by Mike Ryan
After taking a few minutes to get to the van, Recker was finally ready to make his move. He was only a few feet away from it. With his back against the wall, he took one last look around and took a deep breath. With the coast seemingly clear, he took a step toward the van. Suddenly, both the back and side doors opened up, with a man stepping out from both spots. Recker knew he was in a jam now.
Recker quickly lifted his arm, taking aim at the man who stepped out of the side door. He didn’t get a chance to pull the trigger though. The man at the back of the van, who spotted Recker approaching several minutes earlier, was just a tad faster, and more ready for the action. The man fired two shots, both of which hit Recker in the chest. The impacts of the blasts knocked Recker off his feet. The man at the side of the door also fired a couple rounds, but his shots missed since Recker was falling backwards. Recker’s gun flew out of his hand before he hit the puddle-filled concrete ground, the back of his head smacking the concrete.
Hearing the shots outside, the back door to the jewelry store pushed open, the men filing outside to see what the commotion was.
“What’s going on?” one of the men asked.
“Found this guy sneaking up on us,” the man that shot Recker answered.
The men walked over to the van and put several bags inside of it, presumably their haul from the store. “Well finish him and let’s go.”
The man walked over to Recker, who was completely out of it. Between the shock of getting shot, and his head bouncing off the concrete like a basketball, he was in a world of hurt. The man wiped off his gun by placing it between his arm and his side before pointing it at Recker’s head. Another shot rang out. The man dropped like a lead sack, falling just in front of Recker’s prone position.
“What was that?” one of the men asked.
“Where’d that come from?” another one said.
“Over there, over there!” several said in unison as they spotted a man approaching from the end of the alley.
Another shot rang out, hitting the back of the van and glancing off.
“Just get in, let’s go!”
The group, not wanting to get into a firefight in the middle of an alley, just wanted to get out of there. They’d already gotten what they came for. There was no need to engage.
“What about Bobby?!” a man asked, hopping into the van.
“He’s already gone. Nothing we can do for him now,” the leader replied, getting in the front passenger seat.
The van sped off, squealing its tires off the slickened ground. As it drove off, Haley sprinted down the alley until he got to Recker’s motionless body.
“You all right, you all right?!” Haley asked, kneeling next to his friend as he checked on his condition.
Recker didn’t move a muscle as Haley looked on in horror, terrified by the fate of his partner. Haley grabbed Recker’s hand, then placed his other hand behind his friend’s head, lifting it up slightly off the ground, trying to get some kind of sign that he was OK. As he did, Haley noticed a little bit of blood on the ends of his fingers from touching the back of Recker’s head. Finally, after what was the longest twenty seconds of Haley’s life, Recker twitched. He let out a small groan, moved his arm, and batted his eyes. Haley felt a slight sense of relief, hoping nothing was fatally wrong.
“You OK?” Haley asked.
Recker tried sitting up, needing his friend’s help in doing so. He took a few deep breaths as he put his right hand on his chest, clutching his vest. As he was catching his breath, Haley leaned over to take a peek at the back of Recker’s head, observing the damage back there.
“Thank God for these vests,” Recker said.
“You hit?”
Recker shook his head. “Think the vest stopped both of them.” He then put his hand on the back of his head to try and stop the throbbing pain. It felt like someone was continuously hitting him with a hammer.
“We’re gonna have to get out of here before the cops show up,” Haley said.
“Yeah.”
Recker said it in a way that indicated he wasn’t moving anywhere. At least not quickly.
“C’mon, we gotta go.”
Haley grabbed hold of Recker’s arm and helped lift him off the ground. Recker put his arm around Haley’s shoulder, needing help in walking. The two of them walked back down to the end of the alley until they got to Haley’s car, which he parked crooked, halfway on a sidewalk, knowing he was arriving late to the party. Once they got to Haley’s vehicle, he helped Recker get into the back seat so he could stretch out.
As soon as Haley started the car back up and got on the road, he started evaluating Recker’s condition more closely. “Anything else wrong with you beside your head?”
“You mean that and feeling like an elephant stomped on my chest?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Looks like you took a good whack on the back of your head there.”
“Yeah.”
“Might need to get you checked out,” Haley said. “You might have a concussion.”
“I’m fine.”
“You know what today is?”
“Of course I do.”
“What day is it?”
“Uhh,” Recker suddenly struggled to remember, his mind feeling foggy. “It’s… Tuesday.”
Haley raised his eyebrows and looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Uhh, yeah, I think we’re gonna need Mia.”
6
Haley drove straight to the office, letting Jones know he was coming with a wounded Recker in tow. Wanting to concentrate on the hazardous conditions while driving, Haley didn’t say much about Recker’s condition. He just texted Jones that their friend was hurt, but it wasn’t life threatening. Since getting Haley’s message, Jones couldn’t concentrate on anything else and just stood by the window, waiting with bated breath as he looked down at the parking lot.
