FIC: The Right Kind Of Wrong (7 / ?)
Title: The Right Kind Of Wrong (7/ ? )
Characters: Owen Harper/OFC
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): mild violence and language
Spoiler(s): We are just past "Greeks Bearing Gifts".
Summary: Being an med intern is never easy. Especially if you find yourself suddenly working for Torchwood.
Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Torchwood and its associated characters and places and things. I wish I did, but I don't.
Authors Notes: Thank you to bellasianna, mrs_cj_harkness, secbeth, and stopwatch_happy for being my biggest supporters and helping me on my way.
Previous Chapters: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX
CHAPTER 7
It was the phone ringing that woke her up.
Ignoring it, Kayla stretched languidly and snuggled deeper under the covers, sighing contentedly. An arm wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her up against a very warm body. A very warm and naked body, she amended, her sleep muddled mind clearing up enough to realize that she was also quite naked. Her eyes flew open as she remembered the night before, a slow blush traveling across her cheeks.
“Morning,” Owen breathed against her skin, sensing she’s awake as he placed soft kisses along her shoulder. Rolling over on to her back, she shyly smiled at him as he propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her. He laughed at her blush as his fingers traced patterns across the bare skin of her stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. “ She giggled as his hand brushed along the ticklish spot at her waist, and swatted it away. “We should get up. Being late this morning is probably a very bad idea.” Sitting up with the sheet held to her chest, she looked around for her clothes.
Owen gave her a mock pout as he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his tshirt, offering it to her. “In a hurry to get out of my bed, kitten? And here I thought you had fun last night.”
“If I wasn’t sure Jack would kick your door in at some point if I at least don’t show up, I’d be more than happy to stay in bed.” Dropping the sheet, she cupped the sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Everything last night.” She rolled her eyes at his self-satisfied grin. “Yes, even that, you prat. But more than that.” Looking flustered, she snatched the shirt out his hand and slid out of the bed, giving him a tempting glimpse of bare skin before she put his shirt on. She headed for the door to the living room. “Did you get my stuff last night?”
“In the bag by the front door.” Climbing out of bed, he slipped his jeans on and followed her out to the living room. “Like what?” he probed.
“What?” she asked, startled by his question as she picked up the bag and headed back towards the bedroom. He stepped into her path and stopped her, putting his hands on her waist.
“You said for more than the sex. Like what?”
She frowned slightly, not sure what to make of his question. “For being my friend, Owen, giving me a shoulder to cry on.”
“Ah, but how do you know that wasn’t my master plan just to get you in my bed?” He silently cursed himself at the sudden hurt expression that crossed her face as she pulled away from him. Grabbing hold of her again before she could move too far away, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. “I was joking, Kayla. Sorry, I can be an arse.” He grinned at her laughter.
“Really, Dr. Harper? I had no idea.” She stretched up and gave him a brief kiss, and then peeled his arms from around her. “Now, I am going to go have a shower……..by myself.” She hid a smile at his disgruntled frown when she said that. “Don’t give me that look. And then I am going to get dressed so we can go face the firing squad.” Giving him a dazzling smile, she slipped past him and headed for the bedroom. Following her, his smile widened in anticipation of her seeing what he had actually picked out for her to wear.
Setting the bag on the bed and opening it, she began to pull out clothes. “Did you have fun going through my underthings, Owen?” She set aside the matching purple satin bra and panty set she rarely wore, let alone to work, shooting him a look over her shoulder.
“You told me to pick anything,” he said with an innocent look. She shook her head and looked to see what else he had picked.
“Stockings? Why did you pack a pair of my……?” she started to ask, and then sighed. At the bottom of the pile was her black wrap dress. She picked it up and turned to him with a questioning look.
He didn’t look at her, intent on studying a spot on the floor. “You know, you’ve worked for Torchwood for a couple of months now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress or skirt. Thought it might make a nice change.” He looked up at her then, and gave her one of his most charming smiles. “Will you wear it for me?”
“It will be really hard to chase aliens in a skirt and dress shoes.” His look of impending disappointment touched her. “But I guess I can make the sacrifice today.” Scooping everything up, she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. Owen crossed to his dresser, and pulling out a fresh pair of jeans and shirt, left the bedroom to use the guest bathroom.
