So, I'm looking at the sky at night here in MD, and it's really pretty. :) But in Yellowstone it'll be prettier! July 20- 31, I will be gone! TO YELLOWSTONE I GO!
Just so you guys know. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't (and most likely guys, I will be back) so enjoy the next chapter of Loose Ends.
Oh, and BTW this does get religious, b/c Lou is religious, and it has nothing to do with my beliefs.
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Greg's mobile command unit and Sam and Jules's SUV, followed up seconds later by a multitude of police and medical personnel arrived at the scene. Lou was pressing his hand up against Spike's shoulder, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.
Spike's face was pale, his breath was still coming out in gasps and he groaned, "Look, Lou, I want you to tell my mom, that I really love her, tell Liza that too," Spike's face was filled with fear.
"Look, Spike," Ed came up, the medics were getting the gurney out, "you are not going to die constable. You hear me? You are not going to die."
Spike's eyes were filled with tears, he looked like he didn't believe Ed. Ed stared at Spike straight in the eye, "You are not going to die. SAY IT!"
"I'm not going to die," Spike managed to choke out. Finally, the medics came up.
"Sir, I'm going to need you to move," one of the medics said to Lou, Lou shook his head, he felt as if he let go, he'd allow the blood in Spike's body to flow out and empty him of life.
"Let's go," Ed firmly, but gently took Lou away, "let them do their work."
"Sir, my name is Jack," the medic said to Spike, "can you tell me your name?"
"Spike," Spike finally said.
"Alright Spike, I'm going to put this mask over you, it's going to help you breath," Jack placed an oxygen mask over Spike's nose and mouth.
"Alright, let's get him to the hospital guys," Jack said to the rest of his team. They wheeled him off to the ambulance, but before he left, Greg came up.
"Which hospital?" the sergeant asked.
"St. Michaels," Jack replied getting into the ambulance. He sat next to Spike for the whole ride.
They had taken off Spike's vest and shirt, there where two purple bruises blossoming on his chest, the vest had done its job in keeping the constable alive. The two bullet wounds were the biggest problem, the thigh wound looked clean, but it was bleeding heavily. The shoulder wound was deep, and since Spike was having a hard time catching his breath, it probably meant that the bullet affected a lung.
"Hey Spike, how are you holding up?" Jack asked.
Spike nodded, showing that he was doing about as fine as he could.
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The team sans Spike gathered in the waiting room of the hospital, they had been there for hours it seemed, Lou kept constantly looking at the clock. It ticked on slowly, he looked back down at his foot, which kept an impatient tapping on the ground. He looked back up at the clock, only a minute had passed.
Spike's mother and father were there along with Liza Carani. Liza was crying softly in a tissue while Spike's mother was looking worriedly at the doors and leaning over once in awhile to comfort Liza.
Finally, a doctor walked in and he looked at the team gathered there, "Is this the family of Spike Scarlatti?" Team One stood up, but allowed the parents and girlfriend to be filled in on Spike's condition.
The doctor held out his hand and said, "Mister and Misses Scarlatti? I'm Doctor Jake Herrera."
Attilio Scarlatti shook Jake's hand, "Is my son alright?"
"He is in stable condition in the critical care unit. He just got out of surgery. One of the bullets grazed his lung and was lodged near the subclavian vein. We decided to keep the bullet in place, and it would do more harm than good to take it out. The second bullet hit Michael's thigh bone, nicking the femoral artery. Luckily, we were able to get the bleeding under control and extract the bullet." Jake said.
"Can we see him?" Marietta Scarlatti asked. Her eyes were full of worry for her son.
Jake nodded gravely, he said, "Yes you can, I'll show you to his room, and his team and girlfriend can come along too."
The team, though aching to see their team mate, stayed behind in the waiting room, but Greg ushered one of them along, "Lou, go, you and Spike have been friends ever since you joined the team, and I'm not taking that away from you."
"But," Lou started to say.
"Go," the sergeant said in his firm "no talk back" tone.
Lou nodded and went with the family. He waited outside the room as Spike's parents and girl friend visited. Liza was crying at his bedside, holding Spike's hand. "It's going to be okay Mikey, it's going to be okay." She said over and over again.
"Don't worry sweetie," Marietta said gently placing her hand on Liza's back, "he's been through worse. Michael doesn't want to see you like this."
Liza nodded, allowing Marietta to guide her out of the room, Attilio looked after both of them and down at his son, quite dry eyed. But the worry was still in his eyes.
