p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"strongRECREANT/strong/span/em em[rek-ree-uh nt]/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emstrongadjective/strong/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em1. cowardly or craven./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em2. unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emstrongnoun/strong/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em3.a coward./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em4. an apostate, traitor, or renegade./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emMonday, 7:10am/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Like nearly every other day, Killian Jones was awake with the sun, even if he was taking things a tad more leisurely than he normally would. Waking alone in their huge king sized bed wasn't something he particularly enjoyed and he would certainly have rather accompanied Emma to Boston, but she'd been insistent that it would be a quick overnight trip./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em"It's just a parole hearing," she'd told him. "I had to track this guy down twice so the District Attorney's office wanted me to come in and testify about how big of a flight risk he is. I'll drive down Sunday night then the hearing in front of the parole board at the prison is at 10:30am. I'll be done and back home to Storybrooke in less than twenty-four hours and we can go have a nice, quiet dinner somewhere – just the two of us."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He smiled to himself as he recalled her words from Friday afternoon when she'd gotten the phone call. It had been a while since they'd had a meal together somewhere that didn't have grilled cheese sandwiches and onion rings on the menu so he was all-too happy to oblige – whatever the occasion might be. However, regardless of what they might be celebrating tonight, he was still starting this Monday morning off on his own so he'd made the decision to head to the one place where he felt most at home when he was alone – the deck of the Jolly Roger. He held a pang of guilt that he'd been slightly neglectful of her as of late, so since he had a free morning, he'd conceded that he needed to spend a few hours with his second lady love before she turned on him – at least as much as a ship could./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"On most days, he would have followed Harbor Way down around the cannery to the docks, but a weekend water main break had closed down the road and even the accompanying sidewalks completely due to a large, gaping hole in the pavement that needed to be filled. Because of the mess, Killian had been forced to detour down an alley between the cannery and a building supply warehouse that was undergoing renovations. The alley ended in the same place at the harbor, but he hated walking this way because of all of the haphazardly scattered construction rubbish that constantly overflowed the provided container. He hadn't the foggiest idea what they were doing inside that warehouse building, but it certainly resulted in an overwhelming amount of refuse and this morning was no exception as he found himself having to step around randomly strewn bits of metal, wood and glass that littered the alleyway. He made a mental note to report this mess to the Sheriff later. Someone should most definitely get a citation for this hazardous chaos. Being the Sheriff's husband did have some advantages and maybe he'd just use that influence to speak to the workers or the foreman himself and remind them that the receptacle was provided for a reason./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"But as he reached the corner of the warehouse and the end of the disorderly alley, he was greeted by the sight of the harbor quay. With the sun low in the sky on this early morn, there were deep shadows cast against the concrete and asphalt, but he could already spy the sun-kissed sea that beckoned ahead with its gentle waves bobbing in eager anticipation. The destination was well worth the trip down that dreadful alley, he thought to himself – at least until he heard the startling sound of glass crunching behind him. He'd been fairly certain that he'd entered the alley alone, but perhaps one of those untidy warehouse workers had arrived to their employ early? Whether instinct or just curiosity, the unexpected noise had garnered his attention and he turned around slowly to see if another person had indeed joined him in the alley, but only the shadow of the building was visible. Perhaps he was just a tad paranoid this morning. Here he was getting jumpy over a dark alley and…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He had just begun shift his attentions back to the harbor when his peripheral vision caught sight of the object careening toward him, but there wasn't enough reaction time to register it before the blow pummeled into the left side of his head. He felt the weapon crush into his skull above his ear, then tear an ugly gash across his left cheekbone as it followed through its arc. The torn skin was searing and spilling blood down over his jaw and neck, but he barely felt it over the intense throbbing inside his cranium. He staggered a few steps toward the direction he thought the attack had come from, glancing up to see a cylindrical wooden object coming toward him again. He was able to dodge the weapon this time and swung wildly toward his assailant with his hook, feeling some satisfaction as it came in contact with someone or something, but even that small victory was short-lived as the weapon came crashing down on his forearm at the spot where the leather brace that attached his hook tapered off. Even before the blinding pain registered, he knew the arm was broken; he'd felt the bones give way beneath the force of a blow so strong it had dislodged his hook and sent it clattering off somewhere into the shadows./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Already doubled over in pain and now defenseless, the rest of the attack was a blur. In those few seconds, his assailant had been relentless, striking him next across the middle of his back, the weapon finding little resistance from the thick leather of his jacket as it smashed the left side of his rib cage. He found himself unable to remain on his