Tuesday, December 12, 2006
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 14
He hurried outside and hopped behind the wheel just as a police car pulled up behind him. His emergency beacons started flashing again the moment he turned the key in the ignition and the cops didn't bother him. He pulled away from the door, signalling to them and switched off the beacon, then found a parking space not too far away. He almost jogged back, cursing himself along the way for not checking the files on the other extras. It was his fault this happened to Kiefer. But then another thought crossed his mind and he stopped short of going back into the hospital. He plucked his cellphone out of his pocket and called Nina.
"Nina Meyers."
"Nina, Jack. Can you patch me through to Lyland at the Fox studios?"
"Who's he?"
"Head of security."
"Okay, hang on."
Jack waited, heard the clicking on the line, then heard the phone ring on the other hand.
"Richard Lyland."
"Sir, this is Nina Meyers at CTU Los Angeles, I have agent Bauer on the line for you."
"Thank you."
"Go ahead Jack." Nina said, then there was another click and Jack was on the line with Lyland.
"Agent Bauer? What the hell happened?"
"You tell me. How the hell did that guy manage to get through security with a telescopic baton? Weren't those people checked at the gate? This son of a bitch could've killed a man." Jack snapped angrily.
"I understand your concern-" Lyland started.
"I don't need you to understand my concern Lyland," Jack snapped again, interrupting the man, "I need you to understand the reality of this situation. I want you to find out who cleared that guy and I want you to get on that right this minute."
"Okay, I'm already on it."
"I'm going to send a team over to pick him up for questioning, make sure you keep him isolated until they get there."
"Will do."
Jack hung up without wasting any more time and called Nina again.
"Nina, it's me again."
"What happened Jack?"
"I'll fill you in later, right now I need you to send a team to the Fox studios. They are to meet with the head of security."
"What's going on Jack?" Nina interrupted him.
He would have to fill her in now.
"Someone attacked Kiefer on the set."
"What?" Nina yelled so loud Jack had to pull his phone away from his ear.
"What happened? Is he okay?"
"He took a blow to the back of the head and he might have a concussion, we don't know yet, he just got stitched up, so it's too early to tell if he has one or not, we'll find out when he comes out of the haze he's in right now."
"Stitched up? Where?"
"The back of the head Nina, where do you expect the stitches would go if he took a hit to the back of the head? In his ass?"
His smart-ass remark cracked him up and he chuckled at himself.
"Look, he's okay for now. I told Lyland to find out who had cleared the extras and I want a team to pick him up and bring him back to CTU for questioning. I want you to handle that."
"Can you handle that Nina?"
"Yeah, I can handle that. I'll send the team straight away. What am I looking for?"
"Anything you can find. I'll get you what information I have on the guy who attacked him, look for a connection between the both of them and see if you can link either of them to Bonney or any of the others who have been using that apartment. Do we have anything on that yet?"
"Not yet, the artists came back with two pretty clear descriptions of the accomplices so we're running those through our database, but so far, there's nothing yet."
"Okay, keep me posted."
"I will. Can you do the same?"
"I will." Jack replied softly, closing his phone and ending the communication.
He held his phone in hand for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.
Was he forgetting something?
What angle hadn't he covered?
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
First he had to get the information about the assailant. He had to find out if he had been brought to this hospital and get a status report on him. He needed a team to guard him, but he had to find out where he was first. He went back into the building and flashed his badge at the nurse at the reception desk. She confirmed the man had been brought here and showed him to the operating quarter. He found Gonhart there.
"How is he?" Jack asked as he walked up to him.
"Alive. Sutherland?"
"Doing okay. Probably a mild concussion, a few stitches."
"Thank god you were packing. Neither of us was close enough to tackle him."
"I know." Jack sighed.
"Thank god he rolled. If he hadn't, that son of a bitch would've stabbed that baton straight through him."
"I know." Gonhart answered in turn.
"I guess we've established today the threats against Mr. Sutherland are real."
"I guess." Jack agreed.
"Are you bringing in a team to baby-sit him?"
"I'd rather let you take point on this, it's your investigation after all."
"Thanks, I appreciate that." Jack replied, extending his hand.
Gonhart took it and shook it, sincerely.
