Chapter Two
A shadowed figure sat alone at a table in the Boar's
Nest, with his back to the wall. His dark eyes watched the entrance,
as he pretended to sip his beer.
Outside, MaryAnne and Rosco stepped out of Maverick.
MaryAnne was dressed in her waitress uniform, navy blue short shorts
and a white poet blouse. In her hand was her gunbelt. The belt did
nothing for the appearance of the outfit and MaryAnne had no intent
to wear it, but some how felt better knowing she would keep it behind
the bar. Not that the Boar's Nest was where she wanted a shoot out
to take place.
Rosco's presence was self explanatory. Either he or MaryAnne
seperately, or together, were in some kind of danger, and he was not
going to let his cousin out of his site.
Brian eye's flicked to his watch. MaryAnne's shift would
start...or maybe end, soon......
MaryAnne pulled open the old grey weathered door and
she and Rosco walked in.
Brian pulled something out of jacket pocket, then concealed
it by folding is arms and leaning on the table. He heard the door open,
and he caught the flash of silver that was sunlight hitting a badge.
Brian's body tensed, and only his eyes moved as Rosco and MaryAnne
came inside.
There were a few folks seated at the tables, talking
and drinking. MaryAnne scanned her eyes over the ground briefly as
she made her way towards the bar.
"MaryAnne, what the devil you got that thing for?"
Daisy asked. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she looked at the gunbelt
slung over MaryAnne's shoulder.
"Shhh," MaryAnne said. "It's a long story.
Just pretend you don't see it ok?"
"Are you in trouble?" Daisy looked from MaryAnne
to Rosco.
"Yeah, something like that," MaryAnne said.
Seeing the gunbelt that MaryAnne carried, and noting
that she was being protectively flanked by Rosco, Brian played chameleon.
He bent over his beer and sipped it as if it was the only thing in
the world, and picked up a menu to hide behind. His eyes darted over
the top of the menu in brief glances.
MaryAnne walked behind the bar and slipped the gunbelt
off her shoulder. She placed on the shelf underneath, near her's and
Daisy's purses and then looked at Rosco.
"You better find a place to sit. I figure it's gonna
be a long shift."
Brian kept drinking and browsing the menu, as if he were
just another drifter passing through Hazzard.
Rosco settled into a booth, near the bar with view of
the front door and the rest of the Boar's Nest, and laid his pearl
handle pistol down on the table in plain view for everyone to see.
MaryAnne grabbed a notepad and pencil and began to make her rounds
checking on customers and seeing if they needed a refill on beer.
Having the Sheriff sitting a few feet away, with a ready
pistol, was forcing Brian to adjust his strategy. MaryAnne was making
the rounds at the tables, and he knew that she'd stumble upon him shortly.
Brian looked at Rosco, and looked at the exit, and debated his chances.
Rosco was watching MaryAnne and would look ahead to the
next person before she got there. When he looked at the shadowed individual
in the corner, he suddenly got an awful feeling. Despite being hunched
behind a menu, Rosco had the feeling he recognized who the individual
was, and MaryAnne was only two feet away.
Brian put his beer glass down, and held the menu with
his left hand. His right was tucked out of view.
Rosco saw the menu was being held with only one hand
now and MaryAnne was about to step towards the table. Rosco couldn't
let all hell break loose, not with several innocent folks in the Boar's
Nest, three loaded guns and a killer in their midst. He had to do some
to difuse things before the spark took. So he grabbed his gun and jumped
up.
"Khee! MaryAnne, I just got an idea."
MaryAnne spun around to her cousin, somewhat startled.
"Ah! Rosco....What?" She saw his gun was still in his hand
and he had it down by his side, waving it towards Brian.
"Do you think you can get the juke box to play?"
Rosco's sudden animation startled Brian, and it took
all his professionalism to remain still. The exchange between MaryAnne
and Rosco was not lost on him, and he knew that he might be forced
into a sudden move.
