Once a Hero by Terri
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Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: All characters and events in this story are fictitious, and any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and unintended by the author. "The Pretender" is a protected trademark of MTM Television and NBC and the characters of that series are used herein with no mean intent or desire for remuneration. It is, instead, a tribute to innovative television, that rare and welcome phenomenon.
Note: This is a sequel to Welcome Home, Jarod and Unlikely Allies. Read those first.
Once a Hero
Chapter 1
Terri
Landers, Iowa
10:00 PM
Miss Parker slammed the heavy metal door open and glanced up the stairwell before turning and heading down to the next landing. She could hear Jarod taking the steps two at a time below her and wondered, not for the first time, where the hell her sweeper team was.
She had spotted Jarod five minutes ago and had been chasing him from floor to floor in this deserted office building since. He, of course, had the advantage since he'd been working here as head of security for the last month and knew the layout intimately.
Miss Parker was determined that this was going to be her last chase.
She heard the fire door open below her and slam shut behind Jarod as he exited into the parking garage. A few seconds later, she too emerged into the garage, weapon drawn, and stopped to get her bearings.
The large concrete structure had three vehicles; a pickup truck, Jarod's rental car and the limo that she and Sydney had arrived in. Sydney. Where was he? The last time she had seen him was right before Jarod had spotted her and taken off running. She would have to find him later. Right now she had a clear view of the exit ramp to the street at the opposite end of the garage and there was no way Jarod had made it that far before she came in.
Besides the three vehicles, the huge support pillars offered more than enough cover if he was hiding down here.
"Jarod? I know you're down here. Let's make this easy and you won't get hurt," she called out into the nothingness. The only response she got back was a faint, muffled echo of her own voice.
She started walking further into the dimly lit garage, pausing to look behind pillars and in several recessed areas along the wall. When she was twenty feet away from the limo she bent down and looked underneath to see if Jarod was hiding behind it.
When she didn't see his feet she crept up to the back door and carefully took hold of the handle. It was times like this when she wished she had a normal car without the blackened windows. For all she knew, Jarod was inside, watching her and waiting.
She breathing quickened and she tightened her grip on her weapon as she prepared to yank the door open and confront her objective.
"One, " she whispered to herself, "two......thr -"
"What are you doing?" Came a loud whisper from a foot behind her.
Miss Parker jumped and swung around, raising her gun and coming face to face with -- "Sydney, damn you! You scared the hell out of me!"
She leaned back against the car as Syd reached out and carefully aimed the gun away from his face.
"I should shoot you just for fun," she told him angrily, still trying to calm down.
"You already did that," Sydney reminded her, amused that he had managed to scare her. Usually that was her job.
"Where the hell did you come from? Why did you sneak up on me?"
"I did not sneak up on you," he informed her politely. "You were not paying attention."
"I was tracking Jarod down here and....." she stopped in mid-argument and swung around, raising her gun again. "Shh! Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" He asked in a loud stage whisper that earned him a dirty look.
He squinted into the black recesses of the room in the direction she was pointing and could barley make out a dark figure standing motionless against the far wall.
"Jarod?" he whispered very softly.
Miss Parker nodded her head. He was only ten feet away from the ramp. If he chose to make a run for it now she would have to put a slug in his leg to stop him. Once on the street he would disappear into the night like a retreating fog.
Sydney found himself becoming excited at the prospect of getting Jarod back to the Centre. None of the other residents they had were of interest to him anymore. Also, with Jarod safely home, he wouldn't have to worry about Miss Parker hunting him down on her own and possibly killing him in the process.
Miss Parker knew that Jarod was aware she could see him. She tried to imagine what he must be thinking. She was certain he was calculating the odds of making a clean getaway, wondering if she had the guts to shoot him or if she would miss on purpose like in Miami.
She saw him take a step toward the door and then suddenly break into a run. She raised her gun and yelled his name as she took aim at his right leg and squeezed the trigger.
As she called his name, Jarod turned toward her for a split second. In that same instant, he heard Sydney scream at her not to shoot and his hand came up from under hers and knocked the gun in the air as the bullet left the chamber.
She was still focused on Jarod and watched him duck as the bullet smashed into the concrete wall where his head had just been. He didn't look back as he dashed up the short ramp and disappeared into the night.
Jarod ran from the garage and jumped into a cab that was just being vacated by an elderly couple in front of their apartment building.
"Good evening, folks. This rides on me," he told them as he dropped a fifty dollar bill in the cabby's lap.
Jarod pulled the door closed and told the driver to get going as he slumped down in the seat. As the cab pulled away Jarod resisted the urge to see if he was being followed.
* * * *
Landers United Bank
The Next Morning
Jarod glanced around the bank as he stood in line for the indoor ATM. There were a handful of customers waiting for tellers and a few sitting with loan officers at private desks. He watched one of the employees rise awkwardly from her chair to shake hands with her customer before the man headed toward the vault where the safety deposit boxes were.
The ATM customer finished up and Jarod quickly made his transaction, conscious of the fact that he had just tipped off the Centre as to his location.
Jarod turned around and almost bumped into the woman he had been watching earlier. . "I thought you left town already," she told him as she took hold of his hand. "I'm glad I ran in to you again."
Jarod smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Sandra, why aren't you home with Todd? I thought you decided not to work until this little guy came," Jarod told her as he looked pointedly at her protruding stomach.
Sandra laughed and placed her free hand on her unborn son.
"You sound like Todd. I have two weeks yet and the doctor said it was okay to work part-time until I decided to stop. Besides, now that I don't have to worry about Todd losing his job, thanks to you, I can take it easy here instead of doing all that overtime."
Jarod was pleased that his actions had saved his new friends a lot of trouble but he knew they still had a big problem with money. Well, they did until the next time they checked their bank account.
The man Sandra had helped earlier came out of the deposit box vault and headed for her desk. Sandra glanced over at him then turned to Jarod.
"Duty calls. Will I be seeing you again?"
Jarod shook his head.
"I doubt it. I'm on my way out of town right now. I just wanted to say good-bye."
He leaned down and kissed her cheek as she gave him a hug.
"Thank you, Jarod. We won't forget you." She hurried off to help her customer as Jarod turned to leave.
He was a few feet from the door when a scream echoed through the bank. Jarod swung around, searching for the source of the cry. Toward the back of the bank the customer that Sandra had been helping had her in a choke hold and a gun was pressed to the side of her head.
"Nobody move or you can say good-bye to the lady!"
He looked over at Jarod who was closest to the door.
"You. Lock those doors and get away from them," he ordered.
Jarod quickly did as he was told, intent on not making the gunman irate. After locking the doors Jarod made his way into the room and edged as close to the pair as he could before the robber noticed him.
"Close enough. Don't be a hero."
"Let her go, she's going to have a baby," Jarod told the man softly, trying to calm him down.
Jarod could feel the man's desperation and anger. It poured out of him, filling the room. At the same time he was being overwhelmed with fear from Sandra. He could almost taste it. Jarod closed his eyes and cleared his mind, trying to focus on the man.
