“You are okay. I was so worried about you,” I said into his chest.
That’s when I noticed he didn’t hug me back. I pulled away and looked at him. He still smiled, but didn’t move. Was he repulsed by my horrible face? Or was he mad at me?
“I was so worried about you, too,” he finally said, his voice catching. His face bore the same wounds, some covered up with white strips, from the slapping branches as mine did, but his eyes sparkled, like always. “You were so brave. I’m proud of you.” His eyes glistened with tears and one lone tear slowly fell down his left cheek.
“What’s wrong with you Jeremy?” Panic welled up in my heart as I waited for an answer. My heart punched hard against my ribs.
“Not much.” He chuckled. “I’m just a little paralyzed.”
“Paralyzed? No, no,” I said, laying my head on his chest hoping I would feel his strong arms wrap around me and hold me tight. They didn’t, and I let the tears flow freely, wetting his shirt. No one spoke for a long time.
I looked him straight in the eye. Tears still spilled easily from his now. “What happened? Paralyzed? How?” I asked even though I knew the answer. He was paralyzed because he tried to protect me.
“Well,” he said, trying to hide how his voice cracked with emotion. “A bullet—”
The door to the room suddenly swung open and a man, who was obviously a doctor, said, “Well, well. Who’s this?” He looked at me, his deep voice soothing. “I mean, I saw these two kids yesterday and now there’s one more.” He gestured toward Rick and Summer and then planted his eyes on me.
“This is Christy,” Jeremy said.
“Ahhh. Your partner in crime. I should’ve known. Her face looks as bad as yours. I think she might have more steri-strips than you.” He moved over to me and grabbed my chin, looking closely at my face. “I take that back. Her cuts seem to be healing better than yours.” He chuckled. “Maybe it’s all these tears. Salt water has such a great healing effect. Now, what are these tears for? Are you in a lot of pain?”
“Only every inch of me.”
“All bruised up—like someone else I know, huh?” He looked at Jeremy, moving toward him. I stepped away and watched as the doctor gently touched several spots on Jeremy’s face. All I could feel was pain for this man who gave his life for me—worse, really. Now he would have a frozen life, unable to do anything that he used to. My insides churned.
“I was just filling Christy in on what happened to me. Could you just tell her?”
There was more? I was going to be sick. I felt hot and looked around for some way to get more air.
“Are you sure, Jeremy? I could leave and come back.”
“No. Really, it’s okay. Tell her everything. She won’t rest until she knows every last detail.” He winked at me. How could he do that? He should be mad at me, not playful. He would live a life of sorrow because of me. I tried to hold it together to know the full extent of the damage I’d caused. I leaned on the closest wall to help with the shaking.
“Well, okay…” the doctor turned to me. “Jeremy was shot. The bullet grazed his lower spine and miraculously missed all his vital organs as it exited his left side. His vertebra chipped a bit, but we think this paralysis will be temporary. Once the swelling goes down and some time passes, we hope he will return to normal.”
“Oh.” I felt a bit of relief. He had a chance to be normal again. I couldn’t help but ask, “What are the chances?”
“It’s hard to say. Everyone is so different.”
“Is it more likely than not?” I whispered.
“Yes.”
I expelled a puff of air and relaxed. My urge to puke left me as I moved toward Jeremy again. “Do you hurt or do you feel nothing?” I asked.
“I can’t feel anything. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
“You always look on the bright side of things. How?”
“It’s natural for me,” he chuckled.
After checking a few of the machines, the doctor turned and looked at Summer and Rick and said, “Now, you two watch out for Christy here. Don’t let her laugh too much. We don’t want her cuts to bust open.”
Only Rick and Jeremy laughed. Summer sneered.
“I’ll be back a little later, Jeremy. And Christy, be good.”
“I’ll try.” I answered, watching him leave, wondering why he hadn’t said to be safe.
“Hey, Jeremy,” Summer said. “Why am I still here? It’s not like I saw anything. Those goons out there wouldn’t explain why I had to sit around here waiting for Christy when I could have been home two days ago.”
“We didn’t know exactly what the bad guys knew, so we had to play it safe to keep you safe. We didn’t know if they knew only Christy and Marybeth had seen the whole thing and that you had seen nothing. I think it’s pretty clear now that our mole, Agent Durrant, told them about who knew what. When push came to shove and they only had a slim chance of getting rid of one of you back at the safehouse, they went for Christy.”
A strange relief washed over me, glad I’d been the target, but glad they hadn’t gotten me.
“So, is everyone else safe now?”
“Everyone, including you,” Jeremy said, looking at me. The other kids flew home yesterday.”
“Why couldn’t I go with them?” Summer asked.
“It was easier just to” keep the three of you together, that’s all.”
“I’m so glad everyone’s safe,” I said. “What about the terrorists?”
“As far as the bad guys go, we think we got them all. They’re all either dead or in custody.”
“Even the Senator and the guy with the crooked nose and—,” I asked.
“All, Christy. You’re safe to go home. It’s over for you.”
The pain in my gut didn’t leave me. I was afraid.
