Embarrassed by his tumble, Kevin quickly let go of Dad's hand and straightened himself. Despite the heat rising in his face, he glared at his sister. He knew she was only trying to relieve the tension in the room, but he didn't appreciate her doing it at his expense. "I didn't almost break my nose," he said to her. "You're just being dramatic."
Thankfully, Katherine seemed to take the hint and promptly changed the subject. "We didn't get snow on the air mattress, did we?" she said.
Dad laughed. "No, but it was full of air before you showed up." Then he nodded at JB, who hadn't yet said a word. "Welcome back to the twenty-first century. I promise we're normally much better hosts."
"Not a problem. Um…thank you," JB murmured. He looked just as distraught as he had on the screen in the time hollow, still clutching the stack of books to his chest. Hadley seemed to pick up on his friend's distress immediately.
"Good to see you, old friend," said Hadley as he pulled JB up from the ground and gave him a hearty pat on the back. "You've looked better, but then, I guess so have I. Beard's pretty gray these days. The kids say I'm going bald too."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Ugh, Dad. That was one time and I was drunk."
Henry snickered. "You know you're never going to live that down, right, Leo?"
"Hey, why don't we head upstairs and let JB get settled?" said Jonah. "Hadley, you want to stay and reinflate the air mattress?"
"Sounds good to me," said Hadley, and the others muttered in agreement.
"Can I get you anything? Some water or…?" Mom offered, but JB shook his head.
"Thank you, but no," he said quietly.
"What about some tea or coffee?"
"Mom!" Jonah whispered. "Give him a minute, okay?"
Mom's hand flew to her lips. "Oh!" she whispered back. "Yes, of course." She made eye contact with Hadley, who gave her a thumbs up, then she made her way to the stairs. Kevin followed as Jonah herded him and the others up after her.
...
JB was grateful for the quiet. He hadn't wanted to be rude, but he could hardly string a full sentence together at this point, let alone hold a conversation with over ten people at once. His heart reeled from the past twenty-four hours of earth-shattering events. He knew he should feel hopeful now that he knew there was a possibility of saving Sam, but the devastation that overtook him in the wake of losing her remained achingly present. One could not emerge from a nuclear explosion unscathed, no matter how swift the recovery.
Still, he felt he had to at least try and say something to Hadley. "Thank you…for all of this. I know the risks you're taking, hiding me from Cira."
Hadley shrugged as he worked the air pump and watched the mattress rise. "Happy to help." Even with his receding hairline and lined face, Hadley appeared as jovial as ever.
"Still, I appreciate it. You have a whole family now, what if Cira decides to terminate your position as twenty-first century monitor?"
"Cira isn't stupid. She knows I'm the only person qualified enough for the job. Besides, if we're able to save Sam and repair time, it's a win-win for everyone."
JB swallowed. "Do you really think we can do it?"
"If Kevin keeps learning at his current pace, I think the odds are promising. Especially if you help me teach him. When you're ready, of course," he added after taking a short glance at JB.
I must look as terrible as I feel, JB thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "And how have you been? Angela and the kids?"
"We're great, actually." Hadley gave the mattress two final pumps and sealed the valve. "Leo and Maria have adapted really well to the twenty-first century. Leo's actually working on a PhD in computer science and Maria's always texting Daniella about their favorite podcasts. You don't get much more twenty-first century than that."
JB felt his mouth curve upward into an almost-smile. He wasn't surprised in the least, considering they had Hadley and Angela as parents, but he was still glad to hear that Leo and Maria were happy. "What about Henry and Greg?"
"Also great. They're pretty popular in school, always bringing over new friends to play sports in the backyard or video games upstairs." Hadley took a seat on the sofa in the back of the room and gestured for JB to join him. Eager to sit down, JB didn't hesitate. "Greg's on a hockey team, so I'm constantly driving him to and from the local ice rink. Henry's been taking some improv classes with the school's drama teacher. Angela just got us tickets to next month's show, so I guess we'll find out soon if he's any good." Hadley chuckled. "Not that I have any doubts. That kid is hilarious."
"Where's Angela now?" JB realized he hadn't seen her at all since he arrived.
"She's on her way to get Virginia from Sam's apartment on the other side of town."
Sam's apartment. He dug his fingernails into his palms as he felt another surge of grief bleed through his chest. You can still save her, he reminded himself. That's why you're here.
"Virginia hasn't redecorated or anything," said Hadley. "I've been there a few times and the place is just as Sam left it, don't worry. We always expected Sam to come back…which she will," he emphasized.