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Jack’s name flashed on his caller id for the 15th time that morning. Owen ignored it and shoved the phone back in his pocket, deciding he could do without the confrontation for now. “Almost ready, kitten?” he called out towards the bedroom.
“Yeah, just putting my stuff in the bag. Coming now!” Kayla called back. Turning as he heard the bedroom door open, he froze on the spot at the lovely sight coming towards him. Her steps faltered as he stared at her. “Owen? What is it? Is there something wrong with how I look?”
“You look amazing, kitten,” he whispered. “You need to wear dresses more often.”
She spun in a circle to show how it looked from every angle, her hair and the skirt flaring out around her. He grabbed his leather jacket from the chair and crossing over to her, settled it around her shoulders, and dropping a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Ready?” he asked, holding his arm out for her to take. He gave her a sympathetic look at her worried expression.
“Not really, but we have to go back some time, don’t we? I need to stop by my flat on the way there, to drop off my bag and to grab a couple of items I’ll need if I am going to make nice with Jack.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s go.” She put her arm through his and allowed him to lead her out towards what was she was sure going to be a very bad day.
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Ianto could see Jack on the CCTV, pacing in his office like a caged tiger. No one had been able to reach Kayla or Owen since the previous afternoon and the more time that passed, the more likely to commit murder Jack seemed to be. Tosh exchanged worried looks with him a short time later as he passed her on the way into Jack’s office, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. He walked in as Jack slammed his cell phone down on the desk.
“Still no answer, sir?” he asked cautiously, setting the cup down in front of Jack.
“No.” Jack raked his hands through his hair, gritting his teeth in frustration. “And don’t start, Ianto. We both know Owen’s reputation.”
“And I will say it again, Jack, she’s a grown woman. Capable of making her own decisions, whether you think they are a mistake or not.”
“But she doesn’t know Owen! He’s not above using her emotional state to get her into his bed.” He got up from behind his desk and started pacing again.
“You don’t even know for sure that happened, Jack,” Ianto said with a trace of annoyance.
“Oh come off it, Yan. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s happened. It’s all my fault,” he said loathingly. “Catherine would kill me if she was alive. I should be protecting Kayla, instead I drive her into the one place that should have been the easiest to keep her from.”
Ianto grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop his pacing. “Stop this, Jack. It’s not doing anyone any good.” He smiled inwardly at Jack’s surprised look as he pulled the other man into a hug. Normally not one to show outward displays of affection when others were around, preferring to keep things between he and Jack private, it was the only thing he could think of to try and calm Jack down.
“I just want to keep her safe, Yan,” he said sadly, wrapping his arms around him and leaning into him. “I owe that to Catherine, and to her. God, I’ve fucked this up so badly.”
“No, you didn’t, Jack. Ok, maybe how she found out wasn’t exactly the best, but you weren’t out to hurt her. And until she walks in that door, you don’t know where things stand. And remember, she’s your blood. I am pretty sure that ensures she’s capable of taking care of herself pretty well on her own.” He hugged Jack closer for a moment before releasing him and stepping away. “Now, drink your coffee, calm down, and attempt to do some work. She’ll be here sooner or later and you can deal with things then.”
Jack gave him a small smile as he left the office and headed back to the tourist office. He began to straighten things on the counter when he was distracted by the ping from his computer, signaling that one of the cctv camera’s were activated by movement. Glancing at the screen, he watched as Owen helped Kayla out of his car, frowning as Owen kissed her as she laughed. They headed for the entrance, hand in hand, walking close to each other and talking intimately. Kayla was carrying what looked like photo albums in her other arm.
Ianto reached up and activated his comm. “Jack, they’re here.” He put up the closed sign on the door, and hurried back down to the hub, sensing this was going to be a bad confrontation.
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Owen leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped around Kayla. He could feel the tension running through her as the lift descended down to the hub. It mirrored his own although he tried not to let her see it. Jack was going to be hell to deal with but he wasn’t worried about himself, his concern was for her. “You OK?”
“Not really.” She was back to nervously playing with strands of her hair, twisting them around and around her fingers. “It’s too late to turn around and leave, isnt it?”
“Hey, I offered staying in bed all day,” he teased her, trying to make her smile.
