Boston Blues - BLACKBIRD book 2

15. out

After taking Connor, Tanya and Kurt to Gillian's place, Russell and Banks went back to the site, where Aldana welcomed them saying that Fred and Jules' team where right about to extract Gillian and Brock. Russell jumped in through the window to join Fred. They kneeled before the hole in the wall just when Brock showed at the other side.

Russell's face lit up with a smile. "Man, it's good to see your face! You okay?"

"Yeah. Let's get Gillian out first."

Brock didn't look exactly okay, pale and exhausted, covered in dust, his face and hands scratched, a trail of dried blood coming down his neck from his ear and staining his dirty shirt, his tie gone and his jacket cut and ripped at several spots. But Russell wasn't about to argue.

Brock helped Gillian sit down on the floor by the hole and noticed her little smile. "What."

She was still tempted to throw her arms around his neck, maybe only to embarrass him. She met his eyes and whispered, for his ears only, "Oh, captain, my captain," and pushed herself carefully across the hole. Russell and Fred grabbed her at the other side and helped her fully out.

Brock scowled, because somehow she'd managed to make those four words into a whole statement about the two of them. One he would've never expected. But they were finally out, leaving that nightmare behind, so he wouldn't let her get away with it so easily.

He popped his head out of the hole with his trademark blank scowl and said in his trademark flat dry tone, "Coleman, Lieutenant Gillian's got a concussion. She needs to go to the hospital."

Fred and Russell turned to Gillian alarmed, as the paramedics helped her to sit on a stretcher. And to their utter surprise, she shook her head, chuckling.

"I'm fine, lads. Agent Brockner's just kidding."

Brock came through the hole, keeping his blank face carved in stone to state matter-of-factly, "No, I'm not." I don't do kidding.

"Yes, you are," she said.

Russell and Fred traded a speechless look, finding it hard to believe that the other two would come out joking—especially one of them being Brock. The paramedics took Gillian to the window. She still chuckled under her breath, enjoying Brock's unexpected humor—sending her to the hospital, wicked man!

Russell helped Brock to stand up, still frowning—what the hell was that?

He just nodded at the window, wishing to be out of that place for good. They followed the paramedics while Jules' team picked up their tools, congratulating each other for a job well done. But Brock staggered at the first step out of the building, taking a hand to his ear. Since his and Gillian's survival didn't depend on him anymore, his ear cancelled the rain check it had issued after the last blast, and it ached and throbbed even worse than before, depriving him of most of his balance.

Russell held him up, as Fred hurried closer with a worried frown.

"I'm fine," Brock said anyway. "It's just my ear."

"You too need to go to the hospital, Brock."

At Russell's words, Fred sprinted towards the ambulance, waving at the paramedics to wait.

"I'm fine, Coleman," Brock insisted.

"Sure you are, Brock. Just humor me, okay?"

Brock would've scoffed at his choice of words, but he could only nod, and allowed Russell to help him to the ambulance.

The paramedics had just been able to convince Gillian to lie down on the stretcher when Aldana, Banks and Taylor surrounded them. So they were forced to pause and tried to keep her from sitting up again.

"Good Lord, Reg! We were so afraid!" cried Aldana, throwing her arms around Gillian's neck.

They held each other tight for a moment and Aldana gave the others room to come closer. Taylor took Gillian's hand with a weary smile. She smiled back and signaled at him to lean closer in.

"Looks like there won't be much wild sex on the table for a while," she said in his ear.

Taylor winked with a reassuring smile. "We'll think of something."

"We better."

Aldana rolled her eyes, amused, and Banks cleared his throat like a warning. Taylor stepped back, with another wink that made Gillian giggle. Banks scowled at them, but then he faced her and let out a heartfelt sigh.

"Next time you scare me like this..." he muttered, caressing her hair.

Gillian pressed his hand with a warm, affectionate smile. "Go home, Bob, or Carmen's gonna kill me for keeping you out this late."

"If I don't kill you first."

They parted chuckling, as they used to, and the paramedics were finally allowed to take her to the ambulance.

When Brock climbed in the back, they were trying to tend to Gillian's wounds, and she tried to boss them around. One of them thought an oxygen mask would make their work easier, but she yanked it off and hoisted herself up on her elbows.

"Russ! Bring Connor to the hospital!"

"You got it, Reg! See you guys there later!" Russell helped to close the back doors and patted the side of the ambulance.

As it drove away, a paramedic tried to tend to Brock's ear, and he shook him off as if the man were an annoying fly. Gillian paused bugging the men taking care of her leg to frown at Brock.

"Are you letting them take you to the hospital too?" she asked, a little surprised.

"I'm humoring Coleman," he replied at her, raising his eyebrows, and she saw his thin lips purse at the brink of a smile.

Gillian took a moment to chuckle, savoring such a silly private joke, and turned to shoot a death glare at the paramedics. "Ouch! That hurts, you morons!"

Brock grimaced at her loud words in such a small place. Automatically, Gillian flashed an apologetic smile and whispered, "Sorry."