Chapter 11
Consciousness was different this time – fewer fuzzies, more sharp edges. And then there were the Hounds of Hell gnawing at his chest. Tylenol, he thought, is not going to help this.
Without opening his eyes Tank tried moving but abandoned that plan when he realized his efforts were causing an ungodly moan.
He felt a gentle squeeze on his shoulder accompanied by a deep familiar voice suggesting, "Rest easy. I'll get the nurse." Another squeeze, the voice again. This time clogged with emotion. "Glad you're back."
By the time Tank got his eyes focused, Ranger was at the door of the room. It looked like he was talking to Woody and Ram. Damn. Was there a whole brigade out there? What was up with that?
After a moment's conversation with the men in the hall, Ranger returned to sink into the chair beside the bed. God, Tank thought, he's beyond exhausted.
His own voice hoarse and raspy, Tank asked, "You been sleepin' in your car?" He gestered toward the growth of beard on his friend's face. It had to number several days. Not only that. Ranger's hair hung loose and dull, tight lines and deep shadows framed his eyes. His entire body sagged with fatigue.
"Wanted to stay close."
"Just how long exactly you been doin' that? You look worse than I feel. Seems to me the last time I woke up Lula was sittin' in that chair. No offense, but she's better lookin' than you are."
That almost earned a smile.
"No doubt. That was three days ago. You woke up briefly, but then...." Ranger took a shaky breath. "then you drifted off again. We thought.........I thought we were going to lose you."
Tank laughed, an act that cost him dearly. He grimaced in pain but still got out, "You should be so lucky, Manoso. You're a pain in my ass. The least I can do is return the favor."
"Well, well. Look who woke up. It's about time." The nurse on duty whisked into the room. Carefully avoiding Ranger she checked Tank's vitals with quick efficiency and pronounced them acceptable. "This is going to hurt," she promised too cheerfully as she replaced the IV port in his arm. That completed she started to adjust the drip on his pain medication. Tank stopped her.
"Go easy on that stuff, okay? Don't knock me out. I need to talk to my man here." He nodded at Ranger.
Not sure she wanted to leave her patient in the clutches of his dark silent visitor, the nurse reluctantly agreed. "All right. Just remember pain doesn't make you macho. It makes you stupid. You heal faster without it. Understand?"
"I understand," Tank assured her. "You let me talk to him, you can knock me out for the rest of the day. Deal?"
"Deal," she agreed.
Ranger sat with his arms propped on his knees. Head down. When the nurse finally cleared the room, he said quietly, "We got him."
"Him?"
Still staring at the floor, Ranger continued, "The shooter. The guys found him."
There was a long minute of silence. "Is he dead?"
Ranger straightened in the chair. His look filled with promise, "Not yet."
"Rangeman. Don't." When Ranger didn't answer, Tank insisted, "Hear me? You're okay; I'm okay -- that's all that matters."
"He was after you."
"What?" Confusion clouded the big man's face. Who would be after him? Ranger was the one with the enemies.
"What can you tell me about Javier Velasquez?"
"You mean, Juan. Juan Velasquez."
Ranger didn't know where this was going. He decided to just let Tank talk. "What about Juan?" he asked.
A wave of sadness swept across Tank's features. "He's dead," he finally said. "Juan's dead. Been ten years now. Sometimes seems like yesterday."
Tank's eyes were wet. He wiped a tear away.
"Tank, who's Juan?"
"Never told you about him. Don't talk about him much." Tank stopped, gathering his thoughts. "He was my best friend. For a while growin' up, we did everything together." He laughed. "Good and bad. We were tight until I joined up. We talked about buddy enlistment, but at the last minute Juan decided he couldn't leave his family. He did a lot to help support them."
Weary, Tank closed his eyes. At first Ranger thought he had fallen asleep. After a minute Tank started talking again, but his eyes remained shut.
"While I was at boot camp, he made a bad decision. Couple gang members offered him the chance to make some big bucks. The family needed the money so he went along. I was home on leave after training, before I shipped out. By that time Juan knew he'd made a big mistake. He wanted out.
Tank stopped again, opened his eyes. "It was my last night home. I blew him off. He went to confront them alone. They killed him outright. He never had a chance. My best friend. I didn't have his back."
"They would have killed you too."
"I'll never know that for sure, will I?"
"You've kept me safe all these years."
"Something I had to do."
"Thank you." Now it was Ranger's turn to consider his words. "I let you down the other night," he finally confessed. You got shot........nearly died, because I lost control."
"Rangeman...." Tank started to protest.
"No. It's true." Ranger locked his gaze on Tank his eyes burning as he declared, "I want you to know that will never happen again."
"I'm not worried, Rangeman. I'm not worried."
The two men sat in companionable silence for a time before Ranger asked, "Did Juan maybe have a younger brother?"
Without making the connection, Tank replied. "Yeah, he did. More like a younger 'Oops'. Kid was a lot younger. Probably only four or five when Juan died. Now and then, if we weren't lookin' to pick up some ladies, Juan would bring him along to hang with us. Kid was just a tiny thing. One time we were playin' ball, Juan put him on his shoulders so he could stuff a basket. Smile on that boy's face. You would have thought he died and gone to...............Oh, God! That was Javier! He must be......"
"Fifteen now," Ranger finished. "I think he's waited a long time to kill you. Kid has no fear. Even I didn't faze him much. Believe me I tried. Must be losing my touch."
Tank's agitation was evident. "You can't kill him, Rangeman! You can't kill him! He has to be saved!"
"I'll save him for you, Tank. Only for you. You rest now. We'll figure this all out another time."
Ranger stood up to go. "Lula should be showing up here pretty soon. I had Woody call her when you woke up."
"My Baby Girl doin' okay?"
"She will be now. Steph's been taking good care of her. Made her go home for a while."
Tank's eyes narrowed at the mention of Steph's name. "You ain't fixed things with her yet have you?"
"Tank...I"
"Do that. Fix it. Sooner not later."
"It's not that simple," Ranger replied. There was an awkward pause. "Listen, I'm going to take off for a while. Lula isn't very happy with me at the moment. Can't say I blame her."
"Not surprised," Tank said with a shy smile. "She likes me in working order."
*****
He was already too far past the stairwell to make a quick exit when he heard the elevator ding. Shit. The doors opened. It was the three Musketeers - Lester, Stephanie and Lula.
Lula halted when she saw him. She made a formidable presence in the middle of the hallway.
"Batman," she cried pointing at him, "I been lookin' for you!"
Please God, he thought, just shoot me now.
TBC
