Chapter 2
Steve lay quietly as nurses worked to hook him up to an IV and gently settled him into the bed. He was freshly bathed and sporting a nice clean hospital gown. One of the nurses looked at him rather sadly as she remembered the chewing out he got down in the ER.
"It's ok, don't worry about it. I've been chewed out before. It's a safe bet it won't be the last time either." Steve smiled at her so that she wouldn't feel so bad about the lecture he had gotten.
Steve knew that he probably deserved the dressing down that his dad and Jesse had given him but he felt they had been a little harsh. If they had just listened to him he could have explained everything and they would have seen that he was well in control of the whole situation. Well, mostly in control.
He hadn't meant to get into all this trouble. When he got up this morning he had felt fine. Maybe a little stiff but other than that he was sure he could handle going into the precinct for just a short while. All he had planed to do was work on his files until lunch. Then he was going straight back to Malibu and rest until his dad and Jesse got home. This whole thing really wasn't his fault.
On his way into the precinct he decided to stop off at the little place across the street from the beach house and pick up a few donuts and a cup of coffee to take with him. While he was getting his drink he noticed two boys gradually making their way up to the counter. He sighed as he watched them approaching the clerk. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck starting to stand on end. He had seen that look so many times before. They were going to try and hold up the store for whatever cash might be in the register. Knowing that he probably wouldn't be up to chasing down the kids if he called them on it, he tried to come up with a plan to diffuse the whole sordid mess before it even got started.
All of a sudden one of the boys pulled out a gun and started waving it in the air trying to frighten the store clerk and the other customers into cooperating with his demands. So much for coming up with a plan. Steve pulled his own gun and aimed it at the youth and ordered him to drop his weapon. Just then the kid swung the gun in Steve's direction and fired off a shot just barely missing his head. The kid then bolted to the door dragging his partner, who seemed to have become frozen to the spot he was standing on as soon as the fracas began, with him. Steve felt that he had no choice but to give chase and, as he ran after the two, he yelled at the clerk to call 911 and tell them that an officer needs back up.
Steve ran as best he could with two bruised ribs and about 20 stitches in his side. He followed his prey into a deserted side street slowing down trying to catch his breath and a glimpse of the youths. As he cautiously made his way down one side of the street he listened for any sound that would give him a clue where the two were hiding. He came near a large puddle that seemed to be more than stagnant water. Just as he was about to step over it he was hit from behind and knocked to the ground. Unable to stop his decent he found himself wallowing in the foul pool as one of the boys jumped on him trying to hit him.
Steve had managed to avoid any blows to the head when suddenly his entire world exploded into a searing white pain that seemed to envelop his whole body. It seemed that an army of legs were kicking him over and over. He tried to curl up into a ball in order to protect his mid section but every time he did he would be kicked in the back. Unable to catch his breath he was unable to fend off the assault that reigned down on his right side.
Just as fast as the attack began it ended and suddenly Steve found himself alone lying in the mess unable to move to a more desirable part of the pavement. In the distance he could hear the distinct wail of sirens as they approached the side street in which he lay. He did his best to hang on to consciousness even though the effort was almost more than he could handle.
Soon he saw the faces of some uniformed officer's looming over him. He tried to report about the two boys that he had chased but was unable to communicate through the pain that seemed to be increasing with each breath. He heard one of the officers' call for an ambulance and then he couldn't be sure but he thought one of them said something about how his dad was going to kill him before he lost his battle to remain awake. When he next opened his eyes it was inside the ambulance and they had just pulled into the ER bay at Community General.
Now as he lay in his hospital bed, Steve had time to think about the choices he had made and wished that he had waited at least one more day before venturing out to the station. Maybe he should just give up donuts. After all that's why he stopped into the store to begin with.