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[dadication]

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[gr1m]

The last thing Gabriel did was move something in front of a certain spot on the wall, just blocking something out of paranoia. It was ultimately nothing, but at this point he was using every last bit of hyper awareness to cover their bases. As much as he wanted to collapse himself, needed to make sure they were as safe as they could be, stepping around and over Jack as he passed and moved around.

With everything done? Gabriel practically collapsed to the floor next to him, sitting on his knees and narrowly avoiding hacking up blood on to the carpet. Coughing, hand over his mouth and wheezing to the point it would ave been so easy to just—

Nodding, he was nodding and groping for the medical bag, grabbing one of the little oxygen tanks he'd packed in there with a face mask, holding it over his noise and mouth as he turned it up until he felt some relief again. Eyes watering up a bit, because hell if it wasn't all slowly crashing around him now.

"Need- need to get you... cleaned up." Everything that came after. Make damn sure they didn't die in this shitty motel room.

[dadication]

Jack trusted Gabriel to make the place secure, wishing he could help but unable to. He was better off on the floor, and instead he was paying attention to Gabe through their link, tracking the partner of his life until he could hear and feel Reyes settling down near his head. He tried to roll from his side to his back, but the pack he was still wearing pinned his weakened body in place. He instead sort of flailed and then went quiet again.

This place was going to have ruined carpets anyway as he was still bleeding everywhere. The sheer amount of rain water on them both wouldn't help to keep the place sanitary. He felt a brief relief of phantom tightness to his chest when Gabe breathed some of the oxygen, and he relaxed some knowing that the older man was safe, would survive for now despite the grievous injuries.

He shifted, pulling the jacket Reyes had given him tighter around his shoulders, using it like a blanket even if all the pain and fatigue was setting in now that they were safe. He had his eyes closed, making soft little sounds as he forced himself to not just sleep.

"...need to get that lung fixed first... and you need to be sewn up..." They both did. Reyes was automatically his priority. "Just... let me warm up a bit more. So cold."

[gr1m]

"C'mere," was harder to speak as his adrenaline was starting to go, heaving a bit at the other bag to get Jack tugged up, wanting to get him sitting and pull him in close. Needing to pull in in close. "Warm up easier."

They would warm up easier and at a better rate if they huddled together, pool what was left of their body warmth and both of the jackets he'd stolen. Was so damn glad he still had the thought of grabbing shit from the front of the ambulance before torching it, getting some cash and just- a little thing outside of the medical supplies they'd desperately needed.

Now they needed to be able to have the energy to patch up and stop the bleeding with everything else. "Need you," and he did. Needed him close, wanted to hold him and have that extra bit of reassurance outside of their bond.

[dadication]

It took breaking the strap itself for him to be free of the pack, and it was only then that he could struggle any measure towards Gabe, which he was in desperate need of. All of their near death experiences together had somehow involved them cuddling desperately together, holding onto one another. It helped that Gabe was hauling him over, and he scrambled lamely to sit up and huddle in close next to Reyes leaning on the bed. He shifted the jacket that hadn't even put his arms through and turned it around to drape over their fronts.

Honestly, he should stumble off to grab dry towels and to turn up the heat in this place (assuming it even worked), but once he was settled against Reyes, he was finished all over again. Instead, his arms curled around the older man with a weakness unlike him, fingers curling into Gabe's jacket and what remained of his hoodie to just hold on.

He buried his face into Reyes' neck, as much for warmth as assurances. Everywhere hurt, even their bond. They were alive by the skin of their teeth, wounded physically and emotionally. "...'m sorry..." he mumbled softly, starting to tremble for entirely unrelated heat-generating reasons. He tucked his legs up close to Gabe. "...I should have..." Done what? He hadn't seen this coming. Gabe obviously hadn't either.

Now they had nothing but each other. "Need you too."

[gr1m]

Did whatever the hell he needed if it meant he'd end up with Jack in his arms, feeling a physical weight and warmth and him up against him. Tucked together under one jacket as he was too tired to pull his arms out of the one he'd pulled on, gripping at Jack desperately as if he was physically the sole lifeline he had then and there. Wasn't wrong, wasn't wrong at all. Did so much for him just to make sure he survived, that he could come back to him and not-

Didn't want to leave him alone, didn't want to be left alone. Needed that physical contact and touch. Weight, the smell of him, even if they were both still bloody and smelled like it, sweat and rain and dust. His hold only so much tighter out of his own desperation than what strength he had left.