"I don't want to hurt her but I will. I want everyone over on that side of the room," he gestured with his gun.
The dozen or so men and women ran for the far wall as directed, avoiding eye contact with their captor. One man stayed behind and pulled a gun from under his jacket. The robber had an accomplice. Jarod didn't move.
"Problem, Hero?"
"Let her go," Jarod requested softly, his voice deep and soothing. He took a step forward but stopped abruptly when the man tightened his grip on his weapon.
"And lose my hostage? No way."
Jarod could tell the gunman was becoming agitated with him so he tried to keep him off balance with another request.
"Take me."
"Why? No cop is going to try and take me out with a pregnant woman in front of me."
"She's going to slow you down. Take me and you'll get out of here easier. You don't want to hurt the baby."
"I don't give a damn about her or the kid," the man snarled in Sandra's ear.
Jarod felt as if he'd been slapped. This man was telling the truth. He would kill Sandra and the baby without a second thought, Jarod couldn't let that happen. He glanced at the second man who was cleaning the cash from the tellers' drawers. He was almost finished.
"Look, I can help you if you let her go."
"How?"
"I can carry the money and I'm bigger than she is. I'll make a better shield," Jarod reasoned with him He could see he was starting to make an impression.
Jarod had avoided looking into Sandra's eyes but he couldn't help himself. She was silently begging him not to do it, tears cascading down her cheeks. Jarod struggled to give her a reassuring look but he was fighting to gain some control over the situation.
He also had another problem. Miss Parker and Sydney were still in the area and he had just used his bank card. Broots had probably already tracked his location. For all Jarod knew, there were sweeper teams on the way. Weren't they going to be surprised?
The man collecting the cash tried to jump over the teller counter but couldn't make it because he was too short. Jarod heard a quickly muffled burst of nervous laughter from the other hostages and in his mind he named the second robber, Shorty.
"We have cops out there," Shorty informed everyone as he looked out the glass doors then headed back toward his partner.
"Are we taking the broad or not?" He asked impatiently, retrieving his weapon from his waistband.
The man holding Sandra could feel her shaking. It was a good bet that she would either pass out on him or go into labor before they got away. He looked at Jarod and weighed his options.
"Okay, Hero, you win," he told Jarod as he motioned for him to come closer and turn around.
"We're leaving and you're going first. You better hope nobody gets in our way because if they do, you'll be the first one to know it."
Jarod felt the muzzle of the gun press into his back and found himself relieved at the touch. At least if it was pointed at him, Sandra and the baby were safe.
"Put your hands behind your head and lace your fingers. No funny stuff. You," he called to a female customer. "Go unlock the doors and go outside. Tell the cops we're coming out in 2 minutes with a hostage and if they don't want to see him splattered on the sidewalk they'll let us through."
The woman nodded and ran for the doors. It only took her a second to get them unlocked. As she stepped outside she was grabbed by a police officer and dragged off to tell her story.
Jarod stood quietly running simulations in his head, looking for a way to end this without bloodshed. He determined the safest solution would be for him to leave with these men and to escape once they were on the road.
Shorty looked at his watch and glanced around the bank on last time. He was very uneasy about leaving so many witnesses alive, but that's the way his partner wanted it. He wished he could see the looks on the cops faces when they tried to view the security tape and found a Donald Duck cartoon in it's place. That had been a stroke of genius on Carters' part. Shorty caught Carter's eye and nodded. Time to go.
Carter nudged Jarod in the back with his gun and the three of them started toward the door. As they passed by a large, indoor tree, Shorty noticed Jarod's Halliburton sitting on the floor and remembered seeing him with it.
"Hey, Hero? Is that yours?" Shorty asked, pointing to the silver case. Jarod glanced at it quickly. He was hoping to leave it there. Sandra knew it was Jarod's and would safeguard it until he returned. Now he wished he had left it in the apartment while he ran this last errand, but he had wanted at least that with him if he had to make a quick escape.
Jarod shook his head and kept walking toward the door. "Nope, never saw it before."
He felt the gun dig hard into his back and stopped. Shorty picked up the case and stood in front of Jarod.
"I saw you come in with it. What's in there, huh? Money, jewels, what?"
"It's just a laptop," Jarod lied casually. "Nothing important."
"Good. Then you won't mind if we bring it along for the ride," Shorty assumed as Carter gave Jarod a shove forward.
Jarod walked out into the intense noonday sun and squinted while his eyes adjusted. He quickly ran an image of the two robbers through his mind and realized neither of them were wearing sunglasses. If he couldn't see anything, chances were neither could they.
He was about to bolt and run when his vision cleared enough to see two figures standing by a black sedan across the street. He wondered what kind of story they had given the cops to get this close to the action. Jarod knew he had hesitated a second too long when he felt the familiar press of a weapon in his back.
"Show time," Carter hissed behind Jarod. He grabbed the back of Jarod's shirt and guided him toward a white four-door that was parked by the curb. Jarod counted five police cars, this towns entire force, with six officers, Sydney and Miss Parker. He was fairly certain that the cops were going to allow the men to escape with their hostage instead of engaging in a shoot out. Jarod bet Miss Parker was dying to draw her weapon and pick off the man carrying the DSA's. He could almost feel her excitement from here.
Just as Jarod suspected, they were allowed to get in the car and pull away from the populated area before the officers engaged the chase. It was only a few miles to the edge of town, and at the speed they were traveling it would only take a minute or so to get there.
* * * *
Jarod felt the car's left wheels lift off the ground as they made a sharp right turn at the next intersection. He glanced at the speedometer and saw they had turned the corner doing 55 mph. It was a miracle they were still upright.
The chase continued out of town and onto a winding country road that ran alongside a slow moving river. Five squad cars and Miss Parker were hot on their tail when the driver had a brilliant idea.
"I think it's time we lost a few of those cops," he yelled back to Shorty.
Shorty looked around seeing nothing but trees and water.
"Where?"
"Just up ahead as we come to the bridge."
"I hope you're ready to aide in our escape, Hero," Shorty told Jarod as he pointed the gun at his head.
Jarod looked down the barrel of the weapon. He was glad it was him instead of Sandra. Nobody was going to miss him, but he knew Todd would have died without his wife and son.
Jarod was waiting for the shot when he realized Shorty had spoken to him again.
"I said get ready to jump, Hero," Shorty repeated.
Jarod looked outside and could see a narrow bridge coming up. He looked at the speedometer again and saw they had slowed to 48 mph.
"I'll be killed if I jump," Jarod told him unnecessarily.
"You can jump or I can put a bullet in your head and push you out but you are going. Make up your mind. You have 3 seconds."
Jarod had already calculated the odds of his survival and they increased dramatically without a bullet in his head.
He grabbed onto the door handle and popped it open a few inches. The wind fought to keep the door closed and Jarod quickly wound down the window to decrease the resistance as he pushed it open farther and prepared to jump.
He was watching the ground zip by and decided there wasn't going to be a 'good' way to do this.
"Time to go, Hero," Shorty yelled as he planted his feet in Jarod's back and shoved him out of the car as it came up to the bridge.
