by JL Curtis
“Use him. I want answers sooner rather than later. I want to take care of the problem in the next month. Call the number on the card when you have it and say you have new account information.”
Sanchez turned the card over. “Si, Senor Lopez, new account information. I will put the Anglo to work today.”
***
Sanchez met Jimmy behind the truck stop on I-10 and passed along Roberto’s directions and handed him the envelope with John Cronin’s information. Jimmy nodded and took the envelope with a smile, especially when Sanchez told him his debt would be erased if he got everything done in the next two weeks. Sanchez figured it would take Jimmy twice that long, especially if he actually did get Cronin’s schedule down.
***
The old man eased into the sheriff’s department parking lot and put Yogi on the leash, walking him over to what the old man now thought of as Yogi’s favorite tree. He never noticed the primered old Camaro that puttered by as he let Yogi do his business, then walked slowly into the department. Putting Yogi in his office, he got a cup of coffee and knocked on the sheriff’s door, “Jose, got a minute?”
The sheriff waved him in. “Morning, John. Glad you stopped by. We’ve got a mess on our hands, and I’m going to dump it on you.”
“Oh joy, oh joy, what did I do to piss you off this morning?”
“Nothing, but Hector got caught up in the tail end of a domestic last night, and city wants us to run the investigation. Apparently, city got a 911 and by the time they got there, two of the perps had run. They put out a BOLO and Hector caught them, then had to fight them until he got backup. We’ve got the two runners here, but there seems to be a question of who beat who. Both these guys look like they got the short end of the stick.”
The old man groaned. “Are we being accused of excessive force?”
The sheriff shook his head. “Nah, but the question is who laid a beating on these two. I had city send over copies of their reports, and Hector’s is also in your box. City is thinking there is something hinky about this one. Maybe the perps tried to take on the wrong person.”
The old man took a sip of his coffee and said, “Okay, what are you trying to tell- Oh damn, not the Alvarez clan again?”
Chuckling, the sheriff said, “Oh yeah, Consuela’s cousins again. This time it was the Sotos. They apparently are still taking issue over the way they got married, and got liquored up and tried to whip him. He put one in the hospital and the other two ran.”
“So let me guess, Juan’s brother was the responding officer from city, right? And the city is dumping it to us in case he might have helped his brother?”
“Yep. After all they’re both golden gloves, and Juan’s got a good shot at the Olympics according to some of the folks I’m talking to. Juan swears Miguel is a better fighter than he is. And don’t forget, Miguel fought as a middleweight, not a welterweight like Juan.”
The old man nodded. “Yep, seen them fight at the Boy’s Club. Both of them are damn good and that’s good news for Juan. They going to send him to Colorado Springs?”
“Probably. Now, what did you need before I so rudely upset your day?”
It was the old man’s turn to chuckle, and he covered it with a sip of coffee. “Well, in the good news/bad news category, they’re moving Aaron to Brooks. They’re thinking that the third surgery has actually fixed the nerve issues he was having. That’s the good, as he’s recovering pretty well and they’re about ready to start fitting him with a prosthetic. The bad is the Marines may be making noises about medically retiring him.”
“Oh damn, retirement? I didn’t think-”
The old man continued, “Ah shit, I guess things are changing, and they’re looking at pushing disabled vets out. From what Jesse said last night, they’re going to put him at what’s now being called the San Antonio Military Medical Center. In something called the Center for the Intrepid, which apparently provides advanced rehabilitative services. Whatever that is.”
The sheriff shrugged. “Well, it’s at least closer to home. If you need to take time off, just go. I know having a new baby in the house is going to be a full time job for two people, and even worse considering Aaron’s situation!”
The old man shook his head. “Appreciate it, Jose, but Billy is working on finding a place over there for Jesse and the baby as soon as it’s born, and they need time together without me getting in the middle of their lives. Besides, Jesse will have to get used to having a baby and dealing with that, in addition to visiting Aaron. And I think they’re both damn glad to be out of DC and at least back in Texas for now. I get the sense that Aaron is pretty frustrated either with himself, or with his level of recovery, but Jesse didn’t go into any details.”
