Blinded

Chapter 11

Sue could barely focus on her computer. She felt like a failure at her job. She had sat there almost all day, trying to piece together old cases with Marty but she was distracted. Every email made her heart clench. Every time she saw a sudden movement it made her jump. Poor Levi was constantly up and down with her sporadic behaviour.

She could sense they were all watching her. She tried to keep her head down, kept quiet. It made her more nervous. It was as if they were all waiting – living in a breath before the storm rained down. Jack was the worst. He looked just as tired as she, kept glancing in her direction. While his concern warmed her heart, it also made her more fearful. If they got to Marty, what was to stop them from getting to her?

She was broken out of her reverie when she saw the email from D asking her and Jack to take the next day off, with plans to come see them before the end of day. She saw Jack slam his hands on his computer and storm out. She bit her lip. She knew deep down she needed a break, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to rest, how to step away knowing what was going on. She was grateful D had gotten the additional support from another team. Sue knew they were not functioning to their potential.

She glanced up and saw Bobby and Myles exchange a dark glance, their eyes following Jack out of the room. Tara and Lucy turned and looked towards her, both giving her a sympathetic glance.

"What was that about?" Bobby asked.

"D is requiring us to take tomorrow off." Sue responded quietly. Myles looked over at her, kindly.

"I think that's a good idea. You've been through a lot the last few days." Sue nodded. She had no energy to fight. She felt useless. She turned back to her computer, sensing everyone's eyes still on her.

Jack returned about 10 minutes later. He went back to his desk and started gathering his things.

"Hi all, Sue and I have been mandated to take tomorrow off. I understand you're all coming in later too. I just want to say thank you for all your hard work on this case."

"It's no problem, Jack." Tara replied. "We want to figure this out. I made a few gains today and hope with time I'll be able to track down the IP address of the emails."

"We won't stop until we find Marty and Gayle." Myles reassured him.

"We've got your back Mate." Bobby added in. Sue took Jack's cue to start gathering her things too, knowing he would be escorting her back to her hotel. She looked at the team, trying to find the words.

"I…" she started as the looked towards her. Her voice was quiet, and she couldn't look them in the eye. "Thank you." She said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. Lucy came next to her and put her arm around her. She held onto the strength of her team, knowing they cared for her. She felt so blessed to have found this family, the words just wouldn't come.

Jack also started to move towards her when her head started to feel funny. Within a few moments, the room began to spin as she tried to grab onto something – Lucy, her desk, to stop herself from falling before the blackness consumed her.

-STFBE-

Jack glanced over towards her as they drove through the quiet streets of DC. She had assured him she was okay after eating a few crackers and juice. It made sense. He hadn't seen her eat all day, but nothing had scared him more than seeing her body drop in the middle of the office as he and Lucy managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

The FBI nurse had checked her over and noted her blood sugar was quite low. After an hour of observation, she was deemed fit to leave, with the promise of eating regularly and someone keeping an eye on her. Jack didn't hesitate to volunteer, thinking D had perhaps been prophetic in their need for the day off.

She looked pale, her head against the window, her eyes closed. D's advice fresh on his mind, he reached over again, like he had a couple of weeks ago and grabbed her hand. Only this time he didn't just hold it, but interlaced his fingers with hers. She slowly turned her head to his as he glanced at her trying to give her a reassuring smile which she softly returned before closing her eyes again.

He interlaced their hands again as he walked her up to her hotel room. Before entering, they showed their ID's to the two police officers outside her door, both of whom would be stationed in the room across monitoring cameras in the hallways. They had added sensors that added alerts to them whenever anyone moved outside of Sue's door. Jack went in first. He knew he was being overly precautious, but he searched her room, including checking under the bed. He nodded towards her as Levi gave a bark. She shut the door, locking all the deadbolts without hesitation.

"No monsters under the bed?" She said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"None." He said with a small smile. Suddenly he felt slightly awkward. "So?"

Sue turned towards him. She was too tired to fight it. She was tired of her guard being up, of waiting for the inevitable to happen. If something was going to happen, she didn't want to waste any more time.

"Jack – will you stay with me?" Jack looked surprised. There was no humor in her eyes, only truth and longing.

"Of course I'll stay with you." It took her only a second to step towards him and melt into his arms. Like before, he just held her. He slowly moved them towards her couch, moving them to sit down as she curled into him. Her ear rested against his chest, feeling the pulse of his heartbeat. Her eyes shut. This was where she felt safest. This is where he felt the most hopeful.

Minutes, hours may have passed before they moved apart. Jack felt emboldened as he moved to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He knew it was an intimate gesture, but it felt right.

"Look Sue. I think there's a lot we need to talk about. About us. About how much I want there to be an us and we shouldn't wait any longer." Her breath hitched slightly, but it didn't stop her from squeezing his hand.

"We're tired. You need to eat. Let's order in some food, let's watch a movie. Let's try and rest tomorrow and make it as normal as possible to regain what we need to face next week." She nodded. "We will make the time to have this discussion as soon as things settle, but if you are okay, I don't want any of the closeness that I feel has shifted in our relationship to change. I want that to be our new normal… for now…"

"That normal sounds good." He smiled.

"You're okay with me staying? I'll sleep on the couch. I always have a bag of spare clothes in my car." She gave him a shy smile.

"I don't think I could sleep without you here." She took another breath. "Jack?" He looked at her, all the nervousness suddenly gone. "I think I might love you." His heart leaped. He had not expected that.

"I think I might love you too".

-STFBE-

Sunday had managed to pass peacefully for Jack and Sue. Partway through the night, he had heard her softly crying in her sleep. It had awoken him. He had gently moved towards the bed, trying to comfort her without waking her, but it didn't work. She sat bolt upright. His arms were quickly ready, as she shifted over. He knew it wasn't proper but in light of everything, it didn't matter. He crawled in next to her and held her. He hadn't had such a peaceful sleep in weeks.

They had only made one escapade out to give Levi a quick chance to stretch his legs and relieve himself in the park across the street as evening lingered. Both plain clothed police kept a respectful distance. Jack felt nervous and hyperalert but tried not to show it to Sue. Despite the darkened circles that deepened her eyes, she already seemed lighter after some rest. As they made their way back to the hotel, he grabbed her hand, briefly bringing it to his lips for a kiss before they made their way back inside.

No one saw the man watching them. He put his phone away as made his way back to the white van where the other was waiting. Their cargo heavy in the back, he knew they had limited time to leave his message.