Recovery
Chapter 6 Revised
It was quieter, with less bustle than during the day time. The clock on the wall said 0411. Actor stood beside the gurney, hand on Teresa's arm. The second smaller jolt of morphine he had given her prior to landing would be wearing off soon. He looked behind at Casino in a wheelchair, flanked by Goniff and Chief. The safecracker was cradling his left arm in front of him. Despite the movement of getting in and out of the plane and the ambulance, there did not seem to be any fresh blood on the man's shirt, so the dressing was holding.
Crew-cut gray haired Doc Kaiser came down the hall, slipping a lab coat over dull green scrubs. He looked tired, but he was used to getting interruptions to his sleep at any time of the night. It was what he did. Seeing who was waiting for him, he shook his head. He looked at the dried blood on the man in the wheelchair before looking down at the fresh blood on the figure atop on the stretcher.
"Again?" he asked. With resignation he motioned the medics to take both of the injured to trauma rooms. "What this time? The man first."
"Bullet wound to the left shoulder. It's still in there. The wound has been treated with sulfa and gauze pressure dressing."
"And the girl? Can't you keep her out of trouble?" grumbled the crotchety doctor.
"It seems not," said Actor. "She was shot pretty much point blank with a Luger. The bullet passed through. There are no signs that anything vital was hit, but there seems to be a bleeder. We were out of sulfa. The last bit was put in the exit wound. Both wounds were left open and covered with clean cloth and pressure. She has had a dose and a half of morphine to get her from France to here."
The major gave a sigh. Nothing new here. "How long ago?"
"Six hours."
"I'll take her in first. Come on," said the Major following the stretcher. "Where's Garrison?"
"On his way to London."
Kaiser motioned to a nurse. "Get him some scrubs." He looked up at the taller man. "You up for assisting?"
"Of course," said the con man, arrogance covering his relief at being allowed to go to surgery with the girl.
GGG
That disinfectant smell got to her first. It almost gagged her. Between morphine, anesthesia and smelling chlorine bleach so many times it was enough to make her decide maybe hospital nursing was not for her anymore. Her mind was wandering. Not good. She tried to focus on her surroundings. Terry opened her eyes slowly. Her side hurt, but she had hurt worse. She sensed his presence before she turned her head and saw him. He was watching her silently. He wasn't wearing his usual clothes or a uniform. Scrubs? They almost fit him. His eyes were weary above almost a 24 hours' growth of whiskers that had not been shaved.
"Water?" she managed to croak out of a dry mouth and throat. Creature comforts came first.
"Just a sip," cautioned Actor.
He held the glass and the glass straw so she could suck some water up. She knew the routine and swirled the little bit of water around in her mouth before swallowing it. Actor set the glass back on the bedside table.
"The Lieutenant asked that I stay with you. If that's all right with you," said the con man.
"I'd like that," said Terry quietly. "You went into surgery with me." It was more of a question.
"Yes, cara. I wasn't sure if you were aware of that."
"Barely. I was glad you were there."
He decided to digest that later. "Do you need pain medicine?"
"No," denied the girl as adamantly as her weak voice would allow. "That was way too much morphine you gave me before we left France."
"It was going to be a bumpy takeoff and I did not know how smooth it would be flying. We did run into flak." Actor still had his countenance of indifference in place. "I was concerned you would have too much pain."
"How's Casino?" she asked.
Funny, she would ask after the safecracker, but then she was always concerned about the others before herself. If must be a Garrison trait.
"He is down the hall. They took him to surgery after you."
"Did you help with him too?" Terry asked.
"No," replied Actor. "The Warden wished for me to stay with you."
"Oh."
There was a touch of disappointment in the girl's voice. Actor frowned. Was it because staying was not his idea, or because he didn't go with Casino? He thought maybe it was the former. Why was it so difficult to keep up this con? He could manage a con for weeks without a problem. Not this one. Perhaps it was because he had been trying to con himself and succeeding fairly well . . . until he thought she was going to die.
"I will stay with you," he said, "unless you ask me to leave."
