Maxine's New Life Ch. 13

"Good to see you back with us," Blevins said as he entered the room. "So do you remember what happened now?"

"Oh yes, I remember them saying that it was a message from Davenport. The skinny one, who is no longer with us, said that if I didn't leave Davenport alone, he would have me and my whole family killed. He was very specific."

"My God Max, we are going to hang his ass from the courthouse flagpole, when you tell that in court."

"Good, now tell me something. Where the hell is Jerry, you said he was watching my back. Surely he should have been in to say hello."

"Actually he is working midnight shift. You haven't been awake long enough for him to speak to you. He told me that himself this morning."

"Ah that explains it. I wonder why Mosby hasn't been in to see me."

"Max, I am not getting into the middle of that one." Blevins said.

"Has she left town?" I asked. It occurred to me that I might not be out of the hospital, before my contract with Marty for the TV show ended. If that were the case, he might have fired Mosby, or Beth Ann.

"Max, I have nothing to say on that subject. You have your cell phone, so call someone who knows." Blevins suggested.

"So it was you who brought my phone. I wondered how it go here." I said.

"Yeah, it wasn't going to be any good as evidence."

"You decided that after you did the drop on the calls."

"Yeah, I did." He looked out the window at my parking lot view. Then added, "You know that you are the most interesting person in this town. No wonder they are making that TV show about you."

"That is probably what put me in here, so it might not have been my best decision to go alone with the TV thing."

"Max, you would have done what you did even without the TV producers being here."

"Yeah, I guess I would have at that. And the kid's film did save my ass from answering a lot of questions."

"Yeah, gonna make a hell of an episode," he laughed. "Did you know that it is raining like hell out there."

"No but with the temperature falling every day, I'm glad that I'm not in it. Of course I would rather be in bed somewhere with a bottle of Jack Daniels."

"Wouldn't we all?" he asked not expecting an answer.

"Hey, did you get your burglars?" I asked.

"Fucking kids," he said. "It's just a matter of time until someone sees them." He paused looked out the window again then said, "The only good shit happens when you are involved."

"Oh bullshit," I replied.

"I just stopped by to see, if you remembered the conversation. Since you do, I guess I should get back to searching for the kids who are steeling cash, jewelry, and high end bikes. The bikes are the give away." He looked away from the window and at me. "You were wearing a microphone. You ought to see that clip, just to refresh your memory."

"Okay, I'll do that. Bye the way Blevins, did you ask Reverend Archer, if anyone tried to sell him bikes recently?"

"No, should I?"

"Yeah you should. Lucas got a motor bike from him and he put it on a used bike that was a beauty. He got that bike somewhere."

"Give me the address of that bike shop," he demanded.

"Hell, I don't know the name of the street but it's out in the West End area. It's just off English road in an 0ld service station. You will find it. Just keep my name out of it."

"Oh hell it's open to the public and I am looking for stolen bikes. Cops do it all the time, I don't need an informant for that No need for him to know you thought of it instead of me. Hell, it looks better that it was my idea anyway." With that Blevins left me alone.

I used the cell phone to call Helen. "Hello Helen this is Maxine," I said into her message machine. "Give me a call please. I'm trying to find out about Mosby."

I broke down and called Mosby's phone, but all I got was the out of service message. I honestly hadn't expected that. I hadn't called her because of Jerry. I really hadn't a clue that she might have left town.

I was tempted to call Jerry, but if he was working midnight shift, he might be sleeping. I didn't want to take a chance on waking him. Okay, I also didn't want to have Mosby answer the phone. I had no idea what I would do, if she rubbed my nose in it.

"Maxine, you look better. How do you feel?" the doctor asked. I had a different hospital specialists during each of my three days as a patient.

"I'm impressed, I haven't had the same doctor twice yet. I can't believe it. This stay has to be costing my insurance company a fortune." I paused to see, if she would smile. She didn't "The answer to your question is that I am just fine considering I was gutted like a fish."

"Well it wasn't that bad was it, but you do seem to have gotten sliced and diced pretty good. Not to mention your heart seems to have stopped beating for a bit. We still aren't quite sure how that worked."

"I can't help you with that. I was a little busy walking to the light," I said.

"Really/" she asked.

