Patient_Crew

by Hannah Kaplan

  “We all started, the guys and me, talking about the Patient: Crew book we had read and agreed we should start our own website with the book being our study. From conception to execution was eight hours. It was meant to be a public area where people could discuss the book and how it had predicted things in their own lives. Within three months we had to increase our bandwidth and storage by two hundred percent just to accommodate all the hits. That’s when we began to understand how important the books are. It’s also when we decided to run our own study and research in the background, away from the crowd. We used their stories and proved or disproved them.”

  “What percentage is provable?” I asked

  “Ninety-eight percent,” he said. “Every phrase, and sometimes every word has a prophetic meaning to someone, and relates to many all at the same time. They are the most amazing books I have ever studied, and to think there are literally thousands of pages that we haven’t been privy to. Tens of thousands of pages maybe even hundreds of thousands. Boggles the mind.”

  I glanced at Ed, and there he was with the same silly grin Kevin had when he realized who I was. “I’m no different from you. I hear the voices, and I’ve heard it said they tell a few future events. You guys are the ones who are amazing. I try to read the sessions, and they say nothing to me. We’re no different, just two pieces of the whole.”

  “How does it happen?” he asked.

  “I don’t really know how it happens.”

  “Have they always been inside of you?” He asked. “I mean always with you or talking to you.”

  “I started hearing them when I turned seventeen.”

  “Do you ever wonder why they chose you?” He asked.

  “Every second, of every day.”

  “I can understand that. I guess you might as well just accept it, and get on with your life. Kind of like dealing with a handicap or making lemonade out of lemons—not that your life is a lemon, or that you’re handicapped,” he fumbled with the words.

  “I know what you’re saying. Don’t be nervous around me. I don’t have many friends so let’s try to make this work.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I said.

  We sang along to a Willie Nelson disc Jim had left in the player. Time flew by, and we were passing the Texas border as the sun set behind us. When we were about an hour outside the Abilene city limits, Ed became serious.

  “What’s next, another book?” He asked.

  “I haven’t given it much thought. The books were Marla’s not mine.”

  “You’re the pipe and we are the vessel it’s up to us to make the changes you draft,” Ed said.

  “That’s straight out of the book of Kevin.”

  “It’s from the first book of Patient: Crew, page one, line one,” Ed said.

  “I did not know that.”

  “You don’t read it?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want me to tell you what it says?”

  “You know it by heart?” I asked, amused. “How much of them do you have memorized?”

  “All of it,” he said proudly.

  “Then by all means please recite for me.” I turned off the radio, and gave Ed the floor.

  “Patient Crew book one, page one. Joseph says and I quote, the master craftsman through the purification of generations formed the pipe. Steel, that will not rust. An unbreakable force, it was put forth and tested in the flames. Always protected by truth. The pipe seeks its vessels to do the bidding of that which we draft. We call upon the foreordained dark warrior and his army. Follow as a limb near its root for the nourishment provided by the flow. That’s the only place in either book that you, the pipe, and us, the dark warrior and his army, are mentioned.

  “We’ve had a pretty shitty couple of days,” I said.

  “I’d agree with that,” Ed said.

  “But what you just said made it a little nicer for me, less lonely.”

  “Don’t thank me. I can’t take credit.”

  “Neither can I.”

  “So no more books. Will you keep writing the sessions?”

  “I don’t see a river of choices. If I don’t write, I lose control,” I said. “I’m thinking we have to come up with a way to utilize the information in the safest manner, but no more books.”

  “We’ll be in Abilene soon,” Ed said. “You should park on the dark side of the street. Mrs. Stewart is expecting you. I’ll wait until she turns the porch light off and meet the others down the street. We’ll leave your car at the airport. Fat Boy figured since you already had a ticket to Mexico, your car being at the airport would throw them off track if they do look for you. They’ll probably think you got on the flight after seeing Tim arrested.”

  “That’s a good plan,” I said.

  “Fat Boy’s always thinking six moves ahead. I probably won’t get another chance to say this,” he said and turned his body towards mine. “It’s an honor to have met you. I’ve never really had a hero because I don’t approve of that way of thinking. But, if I did have one it would be you.”

  “I just want to be your friend. There’s not enough time for heroes and according to the crew the vessel is just as important as the pipe. Maybe even more considering the pipe was created, but the vessel was chosen.”

  22.

  The porch light was on, and I could see Jade standing a few feet inside the door. “Come on in like you belong here,” she whispered as I stepped on the porch. I walked inside. Jade turned the porch light off. She took me in her arms and openly wept. We stood like that for a good ten minutes before her eyes finally ran dry.

  “Have you heard from Kevin?” I asked as we sat next to each other on the sofa. The TV news was on in the background.

  “He called from the hospital. He’s going to be fine and have a full recovery. The bullet hit a few bones, but went straight through.” Jade began to sob again. “Oh lord I have got to stop this. I’ve been a blubbering idiot this live long day.”

  “It’s ok. It’s over,” I said, and hugged her.

  “You precious child, you kept your promise to me. He may be a little damaged, but you kept him alive.”

