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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
To Julia, Thank you. ;-)
Chapter 15
The docks, Blue water
Miss Parker stood next to Margaret, unaware that her hand was clutching the older woman’s. They stood helpless, unable to do anything as the medics fought to bring Jarod back to life. Seconds stretched into minutes and one of the medics ripped Jarod’s shirt open, exposing his chest. Wiping lubricant, he grabbed the paddles and shocked the pretender. Jarod’s body arched on the bed and then again. Miss Parker had her eye on the green line that stayed obstinately flat.
“Come on, Jarod. Now is not a time to be stubborn,” she muttered, watching as the medic placed the paddles on his chest again. She had no idea if Jarod had heard her, but the straight line jumped slightly. A few seconds later it jumped again and then a steady rhythm began to pace across the screen. She let her breath go, only now aware that she had been holding it. Margaret turned and then Miss Parker’s body was crushed by a hug as Jarod’s mother enveloped her. She was aware that her smile was just as relieved as Margaret while the medics worked on getting Jarod on a gurney.
Jarod stirred slightly, his eyes opening. His confused gaze settled on Miss Parker for a brief second before they slid shut and he was unconscious once again. She turned away from Jarod’s mother, her attention now on the man that was held by one of the cops.
“If Jarod dies, so will you.”
Cox grinned at her, his eyes showing no emotion. She followed the cop as the man was led from the room towards the outside. A hand on her arm stopped her and she turned angrily.
“Who are you?”
It was the policeman that had entered the room first. “A friend.”
“Really? Why have I never met you before?”
Miss Parker crossed her arms in front of her body. “Jarod’s a very private individual and right now my only concern is following him to the hospital and making sure that he survives. If there is anything else…”
Murray nodded, watching as the medics moved past them, with Jarod strapped safely on the gurney. The oxygen mask was misting from each breath he took, his head bobbing slightly when the gurney hit an uneven spot on the floor.
“Very well, Miss…”
She smiled, “Parker.”
“Please don’t leave the county. I still have some questions I need to ask.”
She was about to answer when a shot echoed through the building. Miss Parker and Murray dropped. She had her gun out, her eyes staring towards the open door through which Jarod had gone a few seconds ago. They could hear shouting and as she made her way carefully to the opening, she remembers a time when the Centre had tried to shoot Fenigor.
Please, don’t let it be Jarod. She thought. She glanced out the door and her body relaxed. Jarod was safely behind the ambulance parked in front of the warehouse. Cox’s body lay sprawled on the pavement, blood pooling around his head. From experience she knew that he had been shot through the head, once. She stood up and moved out, ignoring Murray’s shout that it wasn’t safe.
“The mark’s dead. The sniper is long gone.”
“How do you know this?”
Tiredly, she stood over the dead man’s body. “Because that’s they way these people operate.”
“Who?”
“You’re a detective, right?”
Irritated, Murray watched as Miss Parker walked away. She entered a dark town car and drove calmly after the ambulance, with Jarod’s mother and sister as her passengers.
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Two weeks later, St Mary’s County Hospital
Sydney looked up to see Miss Parker enter. He smiled a greeting to her before returning his attention to the book he had been reading from. Miss Parker seated herself by the bed, holding on to Jarod’s hand while Sydney read from Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo.
Except for that brief moment in the warehouse, Jarod had not waked again. He had suffered from a bout of pneumonia and for a time she had thought that they were going to lose him again. Jarod had survived the fever and infection, he had survived Cox but she had no idea what was going on his mind.
His father and the clone had pitched up a week ago. They had read about Jarod in a newspaper and had made their way here directly. The reunion between Jarod’s parents had been emotional. She and Mark, the name the boy had chosen to call himself, had greeted awkwardly before he had closed the distance and had given her a hug. His quiet thank you had nearly brought tears. She had nodded, not trusting her voice as she retuned his hug.
Raines had been indicted with the kidnapping of Davey and Jarod. The ghoul had kept stubbornly quiet and the judge had not been lenient. She knew that even if Raines managed to walk away in the end, he will never be welcomed back at the Centre. He had cost the company too much publicity and with the internal investigation of the Triumvirate around the rumors of a possible attack on them, Raines would be wise to stay away. Lyle had disappeared once again. She had no idea where her brother was and she didn’t care. She had a strong suspicion that he had been the one that had orchestrated Cox’s death but she kept that information to herself. It could be useful someday. Her father had tried to coax her to come back when she had handed her resignation in. She had ignored his pleas as she turned her back on him and walked out of his office for the last time.
