Chapter 68

word count 1396

He wasn't certain when he felt awareness. He knew everything had blanked out, a total void. He ceased to be. But then suddenly he was back, conscious, but with a stabbing pain to the chest. Then it felt like someone slammed an elephant down on his torso from 20 stories knocking the breath out of him. And next the shaking, vibrating, so hard and fast it frightened the bejesus out of him, like he would next take off like a rocket. And then the motion slowed, and with one final jolt, he felt like he was floating. He, Detective Buzz Miller, was levitating above his hospital bed and looking down at himself unconscious below.

It should have worried him, but up there, he felt weightless and most importantly, at peace. In the next instant, a blinding light surrounded him, like someone flipped a light switch somewhere. He looked up and saw a beautiful tunnel. Ethereal, with a soft light...just looking at its magnificent glow brought a tear to his eye. It wasn't just simply beautiful, it was...holy, divine, spoke to him like he was a returning son. He knew he should feel unworthy. He was far from a religious man, but the tunnel beckoned him with a welcoming flicker. And then, he heard Jeannie. He turned to see her standing beside him.

"Buzz, dear! I know you love this place, but it's not your time!"

"What? Why?" He tried to touch her, but she had no substance. His hand went right through her angelic dressing gown. "I want to stay. If you're here, I want to be here with you!"

She shook her head no in a gentle movement. "No, Buzz! You have to go back! Our boy needs you!"

"No, I want to stay!" He grabbed for her again, but she was fading. He watched her blow him a kiss before she was gone.

Everything went blank until he realized he was back in the hospital bed again. He felt the weight of his body pressing against the sheets. The knee pain which was constant these days returned with its usual dull throb. He struggled to open his eyes. He didn't want to be here. Remembrances of being next to Jeannie filled him with joy. But the residue of his near-death experience drained away quickly as his eyes slowly opened and the reality of his hospital room took center stage. Soon Jeannie was of no more importance than a fading dream.

"Holy shit! I'm in the hospital again! What the fuck happened?" He groaned and then became aware of the surprising fact he was surrounded by doctors and nurses. One of them still held the defibrillator paddles.

"Well, that was a close one, Mr. Miller! But you're okay now!"

"Adam!" he said. "Where's Adam?" He asked the question, but he wasn't sure why. He just knew he needed to see his son.

***
Mrs. Dunn took a seat at the kitchen table. It seemed odd to be alone in the house, but her other accommodations wouldn't be available for another day yet. Adam was staying with his friend indefinitely while Mr. Miller was in the hospital. That boy's father was a mean-spirited fellow, but she hoped he survived and lived to have a long, prosperous life. It was the decent thing to think, and Mrs. Dunn was by all means a decent and upstanding woman.

She had packed her things and was planning to act as a floater for the agency until they knew what would happen with Mr. Miller. She would do short-term assignments or fill in for other live-ins whenever one needed time off.

But for today, she was free and spending her last day for a while at the Miller residence. She'd planned a special lunch for herself, choosing from whatever perishables were left in the fridge before she threw the balance away, anything that wasn't jarred or bottled. It wouldn't do to leave food in there to spoil. Today's menu, a turkey sandwich stacked high, with lettuce and mayo and a proper cup of tea.

It was six hours later Mrs. Dunn was rushed to the hospital. She ended up in the same unit as Buzz.

***

Hank yelled so loud Gil had to hold the phone away from his ear. "PICK ME UP! If you're going to get that piece of shit, I'm going with you!"

Gil took pause. Hank was on administrative leave, pending an investigation. Technically, he was no longer on the case. So screw them, he thought. Of course, he'd go and pick up Hank. If he lost his job over it, so be it. "I'll be there in 20 minutes, buddy!" he said.

It felt good in the car, chasing a scuzzbag perp together just like always. Gil had missed working with Hank. An idiot had been filling in, and it had been making Gil crazy. Well, maybe the guy wasn't so much an idiot as he just didn't understand the nuances of working with Gilberto Bettencourt. Not like Hank did, anyway.

It didn't take long for the conversation to go to Buzz.

"Did you hear about the boss?" Gil asked.

"What?"

"He collapsed at home. Turns out someone tried to poison him again. That along with the beating and house burning, all looks pretty suspicious."

"How is he?" Hank asked with tight lips that hid whatever emotion he felt.

"Well, when I left, he was in a coma...touch and go. Oh, that reminds me. I gave them my cell number. Would you check and see if it's on. I turned it off after I called you...force of habit." He nodded toward the phone on the dash.

"Yeah, it is off." Hank pressed the power button, then leaned back and closed his eyes.

Just when Gil thought his partner had dozed off, Hank spoke. "I loved her, you know. I blamed him, and I still do."

"I get it, man! But you gotta take it easy, ya know? If he did cause her harm, it wasn't deliberate so much as simply stupid."

"I know. The guy has always been a train wreck waiting to happen. He does everything the hard way. It made him ruthless. She wasn't strong enough to live with that.” He paused, as though thinking. “I'm still glad I punched him. I did that one for her. But I'll never do it again. He's not worth the effort."

"It'll be all right, man! I'm sure the review board will see what happened at the funeral parlor was all just emotions out of control during a very stressful time!"

"What about you, Gilberto? What are you going do when he finds out about you and Trudy?" Hank shot him an accusatory look.

"Oh, I don't know, man! I really have feelings for Trudy, whereas she's just a play thing for him. I might just call him on it...if he's in a good mood that day...ha, ha!" At the last remark when he laughed, Hank didn't join in.

"What about Trudy? How does she feel about you?"

"She has feelings for me, but she is fascinated by Buzz, the big, famous detective. She's married, too, but it's not a good marriage. My life is starting to sound like a soap opera, huh?"

Hank finally chuckled. It felt good. "I pity you, man!" he said.

"There's our exit!" Gil said, changing lanes. "I can't wait to officially arrest that piece of garbage."

"Hey, look at those two kids, on the sidewalk there, by the bus station."

"Huh? Yeah, looks like they just came out of there...Oh my Gawd! That's Adam Miller and his friend, Elliot! What the hell!"

As Gil made frantic maneuvers to get to the boys, his cell phone went off. Hank picked it up. "What? Are you sure? Okay, I'll tell him."

"What is it?" Gil asked as he pulled up by the boys, honking his horn at them.

"It's Buzz. He went into cardiac arrest, but he's okay. They defibbed him, and he's awake and conscious now but a little shook up. He keeps asking for Adam."

"Speaking of which, here he is," Gil said pulling up with one hand on the wheel and the other motioning for the boys to get in the car. It was clear from the expression on his face he wasn't kidding.