popb24

Chapter 84

“I’ll get Tanner here. You just make damn sure you get Larabee up here,” Wilcox ordered.

“Carter will create the diversion in twenty minutes. Once the cop leaves the door I’ll take care of Standish and bring Larabee up here.”

“Just make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Nothing’s going to ruin this plan,” Wilcox beamed as he walked back to the door. “See you in an hour.”

Rex Carter waited in the utility closet down the hall from room three-sixteen. ‘This is going to be the easiest thousand I ever made,’ he thought as a young nurse

walked towards him.

Standish watched the sleeping man and wondered when he’d be able to go back to his ranch. ‘You’re a strong man, Mr. Larabee,’ he thought as he watched the

new Star Trek series.

Callie Willis continued her rounds, giving her patients their meds and changing IVs.

Wilcox dialed the number on his cell phone.

Tanner flipped his phone open and came fully awake as he heard the voice on the other end.

“If you want to see him alive you’d better come to the rooftop of Saint Vincents. You have one hour or he’s dead,” the line went dead and Tanner hurried towards

the door. He knew he should wake JD or Nathan and tell them where he was going but there was no time.

In the car he pulled out the cell phone and dialed Nathan’s house. Before Jackson could speak he told him what was happening and where he was headed. It would

take him ten minutes to get to the hospital and by then Jackson and the others would be on their way. ‘Dammit, Cowboy, just hang on,’ he thought as the bright

streetlights flashed by. He sped through a yellow light without slowing down.

Sharpe watched from the staircase opposite the one Carter would use. He grinned as he watched a young dark haired nurse pass the utility closet.

Carter stepped out of the closet and grabbed the young nurse, wrapped his arms around her throat and pulled her towards the staircase as a scream erupted from

her throat.

The young cop in front of three-sixteen pulled his gun and pointed it in the direction of the scream.

The nurse at the desk slid from her chair and hid under the desk.

Standish heard the scream and opened the door to see the cop with his gun drawn.

“Let her go,” the officer called sharply.

“Not likely,” Carter shouted as he backed up towards the stairwell.

The officer looked from Standish to the two people at the end of the hall.

“Go! Help her. I’m here with Mr. Larabee.”

The officer looked unsure but another cry from the nurse decided him and he ran towards the figure as they disappeared through the stairwell door.

Callie Willis stood inside room three twenty, waiting for the excitement to die down.

Standish stood in the door watching the police officer chase the two fleeing figures, his back turned to the oncoming danger.

Sharpe pushed the well dressed man into the room with enough force that he lost his balance and his head struck the edge of the bed.

Standish tried to shake off the dizziness as blood streamed from a tiny gash on his forehead. He tried to stand up but anther blow sent him sprawling to the floor

where a veil of darkness fell over him.

Chris stirred and tried to open his eyes. He felt as if he were sinking into a well of quicksand. “Ezra,” he called.

“No, Larabee, it’s me.”

“W...who are y...you?” the blond asked, unable to make his mind work properly.

