Finding Indiana
(A-Team/Indiana Jones/Emergency! Crossover)
2nd story in the Finding series
NOTE: I do not own any of the characters of the A-Team, Indiana Jones, or Emergency! These characters belong to Steven J. Cannell, Frank Lupo, Robert A. Cinader, Harold Jack Bloom, Jack Webb, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman, and associates.
He has been gone for more than a week. He is never gone for more than a week without calling, unless…something is wrong. Professor Henry Jones, Sr. pondered what to do next. Should he call the police? Or look for him himself? Or hire someone to look for him? The professor decided to call the police. He picked up the cordless phone and punched in the local police station's number. "Hello?" A pause. "Yes, I'd like to file a missing person's report." Another pause. "For my son, Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr." Another pause. "Yes, Dr. Indiana Jones." A long pause. "What do you mean you can't file a report? He's been away on a trip. He always calls me, and he hasn't yet." Another pause. "It's been over 48 hours!" the professor shouted angrily. Another pause. "Fine!" he shouted as he slammed the phone back onto its stand. I guess I'll have to hire someone to find him. But who? he thought worriedly. He was then struck with the sudden inspiration of who he should hire. "The A-Team!" he shouted.
"Alright. Thanks. Bye," Hannibal said as he hung up the phone.
"What was that 'bout, Hannibal?" B.A. asked gruffly.
"Some guy called our contact and said that he wanted us to find his missing son," Hannibal replied lighting his cigar.
"So are we going to investigate further or not even bother?" Murdock asked.
"The man said his son was Henry Indiana Jones, Jr."
"You mean THE Indiana Jones?" Murdock asked excitedly.
"That's what he said," Hannibal said.
"I told our contact to tell him to meet Mr. Lee at the laundromat in two hours."
"You'd better get going, Colonel, because the laundromat isn't exactly close by," Murdock said.
"See you fellas later," Hannibal said as he turned to leave. "And ask Face when he plans to come back to us. He's been on this "vacation" for two weeks now," Hannibal said as he left.
"Will do, Colonel," Murdock said as he picked up the phone to call Face. After punching in his number, Murdock heard it dialing.
"Sorry the person you are trying to call is not available at the moment…" a recorded voice said.
Murdock sighed and tried to call Johnny instead. He thought that perhaps Face's brother would pick up. It dialed, and Johnny picked up. "Hello Johnny. This is Murdock." A pause. "Yes, is Face there at the moment?" Another pause. "He's sleeping?" Another pause. "Do you think he's well enough to come on a mission with us?" A long pause. "No? Because of his side and leg…. Ok. Hannibal's not going to be very happy. When do you think he'll be able to?" A long pause. "Two more weeks?!" Another pause. "Ok. Well, tell him we might be going on a mission in a few days." A pause. "Thanks, bye," Murdock said as he hung up.
"Face isn't better yet?" B.A. asked.
"Nope. Johnny said that it's going to take time to mend his side and fix his leg up."
"So I take it that he ain't gonna be comin' with us…if Hannibal lets us take the mission?"
"Nope. Face is staying in LA for two more weeks." he paused. "I sure do miss him."
Meanwhile, Hannibal disguised himself as Mr. Lee and walked into the laundromat where a man was waiting for him. The man looked at him and then asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Lee?"
"Yes, I'm Mr. Lee. Now what do you want?"
"I want to hire the A-Team to find my son," Professor Jones said.
"What's your son's name?"
"Henry Indiana Jones, Jr."
"The great Dr. Indiana Jones?"
"Yes, Indiana Jones is my son."
"Why do you think your son is missing?"
"He went on an archaeological mission and has been gone for over a week. He always calls me to tell me he got there. He hasn't yet. I worried that he was kidnapped or something."
"It will be very costly to hire the A-Team. I believe Mr. Jim told you the amount. But if you really want to hire the A-Team, then go to the carnival three hours from now. Ask one of the clowns for a tie dye balloon. Don't be too early or too late. You never know when a clown's shift might be over," Mr. Lee said as he walked out of the laundromat.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Professor Jones shouted. He was met with silence. It seemed that Mr. Lee was long gone. Well I guess I'm going to the carnival.
B.A.'s phone started to ring. So he picked it up and answered, "Hello." A pause. "Ok. So we're doin' the mission." Another pause. "And we're dressin' up as clowns and sellin' the guy a tie dye balloon? Hannibal, this is crazy." A long pause. "No, Hannibal. Johnny said that Face wasn't well enough to travel." Another pause. "He said to give him two more weeks." A pause. "No, he was asleep when Murdock called." Another pause. "Ok. Bye," B.A. said as he hung up. "Come on, Murdock! We're goin' to the carnival."
"Aww, B.A. That's so nice of you. I've never been to a carnival before. Do you think we can get some cotton candy and ride some rides and play some…?" Murdock asked.
"Shut up, fool! Hannibal said that we're gonna meet him at the carnival. Then we'll see if this guy really wants to hire the A-Team."
Professor Jones arrived at the carnival 10 minutes early. He then began the task of asking all the clowns for a tie dye balloon. After asking fifteen clowns, he had been told fifteen times that tie dye balloons weren't sold at the carnival. He figured he had about five more clowns to ask.
Hannibal and his men were dressed as clowns, but only one of them had a tie dye balloon—Hannibal. Professor Jones had already asked B.A. and Murdock.
Professor Jones went up to what seemed like the hundredth clown. "Do you have a tie dye balloon that I can buy?"
"Indeed I do. That will be ten dollars," Hannibal (the clown) said.
"Ten dollars? That's a bit much…..but ok," the professor said as he reached for his wallet and produced a ten dollar bill.
"Thank you very much, sir," the clown said as he handed the professor a piece of paper with a tie dye colored balloon on it.
"This isn't a balloon!" the professor shouted.
"Yes, it is."
Professor Jones flipped over the paper to see a message was written on it. It read, "You have just found the A-Team!" Professor Jones looked up at the clown who smiled and pulled off a wig.
"Hannibal Smith at your service, Professor Jones," Hannibal said as he lit a cigar. "Come on over fellas." Two of the other clowns walked over and pulled off their wigs as well. "This is B.A. and Murdock."
"A pleasure to meet you all," the professor said shaking their hands. "But isn't there supposed to be another one? Face? Templeton?"
"He's currently recovering from a recent injury," Hannibal said.
"Oh."
"Do you know where Indiana was last seen?" Hannibal asked getting back onto topic.
"He was in Peru searching for the treasure of Machu Picchu."
"Did he have any assistants?" Murdock asked.
"Yes, a Mr. Groam. I'm not really familiar with him. This is the first time that Indy has taken him on a trip."
"Do you know Mr. Groam's first name by any chance?" Hannibal asked.
"I think it was Jonathan…or Benjamin. No, it was Benjamin."
"We'll search him on our computer. When was the last time you heard from Indiana?" Hannibal said as he motioned for B.A. to get the computer.
"I haven't heard from him since he left."
"Do you know where exactly he was going?"
"No, but I do have some of his notes."
"Do you have them with you?"
"No, they're at my house."
