Harrelson was glad Doc Morgan decided to keep both Luca and Street overnight for observation. Street had quite a few tests done and, so far, everything looked good. It took twenty-two stitches to close the punctures and tears in Luca's arm, five more than Jim had in his head. Doc had Luca on a strong antibiotic as a precaution. A slight grin quirked as he remembered Luca's immense relief when the doctor canceled the rabies shots once they discovered the dog had all its vaccinations.
Weary from all the reports and the grilling from Chief Roman, Harrelson returned to the hospital before heading home.
Surprised, he found Susan, TJ's fiancée, sitting by Street's bed. Street appeared to be sleeping comfortably with the lights dim and no one else in the room.
"It's pretty crowded in Dom's room." Susan shrugged and looked over at Jim. "He didn't have anyone with Sheri still back east, flying."
"Ah – that the girl he had at the studio bombing incident?" Harrelson asked.
"Yeah." Susan grinned. "I think they're getting serious."
Harrelson shook his head. Personnel's dating habits were a bit out of his purview.
"Dom's family come in?" he asked, changing the subject.
Susan nodded. "TJ's over there now."
"How's TJ doing?" Harrelson relaxed against the wall beside the door.
Susan shrugged. "He's quiet." She looked over at Jim as he mumbled and shifted. "He's taking their injuries hard."
Nodding, Harrelson said, "Natural, I suppose. Don't like it too much myself."
"Me either," Susan said.
Jim sat up in the bed suddenly, his breath heaving and his hands reaching out, clasping the bed rails tightly.
"Jim?" Susan jumped up. She touched his arm.
Jim whirled to face her, eyes wide. He studied her briefly, frowning in confusion. The eye below his stitches was dark and swelling closed. He snapped his head around to face Harrelson, who now stood at the foot of his bed.
"Where's TJ?" Jim's voice croaked. "What happened to TJ? He didn't shoot." Jim looked frantically between Susan and Harrelson.
"Tell me!" Jim shouted. "Tell me!"
"Tell you what?" Harrelson asked calmly.
"He's dead, isn't he?" Jim rattled the rails forcefully. "He didn't shoot. You gotta tell me."
Jim turned sad eyes to Susan. "I'm so sorry."
"No, Jim." Susan reached out again, but Jim pushed away.
"Nooo!" He screamed and tried to climb out of the bed.
Harrelson grabbed Jim's wrists and pushed him back into the bed. "TJ's fine, Street. He's fine, okay. He's talking to Luca right now.
"Go get a nurse," Harrelson ordered Susan.
With her hand to her mouth, Susan backed away from the bed and turned, running to the door. TJ was there and caught her shoulders.
"I got a nurse." He stepped into the room and away from the door as two nurses rushed in.
Shortly after injecting something into his IV line, Jim relaxed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Sweat covered his face.
"What was that all about?" TJ asked. "He thought I was dead because I couldn't shoot?"
"He's a little confused," Harrelson said, shrugging. "Who knows."
"I didn't have a shot," TJ said. "I couldn't."
Harrelson rubbed his hand over his face. "I know that, TJ." He motioned to the zombie-like Street. "He does too, somewhere in that hard head of his."
"I didn't freeze," TJ said. "I didn't have a shot."
Harrelson stepped in front of TJ. "No one thinks you froze, TJ." Harrelson measured his tone carefully. "You said you didn't have a shot, then you didn't have a shot."