"No, there was no light or any other thoughts. I just went to sleep, then I just woke up."

"Oh alright, you had my hopes up." she laughed at herself. "So. lets take a look at you. Drop the top of that gown."

"Shouldn't we pull the drapes first?" I asked.

"Oh so you are going to be modest now?" she asked smiling at me.

I had a bad, bad feeling suddenly. "I'd like to see your hospital ID?' I demanded. I also had my hand on the derringer. "Sure," she said, but instead of the ID, she came out with a syringe.

"Sorry sweetie, but I can trump that." She had been braced for a struggle. The big bore of the shotgun derringer in her face was a shock to her. It stopped her dead in her tracks. I pressed the button on my nurse call thingie and waited.

"What the?" the nurse asked excitedly.

"Is there a cop at the door outside."

"What's going on?" he asked as he rushed into the room. He pulled his automatic handgun just about two minutes too late.

"I think we have someone playing dress up here."

He quickly removed the syringe from her upheld hand Then he turned the woman to the wall. I watched as he patted her down. "Try not to enjoy that too much," I suggested. To be honest, all the wisecracks were just to cover it up the fact that I was scared shitless. "Max I am so sorry, I just went to take a pee."

"Office let's make a deal, next time you do that, come in and use mine. Wake me up, if you have to, because I want to know that I'm on my own."

"Yes ma'am, I understand."

I turned to the nurse. "You are probably going to need to change my catheter bag, that bitch scared the piss out of me."

"I swear Ms Stone, you have to have nine lives. I have never seen anything like it. Would you really have shot her?"

"Just as many times as I could, which was only once in this case," I said with a smile.

It was about a minute later that when Helen returned my call. The fake doctor was cuffed and seated in my one chair with the officer all over her.

"Max, I am sorry I haven't been able to visit, but I am just snowed under here. Mosby just disappeared on me."

"Ah that's all I needed to know. It's okay about the visit, all I seem to do is sleep anyway."

"Well know that I am praying for you and so is skeeter. Jack is so upset by all this that he can't sleep."

"Tell him I said not to worry. It will all work out. I hear Julie is out of the Family Mission?"

"Yes, she is and that's the only good thing to happen. Jennifer has a plan to get her out of the juvenile detention center. Something about the counseling at Reverend Archer's rehab facility. She said maybe Julie can come home to live. I don't understand it."

"Well if Jennifer is involved, it can't be too bad." Or too honest, I thought but didn't say it.

"Just do the best you can Helen. Nobody can ask for more than that."

"Maxine, we are so grateful to you. I know the cops got her out, but it's because you set off the chain of events. Jennifer explained all that to us."

"Don't worry you are finished with Davenport, but I'm not. Honey, I'm sorry but I need to talk to someone right now, but thanks for the info about Mosby." I said just before I hung up the phone.

"So fake doc, you need to tell me why you wanted to shoot me up with drain cleaner or whatever." I said it in a calm voice.

"I got nothing to say," the woman replied.

"Up to you, But just so you know, I'm going to have to sign off on any deal they try to make with you. I really do have that much pull in this town. But you go ahead and be a hard ass."

"What tipped you off," she asked after a minute's thought.

"Well the curtain thing first, but you also had dripping wet hair. It looked as though you walked in from the parking lot right to my room. which you did of course. The odds of that happening in a hospital this size are pretty long. Then I noticed the jail house star tattoo on the back of your hand. What were you a infirmary employee?"

"Yeah five years at Caledonia for women. I worked in the infirmary the last two."

"Good to see you learned a trade up there," I said trying to be sympathetic and still a hard ass.

"Yeah, nobody wants an ex con working for them. Not even those shitty nursing homes."

"Yeah, just kill one person and they never let you live it down." I said.

"I ain't never killed nobody," she said.

"So I would have been your first. Did Davenport really think you would get away with it. Maybe he just decided to throw you under the bus, hoping to frighten me into not testifying. You know make me think that he would never give up."

"Well I was supposed to do it, not even talk to you about it, just do it quick." the woman said.

"Nice, well you got lucky. I could have shot you." I replied.

"Why didn't you?" she asked seriously.

"The blow back from that thing would have covered me in blood and brains. I don't need that in addition to how I feel already." I admmitted.

