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Face looked out the window at the playful, suburban street, keeping his eye one every movement of every person out there. Especially on the red head sunbathing on her front lawn. He knew rationally they were all just innocent neighbours, but they'd had two visits already from the 'debt collectors', one of which had been violent.
He briefly looked back at their client, Charlotte Pierce, who was sat at the table drinking coffee and watching her two boys play on their Atari in the family room. Her face looked calm, but her hands were shaking. She was holding up better than he expected, though most of that was probably just a front for her children.
Looking back over the busy street, Face thought back to how they'd agreed to take the job.
*
They were sat around the dinning room table, each with a mug of coffee in front of them, apart from BA who held a glass of milk. The client had spent too much time fussing over the refreshments and it made Hannibal nervous and impatient.
“While we appreciate the pleasantries” Hannibal said, stirring his coffee. “We'd like to hear your problem now.”
Charlotte nodded and finally took a seat at the table.
“Right, well, my husband died a few months ago. Nothing suspicious, he had a heart attack. He wasn't the healthiest man. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a strange man saying Jim had accumulated $10,000 worth of gambling debts that I had to pay back. Jim had been a gambler when I first met him, but he quit as soon as we had our first child.” She looked across the room at her two boys sat in front of the TV watching cartoons. “They want me to believe he got back into it, but I refuse to believe that.”
“Gambling is very addictive.” Face said “How can you be sure?”
“Because he swore on his kids lives that he would never take up gambling again. And I did a little digging. There's a lady who works in the library who has a similar story. After her son died she got calls about gambling debts. She was adamant her son didn't gamble. There's a scam going on here, I know it. They've already sent some big men over to threaten me. Adding interest on to the amount. It's nearly $12,000 now.”
“Extorting people who have lost family” BA said after taking a sip of milk. “That ain't right.”
“It's not.” Hannibal put his untouched coffee down and lit a cigar. “If that's really what's going on.”
“Please believe me, Jim had no gambling debts. I'll bet there are others out there these people are scamming.”
“I think we need to discuss it.”
“All right. Oh, you're out of coffee.” She picked up Face's empty cup. “I'll get some more.”
Before he could protest she retreated to the kitchen. He probably should tell her it was terrible and he'd poured his into the flowerpot.
With their mother out of the room, the two boys left the TV and came over. Charlotte had introduced them earlier as Bobby, aged 9 and Matty aged 5. They were both skinny with the same light brown hair and blue eyes. Matty wore dungarees with a tractor on the front while Bobby a blue t-shirt and shorts.
“I overheard mum say you were mercenaries” Bobby said. “What does that mean?”
Hannibal looked at each of his men. They looked at him as if it was his job to answer.
“It means...we get hired to help people.” Hannibal explained.
Matty went over to BA and craned his neck all the way back to look up at him. “Can I hire you for a quarter.” He said showing the big man his pocket money.
BA crouched down to almost be on the same level as the boy. “A whole quarter? That's gotta be all your pocket money.”
“Mummies upset.” Matty said. “Big men come and upset her. Can you make them go away?”
It was as if Charlotte had known BA's soft spot. The big man picked Matty up into his arms and smiled. “Sure little, brother, we'll help.”
Face actually rolled his eyes. Great, another charity case.
*
Back in the present, Face reminded himself that it wasn't a complete charity case. Charlotte had offered to pay them and so far nothing they'd done had cost that much. They'd only had one fight with the so called debt collectors, that hadn't required any shots fired. After they'd driven them off, Face had followed them back to an office building where a man named Roger Thorne owned an insurance company. After hours Face had broken into the office and found no files pertaining to any extortion ring, but he did learn of the man who owned the company; Milo Sanders, a wealthy business man who owned a lot of dodgy insurance companies. The kind that usually paid out less than they promised because of the small print no one read.
With this knowledge, BA and Hannibal had gone to scout out Sander's house. They'd called Murdock in to help, but had been on a field trip with VA when they'd sent word of the job. They'd left a note saying he needed to get himself free. The details of how had been sketchy, but Murdock had rung from a pay phone saying he was on his way.
Face had been left with the job of protecting Charlotte and the kids and waiting for Murdock. Hannibal had insisted someone needed to stay behind to make sure no other goons came sniffing around and Face had drawn the short straw. He argued that BA wad better suited for playing body guard, but he'd already done his shift while Face was breaking into Roger Thorne's office.
Glancing back over at Charlotte, she had finished her coffee and was idly flicking through a magazine. She quickly abandoned that and went back to watching her kids.
“Are you all right?” Face asked maintaining his position by the window.
“I'm fine, just restless.” She looked down at her clenched hands. “Ever since Jim died, I've been having moments where I just don't know what to do with myself. It's almost a relief when the boys start acting up.”
“How long were you together?” Face asked, coming to sit next to her at the dinning room table.
“We were married 10 years and before that we'd dated for over two years. Some said we jumped into marriage too quick, but when you know, you know. You know?”
Face thought back to a time when he thought he had known, but quickly brushed that off.
“That's a long time to be with someone, it's tough to build a new life after such change.”
“That's what I tell myself, but I don't always listen.” She sighed “Have you ever been married?”
“Once, but that was only for a few days and it's a long story.”
Charlotte's beeper went off. “Oh shoot.” She checked the message on her pager. “Excuse me” She went over to the phone and dialled a number.
“Hi, Becky, I got your page” She listened to the message from her friend. “Is it urgent?” She sighed. “All right, I'll be there in ten minutes.” She hung up the phone.
“Where will you be in ten minutes?” Face asked.
“I have to go to work, it's an emergency. Mr Gasford's dog Horace was hit by a car and I'm the nearest vet.”
She went over to the coat rack and picked up her coat. “Can you watch the boys?”
“I'm meant to be watching all of you.” Face reminded.
“I know...well, the boys can come too and you can babysit them in the waiting room while I'm taking care of the dog.”
“Babysit...” Face wasn't keen on that. It was fine while the boys were busy on their games console, but having to entertain them in a waiting room sounded like a big challenge.
“There are comics in the waiting room, that'll keep them busy.”
Face sighed. “All right, but I'll need to leave a note” While Face looked for some paper to write a message Charlotte turned off the games console and ushered the boys towards the door. They complained the whole way.
*
Horace the dog was the only animal being looked after it seemed as the vet's waiting room was empty. His owner didn't choose to wait, claiming he had too much work to do and to call when his dog was ready to be collected.
There were indeed comics in a pile in the corner, but neither of the boys looked interested.
“We've read them before” Bobby moaned. “And they're weird.”
Face picked up the first comic on the pile and flicked through a few pages of Ambush Bug.
“No weirder than Ant-man” He put the comic back down on the pile and crossed his arms. He had been hoping the comics would be enough to entertain the boys, but clearly not.
“So, uh, what...uh, what do you like to do?”
“Play on the Atari,” Bobby said slumping down in his chair. “This place is boring. They don't even have a TV.”
“Why not use your imagination.”
“I want to go home.” Matty whined, slumping in the chair, arms crossed.
