Chapter 39
Marc's eyes shot open in panic, his skin turning a deep shade of red as he struggled against the thick tubing that clogged up his throat. The blanket over his body felt heavy and restricting as he tried to kick away at it but found his limbs slow to respond.
"Marc?" Jules whispered in shock as she just stared at him for a moment and the way his brown eyes darting back and forth around the room, looking at each of them. The machine's alarms were still blaring around the room but it was nothing more than a distant buzz to Jules as she could only see Marc but as she watched him her joy turned to fear as she saw his throat beginning to bulge and the way he was thrashing about in the bed as he raised his hands towards the tubing.
"No, Marc! Wait!" She reached forward to grab his arm before it ripped the breathing apparatus from his body and caused further damage, "Just relax," She begged him as she managed to pin one of his arms back down by his side. She went to reach for the other but Carlos had already appeared on the opposite side to do it for her. They restrained him just as his doctor and a handful of nurses rushed into the room. Jules was aware of one of the nurses behind her silencing the alarms.
"It's okay Lieutenant," The doctor called out as he pushed in front of Marc and grabbed Marc's hand forcefully and holding it down by his sides. The doctor looked at Jules to see if she was okay and she just nodded so he turned back to Marc, "Just breathe normally Lieutenant and we'll get it out for you now. Nurse," The doctor nodded to a blonde lady beside him who placed herself behind Marc, tilted his head back and slowly extracted the tubing from his mouth. The tube looked as long as her arm and she hated the way she could hear Marc gagging around it until he took a loud gasp of air and all she could think about was how long she had wished to hear that.
Releasing her grip on his wrist she slid her hand into his when he pulled his arm back abruptly leaving her stood with her hand resting on the bed cover. She didn't understand when she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder from behind her and she turned to see Carlos's eyes brimming with tears of happiness and relief. Everything she felt was reflected in his gaze and she could not help but turn and hug him tightly.
"He's going to be okay," Carlos sighed into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist and almost lifted her off the ground in pure joy.
She nodded her head because she did not think she could speak right then without crying when she opened her eyes and saw Twitch making his way across to her. Untangling herself from Carlos she hugged Twitch too, almost knocking him to the ground. She thought he would say something sarcastic or funny and she was convinced he was about to when she felt a small rush of breath against her neck but in the next moment it was gone and he just simply hugged her back.
After a moment she stepped back and turned back to look at Marc. The bed had been readjusted and he was now sat up where the doctor was flashing a small torch back and forth across his eyes whilst a nurse held a beaker of water with a straw in it up for Marc to sip from. The three of them waited anxiously for the doctor to finish his tests as Carlos rested a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"What's the last thing you remember Mr Langdale?" The doctor asked as he straightened up and turned the torch pen off before sliding it into the pocket on his white lab coat.
Marc's eyebrows drew together as he replied, "Afghanistan."
The doctor seemed pleased enough with his answer for the moment that he took a step back so that Marc and the others could fully see each other, "I will still need to run a few more tests," He told them, "But for the moment just rest and spend some time together. I'll be back in a short while to take you for a few scans, okay?"
"Thank you doct-" Jules took a step forward when Marc's hand shot up, telling her to stay back. The motion felt like a punch to her gut.
"-Wait," Marc looked at Jules for the longest moment and in such a way as if he was trying to remember who she was that she felt her legs grow weak.
"What is it Lieutenant?" The doctor asked him as he obliviously repositioned the stethoscope around his neck.
"Marc?" Jules whispered as his gaze turned away from her and towards Carlos and Twitch and all the time there was that look of blank confusion across his face.
"Lieutenant?" The doctor frowned, his voice growing in urgency.
"Who-" Marc blinked and turned to look at the doctor, "Who are these people?" He pointed directly at them and it felt like an arrow to her chest knocking the wind out of her lungs.
The doctor just stared at Marc for a moment, his lips forming a small 'O' before he hastily retrieved the small torch pen from his pocket and flashed it across his eyes again, "Do you not recognise who these people are?" He asked.
Marc shook his head, "Should I?"
"Marc," Carlos laughed nervously, "Come on buddy, it's us! You know us!"
Jules could feel herself trembling. It felt like the walls were crumbling down around her in the cruellest twist of fate ever. She had only just come to terms with her own memory loss, Marc couldn't lose his now. She couldn't catch her breath as she stared at Marc and saw the way he stared at Carlos. It was as if he had never met him before today. This couldn't be happening, Jules thought as she reached out a hand to steady herself against the bed.
