Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: We're nearing the end! There is gonna be the show-down in Chapter 10. I hope you enjoyed the ride so far and keep on reading till the end.
A million thanks to somebody's angel for her patience and advice!!!
Chapter 9
Another ten long minutes passed before the phone rang again.
The hostages had calmed down somewhat, the kids were looking up at the man with the gun with big, scared eyes, but their tears had run dry. The old people sat there, eyes half-closed, as if they were just patiently awaiting the end, Logan thought. He was not going to let that happen! He awkwardly sat up straighter on the hard floor he couldn't even feel, suddenly remembering that might result in pressure sores for him. Bling's face appeared in front of his inner eyes, warning him. He snorted inwardly- like this was of important right now. To hell with his useless body!
The phone was still ringing and Logan returned to reality when Brad stepped closer. "You answer it!" he pointed at Juna.
The young woman did as she was told, her body tense as she stood up and reached for the phone, which still was on the chair next to Logan.
"Yeah?"
After putting it down she turned to Brad, standing up straight in front of him, refusing to back down. Logan couldn't see her eyes, but he knew what was in them. In the past few minutes he had realized how much she was like Max: caring and gentle most of the time, but when she or someone she cared about was threatened, she would suppress all those emotions and transform into an emotionless soldier. Logan had always wondered if this was something he admired or feared about Max. Right now he was glad Juna was there, somebody to stand up against this crazy guy. After all, he wouldn't ever be able to do that.
"They can have a liver here in about six hours. But you will have to let the hostages go."
"Right! And when I'm in here alone they'll just come in and kill me!"
"I'm going to stay," Logan said immediately.
"Me, too." Juna agreed, smiling bravely down at the man seated on the floor next to her.
Brad considered the offer, playing with the gun in his hand, making Logan look up at him in alarm. "You two," he pointed at a young male nurse and the guy who had courageously sat in front of the kids, "stay here. The others can leave!" When the people cast scared and nervous glances at each other, unsure if they were really allowed to move, he almost lost his patience. "Go!"
The group hastily climbed to their feet, the women grabbing the children, the others helping each other out.
Brad vigorously grabbed Juna by the arm and she tensed and, for a moment, Logan thought she was going to fight him, just as a reflex. He let out a sigh of relief when she relaxed, although the difference in her stance was so minimal that only Logan picked up on it, having witnessed the same changes in Max many times. Holding the gun to Juna's neck, Brad followed the group hustling down the hallway and around the corner towards the elevators.
Logan couldn't see what was going on, there was absolute silence for a minute that seemed like an eternity. Then he heard three shots. He gasped, and his hands flew to the floor in an unconscious attempt to lever his body up. Then he sank back, his heart hammering, his eyes closing. What the hell had happened? If Brad had shot someone, he wouldn't be able to live with himself, he knew that much. He had brought all of this on!
"Do you think we could swim here when it's warmer?" Mackenzie asked as they strolled down the path. They had walked through the entire park, the look on Logan's face when he had mentioned that he knew this park as well continually flowing through Max's mind. She had seen a therapist with a young guy in a wheelchair trying to get down a flight of stairs. The look in the guy's face had been one she had seen on Logan a million times. Hardened, desperate and exhausted.
It had disturbed her more than she wanted to admit. Logan had been there, too. And she hadn't cared. She had just let him down, assuming he was a big, arrogant macho guy who deserved what he had been dealt.
"Max?"
"What?"
"Do you think we could come back here for a swim when it's warmer?" Mackenzie repeated.
"I don't know," Max answered distractedly. She had heard weird noises from around the building.
"Come on!" she told Mackenzie and hand in hand they ran to the front of the hospital.
Eventually Brad returned with Juna. She didn't look hurt. He roughly shoved her onto one of the seats. "Stay right there."
"What happened?" Logan whispered, awkwardly trying to lean closer.
"He just shot the circuits of the elevators."
Even though Logan knew he should be relieved, a thought crept into his head and he suddenly felt panic. Now he was really trapped. The elevators had been his only chance to escape, even if the chance was merely theoretical.
Max and Mackenzie stood there opened-mouthed, looking at the crowds and the large amount of police cars and policemen trying to get the situation under control. "Come on," she urged the little girl and rushed closer.
Max immediately recognized Det. Sung when she came around the corner. He was standing next to his car, a phone in his hand, looking at the hospital with narrowed eyes.
"Detective Sung! Matt!"
He turned towards the sound of her voice. "Max! Why am I not surprised you are here?"
"What's going on?"
"Some freak took hostages. He wants a liver transplant."
"Brad," she concluded furiously.
"So you know him, too."
"Yeah."
"I had Logan on the phone some minutes ago, he seemed fine."
Suddenly there was a murmur going through the crowd that had gathered a safe distance away.
Both Max and Matt watched as a group of people hurried out of the building. Police men, heavily armed, ran towards them, and guarded them to safety.
"Logan's still inside. I'm going in."
"Max, I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."