“I’m your best friend. The man who’s going to help you do what you’ve been wanting to do,” Sharpe told him as he pulled out the IV.

~~~~~~~~~

Callie looked out into the hall just in time to see someone disappear into three-sixteen. She hurried towards the room, worried about the patient inside. She pushed

the door open just as a dark figure helped Larabee stand up. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she gasped as she let the door slip closed behind her.

Sharpe released his victim and let him fall to the floor. “I’m giving him what he wants, Callie,” he smiled as he sent his fist into her face knocking her unconscious. He

picked her up and placed her on the bed, covering her body with the blankets. He looked at the man seated in the chair. ‘Might give me a little extra time,’ he

thought as he switched out the lights and pulled Larabee back to his feet.

Sharpe leaned the semi-conscious man against the wall and glanced into the empty hall. “Come on, Larabee, lets get this over with,” he half carried the injured man to

the stairwell, holding his breath until the door closed behind him.

The nurse at the desk slid out from underneath it and looked around. The quiet of the night was interrupted only by patients opening doors and looking out. She

picked up the phone and dialed the number for security.

Sharpe pushed open the door and led Larabee’s un-protesting form out onto the windy surface. “Come on, Larabee, it’s time to take a high dive,” he laughed. The

lights from the surrounding buildings cast an eerie glow on the surface, reflecting off the glass skylight as they passed.

“Don’t want to,” Chris told him, trying to focus his thoughts on what was happening around him.

“Sure you do. Don’t you remember? You have to jump. You killed Sarah and Adam.”

“Didn’t k...kill anyone.”

“Sure you did. You started the fire so they’d both die. Think about it. Can you see them in the middle of the flames. They’re crying out to you. Look at Adam, the

poor kid is terrified.”

“A...Adam.”

“That’s right. You can still save him if you really want to.”

“H...how,” Larabee asked, his eyes searching the area.

“By jumping. He’s down there and if you jump you can still save him.”

Tanner found the door leading to the rooftop open and hurried towards it. He climbed the stairs as fast as he could, his breath catching in his throat as the healing

wounds on his body were stretched to the limits. He reached the top floor, pushed the door open and looked out over the roof. The scene before him was something

out of his worst nightmare. Two forms stood near the edge. He recognized the teetering form and moved towards him just as the second form moved into the dull

light. “Don’t you fuckin’ touch him,” the sharpshooter gasped as he hurried towards the two figures.

‘Vin,’ the blond thought.

“Jump, Chris, it’s the only way to save them,” Sharpe laughed.

“No, Chris,” Tanner shouted above the wind.

Sharpe watched the wavering figure and moved to push him.

Tanner reacted instinctively and launched himself at Sharpe. Sharpe lost his balance, tripping over the edge, arms flailing as he started the fall that would end his life.

His scream was cut short as he landed on the roof of a car.

Four men hurried into the hospital and ran towards the staircase, only to be brought up short by an armed police officer. “What’s going on?” Wilmington asked.

“Some kind of hostage situation. You have to stay here.”

“What floor,” Sanchez asked, dreading the answer.

“Third floor, but they moved into the stairwell. Stan is trying to talk the guy down.”

“Who’s the hostage?” Jackson asked.

“One of the nurses.”

“We have to get up there.”

“I can’t let you in there right now.”

“Look, call Captain Miller and he’ll clear us,” Dunne told him.

“Captain Miller is on the third floor.”

“Call him!” Wilmington ordered sharper than he meant to as his patience went from slim to none. He watched as the officer pulled out his radio and contacted Robert

Miller.

“Chris.”

“I have to save them, Vin.”

“Sarah and Adam are not there, Cowboy.”

“Not there because I killed them.”

“We already talked about this, you didn’t kill them.”

“So much pain, Vin. I miss them so much.”

“I know you do, Pard, but this won’t help.”

“Yes it will, Vin. I’ll be with them.”

“You promised to watch my back, Chris. Are you going back on that now. You’re my best friend and if you’re set on doing this then we go together.”

“You’d go with me?” Larabee’s dull green eyes were moist with tears as he turned and met the younger man’s eyes.

“I’d go anywhere and do anything for you, Chris. That’s what friends are for.”

Larabee swallowed and reached out a trembling hand. He shivered as the cold tendrils of the wind whipped around his bare legs. “I’m sorry, Vin.”

“It’s ok, Cowboy, let’s get back inside where it’s warm.”

“I want to go home, Vin.”

“You will, Chris, I promise.”

“Don’t listen to him, Larabee! He never keeps his promise!”

“Get out of the way, Gary!” Tanner snapped, supporting the dazed man next to him.

“Vin’s always keeps his promise,” Larabee informed the man seated before them.

“He’s got you fooled. Can’t you see that? He makes promises and then reneges on them.”

“No he doesn’t. I’m proud to call him my friend,” Larabee gasped as he realized truer words had never been spoken. “Thanks, Vin, for keeping your promise to

me.”

