Just My Luck Ch. 11
It was late in the day when Dr. Shannon gave the go ahead allowing Chris and JC to be wheeled in to the room that Joey, Lance and Justin had been sharing since the early morning hours following the attack and attempted kidnapping. The group had been separated while being treated for the injuries they had sustained the previous evening and were now being allowed to visit with each other. Later in the evening, after much rest, it would be time to hear of a plan that would keep them safe from the lone assailant that had managed to elude arrest. The two men that security had managed to grab and arrest weren’t talking and, for the moment, police were at a standstill in the investigation into the kidnapping attempt…there just weren’t any leads for the moment.
Joey was still fairly groggy from the medications that had been prescribed to control not only his pain, but also counteract the heavy sedative that the assailants had injected into his IV as well as Chris’s, JC’s and Lance’s. Joey had not reacted very well to that sedative since it was being introduced in combination with the pain medications and antibiotics that the doctors were prescribing, causing him to breakout into a serious case of hives that temporarily hindered his breathing. Fortunately for him, Dr. Mohammad’s quick reactions kept his potentially serious condition from becoming life threatening and he made a relatively quick recovery with no memory of what had happened. So, when he awakened a few hours later and was told of the kidnapping attempt and his drug reaction, he had shaken his head at his parents and gave them a lop-sided grin expecting them or his brother or sister to return the smile and say that it was all a bad joke…but that didn’t happen. Since that time, he had barely said two words to anyone and requested that he be left alone for a little while…he needed time to sort things out and his family complied knowing that he would let them know when he was ready to talk. Eventually, he fell into a light and troubled slumber after Dr. Shannon was alerted of his unusually quiet behavior and ordered a mild sleeping pill. The doctor understood that the young man not only needed the rest, he also needed the temporary escape that sleep could afford.
During their time together away from the rest of the group, JC and Chris had remained quiet and seemingly on edge, which was understandable due to the circumstances. After the attack, both had awakened terrified and confused in the arms of their equally terrified mothers and had almost craved the attentions of their families for the better part of the day. As a result, from about mid-morning till mid-afternoon, after his awakening, JC’s mother had sat in her son’s bed and held him close as he slept with his father watching from a nearby chair. During that time, he awakened several times with a scream trapped in his throat…a fuzzy and confused nightmare on the periphery of his memory. Roy and Karen felt torn for their son, wishing with all their hearts that they had the ability to take away their son’s fears, but without that possibility, they did their very best in lending their son their comfort and love.
Seeing JC suffering through his nightmares caused Chris to fight against the strong urges to sleep and had a mini-marathon of card games going with his mother…anything, anything at all to keep him from falling asleep and possibly reliving the few minutes of the attack that he had been conscious of. His mother remained patient with her son, understanding his fears and she did little in encouraging him to rest. Instead, she indulged him in whatever he wanted to do in order to stay awake. He had spoken to her in depth of what he remembered and what he feared in falling asleep. While JC vaguely remembered a burning sensation coursing through his arm after the sedative had been injected into his IV, Chris had a better recall of what had happened, although it seemed part of an elaborate nightmare. Soon after awakening from the effects of the sedative, he had found, much to his horror, that if he sat still enough and quietly enough, he could feel the lingering sensations of rough hands holding him down immobile on his bed as his hands were pulled roughly behind him and bound…he could feel the band of tape being wound repeatedly around his head and over his mouth, muffling his moans of fear…their harsh words still reverberated in his mind, telling him to get quiet, be still or die…he could hear JC’s surprised yelp, then nothing…Justin’s quiet moans from across the room and Joey’s labored breathing and coughs…and, finally…nothing, nothing at all from Lance…he found that most frightening of all.
While most of the others felt the need to have family nearby, Lance, through several handwritten notes, had encouraged his parents to leave the hospital and rent a hotel room so that they could rest. Although they had refused, they realized the message that their son was conveying and stepped back giving him the room that he seemed to need. He needed time to think…to process what was happening to the group, but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why he and his friends had seemingly been singled out…somehow chosen to go through such horrendous attacks in a matter of less than 4 days.
