Thank you to everyone who continues to stick with me and especially to those who take the time to leave a review. I really, really appreciate it! As always, huge thanks to N for her continued support and feedback!
Alerted by the sound of a single gunshot and the ensuing blood-curling scream, Lee took off at a full run, sliding to a stop by the closed door. Trying the handle and feeling it hold steadfastly, he took his weapon and fired into the lock until the door sprang open. Rushing inside without regard for his own safety, he came to a sudden halt at the scene that greeted him. Sharkey was the next through the door. His barely audible "Holy Mother of God", as he came up behind the captain summed up Lee's thoughts exactly.
Lying on the floor next to her right foot was a Glock 21. Standing in front of a slumped over and badly bleeding Admiral Nelson, hands covering her mouth, was a very hysterical Angie Moreira. It didn't take much to figure out what had transpired.
Lee went to the woman and gently placed his arm around her shoulders, slowly guiding her towards the door, and then passing her off to Kowalski, who hastily holstered his weapon. Briefly meeting the gaze of Monty Jacobs, Lee wordlessly conveyed everything in one look before turning his attention back to Nelson and Chief Sharkey, who was on his knees next to the man, looking back at him with disbelief and shock.
Will Jamieson brushed past the two men and went directly to the admiral, kneeling on the floor next to him, his fingers immediately searching for a pulse while he did a quick visual assessment of the cut above his left eye.
Lee knew well enough to stay out of Jamie's way. If there was anything he could do, the CMO would tell him. Right now he was silently running through every prayer he knew.
Looking up at an anxious Lee Crane, Jamieson said, "I have a pulse. It's weak but it's definitely there. Sharkey," he barked, "help me get him onto his back."
Standing around had never appealed to Francis Sharkey; standing around watching the admiral's administrative assistant have a meltdown while the admiral bled out was even less appealing. Quickly, he went to Jamie's side then hesitated, afraid to touch the unconscious man. "Tell me what to do, doc."
Jamie had one hand on Nelson's shoulder and the other behind his head. "Take his legs and gently shift him that way," he pointed with his chin, "and then we can ease him onto the floor." Slowly the two men moved him but not before Nelson coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Damn it! What's the ETA on that medivac?"
Jacobs, still standing in the doorway, called out, "Three minutes." One of the tactical team came up to the agent and pulled him aside. As soon as the man left, Jacobs leaned back inside. "Lee, a minute please."
Lee didn't want to leave but he knew there was nothing he could do. Two long strides and he was standing next to Jacobs, arms crossed and chewing on a fingernail as he continued to watch Jamie work on the admiral.
"They're gone. Just as we feared, they spotted the helicopter and cleared out before we got here. Depending on how much lead time they have on us, I've got my guys working with eyes in the air to see if we can find them. They'll most likely be traveling at a high rate of speed and at this time of night, we should be able to spot them."
Letting his gaze track just over Jacobs' left shoulder to Kowalski standing just outside the door, awkwardly comforting a still distraught Angie, Lee heard what Jacobs was saying without really comprehending. Rocking back and forth in Kowalski's arms, muttering "I killed him" over and over, Lee knew that the woman they'd known as Angie Moreira was irrevocably lost. It was obvious to everyone except probably the admiral that she adored the man. They'd once joked that she was his 'work wife' and neither had denied it. She knew the man almost as well as he knew himself. Seeing her body shake from waves of grief, Lee's heart ached for her. Even if the admiral lived, Angie would never be the same again. Honestly, how did anyone come back from something like this?
Looking around, Lee realized that Jacobs was no longer in front of him. He'd started to head outside to check on the helicopter when Kowalski caught his attention.
Catching his captain's eye, Kowalski pointed at Miss Angie's arm. He'd grown up in a tough neighborhood around kids who'd used drugs. He saw enough to know the signs and Miss Angie definitely had them. LSD or something like it was his guess and the needle mark on her arm definitely confirmed his suspicion that she'd been injected with something.
Lee immediately understood the gesture and nodded to Kowalski. She'd been drugged. That didn't help the situation but at least it explained it. And he knew first-hand what that was like. He'd once tried to kill the admiral while under the influence of a mind-altering drug. No real harm had come to the man but just the thought of what he'd tried to do had shaken Lee to the core for quite some time. Still, both he and the admiral knew it was a risk that sometimes came with the job. But Angie? She shouldn't have been exposed to this kind of danger. She should have been tucked away safe and sound at the Institute. Shaking his head, his expression grim, he leaned his back against the wall and silently cursed.
