Suspense/Intrigue
Reid Between the Lines
By Ericka
Jul 12, 2007, 17:10

She wanted to look, but she was afraid. She did anyway.  He was there, but who was he?  Dark eyes, dark hair, a handsome face, he scared her.  Something told her to move and fast.  Get up! She screamed to herself.   It hurt, but she found her strength and kicked with all the force she possessed sending the man backward into a group of trashcans.  Again, her mind screamed to get up. 

In a struggle to her feet AJ managed a few steps before the man caught her arm and pulled her around to face him. He was bleeding from his lip and she heard her voice cry out as his grip tightened.  Another inner strength found her and she pushed him.  Free from his grasp she began to run.  She heard footsteps and the sound of his voice screaming.   Then a pain in her shoulder nearly sent her into oblivion, but she kept moving. 

The voice faded as she approached an alley.  In the corner she saw a stairwell and dove in not caring what or who might be at the bottom.  She listened, no voice.  Falling back against the wall she closed her eyes.  It hurt.

Eyes open, man in black there.  The devil had found her.  No, she thought, something’s different.  Same dark eyes. Something’s different. Same dark hair. Something’s different. A handsome face. Something’s different. Not the same face.  It didn’t matter she had to get away.  Her legs kicked as before and this man in black was also propelled backwards, but unlike the other man, this one caught her as she tried to run and held tight.  They struggled briefly until the feel a cold hard object against her throat ended the struggle. 

A moment later the man held her in his arms and while mumbling something about catching a spy AJ’s world spun out of control.   With one look into his eyes, AJ closed hers.  This time her eyes stayed shut.  It hurt.

                             ***

She woke up.  It didn’t hurt.  Though her eyes were still closed AJ knew she was in bed, safe in her bed.  She would never again doubt her brother’s advice about eating too much salsa and chips before going to sleep.  If it produced nightmares like the one she just had, she’d never go near spicy food again. 

She opened her eyes and instantly regretted it.  This wasn’t her room.  This wasn’t her house.  She didn’t even think this was her town.  Stay calm.  Sit up and find yourself she thought. The fluorescent lighting was bright, too bright for a bedroom. Looking around she saw a sink, three small wooden chairs and cabinets with what looked like medical supplies. To her surprise there two pistols lying on a table.  She had to get out of there.  I can do this, slow, steady.  She froze.  Someone was in this strange room with her.

It was a young woman in her late twenties who most certainly would look young into her thirties.  Her hair was auburn and she appeared to be on the tall side.  Either that or the cabinet she stood next to was on the short side. 

The woman moved to the bed and smiled at AJ.  “Lie still. It’s all right, no one is going to hurt you.  You’re safe here. My name is Mary.  What’s yours?”

Where am I?  AJ asked, but the woman only looked at her.  Where am I?  Again, the woman called Mary said nothing. 

“What’s your name?” Mary repeated. 

I asked you where I was!  Answer me! 

Mary ignored her and turned around. “I think the medication is keeping her from speaking right now.  I was afraid that might happen since she’s on the thin side.”  Turning back, Mary brushed the hair away from the eyes of her patient and spoke softly.  “Go back to sleep.  We can talk later.  I just want you to know that you’re safe here in the infirmary.  I’ll check in on you soon.”  Then Mary turned and mumbled something to the person who had been standing in the shadows. 

Time passed, but how much?  AJ wondered if she was alone, but she was afraid to look.  She did anyway.  She was alone.  What hospital was she in?  Had she been in an accident?  This time she managed to sit completely up and bring her legs over the side of the bed when something the woman, Mary, said occurred to her.  You’re safe here in the infirmary.  She was not in a hospital.  She moved a bit more and felt a deep, burning pain in her left shoulder.  She gasped and would have fallen off the bed if Mary hadn’t entered the room in time to catch her. 

“You need to lie still,” Mary said.  “I know it hurts and you’re scared, but if you move around too soon, the bleeding will start again.  What’s your name?”