"Can you stay on him until my team gets here?"
"Sure, no problem. He'll probably be in there for a while."
"Good." Jack said grimly.
For a moment he wished he had aimed a few inches higher. But then again, now at least they would be able to interrogate him.
"Did he have a wallet on him?"
"Yeah, he did, I searched him in the ambulance."
Gonhart turned and picked up a clear plastic bag, containing a cell phone, a wallet, the man's watch, a ring, a necklace, a keyring, some change and a lighter.
"That's everything I found on him. The paramedic gave me a pair of gloves and the bag, so I haven't touched anything."
"Perfect, thanks."
Jack took the bag over and walked out of the building to place another call to Nina.
"Nina, I'll need two teams at the hospital, one to baby-sit the hostile and another one to bring his belongings back to CTU for analysis."
"His belongings?"
"Yeah, the fed rode with him in the ambulance and emptied his pockets on the way, I've got everything sitting in a nice little bag, so if you can send someone around to pick that up."
"I'll get right on it."
"Thanks."
Not even a minute later, his phone buzzed again and he flipped it open.
"Bauer."
"Agent Bauer, this is Lyland at Fox Security."
"What have you got?"
"I found the man who cleared the extras."
"Has he told you anything?"
"He didn't pat them down or scan them because there were 6 of them and he was on his own, his colleague had taken a break and the man who was supposed to take over wasn't there."
"He should've called for someone to give him a hand." Jack said dryly.
"I know and so does he."
"I still want him taken over to CTU for questioning. I've got a team underway."
"No problem, I've got him right here in my office. He knows he made a mistake and he knows he'll have to answer for it."
"Okay, thank you for calling."
Jack stayed near the emergency entrance, waiting for the teams from CTU to arrive and when they did, he handed the bag to one of the agents, instructing them to take it straight to the lab for forensic analysis. The other team joined him after parking their car, finding him on the phone with Nina again.
"Yes, Lyland found out who let them through and he's waiting for our team to pick him up. The teams have just arrived at the hospital and I've sent one of them back with the items Gonhart found on our hostile. I've instructed them to take it straight to forensics so check with them for your information."
"Will do Jack, what are you doing next?"
"I'm taking these guys to guard our man, then I'll go check on Kiefer."
"Keep me posted." Nina asked in a reflex.
"I will." Jack replied.
"Let's go, your man's in surgery." he said to the agents, while pocketing his phone.
He took them into the building and walked them to the waiting area where Special Agent Gonhart was still waiting. Jack thanked him again for his help and the man took his leave, he had tons of paperwork to fill in. The agents took up their posts and Jack finally found the time to go check on Kiefer. He had long been transferred to a private room, Jon had taken care of getting him a private one and the steady beep of the heart monitor and the shallow breathing were the only sounds to be heard in the room. Jon was sitting in a chair in the far corner, the look of worry still embedded on his face. He got up when Jack walked in and motioned for him to go back out.
"How is he?"
"He just fell asleep. The nurse came to check on him a few minutes ago."
"His vitals are strong and she doesn't seem to think he has a concussion. If at all, it'll be a mild one and he shouldn't suffer too much."
"That's surprising considering the force of the blow." Jack said softly.
"He's got a hard nut to crack." Jon replied with a grin.
"He's tougher than one might think at first sight."
He paused for a moment and Jack noticed the nervous shuffling.
"I owe you an apology." Jon said after a moment.
"You were right to follow your gut feeling and I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time. I guess I should've trusted your instincts a little more, you are after all a professional at this."
"I accept your apology," Jack said quietly, "if you'll accept mine for manhandling you earlier."
Jon met his eyes and held out his hand.
"Thank you for saving his life." Jon said sincerely.
"I didn't," Jack replied, "he did that himself by rolling when he hit the deck."
"If he hadn't, that baton would've gone straight through him."
"Yeah, but you shot the guy."
"That I did."
"So you saved him."
"That's what I get paid for."
"Not by me you don't."
"You can't afford my pay-check." Jack joked, slapping Jon on the back, "Let's get inside in case he wakes up."
