It seemed as if he had closed his eyes only a second ago. His body definitely wasn't ready to wake up, but despite that, there was an inner urge that he couldn't ignore.
Someone was in the room with him. Charlie sensed danger, despite the drugs coursing through his body. He felt a gentle tug at his IV line.
Brows furrowed, Charlie slowly opened his eyes.
There was a young nurse standing above him. She was fiddling with his IV, a syringe in one hand.
"Whazz that?" Charlie asked, half asleep.
The nurse yelped, startled. She obviously thought he would be asleep.
Charlie blinked, looking around the room, expecting Erik's laughter at the reaction. There was none, because there was no Erik.
"Ah, Mr. S-smith, you startled me," the nurse said, giving him a shaky smile.
Charlie's eyes settled on the syringe, which had just been pushed into the catheter of the IV line. She had yet to squeeze the plunger though, her hand slightly trembling.
Charlie's hand reached out, cumbersomely grabbing her wrist.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice a bit stronger. The rush of adrenaline was pushing back the effect of the drugs, clearing his head faster than a steaming cup of coffee.
"J-just your dose of p-painkillers," the nurse stuttered, then yelped as Charlie's hand squeezed her wrist.
"I've already got those," Charlie said and gave her a cold look. Her eyes widened and her hand slipped off the syringe, which was still stuck in the catheter.
"I... I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I'll just... check... with the head nurse," the girl said, swivelled on her feet and before Charlie could do more than shout out a 'Stop!' she was out the door.
Charlie blinked, for a second looking at the now wide open door. Then his brain kicked in.
"Shit!" he cursed and the first thing he did was pull the syringe from the catheter. He could see it was still full, but he couldn't be sure what was inside or whether the plunger was depressed a bit. Through gritted teeth, Charlie proceeded to clumsily pull out the IV itself.
"Hey! Stop!" Charlie heard Erik shout somewhere outside his room and thought it might've been aimed at him, but he just saw Erik run past the door, most likely in pursuit of the nurse. He must've decided to drop the pursuit though, because Erik was back in the room before the IV clattered to the floor.
"What the hell happened?" Erik asked, wide eyed as he rushed over to Charlie, taking in the blood now dripping from his arm. He grabbed the first thing he saw, which was the small pillow Charlie had to rest his broken arm on, and pushed it against the bleeding site.
"Where've you been?" Charlie hissed out, trying to sit up properly, while at the same time get a handle on his racing heart. Was this really what he thought? Or did the girl just mess up and got scared? But then... where was Erik?
Erik had blushed.
"Sorry, sir. I needed to use the bathroom, so I asked nurse Louise to keep an eye on your room and not let anyone in. But she must've left for an emergency. I can't see her outside. Who was that girl running from the room?"
"A nurse?" Charlie guessed. "You don't know her?"
Erik shook his head.
"I don't know most of the staff here. But she had no business being in your room. Did she try something? Are you alright, sir?"
Charlie nodded towards the syringe now laying innocuously on the bed sheet.
Erik's eyes widened.
"I should call the doctor!"
Charlie shook his head, feeling the blood draining from his face at the mere thought.
"No! It's... it's still full. I startled her."
Erik looked back at the door, torn. It was clear he wanted to go after the girl, but he couldn't leave Charlie alone either.
"I need to call this in," he said at last but Charlie stopped him.
"Maybe just... get me a band aid first? And some clothes," he said as an afterthought, even as he pulled the sheet off his legs. He cringed at the bruises he saw under the flimsy hospital gown, but decided to ignore them. Right now, the pain wasn't so bad. His whole body was thrumming with the realization that if he hadn't woken up, he would most likely be dead now.
"Sir? What do you mean?" Erik stood in place and Charlie felt like growling. Pulling up his best Lawson glare, he turned it on Erik.
"It means that I'm leaving. Now!"
Or well, as soon as he got some clothes, really. He could hardly go parading himself in a nightgown.
