My eyes widened as my jaw slacked. The people I had just saved from that plane crash were my personal heroes. I quickly snapped out of my awestruck daze as I started to untie the two. "How bad are your injuries?" I asked Captain Haddock as I quickly ripped off the tape from his mouth, making him yelp in pain. I glanced at the tape to find that I had accidentally ripped off some of his beard. I cringed and apologized frantically as I untied Tintin. "I can fix myself up just fine lass, it's him I'm worried about. Those Troglodytes did a number on him." The captain said. I looked over at Tintin to see that he was barely staying conscious and his breathing was ragged. I quickly but carefully lifted his shirt to see multiple deep gashes in his sides and abdomen. "We need to get to my cousin's house. Pronto. Get him into the truck." I said as crudely wrapped up his abdomen before running outside to start the truck back up. I hopped out of the truck and helped Haddock carry the young journalist to my truck. "Get in the back. I need you to keep pressure on the wounds and let me know how he's doing." I said helping Tintin into the back seat as Snowy followed behind his master. Haddock followed with multiple cloths and shut the door. Sylvia jumped into the passenger seat before I could stop her. We're in too much of a hurry for me to worry about her now. "Hold onto something. I'm going to be driving like a maniac." I said as I shifted into reverse and gassed it. Haddock clung onto the door with one arm and held Tintin with the other. "Thundering Typhoons! Slow down lass! You'll wreck us in this storm!" Haddock yelled while readjusting Tintin into a laying down position. "Look, would you prefer me to go slow and have your friend get closer to having tea with Death, or would you like to have me speed and we get to help sooner and your pal closer to recovery?" I asked as I shifted to drive glaring at the captain through the rear view mirror. He looked shocked at my outburst. "That's what I thought. So shut up and let me drive." I said slamming my foot in the gas, jerking us forward. I heard weak laughter followed by coughing. "And you Mr. Tintin, need to save your energy. Don't waste it on laughing at Haddock's oh so shocked face back there." I said with a smirk. Haddocks face turned defensive. "How do you know our names?" he growled lowly. "You two have been all over the news this morning. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in town knew about you. And isn't this the sixteenth, seventeenth time you two have been kidnapped? Seriously, you guys need to watch your backs better. Heads up!" I said as I made a sharp turn to the left. "How do you know so much about us?" the old sea captain asked surprised at how much I knew about them. "Hello! His articles online and his blog! I read them all the time. Best place to get information about where to go and places to see. I hope to travel the world someday. We're here." I said driving into the driveway.

