Frankie's Story Ch. 06

"We are in the process of filing a civil suit against all parties involved as well as in injunction against using any footage of the accident for publicity or press releases. We will forward any discovery to the DA's office if we find any negligence or malfeasance. We are also filing an injunction against the release of Ms. O'Connell's name or her company to the press or any publicity."

He hastily nodded his head and more sharks joined the feeding frenzy. Three lawyers from the studio entered the fray. They took a look around and instantly stood either side and in front of the producer. It was also then that Mathew Bowden stepped out of the shadows and all three took a step back. Two detached themselves from the producer and joined Mathew in a corner to whisper and make notes. I joined Frankie a few minutes later in ICU.

The nurse by Red's bedside didn't comment and I was grateful that she didn't. The heart monitor was stable the steady ping was almost soothing if it wasn't for the fact that it was plugged into Red. She was lying naked and face down a tube in her mouth and the top half of her back covered in some sort a gauze to protect what was left of her skin from the burns. Her head was covered in what looked like a skull cap and I wondered at that. The nurse watched me looking at her head. She smiled a second before I heard a voice behind me.

"We had to shave what was left of her hair off. We needed to see for ourselves what damage the fire had done to her scalp. Fortunately, we did not find any singed hair in her nose or blistering in her throat. We've had to put her in a coma otherwise the pain would traumatize her so much that it would hinder her recovery. We will start to bring her out of it in a day or two."

"It's a good thing you did, doctor. She would've skinned you alive before she would let you touch her hair.

The doctor stood as tall as me with a goatee which I thought was a bad idea but it was his so I didn't comment. I left the room with the doctor leaving Frankie holding Red's hand. The doctor gave me the initial assessment of Red's injuries and her prognosis. He assured me that the best burn unit in the state is already on board. I knew he was truthful because I checked out the team before boarding the plane. I wanted the best and they were. The next ten days turned into a blur. I called Mrs. Gillins to check up on things. She told me to, "Get off the phone and stop bothering me." It was her way of saying Red is more important than anything going on with the company. She was right.

I suppose years of spending so much time on the road, at seminars and visiting other companies had made all of our project teams semi-independent. They still had Mrs. Gillins to make the final decisions if or when needed and they knew she had blanket approval from me. My greatest difficulty was getting Frankie to eat. Thankfully her slave training has progressed enough to where she could let her mind go once I put her under protocol. She has slowly accepted the fact that her sister was in a bad way and wasn't going to be leaving the hospital for some weeks to come. She slept when she was told to; eats when I placed it in front of her and held me as often as she could.

Mathew and his staff kept me apprised of everything. The initial ruling on what happened on the set was an accident based on the film footage and eye witness accounts but the investigation continues. They are expecting the final report to come out in about a month after the forensics team reconstructs everything. Mathew recommended that we retain an independent accident investigation team to go over the evidence for the pending lawsuits. I agreed with him and told him to move forward. One thing they were all sure about was that if Red hadn't pulled the films leading lady out of the way they would be looking at a tragic death rather than an awful accident.

Red's family came into town a couple days after we did. Frankie and I spent some time with Red's folks. None of them had met her but all instantly knew her when she came into the room. It took awhile for Frankie to calm down. I guess she was feeling overwhelmed.

Red's family meant everything to her and, although they would not stand in her way, she wanted to let them know in what direction her life was taking. Her relationship with me and, by extension, Frankie was known to her family. This was her second of two conditions Shannon and I agreed to when Red joined our family.

Grace, Red's mother, and Niamh hugged Frankie when we came through the door. They went off into the corner to tearfully talk and commiserate. We could hear giggles and laughter in the corner after awhile as they regale each other with stories of Red. Shaun, Red's father, and I had took two seats by the window drank coffee and waited to be allowed back in to Red's room. We were not allowed in because the medical team was having one of their conferences by her bedside.

