Deep In The Night Ch 10

This is one part of a longer crime/romance story that is connected to the other parts. To fully appreciate the story, please start at Part 1 and read through. Thanks.

Part 10: Jordan Recovers and The Sheriff Admits Fear

There were noises around her. More people in the basement? A dull ache pounded in the back of her head. Her mouth was dry. Where was Grant, Oh no...

"Jordan! Jordan, can you hear me? Open your eyes baby!" Jordan heard the sound of a woman's voice, muffled and distant.

I must be dreaming,

she thought; everything was still dark.

"Jordan. C'mon honey, I know you can do it!"

The voice sounded like her best friend, Taylor. But that was impossible.

How could Taylor be here in Terrell Grant's basement?

The voice continued in its plea, "Wake up Jordan. Open your eyes!"

"Taylor?" Jordan mumbled weakly.

"Yes, baby. It's Taylor. I'm right here." Confused, Jordan fought to shake off the grogginess and opened her eyes. It took a long time for her eyes to adjust to the light. There was whiteness everywhere and a silhouette was on her right side.

She heard Taylor say, "She's waking up."

"Where am I?"

"Welcome back honey. You're in the intensive care unit at University Hospital."

"Taylor? How...how did you get here?" Jordan reached up with her right hand. She ached all over, her head felt like a balloon, and her arm was sore from intravenous needles but she felt a warm, comforting hand slip into hers.

"Your case made national news. When I heard an FBI agent was injured during the arrest attempt, I knew exactly who it was. I flew out here yesterday."

"Yesterday? What day is it?" Jordan asked.

"Well...uh..." Taylor began rather uncertainly, but a nurse interrupted.

"Ms. Connor, you've been in a coma for about 36 hours. You seem to be coming out of it now. I paged the doctor so he can take a look at you." The nurse quietly checked the I.V. and cardiac monitor and took Jordan's blood pressure and pulse.

"What happened to me?" Jordan asked her.

"The doctor will explain all of that to you." She made a note in Jordan's chart and swiftly left the room.

"What the hell is going on?" Jordan looked at Taylor. Her eyes could focus now and she detected the concern and worry on her friend's face.

Taylor put on a forced smile and said, "The important thing is that you're awake now. You just have to concentrate on getting better."

"Better from what? What happened in the basement?" She begged, but before Taylor could answer, Jordan's eyes had focused on something else.

When Taylor saw that Jordan's eyes were looking past her, she turned to see a striking, attractive woman standing in the doorway of the hospital room. From past phone conversations she had had with Jordan and she knew from Jordan's description that the woman must be Raven.

Taylor rose from the stool she was sitting on next to the bed and stepped toward the dark haired woman, "Hello. You must be Raven, I'm Taylor." She reached out her hand to Raven, but Raven's hands were full. She carried a bouquet of red roses in one arm and her purse and a stuffed teddy bear in the other.

"Here, let me help you with that." Taylor offered. She took the flowers from Raven and placed them on a small shelf on the wall across from Jordan's bed. "These are beautiful."

Raven extended her hand to Taylor, "Nice to meet you. I have heard a lot about you."

"Hmmmmm. I've heard a lot about you too." Taylor answered smiling.

Raven approached the side of the bed, "Hello darling." She touched Jordan's hand and Taylor watched as she bent over and kissed Jordan's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that you are here." Jordan managed a smile for Raven and Raven squeezed her hand.

"I brought you something." She handed the teddy bear to Jordan and Jordan took it in her left hand, hugging it to her, "How sweet, thank you Raven. And the roses are beautiful."

"I miss you, Jordan. Simba misses you too."

"Who's Simba?"

"I decided to name the kitten Simba. You know, after The Lion King."

Jordan smiled again and Taylor quietly slipped out of the room to allow the two women some privacy. She glanced back into the room from the hallway and for a microsecond, felt a twinge of jealousy;

she didn't smile at me like that. Or tell me that she felt better because I'm here.

But, she quickly dismissed her jealous feelings. Her relationship with Jordan was strong; nothing would come between their friendship.

What Jordan and Raven shared was different. Taylor didn't understand it because she wasn't wired that way, but she loved and accepted Jordan for the person that she was and if Raven brought Jordan happiness, then she would be happy for her best friend.

