Chapter 4

Laurie stared in terror at the needle in Riener's hand, then heard Rick yell "Drop it and get away from her!" The maniac turned to face Rick, then smirking, said "No, you drop it or she gets a needle in her heart." Instantly she heard gunfire explode and watched Reiner fall backwards. Dazed, she saw Rick coming toward her and kneeling down, he lifted her in his arms. Pulling the tape off her mouth as gently as possible, he held her saying "It's all right, Laurie, you're safe." as she gasped for breath, then untied her wrists and ankles. "Rick, you came, I knew you would." she told him tearfully. Comforting her, he kissed her wet cheeks, then asked "Where'd he hurt you, sweetheart?"

"The back of my head, darling. I think he hit me from behind when I was trying to free Robbie!" she told him. "I'm all right, just dizzy." she tried to smile at her husband.

Scooping her up in his arms, Rick headed toward the exit only to find the way barred by a disheveled Bobby Johnson. "Get out of my way, you bastard!" Rick yelled at him then froze as the criminal pulled a gun.

"Who's going to make me, huh, Simon? Now put her down, nice and slow." The weasel-faced stooge grinned, not knowing Oscar had just appeared behind him.

Rick set Laurie on her feet, still keeping his arm around her. Laurie kept her eyes directly on Johnson, not wanting to warn him.

Suddenly Oscar moved forward and cocked his weapon. "Give me a reason to shoot you!", he grated at the would-be killer.

Laurie sagged against Rick as Johnson surrendered. Beckoning to Captain Ron., Oscar had him take Johnson away, then he holstered his gun and hurried to his niece as A.J. followed close behind. "Thanks, Oscar." was all Rick could say, as the older man patted his shoulder.

"Laurie, honey." her uncle's voice cracked as he hugged her then saw the matted blood on her hair. "Damn, what did that monster do to you, baby?"

"I'm okay, Oscar, Reiner hit me when he found me with Robin and Robbie. That's how he grabbed me, I was dazed and he carried me out of there before I could stop him." she told him, wincing as Rick made a makeshift bandage and put it on the back of her head. A.J. hugged her, "We'll get you to the hospital, honey. Good thing you have a hard head!" She grinned at him, "little brother, no harder then my Rick's!", reaching up and kissing her husband's cheek.

"Well, hard heads do run in the Simon family!", he teased her back as he kissed her. Taking Rick's keys, A.J. promised to meet them at the hospital as Rick picked her up. Oscar led the way as he carried her to an ambulance outside the hanger, where Rudy Wells was waiting. The doctor sighed with relief as Rick laid her down on a gurney inside, "Thank God you're safe, honey, you had us worried there!"

"I knew Rick would come for me, I was just terrified that Reiner would use me to hurt him. He was so crazy, Rudy, he was going to hook me on heroin so I would go to our high school reunion with him!" Laurie told him, trembling as she remembered her abductor's words. Rick squeezed her hand, "Sweetheart, I'd never let that happen, ever! He's gone, he'll never bully anyone again!"

"I know, thanks to you guys, where's Oscar?" Laurie worried, then smiled as her uncle got in and closed the door. "Right here, my girl. I was just making sure Johnson'll be locked up for a long time!"

Speeding to the hospital, Rudy checked the bump on Laurie's head and the other bruises and cuts inflicted by Reiner. "Are you still dizzy, honey, Rick said you were when he picked you up." "Not now, my head just hurts." she replied, then Rick leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Let me kiss it and make it better.", he whispered lovingly. "Oh, you can do that all over if you like, Dr. Simon." she giggled. Rudy looked at Oscar, who just grinned.

"Save it for the hospital, you two! Besides, they might just bend the rules for you and let you share a room with Robbie and Robin!"

Arriving at the hospital, Laurie was whisked into a treatment room after making
sure Robbie and Robin had been taken care of. Rick found his children resting
in one of the family rooms, as soon as his daughter caught sight of him, she
rushed into his arms. "Pop, Uncle A.J. said Mom was hurt, is she all right?"

"She's fine, Robin, just a bump on the head. Your mom wouldn't even let me
go with her because I'm supposed to check on you two. How do you feel?" he
asked, seeing a bandage on her wrist.

"She's ok, Pop!", Robbie spoke up from his hospital bed. "Tell Pop how you
hurt your wrist!" Sticking her tongue out at her brother, she managed a smile.

"I hit that jerk when he grabbed me, I remembered how Mom threw this guy
once, only I tripped! He laughed at me, Pop, I tried to kick him too when he
threw Rob in the cooler, only he said he'd turn off the air if we made a sound."

Robbie grabbed her good hand in his as he looked at his father. "She's a fighter
like Mom, only I have to show her the right way to do it, Pop!"

