All three of us were rushed to the nearest hospital where Rudy’s colleague was standing by ready to tend to the special patient. Raya and her baby were given a clean bill of health and I received ten stitches to close the deep gash on my right temple.

Steve was still in surgery when Rudy and Oscar arrived at the hospital later that afternoon. Upon seeing them, I bounced to my feet and met them halfway down the corridor.

“How’s Steve?” Oscar asked with every nerve and quiver.

“He’s still in surgery.” I turned to Rudy with a look of fear. “The bullet entered the back of his neck. In the ambulance he could barely feel his legs.”

“I’ll go scrub up and join Dr. Robertson in surgery.” Rudy said, squeezed both our arms reassuringly before hurrying down to the operating room.

Oscar assisted me to the couch where we both took a seat. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

I inhaled a sustained breath to prompt my memory into drifting back to that fateful moment when the shots were fired through the French doors. I managed, albeit with great difficult, to recall the tragedy in every detail.

“We raided the hotel but there was no sign of Al Hammad nor his partner Habuldha. We didn’t find the disc either.”

“Steve had a nightmare the night before. He saw us getting shot and suspected that they were on to us. We were to call you this morning but Raya went into labour and we dashed off to help her. That’s when it happened.”

“My men found the automatic rifle in a room straight across from yours with Al Hammad’s fingerprints on it. He and Habuldha must have fled right after the shooting but they won’t go far. We’ve sealed every area of transportation off the island. They’re trapped. It’s just a matter of hours before we nail them both.”

“Hammad can dispose of the disc.”

“Let me worry about that. Right now we need to concentrate on Steve and pray that he bounces back fine.”

I gave a slight nod in agreement mixed with a strained half-hearted smile. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”

“I’ll go with you,” Oscar offered obligingly.

Steve came out of surgery an hour later and was placed in the intensive care unit for constant monitoring throughout the night. Rudy explained that the bullet they retrieved was lodged inches below the forth vertebrae, causing extensive swelling that would likely result in some degree of paralysis below the waist.

I kept a vigil all through the evening and early night despite the throbbing headache brought on by the gash in my temple. I agreed to nap on the sofa for a few hours in exchanged for Rudy’s promise to rouse me if there was any change in my Steve’s condition.

Although careworn and exhausted I couldn’t find peaceful sleep. My mind kept reliving the shooting over and over until a friendly voice broke into my nightmare and pulled me back to reality. “Hey Cassandra, wake up,” Oscar coaxed gently.

I jerked awake and frowned in puzzlement at the hazy form squatted by the sofa. “Oscar?” My eyes shot wide open as an icy clutch of dread gripped me by the throat. “Steve?” I asked in panic.

“He’s alright. He’s still unconscious though but resting in a stable condition.” He assisted me to the patient’s bedside so that I could see for myself. “See?”

I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “What time is it?” I asked in a hushed voice.

“Almost nine. You want some breakfast?”

I shook my head negatively. The mere thought of food made my stomach churn. “We should have closed the curtains the minute we stepped into that room. They wouldn’t have had a clear shot at us.”

“You were obviously distracted by the baby’s arrival.”

“Fatal mistake. We usually never let our guard down when we are in the presence of an unknown enemy.”

“Richard Hayden called early this morning. He wanted to talk to you but I told him you needed your sleep. He just wanted to make sure you and Steve were alright. I told him what happened.”

“I’ll call him later.”

“You two have been seeing a lot of each other lately,” Oscar said on an implying tone.

“We went out on three dates. Hardly qualifies as a steady relationship,” I replied aloofly.

“I always thought that…”

“What?”

“Never mind. Good news. We caught Al Hammad and his partner a few hours ago as they were trying to flee the island by boat. They’re in custody pending their arraignment. We also got the disc. We gave it to FBI.”

“The mission isn’t a total flop after all.” I tried sounding cheerful but failed miserably. My heart was aching for my partner and friend lying supine with his body in traction to avoid putting stress to his spinal chord.

A slight rise in Steve’s heartbeat prompted me to lean closer to Steve’s face. “Hey, Blue Eyes,” I whispered softly. “Are you in there?” my answer came in the form of a frown.

“I’ll go get Rudy,” Oscar said with a light tap on my shoulder.

