Just My Luck Ch. 8
“So…you didn’t find any connections between Bass and Goines?” Tony Picatti asked the three men he had sent to James Lance Bass’s home in the hopes of finding out if there was something that he might be able to use against Bass if there was some sort of connection between Goines and the singer.
“No, sir, but something else happened while we were there,” Gary said as he looked at Matt and Sam.
The three were prepared to give their boss any information that they had…well…almost along with some information that they fabricated in order to protect themselves from a man who would kill them as easily as he had killed Marshall Goines. Before arriving at Mr. Picatti’s home, they had decided not to let him know that his name had been said to one of the young men…something that should never had happened…nor the fact that they had also used their own names in front of the same young man. They had also decided to not let their boss know that they had left the front door open just enough to have alerted the young men that there was a problem inside. The three knew that they had really messed up, but who would have every imagined that they would have been discovered and that they would have had to take care of those two kids.
“During our search we saw a car drive up and two kids got out and came up to the front porch,” Sam explained, choosing his words carefully and being mindful of his tone of voice and facial expression. He did not want to incur the wrath of their employer.
“What were they doing there?” Mr. Picatti asked.
“We got one of them to talk,” Gary answered. “He said that they were there to pick up some stuff for their friend.”
“What did you do with the two kids?” Mr. Picatti asked as he studied the men standing before him. He knew that something was up since their answers seemed to be almost rehearsed, but he decided to just let it go for the time being.
“We roughed them up a bit, tied them up and left them there in Bass’s house,” Matt answered. “We took their vehicle to make it look like a simple robbery and left it at the usual drop off place on the other side of town.”
“Okay,” Mr. Picatti said as he turned away from the men. “I want you, Matt to hack into that computer that you brought and see what all is on it. Look for connections.”
“Sam, I want you to take the rest of the stuff that you stole and ship it to Charlie in Seattle. It’ll be traced if we try to get rid of it around here.”
“Gary, you need to get with Ron at the hospital. Have him keep his ears open for any news on Bass and his friends.”
The three men quickly left the room to follow out their instructions while their boss sat down at his desk and began making some phone calls of his own in an effort to find out more about the members of Nsync.
Dr. Shannon ushered the two bodyguards into a changing area and had Lonnie and Mike exchange their street clothes for blue scrubs before entering the x-ray department to where JC and Chris were. The clothes would not only provide better acceptance by staff members, but they were also necessary due to the fact that both men’s clothing had a good deal of blood on them from JC and Chris’s wounds. Dr. Shannon did not want JC or Chris to wake up to that gruesome sight.
Once they had finished changing and had entered the x-ray area, Dr. Shannon was informed that JC had just completed one round of tests and had been put into a waiting area until it was time to perform the next round while Chris was just entering into the CT scan area.
Lonnie was taken to JC where he quietly pulled up a chair to the side of his gurney, then gently grasped the young man’s limp, right hand since there was an IV inserted into the top of his left hand. His gaze swept over JC’s lax features that were not hidden by the oxygen mask. A dark bruise ran along the right side of his face…beginning somewhere above his headline and ending along his jaw line. Throughout the 5 or 6 years that he had served as bodyguard for the group, he had seen the young men take their own share of bumps, bruises, strains, sprains, stitches and even broken bones. In each of those incidents, an accident was the culprit behind the injuries…carelessness and horsing around were usually the reasons behind most of the injuries. Not once were those injuries caused purposely by another individual and, for the life of him, Lonnie could not imagine how another individual could purposefully hurt anyone as gentle natured and fun loving as JC, Chris or Lance.
With a small sigh, Lonnie wiped a tear from his face then, in quiet tones, he began to speak words of encouragement to the unconscious young man lying before him in an effort to let him know that he was no longer alone, he was safe and that he needed to awaken soon.
At the same time, Dr. Shannon led Mike through an area limited to hospital personnel where he met with several x-ray technicians. He quickly introduced Mike to them then explained what was going to be done.