Erik shook his head.
"I can't allow that, sir."
"Why?" Charlie asked. "Am I under arrest?"
Erik seemed confused, shaking his head.
"No, but... you're a witness and I'm responsible for your safety..."
"Well, you're doing a splendid job," Charlie snapped, feeling just a tad of regret when he saw Erik cringe as if slapped.
"I'm sorry sir. I was really gone just a minute..."
Charlie raised a hand to stop him.
"Look, I don't blame you. But... I can't stay here any longer."
Erik still looked uncertain.
"Either you help me, or get the hell out," Charlie grunted, fed up. He knew that there was only a small window for him right now. He had to act before the adrenaline rush faded and he would most likely fall asleep. There was no one he could trust at this point.
Erik seemed to draw the same conclusion, or it was maybe just his guilt over messing up. He nodded.
"What... what should I do?"
"Band aid and clothes," Charlie said, glad that he was finally getting somewhere. Now getting out of the bed might be a different issue altogether.
"I don't want to leave you alone," Erik admitted.
"Just close the door," Charlie said with a sigh. He really doubted the nurse would come back and he was awake enough to protect himself. "I'll shout if anyone comes in," he added, mostly for Erik's benefit. The man nodded and was gone. Charlie hoped he wouldn't take too long. He would have preferred that the nurse was caught and interviewed. Maybe she could give them some evidence against Kendrick, or whoever sicked her against Charlie. But that would have required a search and questions and Charlie would just once again become the centre of attention, which could be more than dangerous.
No, Charlie needed to leave. Or better yet, he wanted to. There was only the matter of how. He wasn't under arrest and seeing as Chief Superintendent Fernandez must've been in the know about his role in all this, he was pretty sure the man wouldn't protest him getting somewhere safe. Charlie knew running off would most likely land him in trouble with the higher ups, especially O'Leary and Deputy Commissioner Andrews that sent him to this post in the first place.
He couldn't care less.
Erik must've been running around at high speed, because he was back truly shortly. There was a bundle of clothes in his arms. He deposited it on the bed next to Charlie, then pulled a roll of bandage from his pocket. Charlie thought that a band aid might've been enough, but he wasn't about to send the man on another supply hunt. He was thankful though when Erik took care of bandaging up the wound left from Charlie's tacky attempts of IV removal.
"Thanks," Charlie muttered as Erik tied of the bandage. He didn't fancy messing up his cast with blood as that would be hard to hide. "Did anyone see you with the clothes?"
Erik shook his head.
"No. I grabbed them from the bin with the donated clothes. There was an accident at the sawmill, most of the attention is that way."
Charlie grimaced, not even wanting to know what kind of accident that was. This could work for them just as much as against them.
"So probably no one saw the nurse?"
Erik shook his head.
"I don't think so... but I didn't really stop by to ask questions," Erik admitted. "Can you describe her? I only saw her back, before I lost her at the stairwell."
Charlie thought back to the scene, even as he started going through the clothes, trying to find something that would fit.
"She had dark eyes. And... a birthmark... just under her right eye."
Erik nodded, writing it down in his notepad, along with the time so he could ask questions later.
"That should help. Anything else?"
Charlie gave a slight shake of his head. He wasn't paying that much attention to the nurse to be honest.
"She was young... looked barely out of school. Scared," he added as an afterthought. Maybe she was coerced. Or maybe she did just make a stupid mistake and got worried about her job.
No, Charlie thought. He couldn't bet his safety on maybes.
He looked at the syringe still on the bed.
"You better take this as evidence," he nodded at it and Erik reached out, but Charlie stopped him.
"Fingerprints?"
Eric blushed.
"Yes, of course. Sorry, sir. I'm-"
"Stop apologizing," Charlie sighed, barely hiding his annoyance. He finally grabbed some clothes that could fit him. Casual brown slacks, a sweatshirt with a hoodie and a well worn leather jacket. Not exactly his style, more like something one of the young hoodlums on the street would wear, but that was alright. He supposed in the state he was in, with a pulled up hoodie no one would even recognize him.