Gabriel wheezed a little, head rested against Jack's and eyes closed, welled up tears falling without his notice. "Mm," He was sorry too, even if he couldn't put words in to it other than just tucking close and bundling against each other as they were.

"Got you."

[dadication]

He took strength from being close to Gabe, but more than that, he knew that he didn't have to be quite so strong anymore. They could fall apart and it would be okay because they had escaped with their lives, but no more than that. He was too wounded, tired and raw to be able to fully cope with what had happened, but its impact was definitely starting to trickle in on him as he finally rested against Gabe, the only person who could know he was alive until they figured something out.

He felt a tear on his cheek, though maybe it could have been rain water given how soaked they were. However, Jack knew the difference; he could count on one hand the number of times either of them had shed a tear, so he knew. "...don't..." he muttered, lifting a hand to press it to Gabe's face, wiping as if he could sweep away the tears. It was a messy attempt, his fingers numb with cold, but Gabe letting go was the final piece in their misery puzzle.

He began to tremble all over again, dry sobs leaving his damaged throat, and he clung to Gabe as some of their agony came through to one another. He didn't even have the strength or ability to produce tears anymore, but he was sobbing like a child and rocking himself and Reyes as if that very act could calm the storm of emotion that was happening between them. They should be resting, but here they were crying like boys instead.

"Don't ever leave me, Gabriel Reyes. Never."

[gr1m]

It was hard to keep it all held up behind an already brittle wall that had been built up just to get to this. Somewhere reasonable safe and out of the public eye after all hell had broken loose, someone clearly having wanted them dead if the shooter had been the last key to being sure of that or not. Tried to hold on as long as he could, rarely let anyone else see him so low and weak.

But he couldn't stop himself, even if it started silent, tears falling when the first finally broke free. More falling after as he held just a bi tighter on to Jack. Rocking with him as his own hand lifted to keep Jack's there on his face, Gabe resting the side of it there so it wasn't in danger of knocking away the oxygen mask.

Kept a hand of his own over it. Crying enough for the both of them as some low sound of a sob broke free, something almost like laughter coming with it. Completely bereft of joy and just a sound of emotional agony. That brittle wall demolished and no longer holding it back.

"N'ver," word barely gotten out, but every bit of emotions was in it.

[dadication]

It couldn't be good for Gabe's lungs to have extra strain on them for crying, but he knew for fact that now that it had started, there was no way to stop it in either of them. Like in all things, they would go until there was nothing left to give, and they likely were compounding each other by sharing the shock and grief of their situation with each other down the link that connected then together.

His fingers over the mask, holding it in place as Gabe's hand came to rest on his own. Warm wetness made the tears even more obvious, but while Reyes cried with tears and very little sound, Jack was opposite, all noise and no tears. He didn't even feel pathetic, just worn out even more, letting loose on something they neither of them had seen coming and now so many people had paid with their lives. They had failed, and he didn't even have the mental, emotional, or physical energy to know how or why it had all happened.

Instead, they cried themselves out, though Jack wasn't aware of how time passed for them. Eventually, he quieted down, sniffling and hiccuping softly and resting himself against Gabe. He forced himself to breath, to step into the numbness of being emotionally worn out. It felt like all of him was numb, and he thought for the first time that he would be okay dying like this in some seedy hotel room cuddled up against the partner of his life, just... slipping away from blood loss.

No. He couldn't do that. Not yet. Gabe needed to be fixed up.

Slowly, he roused himself from leaning like dead weight on Reyes, still sniffling but using the last of his energy to sit up and grab at the bag of medical supplies.

"I'm going to need you to get naked so I can stitch you up and bandage what can't be. Keep the oxygen mask on," he said, sounding numb and cold as he felt. He had a job to do. If only his frozen fingers would work. "I can cut you out of your clothes if that's easier....?"

[gr1m]

Needed to let something out before it was held back so long it broke something else in them, they were allowed to cry. To express that great emotional hurt that had been building and building, and even some caused by the physical hurt as well. Let something out so they could wall back up as they needed to get back behind it and walk through those next and very needed steps without too much trouble. Needed steady hands, or steady enough, for the patching to come.

