Continuing With Therapy
Chapter 7: Ross's Trial
Natalie was nervous as she got on a private jet that had been sent for her and Rhodey, but she was trying not to show it. However, as soon as they were in the air, Rhodey asked, "Nervous?"
"That obvious?" Natalie asked with a rueful smile.
"A bit," Rhodey said. "I wouldn't worry too much. Just answer the questions honestly and be polite to everyone you meet. I don't think you'll have to meet Ross though; I told people someone else should do a psych evaluation on the bastard, since you were personally invested in taking him down. I don't think you'd give him a bad evaluation on purpose, but it worked to keep you away from him."
"Thanks," Natalie said. "After what he's done, I think I'd be hard put not to give him a good kick between the legs."
Rhodey winced a bit, then laughed. "That wouldn't go over too well, I imagine," he said.
Natalie smiled, and then a thought occurred to her. "Did anyone speak with the soldiers who were chasing Bruce around, or did everyone focus only on Ross?" she asked.
"The soldiers under Ross's command haven't been implicated in anything I've seen, why?" Rhodey asked.
"Because it occurred to me that some if not all of them might share his mindset," Natalie said.
"That's a good point, but all of Ross's men have been reassigned to units who haven't had experience with Hulk," Rhodey said. "And there was a meeting of all the top brass on Friday; the President decided that it was high time the military realized that having Hulk to protect the planet was a good thing. I can mention it to my superiors, but I'm Air Force, not Army, so I don't know how much effect it'll have."
"Alright," Natalie said.
They landed not long after, and were met by a man in an official-looking suit. "Lt. Colonel Rhodes and Dr. McKenzie?" he asked.
"That's us," Rhodey said.
"I'm Connor Lewis, I'm with the Secret Service," the man said. "I've been asked to escort both of you to your hotel."
"May we see some ID?" Rhodey asked.
"Of course," Mr. Lewis said. He pulled out a badge, and Rhodey inspected it before nodding. "Alright," he said.
"Please follow me, there's a car waiting," Mr. Lewis said.
Natalie and Rhodey followed Mr. Lewis out to a car, and got in. Mr. Lewis got in as well, and Natalie commented, "I didn't expect an escort to the hotel; is something going on?"
"Perceptive, I see," Mr. Lewis said. "Yes, you've both been summoned to meet with the President before the trial, and I was asked to escort you to both the hotel and the White House. The trial is tomorrow at ten AM. I don't know what the President wants to meet with you about though."
"Alright," Natalie said.
They reached the hotel they were staying at, and Mr. Lewis went in with them. They were given adjoining rooms, and after Natalie and Rhodey dropped off their suitcases, they were driven to the White House.
Natalie was amazed at how many security checkpoints there were, but she knew it made sense. Rhodey gently squeezed her shoulder as they went in, and she smiled at him gratefully as they were led to the President's office. Natalie was incredibly grateful she had decided to wear professional clothing for the entire trip, as she would have felt distinctly underdressed in her usual clothing.
The secretary at the door let the President know that Natalie and Rhodey had arrived, and they were let in a minute later. Rhodey saluted, and Natalie followed suit as the President smiled and said, "Dr. McKenzie, Lt. Colonel Rhodes, thank you for coming."
"It was no trouble, sir," Rhodey said.
"Please have a seat," the President said, motioning to two chairs in front of his desk. Natalie and Rhodey obeyed, and the President continued, "I assume you're wondering why I've asked you to come here, so I will get straight to the point. Recently I heard a disturbing rumor that New York City may come under attack soon, and as Ms. Potts informed me that interviewing any of the Avengers while Ross is still in this city is a very bad idea, as they are more likely to sneak off and eliminate him, I decided it would be prudent to ask the two of you to either confirm or deny this rumor."
"It's not a rumor, sir," Natalie said grimly. "We recently got confirmation that there will be a large-scale attack on the city on September 24th."
"Who is leading this attack?" the President asked.
"A being called Thanos, sir," Natalie replied. "He was actually behind the last attack as well; he was using Loki as his puppet. Were you made aware of Loki's circumstances?"
"I'm afraid not," the President said. "Would you care to elaborate?"
