had missed her was a single tear as she shut her eyes tightly. Wyatt kept his eyes on Lucy as the lifeboat landed hard, and when her head began to list forward, he hastily tore off his harness and reached over to unfasten hers before pulling Lucy to her feet. "C'mon, Rufus, get that hatch open," Wyatt urged as she swayed unsteadily. The pilot slammed the correct button and stood up just in time to put his arm around Lucy's waist as her eyes started to flutter erratically and roll back in her head. Wyatt jumped down and immediately turned to take Lucy in his arms as Rufus held her steady.
As he cradled Lucy against him, Wyatt brushed past a grave Agent Christopher and the others as he headed for the Medical wing. "Can you call and tell them I'm bringing Lucy in?" he threw over his shoulder, not bothering to wait for a reply. As he approached Medical, the double doors opened and two nurses met him with a stretcher. Wyatt gently put Lucy down and held onto her hand as the nurses quickly wheeled the stretcher through the doors. Snapping back the curtain around the exam room, one of the nurses tried to make Wyatt wait outside, but he ignored her as he lifted Lucy from the stretcher and transferred her to the exam table.
He didn't want to leave Lucy (he just got her back, for God's sake), but the first nurse admonished, "Master Sergeant, we need to undress Miss Preston now, so if you would, please wait on the other side of the curtain." Wyatt bent down and breathed near her ear, "Lucy, I'll be right outside the curtain if you need me, okay?" and impulsively kissed the top of her head as he reluctantly left the exam room. Jamming his hands in his pants pockets, Wyatt restlessly paced back and forth as the nurses worked diligently to get Lucy out of her costume.
He froze as one of the nurses gasped audibly, and tearing back the curtain, Wyatt stepped into the exam room. "What is it? Is she all right?" and stopped abruptly at the horrifying sight of multiple bruises adorning Lucy's pale, delicate skin. Wyatt was nearly consumed with a pitch-black rage at the physical evidence of how badly she had suffered during her time as Flynn's hostage. "Garcia Flynn was a dead man the next time they met," he swore vehemently to himself. He started at a hand on his shoulder, "Master Sergeant, we really need to finish undressing Miss Preston now. Just give us five minutes, and I swear as soon as she's in a hospital gown, you can come back in," the nurse said kindly. Wyatt's finger tenderly traced a bruise on one of Lucy's narrow shoulders, and taking a deep breath, he nodded at the nurse, who patted him on the arm and promised, "We'll take good care of her."
This time when he walked out of the exam room, Jiya was waiting for him. "Rufus is being debriefed right now, and Agent Christopher wants to talk to you next," she explained apologetically. Faintly distressed at Wyatt's blank stare, Jiya grabbed his arm and pulling him over to one of the chairs in the waiting area, unceremoniously pushed Wyatt into it. "Wyatt, what is it? Is Lucy okay?" she implored, "Wyatt, please, you're scaring me." He struggled to focus his gaze on Jiya's worried face, and clearing his throat, confessed in a hushed tone, "Jiya, she's covered in bruises. He hurt her, that son of a bitch Flynn hurt her, and it's all my fault," his voice breaking as his eyes welled up and his face crumpled in anguish.
Jiya threw her arms around Wyatt's neck and rubbed his back comfortingly as he put his head on her shoulder and cried for a moment or two. "Shh, Wyatt, it's not your fault, so stop blaming yourself because I'm sure Lucy doesn't," she tried to console him. Pulling back from her (now damp) shoulder, Wyatt hastily swiped at his wet eyes and started to apologize when Jiya put a finger on his lips and sternly declared, "No, don't you dare say you're sorry, Wyatt Logan. The three of you have been through hell on this mission. But Lucy's here now and safe, and she is so lucky to have someone like you in her life, so don't ever forget that, okay?" and she smiled encouragingly at him when he nodded hesitantly.