Even as Gabriel's lungs burned from the silent sob wracking his body, better now than later when whatever patch-job Jack managed could somehow pop. Had to get the lung re-inflated, help him breath easier and thank god he'd grabbed a few oxygen tanks while in his haze of having to get everything in to a bag.

A hand kept curled on Jack, holding on to him as both a brace to keep him upright, and because Gabe needed the contact. Nodding slowly, keeping the mask on to the point he was putting the elastic of it over his head finally. Better than jut holding it in place-

"Need the pants," Anything else could be cut off. Not much left of the shirt, could keep the stolen jacket zipped up. Even if he was painfully slow in peeling off said hooded jacket and tossing it on to a chair for now- even if he caught those cold fingers between his hands for a moment, lips brushing across fingertips and glancing up at Jack.

"I get you after."

Stitch and bandage.

[dadication]

Jack forced himself to switch gears, shivering from cold and numbness, but that was good. He knew hitting that numb stage meant that he could prioritize what needed to be done, and he was already pulling both of his hands away from Gabe to open the medical bag and root through the contents as Reyes made an effort to stripe down.

First thing first was pain medication, and he was familiar enough with their metabolism to know to double the dose to start. He didn't even hesitate as he drugged Gabe up with a needle to the thigh before he returned to grabbing suture and the appropriate hand tools. However, his second order of business was to look for signs to Gabe's collapsed lung; they needed to get that reinflated for the older man to be comfortable for any of this.

With no obvious foreign bodies that needed to be removed, he grabbed a needle and syringe. The bruising was so evident to the traumatic damage that had caused it all, and he knew this would hurt. At least he had waited for some of the drugs to kick in before he felt along Gabe's ribs for a spot that hopefully would allow him to operate.

"This is going to hurt. Deep breath and hold it," he ordered gruffly, willing his fingers to work as he slipped the need in between the ribs at a sharply upward angle and began to suction off the excess air to return negative pressure and reinflate Gabe's lung.

[gr1m]

There was only a slight hiss, but less out of pain- well no. more out of pain, but not from Jack just injecting him with pain killers. It was more getting out of his pants after dealing with boots and socks. Muscles were tired, joints ached- everything ached and at least soon enough that wouldn't entirely be the case.

Gabriel positioned himself as needed once he had managed to strip, trying to make it as easy on the both of them as possible. A hand lifting just to make sure the mask was still in place and he wasn't struggling to breathe as much as he could be.

Nodding before he took that deep breath and held it, eyes closed tightly for just a moment. Holding, letting Jack do what needed to be done and keeping still. Not bracing himself as completely as he could just to keep muscles and all from tightening to the point it would just make shit hard.

Could feel the pressure shifting, eyes closed tighter as a free hand gripped at the bed. The only thing he was allowing himself, not quite a pain but a discomfort that could get anyone not sedated to shift. Made himself keep still.

[dadication]

Jack watched Gabe's face, aware none of this could possibly be comfortable, but then again, not being able to breathe was far worse. Reyes had been smart to bring the small tanks of oxygen or else this could have been a completely different story. This was going to happen though, they were going to survive, lick their many wounds and find out who had done this to them and everyone else.

He extracted all the air that he could, waiting and hoping that it would be enough. Turned out there was more air in Gabe's chest cavity than his syringe could suck out, forcing him to pull it out, reset and have to insert the needle in again. This time he felt more resistance as he drained air and waited for the telltale signs of proper respiration returned.

"Keep sucking that oxygen even when I'm done," he ordered. He figured it would do Gabe good as the drugs kicked in with their full effect eventually.

Only once the job was complete he did withdraw and sat back to study the enormous task ahead of him. Where there wasn't burns, bruises or scrapes, there were lacerations, punctures from rebar and the odd foreign body from the blast. He blinked his eyes rapidly, nodding his head as he convinced himself that he could do that, that there was no other choice. Gabe needed him.

The pack of supplies next to him, he rose and stumbled his way to the bathroom finally. Inside, he grabbed two towels which he assumed were supposed to be white but more an off yellow and old stains that he didn't want to know the story behind. He returned with the same drunken stumbling but settled down like a sack of potatoes. One towel he settled under Gabe's thigh where the rebar had punctured through. He then flushed and washed the wound. The other towel was used to pat it dry before he applied a bandage. One down.

