Chapter 25
Los Angeles, California
Jon McCoy sighed with relief as he stretched and yawned. After nineteen hours and approximately 6,500 miles of flying, they were on the ground in Los Angeles.
"There's no place like home," Jason Bennett remarked as he grabbed his knapsack from the pile next to the door and walked down the ramp of the plane. He sighed with relief as he stepped off of the ramp and onto the pavement. "Feels good to be on solid ground again."
"I'll second that," Mark Reese agreed as he followed Jason off of the plane. The other agents chorused their agreement as they all filed behind him.
Jon turned his attention to assisting Henry and Eric as they unceremoniously escorted Cheng Zhi and Aiguo off of the plane. When they were seated in the grass next to the tarmac, Henry resumed his all-too-familiar position of guard duty, standing over them with his pistol drawn and ready.
Meanwhile, Megan Weiss was painstakingly coaxing a still-groggy Jack Bauer down the ramp of the plane. The dose of codeine that she had given him was still strong in his system, and his movements were slow and uncoordinated as he followed her down the ramp and onto the pavement. "This way," Megan said patiently, gently guiding Jack towards a waiting ambulance. "We're going to take you back to CTU and get you all patched up so you can see Audrey, okay?" She had no idea how much of what she had just said had registered in Jack's hazy mind. She saw his bleary eyes light up, however, and figured that Audrey's name had gotten through to him even if nothing else had. With a laugh, Megan slowly led him towards the paramedics.
The medics were kind and patient as they carefully eased Jack down onto a waiting stretcher. He was still clutching the picture of Audrey, and one of the female medics shared a smile with Megan as she tucked a thick blanket around Jack's gaunt form. Quickly, efficiently, they lifted his stretcher into the ambulance. Megan climbed in alongside him, pulling the door closed behind her. When everyone was settled, the ambulance pulled away from the airfield, with the cars carrying Jon's team following closely behind. The small caravan headed towards CTU.
-o-o-o-o-
"Audrey, would you calm down?" Chloe asked, with a touch of annoyance in her voice as she watched Audrey pace back and forth in a tight circle. "You're making me anxious and on edge just watching you."
"Sorry." Audrey smiled apologetically and sank down into a chair. Seconds later, though, she got to her feet and began to pace again. "I hope they're okay. What if — "
"Audrey!" Chloe snapped. "Relax, will you? Pacing around won't make Jon's team get here any faster, you know."
Audrey sighed. "I know, I know. I'm just worried."
Chloe shook her head. "Jon knows what he's doing, or else Karen wouldn't have asked him to do this. He wouldn't try to fly back here unless he was sure that it was safe. They'll be fine. Just relax."
"Easy for you to say," Audrey said wryly.
Chloe thrust a stack of file folders into Audrey's hands. "Here. Take those to Karen." She sighed with relief as Audrey took the folders and left the room.
Bill Buchanan opened the door and poked his head inside. "How are those reports coming?"
"I just sent Audrey with a stack of them to give to Karen Hayes," Chloe told him. "Speaking of Audrey, could you find something for her to do? Find something to keep her occupied until Jon's team gets here with Jack. She's going crazy pacing around, and she's making me crazy just watching her."
Bill smiled. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks," Chloe told him gratefully. Bill left the room, and Chloe went back to the reports.
-o-o-o-o-
Karen was startled when her cell phone rang shrilly. Setting aside the files that Audrey had placed on her desk, she reached for the phone. "Karen Hayes."
"Hey, it's Jon." He sounded exhausted but alert. "How are things at CTU?"
"We're busy like usual. I've got Chloe and Audrey filing reports for me. Poor Audrey is like a coiled spring," Karen told him. "I made the mistake of telling her that you were on your way, and I don't think she's stopped pacing and worrying all morning. She's been watching for you."
Jon laughed. "She must not be watching right now, or she would have seen us pull into the parking lot. We're here. Go get her, and tell her to meet us in Medical."
Karen smiled. "Will do." She slipped the phone into her pocket and walked calmly out into the CTU bullpen. Then, unable to contain her excitement any longer, she broke into as fast of a run as her heeled shoes would allow. Ignoring the glances from the startled agents, Karen hurried towards Audrey's small office.
Chloe and Audrey each had a stack of files in front of them, and they were paging through the folders. Karen smiled as she noticed the exasperated expression on Chloe's face, as well as the fact that Audrey looked as though she was about to spring out of her chair. They both glanced up as Karen entered the room. "Audrey, I just spoke with Jon." Karen's smile widened. "He's here. They're bringing Jack into Medical, and Jon says for you to meet them there."
Audrey needed no further urging. She leaped from her chair, nearly knocking it over, and lunged towards the door. Chloe made another exasperated face, and Karen winked. Together, they hurried after Audrey as she dashed towards the Medical bay.