Once Jones finally saw the headlights of Haley’s car pull into the lot, he anxiously tried to look through the raindrops that saturated the window. He saw Haley helping Recker out of the car and putting his arm around him to assist him in walking. Jones hurried over to the door and opened it, waiting for their appearance. Once they appeared from the side of the building and started walking up the steps, Jones wanted to run down and help Recker up, but two people fitting side by side up the steps was a challenge, three would have been impossible.
Both Recker and Haley were completely soaked from the rain, head to toe. Once they got to the top of the steps and inside the office, Haley led Recker over to the couch. Recker still had his vest off, which his friends helped get off him. Recker was still holding the back of his head, so Jones took a closer look at it.
“I think we’re going to need Mia,” Jones said. “This cut looks pretty bad. Might need a stitch or two.”
“That’s not all,” Haley said.
“What do you mean?” Jones’ eyes darted all around Recker’s body, looking for a bullet hole. “Has he been shot?”
“Well, yeah, but the vest caught those.”
“Those?”
“Yeah, two of them.”
“What else is the issue?”
“He’s a little hazy about things,” Haley answered. “He has no idea what day we’re in.”
“Sustained a concussion most likely.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
“We’re still going to need Mia,” Jones said. “Mike, is Mia at work tonight or is she home?”
Recker’s eyes looked glossy. He tried to remember, but for some reason, it just wasn’t coming back to him. Jones could see that he wasn’t going to get an answer out of him in his current condition. It was best to just let him relax and not put any strain on him.
“I believe Mike told me earlier that she’s working a night shift tonight.”
“I can go get here,” Haley said. “Probably not best for her to be out driving in this and worried about him at the same time.”
“
Yes, good idea. You get started for the hospital and I’ll call her to let her know you’re coming.”
After Haley left, Jones went and got some aspirin and a cup of water for his friend. “Here, this might help with the headache.”
Recker took them from Jones’ hand and quickly gulped them down before leaning back on the couch. Recker looked up at the lights and squinted. Jones knew the lights being on wasn’t helping, so he turned them all off, except for a small lamp on the desk and a table lamp in the far corner of the room. Knowing Mia kept her phone on her at all times, Jones sent her a message to call her as soon as possible.
“Please call me as soon as possible,” the message read.
Jones expected a call back in about thirty seconds, but it actually took a few minutes longer than that. But it still came as he expected it would. As soon as he heard Mia’s voice, he could tell she was automatically worried.
“First of all, calm down, everything is fine.”
“Everything’s fine? I know that’s not true. You wouldn’t be calling me if it was.”
“I’m actually surprised it took you five minutes to call me back.”
“Well I was helping a new mother at the time. Now what is it? Is Mike hurt? Is he OK? What’s the matter?” Jones hesitated for not even five seconds, which was almost enough to send Mia over the brink. “David, don’t play around with me, what is it? He’s hurt, isn’t he? Is he shot? I knew something like this was coming.”
“OK, just relax.”
“David, you tell me to calm down and relax one more time without telling me what’s wrong I’m gonna come over there and shove something completely inappropriate up your…”
“OK, OK, message received. Mike is injured, but he’s OK, he’s not…”
“Oh my god, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“Calm… I mean, just let me explain.”
“Well hurry up and do it fast,” Mia replied.
“OK, Mike got caught up in a situation where…”
“David, I really don’t care about the situation, I just wanna know how Mike is right now.”
“He’s OK. Resting on the couch, a few bumps and bruises, but basically OK.”
“What does that mean exactly? What are his symptoms?”
“Well, we believe he has a concussion.”
“Oh…,” Mia said, not even finishing her sentence as she ran her hand through her long jet-black hair. “What was he struck with?”
“Nothing. He smacked the back of his head on the concrete. I’m not sure if he ever lost consciousness or not, Chris didn’t say.”
“Chris was with him?”
“At the end of it.”
Mia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something that Jones was holding back. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Well…”
“There is. Spill it.”
“Umm, well, he apparently was also shot…”
“Oh my god. No.”
“Mia, he was wearing a vest. Nothing penetrated, he’s OK, the vest stopped both bullets.”
“Two? Oh my…”
“Mia, he’s basically OK from that. His only worries right now are the back of his head, which is still bleeding, and what I believe to be a concussion.”
“Well, I need to come see him and make sure he’s OK.”
“I already figured as much. Chris is already on his way to pick you up and bring you here.”
“I don’t wanna wait for him. I need to leave now.”
“Mia, it’s almost hurricane-like rain out there, I don’t want you driving in it while you’re also worrying about Michael. Just wait for Chris to get there so he can do the driving. Please.”
Mia let out a deep and audible sigh. “OK. You’re sure he doesn’t have any bullet holes in him?”
“Well I mean, I could strip all his clothes off to inspect him further, but there’s no blood stains that would suggest it. Not to mention both he and Chris said the only thing wrong with him was his head.”
