Sunday was a little more fraught than normal for the team. Most of them were still in the hospital, awaiting discharge so they could get back to school in time for the beginning of the week. One of the real downsides of being a Ranger was that no matter how badly they'd been beaten up, they really didn't have much option but to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
Preston steadied Sarah as she looked a little pale and faint after removing her hands from Hayley's hip. She zoned out a little, and felt more than a little light-headed following the use of her power to help Hayley go from questionable to just seriously aching so that the doctor would release her once they got around to her examination.
"Whoa, are you alright?" Preston asked her. "Do you want to sit down? Take a nap? Should I get a doctor…?"
"And tell them what, that I'm absorbing the injuries of my friends?" Sarah grumbled. She was feeling more than a little spaced out, and her body was feeling incredibly warm as her healing factor worked overtime to try and keep her on her feet. None of the Rangers knew the extent of her abilities, and everyone was cautious not to just use Sarah as a human pain-killer and risk putting herself at risk. That didn't mean that occasionally, like now, they didn't have to swallow their pride. Preston was pretty much back on his feet, even if he did still feel slightly tender, and the last thing they could afford was being four Rangers down for another week. "You know, I notice you don't mind me using my powers when it's your pain."
"You OFFERED to help!" Hayley reminded her with a chuckle as Preston set her down. He pulled a stuffed unicorn out of her bag.
"Here, just rest up for a little while at least." He implored her. "I'm sure Levi can wait a little bit. Just…sit there while I go find some hot chocolate."
He kissed her on the cheek before running out. Sarah had a huge, bright smile on her face as he left. She looked over and saw Hayley grinning at her.
"What?" She asked.
"You two are just super adorable do you know that?" Hayley asked. "You remind me so much of me and Calvin."
"Yeah, because you two are such an old married couple." Sarah responded. Hayley pointed to the unicorn.
"So, is that something Preston got you?" She asked.
"Chunckle Chippy?" She asked. "No, I've had this since I was three. My mom and dad bought it at an amusement park because I liked it so much. They said they wanted to go for ice cream and I kept on shouting 'Chunckle Chippy' because I couldn't say chunky chip. The name kind of stuck."
"You are just too cute for words, aren't you?" Hayley asked her. "If we weren't such good friends, I think I'd be worried about you going after Calvin."
"Yeah, no offence but that would NEVER happen!" Sarah answered. "You two are so sickeningly into each other you couldn't be separated with a crowbar!"
"Hey there gorgeous!" Calvin greeted Hayley as he came in with a couple of coffees. "Guess who's officially been discharged!"
"I'm guessing you and Brody…probably Hayley as soon as the doctor has a look at her." Sarah answered. "Not to mention Levi once Preston lets me move again."
"Oh, don't think I'm not grateful!" Calvin told her. "My mom's great and all, but her insurance doesn't QUITE match Tom's so the TV in my room only gets the news channels. If I'd had to stay there another night I'd have gone REALLY crazy!"
"Hey guys, guess who just got his discharge papers?" Brody asked as he arrived.
"Yeah, I notice you guys don't mind me abusing my powers when it's YOUR pain." Sarah teased him. Brody put his arm around her.
"Well, you DID offer." He reminded her. Just then, Preston came back, carrying a couple of hot chocolates.
"OK, here you go." Preston said to her. "Do you need to rest up a little longer? You want…?"
"No, I better get this over with." She sighed, getting up. "One human band-aid coming right up!"
"She loves being the hero really." Hayley commented as they left. The doctor walked in, carrying his clipboard.
"Wow, this is one full room." He commented, looking around. "Huh…I've seen all you kids today. I don't know what you're taking but…"
"Oh, um…you know we just work out." Hayley stated.
"Yeah, eat right." Calvin said.
"Drink plenty of water, get a decent amount of sleep." Brody chipped in. The doctor just shook his head.
