Safety In Numbers

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the character of John Carter, but the rest of the characters are created with my overactive imagination. Again, my thanks to Detective Tom Rich for his guidance, and the use of his name, and his personality, as well as his wife, Dawn.


Helen fell back asleep after two more extra-strength Tylenol and a good cry after Mrs. Carter had left. She was rolled up into a tight ball, and Stephanie watched her intently for several minutes. Aunt Helen had been with Stephanie through some of the most painful times in her 30 years, and she wouldn't let her down. She would stay as long as she was needed. The phone call Stephanie received at school, still in her mind, "You're aunt has been in a uh…accident…" The nursing supervisor then explained that Stephanie was the only one listed as her next of kin. Stephanie heart had practically beat out of her chest, next of kin, those words…"She's in the hospital, and we wanted to notify you." Stephanie finally breathed, breathed a sigh of relief. She thought she was going to be told that Aunt Helen had died. Stephanie quickly wiped away the tears that had rolled down her cheek at the words, "next of kin." She took in another deep breath, "What happened?" She had asked.

"She was assaulted in the parking garage here at the hospital. We understand that the man responsible is under arrest, and she was very lucky. A co-worker walked in on the attack before…uh…anything else could happen."

"I'll be on the next plane." Stephanie numbly handed the phone back to the school secretary, and spoke to the principal. It took her 20 minutes to be out of there, back to her apartment, and another 10 to pack. She was at the airport an hour after the call, on her way to Chicago.

Stephanie sat in the only chair in the room, and watched as her aunt slept, the tears rolling down her cheeks. 'How could someone hurt you?' Stephanie was so thankful that she was okay, but pissed that someone had seen fit to bring harm to the person who had been like a mother to her. She wanted to see this 'assailant' herself. Stephanie was surprised when she had asked Helen's nurse if Dr. Carter had been in to see her, and was given a negative answer. They were so close, John had to know what had happened, if he didn't Stephanie would make sure to give him a call as soon as she could. She didn't want to leave the room, and didn't want to wake her aunt by using the phone next to her. She would wait, and call later.

**********************************

"Carter?" Peter shook his arm, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you just fine Dr. Benton." His voice was hoarse, "could you please stop shaking me, it's uncomfortable."

"I'll just bet." Peter mumbled under his breath.

"I checked the pulse ox and my respirations, I figured you and Dr. Corday got tied up, there was no one around, I had turned my light on, no one showed, and it wasn't like I could yell or anything." Carter's voice sounded like someone who had swallowed gravel.

"You really shouldn't be talking." Peter said, unimpressed by his former student's tale.

"I just wanted you to know that." He turned toward Peter and pulled the chart down, "You can write it down if you feel the need."

"I may just do that to cover my own ass Carter, Elizabeth will be pissed, and I'm the guy who going to be at the other end of her temper, not you." Peter was starting to lecture again, "and by the way, I was in charge of you, by her orders, so don't go getting the idea that you're going to start randomly pulling tubes, that is NOT going to happen, do you hear me?"

John had rolled over.

"Carter?" Peter moved to the other side of the bed, "Carter?" He called sternly followed by a heavy sigh. He was fast asleep. Peter decided to seize the opportunity while he was holding still, and get a portable chest x-ray to make sure the lung was holding up, and he didn't cause any further damage. "With patient's like this," Peter mumbled under his breath, "I could go into a very lucrative private practice."

"Right." John mumbled half-asleep, "what with that winning bedside manner, and that patient-loving personality, yeah…"

Peter looked up startled, "I hate it when you do that! Carter?"

John slumped back into the covers, feigning sleep again, hoping it would come if he willed it to. That sometimes worked. He hoped this time it would, he wasn't up for a Peter Benton tirade lecture session. He just didn't have the energy right now.

"All right Carter, if you want to play it that way, fine, I'm ordering a portable chest film, if the lung is okay, and the output from the JP and the chest tube are minimal, you'll be out of here in a day, if you behave." Peter continued writing in the chart, and looked over briefly, noting a small smile cross his patient's face. Peter Benton was not amused.

Within a few minutes, the x-ray was done, and John was moved to the regular surgical floor. He had requested to get up in the chair and get moving, before Peter had even written the order, or even had a chance to give him the Incentive Spirometer, pneumonia lecture. He was sitting as comfortably as possible, under the circumstances, when the knock came at the door.

His Gamma entered, and she sat on the side of the bed, gazing intently at him, "You…" Was all she had to say.

"I'm fine Gamma, really, I'll be out of here in a day, I feel fine, really." John took her hand, she looked worse for wear, "how's Helen doing?"

"I just came from her room, she had a splitting headache, and I left her when she fell asleep. I got the feeling that she didn't want to be alone."

"Good, thank you." John said quietly. "Did you get a chance to talk with her?"

"A bit, she didn't really want to talk about it though."

