"2 days left." Alex announced as the number on the timer changed.
"Everything is settled with the other countries. They've got their targets in sight, there shouldn't be an issue." Det. Torres informed the team.
"I've conversed with our backup as well, everything is going according to plan." Jayden reported.
"What about the targets? Have they sensed anything?" Det. Torres looked at Sabrina.
"Not as far as we know." Sabrina shook her head.
"Great. Go home and take a good rest. We'll need all your energy for the next 72 hours. See you guys at 0800 tomorrow." Det. Torres looked at his watch.
"Yes Sir." The team replied.
"Sir, are you going home? I mean back to the condo?" Sabrina caught Jayden.
"Not yet. You can head back first." Jayden had other plans.
"Should I wait for you?" Sabrina asked.
"No, don't. Have an early night." Jayden shook his head.
"Sige..." Sabrina wanted to ask further but stopped herself.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jayden grabbed his things and rushed off. He had somewhere important to be.
"Can I come in?" Jayden knocked and peaked inside.
"JAYDIE!" Kaela cried as she recognised Jayden.
"Hey careful..." Jayden caught Kaela as she leaped into his arms.
"I missed you! Why didn't you come visit me for so long?" Kaela pouted as she hugged Jayden tight.
"Sorry...I was a little busy with work. How have you been?" Jayden stroked Kaela's hair.
"Good! I had your dinosaur to keep me company! I've been eating well and Trishie says I'm doing much better with my cough!" Kaela gave Jayden a quick update.
"I'm so proud of you! How about the promise you made me?" Jayden wondered.
"I've been looking after Trishie! I gave her a candy everytime she looked tired or upset, just like you told me to!" Kaela boasted.
"Thank you, my little helper." Jayden smiled.
"Have you saved Jack and my friends?" Kaela asked the burning question.
"I'm going to. That's why I'm here to tell you that you'll be able to see your friends after 2 more sleeps." Jayden put Kaela down on her bed.
"Really?" Kaela was thrilled.
"We're going to work real hard to make sure all your friends will be safe and sound so you can play with them soon." Jayden assured.
"All of them? Even the baby?" Kaela asked.
"All of them. Even the baby." Jayden nodded.
"Will it be dangerous?" Kaela wondered.
"A little bit, but I won't let your friends be in danger. I promise." Jayden held out his pinky.
"I trust in you. Trishie always told me that I could trust you." Kaela smiled as she hooked pinkies with Jayden.
"She did?" Jayden chuckled.
"Uh huh. She told me to believe in you because you always keep your word." Kaela repeated what Tricia told her.
"I'll make sure to bring your friends to you." Jayden hugged the girl.
"Don't get hurt, Jaydie." Kaela patted Jayden on the back.
"I won't." Jayden assured the worried girl.
"Are you going to see Trishie? She's on duty today..." Kaela wondered.
"I should. See you very soon, little fighter." Jayden waved.
~
"Oh my goodness..." Tricia jumped as she spotted a figure in her office.
"Sorry for intruding when you weren't here..." Jayden turned around at Tricia's voice.
"What are you doing here? I mean...not that I don't want to see you but..." Tricia gasped.
"I came to be accountable." Jayden stood up.
"Accountable?" Tricia was confused.
"I'm going to bring Kaela's friends back tomorrow. And...I wanted to see you and Kaela before that." Jayden confessed.
"You missed me?" Tricia teased.
"I...think I would?" Jayden was embarrassed.
"How long would you take?" Tricia asked.
"Hopefully less than 3 days?" Jayden replied.
"Will it be risky?" Tricia was worried.
"I promised Kaela to bring her friends to her safe and sound." Jayden sucked his breath in.
"Promise me that you'll be safe and sound too? I really don't want to see you in my ER..." Tricia placed a hand on Jayden's arm.
"I'll try my best to be in time for your birthday. What do you want for your birthday?" Jayden rested his hand on Tricia's hand.
