Mette
Cadet
NOTE 1: This will be the last chapter of the year. I'm going home on Friday to celebrate Christmas with my family, and I won't have any time on the internet between Christmas and New Year. I might have a little time on the internet the first few days into the new year, while I'm staying with my parents, but they don't have wireless internet, so I won't be able to update anyway. I also won't really have any alone time while I'm home, so I'll hardly have any time to write on the story. Therefore I have no idea when the next update will be, other than it'll hopefully be sometime in January 2008. I had hoped that I would've been able to have updated another chapter before I went home, but this one took quite a while to write, and there have been many moments where I've been stuck and also not even been home to write. So this will have to do for this year. Thank you all for taking this amazing journey with me this year. Thank you for reading and for commenting. It means the world to me.
NOTE 2: I don't have any medical background, so I don't know if the medical stuff could happen in real life. Remember that this is a fiction, so just please go along with what I write. Thank you.
texasalias2004: to you too. Sure I can leave you hanging - it's my story, so I can do what I want. The rescue team is close by since several of them are already in the building, but I can't promise you that they'll get there in time to stop Cuvee.
Irina_Derevko_Bristow: Read to find out about Jack. Well, Jack is strong, a Bristow, and has been through a lot in his life, but of course that doesn't mean that he'll live. I can't promise you that Sydney and Nadia will do that. In fact, Nadia won't - she's not that near the basement.
Sydney Derevko Bristow: Yeah, I might be evil. It's good to be evil sometimes. I can do it, because it's my story, and thereby I can do what I want. I'm sorry, but the chapters take long to write, and I can't update any faster. Sometimes I'm a little stuck, and sometimes I have other things to take care of. I have to include a lot of things, so naturally it takes a long time to write a chapter.
nicewoman: Yeah, those two evil bastards were bound to get on each others nerves. There can't be too many evil bastards in charges at once - it was doomed to fail. I can let Jack die, if I want to - it's my story after all. Yes, Sloane got away, and won't be back for the rest of this story. But who knows, he might be in the third and final story. I can't promise you that it will be about that.
Chapter 25
Cuvee took a hold of Irina’s thighs and was just about to push her towards him, when two shots were fired. Cuvee froze. He looked down at himself and saw blood running down his chest. He stumbled and took a few steps back and slowly turned around. He stared a little wide eyed when he saw Jack resting his one arm on his elbow for support and with the other arm he was holding the gun in his hand, which was trained on him.
The minute Cuvee had turned around after stripping out of his clothes, Jack had opened his eyes. Although he was still alive, he could feel that he was running out of time. He saw Cuvee’s gun laying right beside him, and he was relieved that Cuvee hadn’t shot him in the head or in the heart. He knew he had to try to stop Cuvee from hurting Irina, even if it killed him. When he saw Cuvee walking closer to Irina he pulled all his strength together, rolled on his side, took the gun and pulled himself up on his elbow for support. With what little strength he had left, he gripped the gun as tightly as he could, focused on Cuvee so that he wouldn’t hit Irina, and then fired twice as fast as he could, so he could stop Cuvee before he even got the chance to get his way with her.
The moment Cuvee turned around Jack gave him his death glare. His hand was shaking, but he knew he had to use the last of his strength to finish Cuvee off completely. He gripped the gun even tighter and locked eyes with Cuvee.
“Ha….han…hands….o…off….mmmmy…wife.”
Cuvee took a small step towards Jack, and Jack fired the gun hitting Cuvee again, and he kept firing the gun putting bullets into Cuvee’s body until he fell, face first into the ground. When Cuvee fell, Jack let the gun fall out of his hand, and fell back himself exhausted and drained of strength.
Irina was relieved that Jack was still alive and that he’d shot Cuvee, but at the same time she was terrified about his condition. She pulled herself together and raised her head up as much as she could, so that she could look at him. She cried even harder when she saw how weak he was looking.
“Jack. Jack. Sweetheart, look at me. Please look at me.” He slowly rolled his head to the side, and tried his best to focus on her. “Hold on, sweetheart. Hold on.” He swallowed a few times and coughed a few times.
“I….d..d…don’t….thi….think…I…ca…ca..ca…can.”
“Jack, you have to. Do you hear me? You have to.” He closed his eyes.
“I…I’m…sor..sor…sorry. I….lo…love….love…..y…you.”
“No, Jack, no. Stay with me. Stay with me, Jack.” She heard him fighting to breathe. “SOMEBODY HELP. HELP. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP US.”
A few seconds later Sydney, Vaughn, and five other agents burst through the door with their rifles raised. They stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped at the sight.
“DAD. MOM.” Irina raised her head the best she could and could see Sydney.
“Sydney? You’re here?”
“Yes, mom, we’re here.”
“Help your father. Please help your father.” Vaughn and Sydney rushed to Jack’s side with two of the agents, while one checked on Cuvee, and the last two kept a look out at the door.
“Dad. Dad, can you hear me? It’s Sydney. We’re here dad. We’re here to take you home. Hold on dad. Please hold on.” Jack opened his eyes a little and smiled a little too.
“Sy….Sydne…Sydney.” She smiled at him through her tears.
“Yeah, dad I’m here.” She took his hand. He swallowed and tried his best to focus on Sydney.
.
“Lo….lo…love….y…y….y…you. Hhhh…he…help…..y…your…..mmmmoott….mother.”
“I love you too, dad. Just hold on.” She got up, while Vaughn put pressure to his wounds and got on comms with everyone else.
“Get the medics to the basement right now. Jack’s been shot three times in the chest, and it doesn’t look good. Hurry.”
“They’re on the way.”
Sydney got her knife out and cut the ropes. Irina was sobbing.
“You’re here. You’re really here.” Sydney cut the last of the ropes, put the knife away, and took off her jacket.
“Yes mom, we’re really here.” She helped Irina to sit up.
“Your sisters and brother?”
“They’re safe. Nadia and Eric got to them.” She put the jacket around her mother. “Here put this on.” Irina quickly put the jacket on and then hugged Sydney tightly. Then they looked at each other, and Irina kissed Sydney all over the face.
“You’re really here.”
“Yes.” Sydney was a little hesitant with the question she had for her mother. “Uh mom, did…uh did Cuvee hurt you?” She shook her head.
“No, your father stopped him in time.” Then she looked at Jack and gasped. “Jack.” She jumped off the table, but her legs were shaky, so Sydney put her arm around her to give her support.
“Easy mom.” They hurried as much as they could to get to Jack’s side, and they both knelt down beside him. Irina took Jack’s hand, and he opened his eyes a little again. She gripped his hand tighter.
“Don’t give up, Sweetheart. The triplets are fine, and I’m fine, so you have to be fine too. Do you hear me? Don’t give up.”
“I’mmmm…..sor…so….sorr…sorry…bbbbbbut….I….ddd…don…don’t….thhhinnk…I…ca…ca…ca..”
“Don’t say that, Jack. Don’t you dare say that. You’re not the kind of person to give up, so don’t start now. Please hold on. You have to hold on.” She shook her head frustrated. “We’re the hell are the medics?” Just then Nadia and Eric came running into the room. They too stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped.
“Mom. Dad.” Nadia rushed to her parents’ side, while Eric turned to one of the agents standing guard outside the door.
“Get a couple of blankets or sheets or something like that.” The agent nodded and left, while Nadia hugged her mother and then looked at her father.
“Dad, the medics are on their way. Just hold on.” He opened his eyes a little again, and tried to focus on Nadia. He smiled a little again.
“Hhhhhiiii……I…..lo…lov…love…yyyyou.” She didn’t bother trying to dry her tears.
“I love you too, dad. But you can’t give up. Do you hear me? You have to listen to us. Please dad, don’t give up.”
“T..t….te….tell….th…the….tri…tr…trip….triplets….th…tha…that…I…lo..love…the..them
and….t…t…tell…mmmm….mmmmy…gggg…ggrrrannkkkids….tt…ttttt…tttoo.” Irina, Sydney, and Nadia all shook their heads.
“No, Jack. You’re going to tell them that. You’re going to watch the triplets grow up, and you’re going to spoil the grandkids rotten.”
“Only you can tell them that, dad.”
“Yes dad, they need to hear it from you.” Just then the medics arrived.
“Jack, the medics are here. They’re going to help you, and you’re going to be just fine. So just hold on.” Vaughn moved aside, so that the medics could take over, and the agent Eric had sent off returned with two blankets. Eric went over to him and took the blankets.
“Thank you.” He then walked back over to Irina and gave her the blankets. “Here. Wrap them around you.” Irina was still holding Jack’s hand, and couldn’t focus on anyone other than him, so Nadia took the blankets from him.
“Mom, you’re only wearing a jacket. You need to put one of the blankets around your waist.” Irina still didn’t move and one of the medics moved around to her side.
“Agents Bristow, I know that you don’t want to move away from Director Bristow, but we really need to be on both sides of him, to work on him properly. I have to ask you to move back a little, so that we can have room to work on him.” Sydney and Nadia nodded and started to pull Irina back.
“Mom, you have to let them work on dad.” Irina nodded through her tears and then looked at Jack giving his hand a squeeze.
“I’ll be right over here, sweetheart. You just hold on. Hold on.” She let go and let Sydney and Nadia pull her back. Nadia squatted next to her mother.
“Mom, can you stand up for a moment? It’s best if you get the blanket around you.” Irina nodded slightly.
Nadia stood up and held the blanket out, covering Irina from everyone’s sight. Sydney then helped her mother to stand, and together they wrapped the blanket around their mother’s waist. They then helped her to sit back down again, and Nadia wrapped the other blanket around Irina’s upper body. When Nadia sat back down again, Irina wrapped her arms around her daughters and hugged them tightly.