There was another on Gabe's side which he worked on next, flushing, washing but only a minor bandage pad there because there was plenty else to work on before he could bandage the older man's abdomen up. "Get some rest... I'll be awhile."

He began the seemingly endless quest to find bits of rocks, vehicle metal and glass from Gabe's body, hands only shaking a little bit.

[gr1m]

Under any other circumstances Gabriel would have tossed a joke out, try and lighten the mood, but those times were usually just after some mission having gotten complicate or- well. Not This. This wasn't the time for a 'I'll tell you what else I could keep sucking' and hell, as it was didn't cross his mind. Focused as he was on trying to make this as easy on Jack as possible. Both of them were flagging, but he had to hold on so he could do the same for Jack.

Even if his eyes did droop when the pain killers started kicking in, never dropped his gaze and kept alert as he possible could. Breathing with the help of the mask and oxygen tank, even if he could feel the prick of pain, it was over and gone wit just as soon as it had come.

There was a noise, some faint sign of a tired chuckle- "Just.. if I doze off-" He was afraid what might happen if he did, but the part he was far more concerned about what, "-wake me up so I can get you fixed up."

Didn't want to leave Jack bleeding or have the higher risk of infection. They were in this together, all the other had- he needed Jack to stay at his side after this.

[dadication]

Well, they were both lucky if they weren't going to get an infection, not only from the explosion but the carpet they happened to be seated upon. He did not want to question what some of the stains were, and they happened to be adding their own at this point. As long as everyone thought they were dead, it wouldn't matter if some seedy motel happened to have blood stains from them. They would clean up when they could manage it.

He glanced up at the request, nodding but too exhausted to commit more than that. He would wake Gabe if it were necessary otherwise he could mind himself. However, he knew Reyes would be furious if he didn't, but he had to look out for the other man first and foremost. He had taken care of matters on his own many times, same as Gabe. It was a fact of life. He'd deal with any anger assuming that he was still conscious enough to listen.

"You need your rest. You pushed harder than I did," he said as if that bore any merit. "If you're still in pain, let me know and I'll dose you more." Right unconscious if he had to.

All the same, he began to suture some of the deeper, uglier lacerations. No local, which he was apologetic about, but Gabe would have to contend with the pin pricks over and over as he sewed the partner of his life back together again. Front first then he would see about Gabe's back.

[gr1m]

He worried, even knowing just how much Jack could do on his own- how much he could do on his own. Didn't make him want to try and help any less, do whatever he could, even if right now part of that was making himself sit and let Jack tend to him now. Like hell he wanted to make the other think he couldn't do anything this simple, or that it was unwanted.

"We both pushed hard," softly, a little strained. "Think you and I both know this still hurts like Hell, but I can deal." Less than what it did, but it could be felt initially, but faded away quicker than it would have without. Only hurt too much if he moved or breathed a little more deeper than his lung was ready for.

Dealt with the pain of skin being sewn together, head tiled back and just kept his breathing as regular as he could. Had at least stuffed a few antibiotics in to that bag, so neither of them would be crawling out of here with some new sort of disease on top of surviving an explosion. Last thing they needed.

[dadication]

"I'll go as long as I can," he replied. Yes, he was hurting and yes he was tired. They both were. He was taking what relief he could in the fact that Gabe was breathing better, still recovering with oxygen but looking a bit less ashen. "Just... rest..."

Jack worked. He stitched, washed, bandaged and removed shrapnel from Gabe's body, working on the worst of the injuries and making his way to the least dangerous but still to be uncomfortable ones. He then urged Reyes to turn so he could work on the older man's back which was just as badly damaged, requiring more suturing or maybe it was just that he was slowing down by that point, fingers barely working but running on fumes as he put Gabe back together. He managed to do that and then bandage it all up, providing a little more warmth but also a sense of security that he had done it. Okay, so there were likely still a few places on Gabe's legs but the worst of it was over.

He sagged, breathing shallowly and picked at his own shredded clothing. He began to pull the bloody tattered remains, opening up wounds which had been glued shut by the cloth that remained. He managed to peel off his trousers and kick off his boots before he looked over at Gabe.

He couldn't go further, even if he had intended to.

