Take a Breath(91)

‘Do you remember the Christmas party?’

Jake nodded.

‘Tony had a picture in his house and it reminded me of our dance.’

Recognition runs across Jake’s face. “I remember that well. That dance was the most difficult one I have ever had to endure. It took everything in my willpower not to pick you up, drag you out of there and make love to you over and over again.”

Tears begin to well in my eyes. I don’t know why this is making me cry, but it does. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t the only one after all.

“Why are you crying, Ana?”

I pick up my pen and jot down, ‘Because it is everything I have always wanted to hear.’





Agent Marcos turns up a little later with a couple of other agents. The all wanted me to relive my whole story over again. Jake told them to take a hike, but I reasoned with him. If I had to do this, better to do it now than having to do it later. I tried my best with the voice that I had, but it was difficult. They seemed satisfied that they had everything they needed and wished me well. Agent Marcos certainly seemed to have a spring in his step. I hoped it now brought an air of finality with this awful case. It seemed to have been going on for years instead of months. Finally, the blonde ladies of Virginia were safe again, and life can return to normal.

As the evening comes, I order Jake to go back to a hotel so he can rest. Exhaustion is taking over and although I want nothing more than to feel him next to me in his arms, I am acutely aware that he must be a zombie on his feet.

After my pleadings and the nurse’s assurances that I’m in the best of care, he reluctantly leaves the hospital with the strict instructions he was to be called if he is needed during the night.

He kisses my forehead and lingers there a while. He finally whispers, “Ana did he—?”

He pauses and I know exactly what he’s trying to ask. The pain in his voice is clear to my ears. I shake my head and whisper, “No.”

He places a finger on my lip as if to silence me and I feel his sudden relief. His forehead touches mine as he grabs my hand and kisses it tenderly before he leaves.





Chapter 28





I was in my hospital bed asleep when I hear a sound I can only describe as clinking. It seemed determined to wake me up. I don’t want to wake up now but the incessant noise just keeps going and going, on and on. I finally decide to open my eyes and a shadow of a man is sitting in the far corner of the room, holding what looks like a gun. He is tapping it against the side of the radiator on the wall. I try to scream but no sound comes out. The man stands up, but I still can’t see him.

“Why did you do this to me, Ana? Why did you leave me?”

Oh my God, Tony. I thought he was dead. Why is this happening? He’s going to finish off the job. He’s going to kill me.

Suddenly this figure comes towards me into the light and I realise it’s not Tony, it's Alan.

I wake clawing at my sheets, alarms are going off and two nurses are beside me trying to hold me down.

“Ana, please darling it’s ok. You’re in the hospital. You’re safe. It was just a bad dream.”

I hear another frantic voice shouting, “Give her 10mg of Benzodiazepine!”

I’m straining against the voices and I try to scream Jake’s name. I feel a jab in my leg and very soon after, I drift off into a very deep sleep.





I can’t remember much after that. I woke up to the bright light beaming through the window and the high octane’s of a very pissed off caveman.

“Why didn’t anyone call me? I knew I shouldn’t have left.”

Jake comes charging through the door with two terrified nurses behind him, unsure of what to say and do with him. He seems to have that effect on everyone. I have to smile inside. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Ana are you okay? I’ve just been told you had a nightmare during the night, that your heart rate shot through the roof and they didn’t call me. I told them to call and I’m pissed that they didn’t.”

He said that a little too loudly and the timid nurses retreated out of the door. I noticed he had shaven, but he still looked like he hadn’t slept much.

“Jake, please calm down. Look, it’s unfair to talk to the nurses like that. All they have done is take care of me and you come in here like the bull that you are, charging at anyone and everything.”

His face softened as he touched my hand. My voice was still a little hoarse but speaking was a lot easier than yesterday.

“I’m sorry. I just lose all my senses when it comes to you. You still drive me crazy, you know that?”

I smirk and touch his face. “I know. I can see that, but at the same time I don’t think it should be me you are apologising to.”