Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 07

Cedars-Sinai Hospital at Marina del Rey was across Lincoln from the marina. Their car let them off at the entrance, where they were joined by a security team that knew no more than they. Carl's familial status got them past hospital security and to the waiting room on the fourth floor, but no further.

Erik noted that signage showed that the trauma center, where he believed gunshot victims would be treated after leaving the ER, was on the second floor. He found the hospital directory online and determined fourth was the medical trauma unit; that didn't lower his anxiety for her welfare but did provide a modicum of reassurance that death was probably not imminent.

'Something bad happened, but she likely isn't physically injured, or at least not badly injured' he deduced, which made him even more impatient. Spotting a young nurse with a pleasant demeanor, he wandered over to her. "Hi! I'm Erik Swahn, and my fiancée is Annika Olsson. I flew in from Minneapolis with her father, and we just arrived at your hospital. We were told to stay in the waiting room, but we've been told nothing else! Nothing about her condition, and nothing about when we can see her.

"All we were told is that she was in a gunbattle and she, her security officer, Andi MacLeish, and others were taken to this hospital. Is there anything you can tell me?"

A smile lit her face. "So, you're the one! I've been wondering what 'the most wonderful man in the world' would look like. Hi yourself! I'm Allie McGraw - before you ask, I'm not kin to the actress, although my mom was a big fan. I'm one of Annika's nurses, and I can tell you that she's in treatment right now; when she gets out, she will be allowed visitors."

"So, she wasn't badly injured?" Erik inquired hopefully.

"Physically, she was hit by flying glass and has superficial wounds on her arms, neck, and chest. Emotionally... well, we've treated Los Angeles County law enforcement officers who have been involved in shootings not nearly as traumatic as the one she was in, so she is injured and does need treatment. Being shot at and shooting other humans is not quite as trauma-free as TV and the movies portray it, even if you shot in self-defense.

"That's all I'm going to say about her condition because you need to hear it from her. But I will tell you that the investigating officers agree that if she and Andi were cops, they would receive commendations for their actions! She's pretty much a hero, to go along with being a supermodel and political influencer!"

He smiled about the 'political influencer' description and the relief he felt at knowing she wasn't badly injured, but then remembered Andi. "Do you know anything about Andi's condition? Andi MacLeish, her security guard?"

"I saw her but had no idea she was a security guard: I assumed she was another model or actress! Yes and no, to answer your question. She's not my patient, but nurses do talk, so I know she suffered a gunshot wound, but my understanding is that it was not considered serious. She's in a different unit, where the other injured security officers are patients. Their wounds were adjudged 'critical' when they were brought in, but I don't know their current conditions. All four are in the trauma center on second floor."

"What are my chances of seeing Annika in less than an hour?" he asked, when his stomach growled. "Somewhere between zero and none - the treatment just started," she replied with a grin. "You might want to go feed yourself first, because she's going to need your attention and support when you do get to see her. The cafes and cafeteria are at level 0, and the food is surprisingly good."

Erik grabbed Carl by the arm and said, "Come with me. Her nurse says her wounds are superficial and she will be in treatment for at least another hour, so we should eat something now."

Carl was frowning at being urged toward the elevator and froze in place after Erik stopped talking. "Wait, you said she's alright? They were only superficial wounds?"

"I did," he answered with a smile. "And I also said it will be at least an hour before we can see her, so we need to go eat something. It's been a long time since we did."

Instead of celebrating, Carl slumped and began sobbing. Erik wrapped his arms around him in support and comfort, and they stood, hugging each other while Carl cried it out. The others in the waiting room watched with smiles, knowing these were tears of relief, and their smiles broadened when Carl managed, "I had just gotten her back after all those years, and then I thought I had lost her for good!"

"I know," Erik replied quietly. "My heart has been in my stomach since we heard. The good news is, she's physically okay; the bad news is, she's suffering from PTSD or something like it. She's going to need our love and support, and we need to be strong enough to provide it. Let's go eat, hydrate, and then check on Andi and the three Security First guys who were shot. By then, we should get to see her."

