Chapter Five
For the second time in as many days, Jaime opened her eyes to find she was somewhere she hadn't expected to find herself. This time, she hadn't expected to open them at all, ever again. She was in a hospital bed, with Steve holding her hand and smiling a huge, ear-to-ear smile at her. Rudy stood next to them, in a clean lab coat, looking like a doctor again, instead of a prisoner.
"The GPS worked?" Jaime assumed groggily.
Steve stepped away from the bed so Rudy could take a look at her. Rudy was smiling, too. "Your husband and your friend would've made good surgeons. They didn't finish it, but had the presence of mind to activate it as they put it in, instead of afterward." He shook down a thermometer. "Under your tongue, please." Jaime complied. "When I made those first cuts, I tried to buy us some time; made cuts that wouldn't do much damage first, so I was technically cooperating, but stalling, too. The calvary rode in, just in time." Jaime didn't ask what had happen to their captors; she didn't want to know.
"Are you in pain, Honey?" Rudy asked, removing the thermometer.
"Not really...maybe a little."
"I'll send the nurse in with a shot." Rudy turned to go, then turned back. "Almost forgot - congratulations, you two." There were smiles all around.
Steve kissed his wife and softly caressed her face. "I never wanna come that close to losing you again."
"Is everybody ok?"
"Everyone's fine. Oscar's in perfect shape; he's one tough old bird. Callahan was released from the hospital today, and Linda's going home tomorrow. Oh, and you won't believe where Sam is." Jaime waited quietly for him to spill it. "He's taking Callahan out to dinner. Wine, roses, the works."
"Very cool. Everyone gets a happy ending."
Steve kissed her again. "I think we've had our share of 'worse' for this lifetime. Time to get to work on 'better'."
Jaime nodded. "Better...for all of us."
END