“Me too.” Bobby chimed in.
“Well, your mother has to work so you're stuck here.”
“I'm bored” Matty kicked his little legs and accidentally struck his brother.
“Ow, that hurt you little worm.” He kicked his brother back, which started a kicking war. Face quickly got between them and seized a leg each.
“All right, enough of that. Don't make me tie you to the chairs.” He let them go and the two boys turned their backs to each other, sulking.
Face took a seat across from them and picked up a magazine all about dogs. Murdock would have loved it. The only interest it held for Face was the dog owner on the cover was very pretty.
“Do you have an annoying little brother.” Bobby asked, sticking his tongue out at Matty.
“I'm not annoying, you are.” Matty smacked his brother on the arm, who smacked him back.
“Right now you're both annoying. And no, I don't have a brother.” That I know of, he finished in his head. “Can't you just play nice?”
“I don't want to play with him.” Matty said moving to another chair.
“Okay, then stay apart, I don't care, just stop hitting each other.” Face was starting to remember why he didn't want kids. He checked his watch. They'd only been there 10 mins. Without knowing what was wrong with the dog, they could be there another hour or so. There had to be something to do to keep the kids from killing each other in that time.
“Do you have a gun?” Bobby asked out of nowhere.
“What?” Face asked, not sure he'd heard correctly.
“Do you have a gun?” Bobby repeated.
“Yes, why?”
“Can I see it?”
Face shook his head. “Only if we're threatened.”
“Aw, please?” Bobby begged. “I won't touch it”
“You're right, you won't.”
Bobby pouted for a moment. “Have you ever shot anyone?”
Face had to think carefully on how to respond to that. “I was in the army.”
“So is that a yes?”
“That's for you to decide.”
Bobby was quiet as he gave it some thought. “Have you ever been shot?”
Face sighed and crossed his arms. “Yes and I wouldn't recommanded it.”
“Where?”
“Where what?”
“Where were you shot?”
“In Vietnam.”
“I mean where on your body?”
“In the leg.”
“Cool! Do you have a scar?” Bobby seemed way to excited, but Face was just glad they'd moved away from talking about guns.
“I do” Anticipating Bobby's next question, Face rolled up his pant leg to show the boy the scar on the back of his calf. It wasn't very big, but it impressed Bobby.
“What's Vietnam?” Matty asked, also staring at the scar. Face rolled down his pant leg.
“Something you boys can learn about when you're older.”
“Got any more scars?” Bobby asked
“Only psychological” Face said, which made the boys frown with confusion. “Hey look, can't you boys play I spy or twenty questions or something?”
He checked his watch again. 15 mins had passed. This babysitting gig was harder than expected. Of all the team he was probably the least qualified to look after children. Sure, he'd spent some time at the orphanage since coming back from Vietnam, but that was usually to visit the nuns and the priest. He'd not spent much time with the children. BA on the other hand had a lot of experience entertaining kids at the youth centre. And Murdock was practically a child himself. Hannibal would probably have had these kids running laps or regale them with war stories or impress them with the movies he'd been in. What did Face have to keep the kids quiet? They were a bit young to be thinking about girls, after all they were still in the cootie phase. Then he thought about what he did to keep himself entertained when the team found themselves waiting around. He reached into his jacket pocket.
“Have either of you ever played Gin?”
*
Outside the veterinary surgery, a car pulled up in the parking lot and four men got out. Two were armed with guns, while the other two were armed with muscles. The one in charge was Roger. He was tall with dark hair, deep bags under his brown eyes and a scar long his right eyebrow.
“Okay, you know what Mr. Sanders wants, so let's get it done.” All the men nodded as they entered the building.
*
Back in the waiting room, Bobby and Matty were sat facing each other, each holding a bunch of playing cards fanned out in their hands.
“So Bobby, it's your turn to either pick a card from the stock pile or from the discard pile.” Face said, sitting on the table to the side of the two boys.
“I have 2 aces, is that good?” Matty asked, hopeful.
“Not in this game.”
Bobby took a card from the stock pile. “Is this good?”
“It's, uh, not bad.”
“Whose winning?” Matty asked. “Am I winning?”
Face looked at his cards and then at Bobby's. “It's really close.” He said diplomatically.
He wondered if he could teach them how to gamble, but seeing how their father had history of gambling problems, it was probably not a good idea.
It was Matty's turn to draw a card, but as he did the waiting room door opened and the four men entered. One of them went over to the surgery door. Another stayed by the front door. Roger and another man walked up to Face and the boys.
Face clocked each one, including the guns they were poorly concealing. He slowly stood up.
“Hi fellas, I think you forgot to bring your pet.” Face said. He noticed the biggest of them was the one stood by the front door. “Oh wait, you brought your dog.”
None of the men were amused.
“Frank, grab the kids.” Roger ordered.
The man named Frank grabbed at Matty who tried to run away. Face kicked Frank away from Matty, but then Roger grabbed Face and threw him against the wall.
Meanwhile the guy by the surgery door pulled a bureau across the door way, locking Charlotte in.
The big guy by the main door helped Frank grab the kids.
Face went for Roger, landing a punch in the face and another in the gut. Roger staggered, but didn't go down. Face then ran at him, tackling him to the ground. He then tried to take the gun out from Roger's holster, but he struggled, twisting away to keep Face away from the gun.
The boy's cries were heard inside the surgery and Charlotte tried to come out to help them, but the door wouldn't open.
“Bobby! Matty!” She cried. “What's going on?”
“Mummy!” Matt cried. The big man pick him up, clamped a hand over his mouth and headed for the door. Frank had Bobby in the same position and was following his colleague.
Face saw them leave and untangled himself from Roger on the floor, but before he could get to his feet, the other man drew his gun and struck Face hard across the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.
Roger got to his feet. “Take this guy too.” He said, checking his lip for blood.
The other guy picked Face up with ease and slung him over his shoulder.
*
Charlotte and her aid both tried putting their weight against the door, repeatedly. The cries from outside had stopped which made Charlotte shove harder. It took some doing, but they finally forced the obstruction away from the door. Charlotte was the first out the door, but it was too late, the waiting room was empty.
“Matty!” She cried. “Bobby!” She ran out of the building and in to the parking lot, but there were no cars and no sign of where they'd gone.
*
The derelict building was three stories high and had once been home to 30 well furnished, family apartments. Now it housed mostly cockroaches and a family of rats. There was hardly any furniture left and what there was was better suited for kindling.
However, the building now had some new occupants for the first time in 10 years. On the top floor, Roger instructed his goons to tie Matty and Bobby's to one of the support posts. The still unconscious Face was dumped on the floor in front of them, with his hands tied behind his back.
Matty was sobbing, asking for his mummy, while Bobby was trying to be the strong older brother and demanding they let them go or the A Team would make them pay.
“Oh, I'm real scared of the A Team” Roger said, giving the unconscious Face's leg a kick.
He left the boys to their crying, leaving the other three men to guard them. He went outside to find a car waiting for him with Mr Sanders inside.