Taylor knew that Jordan appreciated that she was there; she remembered how just a few moments before, Jordan had reached her hand out to her. No, she certainly had no reason to be jealous. She turned to walk down the hallway to take a break. Picking up a magazine, she pretended to leaf through it, but she was really keeping an eye on room 515 to see when Raven would step out.

Forty-five minutes later, Raven emerged from Jordan's room. Taylor tossed the magazine back onto the lamp table and headed down the hallway. Reaching the dark haired woman, she asked, "How is she?"

Raven answered, "Better. She told me to take a break and get something to eat. I don't have much of an appetite though."

"Well, I was going to head down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. Would you like to join me?" She noticed Raven glance back at Jordan's room undecided and pushed further, "C'mon. Jordan's not going anywhere. I think we both need someone to talk to anyway." Raven nodded. They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and found their way to the cafeteria.

They helped themselves at the coffee machine and found a booth to sit down. Taylor, being the forward woman that she was, took the initiative, "So, you and Jordan have gotten quite close?"

Raven smiled, "Yes, we have. I care for her very much."

"Jordan likes you very much too. I haven't heard her so exited over a woman in years. You're the first one since...well, since a long time."

"You mean since Marianne?" Raven asked.

"Yes, do you know about her?"

"I know who she is...I mean, was. But, I don't know the details of the relationship Jordan had with her. Whatever it was, I know it caused Jordan pain."

Taylor sighed and nodded in resignation, "Marianne hurt her a lot. She vowed she would never get close to a woman again. I think she actually went through a period where she hated women." Raven's dark eyes narrowed at the thought of another woman hurting Jordan.

"Taylor...I think I'm in love with her." Raven quietly admitted. "I need to know if Jordan still has feelings for Marianne?"

Taylor shook her head, "She did for awhile after it was over. And now, knowing Jordan the way I do, I can say she has forgotten that woman. And you have played a huge part in helping her forget." Taylor smiled at Raven. She had a good feeling about the dark haired woman. Raven seemed mature and serious about their relationship.

"Do you want some more coffee?"

"No, I'm fine. Are you ready to go back up?"

As Raven and Taylor came down the hall, they noticed several men in dark suits leave Jordan's room, obviously FBI agents. They went in.

With her usual assertiveness, Taylor blurted right out, "What were the suits doing here?" Jordan waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, "Just the usual debriefing routine after the case."

"Can't they wait at least till you're out of the hospital?" Taylor grumbled.

"I managed to get rid of them quickly. But I am on leave for a few days. Not the regular departmental leave they make you take after a case is over. That'll come later. Right now, they said I couldn't resume my duties until the doctor clears me. So, why don't you two fill me in on what's being going on in the world the past few days while I have been stuck in this place."

They heard a knock on the door and Sheriff Bill Hagan tentatively stepped into Jordan's room.

The three women greeted him, "C'mon in Bill. My friends are keeping me company," said Jordan weakly.

"How ya doin' Jordan?" He seemed afraid to come closer then a few feet into the hospital room.

Jordan shrugged, "I'll be fine once I get out of here."

"Well, I'm glad to see at least your outta your coma. Now it's just a matter of getting better from the infection."

"What infection?" Jordan looked at the sheriff with concern. She glanced at Taylor who had an embarrassed look on her face and Raven appeared to be in the dark just as much as Jordan.

"Uh...you know...the stuff Grant stuck you with?" Hagan offered, the stammered out, "I think I'll let the doctor explain. He'll be here in a minute." He just couldn't tell Jordan the bad news, not now with her friends in the room.

"Bill, what the hell are you talking about?" Jordan insisted.

"Oops. Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?" He glanced uneasily at Taylor, then Raven and back to Jordan. "I thought maybe the doctor told you Jordan."

"Told me what? I haven't seen the doctor yet." Looking at Taylor, she asked, "Do you know something?"

Hagan fell into silence with everyone looking at him.

"Well, at least SOMEBODY tell me what's wrong." Jordan demanded.

Hagan looked to the floor and sighed, "It's like this Jordan. By the time we found you on that table in Grant's lab, he was standing over you with a needle. I just pulled my gun and shouted at him to get back and just fired at him."