"...Gabe...? I need you..." his words were barely above a hoarse whisper. He must have worked an hour or more on the older man. He felt on the verge of passing out. "...I can't..."

[gr1m]

"Okay," he'd rest. What rest he could get while Jack was working on him, and hell if that wouldn't be enough in his mind. Being still, not pushing himself further for the sake of getting them both the hell out of dodge and somewhere safe enough, "Okay."

He could rest while remaining still, eyes closed, getting what he could from that alone while still breathing. Only moving when he needed to, when Jack asked him to move so he could get to his back. At that point he could have honestly let himself doze off, but he refused, even if he was in some half-awake sort of daze while Jack picked and stitched, cleaned and bandaged.

He was alert the moment he heard just how weak Jack's voice was, moving to sit up carefully, just to not ruin his work, catching hold of him. "Why don't you lay down for me? Work on your front and sides, lay on the towel you had under my leg," Do what he could to get Jack situated, tired as he still felt, he needed to push this one last leg of their journey here.

"I got you, Jack. I got you."

[dadication]

As he wavered, he felt distantly safe that he had assured Gabe's survival. He had done his part, done whatever he could to keep the older man safe or at least on the road to healing up again. He was shaking, pale complexion absolutely white by this point, and the only reason that he remained upright at all was because Gabe actually turned around to capture him before he could slump over.

"Yeah... I'll lay down," he mumbled, though he personally made no effort with spreading out any towel. The most he could manage was his teeth chattering and keeping himself seated until it was spread and then he was practically oozing onto the towel. It felt good to lay down, he thought. It wasn't any warmer and he was so damn cold. He couldn't feel his bloody fingers or his wet toes at this point. Hell, he couldn't even spare the energy to think if he felt anything from the knee down anymore.

He wanted Gabe to do what he could, not push things too far, but that very notion managed the slightest of smiles on his lips. Of course Gabe would push it, as dedicated to him as he was to Reyes. The dark neat writing of Gabe's name stood out stark against his pale skin, as all near death situations brought about. "...don't worry about making me pretty again... I'm done with photo-shoots..."

An attempt at humour, even if his voice made it flat and sad. He knew his face was chewed up anyway. No point regretting any of that.

[gr1m]

Gabriel took care of it, flipping the towel around so there was at least the slightly cleaned side of what had once been a folded towel for Jack to lay on. Wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, hand smoothing over pale skin and trying to share as much warmth that had seeped in to his own skin -beginning of a fever? would have to take some of the antibiotics- with Jack. Wasn't about to lose him after all of this.

"Even with some new scars you're going to be pretty to me, Jack." There was a smaller cloth, hand towel he guessed, that he'd gotten with warm water to wash away grime an dirt before he could get started. Had gotten up between laying Jack down and looking over watch all he'd needed.

Have to clean him off a bit before he was flushing out wounds, already giving him the same courtesy of injecting a pain killer. Numb or not it was... needed. "You can rest while I do this, okay?" Just stay with him otherwise.

A hand rested over his name of Jack's skin, leaning over him just enough to press a kiss near the corner of his mouth.

"Let me worry about you now."

Cleaning out the wounds that needed the most attention, where rebar had kept Jack pinned, cleaning and bandaging that for now as he picked and went along his way. Going from what he needed to do then and there and working his way up. He'd leave Jack's face for last, injuries there always bled worse than what they were.

[dadication]

"...smooth talking me...?" He made a soft noise when Gabe gave him some pain medication, and by the time they were all set up and ready to fix him up, his eyes were closed and his shaking had waned. He was still cold, but he was also in a very happy place even as Gabe started on him. Of course, he sighed as warm lips pressed on the name etched into his skin, and he briefly reached out to touch the top of Gabe's head, stroking gently.

Muscles twitched for the cleaning and the flushing, and he made little soft noises so show he was still in the land of the living at this point. It was the most that he could manage as he lay on the floor in that dirty motel.

Thankfully the bullet that he had been struck with in the shoulder had been through-through, creating damage but at least there would be no real digging to find the bullet. As Gabe stitched him up in places, he wanted to say something during each little prick to his skin, but by that point, he was so out to lunch he could only make little sounds.

[gr1m]

"Always," because partner and love of his life. "Scars look good, after all." Jack would never look anything but good to him, scars or no scars there across his face. Didn't mar his looks a damn bit if those lacerations did scar up.

