Chapter 37
Santa Ana, California
Monday~ August 14~6:00 am
Neither Buck nor Vin slept much, both men deeply disturbed by the hostile attitude that Chris had displayed a few hours earlier. Tanner finally gave up and decided that he was ready to get the hell out of dodge. Standing in a hot shower to relieve his aching muscles he thought about the events of the previous evening.
*You handled that really well Tanner. What made you so certain that seeing Chris would resolve anything? It seems that you only managed to make matters worse. Hell, not only has he shut you out, now he thinks Buck has turned against him. Vin, he did not act as if it made a difference. He didn't even ask about his family, or Kel or anyone else. What in the hell has he gotten himself into? The only time he has ever behaved this way was when…No; he couldn't be back on drugs because. Chris is smarter than that. Since when does being smart mean a former addict can't have a relapse? You heard what Nathan said, Chris would have to face the possibly that certain drugs could affect him for the rest of his life. Chris was still vulnerable; he had no damn business putting himself out there so soon after his troubles with Jack. Then again, maybe it is the stress of this damn case. Lord knows that it has played hell with everyone's mental process*.
Pounding on the bathroom door drew him back from his musings. "You plan on camping out in there all day"
"Be out in a minute Buck." Vin turned the water off and grabbed a towel. Wrapping one around his waist, he took another to dry his hair, and unlocked the door. "It's all yours."
"He speaks! I thought you had forgotten how." Buck took note of the bruises that were starting to show on Tanner's body. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Yeah, sure you are and I'm Mother Teresa. Vin he…"
"Leave it Buck. I just want to get the hell out of here and go home."
"I called the airport; the plane will be ready for take off within the hour."
A slight nod of the Texan's head was the only acknowledgement he was going to get.
Wilmington sighed; it was going to be a long silent trip.
For Chris Larabee, sleep was a long time in coming. Finally he was able to drift off just before dawn, and he had tossed and turned for the last three hours. His regular nightmares were back with a new one that saw his six brothers' dead. He saw himself standing alone at their graveside wishing that he could join them, but the fire surrounding him would not let him. Chris knew that he was trapped in a living hell of his own making. Isolating himself from his family was not what he wanted to do, but he did not see that he had any other choice.
"Adam! Wake up! Jesus, you're burning up." Creed was certain that the man was in trouble, and when he pulled back the covers he understood why. The wound on his left arm was inflamed and a foul smelling yellow puss oozed from the stitches. "Damn it, why didn't you say something?" Cortez wrestled the bigger man out of the bed and somehow managed to help him dress.
In his dazed state Adam could do little to assist him. He was hot, lightheaded, and not real sure about where he was. It was hard to separate his thoughts and his words made little sense.
Creed threw his arm around Adam's shoulder and helped him out the door, through the club, and finally to the car. There was a hospital only a few blocks away, he could drive there faster than the time it would take to wait on an ambulance. It took only five minutes to reach the emergency room, but by the time they made it Adam had passed out. He explained to the nurse how Carmichael was injured, when, and what had been done to treat him.
That same nurse stopped Cortez at the examination room door. "Sir, there are some forms that you need to fill out at the desk. We'll let you know about your friend as soon as possible." Taking the clipboard, he sat down by the window and began to fill in all the blanks that he could. He decided to hold off calling Jonah until he had something more to tell him.
Denver Colorado
MCAT Office ~10:00 am
Buck had suffered in silence during the two and a half hour flight home. Vin had not said a word since they left the hotel early this morning. It wasn't that Wilmington had not tried to get the Texan to talk; he had kept a one-sided conversation going for the first thirty minutes, but had finally given up. Once they landed Tanner had insisted that they go straight to the office.
Wilmington knew that Vin was as disturbed by Larabees' behavior as he was, maybe even more. Buck had known Chris for over twenty years, and was well educated about the dark side of his friend. Tanner knew that Chris could be an ornery bastard at times, but they had a special twin like connection, and until now Vin had always been able to keep the blonde from sinking into that murky corner of his soul.
Appointing himself Tanner's protector for the day, Buck set about becoming a buffer between Vin and the rest of the team.
"Buck, I think I may have found something that Vin should know about. Is he in his office?" JD roused Wilmington from his thoughts about his brothers.
