Reunited by the Badge

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Paul went on the offense, his anger painting every word. He snapped, “You don’t really think you’re going to get away with it, do you?”

  Vivian laughed, resting her phone back on the bar as she took another sip of her drink. “I’ve already gotten away with it and you’ll never be able to prove otherwise.”

  “You believe that?”

  “Haven’t you heard? My poor, depressed father-in-law shot that woman. Then he killed himself. It’s so sad.”

  “So, you killed him, too?”

  “You can’t prove that, either.”

  “I could go to the police.”

  Vivian laughed a second time, her tone bordering on histrionics. “You could, but I’ll never let that happen.”

  “Why? Why did you do it?”

  “Why wouldn’t I? I now own this company. I can afford to make you and the problems you’ve caused me just go away just like that.” She snapped her fingers to emphasize her statement.

  “So, you plan to kill me, too?”

  “Of course not, you, silly boy!” she said facetiously. “You showed up on my doorstep, raging about what John Mitchell had done. You became violent and I had to defend myself.”

  “No one’s going to buy that.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “I’ve never been violent toward a woman a day in my life,” Paul retorted.

  “Then maybe we were having an affair and I tried to break it off? You didn’t know how to take rejection well. You broke in when I wasn’t expecting you and I thought you were a burglar! Oops! Wouldn’t that be tragic?”

  It was only then that Paul saw the gun lying on the polished bar top. He suddenly hoped the camera had picked it up and the police team had seen it, too. He refocused his attention on Vivian, assessing how erratic she was becoming, her behavior fueled by too much drink.

  “You’re quite the storyteller.”

  “A girl has to be creative.”

  “I still don’t understand. All of this because I discovered you were selling a contaminated drug?”

  Vivian shook her head. “Because I was making the company money and you and your do-good histrionics threaten that almighty dollar. Yes, we sold those drugs. And yes, we knew they were no good, but we needed that financial boost. We’d taken a hit with products that had continually been rejected. Millions of dollars sitting in a warehouse rotting away!”

  She took another gulp of scotch before continuing. “And John Mitchell, bless his soul, was ready to retire. I had to prove myself worthy of assuming the helm because he wanted to hand the reins of the company to the current chief operating officer. I couldn’t let that happen. So, I did what I had to do.”

  “Those drugs killed innocent people. Children who trusted us to help them.” Paul’s voice rose slightly.

  “It’s a hazard of doing business,” she quipped.

  “And you had to shoot Simone?”

  “I had to stall that information from becoming public knowledge until I could get ahead of it. Shifting the dialogue becomes easy when you toss guns and gun violence into the conversation. Had my guys gotten the two of you the first time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “And you pulled the trigger on Simone yourself?”

  “Don’t be stupid. Why would I get my hands dirty when I can pay people to do that for me? All I did was speed past the hospital after you and I talked. It was a nice distraction, don’t you think?”

  “And killing Lender?”

  “He was a dead man walking. Stage four pancreatic cancer. But I couldn’t risk him finding out what I had done. That might have gotten me cut from the will.”

  Paul suddenly wanted to slap the smirk off her face. He clenched his fists tightly, containing the emotion. “So, what now?”

  Vivian moved behind the bar, pouring herself another drink. She gulped it down, then slapped the tumbler against the wood surface. Movement in the doorway caught Paul’s eye and he turned to see the two men from the night he and Simone had been shot at standing there with their guns raised. Vivian threw the duo her own look.

  “Make it look like an accident,” she said, as she moved toward the other door.

  “Wait!” Paul exclaimed, holding up his hand as he turned toward her.

  She turned back around, eyeing him smugly. “Yes?”

  “Doesn’t a dying man get one last meal? Because I could really use some French toast right about now!” Then everything went black as pain exploded in the back of his head.

  * * *

  Paul later discovered he’d missed most of the excitement. When he came to, Mingus was staring down at him as EMS checked his vital signs. A dozen or more police officers were milling around the apartment and Vivian was in handcuffs.

  “Nice job!” Mingus said, giving him a thumbs-up. “And you didn’t have to take your clothes off.”

  Paul groaned as he sat up, a hand clutching the back of his head.

  “Sir, you need to lie still,” the paramedic intoned.

  “I’m good. I’ll be all right,” he said. He turned back to Simone’s brother. “What happened?”

  “You said your safe word and the cavalry came running.” Mingus shrugged nonchalantly.

