Everyone had left. Cobalt moonlight had stepped into the hospital room through the plastic shutters of the window, replacing the heavy presence of Diana's family members with a soft glow.

The television was playing a mind-numbing television show that Diana was only half paying attention. In passing scenes, she'd discovered that it was about a drama in the hospital, which seemed apt, but she was simply in need of a distraction.

Diana heard the door faintly shut from down the hall, followed by the echo of heel-clad footfalls against the recently cleaned tile beyond her doorframe.

She muted the TV with the plastic remote that was held firmly in her right hand. Her knuckles became angel-white with the pressure of her grip against the black remote gripped beneath her cold fingers. 

"Diana," the monotone voice said, stopped in the doorframe, "Diana, I know you're awake. I can hear you blink."

She shifted up in the bed, "You're such a liar." A wide smile that had dug itself from its own earthly grave broke on her crusty lips at the sight of her boss. "No one can do that."

Amanda stepped towards her, back straight with pride like always. Her grey hair was pulled back into a pin straight bun. She looked older, tiny stress wrinkles framed her cerulean eyes. She'd obviously stayed with the company. "Maybe I can do that. You'd never know."

Grasping the chair her father had been sleeping in not too long ago, Amanda dragged it towards the side of the bed. It's metal legs scraped and chipped at the hospital floor. She sighed as she sat. The artificial lights outside highlighting her narrow face with angular cheekbones and sharp chin with a white flame. Amanda had the air of a feline as she brooded. Like she was always waiting, collecting information and watching for the best moment to strike.

It was one of the things Diana respected the most about her boss.

Of course, her feline demeanor wasn't surprising. That was her job after all. It was the same reason she'd taken Diana under her wing when she'd first joined the company.

Amanda had taught her when to strike, how to strike. Amanda had taught her how to survive in a world of modern predators and prey.

Under her analyzing eye, Diana elaborated, "I survived." she joked, "those Chechnyan motherfuckers have nothing on the Farm's drill sergeants."

Amanda chuckled softly, like she wouldn't let herself make more noise than was necessary. Even in the privacy of the private wing of the hospital, "Kurt asked about you. Everyone did."

Diana stopped smiling.

Kurt Asher was on technological support for Diana's operation when it went to shit. Most likely he was either complicit in her kidnapping or he was stupid as shit. Either way, she was going to talk to him soon enough.

Diana had run the operation from day one, she'd picked him because he was so highly recommended. Because everyone around the office knew he was smart.

I guess he's feeling guilty.

But then another thought popped in her head that created a devious grin, "Even Lauren?"

"Even Lauren." Lauren Mayar and Diana Winters never got along. They'd been rivals since they met at the Farm. They'd worked similar areas of Northern Asia and were always fighting for new CI's and trying to one up each other with the information they brought back to the Company.

"She probably wanted to make sure I got tortured enough for her liking." Amanda nodded, smirking.

"Lauren moved to Western Europe after you went missing, you know?"

Diana let herself laugh, "Really? I guess without me it wasn't too much fun." She also let herself wonder how much else had changed.

"You got divorced." Diana pointed out, noticing the lack of a silver band around her left ring finger that had been there when he was...stopped. It seemed another thing had changed during her departure from home.

For as long as Diana had known Amanda she'd been married. A non-company man named Harry. There were only two things she knew about Harry -which wasn't much more than she knew about Amanda. Harry was four inches taller than Amanda and he liked to take her out for sushi on Wednesdays.

For a second the fact that Diana had remembered those facts startled her, but she quickly warmed up to it.

Intentionally ignoring Diana's comment, Amanda began her own conversation, "By the way, welcome home. It's good to have you back." Amanda's eyes drifted around the room, they stopped on the empty fruit bowl her mother had brought in. Remnants of thawed fruit juice filled the plastic bottom. A single cherry was still left in the container.

Diana's head tilted, watching Amanda with curious attention, like an animal confined. Her dark hair flitted across her blue hospital gown. "So, I'm guessing this is not a friendly hello."

Amanda smiled, not answering Diana's question verbally but instead in the glint in her eyes. Not exactly. Standing up in her seat, Amanda wiped the edges of her skirt like there was invisible dirt on the grey fabric. "Come into the office for debriefing on Monday."

On the table next to Diana, an identification card sat. With a version of Diana that had a smirking smile and full eyes.

Leaving the chair empty in its space, she turned to leave. But, there was only one question on Diana's mind in the dark of her hospital room, "And reinstatement?"

Amanda turned, only half of her face lit with the fluorescent light of street lamps outside. "We'll talk Monday. Rest up Winters." They both knew what that meant. Amanda had no intention of bringing her back into the fold anytime soon.

"It was nice to see you again Diana." The dark fluorescence glinted in her eyes. Like a cat watching their prey from the shadows.

"It was nice to see you too."

It had been, even if it brought up some unpleasant feelings. Everyone had stepped around talking to her, their only questions hinging on the parts of her life that she didn't want to talk about. It had been nice to talk with someone who didn't see her as a problem to fix.

"Sweet dreams, Diana." she said, closing the door. The pats of her high heels were cut off as she exited the private area of the hospital. A second later, the TV was unmuted and back on doctors saving their patients lives in the midst of anxiety inducing situations.