Chapter 32
Sir Pain hopped up to the back of the sofa and waited patiently, standing guard as Mike sat for just a moment, surveying the living room. Lost in thought, Stoker's expression was blank, barely noticing when Sir Pain bumped his head on Mike's, demanding attention.
Mike closed his eyes lightly, took a deep breath, and let it out again slowly. Between visits from nurses and doctors and friends while he was in Rampart, it was much easier to keep his mind off the circumstances behind his injuries. Just as he had feared, once he was home to stay and he was alone, the flashbacks began. At one moment he could see the broken glass on the garage floor, then Captain Stanley trying to get Mike to his feet, and then in the next instant, he again heard the gunshot and saw Cap fall to the floor. His hands gripped the sofa cushions tightly as the images flooded his brain.
Like a flash bulb, the memories would burst forth and then disappear, melding into an altogether new image. He could see Johnny being dragged off by the drug-crazed man, Roy and his neighbor finding Mike and Cap on the floor, the blood, the sound of sirens and Sir Pain's screech...Mike shook his head, growled and forced the visions from his mind.
He tried to slow his rapid breathing. "I-I won't let th-this get to mmme." he said aloud. "Think of something else, Stoker!" A thin smile appeared as his eyes found the photos of Sir Pain that Johnny had taken and placed on the mantle. He stepped up to the fireplace and reached for his favorite. The cat was caught gazing through the glass of the patio doors one morning. Johnny had it printed in black and white and framed in black as well. It made a perfect addition to the other photos there of Mike's mom and sister, her family, and the single WWI Army photo of his dad.
He crouched down and rubbed the purring feline behind the ears. "B-Buddy, you are th-the one good th-thing that came out of a-all of th-this crap. Y-You're fammm-ily now."
Sir Pain seemed to agree and trotted after Mike as he headed back to the kitchen. Mike pulled a chair out from the table and brought it over to the phone, dialed a number and sat down as he listened. He waited for ten rings until finally he heard a sweet "hello" on the other end.
"Hi, Mmmom, it's Mmmichael."
It took some time for Mike to convince his mom that he really was doing much better. He smiled as she fretted over the phone and worried that she wouldn't be able to stay there to help him out. He promised he'd call his sister next and that he'd ask her to come help if he needed it. His mom seemed happy with that and Mike said goodbye and hung up slowly, standing there with his hand on the receiver for a few moments.
"Th-this house is too qu-quiet," Mike decided and turned the radio on. For a man so accustomed to a quiet house, this bothered him. "Great," he thought, "nnnow I'm go-ing to be a-fraid to stay a-alone." He glanced at his reflection in the window above the sink and frowned. "Well, w-what are y-you go-ing to do nnnow?" he asked himself. Before he had a chance to leave the kitchen, the phone rang.
E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!
As they strolled slowly back to the hospital room, Cap told Ellie the whole sordid tale of how Johnny and Mike were tricking Chet into thinking they were in love and moving in together. Ellie alternately giggled and gasped in shock with the details, but knowing how Chet often made Johnny the station target, she figured 'boys would be boys' and told her husband that she'd like to be a part of the trickery.
"I could bring over a casserole to welcome the happy couple home once Johnny is released," she offered with a sly smile.
Hank grinned and turned to kiss his wife on the forehead. This woman knew how rowdy and occasionally raunchy a bunch of firemen could get and not only did she tolerate it with good humor, she enjoyed it. That only made him love her even more.
It was nearly dinner time when Hank returned, so Ellie helped him wash up and get back into bed. She raised the bed so he could sit up properly and rolled the table across his lap.
"El, you were right. Getting the heck outta' here for a bit was exactly what I needed. I feel much better. Might even want to go another round tonight."
"Well, you just eat something first and we'll see about that later," she said as she removed his slippers. She glanced back to her husband, "Um, Hank...If it's okay, I think I'll go on home for dinner tonight. The Goldstein's next door have kept the girls and Buttons each day and I'd like to be home to tuck them in tonight. Is it alright if we call to say goodnight?"
Hank motioned for Ellie to sit on the side of his bed. He took her hand, "Honey, you do whatever you need to do. Just kiss Kate and Laura for me tonight and tell them Daddy will be home soon."
