Anne watched as the man she loved tried to get comfortable on the bed. She knew he was still awake, and that he was trying not to show just how bad he felt. She looked towards the door as a soft knock sounded, frowning as Larabee’s eyes opened part way. She patted his shoulder before standing and walking to the door. She smiled as she opened it to reveal a very worried young man.
“Hi, Anne, Dr. Henderson said we could come see Chris. Is he awake?”
“Yes, he is, JD. You go on in and I’ll go grab a coffee.”
“Thanks, Anne,” Dunne said moving into the dimly lit room. He could see Larabee’s eyes were partially open as he moved closer to the bed.
“Hey, Kid,” the blond said.
“Hi, Chris, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, JD, but I need to t...thank you...you saved my life out there.”
“N...no I didn’t. I...”
“Believe me, JD, if you hadn’t found me I’d have probably bled to death. Thanks, Kid,” the blond said, lifting his left arm slightly, ignoring the pain it caused.
“Anytime, Chris.” Dunne accepted the hand and then eased it back on the bed. “I’m gonna go let the others come see you before they move you upstairs.”
“Okay, and JD...”
“Yeah?”
“You did good.” The smile born from those three words caused Larabee to grin at the retreating form. No matter how many times one of them told JD he was as much a part of the team as the rest of them, the younger man seemed like he didn’t believe. ‘Someday, Kid, you’ll believe us,’ he thought.
Chris stayed awake during the other visits, grateful to have his friends there with him. By the time Vin Tanner came into the room he was exhausted. Neither man needed words to get their feelings across, and the tracker settled into the chair beside the bed. He looked up when Anne Sheridan returned and let her have the chair. He stood on the opposite side of the bed, leaning into the corner, the two of them watching over the injured man.
Not wanting to wake the sleeping man, neither spoke, until the door opened and an orderly and a nurse came into the tiny room.
“Anne, we have a room for him now,” the nurse said as she placed Larabee’s chart on the end of his bed.
“Okay, thanks, Janice,” Sheridan said as Tanner moved out of the way and allowed the orderly to take that end of the stretcher.
Chris opened his eyes as the bed began to move, and frowned as he tried to remember where he was. His head pounded and he shut his eyes tightly as he was wheeled into the well lit ER.
“Easy, Chris, just keep your eyes closed,” Anne told him.
“...good idea...wh...what happened?”
“You’re hurt, sweetheart, but everything’s going to be fine. Just keep your eyes closed and we’ll have you settled in your room before you know it,” Sheridan told him, reaching for his left hand and carefully avoiding the IV running into it.
“H...hurt? H...how?”
She knew his confusion was normal with a head injury and hoped it wasn’t a sign of something more serious. She met the tracker’s worried gaze and smiled reassuringly at him as they stopped in front of the elevator.
Sensing someone on his right, Larabee turned his head and pried his eyes open. He smiled weakly at the young man in spite of the pain.
“Vin...okay?”
“I’m fine, Chris. It’s you we’re all worried about.”
“Me? I’m okay...”
“Sure you are,” Sheridan said as the doors opened and they helped the orderly maneuver the stretcher inside. The orderly pushed the button for the fifth floor and she watched as Larabee’s eyes closed once more. They remained that way until the gurney came to a stop in front of the nurses’ station.
“Got Chris Larabee here,” Tony Ryan told the nurse behind the desk.
“Room 516. His nurse is already there.”
“Thanks,” Ryan said, again pushing the gurney away from the desk and down a long hallway.
516 was a private room at the end of the hall and Vin could see the lightening sky outside the darkened window. He knew Larabee was in good hands with Anne Sheridan and he wanted to check out the crime scene before too many people trampled over the evidence. He pushed open the door and held it for the orderly to push the stretcher inside. He watched as Anne Sheridan moved out of the way to allow Larabee’s nurse to take over.
Ninheve finished checking the new IV monitor and looked up as the door opened admitting her patient. She remembered the last time she’d helped care for this man, after a disastrous trip into the mountains. She knew the injuries were not as life threatening this time, yet the bruises and bandages were evidence that the man would be uncomfortable for some time to come.
“Hi, Nin, I’ve got your new patient here,” Ryan said as they pushed the stretcher up beside the bed.
