Sense of Humour Intact
Mark heard the explosion and jumped so much he dropped the file with notes in it. As he hastily picked up the papers he noticed that panic arose around him.
"Doctor Sloan," one of the nurses called to him. "We've got to evacuate the building. A bomb went off in the underground parking lot."
Only when Mark got outside did he put two and two together. "Jesse and Ally… underground lot… just leaving… possibility of Ally's father being murdered… possibility of Ally being a target… bigger possibility of Jesse and Ally being in trouble!" Mark's thought processes came to one conclusion, and he did not like it.
Mark called Steve on his cellphone. "Steve, are you there?"
"Hey Dad, are you okay? I'm on my way to the hospital, the captain told me that a fire or something had been reported. Are you out okay?"
"I'm fine," Mark said. "I can see Amanda, too. But Jesse and Ally are unaccounted for, and I've got a bad feeling that they are in the underground lot."
"Are you sure?" Steve asked, knowing how rarely his father was wrong.
"They went down to the lot not five minutes before the bomb went off," Mark confirmed Steve's fears.
"I'll be there in a minute, and no more," Steve promised. Mark let Steve to his driving, and walked over to Amanda.
"How are you holding up?" Mark asked.
"I'm fine," Amanda said, standing with her arms crossed. "Where are Jesse and Ally?"
Mark didn't lie to her. "I don't know. They may still be in there." He saw Amanda's eyes grow wide. "I have a suspicion that the bomb was meant for them."
Amanda put her hands to cover her mouth. "They can't… someone must have… no!"
"It's okay, don't worry," Mark comforted Amanda. "Jesse and Ally are two of the strongest characters I know. They'll get out."
Amanda nodded, fearing the worst.
Jesse struggled to open his eyes. He took in a breath, and let out a choking breath. He looked around, but everything seemed to be a dense grey mist. He choked again.
Some of the fog cleared, and Jesse could pick out a flicker of yellow- orange. Fire! Jesse's mind raced. He remembered some things. Right before the explosion, right before everything went black, he turned his back on the car. Man, his back was killing him.
He turned his back because, why was it? Oh yeah, he went to see Ally, because she sounded like she was hurt. Ally! Where was Ally?
Jesse got onto his hands and knees, and as he did, he kicked something soft. "Ally?" he asked, choking on the words. "Ally, is that you?"
"Hmm?" Came a faint murmur.
"Ally?" Jesse called louder, making a 180-degree turn. His hands ran along the cold stone floor until they came to a soft material, Ally's shirt.
"Come on, Ally," Jesse said, checking for a pulse. It was there, and Jesse mentally sighed with relief.
"Ally, can you hear me?" Jesse yelled.
"Jesse?" Ally asked.
"Ally, are you okay?" Jesse asked.
"Ooh yeah, doing pretty well having just been inches from being blown to pieces, thank you. How are you this fine day?" Ally choked at the end of her outburst.
"Sense of humour intact," Jesse noted. "But now is no time to be sarcastic. It isn't over yet, there is still the problem of getting out of here."
Ally coughed. "How about getting out of the smoke first."
Jesse stood up and winced. "My back is killing me."
"I can't see your back. It's too smoky here."
"All right, where is it not smoky?" Jesse and Ally fumbled their way to the other side of the lot, where it was slightly less grey.
"Where is the exit, Jesse? It's not safe down here."
"Over this way," Jesse said, leading the way through the cloud. They found the doors, and were met by firemen.
"Anymore in here?" One called.
"Couldn't see any," Jesse said. He pointed to where the flames were, and the fire fighters called their thanks back as Jesse and Ally were led away.
"Hey, you're back!" Ally exclaimed, looking
"Yeah, it hurts," Jesse mumbled.
"Well it ought to! Look at it!"
"Not actually capable of looking at my own back, you know."
"Its all red, and some bits look burnt. I mean, your shirt has gone."