They looked up when the nurse pulled back the curtain and announced they were taking Lucy to a private room where the doctor was waiting to examine her. Wyatt instantly stood and started to follow, when Jiya tugged on his hand. "What about Agent Christopher?" she asked. Shrugging distractedly, Wyatt replied, "Tell her I'll come to the conference room as soon as I talk to the doctor," and hurried to catch up to Lucy. After making him wait just outside the door for several long minutes, the nurses finally took pity on Wyatt and let him stand in the back of the room while the doctor finished carefully examining a still-unconscious Lucy. He liked and trusted Dr. Adams, who, after having to patch Wyatt up numerous times over the past months, had become kind of a friend. Finally, the physician completed the exam, and as the nurses prepared to give Lucy a quick sponge bath, he motioned for Wyatt to follow him out the door.
"Well, Doc," Wyatt asked somewhat impatiently, "Is Lucy going to be all right?" Giving Wyatt a searching glance, the doctor responded, "First of all, Wyatt, I want to reassure you that, physically, Miss Preston appears to be a little dehydrated and obviously suffering from severe exhaustion. Mentally and emotionally, however, could be a different story, and we won't know for sure until she wakes up." Wyatt interrupted, "What about the bruising?" and felt uneasy when his friend hesitated. "Wyatt, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Someone handled Miss Preston very roughly within the past few days as there is quite a bit of bruising, some extensive, especially on her arms and legs."
He felt sick to his stomach at the very thought of Lucy enduring such brutal treatment. "Wyatt, one thing I can tell you is that I found no sign of any kind of sexual assault," and Wyatt slumped back against the wall in sheer relief. Dr. Adams patted his shoulder and said, "I'm confident that Miss Preston should make a full recovery. What she needs most right at the moment is rest and hydration, so as soon as she's cleaned up, we'll start an IV that will also contain a mild sedative. Now, she will probably experience some discomfort from all the bruising, but unfortunately, all we can do for that is offer her ibuprofen and let her body heal itself in time. I feel confident that when she wakes up, you will see a big improvement."
Wyatt shook the doctor's hand, who waved away his thanks, and advised Wyatt that a hot meal and some sleep would be good for him, too. "Yeah, that will have to wait, Doc, I have a mission debriefing to get to, but I will come back as soon as I can," he promised. Wyatt peeked in the door as the first nurse came out, and slipped inside as the other nurse was just finishing taping down Lucy's IV. She did look a little better now that her face was clean and her hair had been taken down from the top of her head and fluffed around her wan face. And while Lucy seemed to be resting comfortably, Wyatt hated like hell to leave her.
Perhaps sensing his indecision, the nurse informed him that Lucy would probably sleep for several hours now, which was the very best thing for her. "If you want to come back later and sit with Miss Preston, I'll make sure there will be a chair beside her bed and that no one will disturb you. We'll look after her until you come back," and left the room to give him a minute. She looked so small lying there, almost fragile, but Wyatt knew looks could be deceiving. Lucy was one of the strongest women he had ever known, always fighting for what she believed in with courage and passion. Wyatt vowed that he would not let her down again; she had become much too important to him. He leaned down and gently brushing her dark wavy hair off her forehead, pressed a kiss there. "Sleep now, Lucy, you're safe, and I will be back as soon as I can," he whispered, before turning and leaving her room.
He met an equally weary-looking Rufus in the hallway outside the conference room who immediately asked how Lucy was. Wyatt gave him a quick update on her condition, and the other man closed his eyes gratefully. "You think it would be okay if Jiya and I looked in on her for a few minutes?" Wyatt assured him it would be, and then asked Rufus just how much he had told Agent Christopher. While the two men were comparing notes, a disgruntled agent stuck her head out of the conference room and reminded Wyatt in a sharp tone that she didn't appreciate being kept waiting. He turned to Rufus, and rolling his eyes, told the pilot he'd see him later.
The debriefing did not go well, as Wyatt was not only preoccupied with returning to Lucy as soon as possible, but while recounting mission details, became increasingly distracted by his anger at Garcia Flynn. Eventually, Agent Christopher put down her pen and complained with a peeved expression, "This was not one of your better mission reports, Wyatt," and then relented, "But I also know the last few days have been difficult for all of you, so let's just stop here for now. I'd tell you to get cleaned up and find something to eat and possibly grab a couple hours sleep, but I'm sure I'd be wasting my breath." Wyatt just grinned at her and replied, "Yes, Ma'am."