"Yeah he is, but now is not the best time to disturb him." Buck knew that Tanner intended to write his resignation, he only hoped that it would not be necessary for him to actually go through with it. "Why don't you show me, and we'll talk to Vin later."
"I've been tracking O'Mara Enterprises' financial trail, and have found several links to holding companies that are held in a blind trust. Usually that means someone in the public that can't risk being accused of conflict of interest. I don't have any names yet, but I'm close." The report that he showed Buck was full of computer terms.
"Stay on it JD and try to put all of this into plain English for the team meeting in the morning. Be watching for pictures that Raphael is sending to us too. Good work, kid." Buck grinned when JD rolled his eyes in response to being called kid and walked off.
Ezra approached Vin's office door, but was sidetracked when Wilmington called to him. "Hey Ez, can I see you for a minute?"
"Certainly," Ezra detoured to Buck's desk.
"I figured you were on your way in to give Tanner a rundown of activities since we left. Hold off for a bit, Vin needs some time to …sort through a few things. I'm sure he'll want to give you're a report on what happened with us too. "
Standish took a closer looker at Buck, noticing the swollen knuckles and the tinge of blue on his cheek. "Am I to assume that all did not go well?"
Nathan walked up and joined them, overhearing that last remark. "Is Vin injured in some way?" Jackson had not missed the fact that Tanner had hurried to his office without speaking to anyone. "Does he need to see a doctor?"
Wilmington sighed. "No it didn't, nothing major, and all he needs is some time. I'm sure that you both will hear all the details soon enough, but for now…"
Gunny interrupted. "Captain Tanner would like for the three of you to join him in his office. Agent Dunne has already been informed that his presence is requested, also."
"I guess we find out now." Nathan stated as he led the trio to Vin's door where JD met them. He wanted to check out the state of the Texan's health himself.
Vin had done some soul searching and had come to two conclusions. One he would leave MCAT when Chris returned. His resignation letter was written and prepared to put down on Chris' desk the day Larabee walked back in that door. Most of his personal files had already been transferred to his home office. The rest were in a bag sitting behind his desk, along with a few other special mementos. Thanks to Ezra's financial genius, and their decision to let him handle their investments, he and Kelli would not have to consider this choice a monetary hardship. Kelli's trust fund, plus their investment returns would allow him to take time to consider his future. When the time came, all he had to do was walk away.
The second decision was more difficult. How much to tell the brothers about Chris' behavior and how to proceed with their investigation. They needed to be prepared for actions that were sure to shock to more than a few. Vin's first consideration had to be for MCAT. That meant making choices that would be contrary to any that he had made in the past. Larabee had made his decision and now the young Texan had to find a way to live with it.
Tanner was standing at the window with his back to the door when he heard the knock. "Come in."
The four agents entered the room and sat down waiting for Vin to acknowledge their presence. Only one was prepared for what he suspected was coming, and the determined set to Tanner's shoulders said that he was prepared to tell them.
Turning away from the window, Vin allowed for the expected reactions to his appearance before he said anything.
"Good Lord, what in the hell did you two get into in California?" Ezra was the first to speak.
Nathan was on his feet and already examining the black eye and bruised cheek on the younger man. "Damn, can't you go anywhere without finding trouble?"
"I'm fine Nate, quit fussin' over me." Vin stepped away from the healer and went over to sit at his desk.
"Did Donner's men do that?" JD asked "How did they know who you were?"
"All of you just sit." Vin waited until they did." What 'm gonna tell you, I want it to stay with the five of us, for now.
"Sure Vin," JD agreed and the other three nodded.
"I think y'all should know that our situation has taken a very serious turn. As of yesterday Lar'bee is to be considered a rouge agent. He refuses to come in under direct orders and will be stayin' in California. However we will proceed with our aggressive investigation against Donner in spite of that. I'll go over our latest reports and have a plan of action ready by tomorrow mornin' to discuss with the entire team."
Nathan questioned. "What wrong with that man's thinking? When is he coming back?"
"I don't know Nate, I wish I did."
"Hell Vin, they deserve a better explanation than that. If you don't tell them I will." Buck stood up. "They have a right to know what that stubborn jackass is doing."
