The nasty place in her chest where her soul had been ripped out healed over the instant his blue eyes flicked up to meet her shimmering brown ones.  Laura clutched Remington’s shoulders before sliding her arms around his neck as he devoured her lips.  One of his hands cupped the back of her head, and the other wrapped around her slender waist, gripping her painfully.  Hardly audible, Laura whispered, “Oh Rei. ... “

Conscious of their audience, they retreated into their roles before they gave too much away.  Remington offered his arm as he laid money on the table and retrieved his sunglasses from his pocket.  Laura hoped anyone looking on would assume the she was meeting her lover for a clandestine afternoon.

He escorted her to the elevator, acknowledging Mildred and Murphy with a barely discernable nod once he spied them across the lobby.  They fell in behind him while pretending to fuss over their luggage and room keys.  Fallon slipped in at the last moment as if in a great hurry.

*****

Sir, Steele’s wife just came into the hotel.

How does she look?

Ah, gorgeous.  Red dress and heels.

I meant does she seem hurt or upset?

There’s not a mark on her, and she seemed pretty happy.  Especially when she kissed Mr. Steele in the bar.

Is she related to Wonder Woman too?  Never mind that.  Where’s Steele now?

They just went upstairs in the elevator.  

Those two have been doing a lot of slipping past people lately.  Keep an eye on them.  Let me know what they do.  Don’t lose them.

Yes, sir.

*****

Silence reigned in the car as it rode up the shaft.  Remington merely rested his chin on Laura’s head lying against his heart.  Her hat dangled from her gloved fingertips.

Eyeing the two of them, Fallon broke the quiet.  “I presume, Mrs. Blaine, that this is Mr. Blaine?”

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry.  Mildred, Murphy, this is Fallon Sweeney.  She’s a nurse; ah, she helped me get here.”  Nods and murmurs of "pleased to meet you" were made all around.  

“Fallon, I haven’t told you the truth about who we really are, I--”

The nurse interrupted, “Me lass, I’m a fan of Casablanca as much as the next lady, and I figured out this morning that none other than the lovely Mrs. Laura Steele was on me doorstep.  I’ll assume this handsome Irish lad is the late Mr. Remington Steele, aye?”  The pair smiled and shared a warm look.

“Aye, your description is apt: 'tall, black hair, blue eyes, and too gorgeous for his own good.'  I’d say you know your man well.”  Fallon’s eyes sparkled at the pair’s embarrassment as the doors slipped open.  Murphy checked around the hallway before waving everyone clear, and Mildred dug for her key as she chattered good-naturedly with Fallon about the Irish weather and beautiful countryside.  They entered the suite and began making themselves at home.

The Steeles shared a quiet moment in the empty corridor as the elevator doors closed.  Both of them blinked back tears. Laura clutched Remington’s face and shoulders.  “You are real,” she whispered, stroking a whiskered cheek.  “I thought I was dreaming or that you were a ghost come back to help me.”  She trembled as reality set in.

Remington quirked a wry smile.  “No love, nothing that noble.”  He pulled her close, sliding one hand in her hair as he hugged her.  “Oh God, Laura!” he choked out over the sudden lump in his throat.  “I’ve never been so glad as when I saw you walking to me.”  He captured her lips, trying to avoid her swollen cheek and chin.  She returned his kiss in kind, absorbing his essence to assure her heart he was quite alive and well.

He broke away, muttering, “O’Callaghan’s going to answer for this.”  Once more, he wrapped her in a tight embrace, heedless of her injuries.  They stayed that way for a long moment.  Then he dropped a light kiss on her lips before placing a hand on the small of her back as they turned to the room.

Laura winced at the first step.  Her knee finally protested the shoes and the general abuse of walking.  “Good Lord, Laura, are we back to this?”  Remington referred to her first leg injury as he swung her up in his arms and carried her through the doorway.  Her skirt rode up, revealing the Ace bandage on her knee with blackened bruises spilling out either side.

“Heavens, Mrs. Steele, what happened to you?” Mildred asked as she opened the door for the couple.  Laura did not answer.  Instead, she leaned her head against Remington, giving in to the dizziness she had been holding at bay.