Natalie nodded, and said, "Loki was captured by Thanos nearly a year and a half ago, and was tortured for approximately nine months before being put under mind control and forced into attacking the city to retrieve an artifact known as the Tesseract. I am not entirely clear on why no one noticed he was under mind control, but a while after the battle, I found him on my living room floor, and took him in because he was sick. That's how I became involved with the Avengers; they came after him and I was the one who figured out he was under mind control. He lives with me and the other Avengers now, and like everyone else, he has therapy sessions with me. I assure you, Loki is not a danger to anyone. I would have thought someone would have told you about the developments concerning Loki, however."
"The information would have come to my former Secretary of Defense first, and considering I discovered he cannot be trusted, I assume that's why it never reached me," the President said. "Thank you for informing me of this, Dr. McKenzie."
"You're welcome, sir," Natalie said.
"Do either of you know more about the attack on New York City?" the President asked.
"The army from before will be back, along with Thanos, though I don't know about any others; according to Loki, that will be more than enough to be going on with," Natalie said. "The Avengers team, including Loki and myself, will be ready to defend the city; we've been informed that New York City will be the focus of the attack, presumably because the Avengers will be there and Thanos wants us out of the way before he tries conquering anywhere else. However, we've been assured that if Thanos is killed, every being who willingly followed him will die with him."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. McKenzie, but I was under the impression you were a therapist for the Avengers, not a fighter," the President said.
"I don't normally fight with them, that's true," Natalie said. "However, apparently due to my unique skill set, I am the only person who can kill Thanos by becoming a conduit for others' powers. Basically I'll be granted extra powers specifically to rid the universe of Thanos, who is a threat not just to Earth, but the entire universe."
"Extra powers suggests you already have powers," the President commented.
"I do," Natalie said. "However, it's not exactly something I advertise."
"Understandable," the President said. "Do you believe the Army will be needed for this attack?"
"I would recommend talking with Captain Steve Rogers about that; as Captain America, he's the leader of the Avengers team, and would know better than I would if more people will be needed," Natalie replied. "He also fought against the Chitauri army in the first attack, and I didn't, so he'd be the person to go to for advice on this matter."
"Do you have a way of getting in touch with him that I can use?" the President asked.
"Ms. Potts would probably be happy to set up a video call or arrange a meeting, sir," Rhodey said. "Frankly having any of the Avengers in D.C. before Ross is safely behind bars is a bad idea, so I would recommend contacting Ms. Potts after the trial. From what I've seen, Captain Rogers still has trouble with his cell phone, which is the only other means of contacting him."
"I will contact Ms. Potts, then," the President said. "Thank you both for your help in this matter."
"You're welcome, sir," Natalie said.
The President smiled and said, "That was all I wanted to know; good luck with the trial tomorrow, Dr. McKenzie."
"Thank you, Mr. President," Natalie said.
The President nodded, and said, "You both may go."
Natalie and Rhodey got up, and saluted before leaving the office. Mr. Lewis was waiting outside for them, and led them out of the building to the car they had been using. "I'll return at nine AM tomorrow," he told them as they reached the hotel. "The hotel has a really nice restaurant, as I recall, but there are others in the area. See you in the morning."
"Thank you, Mr. Lewis," Natalie said as she and Rhodey got out.
"Of course," Mr. Lewis said. He drove off, and Rhodey asked, "Should we try the hotel's restaurant?"
"Sure," Natalie said.
They went into the hotel, and to the restaurant. Natalie got chicken parmesan, and Rhodey ordered steak and mashed potatoes. They also got key lime pie and carrot cake for dessert; Natalie got the key lime pie and Rhodey got the carrot cake. After Rhodey insisted on paying for both of them, they went back up to their rooms. "How much time do you need in the morning?" Rhodey asked.
"I can be ready in about half an hour," Natalie said. "If I'm not up by seven, will you wake me up?"
"Sure; we have to get breakfast too," Rhodey said.
"Good point," Natalie said. "I think I'll make it an early night."
"Good idea," Rhodey said. "Are you going to call Loki first?"
"Yeah, he's probably going spare right now," Natalie said wryly. She took out her cell phone, and called Loki.
He picked up after only one ring, and asked immediately, "Natalie, how's it going?"
"Fine; the trial's tomorrow at ten AM, and I had a meeting with the President today," Natalie said. "He apparently heard about the attack and wanted to discuss what I knew about it."
"Did that go okay?" Loki asked.
"It went fine," Natalie said. "I hope everything goes well tomorrow."
"You'll be fine," Loki said confidently. "I know you will."
