Second Chances (26 page)

It must have something to do with that stuff she'd given him. Julie, he reminded himself. The stuff Julie had given him. Whatever it had been, it had definitely caused the pain. He was certain of that, but he was also certain she had done it for a good reason. He just wished he knew what those reasons were. What infuriated him more was that he was certain that somewhere inside he did know. It was so hard to think through the pain.

"Okay, once more. For Paige," he said as he rubbed his legs and again tried to stand. His legs wobbled again, but held. He clenched his fists and shook them in victory. The tears in his eyes a mixture of pain and triumph.

He moved his left leg forward a little, then pulled his right one. It wasn't a pretty step, but it was a step. He ignored the pain and took another. He made it to the door, held onto the doorknob for a minute while he caught his breath and then turned around and slowly, painfully made his way back. He turned and dropped down onto the bed. He was bathed in sweat and his muscles screamed, but still he managed to smile.
 

In the hall he heard the soft clicking of shoes. He lay back on the bed and tried to lift his legs. They wouldn't move. He knew it was important that he not get caught. There would be too many questions. Questions he certainly couldn't answer. He wasn't sure who would be asking those questions, but he knew that whoever it was wouldn't be someone who had his best interests at heart. He reached out and took hold of the right leg of his pajamas and pulled. He swung the leg into bed. He was breathing hard now, the pain so intense, his heart thundering in his chest. He reached and grabbed the left leg and pulled, but couldn't lift it.

The steps were getting closer. From the next room over, he heard the door open and then close.

"Come on, please," he hissed to himself. He pulled with all his might, his leg lifted and he swung it into bed just as the door opened and light from the hallway poured in. Jason lay as still as possible. He tried to control his breathing, but between the pain and exertion he was huffing and puffing. He coughed. It was a thick hard cough that went on for almost a minute, when he stopped he had managed to slow his breathing a bit.

"We'll have to have respiratory take a look at you tomorrow. Maybe get a chest x-ray." The voice was soft, kind. Jason heard the sound of a pencil on paper and then the door shut and he was plunged back into the comfort of the darkness.

Jason closed his eyes and sighed. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he forced himself to flex his legs again. There was still much to be done and he needed to be ready. For Julie. For Paige. For himself. He needed to be ready.

A short while later, they left their stakeout spot and went a few streets over. Cameron arranged for a set of rooms at the Grand Imperial Hotel. Linda felt like a princess as soon as she'd entered the building. She knew Newport was famous for the decadent mansions and while she hadn't visited any, she was certain the hotel's decor was a match for any of them.

Her room sent chills racing through her. From the hand carved bed to the luxurious silk sheets, the sheer opulence was overwhelming. She imagined pulling Cameron into her bed and had almost suggested that they share a room. He left her at her door with instructions to be ready at four the next morning. She hid her disappointment as best she could, yawning in fact. She hadn't realize how much the time change had effected her until she got ready for bed. She slid under the covers, imagined Cameron lying next to her and moments later was gently snoring with a smile on her lips.

Night went too quickly. Though she was thrilled to hear Cameron's voice in the morning, it was not how she imagined it would be. He called into her room at three forty-five and told her he would be there to get her in fifteen minutes. Several thoughts ran through her head, but she slapped herself, dismissed her fantasies, then got up and dressed. She realized she really did need that Hawaii trip or at least the parts of the trip she had been imagining the most.
 

Exactly fifteen minutes later, he was at her door. They quickly exited the hotel. She shuddered in the cool air of the autumn morning and was glad when they got in the car and Cameron turned on the heat.

They wove through the streets, Linda without a clue where they were and thankful she hadn't been asked to drive. Cameron found a spot to park which he hoped would allow them to see the cars coming and going from the hotel.

They'd been sitting for about thirty minutes when Linda began to dose off. She tried to fight it, but with only five hours of sleep and the massive time change, her body was fighting against her.

"We are likely very early. I don't actually think they will be heading out just yet. Go ahead and sleep if you can. I'll wake you when I need you." She was his only backup and he needed her as well rested as possible. He silently cursed himself for leaving so early. He was tired as well, but he hadn't been able to sleep. The entire situation bothered him. Dillinger's involvement and the restrictions he'd imposed had left his mind racing and he'd tossed and turned. This could have been ended quickly if he hadn't been strong-armed by Dillinger. That bastard was just looking for an excuse to shut him down. They needed to end this soon. He needed this to be done so he could regroup, reorganize and begin a new plan. But he needed to know what had gone wrong and needed to know if Paige and Nathan were in contact with anyone else, anyone who might be working against him.

Now that she'd been given permission, Linda found she couldn't sleep. He was being so nice to her. Had he forgiven her screw up? His words from the other day still echoed in her mind. She was feeling quite flushed and she didn't think it was from the car's heater. She almost laughed when a thought entered her mind and try as she might she could not dismiss it.

She spent the next few minutes with her eyes closed, breathing softly in and out as evenly as she could, doing her best to mimic sleep. She slumped a little in her seat, coming to lean against Cameron. He smelled so good. She shifted a little, still faking sleep, and allowed her arm to slide over her body and into Cameron's lap. She felt him startle at her touch, but he did nothing to remove her hand. Encourage and emboldened, she slowly started to stroke his thigh. She could feel him through his pants and he shifted a bit in his seat.

Doing her best to sound as if she were talking in her sleep she murmured, "Oh yes. Right there, Cameron."

She continued for a moment, thrilled at the thought that Cameron might be enjoying her actions.

"Keep going, Julie," he whispered in return.

She struggled not to react, as jealous anger flared. She fake snored and turned away, pulling her hand from his lap.

In the dark of the car, Cameron smirked and shook his head, while angry, embarrassed tears rolled down Linda's face.

