Chapter 3
Rick opened his eyes again; it wasn't a dream, same pain in his head, same faint light from above. An acrid, metallic smell in the air, dampness, some kind of cave or pit, like one of the old smelting sites off the coast.
He heard Laurie stir in back of him, and by turning in the ropes holding him to the post, he was able to get right next to her. In the dim light he saw her open her eyes, then try to focus. By rubbing his face against his shoulder, he was able to dislodge the rough gag in his mouth, and managed a whisper. "Laurie, honey, wake up".
She turned to look at him, her expression one of relief. "It's all right, sweetheart, Are you ok?" She nodded, trying to speak thru the gag in her mouth. He leaned his face against hers, and carefully managed to catch the material with his teeth. She stayed very still, so he was able to loosen the cloth and pull it off.
Letting out a gasp, she leaned against him, her voice breaking as she said, "Rick, I thought they killed you, they hit you so hard. Caparelli had that man put a cloth with chloroform over my face, he said if I resisted, he'd kill us both." "I'm ok, just a headache", he reassured her. "Now, who's this Caparelli, do you know why he did this?"
"Yes, he's a mobster who tried to kill Steve years ago during an assignment, and when I helped rescue him, Caparelli vowed he'd make my life hell. I didn't even know he was out of prison; I guess he decided to carry out his threat, only he went after both of us. I'm so sorry; I didn't think my past would come back to hurt us".
Rick moved his wrists next to hers, and squeezed her hand. "Darling, you have nothing to be sorry about. A.J. and I have made lots of
enemies in our work, too. Any one of them could come after us. Now, we just have to figure out how to get out of here."
She took a deep breath, then, "Rick, I can hear Steve. He's not too far. He wants to know if you have any idea where we are."
"Yes, I think we're just up the coast, some sort of cave area, maybe one of the old smelters, wait a minute, Laurie, do you still have your watch on?" Before she could reply, he tensed.
"Do you hear footsteps", Rick strained to listen, as he heard someone coming from above them.
He saw a light shining down, then a ladder slid in front of them.
A man in a suit came down, and aiming a gun at the two of them, calmly said, "Mr. Caparelli would like to see the bride, Simon. If either of you cause any trouble, he'll be the last person you see."
Whipping out a knife, he leaned over and cut the ropes holding Laurie to the post then lifted her up by her arm. Rick looked at her and whispered, "it will be all right, darling." She managed to smile at him, then was pulled away and forced up the ladder.
Once Laurie was gone, the ladder was hoisted up and the light disappeared, leaving Rick to try to struggle with the ropes binding him. As the minutes passed, his anxiety grew; what were they doing to her, why didn't he think of the homing transmitter in her watch before? As what little light faded in the pit, Rick's fear at what Caparelli was up to grew.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and attempting to propel himself up the post, managed to loosen the ropes around his arms. Suddenly he heard footsteps, and slid back down to the ground, just as the light came back down, and the ladder was lowered again.
He looked up in time to see Laurie lying over the shoulder of one of their captors, as he inched his way down the rungs. "What did you do to her, you jerks, Laurie, ."? The man plopped her down next to Rick, seemingly unconscious, and looking over at him, replied, "You'd better pray that they release Mr. Caparelli's brother, Simon, otherwise this is just the beginning." Looping a rope around her, he tightened it around the post, then climbed back up and pulled the ladder up.
As soon as the light disappeared, Rick moved around to his fiancée, and was relieved to see her open her eyes. "Laurie, are you all right, did he hurt you?" She nodded her head. "Oh, Rick," her voice shook, "we've got to get out of here, they're holding us to get Caparelli's brother out of prison, and if they don't have him out in 24 hours."
She broke off, wriggling her arm and sliding something out of her sleeve into her hand. "I was able to swipe this off a desk".
He looked down and saw a knife in her fingers, so he moved his wrists over. "Good work, sweetheart, try catching the rope with that." She managed to close one hand over the handle, then started sawing the bindings.
