Josiah entered the SICU and moved closer to the bed as a nurse finished making notations on the chart by the door. He smiled at her before checking the patient for himself. Ezra looked paler than the sheets he lay on, with nasal canulas in place and tubes running beneath the blanket that covered him to mid chest. There were several IV's running into his arms delivering much needed fluid and medications.
Josiah placed his hand on Ezra's right shoulder, closed his eyes and said a prayer before pulling a chair close to the bed and dropping wearily onto it. He knew Standish would be in and out of it over the next 24 hours, and ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about the man who'd put him there.
Nathan had called to update him on what had happened at Shady Acres. Larabee was on his way in with a bullet wound to his chest and whatever sedatives Kent had given him in his bloodstream. He hoped they were wrong about Kent, then again if they were then there was still a killer at the institute who now knew there'd been an investigation into the deaths. He turned when he heard someone enter the room.
"Josiah, I tried to call Maude, but she's unavailable right now," Orin Travis said.
"Maude's not an easy woman to find unless she's in trouble," Josiah told him.
"She's a hard woman and an even tougher taskmaster when it comes to her son. She's missed out on a lot because of her stubborn pride," the former judge observed.
"She only has herself to blame for that," Josiah agreed. "Ezra's changed...for the better since he found the guts to tell her she had no power over his life."
"He's a good man," Travis said.
"Yes, he is. Chris made the right choice."
"I'd say he did that with everyone he chose for the agency."
"Do you ever regret giving him carte blanche?"
"Not for a minute. He chose the team and every one of you has risen above my expectations. My only regret is putting you in situations like this one where your lives are in danger."
"Someone has to do it or there'd be a lot more crime and a lot less sleep for those who believe in working for what they want," Sanchez explained.
"How is he doing?"
"Silverman said surgery went well, but they're worried about infection and the blood loss. Simmons said he thought Ezra was trying to catch up to Chris and Vin in the novel length medical file category," Sanchez answered.
"Has there been any word from the others?"
"Damn, sorry, Orin, I forgot you weren't here when Nathan called. Kent's dead and it looks like Chris killed him, but we won't know that until after the investigation. Chris is on his way in by ambulance because Kent shot him in the chest," the ex-preacher answered and saw the anger on the other man's face as they settled in to watch over the injured gambler.
M7M7M7M7M7M7M7
Samantha Parker knew there was nothing more she could do at Shady Acres and had been given permission to leave the institution. Sheppard had left over an hour ago and she would be meeting him at a restaurant near his home. Her anger at being kept out of the loop intensified, but she knew it was unrealistic for her to have expected to be told about the men who'd been sent in undercover.
Parker drove away from the facility and directly to the restaurant. She parked near the back and hurried toward the door, moving quickly inside and to the table where Carl Sheppard sat waiting for her.
"This is a real fuck up, Sam," Sheppard said.
"What the hell do you expect, Carl?" Parker snapped. "You were supposed to be on top of everything that dealt with hospital funds and that included paying for someone to investigate what happens at Shady Acres. How the fuck did Coburn manage to hire someone without your knowledge?"
"Keep your voice down, Sam," Sheppard warned. "Coburn went outside the hospital and didn't involve the board in his actions. With Kent dead there's no reason for them to stick around...as long as you covered our tracks by putting as much blame as possible on Kent."
"I did what I could. The board was already suspicious of him and I've made sure they'll find out the truth about Kent."
"I can't believe that sonofabitch wasn't even a psychiatrist. How the hell did he manage to forge those certificates on his wall? They looked authentic to me," Sheppard told her.
"I don't think anyone could have discovered it unless they dug into his background, but no one bothered to go all the way back," Parker advised. "We just need to make sure we cover our asses."
"What about Styles?" Sheppard asked.
"I don't trust him, Carl. He turned against Kent too easy and I'm pretty sure he'll turn on us at the first sign of trouble. You need to find some way of taking care of him," Parker said.
"I'll talk to Turner...see if he can take care of Styles for us," Sheppard offered.
"Just tell him to make it look like an accident," Parker said.
"What happens when you think I'm no longer of any use to you, Sam?" Sheppard asked with a hint of a smile.
"Now, Carl, you and I have enough on each other that we're both safe. Ours is a sort of symbiotic relationship since there are fail safes in order should either of us die. After all, what is trust when it comes to money and murder?" Parker observed.
"Trust is such an underrated thing while murder is the final act. I think we should leave before someone we know sees us here together," Sheppard offered and dropped money on the table before grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.
"Take care of our problem, Carl," Parker ordered.
"Don't I always," Sheppard said with a grin.
Samantha Parker watched her partner in crime leave and leaned back in the seat for several minutes. Carl Sheppard had proved to be a worthy partner, one who'd managed to cover his own ass in much the same way she'd done. No matter how she looked at it she was stuck with the sonofabitch until they were both ready to call it quits. Then again the time for her departure was drawing near and she had a nice little nest egg hidden for just that occasion.