They went back into the room and Jon went back to the chair in the corner, with Jack taking the other one. Kiefer was sound asleep and they both relaxed a little. Jack used the moment of calm to rearrange his thoughts and to go over what happened. He had moved in the same instant the man had deployed the nightstick, but he had to get clear of the camera before he could take aim. By then, the man had struck and Kiefer was down. Jack had seen the man reverse his grip, but at the edge of his vision, he had seen Kiefer roll as well and as the man leaned down to stab, he had pulled the trigger, the bullet tearing through the man's arm and throwing him back. He had moved in and the man had reversed his grip again, charging at Kiefer, so he had pulled the trigger. The bullet had ploughed into the man's chest and he went down. The fed had been there to get the weapon away from him and he had put himself between the assailant and his prey.
That part had been just about flawless and Chapelle wouldn't be able to say much about it. He had given the man a warning and a chance to give up, which he ignored.
But then?
Had he reacted the way he should have after the crisis had been contained.
The hostile had been secured, medical assistance was on the way and he had turned to check on his protégé. The medics had arrived and he had taken Kiefer to hospital, leaving the hostile in federal custody with Special Agent Gonhart. His mind was working overtime again, trying to determine if he had covered all the angles.
Someone had let the man through security with that nightstick. He had put Lyland on that and the man had found the culprit. CTU had sent a team to bring him in for questioning and Nina was heading up that interrogation.
He had found out the hostile had been brought to the same hospital and had met up with Gonhart, who handed him a bag with the hostile's belongings in, which he had sent back to CTU for analysis. And a CTU team was now guarding the hostile.
Could he be forgetting something?
He didn't think he was, but he continued to go over it until he was satisfied he had done everything he could've.
Kiefer woke up about two hours later, dizzy and disoriented, but as soon as Jon got up, he remembered where he was and part of why he was there.
"Hey," Jon said softly, "you all right buddy?"
"Yeah." Kiefer sighed. "Where's Jack?"
"I'm right here." Jack said, getting up from the chair and coming up behind Jon.
It was better to both be on the same side of the bed, he wouldn't have to roll his head or move his eyes between them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"I can imagine, with the blow you took."
"What happened?"
"One of the extras hit you across the back of the head with a telescopic nightstick."
"So you were right." Kiefer interrupted him.
"Yeah, but I should've checked all the files instead of focussing on the Gunnard one."
"You couldn't know."
"No, I couldn't, but still, I wasn't thorough enough."
"Do you think you would've found something in his file to indicate he was after Kiefer?" Jon asked.
"I don't know. Maybe his name could've been linked to the ones we already have."
"You saved my life Jack," Kiefer said, getting his attention back, "nothing else matters."
"You saved your own life." Jack replied.
"If you hadn't rolled, nothing would've saved you. That was a brilliant reflex."
"Okay fine, we saved my life together." Kiefer said, offering the perfect compromise.
"Agreed." Jack said, holding out his hand.
Kiefer took it and gave it a hearty squeeze.
"Do you know if I have to stay here?"
"The doctor said he wanted to keep you overnight for observation." Jon replied.
"You know I hate hospitals Jon." Kiefer complained.
"Hey, stop moaning, I got you a private room, you'll do me the pleasure of using it."
"You can have it, I'd like to go home."
"I'll ask the nurse to call a doctor." Jack said, "We'll get his advice, if he thinks you should stay, you'll stay."
"Yes sir."
Jack went out to the nurse's station and asked one of them to call a doctor for Kiefer.
"Is everything ok?" the nurse asked while punching in the number.
"He'd like to go home, I'd like a doctor's opinion."
"Sure, I'll get someone to check on him."
"Thank you."
Jack returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
"The nurse is calling someone, I suppose he won't be long."
Minutes later, the door opened and a doctor walked in. It didn't take him long to check Kiefer's vitals, give him a prescription and a few suggestions and allow him to go home. Jack asked for a wheelchair and forced Kiefer into it by the sheer power of his gaze. Jon wheeled him out while Jack ran ahead to get the car. On the way to the car, he called in with Nina. The guard had turned out to be a dead end, he was genuinely sorry for having messed up and he knew he would have to answer for the mistakes he made.
