Accident?

When the ambulance arrives, the atmosphere seems foggy. It was quiet, yet the emergency was real. The paramedics check Kyle over and try to bring him to, but without success. Bringing in a stretcher, they prepare to take him out, murmuring amongst themselves about the possibilities. The pain medication was mentioned again, and there seemed to be something that the paramedics didn't want to discuss until after they received a doctor's confirmation. No matter the cause, they needed to get Kyle to the hospital.

The ambulance is followed by the rest of the team, no one willing to stay behind. Thankfully, no one else had booked their room at the hotel, and they're able to keep it longer, Jordan making quick arrangements on their way out.

The drive to the hospital never seemed longer. It was an unfamiliar town full of strangers. Finally arriving, Kyle is taken directly down the hall to an area off-limits for the visitors. All of Break Out waits nervously in another room. Most did not take advantage of the chairs available... they were too tense to just sit and wait.

Hunter paces, though keeps a close eye on Alice. Not brave enough to blatantly offer comfort, he hopes that at least his presence would be enough to let her know if she needed a shoulder, he was there.

It seems like forever before a doctor appears. It had been several hours. "Are you the ones who brought in Kyle Mitts?"

"Yeah." Jordan is the first to step forward. "How is he?"

The doctor doesn't pull any punches. "Your friend apparently overdosed on some pain killers. We pumped his stomach and got some antibiotics into him, so I expect him to pull through."

Chloe's face pales. "But... but I'm sure he just took a few before bed."

"Could he have taken some after that?"

"I... I don't know."

The doctor sighs and tucks his clipboard under his arm. "Was Kyle depressed?"

Hunter exchanges a look with Alice, then steps forward so Chloe doesn't have to keep explaining things in her state. "Kyle was one of the most upbeat people we know. If you're suggesting he did this on purpose..."

"Look." The doctor shifts his weight, remaining serious. "The reason I'm asking is that the blood work we did showed a concentration of a substance found in medication often used to help with depression."

Hunter's shoulders drop. "That's what it was..." He turns to look at Alice. "That's what he was getting off of, wasn't it?"

The doctor raises his eyebrows. "You say he was coming off of depression meds?"

"Makes sense now... I noticed the symptoms, but most of us didn't know he'd been taking anything."

"We will have to wait to talk to Kyle after he wakes up," the doctor informs. "But he almost died. If a suicide attempt is a possibility, then we'll have to report it."

Chloe shakes her head stubbornly. "He wouldn't have done that. I know it."

Hunter sighs deeply. Kyle's own brother had made an attempt once... but he didn't think Kyle would do this either. "There's no way to tell what happened?"

The doctor shakes his head. "Only asking him directly will tell us whether or not this was an accident."

"But he wouldn't have taken more than a couple pills!" Chloe emphasizes again.

"Miss, I'm sorry." The doctor tries to remain gentle. "But the bloodwork didn't lie. There was too much in his system to just be a regular dose. It was enough to knock him out but not kill him, thankfully. Though if he would have been left alone, I'm not sure he would have been able to pull through." He looks around at all the faces. "He's in room sixty-five down the hall on the second floor. Right now he's asleep, but can see him if you want."

"When will he wake up?" Myla asks.

"Only time will tell. His body is recovering though. He might sleep through the day and night, or he might wake up within the hour. Nurses are on call if you need anything."

Jordan nods. "Thank you, doctor." Once the physician is gone, Jordan looks at the others, Alice in particular. He knew she was the closest to Kyle. "If you want to see him first," he offers gently, "it's okay."


Tension rose. Adrenaline increased. There was no room for mistakes here.

Reese nods to Phinox. "I won't let her get away with anything," he retorts. He was mad enough about Katie that he wasn't going to let anyone pull anything over on him. He retrieves his handgun, checks it over, then puts it under the van's driver's seat. He didn't like it not being on him, but he couldn't risk blowing the tradeoff by wearing a sidearm.

Pulling forward again, the van creeps further into the parking lot, finally coming to a stop. "How many we got, Con?"

"Just the three you see. Two are wandering around back."

"Scott? How you coming?"

Scott wipes the sweat from his brow and stares at the bomb that lay in pieces. The trigger had yet to be disarmed though. "I'm working on it."

"How much time?"

"Five minutes."

Reese doesn't want the trade to go too quickly. He'd rather give Jason and Scott time to get out the back before everything else went down, but they would now have to play it by ear. Getting out of the van, Reese walks cautiously around the other side, making eye contact with Rod. Moving slowly enough so no one would be suspicious, he opens the side door and lets the three men out. Standing for a moment, he then leads them forward, covering half the distance before stopping. "We got what you want," he calls to Rod. "Now give me what I want."