Obi begins concentrating on the Trump, willing it to grow cooler, to see a spark of life in his mother's eyes. To Dina he offers, "Shadow doesn't offer speed. We three can all trust her, and I'm not sure we'll agree on anyone else."

"No, Obi," Corwin says with quiet authority. "Bide a moment." He puts his hand firmly over Obi's trump so he can't concentrate on it. "She's right," he nods toward Dina. "Not yet. I want to see what this guy's got on me first." Then Corwin stands up.

Everything about Dina's body language says she'd like to slap that card out of his hand, but she doesn't give up her focus on the man in front of her, who could be pulling a weapon out of the drawer.

Obi frowns, but doesn't put the card away.

"I wouldn't," Corwin says to the man with the sandy moustache. "She's too fast. You don't stand a chance."

The man, who was in the middle of his action and reaching into the drawer, pales. Dina couldn't yet tell what his action was going to be, but his reaction to Corwin tells her. He gulps, glances uneasily back at Dina then Corwin with a frown. He slowly starts to withdraw...a file.

At that moment, Drake steps into the doorway with gun already in hand. The man with the sandy moustache figures that despite all warnings and evidence to the contrary, this is the moment to act. Dina can tell that someone else has just arrived in the doorway to the room. Obi can feel the tension in the room around him has become electric, from Dina on one side and Corwin on the other. Dina sees the man literally change his mind about what he's going to do. He starts to drop the file he's got and reach for something else that's in there.

Dina shoots him in the leg, and turns to face the others, not aiming the gun at them, exactly, but not exactly keeping it where she can't.

The man screams and clutches at his leg as he falls over on the floor.

Obi watches dispassionately as he fully expects Dina to shoot the man for his stupidity. He turns his attention back toward the door, fully expecting the voices from the hall to be closing.

Drake steps into the doorway, dressed in a suit with heavy rimmed glasses. Drake is immediately suspicious of the man's motives. He's proved correct as Dina shoots him. Drake immediately reaches over to pull the fire alarm, which neatly covers the sound of the man's scream. It echoes shrilly in every office and along the corridors of the hospital.

Corwin has one hand resting lightly on the back of his chair and has turned to look at the newcomers, but his gaze goes straight past Drake - to Random.

"Goddamn!" Random whispers staring at Corwin. "We found him."

Obi chuckles, "You found him?"

Random pulls a face at Obi.

Miho arrives just at this moment and catches the latter part of the exchange, much to Random's chagrin.

Miho's eyes widen a moment to see Obi and Dina. Then she smiles.

Drake addresses Corwin loud enough to be heard over the alarms. "Good morning, Uncle. We have a car that we can all fit in, if we want to discuss things somewhere quieter."

Corwin doesn't try and shout above the shrill ringing of the alarm. He nods briefly back to Drake. Then he moves rapidly, with a glance toward Obi that signals for him watch Corwin's back. He strides round the desk, with barely a glance at the man on the floor who is clutching his leg. He picks out the file and the gun from the drawer. He sticks the gun in the back of his belt. Then, thinking better of it, he hands the file to Obi while takes a quick step back to put the phone on the floor by the sandy moustache man. As he stands up, both Obi and Dina catch him wincing slightly, an expression hidden from the newcomers. Corwin indicates that Dina and Obi should follow him.

Dina comes up and takes Corwin by the arm. It's a sort of needing contact gesture at the same time it's giving him the ability to lean on her if her wants to, at the same time it's incredibly possessive.

He leans on her. Together, they disguise it as best they can as they move off down the corridor.

Obi takes the folder, sliding it under his arm and replaces the Trump on the bottom of his deck, so that if he were to hold the deck with the face up, the only one visible would be his mother. The deck gets replaced in it's case and then in his belt pouch.

Rather than shout above the alarm, Corwin gestures to Drake to lead the way for all of them. Corwin has noticed Miho's arrival but with the fire alarm ringing there's no possibility of introductions or conversation. Random has already turned and is moving speedily back along the corridor to get the car.

Miho steps to the side, letting Corwin, Obi and Dina leave the room first so that she can bring up the back on the way back down.

Obi follows Dina and Corwin and hooks Miho's arm as he passes. His smile smeaks louder than the alarm about his happiness at her safety.

Dina says, so that Corwin can hear her, and not much caring if the others do or not, but keeping it down as much as is possible in this mess, "I think when the talking starts you should take messages but only in an enthroned way. Too much has changed and you're at too much of a disadvantage and obviously, someone tried to take you out."

The gun goes in [Drake's] pocket, where his hand stays, and he leads off. He will lead them out through the kitchen. Anyone he meets will be asked where the fire is, and told to go help get patients out. He'll lead them out to the car, and then into it.