"How about we meet you at the airport tomorrow morning at nine o'clock? You can give us the notes before we take off."
"Ok, but I'm coming with you."
"I don't think that you should go at all."
"He's my son; I have to go with you."
"Fine," he said as he walked away with Murdock and B.A. following him.
The next day came, and the A-Team was packing up their stuff for the trip ahead of them. "Colonel, can I call Faceman before we go?" Murdock asked.
"No, Murdock," Hannibal said as he clicked his suitcase shut.
"Oh, please," Murdock said flashing Hannibal a sad puppy-dog look.
"No," Hannibal said firmly.
This time Murdock whined and made an even more sincere and sad puppy look.
"Fine," Hannibal said giving in.
Murdock barked happily and dialed Face's number. "Hi, Facey!" A pause. "We're going on a mission." Another pause. "Johnny didn't tell you?" A long pause. "Oh, is he going to be okay?" Another long pause. "Then who's taking care of you?" A short pause. "They let you stay at the fire station?" A pause. "Tell him I hope he gets better soon." A pause. "No, Face. Johnny told us you weren't able yet…not for another two weeks." A pause. "That's what he said." Another pause. "No, B.A. did all the computer work. You don't have to do anything. We just wanted to tell you that we're going to Peru." A pause. "Bye, bye. Now don't let me keep you from visiting Johnny," Murdock said as he ended the call and shut the phone.
"What was that about Johnny?" Hannibal asked as he lit up his cigar.
"The other day Johnny was injured in a gas explosion at a fire. He broke four ribs," Murdock said.
"Then who's takin' care of Face?" B.A. asked with disgust.
"Apparently Captain Stanley is letting him stay at the fire station," he said.
"How's Face feeling?" Hannibal asked.
"He said he wishes he could go with us, but his side is still taking its time getting all healed up," Murdock paused, "and he said that if there was any computer stuff to do, that he'd be glad to do it."
"That's nice of him," Hannibal said softly. He cleared his throat quickly and said, "We'd better hurry, or we'll miss the plane."
The threesome hustled out the door, and then B.A. stopped dead in his tracks. "What plane?"
Hannibal turned around and said, "Now B.A., it would take us forever if we had to take a ship over to Peru."
"Hannibal, I ain't gettin' on no plane. I hate planes!" B.A. shouted.
"B.A., there's no use getting mad about it….." Hannibal started.
"Mad? I'm not mad! I'm furious!" B.A. shouted in his rampage.
"Well, it's a good thing you won't we awake until we get there," Hannibal muttered.
"What did you say?!"
"Your milk was drugged this morning, you won't be awake for the plane ride at all," Hannibal said with a grin.
"Oh, no! Not again! You promised me, Hannibal!" B.A. shouted in rage.
"You didn't check to see if I was crossing my fingers," Hannibal said sarcastically.
Before B.A. was finished with his tantrum, he fell to the ground, dropping all the bags he was carrying.
"That worked faster than normal," Murdock said, slightly amused.
"It's a new kind. Now, set the bags down," Hannibal said, "and help me carry him to the van," Hannibal said as he set down his bags and hoisted B.A. off the ground. "You get his feet."
Soon, they were set to go to the airport. "Murdock, I need you to call to Professor Jones and tell him the information on this piece of paper," Hannibal said while handing Murdock a piece of paper covered in writing. "After you're done, I need to make a phone call to Dr. Brackett."
"Dr. Brackett? From Rampart General Hospital?" Murdock asked slightly confused.
"I suggested that he come with us in case that Indiana was…injured in some way. Where we're going, it's basically in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't a whole lot of doctors there. It's just a precaution," Hannibal said.
"Ya, ok. I'll make that phone call now, Colonel," Murdock said while flipping the phone open and dialing Professor Jones's number.
After about ten minutes, Murdock said goodbye to the professor and closed the phone. "Ok, Hannibal do you want me to call Dr. Brackett? Or do you want me to put it on speakerphone and have you do the talking?" Murdock asked.
"Speakerphone. And I'll do the talking," Hannibal said as he merged right onto the highway.
"It's on speakerphone," Murdock said as the phone dialed out loud.
"Hello?" Dr. Brackett said.
"Hi, Doctor Brackett. It's Hannibal," Hannibal said.
"Hi, Hannibal. I got your message and the ticket you sent in the mail. I'm just about to leave the hospital, is there anything you want me to take along?"
"Just bring a first aid kit, surgical equipment, stuff that the paramedics use, and antidotes for poisons, both tropical and common. Stuff like that."
"Umm, sure. Do you want IV's and oxygen equipment, too?"
"Yes, if he is injured, we don't want to take any chances. And take your ID and special permits for carrying all that stuff."
"Ok, I'll be at the airport in about 45 minutes."
"Ok and thanks, bye," Hannibal said as he shut the phone and handed it to Murdock.
Soon they were at the airport. "Help me get B.A. out of the van," Hannibal said as he parked the car. He and Murdock carried B.A. into the airport and laid him across a row of chairs. Then Hannibal went back out to the car to get the bags while Murdock watched the sleeping B.A. When Hannibal came back with the bags, Professor Jones was heading towards them. "And here's your ticket," Hannibal said handing him the airplane ticket. "Do you have his notes?"
"Yes, they're right here inside my bag," the professor said patting a pocket in his backpack.
"Excellent," Hannibal said. "A doctor friend of mine will be joining us, as well. He should be here in about fifteen minutes. We'll wait until he gets here to get our bags checked."
"That's fine," Professor Jones said as he hesitantly slid into a seat beside the massive sleeping B.A.
Dr. Brackett hurried through the airport lugging multiple bags with him. I hope I make it in time. Hannibal's counting on me. And so is Indiana, if he needs it. Unless….No, I won't think about that possibility.
Eighteen minutes later, Professor Jones and the rest of them were getting a bit restless. But they were relieved to see the handsome doctor headed towards them with loads of medical equipment.
"Dr. Brackett, I presume," the professor said reaching out to shake his hand. "What a pleasure to meet you."
Dr. Brackett quickly and gently set the equipment on the floor and shook Professor Jones's hand. "Hi, Professor Jones, Hannibal, Murdock, and….er…B.A.?" Dr. Brackett asked with a confused look on his face.
"Oh, he hates flying, so we had to knock him out," Hannibal said motioning to the sleeping black man.
"Oh, right," Dr. Brackett said with an uncertain nod.
"We should be getting our bags checked, Hannibal," Murdock said.
"Right, come on," Hannibal said hoisting up four bags.
The whole group headed over to the bag checkout. After they got completely checked out, they all headed to their section to wait for the plane. Murdock and Hannibal carried B.A. while Professor Jones and Dr. Brackett attempted to carry all of their carry-ons. Soon they were on the plane flying through the sky on their way to Peru.
When the plane landed, they carried B.A. into the airport and went to the baggage claim area.
"After we settle in at the cabin, where do you suggest we look first?" Hannibal asked Professor Jones.
"Well, I looked over his notes last night, and I think that we should start with Machu Picchu itself."