“Much, I’m afraid,” he replied for her.

Fallon spoke up, “On the bed, Mr. Steele, if you don’t mind.  She’s in worse shape than she’s letting on.  I’ll get me things and be there in a moment.”

“Of course.”

*****

Once on the bed, Remington slipped off Laura’s sunglasses to see the black and blue bruises shadowing her eyes.  He, like Fallon several hours before, stared into their depths with a carefully blank expression.  They were glazed, either from shock or pain, he wasn’t sure, but they were somewhat clearer than the last time he saw them.  Laura eased out of her dress and gloves with his help.  Clad only in the bodyshaper and hosiery, he arched a comical eyebrow at her, trying to keep his attitude lighthearted.  “Laura, my darling, you’ll have to save that deadly contraption for a day when you feel like seducing me with it.  You know what stockings do to me, hmm?”

Before he could upzip the corset though, Laura stopped him.  “How do you know?”

“About what?”

“You know about my knee and my face, and--everything.”  She waved in the general direction of her body.

Clenching his jaw tight, he spoke slowly, “Because Laura, they made me watch while ... while they did this to you.”

“You saw me?  How ... how much did you see?”  Her eyes were fearful now and huge with dread.

“Everything, Laura, from the time the car exploded until you escaped.”

“Then you know,” her face crumpled, “what they did to me.”  Her hands flew to her cheeks.  Then she shoved at Remington while stumble-hopping to the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

“Laura!  Laura!”  He could hear her hysterically crying on the other side of the door.  He started to pound a fist on the door, thought the better of it and flexed his hand before dropping it to his side.

*****

Mildred and Murphy froze in the living area at the sounds coming out of the bedroom.  But from the doorway, Fallon gave a little sound of relief.  “Good, she’s been holding all that inside.  She’ll get it all out and be the better for it.  ‘Tis the truth that’s the first time she’s spilled a tear since I picked her up off the road after midnight two nights ago.  If it were me in her shoes, I’d be crying buckets long before now.”  She walked into the bedroom and patted Remington on the shoulder.  “Give her a few minutes to fuss and go make your peace.  And try to remember that until a few minutes ago, she thought you were dead.”

Fallon left him leaning against the door.  She found Mildred and Murphy making worried small talk in the kitchen.  “Hello, my name is Fallon Sweeney, and I’m a nurse out o’ the hospital here in Cork.  I picked up Mrs. Steele on Monday night on the side of the road on my way home from me shift.”

Murphy blew out a snort and shook her proffered hand.  “Well, that covers the basics.”  He smiled for the first time in three days.  “Murphy Michaels, former associate of Laura’s and here to help get to the bottom of all this.”

“Mildred Krebs, current associate of the Steeles and here to help these two as well.  Now, what can we do for them?”

Fallon decided she liked the pair.  They seemed to have the same no-nonsense attitude about life.  “For starters, why don’t you two get some lunch and a nap as Murphy tells me you’ve had a long flight?  I’ll check in on Mrs. Steele in a bit before I go in to work.  I’m on second shift now, and I have a trio of hours yet before I need to go.”

Shrewdly, Mildred eyed the nurse.  “But I bet you’ve been up all night too.  You can eat with us and catch an hour’s sleep before you go in.  We’ll sleep in shifts to catch up.”

“I’m a nurse; I nap when I can, and I dozed a bit last night.  But I’ll take you up on your generous offer and be the better for it.”  Mildred nodded and made herself busy ordering lunch for everyone.  

While Murphy settled their luggage into the suite and claimed the sofa for himself, Fallon began picking through her medical kit for various and sundry items she would need for Mrs. Steele as she gave the reunited couple a bit more time.

*****

Impatiently, Remington waited as Laura calmed.  In reality, it only took a couple of minutes, but having had his fill of feeling helpless these past three days, he slipped open the catch on the lock with a toothpick to find Laura sitting on the toilet, clutching her middle with one hand and covering her eyes with the other.  Her hair hung in lank waves, hiding her face from him.

