Tangled Web
Chapter 6Frankie froze. Was it ...No, it couldn't be….she was dead….
Ellen turned and ran down the hall. Frankie followed.
Ellen continued to run. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Frankie catching up to her. Just as she turned her head around, she ran into something….make that someone.
"Whoa, Miss, take it easy. No running in the halls. Is there something I can help you with?"
Ellen tried to sidestep the man.
"STOP THAT WOMAN!" yelled Frankie.
Ian Stockwell grabbed Ellen's arm. Ellen tried to squirm out of his grip, but could not. Frankie caught up to them both.
"Don't let her go," Frankie told Ian. Then he turned to the nurse at the desk. "Tim Smith's fever is getting higher. He's getting restless."
The nurse looked up from her paperwork. "I'll page Dr. Bentley."
Frankie turned back to Ian and Ellen.
Ian spoke first. "Okay, what's going on here?" His grip was still tight on Ellen's arm.
"Uhh, well, this is Ellen Bancroft. We thought she was dead. That's the whole reason we're down here. I just caught her standing outside Fa—I mean Tim's room." Frankie said.
Ian motioned with his head toward the waiting room. He pulled Ellen into the waiting area. Frankie looked up and down the hallway and followed.
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Murdock and BA exited the taxi, each carrying a duffle bag with clothes and toiletries. They each walked briskly into the hospital, toward the elevators, neither man saying a word, both men anxious to see how Face was doing.
The doors opened and they stepped out. Walking toward Face's room, they could hear voices in the waiting room. One of them sounded like Frankie.
BA and Murdock entered the waiting area, stunned to find Frankie talking with Ian Stockwell and Ellen Bancroft.
BA reached the trio in three long strides. "Frankie, what are you doing with Ellen Bancroft and Stockwell's son?"
Ellen gasped and looked at Ian. "You're his son? Then let go of me!" Ellen tried to free herself from Ian's grasp, but he refused to let go.
"Well, BA…Johnny sent me to the get the nurse…Face has a high fever….and when I opened the door, Ellen was standing there. She ran and I chased her down the hall. She ran into Dr. Stockwell here and he stopped her. That's all I know." Frankie said, nervously.
"Face has a fever? Is he okay?" Murdock asked.
"Uh, I don't know if he is or not. I mean, he was, but then the fever hit and he started getting restless. Johnny's trying to keep him calm. His side's bleeding again though."
Murdock tossed the duffle bag he had been carrying onto the floor and ran toward Face's room.
BA tossed his bag toward Murdock's. "Frankie, you stay here and watch them. I'll be right back." BA followed Murdock to Face's room.
Ian thrust Ellen to Frankie. "You watch her. I'm going to check on Face."
Frankie grasped Ellen's arms and Ian turned to leave.
"Go to hell," Ellen hissed.
Frankie tightened his grip and smiled. "You first."
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Hannibal relaxed his grip on Face's shoulders. Too weak to fight against Hannibal, Face had stopped straining. Now his head turned side to side. Raspy, incoherent mumbling came from his lips.
Murdock opened the door and entered, BA right behind him. BA was about to speak when the nurse entered the room. She took Face's temperature and other vital signs.
Ian Stockwell rushed in and went directly to Face's side. He touched Face's forehead and frowned. He reached toward the bandage on Face's side when a strong black hand grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"You ain't gonna touch him," BA growled.
"Look, I'm just trying to help." He turned to the nurse. "What are his vitals?"
"His temperature is 104.6, Doctor. His pulse is 120, respirations 20, BP 150/100."
"Okay, let's continue the cold compresses, get a cooling blanket. We've got to get his fever down. Get 100 mg of metoprolol for his blood pressure. And bring me a suture kit, 5-0 Prolene. Call the lab, let me know the results of the cultures from his wound."
The nurse hurried out of the room.
BA maintained his grip on Ian.
Murdock spoke, his voice eerily calm. "You are not going to touch him. You'll kill him."
Ian refused to give up. "If you don't let me treat him, he could die. I swear to you on my soul that I am not going to hurt him."
"Stockwell doesn't have a soul. What makes you think that you do?" Murdock spoke, slowly.
"Let him go BA."
BA turned toward Hannibal. "What?"
