Chris Larabee stormed into the emergency room of St. Michael’s Hospital. He and his men had been to this hospital many times before but never for an emergency like this one. The staff had been alerted to the tactics of Team 7 and they were ready for Larabee and the others. As the five men assaulted the front desk, Nurse Alice Cole slipped away and ran to Exam Room #5.
"They’re here." It was all she said to the man in the blue hospital scrubs. He turned away from the examination table and steeled himself for the questions he had no answers for. He made his way out of Room #5, down the hallway, and straight into the fury of Chris Larabee.
"Where is he?" Chris demanded in a loud imposing voice. His friend had been brought to this hospital and no one was giving him the time of day. He wanted the doctor to tell him that Buck would be right out. And he wanted him to say it immediately.
"Chris, you have to settle down or you’ll force me to call Security and Orrin Travis." Dr. Steven Vincent put his hand up to calm the fears of the five men before him. "I’ll take you in to see him, Chris, but only after you’ve listened to me, okay?"
Chris was seething, his temper out of control. Luckily, Josiah and Vin were on either side of him and they held him firm. Chris was breathing fire at the white haired, patient man in front of him. He wanted all the answers right now! He didn’t want to pussy foot around with high tech medical terms. He wanted Buck to be standing before him, safe and sound, and he wanted Beddlington’s head on a platter.
"Now, let’s all go sit down and stop causing such a disturbance."
Reluctantly, Chris let Vin and Josiah lead him to the waiting room. Several people got up and left the area, making room for the six men to have some privacy. After they were all seated, Dr. Vincent studied his hands for a second, preparing for the onslaught of questions. They came in rapid fire order, every man wanting to know something right now. He held his hand up and sealed his mouth in a tight line until they were all silent.
"He’s alive, he’s breathing on his own. In fact, we don’t have any monitors on him right now. We’ve taken three blood samples and run them down to the lab for immediate analysis. He’s on some sort of drug but I’ve never seen symptoms like this before. As far as outward injuries, we can’t see any but a few old bruises and one or two lacerations on his face. He got scraped slightly when he hit the pavement but it’s nothing. There are no broken bones, no head injuries, and no contusions. However . . ." He stopped and knelt right in front of Chris, putting his hands on Chris’s. "Buck is in extreme pain. We don’t know exactly what’s causing it but there is evidence of multiple injections. He’s conscious, but he’s not, his mind is overwhelmed by the pain. We believe that his vision has been impaired, we don’t know how seriously yet since he isn’t answering any of our questions. I’m sure he has no idea where he is. The paramedics who brought him in had a hard time keeping him on the stretcher. They said he screamed like a banshee when they touched him and frantically batted at their hands as they tried to hold on to him. He did the same with us, so right now, until we know what is causing the pain, we’re leaving him pretty much alone. I was hoping, Chris, that maybe you could get him to settle down a little. He might respond to your voice or touch. Are you willing to try?"
Chris nodded, he had not asked a question or said a word since Dr. Vincent had made them all sit down. He listened to all the brilliant, trustworthy, doctor had to say but his mind was on the bastard who had done this to his oldest friend. Dr. Vincent stood and waited for Chris to join him.
The doctor led the leader of Team 7 down the hallway to Room #5. He had not told the five men who loved the tall lanky agent that the paramedics had been forced to use restraints to get Buck into the ambulance and that even with the restraints in place, Buck had fought them so frantically that they were unable to start an IV. He did not tell them that when Buck had been wheeled into the emergency room, where he had been probably two dozen times in the past year and a half as either a patient or a worried friend, that none of the hospital personnel had recognized him. It had been Alice Cole, who had gone out with Buck several times, that had finally come to realize that the pathetic, filthy creature that lay curled in a ball on the exam table was actually the tall, energetic, Casanova that they all liked. Dr. Vincent, when he was told who the patient was, had actually lost his lunch in the trash can. The man that lay before him, whimpering, moaning, thrashing wildly about, had been thoroughly abused and was no longer the man the doctor had come to admire. Dr. Vincent, himself, had taken the time to wash off as much of the filth and waste as he could before the rest of Buck’s team got to the hospital. He paused before opening the door.
"It’s not a pretty sight, Chris. For Buck’s sake, you have to remain calm." He led the way in.
Chris stopped inside the doorway. His best friend, the man he had known for fifteen years, the man who had watched his back and had pulled him from the depths of despair, lay curled in a ball on the exam table. He was naked, dirty, shuddering, and whimpering like a newborn pup looking for the warmth of his mother. Chris started to move around the table but stopped when Dr. Vincent laid a hand on his arm.