‘Why me? Why them?’ the question echoed through his mind…’why…why?’
He knew that there had to be an answer to the question…somewhere…somehow. He also knew in his heart of hearts that there had to be some sort of connection between his attack and those against the others, but he just didn’t know how. Besides that, the police had already come to the conclusion that, for the moment, a connection could not be found, but that was all subject to change given more time to investigate.
While the others were attempting to work through their fears by discussing things with their families, Justin seemed to be lost in a form of denial, much to Jan’s dismay. He had little memory of what had happened the previous evening and what recall he did have was one that was unfocused and confused…full of muddled and blurred images and sounds. As far as he was concerned, the previous evening had all been some sort of nightmare…nothing more…nothing less. A nightmare was something that he could handle having experienced…not an attack. But…a simple nightmare couldn’t explain away awakening to see three figures standing over his bed, nor would it explain away his slight concussion from the blow to his head when one of the kidnappers hit him causing him to fall from his bed and it wouldn’t explain the need for the four stitches above his right eye from his hitting the small, bedside table on his way down to the floor. A nightmare couldn’t even begin to explain away the need for a splint on his sprained right wrist from when he landed in an awkward heap on the hard linoleum floor or the fact that he couldn’t stop shaking or get warm until Jan climbed into his bed with him and held him close against her. Jan’s quiet murmurings and gentle touches finally enabled the young man to feel secure enough to fall into a light, restless sleep with him pressed against the one person who was next best to his mother. Jan knew that she was a poor substitute for the one person her nephew really needed but she would have to do since her sister was still held up in Europe taking care of several members of the group that she was managing who had fallen ill to a virus.
While the members of Nsync rested and tried to recover from their latest ordeal, investigators were pouring over what little information they had managed to gain from questioning the young men earlier in the day.
Dr. Shannon had held off any questions from detectives, the FBI and local police until he felt all five members of the group were ready to answer any, but finally had to relent to their prodding. The sooner that the questions could be asked, the sooner investigators could begin their search for the third assailant.
Once the investigators had been allowed to begin their questioning no one had actually been surprised at the fact that none of the five young men could actually offer much information. As they had presumed in the beginning, the attack had happened so quickly and the speed of the assault, added to the fact that the room had been dark and that most of the young men had been heavily medicated only served to add more confusion to what had happened.
Justin had been the only one able to tell the detectives that there had been three men in the room. He had not been able to tell any distinguishing features other than the fact that they were all large…very large…what he had described as ‘Mike and Lonnie-size’, referring to two of the group’s bodyguards. The last waking memory that he had was of two dark individuals standing over him as he lay in bed then a crushing blow to the left side of his head. It had all happened so quickly that he never had an opportunity to shout out any kind of warning to the others in the room. The detectives showed him the mug shots of the two men that had been apprehended, but he sadly shook his head when he didn’t recognize either figure.
“It was too dark…I’m sorry…it was just too dark,” he said quietly as he handed the pictures back to Detective Welsley. Once the pictures were taken, Justin wiped his shaking hands roughly against the blanket lying across his lap in an effort to rid himself of the sensation left behind by the photos.
“I’m sorry, guys…I’m sorry,” he apologized once the investigators had left. He felt as if he had somehow let the others down, but his friends had been quick to point out that he had been the only one able to recall anything. What he had been able to tell the investigators was more valuable than anything that they had been able to offer. Those reassuring words helped but in the back of his mind, Justin still felt that he should have been able to do more.
When JC had had his turn with the investigators, he was able to recall that his last waking memory had him only being slightly aware of a burning sensation in his arm before he felt himself black out. He never knew that he had been taken from the room…it was something that his parents had kept from him. They had simply told him that he had been drugged and fallen from his bed in order to explain the bruise on his left side, but during questioning, he learned the entire story. After hearing what had been concealed from him, he at first felt anger toward his parents, but it soon dissipated when he saw the anguish that his parents displayed…he suddenly realized that they had only been trying to protect him...something that he was grateful for.
