5:00 am
It didn't look like Shego would be able to leave the bathroom in the near future. Kim looked around the factory quickly, wondering what was taking the police so long to arrive. An officer came in a little later and was surprised to find Kim, “What are you doing here?”
“Shego is a bit under the weather, I'm waiting for her.”
“Okay, don't touch anything and duck under the crime scene tape when you leave. The lab boys should be here in a couple hours. We're having a busy night.”
“Tell me about it. Oh, someone is supposed to be coming with some medicine and someone else with a change of clothes for Shego.”
“I'll be on duty outside. I'll let them in,” he gave Kim a wink. “We bend the rules a little for heroes.”
Matt did the speaking at the emergency desk at St Eligius. “Yeah, my idiot brothers were working on a car out in the garage. Didn't make sure the gas tank was empty. They're lucky there wasn't much in it and the whole place didn't go up.”
Ed managed to fall asleep in a waiting room chair, a difficult feat on a piece of furniture designed to make you feel uncomfortable.
While Mego worked with the emergency desk a police car pulled up outside the hospital and deposited Ron. He had ridden to a different hospital with Speed Queen, but had been told he should go to St. Eligius after she had been admitted.
As physicians worked on Will and Hego and the nurses assigned a room to the two Matt and Ron talked quietly, trying not to wake up Ed, but hoping to keep each other awake.
Kim sat on the floor outside the bathroom, leaning back against the wall and wishing there was a radio or some other way to cover the sounds of Shego being ill. Further efforts to communicate had simply been met with silence.
With little traffic on the street the few vehicles out encountered no problems in getting to their destinations. Kim sat upright as she heard the sound of a door opening.
“Hello? Anyone here?”
“Who is it,” Kim called.
“I'm the druggist. I was told to bring some stuff here for a woman named Shego.” A minute later a slightly paunchy, balding man found Kim. She took the surprisingly large sack he offered. “Here are the keys to the car,” he added, handing them over. “My wife drove over too and will drive me back.”
“What do I owe you?”
He grinned, “I'll send the bill to the Go Tower. But if that distribution deal really works out I may owe you.” He knocked on the door.
“What?” Shego barked.
“Brought some medicine for you. Also a couple bottles of Gatorade. You're probably feeling a bit dehydrated at the moment.”
“Uh, thanks. But you can't see me.”
Kim patted him own the shoulder and pointed towards the door. After he left she called through the door. “He's gone. I'm bringing it in for you. You can unlock the door or I can kick it in. Your choice.”
Kim heard the sound of the door being unlocked on the other side.
Matt and Ron went up to make sure that Will and Henry were settled properly in their room. Will's arm was wrapped in gauze and he may have been on some pain medication to help him sleep. Hego was awake and glad to see them.
“How is Minerva?” he demanded as soon as he saw Ron.
“She's fine, man. And she sounded real grateful to you when I talked with her. She's at County General.”
“Thanks, Ron. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I'm fine. I'm just going to your parent's place and sleep for the next twelve hours.”
“Actually,” Mego interrupted. “Why don't you let Ron sleep on your couch? I still have that spare key you gave me to your apartment. He can probably sleep better in the quiet there than a house with six adults and two infants.”
“Fine with me,” Hego said, “Ron?”
“Other than not knowing where it is that is probably fine.”
“I'm driving Ed home, I can swing by Hego's place first for you.”
“It's a plan,” Ron smiled sleepily. “Let's GO!”
“Two things before we go, a question and I have a present,” Mego said. “First, the question, how in the hell did you let a nobody like Hellpike capture you?”
“He must have seen us at the restaurant. Maybe he was eating there when we arrived. He said he went back to the factory, got the tank suits and came to see if we were still there. When Minerva lost her cloak Hellpike grabbed her. I surrendered to keep her from getting hurt.”
“We figured it was something like that. And now, I have a little present for you,” Matt told Hego. “Let me set it up for you, the remote is by your bed.”
George arrived with two brown paper bags. One contained towels and washcloths, the other a change of clothes and a large plastic garbage bag. Kim was on the outside of the bathroom again, leaning back against the wall.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked. “Do the two of you have a ride?”
“The druggist left a Go cart here. I had a nap so I can drive if Shego is awake to give me directions. But you should probably go home. I don't know how long it's going to take me to get Shego cleaned up. We'll be there as soon as we can.”
After George left Kim rapped on the door, “I'm coming in. If you're feeling any better I'm going to clean you up so we can go.”
“Well, are you feeling any better?” Kim demanded after she opened the door.
“Just a little,” the pale woman croaked. “This doesn't change anything.”
“I know that. You're still being a jerk.”
“You didn't trust me!”
“Look, can we agree to postpone the fight until later? Right now I'd really like to get out of here. And I need to clean you up. You smell like you died in here.”
Stripping Shego, cleaning her, and dressing her again was almost like doing it for an adult sized version of the babies, the brunette was too weak to help.
“You have to stay awake to help me drive,” Kim told her. “Do we go to your parent's house first and sleep or stop at the hospital?”
“Hospital… Can I put an arm around you? I'm not sure I'm steady enough on my feet to walk without some help.”
They stayed awake for the trip to the hospital by arguing.
“When we get back to my parents' place I'll sleep on the couch.”
“No, you're sleeping in the bed,” Kim declared.
“Like hell I will. I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you.”
“No, you get the bed. I'll take the couch.”
“I don't need your charity.”
“No charity, just courtesy. You're sick. Next time, if I'm sick, I'll get the bed.”
“You really think there'll be a next time?”
“Shego, this won't be the last fight we have.”
“Kim, I've only been this angry with someone once before in my life. It was when I left Team Go and swore I'd never see my family again.”
“But you're here now.”
“Yeah, what is it? Eight years later? And remember, you swore not to say anything to Henry.”
“I hope the village calls back. I've definitely located their idiot.”
Kim drove silently for a few minutes, asking only for directions. “You really think we'll break up over this?”
Shego took a minute to answer. “I don't know. I'm angry, I'm exhausted, and I feel sick -- this isn't the best time to ask me what I think about the future.”
“If I wait until you feel better you may try and knock my head off.” Shego didn't respond to the joke.
“You don't trust me, Kim. That's the bottom line.”
Kim opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again. “Anything I say right now will probably just make it worse.”
“Probably.”
“How about we see a counselor when we get back to Middleton. Maybe talk with either Dr. Delahooke or Rabbi Ruth.”
“You out at your church?”
“No. But we need to see someone and I trust him.” She wished she hadn't said that as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
“Nice, you trust him -- but not the woman you live with. Don't trust the Rabbi either?”
“Ruth would be fine. I'm trying to say you are so important to me I'll come out to my minister. I want this to work… Look, there's the hospital. I know this is not going to go away after a good night's sleep. But can we try and be civil to each other now? I don't think we need to be fighting in front of Hego.”
Shego nodded.