The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 7 "The Truth Shall Set You Free"
While Col. Casey recovers in C.C.U. At the West Hills N.S.A. Hospital, Ellie is with Pastor Annie and they race to meet up with the Marine. But Ellie is not taking secrecy lying down and she is determined to find out the truth.
Ellie continued to monitor Pastor Annie as the ambulance flew down the streets of what Ellie thought was Los Angeles. Only once did Annie respond to Ellie, and that was when Ellie's pen light shone in the parson's rich, brown eyes, much like Chuck Bartowski's. Since Annie's condition had stabilized, Ellie sat back on the e.m.t. Bench and took time to inventory the state of the art ambulance, taking note of the new equipment not yet on the general market.
"My tax dollars at work." Ellie giggled slightly then bent to listen to Annie's heart. Immediately, Ellie's phone rang in her pocket and when she fished it out, she saw her brother's goofy grin staring at her.
"Hey, Chuck," Ellie greeted her brother with the phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, and noted Annie's vitals on the chart provided.
"Hey, El, how's Pastor Annie?" Chuck seemed a little breathless, but Ellie attributed that to his excitement over Annie's condition.
"She's stabilized and slightly responsive when I shine the light in her eyes. But I really don't know how close I am to where we are going, and I really don't know how...wait, I think we are slowing down."
The ambulance came to a stop and Agent Shelton knocked on the steel partition and slid it open. "We're here, ma'am." He nodded at her as he and the other agent jumped out to open the back doors of the ambulance.
Ellie brought the phone up to her ear. "Chuck? I got to go. Yes, we are here, somewhere. OK, I love you. I'll update you later." Ellie was about to hang up the phone, when she heard the distinctive voice of her own husband calling out to Chuck, and saying something about Casey suffering a heart attack. "Devon, Devon, is that you?" Ellie screamed loudly.
Agent Shelton glanced at the other agent, and took Ellie's free wrist sternly in his hand. "Dr. Woodcomb, now." He ordered gently, staring intently at the doctor as he tried to help her out of the ambulance. Ellie folded her phone up and jammed it angrily into her pocket. She stared right back at the agent, into the sky blue eyes that reminded her of John Casey. She turned to help unload the gurney out of the ambulance. Shelton reached his hand up to her, and as she descended the steel steps down to the hospital's payment, she held his hand slightly longer and demanded quietly, "What is my husband doing at a N.S.A. Hospital, taking care of John Casey?"
Agent Shelton's eyes flashed surprise, but he quickly recovered and looked directly at Ellie, his face unreadable. 'How like John Casey' Ellie thought but dismissed it quickly.
"Dr., your patient needs your full attention. I suggest we concentrate on Pastor Coburn's condition."
Ellie ran to keep up with Annie and the agents as they pushed into the hospital emergency entrance. Under her breath, she swore she would find out the truth somehow.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same hospital, Devon was calling out to his brother in law loudly, "Chuck, Casey told me I need you to look at the cause of his heart attack." At that very moment, the loud speaker broadcasted the need for Dr. Woodcomb to come to Casey's room.
"Oh, Crap!" Chuck spoke quietly, as Sarah looked at him questioning. "I think Ellie just heard Devon over my phone." Sarah stopped Chuck, and glanced at the rapidly approaching Devon. She whispered quickly, "Say nothing to him, Chuck. Let's just hear what he says about Casey and then we will see if we can do damage control with Ellie later."
"Hey, guys, Casey's stabilized but he wanted you to see this dart for some reason." Devon handed Chuck the small evidence bag, and nodded as Chuck looked for permission to open it. Devon knew Chuck's identity as a C.I.A. Agent, and he suspected Chuck could access some pretty sophisticated computer technology, but he was not aware that Chuck was that computer. Gently, Bartowski fingered the dart, and before he could pull away from Devon, a series of computer images of Costa Graves Embassy, the Ring operative that tried to needle Casey, and finally Casey's bloody leg flashed into his mind.
"Whoah, " Chuck staggered back as Devon and Sarah helped him sit down. Sarah, held his face in her hands, searching his eyes for clues to a flash.
"Hey, bro, you all right?" Devon checked the jugular in Chuck's neck, and noted the rapid heart beat.
"You didn't prick yourself with the dart, did you?" Sarah coached Chuck as he tried to erase the memory of the impromptu surgery he had to perform on his N.S.A. Handler, over a year ago.
