As Buck had suspected there wasn't enough powder of any type in the muggy, damp Florida air to ignite a gnat's ass let alone a Learjet. What the flash, and subsequent concussion, did was give him time enough to roll under the jet, dive through the weeds and take off into the swamp where he waited until he was waterlogged, leech infested, bug bitten and finally rescued before the gators could get him.
Choosing to let the DEA agent die in the swamp instead of at their hands, the drug crew scrambled to load the truck but, within minutes, the Coast Guard had triangulated the Leer's beacon and hovered overhead. Taking sporadic gunfire from below, the helo's crew simply disabled the truck, further disabled the jet and then gained enough altitude to be out of range as they waited for SWAT and DEA to arrive.
Buck continued to lay low until he heard sirens and, when he deemed it was safe enough, he slogged back out of the swamp like the creature from the black lagoon, covered in gunk, his hands held high in the air. So many guns were instantaneously trained on him that he wouldn't have moved a muscle, even if the alligator he was sure had been sizing him up while he was out in the weeds, came ashore next to him.
It took several long minutes, face down in the dirt with his hands cuffed behind him, to finally establish his identity, something Josiah Sanchez could have done right away. But the big man had kept his peace right up until they were about to load Buck into the van along with the drug dealers. He finally vouched for the soggy agent sure that Buck Wilmington would think twice before pulling a gun on him again.
When all was said and done, Buck ended up at the same hospital in which Carrie had undergone surgery to save her leg. DEA agents, as well as Miami Dade police officers, lined the halls to pay their respect and Buck watch covertly from the end of the hall. Except for dehydration, a multitude of bug bites and skin pocked with the red, angry remnants of the dozen or so leeches that had found their way into almost ever nook and cranny, he had been released
But couldn't quite make himself leave and, as he stood in the hallway scratching his lesions, two young tow headed boys ran down the hallway followed by another cop, a high ranker with lots of gold on his uniform. A half dozen of the police officers suddenly closed ranks as the three of them entered Carrie's room.
Buck hadn't recognized any of the others but he definitely recognized the police captain who happened to look in his direction just before entering the room. His face was one Buck would never forget.
While Josiah waited at the hotel, Buck hung around for another hour hoping against hope that the flow of traffic in and out of Carrie's room would finally cease. Even as visiting hours ended and shifts changed at the various law enforcement agencies all over the city, her room was never really empty.
"Are you one of the family?" a nurse finally asked solicitously placing her hand on Buck's arm.
A sad smile crossed his face as he straightened up, ready to give up his vigil, "I used to be," he said softly. He turned to go but felt a tug on his sleeve and he stopped and turned.
"My mom says you saved her life." The elder of the two boys he had seen earlier stood before him brushing away a tear.
"Yeah, well your mom's a pretty special lady and I figured you'd want to have her around for a while - if only to keep you and your brother in line."
"She likes to boss everybody around, even my dad," the boy said wrinkling his nose.
"I bet she does," Buck said looking toward her room.
"She ordered me to tell you something."
Buck wondered what parting shot Carrie Sims had to deliver and when he heard her salvo he smiled.
"She said to tell you that she's gonna be fine and for you to not forget about your promise to go to the cemetery."
The boy knew of only one cemetery, one that they visited often, the one where his mother cried and tried not to let them see, the one where his sister was buried.
Scrutinizing Buck's face seriously the boy surmised correctly and said, "You're my sister Hanna's dad, aren't you?"
Buck had not been called Hanna's dad for over twenty years and the words, said so innocently by the young boy, sliced right through him and his lips started to tremble.
Carrie's eldest son Finn had always known his mom had a baby who had died before he and his brother Conner were born. He also knew that his mom had been married before to a bad-ass cop named Buck Wilmington. He had recognized him from the pictures his mom kept "from the olden days" and, when he told her he had seen Hanna's dad out in the hallway, his mom had actually started to cry a little. Pulling herself together, she had then told him to deliver the message.
"My folks have got pictures of you...only you don't have the caterpillar on your face," he said mischievously. Buck laughed aloud and the boy added, "Go in the daytime. The pinwheels are awesome!" and, with his duty discharged, he ran back down the hall and into his mom's room.
Buck headed to the stairwell to the parking garage, descended half a flight and stopped. He turned his face to the wall, his hands grasping the banister in a white knuckled grip and took in a cleansing breath. Letting it out, he leaned his forehead against the cinder-block wall as his thoughts raced.
Despite her maiden name, Carrie had married her partner after all and, although he should have been hurt - or at least jealous, Buck found that he wasn't. His best friend, Mick O'Fallon, had been Carrie's partner. He was a stand up guy and had only stepped in as a last resort when he, himself, had stopped being a husband and Buck was greatful.
While he had chosen to keep life at arm's length, Carrie had chosen to move on and embrace it with open arms. She had a beautiful family, of which he was sorely jealous, and, judging by the boy's comments, Buck had been a part of it all along.