“Mom, dad’s strong. He’ll be alright.”
“Yes mom. You have to believe that. We all have to believe that.”
Vaughn and Eric moved and stood behind Irina, Sydney, and Nadia when Dixon’s voice came in over comms.
“We’ve taken all the guards down. What’s the situation with Jack?” Vaughn answered him.
“It’s hard to tell. The medics are working on him.”
“I assume that all the guards have been taken care of at your end?”
“Yes, they’re all out.”
“What about Cuvee?”
“Jack killed him before we even reached the room.”
“I’m glad.”
“Yeah, so are we.”
“I’m getting in touch with Unit Two and have them send the medical aircraft, so that it’s ready to take Jack to the hospital, when he’s ready to leave.”
“Okay.”
“Marshall and I are going to Sloane and Cuvee’s office to see if we can get the satellite readings to work again, so that we can see where Sloane is.”
“Keep us posted.”
“We will, and you do the same about Jack.”
“You got it.”
Dixon and Marshall went to Sloane and Cuvee’s office with a hand full of guards. Three of the guards went into the office first to see if it was safe to enter. When they’d checked out the office, they gave Dixon and Marshall the okay to enter. Marshall immediately went to the computer and sat down trying to get the satellite readings to work again. After a few minutes of typing away on the computer, Dixon broke the silence.
“Anything, Marshall?”
“They’ve done a great job of blocking the signal, but I think, I’ll be able to get the satellite readings to work again in a minute or two.”
“Good. Hurry as much as you can.”
A few minutes more went by before anything happened.
“Hang on. I think I’ve got it now.” Marshall entered a few more keys. “That should do it.” He got on comms with APO. “Base Camp, are you receiving satellite readings again?” Kendall came in on comms.
“Yes, got it. Hang on a sec.” A few moments went by before they heard Kendall again. “Damn it. There’s no sign of Sloane.”
“No sign at all?”
“None. We’ve checked everything, but he’s no where in sight within the range the satellite has.”
“Damn it.” Dixon shook his head frustrated, and got on comms with Chase. “Unit Two, get planes into the air, and have them search the area. He has to be somewhere.”
“We’re on it.” Dixon got back on with APO.
“We’re heading to the basement to check on the situation there.”
“Keep us posted.”
“We will.” Dixon looked at Marshall and at the other agents. “Let’s go.”
In the basement the medics were still working on Jack and Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were watching helplessly by. When Dixon and Marshall reached the basement, they too stood dead in their tracks for a few seconds before they looked over at Irina and the others. They walked over to them, and that’s when Marshall noticed the TV with a DVD playing of Cuvee having fun with Irina. His eyes widened in horror.
“Oh god.”
Every, but Irina, looked at him. Sydney and Nadia stood up, and then they all looked in the direction Marshall was looking in. They were all just as horrified as Marshall of what they saw. Sydney and Nadia turned pale and looked away immediately. Dixon and Marshall looked away too, and Vaughn and Eric went and pulled the plug out, and moved the equipment further away. They then walked back to Sydney and Nadia and hugged them. A few seconds later one of the medics looked up at them.
“He’s ready to be moved.” He looked at Irina. “Agent Bristow, you might want to go and tell the triplets that their father is coming out. They should probably be warned about his condition.” Irina only slightly nodded and kept her gaze at Jack. Sydney and Nadia pulled away from Vaughn and Eric and each put a hand on their mother’s shoulders.
“Mom, he’s right. We should get out and tell the triplets.” Irina still didn’t move.
“Mom, we know you don’t want to leave dad, but he’s in good hands. The triplets want to see you, and you should go out and see them too.” Irina nodded more and looked up at them.
“Yes, of course.” She shook her head and ran her hands over her face. “I can’t believe I haven’t been to see the triplets yet. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them and held them.” She put her face in her hands and started to cry harder again.
“It’s okay, mom. They’ll understand.”
“You had to be here for dad, and they would want you to be.”
“Yes, mom. And besides, we haven’t been down here that long, and they’ve been safe and well looked after the time that we’ve been down here.”
“Come on. We’ll take you to them now.” Irina nodded, and Sydney and Nadia helped her to stand up. They then put their arm around her to support her, and she put her arms around them. Dixon looked at them.
“I’ll walk out with the medics. Since they’re ready to move Jack, you should probably hurry on up to the triplets and tell them about him.” Sydney and Nadia nodded, and then they, Irina, Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall took one last look at Jack before they left the basement. When they left the room Nadia got on comms with the agents, who’d taken the triplets to safety.
“We’re leaving the basement now. Can you bring the triplets out to the front of the building?”
“Right away, agent Bristow.”
“Thank you.”
Irina quickened her pace at the thought of seeing the triplets again. Her body was still shaky, but she had more control of her legs now. They walked in silence, but just before reaching the main entrance to the prison, Irina spoke.
“What’s today’s date?”
“June 29th.”
“It’s been twenty-three days since I’ve seen them. That’s more than three weeks.” Irina started to cry even harder.
“In a few seconds you’ll see them again.”
“Yeah, mom. Just a few seconds left.” Irina nodded and they hurried a little more.
The minute they were outside, Irina spotted the triplets and they spotted her. They all ran towards each other. Irina squatted down and engulfed the triplets in her arms when they reached each other. Everyone was crying.
“Mommy.”
“We missed you.”
“Sweethearts, I missed you too. So much.”
She held them for a little while longer before looking at them and then raining kisses on their faces. When she’d done that Sydney and Vaughn gave them a hugs and kisses too, and Marshall gave them a hug. Maddie looked at Irina again.
“Nadia said that daddy was here too.”
“Yes mommy. Where’s daddy?” Irina bit her lower lip and tried to get control of her emotions.
“Daddy’s been hurt. He’s being looked after and in a few moments he’ll be carried out on a stretcher and into the waiting aircraft. He’ll need to go to hospital for further treatment.” The triplets started sobbing even harder.
“Is he hurt badly?” Irina nodded.
“Yes, he’s hurt pretty bad. So you have to be prepared for that when you see him, alright? Can you do that?”
“Yes, mommy.”
“Is he going to….to..d..d..die?” Irina started to cry more.
“I don’t know. But the important thing to remember is that he’s well looked after, and that the people, who are taking care of him know what they’re doing.” The triplets merely nodded and Irina hugged them again.
A few seconds later Vaughn spotted the medics carrying Jack out. He looked at Irina.
“They’re bringing Jack out.” Irina looked at him and nodded and moved behind the triplets, hugging them from behind. They gasped at the sight of their father.
“DADDY.”
“HOLD ON.”
“PLEASE HOLD ON, DADDY.”
Irina started to cry even harder of the triplets’ pleading cries, and when the medics started to put Jack into the aircraft, they turned around in their mother’s embrace and cried.
One of the medics walked over to Irina.
“Agent Bristow, we’re just going to get Director Bristow settled, and then you and your daughters can come onboard.” She nodded without looking at him, and he looked at Sydney and Nadia. They nodded back at him and he left. Eric looked down at Irina and the triplets and then looked at Nadia.
“I’ll be right back.” She nodded and he ran after the medic. “Excuse me.” The medic turned around.
“Yes, agent Weiss?”
“There are still room for more than just Director Bristow’s wife and two oldest daughters, right?”
“Yes, there’s room for four more people. Are you and agent Vaughn thinking of flying out with us too?” Eric shook his head.
“No, the triplets will be going with you.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s out of the question.”
“Excuse me? Just why is that out of the question?”
“Director Bristow is badly injured and we still have to work on him and make sure he’ll be alright on the flight to the hospital. There’s a lot of blood, and I don’t think the triplets need to see that.”
“What the triplets need is to be around their father. They haven’t seen him in more than three weeks.”
“But they don’t need to see him in this condition.”
“They’ve already seen him in his current condition. Those kids are strong, and they can handle this. And what Director Bristow needs is to have his family around him. It’ll be the best medicine for him.”
“That may very well be, but I won’t allow it. They’re not going.” Eric snapped.
“Look, you don’t have the authority to give me orders. I, on the other hand, have the authority to give you orders. So I’m ordering you to take the triplets on the aircraft. Is that understood?” The medic nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Let us know when you’re ready to leave.”
“We’re ready to leave in a minute or two, so you should get everyone near the aircraft.” Eric nodded and walked back to the others.
“Irina, the aircraft is ready to fly Jack to the hospital in a few minutes, so you need to get to the aircraft. I talked to one of the medics and the triplets can go too.” Irina nodded.
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” Eric smiled a little.
“I know.” He looked at Nadia and Sydney and they smiled at him, having seen that he was arguing with the medic about letting the triplets on the aircraft. He smiled back. “Come on.”
When they got to the aircraft, Dixon walked over to the aircraft too, after having talked to some of the other agents on sight. He gave the triplets a quick hug and then looked around at everyone.
“Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and I will stay and finish with things here, and then meet you at the hospital.” They nodded. “I understand that the triplets are coming with you?” Sydney nodded.
“Yes, they are.” He nodded.
“It’s certainly for the best.”
The medic popped his head out from the aircraft.
“We’re ready to leave.”
“Okay.”
Everyone said a quick goodbye before Irina, Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets got into the aircraft. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall stepped back and watched the aircraft take off. Once the aircraft flew away, Dixon got on comms with Chase.
“Unit Two, the C-4 has arrived and we’re ready to place it in the building. What are we supposed to do with Cuvee’s body?”
“Get samples of his blood, hair, and DNA from under his fingernails. We’ll compare that to the DNA samples we have of him on file. I don’t really have any doubts that this is the real Cuvee, but I want to make absolutely sure that this Cuvee is not some product of Project Helix.”
