With the doors shut and the curtains pulled, Vin rested uneasily in muffled darkness. He could hear the guys talking, Chris and Buck, the quieter tones of JD and Ezra. They must be out on the deck, they sounded close through the sliding glass doors. The hum of the fan made a comfortable barrier of white noise that let him hear their voices without understanding the words. They must be asking where he was though - what was Chris telling them? Did it matter anyway...
His back ached and he shifted a little to try and ease it against the pillow and arm of the couch. How long did Rain say it would take to heal? Three weeks for his ribs, six weeks for his spine. Funny how she never said how long it would take the rest of him to heal, funny how he hadn't asked. Rain seemed to think that his physical injuries were the only ones needed tending to. No mention of psychological trauma. Never a word about how long a soul takes to recover.
*/*/*/*
"Where's Vin?" Buck did ask after a few minutes. Ezra had since joined them, and they were sitting in the Adirondack chairs on the deck.
"He's inside, getting some rest," Chris said, gesturing toward the glass doors. "He fell, cracked his spine against his bathroom sink, hit his head on the mirror. Nathan pumped him so full of painkillers, I don't think Vin remembers his own name."
"Is he okay?" JD asked. Chris started to nod, but Buck said:
"I've had Nathan's painkillers. He won't be feelin' anything for a long while..."
Ezra frowned though at the information. "How in the world did he manage to accomplish so much damage in such a tiny space as he is afforded in that postage-stamp of a bathroom?"
Chris didn't seem to like that question much.
"Reckon he bounced," he said, frowning himself. Ezra appeared to accept this.
"Now if we can determine some way to entice the Board to 'bounce' Mr. James..," he said.
*/*/*/*
"Vin?" The light from the kitchen glanced into the family room as Mary opened the door. "Think you could eat something?" She spoke quietly.
"Reckon I could try..."
She left the door open as she carried in a small plate and a large cup. Handing them over to Vin, she sat next to him on the footstool. "Toast with honey, just like you wanted." She smiled at him. Chris had warned her, so she'd been expecting the black eyes and pale features, the utter exhaustion evident in Vin.
"I 'preciate it Mary..." Vin looked down at the two slices of toast, cut up into eight little squares, and the huge cup of tea. "...when I'se a kid, when I didn't feel good, my Dad would have me sleep on the couch and give me toast with honey..." Vin felt he had to explain his requests. Mary didn't know how to answer. She knew that Vin had lost his mother when he was little, five maybe, and had lost his Dad some ten years after that. She also knew that Vin never mentioned either of them much.
"That's very sweet Vin...it's nice that you have a memory like that of him."
"Yeah..." Vin didn't drink his tea, and he poked a little at the toast. "You know -" he said suddenly. "- you aren't supposed to give honey to little babies? I read that a long time ago. It said that honey isn't good for 'em, could kill 'em."
"I remember reading about that too," Mary said. She wondered at first why Vin would mention that. "Fortunately I read it before I ever had Billy." Maybe he wanted to eat in privacy, maybe he was just stalling until she left. "Well, I have to go back and finish dinner...let me know if you need anything."
"I will, Mary. Thanks."
When she disappeared back into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her, Vin took a long swallow of tea and picked up one of the squares of toast. He wondered if he'd gag on the solid food. That possibility definitely threatened. But his body was beginning to want food and Vin thought that might be a good sign. So he took a small bite of toast, chewed it a little while to see how his body reacted. When it went down without a problem, he finished all the toast and tea, then set the cup and plate on the floor next to the couch. Turning just a little more onto his side, to face the back of the couch, Vin closed his eyes and finally fell into a deep sleep.
*/*/*/*
"I will personally deliver the financial information to the Dean first thing tomorrow morning," Ezra was saying. "No doubt the elder Mr. James will immediately and adequately reimburse whatever amount Lucas has 'borrowed' from the University, but I think that with very little coercion on our part, the Board will surmise that the time behind bars his DUI is resulting in will seriously impede Lucas James' ability to discharge his office - even to the inconsiderable limits which were normally his custom."
"I hope so," Chris said. Ezra noticed that every once in a while, Chris's eyes lingered on the sliding glass doors, as though pondering what was behind them. "Vin's tellin' me horror stories about the way he treats his staff."
"I can run a check on him down at the Precinct," Buck said. "See if there's anything else you can use against him. Might be his uncle bought off victims, but a varmint like him - I'd bet there's a lot of complaints been signed against him."
"That'll help Buck, thanks..."
"I still know a lot of people on the Maintenance and Housekeeping staff," JD said. "I'll talk to them tomorrow. Groundskeeping too. Maybe when they hear James is gone, they'll talk a little easier."
"Tell them they'll stay anonymous if that'll help."
The meeting broke up. Buck told Mary he'd get the grill started. JD went out into the yard with Billy to play catch with Cowboy. Ezra got Chris alone and startled him by saying:
"I must gather from your loquacious report of Mr. Tanner's misfortune that, despite your verbiage, we were not given the entire story."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chris tried.
"Mr. Larabee, we both know that under normal circumstances, your response to the question of Vin's whereabouts would've been roughly 'Sleeping. Got hurt. Leave him alone.' When a man as short-spoken as yourself feels the need to expound, I'm driven to the inevitable conclusion that he's attempting to camouflage something with words."
Ezra was right and Chris didn't know what to say. His eyes flashed back to the sliding glass doors. When he didn't answer, Ezra went on.
"May I inquire then, is Mr. Tanner in any immediate danger, physical or otherwise? And if so, or even if not, is there any way I may be of help to him - or to you?"
Chris turned this over.
"Naah, Ezra. Thanks. Vin'll be okay. Needs to rest. You help me nail James to the wall though." Ezra gave him a questioning look which Chris understood. "No, James has got nothing to do with Vin getting hurt. Vin just doesn't like him and wants him gone even more than I do...Vin'll be okay Ezra. He'll appreciate you asking."
*/*/*/*
The weather turned decidedly cool as the afternoon wore on. Heavy wind blew rain clouds in from off the lake. Soon after, the sky turned black and fat rain drops pelted the ground. Chris checked on Vin a few times, each time he was still solidly asleep. When the wind picked up, Chris shut off the fan and opened one the glass doors a few inches to let fresh air into the room. He heard a soft whistle of surprise behind him and turned to see that Buck had come into the room and gotten a fair look at Vin's face. Chris shot him a warning glance and they went back into the kitchen.
"You said he hurt his back," Buck whispered.
"Long story," Chris told him. "Stick around, I need your help."
to be continued