Steve shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He had not seen Shane since yesterday morning and he was beginning to wonder if Shane had just decided to leave him there. A few soldiers had come by to see Deakins the previous evening. From what Steve could understand, it sounded like Deakins' unit was heading out and Deakins would be joining them when he had completed his recovery from the gunshot wound. Steve had tried to thank the soldiers for helping him, but to a man they had repeated Deakins' comment - it was just their job. Deakins was now off somewhere doing physical therapy of some sort, leaving Steve alone in the ward.
Of course, aside from those conversations with the soldiers and a few idle chats with Deakins, Steve had mostly been left alone with his thoughts anyway. The doctors had apparently taken his threats seriously and Steve had not seen any of them again. Orderlies had been by to bring him food and some oral medications, but otherwise gave Steve a wide berth.
When Steve had gotten up to find a bathroom, one had approached him. Steve didn't know if he had intended to help or intended to keep Steve from getting up and he didn't care. One look from Steve had sent the orderly in retreat. Steve had watched the man follow him to the bathroom, keeping a safe distance. Steve knew he was in no condition to be much of a threat, so he assumed that Shane's warnings must have done the trick. But, whatever it was, Steve didn't care. He had spent months locked up and unable to do anything without the constant threats of beatings or restraint. He was damned if he was going to ask an orderly for help to use the bathroom. He was still capable of handling some things on his own, even if the effort had exhausted him.
On some level, Steve knew he was being a little unreasonable about the doctors, but most of him just didn't care. He didn't know them and he damn well didn't trust them. He had been pretty out of it when he had arrived at the hospital, but that didn't mean he didn't remember the way they had tossed him on the exam table, held him down, and then kept him there as they "examined" him. In many ways, their examination had felt little different from the ones in the places he had been kept over the last few months and, at times, Steve had been unsure whether he had actually escaped the compound or not. But now he knew he was free, and nobody was going to use him as a guinea pig anymore.
Steve had spent most of his time drifting in and out of sleep. Inevitably, he would awaken in the midst of another nightmare. But even with that, it was the most uninterrupted sleep he had enjoyed in a long time.
Then there was the hospital food. If Steve had not been half-starved, he would have declared the British hospital food inedible. But nine months of being fed scraps of things Steve didn't want to think about had made the hospital meals look like a five-star meal. Even though it had only been about 36 hours since he left the compound, the rest, food, and relatively safety of the hospital had Steve feeling vaguely human again. And that was something he had not felt in longer than he could remember.
Steve's thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see Shane approaching. "Good evening, Captain Donovan," Steve said with an edge to his voice. "I guess you didn't just leave me here after all."
Shane stopped beside the bed and sat down. He grimaced a bit and then said, "Of course I didn't leave you here, Steve. If you want to know, I've been trying to make the necessary arrangements to get you out of here."
"It's about time, dude. So when do we head home?"
"We're not going back to Salem, Steve. Not yet. As I told you before, it's too dangerous. Whether or not you like it, you're in no condition to protect yourself from Alamain's people," Shane said. Before Steve could protest further, Shane continued, "And it's not just about you. Going back to Salem would put Kayla and Stephanie in danger as well."
Steve wanted to argue, but knew he couldn't. Shane was right; he was in no physical condition to protect himself or his family. With a sigh, Steve said more evenly, "Okay, if I'm not going home, where are you sending me?"
"I'd like you to come to Donovan Manor and stay there for awhile. It's fully secure and, once there, you can recover and regain your strength."
"Donovan Manor?" Steve scoffed. "What is that? Your family estate with hounds and horses and all that proper British stuff?" Steve asked, mimicking Shane's British accent.
"Yes, it's my family's home," Shane said, ignoring Steve's needling. "So? Can I get you to agree on that? Otherwise, you'll be here for the duration."
"What about Kayla and Stephanie? I'm not going anywhere until I know I'm going to see them."
"I've arranged for an ISA plane to bring Kayla and Stephanie to Donovan Manor," Shane replied. "With any luck, they should arrive the day after we do."
"So you've told Kayla that you found me? What did she say?" Steve asked, a little afraid of the answer.
Shane hesitated a moment. "No, I haven't told her yet, and I don't intend to tell her until she arrives in England. I intend to call her before we leave on our transport early tomorrow morning."
"If you don't tell her, how can you be sure she'll come?" Steve asked, doubting Shane's plan.
"Don't worry, I'll convince her, and I'll make sure she brings Stephanie," Shane said sharply.
Steve felt like he was missing something, but was suddenly too tired to care. Shane said that he would get Kayla and Stephanie to Donovan Manor and he hadn't let him down yet. "Okay, Donovan, you win. I'll go to the estate. Hell, maybe I'll even learn to drink tea."
That caused Shane to chuckle. "Good. Our transport leaves at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, so get some sleep. And please try not to threaten any more doctors."
"If they leave me alone, dude, I'll leave them alone," Steve said with a grin. Then his face grew serious. "Hey, Shane. Deakins said you had a picture of Stephanie with you. Can I see it?"
Steve saw a strange look pass across Shane's face, but then Shane reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture. He looked at it for a moment and Steve could have sworn Shane looked sad. Then Shane gave a small smile and handed the picture to Steve.
"It was taken last Christmas. She's changed a bit since then," Shane said as Steve took the picture from his hand.
Steve's breathing quickened, and he felt his chest constrict as he looked at his little girl in Eve's arms. Even though the picture had been taken just a couple of months after he had left them, she still seemed to have changed so much. He could hardly imagine how different she must look now.
"I guess you must have spent Christmas with the Brady's, huh?" Steve asked, still staring at the picture.
"Yes. It was nice for Andrew to see the family. Look, why don't you hold onto that picture for a while. I, um, can get it back when you see Stephanie for real."
"Thanks, man. I can't wait to see her and Kayla."
"I'm sure," Shane said. "Before I go, there's one more thing we need to discuss. You need to understand that this entire mission and your rescue must remain a secret. I'll give Kayla the basic information, but it's of the gravest necessity that nobody else knows anything about it. I'm working on a cover story to use when we return to Salem."
"More ISA secrecy, huh?" Steve rolled his eyes.
"Actually, yes. Egypt's a friendly nation to the West, and it would not sit well with them to discover that we invaded their country, even if it was only to destroy Alamain's compound. Therefore, it is utterly critical that nobody ever find out that the ISA was involved in your rescue."
"Fine," Steve said. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal, but I promise I won't say a word, dude. Happy?"
"As long as I have your word, yes," Shane replied. With that, Shane stood and headed for the door. "See you in the morning, Steve."
"Yeah. You too, Shane," Steve replied.
Two more nights, Steve thought. One more night here and another in England, and he would be with his wife and daughter again. That thought put a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.