Anyone watching the group of five men seated at a table in the corner would have wondered at the quiet solitude surrounding them. Neither man spoke as they took a seat. They seemed oblivious to everything happening about them and people left them to their own devices.
Dinner was a somber affair as the men sat with their barely touched trays. Forks were dipped into mounds of mashed potatoes, but only swirled the white substance around. Talk wasn’t needed right now as their minds were upstairs in the two rooms in ICU.
Buck dropped his fork to the tray startling JD who sat next to him. He pushed the plate away and picked up the strong, sweet coffee in front of him. He knew he should eat, but right now his stomach couldn’t handle it. He wondered why Nathan didn’t reprimand him, but one look at the plate sitting in front of the medic told him why. Like his own, Jackson’s remained virtually untouched, but he was still trying to look interested. Buck finished his coffee and shoved back from the table. He looked out the window beside him for a moment before speaking.
“I’m going back,” the ladies man told them and watched as the others stood up.
“I guess there’s no real point in sitting here,” Sanchez said.
“I’m afraid none of us will be able to do justice to this particular repast, Mr. Wilmington,” Standish said as the five made their way out of the cafeteria.
“Mr. Jackson, I was told I could find you in here.”
Nathan looked up from the medical journal he’d been reading, stood and smiled at the woman who entered. “Dr. Milano?”
“That’s right. I was told you had some questions about Mr. Tanner.” She shook his hand and took the seat opposite him.
“Yes, Ma’am. How is he?”
“Mr. Tanner is suffering the effects of a severe concussion as well as a broken collar bone due to a gunshot wound. He’s being given fluids because he was brought in suffering from dehydration. I think you knew all of this.”
“Yes, Ma’am we did,” Jackson heard the sharp tone in her voice and knew she’d already been informed of Tanner’s signing his own release.
“He should never have left the hospital in Albuquerque,” she told him.
“There was no choice at the time, Ma’am...”
“There’s always a choice, Mr. Jackson. Your friend took a chance with his life by leaving before he was ready.”
“A man’s life...a close friend’s life depended on all of us being there to save him...”
“His life could have been forfeited...”
“No, ma’am,” Jackson tried to assure her, but knew there was no way to make her understand what had happened the past week. “I’m sorry, Dr. Milano, I can’t tell you any more than you already know. Vin is going to be all right isn’t he?”
“He will, if he doesn’t pull anymore foolish stunts,” Milano said as she stood up to leave.”
“He won’t, Dr. Milano, we’ll make sure of that. How long will he be in ICU?”
“I’ll probably release him to a regular floor tomorrow morning,” Milano answered. “If there’s nothing else, Mr. Jackson, I’ve got to finish rounds.”
“That’s it, Ma’am, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Make sure you let my patient get some rest. He needs it.”
“That’s easy right now, Doc, but once he’s in a regular room it might be a little more difficult.”
“Why is that?”
“He’s gonna want to visit Chris.”
“Mr. Larabee?”
“That’s right. Chris and Vin are as close as brothers and once Vin starts feeling better he’s gonna fight tooth and nail to see Chris.”
“I take it you’ve been through this before.”
“Let’s just say Chris and Vin probably have reserved rooms at Saint Vincents. Thanks again, Doc.”
Milano couldn’t tell whether the man was serious or not as she left him to the journals he’d been studying when she arrived.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was late and the activity in the ICU continued but without the bright lights of the early hours. Josiah Sanchez sat beside the bed and watched as the nurse took care of her patient. He could tell Anne was well versed in what needed to be done for Chris Larabee, and he returned her smile as she hooked up the antibiotics over the blond’s bed. He looked at his watch and saw that it was going on four am and he hoped Wilmington, Standish, and Jackson were sleeping in the waiting room across the hall. He remembered the argument he had with Buck, but smiled at how easily he’d convinced him that Chris would need him more the next day. Especially if they decided to wean him off the ventilator earlier than they’d planned. The others were convinced the same way until it was decided that he would sit with Chris while JD sat with Vin.