"I said let him go. He's not going to do anything to harm Face with us in the room. Now let him go." Hannibal commanded.
BA relaxed his grip, and Ian began to examine Face. Murdock stood next to Ian, watching every movement. BA walked over to Hannibal's side.
"Hannibal, there's something you should know." BA spoke, his voice low. He took a breath, held it, then released it. "Ellen is alive. Frankie's got her in the waiting room."
Hannibal looked from BA to Face, and then back to BA. "We've got to get out of here."
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Between the cooling blankets and the medications, Face's condition slowly stabilized. Ellen had been brought into Face's room and locked in the bathroom. After placing her there, she had started hitting the door and screaming. BA had merely opened the door and growled, "If you don't shut up on your own, I'll do it for you." She had been silent ever since.
Ian Stockwell occupied a chair in the corner of the room. He would get up occasionally to check on Face, then silently walk back to chair.
Murdock had pulled a chair up beside Face's bed. He folded his arms and placed them on the mattress, then rested his head in the crook of his right arm. Soon he was asleep.
Frankie had gone to the visitor's lounge to sleep on one of the couches.
Hannibal and BA stayed in Face's room, chairs pulled side by side in the corner opposite Ian Stockwell.
"We've got to get to the bottom of this, BA. I think you and I should have a little chat with our guest."
Hannibal rose from his chair and headed to the bathroom, BA behind him. They opened the door to find Ellen sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, her head resting on them. She snapped her head up. "What do you want?"
Hannibal spoke. "We want to know why you faked your death. We want to know why you sent the note. We want to know how Stockwell is involved in this. And we want to know why the hell you would put your own brother through all of this."
"He is NOT my brother," Ellen spat. "Stockwell just told him that so that I could get close to him. He told my father that Face was his son because he wanted the diary. I sent you the note telling you Stockwell tried to have Face killed. You could have left when you got it. The way I see it, you blew it when you decided to stay."
BA pulled Ellen up onto her feet. "Look, lady, YOU blew it when you tried to mess with Face."
Hannibal put his hand on BA's chest, "Calm down, Sergeant. We're going to get to the bottom of this."
Ellen wrapped her arms around herself. "There are things you don't know, things you can't know. Stockwell will kill you, me….anyone he thinks will get in his way. He has the means to do it, too. No questions asked."
There was a tap on the door. Hannibal cracked it open.
"My father just paged me. He's going to want to know about Peck's condition. What do you want me to do?" asked Ian.
"Tell him the truth. Tell him Face is stabilized. Tell him you convinced us to let you treat him." Hannibal said. He turned to BA. "Go with him, BA."
"My pleasure." BA pulled the door the rest of the way open and escorted Ian out of the room, leaving Hannibal and Ellen alone.
"Okay, Ellen, there's nobody here but us. Tell me everything. If you're completely honest with me, I might let you live. You see, while it's true that the guys and I took and oath not to kill again, I will have no trouble killing someone who is supposed to be already dead. Do I make myself clear?" Hannibal glared at Ellen as he spoke.
Ellen merely nodded her head, defeated.
"My father's diary had a section devoted to Stockwell. My father and Stockwell worked with a North Vietnamese general, I think his name was Chao. They had arranged for the bank in Hanoi to be robbed. My father was able to launder the money and place it in different accounts. It was a three-way split. I don't know what Stockwell did with his part of the money. General Chao used his set up a drug trafficking operation. And my father used his to start a new life away from my mother and me." Ellen paused.
"Go on," said Hannibal.
"Well, Stockwell promised me a new life, a new identity, if I gave him the complete diary and if I…" Ellen paused, looking at the floor.
"If you what?" asked Hannibal.
"If I killed Face."
Hannibal pushed Ellen up against the wall, his face an inch from hers. "Is that why you're here tonight? To finish the job?"
Ellen swallowed. "Yes. I didn't want to, but …"
"Yeah. Right."
Hannibal stepped to the door. "You know, by hurting the one person in this world who would have given his life for you, you've made far more powerful enemies than Stockwell."
Hannibal left, locking the door behind him.
Ellen began to cry.
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Ian and BA walked to the doctors' lounge and called his father.
"Yes."
"Father, I got your page."
"What is Peck's condition?" asked Stockwell.
"He is stabilized. Smith actually allowed me to treat him. Must be the Stockwell charm." Ian said, smiling at BA.
