S7: Chapter 05: Like Mother Like Daughter

“Mom? Mom it’s Brett, Yvette’s been shot.” Brett paced frantically inside of the reception area at the ER as he waited on news about his wife’s condition. Doctors, nurses and other medical staff flooded the large hallway running from one patient’s room to the next. The flurry of activity did very little to calm Brett’s frazzled nerves as he tried to keep his mind off of the worst possible outcomes.

“Oh my God Brett, is she ok?”

“I don’t know, no one’s telling me anything and it’s been hours! Look, I’m calling because I need you to take the twins. Scott’s with them now but I know he’d much rather be here for Yvette and I don’t want him to…”

“I understand Brett. Your father and I will be there as soon as we can.”

“And Mom? Pack them a bag for a while. Yvette and I are into this case at work and it could get even more dangerous. Until this thing is over I just don’t want them to…I have to know they’re safe.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Regina replied before hanging up the call.

“Mr. Knight? I’m Dr. Pullman.”

“How’s my wife?” Brett questioned, jumping into the man’s face as soon as he approached. The sound of a machine flat lining behind the doctor pulled Brett’s attention and he watched as three nurses and a doctor with a crash cart rushed down the hallway.

“Mrs. Knight sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest. The second bullet pierced her left ventricle. We had to open her chest in the ER and revive her heart. We’re bringing her into the O.R. now to try and repair the wound but it’s a very delicate surgery.”

“Is she gonna be ok?”

“We’ll know more in a few hours.”

“Please, save her.”

“We’ll do everything we can.” He nodded at the doctor’s words and took a seat on the bench near the emergency room doors again. Dropping his head into his hands, Brett’s thoughts were on his last communication with her before he got the call that pulled him out of bed at three in the morning.

“What do we know?” Ethan asked entering the control room at Sycom.

“Agent Yvette Knight, acting on orders from Command, entered the D.C. office of Theodore Jameson in search of information that would lead us to the Delegate operative responsible for Katrina Evans’ death. The last audio we have on her is when she entered the building. Teamed up with a CIA in-house operative named Gabriel Tasker, they were to extract the hard drives of the operating systems used by Jameson on his normal work day.”

“From what we understand they were successful in retrieving the hardware but before they could escape the building, someone, whom we’ve yet to identify, entered the office and shot them both. Team Bravo was unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the items the two had collected and we believe the shooter may have fled with them,” Redding debriefed her superior as he looked heavy in thought over the situation.

“Any surveillance on the shooter?”

“No Sir. He exited the building, being very careful to avoid any cameras posted in the office and on the outside traffic lights. The only thing we were able to make out was a dark blue sedan speeding off in the direction of Capitol Hill but the cameras lose him in the vicinity of Independence and 7th. I’ve placed a BOLO on the vehicle.” Kimberly turned to face Ethan who had taken a seat over the main computer, staring at pictures of the crime scene and obviously deep in thought. “Sir, should you be here right now?”

His head snapped up towards her, his steel gray eyes pinning her against the wall. “Where else should I be right now Kimberly, huh? The hospital is cordoned off by a mass of Federal agents while my little girl lies bleeding on some gurney. I can’t get inside to see her and even if I tried setting foot towards that building the only thing it would do is serve her up on a silver platter and have every one of my enemies as well as every government facet accusing her of this, that or the other. I’m supposed to be dead you know? How would it look if I waltzed up to her bed and took a seat beside her?” 

“As much as I would love to be there, to hold her hand and help her through this, I’m stuck on the sidelines once again waiting on news to know whether or not I’m gonna have to put her in the ground! So yes, Kimberly, to answer your question this is EXACTLY where I should be right now. Now how about instead of questioning my loyalty to my daughter, you and the others get back to work on finding out who put her there in the first place!” He shouted, his words echoing against the plate glass windows that surrounded the office as he stood. Ethan slammed a fist onto the desk to emphasize his point before storming from the control center towards his office.

“Director Phillips?” Scott looked up noticing two agents walking up his driveway and motioned them forward. “I’m Special Agent Brian Harding and this is my partner Danica Peters, we’re with the Office of Professional Responsibility. Do you have a moment to spare? We need to discuss the actions of a few of the agents under your command.”

“I don’t have very long actually I’ve received some distressing news and was heading to the hospital.”

“For your daughter, Yvette Knight?” Scott eyed the young man dressed in a neatly pressed navy blue pin-striped suit and flawlessly polished wing tip shoes. “That’s actually who we’ve come to discuss. Sir it appears that Agent Knight has been working as a double agent for an underground organization known only to us by the letters SYC.”