As soon as they started to fray, Rick took the knife from her and finished cutting through, then sliced through the rope on his ankles. As he put it down and rubbed his hands to restore the circulation, he noticed blood on the handle and on the ground. Glancing over at Laurie in the half light, he saw her look away. "Darling, where did they hurt you, let me see?" he demanded, and untying her wrists, cursed at a bloody x slashed across her right palm. Furiously ripping away the rope holding her upright, she slumped forward into his arms, shaking. Holding her, he saw the front of her dress torn down the center, and hatred boiled up within him.
"I'm sorry, honey, I wouldn't have let you go with them if I knew what they'd do", he whispered angrily, taking his handkerchief out and wrapping it around her wounded palm.
Calming down, she said "I'll be ok, when Caparelli wanted me to sign a letter begging the Government to free his brother, I wouldn't, so he slashed that x on my hand and forced it onto the paper. He ripped my dress and said he'd do worse to you if he didn't get what he wanted."
She clung to him as he untied her ankles. "Tell you what, you can have a good cry with me when we get out of here", he promised. She tried to smile and said "I'll hold you to that."
As he helped her to stand, he heard a soft beeping and realized it came from her watch.
"Thank God you wore that today," he said, as she held the timepiece up to her ear. Pushing and turning the stem at the same time, a crackling noise could be heard, so Laurie turned it down. "Too much interference, we must be surrounded by lead." She looked up, "Rick, how are we going to get the ladder, yell fire or I'm sick?"
He grinned at her, "Sick is better and more believable. Sit down and I'll be the decoy." She looped the rope around herself again and put her head down, as Rick started calling "Hey, someone up there, could we get some water, my wife's sick?"
After a couple of minutes, footsteps were heard, and a tired voice yelled, "What do you mean, sick?"
She's ready to throw up, hurry, we need some water?"
"All right, hold on", came the reply, and within a few minutes, the ladder slid down in front of them again. Rick waited until the man turned from the rungs, then grabbed him around the neck and hissed "Any noise and you're going to be the one dead. Which way is out?"
"Only one way in and out, the tunnel opening down this hall and turn left, please, don't leave me here," came the terrified plea. Laurie pulled the ropes off the post and tied up the guard. Rick had her go up the rungs of the ladder a little way up, then she signaled to Rick that the coast was clear.
Once they were out of the pit, Rick figured out that Caparelli's man was telling the truth about which way was out by the smell of the ocean, so they started toward the source of the cold air coming in.
All at once they heard voices coming from an adjacent corridor, and Rick started to pull Laurie into an alcove, Suddenly he stopped, seeing some old containers, marked "Danger, explosives" against the cavern wall.
"Honey, I think I know how to keep these goons from escaping. Get to the cave opening and wait for me."
She shook her head, pulling the guard's gun from her pocket. "We're in this together, Rick, I can help you with this, please?" He paused, then sighed and said, "All right, Laurie, help me with that container over there."
Between the two of them, they tipped over and rolled the container toward the light shining through the cave. Punching a hole in the side, Rick made a line from wall to wall, spilling some kind of powder out then leaned it against the wall.
Just then they heard yelling, and she whispered, "Steve says they're in a boat, on the way here, they picked up my signal. He says when we touch it off, to get out of here quick."
Rick grunted, "He won't get any argument from me, let's go!"
Backing away from the explosives, they rounded a corner, only to come face to face with a long drop to the ocean below. Rick pulled Laurie back, then spied some stairs off to one side. "There's a way down, does Steve have us in sight yet?"
She nodded, "He and Oscar and A.J. are in a speedboat, that might be them," pointing out a single boat captured in the moonlight, high beams on. Suddenly they could hear Caparelli screaming and footsteps coming their way.
Laurie handed Rick the gun, and he shot a round toward the cavern floor. They heard a ricochet, then "Boom".
As smoke started to billow out of the cave, Rick led Laurie down the rusting steps, only to find them rotted away about twelve feet above the ocean. She dropped Rick's hand so she could step out of the skirt portion of her once beautiful wedding gown. Looking out over the water, she told Rick, "I know this is a terrible time to say this, but I don't swim well, why don't you jump and then try to catch me." Grasping her hand, as explosions sounded off above them, he shook his head. "Laurie, I'm not leaving you; we jump together or not at all."
