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Just to be on the safe side though, his hair is covered with a surgical cap and we have a sheet over his face.
Two transporters load the gurney into the back of a medical transport van, Luis and Six ride with them. Dr. Franks will meet us at the B&B after he picks up some supplies from his office. Micah, Lukas, and I ride in a town car that is waiting behind the van.
“So far, so good,” I say quietly. It's the first any of us have really spoken since we left the D.C. hospital.
“I'm afraid to get my hopes up. I got a little too excited about the EKG and thought we were in the clear,” admits Lukas.
Micah, who is sitting in the middle, smacks us both on the knee. “I have my hopes up. He made it here alive, and we're going home. We infiltrated a highly secured evil lab like damn action heroes and escaped despite being horrifically outnumbered. Jackson saved our asses by running towards gunfire, got a bullet stuck in his femur, and got up and walked less than 48 hours later. And Daddy Adley is dead, which means we're safe. My hopes are way up, and I don't care who judges me.”
Lukas' lips quirk up on one side, looking at Micah with all the love in the world. Damn if I don't want to be the ham in that sandwich.
The town car pulls into the long, tree-lined drive. The solar powered twinkle lights hanging around the branches make everything look even more magical.
Lukas clears his throat. “Uh, so Jackson, I haven't gotten a chance to tell you. I hope you don't mind the little surprise I have for everyone…”
I'm barely listening, because as we pull out of the tree line, I see Mr. and Mrs. Coolson approaching the medical transport ban.
“Is that the Coolsons?” Micah exclaims excitedly. “How'd you pull that off!?”
“Wait, what? You did this?”
I'm beyond surprised to see them. And I'm happy to see them, I truly am. But if I'm being entirely honest, I'm not sure that I'm ready to see them. No one on this earth can read me better than Mrs. C, and she worries over me too much.
After everything that we have gone through in the past two days—hell, the past two weeks—I need some time to process. I'm worried that Mrs. C will be able to tell that I'm a little…off right now. Plastering a huge smile on my face, because I don't want to seem ungrateful, I wrap Lukas in a one sided hug as we pull up to the front of the house.
“This is great, man. I don't know how you did it, but it's going to be so good to have things almost back to normal.” That isn't a lie. I just need a little time to come back to myself.
The back of the transport van opens and the gurney with Bennet is unloaded as we climb out of the town car. Lukas thanks the driver, and Micah grabs our bag from the trunk. I go straight to Mrs. C, who is holding her face in both hands, shocked and terrified at the sight of Bennet.
She leaves the embrace of Mr. C and I wrap my arms around her, letting her cry into my shirt before she swats me.
“What the hell happened? And why didn't anyone tell me about this?” She looks over my shoulder at Lukas accusingly.
“I didn't want to upset you when you were halfway across the world. I'm sorry if I downplayed the situation too much,” Lukas says apologetically.
Dr. Franks arrives as we follow the gurney inside, Six directing them to take Bennet upstairs to the main room. They have to carry him up the stairs. The elevator isn't big enough to accommodate anything larger than a wheelchair.
It takes a little while for the transport medics to move Bennet to the bed, especially because we have to scramble to change the sheets first. Didn't mean to leave that mess behind.
Once Bennet is safely tucked in and all the proper machines are hooked up, Luis and Dr. Franks both sign some paperwork and we are on our own again.
“Is he going to be alright?” Mr. Coolson asks, and I know it's for the benefit of his wife, who can't quite catch her breath through her soft sobs.
Dr. Franks looks around at us as if to ask how much we should say in front of the older couple. I shake my head slightly and try to figure out what to tell them.
“Right now it's kind of a wait-and-see situation,” I say. I don't want to give them too many expectations, and I'm too tired to start the conversation now.
Six has climbed into the bed next to Bennet, and Luis sits beside her. Lukas and Micah unpack the centrifuge from the duffel and set it up. Dr. Franks is attaching electrodes to Bennet's chest.
I feel useless, so I offer to go see if we have anything to eat. This gives me a good excuse to distract the Coolsons so the rest of them can discuss the situation freely.
Digging through the freezer, I find some random frozen appetizers. I throw a tray of mini quiches and some kind of spinach pastry puffs in the convection oven before I turn to face my doom.
Mrs. C is watching me with a concerned look on her face, but she doesn't try to pry anything out of me. Yet.
Mr. C excuses himself to take the bags in.
“I'm sorry there isn't much to eat, and this fridge and pantry likely need a good cleaning since we all left so quickly. We got back just minutes before you did.”
