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Chapter 8: Stop the Time
It's half past midnight when I finally leave Jane's room. I am beyond exhausted. Rigsby, Cho and Grace have left as they start with their investigations tomorrow early morning. Next of kin aren't allowed to stay with the patient in the SICU, so I try to make myself comfortable on one of the sofa chairs right outside Jane's room which is big enough for me to be able to curl up and get a decent amount of sleep. Every 1 hour, a 5 minute visit is allowed, and it feels like a blessing. I decide to get a bit of rest before checking up on Jane about an hour later.
Even though everything seems secure here on the floor, I am being extra vigilant. I'm the one in-charge of Jane's security tonight, and I can't afford to screw up again. Yes, I still hold myself responsible for the attack on Jane. It's something I know I won't be able to get over with for a long…long time. Setting the alarm for 2:00 am, I finally close my eyes…
Sleep doesn't come easily, so I have finally given up trying to get some shut eye. I walk into Jane's room not expecting any change so soon, so I just stand there at the exact same spot where I was about an hour ago and I find myself stroking his head.
"Hey partner, I hope you can hear me. For once, it's a relief that it's just me who gets to talk and you only get to listen." I chuckle internally as I say this.
"It's been a very long day and even though you are tired, I want you to know that we are proud of you for having fought through your surgery. It's our turn now to help you. You just rest for us…okay? We are here for you." I look at him and hope that my words have gotten through to him, giving him the will to stay strong.
"Sleep well partner." I somehow resist the urge of kissing him good night and I walk back towards the sofa tearfully. Sleep comes to me much easily now.
(A few hours later…)
I hear someone calling my name and gently waking me. I open my eyes groggily and find that a blanket has been draped over me by someone. No wonder I slept so soundly. It's Nurse Sandra who's waking me up. I look at my phone to see what time it is. 6:00 am!
"What happened? Is Jane okay? My voice is dripping with panic.
"Yes, he's fine Ms. Lisbon." The nurse reassures me with a tiny smile. "It's actually Dr. Evans who wants to see you."
"Okay, I'll be right there." I head to the washroom to freshen up and then head towards the doctor's room.
"Good morning Agent Lisbon. Sorry to wake you up but as promised earlier, the team of the medical personnel who will be attending to Mr. Jane's needs is here. I'd like to introduce you to the staff."
"Sure." The doctor introduces me to the team. It includes 4 doctors including Dr. Evans, 5 nurses including Nurse Sandra and 2 male medical attendants. Their information has been handed over to me, so I waste no time forwarding this information to Grace for a thorough background check. I go through their information myself. A pretty thorough background has been provided by the hospital and I feel satisfied with what I look at and hope that their background checks turn out fine too. The team I met in Dr. Evans' office is a solid team of professionals committed to their jobs - the best ones available in the hospital.
Grace does a very efficient job and by 7:15 am the medical team gets an all clear from the CBI. Cho lets me know that he's on his way to the hospital with the security guard for the first shift. I heave a sigh of relief. It's time I go check on Jane. As I enter his room I see Nurse Sandra there checking on Jane's status.
"Any change?" I ask her.
"No, Ms. Lisbon, but he's holding his own." She tries reassuring me.
I give her a small smile. She observes that I am a little hesitant to approach Jane.
"Go ahead sweetie, talk to him. Let him know you are here. Patients recover faster when they are able to sense that they aren't alone in the room. Physical touch helps patients feel grounded. Don't be shy. I've seen it all. Go ahead and say whatever you want to say to him …" She smiles a little as she says this.
The nurse is getting some wild ideas in her mind I think. I've never really given this a thought before, but do I really consider Jane anything more than my best friend? I ponder over this while waiting for the nurse to leave.
She leaves and I make my way towards Jane's bed. Pulling the chair near his bed I sit down.
"Good morning partner!" I try to sound as cheery as I can.
"Slept well? I managed to get some sleep here, right outside your room. Sorry, I slept off and didn't come to see you sooner. You know, Cho and Rigsby have made some headway and they are going to be out in the field today investigating some possible suspects. We are going to keep a security guard outside your room for your safety. Van Pelt has been very helpful. She's a sweetheart. All of them send their best wishes to you. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, we have a special of team of doctors who is going to oversee your recovery. See? The CBI has only the best in mind for you. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up for a bit and grace us with your dazzling smile?"
