To pursue the heart of Agent Grace Williamson

Part 24

I woke up and bursted out coughing again. I sat up and covered my mouth as I had the driest cough ever. It hurt so ultimately much, tears were forming in my eyes. I suddenly felt arms wrap around my waist and Hannibal brushing my hair out my face.
"Ugh, fuck!" I shouted out when the coughing stopped.
"Take a few days off work, focus on yourself" Hannibal suggested to me. I just shook my head and put my hand on top of his hand - that was around my waist - and sighed.
"This could be serious, Grace" he warned me.
"The Chesapeake ripper is serious. I-I can't take anymore time off." I replied back to him. I heard him sigh and move my hair away from my neck and I felt him put his finger on my throat wound.
"Atleast until this heals" he begged me.
"That could be a while" I turned my whole body to face him and I put my arms over his shoulders and sat on my knees.
"We have to much we need to do. We have Abigail, Will, the ripper and-" I went on to say but I felt a cough coming but I just closed my eyes and cleared my throat and it went away. I felt Hannibal's arm wrap around my waist and pull me closer to him.
"You won't make progress if you're like this. You can't even talk without needing to clear your lungs" Hannibal pointed out to me. I opened my eyes and he was staring at me.
"I want Alice and my mum to feel safe, Hannibal. I want to know that your also safe." I told him. I knew the ripper knew about me and Hannibal and I was aware that he'd kill anyone if they even dare said a word to me. Hannibal noted the worry on my face and he stroked my cheek.
"Rest" he repeated to me. I got up from the couch and out of Hannibal's grasp.
"I can't. I can't just sit around doing nothing because of some cough" I shrugged my shoulders at him. He stood up and walked over to me.
"It could be more serious than that. Stay with your family for a while, just until you're better" he recommended to me. I sighed and put my head on his chest.
"I don't know what to do..." I confessed. Hannibal put his arms around me and I sniffled a little.
"I'm really trying to do it all. Keep a relationship with my family, find the Chesapeake ripper, gain Abigail's trust, find what murders Will did... I'm scared" I whimpered to him. Hannibal rested his chin on my head as he held me close to him.

——— the FBI HQ ———

I sat in my office with Hannibal as we both went through all the letters of the Chesapeake ripper and photos of the rippers victims.
"The only victims with their chests not opened are the ones in the car. He kidnapped and starved Miriam Lass, but where was her arm and where was-" I dropped the photos and I turned to cough again. I covered my mouth and I gathered myself together and turned back around. I saw Hannibal kept glancing at me and the photo he was holding, with almost sad eyes.
"... and where was the dog walkers eyes? He must've done something with them" I sighed. Then my office door swung open and I looked to see Alana. She didn't seem too pleased.
"Where's Jack?" She questioned us in a serious tone.
"Uhh... I'm not sure, why?" I asked her as I leaned back on my office chair.
"He wants Abigail to see a corpse of her fathers victim and see if she reacts. Can we please stop him?" she put her hands on her hips and I let out a loud sigh and gulped. Hannibal just licked his lips and put the photos he was holding back onto the desk.
"Okay... I'll go looking for him" I sighed as I stood up from the desk.