"The juke box?" MaryAnne said, still a bit
startled. She met her cousin's gaze in a heartbeat figured it out.
"Oh, sure. What song would you like to hear?"
"Well..." Rosco appeared as though he was going
to take a minute to think about it when suddenly he grabbed Brian's
menu and tossed it. With the pearl handled gun now trained on hitman,
Rosco asked in a even tone, "Why don't we ask Brian?"
Brian's right hand was clutched around his own weapon,
the nose of which was poking out between his folded arms. The polished
gunmetal gleamed in contrast to the black leather jacket, and an eternal
minute passed as Brian and Rosco tested each other's nerves. "Why
don't you pick the song, Sheriff," he finally said in a soft voice.
Rosco saw the end of the gun but held his stance. MaryAnne
saw it too, and both cousins stood perfectly still.
"Rosco..." MaryAnne whispered her pleading
warning.
"You shouldn't have come back here, Brian,"
he said.
"Clear out the Boar's Nest. Now."
"Why don't you just clear out yourself," Rosco
said. "Only I ain't sure we got a broom big enough to brush out
trash like you."
Brian's dark eyes flickered, and his voice dropped an octave. "Get
the customers out. I won't give you another chance to do it."
MaryAnne looked over at Daisy who had been watching the
peculiar conversation. "Get everybody outta here. Now!" she
hissed. Daisy nodded and went about telling folks to leave. Although
everyone did as told, they asked why and Daisy just repeated for them
to leave. After everyone was out, Daisy was the last one left. She
looked at MaryAnne, who waved her hand to shoo the Duke woman away.
"Go on," MaryAnne said.
Daisy still hesitated, not sure just exactly what the
trouble was, but remembering how MaryAnne had brought in her gunbelt,
she got an awful feeling and wondered if she would see Rosco and MaryAnne
again. Slowly she stepped back to the door, MaryAnne waving her off
again.
"Git!" the deputy ordered.
The young Duke woman finally disappeard out the door
and the Boar's Nest was thick with silence.
From his periphrial vision, Brian saw the other waitress finally leave.
Her reluctance to depart bothered Brian. "That other waitress.
Who is she," Brian interrogated.
"You don't know?" MaryAnne said, looking at
Brian in a cold stare. "That's Daisy Duke. Remember her?"
"Duke," Brian muttered. He had only seen Daisy
brielfy, the last time he was in Hazzard. Keith, his one-time associate,
had kidnapped her. "Damn." If Daisy was anything like her
cousins...there would be a reception committie when Brian left the
Boar's Nest. One with arrows, if past experience was any indication.
"Hmm...yeah, damn is right," MaryAnne said.
The mexican standoff was beginning to fray Brian's nerves.
The rumors of Rosco's incompetence had evidently been exagerrated,
from the looks of the pearl -handled Colt. "Truce," Brian
said plainly.
"You're actions, unfortunately, are speaking louder
than your words," Rosco said, eyeing the gun that Brian still
had pointing at him.
"So's yours."
"You're the one who called it. You can't honestly
expect me to trust you after the little shootout we had in town do
you?"
Brian's expression was carefully gaurded, betraying nothing. He avoided
looking at MaryAnne, who seemed to be ready to either cry or bash his
head in, maybe both. As it was, Rosco had his full attention anyway.
"Sheriff....either use the goddamn gun....or put it away."
Verbally, Brian had just upped the ante. Weather the Sheriff would
call or fold, remained to be seen.
Rosco's grip was turning sweaty. The whole room suddenly
seemed warm and Rosco found himself in a situation he had been in only
once before. Slowly, his thumb started to move towards the hammer,
but he hestitated in resting his thumb on it and pulling it back, so
it lingered.
"Rosco..." MaryAnne pleaded.
"Can't do either one, can you Sherrif?" Brian's
own gun tilted up marginally, as if to make a point.
"Shut up," Rosco said through clenched teeth.
