Short chapter, but finally an update :-)
Tool was there, already awaiting them. McIntyre Senior was there to welcome his daughter and take care of his son. A medic and the girl´s analyst were the only ones to accompany him. They left immediately, as agreed.
Kingsley was there, with another medic. Without a single look at Kingsley, Cathie handed the man her notes. „Hurry", she only said.
The medic, a clumsy stick of a man with a tendency to stammer, nodded. Cathie knew him from the free hospital she had done volunteer shifts at for a while.
„That bad ?" he asked, looking up from her notes to the carefully covered patient.
She nodded.
„Just hurry", she repeated, turning away.
„Cathie!"
Kingsley´s voice.
She didn´t stop walking. Then someone put a hand down to her shoulder.
„Cathie! I just wanted..."
Later on, it would feel like a deja vue to the people present. With the only difference that she didn´t need a gun this time to ruin Kingsley´s face.
XXX
Cathie remembered only fragments of the short drive from their landing place to their own hangar later on. The men carried Christmas and Billy inside and she organized make shift sick beds for them.
When Gunnar returned from the shower, he found Ceasar and Yin Yang right next to their injured teammates.
„Where´s Cathie ?" he asked.
Yang shrugged.
„Said she needed a cigarette."
„Though it´s takin´ her damn long by now", Ceasar mumbled.
Gunnar exchanged a look with them.
„I´ll have a look", he said, grabbing some clothes.
XXX
He found her right outside the backdoor, down on her knees in the downpouring rain where she had just lost the contents of her stomach.
He reached out for the water bottle she had put down to the ground right next to her and handed it to her over her shoulder.
She accepted it and let herself sink back so sit, not caring for the puddles or the rain or for who had handed the bottle to her. Eventually, she took a sip and spat it out again. She seemed to be that wasted that she didn´t even care for who might have watched her throwing up.
„You´re done ?" he asked after a minute.
She felt her stomach convulse again, but only weakly this time.
„Think so", she said after a while, still not looking at him.
„Then let´s get out of the rain. Come on!"
He pulled her carefully to her feet, doing his best not to make the bruises from the shot hurt. She swayed slightly, but refused his support finally.
„I´m alright" she said, trembling slightly.
He didn´t believe that but didn´t argue either.
„Get in then", he suggested calmly.
XXX
He took her over to the showers and forced her carefully out of the wet clothes. She hadn´t really felt the coldness of the rainy night outside before, but once inside the hangar, she had started to tremble heavily. Coldness, shock and pain worked nicely together.
„Get under the water", he ordered quietly the moment he had managed to get her out of at least the soaked BDU and the boots.
She didn´t react. Judged by the expression on her face, she was far away from the here and now.
He frowned, then got rid of his boots and shirt and forced her softly to take a step backwards. Another one brought them both under the hot water. If she even realized that they were both still more or less dressed, she didn´t show it.
After a minute or two, she cocked her head to look up to him.
„He shot me", she stated abruptly.
Lacking any idea what to answer, Gunnar only nodded.
„He shot me", she repeated. „Just like that."
She had no doubt that he would have killed her just like that as well even if the others had handed over the girl.
He cupped her face with his hands.
„We´re home."
She held his gaze, her eyes wide.
„We´re home", he repeated quietly as if the repition would make the words sink in faster. „It´s over."
Stepping closer into his embrace, she cried silently in his arms. For some reason, he would have preferred her weeping and wailing loudly. Her silent sobbing and the strong tension in her muscles made his own tension grow, slowly but steadily. For some sick reason he couldn´t think of, the longer she cried in his embrace, the calmer he became.
XXX
Four hours later, Cathie woke with a start, disorientated at first, until Barney changed over from the edge of Lee´s cot right next to her own to put a hand to her forearm.
She mumbled a curse. Someone had thrown an overlarge jacket over her. A quick look around showed that Billy rested asleep on the cot on her left. Toll Road and Yin Yang were sleeping at the other end of the room while Tool just returned with two mugs of coffee.
„I´ve fallen asleep", she muttered, embarassed.
„Easy", Barney soothed her. „They´re alright and you were done for."
„How´s his pulse ?" she asked, nodding to Lee, realizing that she had seeing Barney check on it the moment she had woken.
„Still a little high, but better. Fever´s down."
„Thank God for that", she muttered. „Guess he could do with another shot against the pain. Probably both of them."
„How are you ?" Barney asked.
She tiredly waved a hand.
„Don´t worry. I´m good."
Barney frowned. She didn´t look like it.
„Tool´s takin´ Yang for some X-ray examination of his ankle later on. Go with them and let them check on that hit."
Cathie felt slightly dazed and numb, with a bad headache and her stomach convulsing dangerously again. The last thing she was up to was a visit to another hospital where she would have to fight people again to keep them from drugging her.
„That´s not necessary", she answered.
„It was no suggestion", Barney said quietly.
They looked for a moment at each other. She realized that there was no point in contradicting him. He was the boss and she was not going to doubt that.
„You know how it is with me and hospitals", she mumbled nevertheless.
„Don´t worry. Where we´re usually go for treatment, they´ll consider your wishes."
„I am going to panic", she argued, her voice even lower than before.
„Take Gunnar with you."
She shook her head.
„Come on, this will take a while. And then one of our patients here wakes up in pain and there´ll be no one there to get them a proper shot? No way", she insisted.
„I could go with you", another voice chimed in.
Cathie jumped a little. She hadn´t noticed Maggie appearing right behind her.
Cathie breathed heavily. She felt simply too wasted to play any games.
„You know, no offence, but I think that´s a bad idea", she said frankly.
Maggie sat down right next to her.
„I appreciate your sincerity", she said. „But I think we should proceed like this."
Cathie exchanged a tired look with Barney who nodded slowly, encouraging her to agree.
„Whatever", Cathie mumbled finally, giving up.