"Can I see it?" said JB suddenly. "Can I see her apartment?" JB had seen it in the agency's files on Sam, of course, but that was before he really knew her. He now felt an urge to stand inside the place she called home, to be near her in whatever way possible.
"Oh," Hadley said, looking startled. "Well, yes, I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem. Let me just make sure Angela isn't already on her way back." He pulled an elucidator out of his pocket—or maybe it was an actual twenty-first century smartphone—and started typing.
JB clung tightly to his books as he waited. Even with them closed, he could still see the dainty inscription, To love another person is to see the face of God. His eyes started to sting again. He noticed a box of tissues on a side table next to the sofa and helped himself to a few while Hadley was distracted. He wondered if it was possible to run out of tears or if he'd have to spend the rest of his life fighting them off if he failed to rescue Sam. You won't fail. You can't.
Hadley looked up from his device just as JB finished with the tissues and stuffed them in his pocket. "She's five minutes away," he said apologetically, "but she promises to take you there tomorrow."
"Okay," said JB. "Thank you." He didn't want to wait, but he'd survive.
"Why don't you lie down for the night?" Hadley suggested. "It's almost ten and I have a feeling you haven't slept in a while."
It was true. JB hadn't slept since the eleventh Christmas eve he'd shared with Sam, which was over twenty-four hours ago. He knew he should insist on waiting until Angela was back with Virginia, but even as he tried to speak, his eyelids sank. He didn't have the energy to fight off the exhaustion that now seeped into every muscle, and he was asleep before Hadley even stood up.
The following morning was as much a blur as the previous night. He was merely a passenger in his own body; everyone and everything around him flashed past as if through a train window.
Linda Skidmore had prepared a large breakfast, spread across the kitchen table and island for the almost twenty people who'd shown up to help. Though he hadn't the energy to express it, he was touched by how many of the kids were so eager to risk everything for him.
Over a few nibbles of toast and a cup of coffee, JB took in the familiar faces that sat around him at the island. Angela had hardly changed, save a few streaks of gray in her otherwise dark hair. She sat beside Virginia, who, now at thirty-seven had lost her former air of doe-eyed innocence and carried herself more like a war veteran than a young widow. To Angela's left was Hadley, then Greg and Henry, who were completely unrecognizable. There wasn't a hint of sly menace in Henry's eyes, and Greg had yet to develop anything close to Gary's muscular physique. Kevin, too, was not the same troubled boy JB had briefly encountered in the hospital, nor was he the methodical Sam Chase or the chaotic Second Chance. These boys were simply three kids, barely even teenagers, dealing with the additional baggage of a past they'd only just discovered.
Jordan and Jonah had clearly grown to see each other as family, yet they'd made significant efforts to remain individual. Not only had they chosen separate seats for breakfast—Jordan at the island next to Kevin and Jonah behind them at the table—but they physically presented themselves quite differently as well. Jonah was certainly taller and older than before, but easily recognizable as a twenty-six year-old version of the Jonah JB had always known. Jordan, on the other hand, had let his hair grow almost to his shoulders and sported what Katherine called a "podcaster mustache." JB even noticed part of a tattoo peeking out from under his sweater at his wrist.
JB turned his attention to the table, where the rest of the Skidmores ate in the company of Chip, Andrea, Leo, Alex, and the Romanov trio. He'd learned from the Correoros that Andrea had arrived at two in the morning, but she didn't appear tired. Aside from the Skidmore siblings, she was the only one still in pajamas, so JB guessed she stayed the night often when she and Jonah were in town. Though her hair was now chin-length and dyed auburn, JB would have recognized her anywhere. He had, after all, spent five years in the 1600s with her. Then, she'd been very quiet. She and her grandfather had kept to themselves for the most part and her smiles were cautious and rare. It was a pleasant surprise to see her so lively now, cackling at whatever funny story Daniella appeared to be telling. Chip and Alex seemed to have recovered from their time in the past as well. Not once had he heard them slip into Middle English, though Chip had tried more than once that morning to convince Katherine that they should have a Game of Thrones-themed wedding.
That left Daniella, Gavin, Maria, and Leo. Daniella had grown quite tall; taller than both her brother and sister, and like Andrea, she'd made significant changes to her hair, though Daniella's was dyed a much bolder shade of bubblegum pink. Gavin was still on the skinny side, but looked otherwise healthy. Leo and Maria looked well-adapted to their twenty-first century lives, but had maintained the same overall appearance they'd had in 1918. It was strange, though, to think that the nineteen year-old Maria JB had met after the Romanov assassination was now the same age as Sam. He couldn't separate the scared teenager from the now thirty-two year-old woman. She—and all of them, really—were still kids in his eyes.