Trying hard for a light tone, he mocked her gently, “Now, Laura, if you want to lock me out, you’ll have to find something a bit more substantial than that pitiful excuse for a door knob.  I mean really, love, it’s practically an insult.”

Laura softly snorted under the cover of her hand.  He hunkered down in front of her.  “Laura, I promise what happened in that room is not quite what you think.”  He tipped up her chin to look into her wet brown eyes.  “Will you trust me for a few minutes longer while Ms. Sweeney looks you over?  When you’re settled, I will tell you what happened, and we’ll deal with it together.  All right, love?”

Laura hesitated, then nodded.

“Good, let’s get you to the bed.  I know you’re tender, and this toilet just doesn’t seem like a good place to relax.”  He gathered her in his arms.  “I’m going to have to start working out again.”  He hefted her with a comical groan, and she chuckled weakly.

Fallon poked and prodded Laura before rewrapping her sore ribcage and propping up the knee with ample pillows and an ice pack.  The nurse put Remington in charge of carefully peeling the bloody stockings away from Laura’s damaged feet while she finished her examination.  He sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed, smoothing ointment on the raw blisters before wrapping them gently in gauze.  

“You’re going to be hurting something awful these next few days, but most o’ this will heal.  I think you’ll need to see a surgeon about that knee.  You’re not to be walking on it until I can bring ye one.”  Fallon glanced up at Remington.  “I’m assuming, o’ course, that ye won’t let her leave ‘til ye know it’s safe?”  He nodded.  “Good.  Then I’ll give ye what I’ve got to help with the sores and bruises for now, and I’ll bring a doctor with me in the morning and something a bit stronger for the pain if ye need.  That’ll give time for the swelling to go down, and he can take a better look.” 

Fallon sat on the edge of the bed with Laura, buttoning her into a thin pajama top.  “Mrs. Steele, this morning we talked about taking certain precautions, if ye like.  Now that ye know your husband’s safe and sound, what do ye want to do?”

Laura hesitated while Remington looked up quizzically.  “What precautions are we talking about?" he asked. 

“Mr. Steele, your wife believes she was raped, and given the bruises and whatnot, I’m inclined to agree.  What I can give her will ensure she’s not with child from the ill-treatment.  If it’s to work for certain though, she has to take these pills today.”

Remington seemed to shrink inside himself, and he clasped his hands in front of him.  His haunted blue eyes met her confused brown ones while he explained.  “Laura, I know what you must have thought when you woke up in that awful cell.  The men that kidnapped you, and me,” he said the latter with emphasis, “gave you a mickey in your water.”  Her eyes reflected her confusion as she listened to her husband.  “I was told it was mixed with a painkiller, and I was given a choice.  Either I could "take care of you" myself or watch a couple of men do it for me.”

He swallowed hard before the next words would come out.  “Laura, I’m not denying that it was rape.  You were incapable of giving consent for what happened.  Never before have I taken advantage of a woman, but I did that night and more than once.  The only consolation I can give you is that I was the only one who ever touched you.”  He raked his hand through his hair, looking miserable.

Laura looked at him askance.  “You’re telling me that I was drugged?”  He nodded.  It was getting hard for her to think through the pain in her head, and she couldn’t quite understand what he was saying.  She looked at Fallon.  “Does this make sense to you?”

“Aye, I’ve seen it more that I’d care.  Sometimes the boyos give it to the lasses to make them more pliable.  The girls wake feeling ill and knowing something’s not right without having any idea what happened at all.  Sometimes they find out from friends later that they did things that they would never, ever think of doing in the light of day.”

“Is that what happened to me?” Laura asked Remington.  He nodded.  “Will you tell me about that night?”

“Laura, we had sex--a lot of it.” 

But something in his expression disturbed her, and she tried to focus on it.  “What else happened?”

“Not a thing, love.”

“Remington--what else?” she persisted.

But he shook his head and implored, “Laura, can it be enough that I was the only one that touched you in any way?  If you want to take those pills, it’s up to you, but I’ve no misgivings at all that any child you might have would be mine.”

She was tired and confused enough that she didn’t recognize Remington’s clever dodge of her question.  Her energy was sapped, her head hurt, and the aches in her body were beginning to overwhelm her.

