Chapter 3

Jaime was more than ready. She'd been thinking about this meeting for days before she mentioned it to Steve. She knew how he'd react but for her this confrontation wasn't just an idea in her head that she thought might be good; it was essential. Jaime was nobody's victim- not anymore - and she needed to prove that to Michael...and to herself.

Doctor Corinth had no trouble implanting the (temporary) listening device in Jaime's ear, thanks to Rudy's calm, expert guidance. Rudy himself was doing better each day. He was still hospitalized (probably would be for some time) but that morning the cardiac team had finally come up with an answer - and now they knew what they were looking at and how best to treat their patient. A new test on Rudy's blood sample, taken soon after the third cardiac incident, had shown a higher than therapeutic level of Digoxin. While this drug (in smaller doses than Rudy had been given) was often used to treat conditions such as his, Rudy's cardiologist had written a detailed protocol - a treatment plan to be followed in his care - and Digoxin was not listed. It hadn't been prescribed for him in any dosage and should not have shown up in his blood. And the higher dosage that he'd apparently been given could cause a cardiac 'incident' like the one he'd experienced.

Even though it had almost been expected, everyone was stunned by the news - and Jaime was devastated but all the more determined to get Michael to talk to her and give them more evidence that could be used at his Tribunal. Finally, it was time. Oscar, Russ, Mark Conrad, Jack Hansen and Steve sat tensely around a speaker in Jack's office on the 4th floor. At first, Michael had only been told that a visitor was coming. He'd demanded to have his attorney present...until they told him who the visitor would be; then he'd insisted on seeing her alone. He was shackled much the same way he'd been in the judge's chambers: wrists and ankles, with both sets of restraints secured to the metal bench. He would be unable to get up or to touch Jaime in any way...and she'd been warned repeatedly not to get too close.

Jaime found herself beginning to tremble as she walked down the stairs to the NSB basement and down the long hallway toward The Hole. She asked the guard to give her a few minutes to collect herself, as she didn't want Michael to see her showing any fear or trepidation. Soon enough, she was ready. The guard opened the cell door, let Jaime step inside and then closed and locked it behind her. She was alone with the man who had tried to kill her in the name of love. She stood and simply stared for a long couple of moments, stunned by how far he'd fallen from the talented young doctor who'd shown so much promise for the future...to the man who sat before her in shackles.

''I was hoping you'd come,'' Michael told her, meeting Jaime's questioning look with a steady gaze of his own...one that made Jaime's skin crawl.

''We need to talk,'' she asserted.

''He's really got you under a spell...doesn't he?'' Michael asked softly. (Up in the makeshift control room, Steve bristled.)

''Excuse me?'' Jaime retorted.

''Austin. I know you'd never set me up on your own. You didn't really want to do that. Somehow, he made you.''

''No one forces me to do anything, Michael,'' Jaime answered in a cool, quiet voice.

''Come a little closer,'' he invited. ''Please?''

Upstairs, Steve clutched the microphone. ''Don't do it, Jaime!'' he instructed.

Michael was oozing charm from every pore. To Jaime, he almost seemed like the 'old' Michael - and she had to force herself not to feel sorry for his predicament. She moved cautiously toward him, stopping just out of his (very short) reach. Michael smiled; he almost had her! ''Come and sit next to me...and I'll tell you anything you want to know,'' he promised. She stood her ground (exactly as Michael knew she would) and seemingly to emphasize his point, he gestured with his head and with his hands (as much as he could move them), inviting her closer. Somehow, he managed to catch the chain around his neck and (even though he could breathe perfectly well) he began to make strangled, choking sounds.

''Michael?'' Jaime asked in a quivering voice, finally stepping directly next to him. Michael continued to 'gasp for air', pointing to the chain around his neck.

''Sweetheart, what's happening?'' Steve called out from Hansen's office.

Jaime didn't answer him. Panicked that he might choke to death on 'her' watch - and without stopping to think it through - she reached over and broke the chain that secured Michael's wrists to each other and to the bench. Immediately, he grabbed her with a vise-like grip, yanked her onto his lap and (before she even had a chance to cry out) wrapped both hands around her throat and began to squeeze. The angle he held her at meant that she could only feebly kick backwards. Jaime's right arm flailed out, trying to connect and disable him somehow but with her back to him she was unable to connect...and she felt herself beginning to black out.

Michael leaned in close to Jaime's left ear and whispered too softly for the device to pick up. ''If you want a breath of air - ever again - you'll reach down and break my leg chains. And you'd better do it now.''

With no answer from Jaime and no discernible sound coming through the speaker except the rattling of Michael's chains, Steve threw down the mic and headed for the basement at bionic speed. He found the cell door open, with the guard lying unconscious just outside The Hole.

Michael...and Jaime were gone.