She gazed back at him and said, "I love you, always remember that." "I love you too, now count to three" Quickly she handed him one side of the skirt. "Hold on to this, it might help slow our descent."
Rick got the idea and counting to three, both of them jumped out and down, just as rocks started tumbling from above.
As they came down toward the water, Rick felt a gust catch their "parachute" and slow them down ever so slightly, giving the approaching boat enough time to come close to them.
Landing in the water, Laurie immediately started to sink below the surface, only to have Rick catch the back of her top and haul her upwards. The next moment they heard Steve calling, "Rick, over here", and the two of them paddled over to the waiting boat. Steve pulled Rick in first, then when he reached for Laurie, a wave slammed into her, knocking her back . Quickly Rick came to the other side of Steve and called out "Laurie, swim to the side." Paddling with the last of her strength, she managed to get within reach of the boat and Rick and Steve were both able to catch hold of her and pull her in.
Quickly, Oscar gunned the motor and they headed for a nearby landing, as Steve wrapped Laurie and Rick in blankets. A.J. hugged both of them and said "Thank God you guys are safe, we've been cruising up and down the coast for hours until we picked up Laurie's signal." Rick gathered her in his arms as he said, "Steve, did you get some kind of message from that Caparelli?" "Yes, he sent a demand for the release of his brother from prison," Steve replied, tersely. "I knew he was a monster, but when I saw the bottom of the note, " he stopped and reaching out, squeezed Laurie's shoulder. She managed to get her voice under control. "It's ok, Steve, I just hope we never have to deal with him again. He was planning to re-start his operation in San Diego, I heard him boasting to his father of how he had the perfect setup." Rick tensed. "Oscar, can you radio the police to have them pick up the pieces back there, I don't want any of that bunch to get away."
"All ready called them, Rick, you two did a nice job of stopping them, I can't see how anyone survived back there, but just in case I'm going to have a team go in with the police," he replied, steering the boat into a slip, where they saw Rudy Wells and a small group of people waiting.
As they docked, Steve helped lift the newlyweds out of the boat and onto gurneys for a brief ambulance ride to Mission Hospital.
Once they reached the emergency room, A.J. went to call Cecilia and the teens, while Rudy filled in the doctors on duty and made sure Rick and Laurie were in adjoining rooms.
Rick protested that he was fine, just a little sore, but A.J. would have none of it. "Rick, you haven't seen yourself in a mirror, but you have one heck of a shiner. Besides, if you don't let them check you out, Mom will kill me".
Rick groaned, "Not that, anything but that," he joked. His brother sat next to him as they waited for Rudy to finish examining Laurie. Rick was grateful for his company as A.J. filled him in on the aftermath of their disappearance. "When you didn't come back, I thought it was kind of funny, then some guy in a suit came over and told Laurie something, and she excused herself and went toward the parking lot.
Suddenly we heard the screeching of brakes, and I saw one of the motor homes take off. When we didn't see either of you, Towne went looking for you and found Laurie's bouquet next to the empty parking spot. That's when Steve told us something had happened and that Laurie was unconscious.
The cops found the abandoned RV a couple of hours later in Escondido, so we thought the worst, that you had been taken across the border." A.J. looked away, then said, "Rick, Mom kept saying this couldn't have happened on your wedding day, that God wouldn't be so cruel to let something like this happen just when you two were starting out. Plus, Oscar's blaming himself, saying if he had gotten here earlier, this wouldn't have happened. He got a tip that Caparelli got released from prison early and he was worried Caparelli was coming after both Steve and Laurie."
Rick shook his head, "It's not his fault, that bastard had years to think this up. By the way, are the kids ok?"
"Rob and Robin have been wonderful, especially with Mom and me, trying to keep our spirits up."
His brother leaned over and hugged him, "If it wasn't for you not giving up, I don't think Laurie and I would have made it.
I was so worried about her, A.J., they took her away and slapped her around and terrorized her, but somehow she managed to hide a knife on her and that's how we managed to free ourselves and escape."
"She'll be all right, Rick, she's a very tough lady. I know, she ran me ragged when we were searching for you in Hawaii, even when they tried to convince us you were dead. I could hear her trying to get Rudy to look at you first, she told him they beat you up and then smashed you in the head in front of her."