Hank's eyes misted as he thought about his two young daughters. Yes, sometimes it was hard living in a houseful of girls, but they were the light of his life and he missed them terribly. He and Ellie had tried for four years to have a baby after they were first married, and just as they were about to give up, Ellie found she was pregnant with Laura. So thankful to have the one beautiful daughter, they were quite stunned when shortly after, Ellie became pregnant again. This time, their spunky Kate joined their family and Hank had another little lady to dote upon. The girls were now eight and nearly seven, and his girls, including Ellie, were his world.
"God, Ellie, I miss them so much. I can't wait to get back home," Hank whispered hoarsely.
"I know, sweetheart, I know," she whispered back, clutching his hand. "Don't worry, it won't be much longer, I'm sure."
With those words, a nurse entered the room. "Mr. Stanley, Dr. Ramsey has ordered your IVs removed. Can you lie back for just a moment for me?
Hank complied and the nurse swiftly accomplished her mission. She patted his shoulder, then collected the items she used. "This is a good thing, Mr. Stanley. It means you're one step closer to leaving us."
Ellie winked at her husband. "Told ya'," she smiled. "Now let's get you ready for dinner again."
One more kiss and Ellie was on her way home for the night. She was the only person for the ride down and stared at the floor of the elevator car, keeping silent. She was determined to stay upbeat and encouraging around her husband, but alone was an entirely different matter. Her feet felt leaden by the time she reached their station wagon in the parking lot. She took a moment to look up at the bright sky and grasped the car door quickly as the world tilted a bit. Ellie sat down on the car's front seat, rubbing her hands over her eyes. She was so tired; even driving home felt like a chore.
E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!
Marco's mind whirled with the ways he and Mike and Johnny would pull this off. An idea popped into his head and Marco went to the hall phone for a clandestine call to Mike. Smiling in satisfaction, he went outside and approached Chet's van. Marco glanced back at his house as he walked and saw the drapes whip closed as his mama hid herself from view. He chuckled; his mama loved his coworkers dearly, but Chester Kelley never failed to befuddle her.
Chet nearly jumped out of his seat when suddenly Marco's face appeared at the open window.
"Hiya Chet!" Marco greeted loudly.
"Yaaaah! Geez, Marc, give a guy a heart attack!"
"Hey, I'm sorry, man. Guess I figured if you're in my driveway, you kinda' wanted to see me."
Yeah...yeah, I do, I was just...thinkin'." Chet replied. "Uh, you wanna go get something to eat? I was going to make something at Mike's when I dropped him off, but he wasn't hungry. I was thinkin' we could hit that new Hawaiian taco joint, "Hulatino's" on Strathmore."
"Well, I told Mike I'd bring dinner over tonight; think he'll like Hawaiian tacos?"
"I don't know what he likes anymore," Chet mumbled, then looked at his friend, "I mean, sure, we can get stuff to go, I guess."
"What do you suppose they put in a Hawaiian taco- pineapple? I'll admit, I'm curious." Then Lopez quipped, "You never know how good something can be until you try...right?"
Chet looked away, "Y-yeah, sure. Look, can we just go already?"
Marco snorted a laugh as he went around to the other side of the van.
"Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you, the cat came back!" Chet said as Marco climbed in. "Mike was pretty happy to see the little guy again."
"Fantastic!" Marco added, "I bet he was."
The conversation died out rather quickly after that as Chet tried to broach the subject that was driving him mad. He wasn't a prude or homophobic, but geez, this was Marco, for cryin' out loud; his best friend! Shouldn't he have disclosed this little detail to Chet by now?
The two linesmen pulled up to "Hulatino's" and stared open-mouthed at the bright yellow building, which featured a huge mural of hula dancers dressed in grass skirts and sombreros. A loud Mariachi band stood on the sidewalk playing "Blue Hawaii".
"Ai-yi-yi," Marco said, stunned, "this is ridiculous!"
"Yeah...pretty weird," Chet agreed, "still wanna eat here?"
"Sure, let's give it a shot," Marco decided.
They walked up to the order window and perused the menu for a minute. Both men found the food combinations to be strange to say the least.
