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In Pursuit of Happiness
Part 50
By jojarod50 3-27-'04 4-20-04
I don't own them; no money is changing hands. Please make
another Pretender movie!
Safe house - -undisclosed location
Jarod and Andi's bedroom
6:20 PM
"I'm sorry, Jarod, but I couldn't find…"
"Any evidence that any of the agents in question are anything other
than who they claim to be," Jarod said, letting out a heavy sigh.
"After Jack Telling botched the security detail at the hospital, he
was severely reprimanded and placed on administrative leave. Agent
Malone landed the assignment, because of his familiarity with your
case. He personally screened every agent assigned to the safe house
himself."
"I was unaware of that," the pretender admitted, wondering why no
one had bothered to tell him. "I'm sorry I wasted your time,
Broots," he said, running a hand over his numb face, feeling deeply
troubled.
"It wasn't a waste of my time. Just think how many times
you've helped me in the past. It was the least I could do,
considering how heavily medicated you are right now."
"Who the hell told you that?"
"I um, it was, um, Sydney."
"You're hiding something, Broots."
"Na…no I'm not, Jarod; you're not going to find anything
negative about the agents, because there's nothing there to find."
"You already told me that, Broots. Who is this person of interest
they have under surveillance?"
"Aw, Jarod, I…I'm not supposed to tell you. They don't wa…want you
involved."
"I'm already involved," he reminded him, closing his eyes tightly,
trying to steady himself. "Who are "they", Broots?"
"Well, Bailey, for starters. But, you don't need to worry about it.
Everything is being handled completely professionally."
"Are you purposefully trying to anger me, Broots?"
"Na...no...of course not. The person of interest isn't even
assigned to the sa…safe house. He's in Blue Cove right now," Broots
blurted out, immediately hating himself.
The pretender stared blankly at his phone as it tumbled onto the
carpet, and everything spun out of control. Sliding off the bed, he
waited until the worst of the attack had passed before attempting to
pick it up.
"Jarod? Jarod, are you still there? Jarod?"
"I'm…here."
"What happened? You sound like you can't catch your breath?"
"Nothing…Broots," Jarod said, leaning heavily against the
side of the bed for support.
"You've got to promise me you won't get involved. It could cost me
my job. His phone, apartment and transportation, are all bugged. If
he attempts to have any communication with Sieble or his men, he'll
be cut off before he can divulge anything. That way we can…"
"Figure out if he has any accomplices there or on the island," he
said feeling suddenly lightheaded again.
"I'm going to have to tell Bailey, that I spilled the beans."
"No you won't," he said in a low menacing voice.
"I…I won't? Bu…but, Jarod."
"Given a little more time, I would have discovered their entire
surveillance operation on my own," he said, trying not to lash out
at his shy friend.
"Broots, was Sydney aware of this?"
"I don't know; he just asked me to do the back up check on the
agents for you."
"So you called to give me a false sense of security about my
family's safety."
"Well, no. Honest, Jarod, that's not why I called. The sting
operation has been rescheduled for sometime later this week. I
thought you would want to know."
"Have they set an exact date?" Jarod asked, his heart pounding
rapidly in his chest.
"No, not yet."
"I want to be there," he said, easing himself off the floor.
"I know. I'll give you a call as soon as something is decided," he
said, feeling that that was the least he could do.
"Thanks, Broots," Jarod said, disconnecting the secured line and
placing the phone on his nightstand, while he went to retrieve a
glass of water.
* * *
Jarod and Andi's temporary bedroom
6:35 PM
"What are you doing?"
"Hi, Andi," Jarod said, nonchalantly, closing his lap top as she
entered the room.
"Have you forgotten its dinner time?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I guess I got a little sidetracked," he
winced, flashing her his innocent dark eyes.
"Sidetracked? Why were you breaking into the FBI personnel files?"
"I wasn't breaking into anything. I have clearance," he said,
wishing she hadn't gotten a glimpse of the screen.
"You're supposed to be on sick leave."
"I was just familiarizing myself with the DOE agents assigned here."
"Sydney doesn't want you overextending yourself."
"Let's not talk about him right now."
"Whoa, calm down. I'm on your side, remember?"
"Sorry, Andi, I don't know why I reacted that way. Why don't you go
back down stairs? I'll be down in a moment, I promise," he said,
rising from the bed, acting like he was getting ready to leave.
Waiting until the door closed, Jarod sat back down and booted up the
lap top again. Working his way quickly into the South Haven
Penitentiary data base in Georgia he brought up Lyle's prison
records, determined to make sure he was staying put.
* * *
Safe house
Living room
6:55 PM
Jarod descended the staircase, with renewed fear for his family's
safety.
After handing the phone back to one of the Agents, he stepped over
to the picture window, pulled back the curtain slightly, and began
memorizing the placement of everything outside.
"Jarod, it's getting late."
"Hum? Oh, Andi, I was just coming in," he said smoothly, trying to
cover how badly she had startled him.
Dinning room… moments later…
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, glancing at their empty
plates, realizing his meds were wreaking havoc with his short range
memory. "The, um, call took longer than I had expected," he offered,
as he took his seat, purposely omitting what else he'd been doing.
"That's all right son, we understand," Major Charles said, wondering
why he was trembling so badly.
"Sweet heart, you need to take these now," Andi said under her
breath, leaning close to him and discretely offering him his evening
medications.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he accepted them without comment,
barely resisting the urge to throw them clear across the room.
