Part 8

"Get those cuffs off him right now! Mike barked dangerously angered.

As Cranston unlocked the cuffs Mike removed his overcoat and placed it over Steve after checking for a pulse and finding one to his great relief. He carried him out of the room fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. They hurried and got Steve to the nearest hospital with one CDCR man and Captain Olsen remaining behind at the prison to help oversee proceedings there.

After they took Steve into the examination room, Mike paced the waiting area. He thought of calling Jeannie, but then decided it would be better to wait until he could tell her more.

After what seemed like days of waiting, finally he saw the doctor coming with anxiously awaited news. Mr. Bateman who had accompanied Mike when they brought Steve, also stood waiting more anxiously than he knew he could be.

"Your son is in a coma. He has a severe concussion as well as several cracked ribs and a broken radius. It is a clean break, so we are putting a cast on the arm. We will monitor him closely to make sure his lungs don't collapse. The next twenty four hours will be critical." Dr. McSorley informed him.

"I am going to stay with him, can you make the arrangements so there is no static? "Mike inquired in the most courteous tone that he could manage.

"Lieutenant Stone, he will be in good hands. He will be in ICU, you should...

"Dr. McSorley, I appreciate what you are saying and I know he will be taken good care of but I am not leaving his side until he is awake if." Mike's temper started to rise. "I am not trying to be difficult, but I need to stay with him."

"I will arrange it," Dr. McSorley assured him quietly, after he really looked in Mike's eyes. "I will get you when we have him situated."

"Thank you. "Mike said gratefully.

The doctor left to arrange everything and Mike and Mr. Bateman sat down and talked quietly.

"You didn't even have time to get a change of clothes, are you sure you want to stay?" Mr. Bateman asked.

"I will be here as long as it takes. I need to be here. Can you tell Rudy what is going on when you go back? He can inform the guys in homicide about Steve." Mike requested

"Of course, what about your daughter? I mean should someone let her know, or do you want to wait and see how he is going to be before contacting her?" Mr. Bateman inquired cautiously not wanting to use the wrong words.

"I will let her know when I think the time is right. For now I think it would be best to wait a bit." Mike was indecisive.

After the nurse came and informed Mike that Steve was settled in a room and he could come up, Mr. Bateman took his leave to go back to the prison and let the others know what was going on. Mike sat as close to the bedside as he could get and kept watch over Steve.

As Mike sat there over the next couple of hours taking stock of Steve, he recalled his conversation with Father Slovik and just then it struck him the doctor had referred to Steve as Mike's son. He was so worried he had not even thought of it when it was said and had not corrected the doctor. He found a smile at that knowledge and made up his mind that he would express his true feelings to Steve. Although he didn't doubt that Steve was aware of how Mike felt, he had never heard the words spoken out and it was way overdue.

He was just about to start talking to Steve when the phone rang on the bedside stand and he answered it, thinking it might be one of the CDCR people or someone calling for someone who had been in this room previously. Instead he heard the upset voice of his daughter and there was no doubt in his mind that his waiting before calling her was a mistake.

"Why didn't you call me, Mike?! I have to hear about Steve from someone else, other than my own father!" Jeannie was yelling and there was no stopping her. "You know I have been going out of my mind about him and now he is in a coma!"

"Sweetheart, I was going to call you once we saw how he was doing. The doctor said the next 24 hours are a critical period. I just wanted to be sure before I called." Mike explained trying to stay calm.

"I knew it was a huge mistake for him to be there! They could have killed him! Mike, I'm heading there as soon as I pack. I already arranged some time off from school and have some lessons that I can bring with me to keep up." Jeannie said in a voice that left no room for discussion.

"Jeannie, honestly right now there is nothing you can do except wait." Mike tried to dissuade her from making the trip.

"There is nothing I can really do here either, not with what has happened clouding my thoughts, Whether you like it or not, I'm coming, see you soon, Mike." Jeannie said in a rush.

Mike sighed as he heard the click indicating she had hung up and wondered who had broken the news to Jeannie. He had specifically told Bill and Bateman that he would tell Jeannie. He thought of calling and finding out, who had let the news slip, but realized there was time for that later. Right now all that mattered was Steve and if he would be okay. Mike sat back down, his thoughts now on praying for Steve's recovery and prayed like he had not since his wife was sick and dying in hospital.

As he was praying, he heard the door open and raised his head and saw Rudy Olsen and the CDCR men looking as they were wondering if they should enter.

"Come on in. How did everything go?" Mike asked dutifully.

They entered very quietly and stood around or sat where they could. Mike waited for their answer so he could return his attention to Steve.

"It went well. They are all in custody and are facing a multitude of charges. We stopped by and saw the man Red and thanked him for what he did both today and the whole time Steve was in there. We told him you would be in touch later we thought." Captain Olsen told.

"Mr. DeLong was also very grateful to Steve. He felt really bad for what happened on his watch. He wanted you to know he will never forget the sacrifice Steve made to clear his name and to sort out the trouble that had happened there. We told him we would pass his thoughts along to you." Mr. Goldwyn spoke in a quiet voice.

"You did let Red know what happened to Steve so he would not worry didn't you?" Mike asked solemnly.

"Yes, he knows. He felt bad that he couldn't protect him completely as he meant to do. We assured him this was not his fault and we are very grateful and thankful that he got in touch and we were able to get Steve out of there in time.." Mr. Bateman responded sincerely.

"I wish there was some way to help him. I hope that at a later stage Jeannie and I can meet him and thank him personally. Steve would not be alive if he hadn't called me!" Mike exclaimed realizing how very close they had come to losing Steve.

"Well, we are trying to do something to help him, but rather not say anything, just in case. We don't want to get anyone's hopes up just yet. We will be heading out now and get Rudy back to San Francisco. We all hope that Steve will be okay." Mr. Goldwyn spoke seriously.

"Thanks for stopping by. I do appreciate it. "Mike said candidly. "Before I forget though, did any of you let Jeannie know what happened with Steve? I wondered because she called and someone had told her but she did not say who. To be honest she was so mad that I didn't inform her, I honestly did not think to ask who she got the information from." Mike asked curiously.

They all denied their hand in it, Captain Olsen promised to try to find out if it was one of the homicide detectives or another person at SFPD. He would be in touch with Mike and let him know, unless Jeannie told him first. With that they left, closing the door quietly behind them and Mike turned back to check on Steve, as he had this slight fear if he did not continue checking him for a pulse, he might be gone no matter what the machines in the room told.