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The Divine Comedy was written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321 and is considered one of the greatest works in Italian literature as well as one of the greatest works of world literature. The Divine Comedy is divided into three parts — Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise).

Chapter 11

The Divine Comedy

"Jason, it's Maxie. I had to take care of some things at home. Robin is watching Spinelli for me. When you get this – I need to talk to you – it's important. Find me at the hospital – I'll be back as soon as possible. Tell Spinelli I love him."

"Jason." Jason turned with his cell phone still to his ear to see Claudia approaching. Her brother had called her in Italy where she had been visiting family to tell her that they had found Spinelli and she looked like she was out of her mind with fury. "I want him dead Jason. I told you he needed to be put down like a rabid dog. I told you he would do something terrible. I want him dead. If you don't do it, I'll kill him myself." She was agitated and looked as if she might pull out a gun and go after her father that very night.

"OK, calm down." Jason rubbed his face because he was half tempted to let her do it.

"How can you say that?? Johnny said Spinelli had been tortured like an animal, that he was beaten and drugged and worse. What part of that makes you calm?"

"We need to be smart about this Claudia. I can't just go out and execute him. They'd know immediately who did it. I'd wind up in prison and where would that leave Spinelli? He wouldn't want you to go to prison either – you know that."

"Yeah." She blinked back her tears. "No matter what happens to him, he always thinks about everyone else first." She took a deep breath. "OK, no rash moves. As long as you promise me, we are going to make my father pay for this - and not in some comfortable prison mental ward. I want him to suffer."

Jason's face barely registered emotion but Claudia saw his eyes flash. "He'll pay. Be sure of that."

Claudia seemed satisfied with his answer for the time being and then turned her thoughts to her friend. "How is he? Can I see him?"

"He's in pretty rough shape. He doesn't know where or who he is most of the time. It's probably the drugs. Once they are out of his system, the doctors say they'll be able to evaluate him better."

"How is he physically?"

"Cracked ribs, broken wrist, concussion, bruises. They – they cut him all over his arms and hands and chest – I guess to make him do what they wanted, I don't know." Jason rubbed his watering eyes again, sickened to have to list the atrocities they inflicted on him. "They also pretty much starved him while they had him."

"This is not making me any calmer Jason."

"I know – you know I know exactly how you feel. But we need to wait. We have to."

"OK. So, can I see him?"

Jason led her to Spinelli's room. Claudia took one look at his battered body and had to turn away from Jason to hide her shock. She composed herself and turned back. Surveying the restlessly sleeping form, she took in his bruised and cut face. His arms and hands, always so animated now lay on the white sheet, covered in angry red slashes surrounded by bruises; his left wrist was in a cast. His breathing was labored and he whimpered in his sleep. His skin, where it was not bruised, was pale.

It was amazing he hadn't died from an overdose, though she was pretty sure that was what they were going to make it look like. There were dozens of needle marks on his arms along with the superficial cuts and he was more than half starved. He looked like a drug addict. In fact, he was. They had made him dependant on the drugs and now that his body was cleaning itself, it was tormenting him all over again.

A bandage covered the corner of his right eye and his hair, which had been washed by Maxie, lay across his face in the usual haphazard way.

"Oh God. Sweetie." She whispered then touched his hair, gently feeling the softness. His eyelids twitched but did not open.

Claudia made a silent promise that her father would die for this. He would die painfully.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Claudia was still visiting later that day. Maxie had returned and they watched him as he lay restlessly on the bed. He mumbled fragmented phrases and groaned. He was quiet for a few minutes and seemed to have passed out. But they soon realized he was still hallucinating. His eyes opened again - still seeing not the room around him but the horrors of the last weeks.

He muttered and shook his head

"…….a cio ch'io fugga questo male e peggio......I' son fatta da Dio, sua mercé, tale che la vostra miseria non mitange né fiamma d'esto 'ncendio non m'assale......."

"What is he saying??" Maxie's skin crawled. He was speaking in a language she did not understand and sounded like he was possessed.

"It's Italian. It's - from Dante's Inferno." Claudia answered worriedly as she translated. "That I may flee this evil and worse.....God, in His graciousness, has made me so that this, your misery, cannot touch me; I can withstand the fires flaming here." Claudia's eyes teared. "He's.....praying."

But when she heard the next lines her heart chilled.