"I don't want anything but for you to be safe." Tricia looked at Jayden.
"That's all?" Jayden smiled.
"That's more than enough." Tricia nodded.
"I might be a little late though..." Jayden frowned.
"I'll wait for you. I'm on duty that night anyways...but please don't come on a stretcher." Tricia pouted.
"I'll try to." Jayden poked Tricia's dimples.
"You'd better." Tricia pinched Jayden's cheeks gently.
"I've got to head back to the station..." Jayden sighed.
"Take care." Tricia tip-toed to give Jayden a good luck kiss on the cheek.
"Wait for me." Jayden pressed a kiss to Tricia's forehead.
~
"We'll go in on my count." Det. Torres gave an order.
"Yes Sir." The team and their backup replied.
"3, 2, 1. Now!" Det. Torres gave the go ahead. Alex and Sabrina headed straight for the room where the children were while Jayden lead another team to the room opposite.
"Police! Put your hand where I can see them!" Jayden kicked down the door and ambushed the small team that oversaw the hideout.
"Run!" The leader of the team called out as the team started scattering. The leader himself grabbed the toddler in the cot next to them and bolted.
"You guys take the rest, I'll take the leader." Jayden ordered and the team started moving accordingly.
"Alex, update on the children." Jayden yelled into his earpiece as he ran after the escaping leader.
"All 5 secured and safe, Sir. How about you?" Alex replied.
"The leader is escaping with the last child. Send backup." Jayden requested as he sped up.
"Yes Sir." Alex got to work.
Jayden closed the gap between him and the leader and just as the latter turned into an alley, there was a fence too tall for him to scale.
"Hand me the child and we can do this the easy way." Jayden had a few meters between him and the leader. The child was now crying in fear.
"Bitawan mo ako o masasaktan ang child!" The leader threatened as he brandished a knife.
"Hurt the child and there will be no way out." Jayden warned.
"Wala siyang halaga sa akin, I don't care!" The leader held the knife to the child's neck, scaring the boy further.
"Okay, okay...Anong gusto mo?" Jayden didn't want to trigger the man.
"Let me go and you'll have the child." The leader nodded at Jayden's gun, wanting him to lower it.
"Put the child down first. Then I'll lower my gun." Jayden negotiated.
"You put the gun down first." The leader stood firm.
"Sir!" Alex's voice travelled from behind Jayden.
"Don't come closer!" The leader realised he was now outnumbered and was at his wits end.
"Alex, stop." Jayden ordered and Alex immediately backed up. Jayden then signaled something to Alex behind him.
"Don't do anything funny behind my back!" The leader sensed something was up.
"I have my hands free...I just want to talk." Jayden raised his hands up as he walked closer.
"Anong want mo sa akin?" The leader cried out.
"Hand me the child first then we can figure things out." Jayden appealed again. He was within reach.
"Middleman lang ako, walang akong alam!" The man defended himself agitatedly.
"Sige...sige...kaya kitang tulungan pero pass me the child first?" Jayden stretched his arms out. Just as the man was about to hand Jayden the child, the sirens of the police vehicles rang out loud, unnerving the man.
"Lying ka sa akin!" The man changed his mind and brandished his knife again.
"Alex, now!" Jayden called out as he disarmed the man and grabbed hold of the child.
The man wielded his knife at Jayden out of anger and desperation, forcing Jayden to turn around to shield the child with his body, praying that Alex would get to the man soon. Jayden felt the blade slide through his side and braced for another blow, that never came.
"Sir!" Alex had suppressed the man before he attacked Jayden a second time.
"Nice one, Alex..." Jayden praised Alex as he checked on the crying child in his hands.
"Shhh, it's all over now...you're safe..." Jayden assured the child, whose crying had stopped. It was as if the 1 year-old knew that Jayden was there to help him.
"Jayden! Alex!" Det. Torres and Sabrina dashed over.
