Matching scars

Kyle tries to smile, though he begins to realize how upset Alice must have been over this whole thing. Letting his arms flop back down, his hand goes to hers and his fingers wrap around her own. "You won't lose me," he states flatly. "I'm not death material. I just keep getting thrown back." A wink follows his statement and he gives her hand a squeeze.

Yawning, his eyes start to drift shut again. "Stick around, will ya?" he mumbles. "I'm tired... of being alone."


Ryder knew he was in for many surprises with Thirteen when he realizes that she really has no idea what he's doing as he tries to clean her up, and as she makes the statement about no one asking her what she wanted. He couldn't remember a time he felt sorrier for someone. It just wasn't right... it wasn't fair.

"Water." Ryder nods. "I can do that."

Before he turns to go though, he stops, seeing the pill that Thirteen brings out. His eyes narrow and he picks it up, taking a closer look. So they could find her? That seemed like a load of hogwash. But why would.... then it dawns on him. His heart sinks even lower. Keeping the pill ensures that she would not even be tempted to take it later. "I'm glad you didn't take this." He purses his lips grimly. "If you had, you would have been dead within half an hour."

Sighing deeply, he turns around. "I'll be right back. Sit tight."

Five minutes later, he returns as promised. But he brings nothing. Instead, he leaves the door open and goes to Thirteen, gently prompting her out of her chair. "Come on. It's okay." Leading her slowly, he takes her out into the hall and just a few doors down to the spare room beside the infirmary. The bed had a fresh blanket and pillow on it, and though it was stripped bare of anything that could be dangerous, the small bedside table had a glass of ice water and a wrapped ham sandwich from the vending machine.

"In case you get hungry, you can have a sandwich," Ryder explains. "There's some water for you, and you can have the bed too. You'll be more comfortable in here than the other room."

Sighing, he glances around the room. He had no clearance to override protocol, but he didn't care. He'd told both Rick and Hal and that was all he would do at this point. "I'm going to leave you here for a bit, but I'll be back. If you need something, press this button here by the lightswitch. Rick, our physician will come, okay?"

Giving a nod, Ryder knows there's not much else that can be done at this point. He wanted to go to the hospital, and he wasn't about to interrogate Thirteen at this point... not now anyway. Leaving her alone for a while was probably the best option.

Without much more to say, he turns from the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He doesn't want to lock it, but he knows he must before heading out.


Laura is just starting to drift off, when a shadow passes the doorway, making her open her eyes again. Looking past Nate, she spots Ryder and a smile forms. "Hey, stranger."

"Laura." Ryder grins and comes into the room. He'd just spoken with Reese, finding out what was going on with everyone. Though he felt like finding a nice corner to be alone in sorrow over Katie, instead, he tried to push aside those feelings and concentrate on something that could be smiled about instead.

Walking to the end of the bed, he leans on the foot board. "I hear you got a nice hole in your side."

"Oh yeah... nice alright." Laura grimaces. "Mr. worrywart here is making a big deal over it, but it's really nothing."

Ryder chuckles. "Naw, you're too stubborn to let a little piece of lead keep you down. Besides... now you'll have something to match the scar on the other side."

Laura can't help the laugh that escapes. She did have a scar on the opposite side below her ribs from several years prior. She'd been with Con and Jason on that case. "Oh yes, I took the bullet today on purpose so I could remain stylish."

"Ha!" Ryder scoffs. "You don't need a scar to be stylish. You got all those hair clips in your drawer for that."

Laura giggles and she looks to Nate. "We had a little accident one morning," she relates, hinting that it was an inside joke.


A coma. Carson pulled his car into the driveway and parked. Exhaustion couldn't even begin to cover the way he felt. And it wasn't even over yet. He'd barely seen Misty after everyone had gotten back, but he'd at least been able to make sure she was okay and ensure he'd see her tomorrow. He knew he needed sleep. First though, he needed to call Angelica to make sure everything was still a go for the next day. He needed to call Aerith and tell her to be ready for work the day after tomorrow. He needed to let Dani know he was home and safe. He needed to prepare himself for court the next day.

Leaning forward, Carson rests his forehead on the steering wheel. He was so tired. He'd had no sleep and was running on empty. But this whole thing was getting to him. The whole thing with Katie... it made his stomach churn still, just thinking about it. And seeing her in that hospital bed...

He grits his teeth as the tears want to surface. They'd worked so hard at finding her and bringing her home, and now they still might lose her. And what would she have gone through, during the last few hours that she'd been awake? Torture. It just wasn't fair.


"Hope..." Rick holds the phone to his ear as he busies himself in the infirmary. "Scott wanted me to call you. The team made it back... he disarmed the bomb, and they got Katie out. A few people were hurt... Scott's arm got chewed up pretty bad, but he's okay. Katie's in a coma... but... she's back."

He takes a deep breath. "Also, Reese has informed me that to be on the safe side, until we figure some more things out, Scott will be placed under house arrest. Starting as of an hour ago, he's not allowed to see any outsiders. It's just a precaution until we know for sure what went on with him and the Agency. But... anyway... that's everything. He wanted you to know."