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Chapter 4

"Fuller, the case is yours if you want it." The Chief of the Metro Police Department advised.

"Great… thanks... and remember what I told you. Yeah… Tommy McQuaid… juvenile… yeah… no names. Thanks I'll tell him."

Adam Fuller hit the red "END" button on his mobile phone to hang it up. He then deposited it back onto the console beside him. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the two officers sitting quietly in the back seat. Dennis Booker sat on one side of the car staring blankly out the window at the scenery passing swiftly by. He had his right hand against his head almost holding it up and in place. Occasionally he would blink his emotionless dark eyes as the group continued to pass landmark after landmark. Doug Penhall sat on the other side looking down at the back of Fuller's driver's side seat. His brown eyes carried the weight of the world behind them. He fumbled with the torn corner of his ragged flannel shirt. He then glanced up slowly catching Fuller's hawk like stare in the rearview mirror. He then turned his attention quickly to the window watching the other cars as they zipped by. Judy Hoffs sat to Fuller's right gripping her knees tightly as the nervousness of the situation took control of her. She felt her stomach tumble and churn with every second they sat in the car. Her first concern was defiantly for Tom but then there was the bitterness gnawing away at her. Who could beat a kid this badly and then just leave him? This kind of thing happened everyday… but still. What if Tommy had been a seventeen year old high school student? Would anyone have cared if he was beaten and didn't show up at home that night? Why hadn't Hanson's mother called Fuller when he didn't show up for dinner? Why, why, why! Everyone in the car was lost a million miles away from their present location. They carried with them questions they didn't seem to know the answers to now.

It was always hard when one of your own was injured. Fuller had never really considered the strain it put on each of them living with the malicious assault of Tom Hanson.

"We got the case." Fuller stated interrupting the thoughts of his officers.

"That's great." Judy smiled as she flexed her fingers and then placed her right hand between her head and the window pane. She then leaned heavily against the semi-soft surface .

"I thought we already had this case." Booker snapped.

"We did… then a "student" got the crap beat out of him and Metro was called in. We are taking over responsibility for the case from Metro. The last thing we need is Tom Hanson's cover splashed all over the news." Fuller explained while watching the road.

"So where does that leave me?" Penhall questioned.

"You're still on the inside. Hopefully Tom will be able to go back in with you eventually and Booker…"

"Booker!" Penhall seethed. "Tom is my partner and he and I started…"

"Oh yeah… well... you, Penhead, let your partner get his ass kicked…"

Fuller turned the steering wheel rapidly to the right and pulled into a parking spot. He slammed his breaks and snapped the car hastily into PARK. He turned the ignition key to the off position. He then rapidly turned himself around and looked at the two men arguing in the back seat.

"Oh hell no!" Booker shouted. "I never would have left him alone…"

"Screw you Dennis!" Doug shoved his index finger into Bookers face. Both men wore the color of cherry red on their faces as they continued to squabble. "That wasn't my fault…"

"Guys stop…" Judy turned and did her best to try and split up the potential explosion in the back seat.

"ENOUGH!" Fuller shouted at the top of his lungs. "This isn't going to solve anything! Hanson is here and needs as much of our support as possible. We need to get along and find out who did this. Penhall is staying in. Booker is going in. Ioki and Hoffs are going to be questioning students. This case is priority and I don't want anymore arguing about it! Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Booker snorted crossing his arms in front of his chest and looked out the window at the multi level hospital building.

"Yes." Penhall huffed turning his attention back down to his worn out tennis shoes.

"Good. Let's go find Hanson."

--

Tom Hanson lay sleeping somewhat peacefully in a hospital bed. He had dark rings whisking around his eyes. His nose was swollen from top to bottom with violet, black and scarlet colored angrily all over it. There was a strip of tape and gauze had been attached to the surface to prevent any movement to the delicate damaged bones to his face. The corner of his mouth was black-and-blue and had two small butterfly strips over a split to the side his lip. His head was wrapped lightly to prevent bleeding from the base of his skull. He slept lightly with his lips parted in an effort to breath easier.

There was a wrestling behind the hospital room door. His eyes cracked open slightly when he heard the light noise. The door then opened to reveal his mother. She smiled brightly through her tears. She lightly dabbed at the corners of her eyes and adjusted her glasses as she walked slowly into the room. She pulled a chair up to the bed and lifted her sons hand into her own.

"Tommy…" she whispered touching his head lightly with her free hand.

"Ma…" Tom swallowed hard as he fought to open his swollen eyes.

"Shhh Champ… you're gonna be okay. You have a mild concussion a broken nose and some bruised ribs. Harry's out in the hallway and Captain Fuller is on his way over."

"Harry…" Tom swallowed again. He let his tongue wonder along the side of his lip where a scab had formed. "Mild concussion… feels like… my head split… in two." Hanson clinched his teeth together and closed his eyes grimacing from the effort to talk. He turned his head to the side. His forehead began to glisten with a sheen of perspiration. He let out a nearly silent groan as he struggled with some unknown assailant.

"Son…" Margaret Hanson felt her stomach rise up to her throat. "Tommy…" she brushed her fingers along his flushed cheeks as he started to relax. She looked nervously around the room at the machines everywhere. He was still hooked up to a cardiac monitor which had begun beep rapidly and then slow down to a softer more steady pace.

