Chapter Ten

“It’s not going to hurt,” Brian assured the young boy lying in the hospital bed, but Ben stared at Medico with terror in his eyes.

“He does experiments on humans!” Ben protested, clutching his blanket and drawing it up to his chin.

Medico looked away while Brian sighed in exasperation. “Yes,” Brian agreed. “He does. And he cures them.”

Ben regarded Medico suspiciously. “Did he make me sick?”

Jim left his post in the doorway and pulled up a chair beside the young boy. “Yes, he did. And, because he’s the one who made you sick, he’s the one best equipped to make you well again.”

Ben released his grip on the blanket in slow increments, and then reached for Jim’s hand. “You’ll stay with me?”

Jim squeezed his hand. “You bet.”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay. But I can keep my eyes closed, right?”

Jim smiled and tapped his glasses. “I’ll keep an eye on him for both of us,” he promised.

Ben relaxed visibly at the reminder of Jim’s gift. Though, of course, the gift was largely useless in this situation. Still clenching Jim’s hand, he settled back on the bed and closed his eyes. Brian nodded to Medico, and the researcher took a seat opposite Jim on the other side of Ben’s bed.

In hushed tones, Brian described Ben’s gift. Medico nodded once, and then closed his own eyes. His face remained impassive, and Jim fleetingly wondered if he was actually doing anything at all. Jim sat up in alarm when Ben’s body lost its tension and slumped against the pillow, but Brian’s wide smile erased his doubts.

“He’s sleeping comfortably,” Brian whispered, his eyes glued to the monitors broadcasting Ben’s vital signs. “And his temperature is already dropping.” Brian had an expression of complete awe as he turned to Medico. “That’s amazing,” he said. “I don’t know whether to shake your hand or ask for an internship.”

Medico smiled at the unexpected words of encouragement, but didn’t address them. “I believe there are more students to see?”

Brian nodded and led the way to the next room, outlining the next patient’s gift. Jim remained in Ben’s room, holding the young boy’s hand.

“You know,” Dan said, standing in the doorway of the room, “it occurs to me that we have an opportunity here.”

Jim studied Ben’s face a second longer, and then looked up. “Oh?” he questioned.

Dan entered the room but didn’t approach the bed. Instead, he leaned against the wall, looking like James Dean in his black leather jacket. “Now that we know what Medico is doing in his lab, it might not be a bad idea to pay it a visit. If you know what I mean.”

Jim released Ben’s hand and settled it on his chest before standing up. He stared down the slightly shorter man. “What exactly are you suggesting?”

Unaffected by Jim’s scrutiny, Dan shrugged. “I was thinking this might be a good time for a small, localized fire.”

“You aren’t suggesting—”

“No, I’m not suggesting. I’m leaving in five minutes, and I’m inviting you to come with me.”

“With us,” Trixie corrected him.

Jim took a surprised step backward at her sudden appearance. “I thought you were with Dad,” he said.

“I was. Everything is going well,” she assured him. “Michael’s already doing better, and they’re moving on to Kayla’s room now.”

“And you’re on board with Dan’s plan?” Jim questioned, already knowing the answer. Of course she was already on board with the plan. Dan was just as much of a wild card as she was. How could she not want to help him?

She nodded. “It’s not as crazy as it sounds,” she said, crossing the room and grasping his hand. She looked up at him, her blue eyes pleading with him to understand. “Dan says he can set off the fire alarm remotely. The building should be empty by the time we get there. I’ll have a few minutes to set a few strategic fires, and by then the fire department will arrive.”

Jim’s eyes bulged. “You’re willing to set fire to a building? Trixie!”

“I’m willing to destroy Medico’s lab,” she corrected him.

“But what about the good he does?” Jim asked reluctantly, looking down at Ben. “We don’t want to destroy that, do we?”

“Of course not. With Medico’s lab burned down, the Professor will make an offer for him to use our facilities. And then we’ll be in a position to oversee his work. No more human subjects!”

“Why wouldn’t he just rebuild?” Jim asked. “Medico’s not exactly a team player. I can’t see him relocating here voluntarily.”

Trixie grinned. “That’s the best part! The fire will definitely be ruled arson, and he won’t get insurance money. Medico’s a talented researcher, but he’s terrible with money. He doesn’t have the capital to rebuild. If he wants to continue any sort of research, relocating here is by far his best opportunity.”

Jim rubbed his eyes. “This is crazy—” he started to say, but stopped when he realized he was seeing something other than the room. Once again, he was looking at Medico’s lab. This time, though, he was seeing the wing of human subjects. His stomach clenched as he saw a girl perhaps five years old clinging to her mother. Both of them were pale, and the mother was obviously very ill. He felt sick.

“Okay,” he said, sighing heavily. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but...”

“We’d better move,” Dan said, springing into action. “Can we take an SUV?” he asked.

Jim shook his head. “You’ll be faster on a motorcycle.”

Trixie frowned. “But...”