"Yeah, well, whoah, head rush." Chuck turned to Devon, and quickly stowed the dart back in the bag, giving it back to the doctor.
"Man, I guess I did get a little of that poison. I don't feel so awesome, Devon." Chucked played up his discomfort with the hopes that the doctor would leave to find some meds to help him.
Devon's eyes searched Chuck's face, and then nodded. "Let me get something to help you. Be right back." He stood up and began to walk back to the I.C.U. to get some antibiotic and anti-nausea pills. As he began to stow the dart away, he paused and peered at it carefully. He saw no indication of toxic poison on the dart's tip, and even more importantly, no evidence of Chuck's blood on the tip.
"What's going on? Devon asked, then shook his head. Before he could think anymore on the problem, the loud speaker once again called him to Casey's room.
"Sarah, it's the angel of death all over again." Chick grabbed Sarah's hands and stared at her intently.
"What do you mean, Chuck?"
"This dart. If I'm not mistaken, it was made by BioTech Labs, the same outfit that made the Ring Agent's needle that he plunged into Casey's leg at the Costa Graves embassy."
"We need to see that lab report on the type of toxin used in that dart." Sarah glanced around to see that no one was near them as she spoke. "If it is the same type of toxin we found in Casey's leg, we know it's the same Ring operative."
Sarah and Chuck both stood up, but then Chuck began to sway. "Ohhh, man," Chuck groaned and sat back down onto the chair as Devon ran up to them.
"Here, Chuck, antibiotic and anti-nausea." Devon handed both pills to his brother in law, and tried to check him over quickly.
"I'll go get some water, Chuck. It will help the pills go down easier." Sarah stared at Chuck, willing him to wait until she came back. He nodded slightly at her then bent over and put his head into his hands.
"Hey, Bro, sorry you are not feeling well. That toxin was pretty powerful and if it wasn't for Casey's overall excellent health and his physical size, he would have died from just that small amount in that dart."
"Hey," Chuck lifted his head up as Sarah passed the cup of water to him. As he reached for the water, the pills were exchanged swiftly and Chuck pretended to down the pills and the water while Sarah tucked the unnecessary tablets away in her pocket.
Sarah turned to Devon, and asked him, "do you have a copy of the toxicology report on the toxin used? Chuck's got a theory and we need to check it out."
Devon nodded and ran back over to the nurses' station. He accessed the computer records and printed out a copy of the report, and then trotted back over to Chuck and Sarah.
"Thanks, Devon. You're the best, Awesome. I think we need to get to a computer to follow up on our hunch." Chuck began to rise out of the seat, but Devon's arms reached out and forced him to sit down.
"No can do, bro. Wait 30 minuted before you move. Those meds need time to get going in your system." Devon was a pretty good face reader, and he was surprised to see a flash of panic streak across Chuck's face.
"Now, don't you worry." Devon misread the reason for the fear. "Those pills will work wonders. I know where the good stuff is, after all." Devon chuckled, and didn't notice the pleading look between Sarah and his brother in law.
"Listen, Devon. Is there a computer I can use to follow up on Chuck's theory?" Sarah spoke quickly to deflect Devon's attention.
"Sure, there is one in the medical lounge we can access. How about I show you where and then when Chuck is ready, he can join you?"
Sarah nodded eagerly, kissed Chuck's lips and whispered, "Give me 10 minutes, and then follow me, ok?"
No sooner had the two left Chuck, a ruckus sound down the opposite hallway. Chuck stood and tried to see what was happening. Two men in black suits and sunglasses were pushing an occupied gurney accompanied by none other than Dr. Ellie Woodcomb., who was desperately trying to maintain vitals on her moving patient. At that moment, Ellie glanced up and she saw her brother.
"Chuck, what are you doing here?" she demanded and grabbed the gurney to stop the N.S.A. Agents.
Her brother gulped, noticed the cold stances of Casey's fellow agents and then leaned over to see Pastor Annie's ashen face peeking out from under the covers.
"Ma'am", spoke the agent who was built like John Casey." We need to get the Pastor stabilized."
He nodded to the other man and they began to pull away with the gurney. Ellie spun around and shook her index finger at Chuck.
"I can't talk to now, but we are NOT finished." She yelled back as she ran off to catch up to Special Agent Chad Shelton and Casey's Pastor Annie.