"I'm not asking your permission. You don't even know. Here. Take care of her." With that she left Mackenzie with the Asian policeman and made her way back where she had come from. She assumed finding an unguarded back entrance shouldn't be too hard.
Suddenly there was an alarm beeping loud and persistent.
"What's that?"
"It's coming from the nurse's room," the male nurse explained, frightened. "Something's wrong with one of the patients."
Logan felt Juna tense immediately, her eyes shooting down the hallway to where her husband was still having surgery, unaware of what was going on here. The surgeons apparently hadn't noticed what had happened, or they had decided not to quit despite it all. She was immensely grateful for that, one way or the other.
Logan put a calming hand on Juna's thigh and let his gaze wander towards Brad. He still couldn't believe that this was the same cute, gentle, little brother who had always tried to be like Randy when he was little. "Let him have a look, Brad," he stated, exhaustion slowly creeping into his voice. He just wanted this to be over; after all, he was still nothing but a mere mortal in an extreme situation. "You don't want anybody to die, do you?"
The question seemed ridiculous, even to his own ears, given the situation.
Still, Brad made the by a sign "Go! You try anything, somebody's dead," he warned.
"It's your brother!" The boy yelled from the nurse's station. "His blood pressure has fallen. I need to give him a stimulant!"
"Then do it!" he ran after the male nurse, turning back towards the hostages at the door to Randy's room. "Any of you move, he is dead!" He threatened, before disappearing out of sight.
Juna waited until Brad was really gone, then she slipped to the floor next to Logan. "What are we supposed to do? This can't go on forever." She gently touched Logan's lip. "Does it hurt bad?"
"I'm fine." Logan harshly turned his head, and then he took a deep breath. "Sorry. I was hoping Max would come back," he explained vaguely. "But it'll take a few more hours to get a liver here, and in his current state of mind…"
Brad returned alone. "The kid stays with Randy."
"Man, what you are doing here is bullshit!" The other man suddenly spoke up, jumping to his feet.
Without a second's hesitation, Brad stormed over, and from the look in his eyes he was actually ready to kill. "Shut up!" With the back of his gun he knocked him out. The man sank to the floor, his eyelids flickering and after another moment they closed, as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Brad towered over him, looking at Logan and Juna. "This is all the fault of this great, fantastic Eyes Only." His words dripped with hate. "If he hadn't gotten involved in this thing, Randy would have had surgery today and he'd be fine. Do you hear me? He would LIVE!"
Suddenly Logan calmed significantly. He knew what he had to do. "If I get you Eyes Only will you let the others go?"
"What the hell?"
"This is what you want, right?"
TBC
A/N: We're nearing the end! There is gonna be the show-down in Chapter 10. I hope you enjoyed the ride so far and keep on reading till the end.
A million thanks to somebody's angel for her patience and advice!!!
Chapter 9
Another ten long minutes passed before the phone rang again.
The hostages had calmed down somewhat, the kids were looking up at the man with the gun with big, scared eyes, but their tears had run dry. The old people sat there, eyes half-closed, as if they were just patiently awaiting the end, Logan thought. He was not going to let that happen! He awkwardly sat up straighter on the hard floor he couldn't even feel, suddenly remembering that might result in pressure sores for him. Bling's face appeared in front of his inner eyes, warning him. He snorted inwardly- like this was of important right now. To hell with his useless body!
The phone was still ringing and Logan returned to reality when Brad stepped closer. "You answer it!" he pointed at Juna.
The young woman did as she was told, her body tense as she stood up and reached for the phone, which still was on the chair next to Logan.
"Yeah?"
After putting it down she turned to Brad, standing up straight in front of him, refusing to back down. Logan couldn't see her eyes, but he knew what was in them. In the past few minutes he had realized how much she was like Max: caring and gentle most of the time, but when she or someone she cared about was threatened, she would suppress all those emotions and transform into an emotionless soldier. Logan had always wondered if this was something he admired or feared about Max. Right now he was glad Juna was there, somebody to stand up against this crazy guy. After all, he wouldn't ever be able to do that.
"They can have a liver here in about six hours. But you will have to let the hostages go."
"Right! And when I'm in here alone they'll just come in and kill me!"
"I'm going to stay," Logan said immediately.
"Me, too." Juna agreed, smiling bravely down at the man seated on the floor next to her.
Brad considered the offer, playing with the gun in his hand, making Logan look up at him in alarm. "You two," he pointed at a young male nurse and the guy who had courageously sat in front of the kids, "stay here. The others can leave!" When the people cast scared and nervous glances at each other, unsure if they were really allowed to move, he almost lost his patience. "Go!"
The group hastily climbed to their feet, the women grabbing the children, the others helping each other out.
Brad vigorously grabbed Juna by the arm and she tensed and, for a moment, Logan thought she was going to fight him, just as a reflex. He let out a sigh of relief when she relaxed, although the difference in her stance was so minimal that only Logan picked up on it, having witnessed the same changes in Max many times. Holding the gun to Juna's neck, Brad followed the group hustling down the hallway and around the corner towards the elevators.
