This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Home safe-ish.
Sorry the gaps between updates are getting bigger. It's the usual, stuff :) Thanks for the reviews PigletKate, MIHighLover1, JA5M1N3, mystery Guest and others. Always appreciated.
"We won ! Moby came back and helped us !" said Tom in delight.
"Oh !" said Dan, looking surprised. "Good effort mate !" he said, before suddenly lying down on the stretcher and closing his eyes.
"Oh ! Is he alright ?" asked Keri, anxiously.
The medics checked Dan again. "He's asleep," reported one medic. "He's got a mild concussion I think. I'm sure he'll be fine," she assured Keri and the others with a smile.
Keri and Aneisha sat in the waiting area at the MI9 medical unit. "We spend a lot of time sitting around in these chairs," complained Aneisha.
Keri gave her a look. "Yeah, last time we were waiting to see if you and Dan were going to live," she said pointedly.
Aneisha looked surprised. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," she said quietly. "Not fun huh ?"
"Nope !" said Keri firmly.
"Tom !" said Aneisha, leaping to her feet. She ran to Tom who was shambling tiredly across the room towards the girls.
"Hey ! Easy !" he said with a small smile. He was secretly very pleased that Aneisha was making such a fuss of him. He had red marks on his face and looked tired, but otherwise unhurt. "I'm fine," he said, trying to sound brave. In truth he was still a little shocked. Tom had never been deliberately beaten before. He really wanted to sit somewhere quiet and have a cry, but wanted to wait to get home before he did that. There was no way he was going to break down in front of Aneisha.
Aneisha hugged and kissed him gently. "You did really well today Tom," she said quietly. This was the last straw for Tom and tears started to roll down his face.
"Oooh !" Tom complained. "I wasn't going to do this !" he moaned.
"Well, clearly you need to do it," said Keri, sounding much more practical than she usually did. "Why don't you sit down with Aneisha for ten minutes and get it out of your system. It's just the shock Tom. It's nothing to be ashamed of," she explained.
Tom sat on a bench next to Aneisha who hugged him tightly while he cried out the pain and fear that had gripped him since being attacked at the KORPS base. Finally the tears started to subside and he sat up, wiping his face. "Have you heard anything about Dan yet ?" he asked shakily.
"He's fine," said a quiet voice behind him.
"Dan !" squealed Keri, leaping up and grabbing Dan.
Dan winced and rubbed his head. "It's great to see you too Keri, but seriously, my head is sore," he said quietly. "Frank said he'd take me home, if that's Okay with you guys," he added.
"Sorry !" Keri whispered, and gave him a much more gentle hug. Frank walked in. "Frank, is he really alright ?" asked Keri quietly.
Frank smiled and nodded. "Yes, just a mild concussion. He's got to take it easy for a few days, but he'll be fine. Tom too," he said.
Frank dropped Dan off first. His Mum let him in and waved to Frank. "Well, what have you done this time ?" Dan's Mum asked him. "Mild concussion, Frank said," she added.
Dan nodded. "Is it alright if I just go to bed Mum ?" he asked. "My head's a bit sore." In truth his head was splitting and he desperately wanted to lie down and sleep for days. He just didn't want to frighten his Mum.
A short while later, Dan got into bed, sighing with relief. His Mum drew his curtains and kissed him on the forehead before leaving the room. Dan shut his eyes and relaxed. He only half heard the door open and felt someone climbing into bed behind him. Dan turned his head slightly which sent a piercing jolt down the back of his neck and he hissed in pain.
"Sorry Danny," whispered his sister, Sam's, voice. "I just wanted to know you were really Okay," she said softly.
"I'm fine," Dan lied. "Just got a sore head Sam," he explained.
"I don't like it when you get hurt," said Sam faintly. She buried her face in the back of her brother's neck.
Dan sighed. He felt guilty about Sam worrying about him, but he didn't have the energy now to put on a good act for her. "I'll be better soon. You don't need to worry. Anyway, it's only my head. It's not as if it's anything important," he joked.
This made Sam giggle and hug him tightly around the waist. "I love you Danny," she whispered.
"Love you too Kiddo," whispered Dan. Too tired now to keep talking, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Sam lay with her arm around her sleeping brother for a while and then reluctantly got up and went downstairs where her parents were watching TV.
"Told you he would be fine," Sam's mother told her, pulling her down on to the sofa between her parents.
"I know. I just wanted to, you know, make sure," murmured Sam.
"We know," said her Dad, pulling her in for a hug. "It's not always easy being a sister is it ?" he asked teasingly.
"No !" said Sam, ruefully.
"Try not to look too worried or Dan will make an effort to put on an act for you," warned her mother. "He just wants some rest at the moment and then he'll be as good as new," she assured her daughter. "Anyway, it's your bedtime. Off you go !" she said, sending Sam off grumbling.
After Sam had gone up to bed her parents looked at one another and sighed. "It's not getting any easier is it ?" asked her Dad.
Her Mum shook her head. "I don't want to make him feel guilty as well as sick, but I hate seeing him suffer," she admitted sadly. "He's going to be upset if he doesn't get his guitar back," she added.
"I phoned Frank. He says he's going to look for it," said Dan's Dad, putting his arm round his wife and pulling her close. "I'll make him buy a new one if he doesn't," he said.
Meanwhile at Tom's house his Mum was making a very satisfactory fuss over him. "Oooh Tom, whatever happened to your face ?" asked his Mum.
"I'm fine Mum. Don't worry about it," Tom declared bravely. He was feeling much calmer now after he had cried with Aneisha and was very glad that he had. He could sound properly heroic for a change.
"Well, come and sit down and have some cake," his Mum asked. Tom tried to look stoic and uncaring about being offered cake, but failed miserably. Cake always did it for Tom. It was better than biscuits, if such a thing were possible.
Frank meanwhile had dropped off the remaining agents and then called Stella to find out how the clear-up at the music school was going. "Hi Stella, have you found Dan's guitar yet ?" Frank asked. "Yes, I know it's not top priority," he said. "It's just that Dan's Dad was pretty firm that he wanted it back and everything," he continued. "Yes, I know it's not mission critical." Stella was obviously tired and getting annoyed with him. "I tell you what, how about I come over and have a look for it myself ? It should be in the instrument storage cupboard where he left it. Yes ? Okay, see you in a bit then," said Frank, closing the call. He puffed out a big breath and drove off in the direction of the music school. He really hoped that guitar was in one piece. Please, don't let the sonic drill have burnt a hole in it ! Frank didn't want to face Dan's Dad with a wrecked guitar. Frank was far more frightened of the kid's parents than he was of MI9 management. Obviously he wasn't going to tell Stella that, but he could always take her to visit Dan's Mum, or better still, his little sister. That should scare the pants off her ! Super-villains were way easier to deal with. They didn't make you feel guilty.
The other difference of course was that you could always punch a super-villain. He fantasised for a moment about landing a good punch on the Crime Minister's nose. Nobody deserved it more than her after what she had done to the team. Frank mentally shook himself. This was deeply unprofessional of course. But soooooo satisfying ! Frank smiled.