No Honour Among Thieves
Chapter 8
Actor stepped back and appraised Goniff critically, finally nodding in satisfaction. "That will do." He announced with a nod of his head.
"You always do beautiful work Actor," Elizabeth praised, taking in the transformation of the little pick pocket into that of her injured nephew.
"Looks very authentic Actor," Charles agreed. "You know you could get a job as a make-up artist after the war. Any good theatre company would eagerly take you on."
Casino snorted, "I could just see beautiful here with his hands all over the company but he wouldn't be applying make-up, that's for sure."
"That was quite un-called for Casino." Actor snapped in annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah." Casino shrugged.
"Come on mate, got a mirror? Let me look." Goniff asked nervously, accepting a small hand mirror from Elizabeth. "Blimey," he muttered, craning his neck one way and then the other, carefully touching the 'fading bruises' on his temple and cheek with the one hand he had free. The other being strapped tightly to his chest. "If I didn't know, I'd swear these were real. But couldn't you 'ave got a better chair? This one is ruddy uncomfortable, or at least some nice soft cushions."
"Just be grateful that you don't have to use one for real Goniff?" Actor replied.
"Wouldn't matter if he did," Casino smirked. "He wouldn't feel it anyway."
"Aw mate, that's cruel that is. Those poor buggers what 'ave to use one wouldn't like to 'ear you talking like that."
"Well said Goniff." Actor agreed. "You certainly are in fine form today Casino. Any particular reason?"
"Lets just get on with it." Casino muttered stalking to the door.
"Alright Goniff, you know what you have to do?" Actor asked.
"Yeah, play the part of the wounded hero." Goniff replied, rising to his feet.
Actor sighed. "Just remember that you are paralyzed. That means that you can't move you legs."
"I know what it means Actor. I ain't bleeding stupid you know." Goniff snapped, walking to the door.
"Could have fooled me." Casino snickered. "You're supposed to be paralyzed, you dumb limey, so why are you walking?"
Goniff stopped walking and stared at Casino. "I…well it isn't…I mean…the caper 'asn't started yet." He replied lamely.
Casino snorted. "And you just ended it before it could. I'm telling you now, this ain't going to work. He can't even get it right sitting in a damn chair."
Actor swung around and glared at Casino. "Alright Casino, just what is your problem? How dare you carry on like this in front of Elizabeth and Charles. They have invited us into their home, agreed to help with this mission. Charles risked his life to search for Craig and Chief. And you repay them like this, with snide and derogatory comments."
Casino slumped into the nearest chair and dropped his head into his hands. He took a deep breath before lifting his head to look at the group in front of him. "I'm sorry. I just want this caper over with. The Warden was right, we've never gone on a caper without him before and it feels wrong."
"We've been split up before, mate." Goniff said sitting on the arm of chair next to Casino.
"Yeah but he's always been with the team doing the caper, not left behind…"
"He has not been left behind Casino, just think of him as merely carrying out another part of the same mission." Actor suggested.
"Yeah right and what about Geronimo then? No matter who goes on one of these stupid missions, the Indian is always there to watch our backs."
"What about that time Chiefy got shot, busted 'is leg and we went on that mission with the Duchess, without 'im." Goniff pointed out. . "Or the time I pretended to be that Redmond fellow. Chiefy was in the 'ospital that time too."
"That was different, we…" Casino began, refusing to be diverted from his dark thoughts.
"It is no different Casino," Actor stated calmly, "Except that this time we are in England and we are hardly likely to need Chief's type of back-up for this mission."
"Yeah well, he needed it two days ago, in England. Or have you forgotten that little fact?" Casino snapped. "Or the fact that he nearly died because he had no back-up and is now lying in a hospital bed, busted up, along with the Warden."
"Blimey mate, don't let the Warden 'ear you say that. 'E was there too. Don't think 'E'd like to be referred to as no back-up."
"Casino, I don't know what to say to make this any easier for you." Actor admitted.
"Yeah well I do. We wait until the Warden and Geronimo are back on their feet. Bird is out of the picture so what's the damn hurry?"
"We would if we could Casino but we can't take the chance on anyone else getting wind of what Metternich might be hiding." Actor explained.
"And that's another thing I don't like. We don't even know if he has anything. The damn Indian could have got busted up for nothing. We've got less intelligence for this caper than we've ever had for anything we've ever pulled off over there. It smells babe, and I don't like it."
GG
"Hey Warden, you awake?" Chief called quietly.
Garrison sat up and looked over at Chief. "Yeah, do you need something Chief?"
