by K Alexander
The shorter man flashes a smooth smile at Andy. "We would like to speak with Miss Walsch alone, ma'am, if you wouldn't mind."
"It's doctor Walsch, and yes, I do mind. My sister's not going anywhere without me."
The two officers glance at Claire, but she stares at them reservedly until the taller man capitulates with grace. "All right. Please step this way." They lead the two women through a side door and into a corridor with a maze of doors. Opening one reveals a small conference room. Civilly the men pull out chairs and seat the sisters before they take places on opposite sides of the table.
"My name is Captain Justin Leary, and this is my colleague, Captain Francis Mitchell." It is the shorter man who is speaking. "We are here to speak to you on behalf of General George Turner, who is dealing with the Ryan situation."
At the mention of the name Claire is surprised that she manages to keep the flicker of recognition from her face. "What can I help you with, captain Leary?"
"We would like to ask you a few questions regarding your experience with miss Ryan."
"Captain Ryan." She ignores his slight twitch at her correction. "Go ahead, captain."
The taller man interjects smoothly at this point. "Would you mind if we taped this conversation?" He slides a small Dictaphone out of his pocket and places it in the centre of the table, raising his eyes at her enquiringly. When she shakes her head in the negative he presses the record button and states all of their names as well as the date, time and location, before he nods to captain Leary to continue. The shorter man smiles a handsome smile at her.
"Doctor Walsch, please state for the record that you have given your consent for this conversation to be recorded."
"I have."
"Can you tell us on which day you were abducted from the Fairwater institute by Captain Leah Ryan?"
"It was the… " she pauses for a moment, "excuse me. I'm a little tired. It was the morning of the 13th of June. 2005."
"Can you please give us an indication of the subsequent events?"
Claire runs them through the happenings as factually as she can, her voice even and calm and her manner detached. Even while she is pondering the wisdom of her actions she omits the fact that she knows about DEX, choosing instead to say that she was excluded from certain conversations such as the one at Vice-admiral Victor Banks' house. When she reaches the section about the White Springs Hotel and the shooting she instinctively minimizes her part in the escape. The two men listen without comment until she is finished, and then captain Mitchell speaks.
"Why didn't you escape at the hotel, doctor Walsch? You must have had ample opportunity?"
"I was being shot at by your men, captain." She shoots him a fixed and forceful glance. "Come to think of it… why was I being shot at, Captain? Was my safety not a priority?"
"Of course it was. Our soldiers are highly trained. If they were in fact shooting in your direction they would have taken precautions not to hit you."
"They were in fact shooting in my direction, captain. I've just told you that. And how exactly does one take precautions not to hit the hostage in the dark?"
"They didn't hit you."
"Captain Ryan showed more concern for my welfare than your men did, Captain Mitchell." She is clasping Andy's hand so tightly that her sister has to tap hers lightly before she loosens her grip sheepishly. "Be that as it may. Any other questions?"
"Why did you not abandon Captain Ryan at the hospital, doctor Walsch?"
"Because at that point in time Captain Ryan presented no threat to me any longer and I was concerned about her welfare."
Captain Leary sits forward. "Why?"
"Why not?" She looks at him quizzically. "She had been injured, captain. It took nothing from me to show concern."
"Fine." Captain Mitchell knits his big fingers together in apparent frustration. "Did Captain Ryan at any point discuss any matters of national security with you?"
"She'd been locked up for eight or nine years, captain Mitchell." Claire allows a measure of amusement to creep onto her face. "How much exactly did she know?"
"Just a yes or no will do, doctor."
"No. Unless you consider throwing up a matter of national security."
The tall man ignores her quip. "Do you know where she went, doctor Walsch?"
"No." When both Captain Mitchell and Captain Leary watch her unblinkingly she shrugs her shoulders, suddenly irritable. "What? Do you want to see the map she left me with her current location circled in red?"
Captain Justin Leary raises his eyebrows stoically. "Doctor Walsch, there is no need to be sarcastic."
"Excuse me." Andy slips into the conversation gracefully. "Captain Leary, my sister has been through an awful ordeal, which, may I remind you, was brought on due to the laxness of security on the part of, amongst others, your institution. She is tired and needs some rest, and quite honestly you are treating her as if she is the criminal here. If you have any further pressing questions to ask I suggest that you ask them now, so that I may take her home." Standing up she puts a hand on Claire's shoulder. "And may I suggest that you work some sort of apology into it?"
An inscrutable look passes between Captains Leary and Mitchell before Justin Leary stands up, his face expressionless. "Doctor Walsch, I would like to apologize on behalf of General George Turner and the US Army for the trial you have been through. We will do everything in our power to have the perpetrator brought to justice and the situation rectified."
Claire nods. "Is that all?"
Francis Mitchell rises too. Standing up Claire leans back against Andy momentarily. "Thank you, gentlemen. And goodbye."