Anne continued to care for her patient as the older man sat beside him reading from a book of sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The one he was reciting was a favorite of hers called ‘I Lived With visions’. She listened to the soft, hypnotic voice as she worked. Smiling at the words that flowed from his mouth.
“I lived with visions for my company
Instead of men and women, years ago,
And found them gentle mates, nor thought to know
A sweeter music than they played to me.
But soon their trailing purple was not free
Of this world's dust, their lutes did silent grow,
And I myself grew faint and blind below
Their vanishing eyes. Then THOU didst come--to be,
Beloved, what they seemed. Their shining fronts,
Their songs, their splendors (better, yet the same,
As river-water hallowed into fonts),
Met in thee, and from out thee overcame
My soul with satisfaction of all wants:
Because God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.”
Josiah held the book in his hands and wondered if maybe the words could get through the drug induced sleep Larabee resided in. He knew in his heart they probably didn’t, but he felt he was breaking the lonely atmosphere of the ICU. He felt someone watching him and looked into the soft eyes of the nurse.
“That was beautiful, Mr. Sanchez.”
“Josiah.”
“Josiah, you have a wonderful voice. Do you read poetry professionally?”
Josiah smiled and shook his head. “No, Anne, but I have done some reading in my church.”
“I bet you keep the congregation enraptured while you read.”
Again Josiah smiled, “Well, I don’t know about enraptured, but no one has walked out on me yet.”
“I don’t think that will ever be a problem for you, Josiah.”
“Thank you, Anne,” he closed the book, stood up and stretched his arms over his head. He felt the kinks caused by sitting too long in a chair and rotated his shoulders to loosen the muscles there.
“Josiah, I need to suction the tube in his throat,” Anne explained as she readied the things she’d need. “Why don’t you go get yourself a coffee. There’s a small kitchen at the end of the hallway where you’ll find everything you need. There might even be a sandwich or two in the fridge. Give me about twenty minutes before you return.”
Josiah nodded and placed his hand on Larabee’s head. “I’ll be back, Chris,” he vowed as he left the room.
JD looked at his watch and noted it was a little before five am. He stood up and looked at the nurse as she wrote something in Tanner’s chart. Vin had fallen asleep at eleven and so far slept peacefully through the night. He was fighting to stay awake and knew it was time to let one of the others take over. They were in the waiting room and he hoped they’d been able to sleep. He was worried about Buck Wilmington. He knew how Buck wore his heart on his sleeve when he was hurting for one of them. This time it was two of them and one was the man who’d been his friend for most of his adult life. The dark circles around Bucks usually vibrant blue eyes told a story all their own. He was hurting, inside and out, and JD knew if Chris Larabee died, they’d be hard pressed to keep Buck Wilmington the man he was. The man they knew and loved, the one who was always there to pick up the pieces and wasn’t afraid of showing his emotions.
JD said goodnight to the nurse, looked at the sleeping man in the bed, said a silent prayer of thanks that he was still with them and left the room. He walked across the hall, past the nursing station and peered into the room where Chris lay in a jumble of equipment. He wasn’t surprised to see Buck Wilmington seated beside the bed and wondered how long he’d been there.
“JD?”
Dunne looked up to see the ex-preacher coming towards him. “Josiah, how long has Buck been up?”
Sanchez frowned as he looked into the room. The ladies’ man had pulled the chair up close to the bed and was leaning over the rail speaking softly to the injured man. “I checked on them just before I went to grab a coffee. He must’ve just woke up.”
“He looks beat.”
“Don’t we all, Son?” Sanchez said. “I know he slept for a couple of hours.”
“How?”
“I kept checking on them. The only one who opened his eyes when I went in was Ezra.”
“Ezra!” Dunne’s low voice did little to hide his surprise. “I thought he’d sleep for at least 24 hours.”