"Yeah, it would have made a mess alright."

"I guess they are going to put Davenport back in jail. He can't be trusted outside."

"If they can find him. If I don't call in the next fifteen minutes to tell him it's done, he will be in the wind."

"Then call him," I suggested.

"Why should I?" she asked.

"Exactly what do you have to lose. Davenport isn't going to help you. Why not help us I am going to testify at your trial. I will either tell them how you helped, or how you refused to help. It's up to you."

"Detective Sergeant Evans," The youngish black man said as he entered the room. "Why haven't you transported this woman yet?" he asked the patrolman.

"I'm waiting for someone to show up to do that. I can't leave." the patrolman said.

"Alright, I'll transport her."

"Could I see your ID?" I asked.

"What, I showed you my badge." he said angrily.

"Officer, do you know this detective?" I asked.

"Yes Ma'am I have seen him around the station. He got promoted after Blevins and his partner left for that task force thing."

"Okay, but this woman needs to make a call first."

"Lady, I know you are some kind of special case, but you don't tell me what to do."

"If she doesn't make that phone call, the man who sent her is going to be running. If she makes the call, you will have time to send someone to pick him up. Now let her make the call."

"She's right Sergeant, I heard the woman say that."

"Alright make the call, then we go have a talk."

"I changed my mind. Let him run." The bitch looked at me and smiled. "Now I want a lawyer."

I was sorely tempted to have them call Jen, but decided against it. The web of conflict would be to unmistakable, even to the idiots in our district attorneys office to miss.

After the excitement of the fake doctor died down, time passed slowly, but it did pass. I hated every lucid moment of my hospital stay. By Friday the catheter was gone, and only one bag draining into my arm.

I finally was able to stay awake long enough to meet with Jerry on Friday night. "So Jerry, what's the word on Beth Ann? You told her, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I told her that we knew. She was gone the next morning. I told her the night you got stabbed."

"She just left us both the next morning? It kind of makes you wonder about sweet lil ole Mosby." I commented.

"I could really learn to hate Marty," Jerry said. He smiled then added, "It might take a while to hate Mosby though."

"Marty was being Marty, and I guess Beth Ann was just being Mosby." I smiled a sarcastic smile at Jerry. He was a lot more hurt than I was. Then again he was younger. I had walked that road a lot more times. Relationships between same sex couples seemed to break down faster. Then again I wasn't very good with men either.

"Phony bitch," he said angrily. His anger was tempered by the fact that he had suffered a even bigger loss with his dead nurse friend.

"Your luck with women is about like mine is with men." I said quietly.

"Yeah, I know we should probably hang out together. Just to spare the rest of the world our plague."

"Are you kidding, we would poison the water, not to mention everyone we came into contact with." I admitted.

"Okay how about we just get together and fuck now and then."

"Now that seems like a much more reasonable plan." I said smiling at him. "You are going to have to give me a little time though.

"You have to know, if you are just saying that so that I will stay awake while on duty out there, you don't have to. Screwing or not, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Good, then it won't be a pity or pay off fuck. It will just be for fun, those are the best kind." I suggested.

After the fake Doc incident, the staff all started to wear their ID cards in plain view. There was also a hospital security officer assigned to the ICU nurse's station. Even though, I expected that he would go when I did, it was still a good idea. It was a little late in the game for me, but the security measures might save someone else's life.

Jennifer wanted to sue, just because it was what Jennifer did. I said no. The hospital trusted that the cops would take care of me. It was just a big mix up, there was nothing sinister in it. The hospital needed the wakeup call, and I expected that the cops did as well.

I got moved to a new room of my own the first thing Saturday morning. It was a sign that I was progressing and I was happy about that. It also meant visitors had free access to me.

"You know what Max, you promised to hand me those burglars and you did," Blevins said without even a hello first.

"Well good Saturday morning to you too Blevins. So they had been selling their stolen bikes to the Reverend?"

"A couple to him and a few to the bike shops in Tryon. They even sold one on line through Ebay. The secret to catching them was tracing the bikes. I guess, I'm getting lazy. I should have checked that without being prodded."

"Well, you got them that's the important thing."

"And guess what?"

"What?" I asked.

"They were two high school girls. Some big theft ring huh?" Blevins said with a laugh.

