Monster
Disclaimer: I do not own The A-Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A-Team.
Chapter 25
When he glimpsed Lynch back through the door, Murdock got a feeling of satisfaction. He didn't let it show in his expression . . . no, he had to make Lynch believe he was too mentally unstable to be interviewed for quite a while. But the Colonel's reaction? Priceless!
Jus' like th' first time he met me. That was easy. If I ain' s'posed t' be havin' an episode . . .
He let out an agonized prolonged howl just for Lynch's ears, wondering in amusement what the expression was on the Colonel's face as he heard it. Then, squeezing his eyes shut, he shrieked, "Ils ont utilisé l'ammoniac" as loud as he could.
That should scare 'im 'way for a week 'r more.
Suddenly two large muscular figures appeared on either side of him. As Mike and Tim, the orderlies on duty, positioned themselves, he realized perhaps he had pushed the act too far.
Compliance was always best when faced with two very strong men who could just as easily strap you down for a twenty-four hour observation than sedate you. And maybe do both if the attending nurse thought it was necessary.
He gazed up at the approaching nurse . . . was it Samantha or Sharon? . . . and wondered what she would choose to do. Even as Mike and Tim seized him, gently but firmly forcing him to lie down on his back on the bed, he realized he had to keep up the act in case anyone got suspicious and thought he was faking the episode.
That'd blow my cover in here. 'N' what'd th' Big Guy say? Don' get yourself put in a straight jacket 'n' padded room. Jus' in case they come t' bust me outta here. Bein' doped up's jus' as bad.
Then he reasoned that if Lynch was hanging around like he obviously was, the team would not risk it.
"That man . . . " he managed to gasp out as the two orderlies buckled the restraints on his wrists and then to the bed frame. "He's a monster . . . he was gonna dump 'mmonia on me." He said it in English, only too late remembering he had been avoiding the use of his native language around the staff. The two men raised eyebrows at each other but there was no other reaction to his verbal slip.
Shit! Too late now. Maybe they won' tell Lynch. Please, guys? Pretty please, don' tell 'im?
Tim rolled his eyes, then said, "And where do you think he would have been able to get hold of ammonia? He didn't have any when he left the room. Did you see any, Mike?"
"No, I didn't either. Where do you think he hid it?" Mike and Tim were humoring him, trying to keep him from becoming more aggressive. If only restraints were all they used on him this time, he would consider himself lucky.
"I . . . I don' know . . " Murdock's eyes widened as the nurse got into position to administer the sedative. He guessed it might be phenobarbital but there were other drugs they could use, all with slightly different side effects. "I'll b'have! I pinky swear I'll b'have! Please! I gotta stay 'wake!"
Yup. Guess I was too convincin' for my own good.
Unwilling to be sedated, he felt himself hyperventilating a bit as he struggled against the restraints.
God, I hate this part!
"You're okay now, Mister Murdock," the nurse soothed, filling, then tapping the syringe, to force out any air bubbles. "He won't be allowed to see you again until Doctor Richter gives us word. I'll speak to your doctor myself. I promise."
"I can't protect myself if ya put me t' sleep!" Now his struggle against the restraints was very real. But not for that reason.
He hated the drugs they used to sedate him. He could never be sure he wouldn't wake with bad nightmares chasing him to consciousness. The feeling of dizziness and loss of control over the movement in his eyes or muscles when waking were unpleasant side effects he wished he could avoid. In fact, he hated anything that messed with his reflexes, vision and ability to think clearly.
"We'll protect you, Mister Murdock," Tim assured him, having a hard time restraining the patient's ankles. Murdock didn't mean to kick the man in the chest but, then again, he never thought rationally when restraints and sedatives were used in combination on him.
The nurse gestured with her head for Mike to prevent the pilot from moving his arm. And then she efficiently slid the needle into his vein, plunging the sleep-inducing drug into his bloodstream.
As the drug took effect, he let out a soft groan. He hoped his dreams would be so deep, he wouldn't remember them. Then he was asleep.
oooooo
Approaching the hospital where Stein was receiving treatment, Lynch cursed under his breath. He wasn't sure the man who tried to kill Murdock and the reporter was still there.
Even if he was, would he be allowed to interview him?
He parked his car near the entrance and strode past the information desk toward the bank of elevators leading upstairs to the rooms for patients. His sources had told him where Stein was. All he had to do was convince any guards that he had the authority to speak to the man. His hand tightened around the briefcase he carried.