"........Non odi tu la pieta de la suo pianto? Non vedi to la morte che l'combatte su la fiumanna ove 'l mar non ha vanto?....."

Again, she repeated his words, translating: "Do you not hear the anguish in his cry? Do you not see the death he wars against upon that river, ruthless as the sea?"

"....perché, perché restai?...." He groaned painfully.

"Why, why do you resist?"

"perché tanta vilta nel core allette?......or accorri, acorri morte!"

"Why does your heart host so much cowardice?.....now come, death, quickly come."

"...io sol uno..."

"I myself alone."

"lasciate ogne speranza...."

"…..Abandon all hope."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Epiphany – do you have the toxicology results for Damian Spinelli?"

"They just came in Dr. Hunter – Dr. Drake said to give them to him though."

"I'm working on the case too – I'll bring them to him." He held out his hand.

Epiphany sighed and handed him the test results. "You better not be getting into some doctor's pissing contest over Spinelli. He's important to a lot of people you know." She glowered at him.

"No pissing contest Epiphany. I'm worried about him too." He replied as he walked away reading. Matt's pace slowed as the information sank into his brain, a cold realization came over him as he saw just exactly what kind of poisons they had forced into his brother's body. Matt started running and did not stop until he reached his brother's room. Matt entered Spinelli's room and watching him as he slept. Maxie was sleeping in the chair near his bed, a blanket over her shoulders.

It was impossible to see him lying there and not be able to do a damn thing. He looked again at the list of chemicals in his system. They had been using his brother as a guinea pig; pumping his system full of drugs. They had found quantities of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants as well as Ritalin, amphetamines and steroids. They were trying to kill him as slowly and painfully as possible. He took in Spinelli's bruised face and needle tracked arms. Shakily, he clicked his flashlight and pulled open his eyelid examining his pupils. Spinelli jerked away as the light assaulted his eyes and bruised psyche.

Matt grew more anxious as he examined his brother. He pulled out his stethoscope and pulled his exam gown down, exposing his chest. As he saw the angry red slashes against his chest, he grew more uneasy and frenzied.

Maxie woke up when she heard Spinelli gasping and struggling. She took in the site of Matt looking like he was possessed as he examined Spinelli.

"Matt! What are you doing!? Matt!" She tried in vain to pull the doctor off him.

Jason and Patrick were approaching Spinelli's room and heard the commotion. When they ran in, they saw Dr. Hunter standing over Spinelli, his examination light in his eyes as he frantically checked his pupils.

Spinelli was thrashing against his restraints, trying to turn his head away as he whimpered in fear. "No…please….stop!" he cried out in silence.

"Matt!" Maxie shrieked. "Get off him Matt! You're scaring him!"

Jason threw his arm around Matt's neck and pulled him off. "Get off him! What are you doing??" Jason was about to kill the guy right then and there.

Maxie sat on Spinelli's bed stroking his head and trying to calm him. Spinelli's breath was coming in gasps as his eyes searched the room for his attackers. "Spin? It's ok – you're ok – he's not going to hurt you." She said soothingly to him then whispered angrily at Matt "What were you thinking???"

Matt was frantically shouting as Jason dragged him into the hallway. "You have to run tests God damn it! They probably fried his brain!! I'll kill them! I swear to God! He needs an EKG and a CT scan!! Dr. Drake – you need to do it!!"

Patrick looked at the usually stoic and arrogant intern with incredulity. "Shut up Dr. Hunter! What the hell were you doing? You practically accost a patient – one that is highly volatile to begin with – and now you're ordering a chief resident around?! Who the hell are you to tell me anything about what I should be doing? You think you know better than I do about what tests we should be running on him? Who do you think you are!?"

"Who am I?" He laughed viciously. "I'm his BROTHER damn it!!" He wrenched himself away from Jason's grip as he saw their startled expressions. "Yeah. His brother. Surprise." Matt ran his hands through his hair trying to gain his composure.

Jason was still shaking in rage. "He doesn't have a brother. He would have told me. He said his grandmother was his only family."

"Look, I'm sorry I lost it in there but - I'm not trying to pull something. It's true. If he was in any condition – he would be able to tell you himself."

"Why was it such a big secret?" Patrick asked.

"He didn't want anything to do with me. I can't say I blame him. God! Why is this happening to him again!?" He pulled at his hair with his fists.

"Again?" Jason's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean - again?"

"There's - something you need to know. You all do."