"Keep talking with him, Mrs. Fair," Julia said as she replaced the bottle of IV solution on the pole over her patient's head.
Peggy smiled at the nurse and slowly nodded her head. "Hey, Joe, you know I'm not going to let you off this easy. You promised you'd show Toby and I a real vacation this year. Remember how excited Toby was when we talked about Disney World? His eyes just danced in his head. He's opened up so much since you came into our lives. He needs you, Joe…I need you," she said, sobbing softly.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Art listened to the phone ring at the other end of the line. He knew it would be early in Summergrove, but despite that fact Stefan Mannix would've been up for hours checking his grapes. The phone rang for the sixth time before a stern voice answered.
"Hello."
"Mr. Mannix?" Malcolm asked.
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's Art Malcolm."
"Joseph's police friend?"
"That's right."
"Have you found my son?" Stefan Mannix asked gruffly, but Art caught the hint of worry in his rugged voice.
"Yes, Sir, we have."
"He is alive?"
"Yes, Sir, he is, but he's hurt pretty bad," Malcolm said quietly.
"How bad?"
"He's in intensive care," Art told him and listened to the silence from the other end. He was about to speak when Stefan's voice came through soft and quiet.
"What happened to my son, Lieutenant?"
"We don't know everything, Mr. Mannix."
"Tell me what you do know," Stefan said angrily.
"Joe was beaten and hit by a car."
"My son is too stubborn for his own good. I warned him being a detective was a dangerous job. He should have stayed with me and taken over my business."
"Joe's a good detective…the best actually," Malcolm insisted, slightly angry at the way Joe's father wanted to lead his son's life for him. Things had been better since Joe's last visit but Malcolm still sensed the man's continued resentment of Joe's leaving Summergrove.
"I will not argue about this, Lieutenant. Where is my son?"
"He's in Oschner hospital in New Orleans."
"I'll be on the next flight," Stefan told him.
"I'll give you the number here so you can call when you've made the arrangements."
"Thank you," Stefan said as the line went dead.
"I'll have one of my men pick him up," Williams said as the speaker over their head came to life with a loud anxious call.
"CODE BLUE, ICU! CODE BLUE, ICU!"
"Joe," Malcolm whispered and hurried from the room.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Peggy continued to speak to her boss while she clung to his hand. She'd closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer that he'd pull through when the quiet of the room was interrupted by the shrill sounds of an alarm.
"No, Joe," she cried as the nurse threw back the covers revealing just how much damage had been done to the man on the bed.
"You'll have to leave," Julia ordered as she pushed a crash cart up to the bed.
Peggy released Joe's hand and stumbled back, barely avoiding the incoming medical personnel. Her eyes were glued to the body on the bed as the doctors and nurses fought to bring him back. She trembled and nearly fell but found two strong arms reach out to hold her. "Oh, Art," she cried as sobs wracked her trembling body.
"What happened?"
"I...I don't know. The alarms just started blaring while I was talking to him."
"It'll be ok, Peggy," Malcolm said as he watched his friend being worked on by a highly trained team.
"Will he, Art? There's so much damage."
"Peggy, you and I both know Joe Mannix is one of the toughest men around. He's fought his way back from the brink more often than I care to think about. There's no reason for you to give up on him now," Malcolm said, conveying a confidence he didn't feel.
"That's just it, Art, does Joe have enough strength to get through this?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the people working over her boss. She watched as they placed drugs into the IV and placed the paddles on the patient's chest. She watched as his body jerked in response to the jolt.
Silence reigned as the two people watched the ongoing efforts to save their friend's life. Finally the alarms fell silent and Peggy and Art waited for word on Joe Mannix.
Marseilles looked up from the man on the bed and slowly walked over to the waiting people. "We brought him back," he told them
"Will this happen again?" Malcolm asked worriedly.
"It may, Lieutenant. We can only hope he's strong enough to survive."
"Can I go back in and sit with him?" Peggy asked.
Marseilles nodded, "Give them a few minutes to get everything cleared up and then you can go back in," he said.
"Thank you," Peggy said as she leaned her head against the glass window.
"If Mr. Mannix has any family you should call them and get them here," Marseilles told Malcolm.
"I called his father," Malcolm explained.
"Is he coming?"
"He'll be here as soon as he can get a flight out."
"That's good. I have to check on my other patients, but I'll be back to check on Mr. Mannix before I leave."
