En-GAGE-ment–Part 3
By Nancy F. Thysell, the Nifty Lady
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Jimmy Chandler made his way down the corridor of Rampart Emergency in the hospital scrubs he had purloined from a storage closet. Obviously he and the other inmate that had slipped out of the treatment room just moments earlier had gone unnoticed. He knew it wouldn’t last long. Nervously he drew closer to the elevator, hoping to disappear quickly aboard the lift. The doors opened and a group of hospital personnel rushed into the emergency room area. Chandler stepped aboard and pushed the button for the top floor. He wasn’t exactly sure what he would do there but it was a start. He knew he had to get rid of the scrubs and find some street clothes. Time was against him. Even though he felt the pressure of being discovered, he couldn’t get the image of the fireman driving into the parking lot out of his mind. He’s here. He is in this building. If only I’d have the good fortune to find him. He knows where my Crystal is!
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Johnny sat on the sofa in the surgical waiting room, with his arms resting on his knees. He held his head in his hands. The waiting was intolerable. At the moment he was alone in the room. Others had come and gone. The large wall clock had a minute hand that jerked forward as the minutes ticked off. Johnny watched it for a long time, mesmerized by its motion. Chris had been in surgery more than three hours now. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much longer.
Gage stood up and stretched. He needed something to drink. He opened the door to the hall and headed down to a soft drink machine at the end. At that same time the door to the stairwell opened and Jimmy Chandler stepped into the hall wearing an ill-fitting suit that he figured the patient on the sixth floor wouldn’t need. He looked furtively up and down the corridor. The hall was empty except for a man at the drink machine. He started to withdraw into the stairwell, when he had an overwhelming compulsion to take a second look at the man in front of the vending machine. He stared hard. The man was wearing blue jeans and a plaid western shirt. He had dark hair. Even looking at him from the rear, he recognized the fireman as the man opened the can of pop. Chandler’s heart raced with excitement. He retreated back into the stairwell. Then he patted the pockets of the stolen jacket for anything that he could use as a makeshift weapon. Surprisingly he found a tube of lipstick. It probably belonged to the man’s wife. Sight unseen, but he could perhaps make it pass for the barrel of a gun. He heard the fireman walking toward the stairwell. Shoving his hand into the jacket pocket with the lipstick tube jammed in its corner, Jimmy opened the door and stepped behind Johnny as he passed. He grabbed Johnny’s shoulder with his left, ignoring the pain shooting though the injured limb, while he jabbed the "gun" into Johnny’s ribs with his right. The soft drink can fell to the floor, spilling its contents onto the linoleum.
"Hello lover boy!" he hissed menacingly into Johnny’s ear. Johnny froze as he recognized the man’s voice. Chandler! What was he doing here? How did he escape? How did he find me? Then, fleetingly, he recalled the prison bus in the parking lot.
"Chandler," Johnny responded trying to sound calm. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want fireman! Where is she? What have you done with my Crystal?" His voice was threatening as he pulled Johnny back to the stairwell. Johnny’s fear grew as he realized that Chandler’s intent was to find Chris. He knew he had to get him away from the hospital. He had to get him as far away from Chris that he could. Chandler felt the fireman’s body stiffen. He could smell Johnny’s fear and it excited him. The stairwell door shut with a soft click.
"Tell me where she is!" he demanded of the fireman.
"No way man. She’s not yours! Why don’t you just leave us alone?" Johnny answered through clenched teeth. Chandler pushed the "gun" harder against John’s back.
"I could kill you right now where you stand. Then there’d be no stopping me. Yeah, maybe that’s just what I should do. That way you’d never come between us again! Come on lover boy, we’re gonna take a little ride in that car of yours. And you are going to take me to her. Am I making myself clear?" Chandler ordered the paramedic. Chandler shoved Johnny to the stairs and they started down.
Johnny’s mind raced exploring his options as they descended the stairs. There had to be something he could do to get himself out of this predicament. At least they were moving away from Chris and obviously Chandler didn’t know that she was the reason that Johnny was at the hospital. It was scary to realize that Chandler was not only armed and dangerous but now he was an escaped felon.