Fallon noticed her patient flag abruptly.  “There you go, love, that’s the last of the pain medicine giving out.  Mr. Steele, might I trouble you for a glass of water for your wife, and we’ll see she gets some rest?”  Remington frowned, realizing the nurse was getting him out of the room.  But he left anyway.

“Mrs. Steele, what do ye want to do?”  Wearily, Laura raised her eyes to meet Fallon’s.  She held her gaze for a long moment before giving a tiny negative shake of her head.  “That’ll be fine, love.  Ah, here’s the man himself with your water.”  Fallon picked up one of the bottles of pills she had shown to Remington and shook out a pair of tablets.  “Swallow these and get some sleep.”  Laura did and closed her eyes.

*****

Remington walked the nurse to the bedroom door, where she gave him final instructions.  “When she wakes, have her eat a bit and then make her sleep some more.  I’ll be by tomorrow morning with a doctor, but call me here if you need me before then.”  Fallon handed him a slip of paper with a phone number on it.

Remington leaned in to kiss her cheek.  “A thousand thank yous, Ms. Sweeney.  Laura is my whole world and you restored her to me.  For the rest of your life, if you need anything, anything at all for you and yours, call me and I’ll make it happen.”

Fallon blushed.  “Such charm in man.  Now go on and rest with your wife.  I imagine you’ve had little sleep for yourself.”

Remington looked at his shoes for a second before pinning her with his gaze.  “Did she take the precautions you mentioned?” he asked very quietly.

Fallon cocked her head.  “No.  ‘Tis the measure of the trust she has in you that she takes what ye said on faith alone.”  His shoulders--no--his whole body sagged in relief.  She patted him on the cheek and left without another word.

Remington closed the door behind her and stripped down to his briefs and t-shirt before sliding in next to Laura.  Even in her sleep, she turned her head toward him.  Unable to bring himself to hold her, he contented himself by the fact he could smell her hair and he slept.

*****

Mildred and Murphy took their own catnaps, taking turns so as not to leave the suite unguarded.  Later, Murphy made a fast run to pick up various things they would need for their investigation.  Mildred chortled when she saw the boxes he stacked inside the door.  She spent a happy afternoon assembling her new computer while Murphy spent time with the gardaí, gathering their reports.  He kept mum about the Steeles' whereabouts.

*****

Late in the afternoon, Remington stirred when he felt the rhythm of Laura’s breathing change.  She sobbed his name and then whimpered in terror.  He soothed her, whispering and comforting the fears away.  “Shhhh, love.  I’m here.  I’m not ever going to leave you.”  She turned to wrap her arms around him, but gasped when various parts of her body protested.

Laura opened her brown eyes to gaze into Remington’s blue ones.  “Hello, love,” he whispered.

“Hi.”  There was a long silence while they took in the past seventy-odd hours, the losing and the finding.  “Can you tell me what’s going on?”  Laura’s voice was still thick from the painkillers.

“Ah, there’s my lovely Laura again.  I can always tell when you’re feeling better because your brain starts firing on all cylinders.”  Remington's expression lightened.   

“I love you,” she said, thoroughly distracted by his deep blue eyes.

“I’ll always love you, Laura.”

A soft knock on the door interrupted them.  “Kids?”

“Yes, Mildred,” they said in unison.  Ever so slightly, Laura rolled her eyes as Remington grimaced.

“Dinner’s here if you feel up to eating.”

“Excellent, Mildred, we’ll be there in a moment,” he called.

“Sure thing, Chief.”  Mildred was thrilled to think they both must be feeling better.

“How are you feeling?  Any pain?”  Remington slipped on a pair of deep blue silk pajama pants before he lifted Laura from the bed.

She tried to put her arm around his neck but couldn’t make them work.  “Some.  My face hurts--well, really, it all hurts.  But it’s bearable at the moment.  Will you help me get this makeup off my face?  It feels like glue.”  Some of her words slurred together, a result of the heavy-duty pain medications Fallon gave her.  He set her on the counter in the bathroom.  With gentle hands, he washed away the heavy cosmetics and retaped her broken nose.  “Fallon said my nose had already been reset.  Was that you?”