Rick shook his head, "She tried not to break down when I saw her hand, A.J, but I saw the bruises on her face and her dress, I wanted to kill them for what they did to her." He looked down, "I want to remember how great our wedding was, and all I can think of is that nightmare we just went through."
His brother put an arm around him. "Rick, I don't know what to say, except you and Laurie did make it, and I think you found out how much you two can depend on each other."
Just then there was a knock on the door, and Rudy came in. "Rick, let me take a look at you, A.J., can you go sit with Laurie for a minute."
"Sure, Rudy; Rick, I'll be back", the younger Simon replied, giving his brother a smile. As soon as the door closed, Rudy started examining Rick's eyes, quietly asking him questions And probing a swollen area on the back of his head. Rick winced once or twice, but said little until the doctor had cleaned the broken skin and put a bandage on it.
Finally he couldn't contain himself, "Doc, is Laurie going to be ok, she's been through a lot,.." "Rick, calm down, she's all right." Rudy put a hand on his shoulder. "First off, you two are very lucky.
You got a pretty nasty blow to the head, but beyond some swelling, you just have a mild concussion. You have a bruised cheekbone, and I think you may have a cracked rib, but you'll be up and around in a couple of days.
Laurie had to have about 15 stitches in her hand and her right arm is sprained, but other than that, her physical injuries will heal in a few days.
She's also worried sick about you, Rick, I don't know what those people threatened to do, but I think the best medicine for Laurie is just have you be with her." "Which way is she, Doc," Rick swung his legs over the side of the bed, only to have Rudy make him wait until he went and got a wheelchair.
When Rick wheeled into Laurie's room, A.J. was making small talk with her as she lay huddled up on the gurney. He got up and said, "Hon, look who's here." then patted his brother's arm and left.
Laurie turned and sat up abruptly, "Rick, are you ok, ." she said, tears in her eyes. The next minute, he had her in his arms and she was sobbing against his shoulder. "My brave girl, I'm here, I'm never going to leave you." "I know, but you did promise me a good cry, " she hiccupped. She took a couple of shuddering breaths, and then said, "Don't mind me, I was terrified that Caparelli was going to kill you in front of me, he knew that's the one thing I couldn't bear."
He raised her face to his, and wiping her tears away, told her, "Sweetheart, he's never going to hurt you or me like that ever. You're safe now, darling. You've got me for better or for worse, remember?"
Laurie took his hand in hers, "I do. You know, I could say that over and over." She looked up at him and smiled, "I love you, Rick, I'm all right. I'm not going to let anything destroy the beautiful wedding we had." He kissed her, and then lifted her into his arms.
There was a knock on the door, interrupting their embrace. They both laughed. "No privacy, even in a hospital," Rick grumbled, only to brighten when his mother and Robin And Robert came in. Tears of joy spilled over as they took turns hugging and being kissed, until finally A.J. came in, saying, "The nurses want you all to keep it down, they say this is a place for sick people, you know!"
Wiping her eyes, Cecilia laughed and said, "As soon as Dr. Wells releases you, I want you two to go on your honeymoon, even if only for a couple of days."
"Yeah, Pop, Robin and I will be ok, if Grandma doesn't mind us being with her," Robert joined in, as Laurie tenderly brushed the hair out of his eyes. She looked at Rick, who grinned at her, then said, "Ok, but let's make it Vegas, shall we? I don't want to see any water except to drink it".
Amid the laughter, the floor nurse shooed their visitors out of the room, so Rudy could move them to a private room for the rest of the night. Before saying good night, he looked at the two of them and smiled. "I knew the best medicine was to put you together. It might be hard, but try to get some rest". Laurie gave him a hug, and he closed the door.
Rick took one look at the double beds, then moved them together. Hopping into bed, he pulled Laurie in his arms. "Now, where were we", he whispered. "Reminding me why I love you so much", she said, kissing him.
"Yeah, how could I forget?" he grinned, kissing her back. "Darling, after the for worse part, everything in our life's going to be for better".
