Chapter Six
3am Monday
Jack woke up from a nightmare, panting in the semi-darkness of his room. He could see Tyler asleep in the chair. Looking to the side table, he didn't see anything to drink. Slowly, he got out of bed. Dressed just in pajama bottoms, Jack looked for his silk bathrobe and found it in the closet. He put it on and limped out of his room.
"Jack?"
Jack turned to see a familiar nurse.
"Hi, uhm, can I have some juice please?"
"Sure, any special kind?"
"No, well, uhm, not tomato."
"Right; wait here I'll be right back."
Jack stood, listening to the sounds of the floor.
"Here we are, Jack. I brought a pitcher so we could put it in your room. I understand you don't drink water."
He finished the glass quickly and set it down on the counter.
"No, not right now. I'm going to go for a walk," Jack said, turning to walk down the hall.
"Jack, I'm sorry but there are only three of us on this shift. I need you to be in your room."
Jack walked back to her. She looked at his face and recognized the look.
"But if you want to hang out here with me, that's all right."
"Thanks. What's your name?"
"Jessica."
"Thanks, Jessica."
Jessica sat back at her desk and looked around before seeing the envelope in the bin four feet away.
"Oh my gosh, I forgot to give this to you, Jack," she said as she stood to retrieve the envelope and hand it to him.
"Thanks, Jessica; it's all right," Jack said, opening the envelope.
He pulled out three pieces of paper. The first was a get well card from Hanna. It was very well drawn and he felt himself getting choked up. The next was from Kate. She loved rabbits so she drew a rabbit with a broken paw. The final note was from Maria. A surprise really, but as he read her note, he realized that somewhere he still had feelings for her.
"Hey, buddy. This is the time most people sleep," a voice called from behind him.
Jack turned to see a very sleepy looking Tyler Simpson standing in the hallway.
"I'm sorry. I was thirsty," Jack said softly.
"Okay, so you have your juice? Great, back to bed with you. What's that?"
"Get well cards from the kids. I missed my Friday night call."
"Let's go, Jack."
"Night, Jessica."
"Good night, Jack."
Tyler picked up the pitcher of juice and followed his friend back to his room. Setting the pitcher on the table, he helped Jack into bed. Gently, he took the get well cards from him as Tyler watched Jack fall asleep. Sitting back in his chair he read the three cards. By the end, he too was wiping tears from his face.
8am
"No, no, no, no. Don't leave me. I'm here," Jack cried from his sleep.
Tyler stood next to him.
"You're safe, Jack," he said, setting his hands on Jack's shoulders.
Jack woke up and looked at his friend.
"You're okay. How do you feel?"
"Physically, okay. I'm just a little jumpy, I guess."
Dr. Aswan walked in at that moment, noticing the get well cards, and smiled.
"How are you today, Jack?"
"Pretty good, I guess. No real pain to speak of."
"He says he's a little jumpy," Tyler added.
"Okay, let me take a look."
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Tyler said, leaving the room.
"He's a good man," Dr. Aswan commented.
Jack took a slow breath as Dr. Aswan began his exam.
"When we met, twenty years ago, we hit it off."
"Twin Sons of Different Mothers."
"What?"
"A Dan Fogelberg album from the seventies."
"Oh."
"You and Tyler are very close, like brothers. Were you in the military together?"
"No, we went to Quantico together."
"I see. Jack physically, you're ready to go home. I would like to see you try to eat something though. Are you hungry?"
"Dr. Aswan, Tyler will confirm that I wrap my head around things and don't eat often. For you I will try."
"Thanks, I'll send some soup your way. In the meantime, sleep," Dr. Aswan said as he looked back at him.
Jack's eyes were shut and his face looked relaxed. Walking into the hallway, Dr. Aswan found Tyler.
"He tells me he doesn't eat much."
"No and with our schedule what he does eat is crap."
"I want to release him this afternoon. He needs to eat and process his soup."
"Uhm, okay. We'll be here."
"I'm sending the soup down. Get him to eat."
"I will, Malouf."
Tyler frowned slightly and walked back into Jack's room to wait for the soup.
9am
"Hi, I have some broth?"
"Thanks, just put it on the table."
"Okay."