He stood there, slightly dropping his gaze and feeling like something
was trying to drain the life out of him. After a moment, he rested
his thumb on the hammer and pulled it back and looked at Brian, his
blue eyes cold as ice.
MaryAnne held her breath. She wouldn't blame Rosco for
pulling the trigger, Lord knew she probably would if she had gun in
her hand. But he was putting his own life on the line and MaryAnne
could see in his eyes that he was aware of that and that it suddenly
didn't matter.
Brian read the game's conclusion in the Sheriff's eyes.
He had watched Rosco's expression and body language very carefully,
and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Rosco had something
to live for......but also something to die for. That being his cousin,
MaryAnne. His kin, whom he would die to protect...and kill to protect,
if necessary. Brian took a deep breath....and moved his trigger finger
off the gun, slowly.
Rosco watched and in equal gesture, started to let the hammer back down on his gun.
Seeing that Rosco had eased
off the trigger as well, Brian let out some of the breath he'd been
holding, and unwrapped another two fingers from the grip on his gun.
He turned his wrist at the same time, pointing the gun away from the
Sheriff. It was a risk, and he knew it...and he knew the Sheriff knew
it. Brian's dark eyes watched Rosco's intently.
Rosco's eyes seemed distant,
yet perfectly aware of what was going on. He watched the gun, saw that
Brian was turning it away and decided to leave everything in the hands
of fate. Perfectly aware that Brian could turn the gun back on him
and blow him away, Rosco laid his .38 on the table.
MaryAnne was praying harder
than she ever had in her life. She was shaking too, thinking that Brian
was going to kill her only remaining family - which would have been
worse than having him just shoot her. When both guns were finally lying
on the table, her knees buckled a bit but she kept from going to the
floor and she grabbed Rosco's arm, thankful that at the moment at least,
they were still standing.
Brian felt the fear eminating from MaryAnne...equaled
only in strength by the cold rage he sensed from Rosco. Brian held
up his right palm, in a gesture of 'wait'....and then slowly reached
inside his jacket.
The two cousins watched him carefully, MaryAnne now tightly
gripping Rosco's arm, the Sheriff's cold stare remaining unchanged.
Brian took extreme care in his movements, suspecting
that Rosco would make a grab for the gun any minute. Brian withdrew
a folded document from his pocket, and wordlessly offered it to the
Sheriff...with the same, deliberate slownesss.
Rosco looked at the paper for a long moment. He then took it with his right hand and carefully unfolded it and looked at it. If he hadn't felt like the life was being drained out of him earlier...it was now.
"Oh Lord..." he whispered.
MaryAnne was still keeping
an eagle eye on Brian when Rosco's hushed declaration drew her attention
away. She peered at the paper, and Rosco saw the color drain from his
young cousin's face.
When MaryAnne had read enough
she turned away suddenly and faced the front doors of the Boar's Nest.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to contain the sickening
shiver of her body. "Well," she said after a long moment,
"so much for 'kin' huh?"
"Oh shut up!" MaryAnne
spun around to him now. "You didn't order it, but you have every
intention of carrying it out, don't you?" MaryAnne paused and
in an even voice said, "I take back everything I ever said to
you before. EVERYTHING! You are NOT a cousin, you are NOT kin and you
sure as hell are NOT a COLTRANE! You understand? You're nothing!
So you go ahead and try to carry out that stupid little contract, and
I don't care how many axe men the Syndicate sends!!"
"No, you don't, do you." Brian's eyes were narrowed, his trigger-vision focusing out of reflex. "You have no idea what you're up against...you have no idea what I'm up against!" Suppressed emotion was thick in his voice.
"I don't give a damn
what you're up against," MaryAnne said matter-of-factly. "You've
been given a contract, you're here in Hazzard. Nothing else needs to
be discussed. I sure don't need to hear no sob story from you. You
think if I feel sorry enough for you I'll just get down on my knees
and you can blow my head off and be done with it? Think again. I may
have let you go before...I don't intend to make that mistake again."