Detective Pierce sat down with Chris when it was his turn for questioning. He had spoken with Beverly beforehand and heard her concerns for her son’s emotional well-being and, as a result, was careful but thorough with his questions and Chris sensed the man’s attempts and it encouraged him. During his time with the detective he recalled that his awareness during the attack was almost like a dream…at one point, he relayed that he wasn’t sure if what he remembered was even real or imagined. He could remember waking up from his sleep to see a large man standing over him. Before he could yell out, he had been struck across the face, stunning him. He could faintly remember being bound and large hands roughly pulling him from his bed. His last waking memory was of Dr. Shannon’s voice yelling and being pushed hard into the wall. He didn’t even remember falling to the floor…he was already out.
Joey and Lance had never awakened during the attack and with that information, investigators decided not to question the pair, much to not only their relief, but also of their families’. Joe and Phyllis Fatone weren’t sure how much more their son was going to be able to handle and they were more than ready to get him to Texas. He had always been one to want to protect the rest of the group and he felt that he had somehow failed knowing that JC and Chris had not only been attacked once, but twice along with Justin.
“I should have been there for them,” he had cried out in frustration to his parents once the questioning had ended. During the time that the detectives had been there, Joey had heard the accounts of the others from the previous evening and it nearly broke his heart to know that he was just within an arm’s reach of the others and had not helped.
“You weren’t even able to remain conscious for 10 minutes at a time, Joey up to the time of the attack,” Dr. Shannon had gently admonished him after being called into the room by a distraught Phyllis Fatone. “If you had happened to fully awaken, you may have become a target of the assailants.”
“Better me than one of them, doc,” Joey had said in despair as he gestured at the others in the room. “Better me than one of them.”
The other boys had protested to Joey’s remarks but knew well enough that there would be no changing his opinion…he had already fully made up his mind. Everyone then decided to leave well enough alone and allow Joey to rest in the hopes that after further recovery, the young man would have a better outlook on what had happened. It was at that point that Joe, Phyllis and Janine decided to visit with Dr. Shannon before retiring to their home while Steve stayed behind to watch over his little brother.
“We need to get him to Jan’s,” Joe, Sr. said to the doctor once they had reached his office and were joined by Jim and Diane Bass.
“This isn’t good for him, being here…he needs to be elsewhere so that he and the others can begin to heal.”
“I totally agree with you, Mr. Fatone and if all continues to go well, the group will be leaving this evening,” the doctor replied as he rubbed his face with his hands.
”Good, Dr. Shannon…my boy needs time,” Phyllis added as she took in the physician’s weary expression. “We all need time.”
Jim and Diane Bass had some of the same sentiments in that they were ready for Lance to be in a safer place but it was the picture incident that had them very anxious for the questions to end.
“I’m just ready for the investigators to leave the boys alone,” Diane said quietly. “I know that they are only trying to do their job in finding those responsible for what has been happening, but at the same time, they haven’t allowed the boys any time to begin putting the pieces back together again.”
“Especially Lance,” Jim added with a note of bitterness in his voice.
Witnessing their son’s reaction to seeing pictures of his assailant, Marshall Goines’ dead body had affected them deeply and they no longer felt a certain amount of trust for the detectives investigating the attacks. In no way did they want to see Lance go through another experience like that again and as long as Lance remained in Orlando, there was always the possibility that a similar incident could take place. In Texas, Lance and the others would be given a measure of privacy and quiet…an opportunity to regroup and lean on each other…something they and the other parents realized that the entire group was in dire need of.
“They will be leaving tonight…I can promise you that,” the doctor reassured them before they all returned to their sons’ rooms.
At the other end of town, in an opulent home, Tony Picatti stared into his cup of coffee as he carefully contemplated what Ron Williams had just told him. Not ten minutes ago, Ron had arrived at his home and disclosed the plans he had overheard in the wee hours of the morning at the hospital being made by the FBI, police, and friends and family of the young men that he so desperately wanted to get to.
