CHAPTER ONE
Face approached the VA with apprehension; the mental hospital where Murdock lived when not on missions with the team was quiet. This wasn't unusual but all the same, it would be better to break Murdock out if the place was busy. Less people around to notice that one of their number had gone missing. Of course, residents and staff should be quite used to Murdock vanishing from time to time by now but for some reason they never seemed to be happy about it.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason why the lieutenant was feeling a little uneasy. Hannibal had specifically told him that he was under no circumstances to tell Murdock that it was Katie they were helping. Face understood he'd seen the look on Katie's face when Murdock's name had been mentioned. It had been one of concern and confusion; she apparently didn't remember him anymore than she remembered the rest of them. That was worrying.
Hannibal had said that at this stage Murdock knowing about Katie could make things worse when he actually saw her, Face wasn't sure whether it would make any difference. Murdock was sure to be hurt whether he knew that she'd forgotten him before or after they saw each other again.
Face walked down the hallway to Murdock's room hoping it wasn't going to be too hard to get the pilot out of this place. He straightened the white coat he was wearing and then knocked on the door pausing for a moment before entering the room.
Murdock was lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Face sighed inwardly, he hoped that Murdock wasn't having one of his days, as much as he cared about the guy sometimes even he got a little exasperated when Murdock went into one of his crazy moods, not that the guy ever had moods that weren't crazy. It was just that there were varying degrees of crazy and this looked to be one of those times that were worse than others. That meant it would be bad for Murdock and bad for Katie.
'Hey Faceman.' Murdock said lazily. 'See Billy said he'd be by today.' He reached out and stroked the head of his imaginary dog.
'Ok, Murdock we've got a mission, time to go.'
'What is it this time, can Billy come?' The pilot was obviously eager to get out of the hospital, Face didn't blame him personally he thought that even a week in this place was enough to make a sane person go nuts.
'Young girl, her mother's been kidnapped. I guess Billy can come, if he's good.'
Murdock's face lit up and he sat up. 'You hear that Billy, you can come with us.' He stood up and waited for a moment. As soon as he 'saw' Billy jump down from the bed, he joined Face by the door. 'So what do I have to do?'
'Just follow me and agree with whatever I say.'
Murdock nodded and fell into step with Murdock. They were nearly at the exit when a nurse apprehended them. 'Excuse me, sir would you mind telling me where you're taking Captain Murdock?'
Face turned on his most charming smile. 'Of course, I'm Captain Murdock's new psychiatrist. I'm taking him for evaluation.'
'But he already has a psychiatrist.' The nurse protested and Face decided it was time to speed things up a bit. Before he could start, Murdock chipped in.
'The doc's taking me and Billy to the park, Nancy, want to come?' He smiled a large wide grin at her. 'There's going to be ice cream, ain't that right Doc?'
The nurse smiled indulgently. 'I'm sorry Captain but I'm still on duty. Doctor, may I speak with you a moment.' The nurse, Nancy, pulled Face aside. 'I don't remember receiving any notice that you were coming by, I don't see why his normal doctor can't see him.'
Face smiled again and Nancy immediately smiled back. 'You didn't receive our fax?' He asked innocently. 'It was all arranged, I'm conducting some new tests, his doctor here is aware of the situation I'm sure if you talked to him…' Face smiled again.
Nancy blushed and Face knew he almost had her. He tried one more pitch. 'Look at him, he's so looking forward to taking his dog to the park, poor man, he's going to be so crushed when he finds out that he can't have ice cream.' Face shook his head sadly. 'Oh well, I suppose there's no hope for him to get well. I mean, you do have rules here after all and I quite understand why you can't let me take him but it's going to break his heart.'
Nancy paused not saying anything just looking at Murdock who was squatted down talking to Billy telling him all about the forthcoming trip to the park. Face had to admit Murdock really was putting on a good performance.
'I don't know, I can't just let you leave, I'll have to speak to my superior about this.'
'Of course.'
'Can we go yet Doc?' Murdock called. 'Billy wants to play ball.' He looked carefully at Face and the nurse. 'We can go can't we? Billy was really looking forward to it.' He turned on the puppy dog expression and made his brown eyes look sad and large. His lower lip pushed out in a pout.
That was all it took, Nancy looked at Face. 'Have him back in time for dinner Doctor.' She told him smiling shyly at him.
'Of course.' Face told her treating her to another one of his smiles. He walked over to Murdock. 'Lets go, Captain.'
Murdock waved goodbye to Nancy who waved back and the two men and the invisible dog hurried out of there as fast as they could without looking as if they were escaping.
In the car, Face breathed a sigh of relief. 'That was a close one Murdock, I thought she wasn't going to let you go for a moment there.'
'She's always had a soft spot for Billy.' Murdock told him nonchalantly.
Face smiled. 'Soft spot for you most like.'
