Chapter 6

Sounds were coming to him slowly, as was light. As he struggled to open his eyes, he groaned as the aches ran through his body.

“Jason, come-on wake up,” a voice said. He couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but as his eyes focused and he saw a beautiful brunette with angelic wings and a halo.

“I must be dead to see such a beautiful angel,” he groaned. He didn’t know much about angles. If she was his escort to the afterlife, it couldn’t hurt to hedge his bets on which direction she would lead him. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful. Maybe that was all angels.

“Now I know you hit your head,” the woman slapped his shoulder, gently but enough to move it. He groaned at the stiffness.

As he became more awake, he realized it was a more earthly angel. Selena, the daughter of the diner’s co-owner, the waitress. He focused on her as the EMT started checking his vitals and asking the usual questions. He answered but never looked at him, just at her. It was odd. He had been attracted to her since he first saw her. Young, beautiful and a body that showed she worked at keeping it but didn’t overdo it. From their interactions over the last several weeks, he knew she was a smart one as well. She was the reason he had found the diner in the first place, only after did she tell him her mother was the waitress and her father the cook.

She was a fun girl to be around. Still, it was an odd attraction because he normally didn’t go for younger women. His time with Cleo and Patrice had changed him in that. He took notice but just looked. He was in the library when he saw her. He had watched her and took pity on her when he saw what she was doing. He tried helping and things went from there. They had a friendly, nonsexual relationship. Had he been younger, it could have been like a big brother and little sister.

The EMT waved his hand in front of Jason’s eyes and chuckled. “Sorry” Jason took a breath wincing.

“No problem. Totally understandable. As I was saying, there is no sign of anything broken. You may have some fractured ribs. There are some abrasions and lacerations, a couple might need stitches. It could have been worse.” He pulled the dog tags off his clipboard. There was a huge dent in them. “Can’t say what it was, but it would have hit your heart if it had gone through.”

Selena was staring at the tags. She had seen them more than once. She wondered why he wore them, but never asked and he never said. Now she was happy he had been. Her hand reached and caressed against where they would have been. Her hand was soft on his hairy chest.

Jason tried not to react, but it was a sensitive spot at the time. But it also had a different feeling. Her touch made his skin tingle and the temperature rise.

“How long was I out?” he asked, trying to divert his attention.

“We just arrived. We were getting set to put you in the ambulance when started to come two. We can get you going. The hospital should run several tests to be sure there is no internal damage.”

Jason nodded as the EMT put his clipboard on his legs to help the driver move him in.

“Can I come?” Selena asked, refusing to let his hand go.

Both EMTs shook their heads. “No passengers other than patients. Policies for insurance reasons,” the driver told her. It was the truth, but not for the reason many usually think. There were too many cases of girlfriends or boyfriends attacking the EMT for the drugs or because they hadn’t kept the other alive.

Selena looked on as they pushed the gurney in. He didn’t know what it was about that look, but it hit him hard seeing her that way. “Keys to my car are on the table,” he shouted out to her. He would need a ride back home after they finished what they needed at the hospital. She was the only person he really knew outside her mother and father.

He had done two things since his arrival. Once he left the hotel for a weekly rental. And two, he bought a car. Well, an SUV. It may have been used, but it was almost new. He needed it and, like the rental, it was fully loaded. It was a lucky find. An Army lieutenant transferring to Germany needed a quick sale.

The ambulance was not using the siren since nothing was life-threatening. That made the trip longer. At the hospital, he zoned out the chatter as the EMT told them what he knew. The next thing he knew, they were opening his shirt and putting on the sensor wires to the bed monitor. And then they were helping him into one of those lousy gowns. It was a couple of hours with all the tests and stitches. That doctor had said they were admitting him for observation just as a precaution.

“I’m going to go arrange a room for you. Meantime, you have people here to see you,” he said.

Jason figured it was Selena and Astrid, maybe even Gus. Wrong. It was the police. A detective and a uniformed officer. They were there for his statement. They started there in the ER, but paused when they came to take him to a room. The rest of the interview went smoothly.

The detective put away his not book. “Well, it is fortunate that you were there. We got the statements from the owners and know the situation. Should have called us in sooner, but that was what they didn’t want. We are still trying to get a story on the gunman. He’s dead, by the way.”

Jason sat up. “I didn’t.”

“No, the first shots might have if he hadn’t been wearing a vest. He might have bled out from the injuries, but he opted to commit suicide with a high dose of poison. What we do know is he was a recent import for a local mob. We know he wasn’t after you, but since you interfered in their plans, they might take offense. Officer Stipes,” he nodded to the uniformed officer that had not spoken once, “will be posted at the door. Just a precaution. He will make sure you know his replacement. Only the duty nurse and the staff doctor will come in. They will check any other visitors with you prior to letting them in.”

Jason took a breath and winced. “And the limo?”

“Well, that is still being investigated. What I can tell you is that you were right to tell them to stay put, and a good thing they listened. No one was killed and all in all, everyone was very lucky.”

“Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket,” Jason shrugged.

Detective Meeks was about to comment when the door was pushed open and they heard, “It is here.” Officer Stipes move into the path and pulled it open to a stunned Selena and her parents. Jason laughed and groaned. “I think you just met the only three that would be possibly visiting the Lopez family.” They had their arms full of bags.

