Thirty minutes before Hunter's discovery.
John Morrison took a deep breath and started the old blue truck. It was three o'clock in the afternoon of Friday, May 13th. The disguised gun lay across the disguised man's lap. He put the old truck in gear and headed for his target.
In the ROW, Chris and Seth were glued to their computer screens. They watched as the tornado finally took off. They also watched the blue and red dots as they moved the north, five miles apart, at almost the same speed.
Seth nodded. "That's good. It will be easier to sync up the thermal with the video. They make a great team." He bragged proudly as both his men were out there, helping to gather data, that would eventually help others.
Chris knew that pride, after all, his husband was part of it. "Yeah, they do. I like that they haven't had to call. Leaves us more time observe. Hey, would you mind to bring me a root beer? Grab one for yourself, we need that three o'clock sugar rush." Chris laughed, but his eyes never left the screen.
As Seth got up, he looked out of the door. His eyes went wide. There was an older blue truck sitting there. The man who drove the truck had gun pointed right at Chris!
Without thinking, Seth shoved Chris. "Look out!" At the same moment, the gun fired with a nearly silent "pop". Chris fell to the floor, Seth landed in a heap next to him. A pool of blood began to pour out of Seth's head, a breath left his lips with a hiss. Both he and Chris lay motionless.
"Fuck! Oh fuck!" JoMo screamed as he watched Chris shoved, and the other man fall. He'd shot the wrong one. He couldn't stay for a second shot, he saw the dust cloud of a vehicle come from the west. He gunned the motor, pulled his hat down and kept his face hidden from the approaching vehicle as he headed west.
Kevin Nash glanced at the driver of the blue truck as it passed by. He thought the person looked familiar, but the man's face was hidden and he had other things on his mind.
JoMo sighed as he sped up. He cursed again as another cloud of dust appeared. All of a sudden the old country road was a highway. He swallowed hard, the oncoming vehicle was the distinct red shoe of AJ's intercept car, the Dominator. What was he doing out here? AJ had quit for the day. Now here he was? What could Morrison do?
JoMo pulled his cap even lower and pulled the hair of the blond wig over to hide his face from the driver's side. He slid down further in the set and hoped to look like a young farm kid. JoMo also held his water bottle up to his lips and looked out of the passenger window.
As AJ passed the old blue truck, he sighed, the young kid behind the wheel made him think of his little pet, JoMo. Where and why did JoMo go, without a word?
Earlier, after he'd come out of the bathroom, at the hotel, AJ hadn't been surprised JoMo was gone. After all, he was going out shopping. AJ then noticed JoMo's suitcase was gone, just gone. No note or anything. It hurt Styles deeply. When he heard the tornado warning, he decided to go chase, he had nothing better to do now.
JoMo's mind raced. Thankfully it looked like AJ never even noticed him. He also made another decision. It was foolish to runaway. Hiding with AJ was a built in alibi. He formulated a new plan, and with his sexual skills, he was sure it would work. He grinned, he would also be able to see what kind of damage he'd done to the Jericho Storm Chase Team.
After the discovery
Roman was pale and trembling by the time he got to Shawn. "Go… go… just go..." Roman panted, not from running, but from fear and panic.
Adam grabbed Roman by the shoulders as Shawn took off at a dead run, his medical backpack in hand. Adam looked at Roman with wide eyed fear.
"What? What's wrong…. Chris! My Lion..." Adam started to follow after Shawn, but Roman grabbed his wrist and stopped the older man.
"Wait, oh please, wait… let… them… oh… the blood..." Roman held on to Adam. Dean froze at Roman's words.
"Blood, what blood? Ro… Sethie?" Dean looked at Roman with the same wide eyed fear as Adam.
Roman's face was stricken. "I… don't… know… Seth… our Sethie..." Roman simply couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone sentence. He couldn't stop the trembles that quaked in his body. He sat on the tailgate of the Scout truck.
Roman still held Adam's wrist, like an iron handcuff. It oddly gave him a comfort. Dean sat next to Roman in a numb heap. He wrapped his hands around Roman's tattooed right arm. The were all to overcome to move. In their shock addled minds, Shawn meant help, and stay out of his way was the best help they could give Seth and Chris.
Kevin Nash had a feeling something was wrong when he passed by the Jericho team, but something told him not to stop. If it was serious, he'd hear about it. Besides, he had film to edit for his movie.