Remaining at the table what he thought was an acceptable
length of time, the pretender nervously moved his food around his
plate, while the rest of them finished up their coffee and desert
"Andrea, you have a phone call," Agent Morris said, feeling uneasy
about having to interrupt their dinner again. "Would you like to
take it now or have the other party call back?"
"Let's just get it over with," she said, grabbing the phone out of
his hand and marching off to a more private place.
* * *
Kitchen
7:10 PM
"Well, what did you expect? He's been acting like anyone would,
maxed out on tranquilizers, for the most part. I hope you know what
you're doing for Jarod's sake. The last thing he needs is to be
hooked on drugs."
"Andrea, I assure you, that most of the medications he's currently
on are non-addictive and I must say, required an immense amount of
persuasion to get him to take them at all. The sedative is necessary
right now and will be discontinued as soon as he's stable enough to
be switched to Trazodone. What do you mean for the most part? Is he
experiencing any difficulties?"
"He took a phone call from Broots about an hour ago and then spent
some time on the net. I don't know what's going on, but he seems
very upset."
"I thought I asked you to hide his lap top."
"That's irrelevant now. Sometimes I forget who I'm dealing with. I
should have had it removed from the house," she said, pulling her
hair back in frustration.
"He hasn't eaten anything since he sat down at the table. I thought
the pill he took before dinner was supposed to increase his
appetite."
"It is, and all things being equal, he shouldn't be showing any
overt signs of stress," he said, biting his lower lip. "You said he
took a call from Broots? He was told not to discuss anything with
Jarod that might upset him," he said absently, trying to work it out
in his mind.
"Like what?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. I'm concerned that in Jarod's
current state of mind, he may over react to anything he learns."
"Quit being so cryptic, Sydney; Jarod's the one having emotional
problems, not me."
"Andrea, I believe I'd better have a talk with him to be on the safe
side. I'll be over in, say, fifteen minutes," he said, glancing at
his watch.
* * *
Dinning room
7:17 PM
"Where did Jarod go?"
"He said he was tired and wanted to lie down," Major Charles said.
"But he didn't even touch his dinner," she said, staring at his
plate.
"You wouldn't eat either, if you were as upset as he is. Andi, his
shoulder is really bothering him; I think you better give him his
pain medication now."
"What are you talking about, Michael? He didn't mention either of
those things."
"Not in so many words, dad, I just sensed it," he said, giving him
an innocent look eerily similar to Jarod's. *
* *
Meanwhile up stairs…
Jarod eased down on the bed and leaned back against his pillows
cringing at the intense pain radiating from his shoulder.
Repositioning his arm seemed to some what ease the discomfort, but
not the gross stupidity he felt for getting himself shot in the
first place. Booting up his laptop again, he navigated his way into
the Delaware FBI data base to further his knowledge of the man under
surveillance.
7:27PM
"Sweetheart, would you like to take your pain medication
now?" Andi asked as she entered the room, carrying a tray with some
crackers and a 7up.
"I didn't realize it was that obvious, Andi," Jarod said
eying the tray curiously, feeling decidedly foolish that he was
being treated like a child.
"Only to Michael," she said noticing he seemed slightly
perturbed.
"You'll make a wonderful mother."
"What do you mean by that?" she asked defensively, as she handed him
his pill.
"Just what I said. You're capable of being an incredibly
sensitive and nurturing woman."
"Right. Hold that thought, Jarod. Sydney is here to see
you," Andrea said, hoping he wouldn't feel betrayed.
Moments later…
"It hasn't even been three hours yet and you missed me already?" he
asked with a frown, absently rubbing his arm.
"It's understandable that your shoulder is still causing you
significant pain, Jarod," he said, reading his body language, as he
quietly closed the door. "Considering the extensive tendon and
ligament involvement, it's going to take quite a bit longer to heal."
"Why are you here, Sydney?"
"I think you know the answer to that. What's upsetting you, Jarod?"
he asked, noting his trembling hands and sheen of sweat on his face.
"You purposely kept me in the dark concerning the man under
surveillance in Blue Cove. My family's safety's at stake. What
gives you the right...?"
"Frankly, I didn't feel that you could handle any more stress right
now; but I must say, given the slightest bit of rope, you're the
master at creating it for yourself," he said, afraid it had been a
serious error having him released from a controlled environment so
soon.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Think man, you have the equivalent of a doctorate in psychiatry,"
he pointed out, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall.
"What you are doing is counter-productive to your mental health.
You're being heavily medicated to assist you in your recuperation.
You need to use that to your advantage and concentrate on resting
right now."
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, gesturing with an
expansive sweep around the room.
"Working out of your bed room, is not what I'd envisioned when I
released you from the psych-ward. Look at yourself, Jarod, you're a
nervous wreck. No wonder you didn't have any dinner."
"This is ridiculous. There's at least one person under surveillance
in Blue Cove who may have other deviants at his disposal; maybe even
some already on this island. Are you telling me to ignore that?" he
asked incredulously, raking his trembling fingers through his hair.
"Yes, Jarod, that is exactly what I mean. The fact is your family is
no immediate danger and Agent Malone is personally handling your
case. I expect you to gracefully accept his help and stay completely
out of it."
"That's irresponsible. I can't just sit here and do nothing," he
argued, closing his eyes to steady himself.
"Oh yes you can. Don't think that I won't readmit you to the
hospital if you don't stop all this nonsense. There's only so much
your tranquilizers can do for you. You can't keep pushing yourself
like this without dire consequences. Give me your lap top. You must
start limiting your stress voluntarily or I'll see to it you do."
"You can't be serious. I already know about Sieble's men. I need to
at least monitor the situation until…"
"Men, Jarod?" Don't you see? You're already blowing this way out of
proportion?"
