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Jake couldn’t sleep so he went down to Kat’s room. The nurse told him that she was also restless tonight. Jake went in and sat with her. They eased into conversation about her past and what he did as a member of this Black Ops team. Suddenly, as if someone had struck a match underneath her, she sat up straight in bed.
“Absame,” she said, at first in a barely audible whisper.
“What?” Jake asked confused.
“Absame!” She yelled, repeating his name over and over as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. “No, I didn’t betray you! I wouldn’t! Please!” She cried. Jake protectively put his arms around her and tried to calm her, to remind her that she was safe. He called for the nurse and requested a sedative to help Kat sleep.
Once he was sure that she was resting peacefully, Jake quickly wrote down what he was able to make out about Kat’s outburst. He sat with her for another hours or so, until it was time to meet the others for breakfast. He couldn’t wait to see what the others would make of this new piece to the puzzle.
The house seemed so empty with half the team still in New Orleans. Ryan was the last one to come in and sit down once breakfast had been served. Jake told them about Kat’s spontaneous memory.
“You are sure about this name?” Ryan asked looking at the piece of paper Jake had given him.
“Yes, sir. She kept repeating it over and over. Do you know who this is?”
“Possibly. Let me get back to you.” He immediately got up and left the room.
As the meal was coming to an end, Reese and Sarah returned to the compound. Ryan welcomed them back.
“I hope you didn’t have too much fun on your little holiday,” Ryan teased. Sarah grimaced and they all enjoyed a laugh.
“I need to take a long shower after spending the weekend with such despicable people,” Sarah shuddered. Reese was quick to agree.
“Well you both did a great job of blending in,” Ryan complimented.
“Sir, what do we know about Gabriella?”
“Not much, I’ll have the techs do some more digging. Do you suspect something?”
“It’s more a feeling than anything else.”
“Well, I’ll see what we can find out.”
“Thank you sir.”
Jako came out to the training field later that day and told them that one of the detainees had committed suicide over the weekend. Apparently, he would rather die than give up any information.
“I guess that tells us what kind of monsters we’re after,” Jake said.
“I’ve had a few run-ins with the Somalians, and they really are quite barbaric,” Jako commented.
“Well, I think I’m gonna go for a swim and clear my head,” Reese announced to the group. Sarah, BJ, and Janie decided to join him. Jake decided to head up for a shower, then he would go down to see Kat. Her outburst had really bothered him. It made him realize that she may still be in some serious danger, and he knew that it would take everything he had to keep her safe. No one should have to experience the things that she had, and he would make sure that she would never have to experience them again. Jake thought about how he had never cared this much about anyone before, let alone a total stranger.
Kat had just finished her dinner by the time Jake made it downstairs—if you could call broth and red Jell-O ‘dinner’. Kat noticed his grimace and knew what he was thinking. She smiled at his scowl. If was the first actual emotion he had seen on her face, and it changed every single one of her features. Without commenting on it, Jake just sat down beside her and asked if she felt up to a game of chess. They spent the next two hours in competitive play.
Jake could see that she was getting tired, so he called the nurse in to administer her meds. He sat with her until she was finally able to drift off. Just as he was getting up to leave, Sarah appeared in the doorway.
“Jake you look tired. Try to get some rest. I’ll sit with her. She won’t be alone. And you aren’t alone in this either.
“Thanks Sarah,” he said, placing a hand on her should as he glanced back at Kat one last time. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Sarah sat in the chair that Jake had just vacated and opened a book. She ended up just watching Kat sleep for a few minutes, in awe of what a remarkable woman she was. A few hours later, Sarah had dozed off in her chair; her book still lying face up in her lap. Suddenly, Kat sat up screaming in terror. Sarah jumped back into consciousness and tried to calm her.
“Kat, it’s okay. You’re safe. It’s okay!” But the woman was frantic. Sarah ran to the door and yelled for the nurse. Kat needed a mild sedative to get her to calm down enough to find sleep again. Just then, Janie came down.
“Hey, what’s going on in here?”
“I don’t know; she just woke up screaming. We couldn’t get her to calm down without the sedative,” Sarah explained.
“Well, why don’t you go up and get some rest. I’ll stay with her the rest of the night.”
“Thanks Janie.”