“Hmm. Well, Son, it seems like Buck is standing vigil over Chris so we might as well see who’s ready to take over for you with Vin.”
“That’s why I was coming over. I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.”
The two men headed for the waiting room and slipped quietly inside. Nathan was still sleeping, but Ezra Standish sat watching the small TV in the corner. He stood up and held a finger in front of his mouth and pointed to Jackson with the other hand. He nodded his head as he walked out, leaving the two men to stretch out as best they could in the small room.
Ezra walked past the room where Buck sat watching the sleeping man. He met the blue eyed gaze and walked on to Vin Tanner’s room. He walked into the room and nodded to the nurse as she left. He sat in the vacant chair and pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. He reached into the pocket of his vest and frowned as his hand came away empty. He searched through the other pockets, but came up empty handed. He knew he’d placed the dog-eared card in his pocket when they left Albuquerque, but now it wasn’t there. “Must have lost it somewhere, Ezra,” he said.
“Talking to yourself, Ez?”
Standish smiled as he saw the blue eyes looking up from a too pale face. “I am merely having an...”
“Please, Ez, no five dollar words right now.”
“I take it your head is no better?”
“It’s gettin’ there. How’s Chris?”
“He’s still residing in a sedated sleep...”
“Ez!”
“Oh, hell, Vin, I’m sorry. Maybe I should go let one of the others sit with you.”
“No, Ezra, just talk like everyone else at least until my head can handle those big words again.”
Standish smiled and nodded. “I will, Vin,” he said simply.
“Thanks,” Tanner returned the smile. “Now what did you lose?”
“Pardon?”
“You said you must’ve lost it. What was it?”
“It’s the strangest thing, Vin. I can’t seem to find the playing card.”
“Playing card?” Tanner tried to grasp the elusive memory, but it wouldn’t come to him.
“The ace of spades. The one you were clutching in your hand when they brought you into the University Hospital. I know I placed it in my pocket when we left the hospital, but it’s not there now.”
“When did you see it last?” Vin asked, frowning as he thought of the man who’d placed it in his care.
“The day we found Chris. I guess we’ll never know what happened to it.” Somehow he knew it wasn’t in the hospital with them and he wondered where the card could be.
“If you’re meant to find it, ya will, Ez,” Tanner yawned and his eyelids started to close once more. He drifted towards sleep, knowing someone was watching his and Chris’ back.
Ezra settled into the chair and turned his attention to the cards in his hands. He pulled over the tray table and expertly dealt out a game of solitaire.
Vin Tanner was being transferred out of ICU and was being moved to a room on the fourth floor. Milano told him if things continued to improve he would be discharged in three to four days. She stood beside his bed as she finished making notes in his chart.
Vin’s gaze went from her to Jackson and he swallowed with some difficulty. He knew what he was about to ask might not go over well, but there was no way he was leaving the floor without seeing Chris Larabee.
“Nathan?”
Jackson turned at the sound of his name and shook his head. The look on Tanner’s face was one he’d seen before and he knew what the young man was about to say.
“I want to see Chris.”
“Doc?” Jackson asked as he met the woman’s stern gaze.
“Mr. Tanner...”
Vin didn’t like her tone and knew he wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “Look, Doc, you can wheel me out of here in a chair! Hell, you can leave me in this bed, but ‘m goin...”
“Mr. Tanner, can I finish what I was going to say?”
Tanner’s eyes dropped a fraction of an inch and Jackson knew the injured man was hurting. The lights still bothered his eyes, but at least his stomach wasn’t as queasy as it was earlier.
“Guess so,” Vin said softly.
“I’ll agree to let you see your friend for five minutes.” She was amazed at the instant smile that covered his face at her words.
“Thanks, Doc.”
“Five minutes, Mr. Tanner, then you let the nurses take you upstairs to your new room. If you rest and do everything they ask you to, you can return again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow! Its time you realized you already neglected your own health. Give it a day or two and let your body regain some of its strength and you’ll be able to come up more often.”