Jarod didn't have time to react before he slammed into the ground and began to flip over and over. He barely had time to register the searing pain from multiple fractures before his head hit the ground and he landed in the river as the thieves passed over the bridge above him.
Jarod heard the bubbles being formed in the water as the air in his lungs escaped unchecked. It hadn't occurred to him to hold his breath when he hit the water and he found he was unable to turn over on his back so he could breath. As the water entered his mouth and nose, he wondered if Sydney would find some way to let Jarod's parents know that their son was dead.
* * * *
In the sedan Miss Parker and Sydney both yelled in shock as they saw Jarod strike the ground and bounce into the river. Miss Parker hit the brakes and stopped behind two of the patrol cars. By the time she and Sydney got to the riverbank there were two officers in the slow moving current trying to reach Jarod who was floating face down in several feet of water.
Sydney watched anxiously as an officer finally grabbed Jarod and carefully turned him on his back before pulling him to shore. His legs were still in the water when Sydney and an officer began CPR while another held Jarod's head and neck still in case of a spinal injury.
Miss Parker took a step forward and felt her knees start to buckle as she got a good look at Jarod. His left forearm was obviously broken, bent at an unnatural angle. The left side of his face was scraped and swollen and he was bleeding from various parts of his battered body.
She was counting along with the rescuers as they did the chest compression's. After the sixth repetition they stopped and turned Jarod on his side as he coughed up a large amount of river water and began breathing on his own.
In the distance was the welcome sound of sirens as an ambulance made it's way to the scene.
* * * *
Sydney stood back as Jarod was carefully transferred from the gurney to the bed. A nurse adjusted the various tubes and wires and checked the monitors before acknowledging the existence of visitors.
"The doctor will be in shortly to discuss the outcome of the tests," she stated simply before turning to leave.
"That's all you can tell us," Miss Parker asked in amazement. "Wait? You've had him down there for 5 hours, we have been waiting."
The nurse shrugged her shoulders and walked away as Sydney slumped down in a chair by the bed.
Miss Parker wandered over to Jarod's side and looked him over for the hundredth time. She was still amazed that he wasn't dead, even if he looked like he should be.
The bandage around his head extended down over his left eye and most of the left side of his face. She knew what was under the bandages; raw skin, a corneal abrasion that would heal itself and massive bruising. She couldn't believe how much blood someone could lose from a head wound. She had been certain he was going to bleed to death before they made it to the hospital. Miss Parker continued her assessment of his injuries, her eyes resting briefly on the cast on Jarod's left arm that went from his fingertips to just under his shoulder. That arm had taken most of the impact when he had initially hit the ground. Her gaze lingered on his bare chest which was badly bruised and she knew he had sustained broken ribs that had not yet been taped. Doctors had spent most of the day stabilizing him and the ribs were considered a minor inconvenience compared to the rest of his injuries. She bet Jarod wouldn't think so if, no...when, he woke up. The other bumps, bruises and contusions would take care of themselves.
She reached out and ran her fingers lightly alongside the undamaged side of his face, remembering the last time she had seen him in a hospital bed. It was pretty apparent there wasn't going to be a repeat of that little incident this time.
"Well, let's see how our patient is doing," the doctor announced loudly as he entered the room. He was flipping through a chart as he approached the bed then looked at Jarod.
"He looks like crap, doesn't he?"
Miss Parker and Sydney looked at each other then back at the doctor.
"Is that your professional opinion?" Sydney asked dryly.
The doctor smiled and looked at the chart again.
"Sorry. I've been up for over 35 hours and I'm on a coffee high. I thought a little levity might help."
"Think again," Miss Parker hissed through clenched teeth. The doctor wiped the smile from his face and got down to business as Sydney came to stand with them alongside the bed.
"Okay, well, it looks like the MRI came back pretty good. He has a severe concussion but he is not in a coma. No spinal injuries......broken arm, five ribs, hairline fracture in his right leg but that won't even need a cast. The scrapes on his face look bad now but will heal just fine on their own as will his eye. We put in eight stitches to close the head wound and he is on a full course of antibiotics to kill anything he might have picked up in the river."
The doctor looked up and smiled. "He was very lucky."
Miss Parker looked at him like he had just sprouted horns and a tail.
"Oh yeah, he's really lucky all right," she sneered, turning her back on the man.
Sydney glanced at her to try and shut her up then reached over and shook the doctors hand.
"Thank you for explaining that to us, Doctor. When can we expect Jarod to wake up?"
"It could be any time. When he does wake, make sure you call a nurse and she'll page me. We'll may need to run a few more tests when he's conscious. I'll let you know."
With that he turned and hurried from the room, leaving Miss Parker staring after him in disgust. She turned and looked at Sydney.
"That man is a moron," she told him seriously. "There must be something we can do besides sit and wait."
Sydney smiled in sympathy. Waiting had never been something she was good at.
"Why don't I stay here with Jarod and you can go explore his last lair and see what booby- traps he left for you. That always makes you feel better." His plan was to bait her into an argument to get her mind off the doctor, but Sydney's words set off a little alarm in her head.
"That's right, the lair. I almost forgot. Maybe he was mixed up with those bank robbers and that's why they took the DSA's. Safekeeping."
Sydney didn't bother to hide his laughter or curb the first thought that popped out of his mouth.
"Are you insane? They almost killed him. This was not a plan to keep us from the DSA's."
Miss Parker thought it over for a minute and decided Syd was right. Jarod had pulled a lot of stunts over the last year, but he never did anything like this.
"Okay," she reluctantly agreed, "I'll go see what torture device rat-boy left for me this time, but don't let him out of your sight."
"Do you think he's going to leave?"
"With Jarod, you never know," she admitted.
"Don't worry, Miss Parker. I wouldn't leave Jarod's side if God himself told me to."
* * * *
Jarod wandered through the woods admiring the various plants and trees that nature had so thoughtfully provided for him. The camping trip had been a great idea and he was enjoying himself immensely. He pushed through some brush and found himself on a hill overlooking a sparkling blue lake. The sun was warm and there was the slightest breeze from the west. He sat down in the grass and watched the ripples on the water and listened to the birds chirping overhead.
He laid back in the grass and smiled, quite pleased with himself. This was perfect. A perfect day, a perfect lake, nobody chasing him. The only thing that would make this even more perfect would be if the bird in the tree next to him would stop making that goofy noise. While all the other birds chirped and sang, this one sounded like it was beeping. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Jarod opened his eyes and looked around. The lake and woods were gone and so was that perfect day he'd been having. In it's place was a throbbing, head-to-toe pain. He tried to see where he was, but was having trouble looking to his left. He closed his eyes again and opened them, realizing that his left eye seemed to be covered with something.
He tried to raise his left hand to see what was wrong, but his arm felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Jarod cautiously turned his head and saw the source of his goofy bird. Hospital equipment. He turned his head to the right and got another surprise; Sydney was sleeping in a chair beside the bed.
Jarod tried to remember why he was here, but the images were hazy at best. There was apparently only one way to find out what happened. He opened his mouth to wake Sydney, but was instead was jolted into total consciousness with a fit of coughing. That was when he discovered he had broken ribs.