“And after?”
“He gets buried with the rest of the bodies.”
“Got it. Unit One out.” Dixon looked at all the agents that had gathered around him. “Listen up. Cuvee’s body gets buried along with all the other bodies, but we need to make sure that the right Cuvee is dead. I need someone to take DNA samples from under his fingernails and of his hair and blood. I need volunteers to do this.”
Vaughn raised his hand.
“I’ll do it.” Eric raised his hand too.
“I’m in too.”
“Me too.” Dixon looked at Marshall and nodded at all three.
“The rest of you will bring all the bodies down to the rooms in the basement, and place the C-4 all over the building. Get me when you’ve all done that, and I’ll make a final inspection.” All the agents nodded and Dixon looked at Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall. “You’ll bring C-4 as well.” They nodded too. “Get to work.”
When Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall got back to the room Cuvee was in, they stood looking at him for a few seconds. Then suddenly out of nowhere Marshall pulled out his gun and shot Cuvee twice in the head. Vaughn and Eric stepped back a bit and looked at Marshall in shock of what he’d done.
“Marshall, what the hell was that about?” Marshall looked back at them.
“Marcus said to make sure, Cuvee was dead, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m just making sure. I know that he has multiple gun shots wounds, and that he’s been checked on to make sure he was dead. But if you want to make sure someone’s dead, you shoot them in the head.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just in the movies that people are still alive after being shot in their body multiple times. But he could’ve gotten a gun, hid it, and ended up shooting one or more of us. It’s just better to be safe than sorry.” Vaughn and Eric exchanged glances and then Vaughn put a hand on Marshall’s shoulder.
“Thank you for looking out for us Marshall.” Eric nodded.
“Yeah, thanks man.” Marshall smiled a little and put his gun away.
They took the DNA samples and then put the C-4 around the room. Vaughn strapped the last C-4 to Cuvee’s body, and now Eric stared at him and Marshall did too. Vaughn looked at them and answered them before they even asked.
“Irina might’ve killed my father, but Cuvee is responsible too. You both saw the footage of what he had done to her, when she was a prisoner here.” They gave a slight nod, not wanting to think more about it. “If he hadn’t put her through that kind of torture, had let her keep Nadia, then my father probably wouldn’t be dead. Cuvee is a bastard and he needs to pay for what he did to Irina.” They nodded and Dixon walked in.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, we got the samples and have placed the C-4.” Dixon looked at the C-4 strapped to Cuvee. He gave Vaughn an approving nod.
“Let’s go.”
“Right behind you.”
Everyone got in the cars and Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall got into a helicopter waiting to take them to the hospital. They all got to a safe distance from the prison and Dixon got on comms with APO.
“Unit One to Base Camp.” Dixon could hear that Kendall was emotional.
“Go ahead Unite One.”
“We’re ready to blow up the prison, and then the four of us are heading to the hospital. There’s nothing more you can do, so go home. We have people looking for Sloane, and if he’s spotted on any satellite readings, we’ll get him. Jack will likely be in surgery for hours, so there’s no reason for you to sit around and wait for the result. Go home to the kids, and I’ll call you when there’s any news.”
“Yeah that sounds like a plan. But call the minute there’s any news on Jack. We want to be informed.”
“We will. Unit One out.”
Back at APO Kendall, Katya, Carrie, and Rachel watched as the prison in Kashmir got blown up. Carrie and Rachel were crying their eyes out at what had happened to Jack, and his condition. Kendall had been crying too, and started to dry his eyes. He looked over at Katya. She was still looking at the screen but wasn’t crying and didn’t seem too bothered with the situation. He walked over to Carrie, who had her face buried in her hands.
“Carrie, come here.” She stood up and Kendall hugged her. He looked over at Rachel, who had her face buried in her hands too. “You too, Rachel.” He hugged her too, and they both cried on his shoulder for a little while. He looked over at Katya. “Katya?” She turned around and as she did, Carrie and Rachel turned their heads, so they could look at Katya. She gave them a reassuring smile.
“We got them out, and Jack’s strong. He’ll pull through. And as for Sloane, we’ll get him just like we got Cuvee.” Kendall looked at her in disbelief, while Carrie and Rachel didn’t really react much, but started to dry their tears. Kendall looked at them again.
“Let’s do as Marcus said and go home.” They nodded. “I’ll just go and tell everyone.” He ran his hand over his face before walking out of the meeting room. Carrie looked at Katya.
“Katya, are you okay?” She smiled at Carrie.
“Yes, I’m absolutely fine.” They both eyed her.
“Are you sure.”
“Yes.” She stood up and walked over to them. “Everything will turn out just fine, you’ll see. Just go home and relax with your kids.”
“You want to come with us? You can just leave your car here.”
“I have some things to take care of, so you go ahead. I’ll come later.”
“Okay. See you later then.” They hugged and Carrie and Rachel walked towards the door just as Kendall came back in.
“We’re leaving.” He nodded.
“I’ll be there in an hour or so. I’m just going to call Washington and take care of a few things here, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“See you in a little while.”
“Yeah, bye.” He hugged both of them and then they left. He looked over at Katya, who tidied up a bit. When she’d done that, she looked back at Kendall, with a slight smile on her face.
“I’m leaving too.” She walked passed him and out the door. He stood for a few seconds in the meeting room in disbelief and shook his head. Then he walked out quickly and caught up with Katya. He took her by the elbow and dragged her with him. She got angry. “What do you think, you’re doing?” He didn’t answer her, but kept dragging her along, and addressed the security guards, when they walked by them.
“We’ll be in interrogation room two. Do not disturb us.” The security guards looked strangely in Kendall’s direction.
“Sir?”
“Just do as I say.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seconds later Kendall pushed Katya inside the interrogation room and slammed the door. She stared at him angrily and he stared back at her the same way.
“Cry.” She looked at him dumbfounded.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Cry.” She stared at him angrily again.
“I really think that you should start wearing a hat when you’re outside. The sun has easy access to that big, bald head of yours, and obviously it has fried your brain.” He didn’t let her words get to him and remained just as angry as she was.
“You can’t keep staying positive and calm the way you have since the triplets were kidnapped. You need to cry.”
“No I don’t. Everyone is safe, and that’s something we should smile about. Not cry about.”
“Everyone’s safe? Jack’s been shot and it’s really bad. There’s no guarantee that he’ll make it.”
“Jack’s strong. He’ll pull through just fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I choose to believe that, and to stay positive about it. If anything, we need to stay positive and calm and not sit around crying.”
“We’re allowed to cry about the horrible situation we’re in now, and have been in for more than three weeks. You haven’t done that, and it’s about time you did.”
“If you feel the need to cry, then by all means do. But I don’t need to cry.”
“You can’t even shed a few tears for your own family? Your eight-year-old nieces and nephew were kidnapped for more than three weeks. If Sark hadn’t been able to fool Sloane and Cuvee, get out of there, and contact us, Sloane would’ve been able to brainwash the triplets into believing he was their father. They would eventually be calling him ‘dad’ and not Jack. They wouldn’t even remember Jack, and they would believe that Irina abandoned them. And you would never have seen them again.”
“You don’t know that, so stop saying things like that.” He saw her bottom lip slightly tremble. No one would probably have noticed that, but he was looking for it. Instead of backing off, he continued.
“Your sister and brother-in-law were kidnapped by their worst enemies. We all know the hell Cuvee has put Irina through in the past, and he almost raped her again. If Jack hadn’t been able to shoot Cuvee, he would’ve started raping her before Sydney and Vaughn got to the room. They would’ve probably killed him before he finished, but they wouldn’t have been able to stop him before he started.”
“Stop talking about that.” He noticed her bottom lip tremble a bit more, and he pressed on.
“Jack was almost tortured to death, he was shot, and right now he’s fighting for his life. No one knows if he’s going to make it. Chances are that he probably won’t. And then what happens? What’s going to happen to Irina? To the triplets? To Sydney and Nadia? I don’t think Irina can cope without Jack. Sure, she’ll still have her children to support her, but she might as well be dead if she doesn’t have Jack by her side. And Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets won’t have their father anymore. Sydney and Nadia might get through it better than the triplets, because they’re older. But the triplets are still so young, and I hate to think what’s going to happen to them, if they grow up without a father. If Jack dies, Cuvee and Sloane might as well have killed Irina and the triplets. They might as well have taken a gun to their heads and blown their brains out.”
Katya immediately broke down sobbing. Her knees buckled and Kendall almost didn’t catch her in time before she hit the floor. He pulled her up, and she gripped his shirt, burying her head in shoulder. Her whole body was shaking.
He was surprised by her behavior. He had wanted her to cry, but he hadn’t expected her to break down like this. Not really sure on how to handle the situation, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly, hoping it would help calm her down.
Several minutes later Katya was still in Kendall’s arms crying her eyes out. He hadn’t said anything to her, but waited for her to be ready to talk. Several minutes more went by before she said anything.
“She can’t lose him. He’s the love of her life, and if she loses him, I’m afraid that she’ll lose herself. She’ll build up walls, and no one will be able to tear them down. He can’t die. He just can’t die.”
“There’s a possibility that he will. I don’t want to think about it. I would much rather stay positive and in denial, and I agree that we have to stay positive and hope for the best, but at the same time we have to be realistic. If Jack dies, Irina and the kids will need all of our support, and we have to be prepared to give that. It doesn’t mean that we can’t hurt too. But we at least have to know that there’s a chance, Jack won’t make it.” She slightly nodded.