Logan couldn't see what was going on, there was absolute silence for a minute that seemed like an eternity. Then he heard three shots. He gasped, and his hands flew to the floor in an unconscious attempt to lever his body up. Then he sank back, his heart hammering, his eyes closing. What the hell had happened? If Brad had shot someone, he wouldn't be able to live with himself, he knew that much. He had brought all of this on!
"Do you think we could swim here when it's warmer?" Mackenzie asked as they strolled down the path. They had walked through the entire park, the look on Logan's face when he had mentioned that he knew this park as well continually flowing through Max's mind. She had seen a therapist with a young guy in a wheelchair trying to get down a flight of stairs. The look in the guy's face had been one she had seen on Logan a million times. Hardened, desperate and exhausted.
It had disturbed her more than she wanted to admit. Logan had been there, too. And she hadn't cared. She had just let him down, assuming he was a big, arrogant macho guy who deserved what he had been dealt.
"Max?"
"What?"
"Do you think we could come back here for a swim when it's warmer?" Mackenzie repeated.
"I don't know," Max answered distractedly. She had heard weird noises from around the building.
"Come on!" she told Mackenzie and hand in hand they ran to the front of the hospital.
Eventually Brad returned with Juna. She didn't look hurt. He roughly shoved her onto one of the seats. "Stay right there."
"What happened?" Logan whispered, awkwardly trying to lean closer.
"He just shot the circuits of the elevators."
Even though Logan knew he should be relieved, a thought crept into his head and he suddenly felt panic. Now he was really trapped. The elevators had been his only chance to escape, even if the chance was merely theoretical.
Max and Mackenzie stood there opened-mouthed, looking at the crowds and the large amount of police cars and policemen trying to get the situation under control. "Come on," she urged the little girl and rushed closer.
Max immediately recognized Det. Sung when she came around the corner. He was standing next to his car, a phone in his hand, looking at the hospital with narrowed eyes.
"Detective Sung! Matt!"
He turned towards the sound of her voice. "Max! Why am I not surprised you are here?"
"What's going on?"
"Some freak took hostages. He wants a liver transplant."
"Brad," she concluded furiously.
"So you know him, too."
"Yeah."
"I had Logan on the phone some minutes ago, he seemed fine."
Suddenly there was a murmur going through the crowd that had gathered a safe distance away.
Both Max and Matt watched as a group of people hurried out of the building. Police men, heavily armed, ran towards them, and guarded them to safety.
"Logan's still inside. I'm going in."
"Max, I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."
"I'm not asking your permission. You don't even know. Here. Take care of her." With that she left Mackenzie with the Asian policeman and made her way back where she had come from. She assumed finding an unguarded back entrance shouldn't be too hard.
Suddenly there was an alarm beeping loud and persistent.
"What's that?"
"It's coming from the nurse's room," the male nurse explained, frightened. "Something's wrong with one of the patients."
Logan felt Juna tense immediately, her eyes shooting down the hallway to where her husband was still having surgery, unaware of what was going on here. The surgeons apparently hadn't noticed what had happened, or they had decided not to quit despite it all. She was immensely grateful for that, one way or the other.
Logan put a calming hand on Juna's thigh and let his gaze wander towards Brad. He still couldn't believe that this was the same cute, gentle, little brother who had always tried to be like Randy when he was little. "Let him have a look, Brad," he stated, exhaustion slowly creeping into his voice. He just wanted this to be over; after all, he was still nothing but a mere mortal in an extreme situation. "You don't want anybody to die, do you?"
The question seemed ridiculous, even to his own ears, given the situation.
Still, Brad made the by a sign "Go! You try anything, somebody's dead," he warned.
"It's your brother!" The boy yelled from the nurse's station. "His blood pressure has fallen. I need to give him a stimulant!"
"Then do it!" he ran after the male nurse, turning back towards the hostages at the door to Randy's room. "Any of you move, he is dead!" He threatened, before disappearing out of sight.
Juna waited until Brad was really gone, then she slipped to the floor next to Logan. "What are we supposed to do? This can't go on forever." She gently touched Logan's lip. "Does it hurt bad?"
"I'm fine." Logan harshly turned his head, and then he took a deep breath. "Sorry. I was hoping Max would come back," he explained vaguely. "But it'll take a few more hours to get a liver here, and in his current state of mind…"
Brad returned alone. "The kid stays with Randy."
"Man, what you are doing here is bullshit!" The other man suddenly spoke up, jumping to his feet.
Without a second's hesitation, Brad stormed over, and from the look in his eyes he was actually ready to kill. "Shut up!" With the back of his gun he knocked him out. The man sank to the floor, his eyelids flickering and after another moment they closed, as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Brad towered over him, looking at Logan and Juna. "This is all the fault of this great, fantastic Eyes Only." His words dripped with hate. "If he hadn't gotten involved in this thing, Randy would have had surgery today and he'd be fine. Do you hear me? He would LIVE!"
Suddenly Logan calmed significantly. He knew what he had to do. "If I get you Eyes Only will you let the others go?"
"What the hell?"
"This is what you want, right?"
TBC