“But...”
Milano’s eyebrows rose as she looked at her patient. “Mr. Tanner, Mr. Larabee is sedated and won’t be waking up until tomorrow morning. Now at that time he’ll be feeling pretty miserable with that tube in his throat and I’m sure he would appreciate you being there for him. If you don’t rest and eat, then you won’t have the strength you need to be there at that time. It’s your choice. Would you rather be there for him now, when he won’t even know you’re there or tomorrow when he will need you most.”
“Hell,” Tanner hissed.
“Does that means you’ll take the five minutes now and then wait until tomorrow to come back?”
“Don’t look like I’ve got much choice,” Tanner said.
Nathan smiled, knowing the woman had used the right amount of subtle blackmail and the proper tools to get Vin Tanner to agree with her rules.
“I’ll let them know at the desk that they can take you over to see Mr. Larabee before they bring you upstairs.”
“Thanks,” the word was soft and barely audible as the sharpshooter let his eyes slide closed.
Vin sat in the chair, holding back the pain he knew was just beyond his open lids. A flannel blanket covered his legs and he was grateful for it. He was chilled, but he knew it had nothing to do with being cold. He kept his eyes closed as the nurse pushed him towards Chris’ room. Breakfast trays were being collected as he passed the nursing station. Nathan had prepared him for what was being done to Chris, and he knew from experience what he would see. The door stood open and he felt Nathan standing beside him as the chair was pushed into the room. Ezra sat beside the bed, but looked up as Vin was wheeled into the room.
“I’ll wait outside,” Standish said, patting Vin’s shoulder as he passed him.
“We’ll be right outside the door if you need us, Vin,” Jackson assured him.
“Thanks, boys.” The chair pulled to a stop beside the bed and he got his first look at the man he considered a brother above all others. He tentatively reached through the rail and grasped the fingers on his friend’s left hand. His thumb slowly ran the length of Larabee’s fingers in an effort to send comfort to the injured man. He could hear the two nurses talking, but easily tuned out their words.
He knew Chris was still sedated and silently voiced his words. ‘Hey, Cowboy,’ he began. ‘I know they’ll be letting you wake up soon and I’ll be here when they do. Ah, fuck, Chris, I wish there was something I could do to change all this. Wish the hell Maguire was made to suffer as much as he’s made...as he’s making you suffer. The bastard’s dead...you made sure of that...I won’t say I understand everything that happened, but I know there had to be a reason. Some mighty strange things with Ezra’s ace of spades and that old Colt JD had stuffed in his pants. Can’t figure out where it came from, but I think it was meant to be there that day. The guys are here, you know. They’ve been watching both our backs.’
The two nurses watched as Vin Tanner grasped Chris Larabee’s left hand in his own. He didn’t say a word, yet they knew he was communicating his feelings to the unconscious man.
‘They’re gonna make me leave soon, Pard, but I wanted you to know you’re not alone. It may feel like it wherever you are right now, but things are not always what they seem. Damn, I’m beginning to sound downright philosop-something or another. Have to ask Ezra what that word is.’
“Vin?”
‘Looks like it’s time for me to go, Chris. I’ll be back when they let you wake up.’ He gently squeezed the fingers before releasing them. “Stay strong, Cowboy,” he said, as the nurse grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. She backed him out of the room and his eyes stayed on the man in the bed until she turned him towards the elevator. He felt Ezra Standish walking beside him and was glad he was there.
The day passed much the same as the night before. The five members of the firm took time to eat, sleep and sit with their friends. Josiah placed a call to Orrin Travis and the older man would be joining them as soon as The Firm’s jet returned for him.
Buck Wilmington was finally asleep in the small waiting room and the others were relieved they wouldn’t have to resort to tying him down. Exhaustion finally won out and he simply passed out while sitting in front of the TV. He didn’t move or make a sound as Sanchez eased him down on the uncomfortable couch and covered him with a thin blanket. JD volunteered to stay with Buck while they went for lunch.