Sydney’s voice droned on and she was only half listening as her hand caressed Jarod’s. She heard the door open again and smiled at Davey when he walked over to her. She was still coming to terms with the fact that another smaller person had joined her household of one. Davey was slowly changing, becoming more confidant as their relationship grew. She had held him as he cried besides Cain’s grave and it was then that she had decided that she wanted to hold on to the boy. Each of them had been hurt and needed someone to help heal the scars. Between themselves that had made a promise to be there for each other and to look towards the future. She had told her father in no uncertain terms that if he ever came after the boy that she would expose the Centre for what they were. He had agreed to leave them alone, including Jarod and his family.
“Is he still sleeping?”
Looking towards the Pretender’s slack face, she answered in the affirmative. They had been keeping vigil at his bed, hoping that Jarod would open his eyes.
“When will he wake up?”
She was surprised when Sydney answered Davey. She knew that the psychiatrist blamed himself for the drugs that Cox and Raines had injected into Jarod. Bending down, she hugged the boy, while Sydney’s voice continued with the story and his answer to Davey stayed in her mind.
When he’s ready…
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Jarod floated in the comfortable haze of non-existence he found himself in. At the moment he was feeling no pain, feeling nothing in fact and he was very reluctant to leave. He didn’t want to face the pain or Mr. Cox that he knew would be there when he woke.
“Jarod, when you’re ready, you can come back. Know that I’ll be there for you, if you want.”
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. He knew who it belonged to but he didn’t want to face the person just yet. He was comfortable where he was now and all he wanted to do was rest and not think.
“Hi Son, why don’t I just continue where Sydney left off.”
The voice was deep and had a quality to it that reminded him of a time with his father. Father? As far as he knew he died in a plane crash. They voice droned on and Jarod decided that thinking only brought sad memories. He decided to burrow further into the comfort of the non-place.
“Hi, it’s me. I finally got custody of Davey. He’s ecstatic and we had decided to bring you some ice cream to celebrate. When you’re ready to wake up, you can have some.”
It was a woman’s voice this time. He liked it. It was husky and sensuous, bringing thoughts to his mind of a more physical aspect. In his non-existence, he smiled. He liked this place.
“Son, you need to wake up. Your father and I have planned to take a nice long holiday with you and your sister and Mark, but we can’t leave until you’re better.”
They wanted to leave him again. Wait, no. She had said they wanted to take him with. Memories intruded, memories he didn’t want to face. He tried to protect himself but was unable as more and more memories rushed into his non-existence.
He remembered Cox and he remembered his mother and …
He opened his eyes.
He stirred slightly, feeling the soft, clean sheets and the weight of a blanket providing warmth. It felt good to be warm and he remembers how cold he had been the last time he had been awake. Slowly he turned his head to look at the dimly lit hallway through the open doorway. His room was dark and from the soft whispers that reached his ears, he could only surmise that he was in hospital room. His thoughts turned to the Centre and then his eyes slid closed as he fell asleep in mid thought.
Dimly, he heard voices. They intruded and he wanted it to go away. They stilled and only then was he aware that he must have told them to shut up. Someone touched him on the shoulder and he turned his head, still keeping his eyes closed.
“Son?”
It stirred such emotion that Jarod opened his eyes. The person standing before him was still hazy, but as his features materialized in front of him, he could finally see his father. On the other side of the bed, his mother stood and by his feet were his sister and the boy. He smiled, wondering why his father was crying.
“Dad?”
His voice croaked and he frowned. Swallowing, he tried to speak again. His father reached for something beside the bed. He sipped on the straw, enjoying the cool feel of water on his throat. When next he spoke, his voice sounded a little less scratchy in his ears.
“Can…can I come home?”
His father smiled, looking at his mother and then pulling Jarod up and in to a firm embrace he whispered, “Yes... yes you can.”
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Hope you enjoyed this adventure with me. I did. Thanks for all the reviews and support. Hope you had fun and also shed a tear. Once again, thanks.
