During the ride back to Great Northen Hotel I leaned towards the window, my mind going back to what I'd told everyone.
Why did I have to tell them about Raccoon City? I want to forget all about what happened there but they still won't let me.
"Megan, is something wrong?" Dale asked me and I turned my head in time to see him looking directly at me. Which usually made me feel better but when I noticed his attention wasn't on the road I blinked. "Sorry." He added, turning his attention back to the road.
"Dale, I've been trying very hard since I woke up here in Twin Peaks to forget what happened to me in Raccoon City but no one will let me forget," I answered, thankful he was keeping his eyes on the road now though that didn't stop him from answering me.
"Megan, we're just trying to stop another disaster. I know it's painful but we need all the information we can get from you since there's no one else who can help us." Dale answered and I just sighed, knowing he was right though it wasn't helping me. When I didn't respond Dale frowned slightly, instantly knowing that I needed a few minutes of peace.
Once we arrived back at the hotel and after Dale had pulled into an empty parking space I climbed out of the car without waiting for the FBI agent to open my door. After I closed the door I straightened, looking up at the building as Dale followed me. Noting the frown on my face he shook his head and I turned my head when I felt a hand gently clasp my shoulder.
"I'm sorry that we've put you through all of this stress, Megan." Dale apologized and I sighed again, lifting my hand and he cracked a small smile when I covered his hand with my own.
"I understand why, Dale but it doesn't make it any easier on me. Still, at least we can prevent what happened to me from happening to anyone else." I replied after a pause, my free hand moving to my mouth when I felt a yawn coming on. "I was right. All that coffee didn't keep me awake for long." I mumbled and Dale just chuckled, standing behind me and I snorted as he placed his other hand on my shoulder gently pushing me towards the building's entrance.
Despite my protests, I could walk, well stumble anyway, Dale insisted on walking me back to my room even going so far as to unlock the door for me. "Dale, I appreciate the help but I'm more than capable of unlocking a door," I muttered and Dale shrugged leading me by the hand into the room before he pushed the door closed with his other hand. Now standing inside my hotel room I raised an eyebrow as he stood over me a faint smile on his lips. "You know I won't run away the second you leave me you know," I assured him and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"That doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence, Megan." Dale chuckled and I snorted, leaning back against the door with a faint smile on my lips.
"I wasn't trying to, Dale but I thought you trusted me enough to let me stay here on my own," I explained and Dale nodded after a long pause, patting my right shoulder. When his hand lingered on my shoulder I reached up covering his hand with my own. "Besides if you're that worried I'll run away give my room a call and see."
Dale left soon after and I sighed, closing the door before I made sure to lock it. As I stared at the door I couldn't help wondering if we could really stop an outbreak. Undressing down to just my shirt and pants I slipped into bed, hoping that this time I'd be able to sleep and not dream about the nightmare that brought me abruptly to Twin Peaks.
Sitting in his patrol car Dale stared at the windshield in front, lightly tapping his fingers over the steering wheel on the trip back to the Sheriff's department. "Megan, I hope you keep your promise and stay in your room." He muttered, knowing that he only had her word that she would she wouldn't wander away from her room.
At the same time that Dale returned to the sheriff's department, I was tossing and turning, finding that despite being exhausted I couldn't get to sleep.
"Figures that when I finally want to sleep I can't," I grumbled, pushing back the blanket covering me before I sat. "Maybe a hot shower will help me sleep." Once I climbed from the bed I headed for the shower, discarding my clothes along the way. Stepping under the hot spray of water brought a content sigh to my lips and as I started to wash my hair I wondered how long it would be until Albert contacted Dale.
"How's Megan doing, Coop?" Harry asked when the FBI agent walked into the conference room though Dale didn't answer until he sat in an empty chair.
"Megan said she's been having nightmares again. I know we need to ask her everything we can about Raccoon City but..." Dale trailed off with a sigh, leaning back in his chair for several seconds. "I don't feel right about doing this." He admitted and Harry leaned over when Dale straightened in his chair, giving the FBI agent a shoulder pat.
"Coop, at least we don't think Megan's crazy anymore," Harry said and Dale chuckled softly, glancing at the whiteboard for a moment. "Hopefully Albert will see that she's telling the truth." Harry finished, picking up his coffee cup. As I stepped from the shower, towel-drying my hair I sighed another dry towel wrapped around my body.
"Much better. Maybe now I can sleep a little better." I muttered to myself, crossing the room before I tossed the towels onto a pile beside my bed. Picking up my discarded pajamas I pulled them on and as I slipped into bed I yawned loudly, pleased that the hot shower had made me sleepy. As I closed my eyes my head resting on my pillow my last thoughts were of Dale and how he was doing right now.
I started to doze at the same moment Dale received a call from Lucy at the front desk. "Agent Cooper, Albert's on the line for you." She told him and Dale brightened, heading straight for the front desk with a grin on his face though as soon as he took the phone call he put on a serious face.
"Dale, the test results are in and your new girlfriend has lost her marbles. I went over the test results of the blood work from David Bell and while I will admit that Megan was right and that his blood is infectious there's no evidence that this infection caused any outbreak. Dale, after his body is disposed of you need to lock that woman up in a padded cell. She's clearly unstable." Albert explained, looking at the autopsy report and a small vial of the infected man's blood as he talked.
"Albert, Megan was telling the truth," Dale explained, going into detail about the dreams he and Megan had as well as the ones Harry and Deputy Hawk shared with them. "We need to make sure that this virus doesn't get into the town. Believe me, I've seen the aftermath and no one deserves to face that the third time."
"Dale, let me make myself clear if I haven't already. This zombie virus as she calls it doesn't exist, maybe in her addled mind, it does but not in reality. I don't know how she convinced you otherwise but that woman belongs in a padded cell or failing that on heavy medication." Albert finished and on the other end, he heard Dale muttering under his breath.
"Albert, I understand how crazy this sounds but I want you to come back to Twin Peaks," Dale said, cutting Albert off when he tried to argue. "If you're this convinced that Megan is lying confronting her and seeing the truth first-hand shouldn't be a problem." He added and after a long pause, Albert rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You're not going to let this go until I come down to that backwater town are you, Dale?" Albert asked and Dale grinned, already knowing the answer. "Fine but you owe me big time for this, Dale. Frankly, if I come out there and this is a wild goose chase I am being the one that will personally have Megan committed." When he hung up Dale let out a breath, looking over when Harry let out what sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"That was...wild. Never heard you talk back to Agent Rosenfield like that, Coop." Harry commented as Dale set down the receiver, running a hand through his black hair.
"I normally would trust Albert's judgment but after the things, I've seen and Megan's eye-witness account I'm willing to trust her more. I just hope that this time Albert actually chooses to trust her otherwise I'm not sure what we can do. We don't need a second Raccoon City in Twin Peaks." Dale commented, glancing towards the front entrance with a grimace when he recalled the last night before the zombies broke into the sheriff's department tearing them apart. When he saw Dale shudder Harry exchanged a look with Deputy Hawk who shrugged, not liking the way Dale clenched and unclenched his fists for several seconds.