Catch Me if You Can
Chapter 14Jeff called the nurse's station on the fourth floor before he left for the office. He asked about his partner and was told that Stu had a phone in his room now, and his extension was 4222. The next call Jeff made was, of course, to Stu, who answered on the third ring. "Time for you to wake up, Mr. Bailey. This is Mr. Spencer."
"I may kill you when I see you, Spencer."
"For waking you up at this time of the day?" That was a little extreme, even for Stu.
"For waking me up just as Nurse Forrester and I were going to . . ."
"I don't think I want to know."
"I'm awake."
"I think I figured that out. Listen, I'm going into the office this morning. And I'm leaving at a decent time tonight, so I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm sorry, but I've got an appointment today I can't miss."
"New client?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"Alright, be mysterious."
Jeff laughed. "I'll tell you when I get there tonight."
"Alright. See you later." Stu hung up the phone just as Nurse Avery walked in. "Nurse Avery. What sadistic pleasure do you have for me this time?"
"How are we this morning, Mr. Bailey?" That same perky smile accompanied the question.
"I hurt, Miss Avery. When's my next pain shot?"
She checked his chart. "Not for another three hours, I'm afraid. Doctor is trying to get you off them as soon as possible. He'll be here shortly to talk to you." Stu made a face. "What's that for?" Avery asked.
"It's never good when the doctor comes in to talk to you first thing in the morning. What's wrong, Avery?"
"Nothing, Mr. Bailey. Everything is coming along as well as can be expected."
"Those are not good words, nurse. What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing, Mr. Bailey. Really, I . . . Doctor Johnson will talk to you."
"Avery . . .?" Stu looked up and the nurse was gone. Now he had to wait for Doctor Johnson to explain to him what was going on. It was another thirty or forty minutes later before Doctor Johnson poked his head in the door.
"Mr. Bailey. Nurse Avery tells me you are much more coherent today than when you first came down to us."
"Coherent enough to start asking questions, Doctor." The tone of his voice was different, for the first time since he'd been brought into the hospital. It was what his partner called "the Stuart Bailey voice." It was strong, and smooth, with just a hint of danger in it. "What wouldn't Avery tell me?"
"Are you aware of your blood type, Mr. Bailey?"
"You mean the fact that I'm AB Positive? I'm aware."
"Have you ever needed a transfusion in the past?" Doctor Johnson was feeling his way carefully. He'd heard the voice and the last thing he wanted was to upset or distress the patient in any manner.
"Once . . . they had to get the blood from another hospital."
"In California?"
"Yes, why?"
"We're having trouble locating any blood with your AB Positive blood type."
"You mean in this state?"
"I mean anywhere, Mr. Bailey. In the United States."
"Can't I get along without it?" Now the tone had changed. It was softer, more confused. Any other time in his life, Stu probably knew the answer to that question. But he was still not totally himself, and something about this whole thing wasn't making sense.
"No, Mr. Bailey, you can't. You need the blood to function, to walk around, to do your job. And we haven't been able to find it. So far."
"Where do you look now?"
"In Canada. In the meantime, we can't proceed with the way we would normally manage your recovery."
"Which means what, Doctor?"
"It means that you are confined to that bed until we find the blood you need."
"Define confined, please."
"You cannot get out of bed for anything, Mr. Bailey. Not anything. If you did it could kill you."
Stu thought it over for a moment. "Well, you've made your point, Doctor Johnson. Is there anything Ican do to expedite the search?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, sir, nothing I can think of. If you're a religious man, you might try praying."
"I'll take that under advisement, Doctor."
As soon as Doctor Johnson left, Stu called Jeff. "Stuart, what's up?" Jeff suspected he knew why Stu was calling, but, on the off chance he might be wrong, he assumed nothing.
"I just finished talking to the doctor, Jefferson."
"Uh-huh. What did he have to say?" Jeff didn't like where this conversation was headed. He couldn't imagine that Stu was very happy about what he'd heard from the doctor. Unless, of course, the hospital had found some blood.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
There was really no sense in playing dumb any longer. "About the blood? Because I was hoping they'd find some." And then something occurred to Jeff. "Why didn't you ever tell me about your blood type? I could have been prepared."
"Prepared? Prepared for what? It's not like I could keep some on hand just in case I needed it."
"Look Stu, let's not argue about this. It is what it is. I take it they haven't found any yet."
What little anger there had been in Stu's voice dissipated. "No. Now they're calling the hospitals and blood banks in Canada."
"How can I help?" Jeff would do whatever was necessary to return his partner to the office next to his.
Stu sighed. "I don't see there's any way you can help, Jefferson. Unless you're the kind of man that prays. That I could use."
Now it was Jeff's turn to sigh. "I am. And I have been. Call me if you need to. Or if they find blood."
"Got it. I'll talk to you later."