Brian stood and picked up his gun. "Then so be it...cousin. I don't intend to repeat any mistakes myself.”
The word 'cousin' had been spoken like Brian had called
MaryAnne a witch with a capital B. At this point, all bets were off
and Rosco and MaryAnne knew there was no more time for talk. In a matter
of split second intervals several things happened. At the site of the
gun in Brian's grip, MaryAnne dove for the floor. Shots followed her
under a table and Rosco already had his .38 in his hand. Before Brian
had a chance to squeeze off more shots or turn the gun on the Sheriff,
Rosco rammed the barrel into Brian's right shoulder....
And pulled the trigger.
The flesh in Brian's shoulder was torn apart by the Sheriff's
bullet, and he stagged backwards, in shock and surprise. His gun hand
opened slowly, and he dropped the weapon. His left hand moved to hold
the wound together, which bled profusesly. The sleeve of his black
leather jacket was covered in blood, evidence of the burning pain that
must be tearing through his body...pain he desperately ignored, as
he fought to hold onto conciousness.
Rosco watched in a daze, his gun still in his grip, his
knuckles white. When Brian looked at him, Rosco showed no remorse,
yet no intent on pulling the trigger again. However, the .38 remained
pointed at Brian, even as Rosco kicked the gun on the floor away.
From under the table, MaryAnne watched, numb at the sight
and dizzy from her own wounds. A flesh wound to her upper thigh and
a wound in her side, just above her left hip. The smell of gun power
mixed with the silence and tension. This was long from over.
"Rosco....help MaryAnne...." Brian said weakly,
and edged towards the door.
Rosco moved the table out of the way and kneeled down
to MaryAnne. The sight of his cousins wounds made him start to shake
in both fear and rage. MaryAnne saw his scared look and raised a hand
to him. "I'll be alright..." she said in a difficult breath.
"I'll....be alright. Get Enos...get help."
Brian's vision was black around the edges, and MaryAnne's
voice sounded tinny and distant.
Gotta get outta here....showing either courage,
stupidity, or pure desperation, Brian turned his back on them and walked
to the door.
"Hang on, MaryAnne," Rosco said, his voice
faltering a bit. He looked over at Brian stumbling to the door way.
Rosco stood up and went out through Boss's office and came running
around the front of the Boar's Nest were a crowd of people were gathered
several feet away, including the Dukes and Enos.
"Rosco!" Daisy exclaimed. She and the boys,
with Enos ran over to him.
"Sheriff, are you alright?" Enos asked.
"No! MaryAnne's been shot. Brian...." Rosco
looked to the doorway and then grabbed Enos by the arm. "Come
on, Enos!"
The deputy followed, while Bo, Luke and Daisy went around to the door
way on the side of the Boar's Nest and went in through Boss's office.
Brian leaned against the wall, gathering his strength
in order to walk through the door. He swallowed nasuea that was rising
from the pain, and shut his eyes in an effort to clear his vision.
He heard voices outside, but most of all, he heard the soft moans of
pain that came from MaryAnne.
Rosco yanked open the front door and he and Enos saw
Brian leaning against the wall. The boys and Daisy were in the bar
and they kneeled down to MaryAnne.
"Bo, go call for an ambulance," Luke said.
"Daisy, you better get some of the towels from behind the bar."
Bo and Daisy did as they were told. Luke than looked
over to the door way.
Brian saw Rosco and Enos suddenly blocking his exit.
He quickly glanced over to where MaryAnne lay, and caught the eyes
of the dark-haired Duke, who was glaring at him with open hostility.
Surronded by enemies and out of options, Brian consoled himself with
the thought that the Syndicate would probably avoid Hazzard for years,
after this. With his left hand, he reached inside his jacket.
Both Rosco and Enos saw the motion and the two law men
grabbed Brian's arm.
Caught in the officer's grasp and too weak to fight,
Brian made an effort to explain his actions....though he was almost
disappointed that Rosco hadn't fired on him again. "Not...in Hazzard
alone...." Brian gasped. "Duece....." and with those
words, unconciousness took him.