She noted how his shoulders were relaxed and there were no creases in his forehead as he looked amongst the three of them in bewilderment.
No! Jules thought angrily, this was not happening. "Marc!" She snapped as she took a determined step forward as if she could scare his memories back.
"Sergeant, maybe you should just-" The doctor leaned across the bed and held out his arm to stop her from going any further but she just shoved his arm away to the side.
"Marc," She spoke in a softer tone of voice as she drew level with him and stared into his eyes. She didn't know what to say as they just looked at each other with fear in her eyes and bewilderment in his. The thought that he could have forgotten about her felt like the end of the world and she did not know how to begin to make him remember her again when she saw the corner of his lip twitch a little. He tried to control it but as she looked closer she saw a small spark of humour erupt in his gaze before his lips spread into a wide grin and he started to laugh.
"No!" Jules gasped as Marc barked with laughter, his shoulders hunching over in mirth.
"Your faces!" He threw his head back against the pillows and chortled whilst Carlos clutched at his chest in relief and Twitch hung his head that he had fallen for it.
"You little shit!" Jules punched him hard in the shoulder, stomping her foot to resist the urge to hurt him even further, "Why would you do that!?"
The doctor straightened up in annoyance when he saw that Marc had been faking it and Jules was fairly certain she saw him roll his eyes. "Press the nurses button if you need anything before we come back to take you for the scans," He sighed before he turned to leave.
"How about some morphine for the shoulder?" Marc tentatively held his shoulder.
The doctor started to say something but he stopped when he saw Jules's face and made a quick escape from the room. Jules was fairly certain that the doctor thought he deserved it too though.
"That wasn't funny," Carlos walked up the opposite side of the bed where the doctor had just been stood and clasped Marc strongly by the arm, "But I'm glad you're awake to make the joke."
"Dickhead," Twitch told him firmly from the foot of the bed, "But ditto."
"Thanks man," Marc smiled at him, "Wasn't sure if I would get the opportunity to do it again," He shrugged.
Carlos looked up at Jules's brooding face across from him and widened his eyes at Marc, "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Carlos's lip tilted up in a smirk which Marc returned.
Jules crossed her arms over her chest and she could feel her lips pressing tightly together in anger as she narrowed her eyes at his throat and saw the large white dressing that covered the place where he had been stitched back together. The memory of seeing Abbas's blade slice through his neck flashed in front of her eyes and she realised that she had nothing to be angry about. On the contrary she should be grateful that he was alive to make the joke, although it was in poor taste.
"We'll leave you two alone," Carlos told them before he realised that Jules had calmed down, "Twitch, come on."
"Find some food yeah?" Marc asked him, "I'm starving."
"A few days in a coma will do that to you I suppose," Carlos joked as he held the door open for Twitch to hop through on his crutches, "I'll call Strong and let him know you're awake. He's been on my back to ring him as soon as anything changes."
Licking his dry lips Marc waited for the door to shut behind them before he turned onto his side to face Jules, groaning as his muscles protested at the sudden movement. "Jules," Marc reached out a hand to touch her arm and apologise for his behaviour but before he could do so she had untangled her arms from over her chest and gently touched her hand to his cheek. His heartbeat hitched as she pressed her lips softly against his. His eyes fluttered shut and he had the strangest sense that he missed her kisses even though it felt as if he was in Afghanistan only a few moments ago and the last few days hadn't happened at all.
As their lips parted they simply remained there for a few moments resting their foreheads against each other.
"I'm sorry," Marc swallowed, "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," she sighed as she pulled back and stared into his eyes, "I should be used to it by now in our line of work. And I guess it was nothing compared to what you felt when it was me but-" She bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her feet. She had to do this, she had to be honest, "-I was scared, Marc," Her breathing trembled.
"I know sweetheart," Marc reached up and cupped her cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb across her jaw, "But I'm not going anywhere." Jules turned her head and kissed the inside of his palm and that was enough to soothe the ache that throbbed in the side of his neck when he suddenly remembered the reason they had gone to Afghanistan in the first place. "Safia?" He sat upright, "Is she safe? Where is she?" He was horrified to think that he had forgotten her.
"She's fine," Jules squeezed his hand and he let out a sigh of relief, "She's with my mum and dad at the moment."
Marc instantly froze and looked at her from the corner of his eye when he heard her mention her parents. They hadn't seen Jules's parents in years.