To Julia, Thank you. ;-)
Chapter 15
The docks, Blue water
Miss Parker stood next to Margaret, unaware that her hand was clutching the older woman’s. They stood helpless, unable to do anything as the medics fought to bring Jarod back to life. Seconds stretched into minutes and one of the medics ripped Jarod’s shirt open, exposing his chest. Wiping lubricant, he grabbed the paddles and shocked the pretender. Jarod’s body arched on the bed and then again. Miss Parker had her eye on the green line that stayed obstinately flat.
“Come on, Jarod. Now is not a time to be stubborn,” she muttered, watching as the medic placed the paddles on his chest again. She had no idea if Jarod had heard her, but the straight line jumped slightly. A few seconds later it jumped again and then a steady rhythm began to pace across the screen. She let her breath go, only now aware that she had been holding it. Margaret turned and then Miss Parker’s body was crushed by a hug as Jarod’s mother enveloped her. She was aware that her smile was just as relieved as Margaret while the medics worked on getting Jarod on a gurney.
Jarod stirred slightly, his eyes opening. His confused gaze settled on Miss Parker for a brief second before they slid shut and he was unconscious once again. She turned away from Jarod’s mother, her attention now on the man that was held by one of the cops.
“If Jarod dies, so will you.”
Cox grinned at her, his eyes showing no emotion. She followed the cop as the man was led from the room towards the outside. A hand on her arm stopped her and she turned angrily.
“Who are you?”
It was the policeman that had entered the room first. “A friend.”
“Really? Why have I never met you before?”
Miss Parker crossed her arms in front of her body. “Jarod’s a very private individual and right now my only concern is following him to the hospital and making sure that he survives. If there is anything else…”
Murray nodded, watching as the medics moved past them, with Jarod strapped safely on the gurney. The oxygen mask was misting from each breath he took, his head bobbing slightly when the gurney hit an uneven spot on the floor.
“Very well, Miss…”
She smiled, “Parker.”
“Please don’t leave the county. I still have some questions I need to ask.”
She was about to answer when a shot echoed through the building. Miss Parker and Murray dropped. She had her gun out, her eyes staring towards the open door through which Jarod had gone a few seconds ago. They could hear shouting and as she made her way carefully to the opening, she remembers a time when the Centre had tried to shoot Fenigor.
Please, don’t let it be Jarod. She thought. She glanced out the door and her body relaxed. Jarod was safely behind the ambulance parked in front of the warehouse. Cox’s body lay sprawled on the pavement, blood pooling around his head. From experience she knew that he had been shot through the head, once. She stood up and moved out, ignoring Murray’s shout that it wasn’t safe.
“The mark’s dead. The sniper is long gone.”
“How do you know this?”
Tiredly, she stood over the dead man’s body. “Because that’s they way these people operate.”
“Who?”
“You’re a detective, right?”
Irritated, Murray watched as Miss Parker walked away. She entered a dark town car and drove calmly after the ambulance, with Jarod’s mother and sister as her passengers.
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Two weeks later, St Mary’s County Hospital
Sydney looked up to see Miss Parker enter. He smiled a greeting to her before returning his attention to the book he had been reading from. Miss Parker seated herself by the bed, holding on to Jarod’s hand while Sydney read from Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo.
Except for that brief moment in the warehouse, Jarod had not waked again. He had suffered from a bout of pneumonia and for a time she had thought that they were going to lose him again. Jarod had survived the fever and infection, he had survived Cox but she had no idea what was going on his mind.
His father and the clone had pitched up a week ago. They had read about Jarod in a newspaper and had made their way here directly. The reunion between Jarod’s parents had been emotional. She and Mark, the name the boy had chosen to call himself, had greeted awkwardly before he had closed the distance and had given her a hug. His quiet thank you had nearly brought tears. She had nodded, not trusting her voice as she retuned his hug.
Raines had been indicted with the kidnapping of Davey and Jarod. The ghoul had kept stubbornly quiet and the judge had not been lenient. She knew that even if Raines managed to walk away in the end, he will never be welcomed back at the Centre. He had cost the company too much publicity and with the internal investigation of the Triumvirate around the rumors of a possible attack on them, Raines would be wise to stay away. Lyle had disappeared once again. She had no idea where her brother was and she didn’t care. She had a strong suspicion that he had been the one that had orchestrated Cox’s death but she kept that information to herself. It could be useful someday. Her father had tried to coax her to come back when she had handed her resignation in. She had ignored his pleas as she turned her back on him and walked out of his office for the last time.
