On the Streets for Alison

  Chapter Twelve

  Later that evening all the girls were in their own hospital rooms with their families and many cops and FBI agents roaming the halls and watching the doors. Agent Munoz had Mac and I in a conference room, giving us the evil eye. We had been in there for a half hour in silence when James showed up and nodded his head at Agent Munoz. Agent Munoz turned to us and finally sat down. “Okay, guys, James has been with the local cops filling them in on the path of destruction you left in your wake. In addition, it seems you were telling the truth about what happened. Nevertheless, there will be many more questions to come later. I would suggest you not leave the state any time soon, but you are welcome to go home for now.”

  Mac stood up and started to walk out of the room, but stopped just in front of James, “Thanks,” he said and nodded at Agent Munoz and walked out the door.

  Agent Munoz just shook his head back and forth, while James looked at the door Mac just walked out of.

  I stood. “Wow, I think he actually got choked up there for a millisecond.” I shook both their hands and left the room. I wanted to check in on Sam and Alison before I left. Sam’s parents were also in the room and when I walked in the room, I saw all of them crying still, but they were on at the end of it. Mac was whispering in Alison’s ear and she gave him a hug; the best she could with all the hoses hanging off her. He straightened up, started to walk out, and was stopped by Mrs. Peterson. She gave him a full on hug and I didn’t think she would let him go for a second there, and I knew he was having a hard time but would pull through it without anyone else knowing. Finally, she let go. Mr. Peterson was next; he just put his hand out, and Mac blew out a little air. “Thank you, son.” Mac just nodded. He walked over to Sam and put his hand out, but Sam surprised him and gave him a hug and I guess it was more than Mac could take.

  “Oh my god, really?” Mac said.

  “Yep, a full hug from a gay guy,” Sam said with a little bit of a high pitch to his voice. Then he reached around and pinched Mac’s ass. Mac jumped back and the room filled with laughter. “Gotcha.”

  “Nice. Okay my work here is done,” Mac said as he reached for his phone walking out the door.

  Then it was my turn to make the rounds. When I got to Alison, I told her, “If you need anything, I mean anything, please call me.” I slipped my card into her hand and then I realized she already had a card there.

  She grabbed the card from me and said, “Mac said the same thing.” She grabbed my face and gave me a peck on the check. Then straightened my face close to hers. “Thank you.”

  I took a second before saying, “You’re very welcome.” I walked out the door looking for Mac, he was at the end of the hall on the phone. By the time I got to him, he had hung up. “That girl is going to need a lot of help to get over this.”

  “There is some on the way now,” Mac said as we walked down the hall.

  I turned to him in a little shock. I just looked at him while we walked until he couldn’t take it anymore.

  “What!?” he asked.

  “What did I miss? I’ve known you since we were eighteen, I must have missed something before that to cause all this concern with this case,” I said.

  Mac stopped walking which made me turn to him and look him in the eye. “A story for later, please, I’m calling Toni and we’re going out if I have to drag her from her room.” He turned and started walking again while he reached for his phone. We got outside and he hung up. “I’ll drop you at the office if that’s okay?” Mac asked.

  “Nope, you go straight to her. I’ll get a cab,” I told him.

  “Are you sure?” he asked like a kid who was just told he could stay out all night.

  “Yes, I’m going to call Annabel on my way. Go have some fun, you deserve it,” I told him.

  He took off toward his truck and I turned and reached for my phone, I just got the number entered and I heard a MP5 going off and a crack sound goes by my head. I dropped my phone, reached for my gun, and turned toward the sounds. As I did, I felt what I could describe as a fire in my calf. I knew instantly I was shot. Wasn’t the first time. I finished my turn and saw a Chevy Tahoe with someone in the back seat shooting. I lined up my shot on him first. Pulled the trigger and saw his gun go out of sight. Then I set my sites on the front end of the truck and unloaded the rest of my clip into the tires and motor. The truck stopped almost twenty feet in front of me and I took a few steps limping while I swapped magazines for my gun, then the passenger of the truck started to pull his arms out of the window and I shot him twice in the head, as I walked to the truck I aimed at the driver. “Is there anyone else in the car?” I yelled at him. He threw his hands up.

  “Jesus, man, no. I’m all that’s left. Please don’t shoot me,” he begged.

  “Turn the key off and throw it out the window. NOW!” I yelled again. He did it.