Sydney was on his feet before he was fully awake. As soon as he heard the coughing followed immediately by groans of intense pain, he knew Jarod was in trouble.
As Jarod tried to stop coughing, he writhed in agony on the bed, trying to control the pain in his chest with his good arm. Sydney grabbed an extra pillow and quickly placed it over Jarod's rib cage and held it tight, restricting the movement of the damaged bones.
Jarod gasped in relief as Sydney applied pressure and in a few moments the coughing stopped too. He lay still, taking shallow breaths and willing the pain to subside. When Jarod finally began to relax, Syd removed the pillow and tossed it back on the chair.
"I'll make sure those ribs are taped immediately," Sydney assured Jarod. "How are you feeling?"
"I hurt," Jarod responded truthfully, his voice raspy. "Why do I hurt so much?"
Typical of Sydney, he asked a question instead of answering.
"What do you remember?"
"If I remembered I wouldn't have asked," Jarod told him irritably. He tried to lift his left hand again then strained to see why it wouldn't move. He looked at Sydney out of his one good eye and waited for an explanation.
"First," Syd began, pulling up a chair, "let me assure you that you are going to be just fine. You can't see it, but your left arm is in a cast. That's why you can't move it. You have a bad concussion, stitches, scrapes and bruises and, of course, the broken ribs."
"Why is my eye covered?" Jarod asked, dreading the answer.
"Just a small abrasion." Sydney promised him. "They want to keep the light out for a few days then it will be good as new."
"You're sure?"
Sydney started to say 'Have I ever lied to you', but caught himself.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Jarod relaxed visibly. He wanted to ask for drugs for the pain, but didn't want to have his mind clouded. On the other hand, he couldn't escape if he tried so there was no reason to suffer needlessly.
Sydney was already on the phone calling a nurse and he instructed her to bring a painkiller and page the doctor. When he turned back, Jarod was asleep.
* * * *
Miss Parker picked the lock and opened the door to Jarod's latest home, patting the wall behind the door until she found the light switch. There was no way she was going exploring without being able to see all the diabolical traps Jarod might have left.
The studio apartment was clean and it looked like Jarod had been only minutes from leaving town. The red notebook from his last 'job' was waiting on the breakfast bar along with Jarod's fake ID, and a travel bag and laptop were sitting on the bed.
Parker opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the bed before checking out the contents. A couple changes of clothes, toothbrush, pocket radio, four pez dispensers and fifteen packs of pez. She shook her head in disgust.
"Have you ever heard of a salad?" She asked of Jarod to the empty room.
Picking up the computer, she opened it and turned it on. As she waited for it to finish the start up, she stuffed Jarod's things back in his bag. When she got to the pez dispensers, one in particular caught her eye. Casper. She had given this to Jarod the last time she had captured him, and only a few minutes before he had escaped.....again.
She'd never forget waking up in the Blue Cove Hospital and having the chopper pilot tell her Jarod had escaped. They had found the helicopter at the Dover Airport but there was no sign of Jarod for weeks afterward. That was five months ago and they had missed him three times since then.
Miss Parker tossed Casper into the bag and zippered it up before setting it by the door. Turning back to the computer she saw it was ready to go just as soon as she --
"Enter password? Damn it!"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, quickly dialing a familiar number. The call was answered on the first ring.
"You have until 9 am to get your butt down here or you'll answer to me. Got it? Good."
She disconnected the call and smiled to herself, enjoying the power rush. She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost midnight. Syd was happily watching Jarod so there was no reason for her to go back to the hospital. At least one of them should get some sleep, she reasoned.
She took a quick shower then wandered through the apartment naked, half wishing Jarod was there with her. Her clothes were hung neatly so they wouldn't wrinkle but she hesitated sleeping nude in a strange building. She opened Jarod's bag again, pulled out a tee-shirt and slipped it over her head. The soft cotton reached the mid-point on her thighs and the short sleeves were down to her elbows.
She pulled back the covers on the bed and turned off the light. As she lay her head on the pillow, she caught the lingering scent of Jarod's after-shave all around her. She ran her hands over the shirt she was currently occupying and quickly fell asleep, remembering the last time she was with him.
* * * *
Sydney was lost in thought when the night nurse came in for the hourly check on Jarod. She smiled warmly at him as she went about her work recording vital signs and checking on the IV that was delivering fluids, antibiotics and painkillers to Jarod's system.
She looked at the monitors then at Jarod and frowned. Gently grasping his right wrist she looked at her watch as she took his pulse. Sydney had noticed the frown and sat up straight in the chair. The nurse released Jarod's wrist and looked at Sydney, mouthing the words, "He's awake."
Sydney nodded and waited for her to leave before he went to Jarod's side.
"Jarod?" Sydney whispered. "Jarod, I know you're awake. Talk to me."
The wait seemed interminable before Jarod opened his uninjured eye and looked at Sydney.
"Why are you here?" He questioned softly.
"Why do you think?"
Jarod looked around the room then back at Sydney.
"Your turn at guard duty while Miss Parker gets her beauty rest?"
"You know that's not true," Sydney admonished gently.
"Then why? I'm not going anywhere. I suppose you already nailed the doctor down to the exact day, hour and minute that they can release me so I can be transferred to the Centre."
Jarod turned his head away from Sydney. His depression hung in the air like morning fog off a lake.
Sydney struggled for an answer that would satisfy Jarod without sounding like a lie. As it turned out, he didn't have to bother because Jarod had fallen asleep again.
Sydney stood there for a long time while he sorted through his reasons for being there and he kept coming to the same conclusion. He reached out and pulled the blanket higher on Jarod's chest then gently tucked it in around him.
"I'm here," he whispered, "because I love you, just as I loved your mother."
* * * *
An incessant pounding awoke Miss Parker the next morning. She looked at her watch and groaned. Six thirty.
"Miss Parker? Are you in there?" A voice called from the hall as the pounding continued. "Hello?"
"I'm going to kill him." she growled, tossing back the covers and striding to the door. She flung it open enjoying the shocked look on Broots' face when he saw her wearing nothing but Jarod's T-shirt.
"Uh....I, uh," he stuttered, pointing behind him. "I can come back." He turned to leave but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room and slammed the door.
"How the hell did you get here so fast?" She demanded to know as she lit a cigarette.
Broots dropped his small backpack and grinned, obviously pleased with himself.
"I brought the corporate jet."
Miss Parker removed the cigarette from her mouth and stared at Broots.
"You what?" She asked softly, looking him up and down.
Broots shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
"I, uh....brought the corporate jet?" Maybe that hadn't been such a great idea after all.
Parker smiled and slapped Broots on the shoulder. "Good thinking."
Broots nearly wet himself in relief but Miss Parker was already issuing orders.
"That," she began, pointing to the laptop, "is Jarod's. He has it password protected and I want it unlocked. Now."
Broots slid into the chair and gave the computer a quick look before he started playing with potential passwords.
"This would be a lot easier back at the Centre," Broots informed her nervously. "Doing this here I'm just guessing at what he might use."
