Hard Case V: Blood and Fear (A John Harding Novel Book 5) (27 page)

Lucas met us at the Highland Hospital Emergency Room entrance. I had my eyes covered with icepack in hand. Tommy, Jess, and Dev bracketed me while Achmed the Terrorist parked the car. I knew this because I heard Lucas’s one word greeting, along with everyone within a block of the building.

“Recon!”

I could picture him pumping his fist. At least he didn’t call me a pussy for not somehow knowing in advance what Marko would do. “Hey, Lucas… how’s things going in Denny-land?”

“Still in limbo, John. The troops are in the field, including Denny. He knew you wouldn’t want to get blinded for nothing. We have it narrowed to two possibilities. Denny and Casey are on one, and Clint and Crue are on the other. I have the duty here in case Marko’s surviving family or Kornev’s gang decides to pay their respects. You should have seen Crue in the stands. She was funnier than hell. When someone told her to shut up and sit down, Clint nearly had to carry her out in spite of the assignment. After you gave Marko last rites, Crue celebrated, very weirdly for a pregnant woman heading for month number eight I might add. The prick who told her to shut up tried to throw something at her, but Clint had been watching him, and chucked a quarter at him. It hit dead center in his forehead. The guy collapsed like he was shot. Needless to say, we had a good time, but had to play catchup on the guys we suspected of being the ‘Ghost’. It turned out Crue had the inside track on her bet of a woman being ‘The Ghost’. She’s one of the two suspects we’re tracking.”

“Damn, Lucas, that’s all good stuff.”

“C’mon, Longstreet,” Tommy ordered. “We need to get the hell inside. Jafar’s here now. We have to start waiting in line for some service. You know how many damn emergencies happen at Highland on a Friday night.”

“Longstreet?” I could hear the question in Lucas’s voice. “Never mind… I’ll get that story later. I filled out all the cards on John. They have all the info needed for the emergency room gateway to service. The staff know what to expect. I turned over a sample of what they doused Marko’s gloves with. The lab will already be working on it, because I had a private chat with the lab attendant who was less than enthused about anything he’d actually have to work on. After I shoved my Homeland Security ID in his face, the slacker got to work. He said he may have some preliminary findings in another hour.”

“Thanks, Lucas. I can see a little bit, thanks to the solution Alexi’s Doc gave Devon before we left. How do I look?” I dropped the icepack down again. I expected some laughs from my mentor, Lucas. I got silence instead. I could see his craggy facial features scrunching in head shaking disapproval.

“Damn… I’m glad I didn’t eat anything lately, Recon. Otherwise, I’d barf it up on your shoes. You look like a fruitcake repackaged for too many years on the Christmas gift circuit.”

I waited patiently for the he-haws to die down. “Please tell me Lora and Al haven’t arrived yet, brother.”

“Nope, but Lora’s been burning the text line into Denny’s phone trying to get details, because we’ve been keeping mum about the fight. Denny didn’t figure you would appreciate us detailing the match with that low down piece of shit Marko for Lora’s appraisal.”

I sighed in relief, as Tommy yanked me inside. “Thanks, brother. I’m hoping they can do something about the swelling before Denny caves in on the details.”

“Not to worry,” Lucas said, grabbing my other arm as a guide. “He shut his phone off. He sent his better half over to your place with the facts, and a plea to stay where she is until we get you looked at. Maria can smooth things over while we see if the doctors can counteract that hideous face Marko pounded into place.”

Yep, we chuckled over that pronouncement. “Denny played it just right. I owe him. Maria’s a great choice for go between.”

We all sat together in the emergency room. I’m sure I received a lot of attention from my fellow would be patients in Highland’s Tower of Babel emergency room area. On any given Friday night, Highland accounted for a plethora of illegal aliens, gangbangers, and domestic violence recipients. It made for a rather long wait to be seen by anyone with a white coat for people who actually paid taxes, and were citizens of the United States. I’m a great waiter though. In the Marine Corps, I learned nothing good comes to those who do not wait well. Sitting with a quiet Lucas next to me, while Tommy and Jafar flitted around or complained in mumbling tones illustrated my point. I remember the line from the movie ‘A League of Their Own’ Lora’s sister Tess made me watch against my will. An actor in it, Tom Hanks, declared when one of his female hardball players had an emotional moment, ‘there’s no crying in baseball’. In the Corps, there’s no crying, complaining, or take-backs, especially in Recon. We live by the feud, and keep our shit internal for disbursement later. I already tagged the main participant, so I waited with stoic acceptance. I had quiet plans for everyone else involved. We had a mission if I could see.