The older man squinted his eyes against the late afternoon sunlight that was streaming into his kitchen windows before turning his attention back to the cup of coffee sitting on the table before him.
“Now…Ron,” the older man said slowly as he stirred the steaming, brown liquid in his cup. The motion usually calmed him, but he did not find that comfort now. Instead, his frustration only seemed to be mounting by the minute as he watched the liquid swirl about.
“Ron…tell me once more…where are they to be taken?” he asked, referring to the two members of Nsync, Chris and JC, that the others had failed to kidnap.
Tony pulled his spoon from his cup and dropped it with a clank to the tabletop before abruptly pushing the cup aside, causing some of the hot coffee to spill haphazardly upon the table.
Ron ignored his boss’s apparent frustration and growing anger as he concentrated on answering the question, choosing his words carefully in the hopes of keeping Mr. Picatti’s violent temper at bay or at least directed anywhere other than in his direction.
“I heard a woman’s voice telling about a house that her husband’s family owned in Texas, Mr. Picatti. She didn’t mention any towns or anything like that, though,” he answered in a steady voice all the while shaking on the inside, knowing that Mr. Picatti’s anger would be hard to keep in check.
The news that Gary, Sam, and Matt had not only failed in their attempt to kidnap Joshua Chasez and Christopher Kirkpatrick from their hospital room at Mercy General, but Gary and Sam being arrested had been enough to cause the older man to call for hits to made against the three men. It did not mean anything to Mr. Picatti that two of men were under arrest…there were always ways to get to the pair even when they were behind bars…safety would not be found anywhere at all.
With that frightening fact in mind, Ron had been very careful when obtaining the information that he had been able to gather. In no way did he want to end up in the same situation that the other three would be finding themselves to be in…no way, if at all possible, but at the same time, he didn’t have any way of knowing whether or not the information that he had gathered would be enough to save him from the same fate. He could only hope that he had done well.
Tony clearing his throat quickly brought Ron from his thoughts of dread and he gazed up from his feet expectantly at his boss.
“I want you to find out who the woman is and where she’s from…find out about her husband too…what he does…who he is,” Tony said quietly as he pulled his coffee cup back toward himself then lifted it up to his lips. He blew across the top of the brown liquid before taking a few tentative sips while Ron once again cleared his throat then spoke.
“I didn’t hear anybody say her name, but she said that her husband’s name was Mike,” Ron offered in tones as muted as the other man’s.
“They’re still married…divorced…what?” Tony asked as he once again blew on his coffee before sipping it.
“No…he’s dead…about three years ago…some sort of accident,” was Ron’s answer and he cringed when he saw Tony stop in mid sip then put the cup down on the tabletop with a loud thud, splashing hot liquid onto the tabletop.
As Ron watched coffee slosh over the sides of the cup, he heard Tony’s angered, uneven breaths begin to fill the room. In growing fear, Ron kept his gaze on the coffee, noting how quickly it had become still and tranquil in the cup…so different from the way that his insides were twisting about as he waited for Tony to say something…anything. Seconds later, the older man broke the silence in the room.
“Find out who she is…where she lives…her family…her in-laws…and…get her and those boys and bring them to me,” Tony said sharply as he stood up from his chair after pushing much farther from the table than necessary.
Ron nodded his head while replying to the orders.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Picatti. Anything else?”
“Yes…have Gary, Sam and Matt killed for me…tomorrow. Call Martin and have him and his associates perform the hits.”
Ron’s stomach dropped and he had to fight against the sudden surge of bile at the back of his throat and he took a faltering step back away from the table as Tony brushed past him before walking out of the room to make his way to his bedroom upstairs, while a large man entered the room and ushered Ron out of the house without any words being exchanged.
Blindly Ron walked beside the mammoth figure all the while his thoughts whirling about, dizzily…Matt…Gary…Sam.