Miss Parker had grabbed her clothes and came up behind Broots, bending down to whisper in his ear.
"Then you had better - guess - right."
Note: This is a sequel to Welcome Home, Jarod and Unlikely Allies. Read those first.
Once a Hero
Chapter 1
Terri
Landers, Iowa
10:00 PM
Miss Parker slammed the heavy metal door open and glanced up the stairwell before turning and heading down to the next landing. She could hear Jarod taking the steps two at a time below her and wondered, not for the first time, where the hell her sweeper team was.
She had spotted Jarod five minutes ago and had been chasing him from floor to floor in this deserted office building since. He, of course, had the advantage since he'd been working here as head of security for the last month and knew the layout intimately.
Miss Parker was determined that this was going to be her last chase.
She heard the fire door open below her and slam shut behind Jarod as he exited into the parking garage. A few seconds later, she too emerged into the garage, weapon drawn, and stopped to get her bearings.
The large concrete structure had three vehicles; a pickup truck, Jarod's rental car and the limo that she and Sydney had arrived in. Sydney. Where was he? The last time she had seen him was right before Jarod had spotted her and taken off running. She would have to find him later. Right now she had a clear view of the exit ramp to the street at the opposite end of the garage and there was no way Jarod had made it that far before she came in.
Besides the three vehicles, the huge support pillars offered more than enough cover if he was hiding down here.
"Jarod? I know you're down here. Let's make this easy and you won't get hurt," she called out into the nothingness. The only response she got back was a faint, muffled echo of her own voice.
She started walking further into the dimly lit garage, pausing to look behind pillars and in several recessed areas along the wall. When she was twenty feet away from the limo she bent down and looked underneath to see if Jarod was hiding behind it.
When she didn't see his feet she crept up to the back door and carefully took hold of the handle. It was times like this when she wished she had a normal car without the blackened windows. For all she knew, Jarod was inside, watching her and waiting.
She breathing quickened and she tightened her grip on her weapon as she prepared to yank the door open and confront her objective.
"One, " she whispered to herself, "two......thr -"
"What are you doing?" Came a loud whisper from a foot behind her.
Miss Parker jumped and swung around, raising her gun and coming face to face with -- "Sydney, damn you! You scared the hell out of me!"
She leaned back against the car as Syd reached out and carefully aimed the gun away from his face.
"I should shoot you just for fun," she told him angrily, still trying to calm down.
"You already did that," Sydney reminded her, amused that he had managed to scare her. Usually that was her job.
"Where the hell did you come from? Why did you sneak up on me?"
"I did not sneak up on you," he informed her politely. "You were not paying attention."
"I was tracking Jarod down here and....." she stopped in mid-argument and swung around, raising her gun again. "Shh! Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" He asked in a loud stage whisper that earned him a dirty look.
He squinted into the black recesses of the room in the direction she was pointing and could barley make out a dark figure standing motionless against the far wall.
"Jarod?" he whispered very softly.
Miss Parker nodded her head. He was only ten feet away from the ramp. If he chose to make a run for it now she would have to put a slug in his leg to stop him. Once on the street he would disappear into the night like a retreating fog.
Sydney found himself becoming excited at the prospect of getting Jarod back to the Centre. None of the other residents they had were of interest to him anymore. Also, with Jarod safely home, he wouldn't have to worry about Miss Parker hunting him down on her own and possibly killing him in the process.
Miss Parker knew that Jarod was aware she could see him. She tried to imagine what he must be thinking. She was certain he was calculating the odds of making a clean getaway, wondering if she had the guts to shoot him or if she would miss on purpose like in Miami.
She saw him take a step toward the door and then suddenly break into a run. She raised her gun and yelled his name as she took aim at his right leg and squeezed the trigger.
As she called his name, Jarod turned toward her for a split second. In that same instant, he heard Sydney scream at her not to shoot and his hand came up from under hers and knocked the gun in the air as the bullet left the chamber.
She was still focused on Jarod and watched him duck as the bullet smashed into the concrete wall where his head had just been. He didn't look back as he dashed up the short ramp and disappeared into the night.
Jarod ran from the garage and jumped into a cab that was just being vacated by an elderly couple in front of their apartment building.
"Good evening, folks. This rides on me," he told them as he dropped a fifty dollar bill in the cabby's lap.
Jarod pulled the door closed and told the driver to get going as he slumped down in the seat. As the cab pulled away Jarod resisted the urge to see if he was being followed.
* * * *
Landers United Bank
The Next Morning
Jarod glanced around the bank as he stood in line for the indoor ATM. There were a handful of customers waiting for tellers and a few sitting with loan officers at private desks. He watched one of the employees rise awkwardly from her chair to shake hands with her customer before the man headed toward the vault where the safety deposit boxes were.
The ATM customer finished up and Jarod quickly made his transaction, conscious of the fact that he had just tipped off the Centre as to his location.
Jarod turned around and almost bumped into the woman he had been watching earlier. . "I thought you left town already," she told him as she took hold of his hand. "I'm glad I ran in to you again."
Jarod smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Sandra, why aren't you home with Todd? I thought you decided not to work until this little guy came," Jarod told her as he looked pointedly at her protruding stomach.
Sandra laughed and placed her free hand on her unborn son.
"You sound like Todd. I have two weeks yet and the doctor said it was okay to work part-time until I decided to stop. Besides, now that I don't have to worry about Todd losing his job, thanks to you, I can take it easy here instead of doing all that overtime."
Jarod was pleased that his actions had saved his new friends a lot of trouble but he knew they still had a big problem with money. Well, they did until the next time they checked their bank account.
The man Sandra had helped earlier came out of the deposit box vault and headed for her desk. Sandra glanced over at him then turned to Jarod.
"Duty calls. Will I be seeing you again?"
Jarod shook his head.
"I doubt it. I'm on my way out of town right now. I just wanted to say good-bye."
He leaned down and kissed her cheek as she gave him a hug.
"Thank you, Jarod. We won't forget you." She hurried off to help her customer as Jarod turned to leave.
He was a few feet from the door when a scream echoed through the bank. Jarod swung around, searching for the source of the cry. Toward the back of the bank the customer that Sandra had been helping had her in a choke hold and a gun was pressed to the side of her head.
"Nobody move or you can say good-bye to the lady!"
He looked over at Jarod who was closest to the door.
"You. Lock those doors and get away from them," he ordered.
Jarod quickly did as he was told, intent on not making the gunman irate. After locking the doors Jarod made his way into the room and edged as close to the pair as he could before the robber noticed him.
"Close enough. Don't be a hero."
"Let her go, she's going to have a baby," Jarod told the man softly, trying to calm him down.
Jarod could feel the man's desperation and anger. It poured out of him, filling the room. At the same time he was being overwhelmed with fear from Sandra. He could almost taste it. Jarod closed his eyes and cleared his mind, trying to focus on the man.
"I don't want to hurt her but I will. I want everyone over on that side of the room," he gestured with his gun.
The dozen or so men and women ran for the far wall as directed, avoiding eye contact with their captor. One man stayed behind and pulled a gun from under his jacket. The robber had an accomplice. Jarod didn't move.
