Boston Blues - BLACKBIRD book 2

12. back to earth

They drove into the MIT campus and skidded onto Massachusetts Avenue, to squeal to a sharp stop before the old building of Bexley Hall. Russell jumped out of his car and ran into the building, followed by Aldana and Fred. Tanya hurried to help Gillian out, as Hank parked behind Aldana's car and he and Kurt hurried to them.

Gillian was already shooting orders. "Hank, get me whoever's in charge of the dorm right now. Kurt, call an ambulance. Tell'em to keep lights and sirens off." She rested against the side of the car and she and Tanya looked up at the building's roof, as if expecting to see the two boys show out up there. Gillian was still on the phone with Connor, who whispered they were sitting behind the water tank. And Tanya had Russell on her phone, so they could hear the other three running up the stairs.

All of a sudden, Mike stopped talking and Connor breathed a terrified, "Mom...?"

"Russ is going up."

"Tell'im to hurry! Hey, Mike! Wait! What're you doing, man?"

"It's Gary! Can't you hear'im? Gary's out there, somewhere! He's calling me!"

"Wait, Mike! Stay there!"

Connor tried to keep his friend from standing on the edge of the roof, but Mike almost lost his balance shaking him off, so Connor stepped back, afraid.

Right then, Russell, Aldana and Fred stormed out of the stairs to the roof and saw the two boys, their figures cut in black against the city lights. Mike didn't notice them, lost in his own private dream, calling out his dead friend. Connor saw them coming and took another step back, to make room for them. Russell and Fred allowed Aldana to try first.

"Mike?" she said.

The boy turned to her, frowning. "Who are you?"

"My name's Al, Mike, and I was looking for you. Gary asked me to come for you."

"Where is he!? I heard him calling but I can't find him!"

Fred signaled Connor to join him and Russell, and let Aldana alone with Mike.

She replied in her most soothing, calm voice, "He's down here with us, Mike. He wants you to come down. If you come down now, I can take you to him."

Mike looked around and frowned again, suspicious. "He's not here. I know that! I came up here to find him but he's nowhere to be found! And he's still calling me!" The boy turned to look out again. "He wants me to join him! He wants me to fly with him!"

"Pay attention, Mike," Aldana replied. "D'you really hear what he's saying? He's not telling you to fly: he's telling you to go down to meet'im. Hear'im out. I'm here to take you to him."

"Go down... Go down...," the boy repeated, gazing down out of the roof edge. "This is the best way down..."

"But it's not the right one, Mike. If you do it, you'll lose Gary forever."

Doubt clouded Mike's blurry eyes and Aldana stretched out her hand to him.

"Come with me, Mike," she said in a warm, inviting voice. "I'll take you to Gary."

Everybody around them, and down on the street, held their breath. Mike looked down at her hand reaching out to him for an endless moment. Then he looked back out, and down again at Aldana. And he took her hand and jumped down from the edge of the roof. Everybody exhaled in relief as Aldana led the boy by the hand back into the building.

The boy played along and followed Aldana down the stairs and out to the street, completely oblivious to Connor, Russell and Fred coming after them. Many lights showed in as many rooms, and curious boys and girls showed out their doors to see what was going on. Mike halted when he saw the ambulance waiting outside the building. But before he tried to ask anything, Fred and Russell grabbed his arms and led him to its open back, to leave him with the EMTs.

Gillian and Hank were having an argument with the building manager, but she let the scolding to Hank when she saw her son coming out. She would've liked to run to him, but she could only turn to him. To her surprise, Connor strode straight to her and threw his arms around her neck.

She hugged him tight, feeling him quiver, his heart racing against her chest, a suffocated groan escaping his lips.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. You did it. You saved his life, you know? We could've never made it here in time without you," she whispered in his ear, and her words caused him a chill.

As soon as Connor stepped away from her, he fell in Tanya's arms. Gillian didn't know what the girl told him, and it didn't matter either, because she made him smile and even let out a shaky chuckle with a few words.