"What?"
"There's a bit hole where your shirt used to be. Well, some bits of it are still there. You must have been pretty close when that bomb went off."
The thought of this made Jesse feel light-headed.
"You don't look so good," Ally noted.
"You think?" Jesse asked sarcastically.
They were outside now, with all of the other doctors and nurses. "Jesse!" Mark exclaimed, running over with Steve and Amanda. "Are you all right?"
"Do I look it?" Jesse mumbled, swaying slightly.
"Come on," Steve said. "I think Dad ought to check you out." He lightly placed his hand on Jesse's shoulder, and Jesse let out a deafening scream.
"Don't touch his back," Ally warned him, "it's like a mega sunburn that he's got there."
"Let me take a look," Mark said. Jesse turned around, and everyone winced at the sight that met their eyes.
"Jess, were you on fire or something?" Steve asked.
"No, I stood a bit too close when the thing went off, I think," Jesse said.
Amanda nodded. "That would explain things."
"Come on, they are letting people into this wing of the hospital, people that need to be treated urgently. That would mean you two," Mark added.
"What's wrong with me?" Ally asked, choking slightly.
"You were just in a smoke-filled parking lot, and you are coughing and choking, so I'd say that smoke inhalation is a place to start. Then there's the bump on the side of your head, so there I'd say a concussion. And then…"
"All right, all right, I get the picture," Ally giggled. "I'll go quietly."
"That's more like it," Mark chuckled, showing them the way.
Amanda took Jesse and Ally into the room, but Mark hung back with Steve.
"Dad, these two are in serious trouble."
"I know," Mark replied. "Someone is out to get them, and they've sent a powerful message to confirm that. We need to get that someone before they succeed!"
"It's gotta be that Frankie Pasco guy," Steve said. "I did a bit of reading up on him, and bombs are his trademark. All I gotta do is find him."
"It's too easy," Mark said. "I have a feeling that Pasco is not the guy we are looking for. It's going to take longer than we thought."
Mark heard the explosion and jumped so much he dropped the file with notes in it. As he hastily picked up the papers he noticed that panic arose around him.
"Doctor Sloan," one of the nurses called to him. "We've got to evacuate the building. A bomb went off in the underground parking lot."
Only when Mark got outside did he put two and two together. "Jesse and Ally… underground lot… just leaving… possibility of Ally's father being murdered… possibility of Ally being a target… bigger possibility of Jesse and Ally being in trouble!" Mark's thought processes came to one conclusion, and he did not like it.
Mark called Steve on his cellphone. "Steve, are you there?"
"Hey Dad, are you okay? I'm on my way to the hospital, the captain told me that a fire or something had been reported. Are you out okay?"
"I'm fine," Mark said. "I can see Amanda, too. But Jesse and Ally are unaccounted for, and I've got a bad feeling that they are in the underground lot."
"Are you sure?" Steve asked, knowing how rarely his father was wrong.
"They went down to the lot not five minutes before the bomb went off," Mark confirmed Steve's fears.
"I'll be there in a minute, and no more," Steve promised. Mark let Steve to his driving, and walked over to Amanda.
"How are you holding up?" Mark asked.
"I'm fine," Amanda said, standing with her arms crossed. "Where are Jesse and Ally?"
Mark didn't lie to her. "I don't know. They may still be in there." He saw Amanda's eyes grow wide. "I have a suspicion that the bomb was meant for them."
Amanda put her hands to cover her mouth. "They can't… someone must have… no!"
"It's okay, don't worry," Mark comforted Amanda. "Jesse and Ally are two of the strongest characters I know. They'll get out."
Amanda nodded, fearing the worst.
Jesse struggled to open his eyes. He took in a breath, and let out a choking breath. He looked around, but everything seemed to be a dense grey mist. He choked again.
Some of the fog cleared, and Jesse could pick out a flicker of yellow- orange. Fire! Jesse's mind raced. He remembered some things. Right before the explosion, right before everything went black, he turned his back on the car. Man, his back was killing him.