John just nodded his head in understanding.

*******************************

"No, the other drill bit Jake!" Tom was trying to hold the door, and the screw, and give orders to Jake about installing the damned thing, and was started to lose it.

"There's only about 12 of the things!" Jake held up two at a time, and waited for Tom's "yes that one!"

It took them almost an hour, but the door was up, and they had installed several locking devices, and Tom finished it off by putting a big red bow on the door. He taped the card to the front door. "Okay, let's go home, thanks Jake." He clapped the younger man on the back as they left the building.

**********************************

Helen stirred slightly in the bed, and Stephanie was instantly on her feet.

"Aunt Helen?" She said quietly.

"Hmm?" Helen rolled over, and met Stephanie's gaze.

"How are you feeling?"

"Stephanie, how on earth?" Helen stared fully awake.

"The nursing supervisor called me, I was so worried! How are you?"

"Better now, really, this headache is finally gone! I have never had such a headache in my life, not even in my drinking days!" Helen gave a short laugh.

Stephanie moved toward her and embraced her, "No, Aunt Helen, how ARE you?"

"I'll be fine honey, I'm sorry they worried you."

"I'm not! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!"

"Stephanie, have you seen John yet?"

"No, I came directly here, why?" Stephanie's tone was slightly suspicious.

Helen didn't know where to start, she had parted company with Millicent Carter, the older woman telling her she would call her with an update. Helen had no idea how long she'd been gone. She was beginning to worry.

Helen frowned.

"What is it Aunt Helen?" Stephanie asked.

"When did you last talk to him?" Helen asked.

"Aunt Helen, I talked to him two days ago, why are you being so evasive? Is he back together with his ex-girlfriend? Kerry? Wasn't that her name?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh, no, no, nothing like that, it's just that…" Helen was being evasive, "Did the nursing supervisor tell you that the attack was stopped because I was helped by a co-worker?"

Stephanie put the two together, her aunt's evasiveness and this last sentence, realization dawned, "What's happened to John?" She asked.

"Right now, I'm not exactly sure." Helen went on to relay the story to Stephanie, leaving out the part where she kicked the guy in the crotch too many times to count, up to and including their attacker, coming back to the apartment.

Stephanie sat there, momentarily stunned.

Helen covered her face in her hands, she didn't want to start crying again, the headache was finally, thankfully gone.

"Aunt Helen, do you want me to go check on him for you?" Stephanie asked, concerned for her Aunt, but also genuine concern for the gentleman who she was growing very fond of.

"Yes, if you would Steph…Mrs. Carter was supposed to report back, and I haven't heard from her, and well, I'm getting more worried by the minute."

Stephanie gave her aunt a hug, and went out to the nurse's desk He was in what she called a "regular" room. Stephanie would not have known the difference, she guessed the nurse assumed she was in the medical field, it happened a lot with her when she was younger, as much as she and Helen were together, I guess people just assumed. Stephanie acted like she knew what the nurse was talking about, and wrote down the room number. She went back to her aunt's room to let her know the information she had obtained. Then, she went off in search of his room.

******************************

Jose was miserable. They would not let his mother in to see him, and the cop told him he would be tried for an adult for this one, no juvenile hall this time. Jose was, for the first time in his meaningless life, scared. Where were his 'friends' now? He thought to himself. Some friends. This had been very costly for Jose, he had lost his vision in his eye, albeit the doctor said temporarily. Thankfully, they were able to save the eye itself. His arm was broken in three places, and he had broken a rib. He guessed that happened sometime in the parking garage. He hurt all over. He rolled over, a tear slipped from his good eye. He was scared. There was a guard posted at the door. He wouldn't even need that. He wasn't going anywhere. He never planned on doing something this stupid again. His poor mother. What had he done now? Jose realized that the drugs he had sent coursing through his body for months now, were finally gone, he could think clearly. He had screwed up and screwed up big. He was a shaky and miserable.

The nurse came in, as well as a rehab doctor. He talked at length with the rehab doctor. He wanted to get clean. Try to put his life back together, but most of all, he wanted to apologize to the people whose lives he had disrupted. He didn't know if they would even listen, he had to try. He asked for a paper and pen. They allowed him to have these objects, but only with a nurse in the room. He was now on suicide precautions. He guessed he must have spilled his guts a little too much to the rehab doctor. Killing himself, although it had briefly crossed his mind, was not an option. It would kill his mother, and he was all she had left. He had lost two brothers to gangs, and he would not put his mother through that again. Jose wrote his brief note. He asked the nurse to deliver it to John Carter, he knew he was in the hospital somewhere, probably working. Jose didn't think he had inflicted near as much physical damage to the doctor, as he had inflicted on him. God, what was he thinking? Jose had handed off the note, and hugged himself tightly. He was crying in spite of himself. He never cried, maybe that was part of what his problem was. He never allowed himself to feel anything but anger. Now, he didn't feel anger. What he felt was completely alien to him. It was remorse.