A short hour later Tommy led me into a curtained off cubical to be seen by someone. A nurse’s aide took my vitals in between. I had kept the fresh icepack on my eyes Lucas had coerced from an attendant in the emergency room, so I figured the swelling would at least be kept at bay. The female doctor took away my pack, and examined me while introducing herself.

“We have the preliminary results from the lab on what you were exposed to, Mr. Harding. It is thankfully non-lethal, or permanently debilitating. I believe you were allergic to some ingredient in what appears to be a pepper spray type formula used in actual defensive sprays, although diluted. I will give you a shot that should negate the effects without having to do a more involved testing phase.”

“Thanks, Doctor Kaye, I really appreciate that. I can see now out of the swollen ugly slits. How fast do you think the shot will work against the swelling?”

“Nearly immediately. Please call me Jan,” she said while administering the shot. “I’ve seen your UFC fights, Mr. Harding. I confess to being a fan of that brutal sport. Why in the world would you fight backstreet warehouse brawls with the possibility of maiming or even death?”

I grasped her hand. “Probably stupidity in your reality, Doc. I promise to keep out of your emergency room as much as my reality allows me.”

She laughed. I took that to be a good sign. Doctor Kay was a short, plump, and very likable person on initial contact, from my admittedly small scope of vision. “Yes… please take better care of yourself, Mr. Harding.”

“Can’t do that, Doc, but your compassion is much appreciated. Is it okay to leave?”

“I think so, but if you’re experiencing pain, I could write you a prescription for painkillers. I’d imagine they would be a good thing.”

“No thanks. Pain is my friend. Thanks for seeing me so quickly.”

“No problem. I won a lot of money on tonight’s fight, palooka.”

Now that was funny. “Good to know, Doc. See ya’ later, much later, I hope.”

“Ditto,” Doctor Kaye answered.

Tommy handed me my sweats while Doc Kaye left. I hurriedly put them on, thinking I had mere moments before my female entourage would bust in ripping me a new one. None of that happened, and I left the curtained partition dressed for a quick exit. As we walked where people were milling around and waiting, I covered my features once more with the ice pack while Tommy guided me.

“Don’t want to hear people barfing, and kids screaming, huh dummy?”

“That’s just hurtful, Tommy.”

“Heh… heh.”

Chapter Nine

Little Things

I caught hell the night before when I came home. No, it didn’t matter I couldn’t see a cell-phone let alone call from one. You know how it goes. Yes Dear, I knew I could have clued in one of my companions to call. No Dear, I didn’t want to worry you until I found out all the details. Yes Dear, I realize I look hideous… thank you for noticing. No Dear, I wouldn’t think of touching you in the mood you’re in. Yes Dear, I thought of Al’s feelings, which was exactly the reason I didn’t want to face either of you until I came home with the facts. Lora greeted me, out for blood, even while wincing at my Elephant Man Face, which was a lot better looking than thirty minutes before. Maria had done an excellent job of containing Lora, but couldn’t completely defuse my wife’s left out feeling. I tried to explain I wasn’t on my death bed, so no blood, no foul, right? Fail!

Here I was, making a bunch of finger foods for my afternoon spring training baseball game between the A’s and the Giants, marveling at modern medicine while steering clear of my fuming wife. Al forgave me in seconds, having slept through it anyway, especially when she found me sleeping on the couch. Hey… it happens to the best of us. Al put dip into bowls, and fixed the treats onto separate serving plates for me. It would be a full house for the game including the minions.

