Patrice sat on the park bench and smiled at her companion. Four days had passed since her last date with this man and she saw the change in him. She didn’t want to pump him for information, but she needed to know what was happening with Chris Larabee. They’d been talking about simple things, but no mention had been made of the man in the hospital.
Patrice lifted her eyes to meet his and asked softly. “How is your friend doing?”
Standish smiled warmly at the woman. “He’s doing much better. He’s been able to talk about what that bas...,” he paused and got his emotions under control. “What was done to him...”
Patrice smiled at him but drowned out his voice as she thought about Standish’ friend. She was ready to implement her plans and she knew she had to stay away from prying eyes. Anne Sheridan was becoming a fixture in Larabee’s room, at least when the others were not around and Patrice realized the woman had feelings for the blond. She also knew the nurse would not act upon them until Larabee was out of the hospital. ‘Well, that ain’t gonna happen, Anne, that bastard will spend his last days in that room,’ she vowed and turned her attention back to her companion.
“Pat, are you all right?”
“Of course I am. Why do you ask?”
“You seemed like you were miles away.”
“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking.”
“About your friend.”
“Yes.”
“How is he?”
“I’m afraid he has taken a turn for the worse and he is not expected to make it...”
Ezra pulled her close and mistook the shudder that ran through her body as sorrow and he held her tightly. “I’m so sorry. Is there any hope at all?”
“No, none at all. He doesn’t have much longer and he’s in such pain.” ‘At least he will be,’ she thought as the strong arms held her in a fierce grip. ‘Chris Larabee doesn’t have much time at all.’
Chris lay back against his pillows, a contented smile on his face as he bit into the oven roasted turkey sandwich. He could feel his friends watching him, but continued to savor his first real meal in what seemed like forever. The thick French bread was slathered in mayonnaise and thick slices of turkey, lettuce and tomato, two slices of pickle accompanied it, but he’d made quick work of those. He managed to eat half the sandwich, before his stomach felt full. Not wanting to be sick he turned down the rest, but asked if they would have it put away for him to have with his dinner.
“I take it you enjoyed the sandwich?” Barrett said as he entered the room and noticed the remains of the deli special.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Larabee smiled at the doctor as he rubbed his stomach. “Gonna have the rest with dinner.”
“Just make sure you don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Doc, except,” he felt his friend’s heads turn towards him and knew they were worried about him.
“Except what?” Barrett asked concerned about his patient’s well being.
“It’s time to get rid of the damn pump.”
“Pump? Oh, the morphine?”
“Yeah, hate falling asleep all the time, Doc. Can’t you have them make it so I can take it when I need it, not when you guys think I should have it?”
“I think that can be arranged,” Barrett said with a smile. “I’ll have one of the nurses come in and set it up for you, but, Chris...”
“I know, use it when I need it and don’t try to...”
“RIDE IT OUT!” six voices said at once and the eight men in the room couldn’t help but laugh.
“I take it you can be stubborn?”
“Chris? Stubborn? Hell,
Doc, if you look at the definition in the dictionary there are two names mentioned
there...”
“Don’t start, Buck...” Tanner tried to stop his friend.
“Chris Larabee and...”
“Wilmington...” the tracker hissed.
“Vin Tanner,” the ladies man finished and saw the smile forming on the blond’s face.
“Buck, you know your name must be listed there too,” Larabee said softly, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at his long time friend.
“Yeah, but mine’s listed under Doll, ya know the kind of man the ladies go for?”
“I think Buck’s right, Chris,” Dunne said. “But the reason he’s under Doll is because a doll is a stuffed...”
“Don’t say it, Kid,” Wilmington said as he chased JD out of the room amidst the sound of heartfelt laughter.
Barrett was pleased to see how relaxed his patient was and knew these men were the best medicine for the injured man. He noticed the quick glance between Larabee and Tanner and wondered what it would be like to have a friend be this close to him. He took a deep breath and looked back at his patient.
“Chris, how did physio go today?”
Larabee frowned as he remembered the painful exercises they’d put him through earlier that morning. At that time he’d been grateful when the morphine kicked in and eased some of the tremors that wracked his body. He used his left hand and unconsciously rubbed his right hip.
“Are you all right, Chris?” Barrett asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Physio was,” he thought about it for a few minutes and looked at his friends, stopping on the worried face of Vin Tanner. “Rough,” he finally answered.
“Rough?” Jackson’s eyebrows rose at the blond’s obvious understatement.
Larabee smiled at the medic’s questioning look. “Hell, Nathan, it hurt like a sonofabitch, but at least I was moving around. I’m so tired of sitting in this damn bed and not being able to do anything for myself!” the blond snapped.
“Well, that’s another reason I’m here,” Barrett said as Larabee turned towards him.
“What?”
“Dr. Hastings and I were in conference earlier and we’re both in agreement that it’s time to get you mobile. How would you like to sit by the window for a while?”
“Rather go outside,” Larabee stated softly.
Barrett smiled and patted his patient’s shoulder. “Well, now that could be arranged as well.”
“Really?” the blond asked hopefully.
“I can’t see why not. It’s a warm day out there and as long as you take it easy and don’t try to get out of the wheelchair there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Hell, Doc, I’d agree to stay in this damn bed if it meant getting outside for a while,” Larabee told him.
“I’ll send your nurse in right away to program the morphine pump and help get you into the wheelchair. Just make sure you don’t overdo it, Chris.”
“I won’t.”
“How long, Doc?” Sanchez asked.
“Maybe fifteen minutes for now.”
“Fifteen minutes!” Larabee hissed.
“Chris...”
Larabee heard the tone and knew better than to argue. ‘Hell, I can convince the guys to keep me out there a little longer.’ “All right, Doc, fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow, Chris.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Larabee said as the older man left.