Enos looked at Rosco in trepidation. "Duece?"
he said.
"He ain't alone," Rosco said. "Dammit,
this is never gonna end!" He motioned with his head to Enos and
they dragged Brain into the Boar's Nest and placed him down on the
floor. Rosco then went over to where MaryAnne lay, Luke carefully applying
the towels to her wounds while Daisy tried to comfort the young Coltrane.
MaryAnne looked at Rosco as he took his cousin's hand in his and spoke
softly to her. "MaryAnne, you're gonna be alright. You hear me?
I ain't gonna let nothing happen to you..."
MaryAnne nodded slowly as the sound of a distant siren
could be heard. She gripped Rosco's hand with all the strength she
could manage, afraid to let go, afraid to surrender to the darknes.
"Keep her concious, Rosco," Luke said. "The
ambulance will be here shortly."
"Brian didn't come alone," Rosco said. "There's
still somebody here in Hazzard, another hitman."
MaryAnne shook her head. "Don't....let 'em....get
ya...please, Rosco..."
"I don't intend to. Believe me, sweetheart, I don't intend to..."
Rosco, still holding on to
MaryAnne's hand, took the paper from Enos and looked at it. It was a handwritten note, hastily scribbled. To
whom it may concern: If you're reading this, Deputy Coltrane is wounded.
Tell her I'm sorry, there was no other way. Tell her to forget she
ever knew my name. And most importantly, tell her to call
in reinforcements. The Syndicate won't let the loss of an 'associate'
go unanswered. Beware of Deuce. I
protected Hazzard as much as I could – but in order to buy time, MaryAnne
had to be injured. The Syndicate had to think I was doing my job, and
MaryAnne is safer in the hospital.
There was no signature on the
note, and nothing else on the back of it.
Rosco let his hand that held
the note drop to his lap. His head seemed to spin with questions, ideas,
sadness, anger...everything came at the same instant. The wail of the
siren was right outside the door now, and not even a minute after it
quit, paramedics were rushing inside the Boar's Nest. Two went to Brian
and everyone cleared out of the way as two others tended to MaryAnne.
Everyone but Rosco.
The Sheriff sat like a stone.
One of the paramedics looked at Rosco. "Sheriff? We'll take care
of her, she'll be alright." Basically the paramedic was trying
to say 'could you get out of the way please?' nicely. Rosco knew this
and he looked at MaryAnne, who kept her eyes open long enough to nod
to him. He gently squeezed her hand and then let go and stood up. He
looked at the note and re-read it again, not noticing Enos stepping
closer to him.
"Sheriff?" Enos questioned
respectfully, the blank look on Rosco's face alarming the Deputy.
Rosco snapped out of his daze long enough to look at Enos.
"What....what else did you find, Enos?"
Enos swallowed and handed Rosco
the rest of the documents. Each listed the name of a prominent Atlanta
businessman. Most of the documents were assigned to “Deuce", though
there were a couple assigned to Brian - likely to be completed after
his assignment in Hazzard.
Rosco looked over each document
and sighed. He suddenly felt very tired and it seemed like with each
passing minute, the situation was getting worse and more worms were
coming out of the can. Something had to be done, with minimal consequences. And casualties.
The words of Brian's note
echoing in his head, Rosco started to get an idea. He handed the papers,
all of them,
"Yessir, Sheriff."
Enos cleared his throat. "What about the hospital? Shouldn't we
be keepin' that Brian fella under guard? You want me to do that, while
you watch MaryAnne?"
Rosco nodded. "Yeah..."
He then shook his head, not believing he didn't think of that too.
"I'm glad you thought of that, Enos. Because by the time I would
have thought of it, it would have been too late."
Enos nodded, his expression
strained. "Sheriff...I'm awfully sorry this happened to MaryAnne,"
he said quietly.