"My treat, Chet," Marco smiled and then told the girl at the counter, "Uh, I think we'll take three of the Guaca-Maui platters, six Tama-leis, and a large side of Guavacado salsa. Oh, and three large Cokes. To go."
The waitress came back with the drinks and as he unwrapped his straw, Marco asked, "Chet, what's up? Something bothering you, amigo?"
Looking very much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Chet stammered, "Well, I..I don't...I mean, it's not something I'm upset about...okay, maybe I'm a little bugged, but not really..."
"C'mon Chet, spit it out."
Chet took in a huge breath and yelped, "WHY didn't you ever tell me you and Mike were a couple!?"
Stifling a laugh made Marco snort his cola and he choked a little. He spat out his drink into a napkin. This was better than he had expected, though his cheeks hurt from squashing the grin that threatened to escape.
Composing himself, he said, "Well, Chet, I wasn't hiding anything, I just didn't think it was important anymore. Apparently Michael said something to you." He looked down at the table and said quietly, "I suppose he also told you he's with Johnny, now."
Chet swallowed, "Uh...I, uh, he..."
"Well, look, amigo, it's nothing I'm upset about anymore. Michael and I parted company long ago. I'm...happy for them," Marco said with a faraway look in his eye. "Are you okay?"
Chet looked like he'd just swallowed thumbtacks and desperately wished he knew nothing at all. "I just didn't think...I mean, I'm okay with it, I guess...um, aw geez, where the hell is the food?"
The girl quickly returned with a large paper sack containing the food. She was Latina with beautiful dark eyes and long hair. Marco smiled and pressed the money into her hand. "Keep the change, bella dama," he winked.
Chet's radar went off. "Wait a second..." he thought.
E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!
Mike grinned as he hung up the phone. Marco was on his way there with dinner...and a very nervous Chet. As instructed, he called Johnny at the hospital and filled him in on Marco's plans: Mike needed to be on the phone with Johnny as Marco and Chet arrived with the food. Mike and Johnny made up an impromptu conversation to have for Chet to "accidentally" overhear. Mike wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Man, I wish I could be there in person instead of on the phone," Johnny told him. "This is going to be the final downfall of the Phantom! Who knew Marco was so devious! Incredible."
"Nnno kidding!" Mike replied. "I'll c-all you right b-back as soon as th-they get here."
Sir Pain sat nearby and when Mike stood up, he started curling himself around the man's feet and meowing for food.
"C'mon, p-pal, I'll f-feed you." He took a can of cat food from the cabinet and Sir Pain purred and mreeped around Mike's feet, eager for his dish to be filled. Mike turned his nose and grimaced at the smell of the brown, gravy-covered mush.
"Phew!I kn-know you're a car-ni-vore, d-dude, but how c-can you eat th-this junk?"
Sir Pain had no qualms with chowing down on the dinner Mike sat before him on the floor, gobbled it up like he hadn't been fed in days. Mike stuck his tongue out at the stinky meal and went to toss the can in the trash. He washed his hands at the sink and set out some napkins on the table, awaiting the food Marco said he was bringing.
The doorbell rang and Mike knew that was his cue. He picked up the phone, dialed Rampart and asked to be connected to Johnny's room.
A couple more dings from the doorbell and Mike yelled, "C-Come on in, I-I'm on the ph-phone!"
Chet and Marco came in and walked in the kitchen and waved to Mike who stood against the wall, the receiver on his shoulder. He pointed to the table and Marco and Chet began unpacking the food.
"Y-Yeah...I mmmiss you too. Uh-huh, y-yeah, I th-think that s-sounds like fun...sure, b-but only wh-when you're a-round...sure, y-you can!" Mike laughed loudly and Chet turned around. "H-Hey, th-the guys are h-here, I-I'll tell them y-you said hi...O-kay, take care, l-love. I-I'll see y-you soon. Bye."
Chet smiled, "Hey, how's your sister doin', Mike?"
Mike grinned back, "Th-that wa-wasn't Jeannie, Chet, th-that was Gage. He s-says 'hi'." He started to snoop through the bags, "Wh-what did you guys bring f-for din-ner?"
Chet's eyebrows crawled up into his curly hair and disappeared.