The Facility

They drove for eight hours, stopping to swap drivers, get food and use the restroom when they got gas.

Cass slept for most of that time, regaining consciousness only long enough to take a drink or nibble on something before falling back asleep again.

Around the eight hour mark, Cass awoke enough to complain that she really, really need to use the restroom, so they decided to stop and get something to eat.

After some debate, it was decided to stop at a sit down restaurant so everyone could stretch some. Maggie found a truck stop that had fuel, a diner and showers that could be rented. It had been long enough for all of them to need a shower.

Since Cass was injured, Gemma got to play the role of blind person so Harley could come as well. While Gemma took the dog to do his business, Lyle removed the IV from Cass’s arm.

Although they were in a hurry, Lyle, and Maggie that they would take showers first and then eat. Lyle packed a small bag with medical supplies to change the bandages on Cass as well as himself and told her to shower with all of it in place except for the elastic bandage.

Everyone grabbed a change of clothes and they all went inside. Cass was sore and leaned against Maggie to hide the fact that she was limping.

Maggie paid for two showers and Rudi and Gemma went first, then it was Maggie and Cassidy’s turn. After Cassidy hesitated, Lyle told her it would be okay. Maggie paused but once she told Maggie she would be fine, Maggie left to her own shower, leaving Lyle and Cass alone.

“Um,” Cass started, but then stopped. Lyle squatted and brushed some hair out of her face, hooking it around her ear.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Everything will get all wet.”

“It’s okay. When you are all done, we will change the bandages. It might still be hurting a bit, but if you can make it through dinner, then you can lay back down and rest. I do not have anything stronger than aspirin, but we will see if we can get some naproxen or something. Sorry I cannot give you anything stronger.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“You kids are special. While I might understand someone interested in your abilities, I do not think that you should be cages and studied. That’s not right” He put his hand on her cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. “You just hang in there. You are strong, never forget that. If you can do that, everything will work out. Now, go clean up; you will feel better.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I do not think I will feel better for a long while.”

Lyle chuckled, stood up and kissed the top of her head. “You are right. But overall you will feel better. Refreshed. Even if you are in pain. When you are done, and dressed, let me know and I will redo your dressing.”

She nodded and went to shower.

Maggie came out, hair still wet and smelling like lavender.

“Why Ms. Jensen,” he said, “you smell absolutely wonderful.”

She eyed him skeptically. “What?” he asked shrugging.

Rudi and Gemma giggled. She turned to look at them and they stopped.

“Should we wait for you two?” Maggie asked.

“No,” Lyle said. “You guys go ahead. We are in no rush in the grand scheme of things. When Cass is done, I will change her dressing and then shower and meet the rest of you. Cass can order when she gets there, but just order me a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake.”

“Okay guys, you heard the man, let’s go eat,” she said clapping her hands. The two kids cheered and stood up. Maggie started to leave but stopped. “You two go ahead and get a table. I will be right behind you,” she told the kids.

They went ahead and she turned back to Lyle. “Do you think I should stay and help Cass?”

“Instead of me you mean?”

She looked down at her feet. “You know young girls. She might not be comfortable with it.”

Lyle chuckled. “I actually don’t know young girls. At least not for a while now. And I’m not completely comfortable with it myself, but I’ve had the experience and if something goes south, then I’m… slightly better equipped to handle it. Not that you wouldn’t do everything you could. Without you, I’m not sure what would have become of us. These kids gave me back something to fight for, but you gave me back wanting a life again,” he said reaching out and tipping her chin up to look in her eyes.

He searched her emerald green eyes, looking for a tell on her feelings. Seeing a sparkle in them, he leaned in, slowly closing the space between them in case she didn’t want this.

Their lips brushed gently, both feeling the spark between them.

Maggie entwined her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as passion took over in their kiss.

Time seemed to slip away until someone said, “There’s a motel just down the street.”

The two pulled apart, both looking abashed. “Uh, I best go check on the kids,” Maggie said a little breathless.

Lyle cleared his throat and said, “Yeah. Good idea.”

Maggie turned and left and Lyle took a seat on the bench outside the shower room Cass was in. He was sitting there thinking about Maggie, losing track of time, when the door to the shower opened a crack and Cassidy peeked out.

“Ready?” Lyle asked.

Not saying anything, she nodded slightly and Lyle took his things and the medical bag into the room, closing the door behind him. He turned to look at Cass and saw she had on a t-shirt and a towel around her waist.

She saw the confusion on his face and blushed. “I-it was all wet. The bandage I mean. If I put my pants on, they would get all wet and icky.”