 I parked the truck and ran to the door. I burst through the door to see my older cousin watching TV with her two daughters. "Betty, It's an emergency." I said out of breath. She stood up from the couch. "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked standing up to look at me. "I'm fine, but he's not. Bad gashes to his abdomen and chest. I didn't have enough stuff to fix him up nor the experience to do it. I knew that if I called an ambulance, he would have bled out before they could get to my house due to the storm so I came to you." I explained to her as I lead her to the truck. Her eyes widened as she looked at Tintin. "Get him inside. Sam, prep the spare room. you know what to do." I nodded and went to the spare room. I got Betty's med kit and set it up on the side table next to the bed. I tore off the sheets and blankets and put a plastic covering over the mattress to prevent blood stains. I sterilized the medical tools and organized them in the side table. Just as I finished and put on a pair of rubber gloves Betty followed by Haddock who was carrying Tintin into the room. "Everything's prepped and ready." I said as I handed a pair of gloves to Betty. She quickly put them on and helped lay Tintin onto the bed.  "You'll have to wait outside for a bit. He's in good hands. Lila will take care of your injuries." She said shooing the captain out the door and shutting it. I looked down at Tintin in concern. His breathing becoming more labored by the minute, his face contorting in pain and silent tears falling from the corners of his eyes. The sight almost made me cry. I placed my hand gently on his head and softly stroked it. He looked up at me in pain, his stormy grey eyes showed the agony he felt. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright. Betty'll fix you up and you'll be back on your feet and exploring the world in no time." I reassured him in a soothing voice. I caught a glimpse of a smile from the corners of his mouth before grunting in pain. "Sam, give him a shot of the painkiller. Then we'll start." Betty said putting thread into the needle. I nodded as I got the syringe and carefully measured the right dosage. "This will pinch a little, but you won't feel a thing afterwords. Just relax." I said disinfecting a spot on his arm where a vein was before putting the needle in and injecting the medicine into his bloodstream. I gently pulled it out and watched as he relaxed and drifted into a deep slumber. "Alright. Let's get started."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After many stressful hours of stitching, disinfecting, and wrapping up wounds, we were done. I let out a sigh of relief as we finished. "Thanks for the help Betty. Couldn't have done it without you." I said taking off the bloody gloves. She smiled at me. "That's what family's for Honey. What happened to him? He looks worse than your Uncle James when he got run over by his tractor." she said taking off her gloves and gathered her tools and went to the kitchen to clean them off as I followed behind her. I glanced towards the couch to see Haddock telling Becka, the youngest girl, tales of his days at sea while Lila put away the First-Aid kit, but still intently listening. I refrained from giggling as I saw Hello Kitty band-aids on his face. I can tell that little Becka tried to help. "I found the two of them in a wrecked plane that crashed in Mr. Crawthorn's  corn field. The power went off at my place and I was talking to Jenna on the phone when a plane the size of a private jet with the right wing on fire zoom over my house. I drove over there to see if anyone survived with Sylvia and she found the little Terrier pinned underneath the seat. I helped him out but he ran deeper into the plane." I continued telling her the story as I helped her clean her tools and washed myself off. "How long will it take for him to heal?" I asked drying my hands off. "He'll have to stay in bed for at least two weeks. He'll be able to walk around after that, but he can't do any heavy lifting or difficult tasks for a month or two. So, no adventuring for him for a while." she said walking back to the room where the young adventurer lay resting. "That's going to annoy him. He tends to not listen to doctors when they tell him he needs to stay in bed for a while."  I said chuckling. "I'll take him back to my place to look after him. It'll be safer for him to be there rather than a hospital. That's the first place that those mobsters would look." Betty's eyebrows furrowed. "How much trouble is he in?" she asked. "A lot of trouble. Some old enemies from Chicago escaped prison and are out for revenge. I'm surprised that he's not dead right now." I said looking over to the sleeping boy. "Just be careful, alright." Betty said placing a hand on my shoulder. I smiled at her. "I will." I said getting my keys. "Remember Sam, If you need any help whatsoever, don't be afraid to ask the family. We always have each other's backs." I smiled and nodded as I went to start the truck. 

After getting Tintin carefully into the truck with Haddock's help, we were on our way back to my house. This time I didn't drive like a maniac, but slowly and carefully. Haddock held Tintin's head in his lap while Snowy lay at his feet. "How's he holdin' up back there?" I asked glancing through the rear view mirror. "He's doing alright. Fast asleep." The old sea captain replied. "I never got your name lass." "Samantha. Samantha Lova. But everybody calls me Sam." I said smiling. "And this is Sylvia. My best friend and loyal companion." I said petting Sylvia. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I just wanted to keep him alive." I said as I made a right turn. "It's alright. I understand. I would have been the same way lass. How long will he need to rest?" Haddock asked. "Two weeks in bed, and another month or two with no heavy lifting or or straining activities. So that means you two are stuck here for a while. But at least you'll be safe. You guys can stay with me. I've got plenty of space around the house and a big yard for Snowy to run around in. And you don't need to worry about bothering me, I'd like the company. And I can talk to Jenna about work tomorrow." I said as I drove into the driveway and parked. "Be careful with him. I'll prepare one of the spare rooms for him." I said walking into the house. 

The rain had settled down to a mere sprinkle when I walked to my front door. I got the spare room closest to the front door ready for Tintin. It was a full sized bed with a light blue comforter and white sheets with big, fluffy pillows. I put a few towels on the bed in case he bled out. I pulled the blankets to the edge of the bed so it would be easier to put Tintin into the bed. I finished setting everything up just as the Captain walked in with Tintin in his arms. "Place him down on the bed gently. We don't want to disturb him. He'll need all the rest he can get." I whispered as I helped him set Tintin into the bed. I pulled the blanket to his shoulders and lifted Snowy onto the bed. He circled a few times before settling down at the foot of the bed, his head lying on his master's legs. I ushered the Captain out of the room and turned out the light, leaving only the small lamp at the end of the room to illuminate the room in a soft light. Like a nightlight a child would use to ward off monsters as they slept. I took one last glance at the sleeping young man before door.