"Problem, Hero?"
"Let her go," Jarod requested softly, his voice deep and soothing. He took a step forward but stopped abruptly when the man tightened his grip on his weapon.
"And lose my hostage? No way."
Jarod could tell the gunman was becoming agitated with him so he tried to keep him off balance with another request.
"Take me."
"Why? No cop is going to try and take me out with a pregnant woman in front of me."
"She's going to slow you down. Take me and you'll get out of here easier. You don't want to hurt the baby."
"I don't give a damn about her or the kid," the man snarled in Sandra's ear.
Jarod felt as if he'd been slapped. This man was telling the truth. He would kill Sandra and the baby without a second thought, Jarod couldn't let that happen. He glanced at the second man who was cleaning the cash from the tellers' drawers. He was almost finished.
"Look, I can help you if you let her go."
"How?"
"I can carry the money and I'm bigger than she is. I'll make a better shield," Jarod reasoned with him He could see he was starting to make an impression.
Jarod had avoided looking into Sandra's eyes but he couldn't help himself. She was silently begging him not to do it, tears cascading down her cheeks. Jarod struggled to give her a reassuring look but he was fighting to gain some control over the situation.
He also had another problem. Miss Parker and Sydney were still in the area and he had just used his bank card. Broots had probably already tracked his location. For all Jarod knew, there were sweeper teams on the way. Weren't they going to be surprised?
The man collecting the cash tried to jump over the teller counter but couldn't make it because he was too short. Jarod heard a quickly muffled burst of nervous laughter from the other hostages and in his mind he named the second robber, Shorty.
"We have cops out there," Shorty informed everyone as he looked out the glass doors then headed back toward his partner.
"Are we taking the broad or not?" He asked impatiently, retrieving his weapon from his waistband.
The man holding Sandra could feel her shaking. It was a good bet that she would either pass out on him or go into labor before they got away. He looked at Jarod and weighed his options.
"Okay, Hero, you win," he told Jarod as he motioned for him to come closer and turn around.
"We're leaving and you're going first. You better hope nobody gets in our way because if they do, you'll be the first one to know it."
Jarod felt the muzzle of the gun press into his back and found himself relieved at the touch. At least if it was pointed at him, Sandra and the baby were safe.
"Put your hands behind your head and lace your fingers. No funny stuff. You," he called to a female customer. "Go unlock the doors and go outside. Tell the cops we're coming out in 2 minutes with a hostage and if they don't want to see him splattered on the sidewalk they'll let us through."
The woman nodded and ran for the doors. It only took her a second to get them unlocked. As she stepped outside she was grabbed by a police officer and dragged off to tell her story.
Jarod stood quietly running simulations in his head, looking for a way to end this without bloodshed. He determined the safest solution would be for him to leave with these men and to escape once they were on the road.
Shorty looked at his watch and glanced around the bank on last time. He was very uneasy about leaving so many witnesses alive, but that's the way his partner wanted it. He wished he could see the looks on the cops faces when they tried to view the security tape and found a Donald Duck cartoon in it's place. That had been a stroke of genius on Carters' part. Shorty caught Carter's eye and nodded. Time to go.
Carter nudged Jarod in the back with his gun and the three of them started toward the door. As they passed by a large, indoor tree, Shorty noticed Jarod's Halliburton sitting on the floor and remembered seeing him with it.
"Hey, Hero? Is that yours?" Shorty asked, pointing to the silver case. Jarod glanced at it quickly. He was hoping to leave it there. Sandra knew it was Jarod's and would safeguard it until he returned. Now he wished he had left it in the apartment while he ran this last errand, but he had wanted at least that with him if he had to make a quick escape.
Jarod shook his head and kept walking toward the door. "Nope, never saw it before."
He felt the gun dig hard into his back and stopped. Shorty picked up the case and stood in front of Jarod.
"I saw you come in with it. What's in there, huh? Money, jewels, what?"
"It's just a laptop," Jarod lied casually. "Nothing important."
"Good. Then you won't mind if we bring it along for the ride," Shorty assumed as Carter gave Jarod a shove forward.
Jarod walked out into the intense noonday sun and squinted while his eyes adjusted. He quickly ran an image of the two robbers through his mind and realized neither of them were wearing sunglasses. If he couldn't see anything, chances were neither could they.
He was about to bolt and run when his vision cleared enough to see two figures standing by a black sedan across the street. He wondered what kind of story they had given the cops to get this close to the action. Jarod knew he had hesitated a second too long when he felt the familiar press of a weapon in his back.
"Show time," Carter hissed behind Jarod. He grabbed the back of Jarod's shirt and guided him toward a white four-door that was parked by the curb. Jarod counted five police cars, this towns entire force, with six officers, Sydney and Miss Parker. He was fairly certain that the cops were going to allow the men to escape with their hostage instead of engaging in a shoot out. Jarod bet Miss Parker was dying to draw her weapon and pick off the man carrying the DSA's. He could almost feel her excitement from here.
Just as Jarod suspected, they were allowed to get in the car and pull away from the populated area before the officers engaged the chase. It was only a few miles to the edge of town, and at the speed they were traveling it would only take a minute or so to get there.
* * * *
Jarod felt the car's left wheels lift off the ground as they made a sharp right turn at the next intersection. He glanced at the speedometer and saw they had turned the corner doing 55 mph. It was a miracle they were still upright.
The chase continued out of town and onto a winding country road that ran alongside a slow moving river. Five squad cars and Miss Parker were hot on their tail when the driver had a brilliant idea.
"I think it's time we lost a few of those cops," he yelled back to Shorty.
Shorty looked around seeing nothing but trees and water.
"Where?"
"Just up ahead as we come to the bridge."
"I hope you're ready to aide in our escape, Hero," Shorty told Jarod as he pointed the gun at his head.
Jarod looked down the barrel of the weapon. He was glad it was him instead of Sandra. Nobody was going to miss him, but he knew Todd would have died without his wife and son.
Jarod was waiting for the shot when he realized Shorty had spoken to him again.
"I said get ready to jump, Hero," Shorty repeated.
Jarod looked outside and could see a narrow bridge coming up. He looked at the speedometer again and saw they had slowed to 48 mph.
"I'll be killed if I jump," Jarod told him unnecessarily.
"You can jump or I can put a bullet in your head and push you out but you are going. Make up your mind. You have 3 seconds."
Jarod had already calculated the odds of his survival and they increased dramatically without a bullet in his head.
He grabbed onto the door handle and popped it open a few inches. The wind fought to keep the door closed and Jarod quickly wound down the window to decrease the resistance as he pushed it open farther and prepared to jump.
He was watching the ground zip by and decided there wasn't going to be a 'good' way to do this.
"Time to go, Hero," Shorty yelled as he planted his feet in Jarod's back and shoved him out of the car as it came up to the bridge.
Jarod didn't have time to react before he slammed into the ground and began to flip over and over. He barely had time to register the searing pain from multiple fractures before his head hit the ground and he landed in the river as the thieves passed over the bridge above him.
