Chapter 34

I imagine that if you could see it from an outsider's point of view, it might have been amusing. Sitting on my lap was Jessica. Her body slightly twisted as she had her hands around my neck, holding onto me.

On the right, next to us, was Fiona. Her mouth was hanging open, looking at her friend.

Jeanie sat with a slightly amused expression on her face.

Jeanie's husband didn't share that amusement. I think he was probably rather annoyed with the intrusion of all these people.

Next to him was Tim. He had the look I would have expected, one of trying to bore a hole in my head. I couldn't blame him. He didn't know me at all, and his daughter was sitting on my lap.

The unfavorable Agent Woods, Special Agent Downs, Agent Barnes, and Agent Ling sat in a row. Agent Ling was the fourth of their team and had been summons by Downs to the house.

Theresa was the last in the circle. She was looking at her daughter. I'm sure part of it was because of how she was sitting half on me, full casts do make things difficult, and part of it was because Jessica had invited her father here.

I reached up and touched her little scar.

"I got it..."

"I know," I said.

Her eyes widened.

"How?"

Special Agent Downs cleared his throat and I remembered I was not to have seen any of what I did.

So in a case of good luck and quick thinking, I changed the subject.

"Are you going to tell them why we're here?" I asked.

Downs gave me a dirty look, but then nodded. I think he understood what I had just done, and frankly why they were here was going to come out anyway.

"Yesterday, the two men who attempted the robbery at the bank, which John foiled, took a polygraph. They basically told us everything they knew about the organization that had enlisted their help. While it wasn't earthshaking information, it was a chink in the system.

"As you know, we took John off for safe keeping. Jessica and Theresa are here as a safeguard as well."

"Oh My God! Jessica!" Fiona blurted out. "That's why you're here?"

"Sir," Agent Woods said to Special Agent Downs.

Downs looked hard at Agent Woods and he sort of sunk back into his chair. It was then that I realized that Special Agent Downs hadn't forgotten Fiona was here. He was somehow using this situation.

"They're in a more dangerous position now, aren't they?" Jeanie's husband said. "It would have been nice to know. Hell, what were you doing? Waiting until someone got shot so you'd have another informant?"

Special Agent Downs wasn't fazed by his anger. I was sure he'd seen much worse.

"Jeanie, you asked why we knew Fiona was in your house. For the last day we set up round the clock surveillance on your property. That was not all we were doing. Our primary job was to protect you, not get another informant. Jessica, did you notice two substitute teachers at your school today?"

Jessica looked at Fiona before saying, "I heard about one."

Downs raised his eyebrows and said, "Really?"

"I overheard some boys say the substitute that was out on yard duty was..." Jessica blushed.

"I get the point," Special Agent Downs said. "Jessica, both those substitutes were there to protect you if needed. Theresa, you were much easier to administer."

"Administer?" Theresa said, thinking she was not sure that she liked the sound of that.

"Hospitals are a lot more security conscious now a days. We were linked into the hospitals communication. If anything were to happen, a full shut down and containment of the hospital would have occurred."

Theresa gasped. "How?"

"We are the FBI," Downs said with a rare smile.

"So now what?" Jeanie asked.

"Good question," Special Agent Downs replied. "The overzealous Agent Woods blew our cover. We are exposed and therefore vulnerable. To top that off, John is here. If anyone was watching this place, now would be the time to strike."

"Nice thought," I said. "Any other way to scare the daylights out of people?"

"You don't seem so worried," Theresa said to me.

"Theresa," I replied with slight sarcasm, "you wouldn't believe the wonderful accommodations I've had. Anything is better than that." Then I shrugged my shoulders and added, "Plus, what can I say. Even if my leg is going to sleep I can't think of a better place I'd rather be."

Jessica jumped off my lap. The sudden blood rushing back into my leg was painful.

"Sorry, John, I'm so sorry," she said to me.

I snorted. Jeanie laughed. Theresa rolled her eyes, and shook her head. I didn't want to look at Jessica's father. Fiona was still in a state of shock over me, I believe.

Looking over to Theresa, I said, "Ok, seriously. I've been hearing all about, well, everything. I know more than I should, I suppose. Or let me say it another way, more than is healthy for me. Some of the things I heard were sick." I looked down and then back to her. "But you know if I'm here, they have to protect you two better."

Tim, who hadn't spoken until now, asked the agents, "What would you expect? Guns, explosives, intimidation in forms of destruction or revenge tactics?"

"This is the hard part. This group has never been that hard core, before. Someone in their organization has developed a nasty streak," Special Agent Downs explained.