She stepped away from him with a small smile as the lift came to a halt. “I’ll make it up to you later, turning that idea down.” Facing the doors as they slid open, she ran directly into Jack as she went to step out. One look at his face told her that her worst fears were probably about to come true. The fury etched on his face sent ice down her spine as he grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the elevator and away from Owen.
“Take her to my office, and make sure she stays there,” he snarled, shoving her at Ianto who was standing behind him. Ianto caught her and steadied her before she could fall down the stairs, off balance from Jack’s actions.
“Jack, no!” she yelled as he advanced on Owen, his fist striking out to make contact with the other man’s chin. Owen’s head snapped back, hitting the wall behind him, before launching himself at Jack, fighting back.
“What’s wrong, Captain? Did Teaboy not give you any this morning and you can’t bear to think of anyone else getting any?” Owen taunted.
“You god damn bastard. I’ll teach you to take advantage of someone,” Jack growled, grappling with Owen.
“Ianto, do something!” Kayla begged as he tried to pull her down the stairs and away from the fighting. Tossing down the photo albums in her arms, she tore at his hands and broke free, charging back into the elevator.
Later on, she wasn’t completely sure what had happened next. She remembered trying to get between them, crying and begging them to stop. They took no notice of her, and in their struggles, knocked her backwards. Last thing she remembered was a sharp pain at the back of her head before everything went quiet and dark.
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“She’s waking up,” someone said as she drifted back to consciousness. She moaned in pain as she struggled to turn her head towards the voice.
“Come on, kitten, open your beautiful eyes for me,” Owen said softly. Breathing a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered open, he brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. “That’s my girl.”
“Wha….what happened? Where….?” The effort to speak made her head throb.
“You hit your head on the corner of the doorway and blacked out. Jack carried you into the autopsy bay.”
“Is she ok?” Jack asked on the other side of the table. She felt him take her hand and squeeze it as she turned her head to him. “Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?”
“I feel like someone used my head to kick a goal,” she said with a grimace, trying to sit up. The room spun and went dim for a moment. Jack slipped an arm behind her back to support her, easing her upright.
“Easy, not so fast. Sit up slowly,” Owen said with concern as her pallor went gray.
Jack glared at Owen. “She should go to the hospital and be checked.”
“I am capable of taking care of her,” Owen snapped back.
“Yeah, you took real good care of her. Look where it got her.”
“What about you? If I remember correctly, you almost pushed her down the stairs when you manhandled her out of the elevator. And you’re the one who attacked me.”
“I was defending her!” Jack yelled back.
“Will you both……SHUT…..UP!” Kayla yelled over them, immediately regretting it as fresh pain ripped through her skull. Both men fell silent, glaring at each other. “Neither of you are innocent here.” She held up a hand to stop them from speaking as they both started to deny fault. “I don’t want to hear it. Jack, you had no reason to attack Owen. And Owen? I heard what you said to him, and it was completely out of line. You are both acting like cavemen.” Sliding off the autopsy table, she stood on wobbly legs and Owen reached out to steady her. “You and I need to talk, Jack, in private, in your office.”
“I’ll carry you up there,” Jack said, hurrying around the table.
“No, I need to speak to Owen first. Can you give us a couple of moments? I’ll come up when I’m done.”
“But….” Jack protested.
She sighed wearily. “Please, Jack.” He nodded silently and turned away, heading up the stairs. ‘Wait. Jack!” she called after him, and he turned back to look. “My photo albums, I dropped them by the lift. Can you get them? It’s part of what I need to talk to you about.”
“I’ll get them,” he said tersely, giving Owen a final despising look before turning away and leaving the autopsy bay.
“You sure you feel up to talking to him?” Owen asked her gently.
“I’ll be ok.” Kayla gave him a disappointed look as she reached up to gently touch the bruise on his chin. “Does it hurt much?”
“I’ve had worse. I’m sorry,” he muttered, looking at the floor. “I shouldn’t have said to him what I did. Old habits die hard and all that junk.”
“We’ll talk about it later. I just wanted to make sure you were ok after Jack hit you.” She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a gentle kiss to let him know she forgave him for now. “I better get up there before Jack comes storming back down here.”
Owen guided her slowly up the stairs, a protective arm wrapped around her waist. At the top, she smiled at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Jack stood in the doorway of his office watching them with an unreadable expression. He stepped back as Kayla moved away from Owen towards his office He let her pass into the room and quietly closed the door behind them.
