The Agent

by C Paradee

  But what he couldn't believe was how she had tried to catch him. Didn't she know she'd been stabbed? At least she never saw his face. Feeling quite pleased with himself he went to bed.

  * * *

  Megan slept fitfully for several hours. Awakening, the events of the past evening swept through her mind. Getting up, she quickly showered, dressed and headed to the hospital, stopping at Mickey D's to get some coffee and a Danish

  Entering the room, Megan pulled a chair over to the bed and sat quietly, just watching Tony sleep

  Tony began to rise toward consciousness. The only change was a slight quickening of the heart rate. Megan who had been watching the monitors, noticed immediately. Returning her gaze to Tony's face, she watched the eyes slowly open

  Tony lay quietly, not having any idea where she was

  "Hi, Tony," Megan said softly, smiling at her

  Tony tried to respond but her mouth was dry, and she was barely able to push, "Hi," out. Tony's mind finally grasped she was in a hospital and suddenly the events of the past evening came flooding over her. She was mortified. How could she have been so stupid. She had been caught unawares. She remembered chasing someone down the alley and then... nothing.

  She watched Megan fill a cup with water, and place a straw in it. "Come on, I'll hold it while you drink."

  "I can hold it myself," Tony replied. She began to sit up, quickly slipping back down again when her body refused to cooperate and let it's pain be felt.

  Megan watched Tony's face turn white at the effort, and simply put her arm behind her head and lifted the straw to her mouth

  "Thanks," Tony said, feeling utterly embarrassed at having to be helped. Megan sat back down in the chair at the side of the bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

  "Ok," Tony lied. Actually she felt like shit. Her back wouldn't quit throbbing, and it didn't help that the one person she would have liked to impress had to see her like this. Oh, she'd been injured before, but always against overwhelming odds, and she'd always managed to get to safety herself

  Megan asked her, "Do you remember what happened?" Tony looked over at Megan and seeing the concerned look on her face realized she was being selfish and thinking only of herself. Fighting to overcome her embarrassment, she answered, "I remember getting hit in the back and chasing some guy down the alley. I don't remember anything after that."

  "What happened after that is you passed out," Megan supplied. "You went into shock, so your body started shutting down."

  Tony decided to go for broke, and asked, "So, what's the damage?"

  Megan answered bluntly, "You were very lucky. Somehow the knife only hit your spleen. Usually in trauma cases, the spleen is automatically removed. But you're lucky. This is a Level 1 Trauma Center and they've got a new non-invasive spleen trauma protocol, which basically means your body parts are still all intact."

  Tony thought about what Megan had just told her, and decided things could be a lot worse considering how careless she'd been

  "You up to answering a question?" Megan asked Tony

  Tony nodded, so she continued, "What are earth were you doing chasing the guy that stabbed you? Didn't you know you were bleeding?"

  "It didn't hurt that much," Tony answered evasively

  Megan mulled that over and realized that was probably the truth. Many people had died of ruptured spleens because they didn't go to the hospital until it was too late. But Megan still had to get something off her chest. "You know you did more damage to yourself than the knife wound did. The spleen holds about a liter of blood. That wouldn't be so bad because it's mostly recycled. But by running your body was trying to refill it as fast as you were losing it. That was really dumb you know."

  Tony's eyes narrowed at the words. But her tired mind acknowledged Megan was right. It made sense, but there was no way she was going to tell her she agreed with her

  "Ya gotta do what ya gotta do," Tony replied. "Do you know what happened to my gun?"

  Wouldn't you know that would be one of the first things she wants to know? "I picked it up. It's at my place."

  "Thanks. You look really tired. Why don't you go home?"

