Alexander Ranch

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Despite the smooth ride of the vehicle, I felt every bump and jar in the road. Thankfully, discomfort was overcome by exhaustion and I eventually slept. I didn't awake until I felt someone lifting me out of the car. My sleep had been so complete and deep, waking was decidedly a huge disappointment. My body ached all over. And the place where I was shot positively burned. I was in a strange place with strange people. Overall, I was in a foul mood. I lifted my head slightly to look around and saw a huge house. I couldn't see much with my face pressed into Jordan's sizable and well-muscled chest, but I smelled animals or farm smells.

"Where am I?"

"This is our home. It's also our headquarters," Jordan murmured softly in my ear, his breath tickling my earlobe.

"Why am I here?" I asked groggily.

He looked down at me now with a slight frown, "Do you remember Daisy telling you that we were taking you here to see her sister who is a doctor?"

"Yes, but I want to go to my own doctor," I answered trying to work up enough energy to be assertive. Part of me warned that I should not blindly trust these people despite the lure of having someone else handle my current situation. I did not know these people. And, I certainly didn't want to end up in another situation. What if they held me captive or something? Jordan stopped walking and looked down at me.

"Lela, no one is going to hurt you here," he said as if reading my mind. "I would like you to see Grace so I know that you are ok. If you want to see your doctor afterwards, you can. You can also go home if you like. But, will you please just let Grace take a look at you?"

"And, if I say no, I can go home now?" I asked trying to ignore the weird feeling I got at hearing him say my name.

"If that is what you want, I'll make it happen," came his solemn reply.

Maybe I am crazy, but the sincerity in his eyes convinced me. And, the excruciating pain helped a lot too. At the very least she could give me something for the pain. "Ok, I'll see your doctor first. But then, I want to go home."

We were greeted at the door by a woman with a shocking resemblance to Daisy. She ushered me into what looked like an exam room.

"Place her over there, Jordan," she directed and stepped out of the room.

Jordan deposited me lightly on the exam table and left without a word or a backwards glance. He seemed relieved to be rid of me, and I felt a flicker of disappointment. I felt confused. One minute he seemed caring and gentle, then the next minute he was indifferent or irritated. He was clearly bothered by my presence. However, I didn't have time to dwell on my thoughts, because the woman who met us at the door was walking in placing a stethoscope around her neck. Daisy was right behind her.

"Lela, this is my sister, Grace. She's a doctor," Daisy said making swift introductions.

"Pleased to meet you," Grace greeted me briskly but pleasantly. Her voice sounded urgent. "Do you mind if I examine you now? I hear you were shot."

"No, I don't mind, but I want to go home after," I said weakly. Her efficient manor lessened my own bravado. I had a feeling that if she said I couldn't leave, I wouldn't be going anywhere.

"I understand," she smiled at me and put her hand on my shoulder. Even through the fabric, I noticed the same warm tingly feeling I felt when Daisy had touched me. Only this time it was stronger and warmer. "And, we will provide you with anything you need."

"What do you mean?"

She looked at Daisy in confusion, and Daisy explained, "She means that you are under the protection of the agency. So, unless you needed something we couldn't provide, there's no need to go to the hospital. We'll set you up with whatever medical care you need at home so we can keep you safe."

I stared blankly at them. Under the care of the agency? What kind of agency was this again? And, just what had I gotten myself mixed up in? I tried to choose my words carefully when I spoke again, "I don't understand. I should be safe now. I'm nowhere near where that man got shot, and I don't know those people."

"You're probably right," Daisy said sitting on the cushioned exam table next to me. "But, we don't want to take any chances. The men you saw are part of a dangerous group we've been trying to track down for a while. They know you saw them. And, if they have any way of identifying you, they will. We just want to make sure you're safe. If they know they shot you they could be checking hospitals for gunshot victims. If they think you can identify them they will be looking for you."

I hadn't thought of that. I felt like I'd stepped into a bad episode of the twilight zone. How had this happened? I take one day off, go out to have a day of fun in the sun and relaxation, and the next day I'm under some form of protective custody by a mystery agency.

"Is this some kind of secret government agency?" I asked and then belatedly thought better of it. "Never mind, if it's secret I don't want to know about it."

"We are no secret, but we are private," Grace chuckled, her face blossoming into a beautiful smile. "We do, at times, work directly with law enforcement when necessary. Anyway, we just want to make sure you're safe. You had the misfortune of walking into the middle of some very dangerous suspects of an ongoing investigation. Based on what we know of them, they are very deadly and have far reaching resources to get what they want. There's a possibility you are in danger and we just want to make sure you're safe. We only want to get you healthy and provide you with a security detail until we can determine if you're safe. "

"But, I can go home?"

"Definitely," she smiled at me reassuringly.

Sure enough, after Grace examined me, gave me a couple of stitches, bandaged me and tended a few more scrapes and bruises, I was taken home. Grace had said I was very lucky because the bullet had basically just nicked me. According to Grace, the wound wasn't deep, and Jordan had done a great job of cleaning and bandaging it. Other than a few scrapes and bumps, I was fine. She explained that she would come by to check on me and, when she couldn't, Daisy would be there to nurse me as well as be part of my security detail.

Grace hadn't bandaged me quite as tightly as Jordan had. I could breathe easier now. She'd given me some painkillers and cleaned my wounds with something soothing. I wasn't sure what Grace had given me, but I wasn't as weak and the pain was much less. I could walk, though I was moving slowly and stiffly. I was tired but not quite as exhausted. And, I was hungry.

Grace had a delicious bowl of clam chowder brought in, and I fell on it like a starved animal. She had some packed up for me to take home. Then, I was soon on my way escorted by Daisy and Jordan.

Once home, I bathed as best I could without getting my bandages wet, which left me totally spent. Then, I crawled into my bed. Daisy told me that she would stay with me for the night and I'd pointed her in the direction of the extra bedroom. She thanked me but advised me she would just sit outside my bedroom, just in case I needed her help. I told her I'd be fine, but she insisted.

"I won't be any farther than the living room. I've got my laptop and need to get some work done," she'd assured me.

Once I was in bed, she'd settled in the other room bending over her laptop. The moment I was safely inside, Jordan had promptly left with barely a goodbye. I could tell it bothered him to be near me and I couldn't figure out why. He seemed to be going to great pains to not show just how much he didn't like me, my presence, or both. Clearly he resented being assigned to protect me. I couldn't figure out why and honestly didn't have the energy to worry about it too much at the moment. Whatever his issue was, it wasn't my fault. I hadn't assigned him. So I redirected my mind to positive thoughts that soothed the sting of his obvious loathing of me and soon fell asleep.

I woke up Monday morning feeling much better than I had expected I would. Still, Grace had recommended that I take Monday off from work. I decided to take her advice. I called in to let John know I was ill and wouldn't be in. Then, I hung up the phone and promptly fell back to sleep.