Chapter 488: Hero’s Treatment

"Depends on his luck," the Black medic said, feeling a chill as he looked at the thin metal rod trembling with each heartbeat. "Let's get him out first, and I'll monitor him."

Jack nodded, grabbed the man's right shoulder with one hand and his pants with the other, and lifted the 200-pound man off the ground with sheer force. The medic stared in amazement as Jack, maintaining an awkward posture, hoisted the impaled man out. After a moment of shock, the man quickly scooped up the unconscious woman and followed.

Onlookers outside gasped in surprise, the flashes of camera phones lighting up the scene.

Jack turned his head slightly to avoid showing his face on camera as he carefully laid the impaled man on the ground, leaving him to the medic's care. In the distance, police sirens wailed, gradually growing closer.

Given the man's injuries, Jack didn't dare to casually use a healing spell—he would have raised too much suspicion. Instead, he silently prayed for the stranger, hoping he would survive.

The fire was growing more intense. Other customers who had followed Jack into the supermarket to help were now either carrying or supporting the injured out of the store. A significant number had been rescued.

Jack re-entered the supermarket, grabbing two towels off a shelf. He opened a bottle of water, poured it over the towels, and covered his nose and mouth. Bending low to avoid the thick smoke, he continued searching for survivors.

He wasn't trying to be a hero. The situation was still manageable, and with his enhanced strength and senses, he felt he could save at least one more person.

He approached the center of one of the suicide bomber's explosions. The shelves had toppled over, and a mixture of flesh, bones, and shredded organs were scattered everywhere, painting a gruesome scene.

Suppressing his nausea, Jack bent down and continued searching, stretching his senses to locate any possible survivors amidst the rising heat and thickening smoke. 

Just when he was about to give up and retreat, something caught his attention. Tossing the towel aside, he took two steps forward and flexed his arms, lifting a collapsed and deformed shelf.

Beneath it was a woman's corpse, her back a mangled mess. Much of the flesh around her waist was missing, leaving her spine and some internal organs exposed to the air.

Yet, Jack's heart leapt with joy. He quickly moved the corpse aside, revealing an overturned baby stroller underneath.

The ceiling above creaked ominously as the fire spread to that section. Black smoke swirled, as if it harbored sinister faces within it. 

From the stroller came a faint cry. Squinting through his smoke-reddened eyes, Jack reached in and pulled out a baby, about seven or eight months old, completely unharmed.

At that moment, the ceiling above made a terrible cracking sound. Jack instinctively pulled the baby close to his chest with his left hand, while his right arm blocked a burning wooden beam that spun toward him like a fiery ring.

As the beam flew off, it set fire to Jack's right sleeve. The wood was part of the ceiling's supporting frame.

Sensing the danger, Jack turned and sprinted out of the store at full speed, running like an Olympic sprinter. Just as he made it out of the supermarket, there was a loud crash behind him. The entire ceiling caved in, collapsing in a fiery inferno.

A firefighter who had just arrived rushed over with an extinguisher, aiming to put out the flames on Jack's arm. But Jack sidestepped and pushed the extinguisher nozzle away, revealing the baby in his arms.

"Oh my God!" gasped the crowd, as the flashing of cameras intensified.

"EMT! Over here!" a firefighter shouted, summoning an emergency medical technician who rushed over with an oxygen mask.

By this time, Jack had already handed the baby to the firefighter. He quickly tore off his burning jacket, swung it a few times on the ground to extinguish the remaining flames, and finally felt the searing pain on his right arm.

"Well done, buddy!"

"You're amazing! A real hero!"

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers, showering Jack with praise. Some even clapped tearfully, overcome with emotion.

Jack glanced back at the blazing supermarket, his heart still racing. Water hoses sprayed the fire, barely managing to contain it. He could only wonder how many victims were still trapped inside.

---

"Breaking news: Tonight, the city of Dallas has been plunged into fear, chaos, and grief."