Upset, Rick hugged his son, "I never thought I'd have to worry about my children having to defend themselves like this, Robbie! I should have warned you both about this creep, but you'll never have to worry about him again!"

"It's ok, Pop, you didn't know he was so crazy! He kept ranting about showing his father which son was the real one and what, well, .." Robbie looked away for a minute, until he got control of his voice.

"It's all right, son, was it what he wanted to do to your mom?", Rick asked. His son nodded.
"I know, he was obsessed with her, son. Wait a minute, what did he say about which son was the real one?" Rick frowned, puzzled. "He was tying me up and saying he'd show the old man which one was his "real son". I tried to tell him to leave Mom alone but that's when he hit me, then shut the door."

Robbie saw his father's expression. "What is it, Pop, are you thinking that other guy might be Reiner's son too?"

"Yes, Robbie, you caught it! I'd better let Captain Ron know that Bobby Johnson is really Reiner's son, that would explain a lot!" Rick stood up. "You guys rest now, I 'll be right back!"

Tearing out of the room, Rick ran to the lobby, where he found his brother and Oscar. Filling them in, Rick asked Oscar if Johnson had been already booked. "Yes, he kept yelling that his father would handle it, only he asked for Reiner, Sr. I turned him over to Captain Ron, he said he'd make sure he couldn't make bail!"

Relieved, Rick told them he was going to find Laurie. "I've got the feeling this isn't over yet, I don't know why, but something's not right here."

Going to the treatment room where Rudy had taken her, he found that she was up in x-ray, then suddenly felt her warning him, that he was in danger. Rushing upstairs, he was on his way to the x-ray department when he heard his name called. Turning, he saw the door to the emergency stairs ajar, then his wife's jacket on the floor. Alarmed, he picked it up then went into the stairwell, only for the door to shut behind him. "Don't move, Mr. Simon, or I'll have to kill you and use your wife instead!" a familiar voice warned. Raising his hands, he felt a gun in his back. "Mr. Reiner, you know you can't get out of here with me, Laurie'll have sounded the alarm by now!" he replied, trying to buy time while he "told" his wife to get A.J. and Oscar to the emergency stairs.

"Nice try, but I just locked her in a closet, she'll not be found for at least a half hour if that!" Reiner smugly explained, searching Rick's pockets and taking his gun. Forcing Rick against the wall, the old man tied his wrists together, then forced him to precede him down the stairs. Rick "heard" Laurie tell him that she was all right, that Oscar had picked up her transmission and that he and A.J. were coming up the stairs and she would let him know when they were in position. Stalling for time, Rick halted on the next flight then faced Reiner. "We know Bobby Johnson's your son, the police'll never trade for him even to spare my life!"

"Oh, I think with the help of your wife, we'll work something out. If not, I'll kill you and every member of your family until I get my son out of jail!" the old man snarled in a sudden rage.

Just then Rick heard from Laurie, "A.J.'s in the next stairwell, and Oscar's going to be right behind you!" As she relayed the message to him, Rick faked a stumble, then pausing on the next flight, dropped to the steps. "Get up or I'll shoot you, no!" Reiner yelled, as A.J. came out of the shadows and knocked him down with a one-two punch.

Before he could get up, the old man froze as Oscar came down the steps just above them, then ordered Reiner to drop the gun. As A.J. helped his brother up, Rick hurriedly had him untie his wrists, then said "Nice work, A.J., did anyone get Laurie out yet?"

"No, Rick, we don't know where he stashed her, she was too busy trying to make sure we got to you!" Oscar answered for him. Immediately Rick bolted up the steps, yelling for A.J. to get Captain Ron to take the senior Reiner. Coming back onto the floor where he'd entered, he called on his transmitter to his wife, "Sweetheart, I'm coming, where are you?"

"In the storage closet next to the X-ray room, my transmitter barely works in here!" Laurie told him through her watch, her voice barely inaudible. Finding the unmarked room, Rick saw the lock was turned and a chair pushed under the knob. Opening the door, he found his wife on the floor, her wrists taped to a support pole.

Shaking, she collapsed against him as he freed her bound wrists, then held her against him.
"Sweetheart, did he hurt you?", he asked, as he stroked her face.

"No, just frightened me, darling. It happened so fast, I was waiting for the technician to come back when he came up behind me and put a gun to my head. He said if I made any noise he'd kill the first person that came in. He jerked me out of the wheelchair then taped my wrists and dragged me into the closet. Oh, Rick, he was going to kill you unless the police traded you for Bobby Johnson; he's his son, too!" she told him, calming down. "Robbie told me, you know you saved me, my brave girl!" her husband kissed her, then lifting her into his arms, told her, "None of these nutcases are going to hurt you again, I'm not leaving your side until we get home."

Putting her arms around his neck, she answered him with a kiss, saying "This is one promise I'm going enjoy helping you keep!"