Nathan Jackson waited outside Larabee’s room, leaning heavily against the wall. The door was closed and the curtains were drawn once more and he waited for them to open. Derrick Barrett was examining his patient and would decide whether to ease off on the sedatives keeping Larabee in the netherworld of sleep. Sanchez looked at the door to the small waiting room as it opened. A disheveled Buck Wilmington walked towards him with JD close behind him.
Buck rubbed the last dregs of sleep from his eyes as he stopped before the closed door. “What’s going on, Nathan?” he asked worriedly.
“Dr. Barrett’s in there. He’s going to decide whether or not to ease off on the sedatives and let Chris wake up.”
“How long’s he been in there?” JD asked.
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Who’s with Vin?”
“Ezra. Josiah went to get coffee and sandwiches at a little deli just down the street. He should be back any minute.”
The three men turned to the door as it opened and Barrett stood framed in the doorway.
“Doc, how is he?” Wilmington asked before the others had the chance.
“Why don’t we go into the waiting room?” Barrett led the way and waited for the three men to join him. Once the door closed behind them he sat down and waited for them to do the same. He felt their eyes on him and explained what was going to happen. “We’ll ease off on the sedation and let him wake slowly,” Barrett explained. “He should begin waking up late this evening. That’s when we’ll need all of you to help us. He’s going to wake up disoriented and will probably panic with the tube down his throat.”
“We know what that’s like, Doc and we’ll be there for Chris,” Wilmington assured him.
Barrett smiled, glad Chris Larabee would not be waking alone as he had when he went through his own experience with a madman. He knew Larabee would need to talk to someone professionally about what he’d been through. He was going to suggest he speak with a friend who’d helped him through the aftermath of his own experience. The man was part of the team of psychiatrists that worked out of the hospital, and would be more than willing to see Larabee and the others if they wanted to talk about it. His own family had needed to talk, but waited until it was almost too late.
“I’m glad to hear it. This may be a long night for all of us. I’m on call tonight and will be checking in on Chris, myself. When you’re in the room with him and he shows signs of waking up tell him where he is, make sure he knows he’s safe. Whoever his nurse is will explain to him about the tube down his throat.”
“So when will you take him off the ventilator?” JD asked.
“We’ll do a trial run as soon as we think he’s awake enough to know what’s going on. That means we’ll see if he’s able to breath on his own and keep up his oxygen intake. We’ll do blood gases and other tests to ensure that everything’s okay.”
“What if it’s...”
“Don’t go there, Kid!” Wilmington interrupted, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“But...”
“Leave it, JD!” Jackson warned, glad when the younger man heeded his warning.
“If everything is going well we should be able to take him off the ventilator tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great, Doc,” Buck smiled at the news.
Barrett believed in being honest with a patient’s family and he looked at each man before speaking. “You all need to realize it’s gonna be some time before Chris is able to do the things he normally does.”
“We understand that, Doc, but as we said before, he won’t be alone. He’s got friends to help him through this and so help me God, that bastard who did this to him is not gonna win!” Wilmington vowed.
Barrett smiled at the outburst and held up a hand to the other two men before they could speak. He understood exactly what Wilmington was going through and he watched as the man stood up and paced the impossibly small space.
“I can’t understand how that son of a bitch got away with all those other...”
“Buck, there’s no proof that he had anything....”
“Nathan, you and I both know he killed them and he would’ve killed Chris if we hadn’t made it there. Hell...”
“Buck, sit down!” Jackson ordered as he watched the irate man continue his awkward pacing.
“I’m gonna go sit with Chris!” Wilmington said and was gone before the others could stop him.