"Can I get you anything," a waitress asked, scooping up the bills Sheppard had dropped on the table.
"No, thank you, Annie, I was just leaving," Parker said and grabbed her purse before leaving the restaurant and heading for her car.
M7M7M7M7M7M7M7
The ambulance pulled into Saint Vincents and was met by an orderly, a nurse, and Dr. Stacey Midland. They helped pulled the gurney from the back and raced through the ER doors and into the nearest trauma room that had been set up for the new arrival. Stacey listened as the paramedic rattled off the vitals and the treatment Chris Larabee had been given during the trip from Shady Acres.
"Vin, you know the drill...go get the paperwork started and I'll come see you as soon as we find out what's going on," Midland ordered.
"Doc..."
"Go, Vin, I need to set thing in motion here!" Midland said and rattled off the things she wanted done as Brandon Silverman joined her.
"What is it with Larabee...it's not enough for one of his men to be here, but he's got to try and out do them. How bad, Stacey?" Silverman asked.
"Gunshot wound to the chest. X-ray is on the way, but he's lost a lot of blood and there are some heavy sedatives involved..."
"Sedatives? Who the hell gave him sedatives?"
"His team was undercover at a place called Shady Acres..."
"Ritzy place for high end patients," Silverman observed.
"That's what I heard," Midland agreed. "Get those samples to the lab and tell them we need the results stat!"
"Yes, Doctor," Barbara Smith told her and hurried out of the room with the vials of blood samples.
Midland gently eased back on the bandage covering the wound to Larabee's chest and hoped the internal damage was not as bad as it could be. Bullets tended to rattle around in the chest cavity and things could be deadly if they didn't find it and remove it before things got worse.
"Dr. Midland, x-ray is here," Smith said upon rejoining them.
"Tell them to give me another minute," Silverman ordered and completed the task of intubating the patient in order to save time once they reached the OR.
"Brandon, I'm going to go speak with Vin," Midland said.
"Tell him to go give some of that precious blood of his," Silverman ordered. It was a well-known fact that Tanner and Larabee were the same rare blood type and it always seemed to be in short supply.
"Do you really think I need to tell him that," Midland said.
"Probably not," the surgeon told her.
Stacey hurried out of the room and spotted Tanner at the ER desk. The Texan's back was to her, but he turned before she reached him and she could see the worry and strain in his weary eyes.
"How's Chris?"
"He's still with us, Vin, and we're going to do everything we can to see that he stays that way. Brandon is in with him and then we're going to take some x-rays and pinpoint exactly where the bullet is. We're also waiting for the result of the blood work," Midland explained. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm and felt the tension in the set of the man's shoulder. "He's strong, Vin, remember that."
"I know," Tanner said.
"Vin, you need to sign these papers," Sandy said and smiled at the young man as he turned and took the pen from her hand.
"Vin, I need to get back to Chris, but..."
"Don't worry, Doc, I'll give blood," Tanner told her and handed the pen back to the nurse.
"All right, Vin, remember to rest and eat after you donate," Midland warned.
"I hear ya, Doc," the Texan said tiredly.
"Vin, what's wrong?"
Tanner turned to see the elderly woman walking toward him. "Howdy, Miss Nettie."
"Are you hurt...where's Chris?" Nettie Wells asked.
"Vin, I'll be back as soon as we know what we're going to do," Midland said.
"Thanks, Doc," Tanner said and returned his attention to the woman who reminded him so much of his own mother. "When did you get back?"
"I got in yesterday, but was exhausted and slept nearly 12 hours. Now why don't you tell me why you're here if you're not hurt or sick?"
"Let' go to the waiting room," Tanner said, relieved when she walked beside him. Once inside he moved her toward a couple of empty chairs and took her hands in his. "We've been working on a case for about a week and it wasn't exactly one we wanted to take."
"Are there any you really want to take, Vin?"
"No," Tanner said with a slight smile. He started telling her about Shady Acres and the undercover assignment that wound up with Ezra stabbed and Chris shot."
"My Stars, Vin, how bad?" Nettie asked.
"Ezra's got a punctured lung and he's in SICU. Josiah's with him right now...hell, I should go up there and fill him in on what's happening."
"Vin."
Tanner looked up as the familiar nurse walked toward them. "Hi, Sandy...is Chris okay?"
"Yes, but they are taking him to the OR and Dr. Midland said you would be donating blood," Sandy explained. "Hello, Mrs. Wells."
"Hello, Sandy," Nettie said. "Vin, you go with Sandy and I'll go tell Josiah what's happening."
"Thanks, Nettie, try not ta worry," Tanner said and hugged her gently.
"You need to practice what you preach, Vin," Nettie said and walked out into the ER just as the gurney carrying Chris Larabee was pushed from the trauma room. She wanted to go after them, but there was nothing she could do for him now except make sure his friends were kept in the loop.
TBC
