Click here to find out some dark secrets about the author.

Notes: I have no notes. Well, ok! I dedicate this one to my Mom. I love my Mom. She corrects my spelling mistakes and makes pancakes and chilaquiles for breakfast for me. Delicious!!! She used to sing lullabies to me but I'm too old now... she likes my Sentinel too... My Jim!!! Imagine that!! MY own mother!! Oh, well, (groan) at least she's left my Blair alone. hee hee And my Joey... well, kind of.. I know what she's thinking! I always do!!! She always points out the thingies in the computer too... I KNOW MAAAAA! And she BOSSES ME AROUND like I don't know what I'm doing!! And she's sitting right here... so..  So... Dedicated it is. Okay???? Sh...eeeesh!!!

'Course, Jana the Pest made me write this. She pressured me, threatened me, pestered me, sigh*, so I gave this story to her. It's hers! Any issues, go to her! Besides, she's got this thing for Joey OWIES... I don't know why! I think she needs some therapy but don't tell her I said that, ok? There! Enjoy!

Warnings: Violence, ugly guys and lots of big words and unusual terms ahead. *If you recognize any names in there... well it was purely intentional. But see? I didn't really steal anyone, not exactly... oh, just read on!
Rated: PG for violence, language and weirdness.
More notes at the end. (As if we needed more!) email: killash_tg@yahoo.com

Ambush

"Damn it! All this time and we still didn’t find anything, Lundy!" Joe exclaimed for the fourth time, slamming his hand on his partner's red Jimmy’s hood in frustration.

Levon winced, but chose to let it go. He too was getting tired of crashing on dead end walls. He leaned on the parked truck, rested his head back and exhaled in frustration. "I think we’re lookin’ in the wrong place, La Fiamma! I think we were informed wrong on this one."

Joe frowned, opening the door on his side and climbing in, "No kidding? What makes you think that?"

Levon adjusted his hat, leaned by his open door and closed his tired eyes. "Sarcasm don’t suit you La Fiamma"

"Yes it does!"

Levon snickered. "Okay it does, but you gotta admit, we’ve been through every damn inch of this place already, La Fiamma. I don’t think we’re gonna find anything else!"

"That, you got right!" Joe accepted, "but there has to be something we’re overlooking, I just know it!"

"You know it?"

"It’s a feeling!"

"Call it a hunch?"

"Yep!"

"Uuuhuuuh..." came the famous, unconvinced, ‘Lundy-grunt’, "Well, I have a different feelin’, boy, I think you’re just graspin’ at straws ‘cause we ain’t got a thing."

Joe’s retort was lost in dead air when his distant blue eyes suddenly caught the sight of ten to twelve, deadly looking, heavily armed big guys. He raised his eyebrows. They had appeared out of nowhere and slowly entered the parking lot. Joey tensed in silence and Levon followed his partner’s eyes. Oh, Man!

As the bad guys slowly, but surely, started closing in on the Jimmy, Levon started weighing their possibilities.

"La Fiamma..."

"I see them, Lundy!" Joe was already out of the car.

They slowly started moving toward each other as the menacing party got closer.

"You think they want directions?" Joey muttered, more than ready to draw his guns, while surveying the rest of the parking lot. Not a soul in sight. They were alone. Very alone.

"Absolutely!" Levon replied. "They look lost to me!"

"Completely lost... I'm sure!"

Chains, baseball bats, pipes, menacing looks, bad intentions. They had but one destination, and they kept coming. Levon stared at them, calculating, planning... *Too bad there’s only two of us and a zillion of them!* He thought. *We could'a bought each other some beers to discuss it!*

"Lundy?" Joe said, never taking his eyes off the assailants.

"Yeah?"

"You know what I’m thinking?"

"You can do that?"

"I’m thinking we should have called an ambulance in advance."

"Oh, now, now, La Fiamma, you think they’ll need one?"

"Absolutely, I’ve been watching a lot of Kung Fu lately"

"Fights?"

"No, re-runs."

"Kung Fu?"

"The Grasshopper, David Carradine!"

"Oh!"

"So, what’s the plan, Hoss?" Joe asked.

"Well, I’m thinkin’ you hold’em while I read ‘em their rights."

"Okay, but first you stop’em while I go call for backup."

"Fine, I’ll confiscate their weapons and you cuff’em!"

"You take six and I’ll take a walk!"

"Deal!"

The big guys were almost there.

Joe spoke first. "Can we help you, Gentlemen?"

No answer.

"We could talk about it, y’know?" Levon helped.

Still no answer.

The dreaded moment had arrived, the two cops found themselves completely surrounded. The first attacker rattled a chain and Levon and Joe drew their guns in a fraction of a second."

The chain tensed, looking for its target. Levon pointed his colt at the chain guy and calmly exclaimed, "Okay, freeze!"

Just then, ten other weapons appeared, also out of nowhere. Rifles, shotguns, plain guns, even a couple of very strange looking automatics. One of them held by a smaller man in a leather jacket who seemed to be out of place among the other ten to twelve giants. *Wow!* Thought Levon.

*That’s more lead and steel than I ever want to see!* Joey’s mind replied.

The stand-off got heavy. Levon and Joe were back to back in front of the Jimmy now.

Levon spoke up. It was too late to avoid the fight but not too late to try and make it out of it alive. He gathered all his faith and called on the Texan spirit. "Okay, boys, I think we could drop all the firepower and do this thing like men!"

The biggest one frowned. Apparently, he was the leader. He looked like Stone Cold Steve Austin’s bigger, meaner, older brother but with bad blood. He signaled the other guys and they stopped, waiting for orders. La Fiamma sent a casual, silent prayer up and Lundy just waited. And waited.

