Game of Patience

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Brooke. Come on, you can do it." She heard Phillips' voice come into focus. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a grunt. Her throat hurt.

"Hey sweetie. Don't try to talk, not yet. You'll have a sore throat, so give it a while okay." She heard him stand up and move. "Doctor! She's awake!"

She felt warmth in her hand as Phillips held onto her. "You don't have to move or open your eyes. Not yet. I'm here. You're in the hospital, we got them Brooke, they are locked away. You're safe." He kept his voice quiet, and as calm as he could.

She hadn't even thought about the people who had done this to her.

Someone approached her bed. She tried to open her eyes, but everything was blurry. She closed them for a while, resting.

She reopened them over and over until everything came into focus. She saw Phillip's concerned face looking at her and then he smiled.

"Hey, good evening. Welcome back to the land of the living." She could see tears starting to form in his eyes. He must have noticed because he wiped them away.

"Everyone's going to be so happy to see you. You had everyone worried sick. They've been visiting everyday and constantly calling me."

Phillips laughed as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hey, she's awake and smiling. Yeah, see you soon."

He hung up. "You're about to get a few more visitors. But only for a little bit, believe it or not, you still need your rest. Even though lying in bed for three weeks really does take the piss."

The world around moved once again, but she stayed still. She had no energy, no strength. Her eyes felt sore, and took a moment to adjust to something other than darkness. She closed her eyes again and she felt sleep pulling her gently towards it.

When she woke the team was around her, chatting happily away with each other. She smiled, she couldn't help it, she had been alone, locked away in her own world for weeks. But now she had others with her.

Warmth flowed down her cheeks. She didn't know exactly why she was crying, only that it felt good. She felt something other than numbness. So many emotions filled her body at once, and was now bursting out through her tears.

"It's okay. You're okay." Phillips held onto her hand and rubbed his thumb up and down the back of her hand. "What's up?"

She smiled weirdly as the tears flowed faster and tried to squeeze Phillips' hand, but she couldn't. She couldn't tell him that she was so happy to see him, to see everyone.

"You're safe now. No one can get in here unless they come past the officers outside the door. And don't worry about being in bed. We'll get you out of there in no time."

She spent the rest of the day slipping in and out of consciousness, listening to stories and watching as her friends sat around her.

At night one of the team stayed with her, they took it in turns. She slept soundly, knowing no one was going to get anywhere near her. She was safe, and she wasn't alone.

When she woke up Pierce was sitting in the room with her.

"Good afternoon. How are you feeling?"

She tried to sit up, but she couldn't do it, she couldn't feel her arms.

"I want to sit." Her voice was still croaky and rough.

Pierce stood up and helped her move.

"Better?" She nodded. "I'll give you a few minutes but I'll have to call the doctor to check you over. Is that okay?" She nodded again.

"How did you get them?"

"Your clue helped a lot, clever by the way, using the knife." She smiled. "But Spencer was playing a game of patience, that he couldn't win. They are all off the streets now, and Spencer won't be leaving that place alive."

Pierce stood up and called in a doctor.

The doctor was nice and calm. He checked her over, asked her questions and then left again.

"I'm hungry." She said. "Am I allowed to eat?"

"Yes." He said enthusiastically, "yeah, definitely, that's a good sign. I'll go get you something." He stood up and walked to the door, but turned back just before leaving. "Don't go anywhere." He joked as he opened the door.

She looked around her room, it was clean and like any other hospital room she had seen. Cards sat on a table by her bed and she smiled. Each card was from someone who cared.

Something caught her eye out of one of the windows. Someone was watching her, a large hoodie, covering their face, their hands in their pockets.

She tried to tell herself that it could be anyone. But the more she looked, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. They were staring right at her.