feet, dropping to his knees on the concrete gasping for air as crushed ribs caved inward toward his lung. Only his right arm seemed to still be functioning as he struggled against the blackness, not wanting to give in to unconsciousness. He forced his arm to press his torso up from the pavement, barely raising himself a few inches as he collapsed under the vicious final blow to the back of his head. There was no fighting the inevitable now as his unfocused eyes searched for one last glimpse of the sea before everything went dark./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Confident that Killian was finished trying to get back up, his attacker dropped the blood-stained weapon next to its victim then peeled off and shoved camel colored suede work gloves into the pockets of a dark wool coat. There was a slight sting as he shoved the coat sleeve up to examine the deep scrape inflicted by Killian's hook on his wrist. Somehow, the pirate had managed to catch him right between the glove and the sleeve, leaving a scratch that could potentially tie him to the assault, but unfortunately, the blasted hook was nowhere to be seen in the darkness of the alley so he'd have to leave it behind. Other things were more important right now as he greedily pawed through his victim's pockets searching for what he'd come for…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Something he wasn't finding…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Killian's attacker became more frantic – patting at and turning out pockets in a desperate hunt for something that wasn't being found. Frustrated and then rattled by a commotion nearby, the assailant finally ran off, leaving his victim unconscious and bleeding in the warehouse shadow. With so little traffic on the harbor at this hour, he slipped away unnoticed even as Killian's right eye flickered open for a split second to see a fleeting image of the person who'd just beat him so savagely, but there was no hint of recognition in his gaze and his eyelids fluttered closed yet again./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:33am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Seems as though Pongo might be extra rambunctious this morning Archie thought as he tried desperately to keep 90 pounds of unruly Dalmatian under control. Pongo's typically short morning walk hadn't been nearly enough for him as he'd started tugging and pulling his master to express his desire for a longer stroll – at least stopping short of actually dragging Archie through the streets of Storybrooke as they made their way toward the docks./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""In the mood for some salt air today, are we?" Archie wondered as Pongo happily padded toward the quiet harbor in the soft light of dawn, but they hadn't gotten very far when something set off the usually sedate pooch making him start barking and once again, pull against the leash. "Pongo! What's gotten into you? Heel!" But the canine had no intention of obeying this time and swiftly yanked the leash so forcefully that it snapped loose from his collar. Still barking loudly the dog bounded down the harbor front toward the cannery and an old warehouse - leaving his master breathlessly attempting to keep up. "Pongo! Get back here!" Archie shouted as the huge Dalmatian disappeared into the shadows behind the warehouse. "Where are you going you crazy dog you?!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Hurrying to catch up with the feisty animal, he suddenly realized that Pongo's incessant barking had now been replaced by a sad, quiet whimper./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Pongo?" he called to his pet, following the sounds of his cries around the corner to the alley on the far side of the warehouse, coming face to face with his dog standing guard above a dark figure laying prone in the street. "My goodness," Archie exclaimed, moving closer to the obviously injured man while Pongo crouched down, not ready to leave the wounded man's side. "What have you found here?" He lowered himself to a knee beside the man whose arms appeared to be awkwardly caught beneath his fallen body, noting the familiarity of his clothing – black leather moto jacket and black denim jeans. The victim's dark hair was matted with still-fresh blood and flecks of debris from the alley, but it was at the moment Archie lowered his hand to check the man's pulse and recognized the skull and dagger pendant that rested against the pavement under the man's chin that he finally put it all together and realized that the man lying on the ground beside him was none other than Killian Jones – Captain Hook himself./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Hook…?" Archie tried to call out to him as he found a weak pulse and confirmed that the wounded pirate was indeed still alive. "What happened to you?" he wondered, fumbling to locate his cell phone in his pant pocket. Finding it, he quickly dialed 911 and introduced himself to the dispatcher. "This is Dr. Hopper. I need an ambulance sent out to the alley between the cannery and the old supply warehouse off Harbor Way. I've found – well, Pongo found – an unconscious man with what appears to be multiple severe head injuries. You'd best send the Sheriff out too because this definitely wasn't an accident…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:51am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As he eased the Sheriff's cruiser up to the entrance of the alley with lights flashing and siren blaring, David could see that the paramedics were already on scene tending to the assault victim that Archie had called about just a few minutes ago. Of course, despite the fact that their quick response would aid the victim, it also meant that the crime scene was going to be compromised. Such a frustrating dichotomy… Climbing out of the car, he spied Archie and Pongo standing just a few feet away and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Pongo keeping a very close watch on the paramedics as they aided the injured man – seemingly ready to pounce if they made a single wrong move. That dog was something else./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""David!" Archie shouted as he spotted the Sheriff arriving at the scene. "I'm glad you were the one responding to this call…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Well, Emma's in Boston testifying before the parole board about a bail jumper she captured a couple of times in her previous life, so I'm the only one here to respond. Dispatcher said you stumbled onto an assault victim?" He led Archie back toward the patrol car where they could have a conversation out of the way and out of the earshot of the paramedics as they were carefully working to roll the victim onto his back./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""That was all Pongo," Archie said as he tried to keep a diligent eye on his dog while talking to David. "He broke free of his leash and went straight for the alley. He's quite an intuitive animal and must have sensed that something wasn't right. I'm just glad that Emma wasn't the one called in on this one though."