Title: Illegal Procedure (1/17)
Author: Romantique
Email:
Classification: Eric/Tami Drama/Angst
Rating: T for some language.
Summary: SPOILERS from Season 4. Coach Taylor was exiled to East Dillon because he refused to play ball with Joe McCoy. The power struggle continues.
Disclaimer: SPOILERS from Season 4. This fan fiction was written before Season 4 Episode 3 airs.
Legal: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just a fan and have not made a dime. Please email me to obtain permission to post.
illegal procedure:
a penalty that includes movement by an offensive player before the snap. The penalty for illegal procedure is five yards against the offending team.
Buddy Garrity restlessly paced back and forth in the hallway right outside of the Holding Area. At 3:45 a.m., he was now the only one from the night's arrest activity left to wait.
For more than the past two hours, Dillon's number one Booster who always seemed to be 'in the know' had been unable to get any information from the occasional staff person passing through. Finally, after a long period of silence, he heard footsteps echoing from further down the hallway.
"Eric!" Buddy called out to the approaching sight of his friend.
As his slowly walking form came closer into focus in the flickering, yellow fluorescent lighting, Coach Eric Taylor looked like hell. His left eyebrow and right hand were bandaged, and the left side of his face was bruised and misshapen.
"Hey, Buddy," Eric answered. "I'm okay," he tried to immediately quash the look of concern written all over his friend's face, "but I sure could use some aspirin." In pain, he winced. "Thanks for comin' down here. I know how late it is."
"Glad you called me. I owed you one for bailing me out a couple of years ago," Buddy cajoled. After a beat, he continued, "Are you sure you're okay? No offense, but your face looks terrible. Do you want me to take you to the ER?"
"Naw. They patched me up here," Eric tried to downplay it all. "I've just gotta be watched for a concussion, that's all. You know the drill."
Grabbing the keys out of his pocket, Buddy reluctantly agreed, "Well, okay … Then, let's get you home."
"Did ya' call Tami?" Eric was almost afraid to ask, as they walked out to the far end of the dark, deserted parking lot towards Buddy's SUV. The pounding of his footsteps on the paved ground jarred his aching head.
"I did better than that," Buddy explained as they climbed into his rig. "I went over to your house and talked to her in person. She's home with your girls waiting for you."
"And?" Eric asked, having trouble buckling his seat belt with his one good hand.
"And?" Buddy didn't understand. "Hey, friend, do you need some help there?" he asked, referring to the seat belt.
"Naw, I got it," Eric finally got the metal buckle to click. Returning to his question, he asked again, "And? … How pissed is she? I need to know what I'm walkin' into."
Buddy gave a little smile. "Well, you're probably in luck for now. I didn't tell her the details. She's worried about you. I'd recommend playing the sympathy card when you get home which shouldn't be difficult to do. Again, no offense, Eric … but you look just terrible. I'd work with that."
Now curious about Buddy's repeated remarks about how bad he looked, Eric pulled down the visor on his side of the truck. At first glance of himself in the lighted mirror, he gasped, "Jeez!"
Buddy looked over at his friend. "See? I wasn't exaggerating. You probably need to have your face x-rayed. What do you think Tami's going to say when she sees you like this?"
"I dunno," Eric uttered, still examining his face, the entire left side throbbed and throbbed. "Don't you have any aspirin in here?" he almost pleaded.
"No. Sorry, I don't," Buddy answered. "I'll tell you what Tami's going to say. She's going to insist you go to the hospital and get checked out," Buddy answered his own question. "I think you should let me take you. They'll get you something for pain. I'll call Tami and tell her about our change of plans. And we'll see if we can get you some more sympathy points."
"My face hurts like a son-of-a-bitch," Eric said, now checking out his swollen hand. "Take me home first. If Tami wants me to go, I'll go."
A short time later …
Tami quietly entered her sleeping daughter's room and whispered, "Julie. Julie, Honey."
"Wha," the sleeping teen stirred from a deep sleep.
"Julie, wake up," Tami whispered a little louder. "I need for you to call Matt to come over here and stay with you and Gracie. Buddy and I are taking your Dad to the Emergency Room."
Julie sat up in bed. "What's wrong with Dad?"
"He needs to have some x-rays taken. I know it's late, but would you please call Matt? And you all stay put here until we come home?" Tami pleaded.
"Okay," Julie said, now more awake but still disoriented. "What happened?"
"Honey, I don't know much yet," Tami whispered.
Julie added, "Call me when you do? I'll just worry."
"That's why we're taking him, so we don't worry." Then, Tami nodded in agreement. "But yes, I'll call you as soon as I know something."
Emergency Room…
Once Eric had been registered, triaged, and taken to x-ray, Tami returned to the waiting room and began peppering Buddy Garrity with questions.
"Okay, spill it, Buddy," Tami wasn't playing around. "Exactly why was Eric taken to jail?"
Buddy let out a sigh of pent up anxiety from the thought of having to deal with an upset Tami Taylor, although he figured it would be easier for him to tell her what happened than his friend. "Eric went over and confronted Joe McCoy tonight at the Booster's meeting for continuing to threaten you and me over the Luke Cafferty address situation. One thing led to another, and old Joe got physical with Eric. But I swear … in front of God and everyone, it was Joe who threw the first punch."
Tami raised an eyebrow. "If Joe threw the first punch, then why was Eric taken to jail?"
"Because Joe is a hot-head with money." Excited, Buddy suddenly became very animated, using his hands to continue telling the story. "The manager at Applebee's called 911. When the police arrived, Joe told the officer he was pressing charges against Eric and threatened to sue the Dillon PD if he didn't take Eric in."
"Pressing charges for what?" Tami continued to look confused, as she tried to understand what happened.
"Assault for starters," Buddy answered. "I wasn't privy to the conversation Joe had with the officer. Tami, Eric's going to need a lawyer. He's not going to want one, but trust me. I've spent way more time than I ever wanted to spend with ol' Joe McCoy these past months. As you have seen first-hand, he's not above tromping over another person's civil liberties to get what he wants. And right now, he wants a piece of your husband's hide."
Tami put her hand up to her mouth. "My God, Buddy. We don't have the money to hire an attorney. But you're right. Eric could be suspended by the District for assault charges. I think I'd better let Paul know about this before Joe McCoy does."
"And tell Paul that Eric will obtain legal representation. Lucky for us, there's an attorney who's also a Dillon State Championship ring holder in town who would do it pro bono for another ring holder like Eric," Buddy smiled. "We don't advertise this … and I want you to keep this between you and me, please."
Tami gave Buddy a pensive look. "I need to know what this is, first."
Buddy continued, "You see, Tami, there are lifelong benefits for Eric winning his State Championship. We 'good ol' boys, we look after our own … and even though Eric was assigned to coach at another school, he's still one of us. For all the money Joe McCoy has, he and Wade Aikman don't belong to our exclusive club ... Not yet." He gave her a reassuring look in the eyes. "I'll give Dave Elroy a call in the morning."
Tami knew there was a lot of truth to Buddy's description of the Booster's current power structure. In fact, she had been instrumental in pointing it out to the Booster's membership only last week. At least for now, Joe McCoy was a self-serving outsider. As Eric's wife and the Principal of Dillon High, Tami gave a long, thoughtful pause and then, she finally looked at Buddy and returned a only slightly more reassured nod.