A Better Life

by Liza O'Connor

  She realized Dare still waited for her response. She looked at Dr. Hanson. “Is it possible to get a fourth boy onto this bed?”

  Stevie shifted closer to her hip. “You can squeeze him in behind me. I know Tommy’s smaller, but he might object. He’s a bit jealous of Dare.”

  Angel knew that was true and she knew why. “That’s because you two exclude him from your play.”

  Dare huffed. “We won’t do that anymore. I know how it hurts to be left out now; I don’t want Tommy to feel that way.”

  She caressed the boy’s head. “What good sons I have.”

  She heard a choke and glared at Hamilton. He refused to look up, so her scowl was wasted. However, Tom noticed and tilted her head to him and his eyes gave her a silent lecture to behave.

  Dare whispered to Stevie. “Mom’s in trouble.”

  After a few hours of her children sleeping next to her, Dr. Hanson declared visiting hours over. He and Tom picked the children up and placed them on their feet. They were sleepy and unhappy at being removed, but not one squabbled, even when Tom herded them out of the room.

  Dr. Hanson stared at Hamilton, evidently not brave enough to throw him out. “Sir, I need to change the bandages.”

  He looked up. “Do you believe I may infect the patient as I sit way over here?”

  “No, sir, but the patient may prefer privacy while I do this.”

  He sighed and looked at Angel. “I’m catching up on all my subordinates’ reports, something that I can never seem to do in my office. Do you mind if I sit here and ignore you entirely?”

  Angel laughed. “Read on. Max always claimed I assisted his reading as well. Said I removed his stress.”

  Hamilton frowned at that and then returned to reading.

  Dr. Hanson spent a great deal of time assessing her stitches before re-bandaging and covering her up. “All done. Someone will be by with your dinner in a half hour. Sir, would you like them to deliver you something as well?”

  Hamilton looked up. “Thank you. That would be appreciated.”

  When Dr. Hanson left, Angel spoke. “People like being thanked.”

  Hamilton stared at her. “Do you wish to be thanked for something?”

  “No. In my case, all the thanks should go the other direction.”

  “And do they?”

  “Yes. Thank you for pre-planning so that when the inevitable happened you were ready to act quickly, saving me and my children.”

  Her response caused a flicker of surprise to cross his stern face. “You are most welcome. In return, I only ask that you do your best to locate money for us.”

  “I will.”

  “And train the others how to do what you do.”

  “I’ll try.”

  He lowered his report. “Why not say you will?”

  She sighed. “I tried to do the same for Max when I was leaving the facility to have Tommy.”

  Hamilton waved her explanation off. “This time you will have professional auditors to start with.”

  “That will help.” She still wasn’t going to promise success, because part of what she did was driven by intuition. She had no idea how to teach that. “Have they committed crimes?”

  “No. These people are dedicated professionals who have agreed to commit to a five-year contract.”

  “And then you let them go?”

  He nodded and returned to his reading.

  She was dying to question the risk of letting them leave. Instead, she held her tongue until their dinners arrived. While Hamilton chose to eat his dinner in the corner, she ate from a rolling table that slid over her lap. Still, he was no longer reading, so she asked him the question that had been bothering her for the last half hour.

  “Aren’t you afraid people will talk when they leave the facility?”

  “These aren’t spoiled children thrown in a situation over their head. These are professional agents who choose to dedicate their lives to protecting this country.”

  She relaxed and smiled at him. “That sounds like a great improvement.”

  He glanced up. “I think, perhaps more than anyone, you will appreciate the differences of this facility.”

  “If you’ve made going through security easier, then you may drown in the flow of appreciation coming your way.”

  He grunted and shook his head. “Max and I completely differ on how to secure a facility. He used unreliable people and put them through pain and humiliating searches twice a day. And despite it all, his facility leaked like a sieve.”

  Angel couldn’t argue with that. One of those convict children named Toad not only stole money but figured out a way to make contact with the outside world, causing Stevie to be kidnapped by his former step-father.

  “Does that truth offend you?”

  “No. I’m in total agreement with you.”

  “Then what was the furrowed brow for?”

  “I almost lost Stevie due to one of those leaks.”

  “Ah…yes. I am very aware of the event. I used it as proof positive that Max’s methodology was not effective.”

  The satisfaction in his voice worried her. “You don’t like my husband, do you?”

  “My feelings toward Max are irrelevant. We were discussing his methodologies and I believe they were poorly conceived in every way. You were the only thing of value he brought to the table. Personally, I would have preferred he remained another year after you left. Then the higher ups could see my method works much better. Unfortunately, the massive sums you collected still skew the empirical evidence in his favor. I hope we can soon correct that.”

  “Asking me to help destroy my husband’s fine record is a terrible incentive.”

  “I’m just being honest with you. Would you prefer I lie and manipulate you?”

  “No.”

  “Did my honesty change your mind about doing your best?”

  “No.”

  “Then, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll continue telling you the truth, even if you don’t like it.”

  “Thank you, I would prefer that.”

  “I’m firing the profiler who assessed you.”

  “Do I know him?”

  “No.”