"Alright, let's get settled into the cabin," Hannibal said. "Murdock where's the car that you rented?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Murdock paused. "They were out of cars."
"Out of cars? So we have to walk? With all this stuff and B.A.?"
"Of course not, Colonel. I rented a pack of mules for us," Murdock said with a smile and a clap.
"Mules, Captain?" Hannibal questioned.
"Yes sirey, Bob!" Murdock said enthusiastically.
"How many mules, Murdock?"
"Five mules. And we can pick them up right outside."
"Okay, we'll go get them then."
After they retrieved the mules and tied their bags to them, they mounted up. Because B.A. wasn't awake yet, Hannibal rode with him. "The cabin should be just up this hill," Hannibal said urging his mule onward. "Hurry up donkey, B.A.'s waking up!" Hannibal said urgently.
"It's a mule," Murdock said. "Donkeys are very different than mules. They're…." Murdock started.
"Murdock, hop off and unlock the door so we can get B.A. inside before he finds out where he is," Hannibal said tossing Murdock the keys. Murdock hopped off the mule and ran ahead to the cabin. After it was unlocked, Murdock ran back to Hannibal and helped Hannibal pull B.A. off the mule and carried him inside. "Put him in the chair, and follow my lead everyone," Hannibal said motioning for Dr. Brackett to come closer.
B.A. started to wake up. Where am I? What is this place? Why am I dizzy? "Hannibal?"
"Yes, B.A.?" Hannibal asked.
"Where am I?"
"Don't you remember? You fell and hit your head pretty hard. We drove all the way out here to see this Doctor. He was just looking you over right now. Weren't you?" Hannibal asked Dr. Brackett.
"Yes….You might be a little dizzy for a few minutes. But I don't think you have a concussion," Dr. Brackett said while pulling out his stethoscope and BP (blood pressure) cuff.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" a tired B.A. asked Dr. Brackett.
"Ummm…sorry, I need to check your vitals. Do you feel hot?" Dr. Brackett said while placing the back of his palm against B.A.'s forehead.
"Ya, actually I do," B.A. said tiredly.
"You do feel hot. You might have a fever. Let me check your vitals," Dr. Brackett said. After he was finished, he frowned and motioned Hannibal over. Then he whispered to Hannibal, "He has a 101 degree temperature. Does he usually get sick after you do….this?"
"No, never," Hannibal whispered back.
"B.A., how about you lay down on the couch here; you have a slight temperature."
"Ya, I'll do that," B.A. said as he stumbled to the couch.
After B.A. was sound asleep, they started to formulate their plan. "Dr. Brackett, you stay here and look after B.A.," Hannibal said. "Murdock, Professor Jones, and I will go to Machu Picchu and have a look around."
When they were outside, they mounted up on the mules and headed to Machu Picchu.
"Isn't it beautiful, Colonel?" Murdock asked looking all around at his surroundings.
"Yes, it is, but we don't have time to sightsee," Hannibal replied. "Now where to, Professor?"
"The center of the city," he paused. "Inside the temple."
When they reached the center of the city (that was by this time of day deserted), they found themselves gasping at the beauty of the temple. Professor Jones looked down at the notes and then walked slowly inside. It was filled with cobwebs and dust, but it was easy to see that it had once been a great and busy temple. "Start looking around for anything out of the usual—uneven slabs of stone, disturbances in the dust, etc.," the professor said.
Everyone started to look around for anything pointing toward the treasure of Machu Picchu or pointing toward Indiana. It was Murdock who found the first clue. "I found something!" Murdock shouted pointing toward something on the floor.
"What is it?" Professor Jones asked.
"Uneven slabs of rock. They look like they've been moved recently."
"You're right. Help me move this slab." The whole group moved to the rock and pulled as hard as they could. They eventually moved it out of the way. Underneath it was a tunnel that went beneath the city. They all filed into the tunnel and pulled out their flashlights at the command of Professor Jones. "Look for an outlet, and be on the lookout for traps," the professor said.
It was not long before someone spotted something. "Look, blood," Hannibal said. "It looks fresh."
"You don't think…." Professor Jones started.
"We can't know yet. Just stay calm," Hannibal said softly. The professor nodded and continued on. The tunnel ended abruptly.
"Now what?" Murdock asked.
"We look for a lever, nob, something," Professor Jones said.
"Something like this?" Murdock asked pointing to a pea-sized button on the ground.
"Maybe, push it."
Murdock pushed it, and the wall started to open up into another tunnel. They heard men talking in the distance, so they advanced quietly. They came upon a room with four men talking and laughing at something. When they looked to see what that something was, they saw an unconscious man covered in blood and chained to the wall. The man looked nearly dead. They watched as the four men mistreated the poor man on the floor. When the man stirred, the biggest of the men shouted, "So now are you going to tell us where the treasure is and more importantly where your father is Dr. Jones?"
When the group realized that they had found Indiana, they backtracked a bit so they could make a plan without being overheard. "He's looks pretty bad, Colonel. We need to get him out of here," Murdock said worriedly.
"Yes. But the only way we can get him out of here is to jump those four men. Professor Jones, how good are you at knocking someone out?"
"Not very good I'm afraid," Professor Jones said.
"We'll each take on one, and hope that the other doesn't escape. We just have to make sure that we get the main one," Hannibal said. "Unfortunately, we didn't bring the guns; they're at the cabin. I was so caught up with B.A. being sick and everything…"
"It's okay, we got this. Let's go get 'um!" Murdock shouted with determination. They worked their way down to where that room was and jumped the four men. The men were surprised at first, but they quickly regained their composure and fought back. Hannibal took on the biggest of the men. He gave him a quick punch to the jaw. But then the man quickly applied a very forceful blow to Hannibal's stomach, making Hannibal double over. Just as the man was about to clobber Hannibal, Murdock sneaked up behind him and hit him over the head with a shovel. The man fell directly on top of Hannibal.
After Murdock hit the big man on the head with the shovel, he turned quickly to deliver a karate kick to the small but tough man approaching him. This kick caught him off balance, and Murdock quickly pounced on him. The man tossed Murdock off, but Murdock quickly got to his feet and gave the man a solid punch in the face. The man fell to the ground unconscious.
Meanwhile, Professor Jones took on the man with the scruffy beard. The man punched the professor hard in the face. This, along with the fact that this man had severely mistreated his son made him furious. Professor Jones went crazy, kicking and punching. Soon, he had his man knocked out on the ground.
During the fight, the fourth man quietly unchained Indiana, slung him carelessly over his shoulder, and escaped.
When Murdock and Professor Jones had knocked out their men, they pulled the big man off of Hannibal. "Are you okay, Colonel?" Murdock asked.
"I'm….ouch…I'm fine. But where's Indiana? And who took out the fourth guy?" Hannibal asked weakly.
"Indiana's gone…and so is the fourth man," Murdock said quickly.
"Murdock, try to find the fourth guy. Professor Jones, you tie up the others," Hannibal said urgently.
Murdock raced down the passageway and followed the trail of blood while the professor tied of the other three men. Unfortunately, Murdock didn't catch them. But he did get the license plate number of the getaway truck. After he wrote the number down, he went back through the tunnel to the room.