She continued to cry for a little while longer, but then stopped. She let go of his shirt and stepped out of his embrace, taking a few steps back and turning her back to him. She started to dry her tears. He was a bit surprised by the change in her reaction. Not thinking she was quite alright, he put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him over her shoulder.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged his hand away. He sighed and shook his head.
“You’re not fine.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Katya, it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to show your emotions.”
Without warning she spun around, grabbed a hold of Kendall and pinned him to the table. He was taken aback by her behavior and stared wide eyed at her. She stared angrily at him.
“You will tell no one of what’s been going on in here. Do you understand? No one.” He started getting angry and tried to get her off, but without success.
“Get off me, Katya.”
“Do you understand? No one is to find out about this.”
“Yes, I understand. I have no intention of telling anyone. I wouldn’t do that to you. Now let me go. Right now.” She eyed him for a few seconds and then let him go.
“We will never talk about this again.” She walked towards the door, and just when she was about to put her hand on the doorknob, Kendall grabbed her from behind, slammed her against the wall, and pinned her there with his body pressed against her back.
“I warned you the last time you did this to me. I told you that if you ever did something like that again that I wouldn’t hesitate to throw you back in jail. I’ll let it slide this time giving the situation. But don’t ever do that to me again. Not ever. Do you understand?” She didn’t answer, so he nudged her. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
He let go of her and stood by the door, while she walked away from him in the other direction. They stared at each other angrily, and Kendall then shook his head, put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He was about to walk out, but sighed and closed the door again. He looked back at her and spoke calmer.
“If you need to talk to someone about anything and you don’t feel like you can talk to Sergei, or anyone else, you can call me. Whatever you’d want to talk about would just be between us, just like what went on in here.” She stared at him still a bit coldly and gave a nod.
“I told you, I’m fine, so I won’t be needing anyone to talk to.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Fine. Suit yourself. See you later.” He walked out shaking his head. Katya stayed in the room for a few more minutes gathering herself before leaving too.
Hours later in Kashmir Jack was still in surgery. Irina and the triplets had been checked by the doctors, had a shower, a change of clothes that the rescue team brought, and had, had something to eat and drink. They were now in the waiting room, along with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall. The triplets were sleeping, too exhausted to stay awake from everything that had been going on since they’d been kidnapped, and with everything that was going on now.
Irina was sitting motionless on one of the couches. She hadn’t talked much since the triplets had fallen asleep, and she was worried sick about Jack. The others hadn’t talked much either since the triplets had fallen asleep, and after a few more moments of silence, Dixon stood up.
“I think, I’ll just go to the cafeteria and get some coffee. Should I bring back coffee for everyone?” Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall nodded and Vaughn looked at him.
“Yeah that sounds nice. Thank you.” Dixon nodded and looked at Irina.
“Irina would you like anything?” She shook her head slightly but didn’t look at him.
“No thank you, Marcus.” Marshall stood up too.
“I’ll help you with the coffee.” Dixon nodded and they left.
A few moments more went by in silence, and Sydney stood up.
“I’m a little hungry, so I think I’ll just go to the cafeteria.” Vaughn stood up.
“I’ll come too.”
Nadia and Eric exchanged glances. They wanted to get out and stretch their legs too, and get their minds on something else for a little while. But they also didn’t want to leave Irina alone. However, Irina picked up on it.
“Nadia, you and Eric should go with Sydney and Michael.”
“Mom, we don’t want to leave you alone.” Irina looked at Nadia, and smiled a little.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be gone for hours. Just go and stretch your legs for a little while.”
“Eric and I can go stretch our legs when Sydney and Vaughn come back.”
“Sweetheart, I’ll be okay. Really.” Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia looked back at Irina.
“Okay mom, if you say so. We won’t be gone long.” Irina nodded and they left.
When they got outside Vaughn noticed Chase walking towards them. He nudged Sydney, and when she looked in the direction he did, Nadia and Eric followed their gaze. Sydney sighed.
“I don’t want to deal with anything work related now, and I don’t want Chase anywhere near mom. Mom doesn’t need to be around her right now.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you, Eric.” Eric nodded and walked off towards Chase. He walked fast, so she wouldn’t get too near the waiting room. When they met, Chase was just about to open her mouth to speak, but Eric beat her to it.
“Get lost.” Chase stared wide eyed at Eric.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, get lost.”
“Look, agent Weiss..”
“No, no, no. Right now, I’m not an agent, and I don’t think of you as a director of the CIA. Right now, I’m just plain old Eric, who’s worried sick about his father-in-law. And you are the cold hearted witch, who has treated my mother-in-law horribly for the past five years.” Chase nodded and spoke kindly.
“I know that I’ve been a cold hearted witch. I’ve even been a cold hearted bitch.” He raised his eyes a little bit in surprise by her statement. “I’m here to apologize to Irina. I want her to know that the entire CIA is behind her, including me. I’m not doing this to clear my own conscience. It’s not like I expect Irina to accept my apology or forgive me. But in case Jack dies, it would be pathetic of me to apologize after he’s dead. I know I’m probably the last person Irina wants to see now, but she also needs all the support she can get.” He spoke calmer.
“You can’t say that.” She looked at him confused.
“Can’t say what?”
“You can’t say that Jack might die. We know how horrible the situation is, and that we should be realistic, but you can’t say that Jack might die. Irina doesn’t need to hear that. She can’t lose him, so you can’t say that in front of her.”
“Okay. Does that mean that you’ll let me see her?” He eyed her and she smiled at him sincerely. “Eric, please. I’m begging you.” He sighed and nodded.
“Come on.”
“Thank you.”
They walked to the waiting room where the other three were waiting for Eric. Sydney and Nadia looked at him, confused as to why Chase was with him. Nadia looked at him.
“Why is she here?”
“She wants to apologize to your mother.”
“Nadia. Sydney.” They both looked at Chase. “I’m here to give my support to you and your mother. I just want to tell your mother that. I want to tell her how sorry I am for the way I’ve treated her all these years. I really am truly sorry.” They eyed her.
“If you hurt her or in any way upset her….” Sydney left the rest unsaid and Chase nodded.
“If she’s upset by my presence, I’ll leave immediately. You have my word.” Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia nodded.
“You can go see her.” Chase smiled sincerely and kindly.
“Thank you.”
“We’re just going to the cafeteria. We’ll be back in a little while.” Chase nodded and the others left.
Chase opened the door to the waiting room. Irina looked up and gave Chase her death glare. Chase spoke softly and kindly.
“Hi. It’s good to see you again. I’m so glad that you’re safe.” Irina didn’t say anything. “Can I talk to you?” Irina eyed her for a moment. She then looked at the triplets. They were still sleeping, but so as not to say anything harsh to Chase in front of them, so that she might wake them, she got up from her seat.
“Outside.” Chase nodded and they walked out into the hall. Irina closed the door and then crossed her arms across her chest. “What?”
“I don’t want this to come across as a pathetic attempt to make up for everything that I’ve ever done to you, because I know that nothing I say will ever make up for the horrible way I’ve treated you the last five years. But Irina, I’m truly sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I’ve been a total cold hearted bitch, and there’s no forgiving that. I just never really thought of you as human given your past. But when the triplets were kidnapped, my eyes were opened and I realized that you were human, because you were so heartbroken. I’m sorry that it took so long for me to see that, and that something so horrible had to happen before I opened my eyes to you. I’m truly sorry. I don’t expect you to accept my apology or to forgive me, because I don’t deserve that, but I’m here to give you my support. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Irina kept staring at Chase. But a few seconds later she broke down crying. Chase didn’t really know what to do. She put her hands on Irina’s upper arms in hopes that, that would comfort her. Irina then wrapped her arms around her, and Chase was taken aback a little. Feeling Irina needed to be held Chase wrapped her arms around Irina and hugged her, and comforted her, the best she could.
Fifteen minutes later everyone else returned. Dixon and Marshall had been told that Chase had showed up, and he was a bit worried about the situation. He and Chase still hadn’t talked since he’d found out that she’d accused Irina of being involved with Robin almost getting raped. Everyone else was concerned about the situation too. They were a bit apprehensive about what they’d see once they got to the waiting room, and as they rounded the corner they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight. Irina was still crying on Chase’s shoulder, and Chase was doing her best to comfort her by running a hand up and down her back, and speaking words of encouragement. Everyone exchanged glances. Sydney, Nadia, and Dixon looked at each other and smiled a little.
A while later everyone was sitting together in the waiting room, waiting for news about Jack. The triplets were awake, but no one was talking to each other. They were all too worried. Another thirty minutes went by before the doctor walked in. Everyone got up immediately and walked closer to the doctor. No one liked the expression on the doctor’s face, and Irina took another step closer to him.
“How’s my husband?” He looked at her, then at the triplets, and then back at Irina.
“I think it’d be best if I talk to you in private, Mrs. Bristow. Your oldest daughters are welcome to come too.” Irina shook her head.
“No, we’re all going to hear what you have to say.” He leaned closer to her, and whispered.
“Mrs. Bristow, I really don’t think the little ones, should hear this.”
“They have been separated from their father for more than three weeks. They’ve been through hell, so they can handle to hear about their father’s condition.” He looked down at them, and saw them nodding. “I’m not going to hide anything from them, so you might as well tell us yourself. Just give it to us straight, and don’t leave anything out.” The doctor sighed and nodded.
“Alright, if that’s what you want.” He looked Irina straight in the eyes. “Your husband is in critical condition. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding, and repair the damages to some extent, but he’s far from out of the woods. In fact, I don’t think he’ll ever get out of the woods.” Everyone gasped and the doctor took a deep breath. “With all the torture he’s been put through, the beating, the gun shot wounds to his chest, being without food and water for so long, and his medical history, it’s very unlikely that he’ll pull through. He’s slipped into a coma, and I don’t expect him to ever wake up from it. I expect his condition to deteriorate, and that he’ll die within a few days or a week. I’m sorry. I wish, I could bring you better news, but this is his condition.”