“AJ. Where am I?”  AJ thought she heard her voice whisper.

She must have spoken because Mary answered.  “You’re in a safe place here in the city.  You were found in an alley with a gunshot wound.  I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but can you prove who you are?  Your name is AJ, is that short for something?  What’s your last name?”

“Andrea Summers. Prove who I am?” AJ asked.  “Why?  You brought me here and now I have to explain myself to you?  I haven’t done anything and you can’t hold me here.  That’s kidnapping.  I’ll call my brother, he’ll take me away from here.”

 “I ask who you are because you had no identification on you when you were found.  Plus the fact that you were shot.”

AJ looked at Mary and decided that the woman was uneasy about holding her against her will.  She was about to beg for a phone call when the man in black strolled into the room.  Everything came flooding back to her at once.  Mary noticed the fear on AJ’s face and quickly assured her that the man would not hurt her.  But AJ didn’t hear.  She flung her legs over the bed opposite of where Mary stood and attempted to run past the man in black.  She was instantly dizzy and lost the element of surprise and once again felt a cold, hard object in her throat. 

“Kurt!” Mary yelled. “I just told her she was safe.  Let go of her before you tear the bandage.”

It hurt.  Every time AJ saw this man she felt pain.  His face is different.  He’s shorter than the other man in black.  Don’t think about it. That would be bad. She felt herself being lifted up off the floor and placed without much care back into the bed. 

The man in black glared down at her.  She stared back at him trying to take in his features, but couldn’t see beyond the brown eyes that reflected back at her.  Turning her eyes away, AJ realized that she was only wearing panties and a baggy tee shirt.  She grabbed the blanket and pulled it to her chin.

Her action caused the corner of Kurt’s mouth to move in an attempt at a smile.  “Don’t bother covering up on my account,” his low, but smooth voice rumbled.  “You’re too scrawny for my tastes anyway.”

“Kurt, get out of here!” Mary shouted. “Dave, good I’m glad you’re back.  Did you find anything?”

“Nope,” The man who just entered the room answered.  “Only some blood spatter three alleys over from where we found her.  How long has she been awake, hon?”

“Long enough to be assaulted and insulted by Kurt.”  Mary turned back to AJ.  “I’m sorry about that.  This is my husband Dave Holmes and you have already met Kurtis Reid.”

“Hell, Mary,” Kurt said, “Why don’t you just tell her where we are and ask what time they’d like to pick up everyone at The Paper and shoot us?”

The Paper?  Don’t think about it.  But AJ couldn’t help thinking.  The realization that something was terribly wrong was sinking in.  This was not the same man in black, but there was someone out there.  And he was scaring these people too.  Shaking.  Uncontrollable shaking took over AJ.

Mary noticed and rushed to the bed. “What is it? Are you sick?  Lie back.  Dave, get some water.”  He did.  “Here, drink.” 

AJ did as she was told this time.  And then she asked them a question.  “What is The Paper?”

Mary, Dave and Kurt looked at AJ and then at one another.  AJ sat calmly.  She knew what was coming.  By the look on their faces they thought she knew something. 

 “You didn’t intend on meeting someone about The Paper last night in the alley?” Dave asked.

AJ inhaled deeply before answering.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.  Just let me go.  I’m not a threat.”

The three looked at her.  Finally Kurt spoke.  “Look, what’s your name, Adrienne?”

“Andrea…AJ.”

“Fine. Andrea…AJ, are you trying to tell us that you’ve never heard of The Paper and that you were just in that alley by chance?  Who shot you?  Where do you live?  Who do you live with?  Why were you shot?  How did you end up in that alley?  When…”

“Kurt, that’s enough,” Dave piped in.  “Beside the fact that she doesn’t impress me as someone who would answer you, I really don’t think she knows anything.”