Sydney’s voice droned on and she was only half listening as her hand caressed Jarod’s. She heard the door open again and smiled at Davey when he walked over to her. She was still coming to terms with the fact that another smaller person had joined her household of one. Davey was slowly changing, becoming more confidant as their relationship grew. She had held him as he cried besides Cain’s grave and it was then that she had decided that she wanted to hold on to the boy. Each of them had been hurt and needed someone to help heal the scars. Between themselves that had made a promise to be there for each other and to look towards the future. She had told her father in no uncertain terms that if he ever came after the boy that she would expose the Centre for what they were. He had agreed to leave them alone, including Jarod and his family.
“Is he still sleeping?”
Looking towards the Pretender’s slack face, she answered in the affirmative. They had been keeping vigil at his bed, hoping that Jarod would open his eyes.
“When will he wake up?”
She was surprised when Sydney answered Davey. She knew that the psychiatrist blamed himself for the drugs that Cox and Raines had injected into Jarod. Bending down, she hugged the boy, while Sydney’s voice continued with the story and his answer to Davey stayed in her mind.
When he’s ready…
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Jarod floated in the comfortable haze of non-existence he found himself in. At the moment he was feeling no pain, feeling nothing in fact and he was very reluctant to leave. He didn’t want to face the pain or Mr. Cox that he knew would be there when he woke.
“Jarod, when you’re ready, you can come back. Know that I’ll be there for you, if you want.”
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. He knew who it belonged to but he didn’t want to face the person just yet. He was comfortable where he was now and all he wanted to do was rest and not think.
“Hi Son, why don’t I just continue where Sydney left off.”
The voice was deep and had a quality to it that reminded him of a time with his father. Father? As far as he knew he died in a plane crash. They voice droned on and Jarod decided that thinking only brought sad memories. He decided to burrow further into the comfort of the non-place.
“Hi, it’s me. I finally got custody of Davey. He’s ecstatic and we had decided to bring you some ice cream to celebrate. When you’re ready to wake up, you can have some.”
It was a woman’s voice this time. He liked it. It was husky and sensuous, bringing thoughts to his mind of a more physical aspect. In his non-existence, he smiled. He liked this place.
“Son, you need to wake up. Your father and I have planned to take a nice long holiday with you and your sister and Mark, but we can’t leave until you’re better.”
They wanted to leave him again. Wait, no. She had said they wanted to take him with. Memories intruded, memories he didn’t want to face. He tried to protect himself but was unable as more and more memories rushed into his non-existence.
He remembered Cox and he remembered his mother and …
He opened his eyes.
He stirred slightly, feeling the soft, clean sheets and the weight of a blanket providing warmth. It felt good to be warm and he remembers how cold he had been the last time he had been awake. Slowly he turned his head to look at the dimly lit hallway through the open doorway. His room was dark and from the soft whispers that reached his ears, he could only surmise that he was in hospital room. His thoughts turned to the Centre and then his eyes slid closed as he fell asleep in mid thought.
Dimly, he heard voices. They intruded and he wanted it to go away. They stilled and only then was he aware that he must have told them to shut up. Someone touched him on the shoulder and he turned his head, still keeping his eyes closed.
“Son?”
It stirred such emotion that Jarod opened his eyes. The person standing before him was still hazy, but as his features materialized in front of him, he could finally see his father. On the other side of the bed, his mother stood and by his feet were his sister and the boy. He smiled, wondering why his father was crying.
“Dad?”
His voice croaked and he frowned. Swallowing, he tried to speak again. His father reached for something beside the bed. He sipped on the straw, enjoying the cool feel of water on his throat. When next he spoke, his voice sounded a little less scratchy in his ears.
“Can…can I come home?”
His father smiled, looking at his mother and then pulling Jarod up and in to a firm embrace he whispered, “Yes... yes you can.”
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Hope you enjoyed this adventure with me. I did. Thanks for all the reviews and support. Hope you had fun and also shed a tear. Once again, thanks.
