FORGOTTEN MEMORIES!—14
Peggy paced the confines of the waiting room, her face streaked with tears as she waited anxiously for word on Joe Mannix. Albi had long since given up on getting her to sit down, knowing the woman would not be able to relax until she knew just how serious things were for Joe Mannix. She looked at the phone, wondering if she should call Stefan Mannix or wait until she had more news to impart. She looked at her watch for what felt like the thousandth time and realized it was less than a minute since the last time she checked.
"Peggy, do you want something to drink?" Albi asked, worried about the woman as she continued her anxious pacing.
"No, thanks, Albi. I'm fine," she insisted.
"No, you're not, Peggy..." He was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and he watched as Peggy stared at the door. He saw her disappointment when Art Malcolm entered.
"Any word?" the policeman asked, reaching for the woman and pulling her down on the chair beside him.
"Not since Dr. Lewis took him into the examination room," Peggy answered.
"Have you checked with the desk?"
"Albi did a few minutes ago, but the doctor is still in there with Joe. She couldn't tell us anything."
"They're probably waiting until they know more about what's going on with him, Peg," Malcolm said reassuringly.
"I know, but..."
"The waiting is hard," the lieutenant finished.
"Y...yes," she answered as he held her close.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
"Dr. Lewis, portable x-ray is here."
"Thanks, Jenny," Lewis said as a machine was pushed into the room. He looked at the technician and told him what he wanted done before following the others out of the room. "Let me know when they're finished, Jenny. I'll be in the waiting room. Peter, will you be available when they're finished?"
"I'll be here, Andrew. I'm just going to order a few more tests for him."
"Okay, thanks," Lewis said as he hurried toward the waiting room. The door was closed and he took a deep breath before entering. He held up his hands when three people stood up and hurried toward him.
"How is he, Doctor?" Peggy asked.
"Will he be okay?" Albi inquired from behind Fair.
"Hold it. Have a seat and I'll tell you what we know so far. He was awake for a few minutes and knew who he was and where he was," Lewis explained as the three people did as he told them.
"Thank God," Peggy cried, gripping the policeman's arm tightly.
Lewis smiled before growing serious once more. "Now, I've only got a couple of minutes. X-ray is in with him right now. So far we've uncovered evidence of a dog attack..."
"What?" Albi asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"His left forearm has puncture wounds made by canine teeth. His right leg is covered in scratches, probably from the animal's claws. He's got a knife wound to the right shoulder that's showing signs of infection. He's also been whipped and beaten, plus there's a bullet crease on the right side of his head. I can't tell where one bruise starts and another ends, and we don't even know about broken bones yet," Lewis explained.
"Is that it, Doc?" Malcolm asked, knowing in his heart the other man was not quite finished.
"Do you know how long Joe was in the water?"
"No, they'd already taken him out when we got there," Malcolm answered.
"You two performed CPR?" he asked pointing to Art and Albi.
"Yes," Albi answered.
"Any idea how long he was..."
"No," Malcolm, answered, knowing what the man was about to ask. "We started CPR right away, but we have no idea how much time he wasn't breathing."
"Doctor, he will be okay, won't he?" Peggy asked fear evident in her voice.
"He's strong, Peggy, but he's been through so much, and I can't really say for sure right now. We're doing everything we can to get him stabilized, but he's got to want to fight."
"Joe's going to fight, Dr. Lewis, I'll make sure of that!" the woman vowed.
"Good," the physician said with a smile.
"Can I see him?"
"Not right now, Peggy. We've still got a lot of work..." he looked up as a nurse came into the room.
"Dr. Lewis, x-ray is finished."
"Thanks, Jenny, tell Peter I'll be right there."
"Yes, Doctor," the woman said, before hurrying back to her patient.
"I have to go. I'll let you know as soon as we get the results of the tests and x-rays."
"Thank you, Doctor," Malcolm said.
"You're welcome. Look, the three of you look beat and this is going to take a while. Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."
"I'm not hun..."
"Peggy, you won't be any good to Joe if you don't take care of yourself. Go, eat something and maybe when you get back here I'll have some news for you," Lewis said.
"I'll make sure she eats, Doc," Malcolm said, shaking hands with the physician before the man went back to his patient. "Come on, Peg..."
"I'm not..."
"He's right, Peggy, you need to eat and rest if you're going to be any good to Joe. Come on, it won't take long," the policeman told her.
"Alright," the woman reluctantly agreed.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Peter Reynolds looked up from examining the knife wound in Mannix' right shoulder, X-rays revealed that nothing was broken, but the blade had chipped the bone.
"How is he, Peter?"
"His vital signs haven't improved and there's fluid on his lungs."
