Chapter 7: Jubilation and Tears
11:33am
Michelle knocked and breezed into Tony's office as if walking on air. "Hey you, what are your lunch plans?" She said as she put the heels of her hands on his desk and leaned forward to kiss him.
"I don't have any." Tony answered with a smile.
Michelle stood up, tossed her head and struck a regal pose. "I thought you might like to have lunch with the newest up and coming business woman in Seattle."
"That would be great. Can you put me in touch with her? I hope she's pretty." He teased her.
"Tony!" Michelle said as she lobbed her keys playfully at him. He caught them with one hand as he stood and walked around the desk to her.
"I guess that means you got the contract."
"Oh, Tony, I'm so excited. I know in the scheme of things that this isn't a big deal. It won't exactly pay the mortgage, but it's my first contract."
He took her in his arms and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you, Sweetheart. You've wanted to start this business for years and now you've done it. I don't care if you're not paying the mortgage. I'm making twice what I made at CTU, so we can handle this. And by the way," he leaned back and sat on the edge of his desk and pulled her toward him, his arms around her waist as he looked eye to eye with her, "I think I owe you a big 'I told you so'."
Michelle smiled and rolled her eyes, she put her arms around his neck. "Go ahead, say it."
"You were so pessimistic, but I knew when you left the house this morning that you were going to come home with a signed contract." He kissed her lightly. "I knew he would take one look at you and fall in love with you just like I did."
"I don't think he fell in love with me, but he obviously liked the service I'm providing."
"Honey, I like the 'service' you provide, too" Tony said, doing a bad Groucho Marx impression.
"Tony!" She pushed him away feigning shock.
He reached out and pulled her back. She leaned in close and they kissed.
"Mmmm" Tony breathed. "Let's talk more about those services. I really don't have any lunch plans."
"Save it til we get home, Honey. I didn't eat breakfast, I want lunch." She said as they kissed again.
"Mr. Almeida." The voice of Tony's secretary interrupted their moment together.
"Yes, Ruthie." Tony said as he gave and exasperated look toward the ceiling.
"I'm sorry to disturb you. I have a Chloe O'Brien on the phone for you."
"Chloe O'Brien?"
"Yes, sir, Chloe O'Brien. I would have taken a message, but she said it was urgent."
Michelle stepped back as Tony stood and walked around his desk. "That's okay, Ruthie, put her through."
"An urgent call from Chloe? That doesn't sound good, Tony." Michelle commented as she followed Tony behind his desk and stood behind his chair.
"Ya, I know" he replied solemnly. He hit the button for the speaker phone. "Hi Chloe, it's Tony. Michelle is here with me."
"Hi Chloe." Michelle said anxiously.
"Hey, Tony, hey Michelle." Chloe answered, her voice flat and expressionless. "I'm sorry to call you like this, but I thought you should hear this from me before it makes the news."
"What's going on, Chloe?" Tony asked.
"Jack led a predawn assault on a major terrorist cell in LA this morning. The raid was a success but when they were bringing the prisoners back here for interrogation, one of them wasn't secured well and he grabbed Eric Campbell's gun. Before they could subdue the guy, he shot Jack."
"Oh my God, Chloe! Where...where was he hit? Is he going to be okay?" Tony stammered.
Michelle felt a wave of emotion roll over her as it had when Jack called her just two and a half months ago to say that Tony had been shot. Her heart was pounding and she felt cold and clammy. She held onto Tony's chair to keep her balance. Suddenly it wasn't Chloe on the phone telling them Jack had been shot, but Jack on the phone telling her Tony had been shot. She could hear his voice telling her that Tony was still alive, on his way to the hospital. She shook her head as if to break the spell and focus on Chloe's voice.
"He was hit once in the chest and twice in the abdomen."
"Why wasn't he wearing a vest?" Tony interrupted.
"He was wearing it during the assault. He took it off in the parking lot while he was talking to Baker." Tony and Michelle both cringed. Tony couldn't count how many times he had walked onto that same parking lot during a prisoner transfer. No only was he not wearing a flack jacket but he was unarmed as well, since he usually secured his sidearm in his desk when he was at the office. It could have been me, Tony thought. Any one of those times, it could have happened to me. Why did it happen to Jack?
