Chapter 25

''How long until she wakes up?'' Steve asked when Jaime had been returned to the ICU cubicle.

''I'll keep her in electro-sleep for 24 hours,'' Michael explained, ''to allow the regeneration to 'take hold', then wake her slowly.''

''And did it...work?''

Michael smiled reassuringly. ''Everything went well, in as far as I can tell without her conscious help.'' He took one more look at the monitors and was gratified to see that his patient was stable. ''I'll check back in an hour, but ring if you need anything at all.''

Steve surprised Mark, Rudy, Oscar and especially himself when he rose to shake the young surgeon's hand. ''Thank you,'' he said sincerely before returning to his wife.

Rudy followed Michael into the hallway. ''This is a rough situation for everyone, having you here,'' Rudy told him. ''I know it has to also be rough on you - and I wanted to thank you for handling things so professionally, especially with Steve.''

''All part of the job,'' Michael said modestly.

''And your work in the OR was nothing short of amazing. Utterly groundbreaking.''

''You should probably save the praise until Jaime wakes up and we know that it worked...but thank you. That means a lot to me.''

By the next day, the combined efforts of the OSI and NSB had turned over no new leads in the search for Anna Kingsley or her movements for the last decade. They were not even able to confirm that she was alive. ''She's out there - and behind this - I just know it!'' Oscar fumed.

''If she is out there, we'll find her,'' Hansen vowed. ''Our contacts in the Soviet Union are still on this. We should hear something soon, if that's where she's been.''

''People don't just disappear off the face of the Earth!'' Oscar insisted.

''Oscar, we both know that sometimes...they do...''

Michael and Steve both watched Jaime's reactions closely as the technician slowly dropped the line voltage on the electro-anesthetic. ''Completely off now, Doctor,'' the tech announced, before removing the wires and leaving the room with his job completed.

''It could take awhile for her to surface,'' Michael told Steve (and Mark, in his usual corner seat out of the way). ''I've medicated her for the pain, so she may be groggy. Don't let that alarm you.'' When Jaime began to moan softly and show the first signs of coming to, Michael stepped back toward the monitors so Steve's face would be the first one she saw.

''Well, hello there, Sleepyhead,'' Steve said softly when Jaime finally opened her eyes.

Jaime struggled to focus. Where was she...and what had happened to her? Slowly, her vision cleared and so did at least some of the fogginess in her brain. She smiled back at her husband, squeezed his hand and then began the routine she knew by rote. ''I'm Jaime Austin...at National Medical-Los Angeles...but I don't know the date.''

''Very good,'' Michael said with a chuckle. ''How do you feel - any pain?''

''Loopy,'' Jaime told him. She didn't flinch when Michael took a step closer to the bed.

''We'll let you go back to sleep soon,'' he promised.

''Pencil and...finger...first?'' Jaime guessed.

''You know this routine better than I do,'' Michael acknowledged. Reactions very slow he noted to himself, but fully present. ''Now can you try to move your right arm for me, please?''

With just the slightest of tremors, Jaime raised her arm off the bed and obligingly touched her nose with her right index finger. ''How's...that?''

''That's excellent. And can you -'' Michael stopped and chuckled again as Jaime wriggled her toes. ''You don't need me here at all, do you?'' he joked.

''Had to...do this..too many times!''

Steve leaned in closer. ''Sweetheart, do you know why you're here?''

''Had...surgery.''

''Before that; what happened to bring you here?''

''Was...shot. Steve...Russ shot me! But...'' Jaime closed her eyes, willing the memory forward - and the men at her bedside waited silently, allowing her the time to gather her thoughts. When she looked up at them again, It was with a stark realization. ''His eyes...Russ' eyes...something...was wrong! They were like...Kingley's eyes.'' Mark leaned forward in his chair, almost expecting a flashback with that sort of memory - but Jaime was able to continue. ''It was like...he wasn't even there!''

Russ wished he could be absolutely anywhere in the world other than where he was. His own attorney had just told him that it might be in his best interest to simply cooperate and admit what he'd done. 'I don't remember' was one of the oldest defense tricks in the book but in this case it simply would not hold water. Russ knew he'd have a difficult (if not impossible) time pleading Guilty, No Contest - or even accepting a plea deal. His mind held no memory whatsoever of what they told him he'd done...so if he told the judge he had done it, wouldn't that be perjury?

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