Here is Chapter 5, I apologize for the delay.
Chapter 5: Girl Talk
After a week in the hospital, I was released. Jack wanted me to stay at his place so he could take care of me. After a year and a half, I'd pretty much been living with him anyway so most of my stuff was already at his house. Jack took some time off work but since he was Director, he had to go back. I was on my feet after a week home. My back started to heal and I was up and about. I did have some limitations. I had to abstain from certain physical activities, including exercise in more than one form. On my last day at the hospital, Dr. Moyer very calmly sat both Jack and I down and gave us the bad news that we had to abstain from intimate activity until told otherwise. He made the mistake of saying "Would that be a big problem?" and looked right at Jack, basically insinuating that because of his age, he wasn't all that active, which prompted a death stare from Jack and a stifled giggle from me. Jack and I were plenty active and this limitation wasn't going to be fun for us. Fortunately, the good doctor said it should only be for a couple of weeks. After we'd left, Jack turned to me and said "You asked me if I was mad at you. I wasn't before, but I am now." He was only partially kidding.
Once home, Sydney came over a lot to help out when she wasn't working and sometimes she'd bring Vaughn. The three of us would play board games or watch a movie while Jack was at work. I wasn't cleared to return to the office yet but I had been getting updates on the manuscript and whether it was getting any closer to being deciphered. Much to my disappointment, it wasn't.
There was also the issue of my reprimand for disobeying an order. It wasn't just any order, it came from the top and the CIA has always taken that type of action very seriously. Even more seriously since 9-11. It was like the military, you had a chain of command and it was in place for our protection. If an agent didn't follow the rules, national security could be compromised and you could put the lives of CIA agents at risk. I wasn't the first agent to ignore the rules but it didn't mean I was going to get away with it. I told Jack that I didn't want to be given any special treatment. Since my record had been exceptional up until this point, I was hoping the punishment wouldn't be too severe. During the first few weeks, Jack wouldn't talk much about what they were deciding and I didn't ask. He was much more interested in helping me recover and doting on me whenever he had the chance.
One night while Jack worked late, Sydney and I were cleaning up after dinner and I could tell something was bothering her. She was quiet and kept looking away from me.
Finally, she stood against the sink after finishing the dishes and spoke.
"You didn't see him, Brooke."
Confused, I replied, "What?"
She turned around, "You didn't see him. He thought you were dead. Do you even have any idea what you did to him? He told you to get out of the building. You didn't listen to him!" she snapped at me. I'd never heard her use that tone before.
"Sydney, I'm sorry. I didn't-"
She cut me off, "Don't. Just don't. I haven't seen him like that since…since"
"Since your mother." I said under my breath.
By now, she was looking square at me, "Yes. And I swore, I would never let anyone scare him like that again."
At this point, I was furious. It was like the pot calling the kettle black. I stood up.
"Excuse me? Scare him? You terrify him on a daily basis. Have you lost count how many times you've gone rogue or disobeyed an order and put your life at risk? All the while, I might add, he's constantly going above and beyond to protect you."
Sydney waved her hand in the air, "This isn't about me, Brooke."
I shook my head, "You just made it about you, Sydney. But you're right, I screwed up. I'm the one who scared the shit out of your father. And you have every right to be upset with me. But please don't give me that 'Sydney Bristow holier than thou' act when you and I both know, you've made the same exact mistakes."
She just stared at me. She knew I was right.
I put my hands on the island in the middle of the kitchen and shook my head, "I don't want to fight with you. I didn't do this to scare Jack. You've known me long enough to know how much I love your father. He's everything to me. Do you think I'm not scared about all of this?" I felt myself get choked up. "I'm prepared to accept whatever punishment I'm going to get because of it."
I turned around so she wouldn't see the tears beginning to form in my eyes.
She walked over and stood next to me, "I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you either. I just don't want Dad to lose you, it would kill him."
"He's not going to lose me. Ever"