"He may not recognize you, Chris. He’s pretty far gone. Just talk to him and try to reassure him so that we can do a thorough examination on him. He panics when we try to straighten him out. We’re afraid he may hurt himself if we force the issue. Just stay calm yourself, Chris."
Chris nodded to the doctor but his eyes remained glued on the figure laying on the table. He made his way to the side of the exam table that Buck was facing. Chris swallowed hard and wiped away the tears that flowed down his cheeks. Slowly, tentatively, he reached out a hand to touch Buck’s shoulder. "Hey Buck, it’s Chris. Can you hear me, Pard?"
Dr. Vincent had seen these two men fight off death before. They seemed to have a bond between them that was seldom seen except maybe between old married folk. They connected on some deep level that no doctor could ever reach. Dr. Vincent didn’t know how far Chris could reach inside Buck this time, but he knew that if anyone could touch Buck’s soul, it was Chris Larabee. Never in a million years would Dr. Vincent have expected the reaction that came from Chris’s voice reaching the cowering man.
As soon as Chris’s voice reached Buck’s ears and the tiniest bit of recognition set in, Buck Wilmington screamed "NOOOOO!" and did everything possible that he could in his condition, to get as far away as he could from the man he had loved for fifteen years. He threw himself off the table on the opposite side from Chris and no one was there to break his fall. When he hit the floor, he crawled as quickly as his weak, trembling limbs would take him to the corner of the room, beneath a table of gowns and towels. As the strange voices descended on him, he flung his hands out, trying desperately to ward off the hands that he instinctively knew reached for him, that tried to pull him back out of the corner. "No, no, no, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me." Buck mumbled over and over, as he tried frantically to get further away from his friend, his brother, his defiler.
Cautiously, Dr. Vincent made his way toward the frightened animal in the corner. Chris was frozen in place, his hand still extended. He watched in shock as the doctor forcefully grabbed Buck’s arm and pulled him out from under the table. Three orderlies grabbed Buck from Dr. Vincent. They held him securely and laid him on the table once again. He fought them with all the strength he had left but he was so feeble, he couldn’t begin to stave off their grip on him. They pulled his arms and legs straight and forcefully held him there until Dr. Vincent and two nurses could secure the restraints. When it was all done, Buck was restrained with leather straps on his ankles, wrists, and chest. His head whipped frantically back and forth, foam coming from his mouth. He fought as strenuously as he could but the restraints held. Chris had been shoved aside and, for once, he didn’t complain. Silently, he made his way out the door and back to the waiting room.
"What happened, Chris?" Josiah was the first to notice his return. "Chris, how is he?"
Their leader never said a word. He walked to the chair in the far corner and sat down, turning his head to the wall. They could see his shoulders shake with the tears that fell. None of the others approached him for a long time. They simply huddled together in shock.
Saturday 9:14 PM MDT
Ezra Standish stood up and stretched. He looked down at his fellow agents who had not spoken to one another in over half an hour. He had to do something. No one had said a word to them about Buck’s status. Chris still sat, incommunicado, in the far corner, Vin by his side. Nathan sat with his head in his hands and Josiah seemed to be praying. Ezra slipped out without any of them noticing he was gone. He made his way down the hall, peeking in any doors he came to. Finally, he came to Exam Room #5. He opened the door a crack. On the table, covered with a sheet, lay his comrade, Buck Wilmington. The big man was restrained, leather straps holding his wrists and ankles. He looked deathly pale. Ezra saw that his hands were twitching slightly and then he heard the moan coming from his friend. Ezra looked around the room but saw no hospital personnel. It angered him that they had tied his friend down and simply left him to suffer all alone. He eased his way in and went to Buck’s side.
"Hello Buck, it’s me, Ezra. I’ll stay with you if you want me to," he said softly, his Southern drawl more pronounced when he spoke in hushed tones. He watched as the hand closest to him stopped it’s ceaseless clenching and opened, straining against the leather holding it. Ezra took it in his own and felt the fingers grip him. "Oh God, Buck, what did they do to you. I am so sorry, my friend. Well, I am here now. I will not leave you alone to suffer in solitude. I promise you, Buck, no one will hurt you again." He stroked the matted hair and held on to the hand that gripped his own.
Buck’s eyes opened slowly and Ezra made sure he was standing over Buck when they opened all the way. He smiled at Buck but there was no recognition in the dark blue eyes below him. "Hello my friend. How can I assist you?"
"Ezra...........don’t leave..........me," the hoarse whisper came from trembling lips.
