Attending Physician

  Finally, Terry had had enough. She yanked the phone out of my hand, gently, if a yank can be said to be gentle, and roared at him. “Mr. Hanrahan, if you will shut the fuck up long enough, this can be explained.”

  Well, apparently, nobody spoke to the hallowed Mr. Hanrahan that way because he started on her, and she gritted her teeth, and began to shout over him as I crawled closer to Raven, shaking even more.

  “Mr. Hanrahan, this is Detective Terry Bradford, lead on the joint task force that was designed to take down this drug distribution ring. Dr. Spencer is correct. She had no choice, no choice whatsoever. An undercover agent was on the scene and the whole thing was a well-executed, if I say so myself, sting operation which succeeded beautifully.” She panted with exertion. “So I suggest, if you want to be that judge that you say you want to be, that you come down on the side of law and order and support the police work that created such a stunning success as loudly and publicly as you possibly can.”

  He was dead silent.

  “And furthermore, sir, Dr. Spencer was badly hurt. A surgeon is here this very minute tending to her. Dr. Spencer insisted on calling you prior to accepting her own treatment. She’s one brave lady and has handled the trauma she experienced shockingly well, so if you try to fuck with her license, I’ll do my level best to pull some very high up strings and thwart you at every step. Got it?”

  Terry’s chest heaved. I sat there and shook. The adrenaline had spiked in my body again, reactivating the trauma of the injury.

  “Baby,” whispered Raven. “Do you need more ice?”

  I touched the bag, then I looked down at Raven’s arm around me. “I guess,” I said.

  “I’ll be back,” she scooted off the sofa.

  “That sucked,” said Terry to no one in particular.

  “Terry, you cool?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she decided to explain, “My dad used to do that.”

  “What? Rage like that?”

  “Yup,” she closed her mouth. “Anyone else need a call?”

  “No, sir,” I said automatically, and made her smile. Everyone likes to be seen for who they are. Everyone. No matter the circumstance

  Chapter 26

  Raven circled back with fresh ice, and knelt in front of me. “Let me have a gander, sweetheart, a quick one. I won’t touch it, I promise.”

  I held obediently still under her intense gaze. She finally said, “It’s not sunken. That’s excellent.”

  “Sunken?” I asked.

  “Your eye.” She handed me the bag of ice. “I think the orbital is fractured, but not broken. You’re going to have some spectacular bruising, but it won’t need surgery. At least, I don’t think so.”

  “How do you know that, Raven?”

  “I was an ER doc in Roxbury for a year, and stuff like this came in daily.”

  “That’s good to know,” I attempted another smile.

  “Yeah, babe. Smiling, not so much, for a few days.”

  “Good to know,” I said wincing. “Got it. Consider yourself smiled at, Dr. Raven.”

  “Done,” she smiled genuinely at me.

  “You too, Detective,” I included Terry.

  “Yes, ma’am,” she grinned at Raven and me.

  Raven got into position on the sofa, and said, “Terry, now’s as good as it’s probably gonna get. I’ve got her. Shoot.”

  Terry pulled a small notebook and pencil from her pocket. “Verity, start at the beginning, go slowly, and tell me the story. I’ll try to write my questions down rather than interrupt, ‘kay?”

  I began, “The buzzer rang at five on the dot. Ellie is always on time. She arrived wearing last night’s soirée dress made of silver lamé, a bit the worse for wear. Now I think on it, she had to have been riding a motorcycle without any kind of protective gear. Her hair was a rat’s nest; tangled, dirty, and she kept twirling a strand around her finger, you know, like teenage girls do?”

  They both said nothing.

  “I told her I thought she appeared strung out, and she got immediately defensive.” I addressed Raven. “She was, though, and still high, or at least a bit. Her pupils were huge.”

  “Uh-huh,” said Raven, barely making a sound.

  “Then she asked me the time, after she checked her Rolex. She told me she needed her glasses to read it.” I got still and quiet for a sec. “I didn’t know she wore glasses,” I added. “I bet she doesn’t.”

