Lost and Found

by Selective scifi junkie

At the British Eurotunnel Terminal on the first day of half term, a car is found to be a drugged, bound, bloodied man. Section D are called in, but time is not on their side. Might they have seen this man before? Set early in series 6, so team consists of Adam, Ros, Jo, Connie and Malcolm. The T is for strong violence, more is discussed and implied than seen. Details inside.

39. London 1:35 AM

28/11/07
1:35 AM
London

Jo woke with a start. Someone had screamed.

Where was she? What was going on?

She sat up.

Home. She was home. It was dark, she was in bed. Someone had screamed.

She turned on her bedside light. She heard someone moving, stumbling as though half asleep. Zaf. He'd screamed. He was heading down the hall. She got out of bed. What if he didn't know where he was? She stuck her head out of her bedroom door.

He'd gone in to the bathroom. She heard him retch, he was being sick. Oh God, poor Zaf. He'd woken up screaming and now he was being sick. Jo crept towards the bathroom door. He hadn't closed it. The light was on. She heard the toilet flush, then the tap running. She looked round the door. Zaf was standing at the sink, gripping it with both hands, his face was dripping water, his eyes were closed, his chest was heaving. He was shirtless. There were little circular burn scars all up his forearms and scattered over what she could see of his chest, and muscle had just fallen off him since she'd last seen him topless. She stood for a moment, just looking at him.

What was she supposed to do? Did she talk to him? Did she go and try to comfort him? He'd been sick. She turned and went to get him some water. She pulled a mug from the draining rack, she heard him splash his face again, and filled the mug with water. The bathroom tap stopped running. She went back towards the bathroom.

He heard her. He was still standing at the sink, gripping the edges, leaning on it, breathing hard, but he turned his head slightly to look at her as she came in.

"I'm okay." He said. "I'm okay." She didn't believe him. He'd woken up screaming and then been sick.

"Here." She held the water out to him.

"Thanks." He took it and rinsed his mouth. He looked up at her again. "Seriously Jo, I'm alright. It's not nice, but it's over quickly." He took a mouthful of water. He was still panting a bit.

"Does that happen a lot?"

He shrugged. "Sleep with earplugs in. You actually need to be up in the morning." She stood and looked at him, not knowing what to say. "Go back to bed. I'm fine."