They are led towards the central terminal and can almost feel the men's eyes on them as they make their way to the National Rentals counter. Leaning on the hardboard surface Claire bumps Andy lightly with her hip. "Thanks, And. I don't know why you didn't become a lawyer."
"It would have been an unfavorable idea for someone who wants to work with dead things." Andy passes over her credit card and scribbled her elaborate signature at the bottom of the form the smiling attendant passes her before she turns abruptly and pulls Claire in for another tight hug. When she speaks Claire can hear the tears in her voice. "I'm so glad you're okay, Claire. I'm just so glad."
Claire stays in the comforting embrace until Andy sniffs once and steps back, taking the car keys from the counter nonchalantly. Her eyes don't meet Claire's. "Let's go."
In the parking garage they find the National sign and get into the green Chevrolet Aveo waiting for them. Andy is an assertive driver, and she steers them safely through Seattle on the I-5 Express Lane, veering off towards the left just before Lake Union. Maintaining a one-sided conversation she occasionally glances towards Claire, who is sitting quietly staring out of the window, and when she touches her sister's leg once tentatively the blonde glances back with distant eyes.
They stop in front of the pretty brownstone building on 31st Avenue West and inside Claire knocks on the caretaker's door. After intensive questioning of her health and mental state he unlocks her door and gives the extra keys to her for safekeeping until hers are returned to her.
It is a surreal experience for her to be standing on her own doorstep, looking in at the small dining room and kitchen as if she hasn't seen them in years, when it's only been a week and her life has been irrevocably changed. Waving Andy forward into the spare room she makes coffee and doesn't realize that she is crying until her sister's arms wrap around her from behind and Andy's small frame is pressed against hers solidly. Claire stands quietly and lets the tears run down her cheeks unhindered, and when control returns she inhales tentatively a few times before giving Andy's arms a loving pat and stepping out of them. Her sister's eyes are concerned as she takes her cup of coffee from Claire.
"C? Let's talk about it?"
It is with a sense of amazement that Claire realizes exactly how long ago Andy last saw her cry. After that night she has never opened herself to anybody, including her sist
er, and this makes Andy even more worried about Claire's state. Smiling a small but genuine smile Claire picks up her cup and nods.
"I'd like that."
They move into the living room with its gorgeous view of the park, and Claire sinks down into one of the brown distressed leather sofas and pulls her legs in under her, sipping from her cup inattentively. There is a moment of silence before she suddenly notes Andy's blue eyes on her, and the worry hidden in them. Smiling, she cocks her head.
"I'm okay, And."
"Is it true?"
Stopping the urge to answer immediately, she pauses and ponders. It is a set routine between them, the slow honest asking and answering, and she knows better than to reply without thinking it through. Andy would know. An image of Ryan's fierce green eyes flashes into her mind. "Yes. It's true."
Andy knows not to push her sister. She keeps quiet, watching the play of emotions on Claire's face, until the blonde speaks again.
"She was different than I expected."
"Did she do anything to you?"
"Yes." Claire can see the anger washing through her sister suddenly, and waves it down. "Whoa, Andrea. Wait. It's not what you think."
"Don't make me have to ask you, Claire!" In spite of the frustration in her sister's voice, or perhaps slightly because of it, Claire grins a little, and even though Andy's still angry her lips twitch slightly at the sight. "Come on. Talk."
"Everyone's wondering whether she hurt me, And. Whether she touched me or anything." She smiles at her sister. "She did touch me - but in a way that I never expected."
"Was she crazy?" Coming from Andy it is a straightforward question, no sensationalism or opinion.
"Not even close. " Claire begins to tell her then, about the abduction and the flight and the events that ensued. The difference, though, between the story that Andy has heard at the airport in the conference room and the one that she hears now cannot be more pronounced. Her sister is not taking care at this moment to keep the emotions from her face or her voice, not the facts which she withheld from the Navy officials. She relays the facts about DEX with a breathless intensity that draws her sister into the story effortlessly, and keeps her listening perched at the edge of her seat with a stunned expression. Even at the end she considers leaving off the part where she kissed Ryan, but she understands that Andy will know there's more and cannot keep it from her. When she finally finishes speaking her sister sits back and scowls, an expression born more of compassion than confusion.
"When you walked in here … I could see that something had opened in you." Andy's voice is quiet. "You've been pulling back for such a long time. I hated not being able to reach you."
Claire smiles. "You would have liked her. She has this way of looking right through you, past the barriers you put up, without judging what she sees. I was so vulnerable and emotionally exposed, Andy, and she was so very gentle." She puts down the cup. "Now, looking back, I don't know why I did what I did. Ryan wrote it off to my charged emotional condition - ever gracious - but that wasn't it. She has a strength inside her that goes beyond anything I've ever experienced. Being with her I felt safe - absurd considering that I was in physical danger most of the time, due to her!" She chuckles at herself, causing Andy to laugh softly. "She had some sort of peace - and I wanted a part of that, too."