The party heads out of the hospital along the corridor, through the foyer, and then into the short corridor that connects to the kitchens and the back door. They go fast but not as fast as Drake would prefer. It swiftly becomes apparent that Corwin is not in good enough shape to go too fast.

Anyone they see is dealt with by Drake's efficient display of command. As Drake goes through the kitchen he sees that some of the early morning workers have already hurried out into the car park. He tells a couple of others dithering inside to go and help the nurses with patients. They leave. He can see through the swinging door of the kitchen out into the car park.Those who remain in the car park are on the far side of it, furthest away from the kitchen, and they are milling around, uncertain. There's a sense of chaos and no-one really knows what's going on as dawn slowly begins to break.

Random is already starting the car. They'll be out of here and clean away before anyone realizes what's going on.

Behind Drake, Corwin is leaning on Dina a little bit more with every step he takes along the corridor. As they enter the kitchen, the heaviness with which Corwin is leaning on Dina becomes truly apparent to Obi and Miho. Suddenly, Corwin pales and stumbles with a grunt. A neat stack of metallic frying pans goes flying as Corwin throws out his free hand to a nearby table to help steady himself. They hit the floor with a clanging metallic sound that rivals the alarm overhead. Miho and Obi who are coming behind Corwin and Dina, come up short.

Dina clearly sees the rapidly growing blood stain on Corwin's white shirt, between his second and third ribs. It's small but rapidly starting to flower into a much larger area. Dina immediately connects it with what she's noticed of him, so far. He's been favoring that side, obviously trying not to strain an injury that isn't completely healed. Well, it just split open again.

Corwin promptly clamps his free hand across his body to cover the spot. Dina steadies him, but when he takes a step foward leaning on her much more heavily now, he simply begins to crumple to the floor. She can feel the shock and frustration go through him at the recognition of his helplessness in this situation. It's not so much that Corwin is heavy, he's a long way below the normal body weight his trump depicts, but it's rather the awkwardness of his limbs and body that's putting them both off-balance.

Obi who is bringing up the rear with Miho sees the whole event unfolding in front of him. Obi remembers...Corwin laughing and clapping him on the shoulder...singing some raucous ballad in one of the pubs in Amber...Corwin swinging up into the saddle on the day he rode out with Eric. He attacks life with such vigor and enthusiasm. Now here is Corwin, pale and collapsing in front of him. A Prince of Amber brought lower than any prince should ever have to fall.

From Miho's vantage point, she's seen this all before. Not in a kitchen, but unfolding before her in the scene she and Drake came upon with not-Corwin. The way he puts his hand to his side, the way his leg gives way as he steps forward. Dina steadies him, the way Miho steadied him in Shadow. She can't see blood, but she doesn't need to, to know it's there all the same.

Drake hears the frying pans go flying even above the alarm. Fortunately, he's made sure the kitchens are deserted apart from their group and the ever-present clanging of the fire alarm. He turns and sees Corwin collapsing in a way that is very reminiscent of what he just saw in Shadow.

The fire alarm stops.

Dina shifts and gets her weight under her, and picks him up. It may hurt at first, and he may not like the indignity, but he'll live. She's prepared to keep her grip on him if he decides to struggle. Time is not on their side right now. The look she gives the rest of the group as she turns to keep moving does not foster debate or commentary. It's positively murderous.

Miho moves up close and tight to Corwin's other side, swiping a clean kitchen towel from a pile on the way by. "I can take him," she offers quietly. "Or else just this." The towel is a crumpled ball, and she tries to get in close enough, without slowing Dina down or getting in the way, to press the towel in hard pressure against the bleeding wound. If Dina releases him, or allows her to help, Miho will carry as much weight as she can.

The look Dina turns on Miho is the fierceness of a cornered animal. "Press the wound and keep moving and keep your hands where I can see them," is all she says. She doesn't let go of Corwin at all.

Corwin is not in any shape to argue.

"I'm sure Dina can handle the weight," Obi offers as he slides in front of the women and Corwin. "I'll get the doors," he suggests to let the other two men deal with any obstructions in their way.

Drake doesn't interfere, but makes sure the path is open. He heads out the back to make sure that there's nothing between them and the car.

Dina keeps moving straight for the door.

They get Corwin to the car in the first few moments after the alarm stops. Obi has the door and Drake keeps the way to the car clear of any who might want to inquire further. Dina can see Random in the driver's seat and ready to go.

Dina, Miho and Obi go with Corwin in the back of the car, with Dina putting herself in charge of Corwin's welfare. Drake hops up into the front passenger seat.

Dina will slip in and gently shift Corwin so he's more sitting in her lap than laying over all of them. To Miho she says, "I've got this now," as she tries to slip her hand under Miho's on the towel.

Miho hesitates a moment, then her hand slips away. She settles into the seat, watching out the window. The small gun moves back to her good hand, then into a pocket. She comes up on one knee able to reach for the arsenal quickly and take care of things out the window if need be.