The information on the hostile, Luke Princeton, on the other hand, was a lot more valuable. They had easily linked him to Bonney and they were checking deeper into it. He asked if she had heard from the team guarding Princeton and Nina told him he had come out of surgery about an hour after the team had gotten there and he had been moved to a private room and secured. As soon as he was conscious, they would send an agent over to question him.
Jack ended the call when he reached the entrance of the hospital where Jon and Kiefer were waiting. Kiefer had lit a cigarette, or maybe another one but he was still in the wheelchair, waiting patiently for Jack's permission to get out of it. Jack chuckled when Jon told him that.
"Get your butt in the car Sutherland." he snapped playfully.
They helped him up and into the car, and while Jon went around and got in, Jack took the wheelchair back inside.
"Do I drop you off at the studios?" Jack asked when he got into the car.
"If you don't mind. I'd like to pick up my car, but I'm coming with you."
"Okay, no problem."
Jack drove carefully, cleared security with minimal waste of time and dropped Jon off at the studio. He went inside to check everything, found Dave still waiting for news and filled him in. They locked the building together and went to their own car. Dave headed home, waving as he went, and Jon fell in behind Jack's SUV. He had called Tony while waiting for Jon to return and had asked him to meet them at Kiefer's place. He was waiting in the car when they got there and Jack parked behind him, with Jon pulling to the curb behind him. The three of them got out simultaneously and converged by Jack's car to help Kiefer out and across the sidewalk. Tony got the door and while Molly started out with a furious aggressiveness, she calmed down at once at the sound of Kiefer's voice. She sensed something was wrong and came straight to him, nuzzling his hand as he reached down to pet her.
They helped Kiefer up the stairs and into his room, leaving Jon to see to him while Tony and Jack went through the apartment to check it. It was clear like they had expected it to be. Jude had left early and they locked up.
Jon stayed another half hour until Kiefer fell asleep again and Jack and Tony turned in as well. Jack in Sarah's room, Tony on the couch in the living room, all doors wide open and with Molly sleeping at the foot of Kiefer's bed.
"Nina Meyers."
"Nina, Jack. Can you patch me through to Lyland at the Fox studios?"
"Who's he?"
"Head of security."
"Okay, hang on."
Jack waited, heard the clicking on the line, then heard the phone ring on the other hand.
"Richard Lyland."
"Sir, this is Nina Meyers at CTU Los Angeles, I have agent Bauer on the line for you."
"Thank you."
"Go ahead Jack." Nina said, then there was another click and Jack was on the line with Lyland.
"Agent Bauer? What the hell happened?"
"You tell me. How the hell did that guy manage to get through security with a telescopic baton? Weren't those people checked at the gate? This son of a bitch could've killed a man." Jack snapped angrily.
"I understand your concern-" Lyland started.
"I don't need you to understand my concern Lyland," Jack snapped again, interrupting the man, "I need you to understand the reality of this situation. I want you to find out who cleared that guy and I want you to get on that right this minute."
"Okay, I'm already on it."
"I'm going to send a team over to pick him up for questioning, make sure you keep him isolated until they get there."
"Will do."
Jack hung up without wasting any more time and called Nina again.
"Nina, it's me again."
"What happened Jack?"
"I'll fill you in later, right now I need you to send a team to the Fox studios. They are to meet with the head of security."
"What's going on Jack?" Nina interrupted him.
He would have to fill her in now.
"Someone attacked Kiefer on the set."
"What?" Nina yelled so loud Jack had to pull his phone away from his ear.
"What happened? Is he okay?"
"He took a blow to the back of the head and he might have a concussion, we don't know yet, he just got stitched up, so it's too early to tell if he has one or not, we'll find out when he comes out of the haze he's in right now."
"Stitched up? Where?"
"The back of the head Nina, where do you expect the stitches would go if he took a hit to the back of the head? In his ass?"
His smart-ass remark cracked him up and he chuckled at himself.
"Look, he's okay for now. I told Lyland to find out who had cleared the extras and I want a team to pick him up and bring him back to CTU for questioning. I want you to handle that."
"Can you handle that Nina?"
"Yeah, I can handle that. I'll send the team straight away. What am I looking for?"
"Anything you can find. I'll get you what information I have on the guy who attacked him, look for a connection between the both of them and see if you can link either of them to Bonney or any of the others who have been using that apartment. Do we have anything on that yet?"
