by ID Johnson
"How are you?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper. Though he seemed to be feeling much better now than he had been when they boarded the plane, he was still obviously weak, and it would likely be several days before he fully recovered.
Cadence glanced up at him and then away again, not exactly sure how to respond. She knew he would be able to tell if she wasn't honest anyway, so she told him the truth. "Not very good, " she admitted, shrugging her shoulders.
Aaron nodded. "I'm sorry. Do you know how he is doing?"
Shaking her head, Cadence replied, "No, I haven't listened to my messages yet. I guess I'm afraid to."
Again, he nodded in understanding. "Well, we will be on the ground in Kansas City soon enough. I've arranged for a plane to take you straight to Lincoln as soon as we touch down. I really wish that I could go with you myself, Cadence, but I just don't think I can handle it right now."
Cadence was able to look him in the eye now, and she could easily see how difficult it was for him to admit that. "No," she said shaking her head, "I completely understand. You need to rest. And you need Jamie close by, just in case."
Aaron snickered. "I'm fine, Cadence. I'll be fine."
Hearing his adamant proclamation brought back fleeting memories of when he was not fine, and Cadence hurriedly brushed them aside, having no time or emotional strength to contemplate them just then. "Good," she finally replied, smiling. "I'm glad to hear that." Then, she added, "I'm sorry I didn't ask you how you were feeling before. I meant to."
Even before she finished her statement, he was shrugging her off. "No, it's fine," he said resolutely. "Don't worry about that. I know you've got more important things to worry about now."
Cadence didn't pause to ponder exactly which of her worries was, in fact, the most important. Rather, she moved on to gathering more information about the arrangements he had made for her trip to Lincoln, where Jack was hospitalized and the rest of her friends had congregated a few days earlier. "Will I be going alone then?" she asked, hoping she would have at least one friend with her, just in case Taylor's news was not good, and she needed emotional support.
"No, of course not," Aaron replied. "I'm sending a Guardian with experience in this type of situation with you. Her name is Hannah, and I think you'll find her very helpful."
She was disappointed to hear a stranger would be accompanying her in such emotional circumstances, though she trusted Aaron's judgment. "I don't think I've ever met her," she admitted.
"No, you haven't," he replied. "But she has a talent fairly similar to my own in that she cannot only detect emotions, she can also help regulate them."
A look of confusion on her face, Cadence asked, "What do you mean? She can cause people to feel specific emotions?"
Adjusting in his seat a bit uncomfortably, Aaron glanced away as he contemplated his answer. "Yes, and no. Sort of. Let's just say, if you are in a situation where your emotions could potentially get the best of you, she can take the edge off."
Cadence wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she knew she would be traveling with Hannah regardless of whether she wanted to or not. She was in no situation to argue with the leader, and so she determined to trust him. "All right," she agreed. "If you feel that she's the best person to send with me, then so be it."
"There is one other team member I insist go with you," Aaron said quietly, not yet meeting her eyes.
Again, Cadence felt uneasy. It wasn't like him not to look directly at her, and so she knew that there was a good possibility she was not going to like whatever it was he had to say. "Who's that?" she asked cautiously.
"Well," Aaron began, glancing in her direction but not committing to holding her gaze. "Considering the situation, the fact that there may be some need for cover up, I feel that it is imperative that, despite previous difficulties, you really need to be accompanied by someone who can do damage control. . . ."
Before he could finish, Cadence rolled her eyes and threw her hands to her head. "No," she groaned, praying her assumption was incorrect.
"He's not happy about it either," Aaron admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But, Cadence, believe me, it's for the best. Elliott needs to go with you. Maybe this will be your opportunity to get to know each other a little better and repair your relationship."
"Aaron!" Cadence whispered sharply, suddenly aware that Elliott, who was seated across the aisle and one row in front of her, was clearly listening to their conversation, though he only glanced in her direction briefly. "You can't honestly expect me to put up with him while I'm potentially going through the grieving process! He hates me! He tried to get me thrown off of the team!" Though her voice never rose above a whisper, she was clearly upset, and her tone came through despite the volume.
"I know, I know," Aaron assured her, placing his hand on her forearm. "Believe me, I am fully aware of your feelings about one another. Nevertheless, if you will stop and consider the situation from the perspective of the team, I'm sure you can understand why it is that I insist that you take him with you. If the need should arise for a cover up, he's the only one capable of carrying that out."
Despite the fact that she was very aware of his hand on her arm, she regained her focus and her argument, stating, "Aaron, losing Drew was one thing. But, if I lose Jack, too, I don't know how I'm ever going to get through that. I can't imagine having only a stranger and Elliott to help me." She spat his name out as if it were a swear word, hoping he could see just how adamantly she did not want this particular Guardian to come along.
"I understand," Aaron replied, his hand sliding down her arm and grasping her slender fingers. "I honestly do; you know that." She met his eyes for a moment, realizing just how much truth his words held. He had gone through a similar experience when he had lost his wife, Aislyn, to illness many years ago. "Cadence," he said, fully enveloping her hand in his, "Trust me. Please. I know what I'm doing."