She pulled the towel down a bit and he could see the red tinge on the gauze. “I’ve already had to throw away a pair of… well, you know.”

“Good thinking,” he said rubbing her still damp hair. “See, you might even be smarter than I am. Probably are.”

Going to the bench along the wall, he sat everything down and unpacked the things he needed. “How’s it feel?” he asked.

“Tender. Burns and feels like I got kicked by a horse.”

Lyle sat down and had Cass stand in front of him. “You have something on, right?” he asked tipping his head down.

Cass turned pink and nodded. “Okay,” he said untucking the towel but keeping it closed. He loosened it a little, letting the right side fall below the bandaged area, then after moving the left side bandages up some, tied the towel around her.

Smartly, Cass had left her underwear pulled down below the wet, bloody gauze.

Lyle unrolled the gauze that was around her waist, letting it fall to the ground. Carefully he pulled the gauze pads off her wound. He had let her get it wet so that if the blood had caused the gauze to stick, it would be loosened by the water and not rip any scabs off that had formed.

After removing the gauze, he dabbed it dry and examined it, looking for signs of infection. It was red, but most of the bleeding had stopped – at least until the shower – and didn’t feel hot to the touch, so Lyle applied more antibiotic cream and replaced the gauze, winding more gauze around Cass’s waist to hold it in place. He then wrapped the elastic bandage around all of that.

“There, all done,” he said looking up into Cass’s eyes. He had focused on being careful and making sure there were no complications with the gunshot wound and had never looked up. Now he saw that without making a sound, Cass had been crying.

“Oh, sweety, I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said.

She threw her arms around him and began sobbing in earnest. Hesitantly he put his arms around her and rubbed her back, letting her cry.

Soon, she came to a hiccupping stop and quietly said, “Why? Why do people do such evil things? How can they hurt people and keep them captive like that?”

Her head laid on his shoulder and he stroked her hair. “Not everyone is as kind or as nice as you and Maggie. They do not think about the people they hurt; they only think about themselves. They think what they do is for the greater good, no matter the tragedy they cause along the way.”

Lyle turned his head and kissed her cheek before raising her up. He wiped the tears from her face and told her, “I am proud of you. I do not know anyone your age that would have stood up to what you have and not given up. You are strong, honest, and loyal. That’s a strong combination for someone only twelve. Most adults cannot say the same.”

Cass smiled tentatively. Lyle put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up. “Remember, you can do anything. You are wonder girl. Now get your pants on and I will braid your hair really quick, then you can go eat; you must be starved.”

Cass’s eyes opened wide and her mouth made an ‘O’.

“What?” Lyle said shrugging. “I had an older sister who used to torture me as a kid by making me do things like braid her hair and paint her nails… And before you ask, both fingers and toes.” He smiled at her. “I’m pretty good if I do say so. Although if you even repeat that I will deny it,” he said taking her nose and wiggling it.

Cass put on and pulled up her stretch pants under the towel and Lyle helped her pull them up over her bandages and them quickly and nimbly braided her hair.

“Now get, so I can take a shower. God knows I need one, Phew.”

Cass turned around, facing him, and hesitated before giving him another hug. “Thank you for everything,” she said to him. “I might be strong, but it’s people like you and Maggie, and even Rudi and Gemma who make me strong. You and Maggie have put your lives on the line to help us when we have nothing to offer in return. Not that I expect you to want something. If it weren’t for you two, we would be caught or killed by now.”

She backed away, smiled, and left.

Lyle sat for a minute thinking about Cassidy and what an amazing little girl she was. She brought up thoughts about his sister; thoughts that he had pushed away since her death years before.

These, however, were not sad memories, but rather good ones. He had worshipped her, even though she had made him do girly stuff. Back then he did not really know better and he just thought she was bossing him around. As he grew up, he realized that those were not boy things, but his bond with his sister was never stronger. He missed her deeply.

Picking up the old bandages, he reflected on his kiss with Maggie and what it might mean. He worried that he was reading too much into it. They were under a lot of stress and people do things out of character when under that stress.

He showered under hot water, trying to wash away all of the uncertainty, but it didn’t really help.

Lyle finished and then dressed, picking up everything after, then he went out to join everyone else and eat.

The group had almost finished eating except for Cassidy when he arrived, and his food was waiting for him.

Harley greeted him by nosing his leg, getting a fry in return.

“You spoil him,” Cass said smiling.

“I can, he’s mine,” Lyle said. Rudi snickered. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Rudi said matter-of-factly.

