Of Gallantry, Guilt and Grace
Chapter 6
A crash in the hall, followed by loud gruff male swearing jolted Terry from her sleep. The voice was Casino and the cackling above it was Goniff laughing. Terry flipped her desk light on, got out of bed, threw her robe on and opened her bedroom door.
The light from her room showed one of the chairs along the left wall was overturned and Casino was sitting on the floor, left leg bent up, holding his knee.
"Are you hurt?" asked the girl with genuine concern.
"Naw, Sister," Casino spat at her. "I'm holdin' my knee 'cuz it feels good."
He started to get up and Goniff held a hand down to help. Once Casino was on his feet, the slighter man backed out of reach.
"What the hell's the matter with you, Sister? Why'd yuh put the chairs out in the hall?"
Garrison was just reaching the top of the stairs with the intent of putting the safecracker in his place. A slight signal of splayed fingers from Terry had him pausing just out of sight, with Chief stopping behind him.
Terry's voice dripped sweet sarcasm. "I'm sorry, Casino. I figured after living here a year you wouldn't need to feel your way along the wall in the dark to get to your room."
"The chairs were placed there to assist me to get to the common room," said the Italian accented voice from behind him. "If you wish to try taking someone's head off, come here and try mine."
Casino whirled around with just that intent, until he saw Actor in the doorway of his room. Instead of his usual upright self, the con man was leaning against the door frame, right elbow tucked in supporting his ribs.
Casino sighed. "Naw, you're no fun right now." It looked to him like he could easily knock the tall man down with one finger.
"Want to try and take my head off?" challenged Terry.
Casino looked back at her. "No, you'd knock my teeth down my throat."
Chief's eyes had been darting between Terry's outstretched fingers at her side, and the Warden. The fingers relaxed, and Garrison stepped into the hall.
"Go to bed, Casino," the Lieutenant ordered.
Chief stepped around him and went silently to his room. The other two men went to theirs. Actor's door was already closed.
Craig looked at his sister. She frowned and indicated with a forward jerk of her chin he should go check on Actor, before turning and going into her room.
Craig did not knock before opening the con man's door and slipping inside. He was surprised to find Actor seated on a chair beside the door. He closed the door silently and looked down at the weary face that looked up at him. The familiar sparkle in the con man's eyes were missing and there was no quirky smile.
Only Craig could grip the Italian's upper arm without getting punched and help him to his feet.
"Come on, Old Man," said Garrison. "Let's get you back in the bed."
Actor allowed the younger man to help steady him to the bed. "At least you didn't call me a dirty old man this time," he said with a twitch of the corner of his mouth.
"I figured you would have had a bath by now," said Garrison with a grin.
Actor sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his feet from his slippers. Again, without asking, Craig lifted his legs while Actor lay down, head on the pillow. Craig pulled the covers over the Italian before easing a hip on the mattress.
"How are you doing?"
Actor looked at him with self-disgust. "Not as well as I'd like to be."
"The chairs in the hall? So you can get from here to the common room?" asked Craig with seemingly idle curiosity.
"Yes."
"Your idea?"
Actor shook his head. "Teresa."
Craig nodded. "She helping you enough?"
Actor remembered the lasagna and the one time he had allowed her to shave him. "She would like to," he replied.
"But you're not letting her," probed Garrison, already knowing the answer to that.
"No," admitted Actor. "I want to be able to do things on my own. This is even slower than before. I made it to the common room in the afternoon, but I had to stop at each chair. When I made it to the big chair, I slept in it for two hours. Teresa stood by on the way back to my room, one chair at a time."
"Let her help you as much as she can," said Garrison. "We told you, but maybe you don't remember, or you thought we were exaggerating. You literally bled out. If Terry hadn't pulled a knife on Major Kaiser when he tried to disconnect her from you, you still might not have made it." Craig gave him a firm look. "It wasn't the blood Kelly and I gave you. It was Terry. You still don't have enough blood. And we're tapped out. Especially her. But she wants to help. I know my sister. And she's trained. So, let her help. I need you back, but I need you back strong. And that's not going to happen quickly."
Actor nodded. "I guess I feel bad that she, and you and Kelly, went through all that for me."
"Yes, well, feeling bad about it doesn't help things between you and Terry. And you can't tell me if the roles were reversed it wouldn't have been you doing the same thing. I remember when Terry got that skull fracture. You can't fool me. Either one of you. But I think you're both trying to fool yourselves."
The only one Garrison was concerned about was Casino. His volatile safecracker seemed to have feelings of his own for Terry. As long the three kept things tolerable, it was okay. Actor wasn't looking at him anymore. Avoidance wasn't common for the uncommon confidence man. The injured man moved a little in the bed and winced. Craig got up.
"Had pain medicine lately?"