"Mike, how did you let this happen to you?" he asked sadly, he was losing his battle in fighting back tears. They brimmed and threatened to spill over onto his cheeks.
"Sir?" Lou said standing in the door way, "I was with Spike when he got shot, he wants you to know that he loves you, that's what he said."
"You were with him when he was shot?" Attilio asked looking up at the constable.
"Yes, I was," Lou said, "I should have warned him, or pulled him inside the car, something!"
Lou was now berating himself in the quiet halls. He slammed his fist into the wall.
"You can not take back what has already happened," the father said, "you can only do what you can to gain forgiveness."
Lou nodded, he knew a lot about forgiveness, ever since the day that Reverend Hilding intervened in Lou's gang life on the streets. . .
-Flashback-
Lil Louie, aka, Lewis Young, sat on the stoop of his town house in Jane and Finch, it actually wasn't his, it belonged to the gang, the Black Guerilla Union. This particular house was where he and his friends, Dragon and Chimpee lived.
Dragon had gotten his name by a huge scar on his back from when his mom scalded him with hot water, the resulting mark had looked like a dragon. He also got his name because of the nature of the scar.
Chimpee was a wild guy, his hair stuck up in irregular tufts, and most of the time, he made strange screeching noises, just like a Chimpanzee.
Louie wasn't doing anything that day, just loitering, waiting for Chief, the leader, to give him an order. Usually it was to sell drugs, or to mug someone. A man in jeans and a hoodie stopped by the stoop and said, "Hey."
"If you are gonna say something important, just say it already, other wise, buzz off," Louie said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"You ever think about getting off the streets?" the man asked. "Getting cleaned up, not risking your self getting shot up?"
"Nope," Louie answered, he noticed then the man was holding a book, "say, what's that?"
"Can you read?" the man asked, looking up at Louie.
Louie was about to answer with a smart alecky comment, but thought the better of it. "Yeah," he answered.
"This is The Bible," the man held it in reverence, "ever hear of it?"
"Yeah, Dragon uses it to wipe his ass when there's no toilet paper around." Louie answered.
"Have you ever tried to read it?"
"What's there to read?"
"It explains a lot of things, and your soul is in need of saving," the man said.
"My soul? I don't have one that needs to be saved," Louie said.
"Look, I'm giving you a chance here," the man said, "your life expectancy on the street as it is, is less than 20 years of age. One day, you'll be in prison, or worse."
"So?" Louie asked.
"So you want to live your life with a guy who screeches like a monkey all day? Or with a guy who has a scar on his back and thinks that it's cool?"
Louie was completely disarmed, "Wait, how'd you know all that?"
"I grew up in these parts, and still frequent around here, those gang bangers will make you think that you're wanted, but they'll throw you aside like a used Kleenex when you've outgrown your usefulness. Where will that lead you? Let me answer, no where. Come into God's hands and learn about the true salvation of Christ," the man said.
Louie looked at the man, "What's your name?"
"Reverend Joseph Hilding," he replied, "the church is on the corner of Lamberton and Sentinel. Come when you are ready."
Louie nodded, as if he'd ever go to some crazy guy. But that night, he was kept awake by Chimpee's screeching and Dragon's snoring, he tried to drown out their noise, but he couldn't. Then the words from the preacher thundered through his head like the words of God Himself, "Come into God's hands and learn about the true salvation of Christ".
The next day, Louie went to the church, the reverend looked up from reading The Bible. "So you've made your choice?"
Louie nodded.
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Lou looked at Spike's peaceful face, and he sat by his team mate for several minutes, uttering a prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . ."
He squeezed Spike's hand, and suddenly, Spike squeezed back. His eye lids fluttered and then opened. He looked up at Lou and then around for his family, who were standing in various places around the room.
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So I hope you liked, I mean, loved that chapter! I did! Lou is just so interesting to write about :). And Spike's awake! WOOT!
BTW, this chapter kind of shows the Italian side of me, even if I'm half Chinese. My mom's last name is Carani, and my grandpa's name is Attilio. Yayy Italian families!! (My Uncle Lee makes a mean pizza! -Rubs stomach- I'm hungwy!!!)
Why the ** am I listening to a 1960's protest song? Hmm, what ever, -dances-.
Btw, not much for groveling, but in ur reviews can u plz send me internet pizza?! I'm so hungry now!!!