“Are they all secure?” Mr Sanders asked, from the back-seat. He was in his fifties with pure white hair, ice blue eyes and cigarette in his hand. Rogers leaned down to address his boss through the window.
“All three.”
“Good.” Sanders picked up his car phone and dialled a number.
*
When Charlotte had been unable to find her children anywhere near the Veterinary Surgery she'd headed home, hoping the rest of the A Team had arrived back. She got there just as their van was pulling in. Murdock was standing outside the front door, having arrived a few minutes ago.
“Hannibal, they've taken my boys.” She cried, banging on the side of the van. Hannibal got out of the passenger seat.
“How?” He grabbed her flaying arms. “Slow down and tell us what happened?”
She took a breath and explained what had happened. “I knew we shouldn't have gone, but I'm the only vet. What do they want with them? What are they going to do?”
“I don't know, but if they wanted them dead they've have killed them all ready. They want them for something else. Let's go inside.”
Hannibal led Charlotte up the steps into her house. “Murdock, can you get Charlotte a glass of water.”
“I don't want water, I want my boys back.” Charlotte cried, as she slumped down onto one of the dinning room chairs.
“We'll get your boys back.” Hannibal said calmly. “And don't forget, they're not alone.”
“He didn't prevent them from being taken.”
“Hey lady, Face would have done everything in his power to stop your boys from being taken” BA said firmly.
Before Charlotte could say anything more, the phone rang. She answered it before the second ring. “Hello”
“Well, Mrs Pierce, I'm glad I caught you.” A cool voice said
“Where are my children?” Charlotte demanded, knowing full well who it was.
“I'm afraid I've had to take your children as punishment. As a reminder not to cross me. You refused to pay up and you hired those mercenaries to disrupt my business. I can't stand for that.”
“Please, give them back, I'm sorry...I...”
“I'm afraid it's too late for that...but I like to think of myself as a lenient man. I'll give you a chance. If you can find your children before it's too late, you can have them back and I'll forget the debt.”
“What do you mean, before it's too late? Where are they?”
“That would make it too easy now wouldn't it.” Sanders chuckled. “The only clue I can give you is, follow the smoke.” With that he hung up.
Charlotte dropped the receiver. “Follow the smoke” She repeated in a daze.
“Smoke?” Murdock questioned, with a look of horror. “You don't think...”
“I do.” Hannibal confirmed.
“Noooo.” Charlotte screamed and fainted.
*
Outside the derelict building Mr Sanders hung up his phone and looked up at his right hand man. “Light it up.”
Roger looked a little uneasy. “I'm not sure about this sir, they're only children.”
“I gave her plenty of warning. And those mercenaries need to pay too. Light it up now.”
Roger sighed, but did as his boss commanded. The other men were leaving the building, all holding bottles with rags sticking out. Roger took his cigarette lighter and ignited the rag. The other men did the same, and one after the other they threw the petrol bombs into the downstairs windows. It took only three bottles for the whole bottom floor to be set a blaze.
“Let's go.” Roger instructed, leading his men away from the burning building.
*
Inside, the flames were yet to reach the third floor and because of this the two boys had no idea what was going on. All they knew was that they'd been tied up and left alone. Were the men coming back? Were they leaving them to starve to death?
Matty was still crying for their mother, while Bobby kept alternating between tell him everything would be all right and to shut up. He was also trying to free himself from their bonds, but they were too tight. The only thing he could think to do was to try and wake up Face who was still lying unconscious in front of them.
“Hey, Mr, wake up!” Bobby called over to Face. There was no response. “Please wake up!” He tried shouting louder, but that didn't make a difference.
The way the boys were tied meant Bobby was too far away from Face to reach him with his foot. To be in range he needed to work his way around the post. However the post had four edges and the ropes were pretty tight. He was struggling to get around the edge to the other side. He kept trying, the fear of being trapped in the building forever motivated him. It was no use though. He kept trying through, but was stopped momentarily when he saw smoke coming through the doorway.
“Shut up Matty.” Bobby shouted as he tried to listen. Matty stopped moaning long enough for Bobby to hear the distance sound of crackling coming from below. Fire. The house was on fire!
In his panic Bobby frantically tried to turn himself around on the post and with a sudden burst of adrenaline was he was able to do it. The ropes across his chest loosed, but his hands were still tied to Matty's. However, he was now within range to reach Face. He sat himself down on the floor, forcing Matty down with him.
“Wake up!” Bobby kicked Face as hard as he could in the arm. He wanted to cry that the building was on fire, but he didn't want to scare Matty just yet. “Please wake up!” He continued to kick Face as hard as he could.
More smoke was pouring into the room. Matty had spotted it. “Fire!” He cried.
“It's not a fire, it's just smoke” Bobby said, through he knew he couldn't shield his brother from that fact much longer.
Matty started crying.
Bobby increased the frequencies of his kicks. He was starting to panic himself. “Wake up, wake up, wake up.” He kept repeating, each word punctuated with a kick.
More smoke wafted through the door.
Face groaned. Bobby didn't hear it at first and kept kicking, but he stopped when he saw Face move his head.
“Hey, are you awake?” Bobby asked
Face heard Bobby ask the question, but he wasn't quite in the position to answer. The pounding in his head was his first concern, and when he couldn't move his arm to rub at the sore spot his next concern was why.
He opened his eyes, but from his face down position he could only see the floorboards, a wall and the out of the corner of his eye, Bobby.
Despite the pounding headache he was able to pick up on his predicament fairly easily. “Are you kids okay?” He asked while trying to loosen his bounds.
“We're fine, but I think the buildings on fire.” With that confession Matty started to cry louder.
“On fire?” Face looked confused. “Where are we?”
“Some old building.”
Face didn't need to know any-more. The smoke was starting to fill the whole room. Fortunately from his position flat on the floor, there wasn't any smoke, but his bonds were too tight. He'd have to get up to find something to cut them with.
“You boys hang tight, okay?” Face said, rolling on his side so he could see the boys. “I'll be with you in a moment.” He got his feet underneath him and awkwardly stood up. Looking around, the room was mostly bare apart from a single broken chair. It was upturned to the legs were in the air. One of them was broken so the end was just a spike. Face went over to the chair used the sharpest point of the spike to saw through the ropes. It was slow going, but he was motivated to keep going by the amount of smoke that was now filling the room. The boys were starting to choke on it. It was catching in the back of Face's throat too and making his headache worse, but he ignored it all and focused entirely on cutting through the rope.
The moment they went slack Face tore them off and went straight over to the kids.
“Are you boys hurt?” He asked as he undid their bounds. Both boys shook their hands while they coughed into their hands.
“All right, I'm going to get us out of here, but you have to do exactly as I say, okay?” Both boys nodded.
Face went over to the window and looked out. There was no way they could jump down there without breaking a lot of bones. He looked around the room again, but there was nothing they could use to break their fall. That meant working their way down into the building...closer to the fire.
Before they could do that they needed some protection from the smoke. Face took off his jacket and went back over to the chair leg.