“You don’t need me there,” he said, hating that it was true. “You’re more likely to get in and out safely if there are two of you rather than three. I’ll stay here and try to keep seeing what’s happening. I can call your cell if I see something that you should know about.”

Trixie nodded reluctantly, and then pressed against him in a fierce hug. “Everything will be fine,” she whispered.

He nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. Looking up, he fixed his attention on Dan. “Take care of her,” he ordered, his voice husky. “I’ll be watching.”

Dan nodded once. Jim gave Trixie one final squeeze, and then pushed her gently toward the door. “Come back safe,” he whispered when she was gone.

Sitting down beside Ben’s bed again, Jim concentrated on Medico’s lab. He felt a brief flash of panic when it didn’t immediately come into view, and he wondered if he had made a colossal error in staying behind. He forced himself to relax, and soon the modern concrete structure appeared. He watched as lab technicians and humans in hospital gowns filed out, all under the direction of Medico’s security.

His breath caught when he saw Trixie and Dan drive halfway up a private entrance and then conceal the motorcycle in the bushes. Dan was practically invisible, a dark shimmer that seemed to envelope Trixie. If Jim hadn’t known they were there, he wasn’t sure that he would have spotted them. Their cover held, and they both entered the building undetected as others streamed out.

Jim watched in fascination as Trixie and Dan made their way through the building. When they were assured that everyone had been evacuated, Trixie used her gift to set several small fires, which quickly grew. When she set fire to lab which held the testing equipment, he was surprised by the surge of satisfaction he felt. He’d never been comfortable with fire. It was unpredictable and destructive, and if he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that he feared it. Still, he felt definite satisfaction when he watched the room where his mother had been tortured burst into flame. For the first time, he understood the cathartic nature of fire. He would always be affected by his mother’s death, but this fire was re-opening the wound, cleaning it, and cauterizing it, all at the same time. For the first time, he felt a sense of closure about his mother’s death that wasn’t accompanied by the crushing weight of being unable to prevent it.

It was done.

With the building engulfed in flames, he held his breath, but both Dan and Trixie escaped the burning structure unharmed. Dan changed back from his vapour-like state only when it was time to mount the motorcycle. Jim watched as Trixie climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around him. He expected to feel a surge of jealousy, but instead, he was only glad that Trixie wasn’t alone. They sped down the road, and Jim knew that she was on her way back to him.

As he heaved a sigh of relief, Win burst into his room. “Medico was just notified that his lab is on fire!” he exclaimed.

Jim looked away guiltily.

“Do I even want to know?” his father asked softly.

He took a deep breath. “You might want to wait an hour or two, but I think Medico might be open to an offer to use the school labs.”

“The well-monitored school labs, you mean,” Win said thoughtfully. “Yes. I imagine he might be open to the possibility.” He glanced around the room. “For some reason, I haven’t been able to locate Spit-Fire or Shadow. I don’t suppose you’d know where they are?”

Jim closed his eyes and saw them in his mind. They were only a few miles from the school, and approaching rapidly. Given the distance between the lab and the school, Jim didn’t even want to think about how fast they were travelling. As long as they stayed safe, it really didn’t matter. And he somehow knew that Trixie was safer with Dan than she was with almost anyone else. “They’ll be here soon,” was all he said, but he knew that his father would get the message.

Win nodded. “Good work, son,” he said with a smile before leaving the room. “I believe I’ll have a guest room made up for Medico.”

Jim shook his head, amazed that the idea of housing his mother’s murderer wasn’t sending him into a rage. Instead, he was seeing the possibilities for the scientific advancement of medicine, with the added benefit of keeping one the most clever and slippery mutants under tight watch. It wasn’t a situation that he could have anticipated, but it had definite possibilities.

Later that evening, Jim tossed and turned in his bed, reliving the magic of his kiss with Trixie. What a kiss it had been! He could still feel the way she pressed against him, the way that she gave herself to him with no hesitation… He closed his eyes and imagined that she was in his arms again. And that Dan, and anyone else who had a mind to interrupt, was far, far away.

When a tentative knock sounded on his door, he had to stifle a groan. Anticipating one of the male students, he didn’t bother pulling on a tee-shirt. When he opened the door, however, he discovered not one of the students, but Trixie, dressed in sleep pants and a tank top. Looking both ways down the deserted hallway, Jim quickly pulled her into his room.

“What are you doing in here?” Jim asked, though the huge smile on his face made it obvious that he was more than okay with her being in the boys’ wing.

Trixie shrugged and plunked herself down on Jim’s bed. Even though he’d been tossing restlessly, the ends were still neatly tucked in perfect hospital corners. “I figured I’d already broken a handful of rules today—what’s one more?”

Jim chuckled and sat beside her on the bed. “Feeling guilty?” he asked, though he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Nope,” she answered cheerfully. “In fact, I was feeling kind of...” She stopped and bit her bottom lip.

Her sudden shyness tugged at his heart, and he couldn’t resist slipping an arm around her and drawing her close. “Were you feeling something like this?” he asked.

