Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize again for the cliffhanger I left in the last chapter. That was cruel, I know. But thank you for your encouraging reviews! They mean so much to me!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

CHAPTER 4: Lies

He couldn't move.

He was completely frozen.

His first thought was, Am I dreaming? Was he dreaming? Deep down, a part of him truly believed she would never wake up. As much as he wished she would, he hated getting his hopes up. Yet here she was, staring at him with the most innocent expression he had ever seen her wear.

His second thought was, She looks so... weak. Her skin was pale and her lips were a frightening shade of blue. The rosy tint that always highlighted her cheeks was gone. Her eyes had lost the shining emerald and looked almost grey. This was not the Lisbon he remembered.

His third thought was, Say something, you idiot!

"Lisbon," he breathed. "You're... awake."

She glanced dizzily around the room, blinking her eyes a few times. She stretched her arms out in front of her, inspecting the never-ending tubes that were attached to her. "What happened?" she asked him in a raspy voice.

A few moments passed before he finally responded. "You don't remember?"

She shook her head, and winced. "My head hurts," she noted.

She doesn't remember? How hard did she hit her head?

"Oh! Miss Lisbon!" came a squeaky voice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and Caroline was smiling brightly at Teresa. "I was just coming in to check on you! Let me get your doctor."

"Water, please," Lisbon croaked in a quiet voice.

"What was that, honey?" Caroline took a step closer to her.

"She wants water," Jane snapped. He almost cringed at his tone, and softened his voice. "Could you get her some water, please?"

"Water! Of course!" Caroline exclaimed. "And I'll get your doctor." She turned and fled the room, and Jane shut the door behind her.

"Who is that?" Lisbon asked Jane.

Jane folded his arms across his chest. "That's your nurse. Her name is Caroline."

"Why am I not at work?" she demanded.

"Uh-"

"Where is the team? Why aren't you with them?"

"Lisbon, calm down."

"What happened to me? Why does my head hurt? Why can't I remember?" The machine next to her bed began beeping rapidly, indicating that her heart rate was speeding up. Jane lunged toward her, catching the hand on the arm that was not broken. Her eyes were staring into his, pleading, and her breathing had accelerated.

"Lisbon." He tried to make his voice calm and soothing, but his heart seemed to be beating faster than hers. "Please. Just calm down."

"Jane, tell me what's going on!"

He hadn't realized anyone had entered the room until he felt a pair of hands gripping his shoulders and gently pushing him aside. Jane looked over to see Lisbon's doctor patting her arm in an attempt to soothe her. "It's alright, Teresa," he told her softly. "You're going to be okay."

"What happened to me?" she demanded once again. "Who are you? Why am I in the hospital?" Her eyes flicked to Jane's again, then back to the doctor.

"My name is Dr. Ellis. You took a little fall, Teresa," he replied. Jane almost snorted. A little fall. Yeah, right. The doctor went on. "You have been unconscious for about a week and a half. You have several broken bones, and a severe concussion. Don't worry, though. You have improved significantly over these past few days, and you should be out of here in no time."

A few beats passed before Lisbon could absorb what the doctor was saying. "I fell?" she asked slowly.

Jane stared at her, incredulous. You don't remember? he wanted to scream. How could she forget something like this? Even if she did have a serious head injury, was it possible that an event that huge could just fall from her memory? Her desire to end her life, to jump?

"Yes," the doctor replied. Then, he looked at Jane. "May I speak with you in the hall for a moment?"

Jane nodded, throwing another dubious look at Lisbon before following Dr. Ellis into the hallway.

"Are you family?" Ellis asked Jane.

"Yes," he lied, assuming it would be easier this way.

"We are going to have a psychiatrist take a look at her," Dr. Ellis explained.

Jane raised his eyebrows. "W-why?" he stammered, though he knew why.

"It seems her memory has been tampered with. We will take different sorts of tests, but we just need to see if talking to someone will..." He searched for the right words. "Jog her memory," he finished.

"What, it's too difficult for you to do that yourself?" he retorted sarcastically. "I could talk to her and 'jog her memory.'"

"It is better this way, believe me."

Jane sighed. "Fine," he gave in, as if he really had a say in it. Normally, he would argue, but not with Lisbon on the line.