"Thanks, Doctor, for everything you've done for Joe."
Marseilles nodded as he walked away.
"You all right, Peggy?"
"I don't know, Art," she answered as the last of the equipment was moved out of the way and the nurse signalled that she could come back in. She hurried inside and reached out, taking a hand in her own as she sat back in the chair. "Oh, Joe, don't do that to me again. I don't know if I can handle it," she said softly, unconsciously rubbing her hand across his bruised cheek.
Art watched as Peggy gripped the injured man's hand in her own. He'd known the two were growing closer and hoped they'd be able to find happiness in each other. They'd been out a couple of times before Joe Mannix disappeared without a trace. They'd searched everywhere, checked and double checked old enemies but to no avail. Joe Mannix was nowhere to be found, not even the snitches he'd talked to could shed light on the missing detective. Two months of nothing that ended in an intensive care unit in a hospital in New Orleans. He leaned heavily against the glass enclosing the ICU room, his thoughts drifting back to the last day he'd seen Joe Mannix.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
'Where are you taking Peggy tonight?'
'A small restaurant on the waterfront. They serve the best linguine and shrimp in town,' Mannix smiled at his long time friend, his eyes brimming with excitement.
'Is Peggy as excited as you seem to be?'
'I hope so, Art, I've been planning this for quite some time now and I want it to be right.'
'I'm sure she'll love it, Joe. I'd say it's about time you two opened your eyes.'
'I agree, Art. She's one beautiful lady and I want to do this right.'
'Dinner at a fine restaurant, flowers, chocolate. I'd say that's doing things right.' Malcolm laughed as Joe Mannix left his office. Two hours later a call came from Peggy telling him that Joe hadn't shown up and asking if he knew where he was.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Malcolm lifted his head and stared into the room. Nothing changed, Peggy sat holding Joe's hand, the monitors recorded his heartbeat, the nurse checked his vitals, and Joe Mannix remained deathly still.
"Thanks," Malcolm muttered as a hot cup was placed in his hand.
"I have one for Miss Fair as well," the candy striper told him.
"I'll give it to her," Malcolm assured her, taking the second cup and walking into the room. "Peggy."
Peggy looked at him through tear filled eyes. She reached for the cup he offered and sipped the sweet black liquid. "Thanks, Art," she sniffed.
Malcolm nodded and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. The two people remained quiet as they watched for any sign that their mutual friend was ready to wake up. The hours dragged by as they continued their constant vigilance. The only sounds, the softly beeping heart monitor, and the swoosh of the ventilator as it supplied oxygen to the injured man. They looked to the door as a figure blocked out the light coming in from the hallway.
Although not a big man, Stefan Mannix was an imposing sight. He stood in the door, his face hard, his eyes full of pain and fear as he stepped to the bed. He didn't want to show emotions in front of his son's friends, but the shock of seeing the battered body made him gasp and stagger as he reached for something to support him.
Malcolm placed a steadying hand on the older man's elbow and helped him over to the bed.
"Art, why don't we go get something to drink," Peggy suggested.
"Alright, Peggy," Malcolm agreed, knowing Stefan Mannix was a private man and needed time alone with his son. "Would you like something, Mr. Mannix?"
"No. Nothing," Stefan answered as he waited for the two people to leave him with his wayward son. "I knew it was a mistake for you to play detective, Joseph. Now look at you. They've hurt you so bad. The doctors say you might not make it. We've argued a lot over the years and we lost some time over stupid things. I will not let you go like this, Joseph."
Joe Mannix was caught in a void. He could hear people talking to him, but the fight to answer them was too much. He felt something invading his throat and struggled against it. He felt hands reach out to him, but didn't know who they belonged to. Memories were slow in returning but he remembered bright lights coming toward him, the screeching of tires, and the final bone-jarring impact as he was thrown over the car to land heavily on the ground.
"Mr. Mannix, you're going to have to leave," the nurse said as she watched the patient struggle against the tube in his throat.
"I am not leaving my son," Stefan told her.
The nurse continued to talk soothingly to the injured man, keeping her eyes diverted from the older man who's rough voice did nothing to hide the concern he felt. "Mr. Mannix, can you hear me. You're going to be alright but you've got to calm down," she said as she injected the ordered dose of morphine into the injured man.
"Joseph, be still. You're going to hurt yourself," Stefan ordered and placed his hand on his son's shoulder.
