Chapter Nine: The End
Alan Tracy was confused, very confused. One moment he was laying on an exam table about to be mistakenly given a procedure that looked very scary involving a long scope that went into places Alan did not want to know, then Kendra was there, staring down at him with a confused look. Alan felt his heart begin to speed up rapidly and he sat up looking around. He noticed the hospital bracelet on his arm looked different and realized it was a real one.
"Oh crap." Alan mumbled as he noticed that he no longer had even his shorts or boxers on under his fresh gown. He glanced down at the weight on his index finger and found it holding a pulse ox. Upon further inspection he found he had the works on including a heart monitor and the IV was still in though the saline was almost gone. How long had he been in there? The curtain opened and he gasped. Nurse Kendra stepped in smiling.
"Hello young man. Where not sure where you came from or what happened but you will be happy to know we found our mistake before the procedure began. It seems you were not lying when you said you were not Eric Rain."
Alan did not respond, instead he just sat there in horror.
"Oh don't worry, Mr. Kline. We are searching for your parents so that we can explain what happened. Seems where haveing some trouble locating you in our computer systems. Then again, do to the remodeling this would not be the first time. However it happened, we will get it sorted out." Alan backed up a little, there was that look. The look that said you were next. Alan nodded, it took him a moment to remember he was in disguise. He sighed in relief as soon as Kendra left the room.
His first order of business was to find out how monitored he was. He started with the pulse ox, taking it off he watched as the jumping line at the bottom of the screen flat lined, and shuddered at the thought. No one came so he pulled off the heart monitors, this brought a rush of nurses all of whom looked relieved at seeing him sitting up in bed wide eyed.
"I just had to use the restroom." Alan stuttered awkwardly. All but one nurse left the room, thankfully it was not Kendra who stayed.
"Mr. Kline, we would appreciate it if you let us take you off the monitors, they are there for a reason. Now if you need something you can push the call button." She motioned at a button on the side of the bed. Alan glanced at her name tag reading: Annie Caper R.N
"Sorry nurse Caper."
"Alright, do you need help to the bathroom? It's down the hall to the left." Alan sighed,
"No mam, I think I can do it myself." The nurse smiled before helping him out of bed. Alan held the back of his gown closed in order to not moon the entire ward. As he walked out of the room towards the bathroom which was next to the doors out. He looked around him and when he was sure no one was looking he walked out leaning slightly on his IV pole. With a sigh he made it to the elevator where he found two extremely worried friends. Alan felt his eyes growing heavy again and groaned.
"Alan!" Tin Tin and Fermat exclaimed as they pulled him into the elevator. They did not notice a certain nurse just around the corner. Alan leaned against the wall as they descended to the first floor. Ignoring the rapid fire of questions being thrown at him. They snuck back to the closet where Alan immediately sat in another wheel chair with the intent of just resting his eyes for a moment. He was jerked awake again at the feeling of the IV coming out of his arm. Tin Tin looked worriedly into his eyes.
"Are you alright?" She whispered.
"Yeah." Alan mumbled. "They thought I was someone else and drugged me. I am still a little tired, sorry." Fermat nodded.
"We f-f-figured as much. We never found K-K-Kendra though. Maybe she is o-o-off today?" Fermat asked.
"No, she was standing over me right before I was put to sleep. Then again when I woke up." Alan shuddered.
"Did she recognize you?" Tin Tin asked. Alan shook his head.
"No, I don't think so. Let's just get dressed and wait for the next shift the change." Tin Tin nodded before beginning to take the extensions out of Alan's hair.
"Take out your contacts, we need to look different." Tin Tin instructed. Alan had a little trouble in his sleepy state, but managed. Fermat had them out in seconds hating them with a passion. Tin Tin dropped the hair extensions in her bag along with the contacts cases, then took her own out, and placed her hair into a pony tail. Alan changed into his clothes with some help still half asleep. Tin Tin placed any evidence into her bag before zipping it up and looking around.
"Alright. Let's get going. It's seven in the evening, and another shift change is about to take place, let's hope she is in it." Tin Tin opened the door and peaked out, when the coast was clear they stepped out and left the building through a side door. The three went to a diner across the street where Alan fell asleep again waiting for there dinner.
