Mother Hen Cody
By Janet Brayden
Cody Allen took one look at Nick Ryder's pale countenance and said, "That's it! You're going to bed!"
"Cody, I'm fine," Nick protested.
"No, you're not! Cody exclaimed. "Your side is bothering you. Don't try to deny it.
It had been a long, hard couple of weeks for the men of the Riptide Detective Agency. Tricor, a large security analysts agency, had tried to buy them out. When they refused to sell the Riptide Agency suddenly started having problems.
Clients had dropped them, their insurance bond was canceled an the Riptide itself had been vandalized. Murray's computer was destroyed and the Roboz had been damaged. All three men had been injured in the encounter with the vandals though not seriously.
Topping it all off had been the murder of Hub Wheeler - the congenial Security Guard who had taken the job that the agency had turned down because Cody felt they were "too busy" to do it. Nick had gotten the message on their answering machine before the others got back from delivering their case file to Davenport. He'd barely pulled up on the 'Vette and gotten out when there was the sound of a gunshot. Ducking back behind his car Nick had pulled his .45 and traded shots with the men in ski masks that were departing from Hub's house. After exchanging several shots Nick had taken a round in the side. It wasn't serious - the paramedics had patched him up - but it had been enough to send Cody and Boz into a panic.
Later on, after the guys decided that the Riptide Detective Agency was back in business, Nick had gone to talk to Hub's daughter, Maybeth. Both had been kidnapped, at gunpoint, while having a cup of coffee and a snack at the place "where Murray likes the hot pretzels". Cody had come along just in the nick of time and they'd eventually gotten to the bottom of everything with Maybeth's story and Murray's accessing the Tricor super secret group files for the "Bargain Department".
Now they were catching their breath and trying to relax and unwind. Nick's side was still bothering him no matter what he said and Cody wasn't buying his "I'm fine".
"Come on," Cody said helping Nick to his feet. "Now that things have calmed down your body has had a chance to realize just how sore and tired it is."
Nick stared at him. "Where'd you learn to talk like that?"
"Dr. Jamison told me that when my arm was slashed a while back. He said that once things calmed down my body would send reminders to my brain and boy did it ever! We were so busy trying to find, and help, Peggy that I didn't really notice it until all the excitement wore off."
Cody took Nick by the arm and led him down the stairs to their cabin. Over Nick's continual protests he helped the younger man change into the sweat pants and sleeveless shirt he often wore to bed and helped him get as comfortable as it was possible.
"Now lie back and relax," Cody said. Turning toward the door he called, "Murray have you got the aspirin?"
"Yes," was the answer as the computer whiz walked into the cabin. "Here it is."
He handed Cody the medicine bottle and a glass of water which Cody, in turn, handed to Nick.
"Here, take this."
Obediently, for he had no other choice with Cody standing over him, Nick took the proffered painkillers and the glass of water. When he had swallowed the tablets he handed the glass back to Cody who handed it back to Murray. Murray took it to the bathroom and dumped what water Nick hadn't drunk in the sink.
"Turnabout is fair play buddy," the blond told his friend. "You nursed me through the headache and all after we broke up the attempted kidnapping of Chad Jennings. Now I'm going to nurse you through this."
"Cody, it's just a scratch, remember?"
"Maybe so," his partner answered, "but that scratch is bothering you or you wouldn't be looking so pale and uncomfortable. Now lay back and relax and go to sleep."
As he spoke Cody brought the covers up over Nicks legs and waist and ensured that an extra pillow was close enough for him to lean into to protect the wounded side. When he was through, he and Murray quietly slipped out of the room as their friend started to fall asleep.
"He'll be ok, won't he Cody?" an anxious Murray asked.
"Yeah, he'll be okay," Cody responded. "He's not willing to admit it but he is a little. Like I told him - now that the excitement has died down he's noticing it more. He just kind of pushed it to the back of his mind until we brought Davenport and his friends down."
Looking back toward the cabin they had just left he added, "He just needs a little rest and some quiet for a few days. Give him a week and he'll be tearing around in one of those 'Nick moods' you like to call them. He'll be anxious to get the Mimi in the air again, go swimming - anything but sit around. We'll just keep an eye on him so he doesn't overdo it."
"Good night, Cody," Murray said as he went to his own cabin to do a little research before going to bed himself.
"See you in the morning, Boz," was the reply.
The blond took one last look around to see that everything was secure on the boat before slipping into bed himself. He smiled to himself to see his partner curled up with his arms wrapped around the extra pillow. As he fell asleep he said a brief prayer that all were safe and Nick would be fine. Sure, they'd lost a good friend in Hub Wheeler, and that would hurt, but the agency was back together.
The next night the trio went to Straightaway's for dinner and Cody, foolish man that he could be, made a proposal about how the agency should present themselves in appearance. Before the night was over he'd be wondering how to get the catsup stains out of his shirt.