Part 15

Dr. Leonard finally stopped his pleading and abruptly switched back to his professional mode. "We need to get that shoulder stitched pretty soon. I'll need to clean it out first. It looks like there might be an infection starting there. If you don't think you can tolerate it now, I could give you a little while to rest. I know you've got to be tired. Georgie says you can't have any food, but I have a liquid nutritional supplement in my bag. I thought you might need it because of your jaw. He doesn't have to know about it. You really should have something to keep up your strength."

The doctor opened the can and put the straw to Tom's lips. Tom turned away, refusing the offer. Dr. Leonard persisted. "Please, try some. You won't get any strength back without some nourishment. It really doesn't taste all that bad. If George comes, I'll just tell him it's mine and I'm taunting you with it. He'll like that idea."

Tom turned his head to warily look at the doctor. Some of the nausea still remained, though not nearly as strong as before. He briefly debated the situation. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was right. He needed some form of nourishment to get his strength back. The problem was that he wasn't certain it would stay down if he tried it. Finally deciding he should risk it, Tom moved his head to the straw and took a small sip. After a few seconds of successfully keeping the liquid down, he dared to take more. The doctor stopped him at half the can. "We'd better not over do it for now. I've got more in the bag for later. Do you think you can handle a little water?"

Tom nodded yes before he realized what he was doing. Dr. Leonard went to the sink and dumped the rest of the can. Filling it with water, he returned to offer it to the captive. Tom let his thirst override his urge to rebel and drank, telling himself he needed it to recover for another escape attempt. When he finished, the doctor quickly returned the empty container to his bag. Seeing Tom was having difficulty keeping his eyes open, Dr. Leonard spoke again. "Why don't you get a little sleep? I'll just put a couple of butterflies on the shoulder until you're more rested. We will have to clean it out and stitch it soon, though." Tom gratefully nodded, cursing himself when he realized what he had done.

Tom was asleep before the last butterfly was in place. He dreamed of hearing his father's voice calling to him, repeating the same thing over and over. "Everything's going to be okay now, Tommy. I promise you, it will. I won't let him hurt you any more. You just rest now, Tommy." He could even feel his father gently stroking his hair as he spoke. After his father's voice faded, Tom remained in a dreamless sleep.

Tom woke suddenly to the sound of the doctor's loud voice. "No, Georgie! I have to stay here and take care of him. He needs me."

"You're going to shut up and do as you're told if you want him to keep breathing. Do I make myself clear, here?" Tom's pulse began to race when realized George was standing next to the cot. At the same instant Tom opened his eyes, the still-angry captor pulled him off the cot. George threw him to the chair that had been moved back to the center of the room. Tom cried out in pain as he toppled over the chair and landed hard on the floor. The big man was quick to yank him off the floor and roughly shove him onto the chair. "Take the damn pictures, Doc. Or do I have to punish the prisoner?"

The obviously distressed doctor pleaded with the captive to understand. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I have to do it, or he's going to hurt you again. I promise I'll do it as fast as I can. I won't be gone long. It will be okay, I promise."

Bright flashes of light blinded Tom when the doctor snapped the pictures. Dr. Leonard spoke to his patient once again before leaving the room. "Everything's going to be okay now, Tommy. I promise you, it will. I'll be back before you know it."

George snarled at the doctor. "Just hurry up and get the damned pictures developed. I want to get them delivered before morning." The distressed partner quickly left to accomplish his task. George turned to the captive, still sitting in the chair. "I think we should have a little fun until he gets back, don't you?"

As the crazed man advanced toward him, Tom's terror rose to a level he'd never before experienced. After delivering several backhands to Tom's already injured face, George pulled him to his feet and threw him across the room. Tom cried out again as his injured shoulder crashed into the wall. He'd no sooner slid to the floor than the big man was there, yanking him to his feet. He cried out as his ribs and shoulder protested the movement. After several blows to his midsection, he was tossed back into the chair. Once more, he toppled over the chair and landed hard on the concrete. Tom was surprised when the attack stopped as suddenly as it began.

George remained on the other side of the room, furiously pacing. "I should just kill you now and get it over with. But I can't. Not yet. Your father hasn't suffered enough. There's still too much to do. You're very lucky, son. It's just not your time yet."

Tom remained on the floor, motionless on the outside, but shaking violently on the inside. He ignored the physical pain, concentrating instead on his fear. He remained tense as he waited for George to cross the room and begin the attack again. He felt a small sense of relief when the door finally opened, announcing the doctor's return. He finally relaxed his tense muscles when Dr. Leonard arrived at his side. "You've got your pictures. Now I'm going to tend to my patient."

Tom's head swam with confusion at his feelings. Part of him was repulsed by the touch of the former healer, while another part of him was glad to see the doctor return. Dr. Leonard's presence left him feeling safe from George's beatings. He focused on the physical pain to avoid the battle going on in his head. He moaned as the examination for new injuries began.

George spoke from across the room. "I'll be back later. I want to get these delivered before we proceed. Cuff him to that cot and keep him there this time. I really don't care what else you do while I'm gone, as long as the prisoner doesn't escape. Do we understand each other?"

Dr. Leonard stopped the examination long enough to look at George and nod. As George closed the door behind him, the doctor spoke to his patient. "Come on, let's get you back to the cot. That way, I can get a better look at the damage. It doesn't look too bad from here. Just a few more bruises from the looks of it. Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I think so," Tom responded through gritted teeth. He refused to let himself think about his warring emotions as the doctor helped him to the cot. After getting settled on it once more, all he could think was that he just wanted to sleep. He felt a great sense of relief when Dr. Leonard was finished with the exam and pronounced his prior diagnosis correct.

"I'll have to reapply some butterflies here, but I think the stitching can wait a few hours while you get some rest." The doctor opened his bag and reapplied the butterfly bandages to the shoulder. After he finished, he went and filled the empty container from before with water. Moving the chair to the cot once more, he sat down and offered the water to his patient.

Again, Tom considered refusing, but his need won out once more. After draining the can, he turned away and closed his eyes. Forcing himself to ignore the hand gently stroking his hair, he finally fell into a troubled sleep.

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Harry had finally fallen asleep sometime after two in the morning. He woke instantly at the sound of the phone ringing and looked at the clock as he reached for the receiver. He'd only been asleep for two hours. His heart pounding, he prayed for someone with news of Tom to be on the other end. Steadying his voice he answered "Lipschitz here."

A familiar voice rang in his ears, though it sounded weak and unsteady. "Harry. It's me."

"Tom! Oh my God, are you okay? Where are you? I'll be there as soon as I can. Just tell me where you are!" His heart was racing, and the thought he might be dreaming this crossed his mind. Receiving no immediate response, he demanded "Tom, are you there? Come on Ryan, talk to me, dammit!"

A weak reply finally came. "I don't know where, Harry. They've got me...aghh...I'm okay. I'm just fine. I have to go now, Harry."

An unfamiliar voice replaced the missing detective on the line. "Your son's time is almost up, Lipschitz. You'll be hearing from us again soon. And don't bother trying to trace the call. You won't be able to."

With a final click the line went dead. Harry sat motionless for a long while, holding the phone to his ear. He still wasn't totally certain it hadn't all been a dream.

End Part 15

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