And (finally) here is chapter three of Redemption. I'm sorry it took so long, writer's block some arguments with my computer and so on.
Anyhow, a happy new year to all of you! Special thanks again to katiemac1992 for beta-reading.
Enjoy!
Eliot hated hospitals; especially the intensive care units. It doesn't matter whether you're a patient or a visitor- you suffer.
As a visitor you have to witness someone you care about at the edge of death; as a patient you have no other options than to hope you survive through the night.
Eliot really hated hospitals.
But his contempt for being at a hospital was outweighed by the solidarity and friendship that he felt for Sean. The sergeant had risked his very life to keep both Eliot and Parker alive, so he felt being at his side while the man was in a coma was the least he could do. It was a great relief when Eliot was told that Sean was breathing on his own because that meant his chances of surviving were rather good.
Eliot kept a silent vigil at Sean's side each day for about a week now. Today was no different as he sat on a stool next to his bed and waited for Sean to wake up.
Just as he was about to leave, this day he heard moaning and movement on the bed. He turned around and saw Sean's eyes blinking as he woke up from his coma.
"Ouch" was the first thing the sergeant said after he opened his eyes completely and Eliot could not help but to smile. 'Stubborn as a wall of bricks' he thought.
"Hey there old man, how do you feel?" Eliot asked still smiling.
"Like I was killed, resurrected and killed again. My head hurts like hell. Apart from that I'm simply hungry." Sean answered with an attempt of a grin.
Noticing the concerned look on Eliot's face he asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost, what happened?"
"Do you remember how you got here?" Eliot simply asked back.
"I remember catching a bullet for you and...What was her name… ah yeah, for you and Parker. Next thing I remember is that I crashed to the floor which was paved with guards form the company. Nice work you did there son." he responded.
"I was already outside the buildin' with Parker, serge. You fought these guys all on your own with two gunshot wounds. And by fought I mean you ripped them apart. Three of 'em died from internal bleedin' and two are in a coma; the doctors say they'll probably never wake up. One man's now sittin' in a wheelchair." Eliot said with a deep and concerned voice.
Sean's face became as white as the wall behind him when Eliot told him what he had done.
"No," he whispered. "I vowed to never let it happen again..." his voice cracked as tears filled his eyes.
Eliot frowned "To never let what happen again serge?"
He did not understand what Sean was saying.
"You know I'm called 'Vortex', don't you?"
Eliot nodded.
"Well, when I get angry enough I become someone different- someone... evil. I can't control myself and all the rage I swallowed down up to that moment is unleashed. Last time that happened I smashed a man's face so hard against a wall that he was dead before he hit the ground; his head was just a bloody mess. Each night I see the scene happening all over again. That's the reason why I left the army. Being a soldier means to protect others- not to massacre them." He said with some kind of relief in his voice.
"That day I vowed to myself to never let that happen again".
Eliot stood staring into space. He could not wrap his head around what that poor man had to go through in his life. When he left the hospital and drove home he wished to somehow free Sean from his burden. 'Maybe when that creep Fuller is brought down he can finally find some peace' he thought as he drove through the still and silent, cold night.
Parker was beaming. She had a couple of talks with Sophie about what had happened between her and Eliot on that roof a week ago. And Sophie came to the conclusion that Parker was in love with Eliot. Love. Every time Parker thought about the word- or anything related to Eliot, she smiled and felt a huge swarm of butterflies flying around in her stomach.
She always looked up when she heard the door that leads into their HQ (which was in fact Nate's apartment) open, hoping she would see Eliot smiling at her. This time he was anything but smiling and she suddenly feared that she had done something that pissed him off, because he looked as if he was about to rip someone to shreds with his bare hands. But when he saw her his face relaxed a bit and she smiled widely.
Once everyone was gathered around the coffee table Eliot told them what Sean told him that night. And they all came to the same conclusion: Bring Fuller to justice. And since Fuller now knew Eliot and Sophie's faces they had to come up with a different strategy...
"They'll probably know Parker and Sean's faces by now; they certainly went through every piece of their surveillance material by now. Dammit!" Hardison murmured to himself. "Only people left are me and Nate. How the hell are we supposed to lure Fuller into a trap now? He'll be even more paranoid after what happened last week."
"Maybe the statue we got in order to hook will do the trick." Nate suggested "Because we replaced it with a fake it hasn't been reported stolen yet. We could go steal the fake and destroy it, so Fuller will be left with the original." He went on.
"Sure thing, but he'll most likely say he got it from some shady people and didn't know it was stolen and the ball would come back to us. Nothin' gained that way." Eliot pointed out.
"Can't Hardison work some of his geeky magic to somehow make Eliot and Sophie some detectives working undercover in order to get him for screwing the taxes or something like that?"
All heads turned to the front door as they heard the familiar voice. Sean hobbled into the room, his hospital clothes still on.
"They let you go that quickly?" Eliot, once more, did not understand that man.
"I made them let me go. They said there was no severe damage so I decided I would be better off on my own; those doctors like to cage you. You got anything to eat here? That sorry excuse for food in that hospital should be reported to Amnesty International. Ugh." Sean said. And when no answer came and he noticed everyone looking at him like he was mad he added "and some clothes would be nice. In this getup, I would be just as soon recognized as a colored dog in no time."