Those four simple words carried more weight to Ezra Standish than the all the words in the Bible. They conveyed all the suffering and anguish that the soul before him had suffered for the past week. They bore directly into Ezra’s heart, and it cried out to the man laying strapped to the table before him. With a tear rolling silently down his cheek, he firmly stated, "I won’t, Buck, I promise. I’ll stay as long as you need me. I won’t leave you, you have my word as a Southern gentleman. I’ve got to let go of your hand for a minute but I’ll be right here." He let go of Buck’s hand and quickly made his way to the foot of the table. He spoke loud enough for Buck to be able to hear him, "Just try to relax and I’ll release these bindings. I can’t believe they did this to you." He started to undo the leather restraints. He had both ankles released and was unbuckling the first wrist when a nurse came into the room.
"What are you doing? Stop that immediately!" She screamed at Ezra and tried to physically stop him.
As gently as he could, the Southerner pushed the nurse away. She stumbled backwards and he finished releasing the left wrist. He moved deliberately around the table and started on the right wrist. The nurse exited and Ezra could hear her calling for the doctor and security.
By the time Dr. Vincent and two security officers arrived, Ezra was sitting beside Buck, holding his hand, singing "Hush little baby, don’t say a word..." The doctor stopped just inside the door and held his hand up to stop the security guards. The patient was curled into a ball again but his right hand had a firm grip on Ezra’s left. He was facing Ezra and only inches separated them from one another. Buck Wilmington seemed peaceful for the first time since he had been brought in. Dr. Vincent shooed the security guards back out and he quietly made his way to stand behind Ezra.
"Can I help you with anything, anything at all?" he asked the Southern agent. He was totally amazed at the difference between how these two were communicating and what had happened when Chris had tried the same thing.
"We need some pillows, three should do it. And then, if you do it gently, please, bandage his hands. I believe those are bite marks on his thumbs and fore fingers." Ezra never looked at the doctor and he spoke softly in his soothing Southern drawl, not wanting to upset Buck any further. Dr. Vincent got the pillows and watched as Ezra placed one under Buck’s head and, then, offered the next one to Buck to hold on to as he lay in the fetal position. The big man took the pillow and held it tight against his chest, as a baby would a favorite blanket. He placed the third behind Buck’s back and noticed Buck wince as he did so. "He can’t see, Doctor. And he’s scared to be left alone. I plan on staying with him until he no longer needs my assistance, if that’s all right with you, sir."
"That’s just fine, Mr. Standish. I’ll let the staff know. I’m going to get Alice to help me tend those bite marks. Can I bring you some coffee, Ezra?" Dr. Vincent was on his way out the door.
"I would very much appreciate a cup of your finest brew, Dr. Vincent. Would you also convey to my compatriots that I am ensconced here with Mr. Wilmington in the event that they should require my presence?" Ezra returned to singing to the now peaceful patient.
Dr. Vincent was still shaking his head when he arrived in the waiting room. Four men approached him, fear in their eyes. He smiled to reassure them that nothing was wrong.
"Mr. Standish is doing a wonderful job with him. Buck is resting comfortably and we will take him up to a private room in the next hour or so. For now, I would say that the rest of you should remain here and not try to see Buck. Ezra seems to be a comforting influence on him, but I don’t know if the rest of you would be. I’m sorry, Chris, but witnessing the way he reacted to you, I don’t want a repeat performance. Let’s just keep things as they are for right now. The lab can’t seem to figure out what the drug in his system is so, as soon as we can, we’ll start a saline IV with glucose and nothing else until we know more. I’ll let you know when we move him." The doctor turned to go.
"Ezra’s with him, Doc?" Vin was stunned. They hadn’t even realized that Ezra was missing.
"Yes. He’s pretty amazing. Maybe it’s the drawl or the soft touch, I’m not sure, but Buck is holding on to him as if his life depended on it, so we are leaving Ezra alone with him. Any other questions?"
Chris walked up to the doctor. "Can I just peek in? I won’t say a thing, I promise."
Dr. Vincent hesitated for a few seconds. "Sure, Chris."
Chris walked down the hall with Vin at his side. They slowly pushed open the door to Exam #5 and watched Ezra Standish, the lone wolf, con man extraordinaire, dealing with their fallen friend as if he was holding a newborn baby. After a few minutes, Ezra looked up at them and smiled, his gold incisor twinkling in the dim light of the hospital room. Chris nodded and turned away. Vin stayed for a few more seconds. He tipped an imaginary hat to Ezra and closed the door.
Sunday 12:05 AM MDT
J.D. got off the elevator and ran down the hallway, leaving Casey in his wake. He saw Josiah and Nathan standing at the end of the hallway and made his way directly to them.
"Where is he? How is he? How did you find him? Is he going to be all right? Is Chris with him?" He was a bundle of nerves and he wanted answers. He wanted them right now!