"I am not. The odds are…"
"The odds are if you keep this up, you're going to have a complete
nervous breakdown," he said grabbing his trembling hand, unable to
make it stop.
"Jarod, I'm this close to having you recommitted," he warned, as his
patient ripped his hand out of his painful grip.
"Now, give me your lap top."
"You're making a big mistake," he breathed, glaring at the other man
as he relinquished it, incensed that his former mentor was resorting
to threatening him again.
"I want you to stay here while Andrea brings you another dose of
your tranquilizer."
"What are you talking about? I don't need…"
"You obviously don't have a clue what you need, Jarod," he said
heatedly, totally exasperated with him. "I'll be back after I phone
in a new prescription for you. You're going to need a more
aggressive medication until things become manageable for you again,"
his psychiatrist informed him, leaving the room before he could say
anything else.
* * *
Kitchen 8:20PM…
Relieved that Sydney had finally gone home, Jarod descended the
staircase and made his way to the back porch, intent on quenching
his drug induced thirst. He was extremely distressed that he had
been forced to take an additional dose of his damnable tranquilizer,
and absently wondered if it would cause him to fall asleep.
"Hi, Jarod," his clone ventured, acutely aware that he was
livid about something.
"Michael…for heaven's…sake…please…don't sneak up on me…like
that," Jarod managed, leaning against the screen door trying to
catch his breath.
"Sorry, I had no idea you're still struggling with hyper-
vigilance.
"Never mind. What kind of drink would you like?" he asked,
lifting the lid on the ice chest, and fishing out one for himself.
"It doesn't take a genius to know you're avoiding me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't demean me by trying to deny it. I can sense your
distress the moment I'm near you."
"Michael, I'm just trying to shield you from being traumatized by
what I'm going through. After I'm better…"
"That's completely unnecessary. Now that you're taking your
medication consistently, most of what you're going through has
little effect on me. For instance, the flashback you experienced
while you were shaving was far less traumatizing then the ones you
had before you left."
"What are you talking about? You were no where near me at the time."
"Actually, I was. You were pretty much out of it when I came into
your room to visit with you."
"I don't remember that," Jarod confessed feeling very frightened.
"Of course; once I understood what you were going through, I opted
not to make my presence known. I was afraid I might embarrass you,"
he said, realizing too late that he should have kept that to himself.
"Next time, why don't you knock before you enter my room? That way
you can avoid that situation entirely," he said, unable to hide his
annoyance.
"Sydney left with your lap top. Is that what you're so angry about?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it Michael?" he said, sparing him the
details.
"Why don't you ask Broots to give you daily updates? Sydney doesn't
need to know."
"I can't use Broots that way."
"I don't understand. He's your friend, isn't he?"
* * *
Living room
8:30PM
"Jarod, why don't you have a seat on the couch," Major
Charles suggested, noticing that his son had seemed terribly flighty
since his arrival back at the safe house.
"If you don't mind, dad; it's been a long day. I think I'll
just go to bed," he said, as his clone plopped down in a chair near
by.
"Surely it won't hurt you to put that off for a little
while," his dad suggested, convinced that his son was using fatigue
as an excuse to distance himself from the rest of the family.
"I guess you're right," Jarod said, tentatively taking a
seat on the far end of the couch.
"Why did Broots call?"
"Oh, he just wanted to touch base with me," he said
nonchalantly, taking a healthy gulp of his pop.
"I know it might be hard for a grown man like yourself to
confide in your father, but why don't you give it a try," he said,
leaning forward in his chair. "Something about that phone call
really bothered you. It might make you feel better if you talk about
it."
"He wanted to discuss one of the projects we've been working
on," he said evasively, glancing at three agents seated across the
room.
"What else?"
"John."
"It's all right, Margaret. Jarod, you'll feel a lot better
if you tell me. We're all in this together, you know."
"Excuse me, dad," he said, slamming his pop down and heading
up stairs.
"John, where are you going?"
"I think I owe Jarod an apology."
* * *
Jarod and Andrea's temporary bedroom
Moments later…
"Jarod," his dad said as he tapped on the door. "I want to talk to
you. Please let me in."
"Not now…dad."
"I don't blame you, son. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
Jarod opened the door and stood aside as his father came in.
"You don't…need to apologize…for anything. I'm just not…feeling very…
well," he managed, sinking onto the bed, fighting to catch his
breath.
"Dear Lord, Jarod, did I do this to you?"
"No…dad; I'm just not…handling stress very well right now."
"Do you need a tranquilizer? I could ask Andrea…"
"Never mind, I just took one," he said, irritably.
"Jarod, why don't you tell me what's bothering you," he suggested,
sitting down beside him on the bed.
"It's not doing you any good keeping it bottled up inside."
"Why can't you just drop it?" he said heatedly, suddenly leaving the
bed.
"First it was Sydney, then Michael, and now you. Stop badgering me.
If I have something to say to you, I will."
Meanwhile downstairs…
"What on earth is going on up there," Andrea said, rushing into the
living room.
"I'm not sure. John went upstairs to apologize to Jarod for
upsetting him," Margaret said. "Apparently he's just making matters
worse."
"I'm going up there."
"It might be better if you give them time to work it out."
* * *
Bed room upstairs…
"Jarod, calm down; I'm not trying to badger you. I just don't like
the way you're hiding what you're going through from me."
"What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything."
"The afternoon you took an overdose, you had become very secretive,
just like you're being right now. To be honest with you, it
frightens me just knowing you're isolating yourself in your room"
"Isolating my self? Dad, I was very sick at the time. This is a
completely different situation. There's no danger that I will ever
harm myself again," Jarod managed, beginning to shake
uncontrollably.