She peered into his eyes then, allowing herself, momentarily, to contemplate all of the things that had attracted her to the Guardian Leader in the first place. Cadence knew she could trust his judgment. Not only would he do what was best for the team, he had her best interest in mind as well. She slowly began to nod her head, "Okay," she said, squeezing his hand. "I trust you."
Aaron nodded along, sighing in relief. "Thank you," he replied quietly. They sat in silence for a few moments, still holding hands, before he added, "We should be landing in a few moments. When are you going to check your messages?"
Though she really didn't want to, Cadence let go of his hand and rested her head in her hands, her elbows digging into her knees. She knew she was going to have to listen to those messages eventually. Slowly, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and was relieved to feel Aaron's arm slip around her shoulders. Despite the fact that the plane had not landed, she changed her settings, taking the device out of Airplane Mode and dialed her voicemail. Intently, she listened to each of Taylor's messages, taking in each word, bracing herself for the inevitable as each call became more and more intense. When she finally got to the seventh and final message, all her friend had said was, "Cadence, call me. Now. Please."
Shaking her head, she looked at the phone in disbelief. "She didn't say," she reported to Aaron, bewildered. "She just said to call her."
Aaron looked a bit puzzled himself. "Well, call her then," he replied, giving her permission to break the cardinal rule of airplane cell phone use. The plane was descending, and there was no possibility that the call would need to be transferred between towers at this point, nor was there a realistic possibility that it would interfere with the performance of the plane.
Again, Cadence hesitated but knew he was right. She would just have to make the call and get it over with. Once again, she pressed the button to dial, this time selecting Taylor's name off of her list of recent calls. Her friend answered on the second ring, and it was quite obvious she had been crying.
"Cadence?" Taylor asked, her voice shaking.
"Taylor," C
adence began. "I'm so sorry. I just got your messages. How. . . how is he?"
"Where are you?" Taylor asked, not yet ready to answer her question.
"I am on a plane. I'm landing in Kansas City now. Is Jack okay?" Cadence braced herself for the reply, very thankful that Aaron's arm was still around her.
Taylor began to sob. "No, I'm sorry, Cadence. He's not," she replied.
Cadence caught her breath, a lump forming in her throat. "Taylor?" she probed, cautiously. "Is he. . . ."
The sobs on the other end of the line grew heavier as the young girl attempted to state the unthinkable. "I'm so sorry, Cadence. He died. Jack. . . died, early this morning."
Tears were falling from Cadence's eyes before her friend even completed the sentence. "Oh, God, Taylor," she replied, her hand over her eyes in a failed attempt to keep herself from sobbing. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."
"I know," Taylor admitted. "We are all sorry that you weren't here." There was some hesitation before she added, "He asked for you. We told him you were on your way, but then, he slipped into a coma. We don't know if he thought you were with him when he passed, but I'm sorry you weren't. I know how much you wanted to be."
"I did," Cadence exclaimed. "God, I can't believe he's gone, and I didn't get to tell him good-bye!" She barely felt the jar of the wheels making contact with the runway as the plane touched down.
"When will you be here?" Taylor asked, a pleading tone to her voice.
Cadence looked up, suddenly aware that the plane was taxying now. "We just landed. I should be there in less than two hours. I just have to switch planes, and I'll be there." It was taking every ounce of concentration she had to keep herself from completely breaking down, and were it not for the comfort of Aaron's arm around her, she was quite certain she would be hyperventilating by now.
"Okay, good," Taylor replied, catching her breath. "We need you here with us, Cadence," she affirmed.
"I know," Cadence stated. "I want to be there with you. I should have never left. I should have been there."
There was another catch in Taylor's voice. "It just went south so quickly. We didn't know . . . we weren't prepared. It's not your fault."
"Still," Cadence argued, "I should have stayed there, with him, until he was better. "
"What's done is done. But, we need you with us now," Taylor continued. "Because Jack is gone."
"I know," Cadence replied. Then, she allowed herself to say those words for the first time. "I know. . . Jack is gone."
"No, Cadence, you don't understand," Taylor explained. "Jack is gone."
Chapter 2
Jack had known better than to walk in the front door of his dorm building wearing only a hospital gown and a lab coat, though he had seen party-goers coming home drunk wearing equally suspicious outfits upon occasion. Nevertheless, he had decided to use the custodial entrance, the one next to the dumpsters. The door appeared to be locked from the inside, but he was able to pull it forcefully enough to open it anyway, though he was fairly certain he wouldn't be locking it behind him, especially since their was now a gaping hole in the door jam where the deadbolt had ripped through.
