Dirk was only pulled from his reverie when he noticed Todd frantically patting at his body. For a horrifying second he thought the shorter man might be having another attack but was relieved when Todd spoke for the first time since this whole thing stated, asking, "Where's my phone? I need my phone. Amanda's in trouble, I need to call Amanda." He was starting to breathe faster as he sent him a panicked look.
Reacting quickly, Dirk pulled Todd's phone from his jacket pocket as he handed it to him and told him, "She's all right. She got away with one of the Rowdy 3 before they could be taken." As Todd pressed speed dial one and held the phone to his ear Dirk somewhat sheepishly added, "I don't know what you remember from during your attack but you had been talking to Amanda, and well, she had heard your screaming, so when I got there, and finally noticed your phone, well.." He somehow knew Todd wouldn't like hearing this so he braced himself before saying, "She knows about the attack. She knows you have the disease."
He wasn't wrong. If looks could kill the one Todd just sent him would have him dead twice over. He was a little surprised though that is was gone as fast as it appeared. Todd seemed to take in a deep breath before calmly telling him, "I would have probably chosen to keep it from her, after everything, but she has a right to know. She has a right to not be lied to anymore." As he waited for the other side of the phone to be picked up he let his head fall back against the headrest before adding, "Thanks for telling her, Dirk. I don't know if I would have been able to do it myself." He sent Dirk a small sad smile in thanks before the phone connected.
After a short and somewhat tense sounding conversation, at least judging by Todd's side of it, they were soon headed in the direction of Amanda and the one called Vogel. It took longer than any of them liked, but eventually they were pulling up under an underpass and Amanda and Vogel where jumping out from behind a pile of junk. Vogel jumped in the front as Amanda forced Todd over into the middle seat as she took her place beside her brother. Before any words were spoken though Amanda punched her brother very hard in the shoulder, making him let out a startled, "Ow!"
Amanda only punched him again, her face an angry mask, as she told him, "You deserve more than that, Todd, and you know it." When all he could do was look down in shame, as he rubbed his now sore shoulder, all the anger disappeared from Amanda's face, replaced by sympathy, fear and sadness. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug as she buried her face in his neck and all but whispered, "You scared the shit out of me, Todd. Never do that again."
Returning the hug in full force he apologized, "I'm so sorry, Amanda, for everything. I never even came close to imagining how horrible that was to go through." He sounded choked as he kissed the top of her headed and apologized again, "I'm so sorry."
Hugging her brother even tighter, so tight it hurt a little, she told him, "The first attack is the worst. It shouldn't be as bad the next time."
At the mention of a next time Todd closed his eyes before squeaking out, "I hope you're right." Thinking about what his sister has been going through for years he truly hoped she was. He didn't want to think about all of Amanda's attacks being like that one. Just the possibility made him want to burst into tears.
Sensing a need for some tension relief, Dirk decided to blurt out, "Amanda, guess what I did today?" When she looked at him blankly and blinked he tried to put on a smile, though it probably came across as pained, before telling her, "I jumped from a van that was moving. I tucked and rolled and everything, while handcuffed. It was kind of fun, if not completely terrifying." When both Amanda and Todd looked at him in slightly surprised horror he added, "I landed on a filthy old mattress so, that was lucky I think." He gave them another small smile as they continued to just stare at him.
To everyone's surprise it was Vogel who broke the silence as he rather calmly said, "I know a place we can go to lay low while we figure everything out." Apparently, away from the other three rowdy men he was rather calm and normal seeming, at least in comparison. It was Farah who agreed with the idea as she started taking direction from the young man, Amanda patting him on the shoulder from the seat behind him. He sent her a shy smile in return before laying out the path they were taking to Farah.
A few hours later found them pulling up outside a secluded cabin in the mountains. As they piled out of the car Dirk tried to lighten the mood again as he pointed north and rather gleefully said, "Hey, you can see Canada from here!" He looked at each person before landing on Todd and smiling like he had just made the best joke ever. Despite his best effort Todd couldn't hold back his snort of laughter as a smile pulled at his face, making everyone else chuckle; if not at the joke, then at Todd.
As they all went inside the small cabin in was Farah that suggested, "You know, that's not a bad idea, if we escape into Canada those military people will have a harder time getting to the two of you." She sent them a meaningful look before starting to search the cabin.
Vogel looked offended as he asked, "You expect me to just abandon my friends, my family?" His rowdy side was starting to show through as he almost yelled, "I won't leave them behind. They stayed back so Amanda and me could escape." He did yell as he added, "Family doesn't abandon family!" Seeming without thought he shoved a lamp from a small table before huffing out a breath but before he could do more Amanda was at his side with a gentle hand on his shoulder.