  “No matter.” I went back to my narrative. “I had the distinct feeling that she was waiting for something, and I said as much to her. That’s when the door buzzed. I assumed it had to be UPS, and I stood to buzz them in.

  “Then Ellie had an arm tight around my diaphragm, and a feeling of cold was against my neck. It had to be a gun, I think, but I never saw it, or I don’t think I actually saw it.”

  “Go on,” Terry encouraged. “It was a gun. We got it.”

  “Good,” I said. It helped to have them validate my experience. I was stronger, or so I told myself.

  “Well, then came loud pounding on the front door as I moved to open it. The lock scraped in the latch thingy—I don’t know what it’s called properly. When it did, someone on the other side pushed the door in hard, really hard, and the edge of it hit my face.” I dropped the ice down and touched the point.

  Raven leaned forward to see where I indicated. “Good, baby,” she murmured. “If you’re gonna be hit in the orbit, that’s the best place.”

  I shuddered at the pain as I touched it.

  “Ice, Verity.”

  I put the ice back.

  “He yelled and yelled, and Ellie whined how she did her part and now she got her reward. Anyway, I faced him off, despite the pain, and asked what he wanted, and I kept asking till he whacked me one, backhanded me, in the same place the door had hit. I fell to the floor it hurt so badly.”

  “Jesus H. Christ,” said Terry under her breath.

  “Dammit,” said Raven at the same time. “Baby,” she breathed, and reached down to kiss my neck.

  “Sorry, guys,” I said, “but you wanted to know.”

  “We know, Verity,” answered Terry sincerely, “we’re sorry he hit you. No man has any right to hit any woman. Ever.” She said it like it was a law of the universe, like gravity.

  “I wish everyone believed as you do, Detective Terry.” I squeezed Raven’s hand, “And you, darling.”

  “Go on, baby,” urged Raven. “We’re listening.”

  “Then I saw two biker guys standing in the hallway. The door still wasn’t closed.” A new thought came to me. “I am so glad no one from the building walked in on this. What a nightmare.”

  “They picked a good time, surprisingly,” said Terry. “You’d have thought people would be coming home from work around then.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Eli called them Mutt and Jeff. Jeff, which I thought was with a J not a G at the time, offered to get me some ice, and take me out of the way.” Terry beamed. “He did it as fast as was possible, Terry, without blowing his cover. He should get a gold star. I told him I’d call his boss and tell her how wonderful he was.”

  Terry dead-panned. “You’re tellin’ her, ma’am.”

  “Oh goody,” I said, genuinely pleased. “He was a doll, Terry.”

  “I’ll take that into consideration when it comes to commendations, ma’am.”

  “Do you want me to write a letter?” I asked.

  “If you want to, that’d be great,” she said, surprised at the offer.

  “I will,” I promised.

  “Taking care of everyone else,” said Raven to Terry, shaking her head.

  I fell into the story like I was reporting on a movie I’d seen. “So then, Geoff walked me to the kitchen, sat me at the kitchen table, and got ice and a hammer to crush it. He tried to reassure me that everything would be alright,” I glanced at Terry, “without telling me who he was.”

  “Can you picture him on the phone in the kitchen?”

  “Ye-es,” I said. �
��It didn’t make sense at the time.”

  “He recorded what was going on, and we’d put a GPS device in his phone. That’s how we got to you so fast. He left it on the counter there, and forgot it.”

  “Smart,” said Raven.

  “The simplest stuff usually works the best,” said Terry modestly.

  “Amazing,” I said. “It’s true, you know, no one was aware of that phone once he put it down.”

  “Cool,” said Terry. “What happened then, Verity?”

  “I stayed in the kitchen with ice on my face. Mutt, Eli and Ellie joined us. Ellie ramped up her whining and moaning and Eli got defensive and offensive, but he did tell Mutt to give Ellie some dope. The two of them shared a needle and shot up together in my kitchen.” The blood drained from my face again, and my voice trembled.

  The silence in the room grew.

  I finally said, in a tiny voice, “I’ve never seen anyone do that.”

