Marriage is Murder

Jess felt Robert's energy and glanced up as she was working on the paper work " I don't know, both appeared in the main lobby, both covered in cuts and dirty, Khaat just a bump on her head , Marcus same with a deep laceration to his shin and small cuts, I have both on observations for now, not like that.." she said to a young healer, Placing the clip board in Roberts hands. "Their charts" she moved into Khaat's room for a moment.

Walking back in she checked Marcus once more, "Well he did his job Khaat's is dirty but fine, I'm guessing he'll be up on that foot in no time , as for what happened they are the only two who can tell us that" she said and brushed her hand over some dirty she found " gravel?" she said and handed it to Robert. " I found the same on Khaat, that and dark black soot."

Robert breathed in, deciding not to panic. Brian was utterly silent. He merely followed Robert as a silent shadow. He and Brian read the charts and passed them to Hannah so that it didn't interfere with Jess's duties or theirs.

Robert went to the first room he came to and found Belby. He saw the suit that had been pristine a moment before, now indescribably black and stained.

Brian went over to Belby and started to examine the gravel Jess had found.

"Cinders," Brian said quietly. "Gravel and cinders...and oil. Black oil."

"Motor oil," Robert said.

"Not a car, surely," Brian said.

"No. Doesn't explain the cinders," Robert said.

"Fire?" Brian asked.

"No. Doesn't explain the gravel or the motor oil."

"Train," Belby's voice said, a bit slurred as he started to wake. His head was pounding.

"Train? What train?" Robert asked.

"Where's Khaat?" Belby asked, trying to get his eyes to open and to focus.

Jess heard Belby talk and placed her hand on his forehead drawing off as much of the pain as she was able. "she's fine and in the next room." she told him with a smile. "shush rest and relax, you took a knock to the head and your suits ruined but you'll live." she said glancing at Robert and Brian as she spoke again " The only place close enough with gravel motor oil and soot could be the train station."as she took a guess at what he meant.

Moving back to Khaat she made sure the healer had kept her clothes now in a bag she handed them to Robert " these might help" she said "There's two lines on her dress, Belby was over the top of her when they arrived" she showed him the lines." I'll send Jack to get a replacement dress the shawl might be difficult unless that shop in Venice has more than one"

"Thank God," Marcus said. "Didn't think we cleared it."

"We'll talk later," Robert told him. "Rest. Jess is right. You need to rest a moment, and I'll get your facts in a little bit." Marcus sighed, frustrated that he'd been on the job for only a few moments before it had all gone sideways. This might well be the shortest assignment he'd ever had. He closed his eyes, though, needing a few moments to gather himself.

Brian was already out the door, heading towards Khaat's room. He saw she was out like a light. She starting to bruise in some places. He checked her quickly. He didn't find anything serious. Or at least not much new that wasn't there before. Whatever they'd been through didn't help her shoulder, but it wasn't broken.

Robert examined the clothing. He checked the distinctive markings on the dress. He checked her knees and found just scrapes, much like a child's biking accident.

"Michael got her the first shawl. If there's another out there, he'll find it. You might send it home to him and see if he can get it to te maker to repair it. Sometimes magical garments like that can be fixed almost easier than nonmagical ones. Michael's always believed that magical things don't appreciate being mucked up and pose more resistance that nonmagical ones. And for all I know he might be right."

Jess nodded as she listened to Robert " I'll send it myself right away. " she said taking the garments and placing them in a plain brown envelope though he wanted to send them she sent a note to Cassidy who arrived with in minuets " get this to Michael will you its special and Khaat had an accident ." she simply told her.

"She's okay?" Cassidy asked and saw Jess nod " I take it to Michael and see if he can repair it for her" she said taking the shawl in the envelope Cassidy headed back headed back. Jess moved back to check on Khaat and found Robert with her.

"Every think okay?" she asked softy as she updated Khaat's chart once again " there's not much wrong with her I could arrange for her to be discharged into your care again, once she wakes" she aid and glanced back at Marcus. " You do know he feels guilty about what ever happened." she said walking over .

"Yes, indeed," Robert said. "I will take her home as soon as she's able to go. Belby has nothing to worry about. He's just getting his feet wet with us. He hasn't learned this is just a daily occurrence with us. But, perhaps, as far as Khaat is concerned, you'd prefer to sign her out yourself, Brian."

"No, its fine," Brian said, unconcerned about who signed her out, so long as she could go home.

Marcus wasn't a man to stop if it was possible to keep going, especially when he was working. He managed to get up and dress in the tatters of his suit. It looked like hell. It had looked so much better just a short while earlier. He walked out of his room in the emergency room and easily followed the voices to the room next door. He was deeply relieved to see she was, indeed alive, and, all things considered, looked infinitely better than she might have.

"Two questions," Belby said quietly. Robert and Brian spun to look at him, not expecting him to be up.

"Ask," Robert said, frowning, surprised.

"Is there something you didn't tell me? Is there someone after your daughter, or someone she's after? And--what didn't you tell me about that necklace of hers?"

Robert paused and scowled. He looked at Brian and then at Jess. This might prove to be very interesting indeed.