"I just got off the phone with Kim." Chloe's voice broke into his thoughts. "They stabilized him enough to take him into surgery about an hour ago, but they didn't paint a very rosy picture. The bullet in his chest ricocheted off of his ribs. Both lungs collapsed and it looks like the bullet nicked his heart. One of the other bullets is lodged next to his spine. They aren't sure what they are going to do about that one or if it will cause any permanent damage to his spinal cord." She paused and sighed. "I'm sorry I had to call you, but I thought you should know."
"Don't apologize, Chloe. We appreciate the call. Jack's a good friend." He paused shaking his head, not knowing what to say next. "What hospital did they take him to?"
"He's at UCLA Medical Center. I guess that is some comfort. They have the most experience with these kinds of injuries."
Tony agreed and asked Chloe to keep them updated, thanked her again for calling and they said their goodbyes
Tony stood and hugged Michelle "You're shaking, Honey." He said and he pulled her closer.
"Oh, Tony, I just had the most vivid flashback to when you were shot. I was so scared. Now it's Jack. I know just how Kim feels right now." Michelle told him. They stood holding each other for a long time. Neither said a word, both praying silently for their friend.
Tony broke away and shook his head angrily. "Jack doesn't deserve this. How much can one person take? His wife was murdered. He was ordered to kill Ryan. He had to cut off his partner's hand. He had to detox from heroin. Now he's been shot. When does it stop?" He continued ranting. "And Kim! What about that poor kid? How old is she? All of 20? She was kidnapped and had to sit in the next room while her mother was being raped. Then her mother was killed. She's been taking care of Chase and his daughter. Now she could lose her father. How much more does that family have to go through?" He sat down and put his elbows on the desk and head in his hands. Michelle knew he was crying; she saw an occasional tear trickle down his cheek. She said nothing, but stood silently by his side and stroked his hair.
She gave him a few minutes to compose himself then said softly, "Tony, we have to tell Kate. Even if this doesn't make national news, her father is going to hear it in LA."
"I was thinking the same thing." Tony said. "I guess we can catch her at her office. I don't want to do this over the phone." Michelle agreed. She picked up her bag and he grabbed his coat and keys. They walked out of his office taking a second for Tony to tell Ruthie they were going out for a while. They drove to Kate's office in silence, neither one of them knowing how they were going to break the news to her.
12:21pm
Tony and Michelle stood nervously outside of Kate's office. They gave her secretary their names and asked if they could see her.
"Kate," the secretary said through the intercom "I have Tony and Michelle Almeida here. They don't have an appointment but were hoping you would see them."
"Of course, send them in, Grace." Kate answered.
"Go ahead in." Grace told them. They thanked her and Tony knocked lightly on Kate's door before entering.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Kate asked with a smile. "Want to get some lunch? I'm always ready to eat these days." She stopped to see why neither of them was answering. One look at their solemn faces as they slowly crossed her office and she knew they had bad news. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"
"Kate, why don't you come over here and sit with me on the couch." Michelle suggested as she walked toward the couch.
Kate stood slowly from her desk chair, Tony was already behind her. He put one hand on the small of her back and the other on her arm to direct her toward Michelle.
"Oh, God" the panic rose inside of Kate. "Oh, no. It's Jack, isn't it? Something's happened to Jack." She looked back and forth between Tony and Michelle hoping one of them would say Jack was alright. "Tony? Michelle? Please tell me Jack is okay."
Michelle took a breath and closed her eyes as Tony helped Kate onto the couch. "Kate, Jack was shot this morning. He's alive, but he's in surgery right now." Michelle said in the calmest voice she could muster.
Kate dropped her head into her hands and leaned toward Michelle who hugged her. Tony held her shoulders to steady her. She was silent, her body shaking. She was too stunned to cry. "How bad... how bad was he hurt?"
"From what we could gather from Chloe, he's pretty badly injured. I'm sorry, Kate." Tony spoke softly.
