"Martin Bailey, on my authority as the Chief of Medical Operations, you are on medical leave until otherwise notified. Now, if you try to override my decision, Mike will call Ian. You don't want to go there, do you?"
"Pete, you’re making my headache worse. I'll cooperate. Mike, I want to be apprised of any developments. Now, can we dim the lights?"
Zach, Mike, Noah, and Tate went over the situation while waiting for the bomb squad from the state police to clear the garage. Zach tapped his foot. "Jule and I tamped that bomb down. Something set the damn thing off!"
"Run the tapes. I heard a pop and saw a flash from the ground before the device blew," Noah said.
"I did too." Zach shook his head.
"What are you thinking?" Tate asked.
"There was a secondary. Something external had to strike the trigger. Send someone up to the rooftops in the area," Zach said. "The device had to be planted after Elizabeth came into work Saturday."
"Tech took possession of the security tape. Maybe we’ll catch a break," Tate said.
The plastic mattress crinkled as Martin positioned himself and leaned on Tucker getting into bed. "I feel old."
Tucker put on a fresh pair of gloves. "You are old. Lie back, and I'll rid you of one leash."
Martin crossed his arms under his head. “You guys are getting your jollies from this."
"We don't roll that way. We needed to assess your bladder and kidneys."
Martin stared up at the ceiling. "Sorry, I'm pissed. No pun intended. I need to figure this out before someone else dies. When you’re done, would you check on Elizabeth?"
"Agreed. Now roll over; I need to clean that road rash. Seth said your back got chewed up, plus I need to stitch that calf." Tucker set up a tray. "You did a fine job. The abrasions are going to annoy you for a couple of days. You two have a history?"
Martin shifted to avoid the discomfort from the disinfectant. "Yeah. I want a future. I love her—never stopped, to be honest. I can't lose her, Tuck."
"Give her time. Even if we don't identify the poison, we’ll keep supporting her. You caught your calf just right, only soft tissue damage." He set up the drape and tray. "Stick and burn. You’re going to be on crutches for a while."
Martin sucked in a breath. "Elizabeth sent letters to the Department of Corrections stating her suspicions of prisoner abuse by the guards. Copies of the charts are in my briefcase. Shit, my briefcase?"
Tuck rolled his shoulder into him to keep him still. "Stitches, hold up. Your briefcase is in the corner."
Martin settled. "What told her the guards caused the injuries as opposed to a prisoner on prisoner? Why was she the only one?"
"I'll be happy to try to find an answer. Now, I need you to listen to me. You need to sleep. I'm going to give you some antibiotics, ibuprofen, and something to help you relax. Stay stable, and I'll move a lounger into Elizabeth's room later in the morning. You can rest there. Deal?"
"One condition: you figure that out for me." Martin's eyes closed.
Tucker smiled. The sedative worked without delay. "Sweet dreams." He hung a dose of ibuprofen and an antibiotic. Tucker pulled up a seat by the hospital computer and charted Martin's condition, then pulled up Elizabeth's. "Damn." Her liver functions had deteriorated further. "C'mon, darlin'. Keep fighting."
Liver failing. Any word?He texted Jamie and Eric.
Just drew a fresh set. GI symptoms stabilizing. Heart attempting to override the pacer. How's the patient?Eric returned the answer.
Midazolam to the rescue. Text me when the blood is back.
Tucker withdrew the bunch of copied charts from Martin’s briefcase. Settled into a chair, one eye remained on Martin; the other eye reviewed the charts.
Mike and Zach sat in the temporary command center with Chief Doug Sharpe and a group of supervisors from multiple law enforcement agencies. The lead ATF agent, Sharlene Whitmore, turned to Zach. "Preliminary swabs confirm C-4. K-9 found no sign of other devices. One of two things occurred: you managed to defuse one of the decoys, and the bomb exploded as planned, or something external triggered the secondary. My people need to look at your photographs."
Mike was sure Julian and Zach defused the device. He tapped Zach under the table, and four fingers wrapped over his thumb, telling him to freeze. This was not worth the fight.
"So, we can pull back on the security?" Chief Sharpe asked in exasperation. "The Silverton Town Engineer closed the top three floors of the garage for safety. My officers have secured access to the facility. This is the only level one trauma center for thirty-three counties in three states. We are a small town with a big resource. The hospital is at ninety-eight percent capacity. You are aware they cannot shut the place down."
Major Antonio Moretti from Iowa State police ignored the chief. "Mr. Wentworth, from your photo and description, the device was well designed. Your man was damn lucky. This picture shows that the primary trigger was blocked. The switch that went toward the passenger side was null. Agent Whitmore, another source set the bomb off."