"It sounds like we do need to talk. Right now, I'm failing to see how my daughter's jewelry has any bearing on any trains," Robert said.

"Then we do need to talk," Belby said. "Because right now, I'm feeling very uninformed."

Jess saw Belby up and walking " hey you should be in bed " she said pulling a chair for him to use. " at least sit down before you fall down and make more work for me and my healers" she said as she moved him to sit. Moving to the chart she opened it and flipped back a few pages signing them she walked over to Robert.

"Just need your signature as your senior healer here" she said and walked over to him. Taking the board back she placed it in the pocket at the end of the bed " once shes awake I'll send for Jack and Steven to help take her home unless you and Brian want to see to it?" she said turning to look at them.

Marcus did sit. It wasn't every day he dove right in front of a train. And he was certainly hurting.

"Thank you," he told her, "but I do believe I was hired to do a job. Unless you've fired me, I'll make sure she gets home."

"You're doing no such thing until you report, Belby," Robert said, taking the chart and signing off on Jess's work. "What happened?"

"We were outside, heading towards the hospital when Khaat gets a wild notion that she's got to go to Kings Cross. I'm not sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the woman that brushed up against her on the sidewalk. But she got determined to go to Kings Cross," Belby said. "So we get there, and her necklace goes ballistic. What's up with that, incidently? She starts hunting for someone and takes off after some guy and chases him to the platform. The guy turns and tosses her in front of the 8 am train. I didn't have time to chase him. I jumped onto the tracks with her to get her out. I didn't think we honestly made it. That train was right on us. Bloody muggles, I'm sure, thought we were mush on the tracks."

"Would you recognize the man or the woman if you saw them again?" Robert asked.

"The man, yes. The woman, no. She was there and gone much too quickly," Belby said. "Who is he?"

"He's a werewolf. And he wants my family dead. Its why you're here," Robert said.

"Well, now I know why she needs a platoon of security," Belby said. "And the necklace? Glows in the presence of werewolves?"

"Something like that," Robert said. "Jess, get Jack and Steven to quit playing in Paris. Get them back. Have them get here and comb the hospital. I don't want them in my hospital again. Lets not have another battle in the basement. Send a floo message to Angus. If Edward isn't back, have Angus get him back--right now."

"Belby," Brian said. "Well done. Thank you. but you look like hell. I'll take..."

"If you don't mind," Belby said, "you trusted me to do a job. I'd prefer you let me do it." Robert looked at him for a moment.

"Are you up to it?" Robert asked.

"Yes, Sir," Belby said, now knowing what he was fighting for, and now driven to take a stand and not back down.

"If you think you're up to getting her home when she wakes, then fine. But you both go straight home and get off your feet," Robert said. "Try reading a magazine." Belby didn't reply. He didn't read magazines. Wherever Khaat was, that was where he would be.

Jess smiled at Belby "Hey we've all have done it once or twice or three" she said and gave Robert a white set of forms " your copy I'l get Hanna to file them " she said handing them to a young healer who was preoccupied with oggiling Belby. Jess rolled her eyes " your distracting my healers Marcus" she said with out even looking up from her paper work. The healer smiled at Marcus and headed out to find Hanna.

Jess wrote a note and sent it threw the floo seconds later Jack and Steven appeared jack pulling on his left pants leg " hey you couldn't have given me time to dress?" he asked and Steven shook his head.

"Nope, when Robert calls we go"Steven said as Jack finished Jess shook her head " we were in the haberdashery when we got the not" he explained Jack finished and pulled on his Jacket. " how is every one?" he asked and Jess filled them in." them again" he said and glanced to Robert. Jack looked at Belby.

" Hey chill, if it hadn't have been with you it would have been one of us" he told him and smiled

Belby had seen the cute little blond healer who was flirting with him. He smiled at the blond, and she blushed as she smiled at him and hurried on to find Hannah.  Marcus had noticed her name tag, and made a mental note of it.  He'd also made a mental note that she didn't have a wedding band on.  He always noticed beautiful women.  Particularly single ones.

"Well, at least he let you put your pants on before he ported you out, Jack," Robert said.  "But do send a check for the jacket that you made off with.  And you might want to take the price tag off before you go too far in it.  The tag is a bit much."

"Get your heads into the game," Brian told them.  "The pack lured Khaat into Kings Cross and tossed her right in front of the 8 am train. The only reason she's alive is that Belby did his job."  Brian noticed that Robert was scribbling a note on a piece of scrap paper out of Khaat's chart.

"Send this to the Ministry to clean up the muggles who saw this," Robert said, handing the note to Brian.  

"Oh, yeah," Brian said.  "Muggles."

"Yes.  Lots of muggles, cameras at the station, muggle cell phones...the lot of it.  Get it locked down fast," Robert said.  "Or if you can't spread the story that they were, as Belby so poetically put it, made mush."

Khaat started to wake. Belby immediately noticed her starting to move.  She immediately felt pain.  Lots of it. It took her a moment to get her bearings.  

"I'm not dead?" she frowned.

"No, you're not," Robert said, "No thanks to your hairbrained plan."