"No." Chief lay back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling.
Garrison waited patiently for Chief to speak what was on his mind. He knew from past experience that the more you pushed, the less likely Chief was to talk.
Finally Chief broke the silence. "It don't feel right!"
"What doesn't feel right Chief?" Garrison asked, a hint of concern in his voice. He couldn't be sure what Chief was alluding to but he fervently hoped that it wasn't his physical wellbeing.
Garrison waited again as another long drawn out silence ensured, only broken by the uneven breathing of his room mate. Getting worried, Garrison swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Chief, are you in pain, do you need the doctor?"
"What?" Chief shook his head in surprise. "No, I'm fine Warden."
"Are you sure?" Garrison pushed, watching for any overt signs of discomfort from the other man.
"Yeah," Chief offered a half smile, hoping to alleviate Garrison's concern. He sighed in frustration, annoyed with himself that he couldn't come out and just say what was on his mind. "The others, Casino, Actor, Goniff."
"What about them Chief?" Sometimes Garrison felt like he was pulling hen's teeth, when speaking with his wheelman. After all this time working together, Chief's continued reticence to talk openly with him was frustrating, to say the least.
"It's wrong, them going alone on this mission without us." Chief let out a relieved breath.
"I know Chief, but they're not really alone. They have Charles and Elizabeth with them."
"It's not the same." Chief stated.
"No its not, but Chief, after what Charles did for us; finding and rescuing us from Bird's men, I think the team is in good hands and the mission is pretty straight forward. I don't think they have to worry about the SS or the Gestapo this time." Garrison replied with a smile.
"You really think that Warden? That they're in good hands? I saw you yesterday. You wanted to go with them."
Garrison shrugged. "Let's just say old habits die hard, but I feel sure that they are in good hands. Actor doesn't trust lightly, you know that, but he does trust Charles and Elizabeth. As far as I'm concerned Charles proved himself to me when he rescued us. And I seem to remember you wanting to know what you were going to be doing too. You wanted to be a part of it just as much as I did."
"Yeah, well somebody has to watch their backs." Chief nodded, "It's just that I feel helpless just lying here waiting, not knowing what's happening. It's different over there; we usually don't have time to worry, not really." Chief tensed, allowing a soft moan to escape his pressed lips.
Garrison noticed the sudden tightness in Chief's posture.
"Guess…I wouldn't be much use to them…anyway."
"Chief?" Garrison asked worriedly.
Chief tensed again as pain flared in his chest. "It hurts to move." he admitted softly.
"Chief, look at me," Garrison ordered, waiting impatiently for the Indian to turn his head and look at him. Chief sighed before complying with the order, finally allowing Garrison to see the squint lines around the dark eyes. "Do you want some more pain relief?" Garrison asked.
Chief stubbornly shook his head. "I don't want anymore morphine."
"Just because you don't want it Chief, doesn't mean you don't need it. It's only been two days. After what happened, the injuries you sustained, it's normal to need help for a few days."
Chief turned back to staring at the ceiling. "Don't feel safe – when I'm on it. Can't protect us. Makes me forget what's real and what isn't. "
Garrison stood on his good leg and hopped to the chair beside Chief's bed, lowering himself into it with a heavy sigh. "Chief," he said, placing his hand on the other's forearm and squeezing gently. "You don't have to protect us, its over. Bird and his men are in Army custody. They can't hurt us again."
Chief tensed at the grip on his arm before forcing himself to relax. "There'll be others. Don't want to fail again."
Garrison shook his head, perplexed. "I don't follow Chief. What others? And more importantly, what failure?"
Chief shrugged, wincing when the movement caused a stab of pain in his chest. "There's always…someone else. We're crims remember Warden. There's always someone…looking for our talents."
"Have you or the team been approached before Chief?" Garrison asked worriedly, surprised that he had never thought of the possibility that the local criminal population would try to hire his men. He hadn't contemplated it happening before Bird and he doubted the army had either and more to his chagrin; he hadn't given it a moments thought since their rescue. Would another crime boss consider trying to hire his men in the future? He doubted it. Not after what happened to Bird but it was worth discussing the matter with Actor and perhaps even Charles. There had to be some way of protecting his men from future approaches. "I don't think anybody would be stupid enough to try it Chief, not after what happened to Bird and his men. That should be warning enough to keep their hands off you guys."
"Yeah, maybe." Chief agreed half heartedly.