"Damn, okay, so we get him started on a broad spectrum antibiotic," Lewis said as he moved to check the x-rays mounted on the wall. "Did you see these?"
"Yeah, looks like Joe Mannix is going to be very uncomfortable for a while. I counted four breaks in total and a couple of cracked ribs."
"That's what I see too. Looks like his knee is going to need further surgery as well."
"Well, we're going to need to get him to surgery to get his shoulder fixed up," Reynolds said.
"We may need to debride the bites as well. Why don't we send him for the CT scan first and see what's going on with the wound there?"
"All right, Andrew, I'm going to make arrangements with the OR and will meet you there if nothing shows up on the scan."
"Right," Lewis said, watching as a nurse set up a bag of O-negative blood and ran it through a separate IV line. He knew they'd already sent the bloodwork off and it was only a matter of time before they had him typed and cross-matched.
"Dr. Lewis, they're ready for him in CT," an elderly nurse said as she entered the room.
"Thanks, Thelma. Jenny will you let me know when they bring him back?"
"Yes, Doctor," the nurse agreed as she watched the tired man leave. Shaking her head at the damage she unhooked the monitors and oxygen from the wall and placed it on a portable canister. She flicked at the strands of dark hair, smiling at the handsome face she knew lay beneath the bruises and cuts.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Peggy, Art, and Albi returned to the waiting room, anxious for any word on their injured friend. Peggy spotted Andrew Lewis standing at the ER desk and rushed over to him.
"Doctor, how's Joe?" she asked.
The man turned toward her, seeing the lines of pain and strain on the pretty face, and knowing they'd stay there until they knew Joe Mannix would make it through this second encounter with Al Pulverante.
"Peggy, he's in surgery right now..."
"Surgery for what?" Malcolm asked worriedly
"We need to make sure there's nothing going on in the knife wounds and bites. The best place to do that is in surgery where they'll irrigate the wounds and remove anything that shouldn't be there. They'll also check his knee..."
"His knee?" Albi asked.
"Yes, it appears as if he sustained more damage to his right knee, probably as a result of being kicked there several times. Dr. Frost, head of orthopaedics is going to fix his knee and hopefully any other problems he sees while he's in there," Lewis explained.
"How long do you think it'll take?" Malcolm asked.
"They've only just taken him up. I'd say we're looking at four to six hours, depending on how bad the knee is."
"What about the wound to his head?" the policeman asked, worried about the damage a bullet could do to a man.
"The CT scan didn't show anything. He does have a major concussion and on top of the one he was already suffering from it's very dangerous. We'll be monitoring him closely once he's out of surgery. Now, if you want you can go up to the surgical waiting rooms. The chairs there are more comfortable than the ones down here."
"Thank you, Doctor," Malcolm said.
"You'll let us know when he's out of surgery?" Peggy asked.
"I will. He's probably going to spend a few days in ICU because of the infections and the fluid on the lungs. We have no idea how long he was in the water, but he did swallow some and we're hoping to stop him from getting full scale pneumonia, but again we need to monitor that closely as well."
"I'm going to call Stefan and let him know what's happening," Peggy said softly, and turned away from the three men.
"Peggy," Malcolm called and waited for the woman to look at him. "Would you like me to call him for you?"
"No, thank you, Art, I need to do this, but could you come with me?"
"Of course," the policeman told her and wrapped his arm around her waist as she began to cry. They walked to the waiting room and sat down near the window. Art held her long after the trembling stopped and the tears dried.
"I'd better do this now," Peggy said.
"Are you sure? We could wait until after he's out of surgery."
"Not much point. No, Art, Stefan has a right to know."
"I know, Peg, but you're..."
"I'm fine...or I will be when..." she stopped and reached for the phone, dialing an outside line as she placed the receiver to her ear. She recalled the number and felt her stomach clench as the connection was made and the phone began to ring at Stefan's home. She recognized the woman's voice and asked to speak with the older man and felt Art's arm around her for moral support.
"Who is this?" the gruff voice asked.
"Mr. Mannix?"
"That is right. Who is this?"
"It's Peggy Fair. Joe's..."
"I know who you are. What is happening to my son?"
"Joe was kidnapped a few nights ago..."
"Have you people found him?"
"Y...yes. He's in the hospital." There was an uncomfortable silence on both ends of the line until finally Stefan asked.
"My son chose his life. He chose to put himself in danger. I washed my hands of this the last time."
"Mr. Mannix...please..."
"No. I tell him to come home...to take over as a good boy should, but he does not listen to me. He would rather work with criminals and murderers instead of working the soil, using his hands for good."
"He does use his hands for good, Mr. Mannix. He helps people when they need it. He's responsible for saving more lives than you'll ever know!" Peggy snapped, her voice showing her anger as she listened to the older man's angry tirade.