Nin smiled at the man lying on the gurney and patted his right shoulder, before checking the hospital ID band.
“Hello, Chris, now you just hang on and we’ll get you comfortable, okay?” she smiled as he nodded once. They pushed the stretcher up tight against the bed and she moved to the opposite side as a second nurse came into the room.
“I thought you might need some help,” the red head said.
“Hi, Tammy, could you help us get Chris transferred to this bed?” Ninheve asked.
“Certainly,” Tammy said and grabbed a end of the sheet.
“Okay, Chris, just relax,” Nin said. “On three. One, two, three...”
Larabee winced as his body was moved from one bed to the other and settled onto the softer mattress. His eyes were clenched tight and Nin moved to turn down the lights. Tammy transferred the IV from the gurney to the monitored IV pole and set the rate for the fluids to be delivered.
“Thanks, Tony,” Nin said as the orderly left the room.
“Nin, if you need anything else just call me.”
“I will, Tammy, thanks,” she said as she moved to take her new patient’s vitals. She smiled as his eyes opened and focused on him.
“I’m just gonna take your temperature and blood pressure, Chris. Then we’ll let you get some rest, okay?”
“...hmm...” Larabee mumbled tiredly as the nurse pressed a thermometer to his ear.
“You can come in for a few minutes, Vin,” the petite nurse said.
“Thanks, Nin. I don’t think you’ve met Anne...”
“No, I haven’t. Hi, Anne.”
“Hi, Nin,” Sheridan said as she moved closer to the bed.
Chris turned to look at the pretty auburn haired woman he cared so much about. He knew she was worried, but he was too tired to say anything. He acknowledge the tracker and finally let his eyes close, his breathing evened out and the lines of pain smoothed as he sank into a deep sleep.
Ninheve put the BP cuff back in its stand and turned to the two people standing beside the bed. “He’s sleeping. You two can stay for a few minutes, but he really does need to rest, and from the looks of both of you...”
“We won’t stay long, Nin,” Tanner assured her as she pinned the call button to the bed beside Larabee’s left hand.
“Okay, Anne, it was nice to meet you,” the nurse said before leaving them alone with Larabee.
Vin saw the tears on the auburn haired woman’s face and moved to draw her close. He felt the trembling of her body as she cried against his shoulder. He knew how much she cared for Chris Larabee and understood that part of what he was seeing had to do with her memories of the first time they’d met. That had been a little over a year ago, and Larabee had been the victim of a twisted psychopath who’d tortured and tormented him. With the help of his friends and this woman, the blond had finally made it past the injuries, as well as the LSD flashbacks.
Anne moved away from the younger man and reached for the tissues on the night stand beside Larabee’s bed. She wiped away the evidence of her tears and looked at the blond. Her right hand found it’s way to his forehead where silken strands of blond hair strayed down over the bandage above his right eye.
“He’s gonna be okay, Anne,” Tanner told her.
“I know he will, Vin, but this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t stayed to walk me to my car.”
“Anne, you can’t blame yourself for this. There’s no way you could’ve known he’d be mugged once he left your place. This could’ve happened to anyone, but Chris happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“My place...”
“D...don’t blame you, A...Anne,” Larabee whispered as he opened his eyes again.
“You’re supposed to be sl...sleeping,” Sheridan stammered as the fingers of his left hand wrapped around her right.
“Not until I know y...you’re okay. Vin’s r...right...not your fault...”
“But...”
“No...don’t blame you, Love,” he mumbled as he fought to stay awake.
“Sleep, Chris, we’ll talk about this when you feel better,” she told him.
“N...no, Anne, need to kn...know you d...don’t blame yourself...”
Sheridan saw the concern in his eyes and bent close to him. Her lips brushed lightly against his swollen ones and she couldn’t help, but give him what he wanted.
“Alright, Sweetheart,” she whispered. “I believe you.”
“G...good. Let Vin take you home.” He turned towards the tracker and was glad to see understanding in the blue orbs.
“Will you be okay by yourself?”
“I’m just gonna sleep, Anne,” Larabee assured her.
“Come on, Anne, before he gets grumpy. I’ve seen that happen when he stays awake to long. I think it must come with old age...”