Josiah grabbed the small man by the shoulders, gripping tighter than he should have. "Will you calm down! Dammit, J.D., just shut up for a minute." Josiah was tired and scared. He didn’t mean to take it out on J.D., who was only worried about his best friend. Josiah took a deep breath and explained, "He’s inside this room, J.D., but you can’t go in until you calm down. He can’t take you this way."
J.D. looked up at the ex-preacher and, with a slight shudder, he forced himself to settle down. The trip back to Denver had been the longest fourteen hours he could ever remember. Casey had driven most of the way. He had been too nervous to drive. Nathan had called about eight thirty to tell him that Buck had been found and that he was at St. Michael’s but he hadn’t told J.D. just how badly injured Buck was. J.D. had taken consolation in the fact that Chris was with him. It was often Chris that sat by his side because he was more of a calming influence on the big man than J.D. was. J.D. couldn’t deal very well with his "big brother" being sick or wounded.
"How bad is he hurt, Josiah?" It was almost a whisper. The eyes pled with Josiah to tell him that everything would be all right.
Josiah’s heart went out to the lad. Ever since he had joined the team, J.D. had been under Buck’s wing. The ladies man had found a place in his heart for the orphaned young man and the two, although seemingly worlds apart, had become the family that both desired so much. Two lost souls had found solace in one another. Buck had not only opened his heart to the boy but his home as well. They fought like the proverbial Cat and Dog but when anybody threatened, they closed ranks and would defend each other to the end.
"Son, he’s resting now but it’s been a slow road back from the excruciating pain that he was in when he first arrived at the hospital. The doctors can’t seem to identify the drug that was injected into his system. So, for right now, they don’t want to put anything into him that might react with the drug. They have him on an IV with glucose for dehydration and hypoglycemia. They added a small dose of Demerol at Chris’s request." Josiah shook his head, remembering how adamant Chris had been that Buck be given some sort of pain killer. In fact, he had threatened Dr. Vincent with his gun if the doctor didn’t do something to help his old friend get through the mind numbing pain. Dr. Vincent had acquiesced and a small dose of the pain killer was added to Buck’s IV. "J.D., Buck doesn’t appear to be injured very seriously on the outside but the doctor’s haven’t been able to check the inside yet. You see, Buck hasn’t let anyone but Ezra near him since they brought him to the hospital. He panics and struggles to get away from every other person. The doctors did manage to obtain three blood tests and whatever designer drug Beddlington put in his system, they can’t seem to isolate the components. Evidently, he was injected numerous times with this drug. What it’s doing to his internal organs, we don’t know yet. So, now that Ezra has him quiet and resting, we want to stay that way, okay?"
J.D. looked at Josiah with a quizzical eye. "Where’s Chris? Buck always does better with Chris by his side."
The gentle giant froze. He didn’t know what to say to the young man about the way that Buck had reacted to Chris. Nathan stepped in to help his friend out.
"Chris is here, J.D.. He and Vin left just a few minutes ago to get something to eat. However, for some reason that we don’t know yet, Buck had an adverse reaction to Chris’s presence. He freaked out, J.D., and Dr. Vincent thinks he might hurt himself if Chris goes into his room again. Thank God for that damned Southerner. Buck settled down the minute Ezra got to his side. Now that you’re here, though, I bet you’ll be a big help to Buck. But, like Josiah said, you have to be calm and quiet. You think you can do that, J.D.?"
Casey had come up behind J.D. and she heard what Nathan had to say to the young man whom she loved. She felt so guilty about not letting J.D. call his friends. If she had known that there was a problem, she would have returned with J.D. immediately. Now, J.D. hated her for keeping him from helping find his mentor, best friend and big brother. He seemed to think it was his fault that Buck had been abducted and consequently, her fault too. She put a hand on his back and quietly said, "Go on in, J.D.. You can do it. He needs you."
J.D. didn’t look at Casey. He was too angry with her right now. If she hadn’t made him promise not to call back to Denver, he could have been here when Buck and the others needed him. He prayed to God that it wasn’t too late for Buck. He turned and entered the darkened room.
A light glowed at the head of Buck’s bed but most of the room was dark and comforting in a way. He saw Ezra wiping Buck’s face with a cloth, whispering comforting words to him. Ezra stroked his hair as one would a small child. Buck was curled up on his side, facing Ezra, away from the door. IV tubes ran to his arm and the wiring for a heart monitor ran to his chest but no other monitors were in the room. J.D. stood in the doorway, watching the interplay of the two men for several minutes before Ezra noticed him. He signaled for J.D. to come over to his side of the bed.