We knew the team will stop by here when they were done so we waited. My cell rang and Mathew Bowden's name flashed onto the screen so I excused myself and moved to a quiet corner. Mathew had found out that the studio was going to release a press release within the hour. They were going to put a positive spin on the whole thing. They were even releasing some of the footage of Red charging into the leading lady pushing her to safety. The leading lady, the director, and the stunt coordinator will be at the press conference to answer questions.

"Can you make this go away?"

"No, not completely, the judge limited the injunction to any footage that shows conclusively that it was Red. The police and DA's office have allowed the release of the footage because there is, preliminarily, no criminal liability and they have copyright on the film footage."

"Stall them and get me a day. I need twenty-four hours Mathew."

The pause was longer this time.

"You have it. I will request a review of any footage before the press release. If I can push it I will get you two days but the press is pushing the studio for details. The leaks are increasing by the day. The cynic in me thinks the studio is orchestrating the leaks to increase publicity for the film. I wouldn't put it pass them"

I closed my cell and I saw every eye in that room was on me. As I opened my mouth to speak the doctor came into the room. The smile on his face told us more than he ever got the opportunity to say ahead of time.

"Ok folks we have good news and good news."

Just like a typical doctor always going for the dramatic effect. I suppose if you worked in ICU giving good news to the family mitigate the many times when he had to deliver bad news. So I smiled and let him have his moment knowing full well I was about to send his world into a spiral when he was done.

"Our patient is responding well and woke while we were doing our assessment. Her response was and I quote 'Keep the noise down I'm trying to sleep here' unquote.

He paused to see if our response to Red's comment was positive. He relaxed realizing that would be a normal statement from Red indicating her mental facility is good. The doctor left us soon after promising they would be finished with their tests in about a half hour then we will be allowed to visit with her.

Everyone's attention turned to me as soon as the doctor left expecting a report from my phone call.

"Mathew says that the film studio is going to hold a press conference later today so that they can put a positive spin on the whole incident. The leading lady will be there speaking about the incident. There is information leaking about the incident and the press is demanding more."

Grace, Frankie and Niamh looked at me from the couch with grave concern.

"We know about your lifestyle son and you own my daughter, Jack, but that doesn't stop her being my daughter. I sure hope you have a plan because I can't think of any way from keeping her life with you out of the public eye other than suing all parties involved."

I knew what he was really asking and I truly felt for him.

"We all know your daughter was open to you about her life from the very beginning. I understood from the very start that, in her heart, she was still a traditional Irish girl and family meant everything to her. I can't fix something this big. Her medical needs outweigh every other consideration including risking exposure of her private life. I can minimize the damage but that's all. The law firm we retained to handle the matter have been instructed to fight to keep Red's private life out of the public eye. They are one of the best in this arena and they have taken off the gloves."

Detective Shaun O'Connell (Retired) looked over at his family for consensus after hearing me out. They nodded their understanding and agreed to let me continue doing what I'm doing. He extended his hand in abdication of the wellbeing of their daughter to me. I shook his hand conveying understanding of the gravity of this agreement knowing full well how difficult it is for this proud man to step aside.

"I still have a few friends in the department, if they can help they will."

I nodded and got busy.

"Doctor Kellerman."

"When did you start to answer your own phone? I thought you got those minimum wage assistants of yours to do that for you."

The roar of laughter came over the line.

"You caught me at a weak moment. What can I say? I have to let them go on dinner breaks or they get the union onto me. How, the hell, are you Jack?"

"Joseph, I need your help."

He immediately got serious because I never called him by his first name unless there was something significant happening. I explained that the story in the papers at the moment coming out of Quantum Studio's involved Red.

"Oh shit. You mean the girl who stopped Caroline Atkins from being burned to a cinder was Red?"