"Yeah, well whatever it is, this is looking REALLY good for my stats, so I'm just going to chalk it up to being an amazing doctor." He stated. "Alright, could you step out the room for a minute? I just need to give Hayley her check-up, but the way my shift is going I'm sure it'll just be a formality."
"OK then." Calvin said, kissing his girlfriend softly. "I'll be right outside."
"See you in a few minutes." Hayley responded as they headed out and closed the door. "OK, please tell me that you have an oral thermometer."
In one of the other rooms, Al was just starting to get dressed as he heard a knock on the door. He smiled, expecting to find his wife there to pick him up. The hospital had only kept him in overnight for observation, and he was taking that very literally. He was keen to get back home and back to his family as early as possible.
"That's what I like to see." Al stated. "A nice early pick-up…"
"Well, I'm pleased that you are happy." Mr Tien said as Al opened the door.
"Marcus?" He asked. "Um…what…what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to check on a friend…"
"Yeah, we're not friends." Al reminded him. "In fact, with the exception of physical violence, I think our past interactions place us about as far from being friends as possible."
"Yes, and I am well aware of the fact that is almost entirely my fault." Marcus said sadly as he came in. "It is a source of great regret to me."
"Yeah, well…I guess we could be on each other's Christmas card list?" Al offered, still not entirely certain what Marcus wanted. Marcus just looked to him.
"Well, while I do look forward to the Holiday Season as much as the next man, I was thinking perhaps there's something I could offer you that might just help with my past failings." Marcus told him.
"Marcus, given our past experience with deals, I really don't think…"
"What if I told you that I know who brought your old partner to Summer Cove?" Marcus asked him. Al's face went stony and he noticeably tensed up.
"What did you say?" He asked.
"I was just going to see that those responsible were held to account." Marcus told him. "I COULD handle it myself, but I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to come along."
Just then, Ellie came into the room, carrying her car keys.
"Alright, I've signed the paperwork, we can…" She paused as she saw Marcus standing in the room. "Marcus, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I just wanted to check…"
"Um, I've got something I need to do really quick." Al told his wife, kissing her on the cheek and grabbing his jacket. "Come on Marcus."
"Wait, where are you going?" She called after him.
"I'll pick up KFC for dinner on the way home!" He called back. "Love you!"
"What the hell?" Ellie asked. "Did I just miss something?"
In another room, Spike was sitting up on his bed, flicking through channels on his television, trying to find something to watch. He had a pretty comfortable room all things considered, and he had a great television package. He stopped as he got to one of his favourites.
"Oh man, I love this show!" Spike said as he settled back into his pillows. "Man, these Japanese game shows are crazy!"
"Japanese game shows?" Trevor asked as he came in, knocking the door gently. "Really? That's your thing?"
"Yeah, but I'm kind of focused. Manga, game shows, movies…I'm kind of really into Japanese culture thanks to my uncle Bulk." Spike told him.
"Did I hear my ears burning?" He heard someone say as he popped his head in the door.
"UNCLE BULK!" Spike screamed in delight as he saw him coming in. "MOM! DAD! You came!"
"Spike, I once jumped on the first plane when you got a concussion, do you really think I'm not going to come when I heard you'd been shot?" His mom asked him, hugging him gently. "Are you comfortable enough in here? Can we get the doctors to bring you more pillows? Another blanket?"
"Mom, it's fine, really I'm fine." Spike assured him. "This is Trevor, he's my partner."
"Trevor Marx." He introduced himself with a handshake.
"Hi, I'm Kimberly, this is my husband Eugene and his friend Farquis." Kimberly introduced them as she shook his hand.
"Pleased to meet you…wait…Eugene Skullovitch?" He asked.
"Yeah, that's right!" Skull answered him. Trevor just blinked for a moment.
"Well, I guess now I know how you're able to afford this room." Trevor said, looking around. "The department's medical insurance is a little more on the economy side of things."
"So, how are you feeling?" Bulk asked his nephew.
"I've definitely felt better." He conceded. "Everyone always talks about how it feels to be shot, like it's like being punched but I swear there's nothing that prepares you for it."
