"Right then." John muttered. He glanced back at the still sleeping Jamal before waiting to be directed towards the aforementioned garage.
"The light works and there's towels to block the bottom."
"Thank you, ma'am." Since stopping, John was more aware of how tired he actually was. Probably a good thing there weren't any other cars on the road.
"One more thing? Who are you looking for?"
"My wife," he said, feeling his chest tighten. He really didn't want to stop. Stopping meant delays and more chance of Anna not being at the facility. If they had deduced the right place. "She was... taken. I need to find her."
"How long since you last saw her?"
"Too long," John muttered, then said. "A month."
"Then she's probably dead pet, lets be honest, and if she got taken and you didn't stop it, she might not want to be found."
"She's not. It... it wasnae her fault. She wasnae able to stop it happening. I should have. I should have tried harder." He blinked slowly. "I should have."
"Rest, get your head straight."
John gave a short not and squeezed his eyes shut. They wouldn't stay long. As soon as Jamal was awake. Shit, he was tired but he couldn't afford to be.
She opened the garage door and pointed him into the space.
John eased the car inside, thanking her once more as he shut the engine off. It wouldn't be long, he assured his panicking mind.
Jamaal roused as the van stopped again. "Whut?"
"Evening. Feeling better?"
"Not dead, all good."
John nodded and rested his head back. "Apparently I had to stop. We've been loaned the use of a garage for a wee while."
"Safe place? I can live with that"
"Safe enough. Promised we wouldn't stay long though."
"Well we can't can we?"
"No. I didn't even realised I'd stopped," John muttered sleepily.
"Then sleep, we'll drive tomorrow, I'll take first shift."
John looked at his watch. "Leave as soon as it's light?"
"Mmmm, but we do need sleep."
"Funny, I thought that's what you were doing with all that snoring from the back," John quipped before he got out to switch from the driver's seat to the passenger.
"An hour, maybe less."
John settled in the other seat. He glanced at his watch. "Just, if I'm not awake, donnae worry, just leave."
"Not going to, but it is nice to be safe," Jammal replied
John made a small sound in agreement. He didn't care about safe. He just wanted, needed, to find Anna.
"Sleep, it'll still be pointless tomorrow."
"I just donnae want to waste too much time," John muttered.
"These days man, you're my friend, and I'll be with you whatever, you know that."
"I know. I do." John scrubbed his hands down his face. "But I am serious. If you're up when it's light and I'm still asleep, just drive. I'll wake up eventually."
"And if we don't find her? Or she still hates your guts?"
"I cannae think of the first," John muttered. He really couldn't. "As for the latter... I'd rather that than her be... gone."
"Do you think she will?"
"Hate me? Aye. If she believes I let them... She'd probably be right to. Fat lot good I was."
"But you didn't let them mate."
"But I didn't stop them," John muttered. It didn't matter how many times they had this conversation, despite the fact he had tried to stop Anna being taken there was a part of his brain - a loud part - that wouldn't accept that he hadn't tried hard enough.
"OK, I know we've done this already, but you couldn't have stopped them anyway."
"I shouldn't have left her alone..." It had only taken a moment, the length of time it took him to get her a drink of water.
"And you'd have needed to sleep or pee," Jamaal pointed out
John shook his head. "I'm gonna try and sleep."
"Do, I'll drive tomorrow."
John nodded slowly, leant his head back and tried to sleep. He hoped wherever Anna was, she was safe.