The day broke when Dr. Ogden entered the morgue. For so many years, she knew the place perfectly. She did not turn immediately lighton, pacing the long corridor with a slow, leaving her hand barely touching the metal guardrail, cold and hard. The building should be empty at this still early hour because only her footsteps echoed. All was silent, asleep. Julia wondered within a second if her assistants were eager to leave it before she arrived. She sighed deeply. Inspector Brakenreid had to ask them to remove the body to autopsy the day before he had left her spend the night with her husband. William. Thinking about itm, the heart of Julia sank the space of a moment in her chest. What would he become now? She had had little time to talk with a doctor, she had not seen his wounded eyes, but her colleague was by no means confident. He probably never would see again. Julia, she wanted to believe he was mistaken. She wanted to believe in miracles, she knew William, she knew by what he had been throught. She knew all his trials, all his pain. She knew where every scar on his body was, she knew that each of them could have been the cause of the loss of her husband. And William was still alive, though.
In the darkness of the mortuary, feeling cold, dead, wrap her, Julia closed her eyes a moment. She put her hand on the tiles enamel and she sighed deeply.
-Everything will be alright, she murmured, William will be cure I know.
She stood there in the doorway of her office, eyes closed, silently praying in her head. Oh Doctor Ogden does not prayed anymore since a long time, she had lost all faith in the death of her mother when she was still a child. Since that day she had seen her die, she no longer believed in God. She had asked him for days, weeks, months to spare, to save her and her mother died one morning in November after months of illness. After that day, she had not prayed. She had tried, when she knew her death coming, in a coffin, when she was left alone in that cell before her execution. The day she left the hospital, barely holding up to find that she knew William was in the hands of Eva Pierce. Alone in the dark forest, unable to sleep and knowing that if she closed her eyes she could never wake up. All those times, she had wanted to pray for him, for them. But never the words came, she heard endlessly in her mind that little phrase "Do not pray, you will lose him I you do, remember what happened? The prayers will not protect him. Believe in him , believe in William. Believe in him only "
-I beg William you, Julia whispered, feeling a tear slide down her cheek, do not give up.
She remained still motionless a few seconds before opening her eyes again and take a breath. On the cuffs, she wiped her cheeks, she took off her hat and coat she hung the coat rack at the entrance to her office, then she finally turned on the light. She went down the two little steps to the m theater, where the autopsy table was. She looked at the body that was lying there, covered with a white sheet. She walked to the wooden furniture a little further to prepare her tools, then she placed them on the small shelf on wheels and she approached the body. After a final breath, she picked up the sheet and she went down on the chest of the man stretched. She looked at him a moment, feeling nausea. The man who had nearly killed her husband was there before her eyes and she could not help but hate him. Beyond hate, she felt for him was also a disgust of a different nature. The body was widely mutilated, burned almost full, with skin melted in places on the skeleton, scraps of skin hanging like rags end. This man wanted to end his life, she was sure. He had never intended to leave the bank alive and Doctor Ogden knew that her job was to help the police to find out why. So after a last breath, she went to work, concentrating on her task, hunting in a corner of her mind the thought of her husband lying in a hospital bed, forgetting the man who was in charge was on her autopsy table. She dissection carefully, as she had always done. She washed the body as well as she could, she took dental impressions, withdrew his chain and medallion he wore around his neck, she looked at his internal organs, then, she sewed and she covered cloth .
The sun was high in the sky when cleaning her instruments. She did it for a long time, much longer than she did in normal times, lost in thought, not wanting to leave the morgue and face reality again. She washed her hands and when she hung the towel over the sink, the door finally opened. She saw enter Miss James, she locked eyes.
-Good morning, Rebecca, she said quietly barely louder than a whisper.
-Good morning Doctor Ogden, I ... I did not know you were here, I thought ...
-It had to do the autopsy, gently cut Julia glancing towards further extended man, I just finished to bring the rapport to Inspetor Brakenreid.
-But why an autopsy was needed? He blew himself is evident and in front of the police.
Rebecca then saw the doctor look down, avoiding her gaze to put it on the floor a few moments, taking a deep breath.
-I' m sorry, murmured the young woman, I should not have to saythat, it was ... silly.