"Not yet, the artists came back with two pretty clear descriptions of the accomplices so we're running those through our database, but so far, there's nothing yet."
"Okay, keep me posted."
"I will. Can you do the same?"
"I will." Jack replied softly, closing his phone and ending the communication.
He held his phone in hand for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.
Was he forgetting something?
What angle hadn't he covered?
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
First he had to get the information about the assailant. He had to find out if he had been brought to this hospital and get a status report on him. He needed a team to guard him, but he had to find out where he was first. He went back into the building and flashed his badge at the nurse at the reception desk. She confirmed the man had been brought here and showed him to the operating quarter. He found Gonhart there.
"How is he?" Jack asked as he walked up to him.
"Alive. Sutherland?"
"Doing okay. Probably a mild concussion, a few stitches."
"Thank god you were packing. Neither of us was close enough to tackle him."
"I know." Jack sighed.
"Thank god he rolled. If he hadn't, that son of a bitch would've stabbed that baton straight through him."
"I know." Gonhart answered in turn.
"I guess we've established today the threats against Mr. Sutherland are real."
"I guess." Jack agreed.
"Are you bringing in a team to baby-sit him?"
"I'd rather let you take point on this, it's your investigation after all."
"Thanks, I appreciate that." Jack replied, extending his hand.
Gonhart took it and shook it, sincerely.
"Can you stay on him until my team gets here?"
"Sure, no problem. He'll probably be in there for a while."
"Good." Jack said grimly.
For a moment he wished he had aimed a few inches higher. But then again, now at least they would be able to interrogate him.
"Did he have a wallet on him?"
"Yeah, he did, I searched him in the ambulance."
Gonhart turned and picked up a clear plastic bag, containing a cell phone, a wallet, the man's watch, a ring, a necklace, a keyring, some change and a lighter.
"That's everything I found on him. The paramedic gave me a pair of gloves and the bag, so I haven't touched anything."
"Perfect, thanks."
Jack took the bag over and walked out of the building to place another call to Nina.
"Nina, I'll need two teams at the hospital, one to baby-sit the hostile and another one to bring his belongings back to CTU for analysis."
"His belongings?"
"Yeah, the fed rode with him in the ambulance and emptied his pockets on the way, I've got everything sitting in a nice little bag, so if you can send someone around to pick that up."
"I'll get right on it."
"Thanks."
Not even a minute later, his phone buzzed again and he flipped it open.
"Bauer."
"Agent Bauer, this is Lyland at Fox Security."
"What have you got?"
"I found the man who cleared the extras."
"Has he told you anything?"
"He didn't pat them down or scan them because there were 6 of them and he was on his own, his colleague had taken a break and the man who was supposed to take over wasn't there."
"He should've called for someone to give him a hand." Jack said dryly.
"I know and so does he."
"I still want him taken over to CTU for questioning. I've got a team underway."
"No problem, I've got him right here in my office. He knows he made a mistake and he knows he'll have to answer for it."
"Okay, thank you for calling."
Jack stayed near the emergency entrance, waiting for the teams from CTU to arrive and when they did, he handed the bag to one of the agents, instructing them to take it straight to the lab for forensic analysis. The other team joined him after parking their car, finding him on the phone with Nina again.
"Yes, Lyland found out who let them through and he's waiting for our team to pick him up. The teams have just arrived at the hospital and I've sent one of them back with the items Gonhart found on our hostile. I've instructed them to take it straight to forensics so check with them for your information."
"Will do Jack, what are you doing next?"
"I'm taking these guys to guard our man, then I'll go check on Kiefer."
"Keep me posted." Nina asked in a reflex.
"I will." Jack replied.
"Let's go, your man's in surgery." he said to the agents, while pocketing his phone.
He took them into the building and walked them to the waiting area where Special Agent Gonhart was still waiting. Jack thanked him again for his help and the man took his leave, he had tons of paperwork to fill in. The agents took up their posts and Jack finally found the time to go check on Kiefer. He had long been transferred to a private room, Jon had taken care of getting him a private one and the steady beep of the heart monitor and the shallow breathing were the only sounds to be heard in the room. Jon was sitting in a chair in the far corner, the look of worry still embedded on his face. He got up when Jack walked in and motioned for him to go back out.