“Steve, open your eyes,” I egged on. “Come on, you can do it 34.” I could see he was struggling to do my bidding. “You can do it. Look at me.” His eyelids fluttered open just enough for his fetching blues to peer through. “There you are.” My broad smile slowly reshaped into a worried frown at Steve’s wrinkled brow. “What’s the matter? Are you in pain?”

“Can’t mooooooove,” he expelled.

“I know. Don’t try either. Your body’s in traction.” Steve gave me a quizzical look. “Do you remember what happened?” Nervous twitches crossed his face as he raked his memory for the last vivid recollection. “The hotel? Raya and the baby? You were shot in the back?”

His eyes dropped as the images invaded his mind. “Som…some honeymoon.”

“I’ve had better,” I teased.

“Ohhhhhhh, do tellllllll,” He slurred, managing a faint wink.

“Oscar tells me that our patient is awake?” Rudy enthused as he entered the room with Oscar.

“Barely,” Steve breathed out, swallowing hard and moistening his lips.

“Are you in any pain?” Rudy queried while glancing up at the heart monitor to note down the latest vitals on the patient’s chart.

“No. Only that…”

“Only what?”

“I can’t seem to feel my legs.”

I shot a harried look at Rudy whose silence spoke louder than words. He moved to the end of the bed to lift the sheet off Steve’s lower limbs solidly encased in splinters. He pricked the left big toe with a blunt needle. “Do you feel that?”

“No.”

Rudy applied the same procedure to the right foot. “And now?”

“Still nothing.” Steve’s face blenched at the sudden realization that he was paralysed below the waist.

Rudy moved up to his ankle, then to his thighs. Again there was no sensation. He put the sheet back and moved back to stand by the patient. “That paralysis is due to substantial swelling below the fourth vertebrae where the bullet was embedded. The sensation should return as the oedema gradually subsides,” Rudy explained composedly.

“Should. Not will,” Steve emphasized.

“There’s a ninety-five per cent certainty that it will.” Rudy laid a hand on the sullen patient’s shoulder. “Give it a few days, Steve. If there’s no improvement then we’ll study other options.” After Steve blinked his understanding, Rudy stepped out of the room with Oscar, leaving me alone to boast the patient’s spirits.

“You want to hear some good news? They caught Al Hammad and his partner, Raya’s husband. The FBI is now in possession of the computer disc.”

“Raya. Baby?”

“They’re both fine. The poor woman swears up and down she had no knowledge of her husband’s shady activities, only that he was often away for long spells.”

“Is it safe to assume they won’t press charges against her for being an accessory?”

“I should think so.” I leaned closer when I saw Steve’s face crumple in despair. “Hey! You’ll be fine. I’m not going to let you sink into pessimism. So you’d better behave yourself.” My friendly warning wrung a faint lopsided grin out of my partner, one that warmed the cockles of my heart. I brushed a light kiss on his forehead. “You get some rest. I’ll be back to see you this afternoon. And remember.” I wagged a warning finger at him.

“Yes, Mother,” he mocked before he surrendered to his drooping eyelids and fell into a healing sleep.

After padding out of the room I went in search of Rudy I saw leaning against the counter at the Nurses’ station with Oscar. Walking up to them I tried reading the expression in my boss’s eyes. “Rudy, what you said to Steve in there about recovering the use of legs once the swelling subside, you were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

“Yes of course. Only that he is likely to fall into the five per cent.”

“Meaning he’ll remain paralysed for life?”

Rudy nodded dejectedly.

“But those are bionic legs. Surely they can work on their own.”

“They are linked to his central nervous system. I can’t repair damage sustained to the brain and spinal chord as easily as I can short-circuits in the electronic parts. Right now all we can do is wait.”

“Rudy would you mind if I stayed in the same room with him, at least a couple of days until the swelling subsides?” I asked rather straightforwardly, ready to argue if necessary.

“I don’t see why not,” Rudy answered. “It certainly wouldn’t hurt. Besides I’d like to keep an eye on that gash of yours in case there are some complications. And I’m sure Steve wouldn’t mind a roommate.”

“Thanks. I’ll go back to the hotel and get my things and I’ll be back.”