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Why do you say that?" David wondered. "Emma's not exactly squeamish…" Realizing that David hadn't been informed of the victim's identity, Archie tried to explain as quickly as possible why David was better equipped to handle this crime scene./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""David – that's your son in law lying over there. It's Hook. Someone beat him mercilessly and left him for dead…" David was stunned for a moment, but as the reality of the situation set in, he hurried down the alley as the paramedics were fastening a rigid white plastic collar around Killian's neck as they positioned him only a bright orange back board that would lessen the chances of further jarring any of the injuries during transport to the hospital, clearly suspecting that he likely suffered some sort of spinal or neck trauma from the attack. They had already started an IV and as he got closer, David could see that they'd bandaged a gash that covered most of the left side of Killian's face and had positioned an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""How is he?" David asked the paramedics nervously. "Quick synopsis and keep in mind that this is my daughter's husband…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Sorry, Sheriff," one of the paramedics replied. "Someone worked him over good. Multiple blows to the head and torso with multiple broken bones. Can't tell if there's any spine or neck injury so we're not taking any chances."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Good," David stated, pausing for a moment as his eyes locked on a blood stained wooden handle that looked like it had come from an ax or sledgehammer or something similar that lay just a few feet from where Killian had fallen. Whatever it actually was, David's gut told him that it was the weapon that Killian's attacker had used so he quickly scanned the rest of the vicinity to see if anything else caught his attention – noting a security camera mounted over the rear entrance to the warehouse./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""We're ready to head out, Sheriff," the other paramedic spoke up. David hadn't even noticed that in those few seconds, they'd gotten his son in law strapped to the immobilizing back board and loaded onto a stretcher. "You want to ride along?" David wanted to decline, wanted to give the crime scene his priority, but Killian was family. He just couldn't bring himself to say no and nodded as the paramedics loaded the stretcher into the waiting ambulance. David hoisted himself up and sat down on a bench behind the seat on the passenger side of the vehicle as the driver closed the doors behind them. He swallowed hard at the lump forming in his throat. How was he supposed to break this news to his daughter? She leaves town for a day to attend to business and her husband gets jumped in an alley and nearly beaten to death. Were those two things connected? Was it a crime of opportunity? Was Killian targeted or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Too many questions to answer already and he hadn't even heard any of Emma's yet./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"This was not going to be a good day…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:56am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She'd set the alarm on the motel room's digital clock to go off at 8am, but Emma had already been awake for a while, honestly finding it difficult to sleep at all. It wasn't that the motel's double bed was uncomfortable or that the room was too noisy. It was just lonely. She knew her early bird husband would already be awake and wanted so much to give him a call, but the flashing battery indicator on her phone was preventing that. In her haste to pack for the quick unplanned overnight, she'd somehow forgotten to grab the wall plug-in adapter for her phone's charging cable. She had the cigarette lighter adapter in the Bug, but it took a lot longer to charge the battery and she wouldn't have time before the hearing started at the State Prison. Of all the things to forget, she chastised herself. She could probably call him from the land line in the room, but Killian wouldn't recognize the number and wouldn't answer the call anyway so she decided it was a better idea to just send her family and friends a quick group text message to let them know she'd be incommunicado for a few hours./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Of course, sending the text wasn't going to make the situation any less embarrassing. She hated being that forgetful and fully expected a bit of playful ridicule from her husband when she got home that afternoon. And there was something else nagging at her brain that she couldn't quite place. She wanted to dismiss it as lack of sleep and her own sheer stupidity, but the thoughts drumming inside her head wouldn't go away. All she wanted to do was get through this hearing and she could get home to her family in no time. Only a few more hours…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Wandering into the tiny bathroom, she pulled back the faded and well-worn beige shower curtain and turned the water on, letting it run until steam was billowing, hoping that she could wash away the ghosts that haunted her this morning./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Only a few more hours…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:58am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He'd been enjoying