"Any luck, Murdock?" Hannibal asked.
"No, but I did get the license number," Murdock said.
"Good, Murdock," he paused. "Help me up." Murdock helped him up, but as soon as Murdock moved away from him, Hannibal passed out.
Murdock rushed to his side and just barely caught him. "Professor Jones, call the police and tell them about the three men here. Don't tell them where we're staying, though," Murdock said. "Then we'll get Hannibal to Dr. Brackett and figure out what to do next."
The professor nodded, pulled out his phone, and quickly called the police. After he hung up, he helped Murdock carry Hannibal to the mules. Murdock rode with Hannibal and the professor went ahead of them to warn Dr. Brackett.
Dr. Brackett had been watching B.A. for a little over an hour. I wonder what's taking them so long. But his thoughts were interrupted by Professor Jones bursting through the door. "What's wrong? Did you find Indiana?"
"We found him, but since there were four of them and three of us, one of them escaped with Indiana. Hannibal was injured pretty badly in the fight."
"Where are they?"
"They're coming."
"Is he conscious?"
"No."
How did it happen?"
"Hannibal took on the biggest guy. The guy gave him a pretty hard hit to the stomach, and he doubled over. But then Murdock knocked the guy out with a shovel. The guy fell on top of Hannibal, and I guess he was stuck under there for the rest of the fight. When he tried to stand up, he just passed out."
"About how big was this guy?"
"He looked like he might be about 300 pounds."
"He might have a collapsed lung…or a punctured lung. Either way, it's not good. Help me set up the equipment."
"How's B.A. by the way?"
"He still has a slight fever, but he'll be fine."
"Where are we going to lay him?"
"Help me clear off the table; we'll lay him there. Then I'll need oxygen equipment, an IV, and the portable x-ray machine."
They went to work busily preparing the room and the equipment.
Murdock urged his mule on, "Come on Muley. We're almost there. Come on…for Hannibal's sake."
When he reached the house, he shouted to Dr. Brackett and the professor for help. They brought Hannibal inside and laid him on the table. "Professor, bring me the x-ray machine," Dr. Brackett said while adjusting his gloves. Professor Jones handed him the small machine. "You all will have to step into the other room while I do this." They nodded and exited the room.
In five minutes, the x-ray was complete, and Dr. Brackett had the results.
"How is he, Dr. Brackett?" Murdock asked.
"Take a look at these x-rays," he said while handing him the results.
"What do these mean?" Murdock asked while looking over the papers.
"There is no evidence of a break, puncture, or collapse. That means he's just badly bruised."
"Is there anything you can do for him?" Professor Jones asked.
"I can wrap up his chest and start an IV. That's about it."
"So he'll be okay?" Murdock asked.
"He should be. But what he needs now is rest, food, and liquids."
B.A. heard voices. He slowly opened his eyes. "Murdock?"
"B.A.'s awake," Murdock said. "Yes, B.A.?"
"Where am I? What happened?"
"Well, you had a fever, so Dr. Brackett took care of you here in this cabin."
"Where is this cabin? It doesn't seem to be in L.A."
"Far from it," Murdock mumbled.
"What was that, fool?"
"Uh….nothing."
"I'm going to go outside for a while then."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dr. Brackett asked.
"Isn't fresh air good for you?"
"If you don't have a fever," Dr. Brackett said. "Let me check your vitals first. We don't want you to get chills or catch a cold." He took his vitals and then said, "Your vital signs are good. I guess you can go outside. Here let me help you up," Dr. Brackett said.
B.A., with the help of Dr. Brackett, stood to his feet and went out the door. "This ain't even California! It looks like some place foreign! Did I go in an airplane?! Tell me the truth, Hannibal! Hannibal? Where are you?"
"Hannibal's been injured," Dr. Brackett said walking outside towards B.A.
"What? How?"
"Since we're in Peru looking for Indiana, Professor Jones, Murdock, and Hannibal went to Machu Picchu. They found Indiana in bad condition being guarded by four men. They attacked and one of the men escaped with Indiana. During the fight, Hannibal took on the biggest guy (since you weren't there) and the guy punched him hard in the stomach and he doubled over. Then Murdock hit the guy over the head with a shovel and the guy fell on Hannibal. Since the guy was about 300 pounds, Hannibal was stuck underneath him for the rest of the fight. When they took the guy off him, he was having a bit of trouble breathing. And when he tried to stand up, he collapsed."
"Is he going to be okay? Did he break somethin'?"
"Thank God, no. He should be fine. I had to wrap his chest though, so he may be slightly immobile for a while."
"Where is he? I wanta see him."
"He's in the other room."
"Hannibal?" B.A. said walking through the house into the other room. "Hannibal?"
Hannibal heard a voice, but couldn't decipher what it was saying or who it was. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't.
"Hannibal, can you hear me?" B.A. asked. He watched Hannibal for any signs of movement or recognition. "Dr. Brackett, why won't he wake up?"
Dr. Brackett walked into the room where Hannibal was sleeping. "B.A., he hasn't woken up since the fight. From the looks of it, he might have hit his head on something, too. Even though he didn't break or puncture anything, that doesn't mean he isn't severely bruised."
"Oh, ok."
"B.A.! Are you going with us to find Indiana?" Murdock shouted from the other room.
"Ya, man! I'm comin' with you so that no one gets hurt again like Hannibal did."
"B.A., look this license plate number up on the laptop," Murdock said handing B.A. a piece of paper.
An hour later, Dr. Brackett was waving goodbye to Murdock, Professor Jones, and B.A. as they went out to find Indiana. Soon, they were far out of his sight, and he went back inside to tend to Hannibal.
Hannibal was still unconscious. Dr. Brackett checked his vitals. He frowned and said to himself, "His BP is too low. He needs to eat something, if only he would wake up."
Since there was nothing else for Dr. Brackett to do, he settled down in a chair beside Hannibal's bed and began to read a novel.
Meanwhile, the threesome headed out to the address of the person who owned the truck that Murdock had seen the other day. They had no idea if it was a stolen car or what. When they arrived at the house, they tied up their mules and knocked on the door. An older woman answered the door, "Hello. Are you Benjamin's friends? He's not here right now, but he's due back any time now. Come in, come in!"
The group nodded and entered the house. It was tidy as a pin, and there was no sign of Indiana. "We were actually looking for a friend of ours. We were wondering if you have seen anyone suspicious or new around," Murdock said. "Do you have a picture, Professor?"
"Yes, I do," Professor Jones said while digging through his bag. "Right here," he said while handing the picture to the elderly lady.
"Oh, he's a handsome one, he is. But I haven't seen anyone like that around here. Sorry," she said while passing the picture back to Professor Jones.
"So how's Benjamin these days?" Murdock asked trying to change the subject.
"Oh he's good. You know he loves being an archaeologist," the woman said.
"Do you know if he's looking for anything specific right now? You see, we're very interested in archaeology," Murdock said.
"Oh, I think he said he was looking for the lost treasure of Machu Picchu," she said with a smile.