Terry looked up at his face. It was closed as she had expected, but there was a chunk out of the façade. This did not sound like the Actor of the past month. It sounded like the old Actor, the one she knew as Vittorio. Her hand slid slowly across the sheets and spanned the few inches between the mattress and his green-clad knee; the only part of him she could reach.
Actor looked down at the small hand. His bigger one moved to completely cover it. He studied her face and could tell she was fighting to stay awake, but the anesthesia was trying to put her back to sleep. It was winning.
"I don't want you to leave . . . Vittorio Borghese Man-ci-ni." Her voice trailed off at the end as she went back under.
She knew him! He didn't know how much, but the fact she remembered his full name said a lot. So much for conning either one of them. His hand remained covering hers, thumb absently rubbing the back of it.
GGG
Garrison did not return until close to four o'clock in the afternoon. He was wearing the civilian clothes from his bag he had changed into before the driver took him to London. His hair was combed, but he was as unshaven as Actor. Entering his sister's room, he eyed the scrubs the confidence man was wearing.
"He's been playing doctor," said the girl, who was propped up in the bed.
Craig didn't pursue it. He studied his sister. She looked brighter than she had in the back of the car. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," she smiled. "Can you pull rank and get me out of here?"
"Teresa," said Actor with amusement, "the last time I looked a lieutenant does not out rank a major."
"You up to a drive back to the Mansion?" asked Garrison dubiously.
Green eyes looked dolefully back at him, not matching the grit in her voice. "Get me out of here."
Actor decided to defuse the conversation. "What did the Brass have to say, Lieutenant?"
Craig sat on the end of the bed. "They are very happy. You know, medals and all that stuff which we'll never see." He had learned the system well. "They moved the assault up. It's going through. And we have a week of down time. After all, I have two injured team members." He smiled.
"Amazing how I count as a team member when he wants something," teased Terry.
"It got us a week off, didn't it?" said Actor. The con man frowned. "I still do not know how you do it," he grumbled.
"Do what?" asked Terry patiently. With the Italian it could be any number of things.
"This is the third time you have been shot in the same place, right on top of the previous scars."
Terry raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm only one ahead of you. When Shiv dug that bullet out of your shoulder a year ago, it was over the same scar as before."
"It's understandable," threw in Garrison, hiding his humor. "He's tall and you're annoying. You're both bound to get shot and in the same places."
Both froze and turned identical disbelieving stares at the Lieutenant. Craig gave them a wide grin.
"Say, Actor," said Craig with obviously fake innocence. "Do you always rip my sister's clothes off?"
Actor looked back at him with a pleasant expression. "No. I prefer to undress her slowly to savor the act of uncovering the delights beneath."
"Actor!" Terry screeched in a loud whisper. Her expression turned to puzzlement. "Do you?"
Both men's heads jerked around to stare at her.
"Obviously she is not completely recovered," said Actor drolly.
"So, do you?" asked Garrison eyeing the con man.
"Really, Lieutenant," replied Actor smoothly, "If I did, do you think I would admit it to you? I didn't survive the German so I could be shot by you."
Terry gave her brother a smile. "Does he always talk that funny?"
Actor stared at her with umbrage. Garrison laughed.
"She is all yours," said Actor to Craig. "I will find Major Kaiser." He got up and walked away.
Garrison chuckled silently. "Are you?" he asked his sister off-handedly.
"Are I what?" asked Terry quizzically.
"Sleeping with him."
"How would I know?"
Garrison shook his head. If she remembered Actor, she would undoubtedly remember sleeping with him.
Terry grimaced at him. "You need sleep."
"I'm going to check on Casino," said Craig. "Maybe we can get both of you back to the Mansion." Garrison eyed his sister. "So, I hear Actor helped with your surgery. That's why the scrub suit?"
"Yes, apparently he assisted Doc Kaiser," she replied.
"What about Casino? Did Actor help with him too?" wondered Craig.
"He says not." She added off-handedly, "Actor says you told him to stay with me."
"I did. You know I trust him with you."