Before John knew it they were outdoors and headed for his Land Rover. Several police cars stormed into the parking lot, sirens blaring. Johnny surmised that it had something to do with Chandler’s escape as he felt Chandler’s hand tighten on his shoulder.
"Keep moving lover boy," Chandler ordered in a harsh whisper. Johnny made up his mind that he didn’t want to get into his car with this maniac. He made a show of digging the keys out of his pocket. His jeans were tight so he felt his movements seemed natural. He felt Chandler’s death grip on his shoulder relax slightly. In that split second, Johnny brought his right elbow up and jabbed it sharply back into Chandler’s ribs. He felt the older man stumble backwards, loosening his grip even more and crying out in pain. Johnny spun around with his left fist and made contact with Chandler’s face. Though a painful jolt, Johnny found the impact with the fleshy cheek satisfying. The blow knocked Chandler back a step or two. The look in his eyes that he drew on Gage was pure hate as he charged forward. Johnny had expected him to pull the gun so the charge took him off guard. The heavier man plowed his head into Johnny’s mid-drift and rammed him into the side of the Rover with enough force to spider-web the passenger’s window with Johnny’s head. The impact knocked the wind out of Johnny right before he lost consciousness from the blow to his head. Johnny’s body crumbled to the ground. Chandler swore a blue streak. His arm ached and now his head hurt.
As he regained his composure, he looked around to see if anyone had witnessed the scuffle. No one was around. He sighed with relief. First he removed Johnny's wallet and checked it for cash. He frowned. Firefighting must not pay much because there wasn't much in the wallet. Just like before. But he took the cash and placed it in his pocket. He might need that later. Then he dug the keys out of Johnny’s pocket and unlocked the door. Getting the unconscious fireman into the Rover wasn’t an easy feat. The seat was higher than in most vehicles. Finally, he had him inside the passenger side of the vehicle. Panting heavily, he opened the back of the vehicle to see what the fireman might have that would be helpful. He smiled with satisfaction as he found Johnny’s stash of camping gear. He pulled out a length of rope and a knife. Looking around to be sure no one would see, he tied up the insensate man. Then he ran around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel. It was nice to have the keys for a change. He smirked at the man beside him as he put the car in gear and drove leisurely away from the hospital. No sense in drawing attention to himself.
"As soon as I have what I want, I’m gonna do to you what I should have done a long time ago," he threatened his prisoner. "You’ll never come between me and Crystal again!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Brackett left the OR feeling drained. He couldn’t begin to imagine how Dr. Rosenberg felt. The surgery had lasted six hours. A long and tedious six hours but Dr. Rosenberg was one of the best in orthopedics and was meticulous in his work. Now Chris’ recovery looked promising. The damage had been repaired and reconstructive surgery had been performed. Kel’s green scrubs were soaked with sweat beneath his starched white lab coat but he wanted to find out if Johnny and Roy had returned since he knew how worried they were. Especially Johnny. He frowned as he noticed a spilled drink on the floor and wondered why no one had cleaned that up. There was no one in the waiting room so he moved onto the nurse’s station.
"Hello Margie," he greeted the nurse. Margie Henderson looked up at his approach.
"Hello Dr. Brackett. Uh, John Gage asked me to tell you that he’d be in the surgical waiting room. He wanted to know as soon as Miss Martin was in recovery. Sorry, I didn’t get to you sooner but it’s been a zoo around here today," she informed the doctor.
"So, I’ve gathered. I noticed a spilled drink on the floor. That needs to be cleaned up immediately," Kel said authoritatively. Margie just nodded.
"Oh, I know Dr. Brackett. But all the orderlies were called down to the ER and I haven’t been able to get anyone from housekeeping up here because of the prison escape," she explained, apologetically.
"Prison escape? What the heck are you talking about?"
"Oh, I forgot. You’ve been in surgery. There was a riot at the county jail this morning and they sent thirty or forty prisoners here for treatment. Mostly minor injuries. Criticals were sent to Harbor. But a couple of the prisoners escaped from one of the treatment rooms. Now the whole building has been locked down while they do a search," Margie explained in a rush. Brackett listened in stunned silence. Then he immediately became concerned about his colleagues in the ER.
"Has anyone here been injured?" the doctor asked with concern.
