Chapter 29

Marc’s eyes fluttered open. He felt like they weighed a ton. He looked around the room. What he found at his side caused him to pause. Camille was asleep on the side of his bed. Her head lie next to his thigh and she was using her crossed arms as a pillow. Her delicate hand held his. He realized his hand was clinched in a tight fist. Her wild ringlets were free and he reached out to touch them. His attempt fell short when a sharp pain caused him to groan.

She woke and sat up alert. Camille stopped directly at his face and a soft smile touched her full lips. He could see the tears pooling in her eyes and he wanted to touch her. Cautioned because of the pain he had just experienced, he opened his mouth to ask her to move closer.

His throat was so dry, it caused his request to sound like he had a frog stuck in his throat. She moved toward the nightstand, poured him a cup of water, and held it to his mouth. He reached for the cup, but the pain assaulted his body again.

“Will you please stop trying to move? I got it,” she said in a quiet voice.

He nodded, although he did not know how much he liked being unable to drink water without assistance.

She held the back of his neck and brought him closer to her hand holding the cup of water. He could see the moisture gathered on the outside of the cup, but the increase of her breathing that caused him to look into her eyes. It was then that he realized the sensual gesture that was about to take place. Maybe being dependent wouldn’t be so bad…

She held the cup to his lips and he heard the sharp intake of her breath when his lips connected with the cup. Mark allowed the water to slide down his throat. He felt as if he hadn’t had water in years. Camille pulled the cup back and he took several breaths. He tried to talk again. It was then that he noticed the IV attached to his arm. He quickly scanned the room and knew he was in a hospital.

“You’ve been here at St. Josephs for almost a week.” Camille said, reading his mind.

“A week?” A frown settled between his eyes. He looked around the room. They were alone. Marc inhaled the sterile smell of the room and lifted his arm, examining the IV. The hum of the machines attached to his body measuring his heart rate broke their silence with small steady beeps.

Camille nodded while letting Marc take in his surroundings. She reached for the remote attached to his bed and pushed the red button with the nurse image. A reply came and she notified the attending nurse that Marc was awake. Within seconds, a nurse and doctor entered the room. She stood to move away, but he grabbed her hand. They shared a look. He wanted her near him. He could not remember how he got here and he did not want her to leave. She was the only familiar thing in the room.

Camille stood to the side, giving the professionals room, but she did not release his hand. He could see the worried strain in her eyes. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. His gesture, meant to reassure her, caused a trail of tears to run down Camille’s face. Watching her cry, created an ache in his chest that had nothing to do with the physical pain his body was enduring.

“Mr. Fulton, I’m Dr. Eric Collins, I need you to look at the light.” He shined a light in both of Marc’s eyes. “Do you know where you are?” The doctor asked.

“Yes, I’m in St. Joseph’s Hospital.” He recalled Camille’s earlier statement.

“What is your full name?” He continued, lifting Marc’s shirt and placing the stethoscope on his chest, directly over his heart.

“Marc Fulton.” Marc felt the warmth from Camille’s hands tightly holding his right hand. He could feel her slight tremble. He squeezed her hand trying to reassure her that he was fine and everything would be all right.

Dr. Collins nodded. He then asked Marc a series of questions. Who was he? Where was his born? His parents name. Satisfied with Marc’s answers, he smiled at Camille while placing his pen in his white jacket pocket. He then passed the manila file to the nurse standing several feet away. She exited the room as he pulled a chair close to Marc’s bedside, and gestured for Camille to take a seat as well.

“Marc, do you know why you’re here?” That was the question of the hour. Marc searched his mind trying to remember. He recalled entering the apartment and seeing Camille held at gunpoint and he remembered being shot in the back by Derek.

As Marc talked with the doctor, he could still feel Camille’s hand shaking. She bent and placed a soft kiss on his forearm. He paused, wishing they were alone.

The doctor assured them that he would fully recover and left them alone. Camille took her seat. “What happened?” His flashes of memory did not quite add up.

She shrugged, “I'll explain it all to you later. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up.”

* * *

Camille held Marc's hand as he drifted back to sleep. Watching him fight for his life had made hers a living nightmare. Derek had been arrested and charged with treason. It seemed Derek, who was playing both sides, sideswiped the money Talib was searching for. He'd met Ashanta by chance and used information she shared to forge a relationship with Saul. Saul didn't know he was an agent, but used it as an opportunity to get back at his father. He was now facing murder charges for the death of Harold.

Saul signed a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony against Derek; however, he still awaited trial for his involvement with trafficking conflict diamonds. Apparently, he imported diamonds mined by the Imperial Dynasty and mingled them with their legitimate diamond supply.

Talib sustained critical injuries due to the shot he received from Ashanta. He was hospitalized and a few days later, he went missing. Camille knew the authorities would look for him, but they didn't have enough solid evidence to hold him. She turned over her information to the bureau and they planned to coordinate with the agency and seek international charges against the Imperial Dynasty.

Camille started the case to find diamonds, but what they found instead was greedy people fighting for money. Saul, Derek, and Talib all sought financial gain through ill-gotten means at the expense of precious lives.