Just Another Day: Chapter 9
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DISCLAIMER: Most of these characters are not mine at all, but they are memorable. Thank you, Mr. Marlowe. The others? Yeah, they're mine
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1:17 p.m. on May 14, 2012, At the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in San Mateo, California
"Dr. Benjamin Afterton . . . Dr. Benjamin Afterton . . . Pick up on 3272, please."
The urgent paging announcement for Dr. Afterton has gone off twice now. The forty-two-year-old trauma surgeon from the emergency room found himself indisposed in the men's restroom for the first page. Now, he has scrambled to get his pants zipped up, his hands washed and is now moving toward the black phone on the wall some twenty feet down the hall from the restroom he has just vacated.
"This is Dr. Afterton," he speaks rather officiously, and slightly out of breath as he picks up the wall phone.
"Ben," the voice of admissions officer Jenny Smuthers greets the man. Smuthers and Afterton are old friends. Close friends. But more that this, both are aligned with a certain Stanford graduate who has his fingers throughout the city.
Afterton can tell, by the anxious nature of Smuther's voice – and the fact that she doesn't address him by his title – that something is amiss.
"Ben," she repeats, "we just had an admission," she begins. "An admission that he will want to know about."
Her emphasis on the word 'he' is not lost on the trauma surgeon, who knows exactly who Jenny Smuthers is referring to. Like many other institutions around the bay area, Sam Carlos has left strict instructions with key players in those institutions. There are certain things he always wants to know.
Out of the ordinary deposits or withdrawals from the banks.
Specific arrest warrants issued or executed by the police.
And specific admissions into any of the area hospitals.
At the top of Carlos' list is one Willie Crockett. Junior Boy is another. Very recently, Richard Castle and Kate Beckett have been added to his instructions.
And Detective Jennifer Blackard.
It is the latter, the most recent entry in Sam Carlos' notification list from just a month or two ago that has caught the attention of Jenny Smuthers.
And now – by extension – Dr. Benjamin Afterton.
"What's his name?"Afterton asks.
"Actually, hers," Smuthers corrects him. "A Detective Jennifer Blackard."
"A detective?" Afterton asks, incredulously. "He wants to know when a police officer is admitted?"
Dr. Afterton's shock is well-founded, as Sam Carlos' dislike for the San Francisco Police Department is well-known by all on both sides of the street. That there is a particular detective on the police force that Carlos' is interested in is not lost on either of the two medical professionals.
"Knowing how he feels about the blues, the fact that he wants to know anything about this one is telling in itself," Smuthers tells the surgeon. "Don't think. Don't overthink. Just let him know, for crying out loud."
Afterton hangs up the call without any preamble or closing words. He is already moving away from the wall phone toward a secure room – he will pick any of the upcoming rooms for some privacy that he will need for this particular conversation. He closes the door behind him, then sits on the portable patient table, retrieving his cell phone from his white doctor's jacket pocket. He clicks on a contact entry, waiting for the inevitable ringing. He knows – no matter what time of the day or evening – Carlos will answer. The man's lack of sleep or rest is near legendary.
After three rings, he is greeted by the San Francisco businessman/mobster.
"Dr. Afterton," Carlos begins. "I suspect this has to do with someone of interest admitted because of our recent earthquake."
Carlos is standing next to Kate Beckett and Richard Castle, in one of the two emergency patient rooms at the complex across the bridge. All three are gazing down at a sleeping and medicated Willie Crockett, who was given some powerful medications just less than half an hour ago after x-rays have been taken.
"Actually, no sir," Dr. Afterton replies. "She was brought in because of a car accident. And it had nothing to do with the quake."
"She?" Carlos answers, his eyes darkening. Even Kate Beckett and Richard Castle can tell something is up. Everything – absolutely everything about their friend has changed in an instant. Both are taken aback as they see the hint of danger that suddenly appears with their friend.
"Sam?" Kate asks, but is quickly shushed away with a wave of the hand.
"That's not good," Richard Castle notices aloud. Carlos, for his part, completely ignores the duo, now listening intently.
"A detective," Afterton replies. "A Jennifer Blackard."
"Jennifer," Carlos repeats, low and under his breath, his entire body stiffening. It is only because of their close proximity to the man that Castle or Beckett even hear the man speaking.