"How is he?"
"He just fell asleep. The nurse came to check on him a few minutes ago."
"His vitals are strong and she doesn't seem to think he has a concussion. If at all, it'll be a mild one and he shouldn't suffer too much."
"That's surprising considering the force of the blow." Jack said softly.
"He's got a hard nut to crack." Jon replied with a grin.
"He's tougher than one might think at first sight."
He paused for a moment and Jack noticed the nervous shuffling.
"I owe you an apology." Jon said after a moment.
"You were right to follow your gut feeling and I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time. I guess I should've trusted your instincts a little more, you are after all a professional at this."
"I accept your apology," Jack said quietly, "if you'll accept mine for manhandling you earlier."
Jon met his eyes and held out his hand.
"Thank you for saving his life." Jon said sincerely.
"I didn't," Jack replied, "he did that himself by rolling when he hit the deck."
"If he hadn't, that baton would've gone straight through him."
"Yeah, but you shot the guy."
"That I did."
"So you saved him."
"That's what I get paid for."
"Not by me you don't."
"You can't afford my pay-check." Jack joked, slapping Jon on the back, "Let's get inside in case he wakes up."
They went back into the room and Jon went back to the chair in the corner, with Jack taking the other one. Kiefer was sound asleep and they both relaxed a little. Jack used the moment of calm to rearrange his thoughts and to go over what happened. He had moved in the same instant the man had deployed the nightstick, but he had to get clear of the camera before he could take aim. By then, the man had struck and Kiefer was down. Jack had seen the man reverse his grip, but at the edge of his vision, he had seen Kiefer roll as well and as the man leaned down to stab, he had pulled the trigger, the bullet tearing through the man's arm and throwing him back. He had moved in and the man had reversed his grip again, charging at Kiefer, so he had pulled the trigger. The bullet had ploughed into the man's chest and he went down. The fed had been there to get the weapon away from him and he had put himself between the assailant and his prey.
That part had been just about flawless and Chapelle wouldn't be able to say much about it. He had given the man a warning and a chance to give up, which he ignored.
But then?
Had he reacted the way he should have after the crisis had been contained.
The hostile had been secured, medical assistance was on the way and he had turned to check on his protégé. The medics had arrived and he had taken Kiefer to hospital, leaving the hostile in federal custody with Special Agent Gonhart. His mind was working overtime again, trying to determine if he had covered all the angles.
Someone had let the man through security with that nightstick. He had put Lyland on that and the man had found the culprit. CTU had sent a team to bring him in for questioning and Nina was heading up that interrogation.
He had found out the hostile had been brought to the same hospital and had met up with Gonhart, who handed him a bag with the hostile's belongings in, which he had sent back to CTU for analysis. And a CTU team was now guarding the hostile.
Could he be forgetting something?
He didn't think he was, but he continued to go over it until he was satisfied he had done everything he could've.
Kiefer woke up about two hours later, dizzy and disoriented, but as soon as Jon got up, he remembered where he was and part of why he was there.
"Hey," Jon said softly, "you all right buddy?"
"Yeah." Kiefer sighed. "Where's Jack?"
"I'm right here." Jack said, getting up from the chair and coming up behind Jon.
It was better to both be on the same side of the bed, he wouldn't have to roll his head or move his eyes between them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"I can imagine, with the blow you took."
"What happened?"
"One of the extras hit you across the back of the head with a telescopic nightstick."
"So you were right." Kiefer interrupted him.
"Yeah, but I should've checked all the files instead of focussing on the Gunnard one."
"You couldn't know."
"No, I couldn't, but still, I wasn't thorough enough."
"Do you think you would've found something in his file to indicate he was after Kiefer?" Jon asked.
"I don't know. Maybe his name could've been linked to the ones we already have."
"You saved my life Jack," Kiefer said, getting his attention back, "nothing else matters."
"You saved your own life." Jack replied.
"If you hadn't rolled, nothing would've saved you. That was a brilliant reflex."
"Okay fine, we saved my life together." Kiefer said, offering the perfect compromise.
"Agreed." Jack said, holding out his hand.