TBC
NOTE 2: I don't have any medical background, so I don't know if the medical stuff could happen in real life. Remember that this is a fiction, so just please go along with what I write. Thank you.
texasalias2004: to you too. Sure I can leave you hanging - it's my story, so I can do what I want. The rescue team is close by since several of them are already in the building, but I can't promise you that they'll get there in time to stop Cuvee.
Irina_Derevko_Bristow: Read to find out about Jack. Well, Jack is strong, a Bristow, and has been through a lot in his life, but of course that doesn't mean that he'll live. I can't promise you that Sydney and Nadia will do that. In fact, Nadia won't - she's not that near the basement.
Sydney Derevko Bristow: Yeah, I might be evil. It's good to be evil sometimes. I can do it, because it's my story, and thereby I can do what I want. I'm sorry, but the chapters take long to write, and I can't update any faster. Sometimes I'm a little stuck, and sometimes I have other things to take care of. I have to include a lot of things, so naturally it takes a long time to write a chapter.
nicewoman: Yeah, those two evil bastards were bound to get on each others nerves. There can't be too many evil bastards in charges at once - it was doomed to fail. I can let Jack die, if I want to - it's my story after all. Yes, Sloane got away, and won't be back for the rest of this story. But who knows, he might be in the third and final story. I can't promise you that it will be about that.
Chapter 25
Cuvee took a hold of Irina’s thighs and was just about to push her towards him, when two shots were fired. Cuvee froze. He looked down at himself and saw blood running down his chest. He stumbled and took a few steps back and slowly turned around. He stared a little wide eyed when he saw Jack resting his one arm on his elbow for support and with the other arm he was holding the gun in his hand, which was trained on him.
The minute Cuvee had turned around after stripping out of his clothes, Jack had opened his eyes. Although he was still alive, he could feel that he was running out of time. He saw Cuvee’s gun laying right beside him, and he was relieved that Cuvee hadn’t shot him in the head or in the heart. He knew he had to try to stop Cuvee from hurting Irina, even if it killed him. When he saw Cuvee walking closer to Irina he pulled all his strength together, rolled on his side, took the gun and pulled himself up on his elbow for support. With what little strength he had left, he gripped the gun as tightly as he could, focused on Cuvee so that he wouldn’t hit Irina, and then fired twice as fast as he could, so he could stop Cuvee before he even got the chance to get his way with her.
The moment Cuvee turned around Jack gave him his death glare. His hand was shaking, but he knew he had to use the last of his strength to finish Cuvee off completely. He gripped the gun even tighter and locked eyes with Cuvee.
“Ha….han…hands….o…off….mmmmy…wife.”
Cuvee took a small step towards Jack, and Jack fired the gun hitting Cuvee again, and he kept firing the gun putting bullets into Cuvee’s body until he fell, face first into the ground. When Cuvee fell, Jack let the gun fall out of his hand, and fell back himself exhausted and drained of strength.
Irina was relieved that Jack was still alive and that he’d shot Cuvee, but at the same time she was terrified about his condition. She pulled herself together and raised her head up as much as she could, so that she could look at him. She cried even harder when she saw how weak he was looking.
“Jack. Jack. Sweetheart, look at me. Please look at me.” He slowly rolled his head to the side, and tried his best to focus on her. “Hold on, sweetheart. Hold on.” He swallowed a few times and coughed a few times.
“I….d..d…don’t….thi….think…I…ca…ca..ca…can.”
“Jack, you have to. Do you hear me? You have to.” He closed his eyes.
“I…I’m…sor..sor…sorry. I….lo…love….love…..y…you.”
“No, Jack, no. Stay with me. Stay with me, Jack.” She heard him fighting to breathe. “SOMEBODY HELP. HELP. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP US.”
A few seconds later Sydney, Vaughn, and five other agents burst through the door with their rifles raised. They stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped at the sight.
“DAD. MOM.” Irina raised her head the best she could and could see Sydney.
“Sydney? You’re here?”
“Yes, mom, we’re here.”
“Help your father. Please help your father.” Vaughn and Sydney rushed to Jack’s side with two of the agents, while one checked on Cuvee, and the last two kept a look out at the door.
“Dad. Dad, can you hear me? It’s Sydney. We’re here dad. We’re here to take you home. Hold on dad. Please hold on.” Jack opened his eyes a little and smiled a little too.
“Sy….Sydne…Sydney.” She smiled at him through her tears.
“Yeah, dad I’m here.” She took his hand. He swallowed and tried his best to focus on Sydney.
.
“Lo….lo…love….y…y….y…you. Hhhh…he…help…..y…your…..mmmmoott….mother.”
“I love you too, dad. Just hold on.” She got up, while Vaughn put pressure to his wounds and got on comms with everyone else.
“Get the medics to the basement right now. Jack’s been shot three times in the chest, and it doesn’t look good. Hurry.”
“They’re on the way.”
Sydney got her knife out and cut the ropes. Irina was sobbing.
“You’re here. You’re really here.” Sydney cut the last of the ropes, put the knife away, and took off her jacket.
“Yes mom, we’re really here.” She helped Irina to sit up.
“Your sisters and brother?”
“They’re safe. Nadia and Eric got to them.” She put the jacket around her mother. “Here put this on.” Irina quickly put the jacket on and then hugged Sydney tightly. Then they looked at each other, and Irina kissed Sydney all over the face.
“You’re really here.”
“Yes.” Sydney was a little hesitant with the question she had for her mother. “Uh mom, did…uh did Cuvee hurt you?” She shook her head.
“No, your father stopped him in time.” Then she looked at Jack and gasped. “Jack.” She jumped off the table, but her legs were shaky, so Sydney put her arm around her to give her support.
“Easy mom.” They hurried as much as they could to get to Jack’s side, and they both knelt down beside him. Irina took Jack’s hand, and he opened his eyes a little again. She gripped his hand tighter.
“Don’t give up, Sweetheart. The triplets are fine, and I’m fine, so you have to be fine too. Do you hear me? Don’t give up.”
“I’mmmm…..sor…so….sorr…sorry…bbbbbbut….I….ddd…don…don’t….thhhinnk…I…ca…ca…ca..”
“Don’t say that, Jack. Don’t you dare say that. You’re not the kind of person to give up, so don’t start now. Please hold on. You have to hold on.” She shook her head frustrated. “We’re the hell are the medics?” Just then Nadia and Eric came running into the room. They too stood dead in their tracks for a second and gasped.
“Mom. Dad.” Nadia rushed to her parents’ side, while Eric turned to one of the agents standing guard outside the door.
“Get a couple of blankets or sheets or something like that.” The agent nodded and left, while Nadia hugged her mother and then looked at her father.
“Dad, the medics are on their way. Just hold on.” He opened his eyes a little again, and tried to focus on Nadia. He smiled a little again.
“Hhhhhiiii……I…..lo…lov…love…yyyyou.” She didn’t bother trying to dry her tears.
“I love you too, dad. But you can’t give up. Do you hear me? You have to listen to us. Please dad, don’t give up.”
“T..t….te….tell….th…the….tri…tr…trip….triplets….th…tha…that…I…lo..love…the..them
and….t…t…tell…mmmm….mmmmy…gggg…ggrrrannkkkids….tt…ttttt…tttoo.” Irina, Sydney, and Nadia all shook their heads.
“No, Jack. You’re going to tell them that. You’re going to watch the triplets grow up, and you’re going to spoil the grandkids rotten.”
“Only you can tell them that, dad.”
“Yes dad, they need to hear it from you.” Just then the medics arrived.
“Jack, the medics are here. They’re going to help you, and you’re going to be just fine. So just hold on.” Vaughn moved aside, so that the medics could take over, and the agent Eric had sent off returned with two blankets. Eric went over to him and took the blankets.
“Thank you.” He then walked back over to Irina and gave her the blankets. “Here. Wrap them around you.” Irina was still holding Jack’s hand, and couldn’t focus on anyone other than him, so Nadia took the blankets from him.
“Mom, you’re only wearing a jacket. You need to put one of the blankets around your waist.” Irina still didn’t move and one of the medics moved around to her side.
“Agents Bristow, I know that you don’t want to move away from Director Bristow, but we really need to be on both sides of him, to work on him properly. I have to ask you to move back a little, so that we can have room to work on him.” Sydney and Nadia nodded and started to pull Irina back.
“Mom, you have to let them work on dad.” Irina nodded through her tears and then looked at Jack giving his hand a squeeze.
“I’ll be right over here, sweetheart. You just hold on. Hold on.” She let go and let Sydney and Nadia pull her back. Nadia squatted next to her mother.
“Mom, can you stand up for a moment? It’s best if you get the blanket around you.” Irina nodded slightly.
Nadia stood up and held the blanket out, covering Irina from everyone’s sight. Sydney then helped her mother to stand, and together they wrapped the blanket around their mother’s waist. They then helped her to sit back down again, and Nadia wrapped the other blanket around Irina’s upper body. When Nadia sat back down again, Irina wrapped her arms around her daughters and hugged them tightly.
“Mom, dad’s strong. He’ll be alright.”
“Yes mom. You have to believe that. We all have to believe that.”
Vaughn and Eric moved and stood behind Irina, Sydney, and Nadia when Dixon’s voice came in over comms.
“We’ve taken all the guards down. What’s the situation with Jack?” Vaughn answered him.