The leader of the gang took a long look at Levon’s eyes. They showed decision, Texan decision. Then he turned his eyes to La Fiamma. The Chicago-Italian La Fiamma enveloped in nice clothes and expensive shoes. After a moment, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s meaner could-be-brother concluded that he and his gang were in front of two men (one of them, mighty strange lookin’), three guns, one hat and no fear.

No fear, just expectation.

So? Joe and Levon were good actors!

The leader finally signaled the gang and they lowered their weapons. Levon did the same.

Joe released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and for once, thanked Heaven he was in Houston and not Chicago. Back there the ‘fight’ would be over by now and he and Levon would already be six o’clock news. He carefully lowered his own guns.

Two of the bad guys approached and, before Levon and Joe had time to prepare themselves, all hell broke loose.

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"Where are they?"

Lieutenant Joanne Beaumont demanded information from the Hospital desk clerk. She was angry, frightened for her friends and frustrated by the apparent lack of cooperation from everyone around her.

Since getting the call, she had headed for Houston General as fast as she had been able to. Only two or three things were known about what had happened.

1. - Joe and Levon had been attacked by an unknown number of subjects.

2. - They had been brought to the Hospital 30 minutes ago.

3. - Their condition was also unknown.

"Damn!" Joanne kept repeating. Where in hell were those doctors?

Finally, a nurse exited an elevator and called her name.

"Are they okay? What happened? Where are they? Can I see them?"

The nurse led Joanne into a small room. Three doctors were waiting.

Oh, no! This couldn’t be good!

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Joey woke up to stare at a white ceiling. Everything he could see was white, actually. He couldn’t hear anything yet and his head told him nothing. It was confusing. Where was he? What had happened? WHO was he?

Oh yeah... Joe! Joe... something... right? Good enough.

Now, what had happened?

No idea.

Where was he?

Well... in a white place.

*Damn!*

He tried to remember what had happened to him and that’s when his head started hurting. He tried to move and yeah... that’s when everything else started hurting.

Shouldn’t have moved.

Then he took a deep breath and that’s when his lungs brushed his broken ribs and a huge fire inside his chest filled him and made him want to die right then and there.

He tried to cry out but a big tube was stuck in his mouth and would not let him utter a sound.

That’s when the rest of the pain made way to his whole being.

Oh, yeah... He remembered now.

He closed his eyes and tried to push the pain away, after a while he had a small but gratifying success and promised  himself not to try and breathe again. He double promised not to move at all. That’s when he remembered Levon. His partner. What had happened to his partner?

Without thinking, he broke his promises and the terrible result made him pass out.

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Levon woke up and stared at a white ceiling. He felt terrible. A tall, blonde woman was standing right beside him doing something with his arm. He tried to move his head to look around and couldn’t.

"Don’t try to move, Mr. Lundy" said a young feminine, authoritative voice. Green eyes stared at him from above the bed, followed by a Texan smile. "You’ll be just fine."

Just fine? What’s that?

"What’s goin’ on?" He asked, his voice was barely audible.

"You have some damage in your ‘cervicals’, Mr. Lundy," she informed while pushing him back down on the bed, "If you don’t try to move, you’ll be fine!"

A thought crossed his mind. A terrible memory of an Italian man lying on the floor, unconscious, bleeding... he tried to move again. "Oh, sh... !Where’s La Fiamma?"

The nurse pushed him down firmly and gave him a dangerous look. "I said DON’T MOVE!" she stared fiercely at his beautiful eyes and tried to communicate her own fiery concern into his hard head. It was very important. "You will damage yourself!"

He closed his eyes, trying to focus his thoughts, "I just wanna know about my partner!" Levon exhaled.

"Well, I’ll go find out for you, okay?" she replied, a bit more calmly, "If..."

He looked up at her green eyes. "If?"

"If y’promise not to keep disobeyin’ me, Mr. Lundy." She furrowed her brow and grinned, "Y’just have to let the thing heal and you’ll not succeed if you keep movin’!"

"Fine!" his weak voice gave in.

She raised an eyebrow, keeping her smile out of the man’s line of vision, "Fine. All right, you stay put, n’ I’ll be right back."

She stopped by the door before leaving and tried to give the handsome blond Texan a little reassurance.

"I can’t say for sure, but I hear his condition ain’t that bad"

The door closed.

*I hear his condition ain’t that bad.* Levon remembered the woman’s words as he unwillingly drifted off. *It better not be, La Fiamma!* he sighed, *It better not be!*

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"What happened?" Joe Bill McCandless entered the hospital waiting room followed by his Mexican partner, an out-of-breath Esteban Gutierrez.

"They’re gonna be okay!" Joanne Beaumont paced the room with a cell-phone in her hand. Her face looked a little bit less worried, yet not quite. Just then, two doctors came inside the room.

"Hi, I’m Dr. Clooney, this is Dr. Edwards."

"Lieutenant Joanne Beaumont" she shook hands with the doctors. Her tension coming back. "These are sergeants McCandless and Gutierrez"

"Howdy!" Joe Bill greeted with a tip of the hat. Then he remembered something and took it off. Esteban just nodded.

"What’s wrong?" Joanne looked frightened, she’d already talked to other doctors, what else could be happening?

"It’s all right." Dr. Clooney said, he looked relaxed. He was quite handsome, but Joanne was too worried about her friends to notice much.

"We are here because we need to clear up a few things, are any of you relatives of Mr. Lundy?"

Joanne’s heart skipped a beat. "No. He’s got a grandmother but she doesn’t live in Houston." Her usually strong voice was shaky, "Is something..."