Terry raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't sound like it."
"I meant from a medical standpoint." Craig shook his head "Don't go anywhere."
"Take your time," the girl shot back in disgust. "Actor and I will find a broom closet somewhere."
About that time, the said person appeared at the door. "A broom closet?"
Craig fielded the glare from his sister and laughed. "Is she sprung?"
"Yes, she and Casino both."
"I'll go check on Casino. And call the Mansion. We don't have a car here." Craig moved past the Italian.
Actor resumed his seat and waited a minute to make sure the Lieutenant was down the hall before saying, "Really, Teresa. I do not do broom closets."
"I know," replied the girl, innocently. "You prefer your own bed."
Actor chewed on a cheek. He still wasn't sure how much the girl really remembered so he did not attempt to ascertain which bed she was referring to; the one at the Mansion, his house, or her flat. Actually, the one at the Mansion was too short. He sat back on the chair, crossed he legs and clasp his hands in his lap.
Terry surveyed his garb. That institutional green did not go well with his coloring. "Are you planning on wearing that to the Mansion?"
"Yes," he replied. "Major Kaiser seems to be of the opinion we will be back here soon enough it won't be missed. And unfortunately, he is probably right. Besides, it seems Goniff and Chief took our bags with them, with our clothing. I put the uniform in the bag before going into surgery."
Terry thought of something. "Did they take mine too?"
"Yes, yours too. However, the skirt is still here. The blouse had to be discarded. It was stained badly and there were the bullet holes too."
"Not to mention you ripping the buttons off."
The confidence man did not respond to that. He was saved from any further comments by the girl. Garrison came back in, with Casino in tow.
The safecracker was wearing a patient gown with his pants on underneath, left arm in a white muslin sling tied behind his neck. He eased himself onto the other chair, leaving Garrison to sit on the foot of the bed again.
"You look better than you did," said Casino, studying the girl in the bed.
"Thank you," said Terry. "What are you doing? It's going to be at least twenty minutes before we can leave. Why aren't you resting?"
Casino made a face. "It feels better when it's hanging in the sling than when I'm tryin' to lay down with it propped." He looked at the girl, at Actor's garb, and down at himself. "They're gonna be short on clothes around here. You, me and Beautiful."
Garrison was suddenly tired. He leaned a stiff arm on the other side of Terry's feet and propped himself up. "By the way, Sister. Your big uncle said hi. He said if you had been in London he would have stopped by."
"Oh, that was nice of him," said Terry with pleasure.
"So, Warden? How come they're her uncles and not yours?" asked the safecracker.
"They aren't blood relatives," said Garrison. "Just officers she got to know at the War Department."
"Anyone we know?" asked Actor.
"I doubt you've ever met."
Terry started to laugh but stopped abruptly as it sent pain in her side.
GGG
Twenty minutes later, the distinct voice of Sgt./Major Collins was heard at the nurses' station. The four occupants of Terry's room exchanged looks of resignation. They had all hoped either Chief or Goniff would have come to retrieve them.
Terry held her arm up toward Actor with the intravenous hanging off it. "Would you take this thing out of me, please?"
"No," refused the Italian.
The other two men looked at him in surprise.
"I still think you should have a little morphine before the drive back to the Mansion," Actor recommended.
"Absolutely not," shot back the girl. "I've had more than enough as it is. Just take the damn thing out or I will."
"The nurse can do it." The con man got up from the chair and walked out the door.
"What's his problem?" asked Casino.
"Me," said the girl.
"Well both of you need to get over it," declared Garrison.
A nurse entered the room, carrying a gauze pad and tape. She shooed the men out of the room and closed the door behind them. The intravenous was removed and Terry was helped into her skirt and shoes.
Not waiting for a wheelchair, Terry walked stonily out the door, gown flapping open in the back, past the men and outside. The Sgt./Major was by the driver's door. Terry walked around the back of the car to the driver's side rear door. Collins jumped to open it for her. She climbed in, with a slight grimace of discomfort, and pulled the door shut. Actor opened the opposite door, gave her a disgruntled look and got into the middle of the seat beside her. Casino got in next, not at all sure he wanted to be in the back with those two. Garrison and Collins climbed in the front and the non-com pulled the car out of the parking space in front of the hospital.