She waited until he was looking at her before saying, "Chill, Vogel. That's not what she meant. Of course we are going to try and help the others. We just need to know our options first, and have an escape plan in place." She looked at Farah with a small smile before saying, "Right, Farah?"
Farah only looked back for a moment, nodding, before resuming her search. She had already found some kitchen knives, a butterfly knife and a hunting rifle. She was making a pile on the coffee table in the small living room.
Looking around the cabin Todd decided he had to be the one to deal with the small issues; like supplies and sleeping arrangements. Stepping away from his spot beside Dirk he started to see that they were working with. There was a tiny bathroom, two bedrooms, and then the open living room/kitchen. Looking into the fridge, seeing nothing but some basic condiments, he announced, "Someone needs to go into the nearest town and get some food and stuff." Noticing the wood stove in the corner he added, "We also need to get some wood. It gets pretty cold at night here."
After it was decided that Farah, Amanda and Vogel, who knew the area, would go into town, and Todd and Dirk would collect and chop the wood, it left only one more thing that needed their attention, sleeping arrangements. Before Todd could even finish bringing it up, he was interrupted by Amanda blurting, "I call sharing with Farah!" The two women shared a conspiratorial look as they nodded.
Vogel was the next to speak as he flung himself on the couch and announced, "I always sleep here. The couch is mine."
Nodding, Todd seemed unconcerned as he simply agreed, "Okay, which leaves Dirk and me in the other room." Clapping his hands together in finality he said, "Let's get to our tasks then." He picked up an ax Farah had found only god knew where from the coffee table before making his way to the door, completely oblivious to the speechless Dirk he left in his wake.
It wasn't until Amanda walked by, slapping him on the back with an amused but sympathetic look, that he was able to talk. Clearing his thought awkwardly he said, "Yes, well then, with all that figured out I guess it's time to get some wood," at the look Amanda gave him at his choice of words he found himself blushing as he amended, "Gather! Gather some wood…for, you know, the fire." He gestured lamely at the wood stove. He cleared his throat again before following Todd to where he was standing at the door waiting for him, a slightly confused and concerned look on the shorter man's face. Dirk chose to ignore it as he walked past him out the door.
Luckily, Todd found a pile of wood out back. All they needed to do was chop it and bring it inside. Dirk insisted on trying first but after the third time he nearly put the ax into his own leg Todd had reached out, grabbing his arm and hand, and made Dirk let go of the sharp instrument. With amusement in his voice Todd told him, "We have enough going on right now, we don't need you accidentally chopping off your own limbs."
Frankly, Dirk was surprised by how quick and efficient Todd was chopping the wood. Within an hour they had a good pile going in the cabin where Dirk was bringing what was chopped. He would have preferred to stay outside and just watch Todd as he worked, but he hated feeling useless so after allowing only a few minutes of watching, he had started bringing in small armfuls at a time.
It was as he was finishing making a neat and tidy stack of wood that he heard a pained yell of shock from outside followed by an ominous silence; the sound of wood being chopped and Todd exerting himself nowhere to be heard. Jumping to his feet he rushed outside as fast as he could. As he rounded the back of the house he was confronted by the horrid sight of Todd on the ground twitching and flailing, the ax still in his hand. Todd was looking at the ax in abject fear as another wave of pain seemed to go through him. It looked like he was being shocked.
Acting without having to think Dirk flung himself to the ground by Todd, catching the arm with the ax before it could hit him. He twisted the ax from the brunet man's hand rather violently before throwing it across the yard, far away from them. The second the ax was gone Todd seemed to relax, the twitching becoming less pronounced and frequent. Gathering the smaller man in his arms Dirk started letting out quiet comforting nothings as he slowly rocked them both back and forth. Far too slowly for his liking Todd began to breath normally again. The more he seemed to gather himself the tighter he clung to Dirk.
Of course that was the moment the others arrived back. The first thing Amanda saw as she came around the house was her brother clutching to Dirk for dear life. Not eve having to ask herself what happened, she rushed forward wrapping her arms around her brother, making it into a slightly awkward group hug. When Farah rounded the corner she stopped in her tracks, giving them space. She was content to just watch and keep an eye out for other threats.
When Vogel came up behind her he only stopped for a moment before slowly approaching the huddled group on the ground. Putting both hands close to their heads he closed his eyes and Farah watched in amazement as a blue pulse of light started to emanate from all three. They seemed to all tense briefly before Vogel stepped back with a somber look on his face, and then in unison they all let out a wobbly sigh as they seemed to relax. Farah had seen what the Rowdy 3 could do but it was something she'd never get used to seeing.
