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Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Chapter 37 Exodus
Jane awoke early the next morning, feeling both excited at the prospect of going back to Austin and nervous about his upcoming surgery. His leg had been left in a brace for almost a week now and he hoped it was not too late to undo the damage he had incurred in his fall down the slippery hill. Any little movement sent shards of pain through his knee and up his thigh. He had been trying to get by with minimal use of his pain pump, but after his long sleep all night he was in desperate need of some drugs. He depressed the button and waited for the lightening up of the screaming in his damaged knee.
A light knock on his door prepared him for a visitor. Lisbon had warned the staff that he was very jumpy and scared if someone just barged in, so they were careful to announce themselves first so as not to frighten Jane. He looked up and was happy to see Dr. Mishra come in with her tablet in her hand. She checked her notes on his health and then came over to examine him.
"So I understand you are tired of our hospitality here in Maine and you want to go back to Austin for your surgery" she said as she checked his ribs and abdomen for swelling and pain.
"I have no complaints about your fine establishment, but home is calling me. I need to get away from all the bad memories here, no offense" he explained. "Plus if my wife goes into labour here, it will delay our return home even longer".
"Well I can't honestly blame you for wanting to see familiar faces again. I just hope all goes well with your knee surgery Mr. Jane" the doctor smiled, as she turned to examine his jaw. It was coming along nicely, the swelling going down each day. Then she checked his eyes. They would indicate how well his concussion was healing. She was pleased with the results.
"How are your shoulders feeling?" she asked, flexing his arms and pressing on his tendons. When she hit the spot where Katarina had ground her heel into his shoulder, he let out a small cry.
"Still pretty tender isn't it?" she said, writing in her tablet.
"You have a stiletto ground into you and see how you feel" Jane groused, remembering that day in the barn. The doctor blanched at the revelation of what Katarina had done with her shoe. She quickly resumed her professional demeanor.
"I am going to suggest a rigorous schedule of physical therapy for you when you are well enough after your knee surgery. Since you will need it to get you leg bending anyway, you can get your shoulders working properly again at the same time."
"Ok, anything to get home" Jane promised.
"I have signed off on your care as of the time you board the aircraft this afternoon. Until then you are still under my care. I understand the FBI is sending medical personnel to take care of you on your return flight?" she asked, new to all this FBI involvement.
"I have left all that up to my wife and Agent Cho, but yes, I expect I will be poked and prodded all the way to Austin" he smiled, not minding that prospect at all.
"Well all things considered, you are healing well Mr. Jane. You may eat very soft food, or purees, clear soups, protein shakes, as long as you don't overwork your jaw. Everyday you will notice it is easier and easier to move it, but don't crunch down on anything solid or you will just re-fracture it. I will instruct your doctor in Austin to put you together with a nutritionist when you can eat again. You have lost a lot of weight and we need to build your strength up again."
"Thank you Dr. Mishra. Much appreciated. I'll be a good boy!" Jane smiled.
"Send me a photo of the baby when he comes OK?" she smiled as she shook his hand. "Be well Mr. Jane. You are a resilient man" she said as she headed for the door. "I'll see you later this afternoon when we head for the airport. I'll arrange an ambulance for you and your wife to travel to the airport".
"Thank you!" he smiled, so happy it all was working out. He picked up a magazine and was soon deeply engrossed in an article about Stonehenge when his door banged open and an unknown orderly entered his room, shuffling towards his bed. Jane reacted in panic, his hands flying up to his face in alarm. The orderly stupidly approached the bed without seeing how terrified the patient had become. Jane didn't recognize the man and freaked out. Was this another of Katarina's men? Before he had time to think he let out a wail of fear, calling for help and drawing as far away from the man as possible without falling out of the bed. Dr. Mishra ran back into his room followed by the Head Nurse. Jane was cowering in his bed, his heart racing and his face contorted in anxiety.
"You there! Out! Out of this room!" shouted the nurse. Dr. Mishra took the man aside and dealt with him harshly.
"Did you knock on the door and announce yourself to this patient? Didn't you read the instructions on the door?" she barked.
"Uhhh… no… I just wanna get my chores done so I can get downstairs early for lunch" he mumbled, not understanding what all the fuss was about.
