Chapter Four
Sonny is sitting on the railing of his boat and smoking, waiting for 11:00 to roll around. He starts to think about Gina when the phone rings. He goes down into the cabin and picks it up. "Sonny," he says.
"S…Sonny? I…It's Gina."
"Gina? What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asks.
"I…It's Trudy. She…She's been shot. We're both at the hospital. Rico is on his way. Sonny, I don't think she's going to make it."
"I'm on my way, just calm down."
"Hurry Sonny, hurry."
Sonny hangs up the phone and puts his shoes on. He gets in his car and goes racing down the pier to the hospital. He runs every red light he comes to. When he gets to the hospital he sees Rico's car and rushes inside. When he reaches the Emergency Ward he asks a nurse where the two injured detectives were. She tells him and he goes off in that direction. When he gets there he sees Rico holding Gina, trying to comfort her. Rico jerks when he sees Sonny. Gina turns to see Sonny with a relieved, but yet still scared look on his face. Gina rushes up to him and hugs him. He nearly falls back with the impact. She pulls back to tell him what happened, but he spoke first.
"You're hurt?" he asks.
"Huh? Oh that. He tried to shoot me in the head, but I ducked in time. He just grazed my forehead, but it was enough to knock me unconscious. Sonny, I didn't think we would get hurt and now Trudy…" she says as she starts to cry.
"Shh. It's all right. I'm sure she's going to be okay. Did the doctor say if you need to stay in the hospital tonight or not?" he asks.
"No he said I can go home, but I don't want to," she says.
"Well I want you to come back to the boat with me. Me and Rico have a meeting tonight, but I'll get someone to stay with you and someone to stay with Trudy. I promise everyone is going to be okay," he says as she cries into his shoulder.
She stops crying and says "You were right about someone getting hurt."
"I was hoping I wasn't. That it was just nerves, but I guess I was wrong," he answers with a nervous look on his face.
Gina and Sonny go and sit on the couch next to Rico and wait for the doctor. Gina lies in Sonny's lap as he begins to think of what might happen to him and Rico at their meet. Half and hour later, Rico is pacing the room and Gina is asleep in Sonny's lap. Sonny asks "Would you quit before you wake her up?"
"How can she sleep when her partner is in there, probably on her death bed?" asks Rico in return.
"Don't say that! Trudy would probably do the same thing if we were out here and Gina was in there. She's exhausted. And after seeing her partner and friend shot she deserves a little break. So cut her some slack or do I have to hit you first?" asks Sonny as Gina rolls over.
"Okay man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so insensitive or anything like that. And I would probably do the same thing if it were you in there. And you would do the same thing right?" asks Rico.
"I would. And I don't think we're done for tonight either. I think something is going to happen tonight," says Sonny with an anxious look on his face.
"This time I'm not going to doubt you. I believe you," says Rico with the same look.
"But I still hope I'm wrong."
A few minutes later, a door opens and out steps the doctor. Rico turns around instantly and Sonny wakes Gina. The doctor asks Rico to sit down and he grabs a chair for himself.
"How is she Doctor?" asks Gina.
"She just got out of surgery and she's going to make it. The bullet entered her shoulder and then it bounced around to her lung. That's where it stopped. She's going to be on a respirator for the next few hours or until she cal breathe on her own, but she's going to be fine," says the doctor as the three detectives let out a sigh of relief.
"Can we see her?" asks Rico very anxiously.
"No, I'm sorry. Right now she needs her rest, but if you come back in the morning you may. By then she should be off the respirator," answers the doctor.
"Okay, thank you very much," says Gina as the doctor goes to check on Trudy.
As they start to feel more relaxed Switek and Zito show up.
"How is she?" asks Switek.
"She'll be fine. Hey guys, you want to do a favor for me, please?" asks Sonny.
"Sure. What is it?" asks Zito.
"I want one of you to stay here with Trudy and the other to stay with Gina on my boat. I'm just asking this because I don't want either one of them without someone watching them. And me and Tubbs have a meeting in about two and a half hours," Sonny says.
"Okay, we're in. Zito will go with you to your boat and I'll stay here," says Switek.
"Thanks guys. I owe you big time. Come on you three."
Sonny, Zito, Gina, and Rico all head off for Sonny's boat. They get on board the boat and Sonny takes Gina down into the cabin. She's still a little wobbly so Sonny picks her up and lays her on the bed. He covers her up and says she can sleep there for the night.
"Don't leave, please. I think something is going to happen. And I don't want you to get hurt. Promise me you won't go," says Gina.
"You know I can't do that. I have to go. I promise I'll come back in one piece," he says.
"That's all I ask," she says, smiling.
Sonny sits there until she falls asleep. Before he gets up to go above deck he bends down and kisses Gina on the cheek. He heads up onto the deck and sees Rico and Zito talking. He goes to the opposite end of the boat and stares off into the black water. He knows something is going to happen tonight, but what? He just can't seem to figure out what. He listens to the roll of the waves against the hull of the boat and the murmur of Rico and Zito talking and falls asleep.
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Sonny turns around to the voice of a six-year-old. His son runs up to him. He opens his arms to catch his son in a hug, but his son just runs straight through him. He turns around and calls out to his son. But the boy can't hear him. He starts yelling at everyone to see if they can hear him, but no one even sees him. He starts to panic. Frantically searching for someone, anything. But it's no use. He hears a rustling noise and looks down to see a squirrel eating nuts in the palm of his hand. He lifts his hand up and the squirrel is still sitting on the ground, eating the nuts. He trembles with the fear of being dead and being a ghost. All of a sudden he hears a voice call his name.
"Sonny. Hey Sonny. It's time to get up," says Rico as he nudges Sonny.
Sonny wakes up to see Rico standing over him. Rico sees that Sonny is covered in sweat and asks him what is wrong. Sonny answers "I had a nightmare. I was dead."
Rico says "Sorry man. But we have to go or we're going to be late to our meeting."
"Okay, I'll meet you at the car. I have to go do something real quick," says Sonny.
As Rico starts to head for the car Sonny goes to the cabin door and peaks inside. "Goodbye Gina," says Sonny with a look of fear and dread on his face. He says goodbye to Zito as he runs for the car.