FOLLOW THE LEADER - Chapter 73

 Chapter 73

That night I sat outside the surgery room in Petaluma General Hospital, feeling a powerful mix of depression and guilt. Had it not been for my poor judgment, Terry would be back in the office playing video games.

Two male aides in green kept one-upping one another about a botched call during a Monday night game. Their good-natured ribbing was getting to me.

“Hey guys! Do you mind?” I signaled for them to keep the noise down.

“Sorry, man,” said the taller one. They proceeded to banter back and forth, lowering the volume a bit.

Footsteps.

I looked up and saw Colin headed for my bench. I hoped he wouldn’t ask me about all that had taken place that night. I had neither the patience nor strength to go through it all. He sat down and laid his big arm around my shoulders.

“How is he?” he asked.

“Still on life support. He lost a lot of blood. All my fault.”

“Bullshit. He wouldn’t have missed the action for anything. And he’s an adult, Frank.”

I was too tired to insist on “Francis.”

He studied my face, maybe wondering if I would be willing to tell him anything in my exhausted state.

“I heard there was a tunnel. Powers got away. That right?”

I nodded tiredly.

“With one of his women.” I added. “Not a baldy.”

“It turns out they hijacked a tow-truck, shot the driver and talked their way past a roadblock.”

“Driver make it?”

“Yeah. He was shot in the upper back with a .22. Missed his vitals. He’s recovering from surgery. Right down the hall,” he added. “Before you ask, he’s under sedation. No way we can talk to him tonight.”

I nodded.

He patted my shoulder. 

“Time for you to go home and get some sleep.”

He stood up, waiting for me to come with him.

I didn’t budge.

“I know where Powers is heading,” I said.

He hurried back to my side.

“Yeah? Where?”

“His aunt’s.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Well?  Where does she live?”

“If I tell you, you’ll call it in and they’ll surround the place.”

“So? That’s our fucking job!”

“I want first crack at him. He shot my partner, maybe killed him.”

He glanced down the hallway. I thought he might be visualizing Terry and his plethora of tubes and monitors. He turned back and looked me squarely in the eye.

“The only way I let you do that is if I go in as backup.”

“You’ll let me?”

“I got my gun and baton, Francis. But you know I could stop you without either. Mano y mano.”

“Maybe once you could.”

“Let’s stop the pissing contest. To take this guy down, you need me.”

He was right, of course.

I shrugged.

“What are we waiting for?” I asked. I rose and stretched my back.

Colin’s cell phone rang. He picked it up.

“Kelly,” he said.

He shot me a look and moved away. 

The two guys were becoming raucous again.

“No way!” one exclaimed

“Give it a rest!” Colin snapped. He moved further down the hall, away from them.

The aides shut up. They quickly decided to take it outside.

A frowning nurse burst through double doors, looking up and down the hall. She saw Colin talking softly and me slumping back on a bench.

“They went outside,” I said.

“Good!” she said.

I glanced over at Colin, whose back was toward me. 

I rose and walked away.