“Why is it always my best jackets that get ruined” He grumbled while using the spike to cut off the sleeves. Annoyingly, it was a well made jacket and took longer than expected to tare through the fabric. Once both sleeves were ripped off he went back to the boys and tied one around Bobby's nose and mouth.
“Keep these on.” Face ordered. “No matter what.” He wrapped the other sleeve around Matty's face and then tore the limning to wrap around his own nose and mouth. He slung the rest of the material over his shoulder in case it was needed.
“Stay close.” Face took each of the boys hands. “And don't let go.”
“I'm scared.” Matty cried. “I want mummy.”
Face looked the little boy in the eyes and squeezed his hand. “I'll get you home to your mummy, I promise, just do exactly as I say. Can you do that?”
Matty wiped at his tear stained eyes and nodded.
“Good boy.” Gripping the boys hands tightly, Face led them out into the corridor. The smoke was getting so thick, it was hard to see in front of them, but Face could just make out the stairway three doors down. Moving at the speed Matty's little legs could manage they made it to the stairway without incident. The path was clear so they climbed down to the second floor.
“Why aren't we going...” Bobby coughed harshly. “going to the ground floor?”
“Because that's where the fire is” Face explained. “If we can get out on another floor it'll be easier.”
He put Matty's hand in Bobby's.
“I want you to stay here while I check the rooms, understood?”
Bobby nodded.
“I won't be long.” Leaving the boys huddled together he went to check out the rooms. Each one was empty apart from a few bits of broken furniture. Unfortunately, it was all wood, not a single sofa or arm chair. Face was hoping to find something he could use to cushion their fall, but there was nothing. No mattresses either, just box springs and bed frames. After checking the last room and finding nothing he headed back to the boys and they went down to the next floor.
They were now on the first floor and they could feel the heat of the flames from below. They couldn't stay on this level for long. The smoke was worse here than it had been above and and the boys could barely take a breath without coughing. Being taller and closer to the smoke, Face was feeling it more. He had to stop briefly to cough harshly into his makeshift mask, but didn't let it stop him for long. He checked the rooms on this floor, but kept the boys with him this time, in case he was able to find what he was looking for. Sadly, there was nothing on this floor either. Not a single soft item. The bad guys had picked the perfect building.
They had no choice, they would have to go through the ground floor.
On their way back to the stairway Face and the boys felt the ground creek beneath their feet. Another couple of steps and they felt the floorboards give way, taking Bobby with them. Fortunately, Face had been holding the boys hand and was dragged down to the floor, but not through the hole. The boy dangled over the fiery apartment, which from Face's view looked like the entrance to hell.
Bobby screamed and tightened his grip on Face's hand. Luckily the boy was light enough for Face to pull him back up with one hand. The boy was visibly shaken by the experience and grabbed tightly to Face's arm. Giving him a moment to recover, Face checked Bobby for any injuries and found a horrible gash on his leg. There was no time and no supplies to tend to the wound, but Face folded up the remains of his jacket and wrapped it around the whole of Bobby's lower leg, tying it tight.
Bobby for his part was trying hard not to cry, which was pretty easy to do as he was mainly focusing on just breathing through the smoke.
Looking between the two boys, one badly shaken up and the other in in tears, Face made a decision. He lifted Bobby up with his right arm and did the same to Matty with his other. The two boys clung to his shoulder's as if that was enough to save them. While neither of them were that heavy, Face knew their weight would drag him down eventually, so he hurried back to the stairway. They were heading down to the ground floor, where the fire was. Face prayed there was a clear enough pathway through. When he reached the door to the ground floor he had no free hands to open it so he just kicked it down.
A wall of smoke greeted them.
The ground floor had a few apartments between the stairs and the main entrance, with the lobby being at the front where the main front doors were. Every room they passed was on fire with what little furniture remained a blaze.
Face ran past each room, focusing all his attention on the main lobby. He could see as he approached that the door to the outside was blocked by a wall of flames. If he'd been alone he would have considered running through and busting down the door, but he couldn't risk hurting the boys. He looked around for a window, but both windows either side of the main door were both blocked by flames. He retreated into the managers office which appeared to be the only room not on fire. It also had a window that was covered in metal mesh.
Face put the boys down next to the broken desk.
“Stay under the desk.” he ordered. “I'll be right back”
Matty grabbed his arm in fear. He was unable to talk around his coughing, but he didn't need to talk for Face to understand him. He pulled the fabric away from his face briefly to give the boy a quick smile. “I promise. I won't be long.” He coughed harshly and put the fabric back.
Matty let go of his arm and Face went back to the corridor to check the other rooms.
He finished searching the ground floor and found only one potential exit. There was one living room window that was huge and was only partially blocked by fire. If he was quick enough, he could get the boys out that way.
He made his return to the managers office to find the boys right where he left them. They were looking drowsy though, the smoke inhalation starting to take it's toll. Face wasn't surprised, he was starting to feel it himself. He could barely breath without coughing and his head was both spinning and aching.
Face picked up the two boys, who had somehow gotten heavier in the last few minutes, and carried them into the room with the big window. He put them down and tried to explain his plan, but there didn't appear to be enough oxygen left in the room for speech. It was easier to just get on with it. He looked around the room for something to break the remainder of the glass in the window pane. He didn't want to risk cutting either of the boys. In the corner of the room a part of the ceiling had caved in and among the wreckage was a plastic water pipe. He picked up the pipe which was hotter than expect and got to work breaking the glass shards around the end of the window, coughing all the while.
Once it was all cleared he dropped the pipe and picked up Matty. He pointed at the window and then at Matty, hoping the little boy got the message. Matty looked back and forth between himself and the window for a moment until he finally got the message. He shook his head vigorously.
“I'm sorry.” Face croaked. “Bend your knees.” With no further warning he took a short run up and then threw the boy out the window feet first. Matty landed on his back and slide a few feet on the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but he was otherwise unharmed. He lay on the grass coughing and spluttering, but with fresh air entering his lungs he was able to catch his breath temporarily and find the strength to get to his feet. He turned back to the window to see Face holding Bobby in his arms and looking relieved.
And then the ceiling caved in and they were gone from sight.
*
The A Team's van screeched down the main street of the town, driving aimlessly. Charlotte was sat in the seat behind Hannibal, chewing on a nail while Murdock was keeping an eye out for any signs of smoke.
“You know this town better than us,” Hannibal said “you have to think of somewhere he could take the boys without behind found.”
“I don't know. There are industrial sites...but I don't know, he could have them in a basement for all I know!” Charlotte couldn't think straight, her concern for her boys was overwhelming her.
“It has to be somewhere that if it caught on fire, the fire brigade wouldn't be called out. He's playing a game with you, he's giving you a chance.”
“I don't know!” She shrieked, but then a thought popped into her head. “Wait...wait I think I know somewhere. There's a part of town, on the outskirts, that's in the process of being demolished. There are only a couple of buildings left, it's been like that for years. They've been having issues with squatters building fires and causing trouble for the fire department. So much that they tend to ignore calls to go out there. It must be there. That whole area could burn down and no one would care.”