"Yes, it was. The doctor just gave us the team's assessment. I need your help. The press is going nuts wanting interviews and unless I can delay the studio going public about Red's involvement they'll be on us like a pack of wolves. They plan to show the film of Red getting Caroline Atkins out of the way but my lawyers are trying to limit her exposure. Joseph, Red's not in any state to have more pressure heaped on her so I need her gone."

For the next twenty minutes we talked logistics. Although the family could only hear my side of the conversation I could tell they were beginning to feel better about the situation. I watched Niamh go in to see Red as I got off the phone. I told the family that Doctor Kellerman needed to talk to the medical team before we could proceed in moving Red to an isolated location. The family understood. I also told them that it was highly likely that we will be able to move Red because Dr. Kellerman is her primary physician and a highly respected internal medicine specialist and certified ER doctor.

Mathew called me while I was in the hospital administrator's office. He managed to get the press conference changed to later that evening but that was the best he could do. The studio has tentatively agreed to keep Ms. O'Connell's name out during the press conference but her name won't be going to be kept out of the press forever given the leaks. Even though the hospital administration was well aware what will happen as soon as Red's identity is leaked since they are the primary hospital for any incidents that happened on any movie shoots in the area but they were not happy about it at all. They do have protocols in place to handle the press but they would rather not have their staff and patients impacted by the publicity.

I explained my plan and Dr. Kellerman's involvement. They were happy to assist in our transition plan and they were very cooperative with Dr. Kellerman when he contacted them. The hospital administration made Red's medical team available as soon as Joseph called. Both medical teams quickly established a good rapport and developed a detailed plan on Red's transition. The hospital even offered to have the medical team available to travel with Red and continue the treatment plan as scheduled. Everything was agreed upon and put into motion. I sat in on the meeting but I was as useful as a fart in an elevator.

I phoned down to Frankie and got her to ask if Shaun could contact his friends to form a police escort to the airport? I received my answer even before he started calling. My next call was one I wasn't looking forward to.

"Father Patrick Stevens' residence"

"Is the father in? This is Jack McManus."

"Jack!"

"Forgive me father for I have sinned so many times."

"You have been a cross I must bare Jack. Sister Mary Patrick has worn a hole in her rug praying for your soul. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Patrick Stevens was the man who married Shannon and me. He was also the man who placed her to rest along with our child. He held me when I railed against God and the unfairness of my losses. I think I would have hated him if he started spewing platitudes like, "It is God's Will" or "God needed them by His side". But he just held me and told me he didn't understand why God allowed this to happen and it wasn't fair. His understanding and his humbleness to admit he didn't know it all built a bridge for me to retreat from my darkness and possibly madness. After a while he brought Red to me thrusting her hand into mine when he did.

Somehow he knew of about our relationship just as he knew that Red was what I needed. I came back three days later and thanked him for everything. He looked me in the eyes and told me he didn't know what I was talking about. I am ever in his debt. There is nothing I won't do for him.

"Are you still publishing God's Gazette father?"

"Jack McManus, I will not have the bi-weekly edition of the St. Mary's Chronicle spoken of in this manner. You know it is still in circulation since it's your company that donated the printing press and a 'mysterious' donor keeps us fully stocked on all our supplies."

I couldn't help but smile. I liked this man and his efforts to be the moral voice of the community; the St Mary's Chronicle is the cornerstone of his efforts. Most of the time people from the town or from his congregation would phone in stories and, occasionally, he would go out on a tip. Our town became a close knit community when the paper came out. The paper published tidbits from its citizens; celebrated little accomplishments; published wonderful family recipes from the area; and admonished all to perform an act of kindness for a stranger. Pretty soon no one could perform those acts of kindnesses for strangers because there were no strangers in our town. Father Stevens has truly blessed all he's touched.

"Father I'm going to hand you and your paper a scoop. I need to give it to you because I know you will be able to handle the aftermath."

It seems Father Patrick Stevens was still sharp as ever even as he approaches seventy. His next words gave him away and helped me by not having to go into too much detail.