"Get out, and go to the HR department immediately. Wait there for me and we will have a serious talk!" said the Head Nurse, furious at what he had done.
He looked dumbly at the angry staff and backed out of the room, not sure what he had done wrong but sure that they were picking on him for no good reason. Dr. Mishra and the nurse quickly approached Jane and assured him he was safe, not under attack and that he could relax. The nurse handed him a cup of water while Dr. Mishra checked his heart, listening to it race against his ribcage.
Jane swallowed the water and fell back against the pillows, embarrassed by his outburst and angry that someone had gotten to him so easily.
"It's OK Mr. Jane. That orderly will be disciplined very severely for not following orders. He really is on staff and means you no harm. He just wasn't thinking" explained the Head Nurse. Dr. Mishra added a very slight sedative to Jane's IV solution and stayed with him until he was completely calm and lightly dozing. She was furious. Her orders were plainly posted on his door for all to see. If she had to post a guard on his door until he left for Austin in a few hours, so be it!
Teresa came off the elevator and knocked on Jane's door. When she was called in, she was surprised to see the Head Nurse and the doctor standing by Jane's bed. Immediately fearing the worst, Lisbon rushed over to his bed and grasped his hand.
"What is it? What happened?" she demanded to know, not taking her eyes off her husband. Dr. Mishra explained the scare he had had and Teresa was angry. He didn't need any more stress. She decided right then that until they flew out of Maine, she would not leave his side. She could call Sarah to pack up what few belongings she had left at the safe house and bring them to the airport later. But Patrick would not be left alone again.
The doctor and the nurse left Teresa and Patrick alone, fuming about the incident. The Head Nurse immediately went down to the HR department and chewed out the dim-witted young man, who was promptly put on probation. He couldn't be around sick people if he couldn't follow orders. Teresa sat with Patrick and waited until his sedation gradually wore off. In half an hour he was awake and holding her hand.
"How are you now?" she asked him.
"I feel foolish" Patrick admitted.
"Well don't. Honestly, if that had been me I would have been hiding under the bed!"
"Hard to do when you can't actually get out of the bed!" groused Patrick, his embarrassment turning to anger. "An orderly…. of all people…. just like Karil…I have to get a handle on this anxiety of mine. Get over it." he said to Teresa.
"And you will, but Karil took you just the other day Patrick, give yourself a break. You have been through a traumatic experience, and unless you are somehow different from everyone else, you will need time to process the whole thing with help."
Patrick looked chagrined, and looked at Teresa sheepishly. "I always took pride in not being just like everybody else" he grinned.
"Oh trust me, you are not like everybody else, in almost all ways you are quite unique!" Teresa teased him. Then she turned serious. "No joking now Patrick, I mean it. Give yourself a break and be kind to yourself, OK?"
He smiled up into her face. "Yes Mum".
"Are you ready to go home?" she asked, happy to change the subject.
"More than ready. I just need to get washed and press my suit and I will be all set!" he grinned.
"Well the washing I agree with, but it will be a while before I have the pleasure of seeing you in a suit again. But I kind of like you in the tight T-shirts and dark jeans Jane. It's pretty sexy!"
"Really? If that's the case I will try to accommodate your fashion preferences. By the way, whatever happened to my clothes at Katarina's farm? I liked that shirt and those jeans were new" he complained.
"I'll ask Cho, but they might be considered evidence Patrick. I'll get you replacements when we get home".
There was a slight tap on the door and a nurse stuck her head in.
"Would you be interested in a bit of lunch before you leave us Mr. Jane?" she asked.
"C'mon in… what's for lunch today? Pheasant under glass? Pad Thai? Turkey and stuffing?" Patrick asked, actually quite hungry now.
"Well, no. No exactly. How about a protein shake, yogurt and some applesauce?" she grinned, putting it all in front of him on a bed table.
Jane peered down at it in amusement, but smiled up at the young woman warmly.
"This looks just fine. Thank you very much!"
The nurse left with a smile on her face and Teresa turned to Jane with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Since when were you so happy to get this mush for a meal?"