Natalie smiled. "Thanks Loki," she said. "I'm going to bed soon; I wanted to call you first."
"Early night?" Loki asked.
"Yeah, I'll be up at seven at the latest tomorrow morning," Natalie said.
"Ugh," Loki said. "That's EARLY."
"Rhodey and I are getting picked up at nine, so we have to get ready and have breakfast before we get picked up," Natalie explained.
"Still early," Loki commented. "Tony just said something about movie night."
"Sorry I have to miss that," Natalie said. "Tell everyone I said hi, okay?"
"I will," Loki said. "I love you."
"I love you too; have a nice night," Natalie said.
"Thanks, bye," Loki said, sounding a bit forlorn.
"Bye," Natalie said, and waited for the click before hanging up. Rhodey came back in and asked, "Loki doing okay?"
"I think so, but I'm worried about when he goes to sleep; up until now he's had my powers keeping the nightmares away; what's going to happen if I'm not there?" Natalie asked.
"He'll stay up all night with Tony, who will be working on a project, and then they'll come into the kitchen the next morning looking like zombies and drink a pot of coffee each," Rhodey deadpanned.
Natalie giggled. "You know Tony pretty well, don't you?" she asked.
"I'd say so," Rhodey said. "I count myself lucky to be one of the few people he actually lets see the real him sometimes."
"Yeah, being on that list is a privilege," Natalie said. "How long have you known him?"
"Fifteen years now; I was assigned to be his liaison for the military," Rhodey said. "Back when we started out, he hadn't met Pepper yet, and I had my hands full trying to keep him in line. By the time Afghanistan happened, though, we were basically best friends." He sighed. "I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for what happened after we found him and he decided to shut down the weapons division of Stark Industries," he said softly. "I still don't know what possessed me to blow up his house and steal the War Machine armor. And then I found out the whole time, he was dying from palladium poisoning, and I kind of wanted to shoot myself. If I had just realized there was a reason for his weird behavior besides the PTSD, I could have helped him. I still hate myself for that."
"I'm glad you didn't shoot yourself over that," Natalie said. "I think it's good for Tony to have you as a friend- and let's face it, all friendships have their ups and downs. It being Tony, it's not surprising your ups and downs were more dramatic, right?"
Rhodey chuckled. "I suppose," he said. More quietly, "Thanks, Natalie."
"Anytime, Rhodey; you're a friend," Natalie said. "And Tony needs all the friends he can get."
Rhodey smiled. Natalie smiled back, then said, "I think I'll get ready for bed. See you in the morning?"
"Sure," Rhodey said. He went back to his room, and Natalie went to the bathroom with her pajamas.
The next morning: Natalie was up at seven, and picked out some clothes before going to take a shower. When she was done, she braided her hair, and put on her underthings and tights before picking up a white button-down shirt, and pulling it on. She put on a navy blue pencil skirt too, and went back into the hotel room, where she put on the necklace Thor had given her for her birthday and a pair of navy blue flats to match her skirt. There was a knock on the adjoining door, and Natalie went to get it. Rhodey was standing there in his military dress uniform, and asked, "Shall we go get breakfast?"
"Sure, sounds good," Natalie said. She followed Rhodey downstairs after grabbing her purse, and he asked, "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, better than I thought, considering what I've got to look forward to," Natalie said as they looked through the buffet the hotel had for breakfast.
"Good," Rhodey said as they took their findings to a table. "I think you'll do fine. By the way, wasn't that necklace pale purple yesterday?"
"It changes color," Natalie said. "Thor gave it to me for my birthday."
"You had a birthday recently?" Rhodey asked as they ate.
"I turned twenty-three on June 6th," Natalie said.
"Happy belated birthday then," Rhodey said, grinning.
"Thanks," Natalie said, smiling as she finished her breakfast.
They were both outside waiting when the car pulled up and Mr. Lewis rolled down his window. "Good morning," he said. "Ready to go?"
"Yep," Natalie said. She got in the car, as did Rhodey, and they were driven to a large courthouse. Natalie made sure her cell phone was off as they went inside. They were met by a man wearing a similar uniform to Rhodey's, and Rhodey immediately saluted the man, saying, "General Byrd. I didn't know you'd be here."
"Some idiot tried to call you on destroying Ross's weaponry, and since I'm your immediate superior, I got called in to deal with said idiot," General Byrd said.
