The Agent

by C Paradee

  "Stop, already. I don't need anything. It seems you've already taken care of everything. I just saw you sleeping here and thought you'd be a lot more comfortable in your own bed," Tony explained, reluctantly moving her hand from Megan's shoulder

  "Thanks, but what are you doing up? You should be in bed. You're supposed to be taking it easy."

  "I am taking it easy, but I can't stay in bed 24 hours a day. I'm going to sit up for a while." Seeing Megan's worried expression, Tony added, "For just a little. Now why don't you go to bed?"

  Megan realized Tony was right. She was still tired, and her bed sounded really good right now. "Ok, see you tomorrow."

  "G'night."

  Tony sat quietly for a while thinking, I'm in serious trouble here

  and wondering what in the hell she was going to do about it. True to her word, she went to bed a short time later.

  * * *

  The man walked confidently down the street toward the predesignated meeting place. He didn't expect to encounter any trouble but was carrying a piece just in case. Rounding the darkened warehouse building, he stepped into a doorway to wait. He always arrived at least 30 minutes early to check out the area. The precaution probably wasn't necessary, but better not to take chances. After all, those who made mistakes paid and he didn't intend to make any. That was why he wore his disguise even to these meetings. No one would ever be able to identify him, not even a low life drug dealer.

  A short time later, he saw his contact make his way across the warehouse parking lot. Waiting until he passed the doorway he was secluded in, he stepped out behind the man, saying, "You got it?"

  The dealer swore, whirling around angrily

  "No, I don't think so," he sneered. Now do you have the stuff?"

  Holding out his hand, he said, "The money," counting it before he pulled 5 small vials out of his pocket. Once the exchange was made, the dealer departed first. A short time later the other man made his way back to his car

  "Morning," Megan smiled at the tall woman entering the kitchen, thinking, she is so beautiful. "How ya feeling?"

  "Kinda sore," Tony surprised herself with the honest answer. "But could be worse," she finished placing her hand on the back of the chair

  "Did you take your pills?" Megan knew the threat of sepsis was very high in spleen injury cases and Tony was on heavy doses of antibiotics and a pain killer

  "No, I was going to get some juice first."

  "What would you like for breakfast. Let’s see... there's eggs, cereal, bagels, English muffins, bananas..."

  "Wait," Tony interrupted Megan, quirking a small grin. "How about just the cranberry juice. I'm really not hungry."

  "You have to eat something. You're not supposed to take those on an empty stomach. How about a bagel?" Megan urged

  "Ok, but I'm going to take a shower first."

  "You're gonna have to settle for a bath and watch how much water you put in. You can't get the adhesive wet and when you're done, I want to take a look at your back," Megan answered expecting some sort of argument

  Tony was silent for a minute, but remembering her promise, she simply said, "Ok," to a surprised Megan. Taking her bath she found out just how much the wound in her back impeded her range of motion, and exited the tub in considerable pain. Donning a loose night shirt, she wanted only to lay down until the pain let up

  Megan heard her leave the bathroom and make her way down the hall. Taking the bagel and juice to the bedroom, she saw Tony had already laid down. "I bought you some breakfast. Come on, sit up."

  "I will. In a little while. I just need to lay down right now."

  "What you need is a something for the pain, so you've got to eat something. Now come on, sit up," Megan answered

  Tony complied and after one look at her face, Megan handed her the juice and told her she'd be right back. Grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl she went back to the bedroom, handed it to Tony, and said, "This is breakfast," knowing she would never get a bagel down. Finishing, Tony looked at Megan, saying, "Thanks," took her meds and laid back down

  Megan sat on the bed next to her and raised the nightshirt to check the wound. It was healing nicely. Noticing the tightly clenched muscles in Tony's back, she said, "You gotta relax. She started kneading the knotted muscles, working her way from the shoulders down, and then from one side to the other in a soothing, relaxing rhythm, while staying well away from the wound. Tony began relaxing under the soothing onslaught and fell asleep. Megan pulled her shirt down and brushed the hair out of her face with her hand. Bending over and kissing her on the forehead, she left. Megan knew it would be a few hours before Tony woke because the pain killer was also a light sedative.