——— the morgue ———

I wandered inside the morgue and saw Jack standing beside a body bag. I walked over and I saw he was staring down at the woman's corpse, the woman Garret Jacob Hobbs returned once he found out she had cancer.
"Don't let Abigail see her" I whispered to him. He sighed and crossed his arms. I analysed his face and he didn't look up at me, he just stared down at the body bag.
"We both want the same thing, to have answers. We can't just take a shortcut because there will be backfire. We don't involve Abigail until we have valid evidence" I told him. He just shook his head and looked up at me.
"We don't have time for the long routes, we do this quick" he said to me, in a very stern tone.
"It won't be effective." I reminded him. I noticed his hands clench onto the slab and I opened my mouth to say something but a cough came back. I turned around, covered my mouth and violently coughed. I leaned on the wall as the cough got more painful and I felt my lungs inflame.
"Grace? Do you need some water?" Jack asked me. My coughing stopped and I gulped before responding.
"I'm..i'm okay" I said to him as I turned around to face him.
"You're going home and you're going to rest up. You don't get a saying Grace, you can't go onto the field like that." Jack told me as he pointed his finger at me.
"I said I'm okay" I exclaimed to him as I secretly wiped my bloody palm on my jeans.
"You're saying it but it means nothing. Go home" Jack then left the morgue, not letting me argue back. I understood why he was making me rest up but I Just couldn't. I put my hands on my hips and looked around the room to gather myself together before I leave the room. I heard the door creak open and I looked over to see Hannibal walking over to me holding a bottle of water.
"Jack informed me that he's taken you off the field" He said to me as he handed the bottle of water over to me. I took the bottled water off him and took a sip, it soothed my throat for a split second then it flamed back up again.
"Mhm..." I sighed. I wiped my nose and looked down at the floor.
"I have some recipes that could possibly soothe your throat" he suggested to me. I looked up at him and slanted my head, hearing what he had to say.

——— Ella's and Alice's home ———

I drank some red wine as I was sat in the kitchen. The house was silent, I haven't heard silence in a long time. I checked the clock hung on the wall and it was 2 o'clock. I heard the door open and close and I heard shopping bags clash together. I turned around and saw my mum walk in with two large shopping bags.
"Hey, hun. How do you feel?" She asked me as she hauled the bags onto the counter. I stood up and helped her unpack the food.
"Still hurts but I feel better than I did this morning" I answered, truthfully.

I checked my phone and I had no texts off Jack. I got a text off an unknown number and I opened it up - out of curiosity - and I sipped on my wine as I stared at my mobile.

Unknown number:
Hi Grace. It's Carl, it's been a while. I've just seen you around on the news and wondered if you wanted to get some coffee sometime.

Under the text, was a photo of him posing with his tongue stuck out. I rolled my eyes and turned off my phone. I took a gulp of wine from my wine glass and my mum snatched the wine bottle off the counter and put it in the fridge.
"You should slow down, Grace" she warned me. I looked over at me and finished my wine glass and pushed it away from me.
"Sorry" I murmured to her. She held onto my wine glass and leaned on the counter.
"So, what do you do to keep yourself busy?" She asked me. I slanted my head and her and shrugged my shoulders, I knew she knew something.
"Just... starting conversation" she said in a high pitched tone as she turned around and went towards the sink to dispose my wine glass.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" She asked me as she walked back with an apple, and leaned back onto the counter. I chuckled lightly and I tapped my finger on the counter.
"Something you wanna ask me, specifically?" I asked her as I chuckled. She smiled and took another bite from her apple.
"I came across an article, are you seeing anyone?" She asked me. I groaned and covered my face with my hands. She clearly read Freddie Lounds' latest article.
"Was it Hannibal?" She asked me.
"Mum... please stop... oh god whyyy" I groaned.
"Well, fill me in on the tea"
I heard her crunch on her apple and I honestly wanted to disappear.
"Oh this is so awkward" I whimpered as I felt my cheeks blush.
"You think I'm going to tell you off for being an adult" she started to laugh and I peered my head up and she didn't seem annoyed and I thought she would be, or just be disappointed.
"So who was it?" She asked me. That's when the thought came into my mind, the Chesapeake ripper asked me them vile questions and then Freddie Lounds made an article about it. Does this mean she knows about the letters he's been leaving me?
"It doesn't matter" I chuckled.
"Are they nice?" She asked me.
"Very" I responded. Suddenly my phone went off again and I checked to see it was Carl again. I groaned and viewed his message.

Unknown number:
I'm free tomorrow morning, there's a nice cafe in the centre of town.

"Is that the mystery man?" She asked me, sounding a little excited. I shook my head and I saved his contact.
"Nope. It's Carl" I exclaimed to her. I heard her faintly gasp and she stood up. She was not fond of Carl at all.
"Well what does he want?" She asked me, sounding a little demanding.
"Just to grab some coffee."