"What is the world coming too. Women committing crimes, next they will be cops." I laughed.

"Yeah, then the world will really be going to hell in a hand basket." Blevins agreed with a smile. "Have they got you on a diet still?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got no idea how much longer, but I'm sick of Jello." I admitted.

"I was headed to the Pizza and Pasta Pit. I thought I might bring you something for lunch."

"Why are you torturing me? What did I ever do to you?" I asked.

"Don't ask me. Ask your real doctor that. I'm just trying to make sure you get well and out of this place."

"I know Blevins and believe me I appreciate your visiting me so often. I know you are busy."

"With you up here, the work load dropped by fifty percent," he said with a laugh.

"See every cloud has an even blacker cloud inside. Life is so much more boring without me."

"Yes it would be," Blevins agreed.

"Hey, I met your new partner last night," I informed him.

"He told me. He wanted to know what your story was. So I took him to the Cop Out and told him. Well, me and about a dozen other people. You would have loved it. The nurses from the ER got in on the love fest. Well it wasn't all love."

"Yikes, Sergeant Evans in the Cop Out. Couldn't you have waited until I could be there for that?" I asked.

"Trust me Evans was quite the hit with the ladies. Most of the guys were not happy, but they will get over it."

"Do you think he will go back?" I asked

"If he is going to be my partner, he will. I never had a partner that didn't drink with me, at least now and then."

"Yeah even Anya," I replied.

"Hey, she got what she wanted, and I did as well."

"And what did you want?" I asked.

"I wanted her the hell gone," he replied.

"To be honest, I did as well," I agreed. I said it but I wasn't all that sure that I did. She had an interesting way about her.

"Maxine," the nurse said as she entered the room. "The doctor said you could take a short shower today. I will be back in a bit to remove your dressing. You can take a careful shower then I will redress the incision."

"Very good, you want to help me with the shower Blevins?" I asked.

"Why of course, I would be happy to wash your back." he replied.

"Like hell," the nurse said. "We are in enough trouble because of Maxine. I'm not about to let you two cavort in the shower."

"Were we planning to cavort?" I asked.

"I don't know about you, but I was definitely planning to cavort," Blevins said with a deep laugh.

Blevins left and I took what could only be described as the worlds most welcome shower. I even washed my two inches of hair before they could tell me not to. The fact that I did it all while seated on a metal stool didn't bother me one little bit. When I finished, I felt that I was at last clean.

Saturday not only gave me my first real bath, but it seemed like people came out of the woodwork to visit. Everybody I counted as friends showed up. Well most of them. Okay some of them.

Ed came first just after noon. He was till in the room, when Lucas and Gwen showed. Gwen didn't have a camera. After asking how I felt, everyone asked when I was going home. I had no idea, but I was hopeing for a quick release, since I had been moved to a private room and been allowed to shower. I was optimistic that it would be soon. I knew that my body healed faster than most people, so I was hopeful that my stay was about over..

Jennifer and Bob showed up shortly after the first shift left. Jen still wanted me to sue somebody. It was kind of like the TV advertisement. 'If you have been hospitalized come see me. I will find someone to sue.'

They were out the door when Blevins showed up with a lady my age. Maxine, I want you to meet my friends Mildred. She wanted to meet you, so here we are."

"Hello Mildred," I said.

"I have heard so much about you Maxine. I am thrilled to meet you."

"I have no idea what you have heard, but believe only the good parts."

"That will be easy, it has all been good," Mildred said.

"Blevins don't let this one get away, she is definitely a keeper." I smiled.

"I already did Max. Mildred is my ex wife. We are having a reunion dinner that's all,"

"Oh, well you should give some thought to making it a new beginning and see what happens."

"Well, I guess we better go. We have reservations for dinner. Yes Max it is that kind of place."

"Well you two have fun. I will keep a good thought for you."

"Hello Maxine," Helen said from the door. "Can you have visitors?"

"They better not try to keep you out." I said it with a big smile. I am not a hugger but Helen is. I allowed her to hug me even though it was an effort. Some because of the incision and a lot because I'm just not the hugging, without sex type.

Jack hung back but eventually said, "I want you to know how sorry I am about this. I feel like this is all my fault."