  Terry said, “It’s scary. Their need is so great.”

  “It is. They were, literally, desperate,” I said.

  “Yep,” agreed Terry.

  “They can’t help it,” added Raven. “It’s an actual need, maybe not one that’s good for them, but by the time they’re addicted, it’s a real need.” She addressed my unspoken question, “I did some time in a methadone clinic.”

  “You’ve been everywhere, darling,” I said.

  “I’ve been a physician for a long time, Verity.”

  “You have,” I squeezed her hand.

  “The story?” nudged Terry.

  “Sorry, Terry,” I sparkled at her, or tried. “It’s hard to stay with it.”

  “I know, Verity,” she said. “More tea?”

  “Using my own weapons against me, detective?”

  “Whatever works, ma’am,” she grinned.

  Chapter 27

  Terry poured, and I twinkled at her. No morals, these law enforcement types.

  I held my teacup, and breathed in the steam before beginning again. “I tried to connect with Ellie after the drug hit her brain.” I reflected, “It spooked me to see that happen but I swear I did.” I inhaled a deep breath. “Eli interrupted and was rude again. He told me it was `none of my fuckin’ business.’

  “I got in his face and told him it was indeed my business as this was my home and he’d brought his business into my home.”

  “Baby,” Raven objected.

  “Verity,” Terry said at the exact same time. “No wonder Geoff said you were brave. Jesus, ma’am.”

  “I don’t know how brave I was. Maybe I was stupid but Ellie had said they needed to meet with some people. Regardless, then the door buzzed and interrupted what had started to happen which, I guess, was an escalation from Eli toward me.”

  “Um, yeah,” said Terry.

  Raven didn’t say anything but she clung tighter.

  “Geoff went to get the door, and a handsome man, in a gorgeous suit walked in.”

  Raven snorted.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Femmes,” she said.

  “Are you dismissing my sartorial sensibilities, doctor?” I asked. “Think carefully before you answer.” She was on thin ice.

  “No, milady,” she bowed slightly, “never. I merely marvel at your observational skills.”

  “Good save,” Terry whispered.

  “A close call, detective,” I said to Terry.

  Raven said, “Dodged a bullet.”

  “Um ...,” Terry spoke.

  “Yes, yes, I know. So the handsome guy—in the gorgeous suit—,” I jabbed Raven, “and Eli went into the front room, and Mutt went purposefully, despite how high he was, to the door and down the stairs. Then he came in with four briefcases, and brought them into the studio with Eli.”

  I sipped my tea. Sustenance and strength come from the strangest places.

  “Geoff was with me. I asked him what was in the briefcases. He told me heroin except he used street names.” I tried to conjure them. “H, horse, hero, dragon. I can’t list any more.”

  “Not important,” Terry dismissed.

  “Geoff kept talking, oh, and he got me more ice, since mine had become water. He kept trying to slow down my impatience to have whatever was happening be over. One of the things he said was that the longer it took, the better. Then the door buzzed again, and the police parade began.” The tears welled up and spilled over. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life,” then I thought better of that, “except for when Raven appeared at my door Tuesday night.”

  From behind me Raven said huskily, “Baby.”

  “I mean it,” I spoke softly for her ears only snuggling closer.

  The front door buzzed, and I had another out-of-body experience.

  “I’ll get it,” said Terry.

  She walked back into the living room bearing a huge fruit basket. I didn’t have to see the card. “It has to be from Hanrahan. Wanna bet?”

  Terry grabbed the card. “May I?” she asked.

  “Be my guest,” I said.

  “You’re right,” said Terry. She read, “Dr. Spencer, forgive my upset. Thank you, M. Hanrahan.” She huffed. “Upset?” she queried the room. “My ears are still ringing!”

  “That’s just a high class dis,” came from Raven.

  “It’s his way,” I soothed.

  “Yeah?” asked Terry. “Nice to have no consequences to losing it. The ass.”

  “Are you reacting to him or to your dad, Terry?” I asked softly.

  “Both.”