“Don’t be afraid, Christy,” Jeremy said, as if reading my thoughts. “They got ‘em on the run, and besides, I taught you to defend yourself. Just be careful.”
Would I ever feel safe again?
“When are we going home?” I asked.
“This afternoon,” Rick said, almost whispering. “We go to the airport from here.”
“Today? Are you crazy?” I said.
“You mean you want to stay here? All alone?” Jeremy asked.
“I wouldn’t be alone. You would be here.”
“You need to go home.”
The door opened and our “guards” stepped inside. “Time to go.”
I leaned back down to Jeremy and hugged him. “Thank you,” I whispered. I looked at his dark brown eyes and felt tears well up again.
“Don’t cry for me. I’ll be out running before your first tear hits the ground.”
I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll write to you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to. Where do I send the letters?”
“Send ‘em to FBI headquarters. Nathan’ll get ‘em to me.”
“I will,” I said, nodding. “Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you for my life. Promise me you’ll get better.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
“You better!” I said, turning to leave.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Our driver dropped us off curbside at the airport and Summer, Rick, our agents and I headed inside. The masses of people waiting in line at each airline staggered me. People were everywhere.
We snaked through the line to check our baggage. Once we reached the representative, she entered our information and then another airline rep came and led her away. They disappeared behind a door. Only after several minutes did a completely different rep. come to the counter to help us. Chris, my new FBI Special Agent, complained about the wait and the rep. gave us complimentary hygiene kits for our trouble.
It had only been one hour since they made me put the wig on, and it itched already. Waiting in the long line to check my luggage, I tried to ignore it, but by the time we headed for the security line, I coul
dn’t take it anymore. I pulled hard on Chris’ arm and pointed toward the restroom sign.
He rolled his eyes and said, “Hurry up. We don’t have a lot of time.”
I nodded and hurried in, scratching my head through the wig once I got in a stall. I knew I should be careful not to mess it up and make it obvious that I was wearing a wig, but it itched so bad and I had to scratch so hard to satisfy the itch, I was sure it had moved and didn’t look right. I’d fix it on my way out. With the itch gone, I headed for a mirror. The wig had moved, the part sat way left and the long black hair ratted at the top. I flipped the long strands to the back and adjusted the part to the center while tucking in any errant strands of my natural blond hair. It didn’t look as good as the makeup artist had left it, but I thought it looked pretty natural. They still hadn’t explained, to my satisfaction anyway, why I even had to wear a wig if they’d gotten all the terrorists.
“It’s just a precautionary measure,” Chris had told me in the van driving to the airport.
I had to spend a minute on my face. It looked terrible. The ointment the doc had me put on my scrapes was shiny and oozy now. The makeup artist had been smart putting a long wig on me so that I could look down and hide my face because the ooziness of the ointment made me look like some monster from a sci-fi flick. I turned to get some toilet paper to wipe it away, when I noticed a nun washing her hands at the sink next to me. I smiled at her. She smiled back, turning to grab a paper towel, but finding the dispenser empty, she turned back to the sink.
“Here, use these,” I said, handing her the toilet paper I’d just gotten.
“Thank you, dear,” she said.
I got more for myself, wiped my face and headed for the exit.
“Young lady,” the nun called after me, “here, take this.” She held out a necklace.
“No, really, that’s okay,” I said.
“It’s a Patron Saint Christopher charm. He’ll watch out for you as you travel.” She moved toward me, holding it out to me to take. “Please, you were kind to me and I’d like to return the favor.”
Not wanting to hurt her feelings, and knowing that Chris told me to hurry, I took the charm, lifting it up to see a man with a walking staff imprinted on the little gold charm. I said thanks as I hurried out the door.
Chris stood only a few feet from the entrance, looking like he hadn’t taken his eyes off the door the whole time I was in there. Before I could tell Chris about the nun, he jumped all over me for taking too much time, grabbed my hand and dragged me to the security line. I slid the charm necklace into my backpack, amused at the idea a patron saint would watch over me and his name was Christopher.
I saw Summer already walking down the aisle for first class ticket holders, and Rick stood at the end of it. He waved his hand at me to go with him. First class would have been nice, but something I could never afford. I pointed at the other line, pulling Chris in that direction, but Chris pulled me toward the first class line.
“This way,” he said.
“I don’t have a first class ticket,” I said.
“You do today,” he said, meeting up with Rick and his agent.
Rick smiled and said, “Finally.”
I couldn’t believe he was being so nice to me after what happened at the safehouse. I thought it was over between us. In fact, he’d been nice to me ever since he took my hand on the roof.
He looked me straight in the eye. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Had he forgiven me? He grabbed my backpack, threw it over his shoulder and then took my hand, leading me into the almost empty first class line to airport security while I tried to open my ticket and see what it said. Was I really in first class?
Both of our FBI agents followed closely behind us, acting like they were traveling, too. It was interesting to see them appear relaxed. I looked around, wondering if there were more agents stashed around the airport that I couldn’t see. There were only three people in front of us in line, and Rick turned to me. “Hey, what’s the first thing you’re doing when you get home?”
I pulled my hand away from his and opened my ticket, ignoring his question. First class. Rick bumped into my arm, smiled and said, “A gift from the taxpayers of America.” He chuckled.