the relative calm of this Monday morning, relishing the peace and quiet after what had been one of the few uneventful weekends he'd seen since being cursed to this town. That was until the page came over the intercom and interrupted his nap. An ambulance was inbound with a critical patient. Multiple blunt force injuries. Confirmed cranial injury and possible cervical and spinal trauma. He'd initially suspected an automobile accident, but as he made his way to the Emergency entrance, he'd been informed that the victim had been found unresponsive in an alley near the harbor which sounded more like a mugging./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Time to start the morning with a challenge, Dr. Whale told himself as he arrived to the ambulance bay just as the team of paramedics were rushing their unconscious patient through the automatic doors. Before asking any questions, Whale took a moment to assess the patient. In deference to the probability of spinal damage, the patient was restrained on a sturdy resin back board with a cervical collar encircling his neck to help immobilize his head, covered completely with a charcoal grey blanket that had been pulled up to his neck. A blood-soaked stack of gauze compresses covered most of the left side of the man's face which appeared to have been slashed open from just below his eye socket to just above his left ear. An oxygen mask positioned over the man's nose and mouth further obscured the patient's face so all that Whale could really see from this angle was a patch of neatly trimmed whiskers along the man's jawline and a mop of unruly dark brown hair matted with dried blood, dirt and glass from the street where he'd been found./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What exactly have we got here?" Whale finally asked of the paramedics as they brought the patient into the exam area and with the assistance of an orderly, transferred the wounded man – back board, blanket and all – onto the exam table while a nurse adjusted the extremely bright overhead lamp to give them better illumination of the patient's extensive injuries./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Victim was found unconscious about twenty minutes ago. Pupils were uneven and unresponsive. BP was 90 over 60 when we got to him and although it's low, it's remained fairly steady. Breath sounds on the left side are almost non-existent. Sounds like a lot of fluid in the lung."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Let's get a portable X-ray in here," Whale barked orders to his team. "We'll need cranial and thoracic images. Need to get a cranial CT as well and get the OR prepped. Pretty sure we're gonna need it," he stated as he used his stethoscope to listen to his patient's heart and potentially damaged lung. "Do we have an ID on our patient?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It's Killian Jones," one of the paramedics responded as they headed back to their vehicle now that their job was completed./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Killian Jones? Captain Hook?" Whale asked incredulously as he paused to take a better look at what he could see of his patient's face, now seeing enough familiarity to recognize the man that lay before him. "Has anyone notified the Sheriff?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Sheriff Nolan rode over with us," he was told and Whale snapped his head around to see an anxious David pacing the Emergency room floor. With his focus entirely on his patient's well-being, Whale hadn't even noticed that the Sheriff was standing there awaiting news from him, but it wasn't David that he'd been referring to./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I meant Emma," Whale corrected his statement. "Has she been notified? This is her husband. We need to get in touch with her as soon as possible."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I'll find out, Doctor," the orderly replied, heading out of the exam room toward the admitting desk near the double doors that led into the hospital's main corridor./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Do we have those X-ray images yet?" Whale demanded shouting to everyone within earshot, the gravity of the situation fully weighing on him as he glanced up and met the watchful eye of the Sheriff./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yes, Doctor," a nurse replied, handing him two dark X-ray film images which he held up toward the light, squinting and frowning at something that immediately caught his concern while he stepped to the backlit florescent panel on the wall and clipped the images to it. Flipping the switch to fully illuminate the two images, he was confronted with a lot he didn't like. The cranial image was bothersome showing two hairline fractures, but he still needed the CT scans to accompany the X-rays and knew he'd be revisiting these injuries later. Of more immediate concern was the thoracic panel where he could see jagged splintered sections of crushed rib cage jutting into Killian's lung and likely his spleen as well. A bright splotch on the image revealed extensive internal bleeding pooling around the site of the injury. On the very slight positive side, he didn't see any indication of injury to Killian's spinal column which at least was something encouraging./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Let's get him into the OR before those splintered ribs cause any more trauma," Whale instructed. "We've got to get this internal bleeding under control." He unfastened the strap securing Killian's head to the orange plastic board, then carefully removed the cervical collar and set it aside. Killian stirred ever so slightly as the restraints were removed but before Whale and his team were able to get him into pre-op, a shrill alarm sounded as the cardiac monitor suddenly registered a flat line. The doctor instinctively began barking out demands for equipment and assistance as the wounded pirate slipped into cardiac and respiratory arrest. "Stay with me, Captain," he stated, speaking directly to his patient this time as one nurse handed him the defibrillator paddles while another cut open Killian's shirt. "Even if she's not a Dark One anymore, Emma would kill me if I let anything happen to you…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"And