-I will make my report to the Inspector, replied Julia yet gently, could you put him in the cold room please? I do not know if I will come back today, if they need further analysis you can do them. I want to join William. He needs me.
-I understand, the woman nodded.
Julia then gave her a shy smile and headed for her office to take her business. She recrossed her coat, put her hat on her head and took the file she had just signed, then she left the morgue without turning, joining the police station quickly. She does not bother heading to the open space, heading directly to the office he Chief by the head of the small corridor in front of the door so that no one notices her. She was relieved to see that no one other than he was there. She knocked softly on the door and when he saw her, he make a sign to enter, she did and she closed the door behind her.
-So?
-Nothing more clearly what we knew, Julia replied, handing him the folder, he burned, splinters of the bomb were housed in several parts of his body, the explosive charge had to be strong for him inflict such damage, he lost part of his face and the medallion he wore around his neck was deeply melted into his flesh, I had a hard time removing it. This man committed suicide.
-When he saw that he would not have what he asked, grumbled Brakenreid sinking into his seat.
-He had meant before, said Julia.
-How can you say that?
-My intuition, we do not make it to a hostage to demand money, such a large sum, that we know that we will not have, not with so many explosives. He knew he was doomed.
-Murdoch said he understood that he had been fooled and he had done it for her.
-Who?
-We still do not know but we will find.
Julia just nodded and headed to the door again before taking the floor in the doorway.
-If you need additional analysis, ask Miss James, I come to my husband.
-Doctor? Inspector launched to get her attention before she leaves. Romart tried to save him. He told him to leave the building, I think he would not hurt him.
-The damage is done yet.
-It's Murdoch, we know him, in two days he will enter in the office and back to work.
-Inspector, burns are severe, it will take much more time.
-We keep his office in the state, do not worry. Go find him, he is going to need you.
-Thank you, Julia said simply before leaving the office and the police station without turning away again the hospital where her husband was.
The interview with Dr. Parks lasted several minutes the couple spent sitting on the bed of William, holding hands. The Detective Murdoch had insisted on leaving the hospital quickly and it was only thanks to the status of his wife that he had permission. Back at the hotel, he was going to need her constantly to move, dressing, feeding, bathing, and they slowly became aware.
-William, Julia murmured, stroking his cheek while Dr. Parks had left the room, do you realize that you will not be able to do anything alone?
-In first, the first two days, perhaps. But then the sight will return and everything will be as before. The Inspector can be without you two days.
-William, Julia insisted in a breath, I am afraid that this will take much longer and harder and I could not be ...
He then cut off carrying his hand to her face. Although not seeing, Julia was surprised he seemed to know exactly where she was. His hand felt where it always failed, his thumb on her lips, his finger behind her ear. He tenderly pulled her against him and she saw him in a heartbeat. Then his thumb drew the outline of her lips and landed a short second on the tip of his nose. He approached a little more. She felt his breath on her mouth, she opened it, she can not help but feel her breathing quicken and William smiled. Here is what he had expected to feel, the warm breath of Julia mingle with his, so he could see her before him. He knew her face in every detail, he did not need to see with his own eyes. Many were the times he had closed his eyes, thinking of her, he knew exactly how her body molded to his, the distance between her ear to her nose, her fine lips, the height of her forehead. Now that their breath was no longer that he knew precisely how many millimeters he would approach her to kiss her. When William's nose brushed hers, Julia closed her eyes. She wanted to fight, tell him that she would not succumb to his charm, that it was out of the question that he diverts the conversation, but she could not. William's lips touched hers. She felt that delightful shock in her whole body, that infinite fullness, this incomparable feeling to be where she was to be, in her place, in the arms of the man she loved. The tongue of her husband slipped on her teeth and she let him in, feeling how hard he led the dance. William's other hand rested on her thigh and she gave a low moan of pleasure. He felt her shudder and without stopping to kiss her, he smiled. All his senses were aroused, perhaps he couldn't see, but the taste of his wife never had also looked delicious, the sound of her moans had never reasoned so melodiously, her fragrance literally bewitched him and the skin of her neck had never seemed so soft and fine under his fingers.
-William, Julia whispered, breaking the kiss out of breath, do not ... do not distract me. We have a very serious conversation and ...
-Let's go home, please, do we continue this "conversation" in our bedroom, William replied before kissing her again with delicacy and passion at once.
to be continued...