"Son, you better not be lying to me," he said, oblivious of what he
was doing to his son.
"Lying? How dare you. I'm married now and have a child on the way. I
can't believe you'd even think such a thing," he countered, becoming
extremely angry.
"Don't play innocent with me. I know Sydney confiscated your razor
and you're not even allowed to handle your own pills. Why don't you
explain THAT to me?"
"Dad, Sydney's being overly cautious; you're misconstruing his…"
"Stop it, Jarod, I wasn't born yesterday."
"I don't understand; what do you want from me?"
"The truth."
"I AM TELLING YOU THE TRUTH," he yelled, going completely ballistic.
"I DON'T HAVE A CATASTROPIC MENTAL ILLNESS AND I'M NOT CONTIMPLATING
SUACIDE. NOW GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"I'm not going anywhere, until you calm down," he said, staring at
his unstable son in disbelief. "My god, Jarod, I had no idea you
would react like this," he said, watching his son's wild expression
mutate into confusion as he stumbled backwards and slump against the
wall.
"I've got you, Jarod," he said anxiously, grasping him around the
waist, before he completely collapsed.
"Come on; let's get you over to the bed."
"Sor….…ry……………...d……ad"
"Quiet, Jarod. Don't try to speak. Just lie there until you can
catch your breath."
"Son, I never meant to upset you like this. I, um, I think I'll go
downstairs and let you get some rest," he said quietly, turning to
leave, horrified by what he had just done.
"Dad....wait;…please…don't go. What…happened just now…really…
frightened…me. Would you…stay and talk to me for a while?"
"Of course, son, that's all I wanted in the first place."
* * *
Down stairs… fifteen minutes later…
"He's all right now. He just got a little overwhelmed with
everything he's had to deal with since he came home."
"What's he doing now?" Andrea asked with a definite edge to her
voice.
"He's sleeping. I think he wore himself out."
"No thanks to you. You knew you were upsetting him. Why couldn't you
just leave him alone?"
"Andrea, we're all under a lot of stress right now. Let's not start
turning on each other," Margaret advised, hoping she would have
sense enough to let it go."
"I think there's a good movie on tonight," Emily said, turning on
the set. "Let me see…here it is; anyone want to watch "Meet the
Parents"? It's supposed to be a really funny."
"I'm going up stairs," Andrea said, said, obviously deeply upset.
"Why don't you give your husband a little time to rest first,"
Jarod's mother said softly, taking her aside. "If you go upstairs
you're just going to wake him, and that's not what he needs right
now."
"You're right. I wasn't thinking."
"You have every right to be upset. Why don't we go in the kitchen
and have a cup of tea? It'll be a good distraction for you and will
give your husband time to rest before you go to bed."
Kitchen
5 minutes later
"Andrea, sometimes John can be terribly insensitive without
intentionally meaning to be. He's extremely worried that something
is going to happen to Jarod."
"I don't understand. Sydney explained to us that there's nothing to
worry about. It's just going to take time for Jarod to recover from
his traumatic ordeal."
"I realize that, but John is having a very difficult time separating
what happened to Jarod in the past from what is happening to him
now."
"I'm not sure I'm following you."
"When Jarod took that entire bottle of Thorozine, he nearly died in
John's arms. He's still deeply traumatized by memories of that day."
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea."
"Don't be; it's no one's fault. Jarod didn't know what he was doing
at the time. I just wanted you to know where his father is coming
from."
Jarod and Andrea's temporary bedroom
10:15 PM
"Ouch!"
"Andi, what…are you…doing?" Jarod asked, as he fumbled around to
turn on the lamp.
"Would you believe, trying not to startle you?"
"By…traipsing…around…in the dark?"
"Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," she said,
hating the panic-stricken look on his face.
" Sit down…on the bed and let me see…your foot."
"Relax, Jarod; it's no big deal, I only stubbed my toe."
"Andi, I never want you doing that again," he said, giving her a
deadly serious look.
"This has something to do with the fight I had with my father,
doesn't it?"
"Jarod, you sounded so upset. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," he said quietly, managing a smile for her as she slipped into
bed.
"Are you ready for your sleeping pill?"
"You might as well flush that down the toilet; I'm never taking
them again," he said, his eyes flashing with anger, as he stared at
the tiny capsule in her hand.
"Whoa, Jarod, you know I can't do that. If you don't take them
you're only going to get worse."
Jarod ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "I can't believe
I just said that; what's the matter with me?"
"You're angry, Jarod, I would be, too. Maybe you'll feel better
after you get some decent sleep. You look exhausted."
"So do you," he said sadly, dutifully taking his medication without
further comment.
After placing his glass on the nightstand, he carefully lay back on
his pillows and drew his wife into an embrace using his good arm.
"The sting operation is on for later this week. After that, I
promise you, I'll do everything I can to make this up to you."
"Mmm, I'll certainly look forward to that," she said, resting her
head on his warm chest, closing her eyes feeling strangely comforted
by his deep measured breaths.
"I love you, Andi," Jarod whispered quietly, relieved that his
pregnant wife had easily fallen asleep.
As he lay still in the semi-darkness, he reviewed what Broots had
mentioned about the sting operation, unwittingly beginning to obsess
about Lyle's clandestine cloning team in Germany and what atrocities
they might have already achieved. Despite his agitated emotional
state, he gradually succumbed to the sedative effects of his
medication and drifted into a troubled sleep.
TBC feedback is always appreciated jojarod50@... or
jemac@...