Vin silently glared at Buck, and then took a deep breath. "Chris is not actin' like himself. He was hostile, belligerent, and has only one thing on his agenda, and that is gettin' Donner, his way. He and I had a difference of opinion about priorities, and he made no effort to disguise his dissatisfaction about how 'm handlin' my job. Raphael voluntary stayed with him to watch his back, and he will keep in touch with Josiah, but we cannot factor 'em into any decisions made about how we proceed. Lar'bee and Cordova are officially on their own time."
Nathan snorted. "Those different opinions have anything to do with how you got all those bruises and that black eye?"
"You and Chris got into a fight?" JD had a hard time imaging that they would let things go that far. "Now you're saying we let him run off on his own, just like that?"
Ezra had sat silently and observed the conversation, while watching Vin and Buck's body language. He also took notice of the slight changes in Vin's office. Personal items, such as pictures and certificates, were not on display, it was as if all the individual signs that marked this as Vin Tanner's space were gone. It was obvious that there was much more to this story than Tanner was willing to share. He decided to bide his time and wait for events to unfold.
"Gentlemen, I do believe we have heard all the explanation needed. I suggest that we refrain from asking more questions on this subject, and return to our duties."
Buck knew how hard this was for Vin. "We'll have a team meeting in the morning, for now it's enough that you know what to expect." Reluctantly Nathan and JD allowed Buck to herd them out the door, while Standish remained behind.
"Thanks Ez, I'll talk to you later about the status of your covert ops. I need to go home early and talk to Kel." Vin hated to even think about it, the Texan knew from first hand experience that being in the middle of a disagreement between two people you love was hell. He also knew that she would need to know a helluva lot more than he had shared here.
Ezra gave Tanner a two-fingered salute. "I am at your service brother; do not hesitate to call on me, should you require a friendly ear."
Santa Ana, California
Donner's office
"Are you certain that this man can do the job?" Victor Donner was wearing a hole in the carpet from his desk to the window. "I do not want this attempt fucked up like the last ones."
"Word has it that he is the best at what he does, and at the price he's asking for I'd say he has confidence in his abilities." Willis sat in a chair and watched his boss pace. "His successful track record speaks for itself."
"Three million dollars is a lot of money Arthur."
"When you want an entire unit of a government agency taken out, it cost the big bucks. Once he has his money he will do the job, but you will not be able to call it off or even contact him again, besides Gant guarantees his work.
"He had better, I want MCAT ruined. Chris Larabee will rue the day that he dared to fuck with my business!" Victor stabbed a letter opener into a stack of papers on his desk. "Pay the man and tell him to go on it."
Santa Ana Hospital
Creed had been waiting for almost five hours, before a doctor finally came out to see him
"Mr. Cortez, I am Dr. Glass. Your friend Mr. Carmichael asked me to come and talk to you. Let's sit." The doctor indicated the waiting room chairs and both men sat down.
"Is Adam okay?"
The doctor glanced over the chart in his hand. "He will be. The wound Mr. Carmichael received in Mexico was not cleared properly before it was sewed up. Consequently he was left with minute pieces of wood splinters inside that caused contamination to the injury. I have reopened it and cleaned the gash. Twenty-four hours of IV antibiotics and he will feel much better. We will be keeping him overnight, and you may see him as soon as he is moved."
'Thanks, Dr. Glass."
"You are welcome, see the nurse and she can give you a room number. You can plan on taking him home late tomorrow afternoon or the next morning, unless we encounter unexpected complications." The doctor shook hands with Creed and left.
Cortez when in search of the head nurse and she gave him directions to Adam's room. By the time he found it they had Adam settled in and the young nurse was attaching another IV bag.
The nurse was explaining to Adam the purpose of each one. "It is not as bad as it looks, Mr. Carmichael. One bag is an antibiotic, the other is saline, and we also have a morphine drip that you can self administer when needed for the pain. All he had to do is push this button for a pre-measured dose to enter the IV line. "The nurse explained. "My name is Rose and I'll be on duty until midnight. Call if you need anything."
When she exited the room, Creed moved over to Adam's bedside. "You look a helluva lot better than you did this morning. You need anything?"