"Sir? What do you want to do?" Erik asked as Charlie begun the painful process of changing his clothes.
"Go home," Charlie grumbled under his breath, then grunted as the movement pulled at his side. He swayed a bit and was thankful when Erik grabbed his arm for support.
"What?"
"Need to... leave town."
"Yes, but... where would you go? And how?"
Charlie knew well where he wanted to go, but he wasn't about to spill that to Erik. The how was a bit more complicated. He supposed he could ask Eric to drive him somewhere... perhaps even to Sydney. But that would leave the man in danger and consequently also Charlie. Right now, the staff at the hospital thought he was under guard because he was a witness and a flight risk. No one except for the few chosen ones knew he was a cop. But if they saw him walk out with the cop and just leave... it would bring questions. Someone would realize there was more to him and Charlie wanted to keep his identity secret as long as possible.
"We need to pretend I ran away," he said suddenly. "If they think I ran off like Caleb... they won't come looking for me."
"What? But... I can't do that, sir! I would lose my job!" Eric looked appalled at the mere idea of faking Charlie's 'escape'. Charlie ran a hand over his hair with a sigh.
"I don't have time for this," he mumbled, half wondering if knocking Erik out would solve the problem. Who was he kidding though. He would be happy to make it out of the building without falling on his ass, never mind knocking out another cop.
"Listen, why... why don't you call Johnson? Tell him about it?"
"About the nurse?"
Erik didn't look any happier about that idea. Admitting he screwed up in the first place wasn't so appealing. Charlie's look hardened.
"You'll have to tell him anyway. Call Johnson. Say I want to leave. All I need is a ride to the bus station... and some money for a ticket, so I could report to my supervisor. Then I'll be off your hands for good."
Erik was clearly thinking it through, but Charlie didn't have the luxury of the time. Soon, he knew, breakfast would be served and then all hell would break loose.
"Well? Go!" he snapped and Erik once again turned heel and ran out of the room.
Charlie gritted his teeth and slowly got off the bed. His head swayed a bit, but all in all he felt quite steady. Now he was actually glad nurse Louise gave him the painkillers. He would need them if his plan was to work out.
He turned back to the bed and put the pillow under the blanket, along with the clothes he didn't use. At a slight glance from the door the shape under the blanket reminded a sleeping human. Good. That might give him a few more minutes. Once satisfied, he gingerly walked over to the door, leaning his back against the wall, as much for support as to be out of sight of anyone entering.
He had to wait quite a bit longer than he would've liked, but finally the door opened once again.
Erik rushed in, looking at the bed and pausing.
"Sir?" he called out almost gingerly, as if not wanting to wake him up. Charlie grinned.
"What did Johnson say?"
Erik startled, spinning on his heels to face Charlie.
"Bloody hell, I thought..." Erik pointed to the bed. Charlie just raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, yes. He... he said to do that. Your plan. You need to... get to the parking lot and wait for sergeant Johnson. He said he will be there within half an hour and take you wherever you need to go."
Charlie thought about it. Should he trust the man? He wasn't very happy about the idea of waiting at the parking lot, on the other hand... it would most likely take him almost all that time just to get there. Especially if Erik wasn't going to accompany him.
"Alright. Now... tell me how to get there."
Charlie was leaning against a tree, trying to appear as if he was just waiting around lazily. The weather was nice, the cold of the night was being chased away with the rising sun, but Charlie still felt chilled to the bone. He bundled up inside the jacket and kept his head down, only glancing up when he heard an oncoming car.
He was in the shadow of the tree near the hospital building, but with a good view at the parking lot. There were people milling around, but most of them seemed to be in a hurry to either get to work or get treated. Charlie got only a few curious looks, but the hoodie and the weeks old stubble on his face surely discouraged anyone from approaching him.