Garrison sighed. "If it will make you feel any better, I'll speak to Actor; see if there is some way of putting the word out on the street that you're all off limits. Now, what did you mean when you said you didn't want to fail again, Chief?" Garrison waited, and then sighed when the stony silence continued. He shouldn't have been surprised when he didn't receive a response to his question but he had thought that Chief was finally beginning to feel comfortable in confiding with him.
"Chief, talk to me please." Garrison rubbed tiredly at his face; he could feel a headache building behind his eyes. "I can't help you, if you won't talk to me."
"Don't need any help." Chief muttered.
"Well I think you do." Garrison stated firmly.
"You shouldn't be in here."
Garrison frowned, taken aback by the softly spoken words. "If you want me to get another room Chief, I can." Garrison said.
Chief shook his head and tried to push himself into a sitting position only to collapse back against the pillows with a loud groan. "No…didn't mean…it like…that."
"Take it easy Chief, slow breaths." Garrison waited until Chief had his breathing under control and the tightness in his posture had eased "Then what did you mean?"
"You shouldn't be back in the hospital. It's my fault you're injured again. I should have seen the truck, avoided the accident." Chief admitted softly. "I let us get caught."
Garrison stared at Chief, trying to comprehend what the man was saying, but unfortunately the words were crystal clear. "Chief, this…" Garrison pointed to his strapped ankle, "…is not your fault. How could you possibly see what I couldn't? I was sitting beside you and I didn't see the truck until it was on top of us either. You did everything you could to avoid us being hit and it nearly cost you your life." Garrison paused, "If that's how you feel, then you must blame me for the beating those two men gave you, because I just stood there and let it happen."
Chief tried to sit up again but slumped back against the pillows with a grunt of pain. "No," he gasped. "You…he had a gun…on you."
"Easy Chief," Garrison cautioned, "Slow breaths, in and out. That's it… Feel better?" Garrison asked as the Indian got his breathing back under control.
Chief nodded with a sigh. "You couldn't have stopped them Warden…not without getting shot.
Garrison nodded. "Agreed! Just like you couldn't stop the van from hitting us. Me being in here isn't anymore your fault, than Bird's men beating you was mine. All the fault lies with Bird and his men."
The nurse entering their room interrupted the conversation. She smiled at both men as she carried out her duties, checking blood pressure and temperatures. "Hmm, still a little warm I see," she commented after removing the thermometer from Chief's mouth. "How are you feeling, otherwise?" she asked, making notes on Chief's chart.
"Fine," Chief replied.
"Chief." Garrison growled, looking at the nurse when Chief didn't respond. "He's in pain."
The nurse nodded, "I have another shot of morphine right here."
"I don't want it." Chief grumbled.
"You might not want it love," The nurse said kindly, "But the doctor ordered it and if you want to get out of here sooner rather than later you will take it. There's no shame in admitting you need some pain relief. You need to let your body rest comfortably for it to heal."
"Listen to her Chief," Garrison urged.
"Fine," Chief replied with a sigh, closing his eyes when he felt the prick of the needle in his arm. He allowed his body to relax into the pillows as the tightness in his chest abated.
The Warden and the damn doctor might be right, he thought, but he still didn't have to like it.
"There you go love; that should make you a bit more comfortable. You should try and get some sleep now and let the medication work. I'll be back later to check on you." The nurse turned to Garrison. "Lieutenant is there anything I can get you?"
"No, I'm fine thank you nurse." Garrison smiled his gratitude to the nurse for not listening to Chief's objections.
"Alright then, I'll see you both when I bring lunch around. You should take my advice too Lieutenant and get some rest as well – on the bed – with your leg up." The nurse smiled knowingly at Garrison before leaving the room.
Garrison studied Chief for a minute, noting the more relaxed posture and closed eyes now that the pain relief was working. He shook his head at the stubbornness of the man where his own health was concerned. Sighing tiredly, Garrison recalled their conversation prior to the nurse's arrival. He wasn't sure whether he had gotten through to Chief or not but there was little else he could say or do to make the man understand. The best thing now was to allow Chief time to think on what had been said and to come to his own acceptance of what was, to himself anyway, the obvious conclusion – he wasn't at fault for any of it. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Garrison stretched and yawned.
"You should get some rest too Warden," Chief slurred.
"Yes, I think I might at that." Garrison agreed, pushing himself to his feet and hopping the couple of steps to his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully swung his injured leg up and onto the pillows it had been resting on early.
"Hey Warden," Chief called softly, "How do you think the caper's going?"
"I think it's too early but they'll be fine. We're in England. What can go wrong?"
"A lot," Chief mumbled as the medication pulled him into sleep.