Chapter Four

"Lynda has already offered to come over and watch Rose any time," Jaime told Steve the next morning as he was getting ready to go to work. "So if you need me..."

"Rosie needs you," Steve told her quietly, "and I'd rather have you here, where I know you're safe."

"Well, aren't we becoming a Grade-A chauvinist," Jaime teased.

"Only when it comes to the most important woman in my life," Steve said, kissing her goodbye. In truth, he would've loved to have Jaime by his side, working this case – and he definitely could use her help – but she didn't have her usual strength. If they ran into trouble, Steve knew his first thought would be toward defending her, instead of on the job at hand; neither one of them would be safe.

Jaime watched him leave then checked on Rose (who was sleeping peacefully) before she picked up the phone. "Rudy? It's me. Do you have time to stop over for coffee? I really need to talk to you...."

----

Steve had set up the cameras without expecting them to actually film anything – simply an added precaution, since no one would be stupid enough to actually break in – but the blinking red lights that greeted him told him he'd been wrong. Scarcely daring to believe it could be this easy, Steve set up the viewer and started rolling the tape. When he'd seen enough, he picked up the phone.

"Jack? I need to talk to you right away. It's about Oscar."

----

"I'm sorry, Honey," Rudy said gently, "but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Steve needs my help – Oscar needs my help! Please, Rudy!"

Rudy sighed. It was so hard to argue with her. "Even if I did agree to do this today, you'd need a day or two of bed rest to make sure your body can still handle full bionic power."

"That's fine," Jaime insisted. "Let's do it."

Rudy sighed again – audibly this time. "I'll make the arrangements."

----

Steve paced impatiently across the office until Hansen's arrival. "Did something happen?" Jack asked. "Is Oscar alright?"

"Something happened, alright," Steve said grimly, "but it has nothing to do with Oscar."

"Care to explain why you dragged me all the way over here on a lie, then?"

"You're the one who needs to explain," Steve shot back. "Let's start with you telling me how you knew I was here yesterday."

"I didn't," Jack said with a shrug. "I tried to call, hoping for some news from an agency that likes to withhold information it should be sharing and the switchboard told me all the lines were tied up. That tells me someone is answering the phone, putting calls on hold. So....I came right over."

"Alright, that's reasonable," Steve allowed. "But what about this?" He pressed 'play' on the tape machine and the split screen of two camera views flickered to life. Although the office had been dark, the infra-red lens clearly showed Jack Hansen opening the inner office door. After a shift to the other camera's view, Steve watched again as Jack's image on the screen walked straight over to Oscar's desk and began rifling through the drawers.

"Well?" Steve demanded, fully ready to grab the smaller man if he tried to run.

"You have so little trust in me that you had to set up a camera?" Jack demanded.

"You bet. What were you looking for, Jack?"

"I was just doing my job – which in this case is to keep Goldman safe. You and Wells seem intent on making that impossible, so I was looking for anything I could find to tell me where he is."

"So you could finish the job?" Steve concluded angrily.

"So I could do my job, you moron! I should be assigning round-the-clock protection for Goldman, but you people won't even confirm if he's alive or dead!"

"And that's your explanation for breaking in here in the middle of the night, for going through Oscar's private files?"

"It's the truth, dammit!" Hansen insisted. "And you're wasting time."

"I'm prepared to waste a whole lot of time," Steve concluded, "if that's what it takes. You aren't leaving here until I get some real answers."

"I out-rank you!"

"Not if you're under arrest!"

"On what charges?"

"We'll start with breaking and entering and go from there," Steve said, cuffing his adversary to the chair. "I can wait all night – or longer."

----

Jaime's procedure was over quickly. Knowing her determination to help her husband, Rudy had sedated her heavily and warned the nurses to keep an eye on her door. "If she opens it even a crack, call me immediately," he ordered.

Jaime listened from her bed as the doctor gave his orders and retreated down the hall to his office, then began fighting her way from half-asleep to a sort of groggy semi-awake-ness. As she struggled to her feet, her head swam crazily and she had to sit down and collect her bearings before getting herself dressed. Very quietly, she performed her own little series of bionic tests, bending the bed rail with one foot then bending it back with her hand. Everything appeared to be working. Satisfied, Jaime dizzily made her way to the window – and jumped.

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