  “We’re square, we kept each other alive.”

  “Yes you did,” she laughed. “Yes you did. Are you hungry? Thirsty? What can I do for you?”

  “Nothing. I just want to sit here and be still for a minute.” I could see in her eyes the questions she wanted to ask. She could see the unwilling answers in mine so she pulled me into her arms, held me close to her chest and sang a lullaby while gently running her fingers through my hair. “Precious child you are to me, child of love, child of grace. Come close to me while I sing. How precious child you are to me.”

  I drifted to sleep. My dreams were filled with images of the past twenty-four hours. When one of those images would jolt me awake, Jade was there to soothe me back to sleep. She flipped from one news network to the next in an attempt to find any new information about the investigation, and Kevin. I woke up when the sun beaming through the window hit my eyes. I could hear, and smell food cooking in the kitchen. Jade peeked around the corner as I yawned.

  “You up?” she asked, and then went back to work.

  “I’m up.” I stretched my legs and rubbed my eyes. “What can I do?”

  “You can sit right there, drink a cup of this coffee and let me properly feed you,” she said. It was of no use to argue, not that I wanted to. I sat up, and she put a steaming cup of coffee in front of me along with a plate of eggs. She brought in another plate of eggs for herself along with a full plate of pancakes for us to share.

  We ate with the TV blaring in the background. She wouldn't turn it off until her son was home safe and sound. When he did come home, you’d have thought Jesus himself had made an appearance. Jade was jubilant as Kevin walked through the front door, after we had finished washing the breakfast dishes. I stayed in the kitchen to let Jade have a few moments alone with her son. He sounded strong and happy. Jade was
singing and praying, kissing, and hugging all at the same time. I could feel an ocean of relief flow through my body.

  “Where is she?” Kevin asked. He was bumping into the furniture trying to get around it with his crutches.

  “Present and accounted for Detective Stewart,” I said. He pulled me to his chest and squeezed me between his body and crutches.

  “Come on over here now and sit down,” Jade ordered. We sat on the sofa and stared at each other as if we’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

  “You look good,” I said. “No worse for the wear.”

  “I am good,” he said. The smile left his face and was replaced with concern. “How about you? You ok?”

  “I think so,” I said. “I can’t get him out of my head.”

  “Neither can I.”

  “I’m going to start lunch,” Jade said. We had just finished a breakfast that would keep me full most of the day, but she couldn’t sit and listen.

  “In time it’ll fade,” I said.

  “Just takes time,” Kevin agreed.

  “What happened after I blacked out?”

  “He dug that gun into my foot and cocked it,” Kevin said. His lip snarled as he remembered. “He never stopped giggling and just kept pushing it deeper. You pulled your hands free.” He took my hands in his and examined them from the fingers to the elbow. “Nothing, not even a mark. You pulled your arms apart, and the tape ripped as though it was cut with an invisible knife. You ripped the tape off your legs the same way.”

  “What did he do?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Nothing he could do. You were in his face. You never looked at your hands or feet. It was you in his face. Rip, your hands are free. Rip, your feet are free. You grab the gun with your left hand, throw it to your right hand and boom he’s dead. You never missed a beat, in his face the whole time. Oh it was beautiful. You can talk to us asshole as long as it’s on our turf. Mother fucker.”

  “Lord Jesus,” Jade said from the kitchen.

  “Are you ok Momma?” Kevin yelled.

  “I’m fine,” she yelled back.

  “Did they really say that? Is that it, that’s all?” I was desperate to know more. I needed to fill in the dark silence of that space where I was while they spoke. “Please, I need to know.”

  “It’s not an exact quote, but it’s close.” Kevin kept his voice low so as not to disturb Jade. She stopped all movement in the kitchen in an effort to hear every word. “He was pushing the gun into my foot, you remember that?”

  “Yes.” I closed my eyes and focused on Kevin’s voice. I could see the room. The church was on the laptop screen. Kevin and I were on the floor with our arms, and legs taped. Kevin’s left foot was wrapped in a white hand towel that was soaked in blood. Finneaus was hunched over us giggling.

  “Your eyes were open. They were the eyes of a wild animal posturing to attack her enemy. You said, who is this one who scampers in the obscure. Seeking his prey like a depraved vulture? By the time you finished saying that—never leaving his eyes—your hands and feet were loose. I watched you pull your hands apart, ripping the tape like it was paper, and then do the same with your legs. You said, we would pray the lord to have mercy on your soul, but we refuse to throw our pearls before swine. His hands started to shake. He pushed the gun harder into my foot and tried to look away from you. You took his face in your right hand and pulled him close to your face. You said, man big brother is here right beside you. You’re outa control. Your time has come.”

  Jade walked out of the kitchen and sat down on a dining room chair. “Oh lord Jesus help me in my time of trouble,” she prayed. She was waving herself with an imaginary fan while rocking her body back and forth on the chair.

  “Keep going,” I said.