“I won’t have you driving in your condition, Cassandra,” Rudy spoke authoritatively. “You could have a dizzy spell at any moment. You take a taxi.”

“No one is going back to the hotel,” Oscar cut in. “It’s off limits until we sweep every inch of the building. I’ll have of my men take your stuff and Steve’s and bring it to the hospital.”

“In the meantime you two, why don’t you go grab a bite to eat. I have a battery of tests to conduct on our patient and I don’t want you under foot.”

“You heard the doctor? How about it Cassandra?” Oscar asked.

“I’m not very hungry. I just feel like taking a walk in the park to get some fresh air and clear the cobwebs.”

“Sure.” Oscar took me by the shoulders and turned me toward the exit. He stretched his neck back to glance at Rudy. “You tell Steve I’ll be back later to visit.”

“Will do, Oscar.”

Oscar ushered me out the door and led me out back. We sauntered along side by side, him with hands in pants pockets and me looking downcast with my arms crossed against my chest.

“Despite what happened you two did a good job out there.”

“Don’t patronize me, Oscar,” I replied huffily. “Aside perhaps from bringing a new life into this world the rest was a disaster and you know it. Your men did the job. They apprehended Al Hammad and his cohort along with the disc. All we did is get shot at.”

“Now you listen to me, Agent 35!” Oscar lashed out, grabbing a hold of my arms to force me to look him in the eyes. “I admit the mission turned sour at some point but we couldn’t have gotten the information on Al Hammad’s contact without you.”

“The curtains.”

“What?”

“We should have drawn the curtains when we got into the room. That way they wouldn’t have had a clear shot at us. Steve was right.”

“What are you talking about?” Oscar asked, confused.

“The night before the shooting Steve had a nightmare. He jolted out of sleep, drenched in sweat, saying that he’d just seen someone shooting at us. He was sure they’d find us out. I took that dream seriously, as a premonition. I told myself that we had to keep on our toes. But somehow Raja’s baby diverted our attention. That was a costly mistake.”

“What’s done is done. No sense dwelling on it. Right now our main focus is Steve. We’ve got to be strong for him. You know him. He has a nasty habit of lapsing into a depression when he’s faced with a life-altering experience. It’s up to us not to let him. We may have a tough battle on our hands should he never recover the use of his legs.” He gently raised my head up with three fingers underneath my chin. “Are you up to the challenge?”

“You know I am,” I sighed.

He smiled and pulled me into a hug, after which we resumed our cleansing walk.

In the afternoon, I dropped by Raja’s room to visit with her and her newborn. I walked in on the glowing mother trying to lull her precious bundle to sleep but with little success. The squalls turned into gurgling squeaks the moment I cradled the restless cherub into my arms. I asked if I could borrow the little one for a few minutes to have him visit with Steve, hoping the sight of him would revive his drooping spirits.

With the newborn in my arms I padded up to Steve’s bed. Sensing my presence he slowly opened his eyes and cracked a half-hearted smile at me.

“I brought you a little visitor.” I held the baby up for him to get a clear view at the little podgy face. “Not bad for our first delivery?”

“He’s cute. What’s his name?”

“I didn’t ask.” I cradled the baby back into my arms and playfully nuzzled his little nose. When I turned my attention back to Steve, my face fell at the sight of tears streaming down the corner of his eyes. “Steve, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that, 34!” I chided. “Come on, you can tell your roommate?”

“That baby.”

“What about him?”

“Do you realize that if this paralysis is permanent I’ll never be able to…” his voice faltered at the prospect of never having children.

I frowned in puzzlement. “What?”

“Do I need to draw you a picture?” he responded on a peevish tone that bristled me up.

“Perhaps you should because you aren’t making any sense,” I answered on the same insolence. I huffed out the rest of my exasperation and placed the baby against my shoulder. “Steve, give it time. It’s hardly been 72 hours since the shooting.”

“I won’t live like this,” he quavered.

“Dammit, you’re not listening!” I chastised. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“I learned that from you.”

“Sorry, 34. Can’t blame that on me.”

“Would you marry a crippled who could not give you children?”

“I believe I would. Contrary to what many think we women are not mainly attracted to a man’s physique. I for one look for a man with an intellectual mind and a kind heart. That’s you, Blue Eyes.”