Back inside room one, Will Jamieson pressed his hand over the gunshot wound. "Sharkey, look through my bag and find me a piece of plastic and some tape. Something about the size of your hand will work." The lack of a shirt made it much easier for Jamie to see the bubbles of blood seeping from the hole in the upper right quadrant of Nelson's chest. Puzzled, he ran his hand again over his back, expecting but finding no exit wound. "Bullet is still in there too."
"Here you go." Sharkey handed it over and then sat back on his heels, watching as Jamie removed his hand, applied the plastic over the wound, and then motioned for the chief to hold it down while he wiped away some of the blood and applied the tape. "What's that for?"
"He's got a collapsed lung. This keeps air from escaping. I don't know how the bullet missed the subclavian but it did otherwise he'd be dead by now." Jamie paused to check the admiral's breath sounds, satisfied the seal was working for now. Doing a quick assessment of his unconscious patient, his mind cataloging the blood encrusted cuts at the base of his neck and down his chest, the bruising on his wrists, his gaze came to rest on the make-shift tourniquet around Nelson's upper left thigh. He'd been so concerned with getting the open chest wound addressed and there had been so much blood, he'd almost missed the leg wound. Cutting away the fabric and exposing the wound then leaning in for a better look, he shook his head in disgust. "Jesus Christ, what the hell did they do to him? Hand me two packets of gauze and the compression bandage." He could tell by the size and the shape of the wound that this had been done by a knife. A big knife. Luckily, whoever did it had completely missed the femoral artery but judging by the dark red blood, probably nicked the great saphenous vein as well as the nerve. Holding out his hand, Sharkey had the packet of gauze ready before Jamie could even ask. Trying to offer a reassuring smile to the chief, he said a quick, "thanks," before tearing open the package and applying the dressing. "Chief, can you gently elevate his leg?"
Sharkey did as asked. "Like this?"
"Yes, like that. You'll need to hold it like that until we can get him on a stretcher. Can you do that?"
"If it saves his leg or his life, I'll do whatever you need me to do from now until kingdom come."
Doc patted the chief's shoulder for reassurance. Francis Sharkey had only been part of Seaview's crew for a short time but ever since their recent adventure on an island inhabited with prehistoric creatures, one in which Sharkey had broken his leg, he and the admiral had become good friends. And Sharkey had made it his responsibility to look out for the admiral. Hell, Jamie thought, he wouldn't be surprised if Sharkey somehow felt responsible for this.
Hearing the reverberating thump of the medivac helicopter overhead, the walls shaking from the noise, Jamie sat back on his heels and took in a deep breath then slowly, quietly let it out. "Okay, I've done all I can do with what I have. Let's hope it's enough."
-xxx-
As the medics secured Nelson to the stretcher and carried him to the waiting helicopter, Jamieson followed behind, stopping when he saw Captain Crane waiting off to the side. Jamie was struck by how helpless the officer looked. He needed something to do. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to like what Jamie had to say.
Resting a hand on the skipper's arm, Jamie said, "I'll ride in the chopper with him. They're taking him to Los Gatos. Jacobs says it's a good hospital. He's going to alert them that we're coming and tell them to keep it under wraps. He doesn't want this getting into the press."
Lee nodded his understanding and took a step towards the chopper, only to be stopped by Jamie.
"Captain, no, you need to go with Angie." As Lee started to protest, Jamie cut him off. "Jacobs has an ambulance on the way to transport her. I don't know what they gave her so I can't give her anything to counter it. She'll just have to ride it out. But in the meantime she needs to be around people she knows. You, Kowalski, Sharkey, she's going to need support from all of you."
"Doc, you don't think she might…" Lee couldn't even say the words.
"I don't know. You know as well as I do how close she is to him. The drug is intensifying her emotions so the grief she's feeling now could become despair later and," he hesitated before continuing. "I don't want to think about what she could do while it's in her system. Once the drug wears off, I'm not sure how she'll react. She may not remember or she might. And if she does, then I don't want her to be alone."
One of the medics leaned out the door and called out to Jamie, "Sir, we're ready to go."
"On my way," Jamie said before turning back to Lee. "See you in Los Gatos."
Lee gave him a pat on the arm. "Take care of him, Will."