By JTBWRITER 12/1/2003
Rick opened his eyes again; it wasn't a dream, same pain in his head, same faint light from above. An acrid, metallic smell in the air, dampness, some kind of cave or pit, like one of the old smelting sites off the coast.
He heard Laurie stir in back of him, and by turning in the ropes holding him to the post, he was able to get right next to her. In the dim light he saw her open her eyes, then try to focus. By rubbing his face against his shoulder, he was able to dislodge the rough gag in his mouth, and managed a whisper. "Laurie, honey, wake up".
She turned to look at him, her expression one of relief. "It's all right, sweetheart, Are you ok?" She nodded, trying to speak thru the gag in her mouth. He leaned his face against hers, and carefully managed to catch the material with his teeth. She stayed very still, so he was able to loosen the cloth and pull it off.
Letting out a gasp, she leaned against him, her voice breaking as she said, "Rick, I thought they killed you, they hit you so hard. Caparelli had that man put a cloth with chloroform over my face, he said if I resisted, he'd kill us both." "I'm ok, just a headache", he reassured her. "Now, who's this Caparelli, do you know why he did this?"
"Yes, he's a mobster who tried to kill Steve years ago during an assignment, and when I helped rescue him, Caparelli vowed he'd make my life hell. I didn't even know he was out of prison; I guess he decided to carry out his threat, only he went after both of us. I'm so sorry; I didn't think my past would come back to hurt us".
Rick moved his wrists next to hers, and squeezed her hand. "Darling, you have nothing to be sorry about. A.J. and I have made lots of
enemies in our work, too. Any one of them could come after us. Now, we just have to figure out how to get out of here."
She took a deep breath, then, "Rick, I can hear Steve. He's not too far. He wants to know if you have any idea where we are."
"Yes, I think we're just up the coast, some sort of cave area, maybe one of the old smelters, wait a minute, Laurie, do you still have your watch on?" Before she could reply, he tensed.
"Do you hear footsteps", Rick strained to listen, as he heard someone coming from above them.
He saw a light shining down, then a ladder slid in front of them.
A man in a suit came down, and aiming a gun at the two of them, calmly said, "Mr. Caparelli would like to see the bride, Simon. If either of you cause any trouble, he'll be the last person you see."
Whipping out a knife, he leaned over and cut the ropes holding Laurie to the post then lifted her up by her arm. Rick looked at her and whispered, "it will be all right, darling." She managed to smile at him, then was pulled away and forced up the ladder.
Once Laurie was gone, the ladder was hoisted up and the light disappeared, leaving Rick to try to struggle with the ropes binding him. As the minutes passed, his anxiety grew; what were they doing to her, why didn't he think of the homing transmitter in her watch before? As what little light faded in the pit, Rick's fear at what Caparelli was up to grew.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and attempting to propel himself up the post, managed to loosen the ropes around his arms. Suddenly he heard footsteps, and slid back down to the ground, just as the light came back down, and the ladder was lowered again.
He looked up in time to see Laurie lying over the shoulder of one of their captors, as he inched his way down the rungs. "What did you do to her, you jerks, Laurie, ."? The man plopped her down next to Rick, seemingly unconscious, and looking over at him, replied, "You'd better pray that they release Mr. Caparelli's brother, Simon, otherwise this is just the beginning." Looping a rope around her, he tightened it around the post, then climbed back up and pulled the ladder up.
As soon as the light disappeared, Rick moved around to his fiancée, and was relieved to see her open her eyes. "Laurie, are you all right, did he hurt you?" She nodded her head. "Oh, Rick," her voice shook, "we've got to get out of here, they're holding us to get Caparelli's brother out of prison, and if they don't have him out in 24 hours."
She broke off, wriggling her arm and sliding something out of her sleeve into her hand. "I was able to swipe this off a desk".
He looked down and saw a knife in her fingers, so he moved his wrists over. "Good work, sweetheart, try catching the rope with that." She managed to close one hand over the handle, then started sawing the bindings.