“That's where we're going. Step on it BA!”
*
Face heard the ceiling above creek and knew what was about to happen. He had only a few seconds to decide weather to run and hope he made it out of the way in time or duck and cover Bobby with his body. In the split second before the roof fell he chose the later. He crouched down, covering Bobby as much as he could to shield him and prayed it wasn't the bathroom that was falling on them. Floorboards, piles wood and bits of wrecked furniture fell in one big clump, burying Face and the boy.
The minutes ticked by and nothing moved. The fire raged on all around.
Then the floorboards began to move and agonizingly slowly, Face crawled out of the wreckage, dragging Bobby along with him. They'd been fortunate the the wood had been rotted, but the pipes, while a little corroded had done the most damage. Whilst moving the debris off them, Face had touched one of the bare pipes with his hand, leaving a horrible burn mark. On top of that, the boards had given his back a fair pummelling, making every movement agony. On the plus side, Bobby appeared not to have suffered any further injuries.
The worst however was the window was now blocked by all wreckage. That left two options: try to remove the metal mesh from the window in the manager's office which could take hours without any tools to use or go out through the front door. Face had been reluctant to try while he had the two boys, but now he only had one it seemed like the only option. He had to do it fast too, he didn't think either of them could tolerate the smoke much longer.
The first task was just getting to his feet. When he tried, his back, head and hand protested and he nearly fell, but he tried again and was able to stay relatively stable. Then he had to pick Bobby up, who seemed incapable of getting to his own feet. The boy had seemed so light just moments ago, but as Face tried to pick him up, it felt like moving a 500lb boulder. Ignoring every pain that tried to stop him, Face got the boy into his arms and stumbled out into the corridor.
The front entrance was still blocked by fire, but it was thin enough that if Face was able to run through it fast enough and break through the doors in one go it shouldn't burn them. The big if in there were the front doors. How weak were they? Would they break first time?
There were no more options. If he didn't take the chance, they would both pass out from smoke inhalation very soon and burn to death.
Face cradled the boy close to him, making sure Bobby's head was buried in his shoulder and prayed the doors weren't locked.
*
The van came to a screeching halt outside the burning building. Charlotte pulled open the sliding door and stumbled out of the van. She nearly fell to her knees in horror at the sight of the whole building in flames.
“Matty!” She screamed rushing towards the building “Bobby!”
Hannibal ran up behind her and grabbed her, holding her back.
“Let me go!” She screamed hysterically. “Matty! Bobby!” She wasn't sure how screaming their names would help, but she was in pure blown panic mode.
BA and Murdock got out of the van and stared dumbfounded at the burning building. BA tried getting closer to the building, inspecting each entrance for a way in, but the fire had taken hold of the whole place. It was suicide to even try.
Murdock got back in the van and called the fire department on the radio, insisting that this was an emergency and three lives were at stake.
Meanwhile Charlotte collapsed in tears, unable to cope with the fact her babies may be burning to death in front of her.
While Hannibal was holding Charlotte he noticed a small figure by the side of the building. As it came closer he recognised it as Matty. He was staggering towards them, coughing his little lungs out.
“Charlotte, look.” Hannibal pointed to the boy and let got of Charlotte who the moment she spotted her boy ran over to him.
“Matty!” Charlotte collapsed in front of her boy, grabbing him tight and kissing his soot covered cheeks.
“Give him some air.” Hannibal said as he joined them. “And get him away from the building.”
Charlotte stopped kissing her boy long enough to realise what Hannibal had said. She lifted Matty into her arms and carried him over to the van.
“Matty, where's Bobby?” She asked desperately. Unfortunately, Matty was unable to answer, he kept coughing and spluttering, desperate to get air. “Where is he?”
Before anyone could ponder the question any further the front doors of the building burst off their hinges and a figure came tumbling out, landing on their back. Hannibal instantly recognised Face and ran over to check on him. Bobby was barely conscious in his arms and the two were both straining to breath. BA joined the Colonel and gently took Bobby from Face's arms while Hannibal helped his Lieutenant to his feet. However, Face was barely conscious himself and couldn't stand, so Murdock came over to offer extra support.
BA handed Bobby over to his mother, who wept tears of joy over the return of her boys.
In the distance they could hear the sirens. There was no telling how far off they still were and Hannibal didn't want to risk waiting for them to arrive especially if the cops were on their way too, so he bundled everyone into the van and told BA to drive to the hospital.
They got Face seated in his usual chair behind Hannibal while Charlotte sat behind BA with her boys on her lap. Murdock sat in the middle, but his main attention was on Face who was struggling to breath and stay conscious. Murdock also noticed he was holding his left shoulder, the one he'd used to batter down the door.
“How's he look, Captain?” Hannibal asked, swivelling his seat around to face them.
“Not crispy or over done, I'm thankful to say.” Murdock said, but turned serious when he caught Hannibal's look. “I think he's hurt his shoulder, he hasn't moved his left arm. Definite smoke inhalation and...” Murdock noticed Face's right hand. “And a pretty nasty burn on his palm.”
“All right, how close is the hospital?” Hannibal asked Charlotte
“It's not far, just turn left up here and then right. It should be at the end of the road.”
BA followed the directions, driving just slightly over the speed limit. He couldn't risk getting pulled over, but he desperately wanted to get there as fast as possible.
Upon the approach to the hospital, Hannibal noticed an unwelcoming site. Two MP cars were parked outside.
“What are they doing here?” Hannibal wondered. “Is there an army base near here?”
“Yes, a small one” Charlotte said. “About 30 miles away. We don't see the military around here much but because they're a small base they have to come to this hospital for anything serious.”
“We can't risk them spotting us.” BA slowed down as they approached the ambulance bay. “BA, drive round the back. We'll let Charlotte and the boys out there. Murdock, go with them. See if you can swipe some supplies, including an oxygen tank.”
BA pulled over in a side street next to the hospital. Murdock took Bobby while Charlotte took Matty and they left, hurrying down the street to the hospital entrance.
“All right, kid, while he wait, let's take a look at that shoulder.”
Face wasn't in a position of argue, but shrunk back a little when Hannibal reached for his shoulder.
“I'll be gentle,” he said reassuringly. Pulling back the collar of Face's sweat and smoke damaged shirt, Hannibal was able to see the problem instantly; there was a distinctive bulge on the shoulder joint.
“You've dislocated your shoulder.” Hannibal informed his team mate.
Face groaned and then coughed.
Hannibal opened Face's hand to look at the burn, which looked horribly red and blistered. He couldn't quite tell, but he was fairly confident it was only a second degree burn. It would still need treating to prevent infection.
Having finished his own assessment of Face's condition, Hannibal reached into his pocket for a cigar, but stopped when he realised it was not a wise thing to do at present. Instead Hannibal patted Face on his good shoulder and smiled. “Well, you're a mess, but you did good kid.”
