The girl cried out and began falling out of the man's arms, giving
Jack the opportunity to kill him. He was sorry he had shot her, it was
purely accidental, but there was no time for comfort now. He rushed toward
her and told her to put pressure on the wound. There was one more man left
in the house of the trio, and he could hear Edith screaming.
Jack took care of the other man as quickly as possibe. He and the man who had been wounded managed to make their escape. Edith called the police to describe them while Jack turned his attention to Sydney. There was no need to worry about the third man, he was obviously dead.
Sydney only stared at her father. He kept expecting her to say something, but she seemed to be entirely unable to talk. As Jack helped Sydney keep pressure on the wound, he heard Edith ask the police to send an ambulance.
He heard Edith repeat their address then hurried out to look at the wound. Jack told Edith to apply pressure. He wanted to look at the dead men before the police took them away. He examined each. He knew not who they were or why they had taken his daughter. He wanted to go through their things, but the police arrived before he had a chance.
Sydney was taken to the hospital. The bullet was removed and the wound was bandaged.
As soon as the police left, Jack contacted the CIA. He had gotten the names of the men from the police and wanted to know who they were.
Jack was given their histories, but still didn't know who they were. He would look into it from work. For now, he knew he needed to get to the hospital and see how Sydney was, and apologize to her. Edith had gone with her of course, but he wanted to be there too.
He had no concern that Sydney wouldn't recover until he saw her. She looked so small and frail. He hadn't realized how much weight she'd lost. Her shoulder had a huge bandage on it, he could tell even through the gown. What surprised him was that she was on a respirator. He rushed into the room withought even knocking.
"Edith, what happened? She was shot in the shoulder. That's not serious enough to need all this!"
"I don't know. They just said she stopped breathing when they were taking the bullet out, and they got her breathing again, but she was so weak they were afraid she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She's been awake once. She couldn't say so but I think she was looking for you."
Jack stood by Sydney's bed and held her hand. He could feel the bones right through her skin, and he realized he could see her ribcage through her hospital gown. This scared him a great deal. Had the people she'd been with not fed her or had she chosen not to eat? It didn't matter now, though, because she was home. He figured she'd be in the hospital for a while, but that was better anyway. She was safer in the hospital, and it would give him enough time to find out who these people were, what they wanted, and possibly get rid of them before she came home.
Over the next few days, Sydney recovered quite a bit. Soon, Emily came to visit. When she came in, Sydney's face immediately brightened, but Emily looked troubled. She kissed Sydney on the cheek, then took Edith aside.
"Good Lord, Edith. Jack told me she'd lost weight, but I..."
"I know. It's frightening. But she has an appetite as you see. She's healthy otherwise, she'll put weight on soon. The doctor says she should barely have a scar from the... the bullet."
"Well, that's good anyway. May I..?"
"Oh, sure, of course." Edith excused herself.
Emily went back to Sydney's bedside.
"Good, you're all done." She moved the tray away from her and took a seat in the chair by the bed that Edith had been occupying. "How are you feeling honey?"
"I'm okay. I slept good last night, which is funny because this is such a strange place. And I ate a lot."
"That's good. The shoulder?"
"It feels all right. They give me some kind of medicine for the pain so it's not that bad. I don't know when I get to go home though. Not until after I gain some weight I think."
"I would think so. After you've had some time at home to recover, and you get caught up on your schoolwork, would you like to spend weekends with me, now and then? We'll have to ask Edith's permission, but..."
"Oh yes, please! I hope she says yes too."
"I'll ask her as soon as I leave, sweetheart. Hasn't your father been here today?"
"No, he had to work. He missed a lot of days. It's early, I'm hoping he'll come tonight. How long can you stay?"
"As long as you want. I have nowhere to be."
"All right, thank you."
Emily asked the same questions Edith had, but was a little more attentive and sympathetic about what had happened. When she finished, Sydney was very thirsty and hungry again so Emily went to find some food for her.
