Nemesis Chapter 47

Nemesis Chapter 47

The four men rode to the hospital in near-total silence, each one thinking about the events of the past week and how close they'd all come to losing their lives - and each other.

They arrived at the hospital and rode the elevator up to the fourth floor.  Max, in the lead, knocked lightly on the closed door.

"Come in," Shannon said breezily.

Max opened the door, and the four of them went inside.  When Shannon saw them, her face visibly relaxed and her sigh of relief was audible.

"Thank God you're all safe," she breathed.

"We're fine, Shannon," Nicholas said reassuringly.

"How'd it go?"

Grant, Max, and Nicholas took turns explaining the day's events, while Jim remained unusually quiet.  Shannon chuckled as Max recalled how he'd shot out Christie 's tires with the dart gun.

"I'm glad that the rice is unspoiled and going where it needs to go," Shannon smiled.  "So what's going to happen to Garcia and Sanders?"

"Well, with Christie dead, Garcia will be the fall guy for the entire operation," Nicholas answered.  "Sanders is guilty, too, and he's obviously done as Commerce Minister, but if he testifies against Garcia it will probably earn him a lesser sentence."

"And judging by his reaction to his impromptu Interpol visit," Grant chimed in, "I'd say Sanders is ready to sing like a bird.  Wouldn't you say, Jim?"  he asked, looking to his leader for confirmation.

Jim did not respond right away, prompting the other team members to also turn in his direction.  His gaze was fixed on a corner of the hospital room wall, and his mind seemed to be a thousand miles away.  Grant was sure he hadn't heard anything that he had said.

"Jim?"  he tried again.

Suddenly, Jim appeared to snap back to reality.  He looked at Grant, realizing that the young agent had been speaking to him, and that everyone in the room was now looking at him.

"I'm sorry, what did you say, Grant?"

Grant opened his mouth to ask about Jim's well-being, but thought better of it and closed it again.  Instead, he asked, "Wouldn't you bet that Sanders will be more than willing to testify against Garcia?"

"Oh, definitely," answered Jim with a nod.  "I'd say both of them are going away for a long, long time."

"Not as long as Christie," grunted Max, his tone a mixture of sarcasm and satisfaction.

"Well, I, for one, am glad he's dead," remarked Shannon.

Suddenly, Jim stood to his feet and bolted out the door.  For a moment, the four agents looked at one another  in stunned silence.  Then Nicholas' companions all looked at him expectantly.

"I'll go find him," Nicholas said, and went out the door to find his leader.

Shannon's face fell.  "Did I say something wrong?"  she asked sadly.

"No, Shannon," Max assured her, patting her hand in comfort.  "We all feel the same way."

"Jim's been through a lot in the past few days," Grant added.  "It's just going to take him some time.  Don't worry; Nicholas will take care of him."