Page 102 of Final Approach

Nathan and other agents swarmed Ty Mason, who was very obviously dead. Another blanket appeared and was placed over the man.

“How’d you find me?” he asked.

“It’s a long story,” Kenzie said. “We’ll tell you on the way to the hospital.”

Nathan looked down at Ty’s body. “It’s going to take a while for the ME to get here.”

Kenzie looked up. “Well, Andrew needs to get to a hospital and get warmed up. It’s not subzero temps out here but still cold enough for some hypothermia. Plus he’s lost quite a bit of blood.”

Andrew closed his eyes. He had no more strength to fight the darkness sweeping over him. He decided to go with it, secure in the knowledge that his friends wouldn’t let him die.

TWENTY-TWO

The Life Flight ride to get Andrew to the hospital had been intense, with paramedics working to patch him up and raise his body temperature. Now, he was ensconced in a room, out of any immediate danger to his life. The nurse said she didn’t expect him to wake anytime soon thanks to the drugs, so Kristine made her way to Emily’s room, where she found her with their aunt. “Hey, sis. Hey, Aunt Wendy.”

Emily smiled. “Hey. What’s up? You look ... rough.”

“Ha. Thanks. It’s been a day.”

“Tell me about it?”

Kristine gave her an abbreviated version, ending with Andrew’s trip to the hospital.

Her aunt blinked. “Goodness, that sounds terrifying.”

“It was.” Just the condensed version was enough to make her sister pale, which was why she’d left out the more horrifying details.

“Wait,” Emily said, “he’s hurt?”

“Yes, but he’s going to be okay.”Thank you,God.

“You like him a lot, don’t you?” Emily asked.

Kristine’s heart pounded an extra beat. “Yes. I like him an awful lot.”

“Then you need to be with him. Make sure you’re there when he wakes up.”

“I’ll go back in a minute. Is Dad here?”

Her sister frowned. Then scowled. “No. I don’t know where he is. He’s insisting I come live with him after I’m discharged, but I just can’t do it, Kris. I won’t.”

“I’ve already offered to have her come stay with me,” Aunt Wendy said. “But don’t tell your father yet. Just agree with him for the moment. We’ll work out the details later.”

Kristine eyed her aunt. It wasn’t often she showed her dislike for the man. “I agree,” she said. “Don’t say anything to him yet.”

Emily’s frown deepened. “All right. I’ll play along, but I don’t like it.”

“I just think it’s best,” Aunt Wendy said. “He’s been in a strange mood ever since your accident. I know he’s worried, but he’s still all broody and moody.”

He really was.

“Okay, well, text me if he shows up.” His lack of communication lately was ... weird. Kristine wasn’t really interested in talking to him, but at the same time, she wanted to know where he was and what he was doing.

“Go,” Emily said. “Aunt Wendy is here. I’ll be fine.”

So, Kristine went and found Andrew still sleeping. She sat by his bed and opened the picture app on her phone to read her mother’s letter, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. She opened it and slipped into the hallway to find Hank. Everyone else had gone back to their respective jobs with strict orders for her to text when Andrew was awake.

“Hey,” she said. “Andrew’s still sleeping. What’s up?”