The phone rang and when Thomas Magnum heard that, he was relieved. Rick, finally.
"Where are you?" Thomas asked without preamble. "We're waiting for you for ..." He looked at his watch. "More than an hour now."
Higgins and TC turned to face him and Thomas turned on the speaker and put the phone down on the table in front of him.
"I ..." Rick started and then fell silent.
"Buddy?" asked Thomas, now worried. "What's up?"
TC came closer, Higgins sat down on a chair next to Thomas.
"I've had an accident," Rick said flatly, "I hit a dog on a road... and then ... someone else bumped into my car... it's going to take a while here ..."
"You alright?" Thomas asked, "Are you hurt?"
"No ... yes ... no ..." They exchanged concerned looks. They had rarely heard Rick so confused.
"Where are you?"
"I gotta ... go," Rick said. "Tell Higgins and TC, I'm sorry. That ... "He snorted," was not the plan. "
"Brother, where are you?" TC intervened. "We can help."
"No ... not necessary," Rick said firmly. "I'll be fine."
And then the connection broke off leaving the three friends in Thomas's living room extremely confused.
So much for the movie night.
Rick was sitting in the waiting room of an vet clinic, with a handkerchief wrapped around his right hand to staunch the bleeding from a wound a dog had brought to him that lay now on the operating table.
Rick himself struggled to put the events of that night in order because his head ached even though he had not hurt himself there and the wound on his hand was pounding and he was pretty sure he was bleeding to the floor. The veterinary clinic was still a buzzing center of an exciting night. His dog was the worst case, but there were a lot of people here bringing their sick dogs or cats, injured wildlife or other emergencies. Rick looked at the big station clock hanging over the reception counter and read the time, but when he looked away he had already forgotten about it.
He had been a soldier, but a runaway dog brought him so much out of balance now? What was wrong with him, damn it?
He was warm. Halfheartedly, he watched as one case after another was called and the room gradually emptied until there was only one hawaiian family at the other end, with two children of perhaps six and ten years, evidently anxious, until a young woman in green surgical clothing squatting in front of the children and telling them something. The smaller of the children began to cry. Rick let out a shaky breath. He was warm and a bit dizzy.
For a moment he was irritated: what was he waiting for?
Then, without warning, someone suddenly sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders and someone else squatted in front of him, trying to pull his clenched fist apart.
"Let me see that."
Thomas. Thomas crouched in front of him, carefully holding his right hand in his.
"You're bleeding. A lot. Let me take a look, buddy, come on ... "
"Didn't anyone care about the injury?" Higgins asked next to him.
"The dog ..." Rick said and then did not know further.
"Your injury," Higgins pointed out mildly.
Rick took a deep breath and felt a little better. His friends were here. He looked up and straight into TC's worried face.
"How did you find me?"
"Tracked your phone," TC rumbled. "Why didn't you tell us where you are?"
"I ..." Rick shook his head.
TC exchanged a look with Thomas and Higgins.
"You're in shock, brother," TC said. "We'd best take you to a hospital."
"No, I..."
All three looked at him, but when nothing came, Thomas sighed.
"Listen, you have a deep wound on your hand, it has to be taken care of. And you are not really lucid, that worries us. Did you hit your head? "
Rick looked at him blankly. Had he?
"No," he said carefully.
"Do you even remember the accident?" Thomas asked skeptically.
"Crystal clear," Rick replied, but did not elaborate.
"Okay," TC said, "that's enough. We're going to the hospital ... "
"Hey," said a voice next to him, a bit lower. TC looked down and saw a receptionist, very young, with piercings and tattoos as far as the eye could see. She was wearing a purple smock and somehow the color looked good on her.
"Mr. Wright has made all the necessary details of the accident, "she said," also to the police. And he has already paid for the surgery. "
"What?" TC asked, now confused. "What surgery? Police? " He turned around. "Orville, what the hell...?"
The purple woman raised her hands placatingly.
"The doc is coming soon. We can supply his wound here. We do that a lot. "She smiled. "We are also constantly bitten."
"Bitten?" Thomas exclaimed. "What bit you?"
He put his hand on his friend's knee and felt that Rick was shaking all over. Higgins had to feel it too, because her arm was still on Rick's back.
"The dog," Rick said, as if explaining something very simple to Thomas.
"That you hit."
"Yes."
"Bit you."
"Yes."
"How did that happen?" Thomas asked, but Rick was too tired now.
He closed his eyes and let his head sink. He was so dizzy and his skull was throbbing in pain.
"... Rick!" He opened his eyes again, but found it hard.
Thomas had grabbed him by both shoulders and shaken him. He looked extremely worried.
"Stay with us!" he said.
"It's alright," Rick muttered.
"Nothing is alright," Thomas said firmly. "You are drifting, Rick, you're not entirely with us. You probably have a concussion ... "
He took a breath.
"And this." He gestured to the bloody handkerchief that was now again tied to Rick's hand.
"Can you move your hand?" Higgins asked softly. "Stretch your fingers?"
Rick tried and it looked okay, albeit slowly.
"A bit stiff," he said.
Thomas snorted.
"An inch deep, almost hit a bone, so maybe it's a bit stiff."
"All right, Thomas," Higgins told him. "Help will be provided right away."
"No," TC interjected. "We're going to the emergency room now. Who knows what the bite did. It has to be x-rayed. "
"There's one more." Rick felt that now was the time to move on. "One more bite."
And he pushed his right sleeve up a bit and showed them another impressive bite wound.