Nerds Saving the World

Aftermath

They pushed into the emergency room, shifting from the calm of the outside to the buzzing of nurses, doctors and injured people. Q saw his brother, Matt, pacing in the waiting room. “What's going on?"

Matt stopped to look at Madison. Not surprising. Matt was the smooth one of the group. Q waved his hand in front of Matt's face. “Yo, focus. How's Jeff?"

“He's okay, but they're stitching him up." Matt shuddered. “I couldn't watch. Any news from the police?"

“They didn't tell me anything, but the fire had just been put out when I got there," Q said. He couldn't erase the look of the their building. Thankfully they owned insurance, but he'd liked that building a lot.

That's why he'd opted for the apartment above. Not that he'd kept anything of value personally in that place. Just all of his electronics were gone. He was gadgetless except for whatever he'd left at either of his brothers' houses.

Relief swept through him that his brother would be okay. That's when he remembered Madison. “Uh, Matt. This is Madison."

Matt smiled his predatory grin, making Q want to step between them. Except that Matt was married. To someone so gorgeous it almost hurt to look at her. Madison was close. Softer on the eyes, but still a prom queen.

“Nice to meet you," Matt said. “How'd you end up with this i***t?"

He thought they were dating. Q fantasized about that for a moment. Then shook it off. Bad idea. He'd been there and his souvenir from that fiasco was a broken heart.

Madison said, “I'm a client—I think. I've run into trouble, and Q here, has offered to help me."

“Oh he has?"

“Matt, here, could give you much better help. You tell him the story while I check on Jeff."

She possessed a lost look on her face as if he were deserting her. She was in better hands with Matt. He'd get the truth out of her.

“You'll be back?" she said.

Q nodded then left her with Matt.

***

Madison knew Peter was mad at her, but did he have to dump her with his lecherous brother like an unwanted guest?

She watched Peter leave the waiting room. What was wrong with him taking the case?

She shrugged. Another person who thought she was inconsequential just because she was a pretty face. Sadly, Q knew her better than that. Made it all hurt even worse.

When she turned to Matt, she plastered on a beauty pageant smile. The one the runner up gave the crowd, letting them know she wasn't disappointed to be second best.

Matt didn't seem to notice because his smile was full wattage.. “I guess you should start at the beginning."

She sighed, but his phone rang before she could say a word. He moved away to answer it.

A frown creased his face. “That was my wife. She's gone into labor early.."

“No worries. You attend to her."

“Let me find Q before I leave you." He rushed out of the room.

Q shuffled back in, clearly not wanting to be there. A frown creased his face.

“Look, I didn't ask for you to get into this trouble, but now it's on your doorstep. You can either ignore it or deal with it."

His mouth dropped open for a moment. “You're right, but my brothers—“

“Have their own problems. You're it unless there's another Quincy you're hiding."

She'd never known he had such an extensive family. Guess she hadn't gotten to know him very well.

“One, but he's in Europe."

She put her hands on her hips. “So what exactly is your problem with me? Besides that I've brought trouble to your door."

"You really don't know?"

She shook her head at him. "I wouldn't be asking if I did."

"You really don't have any idea?"

What was so obvious that she should know? "No, I don't, why you are giving me a hard time."

He seemed to collect himself. "Then I don't want to talk about it."

"Then you have to get past it. Shall we start over?"

He nodded. She thrust out her hand. He clasped her hand and his touch warmed her. Right to her toes. His smile revealed straight, white teeth that she bet spent years in braces. Just like hers. If they just talked, they'd probably find they had a lot in common. It had been years since they'd spent any time together, but she figured they weren't that different after all.

“Isn't that better?" Madison said.

“Yes, it is. Now you have to tell me your story. Your whole story."

“First, how is your brother doing?"

“Don't know. I'll call later"

“Good then we're all in agreement."

***

Q took notes, but he didn't hear all that Madison said. He couldn't believe she had no idea what she'd done to him. That she'd ruined him for every other woman he tried to date. That because of her, he wrapped his heart in firewalls so well not even Google Earth could find it.

He shook himself. He couldn't fall for her again. “Charlie did photojournalism more or less as a hobby."

“Seems like a dangerous one."

He remembered his friend always flirting with danger. In Charlie's mind he was doing it for a noble cause. And, of course, leaving someone else to clean up the mess. This time Madison, and by default, him again.

“He was too old to join the military when 9/11 happened and he possessed no desire to be a firefighter. Going to war zones and taking pictures seemed like the ideal thing for him."

“How did he get places? If he wasn't with a paper or network, I mean?" Q asked.

“He hooked up with some independent paper and they provided him with press credentials. He kept using them after the assignment was over."

“Seems risky."

“He lost a good friend in the World Trade Center. I think maybe he had a death wish."

Yep, that was Charlie. In Madison's case, love was blind. Q had warned her that Charlie had this side, but she never saw it. Or maybe she did and that excited her more than a staid, computer guy. Which was the persona he'd adopted then and now, but in between, life had been very different.

But he couldn't talk with her about those days because she didn't have security clearance.

She looked over his shoulder but probably not at anything that was really there. Q put down his phone for a moment. “He left you alone a lot."

Her gaze traveled back to him. “Yes."

“Did you get lonely?"