“I will!” Chris argued. “You’re the wild child.”
“Not so much anymore, trust me,” Brandon said, looking around at all of them. His eyes fell on Sky. “And you!” he said softly, turning to Chase. “She walked out with Malcolm, you know, because he threatened to kill me.”
“But it all worked out!” Sky said.
“How the hell?” Brandon asked.
“Teamwork!” Chase said. “Sky kicked ass, Larry distracted the one guy, and...”
“You brought ’em down,” Brandon finished. “It’s been all over the news. Right now, a lot of confusion. Apparently, reporters know that Esposito was running a major drug-distribution ring through several venues. Working with people like Malcolm—threatening families, little children—to get what they wanted done. Right now, they’re just saying that members of Skyhawk were injured, but that—hmm, how did they put it, Dad?”
“They said that members of Skyhawk held their own and helped bring down a crew of major criminals. People knew you were kidnapped, Sky, and they knew that Chase came after you—I think they even knew a dog was involved, but the reporters have been shockingly careful about what they’re reporting. Still...”
“Still, there’s going to be enough publicity to make us all crazy...and rise to the top of the charts!” Mark said. He shook his head. “But that’s not what matters. I’m just grateful, so incredibly grateful, that we’re all here. That Chris is going to be okay, that Hank is on the mend. That Sky and Chase—”
“And Larry!”
“And Larry? Okay, the thing is, we made it. And we know the truth behind what happened to Jake, all those years ago, Jake meant to get it all torn down. And... Chase, Sky, you knew. The rest of us were devastated but never saw it as anything other than an accident. We always knew that Jake was best, and thanks to him, we all know how to be our best, and thanks to you, Sky, and you, Chase, we’ve all survived—and lots of people will live. All is good. Hey, I could pass out some Jell-O and we could all toast one another?” Mark finished.
They all laughed softly.
“Think I’ll pass on the hospital Jell-O,” Chase told them. “And I want to go and check on Bobby quickly. If they’ll let me, of course.”
“I think they’ll let you do just about anything tonight—or this morning,” Hank asserted.
Chase nodded. He glanced at Sky and smiled and slipped out into the quiet hall. He spoke briefly to the police officer on duty, who assured him that he was welcome to look in on Bobby Sacks, though the patient might be sleeping.
But when Chase stepped silently into the room, Bobby’s eyes were open.
“I’d hoped you’d stop by to see me!” Bobby said. “I...oh, man, I’ve got to admit, after I talked to you, I was pretty terrified. Because there were layers to what was going on, people who did know who the players were, people who didn’t...and everyone worried about their loved ones if they didn’t follow through. But...is the news real? They say the FBI brought down the kingpin, but they say that they followed you, that you were involved.”
“I think it’s safe, Bobby. And I just wanted to say I know that you were scared to say anything. You did. You talked, even terrified. So you were a help, just as much as anyone.”
Bobby smiled. “That’s great news. I have other great news.”
“That’s great. Really great!”
Bobby’s smile deepened. “I’m going to live! No permanent damage to my major organs. Somehow... Well, you really saved my life. I owe it to you.”
“No. You owe a good life to yourself,” Chase told him. He patted Bobby’s shoulder. “Just stick with it, keep getting better and better. And right now, I’m going to leave you before they throw me out.”
Bobby nodded. “Thank you!”
Chase nodded and waved, leaving Bobby’s room and heading back to Chris’s.
The nurse met him in the hall.
“There are sick people in this hospital, Mr. McCoy. Now, I am aware it was a difficult night for you all, but you’ve seen your friends and your grandfather, and now it’s time for you to leave,” she informed him.
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be getting right out of here,” he promised.
Stepping back into Chris’s room, he saw that everyone in the room seemed comfortable and relaxed. His grandfather sat in his wheelchair, Chris was in his bed, Joe was on the chair in the corner with Brandon perched on the edge of it, Mark was still standing by the bed, and Skylar was seated at the foot of it.
They all looked up when he came in.
“Bobby Sacks?” Mark asked.
“Pulling through fine, too,” Chase informed them. “But we’ve just been thrown out. Hank, we need to wheel you back, and the rest of us—”
“Need to go. Right. But we’ll see you in the morning,” Brandon promised his father.
“It is morning!” Chris reminded him. “Go home, all of you. Adrenaline has run out. You had a great show—and then all hell broke loose. Go!”
“Wait!” Hank said. “Someone has an announcement for us.”
Hank stared at him hard.
“Oh! Yes, we do—”
“But we don’t have a date, we want to see my mom—” Sky began.
“Oh, my God, took you two long enough!” Brandon exclaimed. “Wow, and yay!”
“Legacy,” Mark said, looking around the room. “Chase, Sky, beautiful. We couldn’t be happier for you. We’ll have to hire a band for the wedding because—”
“Because we hope you’ll all be celebrating with us!” Sky said.
“Because the lead singer will be a bit busy,” Joe said, laughing. “Seriously, guys, we couldn’t be happier. And I know that...somewhere...”