"I don't like taking it. You know that," said Actor.
"I wasn't talking morphine," said Craig.
When there was no response, he said good night and left the room. Instead of going to his room, he went to Terry's. The room was dark, and the girl was back in bed.
"Hey, Actor wants some pain medicine," he said. It probably wasn't quite a lie. "I'm going to bed."
"All right."
As he closed the door, the girl turned her desk light on and threw the covers back off. Actor never asked for pain medicine, however he had been splinting the ribs when he was in the doorway. Maybe he hurt himself getting up. Though why Craig couldn't have given Actor some aspirin when he was in there was beyond her understanding.
She padded into her bathroom, retrieved a bottle of aspirin from her medicine chest, and went down to the Italian's room. Like Garrison, she let herself in without knocking. The desk light came on to reveal a grimacing Actor with his arm outstretched toward the light and a look of question on his face.
"Craig said you wanted pain medicine," said Terry.
"I'm sorry?" asked the man in confusion.
"I didn't think you had," replied the girl. "I'm here with aspirin. Would you like some?"
"It might help," acknowledged the man in agreement.
Terry went into the bathroom, rinsed out the glass on the sink and half filled it with cold water. Actor was sitting up, watching her. She sat down beside his knees, handed him the glass and tipped two tablets from the bottle into his upturned palm. He dutifully dumped the pills into his mouth and washed them down with the water. Terry took the glass back.
"Are you leaking?" she asked with a nod toward his side.
"No. I think I just pulled it." He looked down, sucking on a cheek. "I'm sorry I bothered you."
Terry's mouth clamped shut in frustration. "Hey. Quit telling me you're sorry and quit saying you're bothering me. When you bother me, I'll tell you." She shot him a mock glare. "I'm tired of tippy-toeing around you. You're hurt. When you're hurt I take care of you. It's no bother. When I'm hurt, you might be annoyed with me, but it's no bother to you. Or so you tell me. I take care of all of all of you when you come back shot up, knifed, or broken. It . . . is . . . no . . . bother."
Teresa was something when she was annoyed. He gave her a calculating look from the corners of his eyes. "Tell me. Do you sleep with the others too, or just me?"
Terry stared at him. He grinned and his eyes twinkled.
"You know something, Vittorio," she said in a whisper. "If you weren't sitting on it, I'd pinch your culo for that one."
"I'd rather just have you tucked up against it," lamented Actor with a touch of overacting. "Unfortunately, now it is too crowded around here."
Terry shook her head and rose from the bed. She walked around to the desk, set the glass on it, and turned the light off while he laid back down. She bent over as though to give him a kiss. He tilted his head back a bit to receive it, but she darted in and kissed the tip of his nose instead. As she turned away, his long arm reached out to pinch her backside, but only came up with a bit of her robe. She jerked it away and headed for the door, chuckling quietly.
The next morning, when Terry brought his breakfast tray in, Actor was sitting up against the headboard, a patent smile on his face. She set the tray on his lap and straightened.
"Teresa," said Actor unfolding the napkin, "you may put the chairs back."
Terry frowned. "Why? The guys don't need them. They're using the table downstairs. Can you walk that far in one trip?"
"Not yet," he admitted. "I must ask a favor of you. I realize you are busy with the others back, but if you could perhaps come up a couple times a day and accompany me for my walks I would appreciate it."
Now she really frowned. "Why the sudden change? Did Craig put you up to this?" she asked accusingly.
"Not exactly," replied Actor, taking a sip of coffee. "The Lieutenant explained a few things. I knew I had lost a lot of blood if I needed three transfusions. I guess I didn't understand just how much blood I had lost. Nor the lengths you went to to keep me alive. I feel I have put such a burden on you, then and now."
Terry's head tilted with a look of exasperation on her face, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Actor's arm shot out, fingers splayed to stop her.
"I know we've had this conversation before . . . more than once. I've just never had to depend on a woman to help me. I'm learning."
"Would you rather I had Craig or one of the guys do it?" she asked.
"No," he admitted. "I enjoy your company and our talks. It's that you are so busy with your chores and such," he hedged.
"I can work around that," she smiled. "Listen, Actor. I've been with you guys for a year now. I've looked after all of you, sometimes more than one at a time. I can manage and I'm happy to do it."
"I'm not easy to live with," warned the con man.
"Really?" teased Terry. "I hadn't noticed." She turned and left him to his breakfast.
GGG
She was busy. He knew that. With determination, Actor sat up on the edge of the bed, slipped his feet into his slippers, put his robe on and stood up.
Head up, he walked to the door. Why did the common room look a mile away? It wasn't. He started down the hall, angling toward the opposite wall. He made it past where the first chair had been when his legs began to feel rubbery.
Terry had one foot on the bottom step when she heard Actor call to her.