He had managed to make it up the stairs to his room without encountering any other residents. The door to his room was shut but not locked, and he opened it cautiously, not sure whether or not his roommate would be home. He was usually back from class by now, but he may have gone to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He was relieved to see that Byron wasn't there. His room was a mess, but he didn't waste time cleaning it up. He had the feeling he wouldn't be staying here any longer, though he wasn't exactly sure why. He hurriedly pulled on some clothes and looked around for his sneakers. Unable to find his favorite pair, he dug through his closet and located the ones his mother had bought him for Christmas last year. They were not his style, but they would work. He had some cash stored in his sock drawer and a fake driver's license he used to get into bars and night clubs. It would have to do for now until he figured out what to do about his wallet.
He considered using the dorm room phone to call Cadence, but a noise in the hallway caught his attention, and for some reason, he felt like he needed to go. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he didn't want anyone who knew him to see him. He just felt . . . different somehow, and he wasn't sure they would understand. He decided to leave, at least for a little while, to go somewhere and see if he could get his thoughts together and determine what to do next.
The burning in his throat was growing again, and he knew he must do something to quench it before it became the only thing he could think about.
***
Cadence nearly dropped the phone. "What, Taylor?" she said as the plane came to a complete stop. "What do you mean?"
"The hospital said there was some sort of a problem, a mix up. They're still looking, but they can't find him. That's what I mean, Cadence. You need to get here. His parents are panicked and overwhelmed. We all need you," Taylor explained.
Still not sure she was hearing correctly, Cadence realized she was going to have a lot of questions until she reached her friends and family in Lincoln and could ascertain what was going on for herself. Even then, she feared her questions wouldn't be completely answered. They may never know what this strange illness was that had claimed their friend's life so quickly and so unexpectedly. "All right, Taylor. I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Okay," Taylor replied. "See you soon."
Cadence stared at the phone for a second before sliding it into her pocket and turning to face Aaron. She realized that the rest of the team had all stood and approached her when the plane stopped rolling, everyone except for Stormy who was actually a contracted teammate for this last mission. She had grabbed her stuff and was already making her way off of the plane. The rest of the faces staring back at Cadence were full of concern and sadness. Despite their proximity, Cadence focused on the one person she felt could comfort her in this unbelievable time of grief. "He's dead," she said quietly, allowing Aaron to pull her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"I'm so sorry," he replied, softly stroking her hair. He caught the eyes of Elliott who was leaning against the seat where he had been sitting, just a row in front, a knowing glance exchanged. "I know how badly you wanted to be there," he added.
Eliza reached over the seat in front of Cadence and rubbed her back. "Poor Jack," she whispered. "I'm sorry, too, Cadence. I know how much you cared about him." Eliza had met Jack only briefly, when the Guardians had helped Cadence and her friends flee the clutches of Holland and her evil Vampires after the Eidolon Festival. Eliza had been the one to drive Jack to safety.
After a few moments of heavy sobbing, Cadence was able to gather herself together enough to face her team. She knew she needed to get on the other plane; the one headed to Lincoln, and letting her emotions get the best of her was not helping her friends. Wiping at her tears with the back of her hand, she said, "Thanks, you guys. This is just . . . unbelievable. "
Jamie handed Cadence several tissues from where he stood steadying himself in the aisle next to her. Though he was clearly feeling much better he was still not at one hundred percent. "What can we do?" he asked, looking at Cadence and then at Aaron.
It was the latter that answered. "Hannah and Elliott are going to fly with Cadence to Lincoln. The rest of us will return to base and keep in contact via IAC."
"I want to go, too," Eliza chimed in, her eyes wide with assertion.
Aaron sighed. He had contemplated letting Eliza go since she and Cadence were friends, but he wanted to keep the party small, and he had other matters for Eliza to attend to back at LIGHTS, the team's headquarters. "I'd rather you didn't," he began, catching Cadence's eyes and attempting to determine whether or not Cadence wanted Eliza with her or not. He saw a vague look of disappointment and paused to reconsider his decision.
"Please?" Eliza begged, recognizing the unsure look on her long-time boss's face. "Cadence wants me to, don't you?"
"All right," Aaron agreed, seeing Cadence's expression shift momentarily to one of relief and Eliza's to joy. "But, I don't want all three of you going to the hospital with her; that's just too much. We don't need any speculations. So, while Hannah and Elliott accompany her in public, you lay low at the hotel. Stay out of sight and just be a support person, got it?"
"Got it!" Eliza agreed, patting Cadence on the shoulder. While she was happy to have the opportunity to help her friend in this difficult time, one glance back at Cadence's broken expression was a distinct reminder of all that she was going through. "It'll be all right," she said softly, nodding her head.
Cadence nodded as well, though she wasn't sure she believed it. However, thinking of a life without Jack in it was more than she could handle just now, and she become even more resolved to wait until she reached her destination to fully digest all of the information she had recently acquired. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself to her feet, the others stepping back out of her way as she did so. "I guess we need to get going," she said, looking at Eliza and then at Elliott.
Jamie reached over and wrapped his arms around Cadence, wishing his healing powers could work on emotions. "Take care," he said quietly, brushing her hair back.