Adam shook his head. "I do feel better, it hurts some, but I'll live. Go on back to the club and tell Donner I'll be back tomorrow. One of us needs to be there, and for now it's you. Oh, and there's no need to mention this to Jonah when you talk to him. "
"I hate to leave you here alone. Are you sure?"
I'm sure; I just need to get these antibiotics in my system to knock out this infection. Go on, I'll be fine."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, but call me if you do need anything." Creed hesitated for a moment and then left.
Adam lay back on the pillows and sighed. He had the only thing he needed; he pushed the button on the morphine pump. He would not be having any nightmares tonight.
Denver, Colorado
Larabee 7
Early turned out not to be but an hour before their usual departure time. Tanner drove while Wilmington watched the young Texan silently struggle with his thoughts. Outwardly not many would know that Vin was hurting because that was a part of him that he rarely shared. Buck knew though and felt helpless.
"Anything I can do little brother?"
"Thanks Bucklin, but this is somethin' I need to do on my own. I just have to find a way to tell Kel that her dad is being a stubborn bastard and that he is likely to end up gettin' himself killed because of it this time."
Buck had not yet considered that part of Vin's turmoil had to do with his wife. How do you tell the woman you love that her father is leaving himself in a position that could easily have him end up in the middle of a disaster? *Chris you have a lot of people needing some answers and you had better have some damn good explanations this time.*
Trying to lighten the mood, Buck grinned. "I think she knows about the stubborn part already."
"Yeah, I reckon she does," Vin stopped in front of Buck's house.
"Vin …"
"Nothin' more to say Buck, I'll see you in the mornin'."
Buck watched Tanner drive away and then he heard the shrieks of his two little angels as they yelled, "Daddy's home!"
Dropping his bag, he caught the two little bundles of energy that were running to him. "Yep, Daddy is in the house." He tickled both of them until they dissolved into hysterical laughter.
With a child under each arm he met Inez on the porch and kissed her before setting the young ladies down. "Hello beautiful."
Sarah hopped from one foot to the other. "Can we show him now?"
Maria joined her sister. "Pleeeese, can we?
Buck looked to Inez for an explanation. "Barbara dropped off the preliminary papers for us to sign, she'll file tomorrow and we should be officially Caleb's guardians by the end of the week. The girls have an idea about a welcome gift they want to add for their new brother's room, but they may need your help."
"Then lead on ladies." Buck grinned as they took his hands.
Tanner Home
"You're home!" Andi and Jason exclaimed together the moment that Vin walked through the front door. Caleb's broad smile in his direction was enough to let Tanner know how pleased the other boy was to see him again.
As all three kids ran to him, Vin dropped his overnight bag onto the floor and crouched down to catch them all in a bear hug. He stayed hugging them for several moments, relishing the feel of their arms around his neck, their love and excitement at seeing him a balm to his wounded spirit. He felt, rather than saw, Kelli enter the room from somewhere else in the house.
He looked up slowly over the children's heads and saw her blue eyes widen a little in shock at the bruises on his face. Her mouth opened to ask him what had happened, but he gave his head a slight shake to indicate it wasn't the time to discuss what had happened in California.
"That's a pretty purple. " Andi reached up a hand to stroke his face lightly over where most of the bruising was located and asked, "Does it hurt?"
"Not much." Vin told her softly, smiling at her comment about the color.
Andi kissed him on the cheek." Now, it won't hurt a'tall."
Vin grinned at her lovingly. "Thanks, princess. Kisses always make booboos go away faster."
Jason had been taking in the conversation quietly. "What happened?"
"Did you get in an accident or something?" Caleb added.
"No, I wasn't in an accident." Vin replied honestly as he stood up. "I just had a difference of opinion with someone."
Jason gave him a funny look, and would have posed more questions to him, if Kelli hadn't decided to intervene on Vin's behalf. "Why don't you kids, go get washed up for dinner? Max should have it about ready."
"Okay." Andi said, running off to do what she had instructed, but Jason and Caleb hesitated a moment, before they followed Andi out of the room.
Kelli closed the distance between them and Vin opened his arms to receive her. He hugged her tightly to him, drinking in the scent and the feel of her, adding it to the healing balm that the children's hugs had given him.
"Bad?" Kelli said softly.