Steve let out a small chortle. “Thanks for saying it”

“To prove that I’m serious I’ll make you a deal. We’ll give it a few more days and if there’s no significant change, you and I will go choose our china pattern. How’s that?”

“Deal,” Steve chuckled. “If I stay like this I’ll have to propose. No other woman will have me.”

“I see that I may be forced to bring in the heavy artillery against you,” I teased with an arched eyebrow. “I’m going to return the little one to his mother and I’ll be back to unpack. Don’t go anywhere!”

“I’ll try to be a good boy,” he joked back with a friendly wink.

Once out of the room, I stopped at the door and lifted my eyes upwards. “Please let him be okay. I don’t want to get married just yet,” I beseeched the O Mighty on a teasing tone.

A week passed and still no improvement in Steve’s legs. One afternoon as I returned to the hospital after a briefing with Oscar on my next assignment, I received the shock of my life. I entered Steve’s room and found his bed empty. Panic invaded me. I dashed out of the room and as I hurried to the nurses’ station to ask about Steve, here he was shuffling down the corridor with Rudy at his side.

“Steve!” I gushed, my heart brimming over with ecstasy.

“Hey 35! Where have you been?”

“You’re…you’re walking.”

“Yup!”

“He had my staff in an uproar this morning when he woke up with the feeling back in his legs. A few hours later he was begging me to get out of bed and here he is. A few weeks a physical therapy and he should be as good as new.”

“That’s wonderful, Blue Eyes,” I enthused, flinging my arms around his neck.

“Careful there. I’m still a bit shaky.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just ecstatic.”

“Guess this means you won’t have to marry me,” he teased.

A confounded expression appeared on Rudy’s face at the mention of the word ‘married’. “Should I ask what that means?”

“No,” Steve replied. “Don’t.”

“Okay. I won’t. Now that’s enough exercise for one day. Let’s get you back to your room”

“Doctor Wells,” a nurse hailed from the desk. “Mister Goldman wishes to speak to you.”

“Go on, Rudy. I’ll help Steve back into his room.”

“Okay.” He released his grasp on Steve once I had firm hold of his arm.

Although Steve tried not to apply the bulk of his weight on me I could feel him leaning heavily on me. “I’m sorry for being so heavy on you,” He apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m tougher than I look.”

“Can you answer me a question?”

“If I can.” I steered him into the room and assisted him into bed.

“If I hadn’t gotten back the use of my legs, would you really have married me?” he queried with a coy smile.

“I guess so.”

“Is that a maybe?”

“You haven’t proposed yet.”

“I’m afraid you’ll turn me down.”

“You’re right.” I chuckled as I waited until he was settled in bed before pulling the blanket to his chest. “I’m not ready to get married yet and I suspect you aren’t either. In fact I believe that the thought of being married to me scared the feeling back into your legs.” I sat on the bed and playfully patted his shoulder.

Steve broke into a hearty guffaw. “Probably.” He reached for my hand and clasped it. “So I take it Richard Hayden doesn’t stand a chance with you?”

“Richard and I are just friends. Not like you and I, though. I guess you can say he and I are very good acquaintances.”

“So…can I try popping the question in a few months?” he teased.

“Why not?” I answered with a shrug and an elfish grin. I leaned in to kiss him on the forehead.

“Oh, it’s on the forehead now,” he affected with a pout.

“We’re not Mr. and Mrs. anymore,” I held up my bare ring finger, “see?”

Steve heaved out a sigh thick with disappointment. I shook my head in disbelief before leaning in to brush my lips against his in a little chaste kiss. “How’s that?”

“Ummmmmmmmm, better,” he mused with his eyes closed.

I swatted him on the arm to bring him back to reality. “You get some rest, Romeo. I’ll be back to check on you before I leave for Sydney.”

“Is that where Oscar’s sending you on your next assignment?”

“Yeah. I’m going to the OSI Communication Centre to work on the satellite program. Apparently they’re having trouble stabilizing the system, AGAIN,” I ended on an exasperated tone.

“What would they do without you?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

“You won’t. I have a feeling Oscar is going to keep you very busy.” I stood from the bed and waved goodbye. “Take care, Blue Eyes.”

“You too Brown-Eyed Girl.”