Rosco was fighting tears now.
He remained brave and 'Sheriff' like and nodded. "It wouldn't
have happened...if I had shot first," he said softly.
Rosco then turned away and slowly walked to the front door.
Enos watched his superior officer
depart, giving Rosco a moment of privacy before heading out to his
own patrol car.
***** ***** ***** *****
Enos arrived at Tri-County hospital shortly after the ambulences. He had a long, agonizing wait as MaryAnne had lead-removal surgery. The doctors finally advised him that that MaryAnne was stable and recovering, and a relieved Enos reported the news to Rosco. Then he went to see MaryAnne, opening the door quietly as to not disturb her. A drawn curtain seperated MaryAnne from the other patient in the semi-private room. Enos took off his hat and went to the side of MaryAnne's bed.
"Rosco's on his way, " he said softly.
MaryAnne stirred slightly, but remained in her slumber.
A few moments later, the door opened again and Rosco quietly stepped
inside. He nodded to Enos and whispered 'hello' and then looked at
his cousin, whom he was relieved to see sleeping soundly. He took his
hat off and stepped closer to the bed railing and watched her for a
moment.
Enos stepped outside the room, without Rosco having to ask.
Rosco turned his head slightly
when Enos left. He then looked at MaryAnne again, trying to sort through
his rampant emotions. "Sweetheart,
I'm running out of options," Rosco said softly. "I feel damned
if I do, damned if I don't. And I'm scared. More scared than I ever
have been in my entire life. I can't believe the Syndicate would have
a contract on you and I don't understand why they assigned it to Brian…”
“And now that I think I was
able to stop Brian, I find out there's someone still in Hazzard to
finish where he left off. As long as you’re here, you’re safe, but
who knows how long that'll last." Rosco paused and looked to his
right, where a chair was. He sat down with a sigh and rested his hat
on his lap. Now he was starting
to feel the burden. He had to keep MaryAnne safe and the folks in Hazzard
safe and figure how to get the Syndicate to leave all of them alone
- altogether.
Snap my fingers and
we can all disappear...Rosco had an idea for a shuck and jive,
but it would count on Brian not knowing what was going on. And if he
did know, he would have to cooperate...but Rosco wasn't counting on
that. He tried to protect
Hazzard...yeah, right. Since when was he so concerned about protecting
Hazzard?
Rosco leaned forward and rested his head
on the heel of his hand wishing Brian had never showed up in Hazzard
at all. And wishing a certain uncle had never gone to Atlanta all those
years ago.
He stood up and paced around the end of MaryAnne's bed. "MaryAnne, I'm so sorry..."
he whispered. "I promised...I promised I wouldn't ever let anything
happen to you." He paused and gently wrapped his fingers in her
hand that was resting beside her. "You mean a lot to me. A lot..."
Rosco let his gaze drift from his cousin's face to the railing on the
other side of the bed.
MaryAnne came out of her slumber at the feel of someone holding her
hand. She opened one eye and looked at Rosco standing over her. "That's good to know," she said. "Because you
mean a lot to me too."
Rosco looked at his cousin,
startled. She smiled at him and gripped his hand tighter.
Rosco grinned and quickly brushed his other hand across his
cheek, not quite removing every trace of the tear. "I'm glad you're
okay," he said.
"Me too, Rosco..."
she sighed. "Me too."
Enos stood outside in the hall,
guarding MaryAnne's door, along with that of the next room - each for
it's own reason. He decided to peek in the other room, just to check
on the patient-prisoner that was the cause of MaryAnne's suffering.
Enos saw that the hitman was asleep...looking almost human. The Deputy
shut the door, not caring to look upon the cause of Hazzard's troubles
too long.
A doctor soon walked up to Enos, holding a medical chart under one arm, both hands tucked inside a surgical overcoat. Few doctors were as intimidating as this one, who gave the Deputy instructions in a clipped, forward manner. As if he was accustomed to being obeyed. Instantly.