Gabriel was as careful as he could be, but whenever he did pick or dig out any sort of foreign material he made sure to clean the area out, just to make it heal that much easier. The noises appreciated, glad to know Jack was still there with him, even if he had reached a point of weakness he couldn't do much else.

The bullet wound in his shoulder did get some lingering attention, flushing it out as carefully as he could and stitching only where needed. Otherwise he was fixing some gauze and a bandage there, hand rested over the area for a moment before he was moving on. Fingertips carefully brushing at Jack's face.

"I'm about to clean here, might hurt and I'll be surprised if it doesn't start bleeding again." But he'd try to make it careful, and he did worry he might have to stitch if the lacerations there were deep enough.

[dadication]

"You wear yours so well... if only I could..." he mumbled, corner of his lips twitching. He had no doubt that the both of them had picked up new wounds that would scar, lines of healing that would mark the fall of their old lives. He didn't want to think about that part right now, afraid that he would fall apart all over again.

He actually clenched his teeth to prevent any worrying noises from leaving his throat. They had had their cry and while he knew that others would likely happen before they locked it all away, he didn't want to worry Gabe more than he already was. It was hard enough feeling how many wounds that he now carried, that Reyes was cleaning out, stitching up, and how he sometimes had to actually rouse himself up enough to help with bandaging even if it was little more than a shift in position.

Slowly, his eyes cracked open at the touch to his face, finding himself staring up at Reyes' exhausted looking face. He blinked twice as he tried to process the words and then he nodded his head when he did. His face would need stitches, even now, if he twitched his cheeks, blood would bead on the main scratched that luckily hadn't taken one of his eyes in the process.

"...Should I sit up?" He looked tiredly over at the bed where Gabe had once been leaning. It seemed so far away, so much effort to rise, and he wasn't certain either of them had it in them.

[gr1m]

"You wear yours just as well," and would wear these as he had to. As both of them would have to bare their new scars after tonight.

A hand set against Jack's shoulder as he hovered over him, "I can help you. Just.. prop against the foot of the bed for now? We can worry about getting in it later." Didn't know if he had enough to get them both of them in bed, worry about it after maybe. As it was he was pushing himself up to rinse out the cloth so he'd have something clean to start washing off Jack's face, "I'll be back in a minute." Even if he was staggering.

Moving carefully not to tug loose any stitches o bandages on himself before he was coming back and sitting on his knees, a hand already on Jack to help pull him up in to a sit. Position so he was propped against the bed-

"You want more pain killer? Don't think there was any local pain killer for this."

[dadication]

Jack turned his head to look at the bed nearby, measuring the distance and how long it would take him to roll there. The hand helped, offering strength and warmth where there was nothing else at this point. He reached for Gabe when the older man stood and drunkenly staggered away, but he was certain the gesture wasn't seen as Reyes was likely concentrating on keeping a forward momentum.

He rolled slowly onto his side, as careful as he could be with the bandages and the sutures that were holding him together. He actually made it, and his hand reached out to grasp the edge of the bedding, hauling himself forward towards it and then struggling to rise. The bedding was slipping which forced him to wedge a weak elbow into the floor as he made the attempt to sit himself up.

He likely only made it the rest of the way because Gabe had returned and assisted him, but he was up. He was sitting and he swayed his head as vertigo assaulted him. He swallowed hard and let himself have a few seconds to stabilize before he shook his head a little. He was so damn numb right now.

"Just... do it." He trusted Reyes more than anyone and even if the sutures were a mess because both of them were a damn mess, so be it. He reached out to take Gabe's wrist. "If... you've got nothing left in the tank, forget it. I'll just... heal."

[gr1m]

"Need to do this," clean Jack's face and do what he could, not pulling his wrist away, instead resting the warm wet cloth on his thigh so he could rest his other hand lightly against the side of the other's face. Thumb slowly brushing against his jaw. "Just... cleaning you up, heal better then."

Trying to assure them both that Gabriel had more in him to spare, still using the oxygen tank or not. Could push through to clean up those lacerations and get skin fixed back together, painful as it might be.

Both of them were tired, been a long fucking night and there were going to be longer days ahead of them. "When you're ready, Jack. When you're ready."