"About as bad as it can be," Vin replied. " Let's not talk about it now, please…I just want to focus my attention on the children and supper…later, after they've gone to bed and we're alone…I'll give you all the details."
"Alright," Kelli replied. She would not push, because she knew that Vin would tell her everything when he was ready to talk about it.
Tanner leaned down and picked up his bag and the couple moved through the house toward their bedroom. Kelli talked quietly with Vin as he prepared to take a shower before supper. As each item of clothing was removed, her blue eyes trailed over his lithe figure checking for further injuries.
"I'm fine." Tanner assured her, sensing her eyes upon him. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"I've heard that the women in California were aggressive, but damn, this is overkill." She quipped lightly. "For your sake I hope you fought 'em all off successfully."
Vin cast a slight smile over his shoulder. "Don't worry I protected the boys from trespassers. YOUR property rights are still intact."
"That's good to know. " Kelli replied. "Not that I was worried in the least about your virtue. Now how about you get your assets in the shower and I will have the liniment ready for you when you get out."
"Yes ma'am." Tanner gave her a sloppy military salute as he headed for the bathroom.
The assorted members of the Tanner household gathered together for the delicious dinner that Max had fixed for them. The talk around the table that night was lighthearted for the children's sake. No one mentioned blackened eyes, bruises, California, or Chris.
Vin eyed Andi picking at her Brussels sprouts and said, "What's the matter princess, you don't like the Brussels sprouts?"
"I'm not the princess anymore." Andi replied, as she moved her fork around the little cabbages on her plate, lathered with butter. "I'm Sugar…'cause that's what horses like, and I want them to like me."
Snickers erupted from both boys on either side of the table in response to Andi's comment.
Ezra quickly choked off the laugh that threatened to erupt when he noticed the chastising look on Kelli's face. Schooling his features, he addressed the young lady in his best southern drawl. "Sugar is a popular southern endearment. I'm sure that the equestrians that reside on the property will be pleased with your choice."
Tanner cocked an amused eyebrow at Ezra, and the southerner shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'What?'
Andi gazed across the table at Ezra with a puzzled expression on her young face. "Uncle Ra, what's the question?"
Trying to decipher Andi's response, it suddenly dawned on him what she meant. "Sugar, it's Equestrian, not the question. Equestrian means horse."
"Oh." Andi's cherubic face lit up with understanding.
As they were finishing their meal, Wilmington showed up.
"Hey, Buck. What's goin' on? Are Inez and the kids with you?" Kelli asked, looking behind him.
"Nope, I thought I would come over here and see if I could steal three little urchins for the night." Wilmington replied.
Three little faces lit up.
"Can we Daddy?"
"Dad, can we?"
"Please, Vin?"
Vin looked at his wife who nodded her agreement. "Sure, why not? Go get your stuff ready."
All three children excused themselves from the table and fled to their rooms to get their overnight bags. Once the children were gone, Buck seated himself in Jason's vacant chair.
"Can I get you somethin' to drink Buck?" Kelli offered.
"No, I'm fine." Buck replied.
After Kelli, Max, and Barbara left the room with dirty dishes, Buck turned to Vin. "I thought you and Kelli could use some time alone to discuss California."
"Thanks Buck."
"While you two were gone, Ezra and I came up with an idea." Walter spoke up. "Between your plans and Ezra's financial wing dingin', I think we can pull off that facility y'all want built on the ranch. Up by the property line close to your place ya'll already have a firin' range set, and it's far enough away for here that there no chance any of the kids would be runnin' through there. All we have to do in add the rest to it."
"I say go for it." Buck said.
Tanner nodded his head in silent agreement.
"So, when are you going to inform the rest of us about what transpired in California?" Ezra asked.
"Ez, if y'all don't mind I need to talk to Kelli first."
"I've got the kids…" Buck said.
"Barbara and I can finish cleaning up in here." Ezra added.
"I'll be more than happy to walk Max home." Walter volunteered.
Left with no more delaying tactics, Vin took a deep breath, and rose from the table to go to the kitchen and claim his wife. Vin knew that he had to prepare her for what could be a life changing experience, but …How do you tell the woman you love that the father she had just found and loved had made a choice that could end his life?