“Good grief.” David whistled as he tipped Tyler's head sideways with his hands. “Jay did a major number on your nose.”
“Shut up. Can you fix it?” Tyler snapped.
“Easy, easy!” David chuckled. “What's got you so worked up?”
“Like I would tell you.”
“Girl trouble. I thought so.” David smiled a little and picked up a cloth to clean up some of the blood.
“Hey!” Tyler stood up to leave. “It's none of your business.”
“Tyler, why won't you let me help you?” David spread his hands out. “Please.”
Tyler smiled a little as he looked at David's open position.
“Yeah....I don't think so.”
Tyler had been waiting for this opportunity. He thrust his full body weight into David at full speed, knocking the other man all the way down with his fist.
David flung his arms over his head and curled up.
“Come on and fight back, coward!”
David only moved defensively, using his arms to protect his head and body.
In his rage, Tyler could barely see straight. The only desire he felt was to keep hitting David.
Jay and Alice burst in from the kitchen, followed closely by Kim and Nel.
Nel screamed, and Jay ran forward.
“Stop, Tyler!” Kim yelled at him.
Jay dove into the fight and reached for Tyler.
“Come on Tyler. Cut it out!” he grunted.
Tyler swung his arm at an unexpected angle to hit Jay across the back of the neck. Jay was ready for him, and grabbed Tyler's arm, twisting it enough to knock Tyler off balance. Jay started to stand up and pull Tyler with him, but Tyler recovered and threw his weight onto Jay.
Together, they tumbled off of David and to the side.
The girls ran forward and dragged David out of the way. Alice shut out the noise around her. Kim was crying, and Nel was shouting awful things at Tyler.
Alice knelt next to David, slapping at his face and chaffing his hands.
“David, can you hear me?”
He jumped a little. “Yeah...let me get back in there.”
“No way.” Alice cried.
The fight behind them ended abruptly.
“No.” one of the other girls whispered.
Alice spun around just as the click of a gun ended the silence.
“Back against the wall.” Tyler yelled, pointing the gun at them.
“Go ahead, shoot me.” Kim said defiantly.
“No, I don't think I will.” Tyler said. “You're good friend, Kim. I guess...” he turned around.
“I can shoot him.” he pointed the gun at Jay, who was crumpled on the floor.
“You wouldn't.” Kim whispered.
“Oh yeah? After everything?” Tyler was shaking, and his voice was on the edge of breaking.
“Please.”
“Stay put.” Tyler grabbed a towel off the table and held it to his bleeding nose, while pointing the gun with his other hand; he was running from them again.
David reached across his brother's chest and strapped the seat belt.
“Call me when you get to Rob's house.” he told Alice.
She nodded and started the engine. Nel was sitting in the passenger seat, her face pale.
“Relax, it's going to be okay.” David tried to reassure her. He didn't dare to even mention Tyler's name.
“You have all the paperwork, right?” David asked.
Alice nodded.
“Be careful.”
“We will. Keep some ice on that bruise.” Alice directed, gesturing at her friend's face.
“Yeah...” David touched it gingerly.
Nel bit her lip as she looked at David's bruised face and forearms.
“Jay's okay, right?” she ventured.
“He's awake.” Kim said, walking up to Nel's open window. “He's not hurt much.”
Nel nodded. “Okay.”
Kim bit her lip and reached for Nel's hand. “Be brave, okay? I know you don't want to be brave for Tyler, but be brave for Jay and Will and me.”
Nel leaned out the window and hugged Kim hard, not saying a word.
The two of them hadn't been extremely close until now. When life was normal, they would see each other frequently on their double dates.
Then Nel and Tyler broke up, and Nel was suddenly left out of the lives of Will, Jay, Tyler, and Kim. The other girls in the sorority house moved out, leaving her feeling very alone. Very alone. Out of desperation, Nel had started arranging coffee dates with Kim. Sometimes Jay, and even Will, would come along.
Those were the times when the idea of a road trip for the guys One of their last dates, when all four of them were sitting at the corner table of their favorite coffee shop, Will announced that it was official.
Nel had been so excited for them, and very open to Will's idea of leaving some of the guys' stuff at her house.
She'd been furious and confused to discover later that she was part of Will's plan....he'd switched the boxes at her house to plant false evidence against Tyler and Jay; notebooks with Drexler and bomb plans in their handwriting.
When Tyler showed up at her door, Nel collapsed in a heap in his arms, sobbing and kissing him. The trauma had mended their relationship...temporarily.
“So that's the plan.” Alice said.
“I'm sorry, were you talking?” Nel murmured, shaking the fog out of her head.
Alice smiled compassionately. “I know this is a lot to handle. And I'm so sorry about Tyler.”
Nel frowned. “No, I'm the one who should be sorry. My boyfriend beat up yours.”
Alice laughed. “How did you know that David and I were an item?”
“Come on, I'm not stupid.” Nel grinned.
“Anyway, you can't take Tyler's blame for him. It's not your fault.” Alice focused on the road.
“David's going to be okay, right?”
“He'll be completely fine.” Alice reassured her.
“And Jay?”
Alice almost hesitated. “I'm...sure Jay will be just fine. I didn't see him after the fight, but I trust Kim. Now, stop worrying about the guys and focus on our assignment. We're going to get Will to the hospital.”
It didn't take long to get to Robert Hanson's house. Alice parked in the driveway, jumped out of the pickup, and turned to Nel.
“Stay with Will. I'm going to get Rob to help me bring him into the house.”
Moments later, Alice ran out of the house with the man who Nel knew must be Doctor Hanson.
Nel got out and shook his hand quickly, and then the three of them worked slowly and carefully to carry Will into the house and onto the doctor's sofa.
“What do you want me to do?” Robert asked, kneeling and examining Will. “It looks like he's had this gunshot wound for about a week.”
“He has.” Alice said.
“And the bullet didn't exit? Why didn't you bring him sooner?”
“I didn't know where he was. He showed up at one of our secure locations a couple days ago.”
Robert nodded.
“Who is he?”
“Rob, you know I can't tell you that.”
“Oh, right.” he said. “Sorry.”
“We need your medical expertise.” Alice said earnestly. “We have his alias medical paperwork, his id, everything. And we need you to help us keep his presence at the hospital as secret as possible. How many people will need to see him?”
Robert frowned and shook his head. “My surgical team, a couple nurses...”
“That's too many.”
“It's the best I can do.”
Alice sat on the edge of the coffee table. “What if he never had to go into the hospital?”
“What do you mean?” Nel wondered.
“Can you take the bullet out in the ambulance?”
“Alice, no, that's too risky.”
Nel shook her head. “I'm not a doctor, and even I don't see how that could be a good idea.”
“I have a plan.” Alice said slowly. “But you're not going to like it.”
Robert swallowed and took Alice's hands.
“I trust you, sweetheart. I know that whatever you do is in the best interest of national security and patriotism.”
Alice threw her arms around her “boyfriend” and, over his shoulder, winked at Nel.
This guy was willing to do anything.
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