  “Okay, good for you, sweetie,” I soothed her.

  “Verity, keep going with the story please.” Terry got us on track again.

  “What’s more to tell, Terry? You were here.”

  “I was,” she agreed. “But I didn’t see what happened through your eyes. I saw through mine. Your perspective is the one I need.”

  “Oh,” I sipped more tea. I slid toward tired, in fact, bone tired.

  “Almost done, baby,” Raven spoke into my hair.

  “Well, I didn’t see much more. You and your team crept in, essentially silently, and nabbed first Eli and El Jefe.”

  “Who’s El Jefe?” Terry asked sharply.

  “Oh, Mr. Bespoke Suit,” I said. “I created a faux name for him.”

  “That’s hilarious,” said Terry, not laughing.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because that’s what he’s called.”

  “Intuitive,” said Raven. “Didn’t I tell you, Terry?”

  Terry nodded. “Go on.”

  “Then they grabbed Mutt, and nabbed Ellie somewhere, and got her. Then you walked slowly toward the kitchen while your guys escorted their quarry down the front stairs. Presumably, although I have been in the kitchen, and in the living room this evening, you captured them, and their rides, to go to some sort of police somewhere.”

  “Commonly known as jail,” said Terry dryly.

  “Good,” I said. “I have a question for you, Terry.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How did you come to call Raven?”

  “I recognized your address from Geoff’s GPS. I didn’t know she was on her way to collect you for a date, but I figured there couldn’t be more than one shrink who lived in this building, and Geoff had already told me that they had planned to take over Ellie’s shrink’s office. It had to be you, Verity.”

  “Raven,” I rounded to face her, “you must have felt—”

  “Awful, angry, helpless ... let’s start with those, baby.”

  “That’ll do. I’m sorry, darling,” I said.

  “You’re sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong! You were the victim here!”

  I took a deep breath, and let it out. “I prefer never to think of myself as a victim, Raven.”

  “Fair enough, baby. But you weren’t in any way causative in this situation.”

  “No, that’s true,” I said, “but if you didn’t know me, you wouldn’t have had to go through this.”

  �
�I’d rather know you,” she spoke adamantly.

  “Good.”

  “I think we’re done here. Are you taking her to emergency tonight, Rave?”

  “I don’t think so. I think I’ll take her to an orthopedist tomorrow.”

  Some something of understanding passed between the two friends.

  “It’s Saturday,” I protested.

  “Uh-huh. I have a friend. We’ll probably go see her at her house. Do you want to stay here or come to my house?”

  “Can we stay here?” I stressed we.

  “Of course,” she assured me. “I’m not leaving you, baby, not tonight.” I started to speak, but she interrupted me, “Not for a few nights.”

  “Good,” said a very small me.

  “Terry, can we organize a crew here for tomorrow?”

  “I don’t see why not. What for?”

  “To clean.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.”

  “I’ll treat for pizza and beer after.”

  “Would three o’clock work? We’ll clean for a couple hours and then have pizza and beer. That sound right?”

  “It does.”

  “Clean what, darling?” I asked.

  “Your apartment, baby.”

  “What?!”

  “It’s important, Verity. You’ll feel much better, I promise.”

  “I trust you. I’ll help you with the pizza and beer.”

  “As you wish, milady.”

  “You need a parking pass for Chérie, Raven, if you’re leaving her on the street. Gimme the keys and I’ll go put it in the dash before I go.”

  “Ter?” said Raven. Terry stopped. “Thanks. In fact, thank you very much. Verity is rapidly becoming extremely precious to me.”

  Terry bowed slightly to Raven. “Thank you for trusting me with protecting her.”

  This was some kind of butch ritual, and important.

  “Yes,” I said, “Terry, thank you for protecting me. I felt safe the second you walked into the kitchen.”

  She colored slightly, but with pleasure. “I’m glad, ma’am,” she said sincerely.

  Chapter 28

  Terry brought Raven’s keys upstairs, and Raven saw her out. I tried to visit the loo, but I couldn’t stand. Literally.