  “So, he never met me?”

  “No. Max refused him access to you.”

  “Then, he just based his profile on my public actions?”

  “More like Max’s assessment of you.”

  “Why would Max worsen the assessment…I’m assuming the assessment is worse?”

  Hamilton nodded and set his tray aside and leaned back as he studied her. “I’ve been pondering that question for hours. I can only assume it was in anticipation of the day I finally got you. I think he hoped the inaccurate assessment would cause me to so grossly mishandle you, that you’d refuse to help your country.”

  “If you had followed the assessment, what would you have done?”

  “The profiler strongly suggested I use your sons as barter.”

  Her heart quickened. “Oh my God!”

  “I found the idea most objectionable myself. And I could not imagine how I would possibly establish a long-term working relationship based on such an outrageous act. So, when I received notice that your home was under attack, and everyone had been successfully retrieved, I had my secretary cancel my entire day, just so I could make my own assessment. You hadn’t even entered the secure facility before I determined you to be most rational and fair minded. You are thoughtful of others, and their responsibilities. Even those you do not know, such as Colonel Braddock.”

  He must be talking about the bruises on her arm. Truth was, had Davenport not asked her to go easy, she might have been less generous when forgiving the man, but if it made the director think the better of her, then she’d not correct his perspective.

  Instead, she focused on a more worrisome point: Max had set her up to be tortured.

  “May I see the profile?”

  He studied the ceiling for a long while. “Technically, it’s a violation of the
rules, however, one portion, I think might help you come to terms as to why I will never allow Max to visit you.”

  “What part is that?”

  “The interview notes from the profiler’s meeting with Max. It was taped and later transcribed, so the words are verbatim.”

  “Do you have the tape?”

  “Not on me, but I can get it, why?”

  “Because I need to hear the tone of his voice, not just his words.”

  “What do you think you will hear?”

  “I hope I hear concern. If Max thought your methodology was flawed, if he thought it would result in harm to the country, then he would not hesitate to sabotage a working relationship between us, just as he did not hesitate to kill me, rather than allow me to be taken by terrorists.”

  Hamilton smiled. “A most forgiving interpretation. Mine’s a bit more harsh.”

  “Which is?”

  He rose and approached her bed, meeting her eyes. “Max hates to be proven wrong— that his methodology is flawed. Thus, he made it his goal to disprove the notion that treating people professionally and investing more money in software and electronic surveillance, rather than torturing people in bodily searches, will provide greater results. And to make sure you wouldn’t have a chance to prove it once and for all, he did all he could to ensure you would be treated like an enemy from the moment you arrived, and then you would die two weeks later.”

  Angel pushed away her plate as her stomach roiled. Would he actually do that? Would he sacrifice her to keep his reputation intact? She wanted to think it impossible, but she’d been betrayed before, by a man she loved. “Could you bring me the trash can? I feel sick.”

  Hamilton grabbed the bucket and handed it to her. He then grabbed the phone and called Dr. Hanson. “Your patient’s sick…”

  Angel couldn’t hear what he said after that, due to her own noisy activity of spewing out the dinner she’d just eaten.

  When her stomach emptied, she dried heaved several minutes, before laying back in exhaustion. Her lower stomach hurt from her exertions.

  A cool washcloth cleaned her face as the trash can was removed from her right hand. She looked up, expecting to see Dr. Hanson. Hamilton’s stern eyes gazed down upon her.

  “Dr. Hanson will be here soon.”

  She nodded. She would have insisted it wasn’t necessary, only she feared she’d torn her stitches.

  Dr. Hanson burst in the room and ran straight to her.

  “She was vomiting,” Hamilton stated.

  “I may have torn my stitches,” she added.

  He assessed her sutures first. “You have, but that can easily be fixed.” He then grabbed a light and began an extensive assessment of eyes, mouth, and nose as he bombarded her with questions.

  “Did the eyedrops cause this?” Hamilton demanded.

  “I don’t believe so.” He then focused on Angel. “Did you experience a headache or dimming vision before the vomiting began?’

  “No.”

  “What was the last thing you ate before getting sick?”

  “The salmon, but I think this was emotionally induced, rather than physical.”

  He glanced at Hamilton as he attached sticky pads to her chest and wrists and a machine began to beep.

  A man entered wearing a white medical jacket. Dr. Hanson pointed to the bucket. “Assess everything in that bucket against all known toxins. Start with the fish.” Hanson resumed his focus on Angel. “What were you talking about?”

  “Why Max might want to sabotage my entry into this facility.” She then looked at Hamilton. “Did Colonel Braddock have access to my profile before I arrived?”

  Hamilton’s brow furrowed. “Yes.”

  The machine’s beeping increased.

  Hanson spoke. “We need to make this a taboo topic. Her blood pressure is rising dangerously.”

  “Is Tom or Davenport nearby?” she whispered.

  Hamilton spoke. “Yes, why?”

  “Their presence soothes me.”

  His eyebrows rose in challenge. “You find Davenport soothing?”

  Upon her nod, he went to the phone. “Get to Room 114 immediately.”