The sheriff said, “Okay, and the sooner that we complete the investigation the better. I know the answers already, but let’s do it right. I just wish I could go over there and knock some sense into these assholes. Juan and Consuela eloped because they knew there were family issues, but dammit, they are happy. Why in hell can’t the families see that?”
The old man replied, “Understood, I’m on it, boss!” And headed back to his office.
Yogi jumped up gleefully when the old man opened the office door and the old man sighed, “All right dog, one more trip out then I have to get to work.” Putting Yogi’s leash on, he walked him out the back of the department and over to the favored tree. While Yogi was doing his business, the old man thought about the best way to conduct the investigation and decided to go interview the Soto cousins first. Might as well get that out of the way without any preconceptions.
After depositing Yogi with the girls in dispatch, the old man continued back to the jail and asked for each of the Sotos to be brought into the interview room separately. An hour later, shaking his head in frustration, he walked back to his office with a stack of notes that did nothing to make him think this wasn’t going to happen again. He hoped Juan did get picked up for the Olympics and would move to Colorado Springs with Consuela. That seemed to be the only way this was going to end well.
Slogging through the reports, he called over to city and found that Miguel Alvarez was on duty today. He asked city dispatch to have him meet the old man at the Mexican restaurant downtown. He decided it was close enough to lunch to leave now. After checking on Yogi, happily ensconced in dispatch, the old man drove out of the parking area and headed for the restaurant. Unbeknownst to him, Jimmy had been watching the office from the park, and he ran to his car and followed the old man.
His interview with Officer Alvarez was over in about ten minutes, and looking at his hands confirmed Miguel hadn’t hit anyone, at least not with his hands, the night before. Miguel was disgusted with not only the Sotos but also with Juan. “Stupid brother of mine. If only he’d called us as soon as they pulled up. Well, we could have broken this up to start with. But no, he and Consuela tried to talk to them, like that would work.”
The old man asked, “So Consuela called 911?”
“Yes, sir. Captain, we have the tape. And you can hear the Sotos yelling at Juan in the background. I think all three of them were, if not drunk, damn close to it.”
“Did the doc do a BAC[26] on Ernesto?”
Alvarez leaned back. “Yes, sir, he came back a point one two.”
The old man shook his head. “A point one two! And he was trying to hit Juan with a bat? I doubt that he could do that sober. So Juan took him down hard and quick, right?”
“Yes, sir, he was still out when we got there. McGuiness cuffed him and made sure he was breathing while I tried to catch the other two, but they made it around to the car and were in the wind. I never laid a hand on either one of them, and your folks had them in custody before McGuiness and I could even get to the car.” Miguel answered.
“Okay, we’re done. I can’t believe this got dumped to us, but it’s plain you didn’t do anything other than respond to a domestic. Since you were good enough to meet me, I’ll even buy lunch.” The old man said with a sm
ile.
Miguel replied, “Thanks, captain. I’ll cover the tip. And honestly, I’m glad this one didn’t go really bad. I’m afraid of what’s liable to happen sooner or later.”
The old man just nodded, choosing not to comment. He paid the bill and walked slowly back to his car, ruminating on what to do next. Hector should be coming on duty in a couple of hours, and that would be the last interview. He didn’t see any reason to go interview either Juan or Consuela, but he did want to hear the 911 tape, so he drove over to the police station and sat down with the deputy chief. A few minutes later, tape reviewed, he was out of there and headed back to the Sheriff’s Department. Jimmy trailed him by a block, and as soon as the old man pulled into the parking area, Jimmy turned off and parked on the backside of the park. Since Jimmy was a known entity in the park, nobody paid him any attention.
Rehab- Try two
Aaron’s transfer to the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center went as smoothly as it could have. Jesse was packing the clothes she had at the apartment in Silver Springs, and donating the car to one of the veteran’s organizations in the DC area. She would be flying down to the ranch the next day, much to the old man’s displeasure. He didn’t want Jesse back in range of the cartels, and especially not sitting at the ranch and pregnant.