“Don’t get smart, David.”
“I’m sorry, I know this is terrifying for you, but I promise, he’s going to be OK. When can you be ready to leave?”
“Oh, thanks for reminding me about that. I have to go tell them I have to go.”
“Is that going to be a problem for you?”
“No, I’ll just tell them it’s an emergency, it’s fine. When is Chris gonna get here?”
“Uhh, probably should be about ten or fifteen minutes I would say.”
“OK, I gotta go then,” Mia replied. “I’ll see you when I get there. I gotta pack up and leave, then I’ll wait down in the lobby for Chris.”
Mia asked for and was granted permission to leave for an emergency, then quickly got her things together. She hurried down to the lobby of the hospital and waited outside, underneath a covered portion of the entrance. She didn’t even care about the rain at that point. She barely noticed it. All she could think about was Recker’s condition.
Even though Mia knew that her boyfriend was going to be all right, that didn’t stop all the bad thoughts going on inside her head. If it was only a concussion as Jones explained, even as bad as that was, at least he was still alive. But for how much longer? Maybe this was the sign that Recker needed to get out, she thought. Between the nightmares he’d been having, now almost living them out, not to mention the fact that he’d been shot before. Her heart was feeling heavy thinking about how different the outcome tonight could have been. What if he hadn’t been wearing that bullet proof vest, which she knew he didn’t often wear? She could barely stomach the thought.
About twenty minutes after Jones’ call, Haley pulled up to the hospital entrance. Mia ran toward the car, not at all caring about the driving rain. Her only concern was getting to Recker as soon as possible. She put her backpack on the floor between her legs, then leaned over and gave Haley a hug, squeezing him hard.
“It’s OK,” Haley said. “He’s going to be fine.”
“Yeah, this time.”
“It’s just a concussion and a nasty cut. He’ll be up and around in no time.”
Mia finally let go of him and wiped her nose and eyes, not wanting to break down. Haley grabbed her hand.
“He’s going to be OK.”
Mia smiled at him, but it wasn’t one of her warm smiles that lit up a room. It was a forced one that suggested she didn’t believe it. “Yeah.”
Haley started driving, trying to talk to Mia along the way to relieve the stress that she was obviously feeling. Nothing he said seemed to work very well.
“What happens next time?” Mia asked. “What happens next time if he isn’t so lucky?”
“Mia, you can’t think like that.”
“But I have to. It’s a very real possibility. Every time you guys go out, there’s a chance you won’t be coming back.”
It was getting a little deeper than Haley was comfortable with, but it didn’t seem like he could really avoid it. “You just have to trust that we know what we’re doing and we’re not gonna put ourselves in bad situations.”
“But that’s the job. All you guys do is put yourself in bad situations. Every single time. I mean, that’s the life.”
“I know.”
“I mean, yeah he just has a concussion right now, but it could have been a lot worse. He could have a couple holes in him right now that I’d have to dig out of him.”
“But he doesn’t.”
“That’s not the point. The point is, he was really close tonight. If he wasn’t wearing that vest, we might not even be having this conversation.”
Haley sighed, knowing he probably wasn’t going to win this conversation. All he could do was try to diffuse her anger a little bit. He couldn’t really argue against anything she was saying as it was all technically true, but he didn’t want to be the one talking to her about the dangers of their work. That was Recker’s job. All he wanted to do was try to calm her down.
As they continued to dri
ve, Mia started to stare out the window. Haley tried talking to her some more, but she wasn’t responding. She wasn’t really there. Her mind was thinking back to some of the mornings she observed Recker waking up from one of his nightmares. Then she thought of their conversation at breakfast a few days prior to that.
“You OK?” Haley asked, looking over, trying to get her attention.
Mia finally snapped out of her funk and looked at him. “Hmm?”
“You all right? Seemed like you were out of it or something.”
“Oh. No, I’m fine.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“No, I was just thinking of something.”
“Wanna share?”
Mia looked at him and wanted to talk about it but wasn’t sure that she should. She didn’t think that Recker would want her talking to anyone about it, especially Haley or Jones. Recker never wanted to appear vulnerable about anything, and Mia had to respect his wishes.
“I can’t really talk about it.”
“You sure?” Haley asked. It sounded to him like one of those things that people say they don’t want to talk about, but really do, and just need a push to get started. “I’m here if you wanna share.”
Mia thought about it for another minute, trying to figure out how she could rephrase it, so it didn’t sound like it was Recker’s problem. “Do you ever have dreams about you… getting killed?”
Haley tilted his head to the side. “Wow. That’s kind of a weird question.”
“But do you?”
“Not that I can recall. If I have, it wasn’t something that I remembered when I woke up.”
“Oh.” Mia was somewhat disappointed. Not that she wished Haley to be having nightmares, but if he did, she would take some comfort in knowing it wasn’t just Recker. Maybe it would kind of be something that just happened with the job.