"Is everything alright in here ma'm?" A nurse strolled into the room. She walked over the IV pumping clear liquids into her son's arm. She examined the bag and then looked at the monitor watching his sinus rhythm. She pressed a button and printed out a sheet of paper to look at it.

"He… he seems a little uncomfortable." Mrs. Hanson looked at the nurse with a plea for help.

The nurse walked over to the bedside. She tried to force a smile but was only able to produce thin lines across her young face. She looked down at Tom with her bright blue eyes. She let out a breath as she then looked up at his mother.

"He is uncomfortable. He's on a high dose of pain killers. I'm afraid to give him to much more right now. The doctor will be in soon and she might give him another shot but there isn't much more I can do right now. Between his ribs and his broken nose, I'm not entirely sure which would be worse."

Margate let out a soft sigh and nodded her head.

"Thank you anyways."

"Sure… I'll be in to check on him soon. He's having spasms in his side. They are caused by the muscles contracting and releasing. He'll get over them soon. His body just needs rest. If you need anything or… if I can do anything for him… please let me know." The nurse offered another smile as she turned to leave. Her blond pony tail bouncing against her thick shoulders as she walked out. "His brother can go in and one additional can go in. Keep it brief and please one at a time." It was a parent that Fuller, Hoffs, Booker and Penhall were all out in the hallway waiting to see their injured friend.

"Doug… Adam…" Margaret Hanson fell into the arms of the two officers.

"How is he?" Captain Fuller asked as he pulled Margaret Hanson in for a tight embrace and then patting her lightly on the back.

The two pulled away as Penhall looked at his friend lying battered and bruised in a hospital bed. He was a mess. His face was so puffy and bruised. He looked almost like he had a bad stage make-up job. Penhall licked his lips as he slowly approached the bed. His brow was furrowed with worry and reluctance. What was he supposed to do?

"He's sore. They say he'll be fine in a couple of weeks, but he's going to be in a lot of pain for a while." Mrs. Hanson replied as she turned her attention to Doug.

The big man had his hands tucked into his pockets nervously looking up at Hanson and then down at his feet. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach each time he looked at his friend. He blamed himself. If he had just gone back; If he hadn't let Dorothy start in on him over the phone about taking too much time with his kiddy cop job. He should have just kicker her mouthy ass out after that. There were just too many "ifs".

"This is all my fault." Doug blurted out.

"No… no this is nobody's fault." Margaret tried to ease by rubbing her hand over Doug's shoulder and arm. "Go and talk to him Doug… he needs you right now." Margaret smiled and nodded her head at Penhall who let out a deep tormented sigh. "I'm gonna talk to Adam okay… you talk to Tommy."

"Yeah." Doug wiped a hand across his face nervously as he crossed the rest of the room to Tom's bed. He was uncomfortably out of place here. I should be out busting down the door of the jerk Sullivan's house. It had to have been him. He had been with Hanson before all of this…

"Doug…" Hanson's voice sounded raspy as he tried unsuccessfully to open his eyes again. There were the smallest slits in them as he tried to look at Doug.

"Yeah buddy… I'm here." Doug sat down in the chair next to Tom.

"How… do I look." Hanson asked.

"Like... you have had the worst hangover ever." Doug tried to laugh as he turned his head and looked at the floor.

"Damn… I… was hoping… to score a sympathy… date with a hot nurse because… of this." Hanson panted.

Doug forced a smile as he looked back up at Tom.

"I'm sorry man." Penhall apologized softly.

"Not… your fault… Doug." Hanson turned his head towards Doug, gingerly bringing his hand up to Doug's. Doug looked at the offering and then at Tom. He let out another sigh as he grasped his best friend hand in his own.

"Thanks Tommy." Doug smiled as he was let off the hook by Tom. "Were gonna find him… before he… does this again."

Hanson let out a gasp as he clamped down harder on Doug's hand and struggled through another painful spasm in his side. Penhall turned ghost white as Tom clinched his teeth as began to pour sweat as the pain increased.

"Tommy…"

Margaret and Adam walked over to Doug who looked desperately up at the two. He shook his head as Margaret gently laid her hand on Tom's shoulder and took his hand with her free hand.

"It's okay Tommy… just relax." She gently soothed.

A single tear ran down the side of his face and then into his hair as he lay propped up by pillows. It was over soon as he started to relax and then it was over. The beeping on the cardiac monitor returned to normal as Adam patted Mrs. Hanson on the back and then looked at Tom.

"Tommy… you get better. I'll see you later. Dennis, Judy and Harry are all outside waiting to see you when you're ready."

Tom nodded his head slightly as he tried to regain his composure. His mother gently wiped the tear from his eye as Doug looked on. She looked up from her son to her son's best friend as the young nurse who had talked to her earlier can in to check Tom's vitals again.

"He's gonna be alright Doug. Just don't do anything stupid when you get to school tomorrow; I know it'll be tempting with your little brother in the hospital and all. Just remember I can't afford two sets of medical bills." She stated with a wink.

"Sure… mom." Doug answered.

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