  Megan put a pot roast and vegetables in the crock pot turning it on low. She started straightening up the apartment which had been neglected the last few days. Her thoughts were occupied with ways to convince Tony to give up the hotel room and stay with her until she found a place of her own

  When Tony woke up, the pain had receded to a dull discomfort. She lay on the bed thinking of the back rub Megan had given her. The pain had taken a back seat to the soothing, soft small hands. Tony began to imagine how those hands might feel on other parts of her... anatomy. Oh yeah, you're definitely feeling better, now get your mind out of the gutter, she was just being nice. Reluctantly leaving the thoughts behind, she got up

  "How ya feeling?" Megan asked when Tony entered the living room, eyeing her closely

  "Better than I did. What ya doing?" she asked Megan who was sitting at the computer

  "Just surfing. I like to do that sometimes."

  Tony walked over and sat down gingerly on the couch, trying to decide how to start, "Um Megan," pausing, "I just wanted you to know I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I never thanked you for saving my life... thank you," she finished simply

  Megan walked over and sat down next to Tony, "Your welcome, I'm just glad I was there. But you know, I was wondering about something. Why did you leave and take off by yourself?

  Tony considered the question trying to decide what to say that wasn't an absolute lie. For some reason the idea of lying to Megan really bothered her but she obviously couldn't tell her the truth either. "I thought you might like some time alone with Ray," she replied, then added honestly, "It seemed like you were pretty good friends... I just kind of felt like... a third wheel."

  "Oh Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out..."

  "No, it's ok," she interrupted, and then asked a question she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to, "Is he your boyfriend?"

  "He used to be. We were engaged, twice. Once when I was 21 and then again, when I was 24. I broke off the engagement both times. I knew Ray wasn't right for me. That's the first time I've seen him in over two years. He's a really nice guy. He helped me find you and came to the hospital."

  Tony breathed an inward sigh of relief, but wasn't willing to follow the line of thought any further. She knew as lovely as the woman was, she was probably seeing someone, and Tony just didn't want to know if she was

  "What about you, are you seeing anyone?" Megan asked casually

  "No. I move around a lot so..." she trailed off

  "Didn't you have to work today?" Tony had just realized it was midday and Megan was still home

  "No. I took a couple of days off. I figured you might need some help getting around."

  Tony was stunned. She took time off to take care of me.

  Wondering, yet again, what did I do to deserve this? "Megan, you shouldn't have..."

  "Stop. I did what I wanted to. Now how about some lunch? You need to eat," she adroitly changed the subject

  After lunch, they returned to the living room. Megan insisted Tony use the recliner because it would be easier on her back than sitting on the couch. Flipping aimlessly through the channels, she asked, "What do you like to watch?"

  "Anything action... sci-fi, cops... stuff like that."

  "How about Unsolved Mysteries? Ther
e's not much on right now."

  "Ok," Tony said, relaxing in the recliner

  "I want to talk to you about something," Megan began

  Tony looked at Megan, thinking, uh oh, this sounds serious.

  Once she had Tony's attention she continued, "It seems like a real waste of money for you to keep that hotel room while you're staying here." When Tony started to interrupt, she said, "Wait, let me finish. Why don't you let me go and get your stuff and then you could just stay here until you find a place?" she finished in a rush

  Tony hadn't thought about the hotel room. The money wasn't a problem. She had invested very wisely during her years undercover with no real use for her salary since the government paid for everything on covert operations. Actually, she could retire and live quite comfortably on her earnings . But it was really... nice here. Could she handle being around Megan for more than a day or two?... or maybe the question should be, could she handle not being around her? Tony sighed inwardly at the dilemma she was in. The situation was obviously hopeless. But the idea of staying here a little longer was really appealing..

  Megan had been studying Tony intently, willing her to say yes. But as the silence lengthened, she prepared to be disappointed, knowing it would be too good to be true

  "Only if I can pay for half of everything while I'm here," Tony responded, adding, "and I go with you to get my things. You shouldn't have to do that."