AJ Styles never gave the ROW a glance, he was still too upset about John. He'd really grown attached to the beautiful man. And, the storm had been a bust. He should have just stayed at the hotel like he'd planned.
JoMo was glad the rental office was closed as he dropped the key in the slot. He'd hidden the gun deep in his suitcase. He walked down the street to the same diner he'd gone into earlier in the day.
The diner was crowded. It was the Friday night all you could eat sea food buffet. As before, he weaved his way, unnoticed to the bathroom. Luckily it was empty. He went into the last stall. He sat on the closed lid of the toilet and took a deep breath.
JoMo had decided that going back to AJ was for the best. While AJ wasn't Drew, he had grown a bit of affection for the storm chaser. Besides, AJ would protect him, he was confident in that.
Morrison slowly changed back into himself. He stuffed the disguise, including the wig into a plastic bag. His suitcase could be opened to hide things in the lining and along the edges. JoMo had already hidden the "paint ball" gun. Buy the time he finished, unless you were a well seasoned TSA Officer, you'd have no idea the suitcase was filled with incriminating evidence.
No one in the diner noticed that a dumpy looking dirty blond had gone into the bathroom and a stylish, handsome, long haired brunette came out. They were too busy chowing down on crab legs and fried catfish. It looked and smelled delicious. JoMo wondered if he could talk AJ in to coming back later. Seafood was guaranteed until nine pm.
JoMo had used the last of his cell phone battery to call for an Uber. If the Uber hurried, JoMo still had enough time to beat AJ back to the hotel. He had his alibi prepared. He was going to turn the tables and cry that he'd thought AJ had left him. Tears always worked.
AJ Styles almost decided not to return to the hotel. After all, he'd put his bags in the car with that thought in mind. However, he was too upset and tired, plus the room was paid for. He pulled around to the far side of the America's Best Value Inn. With a sigh, he grabbed his suitcase and got out of the oddly shaped car.
AJ opened the door, the room was semi dark. He stopped, he heard the distinct sound of sobs. He put down his suitcase and flipped on the lights. The two bedside lights flickered to life. There was JoMo, lying on the bed, sobbing his eyes out.
Styles was stunned. "Pet? Oh pet! I thought you'd left me!" He rushed to the bed and sat down.
JoMo sniffed. "I thought you'd left me! I decided to drop my clothes off… at the… one hour… cleaners. Then… I took… my bag… to get… the strap… sewed back on. I told you… I'd be… back… I… all your stuff… and you were… gone… I felt… so… scared and abandoned… oh AJ… I'm sorry..." He buried his head in his hands. He very slyly poked his eye with the nail of his pinkie finger, it immediately drew more tears.
"Oh pet. How could I have been so stupid. I thought… oh, it doesn't matter. You're here and I'm here. Oh pet, my precious little pet." AJ pulled a willing JoMo into his arms. He held the smaller man close.
JoMo knew he couldn't push too far. He had this all down to a fine art. It was how he'd gotten Drew from Adam, and kept the Scotsman in his bed.
The crying man gave a sniff and kissed AJ softly. Styles happily returned the kiss. It didn't take long for all thoughts of eating seafood to leave JoMo's mind. AJ certainly knew his way around sex.
Roman held both Dean and Adam in his arms as they sat on the tailgate of the truck, and waited. A strong wind blew as another storm cloud grew in the distant southwestern sky. No one cared. Weather was the furthermost thing from their minds. To the three, the blowing air felt like the winds of death, and were like ice to their souls.
In the ROW, Chris sat up with his head in his hands. "Oh God, I'm gonna…." He threw up in the small trash can Hunter picked up just in time.
Shawn worked to stop the bleeding from the gash on Seth's head. Seth was conscious, but felt like he'd been hit by a herd of of charging bull elephants, followed by a dozen trains. He was quite pale as well.
"Look, I don't care, I'm calling nine-one-one." Hunter again picked up his cell phone to call.
Both Seth and Chris gave very weak but very firm shakes of their heads. Chris hurled into the bucket, but all that came out was slimy spit. "Hospital yes, ambulance, no. They might be needed elsewhere." He panted out the words then hurled again. It was because he felt like he was on the world's fastest carousel and it wouldn't stop.
Shawn got a stack of fresh gauze sponges and held them over Seth's gash. "Hunter, it's alright. As long as they agreed to get checked, don't push. Why don't you go tell them what we know, those three must be worried to death. Have them make up beds in the Scout and Rover. We'll move these two as soon as we can." He gave Hunter a nod to the door. Hunter nodded in return.