"Deputy, see to it that no one visits Mr. Brian Coltrane. No one. I'll check on his condition now, and then I'll see to Miss Coltrane. If she has any visitors in there, tell them to leave." The doctor opened the door to Brian's room and shut it behind him without a backwards glance. He stood at Brian's side, and tapped the wounded shoulder to get his attention. "Wake up."
Brian's eyes opened slowly, and then flew wide with alarm. "Duece....man, you shouldn't be here....two cops next door...." Brian didn't have to pretend he was feeling weak. He was.
Enos knocked politely on MaryAnne's door before opening
it. "Scuze me Sheriff...but the doctor says any visitors halfta
leave."
"What doctor?" Rosco asked.
"Looks to be a surgeon, maybe the one that operated
on your...." Enos almost said cousins, but he only knew for sure
that it applied to one. "Anyhow, he's in the other room now, and
he's comin' here next."
"Brian's next door??" MaryAnne said. "Good
grief..."
Duece loomed over his associate, blocking the light,
blocking the door, blocking any thoughts Brian might have had about
ringing the nurse's buzzer. The pulse moniter went blip...blip...blip...and
Duece looked at it, then back at Brian, a subtle statement made without
any words at all. "What went wrong?" he demanded.
blip..."Sheriff surprised me. I had the Deputy
cornered....the place cleaned out, and the damn Sheriff blew my shoulder
apart. What's it look like?" Blip blip blip...the monitor
sped up on it's own.
Enos straighted and put a hand on his gunbelt. "Don't
worry MaryAnne...ain't nobody gonna hurt ya while I'm outside here.
And Brian was out cold when I checked. I'm thinkin' of askin' the doctor
to keep him that way...." Enos swallowed his anger and collected
himself. "I'll be out here waitin'," he said for lack of
anything else and shut the door again.
MaryAnne watched the door closed and smiled. She then
looked at Rosco. "Well, you might as well wait outside. I ain't
scared of no doctor."
"You sure? I mean, in me waiting outside?"
MaryAnne chuckled. "Yes, Rosco, I'm sure. I'll be
fine. Go on."
"Alright." He let go of her hand. "I'll
be right out the door, k?"
MaryAnne nodded and watched her cousin step out of the
room.
The Doctor was pushing past Rosco and Enos, already on his way into MaryAnne's room. "I'll be a few minutes. You officers take a break while I'm checking her progress. Oh, and your prisoner is out, he shouldn't give you any trouble. Don't disturb him for a few hours." The doctor shut MaryAnne's hospital door behind him, as well as any opportunity for arguement.
MaryAnne regarded the doctor for a moment. Duh...you can't figure it out?? "Pure luck, I guess."
"That man next door is
a professional. He's not supposed to miss." The doctor took a
syringe out of his pocket and studied the fluid level under the light.
"Well, I guess he was having a bad day." MaryAnne looked at the syringe. "What's that for?"
"Just something for your
pain." The doctor put the tip of the needle into MaryAnne's IV
feed, just above her wrist. "Don't move, or this will take longer
than it has to."
MaryAnne watched the doctor
administer the syringe. She remained still and looked at him when he
finished.
A smile curled up on the compassionless
face. "You won't feel a thing, now." The doctor prepared
to leave, but he turned at the door. "I'll tell your cousin Brian
that you didn't suffer."
MaryAnne's eyes widened when
she figured out the doctor’s hidden meaning. After the door closed,
MaryAnne grabbed the bed railing and pulled herself up to a sitting
position. "ROSCO!!"
Rosco felt ice go through his spine when MaryAnne cried out. The doctor was walking quickly down the
hall as the Sheriff and Enos burst into MaryAnne's room. "What's wrong?"
MaryAnne was shaking her head,
her face pale in fear. "He wasn't no doctor...Rosco, he just put
some kind of poison or something in the IV!!"
Rosco turned to Enos, but
the deputy was already out the door and running down the hall. He looked
back at MaryAnne, who shooed him out frantically. “Go get a nurse!!”