The food was surprisingly good, and Andi was allowed to have visitors. She welcomed Erik and Carl, who found her sitting up in bed beaming her bright smile. Carl stood just inside the door; Erik stood beside her bed, blatantly looking her over. Her legs were mostly exposed in the hospital gown, and he winked after he ogled them for a moment. "You look fine to me - very fine! I don't see any wounds; catching up on your bed rest?"

She grinned in return. "You'll never see my wound, you hound, but it's just above my left hip. Had it been two inches wider it would have missed, but it did go straight through and do minimal damage. The scar will show in a bikini, but otherwise, in few months no one will know!"

Erik grew serious, bent over her bed, and hugged her. He stood up and proclaimed, "You girls gave us a scare! Send you out here to make a movie, provide all kinds of security, and then we get a call telling us you were in a gunfight, and both were transported to the hospital, along with several others. We flew directly out here and have been isolated in the 4^th floor waiting room since we arrived. Annika is in treatment, so do you want to give us a rundown on what happened?"

"Yes, but before I do, I must tell you two - no, three things: first, I'm really, really, REALLY glad Annika and I trained at Bill's course; and second, that girl has ice water in her veins! She was heroic! Without her quick thinking and action Tommy and I would both be dead, and she'd be in Russia!

"And talk about a quick study! She saw a truck pull in front of us and a van pull up beside us, recognized that as a carjacking maneuver, warned me, and pulled her gun. Tommy saw it developing and tried to swerve into the van to escape, but the truck hit its brakes too soon and he had to stop. The van's sliding door flew open, and men poured out. The first thing they did was open fire on our driver, and rush to Annika's door.

"One fired downward into the door lock, yanked the door open, yelled something, pointed the pistol at us, and Annika opened fire. He fell out of the doorway, and another took his place; she shot him too! I saw one standing by the driver's door pointing his gun at Annika between the door and frame, and I fired, hitting him in the shoulder. He fired back and hit me in the side. I fired again, and he fell away from the car. I knew I was hit, but it wasn't painful enough to override my adrenaline.

"We heard more commotion behind us and saw men exiting another van and running toward us. One fired through the back window with a damn cannon and glass flew everywhere! We had no choice but to hunker down and fire back. I know I hit one or two, but all three went down, and then we saw the van driver try to force his way between the stopped cars in the middle lane. The van beside us started to move, so I leaned forward and snapped a shot at the driver through the driver's window. The van lurched and came to a stop. I don't know if I hit him or he hit another vehicle, but that van stopped moving.

"Annika yelled something and fired three times at my window; I turned and saw a man holding an AR of some kind. He had blood on his shirt, and he dropped the rifle while falling over backward. I pushed my door open and jumped out, scanning for shooters. Not seeing any more, I yelled for Annika to get out and crouch down, and then started down the sidewalk to get a look into the truck that cut us off.

"The truck then started moving, pushing the car in front out of his way, and drove onto the sidewalk. I ran toward the building to get a better angle and fired through the passenger window and windshield several times but couldn't get a good enough angle to hit the driver.

"I heard more firing, turned, and saw Annika firing at the driver of the van behind us, who was spraying the back of the limo with an automatic pistol. Luckily, because he was forcing the van into the stalled middle lane of traffic, he was turned sideways and couldn't see her cleanly. She kept shooting until he slumped over and fell out of the seat, and then she looked around and crouched down behind the car again.

"I rejoined her, and she breathlessly asked if I saw any more. She was so composed, as if we were on the course rather than in a firefight! I pointed at the truck bulldozing its way down the sidewalk and back into the street and told her we had to be careful because some of those we wounded might still be armed and dangerous.

"In the still, it finally dawned on me that drivers abandoning cars and running away kept the traffic stalled, that there were people lying on the sidewalk wailing, and that others were screaming as they ran away from the scene, which suddenly became quiet. We were on Hollywood Boulevard - that area where stars are embedded in the sidewalk - so it was a crowded tourist area, and I was afraid some of them were hurt.

"Annika said she heard sirens, and right after that some bicycle cop ran up and pointed his gun at us. He's a very lucky man, because as anyone with training knows, that's a good way to get your head shot off! He identified himself as a police officer and demanded we lay our guns on the sidewalk and push them away. We complied, and another cop came running up.

