CHAPTER 8
"VCTF control center," said George, as he absentmindedly picked up the phone next to his computer.
"Hi," said John, and George nearly dropped the receiver.
"Shit, where are you?" he said urgently. "Bailey is going mad trying to find you. What the hell happened?"
"I don't know where I am, can you trace this number?" replied John. "Where is Bailey – can I talk to him?"
"He's still in Miami," said George, fingers flying, sending the trace. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine," replied John. "I was kidnapped, they thought I was…"
"Christian Troy," said George quickly, "Yes, we met him."
"Oh," said John, "The rumor is that he looks a little like me. I'm looking forward to meeting him myself. I have his partner here, and a couple of drug runners. I need you to send the local guys out to pick them up."
"I'll get straight on to them," said George, "And Bailey and Rachel as well."
"Rachel still here too?" asked John, in a very disinterested tone. "I didn't think she'd want to stay around."
"Oh please," said George, "I wish you two would resolve all that sexual tension. It's giving me a headache."
John laughed as he hung up. Sean came out of the room, where he had been examining Miguel's wounds, and shook his head.
"You certainly hit him hard enough," he said. "He's not feeling too good, you broke his arm in two places, as well as several ribs."
"I didn't kill him?" asked John, almost disappointed. "Shit, never mind –he's the one who wanted to play rough. And he got in a few good punches too," he said, as he absentmindedly wiped his hand across his forehead, at the trickle of dried blood that was there.
"Come back in here," said Sean, "Let me look at your injuries. At least let me clean that up," indicating John's head wound.
"O.K.," said John, sitting down where Sean pointed, and watching Sean gather equipment. "We should be expecting the police to rock up fairly soon."
He screwed up his face a little as Sean dabbed antiseptic on the graze on his head, and then obligingly removed his tattered shirt, so Sean could feel his ribs.
"Could be cracked," said Sean, as John winced noticeably when he touched his side. "Could be broken. Can you breath all right?"
"Yes," said John, "It hurts, but not that much. The guy has a punch like a mule's kick."
He grinned up at Sean and added "Not that I've ever been kicked by a mule, of course,"
Sean grinned back at him, as they heard sirens in the distance wailing their way closer and louder.
"About time too," said John as the sirens stopped outside, then armed police were rushing into the house, followed by Bailey and then Rachel, both running.
"Are you alright?" demanded Bailey, rushing up and restraining himself from yelling at John out of relief. Rachel hesitated for a moment; then put her hand on his arm, looking intently at him as if she were seeing him for the first time, needing to touch him to make sure he was real.
John looked down at her; then smiled widely, putting one arm around her, and giving her the slightest of hugs.
"It's about time you lot showed up," he said teasingly. "I got sick of waiting for you, and had to rescue myself. And Sean – this is Sean by the way, Sean this is my boss, Bailey Malone, and a good friend, Agent Rachel Burke."
"Doctor McNamara?" queried Bailey, and put out his hand, shaking Sean's warmly.
"I am glad to meet you at last. Is John badly injured?" It was obviously his first concern, and Sean shook his head.
"An X-ray will determine whether those ribs are cracked or broken. Apart from that and a few bruises, he seems o.k. to me," said Sean.
"I'm fine Bailey, honestly. And what's more, the guys that kidnapped us are all asleep on the floor in there. There is also a young girl asleep, she has implants filled with heroin, but you might like to tell the guys to be gentle with her."
While John shrugged himself into the remains of his shirt, the senior detective began asking questions, and after listening John give a brief explanation of what had happened, he informed both John and Sean that they would be required at the Police Station for questioning the next day, and allowed them to leave.
They dropped Sean off at his house, and continued on back to the motel, where Bailey allowed John to shower, shave and change into clean clothes, before dropping him off at the local hospital for X-rays, totally ignoring his protests, and continuing on to the Police station to facilitate the reports.
Rachel went with John, laughing at his expression of horror, when the emergency doctor insisted on doing a thorough examination, but he was pleased when the X-rays cleared him of having any breaks although the bruising on his side was most impressive.
"I guess you don't want to go to that restaurant for dinner again," Rachel suggested, when they were back in the room that John was going to share with Bailey. John threw a pillow at her, and loftily informed her that he was supposed to rest, and she could go and buy take-out Chinese for him, while he reclined at his ease on the bed, and watched television.
When Bailey returned, they were sitting on the balcony, eating Chinese food from the local shop, and arguing over which of them supported the superior football team, Rachel arguing for her beloved Buffalo Bills, and John staunch in his support of the Atlanta Falcons, as if the horror of the previous 36 hours hadn't happened. He watched them for a moment, thankful that John had managed to get himself and Sean McNamara out of a really nasty situation, before joining in with the discussion.
The next morning, after a decent sleep, John was up early and in the shower. He stood before the mirror, and looked at the deep bruises on his side, which had somehow become even more colorful this morning, and wondered how the other men were feeling.
It was on the way to the Police station, that John's curiosity finally overcame him, and he turned around to look at Rachel, sitting in the back of the car.
"So, does this other doctor really look like me?' he asked, watching her expression. She smiled a little and looked back at him for a while, studying his face, before answering.
"Oh, a little," she replied. "But he is so much better looking than you. I really don't know how you two could be mistaken for one another."
Bailey laughed. "Well if he accompanies his partner this morning, you may get to meet him. That should be interesting."
"Better looking?" asked John, slightly disgruntled. "Sean said he looked exactly like me, but older!" The 'so there' was implied, but not spoken.
Rachel, still smiling glanced up to meet Bailey's eyes in the rear vision mirror.
"Oh yes he is a little older, and so much more sophisticated," she said dreamily. "And of course, a rich surgeon, exquisitely dressed, he has a lot going for him. No wonder he has a string of women competing for his attention." And she gave a longing sigh.
John snorted in disgust, and dropped the subject.
He spent an hour talking to two Miami detectives, and giving a statement, while Bailey made arrangements for the VCTF jet to prepare for the homeward journey, and Rachel sat in the break room talking to Stacey Loxton about John's accidental breaking of one drug ring that had troubled the Miami police for a long time.
She was on her second cup of coffee when John tracked her down. He smiled at Stacey, sitting opposite, and flopped into the spare chair, sighing with relief.
Rachel introduced the young detective to John, and smiled when she saw the shocked recognition in Stacey's eyes. She congratulated him on the arrests, and he shrugged his shoulders and flashed his most attractive grin at her.
Rachel watched her melt with an amused expression, she was getting used to watching women react that way to one of John's smiles.
"Well, that's it then," he said, "We can go as soon as the plane is ready. I would like to catch up with Sean though, I'll ask Bailey if we can stop by his clinic on the way to the airport."
"Sean McNamara is here at the moment," said Stacey. "He should be just about finished giving his statement. His partner is with him. I must say, that you do look very much like Doctor Troy. Its amazing really."
John flashed a look of triumph at Rachel, and then saw Sean emerge from somewhere down the corridor, followed by an extremely smartly dressed version of…. himself!
A/N - Many thanks to you wonderful people who bothered to review. It means so much to me. I will post the final chapter of this story tomorrow.