“I think your face looks better than when I saw it this morning, Dad.” This was the first time Al broached the subject of my looks or the fight. She had sampled the mood her Mom was in, and decided time needed to pass before any discussion. Lora left for a friend’s house without a goodbye, so the two of us decided retreat had indeed been the best part of valor in this case.

“Thanks, Al. I can see a lot better.”

“I saw the news.” She glanced at me, while biting her lip to keep from saying more.

“I can’t hide it, kid. It is what it is as Lynn would say. They’re ruling it accidental because of the on scene testimony from Earl and ‘Rique. I’m glad they were working security. Marko was the first guy Jack Korlos ever lost in the cage as a referee. I feel bad about that. He’s a good man. I know his testimony helped the ruling too.”

“I’m glad the softball game got cancelled because of the rain. Otherwise, you would have scared the team into a forfeit.”

I grinned out the kitchen window at the wonderful spring rain. Although whatever the injection Doc Kaye gave me worked wonders overnight, I still had the red eye express going along with some swelling. Otherwise, I felt damn good. “Yep. The girls would have been shunning me today, if their parents allow them to play with me as a coach. I may need Lynn to take over, while I work with you away from practice like we’ve been doing anyway.”

“If they make you quit, I’m quitting too. So will Lynn.”

Uh oh. I hadn’t figured on a protest. “C’mon Al. You’re the team’s star. We don’t quit. We may get canned, but we don’t quit. They can’t ban me from watching your games or coaching you. Bottom line… we don’t quit… ever.”

“Okay. I see your point, but I don’t like it. Without you there, Lynn’s going to kill someone though.”

“Nope. Clint will be there,” I refuted her logical assumption. “Lynn would be more careful of her temper. Do you think we have enough snacks?”

Al shook her head. “Not if Uncle Jess is coming.”

“I’m ordering two extra large pizzas too.”

“Better make it three, Dad.”

“Right you are,” I admitted.

“Mom’s really pissed,” Al stated, mentioning the elephant in the room for the first time. “She put you on the couch right from the hospital. That’s cold.”

I chuckled at that apt assessment. “Can we keep the Lora retribution between us? Otherwise, Lynn will lead the guys in barbequing me this afternoon.”

Al grinned, glancing sideways with that annoying pixie look she gets from her Mom. “What’s in it for me?”

“Why you little… okay fine… no Beeper jokes for two weeks.” I had been rocking the house with Justin Bieber jokes lately, getting quickly onto Al’s last nerve. My imitation of his screeching voice tones entertained the troops to no end, but sent Al into fits of angst.

“Make it three.”

“Deal.”

* * *

Al and I settled in our guests with trays set all around my large home theater room. A common thread we monsters shared in the entertainment arena is baseball, including Lynn, and her acolyte Dannie. Her enthusiasm for the game turned into invective quite easily when one of her least favorite players blew an at bat with runners on, or committed an error on the field. My ability to see, and the prior night’s deadly ending drew only mild comments. It was simply another phase of the mission we were on that ended with complications. I left them to answer the door. I only had one man not here: Denny. Having no prisoners in custody allowed Lynn’s minions to all attend. This was to be a business meeting too with both Laredo and Jafar keeping their satellite laptops at hand. We knew now who the ‘Ghost’ was.

Surprisingly, Maria came with Denny. She was showing in her seventh month even more than Lynn on her way to becoming a Mom. Denny led her in with solemn demeanor I took to mean trouble with our latest step forward. Maria hugged me.

“I’m sorry, John. I tried smoothing over your incommunicado hospital trip with Lora. I brought Samira with me, hoping a double team effort would suffice. She listened, but was unimpressed. I enticed her to have a couple glasses of wine with me. It didn’t help. I could see the polite veneer ready to peel away when you came home.”

“It’s not your fault. It’ll be fine. She’s visiting a friend today, and Al’s entertaining in the viewing room if you’d like to go ahead. I see in Denny’s face we need to talk. Please don’t share any Lora acrimony with the crowd or we’ll be playing pin the tail on the donkey all afternoon with me as the donkey.”

Maria laughed. “Of course, John. I will say nothing. Hopefully, Samira did not rat you out to Lynn already. They did talk this morning, because Lynn called her while she was talking to me.”