Broken | Lucas North - Spooks/MI5 Story [Featured]

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Kudos and BBC. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Mikhael suddenly seemed small as he lay on the bed, the covers pulled up to his shoulders.  Wires of different colors snaked from beneath the sheets to the machines along the side of the bed.  One machine beeped regularly in tune with his heart beat while another beeped in intervals to indicate that the intravenous drip had reached the end of the bag.  

A ventilator was helping him breathe and for a moment Alexa lingered to watch him, his scarred face pale beneath the light of the room.  The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and she looked behind her, seeing that the guard was watching her from the glass window.  

Suddenly she winked at him and walked towards the side of the bed to look at the drainage bag hanging along the railing that was attached to the urinary catheter, as if she were measuring the patient’s urine output.  The guard made a face and looked away, sitting back down on the chair with his back to Alexa.

Alexa straightened up and walked towards the closet.  She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for but she hoped to find the bag with his belongings somewhere, items that would have been found in his pockets when he’d been brought in.  

The nurse who had handed Alexa her medication in her own room just minutes earlier had said so herself, and for that indiscretion, Alexa counted herself fortunate.  

The nurse, who went by the name Marina according to her name tag, was young and bored.  She was probably also curious as to why the patient who had gone by the name of Jenna Smith required an armed guard twenty-four hours a day.  Alexa had noticed Marina eyeing her curiously, probably wondering if Alexa was a wanted criminal of some sort.  

“I’m not supposed to ask this but do people want to kill you?” She suddenly asked in a whisper as she handed Alexa some pills along with a cup of water.  “Is that why there’s a guard outside?”

Alexa shook her head, forcing a smile.  “I don’t think anyone wants to kill me.  At least I hope not.”

“We had a shooting two nights ago,” Marina added, nervously looking towards the door.  “Two men were shot and one of them didn’t make it.  They were Secret Service men so that’s why I’m wondering if you’re one of them.”

“How do you know they were Secret Service?”

“Nurses talk,” the girl said.  “Anyway, the one who survived looks like he’s been through a fire or something.  He’s really scary looking and he’s under guard, just like you.  Not that I’m saying that you’re scary looking --”

“That’s alright,” Alexa smiled, feeling her heart race inside her chest.  Did she mean that Mikhael was in the same hospital as her?  “I understood what you meant.  Have you seen him up close?  This scarred man?”

Marina nodded.  “Quite horrible looking, if you ask me.  I had to bring up his belongings to his room to the ICU yesterday.  No James Bond, that’s for sure,” she said, making a face as she wrote down something on the chart that hung on the edge of Alexa’s bed.  “He’d been shot in some shoot-out, from what I heard from the other nurses in the lunch room and he’d just come from surgery when someone came to shoot him inside the hospital --”

Alexa suddenly groaned and Marina looked up, surprised.  “Is anything the matter?”

“My head suddenly hurts,” Alexa said softly, rubbing her temples.  “I’m not feeling too well.”