After another deep breath AJ nodded.  “You’re right, Mr. Holmes on both counts.  Mr. Reid here scared me before, but not now and I don’t know anything.  I woke up in an alley with a severe pain in my head and saw a man in black looking at me.  He asked me something that, at first, I didn’t understand, but now I think he asked if I knew who he was. I didn’t, but, my gut reaction was to get away so I kicked him and he fell backward. I had just started to run when I felt a pain in my shoulder, but I kept running until I found the hiding place in the stairwell.” She gestured to Kurt.  “When I woke up again this man in black was asking me if I knew who he was and then he threw me against a wall.”

“He had to get you against the wall and out of sight,” Dave said.  “We heard someone coming and the blonde in your hair was reflecting in the streetlight.  Did the other man in the black shoot you?”

AJ shook her head.  “No. It must have been someone else because he was still flat on his back when I ran away.”

“David,” Kurt said tilting his head toward the other side of the room.  Dave walked over to Kurt and Mary followed. “You know who she’s talking about, don’t you?”  Kurt asked.  “Edmund, or one of his thugs.  It has to be, who else wears black and hangs out in alleys?”

“Besides you?” Dave put in raising his brow.

“Kurt, we can’t be sure of that,” Mary whispered.  “She was shot.  That must mean something.  If she really didn’t know who he was, why would anyone shoot her?”

“Mary’s right,” Dave agreed. “Until we know why she was shot, we can’t always assume the worst in someone.  Not everyone is the bad guy you know.”

Kurt smiled at them.  That was fine if they wanted to trust her on sight.  He would watch and learn.  If she really was okay he’d release her like a captured butterfly, but if she wasn’t.  He knew he would have to stay close to her, just to be sure.

AJ watched while they talked.  Sitting up cleared her head and she was able to get a better picture of these three people who definitely had the advantage.  Mary was, indeed, tall, she stood almost as high as Kurt who, in AJ’s estimate, was 6’.  Dave was taller and probably stood 6’ 2”.  He was blessed with the same young looking features as his wife, making him appear younger than he surely was.  Another guess put his age to be in his early thirties. His hair was jet black without a hint of gray and his eyes were pale blue.  They were nice eyes, AJ commented to herself.  Not like the brown eyes she had just tried to stare through.  The brown eyes belonging to the man in black with a bad attitude—Kurtis Reid.

Kurtis Reid. That was a study in silence.  His build was as Dave’s, tall and muscular, but not bulky.  Both men looked as though they could be in a fitness magazine.  Kurt’s hair was a medium brown that was just starting to show signs of gray, but not enough to mistake him for an older man.  He, too, appeared to be in his early thirties, but he had a quality that told AJ he’d lived a long and hard life in those thirty odd years.  The word tragic invaded her thoughts just before she realized they were coming back toward her.

AJ looked away from them and down at her hands.  Her voice was still a bit shaky.  “Did you take my backpack and ring?”

Dave sat on the bed.  “I didn’t see a backpack.  Did you Kurt?”  He shook his head negatively.  Dave continued.  “And as far as anything else, your jacket was shredded.  And I don’t know about a ring.”

“What kind of ring?” Kurt asked. 

 “What difference does that make?” AJ snapped.  “It’s my ring and I want it.  And I need my backpack to get home.  Please, Dave, will you go look for it?  I’m not a threat to any of you. I just want to get out of here.  Oh, never mind about the ring, find my backpack.  Please, please.”  She was in tears and breathing hard.  She had to get out of here.  She knew she couldn’t tell these people where she came from, especially this Kurt person.  If they found the backpack, she would just leave and be rid of this nightmare once and for all.

Mary stepped forward. “Dave, you and Kurt better leave for a while.  Go look for her things.  I don’t want her any more upset.” 

Dave turned to leave, but Kurt stood fast.  “C’mon Kurt.  I doubt she’s is going to attack Mary.”  Kurt stood a moment and slowly turned and walked out behind Dave.

