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She shook his hand as his gaze thoughtfully perused her face.

"I feel like I've heard your name before. Have we met?" he asked.

"No, but I'm a physician. I treated Evan five years ago."

"Oh, right. Dr. Rachel Thorne, the thorn in our sides," TJ said, sending Tyler a quick look. "Particularly yours, as I recall."

"That would be me," she said lightly.

"So, you two are…" TJ let the question hang in the air.

Since she didn't know how to answer that, she looked to Tyler.

"We're trying to find Jack," Tyler said. "Rachel was treating Jack earlier this year at the East River Veterans Hospital. Now he has disappeared and appears to be in some kind of trouble. We came up here to talk to Evan, to see if he's had recent contact with Jack. I haven't spoken to him since I left Delta."

"What kind of trouble is Jack in?"

"Not sure," Tyler answered. "But someone booby-trapped his apartment door, which could have been fatal."

"That doesn't sound good," TJ said, with no real emotion to back up his words.

"Have you talked to him, TJ?"

"No. We don't talk."

She could hear a bitter edge to TJ's voice. Clearly, he didn't like Jack any more than Tyler did.

"But whatever trouble Jack is in is most likely of his own making," TJ said. "I can almost guarantee you that. Jack was always good at finding the absolute worst person to piss off. He must have taken something too far."

"That could be true. But I need to find him."

"Do you?" TJ challenged. "Maybe Jack needs to find a way to rescue himself. I'm going to get a drink. Is that a margarita?"

"Yeah, but you might want to go for a whiskey or a beer," Tyler said. "They're pretty sweet."

"I like the sweet thing dishing 'em out," TJ said, a more Southern twang to his voice now. "I'd say good luck, Tyler, but I have a feeling you're going to need more than that." He paused. "When you're done with this, call me sometime. I'm living in Westchester now. Got myself a new leg and a new place to live."

"I didn't realize you were so close. I thought you were still in Alabama. When did you move?"

"About two months ago. I was getting short on cash. And I couldn't find work in Mobile, so my brother-in-law, who lives in Westchester with my sister and two kids, offered me a job in his real estate firm. I'm currently living in their garage."

"So, you're selling real estate?"

"I'm not qualified for much else these days," he said tersely. "But cash is cash. You still a Fed?"

"I am."

"Well, at least one of us is still trying to save the world. That might be easier than trying to save Jack."

On that parting note, TJ made his way slowly down the stairs and over to the margarita bar.

"It's good to see him standing," Tyler muttered. "He's doing better."

"Maybe physically."

He turned his head to meet her gaze. "What does that mean?"

"He seems to have a lot of angry feelings about Jack and his situation in life."