"We’d need to talk to the family, Lieutenant..."

"Or someone really close."

"Well," Joe Bill pointed out, "We would be "it", since his best friend is lying in bed too!"

"Mr. La Fiamma?"

"Uuhuh!"

Too much small talk! "What’s wrong with Levon?" Joanne exclaimed as the tension started to get to her.

"Well," Dr. Edwards adjusted his glasses and began explaining, "There was some damage to his cervical vertebrae, due to severe trauma. From the paramedic’s report..." he opened a file, "We think he was hit with something hard... like a baseball bat, right below the back of the neck."

"Oh, shoot!" Joe Bill exclaimed.

"Not to worry too much, he will be fine IF he stays still. We are sure the damage will heal if there’s no movement for a few days. He’s been admitted upstairs and treatment has already begun."

"Can we see him?"

"Not yet, we’d prefer that you wait a couple of hours. Now, about..."

"How’s Joe?" Esteban interrupted.

"I was going to explain that, sergeant. About Mr. La Fiamma... I guess no family in Houston either?"

"He’s from Chicago."

"Really?" Dr. Clooney smiled and exchanged glances with his work mate, "A fine town Chicago!"

"Yeah," Dr Edwards replied, his eyes suddenly distant, "My kind of town!"

"Uuhuh," Dr. Clooney added, nodding, "Plus! Very good hospitals there!"

"Yeah, great doctors too!"

"And cute nurses!" Clooney crossed his arms, still nodding, "Very cute nurses..."

"Excuse me?" Joanne called, exasperated.

Startled, Dr. Clooney jumped back to Houston, "Oh... yeah, well..." He cocked his head and began explaining in a totally professional tone, "Mr. La Fiamma suffered from severe trauma as well, the beating caused Flail Chest -- a particularly bad kind of multiple broken ribs-- several ribs in a row broken in two places, this leaves a section of the chest separated... floating, it causes a lot of problems in breathing."

Dr. Edwards picked up, "If the chest wall moves inward, the patient's lungs can't expand, thus they can't get enough oxygen." He scratched his head while he spoke, "Also, the lungs underneath the broken ribs are bruised, which doesn't help the patient breathe either. We entubated him to help him breathe but he’ll be uncomfortable for a while."

"En la Madre!" swore Gutierrez in Spanish, then he shook his head and closed his eyes.

Joe Bill clenched his teeth.

"Oh, my God," Joanne added, "Is he going to be all right?"

"We are optimistic." Edwards raised his eyebrows.

"The prognosis is good, for both of them," Clooney cocked his head to one side, "but they will have to stay in the Hospital for a while."

"Oh, Man!" Joe Bill finally slumped on a nearby chair. "How did this happen?"

"Yeah," Gutierrez turned to Joanne, "What could have hurt them this way?"

"From what I can put together from the evidence..." Beaumont sighed as she sat down too, "An ambush."

"Damn!"

The two Doctors exchanged looks once again and quietly left the room.

"An ambush!" Dr. Edwards whispered while they walked to the elevator.

"Some ambush!" Dr. Clooney scratched his head, "How many do you think they were?"

"Beats me! They’re lucky to be alive!"

"Tell me something I don’t know," he pushed the elevator button, "Hey, you want some coffee?"

"Sure!"

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A drop of a transparent liquid fell inside a small plastic bag beside Joey’s bed. The IV had been keeping him dosed for almost 30 hours because of the great pain he was in.

Chicken sat on a chair placed in between the two beds in the hospital room. Levon had been set beside his partner, partly for company, partly for security measures. After what Chicken had found out from the ‘word-on-the-street’, the two cops had been placed under protective custody inside the hospital. Their attackers could be coming back.

"Levon?" The huge black man raised his eyes from the magazine on his lap when he heard his old friend stirring.

"Chicken?"

Concern and care filled his voice. "Yeah, how you doing, man?"

"I’m..." he whispered, "I’m fine."

"Well," Chicken smiled, "You definitely don’t look it!"

Levon tried to move and realized he was strapped to the bed, only his hands were free. "Damn!"

"Don’t move, Levon!"

"What. They think I’ll escape or something?"

"It’s for your own good. You could damage yourself if you move..." Chicken paused for a second to make his point. "Permanent." He added.

"Oh." Levon looked around as far as he could. "How’s La Fiamma? He still here?"

"He is, can’t you tell?"

"Of course not. There’s no nagging!"

Chicken shook his head. "Well, you are feeling better, ain’t you?"

"I’m in the mood for some of your cuisine, just about now. Have you tasted that green Jell-O?"

The man just chuckled. "I’ll see what I can do."

"Chicken?"

There was no need to ask the question.

"He’s looking a bit better, Levon," Chicken reassured his old friend. "Don’t worry."

"Just a bit better?" Lundy closed his eyes. "Well, does he feel any better?"

"He’s still asleep. I haven’t been able to ask him anything."

"Oh."

A moment of odd silence allowed the two men to drift away in thought. Both of them were concerned.

"So, what’s up with the investigation?" Levon spoke again. "Any leads on those guys?"

"Levon Lundy, are you tellin’ me you don’t know who those men were?" Chicken sat up straight in his chair. "You don’t know who attacked you?"

"No. I just gave my statement, Chicken. I ain’t got no idea Who... just a vague How many!"

"They were hired help, Levon. The RedGray gang!""

"RedGray?" Lundy opened his tired eyes, "You mean someone actually paid a professional 'knee-breaker-point-making' gang to do this to us?"

"Yeah. It was Clyde Williams."