"Sorry sir," Rhodey said. "I needed to speak with you anyways, though."
"Mr. Stark done something again?" the General asked.
"No sir, I just wanted to let you know that I will be unavailable on July 18th, save the end of the world," Rhodey said.
"Any particular reason?" the General asked mildly.
"I've been invited to a wedding," Rhodey said. The General shot him an incredulous look, and he said, "Natalie here saved Tony's life twice; I am not missing her wedding. Sir."
The General sighed and said, "I'll let the higher-ups know you'll be unavailable on July 18th. You don't often ask for time off, so I'm willing to grant this, and I'm sure they'll be fine with it."
"Thank you, sir," Rhodey said. "I think we've got a trial to get to, though."
"Yes you do, and I've been asked to show you the courtroom," the General said. "Follow me."
Natalie and Rhodey obeyed, and they came to a large courtroom. It was already filling with people, and most of them were military. They were approached by a woman who asked, "Dr. McKenzie?"
"That's me," Natalie said.
"The prosecutor would like to speak with you," the woman said. "Please follow me."
Rhodey squeezed Natalie's shoulder and said softly, "You'll be fine. I'll be in the front row with the other Air Force officers."
"Thanks," Natalie said, and followed the woman to a side room. Another woman was waiting, and she asked, "Dr. McKenzie?"
"Yes," Natalie said.
"I'm Maya Crimini, the prosecutor," the woman said. "I've been asked to fill you in on the proceedings."
"That would be much appreciated, Ms. Crimini," Natalie said.
Ms. Crimini nodded and said, "Ross is being charged with stalking, kidnapping and holding a civilian against her will, attempting to enslave a US citizen, attempted murder, sending troops into an unoccupied country, abuse of rank, and abuse of military resources. It's my job to prove that all these crimes were actually committed, and Mr. Stark sent me basically everything I need to see Ross behind bars for life. However, there have been some concerns about Dr. Banner's alter ego, commonly known as the Hulk. Therefore, you were called in to testify that the Hulk is not actually a danger. Normally this would be a matter left to the military, but as you are the only medical personnel we have who can give an honest evaluation of the Hulk, you were called in as well. We have video of the talk you had with the Hulk, and we will be showing that, but your interpretation of how it went would be greatly appreciated. I'll be the one questioning you; do you have any questions?"
Natalie shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "Am I going to be sitting in the stands, or what, though?"
"You'll be sitting in a chair next to me until your turn at the stand," Ms. Crimini said. "All the seats in the stands are reserved for military personnel, which you are not."
"Alright," Natalie said.
Ms. Crimini nodded and said, "Follow me, it's almost ten."
Natalie followed her out, straightening her shoulders as she did so, and sat down in the chair Ms. Crimini waved her to. She waited as the clock struck ten, and then the judge banged his gavel on the desk, silencing the court. "I hereby call the court to order," he said. "The trial for General Thaddeus Ross begins now. The charges are these; stalking, kidnapping and holding one Dr. Elizabeth Ross against her will, attempting to enslave a US citizen, one Dr. Bruce Banner, abuse of rank, abuse of military resources, sending troops into an unoccupied country, and attempted murder of one Dr. Bruce Banner. How does the defendant plead?"
Natalie couldn't see Ross or his lawyer from her position, but she gritted her teeth when she heard a man's voice say, "Not guilty."
"Very well," the judge said. "Prosecutor, you have the stand."
Ms. Crimini stood and said, "General Ross, you claim to be innocent of all charges. Do you deny that you have been chasing Dr. Bruce Banner wherever he goes in an attempt to capture or kill his alter ego?"
"No," Ross said. "I did what I had to in order to contain the monster."
Ms. Crimini got a distinctly shark-like expression on her face, and asked, "Were you aware that chasing him into Brazil, a country that is not and was not occupied by the United States is illegal?"
There was a pause, and then Ross said, "Yes," in a voice that told Natalie that he knew he was probably screwed now.
Ms. Crimini continued bringing up specific incidents and providing evidence to support them, ripping what was left of Ross's reputation to shreds before finally pulling out a video after another 'monster' comment from Ross.
The video started off with Natalie introducing herself to Hulk, and continued to show the whole conversation they had. Natalie watched the people in the stands go from skeptical to startled, and by the time the video cut off, just before Hulk transformed back into Bruce, everyone was looking thoughtful.
