Trevor shook his head. “Yes, but we can’t ignore her ties to terrorists. She might have information we need or be affiliated with the Sons of Adam. She’ll be treated for her wounds, but we need to bring her in.”
Brendan seemed troubled by that announcement, but he kept quiet as Trevor injected the wound with local anesthetic. It only took him a few minutes to set up the portable regen machine. The device, programmed with medical grade nanites, worked with a person’s DNA to regrow organs and limbs. The portable version was used for superficial wounds and lacerations that weren’t exceptionally deep.
His medical background with the Recon Marines and later the MDF meant Trevor was certified to use a portable regen unit. It was fairly straightforward: attaching the machine over the wound, aligning the needles at the prescribed injection sites, and getting an initial blood read of Brendan’s DNA. The nanites would use it to accelerate skin, muscle, tissue, and blood vessel growth to heal and close up the wound.
“Comfortable?” Trevor asked.
Brendan made a face. “I’m fine.”
The faint tremors in his hands showed the lie for what it was. Trevor met Jamie’s gaze and nodded at the door. “Wait for me outside?”
Jamie left without a word. Trevor settled his hand on Brendan’s shoulder, giving him an encouraging look. “Are you sure nothing else is bothering you?”
The swelling in Brendan’s face was going down and the nanites were working their regen magic on his arm. The treatment would take maybe an hour, and Trevor didn’t want to leave Brendan alone. The other man’s partner still hadn’t returned, and while he appeared calm, the uptick in his vitals told Trevor it was a stoic façade.
Brendan shook his head, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m fine. Promise.”
Trevor let him stick to the lie for the moment. “I need to speak with Jamie. I’ll be right back.”
“You don’t have to stay.”
Trevor gently squeezed Brendan’s shoulder. “Yes, I do. I’m not leaving you alone.”
Brendan blinked up at him before he relaxed an infinitesimal amount against the biobed, looking small and vulnerable. “Okay.”
The relief buried in Brendan’s voice made Trevor resolve to keep an eye on him. No way was he leaving Brendan alone after what had happened. Which meant, when Trevor went to speak with Jamie, he left the door open so he was still within eyesight of his patient.
The ER was now teeming with doctors, patients, and police. Despite the controlled chaos, many people were looking their way, eyes trained on where Jamie stood talking through comms to whoever was on duty back at the MDF headquarters.
“…bringing them in alive,” Jamie said, glancing up at Trevor. “No casualties, but I can’t be sure Trevor was targeted.”
“I wasn’t,” Trevor said as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I was in class. They followed the patient Brendan was transporting.”
“There was a bomb according to the police, sir,” Secret Service Special Agent Oliver Burwell said.
Jamie nodded in silent acknowledgment of that information, still looped into the comms. “I’ll come by after I’ve seen to Trevor and briefed the agents who are on their way about the patient still in surgery.”
“Pretty sure your father will be pissed about you staying in D.C.,” Trevor said when Jamie ended the call.
Richard Callahan was the Senate Majority Leader and Republican presidential candidate whose campaign had almost tanked due to Alpha Team’s long-running mission to take down an enemy precog. Currently, Jamie’s father was leading in the polls and was strongly favored across the board to win the presidency in November.
Trevor, like the rest of the team, believed Richard’s success was due to Jamie’s status as a metahuman, and the role Alpha Team had played in saving the nation’s capital. Having worked with Jamie for so many years, Trevor was aware that politics was all about who you knew and who you were related to. No one had been surprised about Richard using his son’s reputation to polish his own. It still left a sour taste in his mouth.
“My father can do without me for a couple of days,” Jamie told him. “You need me more right now.”
Trevor shrugged. “Not really. Assholes weren’t after me. They were after the woman.”
“Lover’s spat gone wrong, you think?”
“I don’t know. She wasn’t conscious when I finally got down here. If she’s in any way affiliated with them, and they’re part of the Sons of Adam, they might have intel the MDF will want.”
“I sent their pictures, prints, and RealIdent numbers to Katie,” Kyle said, popping up from seemingly out of nowhere. “She’s looking into their connections for the MDF.”
Jamie eyed his fiancé with fond exasperation. “Pretty sure Katie didn’t want to be disturbed this week since Matthew is in town.”
Kyle stared back with a challenging look on his face. “You think keeping the fact that Trevor’s hospital got attacked from the rest of the team and then letting them find out from the news is a good idea? Don’t be stupid. I’d like you alive for our wedding next year, Jamie.”
“I didn’t say keep Katie or the others in the dark.” Jamie glanced at Trevor. “Did I say that?”