He just couldn't tell the rest of what he saw and thought.

Hagan took a breath then went on, " Grant's dead now, but we didn't know if he was getting ready to inject you with something or if he had already done it or how may times. The docs didn't find a mark, but there're not sure cause there's Morphine in your system."

He also neglected to say they didn't know if she'd been raped. Hagan was a kind man and wanted to protect Jordan at this bad time. All in due time, he thought.

His explanation over, there was a moment of quiet before Jordan realized the implication of what the Sheriff just told her. When it dawned on her, she yelled, "Get back Raven! Don't touch me! O my God, do you mean I might have some deadly virus?"

Taylor stepped forward, "Calm down Jordan. I don't think you're contagious or the nurses wouldn't let us in here."

"Well I am going to find out." Reaching for the call button, she beeped the nurse's station. A voice piped through on the intercom behind her bed, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to see the doctor right now."

The voice came through again, "Is this an emergency?" Jordan spoke up, "NO, But I want to see the doctor, RIGHT NOW."

The response was, "I'll page him for you."

Jordan was agitated and complained to her company until the doctor finally came to her room about 20 minutes later. A youngish, Asian man in a white coat appeared and introduced himself.

"Ms. Connor, I'm Dr. Yan. I'm glad to see you're awake. You've been in a coma for...about a day and a half. I would like to ask you some questions and do a quick examination."

Looking at Raven and Taylor, he stated, "You will need to leave the room."

"My friends are staying right here," said Jordan. "You can ask me whatever you want, but first you're going to tell me if I have an infection or not."

"Very well, Ms. Connor. Speaking truthfully, we don't know if you have an infection. I believe the account was that there was an uncertainty in regard to whether you had been injected with some pathogen. There were several syringes loaded with germs in the room where you were injured. We have been conducting antibody tests, but so far they have been negative. In the meantime as a precaution, we are administering antibiotics intravenously. If it does turn out you have an infection, we are hoping the antibiotics will take care of it. However, I must tell you, you have been symptom free since you've been here, that is a good sign."

"So...are you saying I probably don't have a virus?"

"We are not 100% certain, but you've been here almost 36 hours and you're not sick yet."

"So what is this test you've been doing?"

"We draw your blood to test your body's immune response. If you had been infected, your immune system would have developed antibodies to combat the infection. Your blood is negative for antibodies. In addition, you don't have a fever or other signs of infection. If you were going to get sick, I would have expected it to happen by now, unless the pathogen has a slow incubation period."

"I see." Jordan commented. "I'm assuming then that I am okay." She looked at Raven hopefully.

"Yes, but we want to start on the narcotic toxicity tests next. Your attacker used a Morphine derivative to induce unconsciousness by injecting you inside your eye socket, that's why we didn't find the puncture mark right away. That may explain the bruising on your face, but I am inclined to think he struck you too. So, if those tests are ok, and if you continue to improve, then I would say you'll be fine. And there's a few other tests we administered," he said looking a Raven and Taylor. Hagan grimaced.

"What other tests?" asked Jordan suspiciously?

"Your vagina was badly lacerated. So we did a rape test plus tested for STDs and HIV," He blurted out reluctantly.

"Oh, my God! Was that necessary?" Raven asked before Jordan could.

The doctor began a halting stumbling explanation, "The assailant was dead, but when they found him his penis was exposed and he was still in a state of partial erection... and you were totally unclothed according to the Sheriff, so we had to assume... we had to know ... if he achieved penetration and if ejaculation occurred ... and when I examined you I found that it did not... plus we checked the other things to be sure."

"You mean to tell me I was naked on a table with a dead man beside me with an erection?" said Jordan in disbelief.

"Regrettably, Yes." Dr. Yan said with a remorseful expression on his face.

Jordan looked at Hagan, "Bill, why didn't you tell me?"

"Well ... I thought at this point with everyone around it wouldn't do you any good to know, besides you are OK now," said Hagan in an apologetic voice. He looked down at his boots.

He would never tell her what was going through his mind when he found her naked on that table with blood running down her legs. Jimmy was there too, but he had sworn him to absolute silence on the subject. He only told the doctor.

"I had you out of there before the deputies arrived," he said innocently as if that would make her feel better. "I carried you myself... in a sheet," he added. Taylor rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. Raven just stared at him.