Without knowing the situation, she yelled for us to drop our guns, saw that we had, and yelled for us to put our hands behind our heads and stand up. We did, but then she saw the blood on my dress and called for an EMT. I remember collapsing onto the sidewalk, and my next recollection is waking up in a hospital with medical personnel hustling about. I stirred and mumbled, a nurse pushed something into my IV, and the next time I woke up I was here."

"Helluva story!" Erik proclaimed. "It's no wonder they're treating Annika for post-traumatic stress! Anyway, it sounds like you both handled yourselves well. Very well, in fact! Her nurse told me the police investigators said you would both get commendations if you were on the force!"

Andi shook her head. "Believe me, what we did might appear commendable, but we were just searching and shooting, like on the course. The moment the shooting stopped I realized that I was terrified but adrenalized, and my hands were shaking! Annika was too, but she was worried about the blood on my belly, which overrode her fears. I told you - she was heroic!

"Erik, will you please do a couple of things for me? Call Bill and tell him we're all right and tell him his training course saved us. Then check on Tommy's condition and the condition of the team that was following us. Last I heard, all three were alive but in critical condition."

Carl stepped forward. "Hello, Andi. Thank you for accepting this job, and for saving Annika. No matter how brave she was, she wouldn't have survived without your training and help. I'll find out about your driver and the other Security First team members and come tell you. Erik can talk to Bill after we see Annika, assuming he's not on a jet coming here. He was terribly upset when I talked to him. He's very fond of you and my daughter."

Andi replied, "I know he is, and I'm very fond of him too!" Then she chuckled. "I hope he does show up! He always gives me a hard time, so I'm going to act like I'm dreadfully injured, and then I'm going to give him a hard time about the 'plumb' assignment' he talked me into!"

Andi didn't ask, but it was on the mind of all three: what was the condition of the men they shot? A gunbattle affects the psyche of trained, experienced soldiers, which neither woman was. However, knowing you killed people, even if they were trying to kill you, is much worse than knowing you wounded people. Erik had no sympathy for the would-be kidnappers or killers, but he wanted to lessen the blow on Annika.

They said their goodbyes and headed back to Annika's floor but encountered a group of hospital administrators getting off the elevator who were loudly discussing preparations for the press conference an hour from now. Carl and Erik followed them to a conference room, eavesdropping as they walked. The press conference was to address the parties injured and killed in what one claimed the press was calling "The Shootout on Hollywood Boulevard."

The door was pushed shut by the last one in but didn't catch; it bounced and slowly swung open a few inches. The administrators each took a chair and faced a whiteboard at the other end. Carl leaned against the wall across the hallway, raised his phone as if reading something, and began recording. Erik walked around the corner, hit the ground, and bellycrawled back to the edge of the open doorway where he could hear.

The upper portion of the conference room wall was glass, but the bottom three feet were made of a plastic material coated with black paint, behind which Erik was hiding. Fortunately, the press liaison launched right into the sticky issues, and how to abide by the police chief's request while appearing forthcoming to the press.

That was fortunate because a nurse entered the hallway within a few minutes, and asked what they were doing there. Erik got up and explained he was just resting because they were up all night. Carl told her he was texting his physician at home about his daughter who is in treatment on the fourth floor. She continued to look suspicious, but gestured toward the elevators and ordered them to the proper floor.

"Two gunmen killed, six injured, three critically. Andi is satisfactory, and the three security officers are critical but stable. The physical injuries suffered by the 'celebrity' are relatively minor, but she is recovering in the medical trauma unit from the stress and anxiety of the...gunbattle, shootout - they couldn't decide what to call it.

"That's what I heard; well, that and how to spin it so the police spokesman addresses the difficult questions. They were even considering just giving the press the gross numbers: eleven injured, two killed."

"That's consistent with the numbers I saw on the board. In my opinion, Annika and Andi don't need to know more. For sure, they don't need to know which ones were killed and by whom!"