The orderly left and Tyler smelled the soup. It actually smelled good.
"Jack, time for soup," Tyler said loudly.
Jack rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. He breathed in and smiled.
"Might be good,"
"Let me help you sit up a bit higher," Tyler said, adjusting the pillows before moving the special table over the bed.
Jack reached for the spoon and slowly began to slurp his soup. He groaned quietly.
"Jack?"
"Just a little pain. I can…I can work through it."
"Okay, just take easy. They want to release you today only if you can digest your soup."
"I understand, just let me try to do this."
"Sure, okay."
Jack continued with his soup until there wasn't anything left. He set his spoon down and closed his eyes.
"Jack?"
"Very tired."
Soon he was asleep, his head lolling to the left. Tyler moved the table and lowered the bed a bit before sitting in his chair.
12pm
Jack woke up not knowing exactly why until he moved.
"You okay?" Tyler asked.
"Uhm, yeah, nature calls."
"Okay, you call if you need help," Tyler said, returning to his paperback.
Jack grunted as he made his way to the toilet. Tyler heard the sink run and watch a pale Jack head back to bed. Moments later, he was asleep. Tyler walked out to the nurses' station.
6pm
"Jack?"
Jack woke up and focused on Dr. Aswan.
"I'm releasing you. I need the bed. You are to follow up with your physician and the staff psychologist. I don't think you should be back to work until next Monday."
"Thanks, Dr. Aswan."
"You're welcome, Jack. There is a prescription for antibiotics that you need to fill when you check out. Start taking them tomorrow. Take care, Jack."
"Thanks again, Dr. Aswan."
Dr. Aswan left the room and Tyler took the duffle from the closet.
"Ready to go?"
Jack looked at him quizzically as he opened the duffle. There was a sweatshirt and sweatpants in addition to a pair of shorts and Adidas. Tyler helped Jack out of his pajamas and into something he could wear home. Twenty minutes, they were at the nurses' station filling out paperwork and getting Jack's personal belongings back.
"The Bureau is buying a new vest for you."
"Big of them," Jack replied from his seat in the taxi.
Tyler looked over at him as they made their way to the city.
"What do you remember?"
"Please, Tyler, not here. Wait till we get to the apartment."
"Sure, I'm sorry."
Jack closed his eyes and leaned his head back onto the seat.
7:30pm
The taxi left them off in front of Jack's apartment and they made their way through the snow to the front door. Fifteen minutes later they were inside his apartment. Jack looked at his phone machine and groaned at the number of 98.
"You can deal with that later. Come on, let's get you settled. Are you hungry?"
"No, just tired."
"Okay, let's get you to bed then."
Tyler took Jack's coat and draped it over the living room sofa before they walked to the bedroom. Within five minutes, Jack was under his sheets and asleep. Looking through the duffle, Tyler removed the get well cards and put them on the fridge. He made himself a cocktail and looked inside the refrigerator, noting a prescription bottle for Prosom. Sighing at the virtual emptiness, he scrounged for menus and called in for a pizza. Hanging up that call, he called Vivian.
"Johnson."
"Hey, Viv, it's me. He's home."
"Great, Tyler. What's the plan?"
"Malouf said not to go back to work for a week. He has to check in with Glenn Bradley at the Bureau and his private physician."
"What about you?"
"I have to call the office. I think I'll have to go back to Washington soon."
"Thanks, Tyler. I'll try to get the group over tomorrow after work. Samantha came in today. A little sketchy, but okay."
"Night, Viv."
"Night, Tyler."
He hung up the phone and walked to his computer that he had set up in the living room. Since the accident he had been staying at Jack's apartment. Turning the computer on, he started dealing with the missing hours when he was at the hospital. Thirty minutes later, the bell rang and the pizza appeared.
"Thanks," Tyler said to the delivery man.
"Thank you," the man said, before leaving the apartment.
He settled down at the computer with his cocktail and his pizza; working.
10pm
"No, no, no," Jack shouted from the bedroom.
Tyler woke up from his carb-induced sleep and ran to the bedroom. Jack was sitting up, panting, covered in sweat.
"Easy, Jack. I'm here. You're okay."
"No, Tyler, I need to see Sean. Please, get me to Sean."