Three hours later she was spotted by the finally wide awake Alan, who would never forget what she looked like. The three discreetly walked a safe distance away from her as she began to walk the maze of a run down neighborhood. After around fifteen minutes she stopped suddenly and spun around. The teens dived into a bush just before she got to where they were. They began again, finally stopping at a tiny broken house in the very back. The once white paint was now a grayish brown, what was left of it that is. Most of it had peeled off. Three steps led to the front door, two of which were broken. Kendra took one more look around, looking very angry. Before she stepped inside and slamming the door behind her. A piece of roof fell in. Tin Tin memorized the address before the group began to make there track back to the diner. It took a lot less time to get back, then it did to come. Upon seeing them back, the waitress grinned and shook her head.
"Shouldn't you all be heading home soon?" Allison asked.
"We will soon, are train doesn't leave for an hour." Alan stated. Allison nodded and walked away leaving them alone in there area. Checking to make sure they were truly alone, Alan pulled his cell phone from his pocket and a card from his wallet. Flipping his phone open he stopped, his eyes huge as he stared at the small screen.
15 Missed Calls
15 Voice Messages
Alan moaned before highlighting the missed calls and pushing send. Seven from Scott, Four from dad, one from John, two from Virgil and one from Gordon. He was defiantly going to be stripped of his Thunderbird status for this.
"Did anyone call Scott to tell him we were going to be late?" Alan squeaked already knowing the answer to that question. His friends faces paled considerably from there normal color. "Were going to definitely be grounded after this." He paused. "But don't worry it's not that bad. Fermat could you call Scott while I call the agent?" Fermat gave him a glare that should have killed Alan ten times over, but in reality did not even phase him; before pulling out his own phone and skipping out of the twenty missed calls.
Meanwhile Alan dialed the FBI agent and gave an anonymous tip that Kendra was at 1843 Won Street. He hung up and winced at the sound of Scott's voice yelling through the phone at least a foot away from Fermat's ear. Tin Tin was staring down at her watch.
"Hey you guys, I think where being tracked." Alan blinked as he looked down at his watch. A strange light on the front was lit.
"Huh. I didn't know dad had, had that added." Alan mumbled.
"Hello, Alan. I told you we would meet again." A voice spoke from behind him that made him shiver. He knew that voice. "Maybe they will be to late, or maybe if there lucky, they will be just in time to watch..."The table froze in wide eyed horror as Kendra stepped up out of the shadows.
"What? Hello?" Scotts voice yelled from the phone. Kendra snatched it out of Fermat's shaking hand and placed it against her ear.
"Say goodbye now, you won't likely ever talk to them again." She hung up. Behind her Allison pushed a panic button that would alert the authorities of something going down. She could only pray that the police would show up soon. In the ten years she had worked there only twice had she had to press that button. Most of the time she could handle things herself, but this was different. Not a threat per say to her diner, but to three children, in her eyes. A life threatening threat.
"You think you had me fooled by your minuscule disguises? Or that I did not notice you following me? I am not stupid. I have not gotten this far by my good looks." Kendra growled.
"Look, let them got. It's me you want." Alan stated, adrenalin beginning a new journey through his body.
"Oh how noble of you, Tracy. But I don't think so, so shut up!" Alan closed his mouth quickly. "No, I think I am going after all three of you. It will be a nice change in pace I think. Now get up slowly and walk out the door." She opened her purse to show them the handle of a black handgun. Silently they got up and walked out of the diner. Allison gave them a worried look before looked down at the blinking red light slightly under the counter. Alan gave her a slight not in thanks right before he stepped out right into the midst of hundreds of thousands of ghosts. Had the situation not been so horrid he would have stopped short at the site. He knew for a fact that not all of them had been murdered by this woman. They couldn't have been, there were to many. But the thought that maybe they had been effected by her drifted through his fearful mind and he let it pass as an interesting fact. Never the less the site took his breath away, the gun suddenly pointed at his temple took his mind in a different direction. The sound of a siren in the distance told him that this was going to go down much sooner then later.