He turned his back because, why was it? Oh yeah, he went to see Ally, because she sounded like she was hurt. Ally! Where was Ally?
Jesse got onto his hands and knees, and as he did, he kicked something soft. "Ally?" he asked, choking on the words. "Ally, is that you?"
"Hmm?" Came a faint murmur.
"Ally?" Jesse called louder, making a 180-degree turn. His hands ran along the cold stone floor until they came to a soft material, Ally's shirt.
"Come on, Ally," Jesse said, checking for a pulse. It was there, and Jesse mentally sighed with relief.
"Ally, can you hear me?" Jesse yelled.
"Jesse?" Ally asked.
"Ally, are you okay?" Jesse asked.
"Ooh yeah, doing pretty well having just been inches from being blown to pieces, thank you. How are you this fine day?" Ally choked at the end of her outburst.
"Sense of humour intact," Jesse noted. "But now is no time to be sarcastic. It isn't over yet, there is still the problem of getting out of here."
Ally coughed. "How about getting out of the smoke first."
Jesse stood up and winced. "My back is killing me."
"I can't see your back. It's too smoky here."
"All right, where is it not smoky?" Jesse and Ally fumbled their way to the other side of the lot, where it was slightly less grey.
"Where is the exit, Jesse? It's not safe down here."
"Over this way," Jesse said, leading the way through the cloud. They found the doors, and were met by firemen.
"Anymore in here?" One called.
"Couldn't see any," Jesse said. He pointed to where the flames were, and the fire fighters called their thanks back as Jesse and Ally were led away.
"Hey, you're back!" Ally exclaimed, looking
"Yeah, it hurts," Jesse mumbled.
"Well it ought to! Look at it!"
"Not actually capable of looking at my own back, you know."
"Its all red, and some bits look burnt. I mean, your shirt has gone."
"What?"
"There's a bit hole where your shirt used to be. Well, some bits of it are still there. You must have been pretty close when that bomb went off."
The thought of this made Jesse feel light-headed.
"You don't look so good," Ally noted.
"You think?" Jesse asked sarcastically.
They were outside now, with all of the other doctors and nurses. "Jesse!" Mark exclaimed, running over with Steve and Amanda. "Are you all right?"
"Do I look it?" Jesse mumbled, swaying slightly.
"Come on," Steve said. "I think Dad ought to check you out." He lightly placed his hand on Jesse's shoulder, and Jesse let out a deafening scream.
"Don't touch his back," Ally warned him, "it's like a mega sunburn that he's got there."
"Let me take a look," Mark said. Jesse turned around, and everyone winced at the sight that met their eyes.
"Jess, were you on fire or something?" Steve asked.
"No, I stood a bit too close when the thing went off, I think," Jesse said.
Amanda nodded. "That would explain things."
"Come on, they are letting people into this wing of the hospital, people that need to be treated urgently. That would mean you two," Mark added.
"What's wrong with me?" Ally asked, choking slightly.
"You were just in a smoke-filled parking lot, and you are coughing and choking, so I'd say that smoke inhalation is a place to start. Then there's the bump on the side of your head, so there I'd say a concussion. And then…"
"All right, all right, I get the picture," Ally giggled. "I'll go quietly."
"That's more like it," Mark chuckled, showing them the way.
Amanda took Jesse and Ally into the room, but Mark hung back with Steve.
"Dad, these two are in serious trouble."
"I know," Mark replied. "Someone is out to get them, and they've sent a powerful message to confirm that. We need to get that someone before they succeed!"
"It's gotta be that Frankie Pasco guy," Steve said. "I did a bit of reading up on him, and bombs are his trademark. All I gotta do is find him."
"It's too easy," Mark said. "I have a feeling that Pasco is not the guy we are looking for. It's going to take longer than we thought."