Encouraged, she wound her arms around his neck. “No,” she replied. “I was thinking more along the lines of—” And she kissed him full on the lips, with every ounce of passion she had.

Jim groaned and moved back so that he was sitting against the headboard and Trixie was in his lap. She cupped his face and looked at him intently. “Are you going to be okay with Medico staying at the school?” she asked.

Jim traced a line down her neck with his finger, and then followed the same path with his lips. “Yes,” he replied, singularly uninterested in conversation.

“Good,” Trixie breathed, obviously affected by his attentions. She leaned in and kissed him again, scrambling his brain circuits. “And you’re not upset that Dan was my partner at the lab?” she asked, kissing her way down his neck and onto his chest.

“Would you stop if I said it bothered me?” Jim asked, slipping his hands under the edge of her tank top.

“No way,” she said, pausing to give his neck some extra attention. “I’m just curious.”

“No,” Jim mumbled, sliding his hands up under her top until he encountered her breasts. He closed his eyes at the sound she made, and vowed that he would spend the rest of his life making her this happy.

“No, I didn’t mind. I felt like I was there with you,” he admitted. “And Dan was a good partner.”

She nodded. “Yes. And now I’m ready to stop talking,” she told him. She wiggled on his lap, and Jim threw caution to the wind. Hands, lips and tongues met over and over again, and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that having Trixie in his life was the greatest gift he had ever been given.

When he woke the next morning, he didn’t want to open his eyes. He could tell that the sun was already up, which meant that he’d overslept. But oversleeping seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do when Trixie Belden was in his arms… He smiled, still with his eyes closed, and reached for her. Instead of a warm body, however, he found only a hardcover book. Had Trixie left sometime during the night?

He opened his eyes and saw his bedroom at the Manor House. Gifted by Dr. Charles X was lying open beside him, and Trixie was nowhere to be seen.

Because it had been a dream.

Jim groaned in disappointment. Of course he wasn’t a professor in a school for gifted children. He was still a university student. With a business major! And of course his father wasn’t still alive. A pang of regret shot through him, but he quickly pushed it aside, knowing that Winthrop Frayne was with him in spirit, if not in body, every day of his life. And, most importantly, of course Trixie Belden wasn’t in his bed. Because they weren’t even dating.

But it had been one heck of a dream.

Jim found himself whistling as he straightened the bed and set the book on his desk. Maybe he didn’t need to worry about Dan as much as he had suspected. And maybe his hang-up about Trixie’s penchant for rushing into danger wasn’t as much of an obstacle as he had thought. And maybe, just maybe, the right time for a relationship with Trixie would arrive sooner than he had thought.

By the time he made his way to the stables, Trixie, Dan, and Bobby were already finished with their early morning ride to check on the feeding stations. Jim took one look at Bobby’s rosy cheeks and knew that the plan of having Bobby accompany Dan on the weekends on the station checks was a good one. The young boy obviously needed some focus, and it was probably easier for him to obtain it away from the hustle and bustle of Crabapple Farm.

“Hey, sport!” he said, greeting Bobby. “Did you have a good time?”

Bobby nodded vigorously. “I got to pour the feed in!” he said proudly. “And the extra stuff that fell out? The birds get to eat it!”

Jim glanced over Bobby’s head to see Dan pantomiming exactly how much Bobby had spilled. Hiding a smile, Jim chucked the little boy on the shoulder. “Good work,” he complimented him.

“You worked hard this morning,” Trixie agreed. “Now why don’t you run along home to Crabapple Farm and see if Moms has a snack ready for you? Big boys who check feeding stations need to keep up their strength, you know.”

Bobby nodded soberly and scurried down the path, singing a song about leprechauns. Snagging the saddle Trixie was trying to put away, Jim lifted it onto the shelf for her. “I’ll help Trixie with Susie,” he told Dan.

The dark-haired young man nodded and smoothly mounted Spartan to ride back to the cabin. “Thanks for your help,” he said to Trixie, and then he was gone, fading into the cold February morning.

“So, how did it really go?” Jim asked. “Do you think Bobby is going to get the hang of helping Dan?”

She snickered and picked up a brush. Running it over Susie’s flank, she said, “It’s a good thing Dan is patient. But yeah, I think Bobby will get the hang of it. Eventually. Hey!” Her hand stilled as she gave her full attention to Jim. Her blue eyes snapped with excitement. “Did you hear the news? Dan is thinking about saving up to buy a motorcycle!” Her face fell. “I guess I shouldn’t get excited. I know they’re dangerous and all...”

Jim took the brush from her and took over brushing Susie. “If he does get a bike, I think you should ask him to teach you to ride it.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”

“Really.” Jim put the brush down and took her hand. “I know you’ll take it seriously enough to be a good driver. And I think riding a motorcycle would suit you.” He tugged one of the curls that had escaped her toque.

Trixie ducked her head shyly and then impulsively threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thanks, Jim,” she murmured. “You always understand me.”

Jim smiled against her hair. Yes, he understood her. And now, maybe he could work towards letting go of his fear and start embracing everything that made her the best gift he'd ever been given.