The two police guards at the door to the hospital room were young. Neither looked like they were especially impressed with the job to which they were assigned.
"Who is in charge of this detail?" Lynch demanded as he approached the taller of the two.
The officer casually surveyed the other man's Army uniform and shrugged. "Our sergeant told us to make sure the suspect doesn't have visitors or escape. Thing is, he can hardly open his mouth to talk. His jaw was broken in two places and he's wired shut."
For a second the Colonel wondered how on earth Stein could have broken his jaw so badly in a car accident. But there was no time for that.
"This man worked in a VA hospital. One of his known crimes was perpetrated there. He stabbed one of the patients. That makes him the object of an Army investigation into the abuse and assault of patents at that hospital. And that gives me clearance to interrogate him." Lynch edged forward while he was ranting until his face was a few inches from the young guard's nose. "And my superiors want this man questioned now."
The young officer glanced at his partner, indecision on both men's faces.
Lynch scowled at the moment's delay. "Well?" he growled.
Stepping aside, the guards allowed him access to the door. Only when he closed it behind him did Lynch release the breath he had been holding.
Stein squinted at him and pressed the button that raised the head of his bed. The swelling around the man's entire head showed Lynch how much damage had been done. The bruises alone, while losing the black and purple they must have been originally, still were a dark green and light yellow across most of Stein's lower face and around his eyes. It was obvious to the military man that the accident couldn't have possibly caused all that damage.
"Lynch," Stein muttered through wired teeth.
"Why?" It was the only question the Colonel really wanted to know.
Stein slurred his response, swallowing and grimacing as he did. He reached for a yellow legal pad and pen on the stand beside the bed. Printing slowly, he responded to the question.
Because you wanted me to get them out of hiding.
"You almost killed him and that reporter. The Army will take no responsibility for your actions. They don't sanction attempted murder to capture fugitives." Lynch let his words hang in the air between them.
And then Stein smiled, at least as much as he was able to smile with his jaw wired shut. He wrote another message and held it up for Lynch to see.
What about during war? And you hired me to do it. That's what I'll tell them. And what will happen to your career then?
Lynch narrowed his eyes briefly, then nodded slowly. "I see." He set his briefcase down on a chair and pressed the buttons which kept it shut. The top snapped open.
The military man sensed Stein's gaze focused on the contents of that case. The knowledge of that gave the Colonel a certain amount of satisfaction.
"What're ya gonna do? Give me somethin' ta kill me?" he muttered, slurring his words through his teeth. He made an attempt to sit up straighter and groaned softly with pain, the notepad and pen in his lap momentarily forgotten.
Lynch drew out a manila folder from the case and paged through the sheets in it. "This wasn't your first time, was it? . . . let's see . . . Houston, Texas . . . you were suspected of putting a patient in restraints without authorization . . . Gainesville, Florida . . . you were suspected of giving large doses of unauthorized sedatives to three patients, nearly killing one . . . Newington, Connecticut . . . they accused you of punching a patient in the face, breaking his nose . . . should I go on?"
Stein wrote something on his notepad, then displayed it for Lynch to see.
SO WHAT?
"So it shows an escalating behavior pattern." The Army man slapped the file shut and put it back in his case. "I can make sure the United States Army scours your employment record and builds a case against you for some of these other offenses. In the end, you might not get out of prison for quite a while."
Stein wrote something down.
Again, so what?
"Your choice. But who will they believe? Someone with an established pattern of abuse and neglect toward patients or an officer with no blemishes on his record?"
The patient busied himself with writing something.
Help me avoid prison and I'll leave California and never say a word about our arrangement.
Lynch impassively gazed at him, letting the tense silence grow in the room. "What arrangement?" he sneered finally.
Reaching over, he snagged the legal pad from Stein's hands and tore off the yellow pages with the patient's written conversation. Wadding the sheets, he stuffed them in his pants pocket. He placed the notepad far away from Stein's grasp.
"Say nothing and maybe someone can do something to lighten your sentence. Who knows? Anything is possible. Think about it for a while."
Then he walked to the door, briefcase in hand. As he opened it, he heard Stein hiss his name and a curse.
Satisfied with the threat he delivered, Lynch left the hospital and began considering a new method of getting Captain Murdock's friends to come out of hiding.
oooooo
French- Ils ont utilisé l'ammoniac . . . (They have used the ammonia)