"Alright. Chris, here is the bucket. You'll be okay?" Hunter hated to leave Chris, but Shawn was right.
"Yeah, please tell Adam I'm fine. Before he goes crazy." Chris tried to smile, but he was too dizzy.
When Hunter came into sight, Dean, Roman and Adam froze. Hunter's shirt was stained with blood and he was pale as well. Blood and vomit made Hunter queasy.
Before he was bombarded with questions, Hunter held up his hands. "First, they are both alive and fine. Well, not exactly fine, they may have concussions, especially Seth. He's got a deep gash on his forehead and head wounds bleed like Niagara Falls." He paused. He went to the Ranger Rover parked next to the red truck and opened the rear hatch. He opened another storage hatch and pulled out four blankets, and draped them over his arm.
Roman spoke as Hunter opened the hatch. "Concussion? Hunter, what the fuck happened?" He looked at the older man.
Hunter sighed. He told about Seth seeing a gunman. "…. he pushed Chris out of the way and when he did, Chris hit his head on the side of the desk and got knocked out. In pushing Chris, Seth hit his head on the corner of the metal filing cabinet that holds up the plank that makes the desk top. It not only gave him a gash, it knocked him out as well. They weren't shot, but there is a bullet hole through the wall of the semi. That's all the could tell, and it's all I know. They refused calling an ambulance, but, they both agreed to go to the hospital for concussion checks. As soon as Seth stops bleeding, we'll go. Help me make beds. One in the back seat of Rover, the other in Scout." Hunter had pulled out two small pillows as he spoke.
Dean stopped Adam from getting up. "No, you sit. I'll make Chris' bed. Your ankle, remember?" Dean held Adam down by the shoulders as Roman went to help Hunter.
Adam's eyes lit up with hazel fire. "He is my Lion, I will make his bed. Get off me! Now!" He growled his words with the fury of a lioness on the prowl for food.
Dean backed off with his hands up. Adam slid off the tailgate and with a slight limp, went to make a bed for his Lion in the Rover. Roman nodded for Dean to help Adam. Hunter and Roman began to make the bed for Seth in the club cab of the Scout truck.
When the beds were made, Roman, Dean and Adam sat back down on the tailgate of Scout. Hunter stood and spoke.
"Dean, you drive Rover, I'll drive Scout. Roman, I am sorry but you will have to drive ROW. I could, but I don't have the proper license, only you and Chris do. We'll go to the hospital. We passed it, just on the edge of town..." Hunter paused, Shawn had called for him.
Three heads shot up. Hunter smiled. "It's okay, he sounded normal. He said he'd call when they were ready. Just sit tight." Hunter's tone and look were soft.
Roman nodded. "I'll come, please?" Roman felt he should be the one to see Seth first. He was the one that could calm Seth the best. Dean understood and gave Roman a nudge to show that understanding.
Hunter nodded. "Alright, but be prepared, all of you. They are weak and feeling a bit shit. There is a lot, and I mean a lot of blood." He wanted them all to be prepared.
Shawn called for Hunter again. "Coming, babe." He waved for Roman to follow him. Dean and Adam looked after the other two, then at each other. Dean put an arm around Adam's shoulder. The two grew closer as friends at that moment.
"I'm sorry I growled at you." Adam sighed as he took comfort in Dean's embrace of friendship. Dean simply smiled with a nod. He understood.
In a few minutes, the others appeared. Hunter hadn't been joking. Chris and Seth looked like they had rolled in red paint.
Chris walked between Hunter and Shawn, his arms around their waists. He was as pale as milk, but alive. Adam began to cry, it reminded him of another day, nearly six years ago. The day Chris had almost died in a tornado. Adam got up and went to his husband. Shawn let Adam take his place in helping Chris to walk. The couple exchanged a few quiet worlds of love as they walked.
Roman carried a very bloody Seth. A neat wrap of gauze held a thick bandage in place on his forehead. A thin, red line of blood leaked through. He was too was very pale, but smiled when Dean came up to greet him.
Roman settled Seth into the makeshift bed in the club cab of the Scout truck. Dean tucked the blanket around Seth and fastened the seat belt around him, and made him snug and secure.
"Are you… driving me?" Seth asked Dean in a very weak voice. His eyes were closed, it helped him feel less queasy.
Dean glanced at Roman. Roman nodded. "I'll fix it." He mouthed silently to Dean, then went to speak to Hunter about the change.