"Does he have a partner or associate?"
"No, he doesn't. At least not that I know of. You see, Benjamin isn't too keen on having business associates and the like around the house."
"Well thanks for all your help. And if you see our friend, don't hesitate to call us at this number," Murdock said handing the woman a piece of paper.
"Are you sure that you don't want to wait for Benjamin to come back?"
"Ummm….what do you guys think?" Murdock asked Professor Jones and B.A.
"Ya, we could stay and ask this guy if he knows about our friend," B.A. said gruffly.
"Oh, there's Benjamin now," the lady said pointing to a blue truck pulling up to the house. A man hopped out of the truck and wearily looked at the three mules tied to a post. Then he went inside, "Mother, why are there mules out fr…" Benjamin started. He stopped when he saw the three men sitting in his living room. He gave them a cold stare and said, "Mother you didn't tell me you had company."
"Oh they were just looking for their friend. I told them they could stick around and wait for you."
"No, I haven't seen your friend," Benjamin said icily.
"Dear, you haven't even heard his name or looked at the picture," the woman said softly.
Benjamin stared at her for a second and then said, "Fine. Where's the picture?"
"Right here," Professor Jones said while handing Benjamin the picture.
Benjamin took one swift look at it and said, "No, haven't seen him."
"We'll be going then," Murdock said walking towards the door.
"Bye, bye! Come back soon!" the sweet old lady shouted.
When they all were outside and out of Benjamin's earshot, they came up with a plan.
"Mother, why were they here?" Benjamin shouted angrily.
"Benjamin, it's like I said. They came looking for their friend."
"They had no business being here!"
"I was just trying to help out. They seemed nice enough."
"Well, you didn't help out. In fact, you might have ruined everything!"
"How could I ruin everything? What are you talking about?"
"Now that they know where I live, it won't be long til they find their friend," Benjamin mumbled under his breath. "At least I know that his father's in the area. But what of the treasure? I still need him to find it…Then I'll kill him. I'll kill them both."
"What's that you're saying, dear? I think my hearing aid just died, and I didn't hear a word you said. Could you repeat that?"
"Never mind."
Dr. Brackett set down his book. He was getting restless. Where are they? A noise startled him, interrupting his thoughts. He looked and saw that Hannibal was stirring. "Hannibal? Hannibal, can you hear me?"
Hannibal felt drowsy and disoriented. He heard a voice calling his name. "What?" Hannibal rasped. The voice continued and asked something that sounded like, "Can you hear me?" Hannibal opened his eyes and saw Dr. Brackett. "Dr. Brackett? What happened?"
"Don't you remember?" Dr. Brackett asked slightly concerned.
"No, I don't remember a thing."
"You don't remember the fight or the big guy falling on you?"
"Vaguely. Did I break something?"
"No, you are only bruised."
"Since when does bruising feel this bad? Ohh," he groaned. "And I have a killer headache, too."
"You have SEVERE bruising."
"Where is everyone?"
"They're out following a lead on finding Indiana."
"Without me?"
"You were asleep."
"Where's B.A.?"
"He went with them. His fever broke, and he was feeling better."
"How long have they been gone?" Hannibal said while grunting trying to sit up.
"Careful, you need to be careful and get help when you want to sit up."
"How long have they been gone?"
"An hour and a half."
"Now come on, your BP is too low. You need to eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
"Are you going to eat or am I going to have to spoon-feed you?"
"You wouldn't spoon-feed me."
"Oh yes I would. You underestimate me."
"I said I'm not hungry."
"So here's the plan," Murdock said. "Professor Jones, you take all the mules down the road out of sight. In fact, just head back to the cabin. And then B.A. and I will follow Benjamin and see where he goes. Maybe he'll lead us to Indiana."
B.A. and Professor Jones nodded. The plan was coming together.
Professor Jones headed on his way and took the mules. When he arrived at the cabin, he tied them up and went inside. The first thing he saw was Dr. Brackett with a spoon poised over Hannibal's mouth. "Ummm…What's going on?"
Dr. Brackett turned quickly and said, "His BP's low. He needs food. But he claims he's not hungry and won't eat."
"So you're spoon-feeding him?"
"Or attempting to," Dr. Brackett said with a sigh. "Hannibal, you're more difficult than Johnny."
"If my men saw me now, what would they think?" Hannibal said. "I could feed myself…if I was actually hungry."
Dr. Brackett paused pondering Hannibal's reply and then said to the professor, "Did you find him?"
"No, but I think they're close."
Murdock and B.A. followed Benjamin. He left the house and went out into a field filled with tall grass. He then trekked through the grasses and stopped suddenly and disappeared into the ground. Murdock and B.A. hurried to the area where he disappeared and were surprised to find very camouflaged, ancient-looking stone steps that led into a tunnel underground. They broke out their flashlights and hurried after him. The tunnel went on for a bit and then opened into a big room illuminated with torches. They didn't see Benjamin at first but then he spoke. "Come on Indiana Jones! You've wasted my time long enough! Where is the treasure located?"
They heard a weak voice say, "I told you….I haven't found it yet."
Benjamin kicked Indiana who howled in pain. Benjamin shouted, "Well, if you won't tell me, then I might as well kill you now, seeing that I already know right where your father is."
"You're bluffing…..You don't….know…anything."
"I know that your father hired the alleged A-Team to find you. I know that they tried to rescue you and failed miserably. I know that your father is in a cabin not five miles from here. I know it all! How dare you tell me otherwise! And now you will pay for everything! You will pay for beating me to all the major archaeological discoveries! You will pay for ruining my career! And you will pay for killing my father!"
"Your father?"
"My father was Bill Groam. The man you killed in the Atlantis case!"
"It was…self-defense…He tried to….to kill me."
"Sure it was." he said sarcastically. "Any last words?"
At that moment, chaos broke out. Benjamin pulled out a gun while Murdock jumped him. The gun went off, hitting the ceiling. But Murdock wrestled it out of his hands. Then B.A. charged at Benjamin, who quickly pulled out a knife. B.A. stopped in his tracks and tried to get it from him. Murdock unchained Indiana. Murdock knew that B.A. needed his help, so he left Indiana. He made his way behind Benjamin in an attempt to get him. Before B.A. or Murdock could stop him, he lunged at Indiana with his knife glistening menacingly in his hand. B.A. and Murdock froze, unable to move. The knife went into Indiana's side. Blood started pouring out turning his white shirt a sickly crimson color. B.A. shook his head and took a swing at Benjamin's head with all his might. Benjamin fell to the floor. Murdock dialed the police and tied up Benjamin.
"B.A., we should leave the knife in. If we take it out, then he might lose a lot more blood."
B.A. nodded and gently lifted Indiana onto his back. When they were out of the tunnel, B.A. spoke quickly, "I don't think he'll make it on my back. We'll have to make a homemade stretcher."
Murdock nodded and started to look around for anything that they could use. His eyes settled upon an old wagon covering. "We'll use this." They tied it to two sturdy poles of wood. Then they lifted Indiana onto the makeshift stretcher and briskly walked towards the cabin. They knew they had to hurry, otherwise, he might be dead before they reached Dr. Brackett.
