The following takes place between 2:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.
"Here ya go, boys."
The receptionist at Franklin Hospital slid a manila folder across the counter.
"Thank you, Mrs.--"
"Ms. Thompson," the receptionist corrected, her tone harsh as acid. "I haven't been a Mrs. since my husband died twenty years ago."
Tony grimaced. "I'm sorry, Ms. Thompson. My partner and I offer you our condolences."
"Don't," the receptionist said flatly. "I hated my husband."
Jack and Tony stared at Ms. Thompson. They were at a loss of words until Jack said, "Thank you for your time," and snatched the folder.
As Jack and Tony shuffled away from the front desk, Ms. Thompson yelled, "You have twenty four hours to bring that file back! Any later and you'll be fined!"
"Geez," Tony whispered. "I hope Ingrid comes back soon. She's a lot nicer than that broad."
"Who's Ingrid?" Jack asked.
Tony shook his head. "Nevermind."
Jack shrugged and pulled the folder out from under his arm. He held it out for Tony, who grabbed it and took the lead.
They walked down the street to the park. There weren't many people around, so it was an ideal spot for confidential business. Tony snagged a bench and waited for Jack before opening the folder. But when Jack sat next to him, Tony couldn't do it.
"Do you want me to look first?" Jack asked.
"I'm the director of CTU," Tony said tersely. "My authority is the reason we have this file, so I should be the one to read it."
Jack put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's hard for you. I get it. No matter what you find in there, it'll feel like bad news."
"She's a monster," Tony growled. "She deserves to be dead. But if she is dead, we're screwed. We won't be able to find Nancy."
A spark lit inside Jack. He couldn't let Tony think like that.
"Tony, listen to me. Whatever happens right now, whatever we discover in this file, I want you to know how much I appreciate what you've done today. You didn't have to go with me to the police station but you did. You didn't have to trust me but you did because you aren't just the director of CTU. You're my friend. That's what's going to help me save Nancy in the end, not Aysel or any other minions of Sal's father."
It wasn't like Jack to be so optimistic, but seeing Nancy again had made a profound effect on him. She made him remember his old self, who he was before he went to war and became a rigid CTU agent. That part of him was resurfacing, and he couldn't suppress it. If he was going to save Nancy and her sisters, he had to play by the rules of their world, not his. And one of the most fundamental rules of the world from which the Drew girls came from was to never give up, not even in the face of death. That was how Carson had lived. Now Jack would carry his torch.
"Okay," Tony sighed. "I'm ready."
Jack watched intently as Tony opened the folder. Together, they went through each paper until they found what they were looking for.
"This is it," Jack said. "The results of the forensics test."
Tony's skin crawled as Jack studied the page. He felt like he was burning from the inside out.
"Well? What does it say?" Tony asked nervously.
A cloud of darkness hung above Jack. He was experiencing Tony's dilemma for himself now. Relieved? Worried? Sick? He didn't know how to feel.
"Jack?" Tony prompted. "You can tell me. I promise I won't freak out."
"You spoke too soon." Jack's eyes were hard when he looked up at Tony. "She's alive."
A wave of bile rose in Tony's throat, but he forced it down. He was the boss. He had to stay professional.
"You're sure?" Tony asked.
Jack nodded. "It's all right here. The only DNA they found at the explosion site was Nancy's. I don't know how she did it, but Aysel escaped. And we're going to find her."
Tony loosened his tie so he could breathe. "How? The bomb went off yesterday. She could be anywhere by now."
Several minutes passed before Jack came up with something, and when he did, he wasn't sure it was worth pursuing.
"I have an idea. You'll probably think it's stupid, but it's all I got at the moment."
"Tell me," Tony said. "You've gotten us this far. We can't give up now."
The words were so clear, so logical in his head, but when Jack said them out loud they sounded pathetic.
"I think we should go to Chloe," Jack blurted.
Tony narrowed his eyes. "Chloe? Jack, she's in the infirmary. She's unconscious--"
"She could be awake by now," Jack pointed out. "If she is, we can ask her to help us. She's the one who discovered Aysel was the mole, so finding her shouldn't be that hard for Chloe."
"I don't know," Tony said. "She was in pretty bad shape the last time we saw her. Even if she is awake, we don't know she'll be well enough to work."
"I have faith in her," Jack asserted. "She's tougher than she looks."
Tony chose to ignore the emotion in Jack's voice, but he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.
"So what do we tell her?" Tony questioned. "I assume you don't want her to know about Sal's father."
"Of course not," Jack said. "We'll just say we learned Aysel got away, so we need to find her to keep her from setting off another bomb."
Tony handed the file back to Jack. "What if Chloe can't find Aysel?"
The faintest hint of a smile crossed Jack's face.
"She will. Trust me. No one's safe from Chloe O'Brian."