(*Author's Note: Yee-hah! Here it is, my second chappie! Whoo!

Okay, now that that's done . . . Just some things I've got to say before the chapter starts: 1) I'd like to thank GoldAngel2 for beta reading this for me; 2) I'd also like to thank my reviewers - it's nice to see that there's some interest in this story; and 3) I forgot to mention before that I do not own Jet or anyone else you recognize from Cyborg 009.

I think that's it. Enjoy! *)

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Cathy had been in the examination room for almost forty-five minutes now and she was beginning to feel anxious. Not only was the bill getting higher every minute she sat here (a bill which she'd have to pay herself since she had practically nothing in the way of insurance), but she also had no idea where her son was.

While she had asked Maria to take care of Jimmy, she had no way of knowing if she was actually doing that. For all she knew, Jimmy was still at Jet's apartment - alone and not knowing what was going on. And that was one of the better scenarios her mind was coming up with.

It didn't help that, on top of everything else, she had to worry about Jet too. She wondered if he was even at the hospital anymore. Although it seemed (with his leg) that he wouldn't be able to make the trip back to his apartment on his own, she had a feeling that he was just stupid enough to try it and just tenacious enough to make it.

She hoped that he was still around. Cathy still hadn't thanked him for saving her life and she was still more than a little concerned about his leg. It didn't take a doctor to realize that his wound needed more than just a dirty apron wrapped around it. Not that Jet had actually used the apron to stop the . . . bleeding; it seemed like all he'd been interested in doing was covering the sparking mess so no one could see it.

He'd assured her that he'd be fine but she wasn't sure if she believed him or not. She remembered how he'd wanted her to leave him back at the hotel; she doubted he would have been so anxious to have her do that unless he thought his injury was serious. It certainly hadn't looked so good the last time she'd seen it . . .

Her thoughts turned away from Jet as the doctor (whose name she couldn't remember but thought started with an R) stopped writing on his pad and began to speak. "Well, Ms. Jenkins, I think that you're going to be just fine." His voice was purely professional but the smile on his dark face smile was friendly.

Although she'd already known that, she couldn't deny that it was good to hear it from a doctor anyway. "That's good to hear, Doctor."

The doctor nodded. "You were very lucky tonight."

Another thing that she had known already. "Is there anything I should do?" Cathy hoped that whatever she should do didn't involve taking pills or making another doctor's appointment that she couldn't afford to pay for.

"I suggest taking it easy for the next few days . . . ," the doctor shrugged and added, "If you feel any chest pain or if you have trouble breathing, don't hesitate to come to the ER."

At least a trip to the ER cost less than a doctor's visit. She slid off the paper bench, hoping that her current visit was nearing its end. "Are we through, Doctor? It's getting a bit late."

The doctor gave her an understanding look and nodded. "Yes, I believe so." He stood and opened the door for her. "Have a good night."

"Thank you," Cathy said as she walked out the door and into one of the most crowed halls she'd ever seen. It soon became clear to her that niceties like "please" and "excuse me" were not only a waste of time, but actually a hindrance. In no time, she was pushing and shoving her way through the halls like she had in High School. That had been a long time ago and she thought it was amazing how quickly the technique had came back to her.

Eventually, she made it to the end of the hall and into a waiting room. The waiting room was surprisingly empty (considering how crowed the halls had been) and Cathy snatched the nearest chair. Once she was seated, she propped her check on her hand and thought.

And she certainly had a lot to think about.

She realized that, even if Jet was still in this hospital, she'd never find him in this mess. Would they even let him stay here if he wasn't getting treatment? She wished that she'd asked the paramedics to let him stay with her- knowing, even as she thought it, that they'd been separated long before things were calm enough for her to make any kind of request.

And she still had to call Maria about Jimmy. She doubted that the receptionists would let her use their phones (some people were real jerks about that sort of thing) and she didn't know where the pay phones would be. Feeling around in her pockets, she felt two quarters and smiled; at least she wouldn't have to ask for change.

Just as she had been about to decide whether to look for Jet or a payphone first, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Turning around as she stood, Cathy found herself looking at a girl who couldn't have been more than fourteen (if that). The girl ran a hand through her short brown hair and sounded hopeful. "Are you Cathy Jenkins?"

"Yes." Cathy answered, feeling a bit uncertain. She knew she'd never seen this girl before and she wondered how she could possibly know her name.

The girl smiled, looking relieved. "Oh good, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find you after all."

"What do you want?" The question came out a bit sharper than it really had a right to be, but Cathy didn't care. She was tired, and worried, and she had no time to play games.

If the girl was bothered by Cathy's tone, she showed no sign of it. "Your friend- what was his name? Brett?"

"Jet?" What had he done now?

The girl smiled. "Yeah, Jet. Well, Jet wanted me to find you."

"He did?" She couldn't help asking the question even though she wasn't really that surprised. While she'd been afraid that he was going to leave, she'd been almost as ceratin that he wouldn't. Almost.

"Yeah," the girl had an almost awed look on her face, "He seemed so worried about you; you're lucky to have a nice guy like him."