He was pulled in to a death grip shielding Kendra in front of her. This was it, out of all the way Alan and pictured himself dying, hopefully old and in his sleep; he had never pictured it happening quite this way. He had never been this scared in his life, and that was saying something. Alan Tracy was some times, like most people; all talk. Alan's most secret fear which he would carry with him until his dying day was his deep fear of heights. Of course it occurred to him that the rest of his life might be very soon. His rather short life flashed before his eyes, and he realized he had never told Tin Tin he liked her as more then just friends. So many things he wanted to do and hadn't done. Suddenly his fear disappeared he was going to live.
Tin Tin and Fermat sat in front facing Alan and Kendra there hands on there head where Kendra could see them. The police arrived. Seven cars, lights strobe-ing, the blaring sirens turned off as the cars screeched to a halt. Police officers jumped from their cars, guns drawn, as they hid behind their car doors.
"Let the kids go!" Someone yelled from the direction of the police cars. Kendra laughed. A jet slowly flew above them, with the Tracy Enterprises logo on it. Alan felt Kendra shudder as she watched it land a in a parking lot nearby.
"Now your family will get to watch, how fun." Kendra whispered into Alan's ear. Alan tensed as he watched his family come running over only to be stopped by the police. It was a strange site. The ghosts didn't even bother to move, they stood in the same spot whether an alive person was standing there or not. A strange cold breeze blew through and Alan wasn't the only one to shiver. Kendra literally shook behind him as the breeze turned into an all out freezing wind. Kendra faltered in confusion and fear and Alan took it all as a sign that now was the time to take action. Taking a deep breath he elbowed Kendra in the groin hard before dropping to the ground the second she loosened her grip. The next minute was a blur, a gun shot rang out near him followed by tons more in the distance. At the same time a sharp pain could be felt in Alan's side. Tin Tin and Fermat were screaming and there was the sound of a grunt then something big dropping hard to the cooling ground, followed by utter silence.
Alan hesitantly looked around, but stopped at the site of Kendra laying on her stomach face, facing hi. A single bullet in her forehead left her eyes wide open staring lifelessly in surprise at him. Alan could see the exit wounds of several bullets across her chest and stomach each with a gruesome amount of blood surrounding them. Alan felt his stomach turn before he turned to vomit into the grass. Suddenly all Alan wanted to do was go as far away from here as possible. Home, he wanted to go home. He wanted to know how Tin Tin and Fermat were but he could not take his eye off of hers. Jeff took care of the problem the second he got passed the police and to his son. Turning Alan to face the other direction he cuffed his sons face in his hands relived to see Alan alive and awake. His son was still alive, at that moment that was the only thing that mattered in the world. Alan finally got a glimpse of his two best friends who were still sitting in the same spot eyes wide in utter horror, staring at the fallen body they had horrifically had to watch die violently. Kendra was a monster but none should ever have to see something like that.
It was nothing like the movies. At least no movie they had ever snuck into, so that there parents did not know they were seeing a forbidden R movie. Tin Tin let a sob escape as paramedics and police surrounded them blocking there view of the dead murderer now covered by a black tarp. The two sobbing friends were helped up and onto a gurney, a medic saying something about shock.
Alan began to feel again as a medic was asking him questions. A stabbing pain in his back and side could suddenly be felt. Alan looked at the medic leaning over him talking to him but being ignored then to his father.
"Why does my back hurt so much?" Alan asked. To his annoyance a C-Collar was placed over his neck.
"Mr. Tracy, please don't move you might have a spinal injury. Let us move you." Alan really was annoyed now.
"No, I don't think I do, I think I have been shot!" Alan exclaimed but didn't move just in case. The paramedic team rolled him carefully onto his side to look for the reason blood was pooling under the boy. Jeff looked stricken at the word spinal injury. All he had been thinking about when he rolled Alan over was making him look in a different direction. He had not thought that maybe he might me further injuring his son. What if he had paralyzed his own son!
"Your right, you were shot, but it looks like a graze wound. Nothing a few stitches can't fix." A green eyed medic stated. Alan only rolled his eyes, he didn't care about what kind of wound it was, it still really hurt. They rolled him onto a hard plastic backboard and strapped him down to it.
