Chapter Twelve
Walter opened his eyes, blinking several times as he adjusted them to the
bright light, and deduced he was once again in a hospital. He vaguely recalled
riding in an ambulance, then being wheeled down hallways, medical personnel
hovering over him. Reaching up, he felt padding on the left side of his head
and saw blood on the shoulder of his shirt. Well, that explained the dull
ache he felt there.
"Oh, good, Mr O'Brien, you're awake." A nurse bustled over to his bedside,
grabbing his wrist before looking at her watch. Startled by the unexpected
contact, pain shot through his brain as he flinched. Gritting his teeth,
he tried to calm himself as the woman, whose name tag read ‘Diana', charted
his vital signs and removed his IV.
"You have a mild concussion and an incision which needed sutures," she said
briskly. "You're going to need someone to drive you home. We've tried to
call the emergency contact you had in your wallet, but the number's no longer
in service."
Walter closed his eyes. Damn. He'd had Megan listed as his contact and he'd
never changed it after she. . .she died. "Sorry," he mumbled. He gave the
nurse the phone number for the garage. "Anyone who answers can be told of
my condition," he added.
"Can I get you anything?" Diana asked. "Water? Herbal tea?"
"No, I'm okay." She started to walk away. "Wait, do you know what happened
to my car?"
"Oh, it was totaled," she replied. "From what the EMTs said, you were lucky
you weren't more badly injured."
"Oh." A lump formed in Walter's throat as he thought of his old, rusty, battered
Datsun 280Z. When he'd bought it, it had been the sportiest vehicle he'd
been able to afford. He'd always meant to fix it up but he either had no
money or no time or both. His eyes grew damp.
It was just a stupid car, he scolded himself as he pinched the bridge of
his nose. A means of transportation. To feel sad over its demise. . .was
nothing more than sentimental garbage.
"Car wreck, huh?" Walter turned to see a young girl sitting on the gurney
next to his. She appeared to be about the same age as Ralph.
"Yeah."
"Your fault?"
"I don't think so." Frowning, he tried to piece together what had happened,
but his head began to throb. "What's wrong with you?" he asked as she didn't
appear to be injured or visibly ill.
"Heart transplant." The girl smiled. "My mom's filling out paper work. They're
flying in a heart from Maine."
"Forty years ago, heart transplants were in their infancy, but with modern
medicine, you'll be just. . . fine." He glanced at the book she was holding.
"That's an advanced book for someone your age."
"I've been around so many doctors, I decided to become one," she said with
a shrug.
"I have a friend who's a doctor," Walter volunteered. "He specializes in
psychiatry."
"Maybe he can examine your head later?" She giggled and he couldn't stop
himself from smiling.
"You're humorous. That's good. You know, humor is proven to boost the immune
response and speed recovery."
"Walter!"
Paige's worried voice caused him to look away from his companion as she hurried
toward him, followed by Toby, Happy, and Sly. "Oh, God, are you okay?" She
touched her hand to his bloody shirt before leaning over and kissing his
cheek.
"I'm fine," Walter replied before explaining his injuries as Toby took off
the bandage.
"Not bad, shouldn't leave much of a scar," the shrink said as he admired
the stitches.
"You must be his doctor friend." Everyone turned to stare at the girl. "Hi,
I'm Olivia."
"She's getting a heart transplant," Walter stated.
"Oh." Paige's face paled and he knew she was thinking about Ralph. He reached
for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She smiled, but he noted her expression
was still uneasy.
"I just got off the phone with the police," Cabe announced as he strolled
into the room. "They found the black SUV that hit you abandoned a couple
blocks from the scene. It'd been reported stolen about an hour earlier."
"Whoever stole it must have panicked," said Walter. "Ditched the car after
the accident then ran."
"That would be the most likely scenario," agreed the agent. "But. . ."
"I knew there was going to be a ‘but'," Toby said with a chuckle. Happy smacked
his arm.
"It's been wiped clean, no prints." Gallo shook his head. "It's being towed
to the LAPD impound yard. I've lit a fire under their forensic team."
"You think someone stole a car to deliberately target Walter in a hit and
run accident?" asked the shrink. "That's a bit far-fetched."
Cabe shrugged. "Not really. We've dealt with some pretty nasty characters.
Maybe it's someone we've helped put away, maybe it's someone Walter's pissed
off. . ."
"Or maybe it was just someone out joyriding," suggested Happy, "and Walter
was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I think we should find out either way," Paige said quietly. "If someone's
out there targeting one of us, what's to stop them from targeting the rest
of us."
"She has a point," the Homeland agent said. "I can't think of anyone in particular
off-hand, but if we go through all the case files, we can eliminate suspects
by seeing who's still locked up and who's been sprung and might be looking
for revenge." Everyone groaned at the thought of combing through the folders
of paperwork.
"I've already checked on Collins," Gallo added as he tossed a glance Walter's
way, "and he's where he's supposed to be."
"Hit and run isn't his style anyway," Toby commented. "Too obvious. Too physical."
The nurse returned then. "I'm going to have to ask some of you to leave,"
she said. "I only need one of you to take responsibility for Mr O'Brien."