Cathy opened her mouth to protest that she did not 'have' Jet in any way, shape or form before deciding that she had more important worries than what some kid thought about her love life. She wondered briefly what he'd said to give the girl that idea but didn't give it too much thought as there was still the matter of finding out where he was.

The girl didn't even wait for her to ask. "He's in the waiting room 5d," she said, pointing towards the double doors that lead into the hallway that Cathy had just escaped from. "If you want, I could take you there."

"That would be wonderful," Cathy said, not lying at all. She'd never been to this hospital before and she had the feeling that, even if she had, she still wouldn't be able to find the place.

"Okay then, just follow me." The girl flashed her another smile before turning around and walking off. She wasn't quite "off like a shot," but Cathy still had to walk a bit faster than she would have liked in order to keep up with her.

Fortunately, the girl never stopped talking and the sound of her voice made her easy to locate whenever Cathy lost sight of her. Unfortunately, the girl's talk mostly had to do with making assumptions about Cathy and Jet's relationship (according to her, they were quite close and probably planning to get married soon - or, more likely, planning on getting eloped). It was obvious that the girl was enjoying herself with the soap opera scenarios she was coming up with, but Cathy wasn't quite as amused.

While Cathy was grateful that the girl had taken the time to find her and knew that she probably didn't mean any harm, she was beginning to feel irritated. Cathy had never enjoyed having anyone laugh at her; never mind a child who was half her age. So it was quite a relief when they finally made it to their destination.

"Well, here it is," the girl said, gesturing grandly towards a closed door.

"Thank you."

The girl gave a mock bow and smiled again (although, really, it wasn't as if she had ever stopped since Cathy had met her). "You're welcome." As she turned to leave, she couldn't seem to resist tossing one last parting shot over her shoulder. "Oh, and give him a kiss for me too!"

Before Cathy could protest that she wasn't planing to do any such thing, the girl had been swallowed up into the crowded hall. She shook her head and her lips quirked up a little. Well, at least someone was having a good night.

She opened the door and walked inside. This waiting room was a little more crowed than the last, but Jet was very easy to find. He was dosing in one of the waiting room chairs near the door. Finally seeing him in good light, Cathy was a bit shocked that they'd just let him sit here. His clothes were charred and the apron looked soaked through . . . although, as she came closer, she could see that whatever soaked the apron didn't really look like blood. It was too pink.

His face was still dirty and he looked so weary that she hated to wake him up. But it was about time they got out of here. Reaching forward, she put a hand on Jet's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. "Jet."

The eye she could see snapped open and, for a moment, she thought she could see fear in it. It faded so quickly that she wasn't even sure it had ever been there as Jet recognized who she was. "Hey Cathy."

"What do you say we get out of here?"

Jet ran a hand through his hair. "I'd love to, but . . ." He trailed off, seeming to want to think of how he wanted to say what he needed to say.

Cathy had a pretty good idea what his problem was. "Your leg?"

He nodded and looked even more tired than he had before. "I can't even stand on it."

"Why the heck were you trying to stand on it!" What was wrong with that, that boy?

Jet looked a bit startled at her fierceness and Cathy felt her anger leave her. It seemed that being caught in a hotel fire and then wandering around a hospital wasn't doing anything for her people skills. She hadn't meant to yell at him but it made her so angry that he'd just endanger himself that way when he didn't have to. Honestly, didn't that boy have any sense?

"I was just -"

She cut him off with a sigh. "Never mind." Realizing that her hand was still on his shoulder, she drew it away and sat in the chair next to him. "It doesn't really matter right now." What did matter was finding a payphone and figuring out a way to get him out of here that didn't involve walking. She looked down at her watch; it was almost ten thirty. Funny, it felt later than that.

"Have you heard from Jimmy yet?"

She closed her eyes and sighed again. "No, I haven't; I don't even know where he is." Opening her eyes, she turned to face him. "Is he still at your apartment?"

Jet shook his head. "No, we took him with us to the hotel." He paused for a second and he looked surprised when he spoke again. "How'd you know he was at my apartment anyway?"

If she'd been a little less tired, she might have chuckled at the expression on Jet's face. As it was, she gave him a wry smile. "Where else would he be? In case you haven't noticed, whenever he's not with me or at school, he's with you."

He hmphed at her before shrugging. "I guess that's true."

Cathy wondered if Jet understood how important he was to Jimmy. She wondered if he knew how Jimmy's eyes would light up whenever he talked about Jet. If he didn't, it was about time he knew!

"He really likes you, Jet."

This declaration seemed to make him uncomfortable; he was beginning to fidget. She smiled a bit on the inside. He'd just risked his life to save her from a raging inferno - no problem at all, acted like he did it every day - but hearing her say that Jimmy liked him seemed to throw him off his stride. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Cathy decided to take pity on the both of them.

"Look, I've got to find a payphone. Will you be all right?"

Jet sat back in his chair. "I think I'll make it."

Standing up, Cathy nodded. "All right."

Now to find a pay phone. She only hoped, as she left the waiting room, that she'd be able to find her way back again.

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To be continued . . .