  "Later," Megan answered, settling more comfortably in the chair

  The day passed slowly with Tony drifting in and out of sleep with Megan right at her side, refusing to leave even when Tony insisted

  Sgt Davies stopped by and, Megan, intercepting him at the door told him what she knew, advising him he'd have to come back tomorrow if he wanted to talk to Tony

  Later that evening, when the nurses got Tony out of bed, Megan could not believe how stubborn she was when she insisted she could walk without any assistance. Obviously that little idea didn't last long. Megan knew it wouldn't be until the next day that Tony would be able to begin to move around a little on her own

  Megan's tired body called it quits late Sunday evening. Whispering to the sleeping woman, "I'll be back tomorrow," she returned home

  The next morning, Tony felt decidedly more human. Looking around the room, she noticed Megan was gone. She had looked so tired, Tony was glad she finally went home, but at the same time she missed her presence. She was so comforting. Every time she woke up yesterday, Megan had been right there, putting up with her moodiness, and her anger at herself. Helping her when she insisted she could do things herself, which of course she couldn't, but refused to admit.

  Tony thought about the events leading to the attack on her Saturday evening. She acknowledged Megan was having a very unsettling effect on her. She felt out of control and it was not a feeling she liked. Maybe she should call Huey, but quickly discarded the idea. She did still have a case to solve, wryly acknowledging she wasn't doing a very good job at it so far, and besides if she called him she'd never be able to complete her personal agenda. Tony knew her decision to step out of Megan's life was a sound one. But why did that thought fill her with such trepidation? Maybe there was another way... but it would require her getting some measure of control back when she was around Megan

  Megan knew she had to go in to work. It was Monday and that was always a busy day. She was going to talk to Dr. Whitehouse and request a few days off though. Tony would need her. The serial killer had been quiet, so it shouldn't be a problem. Once she was ready for work, Megan placed a call to the surgical ward to talk with the nurses. After ascertaining that Tony was doing very well, she asked the nurse to tell her she would be in later, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping

  Arriving at work, she found David waiting for her in her office. "Hey guy, how's it going."

  Returning her warm smile, he answered, "Great." Studying her carefully he said, "Are you ok? You look exhausted," concern clouding his eyes

  Turning to look at him, she answered simply, "It's been a long weekend, I'll tell you about it later. How many we got today?"

  "Just two-cause of death unknowns," he answered, silently vowing to himself not to let her leave today until he talked to her. David had never seen her look so worn out

  Tony looked up as Sgt. Davies entered the room. Mentally groaning, she looked at him and growled, "Don't even start," shifting into a persona that warned, don't mess with me

  Brian watched the change come over the woman glaring at him. It was enough to intimidate the hell of anyone. Brian began to feel a grudging respect for Tony. It was obvious she wasn't a quitter. "Don't sweat it. I just stopped by to ask a few questions and see how you're doing. I tried to yesterday, but it seems the Assistant Coroner has taken a personal interest in your care and she wouldn't let anyone in."

  Brian noticed the surprise that quickly crossed the face looking at him before the mask fell back into place. Tony said, "Sorry about that. I didn't know you were here yesterday. I was still pretty out of it."

  "How ya feeling?" Brian asked, concern in his voice

  "Just fine. It's no big deal. What do ya want to know?"

  "Did you see the guy that attacked you?"

  "No. It was dark. He approached from the rear. O
bviously I didn't hear him soon enough. I started to turn and he struck. I chased him as far as I could. So there's not much to tell. He was dressed in dark clothes, had an athletic build, was probably 5'10" or 11" and about 185 pounds, and that probably describes half the male population of Cleveland," she summed up disgustedly

  "Don't be so hard on yourself. Shit happens," Brian stated gruffly knowing she would resent any sympathy from him. "Why were ya down there in the first place? I don't think it's a coincidence that you happened to be in the general area all the murders took place. I thought we were working on this case together," he followed up staring at her pointedly.

  "We are

  working on it together. But I can't get a feel for the case stuck on the phone talking to crazies all day. Dr. Donnovan offered to show me around down there, and I accepted. It's that simple. If I wanted to undermine your authority, I'd of never come to you in the first place," she retorted

  Brian believed her, "Ok, just checking. If ya need anything..."