Ms. Crimini turned off the monitor the video had been on, and said, "As I am sure you all can see, Hulk did not attack Dr. McKenzie or Mr. Stark. He also stated that his appearances have been an attempt to protect Dr. Banner. As Dr. McKenzie has more information, I would like to call her to the witness stand. Dr. McKenzie?"
Natalie stood and calmly walked to the witness stand, facing Ms. Crimini. "Dr. McKenzie, what are your thoughts on your first meeting with Hulk?" Ms. Crimini asked after Natalie had sworn to tell the truth.
"I think it went well, and I'm glad I was able to talk with him," Natalie said. "It seems sad to me that he doesn't have many people who see him as anything but a monster, and almost no one seems to talk to him."
"What are your conclusions regarding his intelligence and mental capabilities?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"I believe that his seeming lack of intelligence is due to the fact he has so little interaction with the world outside Dr. Banner's subconscious," Natalie replied. She picked her words carefully, since she could see the news crews out of the corner of her eye. She continued, "Right now I would equate Hulk's mental state as that of a five-year-old child who doesn't know his own strength and desperately wants positive attention. Were he given a chance to learn, I think he might become very intelligent. I'm not sure he'd reach Dr. Banner's level, but few of us do. And he is certainly not mindless. Hulk recognizes the Avengers as allies, and as you saw in the video, he was able to recognize that Loki was no longer a threat."
"So you believe Hulk can learn?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"Yes," Natalie said. "The only reason he hasn't had a chance is because with Ross chasing him all over the place, Dr. Banner was understandably afraid to let him out. Hulk is very noticeable."
"Do you think Hulk is a danger to anyone?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"As long as you're not shooting guns at him, no, I don't believe Hulk is a danger- though considering his experiences with the military, he might see someone in uniform as a threat," Natalie said. "I don't believe he's ever attacked without provocation, however, so I don't see him as a threat to anyone not attacking him."
"It's been pointed out that Hulk has killed several military personnel; what are your thoughts on that?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"Since Hulk was acting in self-defense as the military was trying to kill him, I don't blame him," Natalie said. "As I said before, he has never attacked without first being provoked or threatened in some way. He doesn't even come out unless he thinks Dr. Banner is in danger. I'm sorry to those who lost loved ones, but honestly, if you're going to try to kill someone who can't be harmed by any weapon known to mankind and is able to smash you into pulp with one fist, you might want to rethink your life."
"Do you believe that General Ross's men were at fault for their deaths?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"I think the fault is General Ross's, as he is the one who commanded his men to try to kill someone who can't be harmed by any of the military's weaponry," Natalie replied. "He essentially put them in a situation where they had little to no chance of winning, and therefore, it's his fault his men died. He wasn't forced to attack Hulk."
Meanwhile, in Avengers Tower: Tony had told Bruce and Betty when the trial would be on TV, and they were currently sitting in front of the TV in their living room; all the others were watching it in the communal living room. "She's got guts," Bruce said, chuckling a bit. "Ross is turning purple." When Betty didn't respond, Bruce looked at her. Betty was silently crying. Alarmed, Bruce asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Betty said, sounding choked up. "I just never thought I'd find someone who agrees with me on that level, and is willing to help you so much. I'm not sure even I would have the courage to talk like that on national television- especially with the General right there. Natalie's amazing….. where did you guys find her?"
"She threatened to break Tony's door down after Thor took Loki from her house," Bruce said with a smile. "She just stormed in looking furious, and started snapping at us. I'm not surprised they ended up together."
Betty smiled.
Back with Natalie: "Thank you for your insights, Dr. McKenzie," Ms. Crimini said. "You may return to your seat."
Natalie did so, and Ms. Crimini said, "I call General Ross to the stand."
Ross, looking angry, went to the stand, and Ms. Crimini asked, "General, you have said that the Hulk is a mindless monster several times. Considering the lack of evidence of this statement, would you care to explain your reasoning?"
"That thing is a destruction machine," Ross said. "It's not good for anything else. All claims that the monster actually has a brain are just imaginings of delusional youths; ever since the alien attack on Manhattan, people seem to believe the monster can be used for saving people."
"And you don't believe this could be the case?" Ms. Crimini asked.
Ross snorted. "Of course not," he said. "The Hulk is a weapon, nothing more and nothing less. My aim was to control that weapon and revolutionize modern warfare; I don't see anything wrong with my actions."
