12 Minutes (#2 in Military series)

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

That evening there was a soft knock at the door before it opened a moment later and they saw Samantha McAndrew poke her head around the corner, her straight blonde hair no longer in a bun but rather brushing the tips of her shoulders. Her eyes darted around the room at each of them before settling on Marc and the machines he was plugged into. Jules saw her pause for a second before looking to the ground in unease. Julia heard Carlos sit up from where he had lying on his bed that was pressed up against the wall behind her so she let him deal with this and simply turned back to look at her husband. She did not have the energy to expend on anything else except holding his hand which lay on top of the covers, but where her fingers squeezed shut around his hand Marc's fingers couldn't return the affectionate gesture and it tugged at her chest to think that she might never feel that again.

"McAndrew," Carlos spoke, the sombre atmosphere in the room calling for him to speak in a soft tone of voice but there was still an edge to it. Samantha understood why, after all she had been investigating them, tailing them and, as her eyes lingered on the bandage on Carlos's arm and the one around Twitch's leg, she had got them shot.

"It's healing well, thanks," Twitch remarked harshly when he saw her looking but didn't comment.

"I'm sorry," Samantha told him genuinely before she looked back at Carlos, "I did not come here in my official capacity. In fact I was never here at all." She added before she turned and took a step towards Marc until she stood on the opposite side of Jules.

Carlos and Twitch shared a look. "Spooks," Twitch rolled his eyes and shook his head whilst Carlos gave him a nod in agreement.

Samantha swallowed as she saw Langdale unconscious in the bed with a ventilator tube stuck down his throat forcing his chest up and down in almost mechanical movements. It hardly seemed human, and neither did Jules when she looked at her properly. Her skin was an off colour, her eyelids drooped slightly and her body was curled inwards as if it was protecting itself. Samantha could almost feel the pangs of loss and pain coming off of her.

"The doctors showed me his records when I came in," Sam offered the sergeant some comforting words, "They said they are very hopeful and that it's just a matter of time before he wakes up."

Jules forehead creased a few times as she seemed to process what Samantha was saying before she looked up at her in confusion, "Why would the doctor's show you his-"

"-I can be quite persuasive at times," Samantha replied.

Jules parted her lips to speak when she realised that she did not actually care that much. She nodded at her to show that she recognised her attempt at sympathy before turning back to Marc.

Carlos stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest as he saw Jules take a step back from the discussion. She was not in the right frame of mind for this so he took over, "I take it this is not a social call so what do you want?"

Samantha looked to Twitch in the corner, aware that he did not have the correct level of security clearance to hear what she needed to discuss with them.

Twitch looked up as the room descended into a heavy silence and saw Carlos and MacAndrew staring at him. "No," Twitch's eyes widened when he saw the way Carlos looked at his feet awkwardly, "No, I'm not being left out of the loop on this. Not again. I got shot! I deserve to know!"

"You don't-" Samantha started to speak when she was interrupted.

"He stays," Jules sighed, settling the matter, "He deserves to know."