Sydney ate another entire meal, then asked to curl up on Emily's lap to go to sleep. She was soon deeply asleep, and Emily supposed she should put the child back in bed, but she didn't. They sat there like that for nearly two hours. Then, Sydney became restless in Emily's arms.
"Wake up, honey," Emily said, gently shaking Sydney's good shoulder. Her eyes almost immediately opened.
"What's the matter? Am I hurting you?"
"No. You were dreaming, I think. Do you want me to put you in bed now?"
Sydney held onto Emily as if her life depended on it. "No, please let me stay here! I promise I won't sleep much longer."
Emily let her stay, and she was sleeping when her lunch came. Emily knew that she needed to eat, so she woke her. Sydney was put back in the bed, feeling a bit like a baby, and ate her lunch. After, Emily brought a book out from her bag and began reading to her. A few chapters in, Sydney had fallen back to sleep. Emily kissed her forehead and went to find Edith. She'd been gone a long time now, and she was welcome to come back.
Jack spent the better part of the next three weeks at work. He visited Sydney when he could, and was glad when he saw her, but most of his attention was focused on finding who had stolen his child. Soon enough, all of his work paid off, and he asked Sloane to let him track them down.
The only information he could find was that they worked for the KGB. He had done things in the past involving the KGB, but he couldn't think of any reason why they would come after him. He was given one chance to try tracking the people down, but couldn't find them.
After weeks' worth of back-to-back missions, he finally had time to see his daughter. She had returned home after being in the hospital for over a month, having recovered quickly. She was back to her normal, healthy weight, and her wound from where the bullet struck her healed wonderfully. He'd found she'd caught up on her schoolwork quite quickly despite the long absence. She visited Emily on weekends.
Edith was saddened by spending more and more time apart from Sydney, but she slowly adjusted to the idea that she was a young lady now, who needed more company that just the people she lived with. Besides, Emily made Sydney very happy, and that was something to be very grateful for. Normally, Sydney was quiet and thougtful, rarely seeming happy about anything.
Jack began to receive much shorter missions so he was able to spend more time with his daughter. Their relationship would probably never be as good as they both hoped it would be, but it was good enough for them.
The End
Jack took care of the other man as quickly as possibe. He and the man who had been wounded managed to make their escape. Edith called the police to describe them while Jack turned his attention to Sydney. There was no need to worry about the third man, he was obviously dead.
Sydney only stared at her father. He kept expecting her to say something, but she seemed to be entirely unable to talk. As Jack helped Sydney keep pressure on the wound, he heard Edith ask the police to send an ambulance.
He heard Edith repeat their address then hurried out to look at the wound. Jack told Edith to apply pressure. He wanted to look at the dead men before the police took them away. He examined each. He knew not who they were or why they had taken his daughter. He wanted to go through their things, but the police arrived before he had a chance.
Sydney was taken to the hospital. The bullet was removed and the wound was bandaged.
As soon as the police left, Jack contacted the CIA. He had gotten the names of the men from the police and wanted to know who they were.
Jack was given their histories, but still didn't know who they were. He would look into it from work. For now, he knew he needed to get to the hospital and see how Sydney was, and apologize to her. Edith had gone with her of course, but he wanted to be there too.
He had no concern that Sydney wouldn't recover until he saw her. She looked so small and frail. He hadn't realized how much weight she'd lost. Her shoulder had a huge bandage on it, he could tell even through the gown. What surprised him was that she was on a respirator. He rushed into the room withought even knocking.
"Edith, what happened? She was shot in the shoulder. That's not serious enough to need all this!"
"I don't know. They just said she stopped breathing when they were taking the bullet out, and they got her breathing again, but she was so weak they were afraid she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She's been awake once. She couldn't say so but I think she was looking for you."
Jack stood by Sydney's bed and held her hand. He could feel the bones right through her skin, and he realized he could see her ribcage through her hospital gown. This scared him a great deal. Had the people she'd been with not fed her or had she chosen not to eat? It didn't matter now, though, because she was home. He figured she'd be in the hospital for a while, but that was better anyway. She was safer in the hospital, and it would give him enough time to find out who these people were, what they wanted, and possibly get rid of them before she came home.