"Your son is one of the best probationers I've ever worked with. He pretty much talked that guy down like a pro." Trevor told them. "I have to say, when he put his gun away I was freaking out, but he was just amazing! I swear I've never seen someone with so much guts."
"Well, I've got a few less now that they've taken a few inches off my colon." Spike joked. Everyone in the room recoiled.
"Dude!"
"Too soon?" Spike asked.
"Trust me, your retirement party will be too soon for jokes like that!" Kim warned him, kissing his forehead. "And don't think we're not talking about the fact you weren't wearing your vest!"
"Mom, it was in the trunk…"
"A lot of good it did you there!" Bulk chastised his nephew.
"Aw, but it's really uncomfortable…"
"It'll be a lot LESS comfortable if I have to nail it to you!" Bulk warned him. "The department issues you those things for a reason!"
"I know." Spike muttered. "But you don't have to make such a fuss about it."
"Well, unfortunately the department is going to." Trevor told him. "Not only do you have a letter of commendation on your file and a nomination for an award, you're going to have to be inducted into the Calibre Club."
"Calibre Club?" Spike asked him.
"Seriously, the department still does that?" Kimberly asked him.
"What's the Calibre Club?" Spike asked his mom.
"It's some stupid thing some stupid macho thing some of the old-school types do." She said in an off-hand way. "It's a club for people that have been shot in the line of duty."
"And I get to join?" Spike shrieked, wincing as he pulled at his injury a little. Trevor put a hand on his shoulder and held him down.
"You definitely fit the entry qualifications." He told Spike. "I just need to get a hold of the bullet and we'll do the induction once you're out of here."
"I'll look forward to it!" He answered. Kimberly just shook her head in disbelief.
"Anyway, I guess I'll leave you and your family to it." Trevor told him. "I'll tell the rest of the guys at the precinct you said hi."
As he left, Spike's family all gathered around him.
"I can't believe you all came." He stated. "Come on in! I want hugs!"
Over in Mr Tien's office building, his investors were assembled, looking over the scale model of the resort he was only weeks from breaking ground on. His Japanese investor Mr Yoshida was at eye level to the project.
"I have to say, it'll be good to finally see this all underway." He commented. "This has already seen far more drama than I would have hoped for."
"It cost us a lot more than we originally anticipated, but it's good to finally see things going our way." Russel said with a smile.
"Gentlemen, sorry I'm late." Marcus said as he stepped off the elevator into the room. "I was unavoidably detained."
"Wait a minute, what's he doing here?" Mr Popov, the Russian investor asked, pointing at Al as he was walking in.
"Oh, Mr Thompson is here at my invitation." Marcus told them. "I thought he might like to see this."
"This man cost us all a fortune!" Mr Russel snapped. "He did everything he can to derail this deal…"
"I never wanted to stop the deal, the resort would be great for the city." Al corrected him. "I just wanted to make sure my clients got a fair slice of the pie."
"But on the subject of this deal, I just wanted to make one slight adjustment." Marcus told them. "All of you are going to bow out."
All of them started to laugh hearing this.
"Are you serious?" Mr Popov asked him. "What makes you think we'd give up a goldmine like this?"
"Oh, there's just a small matter of attempted murder." Al told them. The mood in the room suddenly changed.
"I really don't know what you…"
"Funny thing, you may or may not have seen on the news but I just got a visit from one of my old investment partners." Al told them. "It wasn't exactly a friendly reunion. In fact, he abducted me and tried to kill me!"
"I'm really sorry to hear that, but I don't really see what that has to do with us." Mr Popov protested.
"He seemed to be under the impression that I had a bunch of money that I didn't, and he told me that someone else told him I did." Al continued. "Jerry was a good investment broker but he was hardly a master criminal. Someone put him up to it."
"You're accusing us?" Mr Youshida asked. "Slander is a very serious matter Mr Thompson, I certainly hope for your sake you don't repeat your words outside of this office!"
