Chapter 3 (Pt 2)
�Shh� shh� ne bouge pas � don�t move��
The soft familiar voice broke through the surrounding darkness, and he felt a hand lay firmly on his chest, pushing him down gently, preventing him from any further movement. She was here, next to him, and the thought comforted him. But why did he feel so weak? Why all this pain? And then he remembered: the car, the gun.
Panic set in.
What if they hurt her too? He had to find out if she was okay.
He forced his eyes to open � a task far more difficult than he could have imagined � and blinked until the figure before him came into focus. She seemed fine. She even smiled at him, as she removed her hand from his chest. �Welcome back.�
He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat felt dry as sand, and he gasped painfully at the effort.
�You � hurt?� he managed.
Xandrie shook her head in disbelief. �You�re the one who decides to play hero and jump in front of bullets, and you�re asking me if I�m hurt? ! T'es fou! �
She produced a small bottle of water, bringing it to his lips, and he drank hungrily, throwing her a grateful look.
"Arr�te! Don�t drink so much�� she pulled the bottle away and leaned over to check something on his left shoulder.
He turned his head carefully, his mind registering in surprise the expertly wrapped white bandage and a small stain of red that was slowly spreading in its middle. So I've been shot, he thought absently.
�I�ll have to change it soon,� her voice brought him back to reality. �But there�s no time now. We have to leave here before they show up.� She stood up, walking off to a large cluttered table not far from the bed, and began gathering things up in a small denim backpack.
�Leave?� Christian winced in pain, as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. �Wait � back up � Who�s they ? And,� he looked around the small room that was plunged into semi-darkness, �where exactly is here ? And how the hell did I get here in the first place?�
Her back still turned toward him, she shook her head, frowning at his barrage of questions.
�This is my place,� she responded flatly, �and, as for getting you here, believe me, it wasn�t easy. If I didn�t have my car parked nearby � I may have been tempted to leave you there for the police to pick up.� She knew she was lying, but at that moment, fighting to suppress her own growing fear and frustration with their situation, she didn�t care.
He fell silent for a while, taken aback by the undisguised anger in her voice.
�You still didn�t answer my question,� he said finally in a low voice. �Who are they ? Why are you running? Who was that guy in the car?�
She turned to face him then, and his eyes widened at the sight of a gun in her hand. �That was Henri. He works for my former employer.� Her voice sounded harsh even to her own ears.
�Your � employer?�
�Yes, a man who doesn�t like failures. Henri, how do you say � messed up , thanks to you, which means he�ll be back to finish the job if he wants to live.� She cocked the gun demonstratively, shoving it under the belt behind her back, and grabbed her backpack, throwing it carelessly over her shoulders.
He watched her silently, in his eyes � a mixture of shock, apprehension, and hurt. Who was she? She felt more alien to him now than had he never known her. What kind of stuff was she involved in?
�We need to leave now.�
The sense of urgency in her voice interrupted his thoughts, and he met her insistent stare, and shook his head.
�I don�t��
�Christian, please! This isn�t just about me. You are in this mess too, now. And I don�t want you getting killed over � over something you know nothing about. �Besides, that shoulder,� she pointed to the bandage, �it still has the bullet lodged in it. I couldn�t remove it. Not here. I don�t have the time or des outils � the � eh .. tools. I know it�s not the best idea to move you, but I need to take you someplace where I can remove the bullet. If I don�t, the wound can��
�I know what can happen to the wound,� he interrupted, watching her intently, �I�m a doctor.�
She nodded, smiling ruefully at an old memory. �I guess your dreams, at least, came true.�
�I guess so...,� he acknowledged tiredly, his gaze dropping.
Some dream.
Xandrie took a deep steadying breath, trying to ignore the small but insistent voice in her head that kept screaming at her to run like hell this very minute before it was too late. I'll go, she told herself firmly, but not without him.
�I know this is a lot to ask after everything that happened between us � especially today, and you probably hate me now, and I don�t blame you. �� She paused slightly, tightening her fists, �but I beg of you now to trust me. Please. Can you do that?�
Christian looked up at her, acknowledging the silent plea in her eyes. Maybe his Xandrie was still in there. Maybe there was still a chance�.
�Okay. If you don�t mind shouldering some of my weight along the way,� he conceded half-jokingly.
She smiled, a first genuine smile of relief that day.
"D'accord."