Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Black River Memorial Hospital, 2019
Instantly recognizing the lawmen from Arlington, it was Luke who took off first, grabbing fistfuls of the loose shirt Noah wore; and pulling the man along behind him in the opposite direction.
"Halt!" Luke heard Agent Williams yell. "FBI! Freeze!"
They darted through the hospital's maze-like corridors; tripping over doctors and patients and carts. The two law enforcement officers were close on their heels; guns drawn and causing havoc as people panicked and screamed and jumped out of the way.
Noah raced ahead of Luke, while Luke paused to pull at two supply carts, blocking the corridor; hoping to slow their pursuers.
"Service stairs!" Noah yelled, pointing at a large metal door at the end of the hall.
Luke nodded and watched Noah disappear through the door.
He reached it a second later, extending his hand to depress the metal bar.
"FBI! Freeze!"
Chest heaving, Luke turned his head to find Agent Williams and Chief Blithe a mere two yards away, guns trained right on him.
His eyes fell back to the door.
"Don't. Even. Think about it!" Agent Williams warned, steadying his handgun.
Heart-hammering, Luke tried to gauge how serious they were.
"The next time we come eye to eye, Mr. Sutherland, I may not be as forgiving."
The words Agent Williams spoke that first day back in Arlington haunted Luke now.
"It's time to stop running, Son," Blithe said in a kindly voice.
Luke expelled a short, bitter laugh.
"We stop running we're dead," Luke angrily replied. "You people have no idea what you've done to us!"
"Come on, Snyder!" Williams demanded. "The entire hospital is surrounded. Let us take you both in before one or both of you gets hurt. Look at what has already happened to your son!"
Leo! We promised!
Luke took a deep, considered breath and slowly moved his arms from the door, trying to give the impression of defeat.
"Okay. Okay," he said.
He waited until out the corner of his eye, he saw the slightest relaxation in the stance of the other two men. Then he said a quick internal prayer and barged through the door. He used his entire hip to depress the iron bar on the way through; almost losing his footing entirely.
"Luke?" Noah was on the landing one flight down, anxiously waiting for him.
"Run! Run!" Luke bellowed, taking two stairs at a time, downward toward Noah.
He reached Noah just as Williams and Blithe burst through the door above.
The chase was on; down and down the seemingly endless staircase; footfalls loud and heavy; racing behind them.
"We have both fugitives in sight," Luke heard Williams urgently say into his cell phone. "South service stairs, fourth floor!"
A few more flights and Noah decided enough was enough. He chose a door on impulse and rushed through it. "This way!"
They were faced with another long corridor. Luke knew it was vital they bring this pursuit to an end. They needed to stop and regroup.
Think!
With a flash of inspiration, Luke spun around and examined the door through which they'd come.
"Luke!" Noah complained. "Come on! What are you doing?"
"Yes!" Luke wheezed in triumph when he saw what he wanted. This door was metal, slightly rusty; wide and thick. Near the top right corner was a large iron bolt.
He flipped the bolt locked just in time to hear Williams and Blithe start banging on the other side.
"Good thinking, Baby!" Noah praised, pulling Luke into a quick hug and kissing him on the lips.
Noah paused for a moment, hand in Luke's hair. They shared the pain of a loss they'd both feared would come one day; and the determination to make it right again.
Luke sadly smiled. His mouth was dry; his nose and throat choked. "Not just a pretty face, ha?"
With one more kiss Noah said, "Definitely not… The smartest guy I know! Now come on!"
They hurried into the bowels of the hospital's large laundry depot. Echoing voices caused them to duck behind a wall.
When they cautiously peeked around, they realized they were in a loading bay. Industrial sized trolley carts full of dirty laundry were being wheeled into trucks on their way to being deep cleaned and disinfected at an off-site location.
"Perfect," Luke muttered.
"What is?" Noah suspiciously asked.
"Come on," Luke pulled Noah along by the hand, keeping close to the wall and out of sight from the various maintenance staff, busy with the large loads of sheets, towels, and scrubs among other items.
"Luuuke," Noah drew the name out as they walked. "I know what you're planning and you can forget it!"
"But, Bubby-"
"No way! This is a hospital, Luke! God only knows what's on those sheets!"
By this point, they had climbed some concrete steps onto the raised platform against which the large carts rested. They stared down into each cart, piled high with hospital bed sheets at various stages of white and grey.