“My daughter is not a double agent, haven’t you people learned anything from the last time you accused her of wrongdoing? She’s one of the most stand up agents the Bureau has!”

“Sir far be it from us to travel down that same road but we have compelling evidence that tells us otherwise. From what our Intel has gathered, it seems she was in the middle of an operation not sanctioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation when this incident occurred. A few hours ago she, alongside Gabriel Tasker, the Field Operations Director for the CIA, was found shot in the private office of one of the Hill’s most prestigious politicians. Tasker is dead but Knight survived and is still in surgery.”

Taking a step forward, Agent Peters handed a manila folder to Scott and began explaining its contents. “After Agent Knight was taken into the ER, Harding obtained a warrant for her personal effects. Inside her pocket we found a wallet which contained routing information for an account held at an offshore bank in the Grand Cayman Islands. Further investigations of that account shows that regular deposits were being made in the amount of $25,000 U.S. twice a month over the last two years. Furthermore, we have reason to suspect this second agency has ties to terrorist organizations and may even be responsible for recent attacks made on national soil.”

“This is ridiculous,” Scott growled as he poured over the data compiled in the pages before him. “Jesus you people. She’s in the hospital with her life hanging in the balance while you’re here trying to decide if she’s guilty of treason! Have a little respect for Christ’s sakes. Between solving the cases she’s worked with doggedness others would envy, successfully governing a five-man tactics team and raising her twin babies, when exactly do you think she’s had the time to work for another agency? And to imply that she’s being bought off by anyone is beyond absurd and I’m not about to stand here and listen to you denigrate her name and reputation a moment longer.”

“Sir whether this is something you want to hear or not, rest assured the OPR will pursue this case and one way or the other we will get to the bottom of what is going on right under your nose. Agent Knight will be lucky she retains her commission once we’ve finished with our investigation,” Harding tossed to Scott’s retreating back.

“Do what you feel is in the Bureau’s best interest but I promise you, I will fight you with every resource I have tooth and nail to prove her innocence. I will NOT let my daughter become the patsy to whatever agenda the OPR is pushing to keep their record clean. Now if you’ll excuse me, my child, my ONLY child is on the brink of death fighting for her life and I’d like to be there for her.” Hopping behind the wheel of his car, Scott sped off towards MedStar Washington Hospital.

“Brett!” Scott found him sitting in the waiting room and quickly rushed towards him. “Has there been any news? How is she doing?”

“I don’t know. The doctor said the bullet hit her heart and they have to go in and repair it and…I don’t know Scott. She’s…this can’t be happening. Tell me this isn’t happening right now!” He kept repeating as he lowered himself deeper into the bench he sat on. “I can’t do this. I can’t think about her not making it out and having to tell our kids and…I just can’t.”

“Your parents came and picked up Austin and Autumn to take back to Rockville so the twins are taken care of. As for Yvette…my little girl is a fighter, always has been. She’ll make it through this and knowing her, the second she gets back on her feet she’s going after whoever’s responsible.”

“Mr. Knight?” Brett jumped up hearing his name and seeing Dr. Pullman heading towards him once again. With a hopeful glimmer in his eyes he waited for the doctor to relay the condition of his wife, holding his breath as he went through the standard jargon of the procedures they’d performed. “We’ve successfully removed the bullets from your wife’s chest cavity and repaired her heart. She’s currently breathing on her own which is always a good sign. Her pulse is normal, heart rate is steady but she’s still unconscious. She’d lost a great deal of blood before she came in and with the surgery we did have to transfuse her. She could wake up in a few hours or a few days but her vital signs are all clear. Still we’ve placed her in the ICU overnight for observation but I don’t anticipate any significant changes to her health.”

“But she’ll wake up?”

“Other than that, of course. But as far as the danger, I’d say she was out of the woods.”

“That’s great! That’s, that’s great news!” He finally exhaled and gave Scott a big hug. “Can I see her?”

“Absolutely Mr. Knight. She’s being moved into a private room now. Just speak with someone at the nurses’ station and they’ll kindly get her ICU bay number for you.”

“Thank you, thank you again Dr. Pullman.” Brett and Scott rushed off in the direction of the front desk and waited for the on-duty to pull up the information before heading upstairs to her room. Entering quietly, they watched the nurse set up her IV drip and test her vitals before leaving and took seats beside her. Brett leaned over and pressed a deep kiss into her lips as he watched the machines report her status. “It still doesn’t seem real,” he started as he took her hand into his. “The last time she was in a hospital we were celebrating the arrival of the twins and I couldn’t remember being happier and now this. And the only thing I can think is…had I taken the assignment instead, she wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Don’t do that Brett. The last thing Yve needs right now is for you to blame yourself for what has happened to her. If you need to blame someone then blame the one who put her here. Hunt down the son of a bitch and show him that he can’t just disrupt our lives like this.” Scott sat a moment longer with Yvette before pressing concerns drew him from her bedside. He stepped into the hallway to make a call and ensure agents were making progress with Yvette’s case.