Dean tenderly caressed Seth's blood stained cheek. Shawn had cleaned a lot, but there was just so much he could do and hold the bandage to stop the bleeding.
"Of course, Sethie. I'll get you there like Cinderella and her magic coach." Dean kissed Seth's temple.
Roman returned. He gave Dean a smile and a nod. Hunter had told Roman he should of thought of it himself. Roman leaned down and kissed Seth's temple as well.
"Sethie, I'm driving the ROW. I need to shut down the radar and computers. Is everything saved?" Roman didn't want to lose data, especially today.
Seth had to think for a moment to still his whirling brain. "Auto save, but hit the red button, wait for it to turn green, then you can shut down. Only takes a minute. Then write a note on the pad that says remove disc before start. Everything will be perfect." Seth was slow of speech, like he had to think about each word. He also slurred the occasional word or two.
Roman and Dean exchanged a worried glance. They would both be glad to get their youngest to the hospital.
"Okay, babe. I'll be right behind you. I love you, Sethie." Roman gave Seth another kiss, then went to get the ROW ready to move.
At the same time Seth was being settled into the Scout, Chris was settled in the Range Rover. Hunter was at Chris' feet and Adam at his head. Hunter worked the seat belts around Chris after Adam tucked him in.
"Oh my Lion, my poor Lion. I love you so much." Adam whispered softly as he stroked Chris' temple. He'd seen Chris ill many times, but usually he wanted to be left alone. Chris now let out a whimper if Adam moved too far away.
Chris' eyes were closed, but he was wide awake. "Stop the carousel, I wanna get off. Sit… with me… Kitty… love you… ugh…." Chris managed to spit out his words. The carousel had slowed down, but it hadn't stopped.
Adam sat in the backseat so that Chris' head was in his lap. Shawn rode with Dean because of the two, Seth was in far worse shape. He wanted to be there if the bleeding worsened again.
Roman couldn't stand to see all the blood that had come for their sweet Sethie. He followed Seth's instructions on shutting everything down. Roman pressed the buttons that sealed the Doppler Radar into its "safe". He growled when he saw the bullet hole. There was no daylight, so he knew the slug had to still be embedded in the wall. Well, the cops would find it. He or Hunter would call them as soon as they got to the hospital.
A few minutes later, the storm chase armada headed towards the Memorial Hospital of Texas County. It was small, but upon arrival in the ER Department, Shawn was pleased to see the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Not long ago, the hospital had been saved from closure by a huge multi-million dollar private donation by a local oil man. His wife's life had been saved because the hospital was there. If it had been closed, she would have died. He wanted to make sure that never happened to anyone.
Chris and Seth were placed on gurneys and were immediately taken back to be examined. Because Shawn was an Oklahoma Licensed Registered Nurse, they allowed him to go with the patients. He could better answer the questions that were sure to be asked.
Hunter took the infamous clipboards full of papers and gave one to Adam and one to Dean and Roman. Adam whined. "I hate this. I wish I could just print it off like magic." He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and had Chris' as well. Adam rifled through Chris' and found the medical insurance card. Thank Heavens they both had fantastic coverage through the University.
Dean and Roman worked together to fill out Seth's papers. "At least he has the student insurance. That will cover seventy percent. I don't get why we can't be like the rest of the world and have National Health Care." Roman sighed as he copied the numbers from the card Dean held in his hand.
Hunter spoke quietly to the group. "I'm calling the cops. Whoever did this, isn't going to get away with it. We're gonna be stuck here a while." He stood and looked at Adam, Roman and Dean.
Adam responded. "I agree. This is more important right now. I'm… I told him, Hunter, he promised. The door… open." All the tension finally came out in the form of tears. He buried his head in his hands as it all poured out.
Hunter put his cell phone back into his pocket and sat down next to Adam. He wrapped the younger man in his arms and let Adam sob. Dean quietly picked up Adam's completed clipboard of papers and took them to the desk, along with Seth's papers. He and Roman moved to another area to give Adam space.
Dean looked at Roman. "Seth probably opened the door. You know how he hates to be closed in. Oh Ro, will he be alright?" He didn't cry like Adam, but he had the same despair on his face.
Roman pulled Dean against him. "Sethie will be fine. You know how much head wounds bleed. I just hope the cops will find the fucker who did this. It's… well… at first I thought it was random, but why?" He hoped to get Dean's mind off worrying about Seth and on to something else.
