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More Than Eyes Alone Can See	By : Psnoo17 Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 1450 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time in Mexico, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-More Than Eyes Alone Can See
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-14
- 14-15
- 15-16
- 16-17
- 17-18
- 18-19
- 19-20
- 20-Index of Quotes
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Logan was quick
to hustle Tessa�s little group out of the airport and into a waiting taxi. She almost laughed at the description. This wasn�t a taxi, it was a bright yellow
minivan � but she didn�t dispute it. The
sooner Sands sat down, the better. He
was looking unsteady on his feet again and the last thing she wanted was for
him to collapse. He didn�t like to
appear weak in front of her � she didn�t know what he�d do if his infirmities
got the best of him in front of strangers.
Strangers who he hadn�t had time to judge or adjust to yet. Tess had dealt with one breakdown that day �
she didn�t need and couldn�t handle another.
�T�a, I�m hungry.�
�We�ll get food
soon, Alma, I promise.� Tess dug an orange out of her bag. �Go on, get in the van.� Alma
did, and soon after squabbles broke out in the back seat. �Share with your brothers if they�re
hungry.� The disagreement dissolved as
Tina climbed into the back of the van to provide adult order to the back seats.
Tess sighed with
relief � the woman was a godsend, she was sure.
Now, if only Tina were able to help with Sands, Tess might consider
taking a short break. But that was an
impossible �if�. �Sands?� Speaking of impossible, where had that man
gotten to? �Sands?�
Unaware of Logan�s
look of surprise, Tess went in search of her patient. There he was, leaning against the back of the
van, cigarette in hand. �Sands, it�s
time for us to go. I still want to make
sure that you didn�t do any damage to yourself earlier.�
�Ah, earlier. There�s something we�re going to have a talk
about, ni�a.� Sands flicked some ash
from his cigarette. �I don�t like being
left in the dark,� he managed to contain a wry and self-deprecating laugh. �Especially about my own actions.� He took another drag, trying to hold off
another trip. The kids were getting
rambunctious from being cooped up all day, and he wasn�t sure he wanted to be
in the same room with them, much less
the same vehicle.
He heard footsteps
approach him, and the van sway as someone else leaned against it. Tessa�s voice was low, as if she didn�t want
her conversation to be overheard by anyone else. �I know how you feel, but I also know that
you�re too weak to keep on your feet at the moment. Admit it � that�s why you�re leaning against
the van. I�ll answer all your questions
as best I can, but first I�d like to see us someplace safe . . . out of the
open. I understand that you don�t want to
get in the van ��
He appreciated her
discretion, but the feeling that he had forgotten something important
overwhelmed that. �You understand too
damn much.� Sands dropped the
cigarette. He had to keep this female in
her place � at an arm�s distance. �You�d
better back off before you find yourself �understanding� a hell of a lot more
than you bargained for. Savvy?�
�Loud and clear,
Will Robinson.� He didn�t believe her
for a moment. Sands had come to
understand that Tess was one of those people who�d do anything within their
power for those under their protection.
�Can we go now? The longer we
wait, the louder the kids are going to get.
I don�t know about you,� the tone of her voice made it clear she knew
exactly what he was feeling, �but my head can�t take too many more
decibels.� Her fingertips brushed the
sleeve of his jacket. �Shall we?�
He wanted to jerk
away from her, but he had the feeling that would have sent him to his
knees. He�d ask her not to touch him,
but that would give away too much of what he was thinking and feeling. Cursing her in his head all the while, Sands
followed Tess back the doors of the van and allowed her to give him a hand in
entering the vehicle.
What
are you whining about? At least with her
help you didn�t bang your head on the ceiling.
Traitor, Sands thought as he felt Tessa
slide in after him.
Realist. There was an arm brushing against his
stomach. That�s nice, isn�t it?
�What are you
doing, se�orita?�
Tess blushed �
she�d been trying so hard not to touch him.
Still, she kept her voice quiet as she answered. Something about having all e ote other people
around made her want to try to protect Sands, but she didn�t know from what or
why. All she knew was that . . . was
that she wanted him to keep his dignity.
Yes, that sounded good. �I know
this was merely an oversight on your part, but I�d appreciate it if you�d wear
your seatbelt. It sets a good example
for the children.� She settled the
buckle in his hand and he heard tnap nap of her own seatbelt being
fastened. With an air of extreme
irritation, Sands did the same.