"I know, I know," Jules shrugged when she saw his face, "I was shocked too when I got the phone call but I think she genuinely wants to make things right and Safia seemed pretty taken with her as well. I think it helped that my mum bribed her with chocolate though."
"Yeah that'll probably do it." Marc laughed when he felt a sharp pain shoot across his neck and he winced involuntarily.
"Are you okay?" Jules asked, "I can call for the doctor."
"No, no, I'm fine," Marc told her, "I just moved too quickly. I don't want to go just yet; I want you to tell me everything that I've missed."
"Okay," She turned to pull up a chair when Marc stopped her, "No, come sit here," He patted the side of the bed as he shimmed over as far as he could to the other side. She didn't need telling twice as she spread herself out next to him and rested her head against his chest, inhaling deeply. He smelt of hospital toiletries from where they had bathed him and laundry detergent but there was also that unique smell of Marc that she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was but it eased her nerves instantly. Settling in she began to tell him everything although she kept a few details about her deal with Ridgeway out for the moment or MacAndrew's comment. He didn't need the stress of that when he was trying to mend himself.
*
The room was in complete darkness except for the glowing computer screen in front of him that showed a paused video. Strong couldn't remember how many times he had watched this footage in the past, two dozen, maybe more? He could recall it from memory, not that he would want to, but despite this he found himself sat here once again as the feeling of failure consumed him. After this footage was received and they responded he thought that that had been the end of it but recently he discovered that it wasn't true.
The hum of the computer was the only noise in the room until his phone went off beside him. He felt the vibration through the desk first and when he saw the caller ID he grabbed it instantly.
"Ramirez, how is he?"
"He's awake and fully alert Commander," Ramirez reported, "They're going to take him for some tests soon but I think he could do with seeing you sir, if you can."
"I'll be there straightaway," Strong replied when he looked back at the computer screen, "Oh and Carlos?"
"Yes sir?"
"Thank you for bringing him back to us again," Strong ended the call and put his phone back in his breast pocket before he reached out and grabbed the mouse. Moving the cursor over the video a bar at the bottom of the screen came up to tell him that there was six minutes left of the footage to watch. Strong had paused the video because it had grown hard to see Marc on his knees in front of a large black sheet for a back drop. His eyes were red-rimmed from sleep deprivation and there was dried blood on his skin and despite the anger and desperation that he emitted through the video the hardest thing for Strong to see was the humility. Langdale had been captured and brought to his knees. He hadn't given them anything but it almost broke him and the only way Strong could help him was by reminding him that Abbas was dead and he had paid for what he'd done to Marc, but that wasn't the truth. Strong hated himself for accepting what was in front of him rather than search for evidence that Abbas was truly dead because maybe then this wouldn't have happened.
But there was nothing he could do now except to re-watch the footage and have it ingrained in his memory so that it wouldn't happen again. Moving the cursor down to the bottom he dragged the button back from six minutes to the beginning and pressed play. Marc disappeared and the screen was black and blurry until a man moved backwards away from the camera and into frame. He wore a turban and a scarf pulled up over his mouth and nose to hide his face. A rifle slung across his chest as he turned from the camera and called to his comrade to bring in the prisoner.
Strong's jaw clenched as Marc was shoved into view of the camera wearing a knee-length white shirt. His side portrait was thin as the shirt billowed out in front of him from where it was too big for him. Days of starvation and not being allowed to sleep made his actions uncoordinated but there is a pause from Marc when the man in the rifle tells him to kneel that is entirely on purpose. Marc is defying them and when Strong saw that his throat grew tight in admiration for his man. His pride though is soon overshadowed with anger when the terrorist rams the butt of the rifle into Marc's abdomen before kicking him in the back of the leg. Marc cries out in pain as he crashes to the ground where the other terrorist that brought him in stands over him and pulls him back up to his knees.
They start to rant to the camera as they point their rifles at Marc's head but Strong just focuses on Marc's bruised eye, his swollen cheek bone and a cut on his bottom lip. As the men finished their religious and political speech they began to show their audience what they wanted to do to the western devils by demonstrating it first hand on Marc in front of the camera. Turning their rifle around the man stood behind him to his left rammed the butt of the gun into the back of Marc's head. He collapsed forward onto his front where the two men proceeded to beat him viciously on the ground until the white tunic he wore was stained red. When one of the men produced a knife from behind him Strong looked pleadingly down at the timer to see how long there was left until it was over. The remaining time left on the video was 12 minutes.