"Clyde Williams? That south side, gun-smuggling, scumbag, son of a...?"

"That's right!" Chicken nodded, "He put a price on both you and La Fiamma three days ago. Apparently, the RedGrays were in town and took the job."

"Jeez Louise!"

"Uuhuh," Chicken nodded, "You’re lucky to be alive... both of you."

"Damn!" Levon closed his eyes again. That was about all he could do really.

"Yep." The big man smiled. "But we don’t know if they finished the job or not."

"Oh, I know!" Levon assured, "I do know! I was there! Believe me, if they wanted us dead, Chicken... we would be."

"Your Lieutenant thinks otherwise, that’s why nobody’s allowed in here but the doctors and your family."

"And you?" Levon continued, "And cops? And nurses..."

"Well, actually no. The rules are tough in this Hospital, so we found a solution. We made up a nice fake-family for you two boys. Joanne, of course, is your mother, McCandless and Gutierrez are your bratty brothers and if your Aunt Annie wasn’t in Florida and your sister Carol in Minneapolis we coulda have a very nice Thanksgiving dinner next month."

"So that makes you..."

"You kiddin’ boy? I’m you dear ol’Dad!"

Levon chuckled. "I see the resemblance!" he turned his eyes to the far left, toward his sleeping partner. "And, La Fiamma and me?"

"Well, since he can’t talk right now, we don’t have you bickerin’ all the time so we couldn’t make him your spouse!" the man showed a white row of happy teeth, "So, we decided that you’re the Siamese twins... joined at the temper!"

Levon couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that one. "Oh, man! Chicken, don’t do that to me, I hurt all over when I laugh!"

"They still say it’s the best medicine, kid" Chicken shook his head, laughing as well.

Levon’s laughter died after a moment as he glanced to the left at empty air. "When’s he gonna wake up?"

"Don’t know, man." Chicken sighed, his eyes studying La Fiamma’s sleeping form, "Don’t know." He turned to look at his fallen friend again, his voice dropped betraying his real feelings, "I nearly lost you, Levon."

"No, Chicken, you didn’t!" Lundy replied, "I was only unconscious for a while!"

"Levon..." the man said, "You think if the contract had been different you’d be alive right now? Those guys were hired to work you over! Not to kill you! But it could have easily been the other way..."

"Oh." Levon knew what his old friend meant, he just wasn’t good at talking. "Don’t think like that, Chicken... everything happens for a reason!"

"Yeah! I know" Chicken scratched his head, "But I still can’t help it, Levon..."

"I get it."

"Do you?"

"I do!"

"Ok." The big man leaned back and turned to check on sleeping Joey again. He was so pale! Too pale!

"Chicken?"

"Yeah?"

"When La Fiamma wakes up..."

"Yeah?"

"Any chance you can sneak some BBQ ribs in here?"

Chicken smiled again. "I’ll see what I can do." He went back to his magazine, "Now, get some more sleep. You need it!"

"Yes, Dad!"

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The next day, the doctors took Joey off the drugs. He was awake now, but still on the ventilator so he still couldn’t speak. *Great!* He thought drowsily, *Now what?*

He had no idea what the situation was, he had heard something about Levon being fine before. In fact he'd heard his friend's voice in his dreams... but he didn't know anything specific! The only thing he was sure of was that, as soon as his partner realized he was awake, he’d come into the room and would have a field day! La Fiamma and Lundy... alone in a room... the Texan could pester all he wanted... La Fiamma would have to stay quiet.

A field day, all right!

Joey didn’t think it was so amusing. He would have to listen to Lundy’s voice all day long, which was annoying enough when he COULD answer back. Now, he’d have to keep all his opinions to himself. At this rate, his injuries wouldn’t kill him, an ulcer would finish him off first.

Fortunately, Chicken arrived a little after 11:00 a.m. He was thrilled to find Joey awake. He still looked awful, but at least he wasn’t so still. It had bothered Chicken to see him that way, made him feel like Joey wouldn’t wake up ever again. It was a bad feeling.

Sleepy, tired blue eyes greeted him from the bed on the right.

"Well, Mr. La Fiamma! You’re back with us? How, you doin’?"

At the sound of those great words, Levon woke up in the bed on the left. He’d been unwillingly holding his breath for Joe, now he could relax.

Joey closed his eyes once, and waved his weak hand at Chicken, *ok,* it said.

"That’s so good to hear!" he smiled to Levon on the other bed. "Your partner here will be relieved!"

*Here? He’s in here?* Thought Joey. He hadn’t seen who it was on the other bed. *Why? What’s wrong with him? I thought he was fine... I heard his voice before... he sounded fine...!*

Chicken continued, "He’s been worried sick about you!"

Joey glanced to the right. *Not as much as I’ve been worried about his sorry Texan ass! Nobody would tell me anything!* He turned as far as he could, at his partner’s bed wishing there was some way to communicate with the world, but the pain medication had made him so weary and dizzy he could barely move his eyes.

He wouldn’t want to move, anyway, after the first two times he’d tried, he had learned his lesson.

"He’s fine!" Chicken told him, guessing what Joe couldn’t say. "He just has to stay still for a few days so his back bone heals proper!"

Joey opened his eyes in fright. *Spine damage? Oh, sh...!*

Chicken read the sudden, huge amount of concern in those blue eyes. "Hey... hey!" He approached Joe’s bed and lay a hand on his arm. "He’s gonna be fine, Joe! Relax!"

"Yeah, I’ll be all right, La Fiamma!" Levon exclaimed wearily to the air, still unable to move. "You're the one causin' all the fuzz in here all the time! You should have seen how many different doctors have been in here to see you!" he smiled a little bit, "I guess they examined your head and finally found out you ain't from this planet!"