he meant that./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emstrongadjective/strong/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em1. cowardly or craven./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em2. unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emstrongnoun/strong/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em3.a coward./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em4. an apostate, traitor, or renegade./em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emMonday, 7:10am/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Like nearly every other day, Killian Jones was awake with the sun, even if he was taking things a tad more leisurely than he normally would. Waking alone in their huge king sized bed wasn't something he particularly enjoyed and he would certainly have rather accompanied Emma to Boston, but she'd been insistent that it would be a quick overnight trip./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"em"It's just a parole hearing," she'd told him. "I had to track this guy down twice so the District Attorney's office wanted me to come in and testify about how big of a flight risk he is. I'll drive down Sunday night then the hearing in front of the parole board at the prison is at 10:30am. I'll be done and back home to Storybrooke in less than twenty-four hours and we can go have a nice, quiet dinner somewhere – just the two of us."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He smiled to himself as he recalled her words from Friday afternoon when she'd gotten the phone call. It had been a while since they'd had a meal together somewhere that didn't have grilled cheese sandwiches and onion rings on the menu so he was all-too happy to oblige – whatever the occasion might be. However, regardless of what they might be celebrating tonight, he was still starting this Monday morning off on his own so he'd made the decision to head to the one place where he felt most at home when he was alone – the deck of the Jolly Roger. He held a pang of guilt that he'd been slightly neglectful of her as of late, so since he had a free morning, he'd conceded that he needed to spend a few hours with his second lady love before she turned on him – at least as much as a ship could./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"On most days, he would have followed Harbor Way down around the cannery to the docks, but a weekend water main break had closed down the road and even the accompanying sidewalks completely due to a large, gaping hole in the pavement that needed to be filled. Because of the mess, Killian had been forced to detour down an alley between the cannery and a building supply warehouse that was undergoing renovations. The alley ended in the same place at the harbor, but he hated walking this way because of all of the haphazardly scattered construction rubbish that constantly overflowed the provided container. He hadn't the foggiest idea what they were doing inside that warehouse building, but it certainly resulted in an overwhelming amount of refuse and this morning was no exception as he found himself having to step around randomly strewn bits of metal, wood and glass that littered the alleyway. He made a mental note to report this mess to the Sheriff later. Someone should most definitely get a citation for this hazardous chaos. Being the Sheriff's husband did have some advantages and maybe he'd just use that influence to speak to the workers or the foreman himself and remind them that the receptacle was provided for a reason./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"But as he reached the corner of the warehouse and the end of the disorderly alley, he was greeted by the sight of the harbor quay. With the sun low in the sky on this early morn, there were deep shadows cast against the concrete and asphalt, but he could already spy the sun-kissed sea that beckoned ahead with its gentle waves bobbing in eager anticipation. The destination was well worth the trip down that dreadful alley, he thought to himself – at least until he heard the startling sound of glass crunching behind him. He'd been fairly certain that he'd entered the alley alone, but perhaps one of those untidy warehouse workers had arrived to their employ early? Whether instinct or just curiosity, the unexpected noise had garnered his attention and he turned around slowly to see if another person had indeed joined him in the alley, but only the shadow of the building was visible. Perhaps he was just a tad paranoid this morning. Here he was getting jumpy over a dark alley and…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He had just begun shift his attentions back to the harbor when his peripheral vision caught sight of the object careening toward him, but there wasn't enough reaction time to register it before the blow pummeled into the left side of his head. He felt the weapon crush into his skull above his ear, then tear an ugly gash across his left cheekbone as it followed through its arc. The torn skin was searing and spilling blood down over his jaw and neck, but he barely felt it over the intense throbbing inside his cranium. He staggered a few steps toward the direction he thought the attack had come from, glancing up to see a cylindrical wooden object coming toward him again. He was able to dodge the weapon this time and swung wildly toward his assailant with his hook, feeling some satisfaction as it came in contact with someone or something, but even that small victory was short-lived as the weapon came crashing down on his forearm at the spot where the leather brace that attached his hook tapered off. Even before the blinding pain registered, he knew the arm was broken; he'd felt the bones give way beneath the force of a blow so strong it had dislodged his hook and sent it clattering off somewhere into the shadows./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Already doubled over in pain and now defenseless, the rest of the attack was a blur. In those few seconds, his assailant had been relentless, striking him next across the middle of his back, the weapon finding little resistance from the thick leather of his jacket as it smashed the left side of his rib cage. He found himself unable to remain on his feet, dropping to his knees on the concrete gasping for air as crushed ribs caved