Chapter 77

After the excitement of the fake doctor died down, time passed slowly, but it did pass. I hated every lucid moment of my hospital stay. By Friday the catheter was gone, and only one bag draining into my arm.

I finally was able to stay awake long enough to meet with Jerry on Friday night. "So Jerry, what's the word on Beth Ann? You told her, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I told her that we knew. She was gone the next morning. I told her the night you got stabbed."

"She just left us both the next morning? It kind of makes you wonder about sweet lil ole Mosby." I commented.

"I could really learn to hate Marty," Jerry said. He smiled then added, "It might take a while to hate Mosby though."

"Marty was being Marty, and I guess Beth Ann was just being Mosby." I smiled a sarcastic smile at Jerry. He was a lot more hurt than I was. Then again he was younger. I had walked that road a lot more times. Relationships between same sex couples seemed to break down faster. Then again, I wasn't very good with men either.

"Phony bitch," he said angrily. His anger was tempered by the fact that he had suffered a even bigger loss with his dead nurse friend.

"Your luck with women is about like mine is with men." I said quietly.

"Yeah, I know we should probably hang out together. Just to spare the rest of the world our plague," he suggested.

"Are you kidding, we would poison the water, not to mention everyone we came into contact with," I admitted.

"Okay how about we just get together and fuck now and then."

"Now that seems like a much more reasonable plan." I said smiling at him. "You are going to have to give me a little time though."

"You have to know, if you are just saying that, so that I will stay awake while on duty out there you don't have to. Screwing or not, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said.

"Good, then it won't be a pity or pay off fuck. It will just be for fun, those are the best kind." I suggested.

After the fake Doc incident, the staff all started to wear their ID cards in plain view. There was also a hospital security officer assigned to the ICU nurse's station. Even though, I expected that he would go when I did, it was still a good idea. It was a little late in the game for me, but the security measures might save someone else's life.

Jennifer wanted to sue, just because it was what Jennifer did. I said no. The hospital trusted that the cops would take care of me. It was just a big mix up, there was nothing sinister in it. The hospital needed the wakeup call, and I expected that the cops did as well.

I got moved to a new room of my own the first thing Saturday morning. It was a sign that I was progressing and I was happy about that. It also meant visitors had free access to me.

"You know what Max, you promised to hand me those burglars and you did," Blevins said without even a hello first.

"Well good Saturday morning to you too Blevins. So they had been selling their stolen bikes to the Reverend?"

"A couple to him and a few to the bike shops in Tryon. They even sold one on line through Ebay. The secret to catching them was tracing the bikes. I guess, I'm getting lazy. I should have checked that without being prodded."

"Well, you got them that's the important thing," I said.

"And guess what?"

"What?" I asked.

"They were two high school girls. Some big theft ring huh?" Blevins said with a laugh.

"What is the world coming too. Women committing crimes, next they will be cops." I laughed.

"Yeah, then the world will really be going to hell in a hand basket." Blevins agreed with a smile. "Have they got you on a diet still?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got no idea how much longer, but I'm sick of Jello." I admitted.

"I was headed to the Pizza and Pasta Pit. I thought I might bring you something for lunch."

"Why are you torturing me? What did I ever do to you?" I asked.

"Don't ask me. Ask your real doctor that. I'm just trying to make sure you get well and out of this place."

"I know Blevins and believe me I appreciate your visiting me so often. I know you are busy."

"With you up here, the work load dropped by fifty percent," he said with a laugh.

"See every cloud has an even blacker cloud inside. Life is so much more boring without me."

"Yes it would be," Blevins agreed.

"Hey, I met your new partner last night," I informed him.

"He told me. He wanted to know what your story was. So I took him to the Cop Out and told him. Well, me and about a dozen other people. You would have loved it. The nurses from the ER got in on the love fest. Well it wasn't all love."

"Yikes, Sergeant Evans in the Cop Out. Couldn't you have waited until I could be there for that?" I asked.

"Trust me Evans was quite the hit with the ladies. Most of the guys were not happy, but they will get over it."

"Do you think he will go back?" I asked

"If he is going to be my partner, he will. I never had a partner that didn't drink with me, at least now and then."

"Yeah even Anya," I replied.

"Hey, she got what she wanted, and I did as well."

"And what did you want?" I asked.

"I wanted her the hell gone," he replied.

"To be honest, I did as well," I agreed. I said it but I wasn't all that sure that I did. She had an interesting way about her.

"Maxine," the nurse said as she entered the room. "The doctor said you could take a short shower today. I will be back in a bit to remove your dressing. You can take a careful shower then I will redress the incision."

"Very good, you want to help me with the shower Blevins?" I asked.

"Why of course, I would be happy to wash your back." he replied.

"Like hell," the nurse said. "We are in enough trouble because of Maxine. I'm not about to let you two cavort in the shower."

"Were we planning to cavort?" I asked.

"I don't know about you, but I was definitely planning to cavort," Blevins said with a deep laugh.

Blevins left and I took what could only be described as the worlds most welcome shower. I even washed my two inches of hair before they could tell me not to. The fact that I did it all while seated on a metal stool didn't bother me one little bit. When I finished, I felt that I was at last clean.

Saturday not only gave me my first real bath, but it seemed like people came out of the woodwork to visit. Everybody I counted as friends showed up. Well most of them. Okay some of them.