“Not old, Tanner,” Larabee said, smiling at the light humor from his best friend.
“No, you’re not, Honey. I can vouch for that,” Sheridan said, blushing as she realized Tanner understood exactly what she’d meant.
“Shoot, Anne, I’d better get you out of here before that old man decides to prove how young he is,” the tracker ordered.
“Owe you, Tanner!” Larabee said, knowing the sharpshooter would understand the double meaning.
“I’ll wait for you outside, Anne. Chris, rest easy, me and the boys will check things out.”
Larabee frowned as a fleeting image flashed across his mind, and closed his eyes against the sudden bright vision. His raised foot connecting with a hand and a gun clattering to the ground and sliding across the tarmac.
“Chris, are you okay?” Sheridan asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Y...yeah,” the blond said, his eyes opening and turning towards the tracker once more.
“Vin, check the storm drain. O...one of ‘em h...had a gun. I k...kicked it from hi...his hand and it slid into the d...drain.”
“I’ll make sure Bob knows about it Chris and we’ll find the gun. Maybe we’ll get lucky and there’ll be a good set of prints and we can find the bastard who did this to you,” the tracker hissed.
“H...hope so...like to get my hands on ‘em,” Larabee winced as he moved on the bed.
“I’ll see you later today, Chris,” the younger man said as he left Larabee alone with Anne Sheridan.
“Chris...”
“Come here,” Larabee ordered softly, and smiled as the woman bent close to him again.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay here alone?” Sheridan asked.
“Anne, I’m okay, really. You need to go home and get some rest.”
“I will, Chris, but I’ll be back this afternoon.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Larabee said, turning slightly and trying to sit up.
“You want me to raise your head a little more?”
“Yeah, makes it easier on the ribs,” he said as she pushed the button.
“How’s that?” she asked, worried about the pain she saw on his face once more.
“B...better, thanks, now come here!”
“Chris, I don’t think we’d better...”
“I’m not letting you go without...” his words were silenced as she leaned over him and again brushed her lips across his. He wanted it to last longer, but realized he was in no shape to answer the stirrings building in his body at her closeness.
“Chris, the button to call your nurse is beside your left hand,” Anne explained, her voice husky with her own needs.
“Okay, think y....you’d better get going or Vin might just walk in on something...”
“Oh, you,” she said, laughing as she pulled away. She turned serious as she lifted the rails on the side of his bed. “Don’t be afraid to ask for something to help with the pain, Chris. You really do need to rest.”
“I will,” he assured her, his eyes closing once more.
“I love you, Chris,” she whispered, turning away from the bed.
“Love you too, Anne,” was the sleepy reply.
Vin drove into the Rocky Meadows Apartment building at 2460 Village Lane. The upscale building had been home for Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne for nearly four years now. Anne Sheridan lived on the sixth floor overlooking the park on the opposite street. Buck and JD’s two bedroom apartment overlooked the visitor’s parking lot and surrounding area. He pulled to a stop in front of the police tape that marked the crime scene. Robert Miller stood beside Larabee’s truck, waiting for the sharpshooter to show up.
“Bob.”
“Vin, how’s Chris?”
“Pretty beat up. They’ll be keeping him in for a couple of days.”
“He looked pretty bad last night.”
“Yeah, and he’s feelin’ it today. Did you find anything new?”
“No, got a couple of prints off the truck and forensics took samples of the blood on and around Chris’ truck. Do you boys have any idea who would’ve done this or do we keep treating it as a random mugging?” Miller asked.
“Wasn’t a mugging?” Tanner answered, ducking under the tape.
“What makes you so sure?” Miller asked, knowing this man was a natural when it came to crime scenes. He often wondered why Vin Tanner didn’t become a cop, knowing he would’ve made a damn good detective.
“Chris still had his wallet and money.”
“Maybe whoever did it was scared off before he could finish the job,” the policeman offered.
“I don’t think so,” the tracker said, bending low and looking into the storm drain to the left of Larabee’s truck.
“Why?”