Chicken chuckled.

Joey closed his tired eyes. Well, okay, so he did sound like himself. Damn! There were so many things he needed to say, so much he wanted to ask... if only they would take this damn tube out of his throat. He’d be able to talk... to find out how Lundy was really doing, what had happened to those guys they had fought with... how much time had been since?

Levon suspected how frustrated Joey was. If the immobility was getting to him, he could just imagine what it was doing to his partner. He tried to come up with all the questions that Joey wanted to ask.

"My back’s gonna be fine, La Fiamma. You, on the other hand, gave everyone a big scare around here."

"Yeah" added Chicken. "You stopped breathing twice yesterday!"

Levon frowned. He hadn’t heard about that. "They put you in that ventilator to help you breath, cause your ribs are broken and they are pressin’ against your lungs!"

Joey closed his eyes. So that’s why everything hurt so much.

"The men in the parkin’ lot were part of the RedGrays, I’m sure you’re familiar with the name."

"Yeah," Chicken picked up, "Biker gang. They’re called RedGrays ‘cause they specialize on leaving people bleedin’ on the pavement... red blood over gray streets. Pretty sick, huh?"

Joey agreed with a hand gesture.

Levon continued talking to the air, "They were hired to work us over... to hurt us but not to kill us."

*Well, they did a good job!* Joey thought. *I hurt like hell!*

"I know what you’re thinkin’" said Levon, "I hurt like hell too!"

*That’s pretty good!* Joey kept his eyes closed. *So, who hired them? And how come you know all about the contract?*

"The man who hired them was that gunrunner airhead from south side, Clyde Williams." Levon read his mind again. "I guess he’s still pissed at us for blowin’ up his merchandise! Chicken, here, had the full report from his contacts on the street."

*Well, what do you know?* Joey opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, *Chicken! I bet he knew about it before we even arrived at the ER!*

Levon kept speaking, "He tried to reach us yesterday morning, when he learned about it!"

"But you were already gone from the office!" Chicken finished.

Well what do you know? They could read minds!

Joey would have smiled if he could have. *Hey, you guys should put up an act!*

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On the other side of town, a cellular phone rang twice before a low, hard voice answered.

"I want you to finish them off!" The man on the other side of the line ordered. "They’re in Houston General!"

"We don’t do that kind of work, unless you pay the full fee!" Came the answer.

"Are you kidding me, Hulk Hogan?" the man sounded irritated, "I paid you mighty good money for this job, and I expect you to deliver complete!"

The man grabbed his beer from the table and leaned back, "We WILL charge extra, and you WILL pay up, or no deal!" It was the final word.

There was a moment of silence before the answer. Williams could be an overconfident moron but he knew better than to argue. These guys were not to be toyed with. "All right, fine, you meet me at the bar in two hours. We’ll talk!"

The big man hung up the phone and called his second in command. "He wants them dead."

"Really?" The smaller man stared at his boss for a second, chewing a piece of gum. The big man took a sip of beer and raised an eyebrow, nodding his big head. The smaller man immediately pulled out an automatic gun from his leather jacket pocket and smiled. "We’ll need a silencer. Where’s the gear?"

"In the brown bag, back in the other room."

"Swell!"

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Dr. Clooney finished examining his patient and turned to Dr. La Salle on his right.

"Well, Eric, if he continues like this maybe we can skip the surgery after all!" He turned to the man in the bed, "How do you feel Mr. La Fiamma?"

Joey moved a hand side to side. ‘So-So’ it said.

"I think we can get you off the respirator, if you continue steady progress, however, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning."

Joe closed his eyes, *Damn! Another day!*

Dr. La Salle, a very attractive and interesting young black man, was studying Joe’s x-rays against the window light. "The broken ribs have really done a job on your lungs, Mr. La Fiamma, we need to be sure you won’t stop breathing on us again." His voice said no-nonsense, his expression said I’m dead serious.

Joe glanced at Dr. Clooney. The man cocked his head to the side and nodded.

"Besides," Clooney exclaimed re-checking the chart in his hands, "It keeps you from moving around. It’s good thing if you think about it!" He smiled.

"I know that those broken ribs hurt like the dickens, after all! Immobility is good for you." Dr. La Salle pointed out.

Joe tiredly signaled with a hand. He understood.

Levon understood too. Dr. Edwards had given him his own fate reading a few minutes before. He would have to stay still in that bed for another day or two also. He was not happy, not happy at all.

After some more instructions the doctors left the room and Joe and Levon found themselves alone again, unable to communicate, frustrated, hurt and aching to get out of that place.

Levon sighed. Joey tapped a hand on the bed railing.

"I hear you, partner!" Levon whispered, tired of all that constant pain he kept feeling, "I wish we could just get up and go home!"

Another tap agreed with Levon.

"I guess we shoulda just shot’em all dead, right?"

Two taps. *Of course, not. Too much paperwork!* Joey closed his eyes again, no point in staring at nothing all day.

"Right. Maybe we should have made a toss for it, huh? Heads we win, tails you lose?"

One tap. That was a better idea. Gambling was a weakness of many men... especially gang members.

"Well, I know, but I don’t like fifty-fifty odds. It makes me itchy... I ain’t got that good a luck at that sort of thing, anyways!"

One tap. *Me either.*

"Well, we didn’t do THAT bad, La Fiamma, I mean, at least we took on some of them before they kicked our asses!"

One tap. Levon was right, they each had fought off at least three of the bad guys and stood their ground. Even if the bad guys were that big and strong, Lundy and La Fiamma were very good fighters.