Aaron was transferred from the ambulance to what looked like a brand new structure, and as he was wheeled through the building, he was amazed at how new everything looked. Once Aaron got to his room he was met by a doctor in a white smock, “I’m Dr. Carter and I’m going to be the man in charge of getting you back on your feet, Gunny. We’ve got a pretty good setup here, and we’ll do everything we can to make your stay as short as possible, depending on how fast your rehabilitation goes. Any questions to start with?”
Aaron looked around and asked, “Is this brand new? I mean, I’m coming from Walter Reed-”
Dr. Carter said, “Well, yes now that you mention it, this is basically brand new.” Pulling a card out of his pocket, he read, “CFI, that’s what we call ourselves has a threefold mission. We provide rehabilitation for casualties like yourself who have sustained amputation or functional limb loss through cutting edge rehabilitation modalities, and research in the fields of Orthopedics, prosthetics and physical/occupational rehabilitation. The staff and equipment for the building was selected to provide the full spectrum of amputee rehabilitation including design and building injury specific prosthetics. Are you impressed?” he asked as he stuffed the card back in his pocket.
Aaron choked back a laugh. “Sir, I have no idea what half those words meant, but if it gets me back to the Corps, I’m good with it. My wife will be here in a couple of days, so I need to let her know where to come. Where are we actually?”
Carter said, “This facility is actually located on Fort Sam Houston, but we’re part of BAMC as Brooke is known. You’ll be getting a welcome aboard packet as soon as admin gets here, and gets you checked in. Will your wife need housing assistance? We do have some Fisher House suites available on campus, but I’m afraid they’re all full right now.”
Aaron shifted uncomfortably. “No, sir. She’s from Texas, down in Fort Stockton. I’m pretty sure she will be able to get a place here. Oh, one thing. She’s about seven months pregnant. I guess we need to find a doctor for her.”
Carter said, “Okay, we can get her into the wellness clinic and get her attached to a family services doctor. That’s a bit out of my area of specialization.” Looking over he saw a harried trooper come through the door. “And here’s admin even as we speak. Take the time today to get the paperwork out of the way, and we’ll do an in-processing physical and status check tomorrow morning, then start looking at your rehab plan and prosthetics builds. Sergeant Thomas, Gunnery Sergeant Miller is all yours.”
Thomas said, “Oh, thank you, major. So, did you give half my spiel as usual?”
Carter put his hand over his heart. “Sergeant, you wound me. I’d never attempt to co-opt your fine work! Tomorrow, Gunny!” With that, Carter was out the door.
***
A week later after the initial fittings and measurements, Aaron was ready for his first rehab appointment with his new leg. The medics came into the room, towing the gurney and asked, “Can you walk to the gurney?”
Aaron looked at them. “Uh, no. But I can hop I guess.”
The medic looked over and saw the prosthetic leg standing next to the bed, “Oops, sorry about that. Let’s see if we can get the bed and gurney matched up.”
After multiple tries, Aaron finally said, “Oh screw it. I’ll hop over.” Aaron got on the gurney and the medics started pulling the gurney out after they’d strapped him down and he said, “Whoa, don’t forget my leg, guys!”
Abashed, the other medic picked up the prosthetic and laid it on the stretcher where his leg should have been. They got him downstairs and into the back of the ambulance, and the medic said, “Okay, let’s go.” Leaning over Aaron, he was hooking up a BP cuff as they started driving out of the hospital. They hit a speed bump and Aaron’s prosthetic bounced up and smacked the medic in the nose. He recoiled and started cussing as Aaron burst out laughing, causing the driver to slam on the brakes. Which caused the prosthetic to bounce off the gurney and hit the medic in the foot. Aaron reached over and grabbed the leg and said, “Sorry ‘bout that. I guess you can file for workman’s comp now.”
When they pulled into rehab, the medics pushed the gurney into the primary rehabilitation area. The physical therapist looked at the medic then asked, “What the hell happened to you?”