"No, not that I’m aware of anyway. But things are really tense. Especially in the ER."
"Well, I’d better get down there and see if they need me. Did you say Johnny was here?" he inquired since he hadn’t seen the young paramedic.
"Wasn’t he in the waiting room?"
Brackett shook his head. "No one was in there a moment ago."
"Well, he was here. He was so worried about Miss Martin. Maybe he went down to help out in the ER? It has been a real madhouse down there. Perhaps he thought he could help out Miss McCall. Though I’m surprised he didn’t say anything to me," Margie commented pensively.
"Okay. Look, Margie, I’m going down to the ER. If John returns, tell him Chris is in recovery and I’ll talk to him as soon as I can. I’ll check back with you as soon as I know what’s happened downstairs."
"Of course, Dr. Brackett," the nurse responded. Kel Brackett hurried down the hall to the elevators. Had the whole world gone crazy? He shook his head in bewilderment as he stepped into the elevator.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The drive to Johnny’s house took Chandler longer than he had hoped because he really didn’t remember exactly how to get there. But eventually he found the right road and pulled into the drive. The fireman had moaned a few times but he really hadn’t moved. That worried Jimmy for a moment. He needed the fireman to help him find Crystal. He parked the Rover in front of the house, then went around to the passenger’s side to get the fireman out. He tugged at Johnny roughly pulling him out of the car and unsteadily to his feet. Confused, Johnny allowed himself to be pulled and half dragged to the house. His head was swimming with pain so he followed where he was led blindly.
As Chandler unlocked the door, he saw the note Johnny had left for Chris that morning.
Chandler crumpled the note with his free hand and threw it on the ground. He opened the door and pushed his prisoner in ahead of him. He guided Johnny to the couch and let the man sink prone onto the cushions. Perhaps that meant Crystal would be coming here any time now. Chandler felt delirious with anticipation at seeing her and being close to her. But he was hungry. He padded into the kitchen, hoping he’d fare better than the last time he raided the fireman’s pantry.
Johnny thought he heard someone moving around in the next room. He felt confused as he tried to reconcile himself as to where he was and how he had gotten there. In a rush, the day’s events came flooding back on him and he became fearful as he realized that he was tied up and that Chandler was in the other room.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Brackett couldn’t believe the chaos he found as he stepped off the elevator. A police officer tried to stop him but he brusquely informed him who he was. He joined Dixie at the base station.
"Oh! Kel! Am I glad to see you!" the head nurse shouted above the din.
"Dixie! What's going on?" Kel demanded just as loudly.
"County sent us thirty-five inmates to treat. Two of them got loose. I think they’ve found one of them. Kel it’s just been a nightmare down here!" she responded tensely.
"What’s our current status?" Brackett asked. Dixie looked down at her chart.
"Twenty have been treated and we’re trying to secure the area to get them back onto the prison bus. Kel, I can’t function like this. We’ve got to get these people out of here!" Kel could see that his friend and head nurse had reached her limits.
"I understand. Who's the officer in charge?" Kel responded sympathetically. With a gesture of her chin, Dixie pointed to an older black man dressed in a dark blue, three-piece suit. Captain Terrence Tobias was giving out orders to his men and was swamped by the situation at hand.
"Captain Tobias," she informed him. Dr. Brackett gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and headed down the corridor.
"Captain Tobias? I’m Doctor Kelly Brackett, head of emergency services. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have been here sooner but I was in surgery. I’d appreciate it if you would bring me up to speed on the situation here."
Captain Tobias looked at the doctor before him and took in his name again from the lab coat he wore. "Look, doctor, I’ve got my hands full at the moment." He checked his watch. "Can we meet in about fifteen minutes?"
Kel wasn’t too pleased but acquiesced to the officer in charge. "My office is down the hall. Why don’t we meet there? It will be less hectic."
Tobias grunted in response and turned his attention away from Brackett. Kel slammed his fist into his other hand in frustration and returned to the base station.
"Dixie, I’m meeting with Captain Tobias in my office in fifteen minutes...hopefully. What can I do in the meantime?"
"Joe could probably use a hand in treatment four. I’ve got four paramedics helping out and we’re diverting all calls to other hospitals until this is over."