"But he's going to be okay, right? He's not going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She looked at Michelle. "Oh, God, no. He can't...No, no...he can't die, Michelle. He can't."
"Oh, Kate, I know how you feel. I know how scared you are. The doctors are doing everything they can for Jack. All you can do now is pray."
Kate stood up suddenly. "I'm not waiting here. I have to go. I have to go to LA. I've got to see him." She went to her desk and pushed her intercom button. "Grace, get my father on the line right away. I've got to talk to him."
Bob Warner was on the phone in a matter of minutes. He told Kate that the shooting was just announced on the noon news. The hospital was listing Jack's condition as critical and unstable. He offered to send the company jet to pick up Kate; Tony and Michelle were more that welcome to join her. They both agreed that they would like to be there to offer support not only to Kate, but to Kim as well.
After some phone calls back and forth, Bob's pilot, Charlie Horn, said he could have the plane ready soon and would be able to pick them up at a small airport outside of Seattle at 3:30. Bob would meet them at the airport in Los Angeles and take them directly to UCLA Medical Center. The three parted company temporarily. Tony would have to stop by the office and explain his early departure, then he and Michelle would go home to pack. They would pick up Kate at 2:30 and head for the airport.
Kate drove home in a complete fog. She told Tony and Michelle that she was fine to drive, but she really wasn't and she knew she was lucky to get home safely. Time seemed to stand still. She tried to get a weekend bag together, but found it nearly impossible. All she could think about was Jack.
She loved him so much. She had convinced herself over the last few months that she no longer loved him, but in truth, she had never stopped loving him. Her reaction when Tony and Michelle gave her the news was testimony to that. Now she could be losing him forever. She was 30 weeks pregnant with his child. A child she had refused to tell him about. Now he could die without ever knowing about the baby. Why didn't she tell him? Maybe he would have left CTU if he knew he was going to be a father again. Maybe he wouldn't have gone out with the assault team. It was all pure speculation, but what else did she have left at this point. Everything now was just that: speculation. Whether Jack would live or die was anyone's guess.
11:33am
Michelle knocked and breezed into Tony's office as if walking on air. "Hey you, what are your lunch plans?" She said as she put the heels of her hands on his desk and leaned forward to kiss him.
"I don't have any." Tony answered with a smile.
Michelle stood up, tossed her head and struck a regal pose. "I thought you might like to have lunch with the newest up and coming business woman in Seattle."
"That would be great. Can you put me in touch with her? I hope she's pretty." He teased her.
"Tony!" Michelle said as she lobbed her keys playfully at him. He caught them with one hand as he stood and walked around the desk to her.
"I guess that means you got the contract."
"Oh, Tony, I'm so excited. I know in the scheme of things that this isn't a big deal. It won't exactly pay the mortgage, but it's my first contract."
He took her in his arms and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you, Sweetheart. You've wanted to start this business for years and now you've done it. I don't care if you're not paying the mortgage. I'm making twice what I made at CTU, so we can handle this. And by the way," he leaned back and sat on the edge of his desk and pulled her toward him, his arms around her waist as he looked eye to eye with her, "I think I owe you a big 'I told you so'."
Michelle smiled and rolled her eyes, she put her arms around his neck. "Go ahead, say it."
"You were so pessimistic, but I knew when you left the house this morning that you were going to come home with a signed contract." He kissed her lightly. "I knew he would take one look at you and fall in love with you just like I did."
"I don't think he fell in love with me, but he obviously liked the service I'm providing."
"Honey, I like the 'service' you provide, too" Tony said, doing a bad Groucho Marx impression.
"Tony!" She pushed him away feigning shock.
He reached out and pulled her back. She leaned in close and they kissed.
"Mmmm" Tony breathed. "Let's talk more about those services. I really don't have any lunch plans."
"Save it til we get home, Honey. I didn't eat breakfast, I want lunch." She said as they kissed again.
"Mr. Almeida." The voice of Tony's secretary interrupted their moment together.
"Yes, Ruthie." Tony said as he gave and exasperated look toward the ceiling.
