Author's Notes: I know very little about medical issues, except for any personal experience or what I've seen on TV. I don't plan to get very specific, so hopefully it won't matter.
~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy
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Jessie and Hesam worked quickly to get John stabilized. Jedikiah provided assistance when asked and every now and then when he wasn't. He was not going to lose John due to incompetence.
Once John was out of immediate danger, they moved him to the ambulance.
Jedikiah insisted on going with them to the hospital. All he said was "I'm coming with you." The tone he used along with the look on his face let them know there would be no further discussion on the subject.
The ride to the hospital was fairly uneventful. John was then wheeled directly into the ER when they arrived and the doctors immediately began working on him.
While the doctors in the ER assessed John's condition, Jedikiah met up with Hillary and the other two agents.
"Okay, this is a very tricky situation," Jedikiah briefed the agents. "You don't interfere with any hospital employees. Just be alert for any suspicious activity. For doctors and nurses, check their hospital badge then let them through. If anybody other than a doctor or nurse approaches John's room, you check their ID and find out their intent ... any way you can."
As he finished up, one of the ER doctors approached the group.
"Dr. Price?" the doctor inquired. "You came in with John Young, correct? I was ordered to update you on his condition. I'm Dr. Samuels."
"Yes," Jedikiah responded as he turned around to face the man. "How is he?"
"He is stable for now but we found some internal bleeding that will require surgery," the doctor stated. "Once that is under control, we will move him to a private room, just as you requested."
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Upon learning that Jedikiah had called for an ambulance, Cara and Russell started working on a plan to rescue John. They knew it would not be as simple as just showing up at the hospital, going to John's room then getting him out. Jedikiah would have at least a couple of agents standing guard in addition to Ultra monitoring the area.
Even so, they felt hopeful. They stood a much better chance of getting John out of a hospital then getting him out of Ultra.
"I can't believe they are taking him to a hospital," Russell said, unconvinced. "What about Ultra's doctors? And they know gun shot wounds have to be reported, right?"
"Please, this is Jedikiah we're talking about," Cara replied. "I'm sure he will spin some tale about what happened."
"If they are taking John to the same hospital Stephen's mom works at, maybe we could use her," Astrid suggested.
"Yes, she could be of some help," Cara agreed sounding hopeful. Then groaned, "if she weren't on a camping trip with her family."
~ "Stephen, is there any way you can cut your trip short?" ~ Cara sent.
~ "As a matter of fact, we're on our way back now. There was an accident and we're en route to the hospital." ~ Stephen replied.
Cara sensed some guilt from him and that there was more to the story but let it go for now.
~ "Report into Ultra as soon as you can and see what you can find out about John." ~ Cara responded.
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After surgery, John had finally been moved into a private room. Agents Miller and Simmons were to guard his room, while Hillary was to act as a wildcard. Her orders were to "patrol" the hospital for suspicious activity. Jedikiah had gone back to Ultra to take care of some business ... some related to the situation with John and some normal, everyday tasks. He left word with the doctors to notify him immediately of any changes to John's condition.
As Hillary made her rounds, she spotted Stephen in the ER waiting room and ran over to him.
"What are you doing here?" she ordered. "You are supposed to be on vacation."
"Well, it got cut short. We just got here." He pointed over to where his Mom and brother sat waiting for news. "My Mom's boyfriend had an accident. The doctors are tending to him now."
"Oh, well, what happened?" Hillary's tone softened a bit.
"He fell and hit his head." Stephen, not wanting to go into how he fell, changed the subject. "What are you doing here?"
Before Hillary responded, she looked around to make sure no one would overhear them. "I told you we captured John Young. Well, he was shot, and with Ultra's medical unit out of commission, we had no choice but to bring him here."
"Oh, right," Stephen said. "So do you need any help?"
"No, we have it covered," Hillary replied. "Miller and Simmons are guarding his room and I'm on patrol."
"Yep, sounds like you have it covered," Stephen responded. "I better get back to my family ... make sure everything's okay. Let me know if you need anything."
"If any of John's group shows up," Hillary said. "Give me a sign and we'll take care of them."
"Will do," Stephen said quickly and gave her the thumbs up as he went back to sit with his Mom and Luca.
~ "Cara, Hillary and two other agents are guarding John." ~ Stephen sent as soon as he sat down.
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"Okay, good," Cara said aloud.
Russell and Astrid looked at her strangely.
"What?" Cara said. "I just found out from Stephen that there are just three people guarding John."
"Oh, so what's the plan then, boss lady?" Russell tried to look ready for action, but it was a bit difficult since he was still not at 100 percent. It was more like 60 percent.
"Since Stephen is already at the hospital, he can help run interference." Cara started out. "Then we just need to come up with a distraction for the other two guards. Then I'll slip into John's room ..."
Russell gave her a look and was just about to say something when Cara cut him off with "... get your head out of the gutter, Russell. This is serious."
"Just trying to lighten the mood," Russell responded defensively.
"What can I do?" Astrid really wanted to help since John was shot trying to save her.
"As long as Ultra has a hit out on you, there's not much you can do," Cara stated sadly.
Seeing the defeated look on Astrid's face, Cara then said "You can stay here with Russell and work with TIM ... be our eyes and ears."
"Wait, what do you mean 'stay here with Russell'," he chimed in. "I'm going with you."
"No, you aren't," Cara firmly stated. "We need people who are able to fight, if needed. You can barely walk by yourself. You are still recuperating."
Russell's hate for Julian and his gang intensified as he dejectedly went over to the couch to sit down.
~ "Irene and Mike, meet me in TIM's room now." ~ Cara broadcasted.
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Jedikiah was just finishing up at Ultra when his phone rang.
"Price," Jedikiah said into the receiver. "Understood. Make him as comfortable as you can. I'll be there shortly."
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Mike, Irene and Cara teleported to a location near the hospital then walked the rest of the way. Cara notified Stephen that they were there, then they entered the hospital through the ER and made their way to John's floor. Stephen excused himself from his family and set out to find Hillary.
With Stephen distracting Hillary, all they needed to do is draw the guards away from John's door. Cara told Irene to find her own special way to cause a commotion. She was hoping that would take care of both guards, but just in case, Mike was there to assist.
Irene and Mike had successfully distracted the guards enough for Cara to get into John's room. She ran over to him, carefully pulled him up to a sitting position then put his arm around her shoulder. She put her arm around his waist and was getting ready to teleport when Jedikiah ran into the room and drew his gun on her.
"You don't want to do that," Jedikiah warned her.
"No, I believe I do," Cara insisted.
"No, you don't," Jedikiah repeated. "Do you feel him? How warm he is?"
She had to admit he did seem very warm and now that she looked closer, he was sweating and restless.
"He has an infection that needs proper treatment," Jedikiah said. "How well can you treat infections in that dank hovel you call home. So again, you don't want to do that. If you do, he's dead."
Cara still hesitated. She hated to admit that Jedikiah was right, but he was. She gently laid John back down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. She took his hand and gave a gentle squeeze. This would not be the last time she saw him, she tried to reassure herself.
At that moment there was a loud crash in the hall, startling Jedikiah and Cara. He turned around to see smoke wafting through the hall. When he turned back around, Cara gave a quick parting glance to John then teleported out of the room before Jedikiah could take a shot.