Just as soon as Dr. Brackett had convinced Hannibal to let him feed him, Murdock and B.A. burst through the door with Indiana looking more dead than alive.
"Dr. Brackett, he's really bad. And to make things worse, Benjamin stabbed him," Murdock said pointing to the knife wedged in his side.
"It's a good thing that you left it in, otherwise he might have bled to death. Here, lift him onto the table." Dr. Brackett said while preparing his many instruments. "I'm going to need a person to help me with him—someone who's not going to pass out from seeing lots of blood."
Hannibal yelled from the side of the room, "Dr. Brackett, I will!"
"Colonel, your chest. You're too bruised. You'll reinjure yourself!" Murdock shouted back.
"I'd rather get reinjured and help save a man's life instead of staying here and losing a man!" Hannibal shouted back defiantly.
"If he's going to help then, someone help him over here," Dr. Brackett said with great urgency.
Murdock, B.A., and Professor Jones hurried to Hannibal's side and helped him to his feet. Then they ushered him over to the table.
"B.A., Murdock, and Professor Jones, you can all go in the other room or watch from the other side of the room," Dr. Brackett said as the three of them went over to the far side of the room. Dr. Brackett said, "Hannibal, get me a thick cloth. We're going to need it when I take the knife out." Hannibal nodded and held the cloth at the ready. Dr. Brackett ripped Indiana's shirt off and pulled the knife out as straight as he could. Instantly a large torrent of blood gushed out of the open wound. Hannibal quickly covered it. "Make sure to apply pressure to it." While Hannibal pressed the cloth to Indiana's side, Dr. Brackett took his vitals. "Not very good." He started probing for injuries. "He's probably got a concussion. And there's a big gash on his head, probable internal bleeding, severe bruising everywhere, multiple cuts, broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken leg. Hannibal, help me turn him over to check for…." he started. "Oh my word. His back is covered in marks—they look like the marks of a whip!" He fingered one of the marks. "They're deep, too and possibly infected. Hannibal, bring me hydrogen peroxide." When he received the bottle of hydrogen peroxide from Hannibal, he poured a generous amount of peroxide on Indiana's back, making it foam. Then they turned him over and poured it on his cuts on his chest. After they were done, he cleaned out the gash on his head and bandaged it up. "Ok, this is when it could get messy. I'm going to have to perform surgery."
"Where?" Hannibal asked.
"His side. If he has internal bleeding, then we need to stop it immediately." Then Dr. Brackett went into surgery mode. "Put on some gloves, Hannibal." And they went to work….for three hours.
Meanwhile, each of the three men watching had different feelings about the events unfolding before them.
B.A. was getting uneasy about the whole thing. It's all my fault. If I wouldn't have frozen for a moment, Indiana might not have gotten stabbed. I could have easily prevented it. I sure hope he pulls through.
Murdock was getting nervous. I can't believe it, I never freeze in fights. Is this a sign that I'm losing my mind? My mistake might have cost him his life.
Professor Jones had mixed feelings. Why didn't I call the A-Team sooner or look by myself? If I would have gotten here sooner, maybe he wouldn't be so bad off. I just got my son back, and I don't want to lose him. I couldn't bear losing him.
They watched the surgery in silence. They knew that it was very serious, and one wrong move could be fatal. Three hours passed by, and finally it was over.
"He's all stitched up now. I think we stopped it in time. We can start to wrap his ribs, chest, and back. Then we can set his arm and leg."
After Hannibal and Dr. Brackett finished bandaging him up and setting his broken bones, Dr. Brackett noticed that Hannibal was out of breath and quite pale. "Hannibal, go lay down. I'll finish up." Hannibal nodded tiredly and stumbled to his bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Dr. Brackett then checked Indiana's vital signs and noticed that his breathing was a bit shallow. He put the oxygen mask on him and started an IV. Then he tiredly sat down and sighed. Murdock, B.A., and Professor Jones hurried over to Dr. Brackett. "We can move him to the bed," Dr. Brackett said. The others gently gathered his IV and carried him to the nearest bed. "Was anyone timing that?"
"I was," Murdock said. "Four and a half hours."
"That was a long time," B.A. said softly.
"He's stable now," Dr. Brackett said glancing at Indiana. "All we can do now is wait and pray."
Indiana ached everywhere. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He heard voices, but he couldn't make out what the voices were saying. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He saw people who were strangers to him—people he didn't know. But then he noticed a man standing in the corner. The man looked a lot like his father. So he pulled off the oxygen mask and rasped, "Dad?"
Professor Jones thought he heard someone say "Dad". So he looked around and his eyes settled on Indiana, who looked at him and attempted to smile. "Junior? You're awake!"
Dr. Brackett, B.A., and Murdock heard Professor Jones shouting, so they went to see what all the fuss was about. They were surprised and happy to find out the good news.
"Hi, Indiana. I'm Dr. Brackett," Dr. Brackett said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you," Indiana rasped while nodding his head. "Ouch."
"Careful, you've been through a lot."
"Why can't I move? What are my injuries?"
"You have a concussion, a huge gash on your head, severe bruising everywhere, multiple cuts, four broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken leg, cuts from a whip all over your back, and you did have some internal bleeding, but fortunately we did surgery and were able to stop it."
"Wow, that's more than I expected. I never thought Benjamin would go this far."
"I'm going to check your vitals, now. So just hold still," Dr. Brackett said as he began to check his vitals.
"Junior, this is Murdock, B.A., and Hannibal's in the other room. They're part of the A-Team," Professor Jones said pointing out each one to Indiana.
"You're vital signs are nearly normal. You should know that you're a very fortunate young man. You could have died," Dr. Brackett said. "Do you feel okay? Are you hot? Or cold?"
"Yes, I feel hot," Indiana said.
"That's a good sign. It's actually abnormal for someone in your circumstances not to immediately get a cold or fever. Take this pill and get some rest," Dr. Brackett said handing him the pill. "You should feel better tomorrow."
"We'll be close by if you need anything," Murdock said with a yawn. "I'm going to bed now."
"Yes, you all should go to bed. I'll check on Hannibal and then turn in," Dr. Brackett said while walking into the other room. He quietly pulled the covers off the sleeping Hannibal and gently unwrapped a bit of the bandage to check his bruises. Helping me for four and a half hours certainly didn't help him. He doesn't look any better. But without him, I couldn't have done it. He took Hannibal's vital signs and noticed that he had a fever. 103 degrees…not good. Not good, at all. I guess I'm sleeping in this room tonight. He went to the kitchen and poured warm water over the piece of cloth. Then he placed the warm cloth on Hannibal's forehead and leaned back in the chair wondering how long he could stay awake. I'm so tired that I could probably sleep standing up. But Hannibal needs some medicine. He forced himself out of the chair and set up an IV complete with medication. After this was completed, he fell into a deep sleep on the chair.
The next morning, Murdock woke up bright and early. Since everyone else was asleep, he decided that The Great Chef Murdock would make everyone breakfast. Unfortunately, when he was getting all the pots and pans out, he dropped one of them, waking up Professor Jones and B.A.