They all simply stared at the man. He was comatose for an entire week and one day later he woke up-as if he'd just woken from a nap, left the hospital and was now asking for food and clothes. Parker was the first to overcome the awkward situation by hugging Sean with one of her I-am-about-to-do-something-you-will-not-like grins while the others just broke into hilarious laughter.
"Yeah I sure could work some 'geek-magic' but what good could that do?" Hardison asked not grasping what Sean had in mind.
"Well if Eliot and Sophie turn out to be detectives working undercover when he accuses them of selling stolen goods, the statue's owner won't ask any other questions as to why he was not told right from the start. He'll be more than glad to help; he has enough dirt to hide as any criminal worth his salt. Fuller instead will be charged and convicted of fencing stolen property which will launch a federal investigation. The feds will dig through his entire company to find anything to add to his charges; they'll surely find the documents we need to get him out of the picture for good." Nate explained to Hardison.
"Got it- on it! Consider it done!" The hacker answered simply, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop.
After everyone left Nate's to go home (apart from Nate who lived there and Sean who fell asleep on the couch) only Eliot and Parker were left.
"I got a few errands to run. You'll keep an eye on our sleeping super-hero over there. I should only be gone a few hours; do not blow this place up- or anything...please." Nate said with a smile as he left the apartment.
Eliot sighed. He had waited for the entire week to get a chance to talk to Parker about what had happened on the roof when Sean was at the hospital. It seemed to him that now was the right time to address the issue, but he was not sure how she would react to this let's-talk-about-what-happened thing. He did know that Parker felt things but she felt them differently.
"Hey there darlin'. Want somethin' to eat?" Eliot asked to start this rather strange conversation he was about to have.
The amusing part was that he felt like he was in high school, about to talk to his first real crush. Considering all the women he dated before, this should be more than routine to him. But Parker was no ordinary woman. He knew she was heavily scarred on the inside and she shielded herself from getting hurt by not showing any feeling. Moreover, Eliot's feelings for Parker were not ordinary to him either. What he felt came from the very center of his heart; not from inside his pants, as was usually the case. That frightened him, but also made him smile like a fool.
"Sure I could use a good fortune-cookie. Let's go!" She said almost outside the door.
"Wait sweetheart, I meant some real food; not some weird cookies." He could not understand that fortune cookie thing. "Would a grilled, medium rare steak change your mind?" he asked with the most charming smile he was capable of.
Her eyes widened as she heard the word 'steak' and she immediately returned to the kitchen.
"I haven't had a steak in ages!" she all but yelled; a giant smile all over her face.
Eliot could not help but to think that she was getting more beautiful each time he looked at her.
While Eliot was working on the steak Parker watched every move he made like he was performing a miracle. He chuckled at the sight of it. He would watch her the same way when he saw her doing what she did best. He would never be able to move quite like she could; performing all kind of stunts. He didn't need to anyway. When he wanted to get somewhere he either seduced the secretary, or if that didn't work, beat the crap out of a few guys. Either way, it worked out. But Parker could get anywhere without being seen or detected. He admired that.
When they finished their meal (which was done almost in silence, apart from a few 'yummy!' yells from Parker) Sean woke up from his slumber. As he got up he saw Eliot and Parker finishing the dishes.
"Mornin' old man, finally awoke from the dead?" Eliot asked as he spotted Sean.
"You are aware that that makes no sense. Sean was never dead so how could he awake from the dead?" Parker asked with her endearing, almost childish behavior.
"It's a figure of speech for someone who woke from a very deep sleep." Sean explained absentmindedly.
"If you don't mind I'll settle myself in real bed now and get back to sleep; oddly I feel like I haven't slept in a lifetime. When Nate returns, tell him I'm upstairs. Night." He murmured still groggy from sleep as he made his way upstairs.
"You know you two could be brothers." Parker mentioned after Sean was out of sight.
"I learned a lot from him." Eliot replied. "So what now? Wanna watch a movie?"
"Sure, why not? Should be fun." Parker practically jumped onto the couch waiting for him to come over.
Eliot just shook his head sitting down next to her and she immediately snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest.
"You know I talked to Sophie about that thing… we did up on the roof? You wanna know what she told me?" Parker asked her head still on chest.
Eliot could not say anything more than a shallow 'course darlin'. He felt like he was about to burst for his heart was acting like a steam hammer trying to tear down the walls that surrounded it. He had to gasp for air before he could answer properly.
"Sure darlin'. What did Sophie have to say to you?" He asked.
He expected everything but the words he heard next; Parker caught him totally off guard. She raised her head and looked him straight into his eyes:
"I love you" she said before putting her lips on his.
And if Eliot had not been so busy responding to her passion-fueled kisses, he would have told her that he felt the same way about her.
Sean felt a burden drop from his shoulders once he heard Parker reveal her feelings to Eliot. He smiled proudly like a father whose son had just brought his first girlfriend home.
He turned to his side and slipped into a peaceful sleep, genuinely happy for the strange couple downstairs; the first time since his wife died.