"Mission accomplished, Sir...all 6 children are safe." Jayden reported as he handed the child over to the paramedics.
"Good job team. Anyone hurt anywhere?" Det. Torres looked at Alex and Sabrina.
"No Sir." Alex and Sabrina shook their heads promptly.
"Jayden? You okay?" Det. Torres looked over at Jayden, who was talking to the back-up team.
"...No Sir..." Jayden bit his lip and shook his head. He held his outer shirt over his side, covering the wound on his side.
"Good." Det. Torres nodded in relief. The team returned to check on the children together.
"Jayden!" Jack spotted Jayden and ran up to him.
"Hi buddy..." Jayden smiled.
"I stayed strong and brave!" Jack hugged Jayden, squeezing Jayden where he was injured.
"...I'm so proud of you. Thank you for staying strong and protecting the younger ones..." Jayden held back the pain and praised Jack.
"Are you okay, Jayden? Why do you look so pale?" Det. Torres asked after they returned to the station.
"I'm...fine...Sir..." Jayden put up a strong front. He had gotten some first-aid from the paramedic earlier, who had advised Jayden to visit the hospital but was met with a polite refusal from Jayden.
"Great job today everyone, we'll settle the rest tomorrow." Det. Torres dismissed the team. It was already 9pm after the first round of administrative issues.
"Sir..." Sabrina approached Jayden.
"Sorry Sabrina but I'm in a rush now...I'll catch you tomorrow?" Jayden had 3 hours before the end of the day.
~
"Are you waiting for Jaydie?" Kaela asked Tricia as she put her to sleep.
"How did you know?" Tricia chuckled.
"You keep looking at your watch...and you look worried. I know Jaydie is busy saving my friends." Kaela blinked.
"Am I that obvious to read?" Tricia was indeed worried. Jayden had been unreachable for more than a day.
"Jaydie will come. He keeps his promises." Kaela encouraged Tricia.
"I know he will. I'm just worried..." Tricia smiled as she tucked Kaela's blanket in.
"Hi Nurse Rose, where's Tricia?" Jayden was running around the hospital looking for Tricia but to no avail. Luckily, he bumped into Nurse Rose.
"Jayden! She's on the rooftop...there's still 15 minutes left. Quick!" Nurse Rose knew what Jayden was here for.
"Thank you!" Jayden rushed up to the rooftop. Tricia was standing along the railings, looking up into the sky.
"Hi birthday girl..." Jayden spoke after steadying himself.
"You made it..." Tricia turned around, recognising the soft and gentle voice.
"I made a promise." Jayden smiled.
"I thought you weren't going to..." Tricia confessed.
"Happy birthday, Trish." Jayden wished as he handed Tricia a bouquet of flowers.
"Thank you for making it..." Tricia didn't need flowers. All she wanted for Jayden to be here.
"Also, this is for you." Jayden held up a small velvet box.
"Can I open it?" Tricia asked.
"Sure." Jayden nodded.
"It's beautiful..." In the box was a silver bracelet with a small rainbow charm on it.
"Remember I told you that I'd tell you my wish when I collected 100 stickers?" Jayden took out the book that Tricia had given him.
"You've been doing it even undercover?" Tricia was surprised that Jayden had religiously given himself stickers amidst the busyness.
"I wanted to make sure I was worthy. Although I'm still far from being the best person you deserve, would you give me a chance to love you?" Jayden held out the bracelet and waited for Tricia's reply.
"You're more than worthy to me, Jayden. You've always been." Tricia held her hand out for Jayden to put the bracelet on her.
"Happy birthday, my rainbow. Thank you for coming into my life and painting it with your beautiful colours. Mahal na mahal kita, Trish." Jayden hugged Tricia and kissed her forehead slowly.
"Mahal din kita, my canvas." Tricia tip-toed to match her lips to Jayden's.
11:58...11:59...12:00
A/N:
WOOHOO!!!