Levon started chuckling silently. A three-tap on the bed railing asked what was going on.

"I just remembered you, and those mighty kicks you were givin’!"

Joe laughed inward. It had been quite a fight.

"I guess you weren’t kiddin’ when you said you were watching a lotta Kung Fu!"

Two taps. *Hey! Kwai Chang Caine is the ultimate Kung Fu master, Lundy!*

Levon laughed again. "I guess I’ll have to start watchin’ too. You knocked out at least five guys with that mighty side kick!"

This time, Joe tapped the railing four times.

"No way, partner, it was five! You ain’t counting the guy with the goatee! The one who came up from behind... you were busy fightin’ the ugly one and just kicked back on reflex. It was quite the cool move, La Fiamma!"

One tap. He remembered something like that but wasn’t quite sure.

A moment of silence followed. Levon was sorting out his ideas.

"You’re thinkin’ we should probably go after’em when we get out of here, right?"

One tap. They definitely had to do that.

"I’m thinkin’ different."

*So what else is new?* Three taps, this was confusing. *What’s wrong with giving them a piece of our minds later?*

"Well, they did lower their guns, La Fiamma... and up to the first ten minutes they were comin’ at you and me one by one!"

Three taps again. Where was Lundy going with all this?

"I mean... they just could have done it the old fashioned way..."

Silence.

"Like, four of them keeps us held back while the rest of them beat us to death!..." Levon paused for a second, fighting a wave of pain from his back. The painkillers were wearing off again. Joey tapped once for Lundy to continue.

"Well, what I mean is that they gave us the fair chance to defend ourselves..."

Three taps. *Fair chance? My God! Lundy there were a zillion of them!*

"Yeah, I know they were a lot, but they didn’t all attack at once!" Levon breathed evenly, pushing back the stinging pain. "We could have been really ambushed, La Fiamma... But they gave us the chance."

One tap.

The pain started receding a little bit. "Of course, after we kicked some butt, it became no holds barred... but still, we’re alive."

One tap. Joe understood. Three taps, *So, you want to let them off the hook for sparing out lives, Cowboy?*

"I just think we should see it as a battle we lost... but won... And forget about it!"

Silence. No point on arguing when the man made so much sense... still, Joe’s Italian pride was going to be hurting big time for a while.

Levon sighed again. "I know, I ain’t liking it a lot either, it ain’t very flattering... but it’s the right thing to do. You win some, you lose some... but this one came out kinda even."

Joey opened his eyes and tried to catch a glimpse of Levon’s face. If only he could look into his partner’s eyes, he could reach out and grab the truth from behind them as he usually did. But no, it was useless, he couldn't move his head without waking up a million different kinds of pain, so he finally let it go. He closed his eyes again and tried not to think of anything, his ribs were on fire again.

"You all right, La Fiamma?"

One tap.

"You sure?"

One tap.

"All right."

The warm sun came through the window and the soft hospital sounds soon lulled both men to sleep. It was going to be difficult, but they knew they would get through this in one piece.

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The next day, Levon was rolled into the room after a long session of x-rays and tests. It looked like he was going to be all right after all. What he found in the room was another good surprise, Joey was half sitting now, looking a lot better, and he could talk again. No more ventilator.

"Hey there, partner!" a hoarse voice greeted him after they placed him back on the bed. He still wasn’t allowed to move his neck but the straps were off. "Hey!" he answered.

"You look like hell!" Joey smiled at his best friend.

Levon chuckled "Boy, I bet you were dying to say that, weren’t you?"

"I was dying to say anything." He whispered, letting his head rest back. The myriad of aches and pains he felt was indescribable, but he preferred all of that to the frustrating agony of that tube stuck inside his throat.

"Well, now don’t start nagging just yet. It’s bad for my health."

Joey shook his head a little bit. Levon would always be Levon.

The door opened and Chicken’s head peeked inside. "Hey there! Is it safe to come in?"

Joey felt thorns inside his throat every time he spoke so he just waved a hand for Chicken to enter.

"Why wouldn’t it be safe, Chicken?" Levon asked.

"The nurse just told me you two could argue again."

Joey chuckled, and regretted it.

"How are you feelin’ boys?"

"I’ll be fine." Levon said.

"Okay." Joey’s raspy voice followed.

Chicken sat in his usual chair and smiled at the sight. This was definitely an improvement from the days before. "I’m glad to hear that... I’m real glad."

Joey’s throat was dry and he couldn’t help coughing softly. He hissed at the fire that ignited inside his chest.

"You all right, Joe?" Chicken was immediately by his side.

Joey nodded, he couldn’t speak, he just grabbed the covers thightly and waited for the pain to go away.

"Joe?" Chicken was worried now, "You want me to call a doctor?"

Levon started to worry too, "Hey! You okay, La Fiamma?"

Joe finally managed to speak, "Ribs."

"Ribs?" A still worried Chicken smiled at Joey. "See, Levon? I told you he’d come around. He wants some of my BBQ ribs too!"

Levon chuckled. "He’s talking about the broken ones, not the spicy ones!"

With concern, Chicken put his hand on Joey’s arm and reassured him with a squeeze.

Joey knew they were only teasing to make him forget the pain. There he had two very good friends. "Well..." he whispered, "I wouldn’t mind some of those either."

"Told you!" Chicken smiled at Joey affectionately before finally going back to his chair.

"He’s still on drugs, Chicken!" Levon relaxed a little.

"I’m a very good cook, I knew he’d come around, right Mr. La Fiamma?"

"I think they hit me harder than I thought." Joey’s hoarse voice made them laugh harder than they had in a week. Yeah, Chicken smiled, his friends were getting back to normal.