Casino moved as close to the door as he could. His arm in the sling was next to Actor. Terry leaned her shoulder against the door to protect her wound from rubbing against the metal and still be as far away from Actor as she could.
The confidence man sat in the middle, silent and staring straight ahead. The girl was impossible. He fervently hoped she would heal quickly because he knew he would be the one taking care of her dressings. She was swinging in her moods and he wondered if it was a reaction to the morphine, the surgery, getting shot, remembering more about him or all of the above.
Casino was trying to get as far from him as possible on the other side. What was it with these people?
"Do you have enough room?" Actor asked the safecracker.
"I'm good," replied Casino. He looked at the con man. "Besides, where would you move to? You got her squashed against the door now."
Actor looked at the couple inches space between him and the girl. Normally she would be up against him.'
"He's not touching me," said Terry.
'You may lean against me and get off the door, if you wish," offered the Italian.
"I'm fine."
Well that was mortifying thought Actor. Even if it was the typical Garrison response. He went back to staring silently straight ahead. He had not seen the exchange of humorous looks between Collins and the Lieutenant.
Reaching the Mansion after what seemed a longer trip than usual for all of them, Terry immediately got out of the car and headed for the steps. Actor was behind her while Garrison helped Casino out.
"Let me get you up the stairs?" he offered to Terry.
"Thanks, Actor, but that isn't necessary," she replied.
She left him at the foot of the steps and went on up, one hand on the granite bannister. Collins skirted around the confidence man and followed her a couple steps behind. Garrison had heard the exchange and saw the satisfied grin on Casino's face. Craig wished they would all grow up.
Up in her room, Terry removed the skirt and gown, moving slowly and painfully. Getting into the armoire, she pulled out pants and a shirt and sat on the bed to carefully put them on. She knew she was being short with Actor. Now she wished she hadn't gotten her memory back. She remembered all too many things. Though he had admitted they were close, he had also said it was too close. Well, they had proved they could work cons on a mission together. They just needed to stay out of each other's way at any other time. Slipping her feet into slippers, she levered herself up and headed back toward the stairs.
Actor needed a pipe before going up to lay down. He was tired. It had been more than 24 hours since he had slept, the mission had not been good, and even though he had only assisted, he had been the other pair of surgical hands on the girl. Why had she done that at the roadblock? Left alone, he might have been able to come out unscathed. Probably not. Still…
Casino trying to get comfortable in Chief's chair, saw Terry slowly coming down the stairs.
"You okay, Babe?"
"Yes," said the girl.
"You may have my chair," said Actor beginning to rise.
Terry shook her head. "I need to start supper," she said.
"Teresa! For heaven's sake, you had surgery this morning. Let the Sgt./Major cook," said Actor with a frown.
Terry looked at him, just as inscrutable as he could be. "Actor, I had surgery this morning and so did Casino. The last thing we need on top of anesthesia is greasy Spam. And as you well know, I've cooked with a hole in my side before."
Another dismissal of him by the girl did not sit good with the older man. "Be my guest," he said with disgust. He tapped the spent tobacco from his pipe into the ashtray on the side table and lay the pipe beside it. When he looked up, the girl was just disappearing around the corner into the dining room. Ignoring the safecracker before the man could insult him too, Actor walked away and up the stairs.
Collins looked up from the refrigerator with a start as Terry came through the swinging door.
"Terry," he said quietly. "Wot are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be resting?"
She pulled a chair out at the end of the kitchen table and sank into it with a grimace. "Before you came to us, I was shot in the same place and Actor stitched it up. I came down and cooked dinner." At his frown, she added, "Harry, I won't tell if you don't tell. I'll just sit here and supervise while you do the cooking."
The British non-com nodded.
"So, what do we have to cook with besides 'rations?"