“It’s hard to tell. The medics are working on him.”
“I assume that all the guards have been taken care of at your end?”
“Yes, they’re all out.”
“What about Cuvee?”
“Jack killed him before we even reached the room.”
“I’m glad.”
“Yeah, so are we.”
“I’m getting in touch with Unit Two and have them send the medical aircraft, so that it’s ready to take Jack to the hospital, when he’s ready to leave.”
“Okay.”
“Marshall and I are going to Sloane and Cuvee’s office to see if we can get the satellite readings to work again, so that we can see where Sloane is.”
“Keep us posted.”
“We will, and you do the same about Jack.”
“You got it.”
Dixon and Marshall went to Sloane and Cuvee’s office with a hand full of guards. Three of the guards went into the office first to see if it was safe to enter. When they’d checked out the office, they gave Dixon and Marshall the okay to enter. Marshall immediately went to the computer and sat down trying to get the satellite readings to work again. After a few minutes of typing away on the computer, Dixon broke the silence.
“Anything, Marshall?”
“They’ve done a great job of blocking the signal, but I think, I’ll be able to get the satellite readings to work again in a minute or two.”
“Good. Hurry as much as you can.”
A few minutes more went by before anything happened.
“Hang on. I think I’ve got it now.” Marshall entered a few more keys. “That should do it.” He got on comms with APO. “Base Camp, are you receiving satellite readings again?” Kendall came in on comms.
“Yes, got it. Hang on a sec.” A few moments went by before they heard Kendall again. “Damn it. There’s no sign of Sloane.”
“No sign at all?”
“None. We’ve checked everything, but he’s no where in sight within the range the satellite has.”
“Damn it.” Dixon shook his head frustrated, and got on comms with Chase. “Unit Two, get planes into the air, and have them search the area. He has to be somewhere.”
“We’re on it.” Dixon got back on with APO.
“We’re heading to the basement to check on the situation there.”
“Keep us posted.”
“We will.” Dixon looked at Marshall and at the other agents. “Let’s go.”
In the basement the medics were still working on Jack and Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were watching helplessly by. When Dixon and Marshall reached the basement, they too stood dead in their tracks for a few seconds before they looked over at Irina and the others. They walked over to them, and that’s when Marshall noticed the TV with a DVD playing of Cuvee having fun with Irina. His eyes widened in horror.
“Oh god.”
Every, but Irina, looked at him. Sydney and Nadia stood up, and then they all looked in the direction Marshall was looking in. They were all just as horrified as Marshall of what they saw. Sydney and Nadia turned pale and looked away immediately. Dixon and Marshall looked away too, and Vaughn and Eric went and pulled the plug out, and moved the equipment further away. They then walked back to Sydney and Nadia and hugged them. A few seconds later one of the medics looked up at them.
“He’s ready to be moved.” He looked at Irina. “Agent Bristow, you might want to go and tell the triplets that their father is coming out. They should probably be warned about his condition.” Irina only slightly nodded and kept her gaze at Jack. Sydney and Nadia pulled away from Vaughn and Eric and each put a hand on their mother’s shoulders.
“Mom, he’s right. We should get out and tell the triplets.” Irina still didn’t move.
“Mom, we know you don’t want to leave dad, but he’s in good hands. The triplets want to see you, and you should go out and see them too.” Irina nodded more and looked up at them.
“Yes, of course.” She shook her head and ran her hands over her face. “I can’t believe I haven’t been to see the triplets yet. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them and held them.” She put her face in her hands and started to cry harder again.
“It’s okay, mom. They’ll understand.”
“You had to be here for dad, and they would want you to be.”
“Yes, mom. And besides, we haven’t been down here that long, and they’ve been safe and well looked after the time that we’ve been down here.”
“Come on. We’ll take you to them now.” Irina nodded, and Sydney and Nadia helped her to stand up. They then put their arm around her to support her, and she put her arms around them. Dixon looked at them.
“I’ll walk out with the medics. Since they’re ready to move Jack, you should probably hurry on up to the triplets and tell them about him.” Sydney and Nadia nodded, and then they, Irina, Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall took one last look at Jack before they left the basement. When they left the room Nadia got on comms with the agents, who’d taken the triplets to safety.
“We’re leaving the basement now. Can you bring the triplets out to the front of the building?”
“Right away, agent Bristow.”
“Thank you.”
Irina quickened her pace at the thought of seeing the triplets again. Her body was still shaky, but she had more control of her legs now. They walked in silence, but just before reaching the main entrance to the prison, Irina spoke.
“What’s today’s date?”
“June 29th.”
“It’s been twenty-three days since I’ve seen them. That’s more than three weeks.” Irina started to cry even harder.
“In a few seconds you’ll see them again.”
“Yeah, mom. Just a few seconds left.” Irina nodded and they hurried a little more.
The minute they were outside, Irina spotted the triplets and they spotted her. They all ran towards each other. Irina squatted down and engulfed the triplets in her arms when they reached each other. Everyone was crying.
“Mommy.”
“We missed you.”
“Sweethearts, I missed you too. So much.”
She held them for a little while longer before looking at them and then raining kisses on their faces. When she’d done that Sydney and Vaughn gave them a hugs and kisses too, and Marshall gave them a hug. Maddie looked at Irina again.
“Nadia said that daddy was here too.”
“Yes mommy. Where’s daddy?” Irina bit her lower lip and tried to get control of her emotions.
“Daddy’s been hurt. He’s being looked after and in a few moments he’ll be carried out on a stretcher and into the waiting aircraft. He’ll need to go to hospital for further treatment.” The triplets started sobbing even harder.
“Is he hurt badly?” Irina nodded.
“Yes, he’s hurt pretty bad. So you have to be prepared for that when you see him, alright? Can you do that?”
“Yes, mommy.”
“Is he going to….to..d..d..die?” Irina started to cry more.
“I don’t know. But the important thing to remember is that he’s well looked after, and that the people, who are taking care of him know what they’re doing.” The triplets merely nodded and Irina hugged them again.
A few seconds later Vaughn spotted the medics carrying Jack out. He looked at Irina.
“They’re bringing Jack out.” Irina looked at him and nodded and moved behind the triplets, hugging them from behind. They gasped at the sight of their father.
“DADDY.”
“HOLD ON.”
“PLEASE HOLD ON, DADDY.”
Irina started to cry even harder of the triplets’ pleading cries, and when the medics started to put Jack into the aircraft, they turned around in their mother’s embrace and cried.
One of the medics walked over to Irina.
“Agent Bristow, we’re just going to get Director Bristow settled, and then you and your daughters can come onboard.” She nodded without looking at him, and he looked at Sydney and Nadia. They nodded back at him and he left. Eric looked down at Irina and the triplets and then looked at Nadia.
“I’ll be right back.” She nodded and he ran after the medic. “Excuse me.” The medic turned around.
“Yes, agent Weiss?”
“There are still room for more than just Director Bristow’s wife and two oldest daughters, right?”
“Yes, there’s room for four more people. Are you and agent Vaughn thinking of flying out with us too?” Eric shook his head.
“No, the triplets will be going with you.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s out of the question.”
“Excuse me? Just why is that out of the question?”
“Director Bristow is badly injured and we still have to work on him and make sure he’ll be alright on the flight to the hospital. There’s a lot of blood, and I don’t think the triplets need to see that.”
“What the triplets need is to be around their father. They haven’t seen him in more than three weeks.”
“But they don’t need to see him in this condition.”
“They’ve already seen him in his current condition. Those kids are strong, and they can handle this. And what Director Bristow needs is to have his family around him. It’ll be the best medicine for him.”
“That may very well be, but I won’t allow it. They’re not going.” Eric snapped.
“Look, you don’t have the authority to give me orders. I, on the other hand, have the authority to give you orders. So I’m ordering you to take the triplets on the aircraft. Is that understood?” The medic nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Let us know when you’re ready to leave.”
“We’re ready to leave in a minute or two, so you should get everyone near the aircraft.” Eric nodded and walked back to the others.
“Irina, the aircraft is ready to fly Jack to the hospital in a few minutes, so you need to get to the aircraft. I talked to one of the medics and the triplets can go too.” Irina nodded.
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” Eric smiled a little.
“I know.” He looked at Nadia and Sydney and they smiled at him, having seen that he was arguing with the medic about letting the triplets on the aircraft. He smiled back. “Come on.”
When they got to the aircraft, Dixon walked over to the aircraft too, after having talked to some of the other agents on sight. He gave the triplets a quick hug and then looked around at everyone.
“Vaughn, Eric, Marshall, and I will stay and finish with things here, and then meet you at the hospital.” They nodded. “I understand that the triplets are coming with you?” Sydney nodded.
“Yes, they are.” He nodded.
“It’s certainly for the best.”
The medic popped his head out from the aircraft.
“We’re ready to leave.”
“Okay.”
Everyone said a quick goodbye before Irina, Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets got into the aircraft. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall stepped back and watched the aircraft take off. Once the aircraft flew away, Dixon got on comms with Chase.
“Unit Two, the C-4 has arrived and we’re ready to place it in the building. What are we supposed to do with Cuvee’s body?”
“Get samples of his blood, hair, and DNA from under his fingernails. We’ll compare that to the DNA samples we have of him on file. I don’t really have any doubts that this is the real Cuvee, but I want to make absolutely sure that this Cuvee is not some product of Project Helix.”
“And after?”
“He gets buried with the rest of the bodies.”
“Got it. Unit One out.” Dixon looked at all the agents that had gathered around him. “Listen up. Cuvee’s body gets buried along with all the other bodies, but we need to make sure that the right Cuvee is dead. I need someone to take DNA samples from under his fingernails and of his hair and blood. I need volunteers to do this.”