Slowly, Dirk and Amanda got to their feet, dragging Todd up with them. Farah didn't miss the grateful look the two siblings sent Vogel, or the stilted nod from Dirk. Letting Amanda pull her brothers arm over her shoulder Dirk bent down to collect more of the chopped wood. Vogel and Farah grabbed the rest as they followed the siblings inside.
Todd was deposited on the couch as the supplies Farah had bought were brought in from the car. Not only had they brought back food supplies but also toiletries and clothes. When everything had been put away Todd finally felt better enough to be useful. So, when Dirk started to putter about the kitchen like he was thinking about cooking Todd quickly announced he'd be making dinner. When Farah, Vogel and Dirk gave him a skeptical look Amanda was quick to defend her brother, saying, "He's actually a really good cook, guys." When they only shifted the look to her she insisted, "No, really guys. He's the best cook I know." They didn't seem totally convinced but they conceded.
An hour or so later they were completely convinced though as they scarfed down the best chicken carbonara they had ever tasted. No one was surprised when there weren't any leftovers. When Dirk volunteered to do the dishes, Farah and Vogel offered to help too, which left Amanda and Todd to sit on the couch and relax.
After a few moments of silence Amanda grabbed Todd's hand to get his attention. Grabbing a small container from her pocket she deposited it in his hand, not saying a word, she didn't need to, Todd knew exactly what it was. Looking down at the pill container he tried to push it back into her hand as he told her, "I can't take that, Amanda. These are yours, you need them."
She wouldn't take them though as she looked him in the eye and said, "You need them more than I do, Todd. I've been dealing with this thing for years, you haven't even had it a day and you've already had two attacks. With Vogel around, I'll be fine." She wrapped his fingers around the container with her hand before adding, "I know there aren't many but as long as they last they'll help." She looked at him with teary eyes as she quietly pleaded with him, "Please, Todd, for me, just take them." She let out a wet laugh as she joked, "You paid for them anyway, right?"
Feeling the telltale prickle at the back his own eyes all Todd could do was pull his sister into a tight hug as he buried his face in her hair willing the tears in his eyes not to break free. Barely audible, he let out a small, "Thank you."
When they finally pulled back Amanda looked pained as she reminded him, "You know I love you, right. Nothing will ever change that."
Todd felt a smile tug at his face as he assured her, "I know." They both let out a laugh as he told her, "Ditto, little sister." They were both smiling as he grabbed both her hands in his and said in a serious tone, "I love, Amanda. There is nothing in this world more important to me then you. Never forget that." In response Amanda enveloped him in another tight hug, only pulling back as Dirk cleared his throat behind them.
Turning to look over their shoulders the tall gangly man informed them, "I think everybody is ready to get some sleep. It's been an awfully long day, well, week really, so I think we could all use a little shuteye." He smiled his goofy awkward smile before nodding once as he rocked on his feet. "Right, so I'm just going to get ready for bed." Not making eye contact he informed Todd, "I believe Amanda and Farah have called the room with two beds so we have the master bedroom." He coughed awkwardly before turning on his heels and striding away.
Raising one eyebrow, Todd turned to Amanda asking, "Was it just me or did he seem a little odd there." He seemed to think better of it as he amended, "Well, that's to say, odder then he normally is."
Amanda raised an eyebrow of her own as she scoffed saying, "You're a little denser than I thought my dear big brother." She patted him on the shoulder as she stood up and took in his confused look before walking away and throwing over her own shoulder, "Night, Bro."
Todd sat there for a moment in confusion until Vogel plopped down on the couch next to him with a look that clearly said he wanted to go to sleep, so Todd stood up and made his way toward the bathroom which was luckily free. He made quick work of a simplified version of his nightly routine before heading into the master bedroom where Dirk was already lying on his back under the covers staring at the ceiling. Todd changed into the sweats and t-shirt Farah had got him before slipping into the bed himself, also staring up at the ceiling in the dark.
After a long silence Todd finally broke it, quietly saying, "Dirk, I just wanted to thank you, you know, for what you did today."
He heard more than saw Dirk shift his head in the dark to look at him as the taller man asked softly, "What did I do?"
There was a hesitance in Dirk's voice that confused Todd, but most everything Dirk did confused him, so he ignored it as he clarified what he thought should be obvious, "For helping me through my attacks. I don't even want to think about what it would have been like to go through them alone." Todd started to fidget his fingers on his chest as he added, "And for being there after them."
Again, Todd more heard than saw Dirk as he nodded his head before finally letting out a soft, "You're welcome, Todd. That's what friends are for; we help each other when one of us is in need."
Todd let out a long breath as he felt himself start to relax before correcting Dirk, "That's what best friends are for." Although neither could see the other they both smiled broadly. Dirk, for his part, could have sworn he actually felt his heart skip a beat at the six simple words. Not long later the two of them were fast asleep.