Kiefer took it and gave it a hearty squeeze.
"Do you know if I have to stay here?"
"The doctor said he wanted to keep you overnight for observation." Jon replied.
"You know I hate hospitals Jon." Kiefer complained.
"Hey, stop moaning, I got you a private room, you'll do me the pleasure of using it."
"You can have it, I'd like to go home."
"I'll ask the nurse to call a doctor." Jack said, "We'll get his advice, if he thinks you should stay, you'll stay."
"Yes sir."
Jack went out to the nurse's station and asked one of them to call a doctor for Kiefer.
"Is everything ok?" the nurse asked while punching in the number.
"He'd like to go home, I'd like a doctor's opinion."
"Sure, I'll get someone to check on him."
"Thank you."
Jack returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
"The nurse is calling someone, I suppose he won't be long."
Minutes later, the door opened and a doctor walked in. It didn't take him long to check Kiefer's vitals, give him a prescription and a few suggestions and allow him to go home. Jack asked for a wheelchair and forced Kiefer into it by the sheer power of his gaze. Jon wheeled him out while Jack ran ahead to get the car. On the way to the car, he called in with Nina. The guard had turned out to be a dead end, he was genuinely sorry for having messed up and he knew he would have to answer for the mistakes he made.
The information on the hostile, Luke Princeton, on the other hand, was a lot more valuable. They had easily linked him to Bonney and they were checking deeper into it. He asked if she had heard from the team guarding Princeton and Nina told him he had come out of surgery about an hour after the team had gotten there and he had been moved to a private room and secured. As soon as he was conscious, they would send an agent over to question him.
Jack ended the call when he reached the entrance of the hospital where Jon and Kiefer were waiting. Kiefer had lit a cigarette, or maybe another one but he was still in the wheelchair, waiting patiently for Jack's permission to get out of it. Jack chuckled when Jon told him that.
"Get your butt in the car Sutherland." he snapped playfully.
They helped him up and into the car, and while Jon went around and got in, Jack took the wheelchair back inside.
"Do I drop you off at the studios?" Jack asked when he got into the car.
"If you don't mind. I'd like to pick up my car, but I'm coming with you."
"Okay, no problem."
Jack drove carefully, cleared security with minimal waste of time and dropped Jon off at the studio. He went inside to check everything, found Dave still waiting for news and filled him in. They locked the building together and went to their own car. Dave headed home, waving as he went, and Jon fell in behind Jack's SUV. He had called Tony while waiting for Jon to return and had asked him to meet them at Kiefer's place. He was waiting in the car when they got there and Jack parked behind him, with Jon pulling to the curb behind him. The three of them got out simultaneously and converged by Jack's car to help Kiefer out and across the sidewalk. Tony got the door and while Molly started out with a furious aggressiveness, she calmed down at once at the sound of Kiefer's voice. She sensed something was wrong and came straight to him, nuzzling his hand as he reached down to pet her.
They helped Kiefer up the stairs and into his room, leaving Jon to see to him while Tony and Jack went through the apartment to check it. It was clear like they had expected it to be. Jude had left early and they locked up.
Jon stayed another half hour until Kiefer fell asleep again and Jack and Tony turned in as well. Jack in Sarah's room, Tony on the couch in the living room, all doors wide open and with Molly sleeping at the foot of Kiefer's bed.
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3 Comments:
I'm back! ;)
I KNEW that sooner or later one of them (Kiefer or Jack) would get hit in the head. But I rather expected the second one...
Anyway, Moody, I hope that you won't be too angry, if one day I decide to translate this fanfic into Polish (I'm Polish. Just a student) and publish it (as a translation, of course) on Polish 24-forum? I really like your writing and sometimes I like translating fine stories. What would you say?
Greetings!
I would be thrilled if you decided to translate it into Polish for the Polish fans to read, or you can post it on that board in English.
Whatever you do, make sure to drop me a line with how people react to it, since I don't read Polish and will probably never visit that site.
That's great to know :). I've already started to translate it and it's big fun for me :)
I'm afraid I'll have to ask Melia to pass the reaction, because I don't have your email or something like this. But I had told people on the forum about this fanfic and two of them said it's interesting and you had great idea :).
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