“Turn slightly,” Mary said. “I want to check your bandage.  Are you hurting much?  I know your shoulder hurts, but Dave didn’t think you should have more painkillers.”

“Dave?” AJ asked surprised.

Mary nodded.  “He’s the one who patched you up.  He was a paramedic before we opened this place.  Are you in much pain?”

“I’m all right,” AJ said.  “I’ve felt worse.”

Mary raised her eyebrows at that remark.  “You’ve felt worse?  How?  When?  Where?  Oh, I’m sorry, now I’m sounding like Kurt.  He’s not really so bad, you know.  He just doesn’t trust new people right away.  You’ll see.”

“Yeah, I know, those kind are all pussycats once you get to know them.  Nice to see he is just as charming as the rest of them.”

Mary’s mouth dropped a little.  “Those kind?” 

AJ nodded. “People who work for someone, but you never really know who. My brother had dealings with those types and I learn fast.  There’s something about them that sticks out in your mind when you encounter them.”  She spoke as though they were things and not individuals. 

Mary lifted the bandage off AJ’s shoulder.  The bullet must have hit something she was wearing because Dave had found pieces of plastic and metal imbedded in her shoulder.  And this girl said she had felt worse?  Maybe she survived the gunshot because the bullet had hit something else first.  It was still a serious wound and would have to be treated against infection as well as for keeping the bleeding under control.  AJ’s breath caught in her throat.

“I’m sorry,” Mary said. “I wish I could give you another painkiller.” 

AJ didn’t say anything she leaned back against the pillow and stared at her hands.  Not knowing what to do or say, Mary made an attempt to straighten up the medicine cupboards. Kurt was right about one thing there was something different about this girl.  Maybe Dave would find something in the alley that would explain who she was. 

AJ watched this woman, Mary Holmes.  She had a softness to her face that invited those around her to smile.  Perhaps it was because the woman herself seemed to have a smile built in.  AJ had only seen her frown once and that was after Kurt’s remark about scrawny.  And even then the smile returned almost immediately.  Mary was kind, AJ decided.  She cared for people and wasn’t afraid to show it. 

Hating long silences, AJ broke it with a question. “When can I get out of here?  You don’t think I’m an enemy, I know that.  Let me go and you can forget you ever saw me.  You can blindfold me and drive me to the middle of nowhere if you want.  I don’t know anything about what The Paper might be and I don’t care.  Please let me go.  I’m not a threat to you.”

Mary sighed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go now.  This kind of wound is dangerous.  You see, not only is the wound bad in itself, but infection is very possible.  The bandage has to be changed often and you need medication.  If I let you go as you put it, you wouldn’t last long. You can’t take care of this by yourself.  The angle is too difficult and if not done properly you could end up very sick.  And, in your weak condition, you would be at the mercy of anyone who found you.”

“How long does this kind of treatment last?” AJ asked angrily.  “I’m not a child who has to be reminded to brush her teeth.  And I can do it by myself!”  She wasn’t getting anywhere and she knew it.  She was stuck here.  “How long, Mrs. Holmes?”

“Five or six days, depending on how quickly you heal.” 

“That’s ridiculous,” AJ snapped.  “Then can you at least keep me by myself?  I don’t have answers to questions anyway and I don’t like being treated like a spy.”

“Spy?” Mary asked.  “Who said the word spy? Never mind, I know who used that particular noun: Kurtis I don’t know you, so therefore you must be a spy Reid. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you quarantined.  Besides, it’s best if not too many people know you’re here anyway.”

A frown crossed AJ’s face. “You know who shot me, don’t you?  And you’re all afraid of him. That’s why I’m not in a regular hospital. Isn’t it?”

“Something like that,” Mary said. “I don’t like it, but until…”

“You determine I’m right and your angry friend is wrong, I’m stuck.” Knowing she was beat, AJ leaned back against the headboard and Mary left the room. 

