by Margaret Kay
“I guess that makes you Batgirl, blondie,” Cooper said.
“Okay, we’re done here. All units be ready to move out in three hours,” Shepherd ordered.
Several hours later, Anthony brought Sienna to the fifth floor. Angel wasn’t at her desk. He led her into the kitchen. “You mentioned wanting a cup of tea?” He picked up one of the K-cups.
“I could have had tea in the apartment,” she complained.
“I don’t want you holed up in that apartment alone the whole time I’m gone. Come down here and visit with Angel, help her with the baby, or go work out in the gym.”
“That was very nice of Angel and Madison to get me workout clothes. I didn’t even think to bring any of mine.” There was a silence between them as the tea brewed. “And that is a very nice gym. I promise, I won’t stay in the apartment all day.”
Anthony set the cup of tea in front of her. He took a seat beside her and took her hand. “You’re safe here, even without me. You know that, right?”
Sienna smiled a small grin and nodded her head. “I do feel very safe here.”
“I won’t worry about you at all, knowing you’re here. Just stay inside this office suite, don’t go out in the hallway for anything.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and sat it in front of her. He unlocked it as he spoke. “The passcode is my name spelled out on the keypad, 2684669.”
“A seven-digit password? Isn’t it usually four or six?”
Garcia chuckled. “I can program it anyway I want it. Anyway,” he paused as he brought up the contact list. “It’s blocked and won’t allow you to call anyone I don’t have programmed into the contacts. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just protocol for proper protection.” His name was at the top of the contact list. Madison was below him, followed by Cooper. Ops was next, followed by Angel, and then Shepherd.
“That’s okay, I understand. I might be tempted to call Christy to find out how Bailey is if it wasn’t locked down.”
“Call me whenever you like, but understand if I’m working, I can’t answer. But try me. I may surprise you and pick up.”
“I will,” she said. She knew this was going to be weird in the very least, possibly even scary that he would not be with her for days.
“Sienna, if you need anything, reach out to someone. Angel will be here the whole time we are gone too, and Ops is manned twenty-four hours a day. Even if you just want to hear a voice in the middle of the night and you can’t get me, they won’t mind.”
“I promise I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
“The apartment is stocked with food, but they always have a lot of food down here too.”
“Anthony, please stop. I’m going to be okay. I know you need to go and get these guys.” She tightened her grasp on his hand. “Be safe and come back to me.” She felt tears flood her eyes.
He leaned in, his lips to her ear. “Sweetheart, you’re not getting rid of me. I’ll be back before you know it.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and trailed them over her face all the way to her lips. He didn’t stop kissing her until his own phone chirped. He checked the text display. “I’ve got to go.”
He stood and she came to her feet as well. She embraced him and pressed another kiss to his lips.
“You’ve got your book and tea. If you don’t want to sit here and wait for Angel, remember there is the lounge down the hall with couches and games. Please don’t go right back up to the apartment. Stay down here for a while this afternoon, for me.”
Sienna smiled, amused by his concern. “I promise. Now go get them so this can be over.”
He brushed one more kiss over her lips and then left the kitchen. Sienna watched the empty doorway for several minutes before she retook her seat. She stared out the window long after Anthony was gone. Finally, she sipped her tea, which was now cool, and then opened her book. It could be a week or more that Anthony and the team were away.
She knew she had to do something to occupy her mind, or she’d go nuts, especially since she would be confined to this building. But it was safe. She did feel safe here and it wasn’t like she was confined to a single room. She had free roam from the apartment on the ninth floor to all this level, five, as long as she didn’t exit the office suite, as Anthony had said. She was even allowed to go down to the gym to work out. It was a great gym and the lady’s locker room was amazing. She was very thankful for everything they had done for her.
“I heard what you did, to protect Sammy and me,” Angel said. “Thank you.”
Sienna glanced up from the book she was attempting to read but couldn’t concentrate on. She hadn’t heard Angel enter the room. “I’d never let anything happen to either one of you if I could help it.” Her voice cracked. “I am so sorry you could have been put in danger because of me.”
“Oh, please,” Angel said, waving her hand dismissively. “You do know what we do here, don’t you? I have stayed here at the office many times.” She came to the table and sat beside Sienna. When she spoke again, it was in a conspiratorial whisper. “Jackson actually prefers I stay here when he’s out on a mission, says if he knows I’m safe he can concentrate better.”
“I can see that.”
“I used to stay in the guest room of Shepherd’s penthouse. I think the guest apartment on nine was set up for me. Sammy and I are back in his guest room since you will be using the apartment.”
Sienna smiled. “The apartment is comfortable, and I do feel safe here.”