"How come... Mom hasn’t been to see us?" Joey asked after a few moments.

"Mom? Oh, right!" Chicken chuckled again. "You know about that?"

"I filled him in on all the facts yesterday." Levon explained. "We had a lot of time to chat."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Well... he did!"

Chicken laughed again. "Must have been hell for you!"

Joey smiled for the first time.

A tired Lundy snorted.

"Well, your Mom and brothers have been mighty busy chasing after Williams. They say he’s gone below ground to avoid capture and..." the man was reluctant to tell his still recovering friends any more bad news.

"And?"

"Well, there’s a possibility that there’s gonna be another attempt on your lives."

Joey closed his eyes again. He’d known it! He’d known it all along! Williams was not going to let them live. Not after they had cost that gun smuggler a Four-Million-Dollar deal AND six of his thugs.

"Damn!" Lundy swore, wishing to be able to move at least a little.

"Hey! Guys, not to worry!" Chicken added quickly, "I spoke to Joanne before comin’ here! She said that Joe Bill and Esteban are closing in on the guy for sure, and there’s a 24 hour guard outside this room for your protection!"

"Who?"

"Your cousins Harrison and Clemens!"

"Our cousins?"

"He he... it’s a big family!"

"I bet!" Levon muttered.

"So..." a raspy voice spoke up. "Where are our cute, babe-cousins, Pop?"

Chicken laughed again. "I’m workin’ on it, Joe, I’m workin’ on it!"

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At 4:30 p.m. Joey and Levon woke up after a much needed, healing nap. They had eaten and been medicated, so the pain was not too strong and they felt a lot better. The best part for Levon was that they had repositioned his bed so he could half sit. His neck was still immobilized but at least he could glance around now. The afternoon sun filled the room and the two friends kept silent, enjoying each other’s company as usual, their minds, and bodies, drifting away in different directions.

The door opened and a guy came in, carrying a flower arrangement. It took a fraction of a second for Joey to realize that there was something wrong. Another, shorter guy, bearing a 'get well' card and a big, 45 caliber, automatic gun, followed the first guy.

"If you touch that call button I will shoot any person that comes through that door, understood?" A familiar low voice sent a jolt of electricity through Joey’s battered body. His heart started beating faster.

Levon tensed at the sounds and opened his eyes fully, the rush of adrenaline was sickening.

There they were, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s bigger, meaner brother and the slender, smaller guy in the leather jacket.

This was not good.

The leader of the gang scanned the room and then grabbed a chair and sat in it. He placed the flower arrangement near the window and waited.

The smaller guy dropped the card beside the flowers, grabbed the other chair, flipped it backwards and sat, resting his arms on the back of the chair and keeping the gun pointed at Joe’s heart.

"How you feeling?" asked the leader.

"We’re fine, how are you?" Levon frowned, his mind trying to find a way out of this mess.

"We have come to pay a visit." The guy continued.

"Where are the guards from outside?" Joey asked fiercely. If they had killed them...

"They were called down to maintenance!"

"Maintenance?"

"Forget about it!" The leader kept looking around the room.

"How’s the ribs?" asked the smaller guy. He was looking at Joey all the time while chewing a big piece of gum.

"Broken." Joe answered with a cool and still raspy voice.

Levon never took his eyes off the leader. Why were these guys suddenly making conversation?

"Hurts, huh?" the smaller guy asked again.

"Like the dickens!" Joe kept his cool, remembering Doctor La Salle’s words.

The guy with the gun smiled, chewing his gum.

"What’s goin’ on?" Levon took his turn to ask.

"Well," The leader grabbed Lundy’s chart from the bottom of the bed and read it while he spoke. "There’s a new contract on your lives."

"And?"

"Well, we took it!" he continued.

Joey kept his eyes fixed on the guy with the weapon. If only he had his own guns with him!

Lundy kept quiet. He was confused by the man’s attitude.

"But..." the leader said before Lundy could speak again.

"But?"

"Well, Williams ain’t much of a spender."

"That’s right!" The smaller guy continued. "We have a standard fee, and the guy took a long time to agree to it!"

In that moment, Levon saw something very odd in the leader’s eyes. Something he couldn’t quite comprehend.

"Really?" Joey’s weak voice filled the silence.

"Yeah, really!"

Joey’s thoughts rained inside his head. *They could be here to ask for more money to spare us... but I doubt it! I doubt it a lot! What’s going on with these two?*

Lundy knew when to keep quiet also. If these guys wanted something they would say it soon enough.

"We had a conversation..." the leader stood up and looked out the window. "He doesn’t like you very much!"

"I bet!" Lundy replied.

"He said some very bad things about you two, said you cost him lots of money, so he was short on cash now... to pay up..."

The smaller guy smiled, "Accordin’ to Williams he’s having financial trouble ‘cause of you!"

Joey looked out the window. The nerve that scumbag had! After all the money he’d already made in his long life of crime... if only they had caught him that time when they confiscated that shipment! If only he hadn’t managed to escape! He shook his head and clenched his jaw.

The leader didn’t miss a single move.

"He’s especially resentful towards you, Sergeant La Fiamma. He said some very nasty things about you... lots of foul language!"

"I’m sure he did!" Joey said, staring at the big man, then the small guy again. "That makes me feel a lot better!" he smiled. Joey actually smiled at the satisfaction of giving Williams fuel to rant. That scumbag!

Levon frowned. This was taking too long. At any moment someone completely innocent would have the bad luck to walk inside the room and these guys would shoot. Maybe even that nice blonde nurse! They had to end this friendly conversation and get to the bottom of it.