“I’ve got rounds to do. Rest assured I’ll be back to check on Chris throughout the evening and night.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Jackson said as he shook hands with the bigger man. He sat back and closed his eyes as the doctor left. He heard JD switch on the TV and settled back to listen to the baseball game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra shuffled the cards once more and placed them on the table in front of Vin Tanner. He watched as the sharpshooter slowly dealt the cards between them. They were playing five-card stud because it was easy for Vin to hold the two down cards between the fingers of his right hand when he needed to.
Vin looked at the cards on the tray table and the two he held in his hand. So far they’d been evenly matched and Vin knew his friend wasn’t playing to his full potential, but he didn’t say anything. Standish rarely showed this side of himself and when he did he didn’t want a fuss made about it. He looked up over his cards and smiled at the gambler.
“Whatcha got, Ez?”
“Aren’t we betting this time, Mr. Tanner?”
“I guess we can. What are you willing to bet?”
“If you win you have to wear one of my exquisite suits for the day.”
“Okay and what if I win?”
“How about I supply dinner for you and one of your lovely ladies if you win.”
“At your place,” Tanner told him.
“Deal!”
“Not quite,” Vin said.
“What else?”
“You don’t order anything from those fancy restaurants you like to eat at. None of them snails or squid. You cook it yourself and you serve it to us on those fancy plates of yours,” the blue eyes twinkled mischievously.
“Mr. Tanner, that seems a little much especially when you only have to wear my suit for a day.”
“Make it a week!”
“Call!” Standish said with a grin.
“What have you got, Ez?”
“It is customary for the man being called to show his cards to the call-ee, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Read them and weep, Mr. Tanner.” He placed his cards face up, showing a straight from the seven to the jack. He smiled at the look on the injured man’s face. “I think Magenta would be a good color for you. What do you think?”
“Hell, Ezra, I don’t even know what magenta looks like...”
“You will, I assure you.”
Vin smiled as he looked at the cards in his hands. “Ah, Ez, I think we’d like that fancy steak you cooked for us the last time we were at your place.” He watched Standish’ face as he showed his cards. A flush of hearts, king high.
“Mr. Tanner, I do believe you have a most formidable poker face.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“As it was meant to be. Now I can see by the look on your face that the headache is coming back. Why don’t you put your head down and close your eyes?”
“Thanks, Ez,” Tanner said as he lowered the head of the bed. He closed his eyes as the gambler turned out the lights and drew the curtain across the window. He took a deep breath to ward off the queasy feeling in his stomach and relaxed against the pillow. He bit his lip as pain lanced through his skull and tried to stop the soft moan from escaping as he opened his eyes.
“I fear I made you overindulge, Mr. Tanner. I will let the nurse know you need something for pain.”
“Th...anks...Ez...” Tanner said as the gambler pressed the button beside his left hand. He heard the nurse come in and he felt her at the IV line. It wasn’t long before the warmth of the medication entered his system and he felt himself drifting off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
True to his word, Derrick Barrett showed up at intervals during the evening. Josiah was sitting with Chris when he showed signs that the sedative was wearing off. Sanchez watched as a finger on Larabee’s left hand twitched, his eyes never wavered as the movement was repeated. The ex-preacher stood up from his chair and reached for the slowly moving hand.
Anne knew her patient was waking up and she stood on one side of the bed. She leaned in over the injured man so he would see her as soon as he opened his eyes. She looked at the older man standing on the opposite side of the bed and was glad he was there. She had a feeling this man could get through the panic that usually followed waking from a sedative and finding oneself hooked up to all kinds of bizarre looking equipment.
“Chris it’s okay,” she soothed as she gently reached across and touched his bare left shoulder. “You’re in Washoe Medical Center and you’re going to be fine. She was about to press the button to have his doctor called when the man walked through the door.
“Anne?” he said as he hurried into the room.
“He’s waking up, Dr. Barrett,” she told him and moved out of the way. She knew how important it was for a patient to see a familiar face when they woke up like this and she told Sanchez to stay where he was.