"Ever since I went for more than a week without food at all, that's when. So no complaints from me" he said, picking up his shake and slurping it down. He attacked the rest with gusto and very soon there was nothing left. As he was finishing it off, a tap on his door announced the arrival of Cho, with a surprise visitor.
"Mind if I come in with a friend?" he asked.
"Come in! The more the merrier" said Patrick, glad to see a familiar face. Cho stepped in and right behind him trailed Laila in a wheelchair. Cho came over and shook Jane's hand. Laila wheeled herself over and waited for them to acknowledge her.
"You're looking better today Jane" smiled Cho. "You ready to take a trip?"
"More than ready. Can't wait actually. When will our flight get here?" asked Jane, beaming at the thought of leaving.
"Another couple of hours. The plane is in the air right now" Cho confirmed, before turning and motioning for Laila to come forward.
"Someone wants to check up on you" Cho explained with a smile.
Teresa stepped out of the way and let Laila stand up and walk over to the bed, tears streaming down her face in a sudden rush of emotion.
"Mr. Jane… I'm so glad to see you again!" she sniffed. "I've been worried about you!"
"Well thanks to your acting skills, I'm doing just fine. Thank you Laila for stepping up and putting yourself at risk for my sake" he said seriously, taking her shaking hands in his and holding them.
"Agent Cho said I could fly back to Austin on the same flight as you and Mrs. Jane. I hope you don't mind" Laila said, still not over her guilt in the whole affair.
"That would be wonderful. Of course we don't mind!" said Patrick, with Teresa nodding her head in agreement. "How are you feeling?".
"Oh, my stitches pull a bit and my shoulder needs some therapy, but I'll be fine in a few weeks. My former foster mother Mrs. Milroy will fuss like crazy over me until I am well enough to go back to school. I can't wait for that day" Laila said wistfully.
"Will you come and visit us when I am out of the hospital?" Jane asked, surprising Laila with his invitation. "I think we could both benefit from talking about what we went through".
Teresa looked at Patrick in surprise, glad he was already trying to move on with his life and picking a good starting point.
"I would like that very much. Thank you!" agreed Laila. "I've got some thinking to do too. My whole life changed in the last week, and I haven't quite got a handle on it yet" she admitted.
"Mine too. But we are not alone in figuring it out Laila. We just have to take the first step, scary as it seems" Patrick smiled. He had decided to get counselling as soon as possible, so he could be as fear free as possible for himself and his growing family. "Baby steps eh?"
"Yup. Baby steps. Speaking of which…" Laila reached down and pulled a package out from behind her wheelchair. "I understand you have a little boy on the way?" she smiled as she handed Teresa and Patrick each a gift.
"I hope it's Ok, I didn't have much opportunity to shop…" she said with a small grin.
Teresa smiled as she took the gift and opened it, to reveal a tiny plush airplane in shades of white and blue.
"It's so sweet! Thank you Laila!" she beamed.
"I thought it would be fun for the baby to play with, but for me it also symbolizes our flight back to our real lives, a trip back to normal" Laila explained. Teresa nodded her understanding, giving Laila a hug.
"And now let's see what I get!" smiled Patrick. He opened his gift wrapped package with curiosity, already knowing what it could be.
Under the paper he found a beautiful coffee table book, 'A History of Maine'. It was filled with beautiful photographs, articles about the history of the state, maps and quizzes. It was a treasure trove of information.
"I hope Maine doesn't always represent something bad for us Mr. Jane, since it is such a beautiful place. I thought this way you could learn good things about it and see it for what it really is, a wonderful State" Laila explained.
Jane smiled broadly at his gift. Books were one of his favourite things to receive or buy for himself, and this one would definitely help to replace bad thoughts with better ones. It was a great gift.
"Thank you Laila, that is a wonderful idea. I will become an annoying expert on the State before you know it!" he smiled.
"Sadly, he's not kidding!" groused Teresa sarcastically. They all settled in for a visit until it was time for Jane's visitors to leave as the flight was due to arrive soon.