This time, Miho is ready for Random as he pulls away fast but keeps it much steadier. They pull away from the back door, then they're through the front gate (out the proper lane, this time). If people are looking then they'll see that there is no-one on duty anymore in the little gate-post that marks the entry to the hospital.

Then they're out on the road. In the distance, they hear the first approach of sirens coming towards them and toward the hospital too. Random isn't rushing particularly.

"Where to?" he asks, generally, glancing over his shoulder at Corwin. Miho's quick action has staunched the bleeding but he's obviously in need of medical attention. Corwin is still conscious, but from the look of him, he'd almost rather have passed out.

Dina actually smiles at him and kisses him on the forehead.

Drake scans the road ahead, looking for trouble. His gun is at his side, pointed away from everyone. "Options. We could shift towards a trauma center. We could hijack one of those oncoming ambulances. We could see how fast we can get to Flora's. Or some combination of the above. Anyone of you have recent medical training?"

"Not recent, but I can sew. No Flora! Get an ambulance or shift to a stash, I don't care which. To many questions any other way. This can't be that bad - they've done the work already, we just have to patch it up," Dina says. "I want one of you to head back to Greenwood and find out who comes when they call the next of kin. But first we talk while Random's driving."

"I don't want The Princes getting trump calls. This is one of those situations where you work with me or against me. When he's healed, then he can decide who he's going to talk to, but if any of you contact anyone outside of this vehicle, I will consider it a threat to my father and shut you out accordingly. We can work together, you can all give me your word and I can believe you, or you insist on answering to your masters and we part ways and you can count on me being very pissed off and unforgiving. We don't know who did this - and until we do, we're in lockdown. So, ante up," Dina says, and looks around the vehicle.

Miho simply nods.

Miho simply nods.

Obi opens the folder and begins to flip through it, as if a verbal answer is not neccessary, even as he rolls his eyes at Dina's paranoia, justifiable as it may be.

Random exchanges a glance with Drake with that tell-tale gleem already in his eyes.

"Ambulance, it is," Random replies. "There's one already on the way here and I've decided it's just around this corner. It's closer, mobile, and we don't get stuck dealing with doctors." He's already slowing down.

"Two-man switch," he says to Drake. "You flag 'em down, I'll be the injured party. You three," he says to Dina, Miho and Obi, "be ready to move Corwin when you see us make our move."

So saying, he stops the car in a position that looks much more haphazard than it actually is and so that the driver's side is closer to the oncoming vehicle whose sirens they can now hear round the next corner.

As he opens the door, Random clutches his chest and takes a dive doing a very convincing heart attack in the middle of the road, leaving Drake to flag down the ambulance.

Dina shifts enough to get her gun and hand it over to Obi.

Miho, under the assumption she'll be running protection and not carrying, leaves the smaller gun in her pocket and grabs something that looks a little more hefty to keep in her hand. Once their ready to move, she'll help carry if wanted, or will move alongside and keep them covered as they get Corwin into the ambulance.

Obi stuffs the folder in the pocket of his white lab coat and accepts his pistol back. "Next of kin is listed as a sister, Evelyn Flaumel, here in this province of the country. Flaumel... Florimel? I think you're right. He doesn't need to go there, but one of us does." His tone of voice suggests that a messenger might be the right person.

Obi's watching Drake and Random as best he can through the window and ready to move the moment they've dealt with the paramedics.

Drake steps towards his uncle, then, when he sees the sirens, he steps into the path of the ambulance.

Assuming they stop and open the door. "My uncle, his chest! Thank god you're here, you've got to help him! He's older than he looks and he just clutched his chest and fell over."

He waits for them to get out of the ambulance, hurrying them as needed. Once they get to Random, he's going to draw his gun.

"Gentlemen, sorry about the ruse, we'll get your real patient in the back now, if you'll please give us your jackets. Miho, Dina, bring him. Gentlemen, you're riding in the rear and assisting my uncle with his chest, as I said."

The first shot, if necessary, will be a warning.

He'll make his way out the passenger side rear door and use their current vehicle to shield himself from view before waving Dina around with Corwin. Once his uncle is loaded safely, he'll hand the folder to Miho. "I'm going to look into what Evelyn knows and see if she's family or Shadow."

He nods to Dina, "You have my word, Dina. I answer to no masters and will not speak of this to anyone that isn't present here. But I expect the same promise of you."

He heads back to the car and climbs into the drivers seat, adjusting it from it's last setting for Random's form. He's sure that once he gets a few miles down the road he'll find a New York map in the glove box and be able to find Westchester easily enough.

---

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MeetMyAttorney - LadyDina

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OnTheRoadAgain - LadyDina
ToWestchester - LordObi, LadyMiho, PrincessFlorimel, and PrinceEric later LordDiomedes