One thing that Tess had learned long ago was there was no
arguing with Logan once he�d made
up his mind. Well, of course you could argue � it�d just do you no good
whatsoever. So when Logan
had informed Tess during the ride from the airport that she and her little
company would be staying in a condo owned by his firm for as long as they
stayed in LA for �consulting and possible treatment,� she hadn�t argued. She didn�t entirely like the idea of living off
charity for as long as they might be in California,
but she was too tired to argue and too tired to arrange for a hotel. Dinner had been settled in the same way �
she�d simply been too tired to argue over his paying for dinner. It was nothing but pizza, but she still felt
somewhat guilty over letting him foot the bill.
�I�ll pay you back
for that.�
�T, how many times
did you spring for pizza while we were at school? I think that I owe you more than a
dinner.� Tess smiled and shook her
head. They were cleaning up from dinner,
the kids thoroughly engrossed in the newly discovered Disney channel (despite
the fact that Marcos was really the only one who fully understood what was
being said), and Sands had gone outside to smoke.
Outside. Tess looked out the window that showed the back
porch. Sands was only visible in the
form of a black silhouette against the lights of the LA skyline. Her thoughts returned the man who�s been at
their center for over a week now. �If
you can do what you say you can, I�ll be the one in your debt.� Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed the
hour � nine o�clock. �Excuse me for a moment. It�s time the kids were headed towards bed.�
Logan
watched her go, still amazed at the task she�d taken on herself. Taking in four young children, with all the other
concerns she had in her life. Tessa was
certainly something, and he was glad to have her back. He�d have to watch her, though, to make sure
she didn�t overdo anything. As her
physician and her friend, of course. �I
talked to Inge the other day,� he called to the upstairs bathroom where Tess
was supervising teeth-brushing.
�How is she? I haven�t heard from her lately.� Lately. I�m not sure I�ve heard from her more than
five times since graduation.
�Didn�t you hear?�
No. I
haven�t talked to her lately. I just
said that. �Hear what?� Tess appeared at the railing that ran along
the upstairs hallway.
�She got a job with
some government agency about three years back.
She�s been so busy ever since that she�s barely had time to e-mail
me. She said that she�d been trying to
e-mail you, but you never replied. It
sent her into a huff, the way she was being ignored by her old roommate, but I
explained that you were on the go in Mexico
and didn�t always have Internet access.�
Tess rolled her eyes � they both knew that she had a wireless
connection. She simply hated checking
her e-mail. Every time she went online
she got distracted from whatever it was that she was trying to do. �She was interested to hear that I�d actually
found someone crazy enough to listen to my ideas.�
�Is that
right?� Tess looked over her
shoulder. �Just a moment. Minor emergency.� A herd of water-splashed children appeared
from the bathroom and disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
Fifteen minutes
later Tess emerged, a baby in one arm.
She trotted down the stairs and came into the kitchen to fix a
bottle. �What is it you were saying?�
�Inge � she was
amazed.�
�That�s right. What else did she say?�
�That she had some
vacation time coming up in two months or so, and she thought she might come out
for a visit. Especially if I manage to
�pull a rabbit out of my hat.� Her
words, not mine.�
�Where�s she living
now?�
�D.C.�
�Oh. When you said government I assumed she�d be
over in Atlanta or something,
working for the CDC. Doesn�t she
specialize in the development and evolution of diseases? I could have sworn that�s what she wrote her
thesis on.�
�Yeah. I was surprised too.� The microwave dinged and Logan
got up from the table to fetch the bottle for Tess. �But she seems to be enjoying her work.�
�Well, that�s Inge
for you � says one thing then does the exact opposite.�
Logan
shrugged. �I�m thirty different people
sometimes. One day you wake up and you�re
somebody else, nowhere near who you were before you went to sleep.�
Tess shook her
head, amazed at how quickly the old routine was picked up between them. Soon. Sands rubbed the back of his neck and then
paid attention as the two friends started talking again.
�So, your flight .
. . .�
�Oh od.pan>Now that I see you myself, I think she was
being kind. You�re wearinurseurself
ragged, and you can�t do that,
T. You more than anyone should know the
repercussions of sleep deprivation on your psyche.�
�I do. I know every consequence, every possibility,
every �if� inside and out. You make it nd and as if I�ve been careless. Well . .