"How long has it been since you've eaten Captain?" I asked as I headed to the kitchen. "To tell the truth, I have no idea." he said rubbing his head. "Alright, I'll heat something up for you." I said heading to the fridge. "How will you do that? The power's out." the Captain pointed out. "Wait for it." I said holding up a finger as I searched the fridge for last night's leftovers. Just after I said that, the lights turned on. I pulled out the Tupperware of food and smirked at the astounded sailor. "Last night I made Beef Stroganoff. I hope it will fill you up." I said scooping the food into a bowl and putting it into a bowl and placing it in the microwave. As I waited for the food to cook, I got out a glass and filled it with water. "Here. You must be dehydrated." I said handing the Captain the glass. He took the glass and slowly drank the whole glass. When he finished his drink, he let out a long satisfied sigh. "That hits the spot. Thank you." he said handing the glass back to me. I smiled at him and went to the kitchen to fill it up again. Just as the water finished filling the glass, the microwave beeped. Indicating that its contents had finished warming up. I set the glass down and went to the microwave. I got the steaming hot food out and grabbed a fork and placed it in the bowl. I grabbed the glass of water and headed back to the living room where Haddock was trying to sit down in an armchair. I set the food in my hands down and helped him into the chair. "Thank you lass. Sorry for being a bother." He said as he settled into the chair. "It's fine. I had to take care of my great grandfather before he passed away, so I'm used to it." I said as I got the foldable mini table and put it in front of him and set the food on it. "Bon Appetite." I said as I went to make some chicken noodle soup. "Did you make this yourself?" Haddock asked as he ate. "Yep. One of the first few recipes I learned from my mom when I was younger. Simple yet delicious." I said turning off the stove and scooping the warm soup into a bowl. I grabbed the bowl and headed to Tintin's room.

 I slowly walked into the dimly lit room and set the bowl on the side table and sat on the edge of the bed. I observed the boy as he slept. Even with all of the bandages on his face and head, he looked a lot better in person than those pictured I'd see on his articles and on his blog. He looked like a wounded angle to me. I shook myself from my trance and gently nudged his shoulder to wake him up. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, his stormy blue eyes meeting my shimmering blue eyes. I faintly smiled at him. "Sorry to wake you up, but I realized that you probably haven't had a decent meal in a while. So, I made some soup for you." I whispered to him gently. "T-thank you." He whispered hoarsely as he tried to sit up. I helped him as best as I could to get him into a somewhat upright position. I grabbed the bowl from the table and handed it to him. He managed to eat it himself without my help. As he ate, Sylvester decided to come into the room and make his presence known by climbing onto my lap. "There you are buddy. I was wondering where you ran off to." I giggled as I stroked his silky fur. Snowy perked up as he saw the feline and made his way across the bed to investigate. Sylvester turned his head to Snowy and watched him come closer. Snowy seemed surprised that my cat wasn't hissing at him by now. Tintin seemed just as surprised as his dog. Snowy sniffed Sylvester's fur as Sylvester sat there calmly. Snowy jolted away and yipped at my cat for a reaction. The only reaction he got was Sylvester going up to Snowy and rubbing against him. I giggled at Snowy's reaction. "Sylvester was raised around dogs, so he isn't afraid of them and he cuddles with them instead of hissing at them." I explained to Tintin as we watched our pets interact with each other. Tintin lightly chuckled at the two. "I would have expected him to run off hissing while Snowy chased him." he said smiling. "Sylvester would have thought it was a game and go along with it before chasing Snowy." I said shrugging slightly. We fell into a somewhat awkward silence. "How long will I have to stay here?" I heard him ask. I turned to see his crestfallen face. I sighed uneasily. "Well, you have to stay in bed for at least two weeks. After that... You'll need at least another month or two of healing. Which means no adventuring for a while." I said nervously as I looked at my slightly calloused hands. I heard him sigh in defeat. "But think about it. While you're healing, your enemies will think that their henchmen have 'taken care of you' and not expect it when you take them down. So, you actually have the upper hand. They think you're dead, and you gain the element of surprise." I said quickly, trying to cheer him up. He glanced up at me and smiled faintly. "And until you regain your strength, you can stay with Sylvia, Sylvester, and I. I have plenty of space, we're far from places that draw attention, and this is a good place for recovering. And I'm studying to become a nurse, so you have a stay-at-home nurse with you. You're perfectly safe here. And when you're all healed up, I'll help you get back to Chicago." I said with a confident smile. He looked up at me and slightly smiled. "Get some sleep. You'll need it." I said as I helped him lay back down. I shooed Sylvester out of the room and grabbed the empty bowl. I was about to leave when Tintin spoke up. "I never got your name." I looked at him and smiled. "Samantha. Samantha Lova. My friends call me Sam." I said with a smile. He smiled back before he drifted off to sleep. I slowly closed the door behind me as I left.