“Well, we have your information if we need anything else. I’ll leave you to your visitors.” He and Officer Stipes left, but the door was still open and they had just stopped at the nursing station.

Both Astrid and Selena gave him a kiss on the cheek after setting the bags down.

“What is all that?” he asked as he shook Gus’s hand.

“Well, the diner took some damage. We will be closed for a couple of days. We had stuff cooked, so we figured might as well bring you something better than hospital food. We just didn’t know how long you would be here.”

That was a bit of a lie. They did many dishes fresh and very little was prepared ahead of time. It took longer, but the food was much better. “Sorry. Five more seconds and it would have been more contained.”

Gus waved it off. “If you had done nothing, it would have been much worse. As it is, we just need to replace windows and clean up.”

Selena had pulled out a thermos from one of the bags and the smell of coffee was already permeating the air. She even had milk and sugar. She had been his waitress enough to know he always wanted more of that. This time, she made it all for him. That was like a signal to her parents. They started to dig in the bags, pulling out containers and plates. First, it was appetizers. Selena put a plate in front of him and then found the remote for the TV and turned on the game show program. As they ate, they were trying to answer the questions before the contestants. After that, it was off to the cooking channel. Halfway through, Gus jumped up.

“We forgot the other bags.” Then he was off with a skip out the door. Stopping slightly at Officer Stipes’ insistence. The officer looked in the room before letting Gus go on his way. He returned with three more bags. One was more food, desserts. The others had board games that he and Selena were going through. Astrid had taken his cup and hers to refill and saw the look in his face as he watched the two of them laughing and choosing a game.

“Family game night,” she explained. “Once a week, just a reminder of being together as a family.”

Jason sat up for more. “You all should be home, then. There is no need to be here.”

That got him a warning look. As she set the coffee in front of him and went to help pick a game. They picked monopoly, the electronic one. They chose the long play version, which was even longer as the Selena and her father chastised the chefs on the screen or made some other comments. It also didn’t help that it was their version of the game. Made it interesting for sure.

They must have watched several programs before a nurse came in. “Sorry, folks, but he does need some sleep. You can come back in the morning if you like.” She looked at Jason. “The next shift doctor has come on. She will be in to see you shortly. Unless something goes wrong, you won’t see her after. She just likes to introduce herself, just in case.” She was checking the monitor, and Jason saw how she sniffed the air. She looked around and saw the massive number of containers with the diner’s logo and name, Sueño. “That does explain why they didn’t order you food. Probably for the best. Tonight was fish on a bun, burnt potatoes, and cold green beans.”

“Yummy. I’ll take two orders to go. For them,” he pointed at Gus and Selena. “They can take it apart and give your cook their criticism.” That got him a razzberry from Selena and a grump from Gus, followed by a tirade about hospital food in general. They were starting to pack. Selena was arguing with her father quietly. “Guys, just leave it. Go home and enjoy the rest of your family night without needing to deal with an outsider intruding.”

Selena stopped and grabbed her bag before plopping a chair. “I’m staying.” She huffed.

Jason saw a child in her at that moment. He gave her a come here crook of his finger. When she got closer he took her hand.

“Go home. Enjoy the night with your parents. It is as important to them as it is to you. Come back in the morning if you want, but this is family time. Life is full of stress, Selena. Take what moments you can to relax and enjoy. You can sleep better in your bed than in that chair, anyway. You are always cranky when you don’t sleep well.”

She blushed but wasn’t moving. Astrid prompted Gus to get her. She protested but went with her father. The nurse followed them out.

Astrid closed the door and glared at him for a moment. “I heard a lot today. I’m still trying to put things together, but from what I got, you are a bit smarter than you let on these last couple of months. But it seems to me you are not smart in some things.” She stepped to the foot of the bed. “You told her about family. Thank you for that. But you need to start realizing that you are more family than a customer. You have done more than anyone Selena has ever brought home. You have helped Selena in many ways. You’ve stepped in to help Gus in the kitchen on more than one occasion and even helped me in the dining area. All without asking for a penny. Then there was today. Not many would have even been there knowing what was supposed to happen. Few get involved despite our protests. That made you family. Just accept it.” She unfolded her arms and moved to the door. Turning back just her head, she smiled. “There is one more thing that makes it more so. I’ll leave it for you to figure out, but so you know, we approve. I hope it hits you like a freight train, so it sticks.”

Jason sighed as she left. He hadn’t done anything special, years of training had kicked in. She was just rambling. He chalked it to the stress of the day and that it would be forgotten in a few days. He was flicking through the channels when he heard a laugh.

“Mile high club,” Dr. Kathy Stanton stood in the door. “After seeing your guests leave I was not expecting you. That is what I get for presuming.” She entered and went right for the machines he was attached to. She checked everything before opening the file she had carried in. “Looks like a bit of excitement for you. How are you doing?”

“Sore is about all. I think I’ll make it, Doc. Probably won’t be needing your services.”

“That is a good thing.” She made some notations as she checked the bandages on the lacerations. “I saw that sweet-looking one come out of here. Was she the one on the plane?” She asked in a softer tone.