Once outside, Ron shakily pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and slowly punched a familiar phone number on the keypad. After a few rings, Ron heard a voice on the other end of the line and he almost hung up.
“Hello? Hello?”
Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, Ron replied to the questioning tone on the other end of the line.
“Hey…Martin…it’s Ronnie,” Ron replied as he ran a shaking hand through his hair, noting how sweaty either his hand or head had suddenly become.
“Hey there, Ronnie. How are you doing?” Martin replied, a smile evident in his voice.
“Doing good…good. Um…Mr. Picatti has a job for you,” Ron said quietly before clearing his throat and speaking a little louder.
“Sam, Matt and Gary need a way out.”
“Tell Mr. Picatti that it’s done,” the older man answered gruffly before hanging up.
Ron stood seemingly frozen, listening to the silence screaming loudly from his cell phone. A car driving up to the sidewalk outside the Picatti home snapped him from his daze. He walked over to the vehicle, climbed in and was sped away.
“I’m really ready to go home now,” Justin said, his voice small and shaking after having awakened from his nap with a start.
“I know that, sweetie, but I’m not sure when that’s going to happen,” Jan said as she pulled his blanket further up on his still cool and slight shaking form. She had gotten up from his bed some time ago once he had fallen asleep and moved about the room, checking on Lance and Joey before digging through her overnight bag for the book that she had brought along with her.
She heard her nephew shift about on his bed, as she remained stooped over her bag, straightening the items that she had moved about in her search. Seconds later, she stood up and turned around and inwardly groaned at the petulant look that Justin was wearing.
“Now, Justin…don’t look at me like that,” she said, raising her eyebrows at the young man. “I can’t control when you’re going to leave so don’t make me out to be the bad guy here.”
Justin’s look softened somewhat and he picked at the extra blanket that was lying across his lap as he struggled to reign in his tumbling emotions.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Jan,” he said in a small voice seconds later. “I want to go home because I don’t feel safe here anymore…not after last night.” He looked up from his hands and gazed steadily at the woman standing at the end of his hospital bed.
“Oh, sweetie,” Jan said quietly before once again crawling up onto the young man’s bed. After adjusting the bed so that she was in a semi-seated position, Justin curled his lanky frame so that he was able to lay with his head in Jan’s lap. To say that the position looked uncomfortable was an understatement, but Jan allowed Justin to contort himself into whatever position he felt necessary in order to feel safe enough to rest. With a small sigh, Jan rearranged the covers over her nephew’s body before opening her book to a dog-eared page all the while hearing his breathing become quiet and even with sleep. With another, even smaller sigh, Jan closed the book as well as her eyes in prayer.
“Father…please…guide, guard, and direct the boys…those involved in the investigation…our families…and those taking care of the boys…in your son’s name…amen.”
It was after the group had eaten their evening meal when they were moved into another suite similar to the one that they had been sharing during the attack. That suite had been roped off for evidence by investigators and the other suite, although slightly smaller, would provide enough room for the small meeting that was being called by a group of detectives assigned to the case. All family members were present along with Dr. Shannon and the group’s manager, Johnny Wright and, minutes later, several investigators arrived, a few of which no one in the group met before.
Lance recognized two of the investigators as being the men who had questioned him and the others a short time ago and he gave them a small smile as he shook their hands.
Detectives Pierce and Welsley greeted the young man and then moved around the room, shaking hands, along with the other investigators, reintroducing themselves to the rest of the group and reacquainting themselves with family members of the young men.
Once everyone had settled themselves about the room, making sure that Lance, JC, Joey, Chris and Justin were all comfortable, the two detectives pulled their chairs into the center of the small semi-circle that the young men had formed with their wheelchairs and recliners that they had been settled into while family members gathered on the outskirts.
“Good evening,” Detective Pierce began as he looked at each of the faces gazing back at him. “Detective Welsley and I are here to let you know about your departure from the hospital that will be taking place later this evening.”