"Right!" Carl agreed. "They were all criminals engaged in felony criminal activities, and the use of deadly force was necessary and proper in defense of their lives! If asked, that will be our mantra, but I have a team of attorneys meeting with a team of attorneys here, just in case. There will be those who question why so many were shot and killed, and why Annika was armed.

"Andi has a permit to carry in California, but this state does not accept permits from Texas, or much of anywhere else, so that will be a bone of contention where Annika is concerned," Carl concluded.

"Unless Andi had Annika's pistol in her purse and gave it to Annika when they saw the carjacking begin, or when the first shots were fired...?"

"I guess that's possible, Erik. It would be a good question to ask of both, with a preface, rather than by it first being asked by the police investigators."

"We can ask Annika as soon as she returns to her room; should I text Andi or run back down?"

"Texts are bad. Take the stairs right there; her room is one down."

Back in Andi's room, Erik said, "We forgot to ask when we were here. Since Annika doesn't have a California permit to carry, was her pistol in your purse, or what?"

"I was carrying it as a backup, of course," she replied with a straight face. "When we saw how many were involved, one of us got it out of my purse. I don't remember who."

"Okay, just wanted to confirm. Y'all may be heroes to the cops, but there are probably a few officials who will question the necessity of bullets flying all around the tourists on the boulevard, and I happen to know Koslov has an import/export business in LA, so there are likely allies and partners to consider.

"I just hope the cops tie him to the kidnappers. That would certainly be enough to guarantee he doesn't get bail or released to the Russians!"

Running back up the stairs felt good; he had been idle too long. Annika's door was open, and she was talking to her daddy when he burst in. He hurried to the other side of the bed while her smile covered her face, he leaned down, and they embraced. Having his strong arms wrapped around her felt so good and she felt so safe that she began sobbing, letting go of the pent-up emotions she had been awash in since their limo was cut off and the van doors flew open.

Erik held her tightly and spoke soothingly to her, letting her cry it out while quietly offering solace and assurance. When she calmed down, she didn't want to talk about it, asking instead about her family, friends, the projects in which Erik and Johnny were involved. She knew it was avoidance, as did they, but she needed to remove herself, if only momentarily.

A nurse entered and said, "Miss Olsson, the police are here to get your statement. Are you feeling well enough?"

Everyone looked at Carl, who replied, "My client needs a little more time. Please ask them to return tomorrow." She nodded and left.

"Andi gave us a replay of the incident, but I have a few questions, Annika," Carl said with unusual formality. "First, given that you don't have a California permit to carry and there is no reciprocity with Texas, where you do, was Andi carrying your pistol in her purse, or how did you get it?"

Annika turned her puzzled head to face Erik, whose nod was almost imperceptible. She turned back to Dad. "She was carrying it in her purse."

"Is that what Andi said, Erik?" "Yes, she said she was carrying it as a backup, and is really glad she did, or they would both be dead."

They looked at Annika, who nodded. "Anything else?" "Yes. Just to clarify, neither you nor Andi fired until the men fired at the driver; is that correct?"

"Actually, neither of us fired until after they had shot the driver, shot the door lock, yanked the door open, and pointed a revolver at us while yelling for us to get out of the car. I fired then, and Andi may have too - I don't remember. Too much chaos from that point on."

"I know you'd like to forget about it, but your legal team will be here soon, and we need you to tell us everything you remember. Your lawyers and I will be with you tomorrow when you give your statement, so we need to know every detail you can remember.

"At Bill's request and with Andi's approval, another team will be representing her. Both teams should be here soon. Are you up for this?"

"No, I'm not, but I guess I don't have a choice. Can Erik stay?"

'Unfortunately, no. Only your legal advisers, or we lose attorney-client privilege."

"No problem; I can check in with Aila and see what she learned about this bunch. Hopefully, she can tie them to Anatoly Koslov and we can end this nonsense of bail being considered, or him magically becoming a Russian diplomat!"

The legal teams arrived a few minutes later. Erik had been lying on the bed holding Annika, who was wearing a new set of hospital scrubs that were the length of culottes on her. They moved to a reserved conference room and Erik went to get his laptop from the trunk of the Security First vehicle.