OPERATION: YOUNGBLOOD | Peterick

Chapter 17

Patrick slid into the backseat of the cab that Pete had waiting for him at the hospital after he finished filling out the rest of the discharge papers. The bill was horrendous, but Joe insisted he was going to help pay for it, even after Patrick refused to let him.

The cab took off back towards the direction of what had to be the hotel, and they sat in silence until Patrick finally spilled the beans.

"Dr. Augustine called," he said carefully. Pete looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" He questioned. "What happened? What did she say?"

"She told me she knew about what happened."

Pete's expression turned to confusion. "How would she know about the mission? She shouldn't even know that we're here!"

Patrick racked his brain for possibilities. "Well it was originally a CIA case. Do you think they assigned new agents to it and they were the ones who found out about it because the g.o.d. was defeated?"

Pete opened his mouth to respond, but the driver suddenly cut him off.

"Are you speaking about g.o.d.? Weren't you two that took them down?"

Pete and Patrick looked at each other.

"Yes...how did you know that?"

"I see your faces on the news!" The driver exclaimed. "Everyone is ecstatic about g.o.d. being gone!"

They looked at each other again.

"How long has it been public?" Pete elaborated when he saw the driver's confused look in the review mirror. "Since when has it been on the news?"

"Oh! Maybe few days? Two? Three?"

There wasn't enough time to reply as the cab had pulled in in front of the hotel. Pete yanked out the yen from his pocket and carefully counted it.

"Arigatō," Patrick said as he climbed out the door. The driver simply smiled at him and drove off when they were both out.

After riding the elevator up and walking down the hall to their door, Patrick felt the reoccurring, awkward feeling between him and Pete resurface. And it definitely didn't get any better when they stepped inside the room.

Pete immediately grabbed the tv remote and anxiously flipped through the channels while Patrick watched suspiciously. Neither of them even bothered turning on the lights.

Pete sighed as he landed on a picture of a news anchor. "I forgot it was all going to be in Japanese."

Patrick sat down next to him on the bed. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"You never told me what Dr. Augustine said to you on the phone."

"She wasn't...happy."

Pete looked away. The room was dark save the blue light from the tv screen.

"Why wasn't she happy?"

"We spoiled her case apparently," Patrick said quietly. "She was angry we went on with the mission despite the fact that we were suspended."

Pete turned back to look at him. "Does that mean...?"

Patrick nodded.

"We lost our jobs completely."

They were silent, and Patrick rested his face in his hands.

"Patrick I'm-"

"Don't apologize Pete, it's not your fault."