The five young men sat up a little straighter at the news of their leaving and the detective inwardly cringed…he knew that what he was going to say was going to put a kink into whatever plans happened to be swirling about in the minds of the young men seated before him.
“Let me just say this first…I don’t want to disappoint you, but the plans that have been made are, more than likely, nothing like the ones that you are thinking of right now.”
“What?” Justin said as he raised his eyebrows at the older man and crossed his arms across his chest. As far as he was concerned he was more than ready to head on home…either to Tennessee to stay with his dad, Randy until his mother could return or stay at his home with Jan until his mother’s arrival. He didn’t like the idea of not being able to do what he already had in mind. He quickly glanced at the others seated beside him and he recognized the looks on their faces and he was sure that his mirrored theirs exactly. But before any of the others could say something, Detective Welsley began speaking.
“This is what will be happening,” the detective said quietly as his gaze traveled from one figure to the next. He could see that confusion was evident in their expressions and he knew that what he was going to be saying next would only bring more confusion and, what he could only imagine, fear… and possibly anger to emanate from the young men.
“In about a half hour, your families will be leaving and returning to their homes,” he began only to be interrupted by Chris’s quiet voice.
“We’re going too…aren’t we?” he asked, leaning toward the detective. He was ready to leave the hospital and spend some time with his family…no matter how smothering his mother and four sisters might be.
“No, boys…you’re not,” Johnny answered for the detective, knowing that his answering would make the plan somewhat easier to accept…maybe.
Immediately, there were protests, but where they were usually boisterous and loud, their voices were subdued and tired.
“Why not…what we are going to do…where are we going…do we have to stay here?” they asked aloud, their voices jumbling together but before they were able to get out of hand, Johnny simply raised his hand, effectively quieting the outburst.
“If you’ll give the detectives a chance, they’ll explain everything to you,” he said looking at each of them, his tired gaze full of sympathy for their situation. They each gave the manager a hard look then returned their attention to the detectives, who in turn cringed at the withering looks that were being thrown their way by. Although they had both faced numerous dangerous criminals throughout his years on the force, facing these five young men seemed an ominous task. Clearing his throat, Detective Pierce began to lay out the plan to the young men while Detective Welsley and the other investigators sat back and carefully watched and gauged the reactions to what was being said.
“First, let me say to you that this plan was devised by your families and friends following last night’s attacks. We had planned to put you into protective custody here at a safe house in Orlando, but a better plan was formed and it was deemed appropriate and safe.”
“So…what’s going to happen to us?” JC asked as he glanced nervously at the doctor.
Chris read the nervous look on his friend’s face and reached over to grasp his hand. He was just as upset with the news but he also knew that whatever decision had been made had only been made with their best interests in mind.
“Like the detective said, in about a half hour your families will be leaving for their homes with bodyguards and decoys disguised as the five of you. At the same time, we’ll be sending you by helicopter to Texas.”
At that revelation, the five young men sat up, their expressions and spirits lifted as they all gazed hopefully at Jan, who was quietly smiling at them...everything was going to work out.
Two hours later, the three in-flight paramedics who had been carefully selected by Dr. Shannon were finalizing their preparations for the long flight to a rural Texas airfield. Dr. Shannon had selected the three due not only to their excellent medical skills but also their track records in handling delicate situations involving security and confidentiality. He had great confidence that not only would the flight be smoother due to his selections, but that the five young men being cared for would receive the best care possible at the hands of Julie Harkness, Mike Harmon, and Sean McNaughton.
A specially equipped medical helicopter was secured for the long trip to Texas with the help of the FBI and was prepared to lift off from a rural airport some 35 miles outside Orlando once the five patients arrived.
Family members of the group had already said their goodbyes and, as planned, had left the hospital well after nightfall with the group’s bodyguards and FBI agents and detectives disguised as their sons. Jan had also left once a man selected to portray Justin’s father, Randy Timberlake had arrived to accompany “his son” back to Tennessee.