“This is Mr. Kirkpatrick’s personal bodyguard, Mike Headnot,” he said quietly as he watched the large man pull a small rolling stool along the side of the narrow gurney on which Chris lay then sit down. Then, unknowingly, the large man’s movements mimicked those of Lonnie’s, a few minutes ago, several rooms away. He carefully grasped Chris’s right hand and bent over until his face was within inches of the young man’s ear then he began to quietly speak to him, telling him silly jokes and one liners, all the while running an enormous hand gently over the young man’s head in his own effort to let Chris know that he was not alone.
“Mr. Headnot is going to be staying with Mr. Kirkpatrick at all times and will in no way hinder your examinations,” Dr. Shannon quietly explained.
“Just be sure to give Mr. Headnot instructions on when and where he needs to move and the same goes for Mr. Chasez’s bodyguard, Lonnie Shepherd. He’s with Mr. Chasez right now and will remain with him at all times.”
The technicians’ expressions were one of questioning, but the doctor’s own expression let them know that there was no room for argument and that what he just said was what was going to be done. With no further words of instruction, Dr. Shannon stepped back, allowing the technicians to continue with their work.
Diane Bass looked up from her son’s bedside when his hospital room’s door quietly opened to reveal her husband and Johnny Wright.
She quickly glanced at Lance and saw that he was asleep then stood up and looked over at Joey’s bed.
Janine, Joey’s older sister, quickly stood up from her seat beside Joey, who was still asleep, then made her way over to the other side of the room where the others were.
“Jim…what happened?” she whispered as she gave the man a hug.
“Let’s sit down somewhere,” he answered as he released the young woman and reached for his wife’s hand.
“Jim?” Diane said as she searched her husband’s face. His eyes were red rimmed and he appeared to be tired…weary.
Johnny’s expression wasn’t much better and Diane felt her stomach plunge. Janine seemed to sense the same dread as she and Diane felt the young woman snake a trembling hand into her other hand.
“Let me check on Justin while you go out into the waiting area,” Johnny said, moving away from the group. He had no desire to hear of what Lonnie and Mike had walked in on…no desire at all.
”You’re okay?” Jim asked already knowing that neither one of them was really okay.
Johnny nodded his head then made his way over to the couch where Justin still lay asleep under the influence of the tranquilizer that Dr. Shannon had had to administer a few hours earlier when he had became so emotionally overwrought that the drugs were necessary.
“Let’s go outside then,” Jim said as he opened the door and ushered the two women outside.
Once the door had closed, Johnny quietly leaned his back against the wall nearest to Justin then slowly slid down its surface to sit on the floor when he no longer had the strength to stand. He was drained…mentally…emotionally…physically.
It was sometime during his CT scan that Chris finally began to once again show signs of regaining consciousness. He first sensed that he was lying on a thinly cushioned surface without much give to it. He then found that he was being held down by something heavy across his legs, his mid-drift and his chest and, just as he was about to panic over that, he felt a hand gently grasping his and knew it was his bodyguard, Mike before he was actually able to see him.
Mike felt the hand that he was holding begin to grip his and he immediately began speaking in reassuring tones over the steady humming of the x-ray machinery surrounding Chris.
“You’re safe, Chris…it’s me, Mike,” he said as he felt the hand within his grasp grip his even stronger, although it was still weak…without the usual strength that the young man possessed.
“Mmm…mmm…Mike?” Chris moaned as he tried to move his head but found that he was unable to.
Mike noticed the slight struggles that Chris was putting up against the straps and he quickly tried to reassure Chris in order to allay his apparent growing fear.
“Listen, Chris, you really need to stay still for just a little while,” Mike said as he stood up and looked into the large halo contraption containing the x-ray equipment that was surrounding Chris’s upper body. He got as close as he could to the machine without actually touching it and found that he was able to just meet the young man’s near panicked gaze.
“Christopher…Christopher,” Mike said firmly as he gave the hand in his a firm squeeze to gain his attention. “I want you to stay still…don’t talk…I’m right here for you, but you have to stay still for just a few more minutes. Dr. Shannon ordered this x-ray to make sure you’re okay.”
“Where’s Jace, Mike? Where is he?” Chris asked in a near frantic tone as tears began to well up in his eyes. He would stay still if Mike told him to…he trusted Mike…he had no earthly idea what was going on or why he was where he was, but, at the same time, he had to know what had happened to his friend.