"I don’t mean to rush you, boys, but visitin’ hours will be over soon."

Joey had been thinking the same things as Levon and feared for the lives of those outside. Especially since he’d complained to Chicken about Joanne not coming to visit. *Just my luck if she walks into the room right now!*

He spoke up, despite the pain in his throat. "It’s getting late! So you better get it over with!"

"Get what over with?" the guy with the gun smiled, as he took a silencer from his pocket and started placing it over the cannon.

Levon was tired of games. "Listen, either you say what you came to say and end this thing right now or just finish us off. Either way, we don’t want the nurses to come in here and find you, right?"

The leader had been studying every word and every move the two cops had made since the moment they had come inside. He had been right about them. At no time did Joe or Levon try to reach the buttons to call the nurses. At no time did they show all the fear he knew they were feeling.

At no time did they treat their attackers with disrespect. Not then, not that day at the parking lot either.

By no means would they beg or plead.

These were men.

These were honest, honorable men.

These men were worth some flowers!

"We brought you a get well card," he finally said, "And some flowers."

Joe and Levon kept silent. It was time.

The smaller guy stood up. "We was very unpleased with the attitude we got before..."

"And we don’t like it when people are disrespectful." The leader added.

The two partners were confused now. What were these guys saying?

"Mr. Williams lacks a lot of education... and he’s not to be trusted!" he continued.

"Yet, he still sent you these flowers... and he signed the card!" the smaller guy busted a bubble of gum in his mouth. "He even left his current address on it, just in case you wanna send him a thank you note!"

Joey stared at the two men in surprise.

"Really?" asked an equally surprised Levon.

"Yeah..." the smaller guy tucked his weapon in the back of his pants and covered it with the jacket. "He must not be aware of the fact that all the cops in town are lookin’ for him, right?"

"Right!"

"Well, we gotta be going now." The leader said approaching the door. "We have a long, lonely highway waiting for us."

"Right!" Levon repeated.

They started opening the door when a raspy voice stopped them. "Hey!"

The two men looked at Joey.

"Why did he leave us his address on that card?"

The gang members looked at each other before the short one answered, "Well, he said some very bad stuff about you and where you come from."

"Chicago?"

The short guy smiled again, "I just hate it when they say nasty things about my hometown, don’t you?"

He opened the door and stepped out.

Joey couldn’t believe it! He recognized that accent now! Damn!

The leader stayed for just a second and looked at Levon, straight in the eyes. "It was a pleasure!" he said.

"Same here!" Levon answered. Now he understood what he had seen in that big man’s eyes!

It was respect.

He relaxed. His heart started beating evenly... he realized he was still alive. They were both still breathing. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, trying to take it all in. This had been a strange meeting... The two of them would have to talk about it a lot before truly understanding what had happened.

In that instant, the door busted open and Joe Bill McCandless entered, gun in hand.

"What’s up?" Levon asked, startled.

"You two okay?"

Gutierrez entered a second later.

"We’re fine!" said Joey.

"What’s going on?"

Gutierrez put away his gun and looked out the window. Joe Bill scanned the area.

"The guards!"

Oh, no! They had forgotten about the guards! Lundy closed his eyes and Joe clenched his teeth.

"They were found unconscious, in a broom closet!"

Joe and Levon looked at each other. Broom closet? After a short second they laughed, quietly, of course, broken ribs are terrible for the good humored.

"Maintenance!" Joe shook his head.

"Maintenance." Levon repeated.

"What’s going on?"

There was not a lot of time left, Lundy realized, Williams would hear about this really soon. He had a job to do, collar or no collar, he was still a cop. A good cop. "Listen, Joe Bill!" he told his friend, "William’s whereabouts is written on the card there, by the flowers!"

"What?"

"Just go get him, McCandless!" Joey rushed him, "Before he escapes again!"

"What are you talking about?"  He grabbed the card and opened it. There it was.

A suspicious Gutierrez crossed his arms and stared at his two injured friends. "They were here, weren’t they?"

"Yeah!" Joey answered.

"What happened? Where did they go?" Joe Bill exclaimed.

"Oh!... They were lost." Levon looked at Joey.

"Yeah, they just wanted directions." Joey looked back.

"Directions?" Joe Bill was perplexed.

"Yeah!"

"What?....." McCandless was totally confused.

Esteban shook his head and gave his partner a big smile. "Come on, Joe Bill, before we lose him again!" He took his friend's arm and pulled.

Joe Bill caved in. They could talk later. The two cops ran out of the room, already calling for backup.

Joey and Levon looked at each other again.

"You know what’s on right now on channel 5?" Joey grinned at his best friend.

"Kung Fu?" Levon grinned back.

"Exactly!" the handsome Italian grabbed the remote control from the table and turned the TV on.

Levon examined the flower arrangement. It was actually quite nice!

The end, fin, c'est finis.

*Despite what people may think, no cute doctors from Chicago were harmed during the production of this piece of fan fiction!
 

Special thanks: To Robyn and her wonderful Cascade Hospital site, without which I would be lost, and Joey and Levon would probably be dead by now. Hee hee

 
Well... write!!! Tell me!! Trash me!!
Anything!!! Please!!!
hee hee
killash_tg@yahoo.com    Feedback is our daily bread, don't starve the author please.
 

Story copyrighted by Killash, November 15, 1999, in spite of the TOS. Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. (Wish they did!) No profit has been made from this.
I write for love and fun, not money.
Save the planet before 2000... It's the right thing to do!
wait.. write or I'll send Guido to you! To keep you company! 
BuenoBye,
Keren, The Sleepless Vamp

*

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