“Chris?”
“Yeah, Nathan.”
“Fifteen minutes.”
Larabee looked chagrined as the medic repeated the doctor’s words. “I heard him, Nate,” he assured his friend.
“Yeah, we know you heard him, Chris, but we also know that look you get when you think you can put one over on us,” Sanchez said as Wilmington and Dune returned to the room.
“Hell, Josiah...”
The tracker smiled at his friend as he rubbed at his own shoulder. “Forget it, Chris. Ain’t no way you’ll be outside...”
“Outside?” Dunne asked.
“Yeah, Doc gave permission for Chris to leave the floor and go outside for fifteen minutes,” Tanner explained.
“That’s great, Stud,” Wilmington winked at his long time friend as he leaned in closer. “If ya let me drive I’ll see if we can escape this place for a few hours.”
“Buck’s driving!”
“I don’t think so!” Jackson interrupted, having heard the whispered promise from the scoundrel. “We all know where you two would end up if you were in control of Chris’ chair.”
“Spoiled sport,” the ladies man said with a twinkle in his eye as he heard Larabee laugh.
The door opened and the day nurse, an older woman with short brown hair and thick rimmed glasses pushed a wheelchair inside. “Hi, Chris, I hear you want to go outside.”
“Yeah, Mary, Dr. Barrett said I can get out of this bed for a while.”
Mary tucked a thin sheet on the seat of the chair and pushed it next to the bed. “Let me fix the morphine first,” she said as she reprogrammed the pump and showed him a tiny box. “You press this button when you need it. You can’t overmedicate yourself so don’t be afraid of pushing the button.”
“I won’t.”
Mary frowned at the laughter from the six men standing around the room and wondered why Larabee’s words had such an affect on them. “Did I say something funny?” she asked.
“No, Ma’am,” Wilmington laughed. “It’s what Chris said. It’s not that he’s afraid of pushing the button, it’s that he won’t push the button. Thinks it’ll ruin his macho image.”
“Shut up, Buck,” Larabee warned.
“Watch it, Stud, or I won’t help you escape,” the ladies man laughed.
“Escape?” Mary asked. “Surely you’re not planning on taking Chris off the hospital grounds?”
“I assure you we have no intention of aiding Mr. Larabee’s escape from such a wonderful facility,” Standish said as the woman glared at the six healthy men.
“We’re just going to take our brother outside for some fresh air,” Sanchez advised.
“Mary.” The nurse turned towards her patient. “Don’t mind these guys. I just need to get out for a little while.”
“Fifteen minutes,” Jackson reiterated.
“I got the message, Nate,” Larabee assured his friend.
“Make sure it’s no longer than that or I’ll come looking for you,” Mary said as the door opened and an orderly walked in. “Now, let’s see about getting you into this chair.”
It took nearly fifteen minutes for the nurse and the orderly to get Larabee from the bed and into the wheelchair. Jackson and Sanchez also helped, but by the time they’d finished Chris’ face was covered in sweat and his heart was racing.
Chris sat in the chair, his eyes closed, his fists clenched at his side, and his breath coming in hiccupping gasps as he tried to overcome the pain and the building nausea. He could hear concerned voices and knew they were talking about him, but he couldn’t answer them without letting them know just how lousy he felt.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Jackson said softly.
“Chris, we’re gonna get you back in the bed,” Mary told him.
“N...no bed...ju...just gimme a sec.”
Vin eased down beside his friend and saw the agony written across the handsome face. “We can do this later, Chris,” he suggested.
“No, V...Vin, n...need to get ou...out now,” he gasped as he forced his eyes open and looked hopefully at his friends. “I re...really need th...this, B...boys.”
“All right, Cowboy,” Tanner said as he reached for the blanket on the bed and covered the trembling man’s legs. “We’ll go when you say you’re ready.”
“Th...thanks, Vin,” Larabee smiled at his closest friend as he closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. He knew if he didn’t get it under control the nurse would insist on his having a mask and that would end any thoughts of going outside. He knew the mask would take at least twenty minutes and he couldn’t sit in the chair much longer than that.
Six anxious men watched the blond, hoping and praying he’d be able to make the simple trip he’d been looking forward to. They knew the nurse was watching him closely and it would be her decision whether he needed a mask or not. They sighed in relief as Larabee opened his eyes and took a deep breath before looking around the room.
“Damn, you boys look worse than I feel.”
“Impossible, Stud,” Wilmington said seriously. “You sure you’re up to this?”
“Yeah, Buck, I need it,” Larabee told him as he accepted the cloth and washed his face.
“All right then. Let’s get you outside. Maybe we can pop a wheelie on this thing,” the scoundrel said as he grabbed the handles of the chair.
“No way, Buck,” Jackson hissed as he moved the larger man aside.
“Ah, hell, Nathan, I wasn’t gonna do nothing.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just make sure you don’t. Are you ready Chris?”
“Hell yes,” Larabee said with a smile.
“Chris, make sure you let them know if you need to come back inside...”
“I will.”
“Let me finish,” Mary laughed. “Before the fifteen minutes are up.”
“Oh,” the blond said and the others smiled at the sheepish look on his face.
Nathan smiled as the nurse held the door for him to push the wheelchair through. Josiah held the IV pole on the left side of the chair, Vin stood to the right, while the other men surrounded the tiny entourage and walked down the long corridor towards the bank of elevators situated across from the forth floor nurses desk.
Patrice watched the group as they entered the elevators, a smile on her face as she saw how pale the man in the chair was. She knew he was healing, and she was ready to implement her plans to set him back. She turned away as the elevator doors closed and walked towards the stairs that led to the basement where the cafeteria was located. ‘Tonight’s dinner should be anything but healthy, Larabee,’ she thought as she raced down the stairs.
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