'Pa,' Joe thought as his nerves sent pain signals to his brain. 'Help me,' he thought, but once more settled down to sleep, his pain wracked body dulled by the shot of morphine.
"Is he?"
"He's sleeping, Mr. Mannix," the nurse told him as she wrote the incident up on his chart.
"You have to come home, Joseph. I am not ready to let you go," Stefan said as he sank into the chair by the bed. 'We have much to talk about. The grapes should be ripe on the vine soon and we need to make them into wine. It is time for you to give up this dangerous life you lead,' he thought.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Fleeting memories of a darkened room in a house. The dark was his saviour, the only time when he wasn't in pain, or at least any new pain. Once the lights came on he knew they were back and that he was going to regret what he'd done. His confused mind couldn't recall why he was being punished but images of a female face would sometimes intrude on his dreams and turn them into living nightmares.
'No, not again,' he cried out, but no sound left his throat as the intruding object made it impossible to speak.
Two days passed with Peggy Fair and Stefan Mannix kept a constant watch over the injured man. He'd shown signs of coming out of it but before they were able to break through he'd slip back into whatever hell he resided in. The trembling of his body told them he was trying to wake up once more and Peggy spoke softly to him, not wanting to startle him. "Joe, it's Peggy."
He heard the voice, the soft tone filled with fear, and he tried to latch onto the lifeline. 'Peggy? No! They got you too,' he thought as his body was wracked by pain.
"Joseph, Open your eyes and look at me."
'Pa,' he thought as he fought his way up through the depths of despair and pain residing in his mind and body.
"He's coming around. Mr. Mannix, I'm Louis Marseilles, you're in the Oschner hospital in New Orleans. You've been hurt, but you're going to be fine."
'Hospital, New Orleans? How? Why?' he thought as his eyes finally opened. He slammed them shut as the overhead lights sent stabbing pain through his skull. The agony radiated from every part of his body and he would've cried out, but for the obstruction in his throat.
"Joe, it's ok. Open your eyes and look at me," Peggy ordered her boss, the man she considered her best friend.
'Peggy,' he thought when her voice once more broke through the torturous memories. He opened his eyes so they were bare slits and when no new pain awakened in his body he turned his head slightly and looked into the faces of his father and secretary.
"Joe, thank God," Peggy said, tears slipped freely from her dark eyes as she watched the recognition on the battered face.
"Mr. Mannix, we're going to get rid of this ventilator for you and then I want you to get some more rest. You folks can come back later," he said looking at Stefan and Peggy.
"Joseph, you listen to the doctor and rest. I will come back when he is done," Stefan's harsh voice didn't fool Peggy as she saw a hint of moisture in his aged eyes.
"I'll be back too, Joe," she assured him as she followed his father out of the room.
"Now, Mr. Mannix, Louisa and I are going to get rid of this tube for you. Once it's out I don't want you to try to talk. You're throat is going to feel pretty bad, but that'll go away. Louisa will give you some ice chips, but I don't want you having anything else until I run some test. Do you understand?" A slight nod of the head told him the injured man heard and understood. "All right, let's get this done." Marseilles began pulling at the tape holding the ventilator tube in place, wincing at the redness surrounding the pale lips. "Ok, Mr. Mannix, I want you to breath out now," he ordered and as Joe Mannix did as instructed, he pulled the offending tube from his mouth.
Joe Mannix gagged as the final section of tube left his throat. He coughed dryly and a panicked look came over his face when he tried to draw in a deep breath.
"Easy, Mr. Mannix, I know that's unpleasant but it's over now. Just concentrate on my voice and take a few slow deep breaths."
"T...thirsty," he rasped weakly.
"I know you are. Louisa, give him some ice," the petite red head placed a spoon of ice chips before the chapped lips and Joe took it gratefully.
"T...thanks."
"I said no talking, Mr. Mannix."
"J...Joe, Mr. M...Mannix is m...my father," Joe groaned as he shifted on the bed.
"Louisa, is it time for his shot?"
"Yes, Dr. Marseilles," the nurse answered as she injected the morphine.
"Ok, Joe, that should help ease the pain. I want you to get some rest now and remember no talking."
"K," was the simply muttered reply as tired eyes slid shut.
"Oh, Lord, I can see this one is going to be a stubborn one. I'll tell his friends to come back later. Right now sleep is the best thing for him."