  By the time, he returned to her bedside, the door burst open and Davenport entered, assessing the situation in less than a second before coming to her. “What’s happened?”

  “Your purpose is to soothe the patient.”

  He stared down at Angel, his worried eyes betraying he felt himself unqualified.

  She gripped his hand and smiled. “Just stand there for a moment.” She then closed her eyes. Whatever was wrong with her, she trusted Dr. Hanson to make right. Whatever the truth was about Max, she couldn’t change. This was her life now, and she just needed to go forward with a positive attitude.

  She must have fallen asleep, because the phone ringing jarred her awake.

  “Toxicology came back negative.”

  “So, she wasn’t poisoned.”

  “No, sir.”

  Hamilton sighed. “Then it was probably the topic. I needed her to know the truth about Max and why I can’t let her see him again.”

  Davenport sighed.

  “I know, you warned me,” Hamilton stated. “And you’re right, she deeply loves Straun, despite all the shit he’s pulled. I will not broach the topic with her again, and before you let out a deep sigh as well, Dr. Hanson, had I realized the information would make her physically ill enough to rip out some of her stitches, I would have waited.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Davenport asked. “I was very clear on this matter.”

  “Yes!” he snapped. “You were. And you were right on the dime. If I had to do it over again, I would wait. However, at the time, she seemed so open to the truth and had taken everything up to that point so well, even agreeing that my methodology sounded better than Max’s. Then I overstepped. Believe me. No one is more annoyed at myself than I am. But it can’t be undone, nor will I try and take the truth back. We’ll just go on from here. And hopefully, I will never have to mention Straun to her again.”

  A firm strong hand gripped her right hand and squeezed. “Davenport, stay with her as long as she finds you comforting. I’ll return to my office. If she has further questions about the procedures here, that I have failed to answer, you may tell her whatever she wants to know. I have a profiler I need to fire.”

  “Good,” Davenport snapped.

  “Do you think the profiler was unduly swayed by Max’s testimony?” Hamilton asked.

  “Either the man was the worst profiler who has ever existed, or he purposely mis-profiled her, either at Max’s request or someone else’s. In either case, he should not be working as a profiler for our country.”

  After a long bout of silence, Hamilton spoke. “How did you and Max ever get along?”

  “We got along just fine, sir. I obey my superiors, even when I think they are wrong.”

  “And which of your superiors are we discussing? Past or present?”

  “I believe Max’s methodology was wrong, but I believe forcing Angel to see the truth about him was wrong as well.”

  “Then we are in complete agreement. I screwed up. Hanson, when you think she’s well enough for an apology, let me know.”

  “Sir, that will just remind her why you are apologizing.’

  Angel took pity on the director and squeezed his hand. “Never apologize for telling the truth,” she whispered. “I survived it, and it was inevitable that I would want to know why Max couldn’t visit me. And now I know. I would still like to hear his tape.”

  Davenport spoke. “Angel, you don’t need to hear that.”

  “Have you?”

  “No, but I’ve read the transcript.”

  “Either you, me, or Tom needs to hear the tape.”

  He sighed. “I’ll do it.”

  She smiled at her stern protector. “Thank you. I’m going to sleep now. You don’t have to stay.”

  “All the same, I will,” he grumbled.

  Knowing h
e planned to watch over her brought a smile to her face. “Director Hamilton…”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t avoid seeing me because of what happened today. I’ll probably have a ton of questions about your methodology and I’d rather give them to you, than through others.”

  “Then I’ll stop by on occasion. If you have issues you think I need to hear at once, let Davenport know.”

  “Fair enough.”

  The need to sleep overwhelmed her and she dosed off.

  When she reopened her eyes, the room was dark. Along with the calloused strong hand still holding her left hand, she could hear the slight snore of Davenport.

  She turned her head to attempt to see him in the pitch blackness. He woke at once, although she wasn’t aware of making any sound.

  “You need something?” he asked.

  “I’m good. How long have I been asleep?”

  She heard a faint rustle and then the glow of his watch illuminated his hard features. She remembered once telling Max she didn’t see how she could ever befriend Davenport, that she’d have better luck bonding with a rock.

  How wrong she had been!

  “You’ve slept ten hours, sixteen minutes.”

  She chuckled. “What no second count?”

  “Forty-eight seconds.”

  “I love you. You know that, right?”

  He made no reply.

  “Should I have not said that?”

  “We read each other very well. I don’t think words which can be picked up by monitors and misunderstood are a good idea.”

  “Sorry.”

  He pressed her hand to his lips.

  She tugged him to her. Running her hand up his chest she finally located his thick neck and pulled his face down to hers, so she could locate his mouth and kiss him. She expected him to resist her affection, but instead he kissed her back, sharing the deep and intense love he felt for her.

  Chapter 6

  Two days later, Dr. Hanson declared Angel ready for duty as long as she was careful.

  Before she began her workday, Davenport took her to the salon, where her hair was straightened, and she now had long bangs. When she stared into the mirror, she was stunned. She looked ten years younger! When Angel confessed she had never worn makeup in her life, the cosmetics lady taught her how to use makeup to make her sultry.