The medic ducked his head. “I fought the leg,” he added, pointing at Aaron’s prosthetic on the gurney. “And the leg won.”
The physical therapist winced. “Oh, yeah, and it left a mark too!” Looking at Aaron, she said, “You’re not planning on beating me with your leg are you?”
Aaron laughed. “No, ma’am, at least not to start with. And based on previous experience with PT, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t if I wanted to.” Which prompted a laugh from the therapist and medics both. They helped Aaron to a chair and left saying they would be back in a couple of hours.
***
Jesse leaned against Aaron as he sat on the couch, massaging his stump. “How’d it go today?”
Aaron flexed his leg and replied, “Not too bad. At least I didn’t bust my ass but twice today. Doc Carter really knows his business, and the mad scientists down in the lab are getting the leg tuned for me.” He reached for the lotion, started massaging it into his stump and lower leg and continued. “Apparently, the last surgery at Walter Reed actually fixed the nerve issues, and the stump doesn’t hurt all the time. I didn’t understand the whole liner thing until Doc explained that he wants me as close to healthy as possible and the muscles built up so that the liner and socket actually mate correctly. But that little PT lady must be related to the Marquis de Sade!”
The jangle of Jesse’s phone interrupted and Jesse picked it up. “Oh, Matt’s calling.” Hitting speaker, Jesse sat the phone on her growing belly, “Hi, Matt! I’ve got you on speaker with Aaron and Junior.”
Matt replied, “Okay. Junior? Hang on let me go to speaker on this end. Felicia is here too.”
Jesse laughed. “The phone is lying on my belly, so Junior is hearing the call too.”
Felicia said, “Are you sure that’s good for the baby, Jesse? How is Aaron doing?”
Aaron leaned over and said, “I’m hanging in and hanging on. Hey, Matt, did you get the check for the rent?”
Matt replied, “Yep, thanks!” Boo Boo barked in the background and Jesse said, “Boo Boo sit! No bark!” prompting laughter from Matt and Felicia.
Felicia continued, “She misses y’all, Jesse. Aaron, since Matt is afraid to ask, I’m going to.”
“Ask what?” Aaron held Jesse’s hand.
Felicia, sounding determined, said, “We want you in our wedding, and it’s been almost six months since you got hurt. Everything is on hold waiting on you to
tell us when we can get married. My family is worried that Matt is wanting to back out.”
Aaron glanced at Jesse and then interrupted, “Give me thirty days. You’re right, we need to do this and before Jesse has the baby too. I’ve been working out and they’re getting ready to fit me with my new leg in the next week or so. Gimme a couple of weeks to get reasonably stable on it, and we’ll do this. I will stand by Matt next month.”
Aaron and Jesse both heard Felicia’s sigh of relief and quiet sob. Jesse said, “You doing it at the church? Are both the Padre and pastor going to split the vows?”
“Yep,” Matt said. “We’ve been talking to them for a few months now. It’s not going to be a big wedding. Mainly family and that’s about it. Since it’s the second for both of us, it’s not going to be fancy.”
Jesse looked at the phone in surprise. “Matt, you really don’t know much about Hispanic weddings do you?”
Felicia laughed. “Shhh. Don’t tell him Jesse, let it be a surprise.”
“What?” Matt asked. “Y’all and your damn secrets. I swear. Hey, Aaron, any word on when you’re going to be released back to the command?”
Aaron replied, “Doc Carter says thirty days after I pass his test. So I’m hoping about two months. This new leg is ruggedized, so I should be able to go full out. It’s got a shock absorber, springs and all kinds of neat shit in it. And he told me they’ll also fit me with a running leg and a swimming leg. Don’t know for sure what the swimming leg is, but the running leg looks like just one big spring.”
Matt joked, “Maybe your swimming leg has a life preserver. You’ve always needed one.”
That prompted laughter all around. Jesse picked the phone up, and grunted with effort as she got up off the couch, “Say bye to Matt, Felicia and I need some girl talk.”