Chapter 6: Brothers
Doug rushed up to the bed and stood next to Tom, anxiously waiting to hear what he had to say next. "Tom, do you remember?"
Tom pushed himself out of bed and gave Doug a huge hug. He pulled back and shot Doug another goofy grin. He punched him in the arm and said, "Of course I remember."
Doug felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. He had his friend back… good old Tommy Hanson was back. No more amnesia, no more Tom McQuaid yelling at him to get lost or leave him alone… or so he thought.
Tom sat back down on his bed and looked up at Doug. "You're my brother, Doug… Doug McQuaid." He was still smirking at Doug as he sat back down in his chair.
Doug sighed. He had let his hopes up that his partner was back to himself. Now, here he was watching the man in front of him with that stupid smirk on his face, thinking that he was his brother. Tom Hanson thought that they were the McQuaid brothers. He let out another sigh and wondered what he was going to say next. He didn't have to wonder too long though as Tom was the first to speak.
"So bro, when do I get to go home? I want to get out of here and get some real food. This food here tastes like shit."
Yep, he was definitely acting like Tommy McQuaid. "Uh, Tommy… how about I go talk to the doctor to find out when you can go home, ok?" Doug stood up and walked out to the nurse's station. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Well, at least Tom wasn't yelling at him to get lost anymore. Maybe this was a step in the right direction. He could play Doug McQuaid for a while if it would help Tom, right? Of course he could. Doug walked up and asked the nurse if she could page Dr. Shepherd for him.
A few minutes later Dr. Shepherd walked up to the nurse's station. "What's wrong Officer Penhall? Did something happen with Tom?"
Doug cleared his throat and shot the doctor a nervous glance. "Uh, yeah… he's been remembering a few things."
"Ok, that's good."
Doug nodded, "Not completely. He's remembered us as the McQuaid brothers." The doctor shot him a confused look and Doug continued, "Our covers… he and I are brothers. He thinks that I'm his brother."
"Ah, I see. Well, I still think that this is a good sign. Let's go and I'll check him over." Doug followed Dr. Shepherd back to Tom's room. Tom was still sitting up in his bed, obviously waiting for Doug to return.
Tom sent Doug another grin. "Hey Doc… when can I get out of this joint?"
Dr. Shepherd walked up to Tom and took out his penlight. "Let me take a look at your first and then we can work out the details, okay?" He shined the small light into each of Tom's eyes. Next he checked out the stitches on Tom's head. "How is your head?"
Tom laughed. "Still there doc. So when can I get out of here?"
Dr. Shepherd shook his head and replied; "I would like to keep you here for a couple of days for observation Tom. You've had quite a severe blow to your head and we just want to make sure that there aren't any complications."
Tom was not happy with this information. "Come on Dr. Shepherd. I can go home with my brother and he'll keep an eye on me, won't you Doug?" Tom looked over at Doug with pleading eyes.
"Yeah, I can keep an eye on him at home Dr. Shepherd." Doug thought about this for a moment. Maybe if he could get Tom in some familiar surroundings he'd remember whom he was. "Can I see you outside for a second?"
Doug and the doctor slipped out of the hospital room. "Dr. Shepherd, I think it would be good for Tom to be at home in his own surroundings… maybe it will help jog his memory."
Dr. Shepherd thought about this for a moment. "It' against my better judgment, but if you can be with him 24/7, then I'll sign his release papers." Doug nodded and shook the doctors hands. "Of course, I won't let him out of my sight."
Dr. Shepherd went off to fill out Tom's release forms. Doug opened the door and went back into Tom's room. Tom was already up and getting dressed. He began to sway a bit on his feet and Doug rushed over and put his arm around him for support. "Slow down there Tom… why are you out of bed?"
Tom pushed Doug's hand away and tied his flannel shirt around his waist. "I'm fine. I just want to go home. What did Dr. Shepherd say?"
"He's signing your release papers now. You can go home tonight, as long as I keep an eye on you."
Tom grinned at this information. "Great, I can't wait to get out of this hell hole!"
Dr. Shepherd came by minutes later and gave Tom a prescription for some painkillers and his release papers. "Just make sure you take it easy Tom. No stress and no over-exerting yourself, do you understand?"
"Don't worry doc. My big brother here will keep a good eye on me." He slapped Doug on the back. "Promise."
Later that evening, Doug pulled the Mustang into a parking spot in front of Tom's apartment. He helped Tom out of the car, with some resistance, and then locked the car doors. He led them upstairs to Tom's apartment and unlocked the door. Tom followed Doug into the apartment and stopped once he entered the living room. It seemed familiar to him, but something felt off.
"You okay Tom?" Doug had noticed that Tom was staring into the living room with a confused look on his face as if he was remembering something. "Did you remember something?"
Tom went over and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. "Nah, nothing. Hey, how about a beer? And a pizza?"
"Sounds good to me. I'll call and order one…but I don't know if beer is such a good idea while you're on those painkillers." Doug went over to the phone and dialed the pizza parlor.
After dinner, Doug decided he needed to go to his apartment and get a few of his things for the next couple of days. "Hey Tommy, will you be okay if I go out for a bit to get a few things?"
"Yeah sure, go ahead. I'll just be watching some TV."
Doug grabbed his keys and said, "Okay, I'll only be about half an hour or so."
Tom didn't even look up from the TV. "Yeah, ok. See you then."
Doug had been gone about 10 minutes when Tom began to feel bored. He turned off the TV and left his apartment. He walked down the street and shivered slightly as the wind whipped through his hair. I could really use a hit right now he thought to himself. He continued walking down the street when he noticed a bar that for some reason felt really familiar. Curious, he crossed the street and entered the bar.
It was a run down place, with a cheap atmosphere that smelled of cigarette smoke and booze. Tom noticed a couple of guys in the back exchanging a small packet of powder. He slowly made his way to the back of the bar and walked up to the guys.
"Hey fellas. You wouldn't happen to know where I could score do you?" The two men looked up from their seats. One of them motioned for Tom to sit down. He pulled out a small package and showed it to Tom.
"This is your lucky day friend. I just so happen to have some of the best powder around." He sent Tom a smile and added, "I think we can work out a deal." Tom handed him a couple of bills and took the package of powder and put it in his pocket. "Thanks fellas." With that he left the bar and headed back to his apartment.
Once inside Tom checked to see if his brother was back yet. He wasn't so he decided that he'd just save some powder for him. Tom searched around until he found something he could use to snort the powder. He sat down on the couch and with one quick swipe of his hand, brushed the contents of the coffee table onto the floor. He placed three lines of the powder onto the mirror he'd found and quickly snorted the first line. He sat back and let the sensation take over him. He had the powder up near his nose when the door to his apartment opened and he heard, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"