Part 47 (2/2)

Misty approached Jo's side. Her face looked ready to crumble. ”Ian.”

”Does Riva have a weapon?” Jo said.

He shook his head. ”Negative.”

She felt tension loosen and dissipate into the sky. Inside the terminal, people pressed against the plate-gla.s.s windows, staring and pointing. On the tarmac, ground crew and baggage handlers approached. The driver of a fuel tanker opened his door and stepped out onto the running board. In the loaded 737, pa.s.sengers jostled to see what was happening. The captain jogged down the stairs from the Jetway. Cameras flashed.

The scene was chaos, Kanan and Seth were injured, and behind the swell of jet engines she heard police sirens. She would probably get hauled to jail.

The night felt glorious.

It was over. Jo knew what she was feeling: primal exhilaration. She had survived.

The firefighters pulled on gloves and protective eyewear. Jo did likewise, snapping on a pair of latex gloves and putting on plastic safety gla.s.ses. She said, ”Favor?” and w.a.n.gled a coat and stethoscope from them. If she a.s.sumed the trappings of authority, she might keep the police off her back temporarily.

Kanan stretched a hand toward Seth. ”Christ-you're wounded.” He called in distress to the firefighters. ”My son's been hit. Help him. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds shot my son.”

Two firefighters grabbed a medical kit and ran to attend to Seth. Another fire truck pulled up by the wrecked pickup and began spraying it with firefighting foam.

Kanan wobbled on his feet, lost his balance, and fell to his knees. Jo followed a firefighter-paramedic to his side.

”Hold still, buddy.” The firefighter began examining Kanan. ”What's this?”

Under his penlight, Jo saw the message written on Kanan's arm. It now read Sat.u.r.day they died.

Kanan stared at it, then looked at Seth, flat on the tarmac, and Misty, standing back, hand pressed to her mouth. He reread the message with horror.

”What the h.e.l.l's been happening?” he said.

Jo took a gauze pack from the firefighter's medical kit and poured Betadine on it. She knelt at Kanan's side.

”You kept your family alive,” she said.

She rubbed the writing off of Kanan's skin. But though the words disappeared, he continued staring at his arm.

He looked up at her. ”It won't ever go away, will it?”

It broke her heart to know what he meant. ”No.”

He would never know, for more than five minutes at a stretch, that his family was safe. If they were in front of him he would feel elated and wild with relief. If they left his sight he would forget and plunge again into despair.

”Every few minutes, you'll reset to the last thing you recall before your injury,” she said.

”I'll always think they're gone and that I'll never get to them in time.”

He would wake up every morning in fear and grief. It would never lessen.

”Did I hunt down the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who took them?” he said.

”Yes.”

He nodded, but his satisfaction was short-lived. ”In a few minutes I'll try to hunt them down again, won't I?”

The firefighter touched Jo's shoulder. ”Excuse me, doctor.”

Jo stood and let him get to work. All Kanan's memories-the truth, reality-would be collected, and he would be left only with the unresolved crisis.

The emergency lights danced over the scene, turning it glaring primary colors, red and blue, adding to the white aircraft landing lights. Fourth of July in March. Kanan and Misty looked at each other. Ian's pale eyes were full of tears.

”Woman, you're the best thing I'll ever see.”

”We're okay, hon. Everything's going to be okay.”

Her voice was thready. Jo put an arm around her shoulder. Misty smiled uncertainly at her.

”Ian,” Jo said. ”Do you remember being in contact with Slick?”

”In Zambia.”

”Tonight?”

”No. Why?” And then his eyes said that he knew. ”Second exposure would be fatal, wouldn't it?”

Jo nodded. ”The firefighters are going to take you through decontamination and then get you to the hospital.”

”Good.”

She turned to Misty. ”Don't let Ian lose eye contact with you. Not even for a minute. Got it?”

Sadness and fear curved across Misty's face. ”Got it.”

Kanan raised a hand. ”Don't worry. I'm never letting them out of my sight again. That's a promise.”

Jo stepped away, took out Murdock's phone, and dialed a number.

It was answered brusquely. ”Quintana.”

She heard Gabe's voice and her throat caught, her spirits soared, straight into a cloud of tears.

”It's me. I'm okay. It's over,” she said.

”Where are you? Where's Kanan?” Gabe said.

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