Luke stuck both hands on his hips and glared at Noah. "Get in."
Noah glared back. "No."
"Noah," Luke warned. "Get… in…!"
"Luke," Noah insisted, mimicking Luke's tone, brow crinkling with stubborn determination. "I told you… there is no freaking way I'm-"
"We promised Leo!" Luke interrupted, waiting a moment for that to sink in. "Come on! How else are we going to get out unseen?"
"There must be some other way!"
"Now you listen to me!" Luke irritably sighed. "If you don't get in that cart by the time I count five, there'll be no sex for a month!"
Noah pursed his lips at this.
"One," Luke began.
Noah shook his head.
"Two," Luke's eyes narrowed.
Noah's hand covered his mouth.
"Three."
Noah burst out laughing. It felt amazing; incredible that even under these dangerous and heartbreaking circumstances they could still, somehow, find a way to make each other feel better.
"I don't know what you find so funny!" Luke seriously responded. "Four!"
"I don't know what's funnier," Noah explained. "The fact that you're using sex as a weapon, or the fact that you think you're actually capable of withholding it!"
Luke grinned his agreement. "Okay fine! But… you know this is a good idea, right?"
Noah lost the chance to reply when the decision was made for them. The wide doors of the loading bay opened and two delivery trucks backed inside with loud repetitive beeping noises.
As the doors cleared the final distance, they saw at least three police motor cycles parked right outside; cops patrolling the area.
Noah didn't protest; didn't think; just jumped and, like always, Luke followed.
…
They were gone again... as if a wizard waved his magic wand and they disappeared.
Avrah kadabra! Poof! Just like that!
Agent Williams refused to believe it; convinced the two men had found some kind of incredible hiding place within the bowels of the hospital. He had the local cops turn the place inside out; checking everybody who came or went; searching every room, closet… under every bed.
"Adrian, face it, Son." Archie sighed. "They really are long gone!"
"But how?" Williams asked, raising both hands in frustration. "We had every exit covered! How could they disappear without anybody seeing them?"
"Somehow, they did," Blithe reasoned, leaning an elbow on the hospital's main reception desk. "Look... there's no point wasting any further resource on searching this hospital. Time to give it back to the doctors, Adrian."
The agent's shoulders sagged and he expelled a shot of air through his nose.
Archie really did feel for the younger man. Sure, in the beginning, he had disliked the all too serious and seemingly full of himself agent. But in just a few days he'd realized the agent's attitude was merely an extension of the man's incredible work ethic. Adrian Williams was a man, who strived for perfection; a man who really cared about the job. Men like Adrian were rare these days.
It was clear Williams was not used to failure. He'd just so happened to pick up a difficult case, full of strange twists and turns and two slippery fugitives.
"You're right, I know," Williams conceded, running his fingers through his short sandy hair. "I'm gonna get pulled from this case, Archie."
"You haven't been pulled yet, Cowboy! And I'm with you on this until that happens."
Williams massaged the back of his neck. "Thanks. Shouldn't be much longer."
Archie waited while Williams made a few phone calls to update relevant parties on their current situation. He wandered into the center of the corridor and had to quickly dart out of the way as a cleaner pushed past with a cart load of dirty laundry.
She was yards away before the thought hit him.
"Hey! Wait up!" He hurried after her.
"Yes, Sir?" She seemed irritated at the interruption. "Can I help you?"
"Oh, I hope so!" Archie replied. "Where do you take these?"
"Sorry?" She frowned in confusion.
"The dirty sheets and towels… Where do they go?"
"Down the laundry shoot, Sir," she said, as though he was stupid and the answer was obvious.
"And where does the laundry shoot end up?"
She sighed in annoyance. "Housekeeping's Laundry Section, Ground Level, South Side."
"Holy shirt!" Archie exclaimed.
Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"
"No… not you… Thank you." Archie smiled, patting the side of her arm. "Thank you very much!"
He let Williams in on his theory. But it was only when they actually reached the laundry depot and saw the size of the main laundry carts, that either of them truly believed it possible. Hospital officials confirmed that the timing of the last laundry pick up coincided perfectly with the disappearance of their couple. That sealed it.
"We need to interview the kid," Williams stated. "Perhaps he knows something about where they may be headed."
But when they reached the ward where nurses said they'd find the 12-year-old gunshot patient; all they found was a curious old man, a disinterested young woman, and an empty sheet-rumpled bed.