  Tony watched the warm, full smile light up Megan's face, and thought, I think I finally did something right, answering it with one of her own

  Megan and Tony spent the next couple of hours conversing easily, each opening up to the other slowly, a budding trust beginning to develop. Megan talked about her parents, her sisters and brother, and about how it was growing up in a home that had very high expectations of each child. She touched on her relationship with her father vaguely, telling Tony how Ashley had always tried to intervene in her behalf and how close she was to her sister

  Tony was surprised at how easy it was talk to Megan. She shared some of her happy childhood stories, talking about her brothers, and how they all were in trouble more often than not, admitting she was often the instigator. Realizing she was talking about her brothers, Tony was shocked

  Then other memories began coursing through her mind. Tony was 17, had just graduated and was waiting to start college along with her brother George. They had started and finished school in the same grade. There was only nine and a half months between them and due to the way his birthday fell, he started school a year late. Both had won partial scholarships and were working summer jobs. This weekend was a welcome reprieve from work for both the teenagers. Joey was the youngest. He was 16 and would enter the 11th grade that fall.

  They had been anticipating this weekend for a month. Vinnie had offered the use of his uncle's cabin up in the mountains of Massachusetts. Their group consisted of 5. Tony, George, Joey, Vinnie and Sharon. Vinnie and Sharon were two of Tony and George's classmates. Joey was the only one who had not yet graduated. The 5 had often spent the weekends camping out, their love of the outdoors unequaled by any of their classmates.

  Normally they just went to a wooded resort in the foothills. Sharon's family owned one of the lots, so they had a trailer to crash in. But the idea of exploring the mountains excited all of them. Each of the others had had their turn and, as was the norm, she quickly located each of them. Tony had decided to have some fun and had led them on a merry chase. They were at least 5 miles from the cabin

  Tony forcefully thrust the memory of that painful day away, concentrating so hard, her face was tight with the visible effort

  "Tony... are you ok? What's wrong?"

  "Nothing. I was just thinking."

  After Tony fell asleep, Megan decided to go get her things. Getting in and out of the car was still too hard for her and besides she shouldn't be carrying things anyway. Best to do it now and avoid having to argue the point. She knew just how stubborn Tony could be. She needed to stop at the store anyway. Before departing, she left Tony a note saying she'd be back in a couple of hours

  Megan had rushed her errands, wanting to get back before Tony woke up, so she could move her things into the apartment unobtrusively. Accomplishing that, she started to finish preparing dinner

  "Oh, Sleeping Beauty's finally up," teased Megan, smiling when Tony walked into the kitchen.

  Tony was unable to stop the blush that crept onto her face at the words. Megan looked at her chuckling, "What's the matter, I embarrass you?" thinking how cute she looked

  "No," came the automatic denial. "What're you making?"

  "Pot roast and vegetables. I just have to do the salad and it'll be done."

  "I'll make the salad. Why don't you relax for a while."

  Megan started to object, but seeing the look Tony was giving her decided not to

  Tony smiled to herself. Yep, salads she could do. Not much else though. Cooking had never really interested her. She just usually ate out.

  "This is really good," Tony complimented Megan. "It's really nice to have a home cooked meal for a change."

  Megan felt her cheeks redden at the praise, "Thanks."

  When Tony saw Megan blush she decided it was payback time and winked at her, "I didn't embarrass you, did I?" she teased. "Turnabouts fair play you know."

  Looking at the mirth filled blue eyes, Megan smiled. God, she's in a good mood. It's hard to believe that this is the same woman I met last week. Taking advantage of her good humor, Megan nonchalantly said, "I picked up your stuff and put it in the bedroom. Most of the it's in the closet. If you can't find something, let me know."

  "I thought we agreed that I would go with you. My stuff is not your responsibility," Tony stated pointedly

  "You were asleep and I had to go out anyway so it was no problem. You would have only aggravated your back and I didn't want you to have to go through any more pain than you already have. I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel about it," Megan finished, figuring Tony would be mad at her, but knowing she would do the same thing again if she needed to.

