Person of Interest by Debra Webb

or ever.
    He licked his lips. Made a sound in his throat. The intubation tube left patients with a dry throat. His right hand moved ever so slightly then jerked as some part of him recognized that he was restrained.
    His body grew rigid then restless.
    Stepping closer Elizabeth lay her hand on his arm and spoke quietly to him. “Agent Hennessey, you’re waking up from anesthesia now. The surgery went well. There is no reason to be apprehensive.”
    His lids struggled to open as he continued to thrash just a little against his restraints.
    “Agent Hennessey, can you hear me?”
    He moistened his lips again and tried to speak.
    Instinctively Elizabeth’s hand moved down to his. “You can open your eyes, Agent Hennessey, you’re doing fine.”
    His fingers curled around hers and her breath caught.
    Blue eyes stared up at her then, the pupils dilated with the remnants of the drugs his body worked hard to metabolize and flush away.
    “Everything is fine, Agent Hennessey.”
    “I guess I survived the knife, Doc,” he said, his voice rusty.
    An unexpected smile tilted her lips. “You did, indeed. We’ll be moving to the safe house shortly.”
    “Any chance I could have a drink?” he asked with another swipe of his tongue over his lips.
    “Certainly.” It wasn’t until then that Elizabeth noticed that his fingers were still closed tightly around hers. She wiggled free and poured some cool water into a cup. When she’d inserted a bendable straw she held the tip to his lips so that he could drink. “Not too much,” she warned, but, of course, like all other patients he didn’t listen. She had to take the straw away before he’d stopped.
    She wiped his lips with a damp cloth. “For the first few days we’ll keep the pain meds flowing for your comfort,” she said, all too aware of the silence.
    He mumbled something that might have been whatever you think, Doc.
    A few hours later, most of which Agent Hennessey had slept through, Elizabeth supervised his movement to the waiting ambulance. She had learned that her determination of when the patient was ready to be moved had less to do with their departure than the arrival of darkness. Made sense when she thought about it. Night provided good cover.
    “I’ll be riding in the front with the driver,” Dawson explained. “The nurse will accompany you to thesafe house for the night. Tomorrow his care will be solely in your hands as long as you feel additional help is no longer required.”
    Elizabeth felt confident that additional medical support wouldn’t be necessary, but she couldn’t say that she looked forward to spending time alone with Hennessey. What she had done to alter his face was only the beginning of what Director Calder expected of her.
    She settled onto the gurney opposite Agent Hennessey and considered the rest of this assignment. It was her job to ensure that this man could walk, talk and display mannerisms matching those of David Maddox.
    Elizabeth knew nothing of David’s work, but she did know the things he talked about when off duty…when in her bed.
    “Feels like we’re moving.”
    Elizabeth stared down at the man strapped to the other gurney. His mouth and eyes were all that was visible but his voice, the cocky tone that screamed of his arrogant attitude, made him easily recognizable.
    “We’re on our way to the safe house,” she explained. He knew the plan, but the lingering effects of anesthesia and the newly introduced pain medication were playing havoc with his ability to concentrate.
    “So I get to spend my first night with you, huh?”
    A blush heated her cheeks. Though she doubted Agent Hennessey felt any real discomfort just now, she could not believe he had the audacity to flirt with her.
    “In a manner of speaking,” she said calmly. The man could very well be feeling a bit loose-tongued. He might not mean to flirt.
    He made a sound in his chest, a laugh perhaps. “I’ve been dying to get you all to myself ever since that