CHAPTER EIGHT
"OK, Artie," Paulie said, "back seat for you. Stan, you want to drive or you want shotgun?"
"What the hell, I'll drive. It isn't too far to the expressway, is it?"
"Just a couple of blocks," Ray said.
Everyone got into their respective vehicles and drove out of the parking lot. Ray and Fraser in front, Stan, Paulie and Artie following. None of them noticed the dark car tailing at a discreet distance. Nor did they see a very drunk driver who had just pulled away from a bar two blocks over, headed their way - until he ran a stop sign.
"Jesus Christ!" "Ray! Turn around!" Ray was already whipping the Riviera in a tight u-turn. "I am! I am! Call it in!" "This is Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP. We need emergency vehicles at the corner of... Ray, where are we?" "Corner of Halsted and Diversey" "at the corner of Halsted and Diversey. Motor vehicle accident. Two cars involved, at least four people injured."
The man driving the dark car pulled into a parking lot and made a phone call. "I think someone has just helped us out a great deal. Some idiot ran a stop sign and plowed into the car Artie's in. Can't check anything, the place will be crawling with cops in seconds."
"Then you'd better find out what hospital they take them to. Keep me posted."
Carol Hathaway, RN, took the call from the ambulance. "Got it. Look alive, we've got an incoming MVA, ETA five minutes. Two serious, one critical."
The emergency room staff at Cook County General Hospital moved quickly to make sure everything was ready. Five minutes could be either an eternity or the blink of an eye; it all depended what side you were on. Then the doors of the ambulance bay burst open and three gurneys followed by several Chicago cops and one Mountie came through, Dief having reluctantly stayed behind in the Riv. Doctors and paramedics were all talking at once.
"Multiple fractures, head trauma, possible internal injuries" "Head trauma, broken left arm" "Carter, take this one in Trauma 3; Mark, take this one to Trauma 1" "This one's coming around" "He's the best of the lot - just some scalp lacs and a broken nose" "He was in the back seat" "I'm gonna need a head CT on both front seat passengers, Malik" "Elizabeth, can you give me a hand here?" "Gotta intubate this one - he's pretty bad" "Foley's in; we've got blood" "Damn" "Someone call for a surgical consult."
Ray and Fraser could only watch and wait. This was one of the few times they had been in the hospital's waiting area together; usually one or the other of them was the one being worked on. The driver of the other car had been DOA; Ray had insisted the paramedics take a blood sample to check his blood alcohol content. They waited until the doctor working on Artie had finished to talk to him. No one paid any attention to the man who came in and also stood, waiting and watching.
"Hey, Dr Carter, what can you tell me?"
"Detective Vecchio. You with these guys?"
"Yeah. Idiot ran a stop sign. Looks like he was pretty drunk; he was DOA. Plowed right into the car."
"Well, the one I was with is fine - cuts, bruises, broken nose, minor concussion. Let me check on the other two for you. Be right back." Dr Carter returned momentarily. "The driver isn't too bad; some scalp lacerations, concussion, broken arm. He should be coming around pretty soon. Dr Weaver wants to get a head CT on both of them to rule out anything more serious, and we're holding him and the back seat passenger overnight to make sure. The other guy, though... looks like he took the brunt of the impact. Right arm and leg broken, broken ribs, possible skull fracture, cheekbone, probable internal injuries... as soon as they get him stable they're taking him to surgery. He looks pretty bad - the first 48 hours will be critical. Friends of yours?"
"Fellow cops, from Eastbridge, New York. They were taking your guy there back - potential witness in a mob hit."
Carter's eyes grew wide. "Wow! You think this was... maybe... deliberate?"
"Nah, just very bad luck. We talked to witnesses who saw the driver leave a bar. Can we talk to him now?" Ray indicated the area where Artie was.
"Sure. They've moved him to Curtain Two; you know where that is?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Doc." Ray and Fraser moved down the hall to Curtain Two.
"Okay, Artie, looks like you're gonna be a guest of the city of Chicago for another day or so. The hospital wants to keep you overnight, then Fraser and I will take you back to the station until other arrangements can be made."
All Artie could do was keep mumbling "They know - they know - they know..." under his breath. Ray tried to explain that it was not aimed at him, but Artie wasn't listening. He was convinced that Collette had arranged the whole thing. He knew the mobster wouldn't hesitate to kill a couple of cops if he had to to get at his target.
Fraser finally managed to break through and get Artie to listen - "Mr Malinson, think about this - the car was struck on the right side just behind the front wheel. You were on the opposite side of the car and in the back. Don't you think that if the driver of the other car was after you he would have driven into the side of the car where you were sitting? If someone in the car were being targeted, from the point of impact one would have to surmise that the intended victim was in fact Detective Pentangeli and not yourself, as he is the one who was closest to that point."
Artie looked at Ray - could you please translate that?
"That's Canadian for if there was a hit on anyone in that car it was on Paulie, not you. He got hit the worst."
"Oh man. How is he? And Stan? Jeez, I never meant for anything like this to happen; they're good guys, even if they are cops. Uh - no offense."
"Well, Stan's got a concussion, some cuts and bruises and a broken arm; you two are gonna share a room tonight cause the hospital's keeping you both for observation. Paulie though... like Fraser said, he was sitting almost where the other guy hit you; he's pretty bad. Touch and go for awhile with him. I think they're getting ready to take him to surgery; they'll know more when they get in there. Oh, Christ, Benny, I gotta call their boss back in Eastbridge and tell him what happened."
"No, you don't - I will," Stan said from a wheelchair in the door. "The boss and Paulie go back a long way. Let me be the one to call - just as soon as this brass band in my head settles down a little."
"Sure. What time were they expecting you three back?"
"The plane was supposed to get in about four, then an hour or so drive - I'd say between five and six our time. What time is it now?"
"It's five thirty." Ray handed Stan his cell phone. "Here."
"I'll take you outside to use that," Nurse Hathaway said from the door. "They interfere with machines. I just threw one guy out for using a cell phone. He was talking about your friends here - was he with you?"
Fraser and Ray exchanged looks. "Let's step outside and discuss this, shall we?" Ray pushed Stan's chair out into the ambulance bay, then turned to Carol. "What'd he look like? Was he a uniformed cop? Tell me whatever you can about this guy..."
"I didn't hear much; just enough to know who he was talking about, that's all." She told Ray as much as she could about the man that she had thrown out of the ER. "I take it that he wasn't with you, then."
"No, he wasn't. I'm gonna make sure that their room is watched tonight, just to make sure. He wasn't a reporter from one of the papers, was he?"
"No, they all know better than to use a cell inside the ER. And anyway he didn't have a notebook. Why would these two need protection?"
"The back seat passenger is a protected witness; Stan here and the other guy are cops from New York. They were on their way to O'Hare when a guy ran a stop sign and plowed into their car."
"Oh man - I'm so sorry. What an introduction to our city! Hope it hasn't put you off Chicago."
"Well, up until then I was really enjoying it. Now I'm not so sure." Stan smiled, then winced - smiling hurt.
"I gotta get back. I'll be back in a few minutes to take you to your room, Mr Kelly. Later, Ray."
"Thanks, Carol." He turned back to Stan. "I'll let you make your call; I think I'd better let Benny know about this little development. Be back in a few."
"Thanks, Ray." Stan looked for a minute at the phone in his hand. Jeez, I am NOT looking forward to making this call! He sighed, then dialled.