“This place is a fortress. Even when I was still afraid of everything, I felt safe here.” She chuckled. “I was so afraid at first, I actually slept in Shepherd’s bed with him, not the guest room when Jackson was away on missions. It was a few months before I was okay in the guest room alone.”
Sienna’s gaze was sympathetic. She would never ask what had happened to this woman, but she knew it had to be something really bad. “I’m so sorry you went through anything that scared you that badly.”
“I got through it and I’m a stronger person because of it. All I’m saying is if you are afraid to be alone in that apartment, speak up. We could make some other arrangements.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that but I’m okay in there.”
Angel pointed to the cell phone. “Did Anthony put my number into that for you?”
Sienna nodded her head yes.
“Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. Even if it’s in the middle of the night.”
“Thank you, that’s very nice of you,” Sienna said. She knew she would never call her. Angel had her baby to take care of. She surely would never impose on her.
“I’m usually up with the baby a couple of times every night anyway. I could just as easily bring him down to the apartment on nine and feed him if you’re awake and needing some company.” She smiled warmly. “Around eleven p.m. and three a.m. are the usual times Mr. Piggy wants to eat. The pediatrician said that once he is four months old, I can add some cereal to my breast milk. That should help him sleep longer.”
“You have to be exhausted, getting woke up twice every night.”
Angel shrugged. “I get to have him here at work. And I even get to lay down and take a nap in the late morning or early afternoon if I need it. There is a daybed in his nursery down the hall. I am very lucky to have this arrangement. When I’m away from my desk, either one of the guys cover it or Ops watches the entrance and will send someone to my desk if anyone enters. They also answer the main phone line if there are any calls. I’m never away for more than an hour at a time.”
“That is a very nice arrangement.”
“Yes. I do have my aunt come up and watch him about ten hours a week when there is some work I absolutely must get done. I’m not sure how this will work, or what we’ll do when he is a little older and not sleeping as much, but I have time before I have to think about that. I honestly can’t imagine leaving him with strangers at a daycare center, but a
t some point, he will need to be able to be outside to run and play, and he will need to interact with other children.” She paused and shook her head. “But that seems just so far off.”
“Yes, he will need to go to preschool and then kindergarten and so on. But he is only three months old. You have a couple of years before you have to think about that. Will he have any other kids his age to play with before he goes to preschool?”
“Yes and no. My cousin, Debbie, Meredith’s daughter is pregnant now. Her baby is due in September. She’s having a girl.” Angel smiled. “I’m hoping the two babies will spend a lot of time together and grow up like siblings, just like Debbie and I did. There are nephew’s on Jackson’s side of the family, but they are already in elementary school. That’s it.”
“So, no one else who works here has kids?”
“Well, Doctor Lassiter does, but his family is kept completely separate. But he’s it. No one else is even married.”
“No one?” Sienna asked, very surprised.
“Madison and Cooper will be soon, but I don’t think they’re planning on having kids. I could be wrong, but I don’t see it happening.”
“Madison is so good with Sammy,” Sienna thought out loud.
“Yes, but she is a member of the team. If she became pregnant, she would probably be immediately and permanently assigned to Ops. She certainly wouldn’t be out in the field. She loves Ops and is really good there, but I think she likes to be out in the field too much to give that up.”
Sienna thought about it. She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t judge Madison for feeling that way. She supposed it would be the same as someone mandating that she could no longer teach if she became pregnant. She wouldn’t want to give that up either. “What about Cooper? Do you think he would like to have children?”
Angel shook her head. “I don’t know. He loves Sammy, but I know he would never suggest Madison give up anything that she loves for any reason. He loves her too much to ask her to sacrifice anything. Plus, many of these guys are jaded. They’ve seen a little bit too much of the bad in the world to want to bring a child into it. Jackson kind of felt that way, until the pregnancy test showed positive. We had talked about having kids in terms of someday, when we were ready, until I was suddenly pregnant, that is. Sammy was a surprise.”
“A very nice surprise,” Sienna agreed.
“What about you? Do you want to have children?”
Sienna was surprised by her question. After a couple of quiet seconds, she replied honestly. “I always have. Greg and I planned to have kids when we first got married, but he changed his mind on that and refused to even talk about it. I guess he fell into that jaded category, too.”
“Anthony is great with Sammy, don’t you think?” She smiled and raised her eyebrows.
Sienna flushed with embarrassment at Angel’s obvious suggestion. “Yes, I think he is very good with Sammy, but I don’t think, look, Angel, I’m still not sure what Anthony and I are. I know everyone assumes we’re like really together, but,” she paused and shook her head.