"I'm sorry to disturb you. I have a Chloe O'Brien on the phone for you."
"Chloe O'Brien?"
"Yes, sir, Chloe O'Brien. I would have taken a message, but she said it was urgent."
Michelle stepped back as Tony stood and walked around his desk. "That's okay, Ruthie, put her through."
"An urgent call from Chloe? That doesn't sound good, Tony." Michelle commented as she followed Tony behind his desk and stood behind his chair.
"Ya, I know" he replied solemnly. He hit the button for the speaker phone. "Hi Chloe, it's Tony. Michelle is here with me."
"Hi Chloe." Michelle said anxiously.
"Hey, Tony, hey Michelle." Chloe answered, her voice flat and expressionless. "I'm sorry to call you like this, but I thought you should hear this from me before it makes the news."
"What's going on, Chloe?" Tony asked.
"Jack led a predawn assault on a major terrorist cell in LA this morning. The raid was a success but when they were bringing the prisoners back here for interrogation, one of them wasn't secured well and he grabbed Eric Campbell's gun. Before they could subdue the guy, he shot Jack."
"Oh my God, Chloe! Where...where was he hit? Is he going to be okay?" Tony stammered.
Michelle felt a wave of emotion roll over her as it had when Jack called her just two and a half months ago to say that Tony had been shot. Her heart was pounding and she felt cold and clammy. She held onto Tony's chair to keep her balance. Suddenly it wasn't Chloe on the phone telling them Jack had been shot, but Jack on the phone telling her Tony had been shot. She could hear his voice telling her that Tony was still alive, on his way to the hospital. She shook her head as if to break the spell and focus on Chloe's voice.
"He was hit once in the chest and twice in the abdomen."
"Why wasn't he wearing a vest?" Tony interrupted.
"He was wearing it during the assault. He took it off in the parking lot while he was talking to Baker." Tony and Michelle both cringed. Tony couldn't count how many times he had walked onto that same parking lot during a prisoner transfer. No only was he not wearing a flack jacket but he was unarmed as well, since he usually secured his sidearm in his desk when he was at the office. It could have been me, Tony thought. Any one of those times, it could have happened to me. Why did it happen to Jack?
"I just got off the phone with Kim." Chloe's voice broke into his thoughts. "They stabilized him enough to take him into surgery about an hour ago, but they didn't paint a very rosy picture. The bullet in his chest ricocheted off of his ribs. Both lungs collapsed and it looks like the bullet nicked his heart. One of the other bullets is lodged next to his spine. They aren't sure what they are going to do about that one or if it will cause any permanent damage to his spinal cord." She paused and sighed. "I'm sorry I had to call you, but I thought you should know."
"Don't apologize, Chloe. We appreciate the call. Jack's a good friend." He paused shaking his head, not knowing what to say next. "What hospital did they take him to?"
"He's at UCLA Medical Center. I guess that is some comfort. They have the most experience with these kinds of injuries."
Tony agreed and asked Chloe to keep them updated, thanked her again for calling and they said their goodbyes
Tony stood and hugged Michelle "You're shaking, Honey." He said and he pulled her closer.
"Oh, Tony, I just had the most vivid flashback to when you were shot. I was so scared. Now it's Jack. I know just how Kim feels right now." Michelle told him. They stood holding each other for a long time. Neither said a word, both praying silently for their friend.
Tony broke away and shook his head angrily. "Jack doesn't deserve this. How much can one person take? His wife was murdered. He was ordered to kill Ryan. He had to cut off his partner's hand. He had to detox from heroin. Now he's been shot. When does it stop?" He continued ranting. "And Kim! What about that poor kid? How old is she? All of 20? She was kidnapped and had to sit in the next room while her mother was being raped. Then her mother was killed. She's been taking care of Chase and his daughter. Now she could lose her father. How much more does that family have to go through?" He sat down and put his elbows on the desk and head in his hands. Michelle knew he was crying; she saw an occasional tear trickle down his cheek. She said nothing, but stood silently by his side and stroked his hair.