“He’s fine, Chris. He’s in another room right around the corner with Lonnie sitting with him…he’s safe,” Mike said in comforting tones, using a voice that was generally used for his young nieces and nephews when they were frightened or upset.
“Lonnie is taking good care of him and so is Dr. Shannon.”
Chris seemed to accept what the figure standing over him said and remained quiet for a few moments, lost in his thoughts before feeling the urge to speak again.
“What happened, Mike?” Chris asked in a small voice that was choked with tears.
“I’ll tell you what I know when you’re…” Mike began before a disembodied voice was also heard coming from a speaker overhead.
“Mr. Kirkpatrick…my name is Tim Masterson and I’m the x-ray tech,” the voice began. “You need to remain quiet and still for just a few more minutes. We’re almost finished and then you’ll be able to speak with Mr. Headnot.”
“That’s right, Chris,” Mike said quietly as he continued to gaze down into Chris’s large, fearful eyes. “They’re almost finished. You’re going to be okay…just calm down…I’m here and I’m not going to go anywhere.”
Chris mouthed the word, “okay” then lay as still as possible all the while clutching the hand of his bodyguard.
Minutes later, a young man entered the room and slowly pulled the gurney that Chris was strapped to away from the heavy x-ray equipment.
“We’re finished here, Mr. Kirkpatrick,” the young man said with an easy smile. “It’s good to see that you’re finally alert,” he added before looking at Mike.
“I’ll notify Dr. Shannon of the change in Mr. Kirkpatrick’s condition right away.”
The young man turned to a phone on a nearby wall and minutes later as Chris was being moved back into a treatment room Dr. Shannon stepped into view.
“Well…it looks like you’re finally with us, Chris,” Dr. Shannon said with a smile on his face as he gazed down at the figure lying before him.
“Why am I here?” Chris asked in confusion. “Was there an accident or something? Where’s JC?”
The frantic questions tumbled recklessly out of Chris’s mouth as he searched the doctor’s face for answers to his questions. He didn’t care in what order they were answered as long as they were all taken care of.
“Whoa…let’s take one question at a time,” Dr. Shannon said with a mixture of slight amusement and concern. It had only been less than an hour ago when Chris had temporarily regained consciousness in the emergency room. At that time he had remembered a small portion of the attack, but the doctor decided to push those concerns aside as he once again spoke. It actually wasn’t uncommon for patients with moderate concussions to have memory lapses even after having been given information. Chris was just going to have to be reminded of what had happened, but very carefully.
“First, JC is doing fine,” the doctor said in reassuring tones as he gently ran his hand over Chris’s right arm in an effort to comfort him.
“He is beginning to show signs of regaining consciousness in the next trauma treatment room. He’s not alone…Lonnie is with him right now.”
Both Dr. Shannon and Mike saw a wave of relief seem to pass over Chris’s face, as he appeared to allow the words to sink in. Seconds later, the doctor once again spoke in order to further answer Chris’s barrage of questions.
Second, there was no accident, Chris and as for why you’re here…well, what is the last thing you remember, Chris?”
Chris looked up away from the doctor and Mike, who had remained at his side and studied the ceiling tiles overhead as he tried to recall his last memories. He licked his dry lips then returned his gaze to the men standing over him.
“I remember…Joey’s house…going upstairs and packing him a bag…then…we went to Lance’s house and…and… his door was kinda open…then…” Chris said as his voice suddenly dropped away, his eyes growing larger and larger as the memory of the attack became clearer to him.
At the same time both the doctor and Mike could tell exactly when the memory of the attack had returned by not only Chris’s expression but by the increased tempo of the blipping coming from the EKG monitor that had been monitoring Chris’s heart rate.
Dr. Shannon looked at Mike and motioned for him to move to the side as nurses and other medical personnel began to surround Chris’s gurney. As soon as Mike released Chris’s hand, the doctor quickly grasped it to let Chris know that he was there for him.
“Now…Chris…son, you need to calm down,” Dr. Shannon said in quiet, calm tones all the while shifting his gaze from Chris to the monitor overhead…back and forth. As this dance continued, a nurse removed the nasal canula providing Chris oxygen through his nose and replaced it with a mask while another nurse began checking his blood pressure. During all this, Chris seemed totally oblivious to the activity buzzing about him. He was too busy recounting the memories that seemed to flood his mind…it was as if the dam retaining those recollections had been crushed causing them to force their way into his memory.