"Minced beef, onions . . ."
Garrison had only rested, unable to sleep as he reviewed in his mind while staring at the ceiling the mission and what had gone wrong. He heard Actor walk past his room and the door to the tall man's bedroom close. After another hour of not sleeping, he got up and went downstairs.
Casino had his head back against the tall back of the chair. He brought his head forward to look at the Lieutenant. "Sister's in the kitchen cooking."
Garrison shook his head and turned around heading to see what was wrong with his sister's head. There had to be something if she wasn't resting. Craig pushed through the swinging door to find his sister sipping tea at the table while Collins stirred a pot of something on the hob that smelled much better than Spam. Collins turned his head and looked like a boy caught doing something he shouldn't.
"Miss Terry, I think we've been caught," said the Englishman.
"Pull up a chair, Craig," said Terry with resignation.
"If you're up to it, come to my office. We need to talk," said Garrison.
Terry sighed and pushed back from the table. "Just let it simmer until everybody is up," she told Collins.
"Yes, Miss," he said.
Garrison led the way to his office. Terry looked at Casino and shook her head. She followed her brother into the office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk, while he closed the door. Garrison walked around and sat in his chair, studying his sister across the desk.
"All right," said Terry. "What's the problem now?"
"That's what I want to know." Craig studied the unsmiling face looking back at him. "Normally, I would allow you two to straighten it out yourselves. But I need to know what's going on before it really affects the group. You are civil to Actor, but just barely. Do you have your memory back?"
"Yes," admitted Terry. She would offer nothing.
"Then what is going on?" Craig adopted the military demeanor.
"Nothing's going on. Just leave it alone, Craig. Interrogating us is not going to change anything." The girl said in disgust. "We work together just fine."
"No, you don't. Even the others say there is something missing," Craig frown. "What happened."
"I got myself shot, that's what happened," said Terry, gaze focused on the pencil holder on the desk and not her brother. Finally, she looked up. "Until the roadblock, what was wrong with how we were?"
"It was like you were working with Carter again."
Terry pinned him with an angry glare. "You didn't have any problem with how Carter and I worked together."
"Yes, we did. We just didn't say anything," said Craig quietly.
"Actor and I can work the cons," said Terry. "Leave it at that." She got up and left the room.
GGG
Later that night, Garrison and Actor met in Craig's room for an overdue debrief and a needed bourbon. Actor had the straight wooden desk chair and Garrison was sitting on the edge of his bed. They touched glasses, and both swallowed the entire shot. Actor did the honors of refilling their glasses.
"So, what did happen at the roadblock?" asked Craig.
"Someone must have given them a very good description of us," speculated the con man. "He made me as soon as I was near him."
"I guess taking Terry was a mistake," said Garrison. "Five men and a woman on the run was pretty obvious."
Actor shook his head. "No, you were correct from the start. We did not know until we got there what kind of con we would have to pull. If it's anyone's fault it is the idiot who sent those plans."
Terry took a breath and knocked on the closed door to her brother's bedroom. At Garrison's call to come in, she opened the door. Actor immediately started to get up.
"Don't you dare get up and leave," said the girl with pinched mouth and forefinger pointed at the con man in anger. She held an empty glass out to her brother.
"I was getting up to give you the chair," shot Actor back at her.
"Oh, sorry," said the girl contritely. "Stay there. The bed's softer."
Terry shut the door and sat down close to her brother, glass still held out to be filled.
"Should you be . . .," began Garrison.
"Just pour . . . please," she begged.
Craig looked to Actor. The con man nodded.
"It's safe. The anesthesia and morphine have worn off by now and she has eaten," he said.
Craig poured two fingers into the glass and set the opened bottle on the night table. Terry raised the glass in a toast to both men and took a sip, a faint smile coming to her face as the liquor hit her stomach.
"I trust you're going over what happened," she said.
"Yes," answered Garrison.
Terry looked at Actor. "He made you."
"I believe he probably made us before I reached him," replied the Italian.
"You could have just stepped to the side," said Craig.
