Ezekiel was the only one who saw Cassandra jump. Eve was staring at Jake as if the intensity of her will could restore him to health and life, and Jenkins was focused on Eve. Thinking it over later, Ezekiel realized that although Jenkins must have known many Librarians through the years, this was probably the first time he had stood by while a Guardian watched their charge slip away. Ezekiel, on the other hand, was grieving as much for Cassandra as for Jake. It wasn't bad enough that she was dying herself, now she had to see a friend go first and worst of all was that she was blaming herself for his death. Ezekiel saw Cassandra go over to the window and open it, but he didn't realize what she was going to do until it was too late and it was several seconds before he was able to speak.
"Baird!"
Eve looked up from Jake, startled, and saw Ezekiel, frozen with horror, pointing at the open window. "What's the matter with you, Jones?"
"Cassandra...she's gone." He finally got his feet to work and went over to the window, stopping about a foot away and pressing his hands to his eyes.
Eve's face drained of color. "What are you saying, Jones? She jumped?"
Ezekiel nodded and Eve rushed over to the window, leaning out and scanning the ground below. "She's not down there."
"She jumped, I tell you! I saw it!"
"Colonel! Mr Jones!" Eve and Ezekiel started as Jenkins called to them. He had stayed at Jake's bedside and now he was staring at the heart monitor. "Look!"
The heartbeat was steady and regular, and gazing at Jake, they saw that his color was improving and his breathing was easier. Eve grabbed for the call button and pressed it and after a moment Dr Carrington came in with a sympathetic expression. He seemed about to offer condolences and Eve grabbed him and propelled him to the bed.
Carrington stared at the heart monitor, put on his stethoscope and listened to Jake's heart, then bent over him and checked his eyes. He straightened slowly. "He seems to be recovering."
Ezekiel threw his arms around Eve and gave her a fierce hug. He turned to Jenkins, who took a step back with a forbidding stare, then grabbed Carrington by the arm. "So he's going to live?"
Carrington nodded, his expression dazed. "I can't even hazard a guess, but yes. Your friend is going to live."
"That's good to hear." Cassandra stood in the doorway, the dragon statue in her hand, complete with its collar.
"Cassandra!" They all stared at her as she came slowly into the room.
"You jumped," said Ezekiel blankly. "You're not a ghost, are you?"
She smiled. "No, I'm not a ghost. Tai Si caught me. And then I put the collar on her and came back up in the elevator." She handed the statue to Jenkins and went over to the bed. "Did it work?"
"Did what work?" Jake whispered. He opened his eyes for a moment, looked around at his friends, then drifted off to sleep.
Eve put an arm around Cassandra and gave her a squeeze. "I don't know what you were thinking, Cassandra, but I'd say yes, whatever you did worked."