Jarod heard the bubbles being formed in the water as the air in his lungs escaped unchecked. It hadn't occurred to him to hold his breath when he hit the water and he found he was unable to turn over on his back so he could breath. As the water entered his mouth and nose, he wondered if Sydney would find some way to let Jarod's parents know that their son was dead.
* * * *
In the sedan Miss Parker and Sydney both yelled in shock as they saw Jarod strike the ground and bounce into the river. Miss Parker hit the brakes and stopped behind two of the patrol cars. By the time she and Sydney got to the riverbank there were two officers in the slow moving current trying to reach Jarod who was floating face down in several feet of water.
Sydney watched anxiously as an officer finally grabbed Jarod and carefully turned him on his back before pulling him to shore. His legs were still in the water when Sydney and an officer began CPR while another held Jarod's head and neck still in case of a spinal injury.
Miss Parker took a step forward and felt her knees start to buckle as she got a good look at Jarod. His left forearm was obviously broken, bent at an unnatural angle. The left side of his face was scraped and swollen and he was bleeding from various parts of his battered body.
She was counting along with the rescuers as they did the chest compression's. After the sixth repetition they stopped and turned Jarod on his side as he coughed up a large amount of river water and began breathing on his own.
In the distance was the welcome sound of sirens as an ambulance made it's way to the scene.
* * * *
Sydney stood back as Jarod was carefully transferred from the gurney to the bed. A nurse adjusted the various tubes and wires and checked the monitors before acknowledging the existence of visitors.
"The doctor will be in shortly to discuss the outcome of the tests," she stated simply before turning to leave.
"That's all you can tell us," Miss Parker asked in amazement. "Wait? You've had him down there for 5 hours, we have been waiting."
The nurse shrugged her shoulders and walked away as Sydney slumped down in a chair by the bed.
Miss Parker wandered over to Jarod's side and looked him over for the hundredth time. She was still amazed that he wasn't dead, even if he looked like he should be.
The bandage around his head extended down over his left eye and most of the left side of his face. She knew what was under the bandages; raw skin, a corneal abrasion that would heal itself and massive bruising. She couldn't believe how much blood someone could lose from a head wound. She had been certain he was going to bleed to death before they made it to the hospital. Miss Parker continued her assessment of his injuries, her eyes resting briefly on the cast on Jarod's left arm that went from his fingertips to just under his shoulder. That arm had taken most of the impact when he had initially hit the ground. Her gaze lingered on his bare chest which was badly bruised and she knew he had sustained broken ribs that had not yet been taped. Doctors had spent most of the day stabilizing him and the ribs were considered a minor inconvenience compared to the rest of his injuries. She bet Jarod wouldn't think so if, no...when, he woke up. The other bumps, bruises and contusions would take care of themselves.
She reached out and ran her fingers lightly alongside the undamaged side of his face, remembering the last time she had seen him in a hospital bed. It was pretty apparent there wasn't going to be a repeat of that little incident this time.
"Well, let's see how our patient is doing," the doctor announced loudly as he entered the room. He was flipping through a chart as he approached the bed then looked at Jarod.
"He looks like crap, doesn't he?"
Miss Parker and Sydney looked at each other then back at the doctor.
"Is that your professional opinion?" Sydney asked dryly.
The doctor smiled and looked at the chart again.
"Sorry. I've been up for over 35 hours and I'm on a coffee high. I thought a little levity might help."
"Think again," Miss Parker hissed through clenched teeth. The doctor wiped the smile from his face and got down to business as Sydney came to stand with them alongside the bed.
"Okay, well, it looks like the MRI came back pretty good. He has a severe concussion but he is not in a coma. No spinal injuries......broken arm, five ribs, hairline fracture in his right leg but that won't even need a cast. The scrapes on his face look bad now but will heal just fine on their own as will his eye. We put in eight stitches to close the head wound and he is on a full course of antibiotics to kill anything he might have picked up in the river."
The doctor looked up and smiled. "He was very lucky."
Miss Parker looked at him like he had just sprouted horns and a tail.
"Oh yeah, he's really lucky all right," she sneered, turning her back on the man.
Sydney glanced at her to try and shut her up then reached over and shook the doctors hand.
"Thank you for explaining that to us, Doctor. When can we expect Jarod to wake up?"
"It could be any time. When he does wake, make sure you call a nurse and she'll page me. We'll may need to run a few more tests when he's conscious. I'll let you know."
With that he turned and hurried from the room, leaving Miss Parker staring after him in disgust. She turned and looked at Sydney.
"That man is a moron," she told him seriously. "There must be something we can do besides sit and wait."
Sydney smiled in sympathy. Waiting had never been something she was good at.
"Why don't I stay here with Jarod and you can go explore his last lair and see what booby- traps he left for you. That always makes you feel better." His plan was to bait her into an argument to get her mind off the doctor, but Sydney's words set off a little alarm in her head.
"That's right, the lair. I almost forgot. Maybe he was mixed up with those bank robbers and that's why they took the DSA's. Safekeeping."
Sydney didn't bother to hide his laughter or curb the first thought that popped out of his mouth.
"Are you insane? They almost killed him. This was not a plan to keep us from the DSA's."
Miss Parker thought it over for a minute and decided Syd was right. Jarod had pulled a lot of stunts over the last year, but he never did anything like this.
"Okay," she reluctantly agreed, "I'll go see what torture device rat-boy left for me this time, but don't let him out of your sight."
"Do you think he's going to leave?"
"With Jarod, you never know," she admitted.
"Don't worry, Miss Parker. I wouldn't leave Jarod's side if God himself told me to."
* * * *
Jarod wandered through the woods admiring the various plants and trees that nature had so thoughtfully provided for him. The camping trip had been a great idea and he was enjoying himself immensely. He pushed through some brush and found himself on a hill overlooking a sparkling blue lake. The sun was warm and there was the slightest breeze from the west. He sat down in the grass and watched the ripples on the water and listened to the birds chirping overhead.
He laid back in the grass and smiled, quite pleased with himself. This was perfect. A perfect day, a perfect lake, nobody chasing him. The only thing that would make this even more perfect would be if the bird in the tree next to him would stop making that goofy noise. While all the other birds chirped and sang, this one sounded like it was beeping. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Jarod opened his eyes and looked around. The lake and woods were gone and so was that perfect day he'd been having. In it's place was a throbbing, head-to-toe pain. He tried to see where he was, but was having trouble looking to his left. He closed his eyes again and opened them, realizing that his left eye seemed to be covered with something.
He tried to raise his left hand to see what was wrong, but his arm felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Jarod cautiously turned his head and saw the source of his goofy bird. Hospital equipment. He turned his head to the right and got another surprise; Sydney was sleeping in a chair beside the bed.
Jarod tried to remember why he was here, but the images were hazy at best. There was apparently only one way to find out what happened. He opened his mouth to wake Sydney, but was instead was jolted into total consciousness with a fit of coughing. That was when he discovered he had broken ribs.
Sydney was on his feet before he was fully awake. As soon as he heard the coughing followed immediately by groans of intense pain, he knew Jarod was in trouble.