"What are ya doin' crazy fool?" B.A. said grumpily.
"The Great Chef Murdock is making breakfast," Murdock said with a French accent while plopping a big white chef's hat on his head.
"Breakfast?" the professor asked. "I'm starved."
"What kind of pancake would you like me to make you? I can do banana, strawberry, blueberry, cinnamon, chocolate chip, bacon, or plain."
"I'll have cinnamon."
"Okeydokey," Murdock said as he got to making a giant pancake.
"You mean you aren't going to make regular sized pancakes?" Professor Jones asked.
"No, The Great Chef Murdock makes everyone their own personal big pancake," Murdock said as he continued to cook the pancake. After a few minutes, the pancake was done, and Murdock expertly flipped it onto Professor Jones's plate.
"How is it?" B.A. asked as the professor took a bite.
"It's one of the best pancakes I've ever eaten," Professor Jones said as he continued to eat the pancake.
"I guess I'll have one also Murdock, but I'll have plain," B.A. said.
"Fine by me," Murdock said as he started making another pancake. In a few minutes, the pancake was done, and once again, Murdock expertly flipped it onto the plate. "I even made yours extra thick, B.A."
B.A. took a bite and smiled—actually smiled! "These are great, Murdock," B.A. said as he stuffed his mouth with another huge bite.
Indiana opened up his tired eyes and took a look around. He saw that Murdock, B.A., and his father were up. He gingerly took the oxygen mask off and rasped, "Good morning."
The others turned to Indiana. "Good morning, sleepy head," Professor Jones said with a smile.
"What kind of pancake would Indiana like?" Murdock asked.
"He'd like strawberry. Isn't that right, my boy?" Professor Jones questioned Indiana.
Indiana mumbled, "Ummmhmmm."
"Was that a yes?" Murdock asked.
"Yes it was," the professor said.
Soon Murdock flipped a strawberry pancake onto the plate. "One question, how's he going to eat this with his arm all busted up and everything?"
"I'll feed it to him, since I'm done," Professor Jones said taking the plate from Murdock. "I'm going to enjoy this so much. Open up," Professor Jones said to Indiana. Indiana just looked at him for a second then to the food and then opened his mouth. "Good boy," the professor said as he placed the forkful of pancake into his mouth. "It's just like when he was a baby!" the professor said, clearly enjoying the moment. In a matter of seconds the pancake was completely gone. "Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you ate?"
"Three days ago…..Benjamin gave me a piece of….stale bread," Indiana said quietly.
"Three days ago? My, my! You must be starving!" Professor Jones shouted.
"I'll make you another strawberry pancake," Murdock said as he busily went to work.
"Hannibal must be pretty hungry, too. I'll go see if he's awake," B.A. said as he walked into the other room. He quickly reentered the kitchen and said, "Dr. Brackett is asleep in the chair, and Hannibal is still sleeping."
"That doesn't seem right," Murdock said. "Hannibal's usually one of the first ones up. Should we wake them up?"
"Dr. Brackett worked on Indiana for four and a half hours and watched over Hannibal and B.A. for a long time, he deserves a rest. But Hannibal, I don't know," Professor Jones said. "I took a brief course in medicine, I'll take his vitals, and then we'll figure out whether or not to wake him," the professor said as he walked into the other room. He went over to Hannibal and accidently brushed his forehead. "He's burning up. That must have been why he has this cloth on his forehead. B.A., could you run some warm water over this cloth?" B.A. grabbed the cloth and put it under the stream of warm water. After he wrung it out, he brought it back to the professor who placed it on Hannibal's forehead.
At that moment, Dr. Brackett began to stir. "What's going on?" he asked stifling a yawn.
"Sorry Dr. Brackett. We didn't mean to wake you. We were just looking in on Hannibal. He's burning up," Professor Jones said.
"Still? I thought for sure he would be fine by morning," Dr. Brackett said while touching the cloth. "It's still warm."
"We just changed it," the professor said.
"How's Indiana this morning?" Dr. Brackett asked while checking Hannibal's bandages.
"Very hungry," B.A. said.
"Hungry? I wasn't expecting that," Dr. Brackett said.
"He said he hasn't eaten for three days," Professor Jones said.
"What did he eat so far? And how did he eat it?"
"He ate a strawberry pancake. I spoon-fed him. Murdock's making him another pancake right now," Professor Jones said.
"He actually let you? Too bad I couldn't get Hannibal to eat like that the other day."
"Professor Jones, here's Indiana's pancake," Murdock said while delivering a steaming pancake to him.
"Thanks, Murdock," Professor Jones said as he went into the kitchen to feed Indiana.
"What kind of pancake would you like to eat, Dr. Brackett?" Murdock asked.
"Can you make blueberry?"
"Sure, I'll go do that now," Murdock said as he went back to making pancakes.
After Murdock gave Dr. Brackett his blueberry pancake, he went to work making his own pancake.
"What are ya puttin' on that thing, Murdock?" B.A. asked.
"I'm making myself a deluxe pancake complete with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and bacon pieces with cheese drizzled on top with a pinch of paprika," Murdock said with a grin as he continued to make the pancake.
"Stop that, Murdock! You're makin' me sick! B.A. exclaimed.
"Sorry, B.A., do you want me to add ketchup, too?"
"I goin' outside for some fresh air," B.A. said as he rushed outside.
"What was all that about, Murdock?" Dr. Brackett asked as he brought his empty plate into the kitchen. He took one look at Murdock's pancake and said, "I think I'll join B.A. outside."
"Suit yourself," Murdock said as he happily munched on his pancake. "Hmmm…it needs some mustard."
By the time lunch rolled around, Hannibal had not woken up yet. His fever was still quite high at 102 degrees.
At about two o'clock, Hannibal started to wake up. He heard voices. One of the voices sounded like Face. He called out, "Face! Come back, Face!"
When the others heard Hannibal, they all rushed into the room. His eyes were closed but he kept calling for Face. Dr. Brackett opened Hannibal's eyes and concluded, "He's asleep. He's talking in his sleep."
"Is that because of his temperature?" B.A. asked worriedly.
"Possibly, but his temperature's down to 100 degrees, now."
"Should we wake him?" the professor asked.
"We can try to," Dr. Brackett said. "Hannibal. Hannibal, can you hear me?"
Hannibal moaned and opened his eyes. "What? What happened? Where's Face?"
"Face isn't here. You were dreaming," Dr. Brackett said.
"Dreaming? But he was right here talking to me, he couldn't have gone that fast."
"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten for a while."
"I guess so," Hannibal said with a frown.
The men left the room and went into the kitchen. "That's not like Hannibal at all. Something's not right," Murdock whispered.
"Something's definitely not right," Dr. Brackett mused.
"Maybe if we called Face, it would make him snap out of it," Murdock whispered.
"But what could be causing this?" B.A. asked.
"Well, there could be many reasons. He could be missing Face, had a realistic dream, been half-asleep, delirious, or maybe he hit his head harder than we thought. Or it could be due to not eating for over 24 hours. When was the last time he saw or talked to Face?"