His mouth set in a tight line, Doc nodded and then climbed aboard, taking a seat next to his patient. Turning back around, he caught one last glimpse of Lee, standing stoically despite the dust kicking up around him, and smiled bittersweetly. It was the first time the captain had ever called him by his first name.
Lee looked on as the helicopter lifted off, cleared the trees and quickly disappeared into the eastern sky. Walking back to join Jacobs, he glanced around the grounds. At some point during the night a white van had arrived on the scene.
"I'm turning the scene over to the forensic guys. They're going to process it and let me know what they find. I've got an ambulance for the girl and I traded the truck for a sedan so I can take you and your guys to the hospital."
"I'm going to ride with her." Lee's attention was now fixed on Angie, her face turned into Kowalski's shoulder.
Jacobs followed his gaze. "I'm sorry, Lee. If we had gotten here sooner, maybe we could have…"
Lee waved the man off. It was too late for regrets.
"You think she'll be okay?"
Seeing the flashing lights of the approaching ambulance, Lee was grateful they weren't blasting the siren. Slowly turning toward Jacobs, Crane felt deflated. Shaking his head, he said simply, "no, I don't," and walked away.
-xxx-
The ambulance arrived at the hospital in Los Gatos almost forty minutes after the helicopter had landed. With the admiral in surgery, Will had been waiting in the bay when they'd brought her in. The last time he'd seen her she'd still been quite upset. Now her gaze was transfixed and unblinking, as if she were in a trance.
Lee followed behind the stretcher, meeting a very grim-faced Will Jamieson once he was inside. "How's the admiral," was the first question out of his mouth.
"They took him straight into surgery." There was more but Jamie wasn't ready to tell Lee just yet. He needed to know how his other patient, the one he could help, was. "How's Angie?"
Lee knew he was purposely being distracted and while he was very worried about the admiral, he knew there wasn't anything he could do but wait. At least he felt a small amount of relief that he was in surgery. Angie was a more immediate concern. "She bottomed out once we were on the way. Maybe the drug is wearing off?"
"I don't know. Could just be an effect of the drug." Running his hand through his thinning hair, Jamie sighed. "It's so hard to say without knowing what she was given."
Overhearing part of the conversation, Jacobs, along with Sharkey and Kowalski, joined the two men. "Dr. Jamieson, I think this might help." He held up a plastic bag containing a syringe. "There was a vial too but the lab is processing it. We found them in a second room that had been used to carry out some of the torture. There were chains hanging from the ceiling, and some kind of motorized pulley system used to raise them."
"I noticed bruises on his wrists," Jamie added.
"Yeah, in their attempt to get information from him I think they made him watch whatever they did to her. And judging by the amount of blood we found and the drag marks, it's where Harry was stabbed." He handed the bag with the syringe over to Jamieson. "That's evidence too but I managed to get it released into my custody. I don't know if it will help but maybe you can check it? I know I'm stating the obvious but wear gloves when you handle it."
The more details that emerged, the more disgusted Lee grew. "Do you think Lydia Parrish was behind this?"
Jamie glanced from one man to the other. "Parrish? You think a woman did all this?"
Jacobs stuck a hand in his pocket. "I do. Has all the earmarks of a very vengeful woman. And she has reason to be vengeful towards Harry."
Kowalski looked disgusted. "Begging your pardon sirs, but I understand her having a vendetta towards the admiral. I was at Weymouth with him; I saw the look on her face when he spoiled her plan. But Miss Angie? She never hurt nobody."
Jacobs smiled. It was obvious by his concern that the young man had a bit of a crush on the woman. "Yeah, well, unfortunately for her, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Quickly turning his attention to Jamieson, he asked, "How's Harry? Any word?"
Jamie shook his head. "No, they're supposed to page me when he's out of surgery. I think it'll be a while." He looked at Lee then looked away but it was too late.
"What is it? He made the trip okay, right?"
Jamie frowned. "He crashed just before we landed. It was probably a minute before we got him back. I thought for sure we'd lost him."
"But he was alive when you landed?"
"He was alive."
"Doctor Jamieson?" the question came from a nurse. "We have Miss Moreira settled. She's in exam room four."
"Thank you." Turning back to the anxious men, he said, "I asked if I could examine her. Thought it might be better if it were someone she knew rather than an unfamiliar face. Wait here."