"Oh my Lord, so it is true. I've followed the story or at least as much as the studio have been willing to let out. How is she Jack?"

We talked for some time. I told him Red's condition and our attempts to hold the studio back from releasing any information about her. But the dam was about to burst and I was almost powerless to stop it. We talked about Joseph Kellerman's involvement and our plan.

"Father she is still in a bad way but the hospital has agreed to the move her. Joseph is already on his way here in an air ambulance. We have the transportation covered and Joseph is taking Red back with him along with her medical team. He has a private clinic already on standby. I need you to handle the interview, please Father, no pictures."

"Is she that badly burned Jack?"

The concern in his voice was touching. I knew I had to quickly dispel his run away imagination.

"She has some third degree burns on her upper back and the bottom half of her neck. She was shielding Caroline Atkins as she pulled her from the scene. She is expected to make a full recovery but she will have scars. The press is going to descend on you once you print the story in St Mary's Chronicle. I'm sorry I'm putting you in this situation."

"There is no need to apologize, Jack. Red holds a very special place in my heart. We will do everything to protect her. Now, set aside your worries about the press and go take care of her."

He, as always, knew exactly the words to say to me to comfort me.

We worked through the timing of the story and I could hear him making notes. I trusted this man like very few people in my life. I know he would treat this story with dignity and, when the press people came and parked on his front lawn, he would pass the offering plate asking for donations to the churches food bank. If anyone could stand fast against the sea of humanity that was about to descend upon him it was this man. However, this story will put St Mary's Chronicles on the map but that is the last thing he cares about but, really, this is all about me and Red and our lives.

*******

The tube was out of her mouth. Red watched me approach and smiled. Her eyes glazed with impending tears as I bent down to kiss her cheek.

"You've been avoiding me."

"Don't flatter yourself. You and Shannon always used to leave your dorm room a mess when we were at college. All these years and nothing changes. I'm still picking up after you."

The heart monitor sped up for a moment. I can see Red's thoughts were elsewhere.

"Happy times indeed. You know we left it a mess so you would get angry and punish us. We used to show each other our bruises resulting from our punishment and giggle about them."

Our laughter quickly descended into silence. We just looked at each other feeling the tension build. The tears started trickling down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry my master, truly I am, but I could not let it happen."

"I know. You are Red. It's what you have to do."

The silence was longer this time. Red seemed to be dreading what was coming. I leaned in close and kissed her cheek before I told her what was happening at the studio and why we needed to move her out of harm's way.

Mathew Bowden stood next to me in the hospital administration office as I spent the next twenty minutes signing all the necessary forms. The hospital was covering there asses and I couldn't blame them. Joseph had called me and told me they had already landed and were waiting, a police car had turned up seconds after the wheels of the air ambulance had stopped and parked alongside them.

The medical team made ready to travel with Red and so with a final hand shake and after thanking the staff the four police motorcycle team shot through the city on the way to the airport while the press sat and listened to the PR people at Quantum Studio's. They never did show the film of Red pulling Caroline Atkins out of the way though. Mathew and his staff pulled every trick in the book that finally forced the studio to capitulate and pulled any footage of Red at the conference. We know the studio will eventually break through all the legal maneuvering and release the footage but he gave us the time we needed and got Red out of the line of fire.

Mathew and his staff earned every penny of the exorbitant fee they charged me. I even included a bonus along with a case of Cristal for what they pulled off. Joseph called me when they were about to take off and told me all had gone well. They were already hooking Red up and making her comfortable as I heard the pilot in the background telling everyone they had been given priority clearance as they prepared for takeoff.

I turned to see some very anxious faces staring at me, "They're in the air. Joseph is taking Red to his private clinic. Tomorrow Father Stevens will interview her and print her story in his paper the same day. By evening the special edition will be all over town and by early tomorrow the press with descend into our quiet town and try to waylay the father not knowing he is one of the toughest men they will ever encounter. Everything is proceeding as planned."