BA turned his his chair and gave Face a rare smile. “Those kids are alive thanks to you.”
While Face heard the compliments from his team mates he struggled to acknowledge them. The only thing he could concentrate on was trying get oxygen into his starved lungs and only partially succeeding.
The side door slid open and Murdock returned, holding an oxygen tank and a big black box. “Hey look what I found lying around. They really shouldn't leave those supply rooms unlocked.”
“Quit your jabber.” BA barked. “The man can't breath.”
Murdock said no more and slipped the oxygen mask over Face's nose and mouth and unscrewed the valve on the tank. “Okay, just take some nice deep breaths.” Murdock demonstrated by taking deep breaths himself. “In and out.”
Face did just that, though it was still a struggle. The more he took in the easier it got, but suddenly his coughing turned into a deep, hacking cough. It sounded and felt like he was trying to cough up the entire contents of his lungs.
Hannibal took a hankie out of his pocket and moved the oxygen mask aside. “Lean him forwards.” Hannibal ordered.
Gently, without moving Face's injured shoulder too much, he leaned his friend forwards just in time for him to expel horrible, black mucus directly onto Hannibal's waiting hankie.
“Well that looks yummy” Murdock said, wrinkling his nose.
“Let's get going BA.” Hannibal keeping his hankie where it was in case there was any more.
The van tore away from the hospital.
*
Arriving back at Charlotte's house took less than ten minutes, but in that time Face's breathing had eased thanks to the oxygen, but he was still hacking up the black mucus. Hannibal reminded them all that the more than came up the better.
Parking out side, Hannibal opened the side door and helped Face out, wrapping his good shoulder around his own. Face was barely able to stand, so Hannibal took most of his weight. Murdock held the oxygen tank and helped support Face's injured arm, while BA went on ahead to open the doors.
Once inside they headed to the downstairs guest room. It was a fairly good size, with a queen sized bed, up against the wall opposite the window.
“BA, pile all those pillows in the middle of the bed.” Hannibal instructed as he dragged Face towards the bed.
BA did as instructed and then helped Hannibal lift their comrade onto the bed and lean him back on the mound of pillows, keeping his head and upper back elevated.
“How...are” The muffled words came out strained and almost in audible through the oxygen mask, “...the boys?” Punctuated by a hacking cough.
“We don't know yet.” Hannibal said placing the box with the medical supplies on the bed. “We just dropped them off at the hospital remember?”
Face frowned. In his oxygen deprived state he wasn't sure what he remembered. Ever since bursting through the fire engulfed doorway he'd been trapped in a suffocating world of pain and confusion. He wasn't even sure where he was. He just knew he was lying on something soft and he just wanted to curl up and sleep, but when he tried Murdock forced him onto his back.
“You'll breath better this way.” Murdock explained.
Face had no energy to keep trying.
“BA, go back to the van and bring me the stethoscope Face uses to break into safes and a pair of scissors. Oh and the hat rack”
BA nodded and left the room.
From the box, Hannibal pulled out a pair of latex gloves and an IV with a saline bag attached
“Murdock, I need you to play nurse.”
“Oh I've always wanted to wear that cute little hat.”
Hannibal put the gloves on and then handed Murdock the IV. “We need to get some fluids into him.” After a bit of poking for a good vein, Murdock inserted the needle into the crook of Face's arm. Hannibal handed him a piece of surgical tape to keep it in place.
BA returned with the stethoscope, scissors and hat rack. Upon seeing Murdock holding the saline bag, he put the hat rack next to the bed and hung the bag from it.
“Help me lean him forwards” Hannibal instructed. “We need to cut his shirt off.”
Gently Murdock used his left arm to wrap around Face's back and pull him up and then wrapped his right arm around Face's chest, holding him upright,. Face barely put up any resistance, but also didn't help much. His head lolled against Murdock's chest. While Murdock held his friend, Hannibal cut a seam up the length of the shirt and pulled the ruined material away from the skin. He tried not to let his shock of seeing the deep, dark bruising that covered all of Face's left shoulder and lower back show on his face, but it made Murdock gasp.
“Jesus, did the roof fall down on him or something?” Murdock asked, having no idea how close he was to being right.
“That looks bad, man.” BA said, winching himself. “He really needs to be in a hospital.”
Hannibal gently ran a hand over the shoulder blade, checking for any obvious damage.
“He could have internal injuries.” Murdock added.
“We'll keep a close eye on him and I promise if he gets worse we'll take him to the hospital.”
He popped the earpieces of the stethoscope in his ears, warmed up the disc-shaped resonator with his breath and then placed it against Face's back.
“Face, I need to listen to your lungs. Try and take a deep breath for me. Can you do that?”
Face heard his name, but didn't instantly click what was being asked of him. Once his muddled mind caught up, he tried to do as his Colonel said, but it hurt too much and made him struggle to catch his breath.
“You can do better than that, Lieutenant?” Hannibal ordered, moving the resonator around.
“Come on, you can do it.” Murdock encouraged “Just one big gulp”
Face was able to control his breathing enough to roll his eyes up at Murdock, but he did give it another go and was very nearly able to take in a lung full of oxygen, before expelling it in several hacking coughs. Murdock recognised the sound and reached into his jacket pocket for a tissue. He moved the oxygen mask aside and caught the mucus Face spat out.
“Eww, this stuff is nasty.” Murdock scrunched up the tissue and put it aside. He replaced the oxygen mask.
“It is, but he needs to cough it up.” Hannibal continued to listen to Face's lungs. “His lungs are
heavily congested, but the oxygen is helping. We'll just need to keep an eye on it”
He removed the ear pieces and rested the stethoscope around his neck. “Keep him sat up for a moment.”
Hannibal removed the rest of Face's shirt, being extra careful around his bad shoulder.
“Next, we need to set this shoulder.” With great care Hannibal examined the dislocated shoulder. Apart from the bruising and the bulge of the socket, he couldn't tell if there as any other damage. “We'll need to be extra careful because of the bruising on his back, but we know what to do.”
Murdock and BA both nodded.
In the medical box Hannibal found a syringe and a small bottle labelled morphine. He inserted the needle into the bottle and drew out some of the contents. He went around to the bed and inserted the needle into the IV.
“Is he still conscious?” Hannibal asked.
Murdock studied his friend's face carefully, trying to judge. While Face had his eyes closed he was moving his head and gave a weak cough now and again.
“It's hard to tell.”
“We'll soon find out.” Hannibal gestured for BA to come closer. “You know what to do BA.”
The big man nodded and gently took hold of Face's upper arm with one hand and placed the other over the dislocated joint.
“Just don't pull his arm off.” Murdock said with a cheeky grin.
“Shut up fool or I'll pull YOUR arm off!”
“Ready?” Hannibal asked ignoring them.
Both men nodded.
“Now!”
Murdock and BA pulled. Face screamed. He'd been very close to unconsciousness, but the sudden movement and pain forced him violently awake. Why was someone pulling his arm off? The joint slotted back in with a horrible squelching clunk. The second it did the pain in his shoulder joint eased up, but the pain his back flared leaving Face gasping and hacking up more mucus.