“Thank you, Anne,” Barrett said as he took her place.
Chris could hear sounds and voices, but nothing made sense. He tried to breathe, but something was down his throat. ‘God, No!’ He thought as pain reawakened with returning consciousness. Memories began to clear and darken his thoughts. He couldn’t get his eyes to obey his command to open and he wasn’t at all sure he wanted them to. The voices were growing stronger, but so was the realization that something was down his throat. Chris could feel the panic coming over him and tried to move his hands. Nothing worked, he felt tears well up in his eyes, but still couldn’t get them open. More memories returned. He remembered being tortured... ‘Oh, God, please. NO!’ He felt pain in his right hip, his shoulder and tried to move away from it. It seemed to follow him everywhere, his chest, his legs, even his head was engulfed in the pain inflicted by the madman.
“Talk to him, Mr. Sanchez,” Barrett ordered as he watched the panic on his patient’s face.
“Chris, it’s Josiah, listen to me, Son, you’re safe. There’s no one gonna hurt you. Come on now, you’ve been on a ventilator before. Just relax and let it breathe for you.”
The voice was like a safe-heaven for his tortured thoughts and Chris reached out for it. He felt a large hand engulf his own as the rich baritone voice broke through the barriers of pain and drugs. He felt his eyelids move the tiniest bit and fought his way to the surface of the muck he’d been mired in.
Josiah knew Buck was at the door, but he couldn’t take the time to acknowledge him. His eyes were glued to the flickering golden lashes and the movement behind the closed lids. “Come on, Son. Open your eyes. That’s it,” he smiled as they fluttered open and then closed again.
Chris knew the man standing over him, the one with the bright blue eyes and the relieved smile that seemed to cover his face. He blinked several times and once more panicked as he tried to take a breath. ‘Help!’ He wanted so badly to scream the word, but all he managed to do was fight the tube in his throat, causing pain to flare in his left side.
“Chris, relax and let the ventilator breathe for you,” Barrett explained as the green eye turned towards him. He wasn’t surprised when the gaze lasted less than a second and the eyes were trained back on Josiah Sanchez. “Keep talking to him.”
“You know who I am, Son.” He smiled as the fingers in his hand tried to squeeze his own. “That’s good Chris. The man on the other side of the bed is Dr. Barrett and he’s been taking real good care of you.” He knew Larabee was still a little confused and he was trying to make sure he understood him. He also knew what this man’s first question would be if he could talk.
“Vin’s doing fine. He’s in a room upstairs and he’ll be down to see you tomorrow. Understand?”
Larabee squeezed the hand holding his, sending his thanks for the information about the tracker. He heard the doctor talking to him and turned his gaze on him again.
Barrett didn’t need to hear his patient tell him he was in pain, he could see it in the eyes and on the pale face. “Chris, Anne is going to give you something for pain and I want you to relax.” He saw the slight nod of the blond head and knew his patient understood him. He looked at the wall clock and noted the time was 11:48. “If all goes well we may be able to get rid of this thing tomorrow,” he said as he pointed to the tube leading to the ventilator.
Anne listened to the doctor and prepared the ordered pain medication for her patient. She wiped an alcohol swab across one of the junctures in the IV and injected the required dosage. Once that was done she placed a new bag of antibiotics on the pole, hooked it into the existing IV line and set the rate.
Chris felt his eyelids drooping once more as even the few minutes he’d been awake exhausted him. He frowned as he turned his head and Josiah was not there. He smiled inwardly as a new face came into view and a hand grasped his. ‘Buck,’ he thought and felt a new warmth spread through him. Wilmington always seemed to be there for him and he would forever be grateful of that.
“Hey, Stud, you go on back to sleep now. Ol’ Buck’s got your back and ain’t nobody gonna hurt you any more,” he smiled as he felt a slight squeeze on his fingers and the lids closed over the green eyes. “Welcome back, Pard,” he said as the doctor examined the sleeping man.
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