“You failed!” A scratchy voice announced over the phone’s speaker, growling fiercely in the man’s ear.

“What are you talking about? I got the Intel and took out both agents before leaving.”

“Then your shooting skills leave much to be desired! Agent Knight survived. She’s in the hospital now, I’m looking at her father and husband standing by her bedside!”

“That’s…that’s not possible, she wasn’t breathing and had no pulse! Fuck! What are we going to do?”

“‘We’ aren’t doing anything! You’d better get your ass to MedStar and finish what you started before they find out you couldn’t complete a simple mission! We cannot and will not risk her waking up and fingering you as the trigger man! Take care of her or I’ll take care of you.”

“Mr. Knight?” a nurse entered the room with a clipboard in hand. “We have a few papers for you to sign for your wife’s treatment if you don’t mind.” Brett gently pecked Yvette’s forehead before starting out behind the nurse towards her station, passing Scott in the hallway near the vending machines.

A man dressed in a doctor’s uniform entered once their backs were turned. Moving quickly he removed a syringe from his pocket and stepped towards the bed preparing to inject the clear liquid into the IV. “What are you doing?” a voice asked behind him. He turned in fear to find a scared nurse and hurried to the door as she slowly began backing out of the room. With a hand covering her mouth, the man hastily injected the liquid into her arm and waited as her body slowly slipped to the floor. Shit, he thought as he glanced over towards Yvette.

Thinking on his feet, he pulled the nurse’s body into a corner, ran forward and leaned over the unconscious agent. Yvette awoke to find icy cold fingers curled around her neck, pressing and clenching tightly. She fought back instinctively, her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what was happening. Short, ragged sighs escaped her throat as she tried to pry the fingers away in vain. Blood gushed from the ripped stitches on her chest and her heartbeat quickened as panic set in. She reached for the nurse’s call button but the man moved quicker, pulling her away before her hand could wrap around the control.

The ache in her upper body grew worse by the minute as she writhed beneath his grasp and slowly the world started to spin and fade. Every sound grew duller, her vision more blurred as hot tears stung her eyes. The man tightened his grip as Yvette started to fumble to get a hold of anything she could find to pry his large, meaty paws from around her throat. He could feel her pulse strumming harder like a frightened rabbit and her fear exhilarated him.

A maniacal laugh echoed between her ears mixed with the sounds of her choking and sputtering. Her heart, once quickly thumping in her chest, slowed in rhythm as his fingers continued to squeeze. This man was determined to take the life away from her and as the burning in her lungs increased, Yvette knew there was no escape.

But she wouldn’t give up so easily. In a last ditch effort, Yvette reached for his face and felt her nails connect with flesh; scratching the surgical mask from his mouth. The crazed look in his eyes terrified her as his grip became tighter and tighter. She clawed harder; his blood splashed on her face as she felt herself weaken. 

The thudding of footsteps was a welcomed sound as she felt her hands fall to her sides and her eyes slowly begin to close. The grip on her neck loosened and Yvette let out a loud sigh as she took in a large breath. “Mercer!? You son of a bitch!” The voice was familiar, the name the same but she was unable to process what was happening as her senses slowly recovered.

She could hear the sounds of a struggle, large objects falling to the floor with a crash as two men grunted just somewhere at her feet. Yvette opened one eye at a time to see her husband grappling with an older man. Gerald Mercer. Brett took a solid right to the face and was knocked back against Scott who had just reentered the room. The two hit the floor hard and Mercer jumped over the fallen agents as he quickly scurried down the hall. 

Hurriedly Brett jumped to his feet giving chase as several shelves of medical supplies and other objects were thrown in his path in Mercer’s desperate attempt to escape. “Call security, have them shut this place down!” Brett growled a command to the nurses’ station as he rushed past. A fire alarm was pulled and several patients flooded the halls looking for an exit from the perceived danger. “Move!” Brett yelled, pushing panicked civilians from his path. Entering another hallway he checked both directions for the fleeing man before catching sight of him just through the last double doors leading outside.

Brett promptly moved forward, his feet pounding the pavement as he emerged into the emptying swarm of patients and hospital staff but it was too late. Mercer had disappeared into the crowded parking lot. “FUCK!” He fell forward onto his knees as he struggled to catch his breath, checking the multitude of faces as he passed but Mercer was nowhere in sight.

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