Adam wiped his eyes. "Thanks, Hunt. I needed that. I shoulda known, Chris can't stand not being able to see. I just had a feeling… something was..." He shrugged before he sounded crazy.
Hunter wasn't about to mention Shawn's nightmare, not now. He changed the entire subject. "If you're okay now, I'm gonna call the cops. They need to get started. Chris won't like being..." He halted, Shawn had come through the doors that led to the Emergency Room.
Roman and Dean rejoined Hunter and Adam. Shawn pulled up a chair and sat down. "They are fine. We just have to keep them awake for eight more hours, that's normal. Seth is getting stitches, ten, but he will be fine. They are treating Chris' severe vertigo..." Shawn paused to take a breath. He wore a pair of clean hospital scrubs.
Shawn continued. "Their vision is okay, and there is no internal brain or body damage. They have both been diagnosed with mild concussions, that's why they can't sleep. If they still present symptoms or something changes, we are to come back immediately. They are going to let them leave after Seth's stitches are settled a bit, but only because I know what to look for. I knew you'd be happier with them at the hotel." Shawn finished explaining about Seth and Chris, with a much needed sip of the coffee Hunter had brought him.
Adam hugged Shawn. "Oh thank you, Shawnie. I would have slept right here. Tell me what you think, are they really okay?" He trusted Shawn more than anyone. He also knew Shawn would tell the truth, even if it was bad.
Shawn smiled at Adam. "Yes, they will be fine. Seth is a lot stronger than he looks, he really slammed Chris to the ground. Both of them are going to be achy and probably cranky. They will have to stay in bed for a day. And keeping them awake will be hard, but it is vital. I suggest, just while they recover, we put them in the same bed. It will be easier for me."
Adam spoke quickly. "Put them in our room, it's slightly bigger, being a corner room. I can help you look after them." He spoke firmly.
"No, you need to stay off that foot. If you argue, I will take you right to X-ray this very minute." Shawn too spoke firmly and pointed to the doors of the Emergency Room.
Adam sighed. "Okay, okay. I guess I don't want to wreck it, it's starting to feel much better."
Dean looked at Shawn. "How bad will the scar be? It's going to devastate Seth. He… um… is kinda vain about things like that. It won't matter to us one bit, but he won't believe us. That is Seth's one problem; vanity." As Dean spoke, Roman nodded in agreement.
Shawn looked at the two college students. "There will be a scar, and for a couple of months it will look worse while the tissues heal. I watched the Doctor start the stitches, he was using very small sutures. It's a deep gash, he was really lucky, it could have taken out his eye." Shawn was honest, no reason not to be.
There was a flurry of activity as an ambulance arrived at the same time as four police officers. The cops waited for the ambulance EMT's to get their patient out of the vehicle and into the ER.
One EMT rode on the gurney, astride the patient, an elderly man, and administered CPR. Two others pushed the gurney into the ER. Shawn uttered a silent prayer for the old man as they passed through.
A nurse poked her head out of the door. "Nurse Helmsley? You can come back now." She looked rather flustered as she called and waved to Shawn. She vanished before Shawn even had a chance to stand.
"They are very short handed tonight, there is a stomach bug going around, five nurses are out sick. I'll be back." Shawn explained as he got up to leave. He would help as much as he could.
A police Sergeant finally spoke. "Hunter Helmsley?" He looked over at the three men in the waiting room.
"That's me." Hunter stood and went over to the officer. Dean gave a low growl, cops were not his friends.
Roman took Dean's hand in his. "I know, but for Seth. We have to find out who did this to our Seth and Chris. These officers are here to help, not harm." He caressed Dean's cheek.
Roman understood Dean's dislike for cops. He'd told Seth and himself about cops harassing him on the streets. Dean had also told them, that while he never went that far with them, cops would make street boys go down on them, then arrest them for a laugh. It had taken a lot for Roman to convince Dean that not all cops were bad. Roman had cousins who were cops in Florida.
Hunter looked over at Dean and Roman as he spoke. "Roman, come here please. They want to see the ROW."
Roman gave Dean a kiss. "You stay here and wait for our angel. Love you." He gave Dean a smile and got up.
Dean gave Roman a smile. "I love you." He the slid over a couple of seats to sit next to Adam.
"Adam, Shawn wouldn't just say what we want to hear, would he?" Dean looked at Adam like a lost pup.