Jan’s flight would arrive in Houston near midnight, leaving her about three hours to reach the small, rural town of Woodville, Texas, where the helicopter would eventually land.
“Heads up,” Paramedic Julie Harkness said as the first of three ambulances arrived at the airfield right on schedule. Minutes later, the doors of the vehicle were opened and two figures, along with a paramedic, could be seen within its confines. One of the figures was lying on a gurney and appeared to be asleep, while the other was seated beside the medic.
“Who do we have?” the middle aged woman said as she was handed several charts before stepping aside for the gurney to be removed.
“Timberlake and Bass,” one of the medics replied as he and his partner passed by the woman, pushing the gurney toward the awaiting helicopter.
“Hi,” she said with an easy smile as she stepped up into the vehicle and sat down at the young man’s side. “My name is Julie Harkness and I’m going to be one of the in-flight paramedics taking care of you and your friends this evening. Are you…Justin or James?” she asked quickly looking at the charts for names.
“Um…I’m Justin and he prefers Lance,” Justin quietly replied as he watched the woman pull out a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope from some pockets along the sides of her pants.
Lance smiled at the woman and she returned it with a chuckle.
“Oh…you’re the strong and silent type,” she said with a wink.
“For the time being he is,” Justin answered for him with a conspiratorial smile of his own.
“And if you stay that way, Lance, things will be okay,” she added as she reached out and patted him on the knee.
Justin immediately felt at ease with the woman. If the other paramedics were as nice and humorous as she, then he knew that everyone would better enjoy the long flight that they were facing.
“Let me just make a few quick checks and then we’ll get you and the others all loaded up,” Julie said, interrupting Justin’s thoughts as she as she reached for his left arm and pushed up the sleeve of the long sleeved t-shirt that he was wearing.
“The others are here?” Justin said as he moved about in an attempt to glance out the back of the open vehicle, hampering the paramedic’s job.
“They just drove up a few seconds ago,” Julie replied hoping that the news would quiet the nervousness that seemed to be radiating off the young man.
“If you’ll let me get this done, I’ll get you and Lance over to the helicopter and you’ll be with your other friends,” she added as she readjusted the blood pressure cuff around Justin’s left arm before pumping it back up with air.
Immediately, the young man became still and compliant with all her requests and, about ten minutes later, with some assistance, Justin and Lance were lead over to the helicopter at the same time that Joey and Chris were being put on board.
“Where’s C?” Justin asked as he accepted help in climbing the short flight of stairs up into the belly of the helicopter all the while glancing about for his friend.
“He’s already in there,” Chris answered tiredly as he followed close behind. He had managed to stay awake throughout the entire day and now he was beginning to feel the full effects of the lack of rest. He knew that the flight was going to be a rough one and he was dreading it with all his heart.
“Hi…I’m Sean McNaughton and this is Julie Harkness and Mike Hartman,” the paramedic said to the small group, once everyone had been settled and strapped onto gurneys, which were secured to the floor of the helicopter’s cabin.
“We’ve been instructed to give you a light sedative that will help you rest during the flight.”
At the word “sedative” Joey shook his head and balked.
“No…no way are you giving me a sedative,” he said forcibly as he began to struggle against the straps holding him to the gurney. At the same time, Chris spoke up in a voice that betrayed his fear.
“Let me out…undo me…now. I’ll take care of him, but I can’t do it from here…he’s scared…please.”
The paramedics seemed to hesitate and that brought JC to action. He immediately strained against his straps and fumbled with the buckles holding him in place while he spoke, his voice pleading with the medics.
“Come on…let me and Chris help…please. Last night we were attacked and Joe was giving a sedative by one of the men…it almost killed him.”
“Do it,” Julie said as she quickly reached for JC’s gurney while Mike moved toward Chris’s. At the same time, Sean moved in between Justin’s and Lance’s and amid protests from the pair, quickly administered the sedatives in the hopes that the two would be spared from hearing the anguished cries emanating from the writhing young man on the gurney nearby.