A nurse came in to help Jane get washed, and also washed his hair for him. He moaned with pleasure as she massaged his scalp, so long overdue. He brushed his teeth and then he was ready to get changed into fresh pajamas and a robe for his trip. In another hour, a gurney was sent up from the ambulance bay and two attendants helped to load Patrick onto it for the trip downstairs. Dr. Mishra arrived to oversee his exit from the hospital, and Teresa never left his side throughout the whole procedure. As the elevator doors slid open and his gurney was pushed inside, Patrick turned to see the staff on the ICU stop their work to wave goodbye to him. He was touched by their kindness and waved them goodbye until the doors closed and he started his descent. All the way down he grasped Teresa's hand while he beamed like a kid in a candy store. Teresa leaned over and kissed his face and was happier than she had been in a long time. So what if her husband was just going from one hospital to another? They were going home, leaving all the evil behind them, sitting in cold jail cells.
The elevator reached the first floor and Dr. Mishra, Teresa, the two paramedics and Jane made their way to the ambulance bay, where Cho, and Sarah stood waiting with Laila. They would follow the ambulance to the airport and send Laila off with the Janes. Cho and Sarah would follow the next day on a regular flight.
"Well will you look at that, a welcoming committee!" smiled Patrick, seeing his friends waiting by the doors. As the gurney was pushed outside towards the waiting vehicle, Jane turned his face up to the clear blue sky and basked in the crisp sunny weather. He leaned back and took a deep breath of fresh air, his first in many days, and smiled. Teresa laughed at his trademark reaction to sunshine and ran her hand through his freshly washed hair.
"If you're finished sunbathing Mr. Adonis, I think we have a plane waiting for us" she teased.
"Yes Ma'am!" he answered, saluting her happily. At that, the paramedics hoisted his gurney up into the ambulance, arranged his IV pole and pain pump and strapped him down for the trip. Teresa sat close by and held his hand. Dr. Mishra signed some papers releasing him from her responsibility and stepped back, where she and Cho, Sarah and Laila all said their goodbyes before the doors slammed shut. A moment later the vehicle pulled out and started on its' way to the airport outside of town. Cho and Sarah got into the SUV while Laila said her goodbyes to the doctor, then she strapped herself into the car and they left, following the ambulance.
Patrick settled back against his bed and sighed, the excitement of the move thrilling but tiring. He checked out the interior of the ambulance, taking it all in, his naturally curious mind needing to see and take note of everything new around him. Teresa finally relaxed and sat back, just enjoying seeing her husband so happy. As long as the baby could just wait for another week or two, everything would be fine.
45 minutes later they pulled up to a secluded part of the tarmac reserved for private flights and the attendants got Jane ready to exit the ambulance. Cho pulled in a few minutes later. Waiting for them was not only a nurse but the doctor from the FBI office in Austin. Teresa was surprised to see him, but happy too. If she went into labour or Patrick had a setback, it was great to know they had all the care they would need. The paramedics carried Patrick up the ramp and into the plane, which had a space cleared of seats in the back, and a bed strapped to the wall of the aircraft. After transferring Jane to the bed, the paramedics took their gurney and left to return to the hospital. Cho and Sarah said their goodbyes to Laila and then came over to Teresa and Patrick. As the nurse got Jane settled and adjusted his IV and pain pump for the trip home to Austin, Cho leaned in and placed his hand on Jane's shoulder, smiling discretely at his friend.
"You've been to hell and back. You deserve nothing but happiness now" he said seriously. "Take care of yourself. I'll see you soon".
"Thanks Cho. See you in Austin" said Patrick, moved by Cho's words.
Cho hugged Teresa and smiled at her. "Don't have that baby before I get back, OK?"
'Deal, I promise!" she grinned. "G'bye Cho".
Sarah called her goodbyes from the front of the plane as she signed paperwork and then, she and Cho had to leave. The engines started their heavy whining and a slight vibration echoed throughout the cabin. Laila strapped herself in and so did Teresa, while the doctor and nurse sat close by Patrick, ready for takeoff. Another 10 minutes and they were airborne. Patrick turned his head and looked out the window by his pillow. It was beautiful down there, the fall painting the countryside in rich hues of orange and red, green and gold, against a deep blue sky. It was truly breathtaking, and he smiled deeply as he said goodbye to all of it. Home was always better.
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