Though alone, AJ knew enough not to attempt to leave the room.  She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was out there. Waiting.  Besides, Mary made a good point, if she was too weak to defend herself from Kurt she wouldn’t have a chance against anyone else, especially if they were armed.  Something was going on here, but there was no way she was willing to accept the fact that she was being held under suspicion.  Especially since she’d been shot.  Been shot!

Fear gripped AJ again.  Now she didn’t care if Kurt was out there or not.  Carefully getting out of bed, she grabbed one of the guns from the table and crept towards the door. 

He did it again, third time’s a charm.  For the third time she felt a cold, hard object stuck in her throat.  Where had he come from?  She never even heard him coming.  He was very good this Kurtis Reid. 

Kurt held AJ with his gun in her throat.  She noticed he was careful not to crush her injured shoulder.  Her legs gave way and she felt herself slump back against him, but he caught her before she could fall to the floor.  Taking the gun from her hand Kurt informed her that it wasn’t loaded. They stood silent a moment before he guided her back to the bed.  Then he went to the doorway and called to someone. 

“Katie, get Dave back down here and tell Mary to come, too.”  Returning to the bed Kurt sat with his gun resting on his crossed arms.  “How did you know I once worked?”

AJ’s eyes narrowed.  “You know, Mr. Reid, when we eavesdrop on private conversations sometimes we get our feelings hurt.”  She was scared and at the same time, not scared of this man.  “You heard me tell Mary how I can tell your kind apart, so don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.  I’m not an amateur.”

“Amateur?  Now that’s an interesting word.  Who are you?  Who are you, really? I want answers.  Who are you?”

“Oh, not again, Kurt.”  Dave entered the room.  “Wait until she recovers before you shoot her.”  He winked at AJ.  “I have some good news and bad news for you.  First the good news, I found this ring in the alley.  Is it yours?”

AJ took the gold band with a small opal attached and closed her eyes.  “Yes, it’s mine.  Thank you.” 

Kurt watched as she put the ring on her right hand.  He’d looked closely at the ring when Dave found it.  It had the inscription, To AJS, Love JAS.  He felt uneasy, why would he care if she had a ring or not.

“And the bad news, Dave?”  AJ asked.

“Well,” Dave started, “Kurt and I looked through both alleys and didn’t find a backpack.  Then Kurt rummaged through some garbage cans and found this.  I think it used to be a backpack.  It looks like something broke apart inside it.  Probably whatever the bullet hit, which, by the way is a good thing or else you’d be dead now.  Was this your backpack?”

AJ reached for the twisted piece of canvas and leather.  “Yes, it’s mine.  Is this all there was left?”  Dave nodded.  She looked at Kurt.  “You dug through garbage to find my backpack?”  Kurt looked a little embarrassed, but nodded positively.  For the first time since she’d woken up she smiled.  But it was a sad smile.

“Hey,” Mary said.  “Part of your healing process doesn’t include starving you to death.  Are you hungry, AJ?”

“I am.”  Dave grunted.  “Digging through all that garbage should have given you an appetite, right Kurt?” 

Kurt wasn’t listening, he was looking at this spitfire of a girl who had been ready to threaten him with a gun in one instant and then completely resign herself the next.  Who was she?

“AJ,” Mary said.  “Are you hungry?”

“I…um…sure,” AJ answered. 

“Okay, good, what would you like?”  Mary prodded.  “You shouldn’t have anything too heavy, how about some soup?”

“How about some chips and salsa,” was the answer AJ whispered, but Mary hadn’t heard it.  She and Dave had already left the room.  AJ looked up at Kurt, then and turned her back to him. 

Taking a deep breath Kurt left the room to return to where he had spent most of the last 24 hours, the little wooden chair just outside the infirmary.  He had to watch this girl, AJ, just to be sure.