inward toward his lung. Only his right arm seemed to still be functioning as he struggled against the blackness, not wanting to give in to unconsciousness. He forced his arm to press his torso up from the pavement, barely raising himself a few inches as he collapsed under the vicious final blow to the back of his head. There was no fighting the inevitable now as his unfocused eyes searched for one last glimpse of the sea before everything went dark./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Confident that Killian was finished trying to get back up, his attacker dropped the blood-stained weapon next to its victim then peeled off and shoved camel colored suede work gloves into the pockets of a dark wool coat. There was a slight sting as he shoved the coat sleeve up to examine the deep scrape inflicted by Killian's hook on his wrist. Somehow, the pirate had managed to catch him right between the glove and the sleeve, leaving a scratch that could potentially tie him to the assault, but unfortunately, the blasted hook was nowhere to be seen in the darkness of the alley so he'd have to leave it behind. Other things were more important right now as he greedily pawed through his victim's pockets searching for what he'd come for…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Something he wasn't finding…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Killian's attacker became more frantic – patting at and turning out pockets in a desperate hunt for something that wasn't being found. Frustrated and then rattled by a commotion nearby, the assailant finally ran off, leaving his victim unconscious and bleeding in the warehouse shadow. With so little traffic on the harbor at this hour, he slipped away unnoticed even as Killian's right eye flickered open for a split second to see a fleeting image of the person who'd just beat him so savagely, but there was no hint of recognition in his gaze and his eyelids fluttered closed yet again./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:33am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Seems as though Pongo might be extra rambunctious this morning Archie thought as he tried desperately to keep 90 pounds of unruly Dalmatian under control. Pongo's typically short morning walk hadn't been nearly enough for him as he'd started tugging and pulling his master to express his desire for a longer stroll – at least stopping short of actually dragging Archie through the streets of Storybrooke as they made their way toward the docks./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""In the mood for some salt air today, are we?" Archie wondered as Pongo happily padded toward the quiet harbor in the soft light of dawn, but they hadn't gotten very far when something set off the usually sedate pooch making him start barking and once again, pull against the leash. "Pongo! What's gotten into you? Heel!" But the canine had no intention of obeying this time and swiftly yanked the leash so forcefully that it snapped loose from his collar. Still barking loudly the dog bounded down the harbor front toward the cannery and an old warehouse - leaving his master breathlessly attempting to keep up. "Pongo! Get back here!" Archie shouted as the huge Dalmatian disappeared into the shadows behind the warehouse. "Where are you going you crazy dog you?!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Hurrying to catch up with the feisty animal, he suddenly realized that Pongo's incessant barking had now been replaced by a sad, quiet whimper./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Pongo?" he called to his pet, following the sounds of his cries around the corner to the alley on the far side of the warehouse, coming face to face with his dog standing guard above a dark figure laying prone in the street. "My goodness," Archie exclaimed, moving closer to the obviously injured man while Pongo crouched down, not ready to leave the wounded man's side. "What have you found here?" He lowered himself to a knee beside the man whose arms appeared to be awkwardly caught beneath his fallen body, noting the familiarity of his clothing – black leather moto jacket and black denim jeans. The victim's dark hair was matted with still-fresh blood and flecks of debris from the alley, but it was at the moment Archie lowered his hand to check the man's pulse and recognized the skull and dagger pendant that rested against the pavement under the man's chin that he finally put it all together and realized that the man lying on the ground beside him was none other than Killian Jones – Captain Hook himself./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Hook…?" Archie tried to call out to him as he found a weak pulse and confirmed that the wounded pirate was indeed still alive. "What happened to you?" he wondered, fumbling to locate his cell phone in his pant pocket. Finding it, he quickly dialed 911 and introduced himself to the dispatcher. "This is Dr. Hopper. I need an ambulance sent out to the alley between the cannery and the old supply warehouse off Harbor Way. I've found – well, Pongo found – an unconscious man with what appears to be multiple severe head injuries. You'd best send the Sheriff out too because this definitely wasn't an accident…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:51am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As he eased the Sheriff's cruiser up to the entrance of the alley with lights flashing and siren blaring, David could see that the paramedics were already on scene tending to the assault victim that Archie had called about just a few minutes ago. Of course, despite the fact that their quick response would aid the victim, it also meant that the crime scene was going to be compromised. Such a frustrating dichotomy… Climbing out of the car, he spied Archie and Pongo standing just a few feet away and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Pongo keeping a very close watch on the paramedics as they aided the injured man – seemingly ready to pounce if they made a single wrong move. That dog was something else./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""David!" Archie shouted as he spotted the Sheriff arriving at the scene. "I'm glad you were the one responding to this call…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Well, Emma's in Boston testifying before the parole board about a bail jumper she captured a couple of times in her previous life, so I'm the only one here to respond. Dispatcher said you stumbled onto an assault victim?" He led Archie back toward the patrol car where they could have a conversation out of the way and out of the earshot of the paramedics as they were carefully working to roll the victim onto his back./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""That was all Pongo," Archie said as he tried to keep a diligent eye on his dog while talking to David. "He broke free of his leash and went straight for the alley. He's quite an intuitive animal and must have sensed that something wasn't right. I'm just glad that Emma wasn't the one called in on this one though."