“He was so big…” Chris said breathlessly as he began to hyperventilate. “Jace…couldn’t…he tried…but…”
“Chris…let’s take a few deep breaths for me,” Dr. Shannon said as his gaze continued to dance between Chris’s pale, waxed face to the monitors that were keeping pace with the steady increase of the young man’s erratic heart beat and breaths, but it was as if the doctor did not even exist to the young man. Chris did not seem to have any more control over his words and emotions than he did over his heart and lungs as he continued to babble in a voice full of fear and confusion.
The doctor began to quietly give orders to those medical personnel surrounding the gurney and there was a wave of movement as the orders were carried out.
“He…he was so…big…why…why JC…JC…he couldn’t…I tried, but…he kicked…me…the man…kicked…”
Chris’s panicked voice began to fade…beads of sweat dotted his pale, almost transparent face…his eyes were gradually losing their focus while his heart rate reached an all time high as did his breathing rate.
It was at that point that Dr. Shannon once again gave more orders, his tone of voice more urgent as Chris’s eyes began to roll back into his head…his hands helplessly opening and closing, his body straining against the straps that continued to keep him in place on the gurney.
Within seconds, Chris’s jerked, panicked movements became non-existent and he became still and sedate riding on a wave of medications designed to carry him into a more peaceful, tranquil state…to carry him from his fears as well as give his body the chance to recover from the frantic pace that it had tried to sustain.
As nurses attended to Chris by covering his lax form with warmed blankets and checking his vitals, Dr. Shannon stepped back from the gurney. He pinched the bridge of his nose then placed both hands on his hips as he bowed his head…this was almost too much for him. He considered the young men that made up the group of Nsync as members of his own family…it was as if he was treating a member of his own family…a son.
During the entire five minutes that had elapsed between Chris’s first coming to and then the necessity to sedate him, Mike had stood in a far corner of the room, trying to stay out of the way of the busy activity surrounding the gurney holding his young charge. He reached up and ran a shaking hand over his face and was startled to feel moisture…he had not even realized that he had been crying. With a slight shake of his head he reached into a back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face off.
Chris’s tortured words…his terror filled voice broke his heart. He knew that if he ever got his hands on the men…no…monsters who caused this fear and the injuries…he would…”
“No,” he whispered…he wouldn’t do what he wanted to do…that wouldn’t help anyone at all if he were punished for what he wanted to do to the men who assaulted JC and Chris. It would no one any good at all.
“No what, Mike?” Dr. Shannon said quietly as he approached the large man.
Mike gave the doctor a tired smile.
“I had to tell myself no…if I ever got my hands on the men…if you can call them that,” he practically spat out. “I don’t know what I might do, but I wouldn’t be helping things at all…would I, doc.”
“No, Mike…” the doctor said in an almost bitter tone of voice. “Believe me…I feel the same way when a drunk driver is brought in with a simple broken nose or a couple of scratches while the victims in the car that they hit are injured so severely that they either don’t make it or worse yet…they wish they hadn’t made it when their injuries completely change their lives.”
“What happens now, doc?”
“We’ll treat him for his injuries…move him to a room and continue to monitor him,” Dr. Shannon said as he turned to watch those attending to Chris.
“Is Lance and Joey’s room large enough for Chris and JC?” Mike asked. He was beginning to move into his professional mode. He wanted to keep the group as close together as possible. It would not only help alleviate some security issues but would also provide the young men some comfort in seeing each other…in knowing where the others were at all times.
“It’s large enough,” Dr. Shannon answered. “We might have to do some shuffling around and ask parents and family to sleep in an adjoining room, but I don’t think that will be much of a problem.”
“Well…what do you need to do to get this done, doc?” Mike said as he began to form a mental list of what he would need to be doing.
“I’ll just need to make a few phone calls.”
Mike nodded his head and watched as Dr. Shannon walked over to a nearby wall phone. Minutes later, Chris was being wheeled into JC’s treatment room then, the pair would be transported upstairs to where the rest of the group was resting.