*************************************

"Hey doc, how're doin?" Tom asked, "Oh, sorry didn't know you had company."

John looked momentarily confused, Tom was out of uniform, and John had no idea who this was.

"Uh…I'm Detective Rich, I'm the one who found you, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. We do need to take your statement, do you think you can do that now?" Tom asked.

"Oh, hey, yeah. Thanks." John replied.

Millicent Carter excused herself, so the two could talk. She was introduced to the policeman, and her small hand was engulfed in his big one, as the officer nervously shook it.

"I'll be outside John." Millicent made her way outside the door, passed the guard, and found a chair to sit in while they talked.

Tom pulled up a chair, and his notepad came out of his pocket. He wasn't surprised when the first thing Dr. Carter asked about was how Jose was. He told him his condition, and then got back to the task at hand. He went over with John, everything he could remember, in excruciating detail. They were interrupted, by a nurse, delivering a note for Dr. Carter.

Tom intercepted, and thanked the nurse. When she had told the doc who is it was from, Tom thought he ought to read it over first. It could be a threat, and this guy didn't need that, anyway, it was technically evidence now. Tom read it over, amazed, and a little confused. Either this kid was trying to pull one over on all of them, or he was finally feeling remorse for his actions. Tom doubted the second. He had been around way too long to believe in remorse for some. Jose had not struck him as a remorseful person. From what the doctor had told him though, he seemed pretty high during their encounters in the parking garage and at his apartment. Maybe the kid, off the drugs, was able to think clearly. Tom wiped the thought from his head as he handed the note to the doctor.

He read it thoughtfully, and folded it. No expression on his face whatsoever. He looked up at Tom, "What will happen to him?" He asked.

"He'll be tried as an adult this time. He's been in trouble before doc, so don't think for a minute that this was a one time event. He just went over the line this time, way over the line. Don't be feeling sorry for him, you understand that? He's the criminal, not you."

"Yeah, but he's just a kid." John said.

"In age only Dr. Carter." Tom continued his questions as they reconstructed the events of the previous day, ending with Tom's attempts at CPR and his ride to the hospital.

Tom smiled sheepishly at John, "Uh…" he stammered, "By the way, uh…sorry about the ribs."

"No problem, and it really wasn't your fault. The kick pretty much did me in, of course having two ribs broken didn't help either." John laughed at Tom's obvious discomfiture, followed by a burst of coughing. He held onto his chest, it burned like hell, and ached. "Mental note to me" he thought, "No laughing."

"You all right doc?" Tom asked.

"I'm good, you just looked…" John got the coughing under control, "it was just funny, it happens all the time Officer Rich, really, don't worry about it."

"You can call me Tom, and it's never happened to me. I was never much into the medical stuff, and well, you know, sometimes, I just don't know my own strength. Dawn tells me all the time, that I'm a bull in a china cabinet. I think she's right."

"Dawn? Your wife?" John asked.

"Yeah, great gal, has a mouth on her, doesn't let me get away with anything." Tom smiled thinking of Dawn's reaction to the news that he had broken a doctor's ribs. She was on the phone first thing, ordering flowers for the guy. Tom tried to tell her, guys don't get flowers, how about we send him a six pack? Dawn had just given him an irritated look, and picked up the phone. "God Tom," she had said, "you're such a…" that's when the florist thankfully picked up the line. Tom just stood there with what Dawn called his "What?" Look on his face.

"You got a girlfriend? From the look of your apartment, I could kinda tell you're not married." Tom said.

"No, not married, but have a 'friend.'" John was started to get winded, and Tom knew he had reached the end of the conversation.

"I'll let you get back to bed, you need to rest. We'll talk some more tomorrow all right?" Tom asked if he needed to get his nurse, John declined, stating he could get back to bed himself, but thanked him anyway.

As Tom left, he saw a very worried lady walking toward the doc's door, that must be 'the friend' Tom thought. He needed to get moving, and get Mrs. Nussbaum's statement. She was feeling so bad, he didn't get many details, and any good case has to have details. Tom was a stickler for them. He made his way up to Mrs. Nussbaum's room. He felt a little better for coming clean with the doc, the door, the flowers Dawn had ordered for him, and an apology, he hoped the doc didn't hold grudges. He didn't seem like the type, thank God for that.

*******************************************

John was about to get up from the chair, he held onto the armrests on both sides, and pushed. He guessed he'd just been sitting too long. He was pretty sure his back end had gone to sleep. He had only intended to sit up half an hour, and he was surprised when he looked at the time. He had been sitting here for almost two hours now. He tried to push himself up again, and only succeeded in moving further toward the end of the chair. He would have to call for help. He hated that. He was cursing under his breath, and he didn't even notice Stephanie standing at the doorway, quietly observing his progress, or lack thereof.



Part 8
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