The only answer I get is in beeps and hums. Giving his hand a slight squeeze, I leave the room. Cho is already waiting for me in the lounge. The guard – Matthew Smith has already been introduced to the team. Cho and I take him to Jane's room for a silent introduction. Clear expectations are set with regards to visitors – only a few known people from the CBI are put on that list. Only the approved medical personnel are to be allowed in his room. It's clear to the guard that the stakes are high on this assignment. He promises us there won't be any problem. After asking about Jane, Cho takes our leave to head out to the High Desert State Prison along with Rigsby. I ask him to keep me informed on a regular basis.
I head back to Jane's room. "Hey sleepyhead, I'm going to go home for some time. I will be back soon. Matthew is right outside your room and will make sure of your safety. Be good and don't trouble the doctors and nurses." I smirk. Running my hand through his hair, I look at him one last time before I leave the room.
Back home by 9:00 am, I call up Grace and tell her I'll be in the office in an hour. After taking a nice hot shower I feel a little normal; normal enough to put on a smile and be in-charge.
I reach the office by 10:15 am and find that Van Pelt is already hard at work and is reviewing the CCTV footage.
"Morning Grace. How are we looking?"
"Morning boss, I've been going through the CCTV footage. On Friday evening, the attack took place between 5:30 pm – 5:40 pm. There's no visible shooter in the vicinity, which means the shots were fired from behind a vehicle in the parking lot, which also means that they were fired from a distance, so it means…."
"They were fired using a rifle." I complete her thought. I shudder at the thought that someone tried to kill Jane using a rifle. A f***ing rifle! What is this person's grudge against Jane?
"The only thing the CCTV cameras picked up was a black car speeding away about 2 minutes later. So the shooter definitely had an accomplice."
"Have we been able to pull up the plates of the vehicle?"
"Yes boss, it was an unmarked police vehicle, but there's a high possibility that the license plates were changed after the escape from the prison. Anyway, the prison authorities have already issued an alert with regards to the stolen vehicle. Cho and Rigsby will be investigating this theft as well."
"Also, we checked the motel records, no new guests had checked in on the day of the attack, neither had anyone checked in within the past 2 days. It also looks like these people took every precaution of flying under the radar as no one saw or heard anything suspicious."
My face drops a bit on hearing this. We've reached dead end here, but then I remember! I quickly walk towards my office and pull out a sealed packet from my bag. I hand it over to Grace and ask her to send it over to Forensics.
"Inform them that we are awaiting the ballistics report on the bullet fragments ASAP. This is to be treated with the highest priority."
"Yes boss."
"Good work so far Grace. I'm heading over to the hospital now. Start by checking the online records for these men – personal, professional, criminal. Every detail is important in this one. I will be back by lunchtime. If there's anything important call me."
"Yes boss. Let us know how Jane's doing. He's in our prayers." She gives me a hug before I leave.
As I am driving towards the hospital, I hope we get new evidence regarding these shooters soon enough. It's horrible that anyone can shoot anyone in this country. I seriously consider recommending the CBI to provide weapons to their consultants too. Their lives are as important as any other law officer's in this country. When Jane gets out of here, I am determined to move him to a better locality where there's enough security. No more living in a crappy motel for him.
My thoughts keep me busy till I reach the hospital. On reaching the floor where Jane is, I get a sense that something is different. Well, nothing looks different; it just feels different to me. The security guard outside Jane's room acknowledges me as I open the door to Jane's room. There's a doctor along with two nurses in the room. I recognize them from the team that I met in the morning. They are talking in a hushed tone. One of the nurses is injecting something in his IV line, while the other one has just finished drawing some blood from Jane's right arm. The doctor is busy checking Jane's neck wound with a slightly worried look on his face. I ask them what's happening.
"Agent Lisbon, Mr. Jane has developed a fever. We think it's because of an infection at the surgical site or it could be something else, that's why we are running some tests. As you hold his medical power of attorney, we suggest, you be in the hospital itself as his medical decisions will be taken by you."
"Yes, I understand. I'll be here now."
This is so unexpected. It feels like a huge pressure crushing down on me. Jane was fine when I left to go to work in the morning. What happened suddenly? After the doctor and nurses have left the room, I move closer towards Jane. He looks paler than he was in the morning. A few strands of his beautiful curls are damp and his face is hot to touch. Worry engulfs me and I just sit there holding his hand, oblivious to the fact that his neck wound is oozing of blood…