Characters: Owen Harper/OFC
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): mild violence and language
Spoiler(s): We are just past "Greeks Bearing Gifts".
Summary: Being an med intern is never easy. Especially if you find yourself suddenly working for Torchwood.
Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Torchwood and its associated characters and places and things. I wish I did, but I don't.
Authors Notes: Thank you to bellasianna, mrs_cj_harkness, secbeth, and stopwatch_happy for being my biggest supporters and helping me on my way.
Previous Chapters: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX
CHAPTER 7
It was the phone ringing that woke her up.
Ignoring it, Kayla stretched languidly and snuggled deeper under the covers, sighing contentedly. An arm wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her up against a very warm body. A very warm and naked body, she amended, her sleep muddled mind clearing up enough to realize that she was also quite naked. Her eyes flew open as she remembered the night before, a slow blush traveling across her cheeks.
“Morning,” Owen breathed against her skin, sensing she’s awake as he placed soft kisses along her shoulder. Rolling over on to her back, she shyly smiled at him as he propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her. He laughed at her blush as his fingers traced patterns across the bare skin of her stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. “ She giggled as his hand brushed along the ticklish spot at her waist, and swatted it away. “We should get up. Being late this morning is probably a very bad idea.” Sitting up with the sheet held to her chest, she looked around for her clothes.
Owen gave her a mock pout as he reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his tshirt, offering it to her. “In a hurry to get out of my bed, kitten? And here I thought you had fun last night.”
“If I wasn’t sure Jack would kick your door in at some point if I at least don’t show up, I’d be more than happy to stay in bed.” Dropping the sheet, she cupped the sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Everything last night.” She rolled her eyes at his self-satisfied grin. “Yes, even that, you prat. But more than that.” Looking flustered, she snatched the shirt out his hand and slid out of the bed, giving him a tempting glimpse of bare skin before she put his shirt on. She headed for the door to the living room. “Did you get my stuff last night?”
“In the bag by the front door.” Climbing out of bed, he slipped his jeans on and followed her out to the living room. “Like what?” he probed.
“What?” she asked, startled by his question as she picked up the bag and headed back towards the bedroom. He stepped into her path and stopped her, putting his hands on her waist.
“You said for more than the sex. Like what?”
She frowned slightly, not sure what to make of his question. “For being my friend, Owen, giving me a shoulder to cry on.”
“Ah, but how do you know that wasn’t my master plan just to get you in my bed?” He silently cursed himself at the sudden hurt expression that crossed her face as she pulled away from him. Grabbing hold of her again before she could move too far away, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. “I was joking, Kayla. Sorry, I can be an arse.” He grinned at her laughter.
“Really, Dr. Harper? I had no idea.” She stretched up and gave him a brief kiss, and then peeled his arms from around her. “Now, I am going to go have a shower……..by myself.” She hid a smile at his disgruntled frown when she said that. “Don’t give me that look. And then I am going to get dressed so we can go face the firing squad.” Giving him a dazzling smile, she slipped past him and headed for the bedroom. Following her, his smile widened in anticipation of her seeing what he had actually picked out for her to wear.
Setting the bag on the bed and opening it, she began to pull out clothes. “Did you have fun going through my underthings, Owen?” She set aside the matching purple satin bra and panty set she rarely wore, let alone to work, shooting him a look over her shoulder.
“You told me to pick anything,” he said with an innocent look. She shook her head and looked to see what else he had picked.
“Stockings? Why did you pack a pair of my……?” she started to ask, and then sighed. At the bottom of the pile was her black wrap dress. She picked it up and turned to him with a questioning look.
He didn’t look at her, intent on studying a spot on the floor. “You know, you’ve worked for Torchwood for a couple of months now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress or skirt. Thought it might make a nice change.” He looked up at her then, and gave her one of his most charming smiles. “Will you wear it for me?”
“It will be really hard to chase aliens in a skirt and dress shoes.” His look of impending disappointment touched her. “But I guess I can make the sacrifice today.” Scooping everything up, she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. Owen crossed to his dresser, and pulling out a fresh pair of jeans and shirt, left the bedroom to use the guest bathroom.