For several minutes the three medics sat back and watched as the two young men were finally able to calm their friend down well enough that the sedative could be administered. Once it had been injected into his IV, tears silently tracked down JC and Chris’s faces as they watched Joey unsuccessfully attempt to keep his drooping eyes from closing.
“Scared…scared…Josh…scared,” Joey whispered, his voice becoming slurred as it slowed and lowered in volume until there was no sound at all.
“Sh…sh…I know…I know,” JC said as he tightly gripped Joey’s hand until it became limp within his grasp while Chris continued to run a shaking hand over Joey’s sweaty head.
“I’ve never seen him so scared before, C…never,” Chris said as he wiped away the tears that continued to fall, forgetting that he and the others had had an audience.
“Let’s get you two back on your gurneys,” Julie said, reaching out toward the pair of shaking men.
Chris simply nodded his head at the woman and allowed Sean to guide him back to his gurney while Mike assisted JC to his. A few minutes later, all five young men were securely strapped to their gurneys and the helicopter pilot was ready to take off.
“Let’s get this bird into the air,” he said once the go ahead was given.
It was in the wee hours of the morning when the group left the helicopter and was ushered into the van that Jan had rented. Everyone was tired and more than ready to reach their destination. Joey had settled himself into the front passenger seat in order to give him more room to stretch out and had the seat slightly reclined. In the immediate back seat, Justin sat with JC leaning against him asleep and in last seat, Lance was no where to be seen since he was lying down asleep with his head in Chris’s lap.
“There’s plenty of room in the house, J…you can each have your own rooms,” Jan said quietly after driving in silence for several minutes.
“We’ve already talked about that, Jan,” Chris replied as quietly. “I’m going to stay with Joey tonight and JC and Justin are staying with Lance.”
Jan raised her eyebrows at the news as she briefly glanced into the rearview to see Justin nodding his head while staring back at her with wide eyes.
“That’s doable, Chris. The living room has a couple of pull out couches for JC, Justin and Joe and the bedroom right off the living room has two beds in it.”
“Couldn’t we just pull some mattresses into the living room, Jan…please? I want to do that instead, Chris.”
Without thinking twice, Jan nodded her head. “I don’t see any problem with that, Justin.” One glance in the rearview mirror let her know that Justin’s arrangement would probably be best for the first evening. Given a day or two to adjust, everyone might be ready to move in to their own rooms.
“Thanks, Aunt Jan.”
“Tomorrow we can do a little rearranging…whatever you think you need, guys.”
“How much longer, Jan?” Joey whispered, interrupting the conversation. Jan reached for his outstretched hand and gently grasped it.
“About 20 more minutes…Mamo and Papo’s house is about a mile or two off the highway. It’s too dark for you to really appreciate the scenery, but maybe in the morning or afternoon, you and the others will be up to some exploring.”
“Maybe,” he quietly replied as Jan released his hand and he was able to readjust the sling holding his right arm against his chest.
“Hurts, Joe?” Justin said, leaning slightly forward in his seat. He couldn’t move too much with JC’s pliant body leaning against his.
Joey slightly turned in his seat so that he could see Justin and give him a tired smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“A little, I guess, J.”
“You can take something once we get to the house, Joey,” Justin replied as he reached forward and gently tousled the older man’s hair.
Ron Williams glanced at the clock, his eyes red and weary. He had been searching through the documents that were on Lance’s laptop…one of the three that had been taken from his home. There had to be something…anything that would lead him to the woman’s identity.
Earlier in the evening, he had witnessed the ambulances that had supposedly taken away the five young men, along with their families. He had informed Mr. Picatti of that fact and had been told to find where the young men’s families lived but that information was really worthless since they knew they were being taken to Texas. Right now he was almost desperate to find out where they were…the information could possibly mean his life…his death.
“I’m going to find you, little lady,” Ron said tiredly as he raked his hands through his hair. “Then we’ll take care of those boys...yeah…that’ll mean the end of you and those boys.”