Sydney sighed lightly, doing her best to squeeze Nigel's hand in return. Sweet, impossibly stubborn Nigel. He was worth more than a hundred copies of all her previous assistant's combined. God had truly smiled and given her a treasure the day he walked into her life.
She'd never realized how much she'd needed someone like him, someone to help keep her feet on the ground. And the need had been mutual, as she knew he'd needed someone like her, someone to unlock all his dazzling potential. His brilliant mind had been hidden in books, withdrawn from the living world as though afraid to participate.
But she'd forced him to come out and play, dragging him into the field and tossing his 'look but don't touch' philosophy out the window. She could still remember the dazzling excitement in his eyes the first time they'd retrieved a relic, it had somehow made finding it even more extraordinary.
But now...
Now Nigel's expressive eyes were filled with worry. The young man looked exhausted and Sydney couldn't help but wonder how much time had passed since she'd been attacked. She didn't know what time it was, or even what *day* it was for that matter. The Viper could be who-know's-where. He could be skulking the halls of the hospital that very moment, waiting for a chance to strike, or if there were as many FBI and police involved as Nigel said, he might very well have slithered underground to bide his time. Either way, it spelled trouble.
"Nigel," she tried again, trying to inject a little more strength into her weakened voice. "You don't have to wait for me." She squeezed his hand a little tighter in reassurance. "I know that you want to be here, but I want you somewhere safe. The Viper doesn't make idle threats."
"And I don't make idle promises." Nigel returned in his quiet manner.
At these words, Sydney knew she was beaten. Nothing she could say would make Nigel leave, she'd have better luck talking China into selling the Great Wall. "Where did you ever get so stubborn?"
A light smile drifted across his features. "I learned from the master." He paused, letting silence fall between them. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but wasn't sure where to start. The girl from the lobby, the note, the knife... Finally he decided to ask the most obvious question. "Syd," he looked down for a moment. "Who is the Viper? A detective from the police department knew his modus operandi, but couldn't really tell me very much. From what you've said, I can't help but assume you've dealt with him before."
Sydney closed her eyes, remembering several things she'd rather forget. "Yes," she opened them again. Nigel deserved to know the truth. "We've crossed paths... briefly. It was a long time ago, about eight years I think. I was in Bangladesh looking for a book of rare Muslim prayers, but I wasn't the only one after it, a competitor of mine named Orlash Belonsio had hired the Viper get it for him." She paused to catch her breath and looked towards the glass of water at her bedside. "Nigel..."
"Right," Nigel needed no further prompting and carefully held the water to her lips as she took a grateful sip. "Better?"
"Mmm-hmm," she muttered, savoring the cool water against her dry throat. "Orlash was greedy," she swallowed hard and continued, "but he wasn't a murderer, and I don't think he realized the kind of person he'd hired. The Viper is basically a soldier of fortune, a mercenary with his own agenda and no morals. He'd been trailing me, waiting for me to find the book so he could steal it. Obviously, I couldn't let him have it, so I lead him on a wild goose chase... I learned the location of the book, then left Bangladesh without actually retrieving it. Orlash had been staying in the same hotel to keep tabs on me, and when he saw me go, he gave up the chase."
Nigel furrowed his brow. It didn't sound as though Sydney and The Viper had ever met face to face. "So you never actually saw him?"
"No, I did see him once. When I was checking out of the hotel, Orlash had been in the lobby talking to a man..." she frowned. "And I just *knew* he'd been the one following me. Call it intuition. There was nothing special about him, he was about six feet tall, dark hair, very tan... if you passed him on the street, you'd never notice."
The young man leaned forward, shifting position in his chair... it was a step up from its cousin in the waiting room, but it was a short step. "So what is he doing here, now? Why did he attack you? Surely not over a book of prayers."
Sydney smiled weakly. "No, not for the prayer book." The smile melted away. "He's after Ichriem, and he thinks I know where it is, worse, he thinks you know too Nigel."
"Ichriem? Syd, I..." He was interrupted as the door swung open and a rather portly nurse walked through the entrance. Her eyes fixed firmly on the young Englishman.
"Mr. Bailey," she intoned, sounding for the world like a school marm who caught someone passing notes in class. "Visiting hours ended ten minutes ago."
At this, Sydney looked amused.
Nigel cringed, managing to appear incredibly chagrined. "I'm sorry Mrs. Goldmeyer, but you know how much I've needed to talk to Sydney." He'd gotten to know the nurse a little bit after Syd had been moved to a private room.
Nurse Goldmeyer softened her voice to a motherly tone. "I know you've needed to talk to her, that's why I've let you stay here ten minutes longer than you should have. Lt. Shanahan has been waiting for you at the nurse's station. You need to go with him and get some sleep and let my patient do the same."
"But..." Nigel began to protest.
The nurse would have none of it though. "You can talk to her again tomorrow."
"It's okay Nigel," Sydney spoke before Nigel had a chance. "You look exhausted, go get some sleep, we can finish this in the morning."
"All right," he agreed, knowing there was nothing else he could do. "But I want you to know, this whole floor is under surveillance, and there'll be an officer sitting in the hallway around the clock. The Viper won't be able to reach you here."
"I'm not worried about me." She looked into his eyes. "I want *you* to be careful Nigel. He may not be in here, but he is out there somewhere. If he thinks you know anything..." She trailed off, trying not think of what the Viper could do. "Don't take any risks," she ordered. "Promise me."
Nigel met her gaze, seeing a myriad of emotions staring back at him. Hope, pain, and fear all blazed from her eyes, all coated with a thick layer of concern. It almost frightened him to know how much Sydney was worried about him. Her run-in with The Viper had shaken her up more than he'd ever seen her. "I promise," he assured her. "Don't worry."
"Mr. Bailey," the nurse sing-songed.
"I'm just saying good-bye," the young man defended. He squeezed Sydney's hand and released it. "I'll see you tomorrow Syd. Get some rest."
"I will... Take care Nigel." She called after him, and he turned and smiled at her as the nurse shooed him out the door.
Sydney leaned back on her pillow with a silent prayer and stared up at the bland white ceiling. Why couldn't they paint a nice mural up there? Given how many people were invariably stuck in hospitals staring up at the ceiling, they could at least hang a poster up there. Before she could start speculating about anything else, the nurse re-entered the room looking somewhat amused.
"He's been here for hours waiting for you to wake up." Mrs. Goldmeyer made conversation while wandering over to check Sydney's blood pressure. "He seems like a nice boy, a little stubborn though."
Sydney looked at the nurse, allowing a faint smile to touch her lips. "You have no idea."
End of Part Six
Go to Part Seven.