Part 50
By jojarod50 3-27-'04 4-20-04
I don't own them; no money is changing hands. Please make
another Pretender movie!
Safe house - -undisclosed location
Jarod and Andi's bedroom
6:20 PM
"I'm sorry, Jarod, but I couldn't find…"
"Any evidence that any of the agents in question are anything other
than who they claim to be," Jarod said, letting out a heavy sigh.
"After Jack Telling botched the security detail at the hospital, he
was severely reprimanded and placed on administrative leave. Agent
Malone landed the assignment, because of his familiarity with your
case. He personally screened every agent assigned to the safe house
himself."
"I was unaware of that," the pretender admitted, wondering why no
one had bothered to tell him. "I'm sorry I wasted your time,
Broots," he said, running a hand over his numb face, feeling deeply
troubled.
"It wasn't a waste of my time. Just think how many times
you've helped me in the past. It was the least I could do,
considering how heavily medicated you are right now."
"Who the hell told you that?"
"I um, it was, um, Sydney."
"You're hiding something, Broots."
"Na…no I'm not, Jarod; you're not going to find anything
negative about the agents, because there's nothing there to find."
"You already told me that, Broots. Who is this person of interest
they have under surveillance?"
"Aw, Jarod, I…I'm not supposed to tell you. They don't wa…want you
involved."
"I'm already involved," he reminded him, closing his eyes tightly,
trying to steady himself. "Who are "they", Broots?"
"Well, Bailey, for starters. But, you don't need to worry about it.
Everything is being handled completely professionally."
"Are you purposefully trying to anger me, Broots?"
"Na...no...of course not. The person of interest isn't even
assigned to the sa…safe house. He's in Blue Cove right now," Broots
blurted out, immediately hating himself.
The pretender stared blankly at his phone as it tumbled onto the
carpet, and everything spun out of control. Sliding off the bed, he
waited until the worst of the attack had passed before attempting to
pick it up.
"Jarod? Jarod, are you still there? Jarod?"
"I'm…here."
"What happened? You sound like you can't catch your breath?"
"Nothing…Broots," Jarod said, leaning heavily against the
side of the bed for support.
"You've got to promise me you won't get involved. It could cost me
my job. His phone, apartment and transportation, are all bugged. If
he attempts to have any communication with Sieble or his men, he'll
be cut off before he can divulge anything. That way we can…"
"Figure out if he has any accomplices there or on the island," he
said feeling suddenly lightheaded again.
"I'm going to have to tell Bailey, that I spilled the beans."
"No you won't," he said in a low menacing voice.
"I…I won't? Bu…but, Jarod."
"Given a little more time, I would have discovered their entire
surveillance operation on my own," he said, trying not to lash out
at his shy friend.
"Broots, was Sydney aware of this?"
"I don't know; he just asked me to do the back up check on the
agents for you."
"So you called to give me a false sense of security about my
family's safety."
"Well, no. Honest, Jarod, that's not why I called. The sting
operation has been rescheduled for sometime later this week. I
thought you would want to know."
"Have they set an exact date?" Jarod asked, his heart pounding
rapidly in his chest.
"No, not yet."
"I want to be there," he said, easing himself off the floor.
"I know. I'll give you a call as soon as something is decided," he
said, feeling that that was the least he could do.
"Thanks, Broots," Jarod said, disconnecting the secured line and
placing the phone on his nightstand, while he went to retrieve a
glass of water.
* * *
Jarod and Andi's temporary bedroom
6:35 PM
"What are you doing?"
"Hi, Andi," Jarod said, nonchalantly, closing his lap top as she
entered the room.
"Have you forgotten its dinner time?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I guess I got a little sidetracked," he
winced, flashing her his innocent dark eyes.
"Sidetracked? Why were you breaking into the FBI personnel files?"
"I wasn't breaking into anything. I have clearance," he said,
wishing she hadn't gotten a glimpse of the screen.
"You're supposed to be on sick leave."
"I was just familiarizing myself with the DOE agents assigned here."
"Sydney doesn't want you overextending yourself."
"Let's not talk about him right now."
"Whoa, calm down. I'm on your side, remember?"
"Sorry, Andi, I don't know why I reacted that way. Why don't you go
back down stairs? I'll be down in a moment, I promise," he said,
rising from the bed, acting like he was getting ready to leave.
Waiting until the door closed, Jarod sat back down and booted up the
lap top again. Working his way quickly into the South Haven
Penitentiary data base in Georgia he brought up Lyle's prison
records, determined to make sure he was staying put.
* * *
Safe house
Living room
6:55 PM
Jarod descended the staircase, with renewed fear for his family's
safety.
After handing the phone back to one of the Agents, he stepped over
to the picture window, pulled back the curtain slightly, and began
memorizing the placement of everything outside.
"Jarod, it's getting late."
"Hum? Oh, Andi, I was just coming in," he said smoothly, trying to
cover how badly she had startled him.
Dinning room… moments later…
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, glancing at their empty
plates, realizing his meds were wreaking havoc with his short range
memory. "The, um, call took longer than I had expected," he offered,
as he took his seat, purposely omitting what else he'd been doing.
"That's all right son, we understand," Major Charles said, wondering
why he was trembling so badly.
"Sweet heart, you need to take these now," Andi said under her
breath, leaning close to him and discretely offering him his evening
medications.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he accepted them without comment,
barely resisting the urge to throw them clear across the room.
Remaining at the table what he thought was an acceptable
length of time, the pretender nervously moved his food around his
plate, while the rest of them finished up their coffee and desert
"Andrea, you have a phone call," Agent Morris said, feeling uneasy
about having to interrupt their dinner again. "Would you like to
take it now or have the other party call back?"