“Chris was awake for a little while and he said it was no mugging.” He grunted as he laid flat on the ground and looked deeper into the drain. The meager light glinted off something sitting just to the back of the opening and he slipped his arm through the narrow gap. His fingers couldn’t quite reach it and he finally admitted defeat and pulled his arm out. Ignoring the scum and dirt on the sleeve of his jacket he turned on his back, looking up at the tall, silver haired policeman.
“See anything?” Miller asked.
“Yeah, I need something about this long to reach it,” Tanner explained as he held his hands approximately a foot apart.
“Hold on, I’ll see if I’ve got anything in the unit,” Miller told him. He came back a few minutes later with a narrow nine inch wrench and a powerful flashlight.
“How’s this?”
“Should do,” Tanner said. Taking the wrench he turned on his side once more and smiled as the older man shone the light into the narrow opening.
“Thanks,” he said and again put his arm in as far as he could. He moved around, struggling to get the thin end through the trigger of the gun. Twice it slipped out and he held his breath when the gun seemed to slip further into the drain. He heard the water running below and knew if the gun fell they might not find it again.
“Fuck!” he cursed as a sharp piece of metal tore at his jacket, and with one last ditch effort he pushed the wrench through the thin circle.
“You okay?” Miller asked.
“Yeah, hang on!” the sharpshooter said as he tipped the wrench, careful not to let it slip off the end of the tool in his hand. Once the gun touched his fingers he slowly withdrew from the opening, sliding his arm back and keeping the wrench at an upward angle.
“Careful,” the older man hissed as he watched the tracker pull something through the gap.
Vin nodded as he pulled the wrench and gun through the breach and sat up. He looked up at the policeman as he held up his treasure.
“What’s that?” Miller asked.
“A gun,” the sharpshooter deadpanned.
“I know it’s a Goddamned gun, Vin, but where did it come from and how did you know it was there?” the older man asked pulling out an evidence bag.
“Chris told me he kicked a gun out of one of his attacker’s hands and it slid into the storm drain,” Tanner explained.
“Did he tell you how many there were?”
“Yeah, said there were two maybe three,” the tracker said as he dropped the gun into the bag.
“That’s what we figure. There’s at least three sets of prints in the dirt. Got a couple of fairly good impressions, although one of ‘em is probably those damn cowboy boots Chris likes to wear,” Miller said as they walked towards his car.
“Alright if I take a look around?” Tanner asked.
“We’ve done everything we can in there. Just let me know if you find anything at all,” Miller said, climbing behind the wheel of his car.
“I will,” the sharpshooter told him. Turning back to the taped off area, Vin climbed underneath and walked back to the truck. He touched the stains on the back panel and knew it was blood, briefly wondering if it was Larabee’s. Turning away from the Ford he looked around the quiet area, amazed that no one had seen anything the night before.
He knelt down and shook his head at the damage to the side of Larabee’s vehicle, the marks were made during the fight and several dents now showed on the front door. He frowned as he spotted something under the front wheel and moved forward to see what it was. He walked back to his jeep and opened the glove compartment, pulling out the evidence kit he kept there. As part of their job, each man kept evidence kits in their vehicles, and it often amazed him many times he’d used his. He hurried back to the truck and sank down on one knee as he pulled tweezers from the kit. He used the tweezers to pick up the item and stood up to examine it. It was silver with the letters Levi imprinted on it. He knew the chances of tracing it were slim, but he dropped it into an evidence bag just as Jackson and Sanchez pulled into the lot. He walked towards the two men, ducking under the tape as they exited the car.
“Find anything?” the ex-preacher asked, leaning against the hood of his suburban.
“Chris mentioned one of his attackers having a gun...”
“Did they find it?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, found it a few minutes ago. Bob’s taking it into the station now to see if there’s any registration or prints on it.”
“What’s that?” Jackson asked, seeing the bag in the tracker’s left hand.
“Could be nothin’, but I found it beside the front tire,” the sharpshooter explained, handing it to the older man.
Sanchez lifted it to the sun and frowned at the button. He turned it over in his hands and then passed it to the medic.
“Could be from whoever attacked him, then again, Chris wears Levi clothing,” the ex-preacher said as Jackson looked at it.
“Yeah, I was gonna check Chris’ shirt. I know it’s at the station now, but maybe we can get a look at it. I need to drop this off there anyway. Did Ezra and JD come up with anything?”