"Easy, Peggy," Malcolm soothed.
"I will not listen to you defend him. He should be home, here, where he belongs."
"Mr. Mannix, he is your son and you should respect him for having the strength and the courage to do what is in his heart, not yours!"
"I do respect him, but I do not wish to see him beaten and shot. He is of my flesh and I bleed when he does. I will ask that you have him call me when he can."
The line went dead in her hands and she felt Malcolm pull her close as tears fell once more.
"He does love him, Peggy," Malcolm said, remembering the dealings he'd had with Stefan Mannix through the years. The man was stubborn and angry when Joe told him he wouldn't be going into the grape business with his father.
"He has a strange way of showing it, Art," the woman sobbed.
"He always has," Malcolm told her.
MANNIX-MANNIX-MANNIX
Peggy and Art stood beside the doorway, waiting for the nurses to finish settling Joe Mannix into the SICU room. Surgery had taken five hours and they'd both napped in the waiting room until Lewis came to tell them it went well. Albi had to leave earlier in order to finish a stakeout on another case. He'd been reluctant to go, but they promised to call him as soon as they knew anything.
The blinds around the room were drawn and the door was closed in order to give the patient a modicum of privacy. They knew monitors were being hooked up and IV lines checked before blankets were placed over the nude body.
Peggy began pacing the short distance between the door and the SICU desk. She lost count of how many times she made the trip, counting the twelve steps over and over in an effort to keep her mind occupied. She stopped in front of the door as it opened and Peter Reynolds came out of the room.
"How is he, Doc?" Malcolm asked.
"Much better than I thought he'd be at this point in time. We've left him on a ventilator, but should be able to remove it later today. Dr. Frost was able to fix his knee, but there was ligament damage there as well as the initial break."
"Anything else?" Malcolm asked.
"Just make sure you talk to him if he starts to wake up. Reassure him that he's going to be okay. Make sure he knows he's in the hospital and that he's on a ventilator. His hands are tied down so he doesn't grab for the tube down his throat. Once the tube is removed we'll remove the restraints as well."
"Can we see him now, Doctor?" Peggy asked.
"Yes, but don't stay too long, he should sleep for several hours. I think you both need to go home and do the same."
"We will, Doc," Malcolm told him as they entered the room. He reached for Peggy as he watched her body tremble at the sight of the man in the bed. Tubes seemed to protrude from everywhere as they walked to the bed and looked at the pale face lying against the white sheets. The lower half of his face was covered by the tape holding the ventilator tube in place and Peggy leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
"I love you, Joe," she whispered softly. She stood up and felt Art's touch on her arm and knew the man was as worried about his friend as she was.
"He's going to be fine, Peggy," the policeman told her.
"I know he will, Art, but he's going to have a long recovery ahead of him. I mean his knee was bad enough before, but now he's had to have more surgery on it. Plus he's weak...and you heard Dr. Lewis, this is the second major concussion in a short period of time."
"I know, but this is Joe, Peg. The man's as stubborn as they come and he's not going to quit fightin' now. Not when he's got so much to live for. You do know he loves you, right?'
"Yes..."
"And you love him?"
"Yes..."
"Then he'll fight for that. Fight for what you have between you."
"Thanks, Art," Peggy said as she watched the nurse check the foley catheter. 'God, he hates that thing more than any of the others,' she thought as Malcolm pulled over a chair and she sat beside the injured man.
Malcolm looked toward the door as he heard his name called softly. Andrew Lewis stood just outside and gestured for him to come out. The policeman hurried to join Mannix's doctor, leaving Peggy to watch over him.
"Anything wrong, Doc?" Malcolm asked.
"Well, yes, somehow no one remembered to ask about the dogs. Do you know where they are?"
"Yeah, animal control took them."
"We need to find out if they've had all their shots, because..."
"Rabies?"
"Exactly."
"I told them they were involved in an attack on a man and they are being quarantined until we're able to check with the vets in the area. They'll call here as soon as they have the information."
"Good. I just hope their shots are up to date. Joe can't take anymore right now."
"You and me both, Doc."
The doctor looked into the room and smiled as he watched the worried woman reach over the rail and touch the detective's arm. He knew there were feelings between them, and prayed they'd be given the time to explore those feelings.
"Make sure she gets some rest, Lieutenant, otherwise she's going to get sick herself."
"I will, Doc."
"You make sure you get some rest yourself."
"I will..."
"Sure you will," Lewis said, smiling as he turned and walked away.
Art leaned against the doorframe, watching as Peggy showed her concern for the injured man. Her soft voice reached his ears and he knew she'd been crying, but he left her alone with the man she cared so much for.
TBC