J.D. moved around the corner of the bed and put his hand over his mouth to hide the slight gasp that tried to escape. The big man he adored was laying there, holding on to Ezra as a lifeline. His face was so pale with dark circles under each eye. Faint bruising darkened the left side of his face and there was a small healing cut by his eye. His hair was dirty and matted down. His eyes were open but they did not look at Ezra nor did they seem to take in the fact that J.D. was standing there. Buck’s hand that clung to Ezra was bandaged.
Ezra smiled at J.D.. He turned to Buck and whispered to him, "J.D. is here, my friend." He started to get up to make room for Buck’s little brother. The hand holding his gripped tighter. "It’s all right, Buck. You can hold on to J.D. now. He’s right here."
Buck’s body tensed. He wouldn’t let go of Ezra and Ezra decided not to pull away. He looked closely at Buck’s face and didn’t like what he was seeing. He had thought that Buck would be relieved when J.D. arrived and that he would let J.D. take over Buck’s care. But Buck’s face held a look of panic, not love like it normally did when J.D. walked in the room.
J.D. walked up and put his hand on Buck’s shoulder. Buck flinched and reached for Ezra with his other hand. J.D. pulled his hand back like he would from a hot stove. "It’s just me, Buck. I got back as fast as I could."
Buck pulled away as far as he could, dragging the smaller Southerner with him. "Don’t let him hurt me. Don’t let him touch me again. Please, Ezra, please." Buck beseeched Ezra, his voice pathetically small. His entire body was shaking, trembling with fear.
Ezra placed a protective arm around Buck’s body and commanded, "J.D., leave."
J.D. was stunned. His best friend had acted like he had tortured him with just a mere touch. He took a small step backwards but didn’t move further. "I didn’t do anything, Ezra."
"J.D., get out of here!" Ezra startled him with the force of the order. J.D. turned and ran from the room.+ + + + + + +
"What the hell happened, J.D.?" Nathan moved quickly to support the young man who stood pressed against the wall. J.D. was as white as a ghost. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath and Nathan couldn’t begin to imagine what had gone wrong inside the hospital room.
"I swear, I didn’t do anything. He acted like I was going to hurt him, Nathan! Why would he do that?" J.D. looked up at Nathan with the most forlorn look Nathan had ever seen.
Nathan put his arms around J.D. and then he pulled Casey into his embrace also for she looked as despondent as J.D. did. "I don’t know what that man did to him, J.D., but it wasn’t your fault. You have to remember that J.D.. You didn’t hurt Buck. That maniac did!"+ + + + + + +
As Nathan rushed to J.D.’s side, Josiah ran into the hospital room to find Ezra trying to calm Buck down. The tortured soul that lay on the bed was shaking visibly and crying softly. Ezra was talking to him, soft soothing words that Josiah could not really make out.
"Can I help, Brother?" the oldest team member inquired quietly. Josiah had no idea what to do for Buck. This whole situation was so bizarre, so totally foreign to all of them.
"Could you get me the ice water over there and wet this cloth. The coolness seems to help a little." Ezra had taken charge so completely, not seeming to be baffled as the rest of them were. Josiah brought the cold water and dipped the cloth in it. Wringing it out, he handed it over to Ezra. Ezra took it from him and proceeded to wipe the perspiration away from Buck’s face and neck. The patient began to relax a little and Ezra finally looked up at Josiah. "Do you think you could sit with him for a while?"
The big man hesitated for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he replied, "I’ll certainly give it a try. You better stay handy though until we see how he’s going to react."
Ezra nodded. "Buck, Josiah is going to sit with you for a few minutes. He’s not going to hurt you, I promise." Ezra pried Buck’s fingers from his sweater and placed the hand in Josiah’s. Buck seemed to accept the changing of the guard as Josiah spoke softly to him. Ezra stood and stretched his tired muscles. He was hungry and wanted to wash up. He slowly eased away from beside the bed and went into the small bathroom attached to the hospital room. He was tired but he knew there would be no rest for him until Buck could sleep. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered when he had come to care so much for the six men he worked with, and especially the scoundrel that now lay on the bed in the other room. He hated to but he had to admit to himself that he would do just about anything to help his new "family", to protect them from harm and hurt.
"What kind of a monster would do something like this to another human being?" he questioned the person in the mirror. He had sat with Buck long enough to know some of the pain he had endured during the past eight days. Buck had barely spoken, but the few words that he had gotten out to Ezra were so filled with pain and fear, that Ezra didn’t know if the loving, caring man that Buck had been would ever return to them again. He quickly washed his face and went back to where Josiah sat with Buck.
