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"Do you want us to all go with you?"
The question came from Shane, who had an arm securely around Torrie. They stared at Jay excitedly, and the platinum blonde was even grinning. This was such amazingly good news - Nora was safe!
"Sure... If you guys want to come, by all means do so."
The short-haired man was brimming with relief and joy at the same time. But the way he was currently feeling would be nothing compared to how he would feel once he got to his Nora.
"This is unbelievable, Jay!" Amy said. "I wonder what happened..."
"Hey, if we don't all have to go, I think I'll go back to bed," Kurt said sleepily. All the remark earned him was a smack in the back of the neck by Stephanie. "What?" he whined as he eyed her. She didn't respond verbally but merely gave him a warning look.
"We'll all go with you, Jay," the brunette stated. She glanced back over at her grumpy boyfriend, who appeared pretty cowed by now.
"Good... Why don't you all get showered and dressed, and we'll leave ASAP?" the Canadian suggested. It was pretty obvious he was having a difficult time containing himself.
Torrie, Shane, Kurt and Stephanie all left to head back to their room. Amy and Adam seemed to be discussing which one of them should take a shower first. Eventually, it was decided that the redhead would, as her husband insisted, "Ladies first."
As for Jay, he was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His shoes were already on as well, and he appeared quite anxious as he headed toward the small room's window.
"I can't believe it," he said. "It seems like a dream, or just too easy."
"Well, if the police are involved, it's real, all right," Adam said as he eyed his best friend's back. "Jay, this is good... We'll go get Nora and get back to our lives."
"And what about Levesque?" The short-haired man turned to face him.
"What about him? He'll have his ass carted right back to prison," the tall blond man said. "After everything he's done, with the escape on top of it, he'll never get out."
Jay hated playing the part of the skeptic, but he couldn't help it. The concerns were filling his head at an insurmountable pace.
"We don't know that," he said.
Adam simply stared at him.
"But we do... Jay, even if he somehow gets a shot at parole - which is a huge longshot - he'll never get out. Not after everything he did."
"Hey..." Adam stepped a bit closer to his buddy and clapped a hand to his shoulder in a manly fashion. "... That won't happen. It'll all be okay, man."
The shorter Canadian looked up into his friend's face silently. He gave a slight nod but wished he could feel as confident as his friend did.
*
Amazingly, everyone was ready in about forty minutes. Kurt and Stephanie were the first to return to the motel room, and somehow, the Olympian didn't seem quite as cranky as he had earlier. Adam smirked to himself as he supposed Steph had figuratively kicked his butt.
Torrie and Shane joined the group a few minutes later, their luggage in tow. The platinum blonde was still smiling, apparently very optimistic now that they knew Nora was in safe hands.
Jay clapped his hands together as he faced his friends. He was so ready to speed all the way to the hospital.
"Okay, so we're all ready now?"
Everyone replied simultaneously.
"Let's go, then," he said, and the smile returned to his face. "Let's go get my Nora."
*
Nora laid her head back on the pillow and stared up at the television, though she couldn't really focus on the show. She'd been put in a room after the ordeal with the police - not because she badly needed one, but for her comfort as she waited for her husband and friends.
Now, she was increasingly anxious. Her nose had indeed been broken, but other than that, she was physically okay. It made her realize that over the past few years, she had grown to be a much stronger person. And she knew exactly whom to thank for that.
As though on cue with her thoughts, she suddenly heard his voice exclaim her name. She shot her head in the direction of the door to see Jay running toward her. Her heart quickened with unbelievable joy.
"Jay!"
Her husband was at her bedside in an instant, tears of joy and relief in his eyes.
"Nora! Thank God!" He leaned down and held her tightly.
"Careful," she said softly. "My nose is broken."
It was in his mind to curse that prick Paul Levesque like nobody's business, but somehow, the Canadian refrained himself. Besides, he was far too happy to dampen the mood from getting his wife back.
"I'm sorry, baby."
She shrugged but was smiling up at him, her hand holding fast to his.
"Not your fault."
"What happened, honey? I want to know everything," he said, his face growing serious.
"Jay? We want to come in!" a voice she recognized as Stephanie's exclaimed.
The Canadian glanced toward the doorway and saw their friends gathered out in the hallway.
"Come on in, all."
Everyone started filing in and hugging Nora. Definite excitement hung in the air as she greeted her friends.