“Get out of the way, Wilcox,” Tanner snarled.

“I don’t think so, Vin,” Wilcox hissed. “I’m going to finish what I started and then I’m going to kill you.”

Tanner watched the gun appear in the other man’s hand. “No!” he shouted as the weapon swung towards Larabee.

“You killed him, Vin,” Wilcox laughed as he depressed the trigger on the gun in his hand.

Tanner turned, placing his body between the blond and Wilcox.. He gasped as he felt the bullet enter his lower back. His eyes opened wide with fear as he saw the

panic on Larabee’s face. “C...Chris,” he gasped as he slid to the floor.

“No! Vin, you promised to watch my back,” Larabee cried as the blue eyes slid shut. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch,” he swore as he lunged at the man in the

wheelchair.

“Stay back, Larabee,” Wilcox cried as the blond ploughed into him, knocking the chair backwards. The sound of breaking glass echoed in the night, as twin screams

ripped from the two men falling through it. The wind made an ominous cracking sound as the wheel on the fallen chair spun wildly.

Vin didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious. His back burned as he lifted his head and crawled towards the skylight, “Chris,” he gasped as he made it the last

few feet. He lifted leaden arms and pulled himself up to the edge. “Oh, God, no!” he cried as the emergency lighting in the spacious room illuminated the two blood

covered, unmoving figures below him. His head fell forward on his arms and he felt the tears fall freely. “I’m so sorry, Chris,” he gasped as consciousness left him

once more.

Chapter 85

Wilmington, Dunne, Jackson, and Sanchez flew through the open door of the roof. The sight that met their eyes made their blood run cold. Vin Tanner lay sprawled

next to an overturned wheelchair, the upper wheel still spinning in the gusting breeze. Sanchez and Jackson hurried to the prone man.

Jackson’s voice screamed over the wind. “JD, get some help up here now!”

“S...sure, Nathan,” Dunne called tearing his eyes from the lone figure.

“Nathan, Josiah, where’s Chris?” Buck asked just as Miller, and two other officers came through the open door.

“We got a body on the roof of a car down below,” Miller shouted at them.

“Chris?”

“We’re not sure, Buck, He’s pretty messed up. Two officers have just gone to check it out.”

“Fuck!” Wilmington swore as he hurried to the edge of the roof. “Is he alive, Nate?”

“Barely, Where the hell is JD?”

“Easy, brother, it’s only been a couple of minutes,” Sanchez reminded the medic.

Miller and Wilmington stared down over the roof, Buck’s shoulders drooped as he spotted the activity around the white car. Bright lights shone on the roof revealing

a man lying in a pool of what could only be blood.

Sanchez heard activity in the room below and tore his eyes from the injured sharpshooter. “Lord help us,” he said as he jumped to his feet and ran for the door.

“Josiah, what’s wrong?”

“Chris is in the room below.”

“What?” Wilmington gasped.

“Buck, go with him. Bob, call in a code blue to the conference room now,” Jackson ordered as a doctor, nurse and two orderlies rushed through the door, a

stretcher in tow. He listened as the Captain called in the code Blue.

Miller finished calling the code and contacted the security room. “Rafferty, Just get someone up to the room and open the Godammed door,” the policeman ordered

as he looked into the room below. “Oh, fuck,’ he swore as he saw the blood on the two men below.

“Can you tell if he’s alive?”

“I don’t know, Nathan,” Miller told him as Jackson moved out of the way and let the medical professionals go to work.

The medic sighed as they wrapped a cervical collar around Tanner’s neck and hurriedly log rolled him onto a backboard. He turned his attention to the scene below,

shaking his head at the amount of blood spilling onto the table.

Wilmington and Sanchez raced through the corridor, reaching the locked doors at the same time as a security guard and two armed police officers. The security

guard opened the door and switched on the main lights of the room.

“Oh, shit,” the guard mumbled as his eyes fell on the shiny, Mahogany conference table and the two bodies sprawled on top of it.

“Out of the way!” the male voice came from behind the men and Buck hurried to hold the second door. Four doctors and two nurses entered the room, a crash cart

being pushed in with them. Two male orderlies hurried in with a gurney each and stood back as the code team went to work. Two doctors went into action

immediately on each of the men.

“We need to get this one off,” a grey haired doctor ordered. “The one on the bottom has no pulse.! We need to start CPR!”

“Let the son of a bitch die!” Wilmington snarled as more people stepped into the room.

“As much as we’d like them too, they can’t do that, Brother,” Sanchez told him.

“Looks like we’ve got a bleeder here! Get him on the stretcher!” Dr. Joe Sterling shouted as they scrambled to quickly, but carefully place Larabee on the stretcher.

Dr. Mike Turner immediately inserted an IV into Larabee’s neck, as a nurse placed a gauze pad over a two inch laceration over the injured man’s left eye.

“Jesus, there’s a piece of glass stuck in his leg,” Joe scrambled to place his hand into the wound grasping the punctured artery in an effort to stop the pulsing bright

