“Ah, well, that’s such a relief. I mean, you fell! You could have gotten a terrible injury... You could have drowned! But such a fall!” Amelia went on.
“They have an amazing doctor on board, but one of my guardian angels dragged me up and the other was an expert at CPR!” Edward said.
“No, no, I just happened to have become certified as a lifeguard when I was in college—needed to pay my way through. Well, my parents helped, but I needed to work, too. Never knew it would prove to be so helpful. I mean, we’re the grateful ones here. My wife and I have had this cruise planned... Never thought it would be so wonderful as to have so many computer geniuses aboard!” Wes assured her.
“Well, I’m glad we’re all so lucky!” Amelia murmured.She smiled brightly, looking from Wes to Chloe. “Um, I can keep Edward company, if you two young people had something you wanted to do onboard!”
“Oh, we’re just waiting for the next set of classes to start,” Chloe said.
Yes, they were waiting. They weren’t leaving anyone alone here with Edward Thompson.
“I wonder if the doctor wants this many people in the room with you, Edward,” Amelia said.
“I’m sure—” Edward began.
“Not to worry! I will go get ready for my class,” Amelia said. She gave them another bright smile. “You two get to go to the classes—I get to give them! So, Edward, don’t worry, we all adore you and you will get too many visitors, I fear.”
“Oh, he’ll be all right,” Wes assured her. “Doc Kilbride said that a private nurse is coming from the company to make sure he doesn’t have any later repercussions from this whatsoever.”
“Oh!” Amelia said. “Well, wow, you are an important man, Edward!”
Edward laughed softly. “No, just a lucky man with lots of good friends.”
Amelia nodded, smiling. “Okay, then, see you later, alligator!”
“In a while, crocodile!” Edward responded, and laughing, Amelia left the room.
“Seriously, you two don’t need to babysit me,” Edward said. “You saved my life, that’s quite enough!”
“Oh, we’re fine,” Wes assured him. “Like Chloe said, we’re just waiting for the new schedule.”
“Daniel and Broderick are very good. The hackers out there must really hate them! They have created one of themost impressive cybersecurity firms known to man. Most of the major companies out there use Bulwark,” Edward told them.
“So important!” Chloe murmured.
Looking to the waiting room, Wes saw that another man had arrived. He met with a nurse and then the doctor came out as well, greeting him and smiling.
Wes realized that somehow Alonzo—through Edward’s Milestones company, of course—had managed to get their nurse/legat out to them already. It hadn’t been a full two hours since the event had happened.
But, of course, that was Alonzo. He’d gotten to where he was by being amazingly good and efficient.
“I think the man sent from Milestones is here,” he said.
“Man? They couldn’t send me a pretty nurse, eh?” Edward said lightly. “Just teasing, I’m grateful that they care so much.”
“I’ll go and—” Wes started to say and head out, but he didn’t need to do so. The doctor was already leading the newcomer into the room.
“Hello!”
Wes knew several of the Bureau’s extension people working in the Caribbean and both Central and South America. He hadn’t met George Garcia, but of course, Garcia knew who they really were, just as they knew that the man had double-duty on the ship.
“Mr. Thompson!” Doctor Kilbride said cheerfully. “I’ve just had the pleasure of meeting Mr. George Garcia, the nurse practitioner who just arrived to make sure that you do okay through the coming days. Mr. Garcia, your patient, Mr. Edward Thompson, and his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas—our heroes of the hour.”
“Nice to meet you all,” George Garcia assured them, nodding to Wes and Chloe and giving his attention to his patient. “I’m here for you, sir. I will never be far!”
“You did an amazing job of getting here,” Wes told him.
“They coptered me in! It was great. And yes, fast,” Garcia told them, grinning. “Doc Kilbride has caught me up to speed, so here I am.”