"I'm coming," she called back.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she found Actor hanging onto the door jamb of the common room, pale, and sagging.
"Craig!" she screamed, running forward to try to brace the con man up.
Downstairs chairs flew, and four men pounded up the stairs.
Terry had jumped forward and was pressed against Actor, trying to keep him upright against the door frame and not hurt the wound on his chest. Garrison took the con man's left arm and ducked under it, straightening to bring the man upright.
"You going to pass out?" he asked as his sister grasped Actor's right upper arm with her right hand and a handful of robe and pajama waistband with the other.
"No," said Actor. "My legs gave out." It was said with frustration and embarrassment with a healthy tinge of self-disgust.
"Okay," said Craig. "Let's get him back to his room."
"NO! I want to sit in my chair, like a normal person."
"You were never normal, Babe," said Casino. "What do you want us to do?"
"Stay out of the way," said Terry. She glanced at Craig. "Okay?" She tilted her head toward the con man's chair in the far corner of the common room.
"Let's go," said Garrison.
Together, they supported the tall Italian, taking most of his weight, and walked him slowly across the room. The three other cons followed at a distance. Reaching the chair, the Garrisons eased him down onto the seat. Actor leaned back in relief, breathing a little shaky.
"Did you hurt anything?" asked Garrison.
"No," said Actor, "just weak."
Garrison looked at his sister. "You have him?"
"Yup," replied the girl.
Garrison turned and pointed out the door. The men turned and went into the hall. Craig looked back at the two behind him. "You need anything let me know."
Terry nodded, and Actor gave a tiny dip of his head in acknowledgement. Terry went to the piano and picked up the afghan that was back draped across its top. She settled it over Actor's legs.
"I'll be right back."
She disappeared down the hall in the direction of his room. A couple minutes later, she returned with a glass of water, his book and one of his canes.
"Don't know why we didn't think of this before," she said. Propping the cane within his reach against the table and placing the book and water next to the lamp, she looked down at him. "Please," she begged quietly, "don't try to go back to your room without somebody with you. You need to slowly build your strength up. You want something or need to go back to bed, pound the cane on the floor. One of us will come get you."
He looked up at her with resignation. She reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair in affection.
"Why aren't you yelling at me?" he asked suspiciously.
Terry gave a little chuckle. "Would it do any good?"
He shrugged one shoulder, "Probably not."
"Listen, I will be back up in a little bit. I'm going to get lunch for the guys and I will bring up some sandwiches for both of us. I have 'chores' I can do up here." She glanced at the clock on the mantle. "It's almost noon. Would you like the radio on for your music program?"
Actor gave a half smile. "I would like that very much."
Terry smiled and looked around the room and what she could see of the hall. Both were empty, so she bent down and exchanged a light kiss with him. "Be back in a bit." She turned the radio on to the noon music station before leaving him. She heard the opening introduction by a British man on her way out.
Actor relaxed back in his chair. The strains of Mozart flowed over him, further relaxing him. His breathing settled back down to normal, as did his heartrate. The only thing missing right now was his pipe. He glanced at the table beside him. No pipe or bag of tobacco. Blast it, the girl was sticking strictly to the doctor's orders. Instead of having a smoke, he took a sip of water instead and reached for his book.
Terry went silently down the stairs and stopped in front of Craig's open door. Garrison looked up, pen in hand.
"He all right?"
"I think so," said Terry. She glanced at the other men in the common room. They were watching her. Her countenance changed to narrowed eyes and pinched mouth. "All of you," she said in a low voice, "dining room, NOW!" That earned her startled looks, even from Craig. She turned to him next. "You too."
Not waiting to see if they were following, she turned and walked to the dining area.
"Now what?" muttered Casino.
"We didn't do nuthin' but go up to 'elp," objected Goniff.
Even Garrison looked resigned. Chief gave him a questioning look as he walked by. Garrison shrugged and followed Casino and Goniff. They found Terry sitting at the head of the table in her brother's seat. With a look of dissatisfaction, Craig took her seat and the others took theirs.
"Why are we here?" asked Casino.
"Keep your voice down," admonished Terry. "He's got good ears. We're less likely to be heard here. Okay, I'm putting the chair back in the hall." She eyed the safecracker sourly. "Think you can walk around it?"
"Sure," said Casino. "Why'd you move it?"
"He told me to." Now she turned her attention to her brother. "It seems somebody told him he had to be dependent on me."
"It wasn't quite like that," said Garrison pointedly.
"Whatever way it was, he is going to try to be as independent as possible, with or without me. If the chair had been in the hall, he might have done alright. So, the chair is going back in the hall. Any objections?" She looked around the group with anything from smiles to grumpy frowns, but there was silence. "Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Goniff brightly. "Are you going to make lunch soon? I'm starvin'."