Rosco bolted to the door and
ran down to the nurse’s station.
Outside of the hospital, a
black Chevy waited with the motor running. Deuce shed the surgeon's
coat on the fly and jumped into the passenger side. "HIT IT!"
he ordered before he was completely inside. Brian hit the gas, driving
left-handed and in a lot of pain.
"Have any trouble?"
he asked casually, keeping the emotion out of his voice.
Deuce laughed. "None at
all. She didn't suspect a thing."
Brian nodded stonily, all business
in front of his peer. "Then we can head back to Atlanta,"
he said factually. Deuce held up a finger. "No. We stay, and we
get rid of the loose ends."
Meanwhile, MaryAnne's hospital
room had turned into organized chaos, as frantic doctors and nurses
scrambled to counter-effect whatever Deuce had injected. Suddenly one
doctor looked at MaryAnne and asked a calm question. "You allergic
to penicillin?"
"Umm....amoxicillin...yeah.
I broke out in hives."
"Then you're going to
get a bad rash. But that's all." The doctor gestured Rosco aside.
"We can only be thankful that the would-be murderer had misinformation.
She'll be okay."
MaryAnne let out an incredible
sigh and leaned back on the bed. "Oh
thank you Lord!!"
Rosco looked at the doctor,
a little confused. "You mean, he stuck amoxicillin in there?"
"Penicillin, actually. But MaryAnne's sensitivity to the antibiotic
isn't lethal. Apparently the assassin thought otherwise...someone's
watching out for that girl." The doctor excused himself and left
Rosco to his thoughts.
Thoughts which Rosco couldn't put together into anything coherent. Who would have suggested penicillin be used to try to kill her, knowing fully well it wouldn't? Rosco shook his head a bit and looked at MaryAnne who was breathing heavy coming down off her adrenaline, but smiling otherwise. He stepped closer to her.
“You okay?" he asked, his own smile breaking free.
MaryAnne was gushing. "I'm fine...I'm wonderful! Oh man...."
"Listen, I'm gonna go
see if I can find Enos, okay?"
MaryAnne nodded. "Be
careful, Rosco."
"I will. You take it
easy okay?"
"I will."
Rosco nodded and quickly stepped
out of the room. Now that MaryAnne was momentarily safe, he remembered that
Enos was chasing a killer on his own.
Meanwhile, Enos had run out
of the hospital just in time to see the Chevy streak off. He couldn't
be sure of the driver, but he had a bad feeling. He ran back inside,
hustling back to a room that was forgotten in all the commotion, nearly
colliding with Rosco in the process. Enos whipped open the door to
Brian's room...and found it empty.
Rosco spun around, looking
at Enos. "You dipstick, what are you---?"
"He's gone, Sheriff,"
Enos spurted in frustration and self-admonishment. "He's gone."
"WHAT?!" Rosco came up beside Enos and looked
into the room. Bare as a starving hounds tooth and the only evidence
that anyone had been in there was the still messed up bed. "Dammit."
"Sheriff, MaryAnne--?"
"She's fine, Enos. She's alright." Rosco paused
seeing Enos sigh in relief out of the corner of his eye. He then looked
at the deputy. "But from this moment on, Enos, she's dead. You
understand? They got her."
Enos looked confused.
"Just go with it, Enos. It's the only way we're
gonna keep her alive, okay?"
"Yes sir. But..."
"What?"
"Does that mean we have to tell everyone that she's...dead?"
"For now. Enos, when things are safe again, we can
explain to everybody what was going on. They'll understand."
Enos nodded. "What was put in the IV?"
"Penicillin. She's only slightly allergic to it,
but for everyone else she had a lethal reaction to it, ok?"
"Penicillin? Why did that fella think that would
kill her?"
"Somebody told him to use it. Somebody who knew
that it WOULDN'T kill her."
"Like who?"
Rosco shook his head. "I'm not really sure...."