After some time, JB excused himself and returned to the basement where he could sit in silence once again. He hated feeling this weak. Normally he was the first to jump into action whenever there was a crisis. It was just how he was wired, always on high alert and prepared to tackle the next emergency. In his mind, the best way to overcome a predicament was to move. He wanted nothing more than to start plotting a rescue mission and launch it into motion, but even after a full night's sleep he felt paralyzed.
He must have drifted off on the sofa again because the next moment he awoke to a knock from upstairs. He groaned and glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. Thirty minutes past noon. Had he really slept for three hours?
Another knock. "JB, are you down there?"
He recognized the voice, but he hadn't heard it in over a year. "Emily?"
"Yes, can I come in?"
He'd completely forgotten that she and Ming were due to arrive a few hours after breakfast. "I'll be right there," he called, then hurried up the stairs and swung open the door.
"Hey, little bro," she said with a broad smile. She looked very businesslike with her hair rolled into a neat bun and a silk scarf tied around her neck. She wore a skirt and matching blazer over a white blouse, with a pair of black pumps on her feet.
She must have noticed him staring because she glanced down at herself and said, "Oh, this? Yeah, I had to make a stop at work before the flight and didn't have time to change. I'm an accountant. In Beverly Hills," she added just as he was about to ask. "Turns out lots of rich people don't know a thing about managing finances. Anyway, it's good to see you."
"Good to see you too," he said, and he really meant it. Unlike the others, she showed no sign of that quizzical pity he'd seen on everyone's faces at breakfast. It was refreshing to say the least.
"Is Ming here too?" he asked as they descended the stairs together and settled on the sofa.
Emily pointed her thumb at the ceiling. "Upstairs. She's packing all our stuff into Andrea's car since we'll be staying at her parents' place."
"Does Ming live in Beverly Hills too, then?"
"Yeah, we have a really nice place right by the beach."
"Oh, you're roommates?"
"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "Did no one tell you?" Suddenly her eyes darted to her feet and she started chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
"Tell me what?" He held his breath. He wasn't sure he could handle another piece of life-altering news.
Emily slowly met his eyes again and said, "Ming's my girlfriend."
"Oh, that's it?" JB was so relieved, he actually laughed for the first time in over a day. "Emily, I thought you were going to tell me she'd lost an arm or something."
Emily joined in his laughter, looking just as relieved. "No, no. I'm just used to people thinking it's weird. My parents have some pretty conservative friends, so I never know how people will react."
JB had forgotten the level of prejudice that still permeated certain communities in the twenty-first century.
"So nobody told you?" Emily asked again. "I figured Jordan would have said something, considering I came out for the first time just as he'd mustered the courage to ask me out. Poor kid. I guess, now that I think about it, that isn't the kind of thing you'd want to share with everyone." She shook her head sadly. "He was so sweet about it too. Offered to stay on the phone with me when I came out to my parents the next day. I was so nervous, you know. I mean, it turned out fine, but my parents have always been pretty religious, so I did worry."
"Give it a few more decades and I promise people will start to wise up."
"Decades?" She grimaced. "Great."
"Right, sorry. I meant for that to be comforting, but…yeah." He rubbed his forehead. Why did he ever bother opening his mouth?
Emily only shrugged.
"It's fine. As long as the important people are okay with it." She stared at him expectantly.
It took him a minute, but finally he understood. "Oh! Yes, yes of course I'm okay with it. And, uh, sorry I used your girlfriend as a human shield in the time cave when we first met. She just happened to be right next to me, so it wasn't personal."
"You do hear yourself, right?" Emily gaped at him teasingly, then patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, she doesn't hold a grudge. You more than made up for it when you got her in and out of fourth Dynasty China without a scratch. Thanks for that, by the way."
"It was actually fourth century China. More specifically, the Jin Dynast—" He cut himself off when he noticed her attention start to wander. "I mean, um, you're welcome." He hid his face in his hands. "Sorry, recent events have apparently done a number on my social skills."
Emily cocked her head and smirked. "Sure, because Mr. 'Scout's Honor' is usually such a smooth talker."
He laughed. "Right. Good to know Jonah hasn't let me live that one down for thirteen years."
"Jokes aside, though," she said. "I'm really sorry about Sam." And there it was, the tone of sympathy he'd endured all morning.
"Me too," was all he could say.
"We'll find a way to save her, you'll see." Emily rested her hand on top of his, and somehow his resentment ceased with that one gesture of support from his sister. It was simple, yet assuring; not a sign of pity but a promise that she—and everyone that had shown up to help—were ready and eager to lend their strength to shoulder the burdens he couldn't carry alone.