Awesome.
“So, what are you going to do when you get home?” he asked again.
Home. Unfortunately, we were going home. This really was my last day in D.C. My stomach tightened thinking of going back to my ordinary, totally uninteresting, boring life back home. I hoped my parents would let me stay home from school until I didn’t have to use the ointment any longer. Fat chance. Would people be able to see that I had changed—that I could be pretty—even with my face a total mess?
I hadn’t really thought about what I would do when I got there. All I could think about was what I would miss here in D.C. Friends. People who liked me and wanted to be with me. Guys. Guys who actually liked me. My heart sank as I thought about the loneliness of home.
I felt a tug at my hand.
“Well?” Rick stared at me.
The playfulness in his eyes made my heart sink even deeper. He was going to go home to his friends and would forget all about me.
“You in there, Christy?”
I forced a smile. “Sorry. I was just trying to figure out what I’m gonna do.”
“I know what I’m going to do. After giving my family the biggest hugs ever, I’m gonna make ‘em go swimming with me. I’m dying to swim.”
This time it was easy to smile as we continued moving toward the security guy. “Swimming’s good.”
“Yeah. The only thing that would make it better is if you were there with me.” He squeezed my hand lightly a couple of times and rocked gently into the side of my arm.
“If only,” I said, feeling my skin heat up as he touched it. Truly. If only. Now that I had felt what it was like to have people care about me—how could I live without it? I simply had to make some friends. The thought of going back to everyone treating me the same horrible way for the next two years until I could leave for college crushed me.
When we reached the security check point, I couldn’t help but notice how close Rick had gotten to me. I tried to suppress the magical feeling it gave me, but couldn’t. If this was the last time I would be with him, I should enjoy it. Why was I being so pessimistic anyway? He could call me. He could visit. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. After all, who would have believed I would have made friends on this trip? Who would’ve believed I could look pretty? Who would have believed I would kiss someone? Two someones? Even if Rick or Alex didn’t call me, maybe guys would notice me and even ask me on a date next month when I turn sixteen. Thanks to Eugene, I could see how annoying I’d been before I came to D.C., and I would never act that way again. My heart raced at the thought.
I handed the security guy my ID and boarding pass. Rick did the same. Our FBI agents followed close behind.
While getting my shoes back on after security, Rick took my backpack again. “We’re only a few gates away from each other—but my plane leaves in about ten minutes. You still have a half-hour or so.”
I was glad he didn’t ask me again about home. He stopped at a gate that had no people waiting in it and led me away from the main walkway, setting our backpacks against a wall.
“Christy—”
“Wait,” I said. “Rick, I’m sorry about the gala, that night in the safehouse and—”
“Christy. You don’t need to apologize again. I do. I’m sorry for ignoring you at the house. Especially after you explained everything to me. I was rude and mean.”
“Stop it. You don’t have anything to apolo—”
He pulled me close. I felt his warm breath on my face as he looked straight into my eyes and my heart lit on fire. He moved in even closer. The touch of his body against mine sent tingles to the tips of my toes. He whispered, “Can I kiss you?”
I nodded, wanting nothing more.
He kissed me softly. The kiss by the f
ountain had been beautiful, but nothing like this. His hand was warm on the back of my neck and his lips were soft and giving. My fingers drifted along his back.
I thought briefly about Alex. My last words to him had been said in anger. In fact, I had punched him. I would never see him again, would I? Not likely. I shouldn’t feel guilty for kissing Rick. This kiss was special, like he was gifting me a part of himself. Alex’s kisses set my body on fire, but that couldn’t last forever. Alex was gone. He hadn’t meant what he’d said about me “being taken”. But why did it hurt so bad to think I’d never see him again? I pushed on the hurt, taking it to the far reaches of my mind, because Rick was here. He was real, and I believed in him. I would kiss him one final time. It couldn’t hurt. I was going to enjoy every second. He made me feel safe and secure with who I was, unlike Alex, who always asked me to change in some way. Rick was definitely the right choice. I didn’t even hear that voice in my head contradict my thoughts—it was wonderful.
At one point, his arms tightened on the small of my back, and I cringed in pain. He pulled away, ever so slightly, and whispered, “Sorry.” I gladly wrapped my arms around him, but he was careful to stay a tiny sliver away so that he wouldn’t hurt my bruised body, his hands stopping just before the small of my back. He kissed me until I could barely hold a thought.
“Hey. Hey,” a voice called. “You’re going to miss your flight, bud. Time to go.”
We pulled apart. It hurt to think I would never see him again.
“I’ll call you,” he said, smiling, pressing his finger against my waiting lips.
I forced a smile, hoping he would.
“We’ll get together this summer. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, as he let my hand go, hoping it was true. In one month I’d be legal, too.
“We’d better run,” the agent said to Rick. My heart thudded hard as I watched them take off. Rick’s gate was only three down, and he handed the boarding agent his pass. Before getting on the plane, he looked my way and waved. I smiled despite myself and waved back, hoping and praying he would call me.
Watched (The Watched Series) Page 29