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Why do you say that?" David wondered. "Emma's not exactly squeamish…" Realizing that David hadn't been informed of the victim's identity, Archie tried to explain as quickly as possible why David was better equipped to handle this crime scene./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""David – that's your son in law lying over there. It's Hook. Someone beat him mercilessly and left him for dead…" David was stunned for a moment, but as the reality of the situation set in, he hurried down the alley as the paramedics were fastening a rigid white plastic collar around Killian's neck as they positioned him only a bright orange back board that would lessen the chances of further jarring any of the injuries during transport to the hospital, clearly suspecting that he likely suffered some sort of spinal or neck trauma from the attack. They had already started an IV and as he got closer, David could see that they'd bandaged a gash that covered most of the left side of Killian's face and had positioned an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""How is he?" David asked the paramedics nervously. "Quick synopsis and keep in mind that this is my daughter's husband…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Sorry, Sheriff," one of the paramedics replied. "Someone worked him over good. Multiple blows to the head and torso with multiple broken bones. Can't tell if there's any spine or neck injury so we're not taking any chances."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Good," David stated, pausing for a moment as his eyes locked on a blood stained wooden handle that looked like it had come from an ax or sledgehammer or something similar that lay just a few feet from where Killian had fallen. Whatever it actually was, David's gut told him that it was the weapon that Killian's attacker had used so he quickly scanned the rest of the vicinity to see if anything else caught his attention – noting a security camera mounted over the rear entrance to the warehouse./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""We're ready to head out, Sheriff," the other paramedic spoke up. David hadn't even noticed that in those few seconds, they'd gotten his son in law strapped to the immobilizing back board and loaded onto a stretcher. "You want to ride along?" David wanted to decline, wanted to give the crime scene his priority, but Killian was family. He just couldn't bring himself to say no and nodded as the paramedics loaded the stretcher into the waiting ambulance. David hoisted himself up and sat down on a bench behind the seat on the passenger side of the vehicle as the driver closed the doors behind them. He swallowed hard at the lump forming in his throat. How was he supposed to break this news to his daughter? She leaves town for a day to attend to business and her husband gets jumped in an alley and nearly beaten to death. Were those two things connected? Was it a crime of opportunity? Was Killian targeted or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Too many questions to answer already and he hadn't even heard any of Emma's yet./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"This was not going to be a good day…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:56am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She'd set the alarm on the motel room's digital clock to go off at 8am, but Emma had already been awake for a while, honestly finding it difficult to sleep at all. It wasn't that the motel's double bed was uncomfortable or that the room was too noisy. It was just lonely. She knew her early bird husband would already be awake and wanted so much to give him a call, but the flashing battery indicator on her phone was preventing that. In her haste to pack for the quick unplanned overnight, she'd somehow forgotten to grab the wall plug-in adapter for her phone's charging cable. She had the cigarette lighter adapter in the Bug, but it took a lot longer to charge the battery and she wouldn't have time before the hearing started at the State Prison. Of all the things to forget, she chastised herself. She could probably call him from the land line in the room, but Killian wouldn't recognize the number and wouldn't answer the call anyway so she decided it was a better idea to just send her family and friends a quick group text message to let them know she'd be incommunicado for a few hours./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Of course, sending the text wasn't going to make the situation any less embarrassing. She hated being that forgetful and fully expected a bit of playful ridicule from her husband when she got home that afternoon. And there was something else nagging at her brain that she couldn't quite place. She wanted to dismiss it as lack of sleep and her own sheer stupidity, but the thoughts drumming inside her head wouldn't go away. All she wanted to do was get through this hearing and she could get home to her family in no time. Only a few more hours…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Wandering into the tiny bathroom, she pulled back the faded and well-worn beige shower curtain and turned the water on, letting it run until steam was billowing, hoping that she could wash away the ghosts that haunted her this morning./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Only a few more hours…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"emspan style="text-decoration-line: underline;"7:58am/span/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"He'd been enjoying the relative calm