As soon as they started to fray, Rick took the knife from her and finished cutting through, then sliced through the rope on his ankles. As he put it down and rubbed his hands to restore the circulation, he noticed blood on the handle and on the ground. Glancing over at Laurie in the half light, he saw her look away. "Darling, where did they hurt you, let me see?" he demanded, and untying her wrists, cursed at a bloody x slashed across her right palm. Furiously ripping away the rope holding her upright, she slumped forward into his arms, shaking. Holding her, he saw the front of her dress torn down the center, and hatred boiled up within him.
"I'm sorry, honey, I wouldn't have let you go with them if I knew what they'd do", he whispered angrily, taking his handkerchief out and wrapping it around her wounded palm.
Calming down, she said "I'll be ok, when Caparelli wanted me to sign a letter begging the Government to free his brother, I wouldn't, so he slashed that x on my hand and forced it onto the paper. He ripped my dress and said he'd do worse to you if he didn't get what he wanted."
She clung to him as he untied her ankles. "Tell you what, you can have a good cry with me when we get out of here", he promised. She tried to smile and said "I'll hold you to that."
As he helped her to stand, he heard a soft beeping and realized it came from her watch.
"Thank God you wore that today," he said, as she held the timepiece up to her ear. Pushing and turning the stem at the same time, a crackling noise could be heard, so Laurie turned it down. "Too much interference, we must be surrounded by lead." She looked up, "Rick, how are we going to get the ladder, yell fire or I'm sick?"
He grinned at her, "Sick is better and more believable. Sit down and I'll be the decoy." She looped the rope around herself again and put her head down, as Rick started calling "Hey, someone up there, could we get some water, my wife's sick?"
After a couple of minutes, footsteps were heard, and a tired voice yelled, "What do you mean, sick?"
She's ready to throw up, hurry, we need some water?"
"All right, hold on", came the reply, and within a few minutes, the ladder slid down in front of them again. Rick waited until the man turned from the rungs, then grabbed him around the neck and hissed "Any noise and you're going to be the one dead. Which way is out?"
"Only one way in and out, the tunnel opening down this hall and turn left, please, don't leave me here," came the terrified plea. Laurie pulled the ropes off the post and tied up the guard. Rick had her go up the rungs of the ladder a little way up, then she signaled to Rick that the coast was clear.
Once they were out of the pit, Rick figured out that Caparelli's man was telling the truth about which way was out by the smell of the ocean, so they started toward the source of the cold air coming in.
All at once they heard voices coming from an adjacent corridor, and Rick started to pull Laurie into an alcove, Suddenly he stopped, seeing some old containers, marked "Danger, explosives" against the cavern wall.
"Honey, I think I know how to keep these goons from escaping. Get to the cave opening and wait for me."
She shook her head, pulling the guard's gun from her pocket. "We're in this together, Rick, I can help you with this, please?" He paused, then sighed and said, "All right, Laurie, help me with that container over there."
Between the two of them, they tipped over and rolled the container toward the light shining through the cave. Punching a hole in the side, Rick made a line from wall to wall, spilling some kind of powder out then leaned it against the wall.
Just then they heard yelling, and she whispered, "Steve says they're in a boat, on the way here, they picked up my signal. He says when we touch it off, to get out of here quick."
Rick grunted, "He won't get any argument from me, let's go!"
Backing away from the explosives, they rounded a corner, only to come face to face with a long drop to the ocean below. Rick pulled Laurie back, then spied some stairs off to one side. "There's a way down, does Steve have us in sight yet?"
She nodded, "He and Oscar and A.J. are in a speedboat, that might be them," pointing out a single boat captured in the moonlight, high beams on. Suddenly they could hear Caparelli screaming and footsteps coming their way.
Laurie handed Rick the gun, and he shot a round toward the cavern floor. They heard a ricochet, then "Boom".
As smoke started to billow out of the cave, Rick led Laurie down the rusting steps, only to find them rotted away about twelve feet above the ocean. She dropped Rick's hand so she could step out of the skirt portion of her once beautiful wedding gown. Looking out over the water, she told Rick, "I know this is a terrible time to say this, but I don't swim well, why don't you jump and then try to catch me." Grasping her hand, as explosions sounded off above them, he shook his head. "Laurie, I'm not leaving you; we jump together or not at all."