That was good.
Getting out of his room unnoticed was surprisingly easy. It was around shift change, not to mention the sawmill accident. Charlie heard an excited nurse telling someone about a rather gruesome type of injury involving body parts that shouldn't be mentioned in one sentence with a saw. Charlie shuddered and quickened his steps, as much as he was capable of. The blasted leg was starting to throb, causing him to limp slightly.
The biggest challenge wasn't escaping his room unnoticed, but to find his way out of the maze of the hospital corridors. For the sake of the cover, Erik had to head to the bathroom and then simply check in on the sleeping form on the bed. It most likely wouldn't be until breakfast that Charlie's escape got discovered.
So he trudged through the corridors, having to backtrack once or twice. Erik gave him some pointers, but Charlie's mind seemed to ignore those for some reason.
By the time he stepped outside the building, he was covered in sweat and shaking. His limp grew heavier as every step also seemed to pull at the stitches in his side. Picking the tree wasn't as much strategy as necessity.
At least he didn't have to wait long.
Barely ten minutes had passed when there was an old brown Holden pulling up in the parking lot. Charlie glanced at the car, expecting to see it try and find a parking space like all the other cars before. Instead, the driver was slowly cruising around.
Charlie perked up. He was expecting Johnson in a police cruiser, but realized that would've been a dead giveaway. Still, he was vary. Maybe the nurse called in her failure and someone else was looking for him?
The car pulled up closer to Charlie's position and he could see the familiar face behind the wheel. Letting out a sigh of relief, Charlie pushed away from the tree. He stumbled a bit and gritted his teeth hoping his legs would hold him up. If he faltered right now, Johnson would most likely just cart him back to the hospital, ignoring his protests.
The mere thought of that possibility made Charlie's steps steadier. He looked around, hoping no one was watching him. Then he walked past two other parked cars and stepped a bit out from behind, catching Johnson's attention.
The Holden drove towards him and Charlie was about to get into the passenger seat, when Johnson shook his head and pointed him towards the back seat.
Not in the mood to argue or stick around unnecessarily, Charlie got inside the car and closed the door.
Sitting down was a relief.
"Hey," he said after taking a calming breath. "Thanks for stopping by."
Johnson turned around in his seat, the look on his face conveying he wasn't all that happy with the arrangement.
"I'm already regretting it," he admitted, shooting a look at a woman passing by. She quickly averted her eyes and quickened her steps towards the hospital. "You look like I should send you right back."
Charlie shook his head, wincing as it made his vision swim a bit.
"No. I'm not staying there," he protested.
Johnson sighed.
"Alright then. But if I am to drive you anywhere, lie down."
Charlie opened his mouth to protest. He wasn't that injured.
"I can sit fine," he grumbled.
"Yes, and you are also quite a sight! I meant it would be better if half the town didn't see you sitting in my car."
"Oh," Charlie felt a bit stupid for not realizing that himself, but Johnson was right. It was enough that someone could've seen him here, the less people knew Johnson helped him escape the better.
With some grunting, Charlie managed to pack his lean form onto the back seat, although the position was hardly comfortable. It was even less so when the car started moving and Charlie could feel every bump and hole on the road.
Most of the ride was spent in silence, except for an occasional grunt from Charlie. And it was a grunt, he decided, not a whimper. Definitely not a whimper.
Johnson kept shooting him concerned looks, but didn't stop the car. After a while, Charlie noted that they were leaving the city limits.
"Where we going?" he asked with a frown, moving a bit to get a better look outside the window.
"Stay down," Johnson said calmly. "I thought it would be better to take you to the bus station in the next town. Safer."
Charlie lay back down, giving a nod. That sounded fair.
"How... how did the interview with Kendrick go?" he asked when the silence was becoming tiresome and his eyes started feeling heavy. He needed to stay awake for quite a bit longer. Falling asleep in Johnson's car wouldn't be smart.
