Ryan was messing with his phone, trying to let his sister Lexy know that they were leaving the hospital but he was starting to get frustrated. Frank said, "Give it up. You aren't going to get a signal in this elevator."
"Lexy is going to have my head," he nearly moaned.
Vee said, "You can blame me."
Outraged Ryan yelped, "I'm not going to …" Then he stopped and thought about it. "You sure?"
Vee tried not to but she grinned. "Yeah. It will give me a chance to …"
"No," Ryan said shaking his head vehemently. "Never mind. I'll deal with it. I owe her for keeping Mo …" The doors to the elevator opened and suddenly Ryan's voice went up an octave and a half. "… ooom. What are you doing here?"
"I don't know Ryan. It isn't like I was ever invited or anything. Oh no, I was just left to assume the worst and …"
Frank suddenly realized one of the big reasons why Ryan had never really talked about his family. He pushed Vee off the elevator, gave the nurse who was looking on with a pained expressed a wink, and then told Ryan, "Push the cart over there. You need to sign the last of the paperwork for Vee. I'll take care of your mother."
Ryan gave Frank a suspicious look but nodded and escaped saying, "That'll give me time to call Lexy like I promised as well."
Ryan took off at a near run and that's when Vee tried to say, "Aunt Mary I'd like you to meet …"
"Violetta Cassandra Wolfe. Are you telling me this … man … is …" She just kept swelling up in outrage and Vee's mouth went into overdrive just like it always did when her aunt got started.
"Aw now Aunt Mary, you know I could never go for one of them rinky dink little dudes that you was forever shoving on me. I had to go out and find me a good-sized man. Tall as a grenadier ain't he. Why I'm telling ya …"
Frank was glad he hadn't been eating or drinking or the woman would have been wearing it. As it was he had a hard time keeping a straight face. Instead he said, "Medication … isn't out of her system. Can I get you some coffee or something Mrs. Wolfe?"
Frank just kept pouring on the Texas charm and soon enough Ryan's mother was fluttering and sighing and was convinced that it was her suggestion that Ryan introduce her niece to the men he worked with, to get her away from those Crass young men she used to hang around with. But Detective Tripp must be sure and call her for any reason, any reason at all. Violetta could be … well … difficult at times because she'd been positively spoiled growing up.
Frank had gone to walk Aunt Mary out to her car right before Ryan came back. He found Vee having what he thought was a fit until he realized she was trying not to laugh.
"Uh … I … er … don't see Mom. What did Frank do with her?"
"Walked her out to her car," she wheezed, holding onto her incision site. She looked right at Ryan and said, "I'm keeping him if for no other reason than he had Aunt Mary thinking that it was her idea that you introduced me …" By the time she was finished explaining what had happened Ryan had to sit down or fall down.
"Your serious," he said.
"As serious as a fifth act of a tragedy," she said in a thick Mississippi drawl.
"Aw Vee, you didn't."
Vee started laughing again. "I'm sorry, she just brings it out of me every time."
About that time Frank walked up and said, "The excuse was her medication hadn't worn off. I don't think it'll work a second time."
Ryan shook his head, "I'm surprised as hell it worked this time." Both men, after giving Vee the eye, thought that there might actually have been some truth to it.
Finally, the three went out the sliding doors. Frank said, "I'll bring my car around and …"
They heard running and turned to see Mark Spicoli running and shouting, "Code 9! Code 9!" He flew straight at them startling Ryan and Frank. However, Vee knew the shouted warning meant an immediate threat. But before she could explain or even react, Spicoli tackled Vee and the wheelchair, at the same time a loud crack could be heard.
The air had been knocked out of Vee and she finally gasped, "Get off Spicoli! Mark did you hear me?!" Then she noticed all the blood. More softly she called, "Mark?"
She pushed him off of her and tried to get up but another groan caught her attention. Ryan was trying to roll over with blood coming from a cut on his forehead where he'd hid the curb when he went down. Looking around she saw Frank who wasn't moving at all. She was starting to see spots until someone griped her arm painfully. She looked and it was Spicoli.
He looked deep into her eyes and said, "Remember your training." He handed her his gun. "Now get out of here. Go. We'll hold him off … off …" He coughed once, sending spittles of blood all over Vee. He didn't cough a second time. And never would again. With a shaking hand Vee reached up and closed her former team leader's eyes.
"Down Vee, stay down," Ryan said trying to shield her body with his own but she pushed him away.
"Keep your ownself down. It's me the bastard is after. Help me … help me with Frank."
"Dammit, listen to Ryan will you woman?!" Frank groaned as he grabbed his arm. There was blood on his shirt but it didn't belong to the dead Spicoli.
Despite Frank's injury Vee started to breathe easier; she'd thought the worse for a few moments. Vee also started to become aware of the chaos all around her. She also heard another series of gunshots targeting people in the street and parking lot.
"Bastard, you just gave yourself away," Vee said in deadly calm. She looked at Ryan and showed him Mark Spicoli's pride and joy, a Sig P210 that had been modified for long range shooting.
"Can you make the shot?"
"Third floor of parking garage, two pillars to the over from the ramp."
Frank growled, "What the hell are you two talking about?"
Ryan crawled over to Frank and started taking off his tie to use to stop the bleeding on Frank's arm. Quietly he said, "Let her."
Frank read the look on Ryan's face. It wasn't the face of a dust monkey, it was a cop's face he had on. Then he looked at Vee as she slowly crawled to a more secure shooting position. There was more shooting and they could hear sirens in the background. There was a break in the terror being inflicted on the parking lot and suddenly Vee took her shot. The echo of that shot dying was the end of the cause of the chaos.
"She got him," Ryan said. And then all three watched a rifle fall from the side of the parking garage ledge and a red line begin to race down the concrete of the half-wall the shooter had been using as protection.