She gave him a few minutes to compose himself then said softly, "Tony, we have to tell Kate. Even if this doesn't make national news, her father is going to hear it in LA."
"I was thinking the same thing." Tony said. "I guess we can catch her at her office. I don't want to do this over the phone." Michelle agreed. She picked up her bag and he grabbed his coat and keys. They walked out of his office taking a second for Tony to tell Ruthie they were going out for a while. They drove to Kate's office in silence, neither one of them knowing how they were going to break the news to her.
12:21pm
Tony and Michelle stood nervously outside of Kate's office. They gave her secretary their names and asked if they could see her.
"Kate," the secretary said through the intercom "I have Tony and Michelle Almeida here. They don't have an appointment but were hoping you would see them."
"Of course, send them in, Grace." Kate answered.
"Go ahead in." Grace told them. They thanked her and Tony knocked lightly on Kate's door before entering.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Kate asked with a smile. "Want to get some lunch? I'm always ready to eat these days." She stopped to see why neither of them was answering. One look at their solemn faces as they slowly crossed her office and she knew they had bad news. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"
"Kate, why don't you come over here and sit with me on the couch." Michelle suggested as she walked toward the couch.
Kate stood slowly from her desk chair, Tony was already behind her. He put one hand on the small of her back and the other on her arm to direct her toward Michelle.
"Oh, God" the panic rose inside of Kate. "Oh, no. It's Jack, isn't it? Something's happened to Jack." She looked back and forth between Tony and Michelle hoping one of them would say Jack was alright. "Tony? Michelle? Please tell me Jack is okay."
Michelle took a breath and closed her eyes as Tony helped Kate onto the couch. "Kate, Jack was shot this morning. He's alive, but he's in surgery right now." Michelle said in the calmest voice she could muster.
Kate dropped her head into her hands and leaned toward Michelle who hugged her. Tony held her shoulders to steady her. She was silent, her body shaking. She was too stunned to cry. "How bad... how bad was he hurt?"
"From what we could gather from Chloe, he's pretty badly injured. I'm sorry, Kate." Tony spoke softly.
"But he's going to be okay, right? He's not going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She looked at Michelle. "Oh, God, no. He can't...No, no...he can't die, Michelle. He can't."
"Oh, Kate, I know how you feel. I know how scared you are. The doctors are doing everything they can for Jack. All you can do now is pray."
Kate stood up suddenly. "I'm not waiting here. I have to go. I have to go to LA. I've got to see him." She went to her desk and pushed her intercom button. "Grace, get my father on the line right away. I've got to talk to him."
Bob Warner was on the phone in a matter of minutes. He told Kate that the shooting was just announced on the noon news. The hospital was listing Jack's condition as critical and unstable. He offered to send the company jet to pick up Kate; Tony and Michelle were more that welcome to join her. They both agreed that they would like to be there to offer support not only to Kate, but to Kim as well.
After some phone calls back and forth, Bob's pilot, Charlie Horn, said he could have the plane ready soon and would be able to pick them up at a small airport outside of Seattle at 3:30. Bob would meet them at the airport in Los Angeles and take them directly to UCLA Medical Center. The three parted company temporarily. Tony would have to stop by the office and explain his early departure, then he and Michelle would go home to pack. They would pick up Kate at 2:30 and head for the airport.
Kate drove home in a complete fog. She told Tony and Michelle that she was fine to drive, but she really wasn't and she knew she was lucky to get home safely. Time seemed to stand still. She tried to get a weekend bag together, but found it nearly impossible. All she could think about was Jack.
She loved him so much. She had convinced herself over the last few months that she no longer loved him, but in truth, she had never stopped loving him. Her reaction when Tony and Michelle gave her the news was testimony to that. Now she could be losing him forever. She was 30 weeks pregnant with his child. A child she had refused to tell him about. Now he could die without ever knowing about the baby. Why didn't she tell him? Maybe he would have left CTU if he knew he was going to be a father again. Maybe he wouldn't have gone out with the assault team. It was all pure speculation, but what else did she have left at this point. Everything now was just that: speculation. Whether Jack would live or die was anyone's guess.