"What happened with J.D., Son?" Josiah looked up at Ezra and saw the anger and trepidation that fought with each other every time Ezra looked at Buck. He wondered if Buck would ever tell them the whole truth about what had happened while he was gone. Ezra surely knew more than the other five of them did but he wasn’t talking either.
"Our Mr. Dunne spoke Mr. Wilmington’s name and then put his hand on his big brother’s shoulder. Our fallen comrade reacted adversely, as he did with our esteemed leader. The total panic that gripped Buck made me determine that the boy was not welcome in this room. The two men that Buck loves the most, seem to be the ones that scare our fallen comrade the most. He must have been brain washed, Josiah. They must have planted some seed in his mind that has grown to a giant Sequoia as far as Mr. Larabee and Mr. Dunne are concerned. This Mr. Beddlington must have spent a long time planning his abduction, and he obviously knows enough about our companions to know how best to destroy both Buck and Chris. The unfortunate lad is just a side bar to the atrocities which laid waste to Mr. Wilmington."
"What are we gonna do, Ezra?" Josiah stroked Buck’s hair. The man was still trembling from his encounter with J.D.. "Three of our brethren our suffering and I can’t see any way to help any of them through this."
"Alas, Mr. Sanchez, I see no other aid but time and understanding. This man before you is not the gregarious Mr. Wilmington that we all love but merely an empty shell. I can only hope that we shall eventually retrieve our scoundrel from the ashes." He sat down on the bed and watched as Buck drew a ragged breath and curled even tighter around himself. "I’ll take him back now, Josiah. I made him a promise and I do not intend to break it."
Josiah stood, understanding that Ezra needed to hold onto Buck almost as much as Buck needed to hold onto Ezra. "Do you need anything, Ezra?"
"Some edible food and a carafe of good coffee would be welcome. The hospital equivalent of coffee is horrendous."
"I’ll see what I can do, son. Take care of our broken brother."
"I will sir, I will."
FOUR
Sunday 12:59 PM MDT
Jamie Conrad took his time washing the hallway floor. He moved the mop slowly back and forth, but his mind was on the room at the end of the hall. This was the day he had been recruited for and he swore to himself he was not going to disappoint his boss. He had taken this job as a janitor in the hospital six months ago and he had been paid very well for his time spent here. He had gotten an additional five thousand dollars every month besides his paycheck from the hospital. All that money paid for the deed he was to perform today. Besides, Chico had told him he could do it and he wasn’t about to let Chico Martinez down. He loved Chico. Chico was the only one who had ever believed him capable of anything and Chico was the one who had talked Mr. Beddlington into letting Jamie handle this part of the scheme. No, Jamie would take care of everything just the way Chico had taught him to do. He just had to wait for the right moment.
Jamie saw the five men approaching the door to the room he was watching. He stopped his mopping and leaned on the handle, his eyes closely following the activities at the end of the hall. His pulse started to race as he realized that the time was near. He quickly checked his linen cart and found the special package of sheets and towels that lay in the corner of the second shelf. He patted it and turned his eyes back to the group which was now headed back toward him. One other man had joined them and they passed him, not a one of them looked directly at him. He put his mop back in the bucket of water and pushed his cart toward the end of the hallway.
Vin had entered Buck’s room and motioned for Ezra to come out in the hall. Josiah pushed past Vin and took Buck’s hand from the Southerner. Ezra made his way to the group that stood in the hallway, waiting for him.
"Gentlemen?" Ezra really did not want to leave the room, but Buck had finally fallen asleep about two hours ago and seemed to be resting quietly for the time being.
"Ez, do you think you can come down to the cafeteria with us for about half an hour. We need to know anything that Buck might have told you or anything you’ve picked up from him. We’ve got to try to catch this guy in the next twenty-four hours or he may slip through our fingers." Chris said matter of factly but Ezra could see that their leader was barely keeping it together. "Nathan and J.D. are already down there. Jerry and Orrin want to hear anything that you have to say. It could be important, Ezra."
"I hope that I can be of some assistance but Mr. Wilmington had not made any declarative statements such as you would wish. He has barely gotten out any words, let alone sentences. Let me quick double check with Josiah so he knows what’s going on and I will join you."
A minute later, Ezra and the other four headed toward the elevator. Vin saw the janitor but he had noticed the nurses kidding with him earlier, and he had observed the young man working since seven in the morning, so he took no real notice of the boy. He walked silently with the others to the elevator and got on, hitting the button for the ground floor.
Jamie walked into Buck’s room with a pile of towels and sheets over his arm. He was very quiet and had gotten almost to the bed when Josiah looked up at him.