  "Yeah, I do," she interrupted, pausing before continuing, "Did the FBI get notified... I mean... since I'm an agent..." she trailed off

  Sensing where she was going, Brian said with empathy, "No, I haven't sent the report over yet. I was waiting to talk to you first." Making a decision, he continued, "Sometimes things get lost."

  Tony sighed with relief, gave him a full smile, and said, "Thanks, I owe ya."

  "No, ya don't. Just get on your feet so we can get this case solved," he smiled back. "Get some rest. I'll keep you up to date," he promised before leaving

  "Later," Tony responded

  Megan had finished up her cases and was completing her preliminary reports when David walked in and sat down. Looking up, she smiled and said, "You're gonna call me to task, aren't you?"

  "Yep," he said, flashing a warm grin at her

  Megan gathered her thoughts, and started, "Ok... you remember when I left early to show the FBI agent assigned to the case the Flats?" She saw David nod and continued. "Well we decided to go back down there Saturday night. Tony wanted to get a feel for the place when it was in full swing." Megan told him exactly what had transpired, leaving out only her feelings for Tony

  David studied Megan carefully as she related the events of the weekend to him. Her face subtly changed every time she mentioned the agent. A puzzled expression crossed her face when she told him about Tony suddenly leaving. An idea began to work its way into David's mind. By the time she finished her story, he felt sure there was more here than met the eye. He wouldn't mind meeting the agent

  "God, Megan, that really sucks," he answered. "No wonder you look so tired. What can I do to help?"

  "I asked Dr. Whitehouse for the next couple of days off. He complained, but gave it to me. If you'd just kind of keep an eye on things here and call me if anything unusual happens, it would really help."

  "Consider it done," he told her. "You going back over to the hospital now?"

  "Yeah. I just want to make sure everything's ok," she answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders

  "You take care of yourself. I mean it," David gave her a stern look

  "I will." Smiling apologetically, she said, "see ya Thursday."

  "Take care."

  Tony had been examined by the surgeon and was told she could leave that afternoon provided she took it easy. He told her unless there were any problems she could return to work on limited duty in a week . She was to call his office and schedule a follow-up appointment. Tony was ecstatic. She hated hospitals

  When Megan arrived, Tony greeted her with a grin, saying "Hi."

  Megan, surprised at the warm greeting, responded, "Hi yourself," answering the infectious grin with one of her own

  "I'm out of here today."

  "That's great, but of course you're staying at my place. I've got an extra bedroom," Megan replied waiting for the inevitable explosion. It wasn't long in coming

  "Oh no I'm not," Tony countered. "I've already inconvenienced you enough. The surgeon told me you saved my life. Don't you think you've done enough? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Softening her tone, she added, "I just really can't impose on you anymore."

  At her words, the hazel eyes started flashing, and Tony actually had time to think, oh shit, before the rebuttal was voiced, "Are you done?" The calm voice contradicting the body language

  "Yeah," came the answer

  Megan continued, "First of all, you are not capable of taking care of yourself yet. I happen to be a doctor by profession, and a pathologist by specialty. I'd say I'm in a much better position that you to determine what care you need right now. Second... how about if I

  am the one who decides when and if someone is inconveniencing me or imposing on me? I really think that should be my decision. Lastly, you have a friend who happens to care what happens to you, so get used to it."

  How do you argue that? Tony's mind sped through a variety of responses, discarding each. Megan had logically and calmly picked apart all her arguments

  Taking advantage of Tony's silence, Megan asked, "How about giving me the key to your hotel room so I can get you something to wear out of here."

  Tony pointed to the night stand drawer and said, "The key's in there," capitulating with those words.

