Chapter 5

Al Green became aware of himself. His mind was fuzzy and he had no idea where he was. As time passed, he had no way of telling how long, he started to feel his body. Everything hurt. He could feel a sharp pain in his left side every time he took a breath. Surprisingly he wasn't afraid, just curious. His eyes hurt. He could tell that it was light around him, but couldn't manage to get his eyes to open.

He tried moving first one arm, then the other. They would move, but only a short distance. It was if he were tied to the bed. Yes. It was a bed. He was lying on his back, not like last night Was it last night? when he had been tied to a chair. The bindings on his hands were at least comfortable. God! Last night, he thought. I wonder what happened. I thought they'd kill me."

The only thing about Al that seemed to be working properly were his ears. He heard what sounded like a grocery cart being pushed somewhere nearby. "Maybe I'm being held prisoner in a Safeway," he thought. He smiled. God, that hurt! Then he heard something that made things a little more clear.

"Dr. Marzetti, please report to the OR."

OK, I'm in a hospital. That means I'm probably safe. Al relaxed and continued to take stock of his body. His legs appeared to be restrained, as well as his arms. He could move all four appendages, so there probably wasn't anything broken. He flexed his stomach muscles and again winced from the pain. Battered and bruised, but probably nothing serious.

Al heard light efficient footsteps approaching. "Good morning Mr. Green. How are you feeling this morning?"

Al smiled mentally, it was too painful to do it physically. "I'm better than I expected to be, Nurse..."

"Roberts." The nurse supplied.

"I am worried about my eyes, Nurse Roberts. I can't see anything."

"That's quite understandable, Mr. Green. Your eyes are swollen shut. The doctor will be in shortly and he'll discuss your condition with you. In the mean time, I have a visitor for you if you feel up to it. She says she's Mrs. Green."

Al tried to move. "Thank God," he said. "Please bring her in." Al could hear the nurse leaving without another word. He wondered where efficiency left off and rudeness began.

Al must have started to doze off, because the next thing he knew, a soft hand was holding his. "Thank God you're here, Linda. Do I look as bad as I feel?"

"I don't know what the other guy looks like, but I'd say you lost." A soft feminine voice replied.

"What the hell's going on here? You're not Linda. Would you like to tell me who you are before I yell for the nurse?"

Bonnie smiled to herself. "Not bad. He's keeping his cool." Out loud, she replied. "I'm sorry to have deceived you, Mr. Green. They wouldn't have let me in if they knew I wasn't family. My name is Bonnie Gillespie. I'm with the Chronicle."

Al could feel the anger building. In the last 48 hours his brother had been killed and he had been brutally beaten. He wasn't ready for the press. The way he felt he probably never would be. He kept his voice neutral as he said. "Well, Ms. Gillespie, I'm afraid you wasted your acting ability. I have no comment for the press, especially since I haven't even talked to the police yet. Please leave before I have to start screaming."

Bonnie wasn't about to give up yet. "Please, Mr. Green, just one or two questions. Do you think the same people beat you who murdered your brother? Do you have any idea what they wanted? Do you think they meant to kill you?"

Al let his anger boil over. At the top of his voice he shouted. "Get out! Nurse Roberts, get this person out of here!"

In a couple of minutes he could hear Nurse Roberts entering the room. "Please calm down, Mr. Green. What's the problem?"

"She's the problem. Get her out of here." Al was nearly shouting, and his face hurt when it contorted with anger. This didn't improve his disposition any.

"There's no one here, Mr. Green. Are you talking about Mrs. Green?" The nurse's calm voice did not help Al's anger in the slightest.

"She wasn't Mrs. Green. She's an imposter. What do you mean, she's not here. Did you see her leaving?"

"No, Mr. Green, I didn't see her leave. She could've gone down the back stairs though."

Al's fury was still there, under the surface, but he managed to make his voice sound a little more calm. "Well... thank you, Nurse Roberts. Please make sure she doesn't get back in here."

"I'll do that, Mr. Green." Nurse Roberts looked perplexed as she turned to leave.

Al had just started to calm down when he heard a door open.

"Bye bye, I'll see you when you're feeling better."

Al heard footsteps leaving at a controlled but rapid pace.

"What a brass plated bitch," he thought. Al realized she must have been hiding in the bathroom, and even though he resented her intrusion, he had to admire her for her resourcefulness.

Al drifted in and out of sleep over the next couple of hours. He was again awakened by Nurse Roberts. "You have another visitor, Mr. Green. I'm almost afraid to say it, but she says she's Mrs. Green. Do you want to see her?"

Al thought for a moment, then asked. "What does she look like?"

"She's about your age, with dark brown hair and blue eyes."

Although she was making a statement, there was a question in her voice.

"That sounds like the real Mrs. Green. Sure, bring her in."

A few minutes later Al heard Linda approaching. He could hear the tension in her voice as she began to speak in the soft quiet tones reserved for hospitals and churches. "Oh, my God, Al. Who did this to you? Are you OK? Can you talk?"