. maybe I have. But it was either I get
enough sleep, or my charges suffer for it.
I had to tend a man who by all rights should have bled to death, and I
still can�t figure out why he didn�t. I
took in four children left as orphans due to a greed for power and
territory. I got shot � twice. And I�ve been having flashbacks like you
wouldn�t believe. But I�m still in
control. I�ve gotten everyonesafesafety
while keeping their health intact, and now that I�m here, I can take things a
bit easier. I hid our tracks well �
we�ll be safe for a few weeks. Long enough
for you to help Sands.�
�He�s important to
you, isn�t he Tessa?� Logan�s
voice was quiet, but it stillsed sed shock ripples to move through Tessa�s
body.
�Of course he�s
important. He�s my patient. All my patients are important.�
�There�s more to it
than that, T. Remember, we did our
internship together. I�ve seen you with
your patients before. You were
professional yet warm with them. I�ve
never yet seen you actually worry over someone in your care. What is it about this man that makes you lose
that cool head of yours?�
How do I answer that? �He�s the last one.�
�The last of
of
what?�
�The last
patient. He�s the last that I will ever
see under my care.�
�What do you
mean? You�re still a doctor, T. There will be other patients.�
�No, there
won�t. You don�t understand. Remember how I graduated second in our
class?�
�Yeah. Inge was first, you were second, Jess was
third, and I was fourth. It was a dark
day that saw three women come in ahead of me, but ��
Tess waved a hand,
dismissing the familiar lament. �Yes,
I�ve heard this complaint before.
Remember how you all were looking over job offers and discussing
benefits while I sat and read?�
�What does this
have to do with anything, T?
�Remember what I
said? That I already had a job lined
up? You were all so amazed that I�d made
up my mind so quickly. What you didn�t
know was that I had no other
offers. Just the one with my
family. I came in second in the class,
but no one wanted to hire me. I was too
big a risk. The level of stress that
would be placed on me, they said, would be too much. I�d never take it. I�d be a danger to myself and my
patients. So I went back to Mexico,
stayed with my family for a year, and then ran away. I�ve taken in patients here and there, but
it�s time for me to quit. I�m glad that
I can turn Sands over to you.�
�Tessa/p> /p>

�Of course, anything that I do will have to
wait until I know what will happen with Sands.
I won�t leave him completely friendless.
Now, if you�ll excuse me, I think I should head for bed.�
�I won�t dream of
keeping you from your beauty sleep, Trouble.�/spa/span>Logan stood up as well and
walked towards the front door at Tessa�s side.
�I was thinking that tomorrow Tina could take the kids off your hands
again, and you could spend the day sleeping.�
�That�s nice, but
it�s not really her job.�
�Well, actually, it
kinda is. Tina isn�t a flight attendant,
she�s my head nurse and personal assistant.
She�s completely amazing.�
�You�re such a
jerk, Logan. Why didn�t you tell me that before?�
�You didn�t need to
know. Anyway, she�ll let herself in
tomorrow, so don�t worry about being up.�
�Logan
��
�Doctor�s orders,
Ms. Adame. Sleep, or I�ll prescribe a
sleep-aid for you.� He kissed the top of
her head. �Go to bed, and I don�t want
to hear from you before two o�clock
tomorrow afternoon. Understood?�
�Yes.�
�Ok, then. I�ll see you tomorrow.� Logan
opened the door and left, leaving Tess to stand in the middle of her borrowed
living room alone and exhausted. Funny,
she hadn�t been this tired a few minutes ago.
�Have a nice chat,
ni�a?�
Normally someone
sneaking up behind her would startle her, but all Tess could wop wap was a
extreme case of underdeveloped irritation.
�What is it Sands?�
�Oh, nothing
much. I just have a few questions about
your conversation, se�orita.�
That superior tone could get really
annoying. But why would it leave a
white residue? She knew that should
concern her, but she couldn�t work up enough energy to worry about it. She yawned.
Und>Understanding hit.
�Are you listening
to me, chiquita?�
�Yes, but I think
your answers are going to have to wait.�
�And why�s
that? You have a pressing engagement?�
�Something like t.
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