Origins : Snapshots In Time 89

"Are you sure they're releasing him today?" Luthien pulled the car in around the hospital's parking lot, taking the first open spot he could find.

"No, they aren't, but he's coming home today." Isaac said firmly, getting out of the car.

"Isaac..."

"Look. My men stopped three different attempts to get into his room last night alone. Two others last week. NO one is going to get a chance to get at my little brother like that." He slammed the car door shut, shouldered his pack, and moved around the car.

Luthien blinked over at his son, then shot a worried look over at the hospital. "Well aren't they supposed to have some kind of security--"

"It's not good enough if my guys are stopping attempts." Isaac argued, starting across the parking lot. Luthien looked between him and the building for a moment and then moved to follow, long, lanky legs closing the distance between him and Isaac in moments as they crossed the parking lot.

"They didn't want him released for another week."

"And *I* don't want him DEAD in that week, Dad. Neither do you. If he needs medical attention I'll bring in OUR people to do it. Obviously these people have moles in their ranks."

Luthien sighed.

Isaac shook his head, sharp, measured steps carrying him over the pavement and up the stairs to the hospital's main entrance. "He's not in ICU at this point. He's not completely critical."

"He's still got breaks all over the place. He can't even manage a set of crutches yet until that arm heals!" Luthien looked over at the shorter, comparatively speaking, man.

"Then we'll help him get out the door. It's that simple. He's coming home TODAY. And I've doubled the guards on Vickie's room. They stopped a couple of attempts there, too. I'd have her brought home, too, if she wasn't so critical."

Luthien shook his head, going up the steps, and ducking under the doorway as Isaac opened the door. The two marched through the lobby, Isaac taking the lead and bee-lining straight for the elevators with a hard look in his eyes.

Once they were on it, Isaac leaned back against the wall, folding his arms around his middle and ignored the way his pack dug into his shoulderblades. "Dad, look. Whoever blasted that building, it wasn't a coincidence. I've done some looking into this. We are the ones they're after. None of the others that survived that explosion have had any attempts on their life or on their welfare."

"Isaac..." Luthien rubbed at his forehead. "How do you know this?"

"They've been left alone. Whoever did this was looking for Jimmy and Vickie. This is NOT coincidence that we're seeing attempts to get to them now. And I am NOT taking the chance. NOT MY little brother. The baby's gone, do you want to see them disappear?"

"No." The older Keller sighed, moving to step out of the elevator as the doors opened. Isaac was right on his heels, and then moved up to his side.

"That's what I thought." The younger man replied, starting up the hallway, skirting around a couple of nurses as he headed for his brother's room. "Then he comes home TODAY."

"Fine." Luthien responded quietly. "But if he needs--"

"If he needs medical care, Dad, I'll send my own guys in to do it. It's that simple. People I KNOW we can trust." His voice lowered as they got just outside James' door. "Go check on Vickie, alright? I'm gonna get him ready to move."

Luthien eyed the door, then sighed, running one hand through his hair. "Alright." And he turned away from the door, heading through the ICU to his daughter in law's room.

Isaac watched him go, then turned and walked into his brother's room, past the two soldiers on the doorway, and shut the door behind him. "C'mon, Jimmy, up and at 'em..." He called, just walking right in the door and helping himself to gathering James' things up together.

"Don't call me that.. you know I hate that..."

"That's the point." Isaac quipped, tossing a change of clothes down on the bed. Then he reached down, helping his younger brother sit up, and just started tugging at the back of the hospital gown. "Come on, we're going."

"How do you expect me to--"

"If I have to carry you, I will. We're GOING, Jimmy, now move it." Isaac tugged the gown off to the side, and matter of factly helped the younger one back into civillian clothing.

"Look, I can't even--"

"I don't CARE." Isaac snapped, and got his arms up around his little brother's torso and dragged him down off the bed. "You are leaving TODAY."

James sighed. And looked away. When Isaac gripped his torso, he earned a sharp yelp out of the younger Keller, before James had managed to get a grip on the side of the bed with the good arm.

The door opened behind them at that point and Luthien walked in, shaking his head. "Crutches--"

"Why? I can't manipulate them with this arm."

"Just take the one for now, son. We'll handle the rest." Luthien responded, moving to the side of him and putting one of the crutches directly into James' right hand.

"Toldja, you're coming home NOW, Jimmy."

"Quit calling me that!"

"Then quit whining and move it!"

"......" James faltered. And shot a glare at his older brother, who just smirked right back at him. "...you are an--"

"I know." Isaac quipped, smirking, and then got serious again, getting his shoulder and arm up and around his brother's other side. "You can curse me out at home. You can go back to bed once we get home. But your leaving now."

"Victoria--"

"I've got my guys watching her. She's not going anywhere. No one's getting in there that doesn't belong. Now come on, Jimmy, buckle up and move it. Don't let these assholes get the better of you, huh?"

James sighed. And looked away. And Isaac reached up and - much more gently than he normally would have - just tapped the side of his brother's head. "C'mon. We'll find the baby, don't worry. But you can't do anything until your healed up. So pick yourself up and let's go."

The tactic normally worked well enough on James, Luthien knew. And it did seem to be working a little bit. Besides, it was pointless to try and argue with Isaac at the moment, and he knew it.

"I don't want Vickie left--"

"Jimmy, quit worrying. Get your ass in gear and let's go. The longer you dally here, the more likely of something actually happening. Now move it!"

James eyed his brother. Then side glanced towards his father on the other side, and whatever he muttered at that point wasn't loud enough to be heard by either one. It was typical of Isaac, though.

He always had had a tendency to march in and take over and start running things when something got nasty. But if Luthien didn't know better, he'd swear Isaac was outright trying to peptalk James out of the ditch he was currently in at the moment.

"Are you going to move it, or am I gonna have to go in there and tell your wife that you're being a cry--"

"Isaac, if I didn't have both hands otherwise engaged, I'd punch you square in the mouth for that!"

"You and what army, Runt?"

"You're an--"

"Ah-ah, not in the presence of ladies, Jimmy."

James didn't bellow; his ribs hurt too much for that, but his eyes finally flashed. Apparently that had been the last straw. He attempted to push his older brother off of him, and Luthien had to scramble to compensate for the shift in balance, but Isaac just let him push and held his ground, dragging them along anyway.

James' eyes flashed once more and he shot a glower over at his brother that would have curdled the milk while it was still in the cow. Isaac carefully didn't smirk or smile at the outburst, but inwardly he was very, very relieved to see that glower.

That was exactly what he'd been after.