Terry grinned. "You're always starving," she said. "I'm going to get it now."
An hour later, she went up the stairs, balancing a covered plate atop a basket of clean laundry that needed repairs. Actor looked up at her entrance. The news was on the radio.
"I missed it," said Terry, setting the basket on the table. "What was it today?"
"Mozart . . . Piano concerto number 21 andante."
"I like that one too," said Terry.
She took the plate over to the Italian and handed it to him, so she could swing one of the chairs around and sit close to him. He took the top sandwich and held the plate out to her. They ate in companionable silence.
"Is there any lasagna left?" asked Actor hopefully.
Terry shook her head. "Goniff found it last night. I assume it was Goniff. The plate was in the sink and hadn't been rinsed off." She looked at him. "I've got pork chops thawing," she said, watching the grin grace his face. "I don't know what's with you guys and pork chops," she teased.
"It's that you make them so well," replied Actor seriously. "Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside."
Terry shook her head. Now he was a connoisseur of her pork chops. She went back to the table and her mending. There was always mending. The guys were hard on clothes. Even the fastidious con man at times.
Out of his reach, she casually asked, "Just how many women have you lived with?"
That came out of the blue and since it was just him and Teresa, he allowed a look of surprise to be aimed at her. "I beg your pardon?"
Terry concentrated on her sewing. "This morning you said you were not easy to live with. I just wondered how many women you had lived with to come to that conclusion. I thought you were the 'love 'em and leave 'em smiling' type."
"I did not live with any of them," he said. "I never stayed in the same place, with the same woman for more than a week as a rule. Too dangerous, and they would quickly begin to look for a permanent relationship. I do not entertain any thoughts of having a permanent relationship with any woman."
That last was a bit of a lie. He would have stayed with his Marie if her father had not had him incarcerated to get rid of him. And once in a great while, he indulged himself in wondering what a long-term relationship with Teresa would be like. He could not see that one happening.
"Rather lonely existence, don't you think?" She continued to sew up a tear in a shirt.
"Not at all," he countered. Of course, it was a lonely existence. "I was perfectly content with my life before prison in the States."
"Liar," Teresa said with her head bent down. "You're very good, but you're still a liar." She hid her smile.
He sucked in a cheek. "Now you are an expert on me?"
Teresa looked up with an affectionate smile. "No, Vittorio, I'm just barely scratching the surface of you. There are a lot of twists and turns to that sharp, cunning mind of yours. You just don't let anybody that close."
"As I said, safer."
Why on earth was he having this conversation with the woman? Perhaps it was the little smiles and signs of affection he received from her. That was what he missed in his life. Affection; to receive it and, also, to be able to give it. He had come the closest to that with Teresa. It was something that had been missing from his relationship with Marie. Actor gave a mental shrug. He had been younger then and affection was not something he had been interested in. Just as well.
They talked of mundane things for another hour, until Terry finished her mending. By that time, Actor was ready to lie down again. His chair had felt good, but he just tired so easily. When he broached he was ready to return to his room, the woman nodded. Instead of going to him, she took a chair and carried it into the hall. He rose painfully from his seat and slowly followed her, meeting her at the door.
Glancing down the hall with a frown, Actor said, "I do not wish to get in another argument with Casino. Why don't you place it against the wall between my room and the Warden's?"
"You won't get into an argument with Casino." She linked her elbow through his. "He knows it's there and if I move it chances are he'll move too far over and trip over it again. Then we will all have an argument."
Actor's pride hoped he would make it to his bed this time in one try. That didn't work. He still ended up sitting on the chair for a minute to catch his breath. While he was doing that, Terry fetched his cane, book and glass of water from the common room and returned them to his night table. When she came back, they went the rest of the way to his bed. Before he lay down, Teresa lifted the bottom of his pajama shirt and checked the dressing. It was fine.
Actor barely stifled a sigh of relief when he stretched out under the covers. He looked up at Teresa. "I think I will take a nap now. Do you think we could get me to the table for dinner?"
"If you feel up to it," she said. "I don't see why not. I assume you mean the upstairs one. I don't want to try you on the stairs yet."
"No, I agree with you there."
Terry smiled at him. "You have a nice nap. I'm going to wash dishes, again. And get the vegetables cut up."
"Goniff ate the lasagna," Actor said again in disgust.
"Had to be him," said Terry. "Chief would have rinsed or soaked the plate. Craig is housebroken so he would have too. If it was Casino, the plate would have been spotless. He likes my sauce too. Had to be Goniff."
"I think at some point in the future I will have to get even with him for that," said the Italian firmly.
Terry laughed. "Go to sleep. I'll be back up in a while. You need anything bang the floor with your cane."
"So uncouth," Actor said with disgust.
"But effective."