“Mmm, yes.  Ah, they let me see you for a few minutes and since you were out cold, I popped it back in place.”

“Should I try to guess where you learned that?” she said slowly.

“It’s interesting the bits of knowledge one can pick up on the streets of London.  When a couple of your fellows have a donnybrook, it comes in handy to know a thing or two about patching a body up.”

“And I’m sure you can wrap a knee by now.  If you hadn’t, I don’t think I could have climbed the wall.”

“Perhaps.  All set now?”  He wrapped his dressing gown around her, loosely tying the belt.

“I think so.”  As Remington lifted Laura from the counter, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.  She was mortified to be seen this way and buried her face in her husband’s t-shirt.

“Love, it will be okay.  I promise.  We’re all friends here and no one else will see you.”

“But I look awful!” she moaned, “I look like a ... a mutant of some kind.”  Remington chuckled as he carried her through the bedroom and into the main area of the suite where Mildred and Murphy were setting food on the table.  “I can’t even punch you ‘cause I’m wrapped up like a mummy,” she muttered.

“Perhaps that’s for the best, then.”

“Mildred, Murphy--what are you doing here?”  She had forgotten they were in the elevator earlier.

Neither one was prepared for their first good look at the couple.  Remington was unshaven, unkempt and dressed only in an undershirt and lounging pants.  Bloodshot blue eyes accented by dark smudges underneath reflected the horror of the past three days.  In his arms, the sight of a severely beaten Laura was a stark contrast to the femme fatale Mildred and Murphy saw strutting through the lobby.  They both caught the bright glaze in her brown eyes and the slow words.

Mildred spoke first.  “Mrs. Steele, do you really think I wouldn’t come at the drop of a hat when I read about everything in the newspaper.”

“You read about us in the L.A. Tribune?”  Laura furrowed her brow.

“You two are big news, honey, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I did.  What about you, Murphy?”

He stepped up to the pair and laid a soft kiss on her uninjured cheek.  “I’ve come to help a friend.”  He looked to Remington.  “I am profoundly grateful to not be consoling Laura.  She would be devastated without you.  And you, her, I think.”  He suddenly had an urge to call Kate, and would, later.

“Murphy, my thanks.  And if you’ll grant it, your assistance for the next few days will be invaluable.”  Remington nodded to the other man.

“My time is yours, Steele.”

“Well then, that’s settled.  Let’s eat.  Laura is heavier than she looks.”  He grinned at her slow frown.

The setting sun slanted golden rays through the suite.  The four sat at the mid-century modern dining table with Remington close enough to Laura to keep her balance and feed her.  He started a light conversation with Mildred and Murphy about the flight and weather in Ireland that led to discussions about nearby tourist venues.

Irritated, Laura interrupted.  “Mr. Steele, can the weather wait?  I’d like to know exactly what’s been happening for the past three days.  There’s much that I don’t know.”

Remington ignored her and stuffed a small piece of chicken into her mouth.  He continued his description of Ashford Castle for Murphy.  Each time Laura tried to talk, he fed her another bite or distracted her with a drink of water.  She sat in aggravated silence for several minutes before getting the message that there would be no discussion of the awful events until after dinner.  After that, she relaxed somewhat.  Remington, ever sensitive to her moods, flashed a smile at her, lightening her attitude even further.

By the end of the dinner, Laura could feel the last of the pain pills she took earlier in the day wearing off.  Her head ached again; it hurt to sit, and even the smallest amount of movement caused her torso to light up.  She laid her head on Remington’s shoulder, not realizing he was carrying her to the sofa.

“Open up, love.  There you go, and take a drink.”  She complied, resting her head on the pillow.  Minutes later, the aches flowed away, and she drifted off to sleep with Remington stroking her cheek.  For quite some time he stayed that way, sitting on the back of the sofa and brushing his fingers across her face, tangling them in the stray strands of wavy auburn hair.  Outside, stars dappled the night sky as the last rays of the sun ebbed and disappeared.



Chapter 13 -- Perspective