“They’re checking the files to see if anyone’s put out a contract on Chris,” Jackson explained. “Buck’s on his way over to the hospital to check on him.”
“Where’s Anne?” Sanchez asked.
“She’s upstairs at her place. Told her we’d come get her if anything turned up. She’s exhausted...”
“She’s not the only one, Vin. You look like you didn’t sleep at all,” the medic said.
“I’m okay,” the sharpshooter assured the older man.
“Vin, take this,” Jackson said, offering a key to the younger man. “Buck had a feeling you’d be here. He said to go crash at his place for a couple of hours...”
“I need to finish...”
“Hold on,” the medic said with a smile. “He said to crash at his place after you finish checking out the crime scene. Me and Josiah are here to make sure you do. We can take this down to the station and check it against Chris’ clothes.”
“Thanks, Nathan,” the young man said, realizing just how tired he was.
“Alright, let’s finish going over the area,” Sanchez ordered.
“Damn!” Tanner hissed as he remembered Larabee’s meeting with Travis was scheduled to take place in less than an hour.
“What’s wrong, Vin?” Jackson asked worriedly.
“I was gonna call Orrin and cancel the meeting between him and Chris...”
“I already did. He’s gonna go see Chris later today,” the medic assured him.
“Thanks, Nate,” the tracker said, relief evident on his face.
Buck pushed the door open and looked into the darkened room. He knew Larabee was suffering from a concussion and the drapes were drawn to help ease the torment bright lights caused. He let the door close softly and moved towards the single bed. The blond lay slightly on his right side, his broken wrist sporting a fiberglass cast. His left arm was in a sling, and Buck could see the bandage over the blond’s right eye. What bothered him most was the bruising he could see starting above the blanket and disappearing below it. He pulled a chair over to the bed and settled in to wait for Larabee to wake up.
Chris became aware of being uncomfortable first, then pain seemed to slam into him as he shifted on the bed. He bit back a cry as he tried to breath past the pain, wondering if he’d been on a drinking binge to beat all drinking binges.
“Easy, Ol’ Son,” Wilmington was on his feet at the first sign of his friend’s returning consciousness. He reached over the railing and touched his hand against Larabee’s shoulder.
Chris heard the words and forced his eyes open. His right one didn’t seem to focus very well and he frowned, crying out as it pulled against the wound above his eye.
“I wouldn’t do that for a while, Chris,” the ladies man suggested as Larabee tried to move around and get comfortable.
“G....good ad...vice,” Larabee hissed through clenched teeth as he rode out a wave of nausea and pain. “Shit...what the hell hap...happened?”
“That’s what we need to find out. JD found you in front of our place last night,” Wilmington explained.
“Wh...what?”
“Someone beat you up pretty good and left you lying beside your truck.” He watched as Larabee’s eyebrows furrowed and he winced as he saw the lines of pain become more prominent.
“Beat up...”
“Yeah, figured you were mugged...”
Larabee shook his head, regretting the movement instantly as his concussed head felt like it was ready to explode.
“...wasn’t a mug...ging,” the blond groaned as he pressed the button to sit further up in the bed.
“Easy, Chris, just lie still,” the rogue warned.
“Buck, I h...heard them talk...ing. Heard them s...say someone paid....th...them,” the injured man hissed.
“Okay, you just lie still and I’ll let Bob know,” Wilmington told him as the door opened and a nurse came into the room.
“Hello, Chris, how are you feeling.”
“Fine,” Larabee said automatically.
“Don’t believe him, Patty. He’s in pain,” Wilmington said and turned back to the call he was making.
Patty Delaney turned on the light over Larabee’s bed, frowning at her patient as she wrapped the BP cuff around his bicep.
“Chris, Dr. Henderson ordered a mild pain reliever for you. Would you like me to get it for you?”
“Probably just throw it up,” Larabee said as he felt the cuff tighten around his arm.
“It can be given through your IV,” she said, writing the results on a piece of paper. She looked away from him as the door opened.
“Hi, Doc,” Larabee greeted weakly.
“I heard you were gracing our facility again, Chris. What happened?”
“Had a run in with some unsavory types,” Larabee answered.
“Can I see that, Patty?”