red fluid. He jumped up on the gurney without releasing the hold he had on the still seeping artery in the upper right thigh. “He’s losing too much blood! I can’t get it

to stop! Let the fluids run wide open.! Carrie, find out who the vascular surgeon on call is and get him to meet us in the OR! Tell them we have a punctured femoral

artery! Make sure the blood bank is notified. Have them send up O negative for now until they have his type ready. ,” he shouted as Turner finished inserting the IV

and placed an IV bag on either side of Larabee’s head.

“Let’s go!” Turner shouted as the nurse hurried to the wall phone and put in a call to the OR.

Wilmington and Sanchez jumped out of the way as the stretcher carrying a very pale, blood covered Chris Larabee and the young doctor trying to save his life was

pushed past him.

Hypnotized by the ongoing fight to save the second man Buck Wilmington and Josiah Sanchez didn’t move.

“Still no pulse!” Wilmington heard one of the doctors working on Wilcox shout. He looked up and saw the tube already inserted into the throat and a second man

doing chest compressions. They’d hooked him up to a cardiac monitor and Buck watched the flat line with mixed feelings. He wanted Wilcox dead but he also

wanted justice for Chris and Vin and to him Wilcox had not suffered nearly enough. He watched as the first doctor inserted a syringe into the man’s chest and a nurse

tried to start an IV.

The seriousness of Larabee’s situation didn’t stop both his friends from seeing what was being done to the man who’d caused such devastation. Paddles were

applied to the man’s chest and Buck held his breath as a small beep sounded from the monitor. “No!” he gasped, slamming his fist into the wall.

“Come on, Brother, let’s check on the others,” Sanchez knew how hard it was for Wilmington to watch the doctor’s save the other man’s life.

“We’ve got him back. Let’s get him down to Emerg!”

Wilmington turned away from the second team and hurried out the door. He knew where Chris was being taken and also knew they couldn’t follow him there. The

two men headed for emerg as the sound of the heart monitor faded into the background.

“Jesus, Josiah, with everything going on I forgot all about Ezra. Where do you think he is?” Wilmington asked as he waited for the elevator doors to open.

“I don’t know, Brother. I just hope nothing’s happened to him,” Sanchez answered, as the doors slid open.

“Hold those doors!”

Sanchez and Wilmington held the doors as the stretcher carrying Gary Wilcox hurried towards them.

“Son of a bitch!” Wilmington snapped as the doors slid shut behind the code team. His fist slamming into the button.

“Easy, Brother, that’s not gonna do Chris or Vin any good.”

Jackson and Dunne watched the two men hurrying towards them. “How’s Chris?” they asked in unison as “How’s Vin?” slipped from the other two men.

“Vin’s in trauma one. They’re getting him ready for surgery.”

“Where’s Ez?” Wilmington asked.

“He’s having a CT scan done. They found him and Callie Willis unconscious in Chris’s room. What about Chris?” Jackson asked.

“They just took him to surgery, Brother. It doesn’t look good.”

“What do you mean, Josiah?” Dunne asked.

“Josiah?” the medic took in the serious faces on the two men and knew something was very wrong. “Buck?”

“The doctor had his hand in Chris’ leg, Nathan, they were moving so fast and there was so much blood.”

“Why would he have his hand in Chris’s leg?” Dunne’s worried voice asked.

“The doctor was saying something about a punctured...”

“Femoral artery,” Jackson finished for the ladies man.

“Yes,” Sanchez told him.

“How bad is that, Nate?”

“Buck, if we were anywhere but in a hospital I’d say Chris had little or no chance.”

“But we are in a hospital,” Dunne observed.

“Yes, JD, we are. That improves his chances but not by a lot.”

“There’s Vin,” Dunne exclaimed as a stretcher surrounded by doctors and nurses was taken from the trauma room.

“Doc?”

“We’re taking him to surgery. I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything else,” the doctor called as the team hurried away.

Buck looked at his watch and realized only forty minutes had passed since they’d discovered Vin Tanner on the roof.

“I’m going to call Orrin,” Sanchez told them.

“He’s gonna be pissed,” Wilmington observed.

“Probably, but I’d rather he hear it from us.”

“We’ll be here when you’re done. They should be bringing Ezra back from CT anytime.”

“OK, Nathan,” the ex-preacher called as he hurried towards the waiting room.

“Wilcox is still alive,” Wilmington muttered.

“We know. They took him into trauma two,” Jackson told him.

“They should’ve let the bastard die.”

“JD!” Wilmington exclaimed sharply, shaking his head as he realized JD’s feelings mirrored his own.

“Look what he’s done to Vin and Chris. Jesus, Buck, he nearly killed them. They still might die and there’s not a damned thing we can do about it,” Dunne snapped.

“Easy, JD, I know how you feel but we’ve got to think positive,” Jackson told the younger man. Three sets of eyes turned to trauma two as the door opened.

“Make sure you note I called it at two fifteen am.”

“Doc?” Jackson asked.

“I’m sorry. We did all we could.”

“He’s dead?” Wilmington asked.

“We brought him back twice but there was just too much damage.”

“I can’t say that I’m sorry he’s dead,” the moustached man told them as the doctor hurried away.