"Let's just get it over with," she said, grabbing the phone out of
his hand and marching off to a more private place.
* * *
Kitchen
7:10 PM
"Well, what did you expect? He's been acting like anyone would,
maxed out on tranquilizers, for the most part. I hope you know what
you're doing for Jarod's sake. The last thing he needs is to be
hooked on drugs."
"Andrea, I assure you, that most of the medications he's currently
on are non-addictive and I must say, required an immense amount of
persuasion to get him to take them at all. The sedative is necessary
right now and will be discontinued as soon as he's stable enough to
be switched to Trazodone. What do you mean for the most part? Is he
experiencing any difficulties?"
"He took a phone call from Broots about an hour ago and then spent
some time on the net. I don't know what's going on, but he seems
very upset."
"I thought I asked you to hide his lap top."
"That's irrelevant now. Sometimes I forget who I'm dealing with. I
should have had it removed from the house," she said, pulling her
hair back in frustration.
"He hasn't eaten anything since he sat down at the table. I thought
the pill he took before dinner was supposed to increase his
appetite."
"It is, and all things being equal, he shouldn't be showing any
overt signs of stress," he said, biting his lower lip. "You said he
took a call from Broots? He was told not to discuss anything with
Jarod that might upset him," he said absently, trying to work it out
in his mind.
"Like what?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. I'm concerned that in Jarod's
current state of mind, he may over react to anything he learns."
"Quit being so cryptic, Sydney; Jarod's the one having emotional
problems, not me."
"Andrea, I believe I'd better have a talk with him to be on the safe
side. I'll be over in, say, fifteen minutes," he said, glancing at
his watch.
* * *
Dinning room
7:17 PM
"Where did Jarod go?"
"He said he was tired and wanted to lie down," Major Charles said.
"But he didn't even touch his dinner," she said, staring at his
plate.
"You wouldn't eat either, if you were as upset as he is. Andi, his
shoulder is really bothering him; I think you better give him his
pain medication now."
"What are you talking about, Michael? He didn't mention either of
those things."
"Not in so many words, dad, I just sensed it," he said, giving him
an innocent look eerily similar to Jarod's. *
* *
Meanwhile up stairs…
Jarod eased down on the bed and leaned back against his pillows
cringing at the intense pain radiating from his shoulder.
Repositioning his arm seemed to some what ease the discomfort, but
not the gross stupidity he felt for getting himself shot in the
first place. Booting up his laptop again, he navigated his way into
the Delaware FBI data base to further his knowledge of the man under
surveillance.
7:27PM
"Sweetheart, would you like to take your pain medication
now?" Andi asked as she entered the room, carrying a tray with some
crackers and a 7up.
"I didn't realize it was that obvious, Andi," Jarod said
eying the tray curiously, feeling decidedly foolish that he was
being treated like a child.
"Only to Michael," she said noticing he seemed slightly
perturbed.
"You'll make a wonderful mother."
"What do you mean by that?" she asked defensively, as she handed him
his pill.
"Just what I said. You're capable of being an incredibly
sensitive and nurturing woman."
"Right. Hold that thought, Jarod. Sydney is here to see
you," Andrea said, hoping he wouldn't feel betrayed.
Moments later…
"It hasn't even been three hours yet and you missed me already?" he
asked with a frown, absently rubbing his arm.
"It's understandable that your shoulder is still causing you
significant pain, Jarod," he said, reading his body language, as he
quietly closed the door. "Considering the extensive tendon and
ligament involvement, it's going to take quite a bit longer to heal."
"Why are you here, Sydney?"
"I think you know the answer to that. What's upsetting you, Jarod?"
he asked, noting his trembling hands and sheen of sweat on his face.
"You purposely kept me in the dark concerning the man under
surveillance in Blue Cove. My family's safety's at stake. What
gives you the right...?"
"Frankly, I didn't feel that you could handle any more stress right
now; but I must say, given the slightest bit of rope, you're the
master at creating it for yourself," he said, afraid it had been a
serious error having him released from a controlled environment so
soon.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Think man, you have the equivalent of a doctorate in psychiatry,"
he pointed out, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall.
"What you are doing is counter-productive to your mental health.
You're being heavily medicated to assist you in your recuperation.
You need to use that to your advantage and concentrate on resting
right now."
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, gesturing with an
expansive sweep around the room.
"Working out of your bed room, is not what I'd envisioned when I
released you from the psych-ward. Look at yourself, Jarod, you're a
nervous wreck. No wonder you didn't have any dinner."
"This is ridiculous. There's at least one person under surveillance
in Blue Cove who may have other deviants at his disposal; maybe even
some already on this island. Are you telling me to ignore that?" he
asked incredulously, raking his trembling fingers through his hair.
"Yes, Jarod, that is exactly what I mean. The fact is your family is
no immediate danger and Agent Malone is personally handling your
case. I expect you to gracefully accept his help and stay completely
out of it."
"That's irresponsible. I can't just sit here and do nothing," he
argued, closing his eyes to steady himself.
"Oh yes you can. Don't think that I won't readmit you to the
hospital if you don't stop all this nonsense. There's only so much
your tranquilizers can do for you. You can't keep pushing yourself
like this without dire consequences. Give me your lap top. You must
start limiting your stress voluntarily or I'll see to it you do."
"You can't be serious. I already know about Sieble's men. I need to
at least monitor the situation until…"
"Men, Jarod?" Don't you see? You're already blowing this way out of
proportion?"