As Jarod tried to stop coughing, he writhed in agony on the bed, trying to control the pain in his chest with his good arm. Sydney grabbed an extra pillow and quickly placed it over Jarod's rib cage and held it tight, restricting the movement of the damaged bones.
Jarod gasped in relief as Sydney applied pressure and in a few moments the coughing stopped too. He lay still, taking shallow breaths and willing the pain to subside. When Jarod finally began to relax, Syd removed the pillow and tossed it back on the chair.
"I'll make sure those ribs are taped immediately," Sydney assured Jarod. "How are you feeling?"
"I hurt," Jarod responded truthfully, his voice raspy. "Why do I hurt so much?"
Typical of Sydney, he asked a question instead of answering.
"What do you remember?"
"If I remembered I wouldn't have asked," Jarod told him irritably. He tried to lift his left hand again then strained to see why it wouldn't move. He looked at Sydney out of his one good eye and waited for an explanation.
"First," Syd began, pulling up a chair, "let me assure you that you are going to be just fine. You can't see it, but your left arm is in a cast. That's why you can't move it. You have a bad concussion, stitches, scrapes and bruises and, of course, the broken ribs."
"Why is my eye covered?" Jarod asked, dreading the answer.
"Just a small abrasion." Sydney promised him. "They want to keep the light out for a few days then it will be good as new."
"You're sure?"
Sydney started to say 'Have I ever lied to you', but caught himself.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Jarod relaxed visibly. He wanted to ask for drugs for the pain, but didn't want to have his mind clouded. On the other hand, he couldn't escape if he tried so there was no reason to suffer needlessly.
Sydney was already on the phone calling a nurse and he instructed her to bring a painkiller and page the doctor. When he turned back, Jarod was asleep.
* * * *
Miss Parker picked the lock and opened the door to Jarod's latest home, patting the wall behind the door until she found the light switch. There was no way she was going exploring without being able to see all the diabolical traps Jarod might have left.
The studio apartment was clean and it looked like Jarod had been only minutes from leaving town. The red notebook from his last 'job' was waiting on the breakfast bar along with Jarod's fake ID, and a travel bag and laptop were sitting on the bed.
Parker opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the bed before checking out the contents. A couple changes of clothes, toothbrush, pocket radio, four pez dispensers and fifteen packs of pez. She shook her head in disgust.
"Have you ever heard of a salad?" She asked of Jarod to the empty room.
Picking up the computer, she opened it and turned it on. As she waited for it to finish the start up, she stuffed Jarod's things back in his bag. When she got to the pez dispensers, one in particular caught her eye. Casper. She had given this to Jarod the last time she had captured him, and only a few minutes before he had escaped.....again.
She'd never forget waking up in the Blue Cove Hospital and having the chopper pilot tell her Jarod had escaped. They had found the helicopter at the Dover Airport but there was no sign of Jarod for weeks afterward. That was five months ago and they had missed him three times since then.
Miss Parker tossed Casper into the bag and zippered it up before setting it by the door. Turning back to the computer she saw it was ready to go just as soon as she --
"Enter password? Damn it!"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, quickly dialing a familiar number. The call was answered on the first ring.
"You have until 9 am to get your butt down here or you'll answer to me. Got it? Good."
She disconnected the call and smiled to herself, enjoying the power rush. She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost midnight. Syd was happily watching Jarod so there was no reason for her to go back to the hospital. At least one of them should get some sleep, she reasoned.
She took a quick shower then wandered through the apartment naked, half wishing Jarod was there with her. Her clothes were hung neatly so they wouldn't wrinkle but she hesitated sleeping nude in a strange building. She opened Jarod's bag again, pulled out a tee-shirt and slipped it over her head. The soft cotton reached the mid-point on her thighs and the short sleeves were down to her elbows.
She pulled back the covers on the bed and turned off the light. As she lay her head on the pillow, she caught the lingering scent of Jarod's after-shave all around her. She ran her hands over the shirt she was currently occupying and quickly fell asleep, remembering the last time she was with him.
* * * *
Sydney was lost in thought when the night nurse came in for the hourly check on Jarod. She smiled warmly at him as she went about her work recording vital signs and checking on the IV that was delivering fluids, antibiotics and painkillers to Jarod's system.
She looked at the monitors then at Jarod and frowned. Gently grasping his right wrist she looked at her watch as she took his pulse. Sydney had noticed the frown and sat up straight in the chair. The nurse released Jarod's wrist and looked at Sydney, mouthing the words, "He's awake."
Sydney nodded and waited for her to leave before he went to Jarod's side.
"Jarod?" Sydney whispered. "Jarod, I know you're awake. Talk to me."
The wait seemed interminable before Jarod opened his uninjured eye and looked at Sydney.
"Why are you here?" He questioned softly.
"Why do you think?"
Jarod looked around the room then back at Sydney.
"Your turn at guard duty while Miss Parker gets her beauty rest?"
"You know that's not true," Sydney admonished gently.
"Then why? I'm not going anywhere. I suppose you already nailed the doctor down to the exact day, hour and minute that they can release me so I can be transferred to the Centre."
Jarod turned his head away from Sydney. His depression hung in the air like morning fog off a lake.
Sydney struggled for an answer that would satisfy Jarod without sounding like a lie. As it turned out, he didn't have to bother because Jarod had fallen asleep again.
Sydney stood there for a long time while he sorted through his reasons for being there and he kept coming to the same conclusion. He reached out and pulled the blanket higher on Jarod's chest then gently tucked it in around him.
"I'm here," he whispered, "because I love you, just as I loved your mother."
* * * *
An incessant pounding awoke Miss Parker the next morning. She looked at her watch and groaned. Six thirty.
"Miss Parker? Are you in there?" A voice called from the hall as the pounding continued. "Hello?"
"I'm going to kill him." she growled, tossing back the covers and striding to the door. She flung it open enjoying the shocked look on Broots' face when he saw her wearing nothing but Jarod's T-shirt.
"Uh....I, uh," he stuttered, pointing behind him. "I can come back." He turned to leave but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room and slammed the door.
"How the hell did you get here so fast?" She demanded to know as she lit a cigarette.
Broots dropped his small backpack and grinned, obviously pleased with himself.
"I brought the corporate jet."
Miss Parker removed the cigarette from her mouth and stared at Broots.
"You what?" She asked softly, looking him up and down.
Broots shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
"I, uh....brought the corporate jet?" Maybe that hadn't been such a great idea after all.
Parker smiled and slapped Broots on the shoulder. "Good thinking."
Broots nearly wet himself in relief but Miss Parker was already issuing orders.
"That," she began, pointing to the laptop, "is Jarod's. He has it password protected and I want it unlocked. Now."
Broots slid into the chair and gave the computer a quick look before he started playing with potential passwords.
"This would be a lot easier back at the Centre," Broots informed her nervously. "Doing this here I'm just guessing at what he might use."
Miss Parker had grabbed her clothes and came up behind Broots, bending down to whisper in his ear.
"Then you had better - guess - right."