-xxx-
She alternated between freezing cold and burning heat, and when she closed her eyes, all she saw was blood. So much blood. His blood. All over the floor. He'd tried to kill her. No, he hadn't touched her. That was just what she'd been told. The blood spread across his chest like a flower, a rose. A beautiful, red rose. Like the roses in the rose garden at the old mission in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara, that's where she lived. That's where he lived. Admiral Nelson. How could he be alive?
The thoughts came, one after the other, battering her mind like an uzi assault, and then they stopped, leaving in their wake a throbbing headache. Checking her surroundings, she started to panic when she realized she was alone in another room. Lost on her was the realization that this was not the same place; that the room was a pristine, antiseptic white, the bed was comfortable and clean, and she was being fed intravenous fluids to aid with her severe dehydration and antibiotics to stave off any infection. All she understood was that she could not raise her arms. She was someone's prisoner once again.
"How do you feel?"
The voice sounded tinny but familiar. Turning her head a bit too fast, she closed her eyes against the wave of dizziness.
Will Jamieson removed the restraints on her wrists and picked up an emesis basin, setting it on the bed beside her. "Just in case you need this."
The face swam in and out of focus but she recognized it. And for the first time in days, she felt relief. She thought she had asked if she were safe but the words she spoke sounded foreign to her. Judging by his reaction, they weren't very clear to him either.
"Angie, you're in a hospital. You're safe now." Will took a chance and gently rested his hand on her arm.
His voice and the soft touch of his hand soothed her, made her relax. When he rose to leave, she reached out. "No, stay, please?"
"I need to step outside but I'll make sure someone is with you all the time, okay?"
She nodded and let go of his hand.
As Will started to go, something caught his eye. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd had on when she left the conference that fateful morning. The skirt was smudged with dirt and wrinkled and torn in places but the blouse hadn't fare nearly as well. Several buttons were missing, the hem torn and frayed, and around the right shoulder, a splotch of blood. He'd thought at first it had been the admiral's blood but why in just that one place? Something was off. "Angie, do you might if I look at your shoulder?" Other than ordering several blood tests and the IVs, Doc hadn't done a complete examination yet. He'd been too concerned with how she would react with the drug still in her system. He wasn't sure who had ordered the restraints but give how unpredictable the effect of the mysterious drug could be, he suspected it was a merely a hospital precaution.
His face was swimming again, with vertical lines running up and down like an out of tune television. She hoped she was telling him no but she couldn't be sure.
Luckily, Jamie was good at interpreting facial expressions and slight gestures. Leaning in, he gently pulled away the soiled fabric to reveal a crude, half-moon cut that looked like the skin had been peeled back. "Angie, do you know what this is?"
Angie slowly turned her head to the side, straining to see what he saw. As recognition hit her, she began to cry. "No, no more. Please." The violent sobs wracked her body, making her shake violently.
Jamie sat on the bed next to her, comforting her as best he could as she curled against his side. "It's okay," he said softly. "No one is going to hurt you anymore. You're safe now." As he spoke, he gently ran his hand over her back, soothing her as well as checking for any additional wounds. As the sobs began to subside, he reached around her for several tissues and offered them to her. "I'd like to x-ray your shoulder, okay? If there's something still in there then we need to get it out."
She accepted the tissues and pressed them against her nose and eyes. "She did that. She had a scalpel and she cut into my skin. She put something in there because when she was done," she closed her eyes again, shaking her head from side to side, unable to continue.
"She hurt you, didn't she?"
"Yes."
"Her name is Lydia Parrish. She was after the admiral," he didn't get to finish. As soon as Will mentioned the admiral, she became inconsolable.
"Oh, God, no! No, no, no, I killed him! I shot him in cold blood! I saw him fall! He's dead and I killed him!"
"Angie, no, you didn't kill him. He was still alive when we found him. You didn't kill him." Jamie held onto her wrists tightly, keeping her from lashing out, and repeated the words several times until she finally comprehended what he was saying and calmed down.
"He's alive? But there was so much blood."
"He was alive when we found him. We got to him quickly and he was flown to the hospital, this hospital. He's in surgery now and doctors are doing everything they can to save him."
She swallowed and sniffed and accepted more tissues. "She did terrible things to him." More tears welled up. "She tried to make him talk but he wouldn't. He didn't tell her anything and that made it worse."
"Is that why she hurt you? To make him talk?"
Angie nodded. "I think so. I didn't talk either."
Jamie held her a little tighter. "You're a very brave girl, you know that?"
She shook her head adamantly. "I'm not. I shot Admiral Nelson. I'm not brave at all." And she broke down again.