  “What about Moe and Larry?” he asked, referring to Vivian’s two-man goon squad.

  “Moe took a bullet, but he’ll live. Larry wasn’t feeling quite so froggy. He gave himself up without incident.”

  Paul nodded. “Did you get everything on tape?’

  “Audio and video. It should play out nicely in court. If it even gets that far.”

  Superintendent Black suddenly entered the room. He shook his son’s hand and then gave Paul a look. “We’re going to need a statement from you, son, as soon as you’re feeling up to it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That was some nice police work. You made the family proud. And the city of Chicago is indebted to you.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The patriarch turned back to Mingus. “What about that confession?”

  “Parker has the tape. It was all by the book so you shouldn’t have any problems with it. Captain Black made sure he got everything he needed.”

  Jerome nodded. “I need you to escort Dr. Reilly to the hospital, unless he wants to ride there with EMS?”

  Paul shook his head. “That’s not necessary. I really am good,” he said.

  “It’s necessary,” Jerome answered. “Simone’s awake and she’s asking for you.”

  * * *

  Although everyone kept telling her to relax, Simone was finding that difficult. The monitors kept beeping in response to her anxiety and a nurse hovered over her to scrutinize the spikes in her blood pressure.

  “Where’s Paul?” she questioned again, unhappy with the previous answers to her question. “Why isn’t he here?”

  Her mother sighed, frustration furrowing her brow. “Paul is on his way, Simone.”

  “He was shot, wasn’t he? Is he dead? You’re not telling me something.”

  “Baby girl, Paul is fine. He needed some rest and he ran home to take a shower. He’s on his way. I promise. Now, you need to relax. Your getting upset is not good for you or the baby!”

  Simone closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. She inhaled slowly through her nose and then exhaled out of her mouth. Comprehending that she’d been shot and was in the hospital recovering felt surreal. Knowing that she and her baby had survived was a blessing and all she wanted was for Paul to be there, holding her hand, so she could believe it wasn’t just a dream she couldn’t escape from. She took another deep breath.

  “That’s much better,” the nurse said, her head bobbing up and down. “Keep thinking good thoughts and I’ll be back in a few minutes to look in on you.” The woman made one last check of Simone’s IV
and then she exited the room.

  Judith moved back to her daughter’s side, pulling up a chair to the bedside. “You had us worried.”

  “Do they know who did this?”

  Her mother nodded. “Your father said they’re following up on a few leads and they have their eye on a suspect. But don’t you worry about that. You know your father.”

  Simone nodded. She shifted against the bed’s mattress, trying to make herself comfortable. She ached, but the pain was being dulled nicely by some seriously good meds. “Are you and Daddy good?” she suddenly asked. “With each other, I mean.”

  Judith smiled. “Why would you ask me something like that, Simone?”

  Simone didn’t miss the slight twitch in her mother’s face, the muscle above her eye constricting. “We’ve all been worried about you. You two have secrets and that scares us sometimes.”

  Her mother chuckled, her tone slightly strained. “Your father and I have issues like every other married couple. But we love each other, and we love our family. There is nothing between us that any of you need to be concerned about.”

  Simone gave her mother a slight nod. “Okay. Tell Vaughan. She and Ellington are scared.”

  “I will. But you need to rest. We want you home and you can’t come home if you don’t take care of yourself.”

  “I want Paul. He should be here.”

  “Paul’s coming, baby. He’ll be here very soon.”

  Simone closed her eyes and seemed to drift off for a split second. She suddenly opened them again, reaching for her mother’s hand.

  “I think this baby is a boy.”

  Her mother’s smile widened. “What makes you think that?”

  “I saw him. I was holding him in my arms, and he was smiling up at me. He said his name is Nino Jerome Reilly.”

  “Nino?”

  “For Nina Simone. Like his mommy!”

  “That’s a beautiful name.”

  “He’s a beautiful baby!” she muttered as she drifted back off to sleep. “He’s so beautiful! Just like his daddy.”

  * * *

  The next time Simone opened her eyes Paul was sitting in the chair by her side. She could feel a wide grin spread across her face. He smiled back as they locked gazes, taking each other in. Everything in their small world felt right again, joy rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

  “Hey there, sleepyhead!” Paul whispered loudly.

  “Hey yourself! I was starting to think that you were dead,” Simone replied. “They couldn’t find you!”

  “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been run over by a tractor trailer.”

  “That’s to be expected.”

