Chapter 32
Swimming to shore, and making his way back to the location of his team that way would take a very long time, and since he was very concerned about Frank’s condition, Aaron was in a hurry to get back. There was a pier close by, so he fought the current of the salty river and swam over to it, then climbed up using the large stone bricks as hand and footholds.
When he reached the top, Vicky rushed over to help him transition back to the top of the bridge. “Are you all right?” she asked as he made the awkward leap through the suspension wires and across the railing. She reached out and steadied him upon landing.
“I’m fine,” Aaron assured her, though he was soaking wet, a sensation he didn’t particularly care for. “How’s Frank?”
“He’s just fine,” Vicky assured him as they both rushed back to the location where Frank’s throat had been cut.
Aaron couldn’t believe that was possible. He hadn’t gotten a clear look at exactly what had happened, but it appeared as if the wound were very deep, and he couldn’t imagine Frank was ‘just fine’ only a few minutes later.
When they reached the rest of the team, Frank was sitting, leaning back against the side of the bridge, and Ward was crouched next to Jamie who was laying on his back, his knees bent, one hand over his face, as if he’d just run a marathon and needed a few minutes to recover.
Confusion knit his brow. “Frank? Have you really recovered so quickly?” He could see a thin, jagged scar on Frank’s neck and plenty of spent blood on his shirt and trousers, but the blood was no longer flowing, and his coloring seemed to be returning to normal.
“I am,” Frank assured him, only a slight hitch in his breath. “I thought for sure… but Jamie saved me.”
The physician said nothing in response, only reached out with the hand not covering his eyes and awkwardly patted Frank’s leg a few times.
Aaron was still confused. “And what’s wrong with Jamie?” he asked the group in general.
The answer came from Vicky. “He is exhausted,” she explained. “It took all of his energy to heal Frank.”
“He’s a Healer,” Ward continued. “Unlike any I’ve ever seen.”
Aaron felt his eyes widened as he looked from one face to the next. “He healed… that? This quickly? Through some sort of magical powers?”
“It isn’t magic,” Ward insisted, “we just don’t understand it. Yet. But, yes. He healed him that quickly.”
“Fascinating,” Aaron muttered. He’d never seen anything like it. All the other Healers he’d worked with were able to do very little in comparison to what this young man had just done. When he’d seen the extent of Frank’s injury, he thought for certain he would return to find his friend had met his demise.
“You got him,” Vicky smiled, resting her hand on Aaron’s arm. “He’s gone—at last. It’s hard to believe it’s all finally over.”
Aaron hadn’t even taken the opportunity to reflect on what the team had accomplished that evening. But Vicky was right. They’d gotten Jack the Ripper off the streets at last. He had no idea what would come next, but whatever it was, he hoped it wasn’t as complicated as this case. He could do without another Ripper for a very long time. “We did it,” he confirmed with a nod of his head and a look of pride shared with each of his teammates, including Jamie who was sitting up now and managed a small smile. “Now what?” he asked, looking at Ward.
“Now, Jamie can head back to Boston, and you and me and Frank head back to London to see what they throw at us next,” Ward replied with a shrug.
Aaron looked at Vicky, who had removed her hand and was standing with her hands folded in front of her. Ward saw the expression on Aaron’s face and realized he didn’t know. He muttered an apology and she said, “It’s okay. I just hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him yet.”
“Tell me what?” Aaron asked, turning to face her.
Vicky glanced at the others and then took a few steps away, motioning for Aaron to follow her, which he did. Once they had a bit more privacy, she said, “I’ve decided to stay here.”
“In New York?” he asked, unable to believe his ears.
“No, but in America. I think… maybe I’ll head out West. I hear there’s quite the Vampire invasion happening in California, and there’s not a lot of leadership out there. I think… I think I’ll try my hand in San Francisco. Or San Diego.”
Aaron wasn’t sure what to say. “Vicky, I can’t imagine our team without you.”
“I know,” she nodded. “It’ll be an adjustment. But I think it’s for the best.”
After the conversation they’d had at the beginning of the Ripper case, when she’d confessed her feelings for him, and he’d politely declined, they’d never mentioned it again, and she’d gone on to court several other fellows, though she never seemed too serious about any of them. He’d watched from the sidelines, still wondering how Aislyn would respond to the knowledge that he’d taken another lover after what he’d put her through. Now, standing on the East River Bridge, staring into the brown eyes of a woman who meant so very much to him, he realized Aislyn would truly want him to find someone else, to move on, to find happiness.
For him and Vicky, however, it was clearly too late. With a nod, he said, “I hope that everything works out for you, Vicky. I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” she said, wrapping her arms around him despite his wet clothing.
He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the crown of blonde curls atop her head. He had learned so much from working with Vicky, but certainly the most important lesson he learned was that he was allowed to move on. It just wouldn’t be with her.