Actor shook his head. "I think if I had attempted to move, he would have shot me instantly. As long as he waited, I might have had a chance to pull something." He doubted that would have been the case but didn't say it.
Now Craig looked at his sister. "I know what you said, but what the hell were you thinking?"
Terry avoided Actor's eyes. "It was like slow motion. He . . .," she gestured toward the con man, "was about to be killed. Nobody had a good shot. And you had the intel. You had to get out." She frowned and took a sip of bourbon. "I'm not even sure I was thinking. I just reacted. It worked before in that headquarters with you two. Maybe I thought I could pull it off again."
Garrison doubted he would get an answer, but he asked Actor just the same. "What was the matter with you?" he studied the man. "You never rip anyone's clothes open, not matter how badly they're hurt."
Actor looked down at the glass in his hands. It seemed to all have gone to hell anyway. "I thought she was dying," he said softly. "I thought I had gotten her killed trying to save me."
Garrison wasn't ready for that confession. He took a second to think on it.
"I wasn't trying to 'save' you," said Terry just as softly. "You can handle yourself. I was just being the diversion, like last time."
Now Craig looked at his sister. "I thought you weren't thinking."
Terry looked up to meet the honey eyes that looked back at her. "You're right. We did get too close. We're in each other's head. Works good on the cons, but maybe not so good otherwise. It is dangerous for you. You have always worked alone. Even on the occasions when you had a partner you kept something back."
So that was the problem. Actor had become too involved with Terry and was now trying to back away. Were they so blind they couldn't see what he and others could?
"I understand," continued the girl. "I just needed time to work it through."
Garrison had no problem taking chances with himself but did not like to do it with the others. This was going to be a gamble.
"As long as you two are working together, it's safer for everybody if you go back to the way you were."
Actor looked for Terry's reaction. There was question in her eyes as he thought there was in his.
Craig took another step off the cliff he was on. "What you two do after the war is your business." Actor shook his head, making Garrison wonder just what he was thinking.
"After the war," predicted Terry, "he will go back to Europe and what he has done almost his entire life. Unless we can convince him otherwise."
"And she will go back to the ranch," added Actor. He gave a crooked grin. "You two are probably the only ones I would ever consider partnering with after the war."
"What about the Duchess or Sister Therese?" asked Terry with a tinge of humor.
"The Duchess belongs to the Warden," said Actor with a bigger grin. "And Sister Therese belongs to the church, if she survives."
Now Craig wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. Oh, boy, thought Terry. She and Actor would have to have a little chat about the Duchess sometime.
Actor continued, "No. You and Teresa are very, very good at the confidence game, but you both lack that little bit of larceny in your hearts that would allow either of you to do this if it was not for the war effort."
Garrison looked at the two. "Are you two going to be okay now, as long as the war lasts?"
Green eyes met hazel ones and the old communication was there. Both smiled.
"We will try," conceded Actor. "Again."
Terry got to her feet and looked down at the con man. Oh, what the heck. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Straightening gave her a twinge in the wound, but she ignored it. Actor stood and tilted her chin up with the fingers of one hand. He bent down and kissed her properly.
When they parted, Terry smiled. "You do that entirely too well," she teased.
She left him standing there and headed to the door. With one hand on the knob, she paused and lifted her glass with the little bit of bourbon left toward Garrison.
"Thanks for the drink."
As she opened the door, Actor called to her. "And sometime, I would like you to teach me what you did in the kitchen."
Terry laughed. "You don't know how? It must be an American thing. I'm not stupid, Actor. If I teach you, you'll be doing it to me all the time." Chuckling, she went out and closed the door behind her.
Actor took his seat, shaking his head.
"Just what did she do to you?" asked Garrison.
"It was so undignified," Actor said dramatically. "She snapped me on my culo with a dishtowel. It stung."
Garrison couldn't help it. He practically howled with laughter, having to set his glass on the table so it wouldn't spill. Only his sister would do something like that to the sophisticated, aristocratic confidence man. It made him laugh harder.
"It wasn't that funny."
12