"And the fact that Hulk is the alter ego of renowned physicist Dr. Bruce Banner doesn't matter to you?" Ms. Crimini asked. "It doesn't matter that this man is merely the victim of an unfortunate accident?"
"What matters is that his alter ego is a raging monster and a danger to society, that should be contained," Ross said.
"You've gone on record as saying that Dr. Banner is government property; were you aware that slavery is illegal in the United States of America, and making a man government property is the equivalent of enslaving him?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"That only applies to humans," Ross said.
"Dr. Banner is a human," Ms. Crimini replied. "Were you aware that according to the President, Dr. Banner was never actually government property, nor was his alter ego?"
"I was," Ross admitted grudgingly.
"Then why did you tell people Dr. Banner was government property?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"Because I intended to contain him and his alter ego, and it would be easier if he was seen as property of the government," Ross growled.
"Why did you attempt to attack Avengers Tower?" Ms. Crimini asked.
"Stark was hiding the monster, and he was behind the kidnapping of my daughter," Ross said. "I intended to capture the monster, but unfortunately failed when Stark and War Machine blew up my weapons."
"You say Mr. Stark kidnapped your daughter," Ms. Crimini commented. "However, all reports say you kidnapped her and used military resources to hold her at Cheyenne Mountain against her will. Stark merely organized a rescue effort and he and War Machine have been cleared of all charges already. Would you care to explain why you kidnapped your own daughter?"
"It was for her own protection; I knew she would try to find the monster again if I let her go," Ross said.
"By all reports, both Dr. Banner and Hulk would never do any harm to Dr. Ross," Ms. Crimini said. "And the fact remains that you held Dr. Ross hostage until she was rescued by War Machine. And before that, you brought her to a battlefield and it was only Hulk's intervention that saved her life. It seems to me that you willingly put your daughter in danger and then kidnapped her after you failed to convince her that Hulk was a danger. Was her wellbeing really what was on your mind, or was it that you wanted to keep Dr. Banner and Hulk's only supporter at the time locked away?"
"How dare you accuse me of putting my daughter in danger?" Ross snarled. "I've done all this to protect her and everyone else from that monster! Why aren't you putting that monster on trial for all the things he did?"
"Because Dr. Banner has done nothing wrong, and Hulk is unlikely to understand court proceedings with his current level of intelligence," Ms. Crimini deadpanned. "You, on the other hand, have committed multiple crimes that need addressing."
Ross finally lost his temper completely, and punched Ms. Crimini in the face. The security guards immediately ran over and restrained him before he could do anything else, and the judge said, "Take him to a holding cell while the jury decides his fate. Everyone not on the jury, there will be a two-hour recess, so please vacate the courtroom until we reach a verdict."
Everyone started filing out, and Natalie looked around for Rhodey once out of the courtroom. He came over a minute later, and said, "Good job up there; would you like to get something to eat at the cafeteria here?"
"Please, I'm starving," Natalie said.
Rhodey grinned and led her to the cafeteria, where they bought sandwiches and went to a table to eat.
They were called back to the courtroom two hours later, and went in, separating to sit in their assigned seats. Once everyone was settled, and Ross had been brought out- in handcuffs this time- the judge banged his gavel, and the room fell silent as he said, "The jury has reached a verdict. Thaddeus Ross, you have been found guilty of all charges, and will be stripped of your rank and remanded to Leavenworth, where you will spend the rest of your life with no possibility of parole."
Ross had to be dragged out of the room, screaming denials, and Natalie was hard-put to keep from cheering. After the judge dismissed them, Natalie met up with Rhodey again, and they left the building. Mr. Lewis drove up shortly after, and said, "I see it went well."
"Very well, thanks," Natalie said with a grin. She and Rhodey got in the car, and Mr. Lewis drove them back to the hotel. "Your flight is ready whenever you are," he told them.
"Alright; I just have to pack my bathroom stuff up, and then I can be ready," Natalie said.
"Same here," Rhodey said.
"I'll wait for you here," Mr. Lewis said.
"Thanks," Natalie said. She and Rhodey went back to their rooms, quickly packed, and went back down to the lobby, giving the receptionist their keys and then heading out. Mr. Lewis drove them to the airport, and soon after, they were flying back to New York City.
That was a long chapter! Ross is now a thing of the past, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Some reviews would be nice…. Have a nice day!