"No, son, thank you but you can just leave those. We don’t want you to do anything in this room." Josiah had also watched Jamie from his post outside of Buck’s room for the past two hours. He had seen the young man going in and out of all of the rooms on the floor, taking in clean towels and sheets, coming out with soiled linens. He turned back to Buck as the big man whimpered in his sleep.
Jamie took a big breath and squeezed the bulb he held under the sheets he carried. He held his breath as the silent gas spread toward Josiah. Josiah heard the faint whoosh of air and turned to face the young janitor once again. He started to say something but it never came out. The gas acted fast and Josiah fell on top of Buck. Jamie laid down the pile of linen and quickly pulled the syringe out of his pocket. He removed the cap of the needle and squeezed just a little of the red liquid out onto the floor. Then he stepped up to the man in the bed that the big agent had fallen on and stabbed the needle into his arm. He pushed the plunger all the way in and then he quickly stepped back. The last thing he did before leaving the room was to place a video tape on the bed beside Josiah. Then he turned and ran out of the room. He headed for the staircase just at the end of the hallway and made his way down the stairs. As he got to the first landing he heard the scream of agony and he put his hands over his ears as he ran down the rest of the stairs.//Dr. Vincent, report to Room 465 STAT. Dr Vincent, report to Room 465, STAT //Ezra and the others heard the page as they were sitting down to eat some lunch and discuss the case of the abduction of Buck Wilmington, ATF agent. Ezra’s heart caught in his throat as the words registered in his mind. He turned to Chris and, as one, the two of them ran for the elevator, followed very closely by the rest of Team 7. Impatiently, Chris led the way to the stairs and five men pounded their way up the steps to the forth floor, coming out right by Buck’s room. As they passed the third floor landing, they heard the heart wrenching scream. They ran even faster. Chris burst into the room to find Josiah out cold on the bed. There was blood on the sheets but he didn’t see Buck at all. Three nurses were huddled on the far side of the bed, two of them squatting before something in the corner.
"Get out of here, all of you!" The command had been issued emphatically by Ezra. The slight con man was pushing anyone in his way to clear a path to the man who now cowered in the corner, his arms flailing at anyone who tried to get near him, flinging blood from his left wrist where the IV had been instantly yanked out when Buck fled the pain.
Ezra threw a nurse away from Buck and turned to face the others. "Get out!" No one left but they all took several steps backward. "Chris?"
Chris nodded and started to push people towards the door. Dr. Vincent was trying to get in as the others were slowly leaving. Chris came back to Josiah and Dr. Vincent quickly felt Josiah’s neck for a pulse. His pulse was strong and he seemed to be coming to, so Dr. Vincent moved to the huddled form on the floor. Both Ezra and the doctor knelt before the man who had his right hand in his mouth, biting down hard to try to ease the pain that coursed through his body. Buck rocked as he squeezed his eyes shut and pulled his legs tight to his body with his arms. All of a sudden, a scream pierced the air again as Buck threw his head back in desperation and anguish. The doctor reached for the man’s arm but Ezra stopped him.
"I don’t think there’s anything you can do for him, Doctor. He knows nothing that can stop the pain. Producing panic in him would only make it worse. Leave him for now." Ezra’s face reflected the agony that Buck was experiencing.
"We need to stop the bleeding. We can’t leave him on the floor. It’s just . . ." Dr. Vincent had no idea what to do for the man writhing on the floor before him. The lab still had not sorted the components of the serum out of Buck’s blood. They had no idea what kind of combination of drugs they were dealing with and he didn’t want to give Buck anything that might possibly make the reaction worse, although at this point, Dr. Vincent didn’t think anything could be worse than the excruciating pain Buck was experiencing.
"Doctor, I’ll watch over him. Take care of Josiah."
Chris was helping Josiah to sit upright. The ex-preacher’s eyes refused to focus and his head spun dizzily. His stomach rolled and he fought back the urge to expel the contents of his stomach. He lifted his head and tried to look at Chris.
"Josiah, what happened?" Chris was furious, his voice was low and dangerous.
Josiah coughed and then stammered, "The … janitor… some sort...of…gas." Josiah slowly swung his head over toward the corner where Buck and Ezra were ensconced. "Not again,.. no, not again. Oh God, … I am so sorry, Buck."
Chris helped Josiah to his feet and Dr. Vincent and Chris helped him out to a chair in the hallway. The doctor stayed with him, checking his vital signs. Chris came back to the door and with a face that spoke volumes about the anguish he felt for his oldest friend, he asked, "Ez, can I do anything for him?"
"No, Chris, I’ll take care of him."
