BRAINSTORM

Chapter Twenty-two - An unlikely ally.

Melissa looked up at the doctor. "You said he was coming out of his coma." Disappointment threaded through each syllable.

"The signs were there. I'm sorry. We'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thanks."

Victoria said, "Oh, Mel. I feel terrible. This is awful."

Melissa had too much emotion roiling inside to be able to talk about it. "Do you mind if I have some time to myself? To process things?"

"We don't need to talk. I could just be here."

"I know. I kind of want to be alone."

Victoria nodded as she rose from her chair. "I understand. Call me if anything changes with Nick, okay?"

"Of course." She gave Victoria a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for coming."

* * *

Someone slipped into the seat next to Melissa, which was odd because all the others were empty. She glanced and saw the hint of a pretty face and a dark brown bob. The woman looked European.

"Hi, Melissa." The woman said her name as if she knew her. "I can help you help Nick."

Melissa tightened up. It might have been her nerves, but she found herself looking around for something to use as a weapon.

"You need to get Nick off his IVs and out of the hospital." She spoke quickly and quietly and darted her eyes about as she explained.

The woman was crazy. "What?"

"Nick's coma is drug-induced, and his injuries are fairly minor. I have good reason to believe that once he's off the drugs, he will recover quickly."

"Who the hell are you? And even if you're right, how am I going to get him out of here?"

"Like I said, I'll help."

Melissa said sarcastically, "Oh, really?"

"I work for the CIA."

"Great." Melissa stared at her. "I don't trust everyone who works for the CIA, you know."

"Then you're a smart woman but you can trust me, I promise.  I care for Nick very much."

Melissa pursed her lips. Nick had had a girlfriend who also worked for the CIA. And that she had betrayed him. "Natalie?" The woman nodded. "If you care for him so much, why did you screw him over?"

Natalie looked as if she had been struck. "I didn't," she said quietly. "I saved his life."

"That's not what Nick said."

"He doesn't know the whole story." Nick's ex-girlfriend leaned in closer until her mouth was an inch away from Melissa's ear. "It might not be safe to talk here. Can we go to your car?"

How could she trust the woman who had been one of the primary reasons Nick had left the CIA? Melissa stared ahead, not knowing how to answer.

"You can listen to what I have to say, and if it doesn't make sense to you, you can decide not to do anything."

"Fine." Melissa snatched her purse off the chair.

The night was incredibly cold for late November. As they crossed the parking lot, Melissa saw a few stars overhead that defied the noisy light of the city. It felt like they were lying to her.

She unlocked the car. "I'll turn on the heat for us." They slid inside, and Melissa turned the key in the ignition then faced Natalie. "Convince me that you didn't betray Nick."

Natalie pulled a lock of loose, dark hair around one pale ear as she sighed. "Long version or short?"

"Short. But don't leave out anything important."

Ten minutes later, Melissa had to admit that Natalie's story was believable, especially when she considered all the things she now knew about Sunshine, CIRAS, the NIH, and the CIA. They were all corrupt, and their deceit bound them together like conjoined twins who shared crucial organs.

The most difficult part to hear was that Natalie had conspired to keep Nick in an induced coma so that nobody would kill him. Melissa had been scared all this time for nothing. Just like she had in the past, Natalie had done what was necessary to keep Nick safe, even though she risked her job and perhaps her life to do so. Would Nick have stayed with Natalie if he'd known the truth? Melissa didn't want to know the answer to that question. If she and Nick got through all this together, there was no way she could give him up at the end of it, no matter how worthy the competition.

The woman insisted she could get Nick released from the hospital and transferred to a place where he could stay until he woke up. Natalie could also provide a nurse who could be trusted to take care of him for as long as necessary.

Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. Melissa didn't want to be indebted to Nick's old girlfriend, who still cared for him so much she was willing to put everything on the line. But she didn't have a choice if she wanted to save Nick.
                                   * * *
Melissa was supposed to meet the paid-off ambulance guy and the nurse here, and then she would take Nick to Natalie's safe house. It felt like she was in a nightmare, or a horror movie. She breathed deeply to calm herself, but it didn't change how she felt.

The ambulance driver brought Nick out of his truck. He was strapped into a wheelchair and slumped forward from the chest up. Melissa could see he had been secured to the wheelchair beneath his blankets. Other than the area between chest and hips that was fastened to the chair, he was limp and lifeless. His bandaged head sank to his chest, and his arms hung at his sides. He looked worse than he had lying in his hospital bed, where at least he appeared to be resting. Now he looked like a corpse. Melissa shivered and shook herself back to the moment.

A Hispanic woman said to Melissa, "Hi, I'm Sonya Suarez, Nick's nurse."

She responded absently, "Hi."

"Are you able to help me get Nicholas into the car?"

Nicholas. Who called him Nicholas? "Yes. Just tell me what to do."

They worked to maneuver Nick into the car. They banged his limbs several times and nearly dropped him twice. Melissa felt sure that was due to her inexperience. She'd personally increased his injury tally by at least several more bruises and maybe an abrasion or two. Finally he was fastened into the seatbelt, and she slid beside him, holding his unresponsive hand.

Suarez jumped into the front seat, starting the car. She punched the accelerator, and Nick's unconscious body lurched forward with frightening ease, looking eerily like a crash-test dummy.

"Be careful!" Melissa screeched, simultaneously wondering if by taking Nick out of the hospital she was putting him in more danger instead of less. His vulnerability was palpable, and it terrified her. Why had she believed Natalie? Maybe she was just using her to get rid of Nick, not help him. Why hadn't she thought of that before?

No, calm down. Natalie's explanations had been too complex and made too much sense to be lies. Nobody could be that good at deception. She hoped.

"Melissa, things are going to be okay," the nurse said. "I will help Nicholas get better."

"How do you know that?" she screamed. Her reaction frightened her, making her burst into tears. She hid her face against Nick's shoulder but he couldn't soothe her tears like he usually did, which made her cry even harder.