  “Your left arm went under your right, and you took the gun out of his hand. I thought he would fight you, but he didn’t. You said, a day without death would in some circles be seen as a miracle. You threw the gun in the air—over his arms—with your left hand, and caught it with your right. He didn’t move, he couldn’t. I put my hand over yours and then you asked, are you the one who means to hurt these three?”

  “Three?” I asked.

  “I know but that’s what you asked. Then you asked, are you the one who seeks an audience, to commune with us? He said, yes. That’s when you started to sing, turn out the lights the parties over.” Kevin sat back. His breathing was heavy from the reenacted memory. “After we shot Finneaus you said, 92680. That’s it. That’s all”

  “What do the numbers mean?”

  “It’s the security code for the alarm system.”

  “Was it me or the crew that was talking?”

  “Your voice their words,” Kevin said.

  “I shot him?” I asked.

  “We all shot him. You, me, and the crew.”

  “I need some iced tea.” Jade stood up and went into the kitchen. “Anyone else need some iced tea?”

  “I need some Momma,” Kevin yelled. “Thank you.” He looked at me and asked with his eyes if I wanted some. “Shanna too Momma, thanks.”

  “Why are you taking all of the credit for what you clearly didn’t accomplish alone?” I asked.

  “What?” Kevin asked. “I’m disappointed that you would see it that way.”

  “What other way is there to see it?”

  “After all I’ve done for you bitch. Did you see my foot? Do you see it? It could have just as easily been my head.”

  “So that’s why you’re taking all the credit? You somehow deserve it? I can’t believe you. You are a fame whore.”

  “Fame whore? Look who is talking, little miss subject of two books. Redacted books at that, I guess you needed to leave them wanting more.”

  Jade was standing in the living room with a tray of iced tea glasses in her hands, and a look of terror across her face. The terror turned to confusion when Kevin started laughing.

  “Sometimes Kevin I hate you so much I want to see you in pain, you’re such an asshole.” I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. Kevin’s laughs were tempered, however slight, by the pain in his foot.

  “Don’t worry Momma,” Kevin tried to speak. “We’re just letting off steam.” We never again spoke another word about our experience or Finneaus Albert. We took our iced tea to Kevin’s room. He had my folder with him.

  “We need to update this,” he said. He logged on to an official law enforcement website and printed some pages, then motioned for me to retrieve them from the printer.

  The pages he printed were pictures of me. There was one of me at the grocery store, the Dry Goods and Feed & Seed stores. They had all been taken within the same time frame. There was a distant picture of the house on my land that must have been taken from the road, and a picture of Jim and Jima at the Parker house.

  “They know everything about you,” Kevin said. “The only thing they don’t know is how you fit into the story. I was able to make Finneaus look like the subject of the books as well as the writer of the sessions. That was the easy part. Finneaus was the mule delivering his own message. The problem is that Tim is still talking about you, and telling anyone who will listen that you are the subject of the books and not Finneaus. The video Finneaus put on the Internet hasn’t helped the situation. Tim was questioned about it. I’m just waiting for the report to come out.” He printed another page. It wasn’t a good feeling to see a picture of myself with the words “WANTED FOR QUESTIONING” printed in bold capital letters along the bottom and top.

  “Why do I feel like I’m still on the run?”

  “Because you are,” Kevin said. “You can stay invisible, just not here. We left your car at the airport. They know you were planning to meet up with Tim. I’ve made it so they think you got on another flight when you saw him get arrested. You’ll take my car. I’ll transfer the registration to your new name when you’re settled. She’s special so be easy with her. She belonged to my dad. He’d want it this way.”

  “Where should I go?”
I asked.

  “That’s up to you,” he said. He put the pages he had printed in my file and took out a sealed envelope. I have a good friend in witness protection. Inside this envelope are new names and socials. There are passports, and all the documentation you’ll need to prove yourselves to anyone. There’s some money in there too, not much but it’ll get you where you want to go.”

  “The longer I stay the worse it is for you.”

  “For all of us,” he said.

  “There’s a hair color kit in the car, do that first and buy some fake glasses. I put a throw away phone in the glove box. We shouldn’t contact each other for a while. In time, the news will get old and someone will come along crazier than Finneaus. They’ll have forgotten all about you, and the case will be marked solved and closed. I’ll contact you first, ok? Unless there’s an emergency—then you call Jade. Her cell number is in the envelope.”

  “What if?” I asked. There were a million endings to that question.

  “Use your judgment. Trust it,” he said and handed me the car keys. “I put the boxes of sessions in the car, yours and your momma’s. You can decide what to do with them. Your suitcase and bag are in there as well. I put some notebooks and pens in your bag—just in case.”

  “What will I do without you in my life Kevin?”

  “You’ll never have that problem. I keep my promises. I will always be here for you. I’m committed to you for life. I will always guide, guard, and direct you. I would give my life for yours.”

  “God forbid.”

  “God? Does that mean you’re a believer?”

  “Don’t push it Fat Boy. But let’s say, for shits and giggles,” I couldn’t believe what was about to come out of my mouth. “Let’s say these voices I hear are from God, then why? What do they want? Why are they here? How can we make them stop so that nobody else has to hear them?”