“He’s my partner,” he said reaching to scratch Harley. “He would never –” His hand felt nothing but air. He looked under the table only to find Harley between Cass’s legs, licking her fingers. Lyle raised up and the other laughed at him.

“Feeding him does not count. It is not loyalty,” he said fake pouting, sucking down some of his milkshake.

“I think you finally met your match,” Maggie told him, still laughing. She reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

The tension that all of them had been feeling slowly evaporated. Everyone finished up their meals and they went back to the SUV.

Now that Cass was feeling a little better, Lyle had let all of the kids ride in the back, while he drove and Maggie took over in the front passenger seat.

Cass, still not feeling a hundred percent, laid down on the back seat. Gemma sat so Cass’s head rested in her lap so they could talk, while Rudi sat in the front row. He did not need to be there to hold a conversation with them. They had a silent conversation about what happened to all of them at the mall, or outside the mall in the case of Lyle and Rudi.

There had been men waiting at all the exits, and Gemma and Maggie had been darted just inside the mall’s exit. Rudi and Lyle had made it past the exit on their side and almost to the van before being surprised and darted.

Cass told them about her escape to the basement, meeting Myra and meeting the homeless man who knew where the botanical gardens were.

No one asked about the dead guard they saw on the way out, nor did she mention the second guard at the top of the stairs that was more than likely dead as well. Given the blood on Harley the man who shot her was probably no longer alive either.

Cassidy wasn’t happy that human lives had been cut short, even if they were evil. She could not forget about what they did to her mom, however. While she did not know who it was exactly that killed her mother, she could not just assume that everyone who worked for Hugo Forrester were monsters. If she just decided that she could kill them all, she would be no better than they were. She took at least three lives herself, and she had to live with that.

Lyle drove and was quiet; the only sound was the wind outside and the occasional thump, thump as the tires crossed joints in the road.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lyle caught Maggie cast glances his way, but she as well stayed quiet. They drove until the fuel light came on, then Lyle stopped for gas.

Maggie suggested all the kids go in to get drinks and snacks together. They were safer together.

“But what about you?” Gemma asked.

“We will be fine,” Maggie assured them.

Harley stayed outside with Lyle but wandered a little, taking care of his own business. Lyle went to pump the gas and Maggie followed.

“You know you can’t just pretend that didn’t happen,” she said once the kids were inside.

Lyle looked at her but said nothing. She put a hand on his chest and felt him flinch. “Maggie…” he said but did not continue.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I-I do not think this is a good idea,” he told her shaking his head.

“Why? Why not?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You cannot just kiss me like that and then tell me you do not think it is a good idea. Not unless you are just going it to be mean.”

He jerked back as if she had just slapped him. Shaking his head, he said, “No. It is just that bad things happen to people I care about.”

Maggie looked at him intently. “After all that has happened since we met…”

He shook his head again. “Nothing good has happened. It has all been bad. People shooting at you, drugging you; we basically carjacked you, and what? You have had the time of your life? It is just a matter of time before something else bad happens… something worse.”

Maggie stepped closer to him and placed her had back on his chest. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “It’s all been bad? Meeting the kids? Protecting them from bad people? Meeting me?”

She felt a cold nose push into her other hand and added, “And Harley seems to be liking it all.”

The noise of the kids returning separated them but not before Maggie added, “You are not getting rid of me that easy. I am a stubborn woman and when I want something, I will not quit until I get it.”

She got back into the SUV, taking over Lyle’s spot as driver. The kids piled in, handing out snacks and drinks while they waited for Lyle to finish pumping the gas. When Lyle got back into the vehicle he asked Cass, “Does any of this look familiar? We are only a few hours away, I think.”

“No,” Cass said, shaking her head. “But it is not like I have traveled much. We stuck pretty close to home.”

“Okay, well let me know when things start to look familiar,” Lyle said to her.

To all the kids he added, “Try to get some rest. We do not know what to expect when we get to Cassidy’s house. Hugo’s men seem to always be waiting for us or are only one step behind. They might have figured out where we are headed and could be waiting for us, or arrive just after us, so we cannot let our guard down.”

He glanced at Maggie and added, “None of us.”

Cass laid out across the back seat and Harley curled up under her, while Gemma and Rudi spread out up front. Laying on her good hip, Cass closed her eyes, draping an arm down to stroke Harley’s soft fur. She could hear Gemma in front of her quietly humming a tune.

It took a while for her to recognize it as Two Little Love Birds Sitting in a Tree… She smiled and drifted off the sleep as Gemma was humming.