Leaving the conference room, Wyatt hurried to the men's locker room. Although he wasn't particularly hungry, and he planned on sleeping in a chair beside Lucy's bed, a hot shower sounded really good right now. As Wyatt stood under the hot, biting shower spray, he tried to control the dark thoughts racing around his mind: the knowledge that he and Rufus were trapped while Lucy was still missing; rescuing a traumatized Lucy from that madman Holmes; the ugly meeting with David Rittenhouse and watching Flynn shoot him in cold blood; the murder of General Cornwallis and then Benedict Arnold. Hell, yes, this last mission had been hard on the team. That was an enormous understatement.
He had dried off and was nearly done dressing when the locker room door was thrown open by a stressed-out Rufus. "Wyatt, come quick," he panted, "It's Lucy, she's all worked up and the nurses can't get her calmed down." Alarmed, Wyatt hastily threw on the rest of his clothes, and followed closely by Rufus, practically ran to the Medical wing. "Jiya and I were sitting with her when Lucy started twisting around and muttering. She's not conscious, but she did say your name a couple of times."
Wyatt burst into Lucy's room and ignoring both Jiya and the nurse, went straight to the side of the bed, and picking up Lucy's hand, leaned in and murmured, "Lucy, I'm here, it's okay, you're safe now, I'm right here." He was gratified when she seemed to sense his presence and the fretful lines on her forehead relaxed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Wyatt eventually looked up to see Rufus and Jiya staring at him, and his face reddened at their knowing expressions. Thankfully, they took pity on him, and Jiya offered to bring him a sandwich since it was obvious he wasn't leaving any time soon. He nodded his appreciation as they left.
The nurse thanked him for returning so soon, explaining that Dr. Adams was reluctant to increase the dosage of sedative in Lucy's IV. Within moments, Wyatt was settled in beside Lucy's bed, and taking her right hand in his left one, he dozed off while waiting for his friends to come back. Sometime later, he was awakened by the sound of Lucy whimpering. Her dark head moved restlessly back and forth on the pillow as she mumbled, "No, let go of me, Wyatt, help," and his heart ached that she must be reliving her abduction.
Leaning over her and putting his hand on her shoulder, Wyatt tried to comfort her when suddenly, her eyes flew open and she gazed unblinkingly at him. He was shocked when she resolutely told him in a clear voice, "Wyatt will find me, and then he will kill you," before shutting her eyes and drifting back to sleep, and he sadly realized she hadn't awakened after all. The firm conviction in her voice put a lump in his throat. She had so much trust in him, and Wyatt didn't feel very worthy of that trust at the moment, not when Lucy was lying in a hospital bed covered with bruises.
A quiet knock on the door revealed Rufus with a sub and a bottle of water. "Rufus, you are a lifesaver," he thanked his friend, as he set everything on a small table beside the bed. "How long are you gonna stay?" he asked Wyatt. "Until she's awake. I don't want her to wake up alone." "I'll bet you don't, you sly dog," the other man teased, as Wyatt tried not to blush, "Hey, I got eyes, too." At Wyatt's half-hearted glare, he raised his palms and grinning, slowly backed out the door.
By the time Wyatt finished eating, he could barely keep his eyes open, so he pushed the "call" button for the nurse. Lucy had been asleep now for nearly five hours, and he needed to use the bathroom before he even thought about some sleep for himself. When he came out of the bathroom, the nurse was replacing the depleted IV bag with a fresh one, and she informed Wyatt that since Lucy's pulse and blood pressure were normal, thankfully, the new IV didn't contain a sedative. That way, Lucy would eventually awaken on her own. Wyatt thanked her, and once he sat down and took Lucy's hand again, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Wyatt woke gradually to find that, just as Dr. Adams had predicted, Lucy was much improved after the IV drip plus sleeping nearly a dozen hours. Her dark eyes were much clearer as she looked at him with a shy smile, and there was finally some color in her face. As he stood and stretched, he asked how she was feeling and was satisfied by her reply. They both turned at the entrance of the nurse, followed by Agent Christopher, who asked Wyatt to step out of the room with her.
"I'm glad that Lucy looks and hopefully feels much better this afternoon after sleeping for so long. But, Wyatt, although I have put this off as long as I could, I still need to debrief her as soon as possible. After all, she just spent several days in close proximity with Flynn and could provide us with some valuable intel." Shaking his head, Wyatt stared at her in disbelief, "Are you serious? It's too soon. No, absolutely not. She's been through enough already!" But the agent was unmoved by his argument that Lucy needed more time to at least shower and eat before being subjected to what was certain to be a lengthy, arduous mission report.