of this Monday morning, relishing the peace and quiet after what had been one of the few uneventful weekends he'd seen since being cursed to this town. That was until the page came over the intercom and interrupted his nap. An ambulance was inbound with a critical patient. Multiple blunt force injuries. Confirmed cranial injury and possible cervical and spinal trauma. He'd initially suspected an automobile accident, but as he made his way to the Emergency entrance, he'd been informed that the victim had been found unresponsive in an alley near the harbor which sounded more like a mugging./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Time to start the morning with a challenge, Dr. Whale told himself as he arrived to the ambulance bay just as the team of paramedics were rushing their unconscious patient through the automatic doors. Before asking any questions, Whale took a moment to assess the patient. In deference to the probability of spinal damage, the patient was restrained on a sturdy resin back board with a cervical collar encircling his neck to help immobilize his head, covered completely with a charcoal grey blanket that had been pulled up to his neck. A blood-soaked stack of gauze compresses covered most of the left side of the man's face which appeared to have been slashed open from just below his eye socket to just above his left ear. An oxygen mask positioned over the man's nose and mouth further obscured the patient's face so all that Whale could really see from this angle was a patch of neatly trimmed whiskers along the man's jawline and a mop of unruly dark brown hair matted with dried blood, dirt and glass from the street where he'd been found./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What exactly have we got here?" Whale finally asked of the paramedics as they brought the patient into the exam area and with the assistance of an orderly, transferred the wounded man – back board, blanket and all – onto the exam table while a nurse adjusted the extremely bright overhead lamp to give them better illumination of the patient's extensive injuries./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Victim was found unconscious about twenty minutes ago. Pupils were uneven and unresponsive. BP was 90 over 60 when we got to him and although it's low, it's remained fairly steady. Breath sounds on the left side are almost non-existent. Sounds like a lot of fluid in the lung."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Let's get a portable X-ray in here," Whale barked orders to his team. "We'll need cranial and thoracic images. Need to get a cranial CT as well and get the OR prepped. Pretty sure we're gonna need it," he stated as he used his stethoscope to listen to his patient's heart and potentially damaged lung. "Do we have an ID on our patient?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It's Killian Jones," one of the paramedics responded as they headed back to their vehicle now that their job was completed./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Killian Jones? Captain Hook?" Whale asked incredulously as he paused to take a better look at what he could see of his patient's face, now seeing enough familiarity to recognize the man that lay before him. "Has anyone notified the Sheriff?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Sheriff Nolan rode over with us," he was told and Whale snapped his head around to see an anxious David pacing the Emergency room floor. With his focus entirely on his patient's well-being, Whale hadn't even noticed that the Sheriff was standing there awaiting news from him, but it wasn't David that he'd been referring to./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I meant Emma," Whale corrected his statement. "Has she been notified? This is her husband. We need to get in touch with her as soon as possible."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I'll find out, Doctor," the orderly replied, heading out of the exam room toward the admitting desk near the double doors that led into the hospital's main corridor./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Do we have those X-ray images yet?" Whale demanded shouting to everyone within earshot, the gravity of the situation fully weighing on him as he glanced up and met the watchful eye of the Sheriff./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yes, Doctor," a nurse replied, handing him two dark X-ray film images which he held up toward the light, squinting and frowning at something that immediately caught his concern while he stepped to the backlit florescent panel on the wall and clipped the images to it. Flipping the switch to fully illuminate the two images, he was confronted with a lot he didn't like. The cranial image was bothersome showing two hairline fractures, but he still needed the CT scans to accompany the X-rays and knew he'd be revisiting these injuries later. Of more immediate concern was the thoracic panel where he could see jagged splintered sections of crushed rib cage jutting into Killian's lung and likely his spleen as well. A bright splotch on the image revealed extensive internal bleeding pooling around the site of the injury. On the very slight positive side, he didn't see any indication of injury to Killian's spinal column which at least was something encouraging./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Let's get him into the OR before those splintered ribs cause any more trauma," Whale instructed. "We've got to get this internal bleeding under control." He unfastened the strap securing Killian's head to the orange plastic board, then carefully removed the cervical collar and set it aside. Killian stirred ever so slightly as the restraints were removed but before Whale and his team were able to get him into pre-op, a shrill alarm sounded as the cardiac monitor suddenly registered a flat line. The doctor instinctively began barking out demands for equipment and assistance as the wounded pirate slipped into cardiac and respiratory arrest. "Stay with me, Captain," he stated, speaking directly to his patient this time as one nurse handed him the defibrillator paddles while another cut open Killian's shirt. "Even if she's not a Dark One anymore, Emma would kill me if I let anything happen to you…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"And he meant that./p