“Like I told you at the Silo, none of these guys do anything half-way. Anthony isn’t with you, holding you in bed every night for just the hell of it. He has strong feelings for you, or he wouldn’t be with you. I’ve seen how he looks at you, seen how he holds you. He cares about you. That isn’t him just doing the job.” Angel paused for a moment. “Or is it, that you don’t feel that way for him?”
This question knocked Sienna off guard. “Of course, I do. When he says he wants to see where a relationship between us can go, I’m happier than I can tell you. To know that he wants that is incredible. He’s the most honest man I’ve ever met, and the most caring too.”
“Then relax and quit debating if you’re together or not. Just accept you are.” Angel smiled again. Just then Sammy’s cries were heard broadcasting from the baby monitor. “And Mr. Piggy wants to eat again!” Angel stood. She pointed to the phone. “Remember, call me if you need anything.” Then she took the baby monitor with her and left the kitchen.
Sienna gazed out the window and thought about what Angel had said. She also thought about her own words, openly professing feelings for Anthony. That was the first time she had said that out loud. She now wished she had told Anthony how she felt about him. What if something happened and he didn’t…no, she would not allow her thoughts to go there.
Romeo
Sienna tossed and turned some more. She reached for her phone for the third time and viewed the illuminated face in the dark room. It was two-thirty a.m. She sat up and turned the bedside light on low. She thought about it for a second and then hit dial on Anthony’s name in the contact list.
“Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing awake,” he answered quietly on the first ring.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I’m still messing with this file, trying to figure out a way to unlock that first question.”
“I’m not afraid or anything. I do feel safe here. I just haven’t been able to fall asleep.”
“I miss you too,” Garcia said smiling into the phone.
Sienna chuckled. “I didn’t say that, but I do.” Yes, she knew she missed him. “I care about you very much.”
Garcia smiled wider. “I care a lot about you, you know that, right?”
“Yes, and I like that. Anthony, I didn’t want to go to sleep tonight until I told you how I felt about you and told you that I do want to see where a relationship between us can go. I realized you have said it many times, but I haven’t, and I wanted you to know.”
“Thank you,” Anthony replied. “Nothing is going to happen to me, you know.”
She chuckled softly. “Was I that obvious?”
“No, it’s just natural. You are worrying about me because I’m out on a mission, especially since you know what we do.”
“I don’t know how Angel does it.”
“Because she knows us all and trusts us. We have each other’s backs, the best equipment, and excellent training. That’s why,” he said softly as Jackson entered the room. He too was on his cell phone. Garcia smiled. He knew Jackson was talking with Angel.
“I admitted to Angel today, how much I care about you.”
Anthony’s laughter was her only reply.
“Don’t laugh! That’s not funny.”
“Sweetheart, I’m laughing because no one needed you to admit anything. I know how you feel and everyone else knows how we feel about each other, just by watching us. Damn, woman, why is this so hard for you to accept?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Her voice had a defensive edge to it.
He chuckled again. “Hey Jackson,” he called and then pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out towards his friend. “From your observations, how do Sienna and I feel about each other?”
Jackson rolled his eyes. “You’re really dragging me into this?”
“Yeah, I am! I have a female on the phone who denies that everyone knows.”
“Alright, well, you, my friend, are so far gone on this woman she better return the feelings or you will be mortally wounded. And the lady clearly does from what I’ve seen.”
Garcia brought the phone back to his ear. “See?”
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Sienna moaned.
Anthony chuckled again. “Sienna, I don’t care about your past, my past, or any other bullshit that has nothing to do with you and me right now. I know you’re hung up on the amount of time that has passed since Greg was killed, but I don’t care if it was yesterday, last week, six months ago, or last year. As far as I’m concerned, it’s your business and no one else’s. We’re good together and that is all that matters.”
“We are,” she agreed. His words echoed through her head bringing a smile to her face. She yawned. She knew she’d be able to fall asleep now. “I should let you get back to work. I’m pretty sure I can go to sleep now, though I will miss you in this bed with me.”
/> “I like the sound of that. I’ll miss you too. Just pretend I’m there holding you. But if you can’t get back to sleep Angel is up, on the phone with Jackson right now. Reach out to her.”
“I’m not going to disturb that poor woman from going back to sleep. Did you know the baby wakes her up twice every night?”
Garcia chuckled again. “Pretty good birth control, isn’t it?”
Sienna chuckled too. But the thought did, just for a second, cross her mind of them having a baby together. She envisioned a little girl having Anthony’s skin tone and hair color, but her own blue eyes. She’d be beautiful.
“You there?” He asked.
“Yes, sorry, just yawning again. I better go. Call me when you can?”