Johnson shrugged.
"He said he was there for a home visit, to treat Ben. We pressed him with the details from your statement, but he clammed up, refusing to talk without a lawyer. And we can't really push him that hard yet. He's... respected."
Charlie grimaced.
Of course. Things wouldn't be easy. He wondered if this whole operation was really worth it. Would they be able to put those bastards away or did they just disturb some of their operations for a while?
Charlie felt doubt gnawing at him, but then he remembered that at least Caleb was safe. Even though the lad might not appreciate it at the moment. And whatever the outcome, with his own testimony there was enough evidence to at least take their badges and their power if nothing else.
"Are you sure I shouldn't drop you off at the hospital in the next town?" Johnson asked suddenly, looking uncertain.
"I want to go home," Charlie said, putting as much strength into his voice as possible.
"Sydney then?"
Charlie realized that Johnson thought Charlie was from Sydney, just like O'Leary. Well, Charlie wouldn't dissuade him off that notion.
"Yeah... Sydney," he said and hoped Johnson won't be asking more.
"That's quite a long ride."
Charlie grunted his assent. Hell of a long ride. It will be even longer to get home. He still had to figure out how.
They had finally reached the bus station. When Johnson parked the car, Charlie slowly sat up on the back seat.
"Here," Johnson said and was handing him a few bills of cash. "That should be enough for a ticket to Sydney... or somewhere close enough to get picked up by O'Leary. Sorry, I didn't have more on me when Erik called."
Charlie took the bills and with a sinking heart realized that wouldn't be enough to get him to Ballarat. But he would have to manage.
"Thanks, Gary," he said, appreciating all the effort. "I'll send it back to you once I'm home."
Johnson shook his head.
"Don't worry about that. But I would appreciate a call that you arrived in one piece. Actually... I insist on that."
Charlie smiled.
"That I can do," he said, hoping he would indeed arrive home safely. "Thanks for everything,"
Charlie reached out and they shook hands. Johnson nodded, looking torn, especially as Charlie opened the door and paused, preparing himself to getting up.
"Maybe I could wait with you for the bus?" Johnson offered.
Charlie shook his head.
"Nah, it's... better if no one sees you here. You should head back anyway. I'm sure my absence has been discovered already."
Johnson grimaced, but nodded. He still waited until Charlie walked in his slow pace towards the station information booth. Only then did he drive the car out.
Charlie looked back, seeing the Holden leave and let out a sigh. He was on his own. In another strange town, with people giving him odd looks. Better find his way back home somehow.
As he reached the information booth, he asked for the prices of tickets to several different towns, all except Ballarat. It wouldn't do to leave such a clear trail after all.
He learned that the money he got might get him to Sydney, but not to Melbourne. He was getting somehow desperate though to get out of Dodge as soon as possible, so he bought himself a ticket to Sydney after all. There were several stops he could get off, but if anyone tried to figure out where he went, the ticket lady would lead them to Sydney.
That was all good and well. His bus was heading out within half an hour, which served Charlie. Only problem was, he had no intention of going to Sydney. He felt a profoundly deep aversion towards the mere idea of having to face O'Leary or the Deputy Commissioner.
No, he needed to get home. He needed to talk to Lawson about the case, he needed Blake so he wouldn't end back up at the hospital and he desperately yearned for Jean's motherly care. Most of all... he wanted to stop looking around his shoulders.
There wasn't really much to think about.
Charlie looked around and his eyes fell on a pay phone.
His pockets were empty, but perhaps...
Charlie made his way towards the phone. He picked up the receiver, taking several deep breaths, hoping to steady himself. He wasn't sure how this discussion would go, but he had to try at least.
His fingers shakily dialled the number for the operator.
"I'd like to make a collect call please."
"What's the number and name?" the operator asked.
Charlie dictated the number and his name. Then waited for the dial tone to change, praying that someone would pick up.