"I really don't need this! Just patch me up and let me go home!" Alan stated starting to feel cloister phobic.
"Are you refusing care, young man?" A new medic with brown eyes asked as they lifted him on to a gurney of his own.
"He most certainly is not!" Jeff exclaimed. Alan merely groaned. He was placed in the same ambulance as his two friends. The room was tight, but they were together. Both were wrapped in dark brown wool blankets, and Alan randomly noticed that it was back to being hot outside. He also belatedly noticed that the ghosts were gone. Maybe they had gotten to go home. He hoped so. All thought of it stopped in it's tracks at the site of an IV line.
"Oh hell no! That will be the second bloody time today." They stuck him with the needle anyways. Alan could have sworn he heard Tin Tin giggle before the medic turned to her with one of her own. Fermat only paled a little more. It was Alan's turn to grin at the site.
"Hey Mike, what hospital are we going to?" The brown eyed medic yelled into the front.
"Thought I would forgo the wait and just let Doc Robinson take a look at them at Chelsea's Charity." Mike yelled back.
"NO!" All three teens yelled, but were ignored. When they pulled up to the hospital just across the street, all three were still yelling that they didn't want to be treated here. Jeff ran up to the doors having had to walk being there was no room in the ambulance with them.
"What's going on here?" He yelled. Alan, between being tied down and the thought of going back to that hospital was going in to his very first panic attack. Tin Tin had began to sob again at some point and Fermat had brought his knees up and was rocking back a forth, leaning slightly against Tin Tin.
"Please, please. Any other hospital..."Alan mumbled. Tin Tin and Fermat nodded a pleading look on there fearful faces.
"Why." Jeff demanded.
"K-Kendra." Fermat whispered.
Jeff stared at the scene for a moment before a dawning of understand shown upon his face.
"You couldn't go to any other hospital?" Jeff demanded. "They are in hysterics of which I have never seen from them in my life; over the mere thought of coming here and you keep going! This one does not even have an ER! Exactly what were you going to do?" Jeff was raving. The medic gulped at the look and fury that was Jefferson Tracy.
"There is a doctor here who can see them right away, where in an ER they would have to wait a long period of time before being seen." Mike spoke seemingly unfazed by Jeff. "But if that's what you want." Before Jeff could answer the doctor in mention stepped out and walked towards the ambulance.
"What's going on here?" The doctor with the name tag stating Coron spoke. Jeff sighed.
"They are scared to death of your hospital. Can you just look at them out here?" Jeff asked. "We just need to make sure they're able enough to fly home where we have perfectly capable medical facilities." Suddenly wishing he had been in the state of mind earlier to just have it done right away at the scene. The facilities on the island is a top of the line one after all.
"The doctor looked confused for a moment before sighing. He pulled out a small hand held silver device that had been developed in the year 2010 to scan for injuries. He started on Alan who was tied to the board and really wanted off, first. Scanning Alan from head to toe the doctor told the medic in the back that Alan could be released from the neck brace and backboard. Alan cheered silently in relief. If he never had to be put on one of those things again it would be too soon.
"He will need to have the graze cleaned and patched up, a few stitches may need to be in order. He's in shock so he will need to be watched carefully." Dr. Coron told Jeff directly, who nodded. The doctor turned to scan Tin Tin and Fermat. "They are both in shock as well." Jeff nodded as well. He wanted them home as of yesterday.
The Tracy jet came and picked them up after they had given there statement to the police and FBI. Other then that not a peep was heard from the three and even the statement had been short, concise and quiet. Wrapped in brown wool blankets they sat in the back of the jet leaning against each other. Their family cast them worried looks as they took off for home. Random conversation starters were thrown out at the teens but were all ignored. Finally almost fifteen minutes until scheduled landing; Alan made the first peep of the three, of which of course no one heard but the three.
"Well, that failed spectacularly." The three looked at each other and began to laugh hysterically.
A/N: RR! Stay tuned for the very last chapter! Coming hopefully tomorrow! (Wed, Feb 1, 2006)