Al smiled, then regretted it. This was Linda. "Hi, Linda. Yes, I can talk. I probably feel better than I look. I hurt all over, but I hear that I look worse."

Linda sighed and stroked his hand. It was good to hear some spirit in his voice. She had been afraid he would be worse. He sure looked worse. "I'm sorry I didn't get over sooner, but I had to find a sitter. Lt. Slavens called me late last night. He said you were in the ICU, but when I got here they said they'd moved you to a regular room during the night. Are you really feeling alright? The nurses wouldn't tell me anything about your condition."

"Yeah, I'm fine. They won't tell me anything either. They keep saying the doctor will tell me everything, but he hasn't been in yet. How are the girls doing? Have you told them about Sam? I've been worried about you guys." Al had been picturing all kinds of scenarios, some involved the girls being kidnapped, or Linda being raped and tortured.

There was a quaver in her voice as she answered. "Yes, I told them. They don't seem to really understand what it means. They haven't reacted much at all yet. I dread the funeral. I've asked for a closed casket. I don't want them to see him dead. I want them to remember him alive and healthy."

Al could understand what she meant. He wished that he had never seen Sam in the condition he was in at the Morgue. He quickly changed the subject. "Did Lt. Slavens say anything else last night?"

Linda thought for a moment. "Not much. He had no idea how you had gotten where you were. He said a neighbor had complained to the police about strange lights and sounds coming from the building. When they showed up, two guys took off. They couldn't catch the guys, so they're still out there. Kind of gives you the creeps."

"Linda, I don't want to frighten you unnecessarily, but they were after the process for the polyhedrons. That's about the only thing they said to me. I'm afraid you and the girls might be next." Al could feel the startled jerk of the hand holding his as he said this, but he continued anyway. "Is there any where you could go away for a few days... somewhere no one would think of? I'd feel a lot better, knowing you and the girls were safe."

Although he couldn't see her, Al could hear the stubbornness in Linda's voice as she answered. "Al Green, there's no way I'm going to let these monsters run me out of my home."

Al sighed. He was proud of her spunk, but he knew she was in danger. "Linda, I'm thinking of the girls. Don't give these 'monsters' as you call them something to hold over us. They haven't realized it yet, but if they kidnapped the girls or even threatened to hurt them, you or I either one would give them what they want in a minute. Then Sam would really have lost."

Linda stood, holding his hand. Both were lost in their own thoughts. The realization that he was right slowly seeped into her consciousness. She couldn't let the girls be endangered, but she didn't want to leave. She wanted to fight. God knows, Al needs help, she mused. He sure can't seem to take care of himself.

She gripped his hand a little tighter. "You're right about the girls. I can't leave them in danger. I have this girl friend from college. Her name is Molly McClure. She lives down in San Diego. I guess I could take the girls down there for a week or so after the funeral. I'll call her when I get home."

Al felt as if a great weight had just been lifted off his chest. "Thank you, Linda. Do me a favor though, and call from a pay phone. We don't know what we're up against here, so let's be careful."

Linda drew in a quick breath. "You're really scaring me, Al. If you think it's necessary, I'll use a pay phone. Just be sure that I don't come back from down south to find they've gotten to you again. You might not get off so easy next time."

Linda left to make her phone call and Al relaxed. He'd done what he could to insure the safety of Sam's wife and children. Now all he had to worry about was his own safety.

Linda had just left when the doctor finally arrived. He introduced himself as Dr. Anderson and broke into a monologue about Al's condition with brisk efficiency. "You have two broken ribs, Mr. Green, one on the left and one on the right. You have a broken nose and some major swelling in the facial area. You also have multiple abrasions and contusions over your entire body. We have given you medication for the pain, and to reduce the swelling. There are no signs of internal injuries or brain damage. We are going to keep you one more night for observation, but if things go as planned you can go home in the morning. Do you have any questions?"

Al wondered what charm school this guy had graduated from, but made his voice sound respectful when he asked. "When am I going to be able to see, Doctor?"

"The medication we gave you for swelling is working. As the swelling goes down you will be able to open your eyes, probably just a slit at first, but by tomorrow morning you should be able to open them completely. There is no damage to the eyes or optic nerve, so you should be able to see whenever you can get the eyes open. If not, let the nurse know and we will check into it. I really have to go now, Mr. Green. Have a nice day."

Al could hear the doctor leaving, his final words still hanging in the air. Al wondered if all doctors were like the one who had just left, or if this one was just so overworked he left his bedside manner at home. The conversation, short as it was, did alleviate some of Al's concerns, so he was satisfied. Still thinking about the doctor's manner, Al dozed off again.

The next time Al awoke, Lt. Slavens was standing by his bed. He knew it was Lt. Slavens because he could see him. Everything was slightly blurred, like waking up with a hangover when he was in college, but at least he could make out the good lieutenant's features. He was ecstatic. "Good morning, Lt. Slavens. How long have you been here?"