"In the meantime," Ellis went on. "It would be best if you didn't mention anything to Teresa about the suicide attempt. Avoid the topic entirely." Before Jane could argue, Ellis held up his finger as if to say, wait a minute. "If she does not remember anything that happened, we do not want to overwhelm her. Her memory will come back in time, I assure you."

Jane's jaw dropped. "So, we're just supposed to lie to her and then drop the truth on her later?"

"Her memory will come back in time," Ellis repeated.

"I don't want to lie to her."

"Overwhelming her is not good, either." The doctor spoke slowly, maintaining his patience perfectly. "It could lead to a stroke or heart attack. I understand that keeping things from our loved ones is hard, but sometimes, to keep them safe, we just have to."

Jane sighed, leaning his back against the wall. The doctor had a point. "Alright."

Dr. Ellis smiled. "Excellent."

"When will the psychiatrist meet with her?"

"This afternoon," Ellis replied.

Jane nodded. "Thank you, doc."

Ellis shook Jane's hand before turning and walking down the hall.

Jane fished his phone from his jacket pocket and flipped it open, sighing again. He dialed Grace's number and held the phone to his ear. Ring, ring...

"Van Pelt," Grace answered.

"She's awake," Jane announced right off the bat.

Several moments passed for Grace uttered a baffled response. "Seriously?"

"Yes, but her memory has faded a bit," he explained. "A psychiatrist is meeting with her today. The doctor thinks it would be best if we didn't mention..." He paused. "...the jump."

"But she's okay?" Van Pelt screeched. "She's awake? She'll be okay?"

Jane had to smile. "I think so."

Grace let out a girlish squeal and his smile widened. "That is great news!" she exclaimed. "Listen, Jane. We're just wrapping up a few interviews with the victim's family and we will be over there as soon as we're done!"

"I'll let her know."

"See you then!" And the line went dead.

When Jane returned to Lisbon's room, she was sipping at the paper cup of water Caroline must have brought her already. She looked up at him, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry I kind of... panicked."

He shrugged. "Understandable."

"I've calmed down a bit."

He sat down in the chair next to her bed. For a brief moment, he forgot all about how he was supposed to be angry with her for nearly taking herself from the world forever, but he couldn't help but notice that her color was slowly transforming back to normal, and the thought of her recovery was comforting to him. "That's good."

Her eyes dropped to her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Jane, the nurse told me that you weren't allowed to speak with me about the accident."

Accident?

It was no accident.

Did she honestly not remember wanting to take her own life, or was she just pretending in an attempt to avoid confrontation?

She would be receiving a confrontation no matter what. He would just wait until she was out of this place and she didn't have nurses and doctors watching her like a hawk.

"I respect that," she went on, though Jane knew this was a lie by the way her jaw tensed. "But... could you at least tell me why you can't talk about it?"

"They asked me not to. Plain and simple."

"It isn't simple at all."

He sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Lisbon. The doctors asked me not to say anything."

She snorted. "What, did you suddenly grow up in the last week and a half? Since when do you do what you're told?"

"Since discovering that doing what I'm told may keep you safe," he snapped. He snatched his jacket from the back of his chair, standing. He avoided her gaze, knowing her eyes would be filled with hurt and confusion. "I have to go, Lisbon." He turned on his heel and stalked toward the door, knowing that if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to help himself. He would confront her, possibly raise his voice a bit, and he knew it wouldn't be good for her. Not now.

"Jane. Wait!"

He stopped. "What?" he asked quietly but didn't turn.

"Are you coming back?" she asked him in a soft voice.

A guilty pang shot through his chest and he finally turned to face her. His prediction was correct. A painful look in her eyes. Chapped lips parted in a confused O shape. He had never witnessed her in such a vulnerable state. Are you coming back? Of course he was coming back. He shouldn't even be leaving in the first place...

He swallowed hard, slowly making his way back to his place next to Lisbon's hospital bed. He draped his jacket in its original place. He sat down in the chair, smiling softly at Lisbon for the first time since she woke up. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Lisbon's worried expression was traded in for a relieved smile. "Thank you, Jane."

Author's Note: Eh, kind of lame, I know. The next chapter will be better. I promise. In the meantime, I would love reviews.