"Okay, okay, just relax. I need to find him."
"Number is in my book by the phone. The one with the red x."
Tyler looked for Jack's phone book and found it and the special number.
"Rectory."
"Father Sean? This is Tyler Simpson. Jack needs to see you."
"This is Father Brian; Father Sean is out of the office. Would you like his beeper?"
"Yes, please, Father."
"Okay that number is 917-555-6742."
"Thanks, Father."
"You're welcome, Tyler."
Tyler hung up the phone and redialed, entered his number, hung up the phone and waited.
A few minutes later, the landline rang.
"Hello?"
"This is Sean Walker, I'm responding to a page."
"Father Sean, this is Tyler Simpson, Jack Malone's friend."
"Yes, of course, Tyler, what can I do for you?"
"He was in an accident last week and just came home from the hospital. I know it's late but Jack's asking to see you. We're in his apartment in the West Village."
"Well, I'm on Christopher Street, at the men's shelter. We just finished dinner, dishes and a prayer session so I'm available."
"Jack lives on Sullivan Street two blocks south of the park, on the west side, a brownstone. Call my cell when you're nearby."
"Okay, I'm on my way."
"Thanks, Father Sean."
"You're welcome, Tyler."
He hung up the phone, heading back to his pizza; Tyler pulled a plate out and tugged a piece from the pie. He munched steadily while reading his emails until his cell phone rang.
"I'm out here at the north end of Sullivan Street."
"Number 48 apartment 3B."
"See you soon."
Tyler closed his phone and took another piece of pizza. The buzzer rang five minutes later. Tyler stood at the open door, smiling when he saw Father Sean's face. Extending his hand, Tyler shook Father Sean's while ushering him into the apartment.
"What's happened?"
"Last week, Jack and Samantha were caught in a trap. A man set explosives in his house. Jack was buried in the basement for almost sixteen hours in water. On top of that, recently, his girlfriend told him she was pregnant. While he was in the hospital, she lost the baby."
"Good Lord, where is he?"
"In the back, the bedroom on the right."
Father Sean nodded, setting his topcoat on the sofa before walking back to the bedroom carrying a small bag. Jack was still asleep but dreaming. Sean sat in a chair at the foot of the bed and watched him. Five minutes later, Jack woke up, breathing rapidly.
"Still a little displaced, I see," Sean noted softly.
Jack pulled himself to a sitting position and looked at him, as he tried to gain some control.
"I need to confess."
"All right," Sean said, pulling his stole from his bag before kissing it and putting it around his neck.
Jack gingerly swung his legs over the side of the bed to present his back to Father Sean.
"Father, please forgive me. It's been more than a month since my last confession."
"Proceed my son."
"Father, I impregnated a woman. I was arrogant and thought because she was in her forties, she was beyond the age. Subsequently, she lost the baby. I may be to blame."
Father Sean paused for a moment.
"What do you mean you might be to blame?"
"I was injured and she saw that. It upset her and she had a miscarriage."
Father Sean nodded to himself and gathered his thoughts.
"Jack, the Church does not look fondly on children borne out of wedlock. However, it appears as that was not your intent. Therefore, say twenty five Hail Marys, and twenty five Our Fathers."
Jack's body relaxed when he heard his sentence. Slowly he fell back onto the bed. Sean walked over quickly to make sure he had simply fallen asleep. It appeared that that was the case, so Sean carefully lifted Jack's legs to the bed and covered them with the blanket. He looked at Jack once more before leaving the room.
"So, how is the fallen knight?"
"That's a good analogy, actually. He's asleep right now, passed out after confession."
"Drink?"
"Yeah, please, it's been a long day," Father Sean said, carefully folding his stole and replacing it in his leather bag.
"You're not kidding," Tyler agreed as he poured two generous amounts of scotch into glasses.
"To Jack," Father Sean said, raising his glass.
"To Jack,"
Sean smiled and socked back the entire glass. Tyler looked at him in amusement.
"I need to head back up to the parish. Keep me in the loop, Tyler, please."
"I will, Father."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Tyler shut and locked the door before heading back to check on Jack. He noted it was almost eleven o'clock and Jack was quietly asleep. Tyler yawned and walked back to the living room to check his email before heading horizontal himself.