The rest of the team pointed at Paige before filing out of the emergency
room. Walter listened inattentively as she and the nurse went over the instructions
for his care.
". . .and if you have questions, you can call the number on this form." Diana
pointed to a dotted line. "If you will just sign here, Mrs O'Brien."
Paige shot Walter a startled glance. "Oh, I'm not. . .okay." She quickly
wrote her name and handed it back to the other woman. The nurse then left,
moving on to her next patient.
"It was nice meeting you, Olivia," Paige said, her cheeks still flushed pink
as she smiled at the girl. "I hope everything goes well with your operation."
"Thanks." The girl glanced up from her book and smiled.
"Me, too," Walter added as he stood up. He wobbled a little and Paige reached
out to steady him.
"Are you sure you're all right?" She was staring at him worriedly and for
a second, her face split in two before merging back together again.
"I just want to get out of here," he replied, dodging her question. An orderly
appeared with a wheelchair and they soon joined the others who were waiting
in the hospital lobby.
"Hey, maybe it's one of Walter's old girlfriends," said Toby as they walked
out to the parking lot. "Oh, wait, they're both happily married, thanks to
Walt dumping them."
"Very funny." Walter rolled his eyes then wished he hadn't. This time he
saw two of everything, causing him to stumble. Paige caught him, glancing
anxiously at him.
"I think you should stay with me tonight," she murmured. "If you want to.
. ."
"Yes."
"Good." Paige led him to her car, which was parked next to Cabe's SUV. "I'm
taking Walter with me," she told the others as she unlocked her Malibu.
"Sure." "Okay." "Remember, no strenuous activity for twenty-four hours,"
Toby admonished with a smirk.
Walter ignored the other man, shutting the door as he got into the passenger
side of Paige's vehicle.
Later that evening, Walter wandered into the kitchen where Paige was washing
their dinner dishes. "Are you sure I can't help?" he asked.
"Positive," she said as she rinsed off a plate. "You should be resting."
"I'm tired of resting." He wasn't used to ‘taking it easy', he liked to keep
his mind busy. He'd brought his laptop so he could work on his facial recognition
program, but it made his head ache, and the double vision, although diminishing,
was still plaguing him.
"You could help Ralph with his homework," she suggested.
"He could do that assignment in his sleep," Walter grumbled.
"Read a book, watch TV, surf the internet. . ." Paige glanced at him. "I
could make you a cup of herbal tea. Maybe that will help you relax."
Walter frowned as he realized he was being a nuisance. "That's okay. I'll
go help Ralph."
Paige smiled at him, then touched her finger to his nose, leaving behind
a blob of soap bubbles. "Sorry," she giggled.
Impulsively, he dipped his finger into the dish water, scooped up some of
the bubbles and put them on her nose. She laughed again. Leaning forward,
he kissed her, not caring the soap dripped down their faces as he pressed
her against the cabinets. Her hands reached for his hair, grazing the wound
on his head.
He grunted with pain. "Oh, God, Walter, I'm sorry." She pushed away then
tentatively touched his cheek. "Are you okay?"
"It's f-fine." An image of walking in on his parents kissing in the kitchen,
where his mother had been washing dishes, flashed through his mind. He'd
been seven at the time and had been disgusted. Now, as an adult, he realized
his parents, though they rarely showed it, genuinely loved each other.
His hands were still loosely holding her hips and he pulled her closer before
burying his face in her shoulder. He'd been such an idiot to deny loving
her for so long.
"I love you, too, Walter," she whispered in his ear as if she were reading
his mind.
It was with great reluctance he let her go. "I, uh, better help, um, Ralph."
"Sure." She grinned before turning her attention to the sink full of dirty
dishes.
His head swam a little, and he saw two Paiges for a moment. Giving himself
a shake, he forced himself to walk out to the living room.
As it did most nights, sleep eluded him. His head ached and he probably should
have taken the pain reliever recommended by the nurse. Shifting so he could
get comfortable, he closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing.
It was so light at first he didn't notice. But then it grew bolder, the insistent
pressure of lips on a spot just below his ear. The scent of lavender flooded
his senses. Paige. His heartbeat and breathing both became erratic as her
mouth moved up to gently capture his ear lobe in her teeth. He felt her breath
travel across his face as her lips met his.
The kiss deepened as she slipped her arms behind his neck, rolling so he
was on top of her. "Paige, wait," he gasped.
"Shhh." She placed her mouth against his again, threading her fingers through
his hair. He slid his hands downward until they rested on her hips. Their
clothing seemed to melt away and it nearly took his breath away when bare
skin met bare skin. She was so soft and warm and beautiful. . .
He moved his lips to the spot below her ear, felt her pulse beating wildly.
He kissed his way down her neck, her shoulders, her breasts. . . She shifted
impatiently beneath him as he ran his tongue over her hard nipples. Rising
up, he kissed her on the mouth before whispering in her ear, "I need you
so much."
"Well, I don't need you," she sneered, pushing him to the side. "You're a
loser. . .a freak. . . I need a real man."
Walter watched in horror as a shadowy male figure joined her on the mattress.
She welcomed the other man into her arms and into her body as she laughed
mockingly.