Chapter 80

word count 1312


Gil rolled over and fought to catch his breath.

"Oh, baby!" he gasped.

"Uh-huh!" she agreed.

"How are we going to break the news to Hank that he never had a chance in this competition?" Gil got the words out somehow and still managed to shoot her a blazing smile.

"It doesn't seem fair, does it? I never even got to have dinner with him," she said. "How could I know you would sweep me off my feet before the appetizers even arrived."

"I have that effect on women...er, not that there are a lot of women...I'm a cop. Who has time for women?"

"I know. I'm a cop, too. Remember?" She planted a kiss on his arm, soon to be interrupted when Gil's cell phone rang in a muffled tone.

"Oh crap! Like I said, I'm...er, WE are cops. It never stops. Now I wonder where the damned cell is." Gil said it as he crawled out from the sheets, buck naked, to search. Clothes lay scattered in a trail along the floor starting from the doorway and leading to the bed. He kicked each item in turn as he went along until he felt something under his pants. After pushing the clothing aside with his foot, the ringing got louder. He turned to Simone and blushed.

"Must have fallen out of my pocket when I...er...'disrobed.'" He picked it up.

"What? Adam? Oh my God!" He listened, then switched the phone to the other ear. "Which hospital? Okay, I'll be there. Thanks, Hank!" He hung up and looked toward Simone, but his eyes gazed well beyond her to some other place.

"Gil, what is it?"

"The boss's son! He tried to kill himself! He's in the hospital right now."

"Do you mean Buzz Miller's son? I've never met him, but what a tragedy. Gil, are you going to the hospital?"

"Yeah, I know the kid real well. In fact, I got him out of a scrape a couple of times. His mom just died. He's had a rough time of it."

"I'm coming with you. My mom died when I was a kid. Maybe I can help."

"You are a jewel of a lady!" Gil kissed her long and hard.

***

At the hospital, only two people at a time could be with Adam. And it should have been only family. But with multiple badges flying in her face and "official police business" mantras coming at her left and right, the harried ICU nurse threw her hands up in despair and let everybody who wanted to wait in tiny "family" area down the hall whether they were family or not. But she insisted only two at a time could visit the boy. The others remained confined to the tiny room to wait their turns.

Trudy and Buzz had arrived first and went right in to Adam. He'd gotten a blood transfusion and the color was coming back to his cheeks. Tubes and monitors operated in the background, keeping him stable, recording his vitals. The scent of alcohol lingered in the air, cementing the concept of the room being impersonal and sterile, a hospital through and through.

"I can't believe this has happened. Why would he do this? I know he hated me. I know he didn't want me around, but this...why would he hurt himself like this? What have I done?" The big man broke down into sobs, gasps that he tried to hold in but they escaped in a succession of muffled whimpers.

"Ah, Buzz, don't blame yourself, hon!" Trudy said it as gently as she knew how. But the words came out sounding blaring and rash. Nothing Trudy said ever sounded gentle.

They hobbled back to the waiting room, bumping into Hank and John, who had arrived while they were away. Upon seeing each other, the four stopped short and stared.

"Boss, what the fuck? Did you bail her out?" Hank said.

"Trudy, what the hell are you doing with him?" John added.

Trudy took offense on both counts. She broke away from Buzz to stand her ground against the other two.

"Look here, you Bozos! Buzz and I like to be together. And I might add, he was the only one who took enough pity on me to come and help me get outta jail. So you two can go to hell for all I care! Mind yer own damn business!"

"Trudy, last I checked, we were still married!" John hissed the words. He didn't care what the hell happened to her, but dammit, this was embarrassing. His so-called wife shacking up with another man. Couldn't she wait until the divorce was finalized?

"Boss, Jeannie just died. How can you disrespect her memory like this?" Hank flushed a brilliant red, looking angry enough to take a swing at Buzz.

Buzz stepped forward. He pointed a big, pudgy index finger in Hank's face. "We aren't sleeping together, not that it's any of your business, Bower. In fact, Jeannie was MY wife, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop surmising what you think she'd feel as though YOU were her husband and not ME!"

"IS THAT RIGHT?"

Hearing the commotion, Nurse Ritchie dashed from the nurses' station. Turning a swift left around the corner and into the waiting room, she zoomed in to step between the two men.

"Gentlemen! This is an intensive care unit! No fighting, and for goodness sake, be quiet! Think of our patients!" Her curly red hair got tousled in the process, not to mention her uniform. She whooshed and blew a renegade wisp of hair off her forehead before leaving with her head held high.

"I expect you people to behave in here." She said on her way out.

All was quiet, not a peaceful quiet, but a contentious one, the kind where no one looks anyone else in the eye or even in their general direction. But rather each individual closes off into his own private space to brood.

It was at this point that Gil and Simone arrived. It all started up again.

"Hey, guys! We got here as fast as we could!"

Hank lifted his eyes to see who came in and jumped up in outrage.

"BETTENCOURT! What the hell?"

"Look, look, I know you were supposed to have dinner with Simone, too, and all that. But, my friend, once she sat down at a table with me, the contest was over!"

Hank was so angry he was ready to launch himself like a missile in Gil's direction, fists flying. “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” he yelled.

Trudy had been watching and was not pleased. She ran over and pushed her face up close to Gil's, their noses almost touching. He could feel her hot exhale on his cheek. He jumped to the defensive.

"Now, doll! We weren't exclusive, you know! Besides, look at this--you're back with the boss again.”

"Leave me out of it!" Buzz said. "She's just here as my friend. Besides my wife just died, you freakin' animal! What kind of man do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're any kind of animal, well, you are the mammal kind in a scientific sense, but so am I..."

Hank broke in, "I think you're an animal! I don't think you should be seen with Trudy at all!"

"Who?" Gil asked. "Me?"

"NO, NOT YOU, you idiot! HIM!" He pointed at Buzz.

On hearing Hank yell, Simone roared at him. "CAN YOU SEE WHY I DIDN'T GO OUT WITH YOU? You insensitive, intolerant..."

Trudy got in her face, "Hey, look, you whore! Who are you to call someone insensitive when you're out with my guy! I HATE YOU!"

Nurse Ritchie stormed in the doorway, stethoscope askew, hair a wreck, out of breath. "Will you people PLEASE keep it down. You've woken up Adam!"