"Yeah, good thing I called," Dr. Benjamin Afterton tells himself. "He's on a first-name basis with this one."
"What is her condition, Dr. Afterton," Carlos asks, after quickly gathering himself.
"Broken arm, it's going to need surgery," Afterton begins. "That's where we are starting."
"She is conscious?" Carlos asks.
"Yes, of course, yes," Afterton replies. "She's lucky so far, given the nature of the accident."
"Meaning?" Carlos demands.
"She said her brakes were cut," Afterton answers, knowing the death sentence he is likely signing for some unfortunate and stupid soul here in the city. "That's what the paramedics stated as they brought her in."
"Is that so," Sam Carlos replies evenly. Unknown to the mobster, his entire change in demeanor is now the cause of great concern for his two friends in the patient room back at the complex.
"Sam?" Kate asks again, her hand now grazing her old friend's shoulder. He doesn't brush it away. He doesn't flinch. He has no reaction at all.
Which frightens his two friends all the more.
The rest of the conversation is completely dark to both Richard Castle and Kate Beckett as Carlos simply listens to the one-sided conversation. He doesn't react at all. There is no nod of the head in agreement. There is no shaking of the head in disagreement.
Nothing.
A minute later, he disconnects the call without a word, closing his eyes, as the forefinger and thumb from his right hand connect and caress the bridge of his nose. He stays in this motion for four or five long, quiet seconds before turning toward the duo.
"Jennifer was just admitted to San Francisco General," he tells his friends.
"Oh no," Kate replies. Carlos sees the genuine concern, which does not surprise him, given the history between he, Kate and Jennifer that goes back decades.
"What happened?" Rick Castle asks. "Did it have anything to do with-"
"No, Richard," Carlos interrupts, his dark eyes now fixated on the builder of this complex. His legendary gaze burrows deep, disarming both the ex-detective and ex-author.
"It has nothing to do with the earthquake. Her brakes were cut," he remarks simply.
The three friends are quiet for a few seconds before Kate is the first to speak.
"No coincidences," she tells her friends, running her left hand through hair long dark hair.
"What do you mean, Katie?" Carlos asks, his tone not softening at all, despite the use of his nickname for his friend.
"Forget the earthquake for a moment," Kate tells her friend, looking straight into his eyes. "That's the outlier here. Focus on what happened before the earthquake. An intruder comes onto the outskirts of our campus. With a gasoline can. With clearly bad intentions. And now, at what is likely roughly the same time, the brakes on Jennifer's car have been cut?"
"Hmmm," Carlos hums aloud.
"No coincidences, Sam," Richard Castle agrees. "We are attacked over here. Jennifer is attacked back in the city. I refuse to consider those to be two isolated, unrelated incidents."
"I would concur with that reasoning," Carlos agrees. "It appears the leash that I have Mr. Adams on is both too long and misguided."
"I don't think so, Sam," Castle pushes back, and the mobster is surprised when Kate Beckett provides a similar reaction.
"I have to agree with Rick on this, Sam," she tells both men. "If this were just an attack on our campus here, I might – and I stress might – consider Barry Adams. But he sent damn near twenty men here a couple of months ago, with disastrous results for him. Sending one man? In broad daylight? Knowing we have surveillance?"
She allows the thought to hang in the air, before continuing.
"And Jennifer?" she continues. "There is no evidence that Adams knows anything about Jennifer, about her relationship with you, about her importance to you . . . and if he did, do you really think that he would . . . "
"Dare attack her," Carlos finishes her thought, now slightly nodding his head in agreement.
"You know what that means," Castle tells the two after a few seconds of silence.
"It means that there is a new player," Castle finishes.
"Yes," Carlos agrees, "but it also means that Jennifer is still in danger. And likely lying helpless in a hospital room. It appears she is going to have a similar surgery to the one you just recuperated from, Richard."
"What are the odds of that?" Castle muses aloud.
"Wrong question, babe," Kate corrects the man she loves. "The question is, who is responsible and what are they going to do when they discover that Jen is still alive and well?"
"They will come to finish the job," Carlos tells them.
"In public, in her hospital room?" Castle asks.
"It is what I would do," Willie Crockett suddenly remarks, his breath raspy and ragged. It is clear the enforcer is still in quite a bit of pain, medications aside.