Adam vehemently shook his head. "No, he would not. That is one thing about Shawn. If it was bad, he would say so. Dean, don't blame Chris… I told him to shut and lock the door, but I guess he opened it again. He just can't stand not being able to see and hear the weather." Adam sighed. He should be mad that Chris had broken his promise, but he was too glad Chris was alive to be mad. And, he should have known Chris would open the door.
Dean gave a slight chuckle. "I'm sure Seth is the one who opened the door. Seth has a major claustrophobia issue. It doesn't really matter anyway, Adam. If someone is determined to get you, they will. Maybe your idea wasn't so bad, maybe there should be a gun in the ROW." He hated the thought but, this incident made the idea a good one.
Roman and Hunter had gone outside with the four police officers. Roman led them to the semi cab. He pressed the button that retracted and lowered the steps, he put them in place then went up and opened the door.
Before the cops went in, Hunter spoke. "You do what you must do, but please don't just… the equipment is worth a couple of million and the data on the computers can not be replaced." He was worried that they would just stomp in like the buffalo of old. He feared they would move papers and push buttons. He was glad that Seth always made multiple copies of each chase.
The Sergeant grinned. "Don't worry. No point in taking fingerprints as the suspect never entered. All we want is to see the bullet hole. Tomorrow, we will drive out to where you were parked and check there." He followed Hunter up the steps. Another officer with a camera followed.
Roman had turned on the generator, so now the interior of the ROW was lit with florescent lights that hung from the ceiling like a real office.
The photographer took pictures of the interior of the ROW, including the now dried puddles of blood. "Wow, that must have been some head wound." He muttered as he took more pictures.
Roman pointed out the bullet hole to the Sergeant. The man had put on a pair of blue latex gloves. He also had a long device that looked like a pair of tweezers and a small, plastic evidence bag. The Guymon Police Force may have been small, but they were extremely professional.
Before the Sergeant worked to remove the bullet, the photographer placed a neon yellow sticker on the wall. The sticker was also a ruler that measured the size of the hole. The Sergeant also pulled out a tape measure.
They measured and photographed the hole at every possible angle. How high from the floor, how low from the ceiling and from each side. With the sticker ruler, he took pictures, then he peeled it off and took more pictures. When he finished, the photographer switched his camera for a flashlight.
With a hand like a skilled surgeon, the Sergeant extracted the bullet from the wall. He held the slug in the tweezers and gave a low whistle.
"Doctor Jericho and Mister Rollins were lucky. This is a point four hundred forty-four Marlin, meant to bring down a thousand pound Grizzly Bear. It would have blown their heads off, had it hit. We're dealing with a very dangerous person." The Sergeant spoke in a very serious tone and face to match. He put the spent bullet in the bag.
Hunter frowned but he suddenly had to grab Roman. The students legs had turned to jelly and Roman had started to fall. The reality of that thing nearly hitting Seth was just too much, it was the last straw.
"Whoa, Roman. Sit." Hunter helped Roman sit on the landing of the steps. He told Roman to put his head between his knees. Roman felt too weak to argue and followed orders.
The Sergeant looked at Roman with concern. "I know, it's a terrible shock. Need some water?" He placed a kind hand on Roman's shoulder.
Hunter looked up at the Sergeant. "In the fridge, the blue stuff, please?" He knew Roman lived for blue Gatorade.
The Sergeant hadn't noticed the mini fridge. He went to the corner and opened the fridge. He found the small bottle of sports drink and picked it up. He handed it to Roman.
"Thank you, sir." Roman took the bottle. His fingers trembled, but he got the plastic off the sipper top. Roman pulled up the sipper and took a long drink. He drank half the bottle in one go.
The Sergeant spoke to Hunter. "Well, that is all we can do tonight. You're at the America's Best, right?" He looked at the notes he'd taken during their talk.
Hunter nodded. "Yeah. We have three rooms together. I would imagine you had better come to Room One, the end corner. It's the Jericho's room. Um, what time? Chris and Seth will need sleep." He looked at his own notebook in his pocket. He wanted to write down the time the Sergeant would come, so he could expect the knock on the door.
The Sergeant flipped through his notebook. "How about one o'clock?" He looked at Hunter with expectation in his eyes. He wanted to get to work on this. He wasn't so sure the Jericho team were out of danger.
Hunter wrote it down. He looked at Roman then the Sergeant. The Sergeant turned to the two officers who had stood by their car to keep watch. "Help Mister Reigns back inside, please." The two officers came at once.