“That's right, better out than in” Murdock said, giving him a gentle pat on the back.
Hannibal took a sling out of the medical box and with BA's help they went about fitting it.
“Are we nearly done?” Murdock asked while using another tissue to clear the mucus from Face's mouth. “He really looks like he needs a nap.”
“Nearly.” Hannibal looped the support strap over Face's head and adjusted it.
While Murdock and BA helped Face settle back against the pillows, Hannibal went back to the medical box, pulling out a roll of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic. He was able to get the rest of the work done quick and efficiently. He treated the burn on Face's palm with the antiseptic and wrapped it up. He also found small burns up his wrist and arm so wrapped those too.
By the time he was done, pain, exhaustion and the morphine had put Face out so deeply he didn't even flinch when Murdock and BA striped him down to his boxers and tucked the blankets around him. Hannibal took off his latex gloves and took a good look at his Lieutenant. The parts of his body that weren't burned or bruised were streaked with soot and his sweat soaked hair clung to his forehead in clumps. He looked a mess, but he was alive.
“I'm going outside for some air” Hannibal said throwing the gloves in the bin and pulling a cigar out of his pocket. “See if you can get him cleaned up without waking him.”
“Oh, don't you fret, deary” Murdock whispered in a soft Irish accent. “Nurse Murdock will be as gentle as a lamb”.
BA just scowled at the fool.
*
Lighting up his cigar on the porch, Hannibal looked out over the neighbourhood. Across the way he could see three girls playing jump rope and a couple of boys kicking a ball around. Charlotte's kids deserved to be playing out in the sun too, not struggling to breath in a hospital. It made Hannibal angry to think that there was a human being out there that was capable of threatening two innocent lives. And while it galled him that someone would also try to kill one of his own men, he had to admit he was grateful they did take Face or else those kids would be dead. He just hoped they would all recover. There was nothing more he could do about that. He needed to think of a plan to put Sanders away for the rest of his miserable life.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the front door opening. He nodded at BA as he joined him.
“I hope you're thinking up a plan to make that dirt ball pay.”
“I've thought of little else.” He puffed on his cigar some more. “The evidence is in Sander's home, of that I'm sure. We just need to break in and get it” He finished the cigar and threw it on the ground. He went back into the house, BA close behind. They spotted Murdock coming out of the kitchen holding a bowl of filthy water.
“Do we have a plan, Hannibal?” He asked.
“We do,” Without going into any further details Hannibal slowly opened the guest room door and poked his head through. Face was still asleep, his fast, harsh breathing the only noise in the room. With the soot and grim washed away it made the bruises stand out more. He closed the door and went gathered his men in the family room.
“We need to hit this guy hard. We attack his home, a full frontal assault. BA, you and I will draw them out, while Murdock, you enter the house via an upstairs window and get the files.”
BA nodded his agreement, while Murdock looked to protest, “But we can't leave Face alone.”
“I'm going to call Charlotte and ask if she'll stay with him. I know she won't want to leave her boys, but I'm hoping she'll agree when she hears my plan.”
“You don't think they'll try and get to her while we're out?” Murdock asked.
“We'll just need to take that risk.” Hannibal took out his gun and checked it was loaded. “Now, let's go teach this guy a lesson.”
*
It was dark by the time the van approached the Sander's residence. In order to avoid detection they'd coasted in with no lights and parked just out of sight. Dressed all in black, Hannibal sneaked out of the passenger seat and crouched low to the ground as he made his way to the side of the gates. There he planted explosives right by the gate leg and then moved to the other side, planting the same thing there. A night watchman passed by, but his roaming flash light moved too slow to catch Hannibal as he ran back to the van.
“Murdock, are you in position?” Hannibal asked over the radio.
“Ready, willing and when you say the word, able” Murdock replied.
“Okay, when you hear the fireworks, get moving.”
“Roger!”
Hannibal put the radio down to load his gun. BA checked his own. Satisfied they were fully loaded, Hannibal picked up a detonator and pressed a button. The explosives went off, sending the metal gates flying.
“Go BA!” Hannibal ordered.
BA revved up the engine and drove through the now opened front entrance. Hannibal leaned out the window, firing at the front garden and the side of the house. The invasion had the desired affect, a number of security guards came out of the house and stared firing at the van. BA swerved to avoid the bullets. Hannibal continued to fire, his aim focused on the windows and front door.
The van did a full loop of the property before heading back through the ruined gates. Several of the security guards jumped into their cars and pursued.
While all this was going on, Murdock sneaked in through the bushes, ran across the grass and climbed up the drain pipe. A window was open, but the house was now full of activity as the shooting and explosions had woken everyone up. The landing lights were on, as well as Sanders' bedroom. Murdock moved down the corridor, cautiously, gun out and ready.
The first person he came across was a plain clothed goon, who Murdock was able to take by surprise with a well aimed punch across the jaw. With one down, Murdock moved more quickly. When he came to Sanders' bedroom, he stopped to listen through the door for any signs of movement. He could hear a muttered voice from with in and judged that there was only one person inside. Without bothering to check if the door was locked, Murdock kicked the door in and jumped into the room, aiming his gun at the first person he saw.
Sanders was alone, sat on the side of the bed, tying up his dressing gown.
“What are you...?” He was stopped when Murdock reached his side and held the gun to his head.
“I've come for your extortion files.” Murdock said coldly. “And if you don't give them to me, I may have to give into the impulse to shoot your brains all over the wall.”
“How dare you threaten me!” Sanders looked defiant, but he sounded scared.
“How dare I? How dare you try to burn small children alive along with one of my very good friends.”
“I was told no bodies were found, so I didn't burn anyone.”
“The mere act of trying is enough. Now where are your files?”
Sanders felt the cool point of the barrel dig into his forehead and looked into the steely eyes of his capture. They looked crazy. Sanders suddenly felt very afraid for his life.
“There's a safe under the bed. The files are in there.”
“I hope they are.” Murdock went over to the bedroom door and locked it. Keeping his gun trained on Sanders the whole time he took some rope out of his jacket pocket and used it to tie Sanders' hands behind his back. He threw the man on the floor, face down while he checked under the bed for the safe. It was there.
While Face would have been able to get into it with some level of stealth, Murdock had no such options. From his other pocket he pulled out a small amount of plastic explosive and detector. He attached the explosive to the hinges of the door, let the wire out a little so he could step back a few paces and then hit the button. The safe door exploded, making Murdock jump back and Sanders flinch. Inside the safe was a huge pile of documents. Murdock grabbed as many as he could carry and headed for the window.
“If I was the vindictive kind, I'd think about setting fire to this room and see how you like choking on thick, black smoke, but I'll just have to settle for this”
He kicked Sanders in the stomach. “That's for Bobby” He kicked him again. “That's for Matty.” And again, but this time in the head. “And that's for Face.”