"I am not. The odds are…"
"The odds are if you keep this up, you're going to have a complete
nervous breakdown," he said grabbing his trembling hand, unable to
make it stop.
"Jarod, I'm this close to having you recommitted," he warned, as his
patient ripped his hand out of his painful grip.
"Now, give me your lap top."
"You're making a big mistake," he breathed, glaring at the other man
as he relinquished it, incensed that his former mentor was resorting
to threatening him again.
"I want you to stay here while Andrea brings you another dose of
your tranquilizer."
"What are you talking about? I don't need…"
"You obviously don't have a clue what you need, Jarod," he said
heatedly, totally exasperated with him. "I'll be back after I phone
in a new prescription for you. You're going to need a more
aggressive medication until things become manageable for you again,"
his psychiatrist informed him, leaving the room before he could say
anything else.
* * *
Kitchen 8:20PM…
Relieved that Sydney had finally gone home, Jarod descended the
staircase and made his way to the back porch, intent on quenching
his drug induced thirst. He was extremely distressed that he had
been forced to take an additional dose of his damnable tranquilizer,
and absently wondered if it would cause him to fall asleep.
"Hi, Jarod," his clone ventured, acutely aware that he was
livid about something.
"Michael…for heaven's…sake…please…don't sneak up on me…like
that," Jarod managed, leaning against the screen door trying to
catch his breath.
"Sorry, I had no idea you're still struggling with hyper-
vigilance.
"Never mind. What kind of drink would you like?" he asked,
lifting the lid on the ice chest, and fishing out one for himself.
"It doesn't take a genius to know you're avoiding me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't demean me by trying to deny it. I can sense your
distress the moment I'm near you."
"Michael, I'm just trying to shield you from being traumatized by
what I'm going through. After I'm better…"
"That's completely unnecessary. Now that you're taking your
medication consistently, most of what you're going through has
little effect on me. For instance, the flashback you experienced
while you were shaving was far less traumatizing then the ones you
had before you left."
"What are you talking about? You were no where near me at the time."
"Actually, I was. You were pretty much out of it when I came into
your room to visit with you."
"I don't remember that," Jarod confessed feeling very frightened.
"Of course; once I understood what you were going through, I opted
not to make my presence known. I was afraid I might embarrass you,"
he said, realizing too late that he should have kept that to himself.
"Next time, why don't you knock before you enter my room? That way
you can avoid that situation entirely," he said, unable to hide his
annoyance.
"Sydney left with your lap top. Is that what you're so angry about?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it Michael?" he said, sparing him the
details.
"Why don't you ask Broots to give you daily updates? Sydney doesn't
need to know."
"I can't use Broots that way."
"I don't understand. He's your friend, isn't he?"
* * *
Living room
8:30PM
"Jarod, why don't you have a seat on the couch," Major
Charles suggested, noticing that his son had seemed terribly flighty
since his arrival back at the safe house.
"If you don't mind, dad; it's been a long day. I think I'll
just go to bed," he said, as his clone plopped down in a chair near
by.
"Surely it won't hurt you to put that off for a little
while," his dad suggested, convinced that his son was using fatigue
as an excuse to distance himself from the rest of the family.
"I guess you're right," Jarod said, tentatively taking a
seat on the far end of the couch.
"Why did Broots call?"
"Oh, he just wanted to touch base with me," he said
nonchalantly, taking a healthy gulp of his pop.
"I know it might be hard for a grown man like yourself to
confide in your father, but why don't you give it a try," he said,
leaning forward in his chair. "Something about that phone call
really bothered you. It might make you feel better if you talk about
it."
"He wanted to discuss one of the projects we've been working
on," he said evasively, glancing at three agents seated across the
room.
"What else?"
"John."
"It's all right, Margaret. Jarod, you'll feel a lot better
if you tell me. We're all in this together, you know."
"Excuse me, dad," he said, slamming his pop down and heading
up stairs.
"John, where are you going?"
"I think I owe Jarod an apology."
* * *
Jarod and Andrea's temporary bedroom
Moments later…
"Jarod," his dad said as he tapped on the door. "I want to talk to
you. Please let me in."
"Not now…dad."
"I don't blame you, son. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
Jarod opened the door and stood aside as his father came in.
"You don't…need to apologize…for anything. I'm just not…feeling very…
well," he managed, sinking onto the bed, fighting to catch his
breath.
"Dear Lord, Jarod, did I do this to you?"
"No…dad; I'm just not…handling stress very well right now."
"Do you need a tranquilizer? I could ask Andrea…"
"Never mind, I just took one," he said, irritably.
"Jarod, why don't you tell me what's bothering you," he suggested,
sitting down beside him on the bed.
"It's not doing you any good keeping it bottled up inside."
"Why can't you just drop it?" he said heatedly, suddenly leaving the
bed.
"First it was Sydney, then Michael, and now you. Stop badgering me.
If I have something to say to you, I will."
Meanwhile downstairs…
"What on earth is going on up there," Andrea said, rushing into the
living room.
"I'm not sure. John went upstairs to apologize to Jarod for
upsetting him," Margaret said. "Apparently he's just making matters
worse."
"I'm going up there."
"It might be better if you give them time to work it out."
* * *
Bed room upstairs…
"Jarod, calm down; I'm not trying to badger you. I just don't like
the way you're hiding what you're going through from me."
"What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything."
"The afternoon you took an overdose, you had become very secretive,
just like you're being right now. To be honest with you, it
frightens me just knowing you're isolating yourself in your room"
"Isolating my self? Dad, I was very sick at the time. This is a
completely different situation. There's no danger that I will ever
harm myself again," Jarod managed, beginning to shake
uncontrollably.