"Thank God for that! Great!" Jordan then laughed with relief, and asked, "So, when do I get out of here?"

"Let's see," said the Doctor, "I'd like to check your level of consciousness. If everything checks out okay and you can demonstrate to me that you are alert and oriented, then I would say the day after tomorrow. We'd like to keep you here at least another day to monitor you."

"What about the coma?" Taylor asked the doctor.

"The coma was the result of the head injury." Looking at Jordan, he continued, "You were struck on the back of the head with a blunt object and received a moderate concussion, plus you were struck fairly hard in the face, and that injection didn't help. Head injuries are difficult to deal with sometimes; you never know how severe the damage can be. But again, as long as you continue to improve..." The doctor then asked Jordan a series of questions and conducted some simple neurological tests. He was pleased with the results and spent several moments writing in her charts.

"Very good Ms. Connor. I'll be in to check on you tomorrow. If you should start feeling worse or develop flu like symptoms, please tell a nurse right away. Have a good night." Dr. Yan waved goodbye and left the room.

Raven smiled at Jordan as Taylor observed, "Good news, huh, except for that other stuff? Things sound reassuring.

Jordan looked at Hagan, "What did the docs say about Grant's lab?"

"They got the place quarantined while their inspecting everything in it and we're not allowed near it. At least we don't have to collect evidence to build a trial case against the bastard. Oops, excuse my language ladies, but I am not sorry he's dead."

Jordan squeezed Raven's hand and said, "Of course, I can't wait to hear about their findings. It should be interesting. What about that strange odor of meat in the basement?"

Hagan explained, "The docs said Grant used beef broth as a medium to grow the bacteria. I guess they like to eat that stuff." Jordan started feeling tired and her eyes began to drift shut. Hagan said his good bye.

Taylor moved to Jordan's side, "I'll be back in the morning to see you. Then I gotta catch a flight back east tomorrow. Ben can't be without me too long." She giggled and patted Jordan's hand, "Sleep well, honey. It was nice to meet you Raven. Be sure and take care of my girl." She and Hagan left.

"Alone at last." Jordan tried to flirt with Raven and Raven answered her,

"Yes, but I wish we were somewhere else instead of the hospital."

"I know darling. I can't wait till I'm outta here. I want to spend some quality time with you."

Raven was pleased to hear those words, especially since she didn't think Jordan would be staying in Shawnee for long after the case was over. "How long are you going to be on sick leave?"

"If I have anything to say about it, it'll be short as possible." But for Raven's sake, she added, "Either way, I want to be with you. I'll have some time off so I won't have any cases to concentrate on and we can have some fun together."

"I would like that Jordan...very much."

Raven told Jordan matter of factly that she was staying overnight with her in the hospital. Jordan insisted that she go home where it would be more comfortable, but Raven was firm, "I'm staying here baby. I would rather be here in the hospital with you than home in my own bed by myself." She sat with Jordan until Jordan fell asleep and then tried to get comfortable in the reclining chair that was in the room. The night nurse brought an extra pillow and blanket for her to use.

***

Two days later, as the doctor expected, Jordan was discharged. Additional blood tests over that time period had continued to turn out negative for antibodies, but she did have residual amounts of Morphine. No telling what he would have dosed her with next and it wouldn't have been good.

"It'll be great just to get some normal food." Jordan announced. "I must have lost ten pounds." They didn't have much to pack, her clothes had been cut to ribbons back in that Lab so Raven let her borrow some of her things for the drive back.

By the time they reached Raven's apartment, around 2 p.m., Jordan was already tired.

"Lying around in a hospital bed for nearly a week doesn't do much for your energy level." She complained getting out of the jeep. "I think I'll go collapse on my motel bed."

"You should stay with me." Raven said.

"Well...I would like to, but I don't want to impose on you."

"You're not imposing Jordan. I 'want' you to stay with me and get well." She added laughing, "Besides, if you give me a hard time, I'll kick your ass out!" Jordan plopped on the couch in Raven's small living room.

Raven sat beside her, "I was just kidding you know...about kicking your ass out." She pushed some loose strands of hair off of Jordan's face, "I like having you here with me sweetie. If you're tired, why don't you go take a nap?"