  * * *

  "No," the low voice growled

  "You have to," the rebuttal stated firmly

  "No, I don't," came the irritated response

  "Fine. Then you can stay here for a few more days, because you aren't leaving any other way. It is hospital policy and besides you can't walk that far," Megan said exasperatedly. This had to be the most stubborn woman she had ever met. What was the big deal. It must be some silly ego thing. This argument had been going on ever since the nurse brought the offending item into the room. Maybe a different approach would work

  Tony was sitting on the side of the bed glaring at the wheelchair, willing it to disappear.

  Megan walked over and bent down until she was at eye level with the sitting woman, "Tony, come on. Please. I'm tired. Let's get out of here."

  The disarming entreaty from Megan broke through her irritation, and realizing just how much the small woman had done for her, Tony sighed and said, "Ok, let's just get it over with."

  Parking the car, Megan moved around to the passenger side to help Tony. She knew, regardless of declarations otherwise, that the woman was hurting. Offering her arm, she helped Tony ease herself out of the car, the pale face and clenched jaw, attesting to the difficulty of the maneuver. Silently cursing her body for its weakness, Tony was grateful for Megan's help on the way to the apartment

  Looking around when they entered, Tony began to relax in the warm, appealing decor. The apartment was huge with the late afternoon sunlight spilling through the windows, adding to the cheery atmosphere. The living room was tastefully done in soft mauve tones offset by overstuffed furniture designed for comfort . Walking down the hall toward the guest bedroom, Megan pointed out the bathroom, and her bedroom. Tony noticed both bedrooms were done similarly in light blue offset by ivory. The apartment reflected the owner's personality perfectly.

  As Tony sat on the bed, Megan said, "Why don't you lay down? I've got to get some things out of the car. I'll be right back." She turned and left the bedroom. Tony gladly complied. The short trip had depleted what little energy she'd had and laying back on the bed she immediately dropped off into the healing sleep her body needed

  When Megan had gone to Tony's hotel room, she had chosen a light weight set of sweats for her to wear home from the hospital. She had also picked up some extra clothes, and personal items she felt Tony might want. Fetching them now, she hurried back up to the apartment wanting to make sure her guest was comfortable. Quickly returning to the bedroom, Megan realized Tony had already fallen asleep. Standing in the doorway, gazing at Tony, Megan felt an almost overwhelming urge for some kind of contact, but afraid she might wake her up, she just quietly entered the room and placed Tony's things on the
dresser before departing. Changing into a t-shirt and shorts, Megan picked a book before collapsing into the recliner and tilting it back. She began reading, and promptly fell into an exhausted sleep

  Tony woke up in a strange room softly lit by moonlight. Disoriented for a moment she glanced around, and remembered where she was. Easing up into a sitting position, she noticed the pain had receded some. Turning on a small lamp next to the bed, she saw some of her things on the dresser. Walking over to inspect the items, she couldn't believe Megan had even taken the time to include some of her CDs and her book. Tony was perplexed by the actions of the compassionate, caring woman. I've spent so much time fighting for control of my emotions around her, all I've done is give her a hard time the last couple of days, and yet she bends over backwards to do things for me. I really don't deserve this. Vowing to herself to be more considerate, Tony went looking for something to drink

  The rest of the apartment was dark except for where light filtered in from the street. Finding the kitchen, Tony turned on the light. Perusing the contents of the refrigerator, she selected a bottle of cranberry juice before closing the door and looking for a glass. Finding one, she replaced the cranberry juice, turned off the light and quietly made her way through the dining room to the living room. She wanted to sit up for a while and figured that was a good to do it

  She was almost startled by the sleeping form in the chair. Setting her glass on the end table, she walked over to the chair. Looking down at Megan, Tony realized the toll the last few days had taken on her. Knowing she'd be more comfortable in her bed, she softly called her name not wanting to scare her. Not getting any reaction, she called her name a little louder. Megan just shifted her body in the chair. Placing her hand on Megan's shoulder she shook it very gently, saying, "Megan, wake up. You need to go to bed."

  Megan's eyes came open, and recognizing Tony, she said, "What's wrong? I'm sorry. I fell asleep. What do you need?"