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Jack’s name flashed on his caller id for the 15th time that morning. Owen ignored it and shoved the phone back in his pocket, deciding he could do without the confrontation for now. “Almost ready, kitten?” he called out towards the bedroom.
“Yeah, just putting my stuff in the bag. Coming now!” Kayla called back. Turning as he heard the bedroom door open, he froze on the spot at the lovely sight coming towards him. Her steps faltered as he stared at her. “Owen? What is it? Is there something wrong with how I look?”
“You look amazing, kitten,” he whispered. “You need to wear dresses more often.”
She spun in a circle to show how it looked from every angle, her hair and the skirt flaring out around her. He grabbed his leather jacket from the chair and crossing over to her, settled it around her shoulders, and dropping a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Ready?” he asked, holding his arm out for her to take. He gave her a sympathetic look at her worried expression.
“Not really, but we have to go back some time, don’t we? I need to stop by my flat on the way there, to drop off my bag and to grab a couple of items I’ll need if I am going to make nice with Jack.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s go.” She put her arm through his and allowed him to lead her out towards what was she was sure going to be a very bad day.
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Ianto could see Jack on the CCTV, pacing in his office like a caged tiger. No one had been able to reach Kayla or Owen since the previous afternoon and the more time that passed, the more likely to commit murder Jack seemed to be. Tosh exchanged worried looks with him a short time later as he passed her on the way into Jack’s office, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. He walked in as Jack slammed his cell phone down on the desk.
“Still no answer, sir?” he asked cautiously, setting the cup down in front of Jack.
“No.” Jack raked his hands through his hair, gritting his teeth in frustration. “And don’t start, Ianto. We both know Owen’s reputation.”
“And I will say it again, Jack, she’s a grown woman. Capable of making her own decisions, whether you think they are a mistake or not.”
“But she doesn’t know Owen! He’s not above using her emotional state to get her into his bed.” He got up from behind his desk and started pacing again.
“You don’t even know for sure that happened, Jack,” Ianto said with a trace of annoyance.
“Oh come off it, Yan. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s happened. It’s all my fault,” he said loathingly. “Catherine would kill me if she was alive. I should be protecting Kayla, instead I drive her into the one place that should have been the easiest to keep her from.”
Ianto grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop his pacing. “Stop this, Jack. It’s not doing anyone any good.” He smiled inwardly at Jack’s surprised look as he pulled the other man into a hug. Normally not one to show outward displays of affection when others were around, preferring to keep things between he and Jack private, it was the only thing he could think of to try and calm Jack down.
“I just want to keep her safe, Yan,” he said sadly, wrapping his arms around him and leaning into him. “I owe that to Catherine, and to her. God, I’ve fucked this up so badly.”
“No, you didn’t, Jack. Ok, maybe how she found out wasn’t exactly the best, but you weren’t out to hurt her. And until she walks in that door, you don’t know where things stand. And remember, she’s your blood. I am pretty sure that ensures she’s capable of taking care of herself pretty well on her own.” He hugged Jack closer for a moment before releasing him and stepping away. “Now, drink your coffee, calm down, and attempt to do some work. She’ll be here sooner or later and you can deal with things then.”
Jack gave him a small smile as he left the office and headed back to the tourist office. He began to straighten things on the counter when he was distracted by the ping from his computer, signaling that one of the cctv camera’s were activated by movement. Glancing at the screen, he watched as Owen helped Kayla out of his car, frowning as Owen kissed her as she laughed. They headed for the entrance, hand in hand, walking close to each other and talking intimately. Kayla was carrying what looked like photo albums in her other arm.
Ianto reached up and activated his comm. “Jack, they’re here.” He put up the closed sign on the door, and hurried back down to the hub, sensing this was going to be a bad confrontation.
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Owen leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped around Kayla. He could feel the tension running through her as the lift descended down to the hub. It mirrored his own although he tried not to let her see it. Jack was going to be hell to deal with but he wasn’t worried about himself, his concern was for her. “You OK?”
“Not really.” She was back to nervously playing with strands of her hair, twisting them around and around her fingers. “It’s too late to turn around and leave, isnt it?”
“Hey, I offered staying in bed all day,” he teased her, trying to make her smile.
She stepped away from him with a small smile as the lift came to a halt. “I’ll make it up to you later, turning that idea down.” Facing the doors as they slid open, she ran directly into Jack as she went to step out. One look at his face told her that her worst fears were probably about to come true. The fury etched on his face sent ice down her spine as he grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the elevator and away from Owen.