She woke in his arms and tried to recall what happened. Nathan had told her about his wife's death or suicide. Whichever. Her mind had gone into overdrive, overload. And then? She reached up and touched the small knot on her forehead. Then she had blacked out and slammed her head on the floor.

It was all coming back to her now. She remembered the look of concern in his eyes as he'd knelt over her. His incredible caring eyes. She had insisted she was all right but hadn't been able to stand immediately. Her legs had still been wobbly. He had scooped her off the ground and placed her on the bed. He had suggested they go to a hospital, but she refused. He had had her follow his finger as he moved it in front of her face then asked her how many fingers she saw. When she had answered all his questions correctly he had relaxed, but only slightly. He had felt the bump on her forehead and she couldn't help but wince. He had run and gotten ice, wrapped it in a towel and held it against her head.

After the ice had melted he put the towel aside and had begun to get up, but she had clung to him. Her mind was still racing and she felt safer with him next to her. She had asked him to hold her, just until she fell asleep. She had scooted over in bed, making room for
 
him. She had curled up next to him and he'd put his arms around her. As it turned out, he had fallen asleep first.

She squeezed him gently and was surprised she was smiling. With everything that had happened, how could she be smiling? How could she find comfort in cuddling with a stranger? Was he really a stranger anymore? Sure they had known each other only a few days, but he was the realist person she knew. She wasn't sure she trusted any of her memories from before she'd met him. Linda certainly hadn't been quite right. Somehow Nathan's wife had had most of her memories. So much of what she remembered about Newport was different. Could she really trust any of her memories?

She didn't know how long she'd been lying there, but when she looked up Nathan was looking down at her, a smile on his face as well. She actually had to fight the urge to lean up and kiss him. She blushed when she wondered if he was fighting a similar urge and realized the part of her hoped he was.

He reached out and gently ran a hand over her forehead, stopping on the small knot.

"How does that feel this morning?"

She placed her hand over his.

"Fine. You did an excellent job."

"You had me worried."

"Sorry."

He chuckled. "Don't be. It certainly wasn't your fault."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and both of them wondered if they couldn't just spend the day as they were, wrapped in each others arms. It was Nathan who finally stirred. He reluctantly slid out of her arms and sat on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"Do we really have to?" The tone of Paige's voice was remorseful.

Nathan nodded and stood up. "I'm afraid so."

She pulled the covers over her head and said in her best child's voice, "But I don't want to."

Nathan laughed and pulled the covers back and she pretended to try and bite his fingers and was rewarded with another smile.

"Is that your way of asking for breakfast first?"

Paige frowned, all humor gone.

"No. I don't know what we are going to find today, but I honestly think if I eat anything I might throw up."

Nathan nodded. "Would you like the shower first?"

She shrugged, frowned, then tossed back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. "I guess."

"I'm going to run down and get some coffee. Would you like some?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

She shook her head no. "Can you get me a Diet Coke? I prefer my caffeine with bubbles."

Nathan smiled and headed for the door. "One Diet Coke coming right up."

She frowned as the door closed behind him. Were they really going to do this? Did they have to? She was tempted to suggest they just run off together and wondered if he might actually say yes.
 

"You're dreaming," she said to herself as she got up. The room seemed to spin a bit and she put her arms out to steady herself. When the room settled down and she was certain it would stay that way, she walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. The knot on her head wasn't that big, certainly not as big as it felt, and she doubted most people would even notice.

"No matter how much you look like his wife, he knows you aren't," she said to her reflection. "And even if he is attracted to you. And," she smiled at the mirror, "even if you like him, he isn't going to just let this go. He wants to know what happened to her. Has to know what happened to her."

She lowered her head and sighed. "And we have to know what is going on with us. Don't we?" She waited for her reflection to comment, but it apparently wasn't feeling too talkative this morning. She reached into the shower, turned it on, slipped out of her clothes and then into the warm water.
 

Nathan almost dropped his coffee when Paige walked out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel. He realized he must have been staring because Paige blushed a deep red.

"Sorry, I...forgot to grab my clothes before...umm" She didn't finish, just walked to her suitcases.

Nathan did his best to look away, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He grabbed a couple of the bags from the shopping trip the day before and walked to the bathroom door. He stopped before entering and said, "Your drink is over there bubbles..um Paige. I mean your bubbles are...your soda is on the nightstand."

Her laughter filled the room as he slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, his face almost as red as hers had been.

When he finished showering and dressing he exited the bathroom and found her standing by the window, soda in hand. She was dressed in faded blue jeans and a pink button up blouse with her hair being held in a ponytail by a matching pink ribbon. She turned and saw him staring at her and began to blush when he said nothing.

"You look fantastic," he finally said.

"You don't look so bad yourself." And she had to admit that was the truth. Their jeans almost matched and his green and white striped Polo shirt looked great on him, but then she had to admit she thought he likely looked good in almost anything. She shook her head. What was she thinking? How could she be letting herself fall for him? Just how many shades of wrong could that possibly be?

"Are you ready?"

She frowned, but nodded. "I guess we better get this over with."

He returned her nod, grabbed his laptop bag and held the door for her. He looked back at the room and was struck by a feeling that they might never see it again. He tried to dismiss the thought, but couldn't. He felt a bit queasy and was thankful Paige had suggested they skip breakfast.
 

Julie wondered how Jason's night had been. She resisted the urge to drive over to him as soon as she woke. She wasn't ready yet. She still had things that needed to be done. She finished packing her small gym bag.
 

She looked around her bedroom and frowned. So many memories. She wished she could take it all with her, but there was too much. Of course there was. There was nearly her entire adult life in the rooms around her, but she was going to have to leave it all behind.