Murdock heard the screeching of tyres heading back towards the house. That was his ride. He climbed back out of the window and with difficulty slid back down the drainpipe. He had to duck to avoid being hit in the back by the bullets being aimed in his direction as she sprinted towards the van. The side door was open and once it was in range Murdock jumped in the van, the momentum sending him crashing into his chair.
Hannibal kept on firing as they made their escape once again through the remains of the gates.
“I brought your mail, Colonel.” Murdock said, handing Hannibal the files.
“Perfect. We'll get Charlotte to hand them over to the police. With any luck Mr Sanders will be rotting in a jail cell within the week”
*
Charlotte went to the police first thing in the morning with the files. While it pained her to leave her boys again, her desire to put Sanders in jail was strong enough to tolerate the separation. The police were very interested in the papers and put a warrant out for Sanders' arrest right away.
Back in Charlotte's house, the team took shifts watching over Face while he recovered. Murdock volunteered to take the first watch and while he did, made himself a nurse's hat out of paper. He adopted a sweet, Irish accent and spoke softly to his patient, That was until Face had to hack up more mucus, then he transformed into the priest from the Exorcist.
“I cast you out, vile demon!” He cried, thumping the right side of Face's back. “The power of Murdock compels you!”
When it was BA's turn, he found himself a broken radio to tinker with. His was the quietest watch, with Face sleeping undisturbed throughout.
It was on Hannibal's shift that Face woke up properly for the first time, nearly 24 hours after escaping the fire. However, he didn't want to be awake. Every other time he'd been vaguely conscious he'd only been aware of the pain in his back, shoulder, and the horrible gloopy liquid he kept painfully coughing up. Now he was aware of all those things and they felt ten times worse, making it hard to fall back asleep.
More out of curiosity than an actual desire to stay awake, Face opened his eyes to see where he was. He had some vague memory of an Irish nurse and assumed he'd be in a hospital, but instead he was in what was clearly a guest room with Hannibal sat in a chair by the bed, rolling an unlit cigar between his fingers. He tried to say Hannibal's name, but his throat was too dry and all that came out was a short hacking cough. It didn't last long and no mucus came up, but it got Hannibal's attention.
“Good Afternoon, Lieutenant.” Hannibal said with a smile.
Face tried to speak again, but only a weak cough came out. He was too thirsty. Fortunately Hannibal seemingly read his mind and picked up a glass of water from the night stand. Removing the oxygen mask, he held the glass up to Face's lips, who managed most of the glass. Hannibal tried to reapply the oxygen mask, but Face shook his head.
Hannibal understood that Face wanted to talk and rested the mask below his chin. “All right, but only for a moment.” He went back to his chair and waited.
“The boys?” Face croaked.
“They'll be okay, thanks to you.” Hannibal said reassuringly. “Bobby's a little worse off, but Charlotte said they're already fighting.”
“Good” He smiled a little.
“They've also been asking after you. Matty was afraid you were dead.”
“I feel dead.” Face moaned. He looked over at the sling and then down at his burnt palm.
“You dislocated your shoulder when you crashed through the door. The smoke inhalation was bad, but will just need monitoring. You also have a burn on your palm and a lot of bruising on your back. Little Matty said the roof fell on you. We thought he might be exaggerating”
“He wasn't.”
“Oh, then I owe Murdock 10 bucks.”
Face just rolled his eyes.
“Either way, it's bed rest for you for at least a week and that's a strict order from your Colonel.”
While in theory Face loved the sound of that, he knew in a few days he'd be climbing the walls. He also needed to see for himself that the boys were okay.
“Sanders?” Face asked.
“In jail, awaiting trial for extortion, harassment, kidnapping and attempted murder.” Hannibal informed with a satisfied smile. Instinctually, he put the cigar between his teeth, but didn't light it.
“Hope he gets life.” Face croaked.
Hannibal nodded in agreement. He took the cigar out of his mouth and took a whiff, clearly eager to light it up. Face was actually a little surprised he wasn't smoking it regardless. There were times when he had completely disregarded peoples personal feelings on smoking and continued to puff away. But he knew Hannibal wasn't heartless enough to put Face's health at further risk. There was also the oxygen tank to consider.
“Anyway, I should really let your fine Irish nurse back in to take care of you.” Hannibal said, heading for the door.
Face quite liked the sound of that. He was disappointed, but hardly surprised when Murdock entered still wearing his paper nurse's hat.
“Ah, 'tis true, Sleepy Beauty awakes.” Murdock said in his best Irish accent. “But naughty naughty.” He came over to the bed and lifted the oxygen mask away from Face's chin. “This is not where I left it.” He popped it back over Face's nose and mouth.
“Now behave or it's the cod liver oil for you.”
Hannibal sniggered, lit up his cigar and left them to it.
*
It was a week before the boys were let out of the hospital. While Matty was technically released first, he didn't want to leave his big brother. The cut on Bobby's leg and required stitches and got infected, but he was on antibiotics which had almost cleared it up. Otherwise it was just the smoke inhalation that had to keep an eye on.
When the day come to take the boys home, Hannibal insisted on picking them up in the van. The military cars were gone and he felt it was the least they could do.
The van pulled up into the visitor car park and Hannibal was the first to jump out. Charlotte was holding Matty in her arms, while Bobby was fidgeting by her side, eager to get home.
“Your chariot awaits” Hannibal declared.
“Thank you so much.” Charlotte put Matty down and picked up their bags.
“And we have a surprise for the boys.” Hannibal slid the side door open to reveal Face sat in his usual spot. His arm was still in a sling and his palm still bandaged, but the boys' faces lit up at the sight of him.
“Facey” Matty cried running up to him. He jumped into the van and wrapped his little arms around his waist. Bobby followed, hugging Face around the neck. In their exuberance they knocked Face's arm enough to make him wince, but he didn't care.
“Now be careful with him, boys.” Charlotte cautioned.
“It's good to see you both.” Face said. Bobby sat back in Hannibal's swivelled chair, while Face lifted Matty onto his knee.
“I thought you'd been smooched.” Matty said,
“Only a little.” Face gave the boy his winning smile.
“Why weren't you in the hospital.” Bobby asked. “Mum said you were at our house.”
Face wasn't sure the best way to answer. While he had no issues lying to adults, it felt wrong to be dishonest to the kids.
“I don't really like hospitals.” Face said, which was technically true.
“Did you cough up the black gunk too?” Matty asked.
“I think you boys had something else you want to say?” Charlotte interrupted. She got into the van, taking a seat behind BA.
“Thank you for saving us from the fire?” Both boys said in unison as if they'd rehearsed it.
“You both did what I said, so we made it out together.”
“I'd like to also thank you for teaching them Gin.” Charlotte said, crossing her arms. “It's kept them entertained. Though you never finished teaching them, so they've been making it up.”
Matty cupped his hands around Face's ear. “Bobby cheats.”
“Well, that's...wrong.” Face coughed.
“Can you teach me how to cheat.” Matty whispered.
Face smiled at Charlotte, who hadn't heard what her boy had said.
Then he winked at Matty.