  Tony sat silently for a minute. So far, she was batting zero. She just couldn't win these arguments with Megan. How are you supposed to be angry at someone for caring about you? She said the only thing she could, "Thanks."

  Tony spent the rest of the evening in the recliner, wanting to be near Megan, dozing on and off from the effects of the pain killers and her body's effort to repair itself. When she was awake, they passed the time companionably, watching TV, talking, sharing, and enjoying their new found friendship

  The next morning Tony was up early and decided there no way she was going to bathe before she ate breakfast and took a pain killer. No more repeats of yesterday. Well the back rub was pretty good. Yeah, you're definitely on the mend. Shaking her head at her incorrigible mind, she went to the kitchen only to see Megan standing there in a short lightweight nightshirt. Oh God... Tony was helpless to stop her eyes from raking the length of Megan's body and was only just able to divert them before Megan turned around. "Mornin'," Megan said smiling. Tony managed to return the greeting and then decided maybe she better take a bath first after all

  Megan had only gone to the kitchen to make coffee, not expecting Tony up so early. But since she was, she asked, "What ya want for breakfast?" deciding Tony was kind of quiet this morning

  You, mentally slapping herself in the head, Tony said, "I think I'll take a bath first."

  "If I remember right, that wasn't such a good idea yesterday," Megan countered

  "Um... well... my back's a little better today," replied Tony turning to make her escape. Megan was having none of that, remembering only too well the pain Tony had been in yesterday, and went over, grasped her arm, tugging her toward the chair, and said, "Come on. It'll only take a couple of minutes. I'll makes eggs. How do you like em'?"

  Tony allowed herself to be led to the chair, fighting to control her lascivious thoughts, as the small hand that warmed her arm, along with Megan's
proximity made this a very difficult feat. Whoa... take it easy... you can do this.. oh but this is agony.

  While they were eating, Tony who had managed to tame her libido for the time being, asked, "What we gonna do today?"

  Megan started laughing. "Oh, you are feeling better." Megan knew Tony needed to take it easy whether she realized it or not, so she responded, "We can do anything you want as long as it can be done from your bed or the recliner."

  Unbidden images brought on by the innocent comment cascaded through Tony's mind, and she choked on her toast and started coughing. Megan was at her side in an instant, thunking her expertly on the back, asking her, "Are you ok?"

  Once Tony got the coughing under control, she muttered, "Yeah," Popping one of her pain pills while silently cursing her back. "I'm gonna lay down," her actions belying her words.

  Megan followed her in and said, "Let me take a look at your back. You were coughing pretty hard. I need to make sure you didn't pull anything loose."

  Tony laid down grumbling, "Damn back anyway. All I did was cough, I can't believe this shit."

  Megan raised her shirt, checking carefully for any damage. Satisfied there wasn't any, she began massaging Tony's muscles, with sure, smooth movements. "You know Tony, the muscles in your back were severed. Even though they have been repaired, it's gonna take a while. When you do something that involves those muscles, it's gonna hurt," she said expertly avoiding any area that might cause discomfort.

  Tony had forgotten about complaining, enjoying the soothing feel of the back rub, "Thanks, that feels really good."

  "It's supposed to. Now just relax." Megan was thoroughly enjoying her task. She loved the feel of Tony's muscles responding to the gentle kneading. Her skin was so soft. Megan continued her massage after Tony fell asleep marveling at the strong, broad back. Reluctantly moving off the bed, she repeated her actions of the day before, brushing Tony's hair out of her face, and kissing her forehead, knowing it was probably the last time she'd get the opportunity

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Megan ensuring Tony rested, and both women just enjoying the other's company. Megan opened up about her relationship with her father, leaving out only the darker memories. She acknowledged that her relationship with him had deteriorated from her early teen years and that no matter how hard she tried, she had never been able to please him. She told Tony how he had always belittled her interests, only encouraging her when it came to school