“Take her to my office, and make sure she stays there,” he snarled, shoving her at Ianto who was standing behind him. Ianto caught her and steadied her before she could fall down the stairs, off balance from Jack’s actions.
“Jack, no!” she yelled as he advanced on Owen, his fist striking out to make contact with the other man’s chin. Owen’s head snapped back, hitting the wall behind him, before launching himself at Jack, fighting back.
“What’s wrong, Captain? Did Teaboy not give you any this morning and you can’t bear to think of anyone else getting any?” Owen taunted.
“You god damn bastard. I’ll teach you to take advantage of someone,” Jack growled, grappling with Owen.
“Ianto, do something!” Kayla begged as he tried to pull her down the stairs and away from the fighting. Tossing down the photo albums in her arms, she tore at his hands and broke free, charging back into the elevator.
Later on, she wasn’t completely sure what had happened next. She remembered trying to get between them, crying and begging them to stop. They took no notice of her, and in their struggles, knocked her backwards. Last thing she remembered was a sharp pain at the back of her head before everything went quiet and dark.
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“She’s waking up,” someone said as she drifted back to consciousness. She moaned in pain as she struggled to turn her head towards the voice.
“Come on, kitten, open your beautiful eyes for me,” Owen said softly. Breathing a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered open, he brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. “That’s my girl.”
“Wha….what happened? Where….?” The effort to speak made her head throb.
“You hit your head on the corner of the doorway and blacked out. Jack carried you into the autopsy bay.”
“Is she ok?” Jack asked on the other side of the table. She felt him take her hand and squeeze it as she turned her head to him. “Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?”
“I feel like someone used my head to kick a goal,” she said with a grimace, trying to sit up. The room spun and went dim for a moment. Jack slipped an arm behind her back to support her, easing her upright.
“Easy, not so fast. Sit up slowly,” Owen said with concern as her pallor went gray.
Jack glared at Owen. “She should go to the hospital and be checked.”
“I am capable of taking care of her,” Owen snapped back.
“Yeah, you took real good care of her. Look where it got her.”
“What about you? If I remember correctly, you almost pushed her down the stairs when you manhandled her out of the elevator. And you’re the one who attacked me.”
“I was defending her!” Jack yelled back.
“Will you both……SHUT…..UP!” Kayla yelled over them, immediately regretting it as fresh pain ripped through her skull. Both men fell silent, glaring at each other. “Neither of you are innocent here.” She held up a hand to stop them from speaking as they both started to deny fault. “I don’t want to hear it. Jack, you had no reason to attack Owen. And Owen? I heard what you said to him, and it was completely out of line. You are both acting like cavemen.” Sliding off the autopsy table, she stood on wobbly legs and Owen reached out to steady her. “You and I need to talk, Jack, in private, in your office.”
“I’ll carry you up there,” Jack said, hurrying around the table.
“No, I need to speak to Owen first. Can you give us a couple of moments? I’ll come up when I’m done.”
“But….” Jack protested.
She sighed wearily. “Please, Jack.” He nodded silently and turned away, heading up the stairs. ‘Wait. Jack!” she called after him, and he turned back to look. “My photo albums, I dropped them by the lift. Can you get them? It’s part of what I need to talk to you about.”
“I’ll get them,” he said tersely, giving Owen a final despising look before turning away and leaving the autopsy bay.
“You sure you feel up to talking to him?” Owen asked her gently.
“I’ll be ok.” Kayla gave him a disappointed look as she reached up to gently touch the bruise on his chin. “Does it hurt much?”
“I’ve had worse. I’m sorry,” he muttered, looking at the floor. “I shouldn’t have said to him what I did. Old habits die hard and all that junk.”
“We’ll talk about it later. I just wanted to make sure you were ok after Jack hit you.” She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a gentle kiss to let him know she forgave him for now. “I better get up there before Jack comes storming back down here.”
Owen guided her slowly up the stairs, a protective arm wrapped around her waist. At the top, she smiled at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Jack stood in the doorway of his office watching them with an unreadable expression. He stepped back as Kayla moved away from Owen towards his office He let her pass into the room and quietly closed the door behind them.