  Then I heard in the background people yelling, “Put the gun down.”

  I figured they were talking to Mac or me so I said, “Not until I see someone else with a gun on this guy.” James walked up to me with his hand out and his other hand with a gun pointed at the driver.

  I handed him the gun, looked him in the eyes. “Mac’s been hit….” I didn’t let him finish the sentence. I turned to look for Mac. “Behind the red car.” I ran over the best I could. I got around the car and saw a male nurse holding something to his stomach and another holding something to his head. I stopped at the sight of the blood on his head.

  “Mac!?” I screamed. I looked at the nurse holding his head.

  “It just grazed his head, the stomach is more serious,” He said.

  Then there was a team with a gurney and the next thing I knew he was on his way in the door. I was somewhat dazed when a good-looking blond nurse said, “Sir, are you alright?”

  “Yes,” I said, looking at her.

  Then on my other side, Agent Munoz walked up to me. “Raph, your leg is bleeding. Did you get shot?”

  I never took my eyes off the door Mac was just rolling through, “Oh yeah, I think maybe I was.” There was some screaming and then I was shoved onto a wheelchair and rolled into the same door. I wasn’t dazed from being shot. I never saw Mac look like that. Thinking of it, I said aloud, “I don’t even think I have ever seen him sleep.”

  Agent Munoz leaned down and said, “What was that?”

  “Mac, I don’t think I have ever even seen him sleep. All these years I don’t remember him ever having his eyes closed that long,” I said it slowly like my brain was processing it at half speed.

  Agent Munoz said, “You better hurry, I think he’s going into shock.”

  “No,” I said. “I just never thought about it until just now. Although something for the pain might be good.” I was on a table and the same blond nurse was taking a pair of scissors to my pants. “Damn, I was just thinking you were pretty and now look what you have done. I like these pants.”

  She smiled. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

  I hadn’t noticed, but another nurse had started an IV and I could feel the pain ease up. “Well, see, now you’re pretty again.” I looked at the nurse who was fixing my IV, he was around five feet six and had a beard. “You’re not so pretty, but I like you too.” I knew the pain meds were working now; I felt light headed.

  The nurse with the beard said, “Honey, one night with me and you will never look at her again.”

  “Huh, well leave me your number and maybe…” I trailed off after a thought. “Where’s Agent Munoz?”

  “I’m here,” he said.

  “I need our phones, mine and Mac’s.”

  “They are part of a crime scene,” he said. “And for goodness sakes, I’m sure whatever call you need to make can wait.”

  “No, Mac just called Toni and made a date. She should know what’s going on,” I said.

  Agent Munoz nodded to another agent and that agent left the room. Then was back in what seemed like just a minute. “Get the last number off Mac’s phone.”
r />   I jumped in, “Mine too.” Agent Munoz looked at me. I just grinned. “What?”

  “You have a hole in your leg and you want to make a date?” he asked.

  “Well, I’m not sure.” I turned to the doctor who was looking at my leg. “When will I get out of here you think?”

  “Couple of days, if you’re lucky,” he said.

  “Him I don’t like,” I said to Agent Munoz.

  “Really, while he has all the sharp tools in the room?”

  “Call the numbers, please. Toni for Mac and Annabel for me,” I said.

  The doctor looked at me again, “Sorry doc, I was just messing around.”

  “I don’t care about that, the bullet is still in there. We are going to take you to surgery to get it out,” the doctor said.

  “I need to know how Mac is doing first,” I said.

  “We really need to get going, sir,” the doctor said.

  “Fine, then find out how he is and we can go.”

  Agent Munoz nodded at the same agent again and he took off again.

  “Thanks,” I said to Agent Munoz.

  He nodded again. I asked, “Do they teach that nod at FBI school?”

  He nodded again. I said, “Ask a stupid question.”

  The agent came back and started to walk to Agent Munoz, “Just tell him.”

  The same nod from him, “Still critical, but they have him in surgery and will not know until they look in there. They only just started and it will be some time before they have any answers.”

  I looked up at Agent Munoz, “And the driver?”

  “We’ve got him and will question him,” he said.

  I looked at him for a second longer than anyone else in the room was comfortable with. Never taking my eyes off him I said, “Okay Doc, let’s go I guess.” They started all kinds of work to get me out of there. “Make those calls please and get Toni here. They really have something, I think.” It was the last thing I remember saying.