"Has he had any ….visitors?" Stockwell asked.
"Yes. Everyone is relieved that his fever has come down. I believe he's going to be fine. He just needs rest now, and a complete course of antibiotics." Ian said.
"Do they have Ellen?"
"Yes. They stay in the room with him."
"So, they have Ellen in the room. That will have to be remedied."
Stockwell hung up the phone.
"Yes, I'll keep you posted." Ian said. Then he hung up the phone.
BA walked to the door. "Let's go."
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Hannibal met up with BA and Ian in the hallway.
"I've got to get some rest," said Ian. "I'm going back to the doctors' lounge for a nap. If you need me, don't hesitate to come and get me."
Hannibal nodded. "Okay. Uh, listen. Thanks for helping Face. You didn't have to do that."
Ian smiled. "Yes I did. I'm a doctor. It's what I do." He turned and went back to the doctor's lounge.
Hannibal and BA stopped outside Face's room. Hannibal yawned. BA looked at the colonel, trying to remember the last time Hannibal had gotten any sleep.
"Hannibal, why don't you go in there with Frankie and get some sleep. I'll stay with Face and Murdock. You ain't gonna do anybody any good if you don't get some sleep."
"I don't know, BA. What if Stockwell makes a move? We've got to be ready."
BA nodded. "I agree. But you're walking in your sleep. Take a nap. I'll come get you in an hour."
"Maybe you're right." Hannibal opened the door the Face's room. "I just want to check on Face, make sure he's okay."
Hannibal and BA walked in Face's room quietly. Face was asleep. Murdock was still asleep, his head buried in the crook of his arm.
Hannibal whispered, "Keep an eye on things here. And come and get me in one hour."
"You got it, Hannibal." BA walked Hannibal to the door.
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Face began to moan. He slowly opened his eyes.
Murdock stirred, then lifted his head to see Face smiling at him.
"Hey Face. Welcome back. How do you feel?"
"My throat hurts," whispered Face.
"You want some ice? I can get you some ice. Or you want a Popsicle? You can have a Popsicle. They've got lots of flavors. There's grape, orange, cherry, banana…"
"Shut up, Fool," said BA. "You supposed to stay calm so he can stay calm." BA turned to Face. "Now, do you want some ice or a Popsicle?"
Face smiled at BA. "Popsicle."
"Murdock, go down and get Face a Popsicle." BA turned to Face. "What flavor do you want, little brother?"
"Surprise me," whispered Face.
Murdock grinned. "Ooh, surprises. I love surprises. I'll be right back." Murdock practically bounced out of the room.
BA and Face watched Murdock leave, still muttering about surprises.
"Crazy fool will probably bring you one of every flavor," joked BA.
Face smiled, then his face paled as he focused on a figure behind BA. "BA—" He reached out toward BA, nearly pulling out the IV's in his arm. BA bent over Face, pushing his arms back down.
"Hey, Face. What's wrong? You can't move around like that."
BA could tell Face was trying to speak to him. He bent closer to Face, then felt the hypodermic needle as it entered the back of his neck. He tried to turn, but passed out instead, falling on the floor beside Face's bed.
Face reached out, trying to catch BA. He fell back against the pillows as he fought a spasm of pain, his eyes clenched shut. He could hear movement in the room. Taking a deep breath, Face pulled the IV's out of his arm. He pushed himself up slowly, grimacing at the pain from the movements. He placed one foot on the floor, then the other. Too weak to stand, he fell to the floor, pulling the cardiac leads off his chest. The heart monitor began to shrill. He lifted his head and watched as Ellen hurried out the door.
Face tried to call out to her, but was only able to whisper, "Ellen." Then he lapsed into unconsciousness.
Murdock turned the corner of the hall toward Face's room. Two nurses rushed by him. As they opened the door to Face's room, he could hear the cardiac monitor alarm. Murdock stood in the doorway. He could see BA and Face on the floor, the nurses bent over them.
Murdock dropped the Popsicles on the floor.
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Ellen was nearly to the service elevators when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Going somewhere?"
Ellen turned around. "Oh, it's you. I thought you were one of the A-Team."
"It would be better for you if I were."
Ellen was pushed into the service elevator. She screamed.
TBC