"Son, you better not be lying to me," he said, oblivious of what he
was doing to his son.
"Lying? How dare you. I'm married now and have a child on the way. I
can't believe you'd even think such a thing," he countered, becoming
extremely angry.
"Don't play innocent with me. I know Sydney confiscated your razor
and you're not even allowed to handle your own pills. Why don't you
explain THAT to me?"
"Dad, Sydney's being overly cautious; you're misconstruing his…"
"Stop it, Jarod, I wasn't born yesterday."
"I don't understand; what do you want from me?"
"The truth."
"I AM TELLING YOU THE TRUTH," he yelled, going completely ballistic.
"I DON'T HAVE A CATASTROPIC MENTAL ILLNESS AND I'M NOT CONTIMPLATING
SUACIDE. NOW GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"I'm not going anywhere, until you calm down," he said, staring at
his unstable son in disbelief. "My god, Jarod, I had no idea you
would react like this," he said, watching his son's wild expression
mutate into confusion as he stumbled backwards and slump against the
wall.
"I've got you, Jarod," he said anxiously, grasping him around the
waist, before he completely collapsed.
"Come on; let's get you over to the bed."
"Sor….…ry……………...d……ad"
"Quiet, Jarod. Don't try to speak. Just lie there until you can
catch your breath."
"Son, I never meant to upset you like this. I, um, I think I'll go
downstairs and let you get some rest," he said quietly, turning to
leave, horrified by what he had just done.
"Dad....wait;…please…don't go. What…happened just now…really…
frightened…me. Would you…stay and talk to me for a while?"
"Of course, son, that's all I wanted in the first place."
* * *
Down stairs… fifteen minutes later…
"He's all right now. He just got a little overwhelmed with
everything he's had to deal with since he came home."
"What's he doing now?" Andrea asked with a definite edge to her
voice.
"He's sleeping. I think he wore himself out."
"No thanks to you. You knew you were upsetting him. Why couldn't you
just leave him alone?"
"Andrea, we're all under a lot of stress right now. Let's not start
turning on each other," Margaret advised, hoping she would have
sense enough to let it go."
"I think there's a good movie on tonight," Emily said, turning on
the set. "Let me see…here it is; anyone want to watch "Meet the
Parents"? It's supposed to be a really funny."
"I'm going up stairs," Andrea said, said, obviously deeply upset.
"Why don't you give your husband a little time to rest first,"
Jarod's mother said softly, taking her aside. "If you go upstairs
you're just going to wake him, and that's not what he needs right
now."
"You're right. I wasn't thinking."
"You have every right to be upset. Why don't we go in the kitchen
and have a cup of tea? It'll be a good distraction for you and will
give your husband time to rest before you go to bed."
Kitchen
5 minutes later
"Andrea, sometimes John can be terribly insensitive without
intentionally meaning to be. He's extremely worried that something
is going to happen to Jarod."
"I don't understand. Sydney explained to us that there's nothing to
worry about. It's just going to take time for Jarod to recover from
his traumatic ordeal."
"I realize that, but John is having a very difficult time separating
what happened to Jarod in the past from what is happening to him
now."
"I'm not sure I'm following you."
"When Jarod took that entire bottle of Thorozine, he nearly died in
John's arms. He's still deeply traumatized by memories of that day."
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea."
"Don't be; it's no one's fault. Jarod didn't know what he was doing
at the time. I just wanted you to know where his father is coming
from."
Jarod and Andrea's temporary bedroom
10:15 PM
"Ouch!"
"Andi, what…are you…doing?" Jarod asked, as he fumbled around to
turn on the lamp.
"Would you believe, trying not to startle you?"
"By…traipsing…around…in the dark?"
"Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," she said,
hating the panic-stricken look on his face.
" Sit down…on the bed and let me see…your foot."
"Relax, Jarod; it's no big deal, I only stubbed my toe."
"Andi, I never want you doing that again," he said, giving her a
deadly serious look.
"This has something to do with the fight I had with my father,
doesn't it?"
"Jarod, you sounded so upset. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," he said quietly, managing a smile for her as she slipped into
bed.
"Are you ready for your sleeping pill?"
"You might as well flush that down the toilet; I'm never taking
them again," he said, his eyes flashing with anger, as he stared at
the tiny capsule in her hand.
"Whoa, Jarod, you know I can't do that. If you don't take them
you're only going to get worse."
Jarod ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "I can't believe
I just said that; what's the matter with me?"
"You're angry, Jarod, I would be, too. Maybe you'll feel better
after you get some decent sleep. You look exhausted."
"So do you," he said sadly, dutifully taking his medication without
further comment.
After placing his glass on the nightstand, he carefully lay back on
his pillows and drew his wife into an embrace using his good arm.
"The sting operation is on for later this week. After that, I
promise you, I'll do everything I can to make this up to you."
"Mmm, I'll certainly look forward to that," she said, resting her
head on his warm chest, closing her eyes feeling strangely comforted
by his deep measured breaths.
"I love you, Andi," Jarod whispered quietly, relieved that his
pregnant wife had easily fallen asleep.
As he lay still in the semi-darkness, he reviewed what Broots had
mentioned about the sting operation, unwittingly beginning to obsess
about Lyle's clandestine cloning team in Germany and what atrocities
they might have already achieved. Despite his agitated emotional
state, he gradually succumbed to the sedative effects of his
medication and drifted into a troubled sleep.
TBC feedback is always appreciated jojarod50@... or
jemac@...
