Two days later, Pam and Ralph entered the Hinkley home. Pam helped Ralph sit down on the couch careful not to jostle his injured shoulder. The blonde-haired man hissed slightly in pain but tried not to show it on his face. "I'm sorry hun," said Pam. "I'll get you an extra pillow for your back."
"Thanks Pam," said Ralph. "Like the flowers. You get them?"
"No, but I read the card, and they're from your class sending their best. I think it's rather sweet," said Pam.
"Yeah it is, but I think I need to give them a lesson in horticulture. You don't give someone calla lilies as a get well soon arrangement," Ralph chuckled.
Pam gave him a slight odd look but after figuring out the correlation, started laughing. "I see your point. Listen, I brought you something."
"Oh yeah, what," said Ralph, thinking it'd be Pam's clam chowder, one of his favorite foods. He was so sick of hospital food that he didn't even want to be anywhere near chicken soup and Jell-O. Instead, it was something soft, red, black and grey.
"The jammies," groaned Ralph. "Pam, I can't go flying anytime soon with my shoulder in a sling, not to mention the ribs."
"I know hun, but the suit might help knit your bones together. After all, for all we know the green guys might have put first aid capabilities in it, and that might include healing bones and joints. At least put on the top."
Ralph just sat there and stared at the suit. "You know, if I had them on to begin with, I wouldn't be in this mess, but you're right. OK, but give me a hand here."
Pam put the jammies next the couch and sat next to him. She gently lifted the sling from around Ralph's neck and helped unbutton his shirt. Ralph gingerly shrugged out of the shirt and placed it to the side.
As Pam helped him put the tunic on, Ralph noticed a slight change in the suit, but couldn't quite place it. After he slipped it over his head, Pam helped put the sling back on. They sat and waited, hoping the suit would give Ralph a healing hand of its own.
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Bill entered his office for the first time in two days with a look of determination. He wanted to start work on the Alexandrite case so he could catch the guys who put Ralph in the hospital. There was some reason why they targeted the two of them, and he wanted to know why.
As he was getting a cup of coffee, Carlisle entered his office. "Maxwell, good to have you back," he said with a slight smirk on his face. "You seem to be in top health today."
"Fit as a fiddle. You're in a good mood today sir," Bill said smiling. "What's going on?"
"I'm going on vacation tomorrow, Billy boy, and you're going to work on this case," he said handing Bill a file.
Bill read the contents and his smile faded. "A case on a missing purebreed dog? Come on Carlisle, I want to work on the Alexandrite case."
"Sorry, Billy, but you are going to do this one. The Alexandrite case was assigned yesterday while you were gone," said Carlisle, his smirk broadening into a grin. "You get this one, and I'm sure someone with your excellent record will be able to figure out the case in a day. Have fun."
Bill scowled behind Carlisle's retreating form, and disobeying orders, picked up his phone and dialed the number to the prison. "Hello, this is Bill Maxwell, FBI, listen I wanted to get an update on one of your prisoners, a Sam Alexandrite. I'm helping with the investigation and ... I see. When did this happen ... All right, I'll notify my colleagues on the situation. Goodbye."
The FBI agent placed the phone back in its cradle and rubbed his eyes. 'How could this happen,' he thought. 'Those guards were supposed to protect Alexandrite from the others. Now, I find out our one lead on who the leader of the ring is and who caused the car wreck was killed in prison. I wonder if the kid can help?'
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As Pam and Ralph sat in the living room, Ralph noticed a drop in the room temperature and shivered. "Pam, did you turn on the air conditioner?"
"No hun, but Bill might've" she said standing up to go check the AC. "Is the suit doing anything?"
Ralph shook his head. "I don't know, but something feels real weird, it's almost like winter in here," he said as he got up to help. He took about three steps before he suddenly felt real lightheaded and the room began to grow dark.
Pam, noticing Ralph pale and start to crumple, ran back over and helped him sit on the floor. "Lie down Ralph, I'll get a box," she said. Once Ralph was lying down, Pam picked up his feet and placed them on the box. She then covered him with a blanket. "How are you feeling Ralph?"
"It's still freezing, Pam," he said, teeth chattering, His lips were also starting to turn blue, concerning Pam. "My shoulder and ribs are starting to throb from it, and the room is still spinning."
"But you've got a down blanket on you," said Pam thinking, "unless..." She helped Ralph take off the tunic and replaced the sling. Ralph noticed that almost as quickly as it started, the room warmed up and the vertigo stopped.
Surprised, Ralph tried to sit up, only to have Pam put a hand on his good shoulder. "Ralph, don't get up," she said, "You came very close to passing out."
"Pamela, I feel fine," said Ralph. When Pam gave him a questioning look, he continued, "Seriously, I'm not cold or dizzy anymore but..."
"But what, Ralph?"
"My shoulder still hurts if I move it too much and my ribs feel like someone's playing the xylophone on them with a hammer," he said sadly. "It didn't work."
Pam noted the discouragement. "You sure hun? Maybe the cold feeling was it's way of trying to heal you."
"I don't think so," said Ralph, sitting up. "It also felt as though the painkillers I took an hour ago were triple strength. For some reason, I don't think the suit wants me to wear it right now."
Pam picked up the suit and put it in her arms. "You know, I think you might be right. When you said you felt dizzy, that might've been from the suit reacting to the painkillers. It could have doubled the effects, sorta like mixing two medicines together you shouldn't have. Why don't we try a little later after the painkiller has worn off?"
"We can try, but I still think it's telling me to stay away for a while until I can heal at least a little more," he said. "Right now, the suit might as well be yours for the time being for all it's worth."
No sooner did he say that did the jammies start to glow faintly. A moment later, Pam was wearing the suit. Though it was still in the same two-piece style as when Ralph wore it, the jammies fit her like a glove.
Pam kneeled by Ralph dumbfounded. "What's going on?" she said.
"I don't know Pam, but you're wearing the suit. Question is, will its powers work?"
"Well, why don't I do something simple, like pick up the refrigerator," she said with a bit of skepticism. She also caught herself hoping it was just the suit's form of a joke.
"No, too risky, it could fall on you," said Ralph, remembering his first, though different, experience in the jammies. "Why don't you try carrying me?"
"If your sure hun..."
Ralph nodded and put his good arm around Pam's neck. "Yeah, that way if the suit doesn't work, I can get out of the way before you get hurt."
Pam, still doubting, in turn put an arm each under Ralph's shoulders and knees and lifted. Ralph felt light as feather in her arms as she carried him to the couch. As she placed him gently on the couch, the two looked at each other. "Oh no," they said simultaneously.