"Devastating news: A series of explosions in Dallas have left 15 confirmed dead so far."

"Multiple injuries, including two children. A six-month-old baby was rescued by a brave federal agent."

"The President has issued a statement."

"The Secretary of Defense is holding a press conference."

Jack lay in a hospital bed, flipping through the channels. Every news outlet had been taken over by reports of the explosion.

"Let me take a good look at our hero. Ha-ha!" Rossi's voice echoed from the hallway before he entered the room, laughing, followed by Hotchner and the rest of the team. Even Garcia, who rarely joined them, was there.

Jack removed the oxygen mask from his face, smiling wryly as he waved his left hand at them. "What are you all doing here?"

"Rossi heard you were injured, so we had a word with the higher-ups. This case is ours now," Hotchner said, glancing at Jack's bandaged right hand with concern. As a fellow marksman, he understood how crucial a steady hand was for Jack.

"Uh, it's just a minor burn. The medics went overboard with the bandaging." Jack raised his heavily wrapped right hand, wiggling his fingers to show he was fine.

The hospital staff's enthusiasm had been overwhelming. In the short time Jack had been lying there, several nurses and doctors—some attractive, some thinking they were—had found excuses to pass by his room. 

Some would pretend to have entered the wrong room, apologize, then giggle as they hurried away. Others were more direct, smiling as they dropped little notes under his pillow.

In just a few hours, the notes had stacked up enough to raise his pillow by a noticeable amount.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but Jack still felt itchy all over from the attention. Being treated like a zoo animal was unbearable.

Garcia, with her heart finally at ease, walked up to Jack's bedside and carefully hugged him. "Oh, my dear Jack, you are my hero."

She then pulled out her phone and showed him a photo. It captured the moment Jack, his right arm aflame, pushed the firefighter's extinguisher away to reveal the baby in his arms. His soot-streaked face only added to his heroic image, set against the backdrop of the blazing inferno.

"You really don't want this photo on tonight's news?" Garcia asked regretfully.

"Thanks, but this is already giving me enough headaches." Jack grabbed the stack of notes from under his pillow and handed them to Reid.

"Find a discreet place to get rid of these. Or you can keep them if you want."

Reid opened one of the notes, blushed, and hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket, as if holding a hot potato.

Emily patted Jack's shoulder with a smile. "Get well soon. We'll solve this case quickly."

Jack turned to Rossi with a pleading look. "Can't I rejoin the team now? Or at least get discharged early?"

Rossi shrugged apologetically. "This case has been classified as a terrorist attack. The Secretary of Defense just held a press conference. You're the key witness, so you can't get involved for now. But Matt's already been briefed."

Rossi didn't need to say more. Jack understood the implication. If the four bombers were confirmed to be illegal immigrants smuggled in by a drug cartel, the joint task force would take action soon. Matt would likely call him up early.

Jack sighed, holding on to a sliver of hope. "What about discharge?"

"Jessica is discussing it with your doctor. It's up to her," Hotchner replied, managing a stiff smile. Despite his reserved nature, it was clear he was genuinely relieved Jack was okay.

The team didn't stay long, as they had work to do. Soon, the room was quiet again. Jack turned off the TV and closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest.

The burns weren't too serious, and Jack planned to tough it out. Sometimes, a man just had to endure.

After a short while, the door quietly opened, and a familiar fragrance filled the air. Jack sighed internally, wondering if this would ever end. But then he heard the distinct click of the door being locked.

His heart skipped a beat. What's going on? Wasn't leaving notes enough? Now they're going straight for a nighttime visit?

He cracked open one eye, catching a glimpse of golden hair flowing over the shoulders of a woman dressed in a white nurse's uniform, her figure impressive despite the outfit being a size too small.

The scent was familiar, too. It reminded him of... He suddenly opened his eyes wide, only to see Jessica, blushing, standing by his bedside.

"I heard there's a hero here…"

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