She gazed back at him and said, "I love you, always remember that." "I love you too, now count to three" Quickly she handed him one side of the skirt. "Hold on to this, it might help slow our descent."
Rick got the idea and counting to three, both of them jumped out and down, just as rocks started tumbling from above.
As they came down toward the water, Rick felt a gust catch their "parachute" and slow them down ever so slightly, giving the approaching boat enough time to come close to them.
Landing in the water, Laurie immediately started to sink below the surface, only to have Rick catch the back of her top and haul her upwards. The next moment they heard Steve calling, "Rick, over here", and the two of them paddled over to the waiting boat. Steve pulled Rick in first, then when he reached for Laurie, a wave slammed into her, knocking her back . Quickly Rick came to the other side of Steve and called out "Laurie, swim to the side." Paddling with the last of her strength, she managed to get within reach of the boat and Rick and Steve were both able to catch hold of her and pull her in.
Quickly, Oscar gunned the motor and they headed for a nearby landing, as Steve wrapped Laurie and Rick in blankets. A.J. hugged both of them and said "Thank God you guys are safe, we've been cruising up and down the coast for hours until we picked up Laurie's signal." Rick gathered her in his arms as he said, "Steve, did you get some kind of message from that Caparelli?" "Yes, he sent a demand for the release of his brother from prison," Steve replied, tersely. "I knew he was a monster, but when I saw the bottom of the note, " he stopped and reaching out, squeezed Laurie's shoulder. She managed to get her voice under control. "It's ok, Steve, I just hope we never have to deal with him again. He was planning to re-start his operation in San Diego, I heard him boasting to his father of how he had the perfect setup." Rick tensed. "Oscar, can you radio the police to have them pick up the pieces back there, I don't want any of that bunch to get away."
"All ready called them, Rick, you two did a nice job of stopping them, I can't see how anyone survived back there, but just in case I'm going to have a team go in with the police," he replied, steering the boat into a slip, where they saw Rudy Wells and a small group of people waiting.
As they docked, Steve helped lift the newlyweds out of the boat and onto gurneys for a brief ambulance ride to Mission Hospital.
Once they reached the emergency room, A.J. went to call Cecilia and the teens, while Rudy filled in the doctors on duty and made sure Rick and Laurie were in adjoining rooms.
Rick protested that he was fine, just a little sore, but A.J. would have none of it. "Rick, you haven't seen yourself in a mirror, but you have one heck of a shiner. Besides, if you don't let them check you out, Mom will kill me".
Rick groaned, "Not that, anything but that," he joked. His brother sat next to him as they waited for Rudy to finish examining Laurie. Rick was grateful for his company as A.J. filled him in on the aftermath of their disappearance. "When you didn't come back, I thought it was kind of funny, then some guy in a suit came over and told Laurie something, and she excused herself and went toward the parking lot.
Suddenly we heard the screeching of brakes, and I saw one of the motor homes take off. When we didn't see either of you, Towne went looking for you and found Laurie's bouquet next to the empty parking spot. That's when Steve told us something had happened and that Laurie was unconscious.
The cops found the abandoned RV a couple of hours later in Escondido, so we thought the worst, that you had been taken across the border." A.J. looked away, then said, "Rick, Mom kept saying this couldn't have happened on your wedding day, that God wouldn't be so cruel to let something like this happen just when you two were starting out. Plus, Oscar's blaming himself, saying if he had gotten here earlier, this wouldn't have happened. He got a tip that Caparelli got released from prison early and he was worried Caparelli was coming after both Steve and Laurie."
Rick shook his head, "It's not his fault, that bastard had years to think this up. By the way, are the kids ok?"
"Rob and Robin have been wonderful, especially with Mom and me, trying to keep our spirits up."
His brother leaned over and hugged him, "If it wasn't for you not giving up, I don't think Laurie and I would have made it.
I was so worried about her, A.J., they took her away and slapped her around and terrorized her, but somehow she managed to hide a knife on her and that's how we managed to free ourselves and escape."
"She'll be all right, Rick, she's a very tough lady. I know, she ran me ragged when we were searching for you in Hawaii, even when they tried to convince us you were dead. I could hear her trying to get Rudy to look at you first, she told him they beat you up and then smashed you in the head in front of her."