Over the next few days, Sydney recovered quite a bit. Soon, Emily came to visit. When she came in, Sydney's face immediately brightened, but Emily looked troubled. She kissed Sydney on the cheek, then took Edith aside.
"Good Lord, Edith. Jack told me she'd lost weight, but I..."
"I know. It's frightening. But she has an appetite as you see. She's healthy otherwise, she'll put weight on soon. The doctor says she should barely have a scar from the... the bullet."
"Well, that's good anyway. May I..?"
"Oh, sure, of course." Edith excused herself.
Emily went back to Sydney's bedside.
"Good, you're all done." She moved the tray away from her and took a seat in the chair by the bed that Edith had been occupying. "How are you feeling honey?"
"I'm okay. I slept good last night, which is funny because this is such a strange place. And I ate a lot."
"That's good. The shoulder?"
"It feels all right. They give me some kind of medicine for the pain so it's not that bad. I don't know when I get to go home though. Not until after I gain some weight I think."
"I would think so. After you've had some time at home to recover, and you get caught up on your schoolwork, would you like to spend weekends with me, now and then? We'll have to ask Edith's permission, but..."
"Oh yes, please! I hope she says yes too."
"I'll ask her as soon as I leave, sweetheart. Hasn't your father been here today?"
"No, he had to work. He missed a lot of days. It's early, I'm hoping he'll come tonight. How long can you stay?"
"As long as you want. I have nowhere to be."
"All right, thank you."
Emily asked the same questions Edith had, but was a little more attentive and sympathetic about what had happened. When she finished, Sydney was very thirsty and hungry again so Emily went to find some food for her.
Sydney ate another entire meal, then asked to curl up on Emily's lap to go to sleep. She was soon deeply asleep, and Emily supposed she should put the child back in bed, but she didn't. They sat there like that for nearly two hours. Then, Sydney became restless in Emily's arms.
"Wake up, honey," Emily said, gently shaking Sydney's good shoulder. Her eyes almost immediately opened.
"What's the matter? Am I hurting you?"
"No. You were dreaming, I think. Do you want me to put you in bed now?"
Sydney held onto Emily as if her life depended on it. "No, please let me stay here! I promise I won't sleep much longer."
Emily let her stay, and she was sleeping when her lunch came. Emily knew that she needed to eat, so she woke her. Sydney was put back in the bed, feeling a bit like a baby, and ate her lunch. After, Emily brought a book out from her bag and began reading to her. A few chapters in, Sydney had fallen back to sleep. Emily kissed her forehead and went to find Edith. She'd been gone a long time now, and she was welcome to come back.
Jack spent the better part of the next three weeks at work. He visited Sydney when he could, and was glad when he saw her, but most of his attention was focused on finding who had stolen his child. Soon enough, all of his work paid off, and he asked Sloane to let him track them down.
The only information he could find was that they worked for the KGB. He had done things in the past involving the KGB, but he couldn't think of any reason why they would come after him. He was given one chance to try tracking the people down, but couldn't find them.
After weeks' worth of back-to-back missions, he finally had time to see his daughter. She had returned home after being in the hospital for over a month, having recovered quickly. She was back to her normal, healthy weight, and her wound from where the bullet struck her healed wonderfully. He'd found she'd caught up on her schoolwork quite quickly despite the long absence. She visited Emily on weekends.
Edith was saddened by spending more and more time apart from Sydney, but she slowly adjusted to the idea that she was a young lady now, who needed more company that just the people she lived with. Besides, Emily made Sydney very happy, and that was something to be very grateful for. Normally, Sydney was quiet and thougtful, rarely seeming happy about anything.
Jack began to receive much shorter missions so he was able to spend more time with his daughter. Their relationship would probably never be as good as they both hoped it would be, but it was good enough for them.
The End