Roman got to his feet and went back to the waiting room with the two officers. He was glad for the company. Roman still felt wobbly on his feet.
Hunter waited till Roman was inside. "You think we're still in danger, don't you?" Hunter looked directly into the eyes of the Sargent.
The Sergeant looked hard at Hunter. "Yes, possibly. He or she may know they didn't succeed, in what they set out to do. That could drive them to try again. Or, they may think they have achieved their goal and that's it. The question is, what was the goal? Who was the target? Did they mean to kill or scare? Is it Doctor Jericho or Mister Rollins? Is there any possible enemy you can think of? One would want to go so far as murder?"
Hunter rubbed his chin. "There is another chaser that is… I guess, jealous of us. We all exchange words when we see each other, but that's all it ever is, words. To be honest, he'd be too chicken to do what happened today… at least… I think so." Hunter answered as best he could about… "Oh, his name is AJ Styles. He drives a tank like red car. We call it the red shoe." Hunter had realized he hadn't told the Sergeant who'd he'd been speaking about.
"We've seen that car around town the last couple of days. Looks like he tried to copy off Kevin Nash's intercept vehicle. I'll do some investigating before our meeting tomorrow." The Sergeant had made some more notes. He closed and pocketed his notebook. He was finished; for now.
The Sergeant took a business card out of his pocket and wrote a number on a blank line. He handed it to Hunter. "Here is my card. If anything happens before our meeting, call. This is your case number. You can rest easy tonight, I'll have eyes on you all night. My advice? Keep that between us. Your friends need rest. The don't need to feel insecure, knowing we are watching. It might make them feel uneasy, instead of comfortable." He shook Hunter's hand.
Hunter returned the handshake. "Thank you, Sergeant Miller. I carry, but, I'd rather know you are out there." Hunter gave the man a nod.
The Sergeant grinned. "Good to know. But, we're prepared to be there too." The Sergeant and Hunter parted ways.
Hunter went back into the waiting room. He found a much better Roman with Dean and Adam. The three were huddled together like they had been earlier in the day.
Hunter sat next to Adam. "Well, we will see the Sergeant at one o'clock tomorrow afternoon. He's a very professional officer. I am sure they will get to the bottom of this very soon."
Adam piped up. "I hope so, before I have to go hunting. This is the second time Chris has… well… never again." He was a cross of anger and angst.
No one could say anything else. Shawn, Chris and Seth walked into the waiting room. Seth and Chris were much steadier on their feet and both had color back in their cheeks. Seth had a gauze bandage over his right brow. It was held in place by a gauze strip bandage. He looked worse than he was. Both he and Chris still had on their blood stained clothes. Shawn still wore the blue scrubs, his own clothes in a plastic bag.
Adam limped over and hugged Chris as Roman and Dean hugged Seth. "Get me to a bed, Kitten. I love you." Chris whined, but he managed to give Adam a kiss.
They piled into the vehicles like they had before. Dean sat on the backseat of the club cab with Seth as Shawn drove the the Scout. In Rover, Hunter drove as Adam held Chris in his arms in their backseat. Roman drove the ROW alone. No one wanted Seth to see all the blood.
At the hotel, Chris and Seth felt funny about the request to share a bed, but when Nurse Shawn explained, they understood. They would do anything to make it easier for the man.
With help from Dean, Seth showered. He wore a tight plastic cap on his head to keep his bandage dry.
Adam bathed Chris. As his Kitten washed his tawny hair, the Lion "purred". They were actually just sighs of contentment, but to Adam, they were Lion purrs.
While Seth was occupied, Hunter and Roman went out to clean the ROW. They borrowed some supplies from Housekeeping. Luckily the chemicals cleaned the dried blood completely.
The hotel owner, who lived in rooms made into an apartment, was horrified to learn what had happened. He gladly let them borrow the cleaning supplies. He also sent extra pillows and blankets to the Jericho's room.
Shawn gathered up all the bloody clothes and would send them to a professional cleaners. It was just to Herculean a task for a normal washing machine.
Soon the two clean and fresh patients were tucked into the bed in the Jericho's room. Now the task of keeping Seth and Chris awake for the next eight hours had begun.
Eyes watched the hotel, but were the wary eyes of the Guymon Police? In the southwest, another storm flashed on the horizon. Cool, dry air rushed toward the storm.
The winds blew. Were the winds of death still searching for a victim?