Vaughn raised his hand.
“I’ll do it.” Eric raised his hand too.
“I’m in too.”
“Me too.” Dixon looked at Marshall and nodded at all three.
“The rest of you will bring all the bodies down to the rooms in the basement, and place the C-4 all over the building. Get me when you’ve all done that, and I’ll make a final inspection.” All the agents nodded and Dixon looked at Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall. “You’ll bring C-4 as well.” They nodded too. “Get to work.”
When Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall got back to the room Cuvee was in, they stood looking at him for a few seconds. Then suddenly out of nowhere Marshall pulled out his gun and shot Cuvee twice in the head. Vaughn and Eric stepped back a bit and looked at Marshall in shock of what he’d done.
“Marshall, what the hell was that about?” Marshall looked back at them.
“Marcus said to make sure, Cuvee was dead, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m just making sure. I know that he has multiple gun shots wounds, and that he’s been checked on to make sure he was dead. But if you want to make sure someone’s dead, you shoot them in the head.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just in the movies that people are still alive after being shot in their body multiple times. But he could’ve gotten a gun, hid it, and ended up shooting one or more of us. It’s just better to be safe than sorry.” Vaughn and Eric exchanged glances and then Vaughn put a hand on Marshall’s shoulder.
“Thank you for looking out for us Marshall.” Eric nodded.
“Yeah, thanks man.” Marshall smiled a little and put his gun away.
They took the DNA samples and then put the C-4 around the room. Vaughn strapped the last C-4 to Cuvee’s body, and now Eric stared at him and Marshall did too. Vaughn looked at them and answered them before they even asked.
“Irina might’ve killed my father, but Cuvee is responsible too. You both saw the footage of what he had done to her, when she was a prisoner here.” They gave a slight nod, not wanting to think more about it. “If he hadn’t put her through that kind of torture, had let her keep Nadia, then my father probably wouldn’t be dead. Cuvee is a bastard and he needs to pay for what he did to Irina.” They nodded and Dixon walked in.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, we got the samples and have placed the C-4.” Dixon looked at the C-4 strapped to Cuvee. He gave Vaughn an approving nod.
“Let’s go.”
“Right behind you.”
Everyone got in the cars and Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall got into a helicopter waiting to take them to the hospital. They all got to a safe distance from the prison and Dixon got on comms with APO.
“Unit One to Base Camp.” Dixon could hear that Kendall was emotional.
“Go ahead Unite One.”
“We’re ready to blow up the prison, and then the four of us are heading to the hospital. There’s nothing more you can do, so go home. We have people looking for Sloane, and if he’s spotted on any satellite readings, we’ll get him. Jack will likely be in surgery for hours, so there’s no reason for you to sit around and wait for the result. Go home to the kids, and I’ll call you when there’s any news.”
“Yeah that sounds like a plan. But call the minute there’s any news on Jack. We want to be informed.”
“We will. Unit One out.”
Back at APO Kendall, Katya, Carrie, and Rachel watched as the prison in Kashmir got blown up. Carrie and Rachel were crying their eyes out at what had happened to Jack, and his condition. Kendall had been crying too, and started to dry his eyes. He looked over at Katya. She was still looking at the screen but wasn’t crying and didn’t seem too bothered with the situation. He walked over to Carrie, who had her face buried in her hands.
“Carrie, come here.” She stood up and Kendall hugged her. He looked over at Rachel, who had her face buried in her hands too. “You too, Rachel.” He hugged her too, and they both cried on his shoulder for a little while. He looked over at Katya. “Katya?” She turned around and as she did, Carrie and Rachel turned their heads, so they could look at Katya. She gave them a reassuring smile.
“We got them out, and Jack’s strong. He’ll pull through. And as for Sloane, we’ll get him just like we got Cuvee.” Kendall looked at her in disbelief, while Carrie and Rachel didn’t really react much, but started to dry their tears. Kendall looked at them again.
“Let’s do as Marcus said and go home.” They nodded. “I’ll just go and tell everyone.” He ran his hand over his face before walking out of the meeting room. Carrie looked at Katya.
“Katya, are you okay?” She smiled at Carrie.
“Yes, I’m absolutely fine.” They both eyed her.
“Are you sure.”
“Yes.” She stood up and walked over to them. “Everything will turn out just fine, you’ll see. Just go home and relax with your kids.”
“You want to come with us? You can just leave your car here.”
“I have some things to take care of, so you go ahead. I’ll come later.”
“Okay. See you later then.” They hugged and Carrie and Rachel walked towards the door just as Kendall came back in.
“We’re leaving.” He nodded.
“I’ll be there in an hour or so. I’m just going to call Washington and take care of a few things here, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“See you in a little while.”
“Yeah, bye.” He hugged both of them and then they left. He looked over at Katya, who tidied up a bit. When she’d done that, she looked back at Kendall, with a slight smile on her face.
“I’m leaving too.” She walked passed him and out the door. He stood for a few seconds in the meeting room in disbelief and shook his head. Then he walked out quickly and caught up with Katya. He took her by the elbow and dragged her with him. She got angry. “What do you think, you’re doing?” He didn’t answer her, but kept dragging her along, and addressed the security guards, when they walked by them.
“We’ll be in interrogation room two. Do not disturb us.” The security guards looked strangely in Kendall’s direction.
“Sir?”
“Just do as I say.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seconds later Kendall pushed Katya inside the interrogation room and slammed the door. She stared at him angrily and he stared back at her the same way.
“Cry.” She looked at him dumbfounded.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Cry.” She stared at him angrily again.
“I really think that you should start wearing a hat when you’re outside. The sun has easy access to that big, bald head of yours, and obviously it has fried your brain.” He didn’t let her words get to him and remained just as angry as she was.
“You can’t keep staying positive and calm the way you have since the triplets were kidnapped. You need to cry.”
“No I don’t. Everyone is safe, and that’s something we should smile about. Not cry about.”
“Everyone’s safe? Jack’s been shot and it’s really bad. There’s no guarantee that he’ll make it.”
“Jack’s strong. He’ll pull through just fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I choose to believe that, and to stay positive about it. If anything, we need to stay positive and calm and not sit around crying.”
“We’re allowed to cry about the horrible situation we’re in now, and have been in for more than three weeks. You haven’t done that, and it’s about time you did.”
“If you feel the need to cry, then by all means do. But I don’t need to cry.”
“You can’t even shed a few tears for your own family? Your eight-year-old nieces and nephew were kidnapped for more than three weeks. If Sark hadn’t been able to fool Sloane and Cuvee, get out of there, and contact us, Sloane would’ve been able to brainwash the triplets into believing he was their father. They would eventually be calling him ‘dad’ and not Jack. They wouldn’t even remember Jack, and they would believe that Irina abandoned them. And you would never have seen them again.”
“You don’t know that, so stop saying things like that.” He saw her bottom lip slightly tremble. No one would probably have noticed that, but he was looking for it. Instead of backing off, he continued.
“Your sister and brother-in-law were kidnapped by their worst enemies. We all know the hell Cuvee has put Irina through in the past, and he almost raped her again. If Jack hadn’t been able to shoot Cuvee, he would’ve started raping her before Sydney and Vaughn got to the room. They would’ve probably killed him before he finished, but they wouldn’t have been able to stop him before he started.”
“Stop talking about that.” He noticed her bottom lip tremble a bit more, and he pressed on.
“Jack was almost tortured to death, he was shot, and right now he’s fighting for his life. No one knows if he’s going to make it. Chances are that he probably won’t. And then what happens? What’s going to happen to Irina? To the triplets? To Sydney and Nadia? I don’t think Irina can cope without Jack. Sure, she’ll still have her children to support her, but she might as well be dead if she doesn’t have Jack by her side. And Sydney, Nadia, and the triplets won’t have their father anymore. Sydney and Nadia might get through it better than the triplets, because they’re older. But the triplets are still so young, and I hate to think what’s going to happen to them, if they grow up without a father. If Jack dies, Cuvee and Sloane might as well have killed Irina and the triplets. They might as well have taken a gun to their heads and blown their brains out.”
Katya immediately broke down sobbing. Her knees buckled and Kendall almost didn’t catch her in time before she hit the floor. He pulled her up, and she gripped his shirt, burying her head in shoulder. Her whole body was shaking.
He was surprised by her behavior. He had wanted her to cry, but he hadn’t expected her to break down like this. Not really sure on how to handle the situation, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly, hoping it would help calm her down.
Several minutes later Katya was still in Kendall’s arms crying her eyes out. He hadn’t said anything to her, but waited for her to be ready to talk. Several minutes more went by before she said anything.
“She can’t lose him. He’s the love of her life, and if she loses him, I’m afraid that she’ll lose herself. She’ll build up walls, and no one will be able to tear them down. He can’t die. He just can’t die.”
“There’s a possibility that he will. I don’t want to think about it. I would much rather stay positive and in denial, and I agree that we have to stay positive and hope for the best, but at the same time we have to be realistic. If Jack dies, Irina and the kids will need all of our support, and we have to be prepared to give that. It doesn’t mean that we can’t hurt too. But we at least have to know that there’s a chance, Jack won’t make it.” She slightly nodded.
She continued to cry for a little while longer, but then stopped. She let go of his shirt and stepped out of his embrace, taking a few steps back and turning her back to him. She started to dry her tears. He was a bit surprised by the change in her reaction. Not thinking she was quite alright, he put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him over her shoulder.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged his hand away. He sighed and shook his head.
“You’re not fine.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Katya, it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to show your emotions.”