Rick shook his head, "She tried not to break down when I saw her hand, A.J, but I saw the bruises on her face and her dress, I wanted to kill them for what they did to her." He looked down, "I want to remember how great our wedding was, and all I can think of is that nightmare we just went through."
His brother put an arm around him. "Rick, I don't know what to say, except you and Laurie did make it, and I think you found out how much you two can depend on each other."
Just then there was a knock on the door, and Rudy came in. "Rick, let me take a look at you, A.J., can you go sit with Laurie for a minute."
"Sure, Rudy; Rick, I'll be back", the younger Simon replied, giving his brother a smile. As soon as the door closed, Rudy started examining Rick's eyes, quietly asking him questions And probing a swollen area on the back of his head. Rick winced once or twice, but said little until the doctor had cleaned the broken skin and put a bandage on it.
Finally he couldn't contain himself, "Doc, is Laurie going to be ok, she's been through a lot,.." "Rick, calm down, she's all right." Rudy put a hand on his shoulder. "First off, you two are very lucky.
You got a pretty nasty blow to the head, but beyond some swelling, you just have a mild concussion. You have a bruised cheekbone, and I think you may have a cracked rib, but you'll be up and around in a couple of days.
Laurie had to have about 15 stitches in her hand and her right arm is sprained, but other than that, her physical injuries will heal in a few days.
She's also worried sick about you, Rick, I don't know what those people threatened to do, but I think the best medicine for Laurie is just have you be with her." "Which way is she, Doc," Rick swung his legs over the side of the bed, only to have Rudy make him wait until he went and got a wheelchair.
When Rick wheeled into Laurie's room, A.J. was making small talk with her as she lay huddled up on the gurney. He got up and said, "Hon, look who's here." then patted his brother's arm and left.
Laurie turned and sat up abruptly, "Rick, are you ok, ." she said, tears in her eyes. The next minute, he had her in his arms and she was sobbing against his shoulder. "My brave girl, I'm here, I'm never going to leave you." "I know, but you did promise me a good cry, " she hiccupped. She took a couple of shuddering breaths, and then said, "Don't mind me, I was terrified that Caparelli was going to kill you in front of me, he knew that's the one thing I couldn't bear."
He raised her face to his, and wiping her tears away, told her, "Sweetheart, he's never going to hurt you or me like that ever. You're safe now, darling. You've got me for better or for worse, remember?"
Laurie took his hand in hers, "I do. You know, I could say that over and over." She looked up at him and smiled, "I love you, Rick, I'm all right. I'm not going to let anything destroy the beautiful wedding we had." He kissed her, and then lifted her into his arms.
There was a knock on the door, interrupting their embrace. They both laughed. "No privacy, even in a hospital," Rick grumbled, only to brighten when his mother and Robin And Robert came in. Tears of joy spilled over as they took turns hugging and being kissed, until finally A.J. came in, saying, "The nurses want you all to keep it down, they say this is a place for sick people, you know!"
Wiping her eyes, Cecilia laughed and said, "As soon as Dr. Wells releases you, I want you two to go on your honeymoon, even if only for a couple of days."
"Yeah, Pop, Robin and I will be ok, if Grandma doesn't mind us being with her," Robert joined in, as Laurie tenderly brushed the hair out of his eyes. She looked at Rick, who grinned at her, then said, "Ok, but let's make it Vegas, shall we? I don't want to see any water except to drink it".
Amid the laughter, the floor nurse shooed their visitors out of the room, so Rudy could move them to a private room for the rest of the night. Before saying good night, he looked at the two of them and smiled. "I knew the best medicine was to put you together. It might be hard, but try to get some rest". Laurie gave him a hug, and he closed the door.
Rick took one look at the double beds, then moved them together. Hopping into bed, he pulled Laurie in his arms. "Now, where were we", he whispered. "Reminding me why I love you so much", she said, kissing him.
"Yeah, how could I forget?" he grinned, kissing her back. "Darling, after the for worse part, everything in our life's going to be for better".
By JTBWRITER 12/1/2003