Andy nods thoughtfully and turns her next words over in her mouth before she speaks them. "I don't understand any of it, C, but seeing you like this, so animated… I don't think I need to. I do think it's a pity that it was her who brought that out in you." Claire considers protesting, but brushes the thought aside impatiently almost immediately, trusting Andy not to disappoint her. And of course her sister doesn't. "Not because she's dangerous, or a fugitive, or even a woman, Claire - simply because she won't be around to build on that with you. You've found a sensation worth holding onto and you can't." Smiling at her sister over the rim of the cup Andy takes a sip of her cooling coffee, and Claire waits silently until she speaks again. "I'm sorry, sis. That's the only thing I can say. I've always wanted the best for you."
"Aw, Andy." Claire gets up and crawls onto the couch next to her sister, laying her head in Andy's lap and looking up at the ceiling. "That was the best thing for me. She woke something in me, and even if she can't be around to see that, I can't make it go back to sleep again."
"The gift that keeps on giving?"
Claire smiles at Andy's dry quip. "Yeah. Something like that." Rolling over she wraps her arms around herself. "Jesus. I'm so tired."
"Then sleep, little sister." Andy begins to stroke her hands soothingly through her sister's disheveled hair. "I'll be here when you wake up."
------ With her sister at her side two weeks just fly by, and when Claire sees her off at Sea-Tac on the 5th of July Andy can't help but marvel at the change in Claire. Her usually edgy personality has eased up somewhat, and she looks younger and happier as she strolls through the airport arm in arm with Andy, both of them drawing appreciative glances.
They say an emotional goodbye and Claire makes Andy promise that she will visit again soon. When Claire watches the airplane lift off she blinks away a tear and smiles to herself before she drives back to her apartment.
She has not been to work yet - the institute knows of the incident with Ryan and feels that Claire needs some time off to gather her thoughts and recover. When first they called her to suggest a month's holiday she balked against the idea immediately. It was only Professor Caitlyn Stevens' firm tone and refusal to budge that finally saw her taking some of the days she'd been hoarding since her first year there. And she has to admit that it is doing her a world of good. She has been seeing a therapist, a gentle older woman who lives in her suburb and makes her feel at ease. They have not yet begun to discuss Ryan, but are working through her rape slowly and surely. Most days Claire feels like a completely new person.
She has not yet managed to stop looking for Ryan wherever she goes. Her eyes automatically search out the lean, the tall, the shaven-headed, and once she even rushes forward to grasp at the shoulder of one of those, only to find a startled young man staring at her with large brown eyes.
Art has been around to visit her, and if she did not understand that he was utterly sincere she would laugh at his suddenly soft tentative manner and hesitancy. He imagines rough things to have happened to her, and even her assurances have not settled his unease. It is, perhaps, made worse by the change in her attitude, which he seems to consider an unnaturally bright reaction to her ordeal. In his solicitousness Claire has begun to notice a faint indication of personal interest in her, beyond the close friendly relationship they have always had, and she tries hard not to engender in him any ideas of reciprocation from her side.
When a month has gone by she returns to work, and is almost sent home again summarily, as she manages within the first two hours to kick plastic surgeon Jack Nesbitt securely in the privates in the elevator. A disciplinary hearing is called, he is threatening to sue, and Claire is considering another kick, when Nesbitt's own secretary stands up and informs the board quite explicitly of his tendency towards sexual harassment. This snowballs and by the end of the day there are almost twenty women on record saying that the man has approached them all at work with equally odious suggestions. Though Claire is not off the hook for grievous bodily harm quite yet, she is assured by the board that no further action will be taken on their part, and when Nesbitt sulkily withdraws his threat of litigation after the security videotape of the elevator reveals what exactly prompted her foot to find its way towards his crotch, she is greeted with grins by all of the woman in the building as she returns to work.
------
It is two months since she returned from Harlowton, half past six on a Thursday evening, when her doorbell rings. Busy in the kitchen, she tosses the dishcloth over her shoulder and approaches the door with a frown, standing on her tiptoes to peer through the peephole. Her eyes widen.
Through the slightly distorted lens she sees L
eah Ryan standing in her hallway.
Clearing her throat in astonishment she runs a hand through her blonde hair, recently cut, before she grasps the door handle and opens the door. Ryan has been studying something down the hall, and when her head turns at the sound their gazes meet and the sight of those vividly green eyes staring into hers almost has her trembling.
"Walsch." The voice is as gritty and hoarse as she remembers it. "You look good."
"You too." And it is the truth. Ryan's dark hair has grown out to a ragged short style with a modish sharp widow's peak. Though her skin is still pale, it is now the natural shade of a light-skinned person rather than illness, and beneath the tight black t-shirt Claire can see that her frame is still lean, but slightly more solid. She is wearing a pair of jeans, the denim faded over her thighs, and a pair of black boots, and she looks gorgeous.
They look at each other quietly for a moment, the silence sitting quite easily between them, and then Claire smiles. "Well, come in, soldier."