"Willie," Sam Carlos exclaims in surprise, turning to see his trusted friend and enforcer, who is attempting – unsuccessfully – to pull himself up into a sitting position.
"Uh uh uh," Kate Beckett remarks, quickly moving toward the bed of the large man. She places her hands firmly – but gently – giving a slight push backward while at the same time holding him up so she can smoothly let him down back into a lying down position.
"No sudden movements, Willie," she tells their friend. "Doctors orders . . . well, nurse's orders . . . but orders, nonetheless. You aren't going anywhere."
"Katie is correct, my friend," Sam Carlos states firmly, indicating there is nothing that Crockett can or will do at this time.
"Someone needs to be there," Crockett argues, his eyes half-closing again.
"He is right about that," Castle agrees. "I can send-"
"I'll go," Kate interrupts, surprising both Sam Carlos and Richard Castle. She can tell both men are considering their arguments – for different reasons, of course. The ex-NYPD detective is having none of it, from either man.
"She is my friend. I belong there with her," Kate Beckett tells the two men.
"We know that something is amiss here, Rick," she continues. "So, you need your team here, ready for whatever happens next. And to try and get more information out of our other patient in the other room."
"We do need to decide what to do with him," Castle agrees. "We can't just keep him here, especially in his condition."
"He is secondary," Carlos dismisses. "Katie's concerns about another attack of some sort are well-founded."
Richard Castle nods his head in agreement, considering the words he has just heard.
"At the same time, whatever is happening isn't happening in a full-frontal assault kind of manner," Castle continues. "I think people have learned that that isn't a viable option with us, by now."
"I would agree," Carlos nods his head.
"So, take Lindy with you, Kate," Castle offers. "We don't know who – or how many – will be sent after Jennifer once it becomes known that the attempt on her life failed. If we are dealing with multiple adversaries, you know that Lindy is a far better option than you – or anyone else – by themselves. No disrespect to your formidable fighting skills –"
"None taken, Babe," she interrupts. "It's actually a good idea, I just didn't think it to be my place to start assigning your resources."
"Our resources," he corrects her with a roll of his eyes. "Anything that happens here can easily be handled by Mike and Marcus, Colin and Dawn. And Mike can call in the night shift if necessary."
"Then it's settled," Kate remarks. "I will need Ron and the chopper, though. The road out of here is non-traversable, trust me."
"Sam, you coming with?" she asks their friend. His response both surprises – and doesn't surprise. His conflict is clearly evident.
"My place is here," he finally states, glancing at his friend and enforcer who is in and out on the patient bed.
"My place is here with Willie," he repeats sadly. "I hope Jennifer understands."
"She will understand," Kate ensures him. "Don't let that even be a concern."
"Actually, your place is not here, Mr. Carlos," Gail Simmons remarks suddenly, making her entrance back into the room in time to hear the last ten or so seconds of conversation between the three friends.
"Excuse me?" Carlos remarks, with a raised eyebrow. He is not used to being corrected by anyone, save Willie Crockett.
"Your place is not here because Mr. Crockett's place is not here either," Nurse Simmons replies unflappably.
"Mr. Crockett has two broken ribs, as you know," she continues. "What you don't know is that he also has internal bleeding, which showed up on the x-rays that I just had a colleague read for me. For confirmation. For verification. He can't stay here. He needs a real hospital, with better resources."
The room is quiet for a moment, before Richard Castle breaks the silence.
"Looks like our chopper will have two patients," he remarks.
"No Richard," Carlos corrects him. "If it is all right with you, I would ask that your pilot take Kate to General in San Mateo with Jennifer. I would ask that he drop Willie and I off in Chinatown at the hospital there."
"Seriously?" Castle remarks. His experiences at San Francisco Chinatown Hospital have been less than stellar, in his mind.
"The people I trust most in the medical profession are in Chinatown, Richard," Carlos concludes. "That is where Willie needs to be. That is where I need to take him."
With that, Carlos takes out his phone once again, and clicks a contact entry. The phone rings only twice before he is rewarded.
"Teresa," he addresses Dr. Teresa Argento, the Chief of Staff at the Chinatown Hospital. "I have a favor to ask of you and your team. A very important favor, my friend."