Chapter 3
II
It had been a long, hard day and every part of her body ached. Physical therapy was hard on the patient, of course, but was often equally hard on the nurse and today had been one of those days. As Violet walked into the lobby of the hospital, she could see the sun was setting – it set so early in winter, even though it was not even 6pm. She shifted her pocketbook on her aching right shoulder and crossed the lobby; only to spot Daniel Sousa’s familiar form at the reception desk. She felt a small lurch in her stomach – over the past few months she had gotten to know several of Daniel’s agents and had an instinctual hunch that someone she knew was injured, or worse.
She approached the desk and overheard part of the conversation he was having with the receptionist.
“ – one of my men, in surgery –“
“Daniel?”
He turned, leaning heavily on his crutch. He was surprisingly disheveled; Daniel was usually fastidious about his appearance, but tonight his hair was tumbling over his forehead, his dark eyes heavy-lidded. She noticed his shirt, athough neatly tucked in, was misbuttoned It took only a second for her to realize the source of his dishabille – immediately next to him was Peggy Carter. She felt a twist under her heart – Peggy was neatly dressed in a blouse and pantsuit, but her dark hair was messily pulled back into a pony tail and she wore no makeup, not even her signature lipstick. They both looked as though they had just rolled out of bed.
It’s none of your business.
“Violet?” It was slightly mollifying to see the guilt flicker across Daniel’s face.
“Is someone hurt? Why are you here?”
He glanced at Peggy and she flicked her eyes off to the side. “Can we talk over here?” Daniel asked and limped away from the desk. Violet followed.
“An SSR agent was shot today,” Daniel began. Something must have crossed her face, because he reached out and touched her arm. “It isn’t anyone you know, but a coworker of mine from New York.”
“He’s the Chief of the New York office,” Peggy added.
“I’m so sorry,” Violet said. “What happened? Oh, wait, you can’t answer that….”
Daniel shrugged. “We don’t know yet. We need to speak to him first, and no one can tell us what his status is.” Daniel looked worried; Peggy, angry.
“Why don’t I go see what I can find out for you?”
“Violet, that would be most kind,” Peggy said.
“Let me show you the surgery waiting room and I’ll go see what I can do.”
By the time Violet returned, the waiting room was full of what she presumed were SSR agents. She recognized a few – Johnson and Baker in one corner, Marshall pacing by the door, smoking a cigarette. Peggy and Daniel were in another corner, his back to her; as she approached she could tell Peggy had also noticed Daniel’s shirt being askew. She was just buttoning up the top of his shirt, her fingers resting on his suprasternal notch as Violet came up. Daniel half turned, eyes averted and a slight blush on his face as he hurriedly tucked his shirt back in.
Good, Violet, keep it clinical, keep it unemotional.
She pretended not to notice. “He’s still in surgery, but he’s holding his own right now. The bullet entered the upper right quadrant, so the right lung is deflated, but they have him on oxygen and are repairing the damage as best they can. He’ll be intubated and sedated for the next several hours post surgery, to be sure he can breathe without difficulty. You won’t be able to speak to him tonight for sure; it may be several days before he can speak, depending on his condition when he comes out of surgery. You both may as well go home for tonight.”
Daniel and Peggy exchanged inscrutable glances. “I think we’ll stay for a while,” Daniel said. “And I will want to station an SSR agent at his room at all times.”
“Really, Daniel, that seems a little extreme. He’s in the hospital, after all.”
He shook his head and she realized she had blundered into that ‘this cannot be discussed territory’. “Is there someone in the hospital hierarchy that I need to speak to about setting a guard?”
“I… “ she realized she was completely out of her depth. “I have no idea.”
“You’ve been more than helpful, Violet,” Peggy interjected. “We’ll sort it all out. Thank you for doing all this.”
Violet smiled slightly. “Of course.” She watched the two of them communicate silently; impulsively she said, “Can I talk to you for a minute, Peggy?” Daniel turned to look at her. “Privately?”
She could read Daniel’s thoughts in his face. For a spy, she thought, he was a terrible liar. But he nodded and limped away to talk to the gathered agents on the other side of the room.
Peggy looked very uncomfortable. “Violet, I never had a chance to apologize. I never intended to muck up your life…”
“Honestly, Peggy, you need to stop beating yourself up about this.” Violet took a deep breath and surged on. “We would have been happy, I really believe that. We would have gotten married, and had children, and lived our lives…. And somewhere, in the deepest part of his heart and in the back of his mind, he would have wished I were you. I deserve better than that. I deserve a man that loves me for me, not because I am second-best.”
Surprisingly, Peggy appeared emotional, she reached over and touched Violet’s hand gently. “You do, Violet. You are a terrific woman. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me, the night I was injured. I really do want the very best for you.”
They both looked over at Daniel. He glanced back at them and worry crossed his face. He combed his hair out of his eyes and both women smiled at each other.
“He’s concerned what we’re saying,” Peggy said, her eyes soft as she looked at Daniel. She looked surprisingly young and vulnerable.
“Take good care of him, Peggy,” Violet said softly. “I know you are a super-secret agent and could wipe the floor with me, but if you hurt him, you will have to answer to me.”