As they stood there glowering at each other, the door opened and the nurse scolded, "Agent Christopher, Master Sergeant, you need to take this argument elsewhere because Miss Preston is getting so agitated I can't even take her blood pressure." Shooting the agent an exasperated frown, Wyatt hurried in to see a wide-eyed Lucy gasping for breath, both hands pressed to her heaving chest as she struggled to catch her breath. He quickly sat on the side of the bed and taking one of her hands in his, put his other hand on her cheek as he tried to sooth her. As she continued to wheeze, her panicked eyes began to fill, and Wyatt asked the two women to give them a minute.
When they were alone again, Lucy steadily began to breathe more normally, and Wyatt tenderly brushed away a couple stray tears as he asked what she was so upset about. His conscience twinged slightly when Lucy admitted she had heard him arguing with Agent Christopher, and she was afraid he was in trouble because of her. Wyatt debated what to say, but she still looked upset, so he reluctantly told her, and was surprised when she gave him a sweet smile and thanked him for taking care of her. Unfortunately, that hit a raw spot, and when Lucy misunderstood the reason for his discomfort and started to pull away from him, Wyatt felt compelled to "confess his sins" as it were. He held his breath in anticipation of her anger at his presumption, but Lucy merely pulled him close and put her head on his shoulder.
Reassured, Wyatt put his arms around her and held Lucy closely for a fleeting moment. All too soon, there was a brusque knock on the door. Looking into her soft brown eyes, Wyatt tried to talk Lucy into postponing her debriefing for a while longer since she had just woke up, but she merely put a small hand on his cheek and assured him it was okay. He sighed in resignation and called out, "It's open," as he stood. His frustration got the better of him, though, and while Wyatt could easily tell by the glare she directed at him, he really didn't care if he pissed off Denise Christopher with his insolent, probably bordering on rude, attitude. Someone needed to look out for Lucy, and after nearly losing her more than once in just a few days, Wyatt decided that he was that someone for as long as she allowed it.
After an obviously irate agent left the room, Wyatt promised Lucy he would get her something to eat while she got a shower. True to his word, less than an hour later, he patiently sat with her to make sure she ate some of the sandwich he brought her. She was still much paler than he liked, but clearly determined to give her mission report. Wyatt consoled himself that at least he would be with her in the conference room in case she needed him. He stayed close by Lucy's side as they leisurely made their way to the conference room, only to be met by a solemn Agent Christopher at the door. "Wyatt, I need you to remain out here while I speak with Lucy," she said firmly, and even as Wyatt immediately protested vehemently, Lucy put a gentle hand on his arm and told him she'd be fine. Trying to swallow his indignation, he promised her that he'd be right outside if she needed him, and felt slightly better at her tremulous smile before she turned and shut the door.
It seemed like the longest three hours of Wyatt's life. He felt like a caged animal, wandering back and forth outside the conference room door until he was practically dizzy, so he sat for a while and mindlessly scrolled through his phone and spent a few minutes with Rufus and Jiya when they came to check on Lucy. Every time he looked through the window, his concern for Lucy grew. "What was taking so long? This type of prolonged stress can't be good for Lucy," he thought anxiously. Without warning, through the closed door, Wyatt heard Agent Christopher loudly call Lucy's name several times. He threw open the door, and rushing over to a white-faced Lucy, hurriedly pulled her chair away from the table.
Wyatt knelt down and carefully guided Lucy's head between her knees in an effort to keep her from fainting and finally let his temper loose. He had officially gone far beyond the limits of his patience, and looking up at his superior officer, declared in no uncertain terms that he was taking Lucy home, and expecting some pushback, was somewhat taken aback at her subdued acquiescence. Turning back to Lucy, he softly asked if she was ready to go, dismayed at how utterly exhausted she seemed (Dr. Adams would not be pleased).