Without warning she spun around, grabbed a hold of Kendall and pinned him to the table. He was taken aback by her behavior and stared wide eyed at her. She stared angrily at him.
“You will tell no one of what’s been going on in here. Do you understand? No one.” He started getting angry and tried to get her off, but without success.
“Get off me, Katya.”
“Do you understand? No one is to find out about this.”
“Yes, I understand. I have no intention of telling anyone. I wouldn’t do that to you. Now let me go. Right now.” She eyed him for a few seconds and then let him go.
“We will never talk about this again.” She walked towards the door, and just when she was about to put her hand on the doorknob, Kendall grabbed her from behind, slammed her against the wall, and pinned her there with his body pressed against her back.
“I warned you the last time you did this to me. I told you that if you ever did something like that again that I wouldn’t hesitate to throw you back in jail. I’ll let it slide this time giving the situation. But don’t ever do that to me again. Not ever. Do you understand?” She didn’t answer, so he nudged her. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
He let go of her and stood by the door, while she walked away from him in the other direction. They stared at each other angrily, and Kendall then shook his head, put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He was about to walk out, but sighed and closed the door again. He looked back at her and spoke calmer.
“If you need to talk to someone about anything and you don’t feel like you can talk to Sergei, or anyone else, you can call me. Whatever you’d want to talk about would just be between us, just like what went on in here.” She stared at him still a bit coldly and gave a nod.
“I told you, I’m fine, so I won’t be needing anyone to talk to.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Fine. Suit yourself. See you later.” He walked out shaking his head. Katya stayed in the room for a few more minutes gathering herself before leaving too.
Hours later in Kashmir Jack was still in surgery. Irina and the triplets had been checked by the doctors, had a shower, a change of clothes that the rescue team brought, and had, had something to eat and drink. They were now in the waiting room, along with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Marshall. The triplets were sleeping, too exhausted to stay awake from everything that had been going on since they’d been kidnapped, and with everything that was going on now.
Irina was sitting motionless on one of the couches. She hadn’t talked much since the triplets had fallen asleep, and she was worried sick about Jack. The others hadn’t talked much either since the triplets had fallen asleep, and after a few more moments of silence, Dixon stood up.
“I think, I’ll just go to the cafeteria and get some coffee. Should I bring back coffee for everyone?” Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Marshall nodded and Vaughn looked at him.
“Yeah that sounds nice. Thank you.” Dixon nodded and looked at Irina.
“Irina would you like anything?” She shook her head slightly but didn’t look at him.
“No thank you, Marcus.” Marshall stood up too.
“I’ll help you with the coffee.” Dixon nodded and they left.
A few moments more went by in silence, and Sydney stood up.
“I’m a little hungry, so I think I’ll just go to the cafeteria.” Vaughn stood up.
“I’ll come too.”
Nadia and Eric exchanged glances. They wanted to get out and stretch their legs too, and get their minds on something else for a little while. But they also didn’t want to leave Irina alone. However, Irina picked up on it.
“Nadia, you and Eric should go with Sydney and Michael.”
“Mom, we don’t want to leave you alone.” Irina looked at Nadia, and smiled a little.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be gone for hours. Just go and stretch your legs for a little while.”
“Eric and I can go stretch our legs when Sydney and Vaughn come back.”
“Sweetheart, I’ll be okay. Really.” Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia looked back at Irina.
“Okay mom, if you say so. We won’t be gone long.” Irina nodded and they left.
When they got outside Vaughn noticed Chase walking towards them. He nudged Sydney, and when she looked in the direction he did, Nadia and Eric followed their gaze. Sydney sighed.
“I don’t want to deal with anything work related now, and I don’t want Chase anywhere near mom. Mom doesn’t need to be around her right now.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you, Eric.” Eric nodded and walked off towards Chase. He walked fast, so she wouldn’t get too near the waiting room. When they met, Chase was just about to open her mouth to speak, but Eric beat her to it.
“Get lost.” Chase stared wide eyed at Eric.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, get lost.”
“Look, agent Weiss..”
“No, no, no. Right now, I’m not an agent, and I don’t think of you as a director of the CIA. Right now, I’m just plain old Eric, who’s worried sick about his father-in-law. And you are the cold hearted witch, who has treated my mother-in-law horribly for the past five years.” Chase nodded and spoke kindly.
“I know that I’ve been a cold hearted witch. I’ve even been a cold hearted bitch.” He raised his eyes a little bit in surprise by her statement. “I’m here to apologize to Irina. I want her to know that the entire CIA is behind her, including me. I’m not doing this to clear my own conscience. It’s not like I expect Irina to accept my apology or forgive me. But in case Jack dies, it would be pathetic of me to apologize after he’s dead. I know I’m probably the last person Irina wants to see now, but she also needs all the support she can get.” He spoke calmer.
“You can’t say that.” She looked at him confused.
“Can’t say what?”
“You can’t say that Jack might die. We know how horrible the situation is, and that we should be realistic, but you can’t say that Jack might die. Irina doesn’t need to hear that. She can’t lose him, so you can’t say that in front of her.”
“Okay. Does that mean that you’ll let me see her?” He eyed her and she smiled at him sincerely. “Eric, please. I’m begging you.” He sighed and nodded.
“Come on.”
“Thank you.”
They walked to the waiting room where the other three were waiting for Eric. Sydney and Nadia looked at him, confused as to why Chase was with him. Nadia looked at him.
“Why is she here?”
“She wants to apologize to your mother.”
“Nadia. Sydney.” They both looked at Chase. “I’m here to give my support to you and your mother. I just want to tell your mother that. I want to tell her how sorry I am for the way I’ve treated her all these years. I really am truly sorry.” They eyed her.
“If you hurt her or in any way upset her….” Sydney left the rest unsaid and Chase nodded.
“If she’s upset by my presence, I’ll leave immediately. You have my word.” Sydney and Nadia exchanged glances, and Nadia nodded.
“You can go see her.” Chase smiled sincerely and kindly.
“Thank you.”
“We’re just going to the cafeteria. We’ll be back in a little while.” Chase nodded and the others left.
Chase opened the door to the waiting room. Irina looked up and gave Chase her death glare. Chase spoke softly and kindly.
“Hi. It’s good to see you again. I’m so glad that you’re safe.” Irina didn’t say anything. “Can I talk to you?” Irina eyed her for a moment. She then looked at the triplets. They were still sleeping, but so as not to say anything harsh to Chase in front of them, so that she might wake them, she got up from her seat.
“Outside.” Chase nodded and they walked out into the hall. Irina closed the door and then crossed her arms across her chest. “What?”
“I don’t want this to come across as a pathetic attempt to make up for everything that I’ve ever done to you, because I know that nothing I say will ever make up for the horrible way I’ve treated you the last five years. But Irina, I’m truly sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I’ve been a total cold hearted bitch, and there’s no forgiving that. I just never really thought of you as human given your past. But when the triplets were kidnapped, my eyes were opened and I realized that you were human, because you were so heartbroken. I’m sorry that it took so long for me to see that, and that something so horrible had to happen before I opened my eyes to you. I’m truly sorry. I don’t expect you to accept my apology or to forgive me, because I don’t deserve that, but I’m here to give you my support. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Irina kept staring at Chase. But a few seconds later she broke down crying. Chase didn’t really know what to do. She put her hands on Irina’s upper arms in hopes that, that would comfort her. Irina then wrapped her arms around her, and Chase was taken aback a little. Feeling Irina needed to be held Chase wrapped her arms around Irina and hugged her, and comforted her, the best she could.
Fifteen minutes later everyone else returned. Dixon and Marshall had been told that Chase had showed up, and he was a bit worried about the situation. He and Chase still hadn’t talked since he’d found out that she’d accused Irina of being involved with Robin almost getting raped. Everyone else was concerned about the situation too. They were a bit apprehensive about what they’d see once they got to the waiting room, and as they rounded the corner they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight. Irina was still crying on Chase’s shoulder, and Chase was doing her best to comfort her by running a hand up and down her back, and speaking words of encouragement. Everyone exchanged glances. Sydney, Nadia, and Dixon looked at each other and smiled a little.
A while later everyone was sitting together in the waiting room, waiting for news about Jack. The triplets were awake, but no one was talking to each other. They were all too worried. Another thirty minutes went by before the doctor walked in. Everyone got up immediately and walked closer to the doctor. No one liked the expression on the doctor’s face, and Irina took another step closer to him.
“How’s my husband?” He looked at her, then at the triplets, and then back at Irina.
“I think it’d be best if I talk to you in private, Mrs. Bristow. Your oldest daughters are welcome to come too.” Irina shook her head.
“No, we’re all going to hear what you have to say.” He leaned closer to her, and whispered.
“Mrs. Bristow, I really don’t think the little ones, should hear this.”
“They have been separated from their father for more than three weeks. They’ve been through hell, so they can handle to hear about their father’s condition.” He looked down at them, and saw them nodding. “I’m not going to hide anything from them, so you might as well tell us yourself. Just give it to us straight, and don’t leave anything out.” The doctor sighed and nodded.
“Alright, if that’s what you want.” He looked Irina straight in the eyes. “Your husband is in critical condition. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding, and repair the damages to some extent, but he’s far from out of the woods. In fact, I don’t think he’ll ever get out of the woods.” Everyone gasped and the doctor took a deep breath. “With all the torture he’s been put through, the beating, the gun shot wounds to his chest, being without food and water for so long, and his medical history, it’s very unlikely that he’ll pull through. He’s slipped into a coma, and I don’t expect him to ever wake up from it. I expect his condition to deteriorate, and that he’ll die within a few days or a week. I’m sorry. I wish, I could bring you better news, but this is his condition.”
TBC