Murdock smiled smugly. 'Maybe.' He turned his baseball cap around backwards and smiled. 'I do have the charm, they can't resist me.' He gave Face one of his quirky smiles and Face laughed; he couldn't help himself. Maybe this mission wasn't going to be so bad after all.
***
Face drove his car into the garage that he'd rented for the team to use. Hannibal and BA were waiting by the van and Face could just make out Katie's blond head behind BA.
Face and Murdock got out of the car and walked across to the van. Katie appeared from behind BA looking a little better than she had earlier on that morning. Murdock had been making sure Billy was following him and now he looked up. His eyes met Katie's and Face saw his eyes light up. Murdock ran forward and grabbed Katie hugging her tightly. The girl looked shocked by the greeting.
'Katie.' Murdock cried in delight. 'God you're so big! So grown up!'
Katie smiled back at him. 'I'm sorry, have we met before? Oh, of course, we must have you were at the funeral.'
Murdock's face fell and the light in his eyes died abruptly. Face felt the first inklings of disquiet in his stomach at the expression on the pilot's face. 'You don't remember me?' He asked so quietly Face almost didn't hear him. He looked bewildered.
'No, I'm sorry I don't. Well, apart from this picture, I don't really remember the funeral which is when we must have met.' She pulled a picture out of her back pocket and gave it to Murdock who studied it intently before handing it back to her.
This was worse than Face or even Hannibal had thought. Murdock looked as if his world had just come to an end.
Billy was all but forgotten now as Murdock stared at the young girl standing in front of him. 'You don't remember, how can you not remember?' His voice was strained and Face couldn't remember ever having seen the pilot this way since they'd come out of Vietnam.
'It's all kind of a blur, I don't really remember much about it.' Katie said obviously bothered by Murdock's reaction to her. But that wasn't all, Face could see something else in her eyes, almost as if she did remember something but didn't want to.
'I'm not talking about the funeral.' Murdock snapped in anger and frustration. 'I'm talking about before that, you must remember, every Saturday we'd go to Fat Harry's diner. All four of us, your mom, your dad, you and me. You always had ice cream, always, even if you didn't eat anything else you'd always have ice cream and your mom would argue with your dad over it because she said it wasn't healthy. Sometimes we'd share one and you let me have the marshmallows. You have to remember that!'
'No, I'm sorry but I don't. I remember going to the diner on Saturdays but it was always a family thing, there was never anyone else there.' It was as if she'd suddenly built up a brick wall between her and Murdock, blocking out all the things he was telling her.
Murdock shook his head in disbelief and Hannibal stepped in. 'Murdock, why don't we worry about this later? Has Face briefed you on the mission yet?' He laid a hand on the man's shoulder but Murdock pulled away.
'No! She has to remember; you can't just forget it when someone is around you nearly every day for months at a time. I flew with your Dad for a while, we fought in 'Nam together, he said I was practically a member of your family. Why can't you remember?'
His tone was desperate and Face felt for him. It was obviously important to him that Katie should remember who he was but she didn't and wasn't prepared to. Now it meant that Murdock's presence on this mission could become a problem. If he was worrying about Katie and not the mission, it might become dangerous. For all of them.
Hannibal spoke again and when he did, it was in a soothing but resolved tone. 'Murdock, we can discuss it later, right now we have a mission to concentrate on and that is the most important thing.'
Murdock looked down at the floor avoiding the colonel's gaze; instead, he focused on the blue and white high top sneakers that he always wore. 'Sure.' He said quietly and Face was glad that some of the earlier anger had gone; it made him nervous to see his friend act that way. It wasn't in Murdock's nature to be like that. Not unless BA really bothered him or he was fighting one of the bad guys. He almost never spoke to Hannibal in the manner he'd used earlier.
'So, how far did Face get on briefing you?'
Murdock looked up now but carefully, avoiding looking at Katie. 'He said we had to help this kid out, her mom's been kidnapped because of some bad debts her stepfather's got himself into. That was pretty much it.' He obviously hadn't connected the dots yet; he was still too upset to be thinking clearly.
'It's not just bad debts.' Katie spoke up. 'I think it runs deeper than that but I'm not sure how far.'
Murdock swung round his eyes boring into Katie's; there was a sense of urgency about him. 'Your mom, Karen? She's the one who's in trouble?' He asked and Face saw an expression of remorse and strangely, guilt cross his face.
'Yes, my mom and I'll do all I can to get her back.'
'Whatever I can do, whatever, I'll do it Katie. I'm not going to let anything happen to her, I wouldn't, not to her and not to you, I promised your dad.'
Murdock, usually the one who was making the jokes, being the crazy one of the group was being serious, frighteningly so. In fact, Face thought, he almost looked sane, the humour and even the frustration at Katie not remembering him was gone now replaced with a sense of necessity.
Murdock looked at Hannibal. 'What's the plan?' He asked and Hannibal grinned that same old grin, the one that reached up to his eyes making them sparkle. The one that meant that he was 'on the jazz' and very soon there was going to be some action and the bad guys were going to pay.