Sunday 8:44 PM MDT
Ezra picked up the phone beside Buck’s bed and dialed 9 for an outside line. He never took his hand off of Buck’s chest. The sick man lay on his side, the pillow clutched tightly to his chest. He whimpered slightly every few minutes but he was too exhausted to do more than that. Ezra dialed the number and waited for an answer.
‘Hello"
"Hello, Justin. It’s Agent Standish. You remember me, don’t you?"
"Yeah …. what do you want?" the voice was suspicious. Just the month before, as part of an undercover sting, Ezra had spotted Justin Trumble, parolee, with a gun tucked in his belt. The agent had not said anything but Justin knew that he had been caught. He figured now he was going to pay the price for the agent’s silence.
"Justin, you know what I saw, don’t you."
"Yeah. It wasn’t mine!"
"I don’t care about that now, Justin. Do you still have that van of yours with the bed in the back?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because, Mr. Trumble, I need that vehicle. Perhaps for a month or so. This will be an exchange, your van for my silence. You know what would happen to you if I happened to tell your parole officer what I saw, don’t you?"
"You swear, Standish. Nothin’ will ever be said to my officer?"
"I swear, Mr. Trumble. Bring the van filled up with gas to St. Michaels Hospital. Leave it by the service door with the keys in the glove box. I want it here by one o’clock this morning or I make a phone call. Am I clear on my instructions?"
"Yeah. Well, I don’t drive it much anyway. You swear, not a word?"
"I swear. Oh, one more thing, Justin. If you tell a soul who has your van, and there is trouble because of it, I will kill you. Do you also understand that, Justin?"
"Yeah, loud and clear."
Ezra hung up and dialed for an outside line one more time. He sat on the bed and stroked Buck’s hair. The ladies man was trembling, his breath coming in small gasps. "Shhhhh, my friend, shhh. It’s all right. Hush now, Buck, no one else will harm you. I broke my promise to you once, I will not do it again." He dialed a number and again waited for an answer.
"Roscoe’s."
"Let me speak to Mick."
After a minutes pause another voice came on the line. "Who is this?"
"Tony Benedict, Mick. I need a favor. I’m in a bind. How much will you give me for the Jag?"
"Your Jag? You love that car, Tony. What’s up?"
"I find myself in a bit of a jam and I need at least ten for it. What do you say, Mick?" Ezra held his breath. This plan would not work without cash and plenty of it.
"Tell you what, Tony. I like ya and I like that car. I’ll give ya twelve for it. When do you want the cash?"
"St. Michael’s Hospital at one thirty tonight. Second floor of the garage. I’ll give you the keys there by the elevators. Thanks Mick. I owe ya one."
One more part of the plan needed to be put into place. He had to rely on one of the seven and he prayed he would cooperate. When Ezra had got the chance to view the video tape that Jamie had left on the bed beside Josiah, he knew what he had to do. No matter what the consequences to himself, he would protect Buck from the monster that laughed at them on the tape.
Beddlington had filmed the tape in front of Chris’s black Suburban right out in the hospital parking lot. The tape showed him laughing, and then saying, "You’re pitiful, Larabee! I thought he was a friend of yours. I can get to him any time and anywhere I want. You cannot protect him, Sergeant. I win! By the way, did you feel anything when you heard him scream? The serum burns like a furnace in your chest and it shoots flames out to every part of your body. Even your skin feels like it’s on fire. There are also some interesting side effects but I guess you’ll find out about those a little later. It was a pleasant reunion with your old friend, I bet. I’ll say good bye for now, Sergeant. Give Wilmington my best. Oh, that’s right, he’s already had my best." He laughed again. The tape went blank.
Ezra walked to the door and asked Vin, who was on guard duty outside the door, to get Josiah. Josiah came in a few minutes later. He looked a little pale and his eyes were filled with guilt for letting the bastard get to Buck once again.
"What do you need Ezra? You want a break. I’ll sit with him for a while. I owe him that much."
"Mr. Sanchez, I need your help. It will probably bring the wrath of Mr. Larabee down upon your head so, I’ll hold no malice toward you should you decline the undertaking. Well?" Ezra did not want to give too much away before the big man agreed.
"Something to do with Buck?" Josiah eyed him suspiciously.
"Another abduction of sorts. I’m taking him out of here, away from Beddlington and anyone else who might try to harm him again. But I need your help, Josiah. Are you willing?"
Josiah noted the use of his first name. The man was serious. He was going to take Buck out of the hospital and Josiah was sure he would do it with or without his help. "Do you really think that is the wise thing to do, Ezra?"
"It is the only way I can keep my promise to him, Josiah. I will NOT let him be tortured again!"
It took only two seconds for Josiah to think about his decision. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"
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