"It's funny you should say that Mr Yoshida, because the Yaxley scam was widely reported, but my name was not on the court transcripts. Part of my plea deal was anonymity." Al stated. "Which means that the only people that knew I was involved were the authorities and, of course, the Yaxley group themselves…which included you!"
Mr Yoshida looked like he wanted to say something, but his long period of silence already let them know that what Al had said was true.
"Oh, there's also what Al said about Mr Goodwill and the fact he's hardly a master criminal." Marcus stated. "You see, he managed to procure not one, but two untraceable cars and even managed to get a hold of an unregistered firearm. Both acts that are a little beyond a glorified bean counter."
"Well, the man had just gone to prison." Mr Popov replied. "People have a habit of picking up new skills…"
"Yes, I'm really sure a lot of arms dealers and car thieves go to the minimum-security spa he went to." Marcus told them. "But after a little digging, what I did find out that was somewhat interesting was that you Mr Popov run a garage."
"And one of the many businesses on your portfolio Mr Russel is a string of gun stores." Al stated.
"Well, as interesting as all of that is, I would say the technical term for all of that would be circumstantial." Mr Russel said. "Now, perhaps we should re-visit Mr Popov's statement about slander…"
"Oh, but there's just one more thing, one that none of you factored into your plan." Marcus said, pulling out a picture. "This is a still taken from the security cameras at the Sunview Motel, where Mr Goodwill was staying."
"And which Marcus owns by the way." Al said with a smirk. "Do you recognise that man Mr Russel? You should do, it's your bodyguard!"
Mr Russel stared at the picture for a moment or two, before looking up to Marcus and Al.
"I'm perfectly certain you never intended to see things come this far. Perhaps you just wanted to scare Mr Thompson here so that he would think twice about disrupting your businesses in the future." Marcus stated. "I'm also sure that this isn't likely to lead to any prosecutions, you've certainly tried very hard to keep your connections under wraps and I know you all have very fancy lawyers, but I'm also well aware that none of you want these facts going to the local police."
"You see, one of their guys was shot because of this." Al told them. "They tend to not look too kindly on that kind of thing, and I'm sure you'd like it if they didn't suddenly start to remember to pay VERY close attention to your businesses!"
"Not to mention the press will just love a story like this." Marcus added.
"Marcus, you can't be serious…"
"I have done a lot of very questionable things in my time but you sent an armed man to a family home!" Marcus told them. "That is why all of you are going to pull out of the resort. I no longer wish to have any business with any of you!"
"Also, you're all going to settle ALL your outstanding lawsuits with my clients, with a fifteen percent increase on your initial offers!" Al stated.
"That is outrageous…"
"And if I see ANY of you in this city again then every newspaper, cable access news show and blog will hear all about all of this!" Al interrupted them. "This is a one-time offer and since I'm only one day removed from my wife and daughter having to carry on without me, I'm really not in the mood to negotiate so you have precisely five minutes to decide and get the hell out of my city!"
"We…"
"We accept." Mr Yoshida said in a defeated tone.
"Oh, there's just one more thing." Al said, before stepping up to Mr Russel and punching him in the face as hard as he could. He staggered backwards, crashing straight through the model of the resort onto the floor. Al shook out his hand.
"Would you like some ice?" Marcus asked.
"No thanks, I'm good." Al told him. "At least I will be once they're gone."
"Ah, I can help with that." Marcus said, looking to the investors. "Would you like security to escort you all out?"
Mr Popov helped Russel off the floor as he held a handkerchief to stem the blood running from his nose. The six men filed out of the room as Marcus looked to Al. He smiled.
"So…is this better than a Christmas card?" He asked him.
"So much better!" Al replied as he shook his hand. "So, do you and Preston have plans? I was going to hit KFC."
"You know, I've never actually eaten there." Marcus replied, pulling out his cell phone. "Preston, are you at the Thompson House? Oh, perfect! We're just on our way!"