Sixty Seconds

Chapter twenty one

AN: I did want to updat before this but things got in the way, and and I was slightly lazy. Sorry guys, Hope you enjoy. =)

Jessica

“I don’t need to stay in hospital; I need to catch the bastard who shot me!” Carter shouted at Miss Harper. I stood silently behind her, biting my already torn lip.

Miss Harper rolled her eyes at him, he looked horrible, his face was a palette of blue, black and purple, with an especially darkened eye, his arm carried no reminder of the bullet that had been lodged there except for the sling the doctor had insisted that he wore, Frankenstein looking stitches were dotted over his face, messing up his usually sharp and symmetrical features.

 “You’re no use like this Carter; the best thing you can do is rest.” She had arrived just after the bullet had finally been extracted, a whirl of professional opinion that even Carter had to listen to in the hospital full of different opinions and doubt. Most people in the hospital knew that a military figure had been shot at and had crashed a car because of this. Although they didn’t know how important that Carter was, they still speculated to themselves, sowing seeds of doubt in how secure their homes really were.

The doubt was small, but like an itch in the back of their head it gnawed at them, making them want to be comforted, wanting to be told that they were safe. That was exactly what Miss Harper was here to tell them, even though it was most probably lies, it was her job to tell the doctors everything was fine. You could almost imagine her as a bird picking out those pesky seeds of doubt and flying away with them.

Carter frowned, he was obviously annoyed but the knowledge and advice of the doctors probably won over pure hatred and revenge that he no doubt felt. He sighed in defeat, seeming to sink down slightly. I was the only one who noticed. “Fine, but I’m out as soon as possible.”

“As you wish” Miss Harper sighed, leaving the room, taking the doctor and the blushing nurse with her. The nurse was pretty and blonde and had been trying her best to flirt with Carter the entire time he had been there, but instead of noticing he had been distracted, locked away in a part of him that I had never seen. A part that wasn’t perfectly controlled. A part he had lost when his world collapsed around him and his family died.

I turned to Carter; I knew that I didn’t look much better than him. We both looked like we had been to hell and back, and in a way we had. I could still smell the smoke, feel the desperation I had felt when I saw Carter unconscious, my ears still heard the ringing of the ambulance, blaring down the road heading to the hospital where we currently were.

I was allowed to leave and he wasn’t. I could tell that it pissed him off but for once he didn’t make a big deal of it. It almost scared me, how calm he was about the entire process, he had been shot at and in a car crash in the very same day, yet arrogance, mixed with the strange almost worried looks he had been giving to me, they all seemed to be part of the cause of my pale face and worn out mind.

I glanced at him and raised my eyebrows at his slightly smirking face. “What?” I asked, irritated by the fact he had been shot at, crashed a car and yet he was still smirking. While I was almost a wreck, the only thing holding me together was the fact I refused to cry with him watching. I tasted the coppery, salted taste of blood and realised I had bitten to hard on my lip.

“Nothing, Joshua should be waiting at my place, he’ll look after you until I get out of this stupid, restricting place.” He lay back on the white pillow, and I noticed how exhausted he looked, and I realised today had affected him, but it wasn’t in his character to show it. Even though at times I had seen through the slight cracks, I had not seem below the painting of arrogance and confidence that he seemed to continually radiate, even sitting in the hospital bed.

I stood up. “I’m going, I’ll see you soon” I made to walk out the door when Carter called me back. I turned to him, half expecting a sarcastic comment but the look on his face made me stop. He looked worried, really worried. 

“Jessica, once I get out of here, I’m bringing you home” He said it softly and I thought I’d misheard him.

“What?” I asked in sheer disbelief. I stood stock still, barely registering anything else than his words.

“You can’t do this anymore, it’s too dangerous and I think it’s obvious that I can’t protect you very well.” He was still speaking softly, this was another crack on the surface he was letting widen, letting me see that he wasn’t as strong as he appeared.

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m still here aren’t I?” I half shouted at him. Part of me knew that he was trying to protect me but I didn’t want to see it that way.

“That’s the point, I want you to stay here, stay alive, and you won’t if you keep doing this job. You should never have been picked, you’re just a civilian.” He was beginning to get angry, the crack I had seen closed up and he was back to being arrogant and a know-it-all.

“Just a civilian? I could just as easily die from an allergic reaction, house fire, anything. I’m gonna die someday Carter and even you can’t stop it.” I was being irrational, but after all I had been through, in a way I think I deserved to be a little irrational and pissed off.

“Do you think I don’t know that? You were nearly killed. I can’t lose you like that.” There was almost a pleading tone to his voice, which, from my completely irrational standing, I refused to acknowledge.

“Well, the second you leave me home, you’ll lose me anyway. So I don’t see much logic in your plans.” The steady flow of blood from my lip was beginning to make me feel sick. I wondered if he could see the blood beading on my lip, or whether no blood had spilled from the inside of my mouth.

“I’d rather never see you again than see you die, Jessica.” The crack in his surface seemed to reopen and I knew he was thinking of his sister.  Even the logic of what he was saying, didn’t do a thing to break the shield of anger that was engulfing me.

“Yeah, well, I’ll never fit into a normal life again. Has that ever crossed your mind? Did you never think that pulling me into this would have a consequence? This is the consequence, I’m not going back, and you won’t make me”  

I turned and left the room.

AN: Was that a good peace offering?