The Waitress

11 - Roxby Downs

"Remember, when you get off the plane Lexus has arranged for a taxi to come pick you up. Tell it to take you to here, and don't speak apart from that."

Eliot was acting like an over-protective brother at this point, so Kaely took the piece of paper and nodded her head. She decided arguing against him would be a bad idea.

"Yes, okay, I've got it," she assured him for the hundredth time.

"We'll see you soon, okay?" Leo added. "We're coming to get you as soon as we're finished here."

Kaely nodded her head, this time tightly before she was squashed by Eliot, who was acting like he would never see her again.

"Alright, that's enough," she laughed, pulling back. "I'm seeing you soon, so there's no goodbye's necessary."

Eliot ruffled her hair again and Kaely smiled at the other two. Then she met Jared's eyes, and it hurt, so she nodded politely and turned away almost as soon as it happened. This was all him. She was leaving because of him, so she had nothing else to say.

She lifted her bag up higher on her shoulder and waved at the guys one last time before turning her back to them to walk on towards the plane. She boarded in no time and when she was settled in, she leaned her head back and relaxed. She was going to have to get used to this, now. Being alone. She was so used to it before that she was worried she would never fit in with anyone, but now that she was leaving the only people she'd learned to care about, she didn't know what to do.

But more than anything, she was afraid that she had seen the last of those boys for a long time.

The journey happened so quickly that Kaely was off two planes and in Olympic Dam before she knew it, going through to the parking lot where she saw her taxi waiting for her. She moved towards it and got in, her bag on the seat beside her.

"How're you going?" the woman asked, and Kaely smiled.

"Good, thanks," she replied, then glanced down at the paper in her hands. "Um, could you take me to the Motor Inn, please?"

"No problem," the woman replied and started up the taxi, pulling out of the car park and heading in to town. "So, you visiting some friends or family up here?"

Kaely shrugged as she pushed Eliot's prior words to her out of her mind. "You could say that," she replied, then frowned as her phone began to ring. "Excuse me," she said as she answered it, and the driver nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. Kaely could tell she was trying not to eavesdrop, and Kaely appreciated it.

"You there yet?" Jared's voice came through the line, and Kaely clenched her jaw.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied, and Jared sighed.

"You can't stay mad at me forever." She shrugged.

"I can and I will," she retorted icily. "Put someone else on; I don't want to talk to you."

Jared didn't hesitate and Kaely heard the phone being chucked to someone else, who ended up being Dex.

"Hey, how's that arm of yours?" he asked.

"Healing," she replied. "How's things down your end? Monroe?"

"Alive," Dex said, and Kaely grinned. The sudden relief that washed through her body lifted a heavy weight off her shoulders, and she ended up laughing."

"See?" she exclaimed. "It worked out okay."

"They didn't shoot from a rifle, Kaely," Dex continued. "It wasn't the same gunman. They got a handgun, and they came in at close range. Apparently, he saw the Feds and freaked; made it look like he was trying to rob us or something accidental like that. Monroe got out without a scar."