“Yes, Doctor, Midland,” the nurse said, passing the paper with the results of Larabee’s vitals on it.
“Well?” Larabee asked.
“Well what?” Midland asked, smiling at one of her regular patients.
“Well, can I get out of here today?”
“Not today, ask Jason when he comes in on Monday...”
“Monday!” Larabee snapped, instantly regretting it as his head pounded against his skull.
“Yes, Monday, and you’ll be lucky to get out of here then!” Midland told him.
“Shit!” the blond hissed. He held his right arm tight against his stomach as the nausea and pain grew worse.
“Chris, you’ve got a slight temperature and your blood pressure is a little low. Nothing serious, but we need to keep an eye on it. Patty, how long since he had something for pain?”
“Five hours,” the nurse answered.
“Chris, I’m going to have Patty give you something to ease the pain and settle your stomach,” Midland told the blond as Larabee continued to show his discomfort.
“...okay...”
“I’ll be right back,” Delaney said as she hurried from the room.
Wilmington finished the phone call and turned a worried gaze on the doctor, before moving to speak to Larabee again.
“Chris, I just spoke with Bob. Vin was over at the crime site with him. They found the gun you told him about and Josiah just brought in a couple of other things Vin found.”
“O...other things?” the blond asked.
“A button, cigarette butt, stuff like that...”
“Seem to remember tearing the bigger one’s shirt...had his arm around my neck and...and I gr...grabbed the sleeve,” Larabee said, grabbing for the basin as his stomach lost the battle with the nausea. He knew the ladies’ man was watching him, but the pain was too much and he couldn’t acknowledge his being there.
“Hang on, Chris, I’ve got the medication here for you,” Patty explained as she cleaned the junction and placed the syringe into the site. She injected the pain killer and anti nausea medication and disposed of the syringe in the bio-hazard container.
“That should help, Chris, just take it easy and try not to move around too much,” Midland said.
“...okay...thanks, Doc,” the blond whispered, taking a cool cloth from the nurse’s hand and washing his face. He found it awkward holding the soft material with the cast on his arm, but knew there was no way he could use the other hand to do it.
“Chris,
I’ll stop in to see you later, but don’t wait so long to ask for pain relief,”
the doctor ordered.
“I w...won’t,” Larabee said as the nurse took the cloth and wet it again before leaving with Midland.
“Any better?” Wilmington asked, sitting beside the bed once more.
“N...not really, Buck,” Larabee said, his eyes closed against the throbbing pain.
“Hell, Pard, wish there was something I could do,” Wilmington said.
“It’s okay, Buck. Should start to ease some soon,” the blond insisted.
“Hope so,” the ladies’ man said sympathetically. He didn’t tell Larabee about the decision the others had made once he told them about Chris hearing his attackers say they were being paid to do this. One of them would be with Chris at all times, that would be easy while he was in the hospital, but once he went home things would be a little more complicated.
“B...Buck.”
“Yeah?”
“Go home...don’t need you boys to watch out for me. Handle myself...”
“What makes you think we’re watching out for you?” Wilmington asked, trying to keep his voice light.
“Not hard to figure, Buck. I know you boys...know how you think.”
“What are we thinking then?”
Larabee forced his eyes open, once more focusing on the man in the chair. He shifted slightly and tried to find a comfortable spot.
“You boys are thinking I need someone to watch my back...”
“Don’t you? You’re the one who told me you heard them say they were paid to do it, Chris. We figure we’ll watch your back until you’re able to do it yourself. Ain’t gonna argue about it either, ‘cause right now you don’t have the strength to fight us. So you might as well lie back, let the meds the doc gave ya kick in and get some sleep,” the ladies man said.
“Hate it when you’re r...right,” Larabee said tiredly.
Wilmington remained quiet as he watched his long time friend give in to the pain and exhaustion. He knew Larabee hated having to rely on others, but right now the blond was hurting and needed them to watch his back. He smiled as Patty came in and placed a bag of antibiotics on the IV pole and ran it through the monitor.
“He should sleep for a while, Buck,” she told him before leaving the room.
“I’ve got your back, Chris Larabee and I’ll make damn sure no one gets to you on my shift,” he whispered and walked to the window to look out as the afternoon slowly slipped away.
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