24 Oil Lamps and Water Pitchers
AN: In the previous chapter, I had Murdock take three aspirin for the pain of the gunshot wound and as one commenter pointed out, aspirin is a known antiplatelet drug and is just one common drug patients who take anticoagulant drugs should avoid. I did not think that through very well.
Other pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can also reduce the number of platelets formed to clot the blood but have short-lived effects. Further research I did after seeing the comment suggests that antidepressants in the class of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) might also increase the risk of abnormal bleeding. Interestingly, certain types of antipsychotics like thorazine and haloperidol may increase the risk of developing deep vein blood clots.
Disclaimer: I do not own The A Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A Team.
Hannibal took out a fresh cigar and prepared to light it. As he did, the interior lights in the van came on and went off just as quickly.
"Oh, man!" Murdock groaned. "He ain' after Billy, is he?" He tilted his head as if to listen. "Sure. I heard o' these kinds o' things. Dognappers goin' after purebred dogs like Billy." He ducked when B. A. swatted at him with an open palm.
The Sergeant peered out the window at the darkened van. "Thought I tol' ya ta leave yer fool dog ta home." After a moment's thought, he added with a scowl, "B'sides, there ain' no dog."
"Is so! I tol' Billy t' watch over th' van for us, make sure nobody did anythin' to it when we were sleepin'. Didn' ya hear him barkin' when th' lights went on?" The Captain winced as he moved his arm to ward off another swat.
The Colonel sighed in exasperation.
Now is not the time for these two to get into a fight.
"Stow it, both of you." Both men glared at each other but stopped their argument when they noted the serious look on Hannibal's face. "B. A., I assume you secured all the weapons in the van before you came in."
The Sergeant nodded. "I ain' no fool, Colonel. All the firearms're accounted for an' either locked up or in here with us."
"Good. We know our trespasser is armed. That makes him dangerous even if he was trying to get our attention rather than hurt or kill any of us. We need to find a way to draw him out of the van and into the open. Then we can get him and find out who he is and if he's Melody's stalker or not." The Colonel drew on his cigar and slowly exhaled.
"We need a distraction. Something that will focus his attention somewhere else. Right?" He glanced at B. A. and Murdock in turn.
B. A. groaned. "You got that look in your eye 'gain, Hannibal."
The Colonel smiled as he regarded the tip of his cigar. "Well, it won't be a front door approach so you shouldn't have any reason to believe this plan will fail."
The Sergeant gave Murdock a sideways glance. He noted the grin on the pilot's face and the manic gleam in his eyes. "Don't you start, too," he growled.
"Aw, now come on, B. A. This time maybe Hann'bal's plan'll work like it's s'posed to." He ignored the Colonel's pained expression and went on. "'Sides, you don' want Billy t' get all excited 'n' pee in yer van, do ya? He will if we don' get that guy outta there."
No, nobody wants that, Captain. Even if it is invisible pee.
B. A. grumbled something neither man could hear clearly. Then he scowled and asked, "Okay, what do ya need me ta do, Hannibal?"
"I remember way back when I was growing up, my grandmother used to read stories about Bible heroes to me. There was one story she read over and over again to me. Probably why I remember it so well. Have you ever heard the story about Gideon and how he defeated the Midianites?" The Colonel's gaze wandered around the room until he spotted a ceramic water pitcher. He crept over and grabbed it as well as an unlit oil lamp.
He stuck the cigar in the corner of his mouth and returned to where the two men waited with puzzled expressions.
"Well, we're going to improvise and do this the A-team way." He chuckled under his breath as he worked out the rest of the plan in his mind.
"A pitcher 'n' an oil lamp? I think I know where yer goin' with this, Colonel, but we ain' got no three hundred men." Hannibal cocked his head, wondering how Murdock knew what he was planning.
The Captain explained with a shrug that brought another pain-filled grimace to his face. "My Gramma used t' tell me th' same story. What is it 'bout Grammas that makes 'em want t' make sure ya get all kinds o' Bible learnin'?"
"I don't know, Captain, but I'm sure glad they did."
B. A. looked at both men. "If it's the story I'm thinkin' of, my Momma told me the same one. Fool's right. We ain' Gideon's army."
Hannibal stared at the black van, shadowed under the pine trees. "No. But it's only one guy. It'll be a piece of cake."
The Sergeant growled. "Hope so."
"Now let me make sure our Lieutenant has kept his mind on business and not on the young woman. I'll let him know what I'm planning and tell him what he needs to do." The Colonel headed toward the bedroom on hands and knees.
"What should we do in the meantime?" B. A. called after him.
"Watch that van and make sure our stalker stays put." With that, he was in the bedroom and out of their sight.