"Almost two weeks ago. What do you suggest we do?" Murdock asked.
"I think we should try to reach Face, tell him what happened, and have him talk to Hannibal. We'd have to call him outside, so that Hannibal doesn't hear us." They all nodded and headed outside.
Murdock called Face on his phone and put it on speakerphone. It dialed and then Face picked up, "Hello?"
"Hi, Face. Murdock here with B.A., Dr. Brackett, and Professor Jones."
"Hey, what's up?"
"Well, when we went into Machu Picchu the other day, we got into a fight. It was four against three. Since B.A. was sick we…" Murdock started.
"B.A. was sick? What happened?"
"We think it may have been caused by the drugs we gave him in his milk the morning we left. I think it was a new brand or something."
"Ok, continue."
"Hannibal took on the biggest guy because B.A. wasn't there to take him on. So the guy gave him a hard punch in the stomach, and Hannibal doubled over. Then I had this great idea to knock the guy out with this shovel laying on the ground. But the guy kind of fell on top of Hannibal. He was pinned under him for the rest of the fight, and the fourth guy got away with Indiana, and everything went wrong. When we finally pulled the guy off him, Hannibal was out of breath, but he told us to help him up. Then he passed out, and we took him back to Dr. Brackett."
"Dr. Brackett from Rampart General?"
"Yes, Face," Dr. Brackett said.
"Ok. Is Hannibal okay?"
"When they brought him to me, I suspected that he might have a punctured or collapsed lung. I took an x-ray and found out that he was only severely bruised. But..." Dr. Brackett started.
"But, we found Indiana the next day, and he got stabbed and was nearly dead. So Dr. Brackett needed someone to help in surgery," Murdock said. "Hannibal was the only one who can stand seeing that much blood, so he volunteered."
"So you let an injured man help in surgery?!" Face said getting a bit angry.
"Indiana would have died without Hannibal," Dr. Brackett said quickly. "I needed someone who could deal with blood without passing out. So he volunteered. After that, he went straight to bed and fell asleep. I finished up and checked on him before I turned in. He had a 103 degree temperature. So I set up an IV and put a warm cloth on his forehead and fell asleep."
"Then," Murdock interrupted, "this morning he still had a temperature. He started calling for you a couple minutes ago. We figured out that he was talking in his sleep, so we woke him up. He kept insisting that you had been here. He was not acting normal at all."
"What do you think caused that?"
"He could be missing you, had a realistic dream, been half-asleep, been delirious, or maybe he hit his head harder than we thought. We don't know for sure. But we were hoping you could talk to him and set him straight," Dr. Brackett said.
"Then maybe he'll snap out of it," Murdock said.
"Ok, I'll talk to him."
"We'll keep you on speakerphone," Dr. Brackett said as he and the others walked into Hannibal's room. "Hannibal, phone call," he said while handing him the phone. Then they quickly left the room.
"Yes, who is this?" Hannibal asked.
"It's me, Hannibal. Face."
"Face? I haven't heard from you in so long. How are you?"
"I'm pretty good. I might even be able to come back next week."
"Really? For sure?"
"When Dr. Brackett gets back, I'll be due for my weekly checkup. Roy says that if I keep improving, I'll be able to get rid of the bandages and the wheelchair."
"That's great, Face."
"Now what's this I hear about you getting injured in a fight?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Hannibal, they said you were out of commission for more than a day."
"Well…"
"How do you feel?"
"Like I've been run over by two B.A.'s."
"I know how you feel…."
"Don't tell B.A. I said that."
"I won't…..What I wanted to say was that I've missed you, Hannibal…..and the others."
"You have?
"Of course, you guys are my family other than Johnny."
"I miss you, too."
"I gotta go see Johnny, now. But Hannibal, I'll see you when you get back."
"Ok, Face. Bye."
"Bye."
Hannibal shut the phone and thought about what Face had said.
In a few days, they were on their way home. This time, B.A. willingly went on the airplane.
When they got to the LA Airport, they all headed straight to Rampart General Hospital. When they got there, Indiana was admitted and so was Hannibal.
It was several days later when Hannibal was going through the TV channels trying to find something to do when he was interrupted by a knock. He turned off the TV and said, "Come in."
A man in a wheelchair entered, "Hi, Hannibal," he said with a smile.
Hannibal's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Face, it's so good to see you!" Face pushed himself to the bed, and Hannibal reached out his arms to embrace him. "Ouch!"
"Ooops, sorry Hannibal. I forgot about your bruising," Face said.
"It's okay, it was my fault. Have you seen Dr. Brackett yet?"
"No, I was on my way to see him, but I wanted to stop in first."
"Well, go on. I don't want to keep you from it."
"Are you sure you're okay? The guys said you were acting pretty strange the other day."
"I'm fine, Face. Now go and see Dr. Brackett.
"Ok, I'll be back soon," Face said as he rapidly pushed himself out the door.
"Ok, Face. I'll take your vitals first," Dr. Brackett said while he checked his BP, pulse, and respirations. "Breathe in deep, then breathe out," he said as he listened to Face's lungs through the stethoscope. "They sound good. Now let's take a look at that side," Dr. Brackett said as he lifted up part of Face's shirt. "No bruises…that's good. Does this hurt?" he said as he pushed gently on his side.
"Nope."
"How about this?" he said as he pushed a little harder.
"No."
"Wait here for a second," Dr. Brackett said as he left the room. A couple minutes later, he came back with two orderlies. "I need you two to help him to his feet. And Face when you're on your feet, hold onto the table for balance—I don't want you to fall when you've come this far." Face nodded and the orderlies helped him to his feet. "Bring me the crutches." They brought the crutches over, and Dr. Brackett said, "Face, hold on to me with one hand, while they put the crutch underneath your other arm. Then we'll do the same for the other side." He nodded and did exactly as he was told. "Now I'm going to let go of you," Dr. Brackett said as he let go. "Have you used crutches before?"
"Unfortunately yes," Face said.
"Well then, you're free to go, but remember, you have an appointment next week for your foot. And be careful!" Dr. Brackett said.
"Ok, bye Doc," Face said as he made his way back to Hannibal's room. When he knocked, B.A. answered the door. "Hi B.A., can I come in?" B.A. nodded and opened up the door. Johnny, Murdock, B.A., and Hannibal were there. "Hey, everybody!"
"Hi," they all replied.
"How's Indiana doing?"
"We just went to see him. He looked a lot better. They said he was coming along great." Hannibal said.
"You got rid of your wheelchair. I bet you're happy about that," Johnny said.
"You bet I am!" Face exclaimed.
"Come on over and have a seat," Johnny sat patting the chair beside him.
"Is Hannibal back to normal?" Face whispered to B.A. and Murdock.
"I don't know, he hasn't said you know what yet," Murdock whispered back sarcastically.
"Well, all that matters is that we're all together," Face said, "my whole family."
"I love it when a plan comes together," Hannibal said with a smile.
Murdock and Face looked at each other and said, "He's definitely back to normal."