He pulled Lucy to her feet and after a quick stop at the women's locker room for her things, helped her to his truck. She had hit a wall physically (again), and Wyatt was furious with himself that he had let the briefing go on as long as it had. He barely managed to get her up in the passenger seat and fasten her seat belt before she almost instantly fell asleep. Twenty minutes later, Wyatt pulled up in front of his apartment, and glanced over at Lucy, who was sleeping soundly. He hated to wake her, but they couldn't stay here in his truck all night.
Sighing, he got out and hurried around the front of the truck to open her door and help her get out. She was barely conscious, not at all coherent, and leaned heavily against him. Deciding he would sleep on the couch tonight (if he even slept at all), Wyatt led Lucy straight back to his bedroom and hastily pulled the covers back, grateful he'd changed the sheets the last time he was home (whenever the hell that was). He gently sat her on the side of the bed so he could take off her flats. "Don't move, okay, Lucy?" he urged as she stared up at him with drowsy eyes.
Wyatt hastily tugged a tee shirt out of his top dresser drawer, and without thinking twice, quickly pulled her sweater up and off and carefully put his shirt over her head and guided her arms through the sleeves. He was most likely crossing some kind of line here, but her jeans were a little snug (not that he had noticed or anything), and would probably be uncomfortable as hell to sleep in. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Lucy, can you take your jeans off by yourself?" and grimaced at how bad that sounded, since she could hardly keep her eyes open, even though he truly had good intentions.
Even now, her big dark eyes were blinking rapidly and she was having trouble sitting up, so coming to a decision, Wyatt pulled her to her feet once more, just long enough to reach under his shirt and unsnap her jeans. Sitting her back on the side of the bed, he swiftly pulled the jeans down her long legs, telling himself he would do the same for any team mate in the same situation (yeah, right). He eased her now-bare legs under the covers as she sort of leaned over sideways onto his pillow.
Poor Lucy. Wyatt didn't think he had ever seen her this tired, and he wondered if some of her exhaustion was more than physical. He smiled fondly at her as she sighed and snuggled deeper into his pillow, and pulling the covers up around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to the top of her head and murmured, "Good night, Lucy." Wyatt really hoped she would sleep all night, although considering what she had been through over the last several days, he doubted it. The whole mission had been one big nightmare.
Watching Lucy slumbering peacefully, it struck Wyatt that she was the first woman to sleep in his bed since Jess. And surprisingly, that didn't bother him as much as it might have before meeting Lucy. She was his co-worker, his teammate, and, he liked to think, his friend, but lately, so much more. If he were being brutally honest with himself, things had been changing between them ever since he kissed her so impulsively in 1934 Arkansas. (Secretly, he could confess that had been one hell of a kiss.) And good Lord, he certainly didn't feel this protective of Rufus, and smirked at that amusing thought. A huge yawn caught him unawares, and Wyatt decided he was done with the self-examination for tonight. Snagging a pair of flannel pants from the dresser, he stepped into the bathroom and changed out of his clothes before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and heading to the couch.
While he was fixing up the couch, his phone chimed. It was a text from Agent Christopher informing him that after a review of the team's latest mission reports, mandatory counseling sessions had been ordered for the three of them. Wyatt was so disgusted, he threw his phone down on the couch. Dammit, he absolutely hated going to therapy, but even worse was the knowledge that by making the counseling mandatory, the NSA was, in effect, grounding the team. That was just great, sitting around, waiting to spill his guts to a complete stranger about all the crazy shit they had seen and done, while that bastard Flynn was romping through history, unleashing chaos.
Wyatt didn't know about Lucy and Rufus, but as far as he was concerned, counseling was a huge waste of time (unfortunately, he was too pissed to see the irony in that statement). He did feel slightly better when he realized that at least Lucy might get a decent night's sleep since he wouldn't tell her about the therapy until tomorrow morning. Dropping down on the couch, he picked up the remote and started to channel surf, thinking ruefully that as worked up as he was right now, he'd probably never fall asleep. Damn, it was going to be a long night.
A/N: So there you have Wyatt's version of the hours following the team's return from 1893 Chicago. Next chapter will include some of the counseling sessions, and who knows what Lucy and Wyatt might reveal to a complete stranger? Thanks and appreciation to everyone for your wonderful reviews, follows, and favorites. I also want to add how excited I am to see all the new authors and fics showing up in our Timeless fandom. The more, the merrier... :))