"That’s good. Thanks Dix. You do a terrific job," he complimented her. Dixie rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well, you’re going to owe me one heck of a night out after this!"
Brackett chuckled as he made his way to the treatment room. "You’re on Dixie!"
"Hey Kel!" Dixie called after him. "How’s Chris?"
That stopped Kel as he realized he hadn’t found Johnny.
"She’s in recovery. Her prognosis looks good. I haven’t seen Johnny or Roy. Could you call them and let them know? She’ll probably be in her room in an hour or so," Kel informed her.
"Right away, Kel," Dixie assured him. She immediately picked up the phone and dialed Johnny’s number. When the answering machine picked up she left a brief message. "Johnny? It’s Dixie. Call me when you get this message. Thanks." She preferred not leave details on people’s machines because she never knew how they would handle them.
Chandler listened with interest to the short message. He became angry. Was the fireman two-timing his girl? He was incensed. He turned angrily to Johnny.
"Who the hell was that? Are you cheating on Crystal? You...you...S.OB.! How dare you?" Chandler screamed at the helpless man. Johnny winced with pain at the level of Chandler’s voice. It hurt his head. But he decided to keep his mouth shut. He figured Dixie was calling to let him know that Chris was in recovery. At least that was comforting. Chandler grabbed Johnny by the front of his shirt and pulled him up with murder in his eyes.
"Where is she? I want to know now!" Chandler demanded.
"I’m not telling you anything Chandler," Johnny responded evenly. Anger flashed in Jimmy’s eyes and in an instant his fist slammed into Johnny’s face. Johnny could taste the blood in his mouth from where his lip had split from the blow. He didn’t care what Chandler tried. There was no way he was going to tell him where Chris was. Johnny slumped back onto the sofa. Chandler was fairly wound up. He’d been drinking what beer Johnny had in the refrigerator and his mood was becoming ugly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Roy picked up the phone on the third ring. "Hello?"
"Hi Roy? It’s Dixie. I was trying to locate Johnny. Is he there?" the head nurse asked.
"Sorry, Dix. The last I saw of him I dropped him off at Chris’. That was a couple of hours ago. Did you try his house?"
"I left a message on his machine."
"I can’t imagine where he is! I thought he’d probably go back to the hospital," Roy commented.
"Well, I’m glad he didn’t. County had a prison fight and we’ve been deluged with prisoners to treat. It’s been a zoo here for the past three hours," Dixie informed him. "They even had a couple of prisoners escape."
"Did they recapture them?"
"One of them. The other is still missing and the hospital isn’t letting anyone in or out of the building until it’s been searched top to bottom."
"That’s awful! Look, I’ll see if I can find Johnny. Sounds like you have your hands full there."
"Thanks Roy. That’s an understatement. I need to go. It looks like they’re getting ready to transport the bulk of these prisoners back to the jail."
"Bye Dix. Thanks." Roy hung the phone up slowly. Something didn’t feel right about this. He dialed Johnny’s number.
"Johnny. It’s Roy. Dix called. I’m on my way over. Don’t go anywhere!" he recorded on the machine. He hung up, left JoAnne a note and headed out the door.
Chandler stared at Johnny. What was going on? Why was somebody coming over?
Johnny was laying as still as he could with his eyes closed, hoping that Chandler would think he had passed out. He dreaded the thought that Roy was on his way over but maybe it was a good thing. He hoped that maybe it would scare Chandler into leaving.
Chandler started to sweat. He couldn’t risk being discovered. He could take the fireman’s car and find another easy enough. Jimmy couldn’t take his hostage with him because right now he was dead weight. Plus his arm was throbbing. He needed some painkillers. The beer he had drunk wasn’t taking the edge off. He sat down in an armchair across from Johnny. He played with the knife he had taken from the fireman’s camping supplies. He looked over at the insensate man. It would be so simple to slit his throat while he was unconscious. All he had to do was pull his head up by the hair and with one swift slice, it’d be done. Simple. Yeah, that would be so easy and he wouldn’t have to worry about the fireman getting between him and Crystal ever again. A malicious smile curled his lips.
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End of Part 3, Continued in Part 4
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