The sound of footsteps woke her, but AJ didn’t move.  She couldn’t see who had entered the room based on the way the bed was positioned.  Was it friend or foe?  The footsteps were soft and almost impossible to hear.  Then she felt someone lean close to her, looking at her. 

A hand softly brushed the hair from AJ’s eyes and a voice asked.  “Are you awake?” 

AJ turned slowly to see the face of an angel.   It was a young woman with concern in her face and eyes.  AJ felt at ease, this girl calmed her. 

“It’s all right,” the girl said. “Mary asked me to bring you something to eat.  Do you want to sit up?  My name is Katie Heath.  I know your name is Andrea or AJ, which do you prefer?” 

AJ looked at this girl, why was she so special?  Some people could just be calming she supposed.  While others could drive you crazy.  Don’t think about him she scolded herself. 

Katie handed AJ a cup with a spoon in it.  “Mary didn’t think you would like to be hand fed and Kurt said…” Katie stopped suddenly.

“Kurt said what?” AJ asked.  “Katie, what did he say?”

Katie looked embarrassed and a little frightened.  AJ thought the girl would run from the room when in walked a tall, good looking young man.  He walked to Katie and took her hand.  He then winked at AJ. 

“Kurt said you would probably bite Katie’s hand off. Hi. I’m Janson Thomas, but please call me Jake.” 

For a moment they stared at one another then they started laughing.  AJ finished eating and really did feel better.  Laughing helped her mood and she didn’t feel as frightened.  But the feeling was temporary and she knew it.  Jake and Katie stayed a little while and soon Dave returned.  

“Okay, I’m going to change the bandage and I think it is safe enough to give you another pain killer.”

No one had noticed Kurt enter the room until he spoke, “You think it’s safe?”  Why should I care?  If she overdoses we won’t have to worry who she is anymore.  She felt good in my arms, don’t think about it. 

“Well yeah, I think it’s safe,” Dave said.  “I’ll give her less than I did last night because I’m not removing debris from her shoulder.  If I hadn’t given her more then, she would have been in agony.”

Kurt snorted.  “You’re the expert.  Will she sleep through the night?”

“You mean do you have to stand guard again, don’t you?” Jake had piped in. 

AJ looked at Jake, then Kurt.  No love lost there.

Jake added in AJ’s direction, “Did you know you have been placed under house arrest?”

“Jake,” Katie said in her soft voice.  “Please don’t start anything.  I’m sorry, AJ, no one thinks you need a guard.  I’m sure Kurt was just staying close incase you woke up and needed something.” 

Jake grunted and muttered something under his breath.  Kurt ignored them both.  Katie obviously loved Jake a great deal, but she also seemed to have a great fondness for Kurt.  AJ wondered if he even knew.  Not likely, men like that rarely saw beyond what was right in front of them.  Unless they smelled danger their minds stayed shut.  And so did their hearts.

“Okay, everybody out.”  Dave motioned towards the door.  He walked back to the bed and began removing the bandage. 

AJ tried not to wince but couldn’t help herself.  Yes, she had felt worse pain, but it was a long time ago. 

 “The pain killer will not only help you sleep, but you won’t have any bad dreams either.  People usually don’t dream while under this medication, I’ve heard.”

“Dave.” AJ spoke slowly.  “When are you going to tell me about The Paper and who you think is after me?”

Dave thought for a moment.  “I’ll tell you what, you sleep now and tomorrow I’ll tell you the whole story.  You need the sleep and I have to wake you in eight hours to change the bandages.  We can talk then.  And maybe you will tell me about yourself too.”  He smiled and gestured toward the door.  “If you need anything, I don’t think anyone will be out of ear shot.  Now lie down and try not to worry about anything, okay?”

“Okay.”  AJ didn’t sound convincing.  Dave left the room and by the shadows in the hallway she knew he was talking to Kurt.  Then Dave’s shadow disappeared and Kurt’s sat down.  AJ was annoyed that he felt he needed to guard her, but she also felt very safe by it.