Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 40

Beni woke groggily to cursing from fellow agents across the hall.

"What the hell is going on?" she muttered as she sat up.

"They're pissed because their computers got caught in the blackout."

Beni turned and found Reese laying on a cot next to her, his jacket and tie folded at his feet, hands laced on his middle, and a thermos at his side. He smelled faintly of burned plastic. His eyes were closed, as if genuinely trying to find sleep.

"Before you ask, it wasn't me," he said.

"Why do all the interesting things happen when I'm either asleep or away?" said Beni bitterly.

"Just lucky I guess," said Reese.

"What are you doing here?"

"Crashing. Hard. Or at least trying to."

Beni squinted as the voices across the hall rose again. She wanted to go back to crashing too. She got to her feet and walked down the hall to one of the conference rooms. A moment later she entered the room of irritated, loud Techs, dragging a large dry-erase board on wheels behind her. Between the Tech room entrance and the hall she left the board, and then fished around her desk, ignoring the now silent Techs staring at her.

Back at the cots, she put a pair of earplugs into her partner's folded hands.

"You're an angel on wheels," murmured Reese.

"You still owe me."

"I know. Tell you everything later. Sleep now."

Beni yawned, her jaw popping. "No problem."

***

Will was far from sleep, continuing his slow struggle to move more of his body. The eyes had been first, adjusting to the brief blackout and returning lights. Next he could twitch his nose. After a few more minutes he could shape words with his mouth.

"Fuck," was the first thing he said, followed by murmuring curses and prayers. He didn't like being paralyzed from the neck down. As much as he admired Christopher Reeves, he had no inkling to experience his hero's last few years. Despite the fact he could talk again, he didn't call for a nurse. What good what it have done?

Will struggled to lift his hand more than a few inches, but it still felt leaden. He let it fall with a tired sigh.

"Need a little help?" said a lilting voice. Massaru, still in his own hospital gown, stood at the door to Will's room.

"What are you doing here?" said Will, puzzled.

"You visited me so often I thought I'd repay the favor. I'm only a few doors down after all."

"What about Zachs?"

"He's busy after that blackout. And I won't tell if you won't."

Will smiled a little. He wasn't alone, that was a great improvement. Massaru sat at his bedside.

"So," said the Indian doctor made patient. "What's ails you now?"

"It's nothing. Only temporary."

"Temporary or not, I'm still a doctor," reminded Massaru. "Talk to me."

Will summarized the events of the day before along with his injuries. When he came to the Devil's Neckbrace his words came out clipped, as if he was trying to keep his voice steady. Massaru nodded silently, keeping his hand on Will's assuring him with little squeezes now and then.

"She put the endoscope in my mouth and next thing I knew... Louis... she just dragged him out of me."

"And it felt like a violation," said Massaru, his voice sympathetic and soothing.

"Yes. I was just trapped in my head and couldn't do a damn thing about it. I couldn't see him; couldn't talk to him."

"Hm." Massaru leaned back in the chair, keeping his tanned hand on Will's.

"Don't "hm" and say nothing," said Will. "It sounds like something a shrink would do."

"Ha, my wife was the psychologist, not me," said the Indian doctor with a small smile. "I was contemplating you and Louis. Now that I think about it, there are some mythological precedents to your scenario."

"Really?"

"Yes, for example, Zeus swallowing his children and one of his lovers."

Will thought for a moment. "Is there a Hindu tale like it?"

"There is a story about Shiva swallowing one of his disciples."

"Like Jonah and the Whale."

"And Tom & Jerry."

Will laughed, wincing as his side flared up again. "You watched Tom & Jerry?"

"Of course. We had cable in India."

Will smiled and scratched his nose, noticing that enough time had passed that he could move his arm with no problems. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm making due," said Massaru quietly. "But I've been cooped up for so long it sometimes feels like there is no outside world to return to. It's no fun going through life without your better half. If I could escape from here for but one day I would."

"When we find this leak, we will," said Will. "That's a promise."