  “Tell me the truth—how’s our baby? And I want the doctor answer, not the boyfriend-trying-to-be-protective answer.”

  Paul nodded. “Tough as nails. He’s hanging in here, too. He needs you to be strong for him, though. So, you need to rest and do what the doctors tell you to do.” Paul squeezed her hand, entwining their fingers together easily.

  “Someone shot me,” she said, an air of surprise in her voice.

  “I think they were trying to shoot me,” he answered.

  “It was that witch Vivian, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded again. “Your father and brothers slapped the handcuffs on her a few hours ago. It’s over. We got a full confession about her involvement with the drug scheme, your shooting and the murder of John Mitchell Lender.”

  “She killed John Mitchell Lender?”

  “Sadly, yes she did.”

  “I told you she was crazy. We are lucky to be alive.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “You need to listen to me more often.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “I mean it, Paul! I am a great judge of character and everything about that woman screamed there was something not right about her.”

  “I know.”

  “I saved you. Just imagine what might’ve happened if I hadn’t come back into your life.”

  Paul smiled. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Simone Black!”

  Simone reached for the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her to be kissed. “And don’t you ever forget it,” she said as she captured his lips with her own.

  Chapter 18

  Simone spent six weeks recovering from her injuries. All six of those weeks were passed in the hospital to alleviate concerns with her pregnancy. Paul never left her side, every waking moment spent encouraging her to do what the doctors ordered. Simone had proven herself to be a difficult patient at best, wanting only to return to her job to follow the prosecution of Vivian Lincoln and get back to work on their lawsuit.

  Lender Pharmaceuticals was still trending in social media. Halphedrone-B had been recalled and surviving patients had been provided with free medication from one of their competitors. Their stock had plummeted and virtually overnight Vivian’s gold mine had become completely worthless, overrun with lawsuits and legal entanglements that would eventually shutter its doors.

  Overseas, Paul’s patients were invigorated, suddenly thriving in ways many had thought unfathomable. Hope was renewed in communities that had lost sight of such months earlier. Vaughan had arranged a week-long media blitz for Paul to tell his story and shed light on the broader problem of health care challenges in the United States and abroad, and the medical community, politicians and social activists were all stepping up to help. Everyone knew the spotlight wouldn’t last long before something or someone else took over the front pages, but they were determined to make the most from the moment as they could manage.

  The city of Chicago had honored Paul for his help in bringing down Vivian, and the hospital lauded him as a hero for his efforts to expose Lender Pharmaceuticals for their criminal endeavors. He’d taken a short leave of absence from his patients to devote himself exclusively to Simone’s recovery. Their time together was golden as they negotiated their future life together and imagined what life would be like when their son was born.

  “Simone, I’m not giving up my mission work.”

  Simone threw up her hands in frustration. “I’m not asking you to give it up, Paul. But I am saying you need to cut back once Nino is born. He needs his father around. Who’s going to teach him how to be a man if you’re halfway around the world?”

  “First, I’ll be around to teach my son how to be a man. You can trust that! And secondly, have you met your father and your brothers? Nino will not lack male role models.”

  “Well, I’m only agreeing to traveling with you on two mission trips per year.”

  “Well, that’s something. But I’m willing to bet that once you do those two, you’ll want to do more, and it’ll be a great way to teach our son how to look out for others who might not be as blessed as he is.”

  “You’ll have to tell my parents. But I warn you, my father isn’t going to be happy about any of it.”

  Paul laughed. “Your father loves me. He and I are great friends. He will be just fine! Now, are you ready for them to bring the wheelchair so we can get you out of here?”

  “I’ve been ready. I don’t know what’s been taking you so long.”

  Paul shook his head. “Good, because we’re late for Sunday dinner. I’m sure your mother is ready to send out a search team for us.”

  “For me maybe. I am carrying the heir to the Black family throne. You just knocked up their daughter!”

  Paul laughed. “You are in for such a surprise after that baby gets here and you no longer get any attention!”

  Simone rolled her eyes skyward and then she laughed with him, joy resonating warmly through the room.

  * * *

  An hour later Paul held her hand as they entered the Black family home. They called out in greeting as they maneuvered their
way toward the family room and the back of the house. Loud cheers greeted them as they stepped into the space. Vaughan, Joanna and Armstrong’s wife, Danni, had decorated the room with balloons and streamers and an oversize welcome-home sign hung from the ceiling.

  Simone’s parents stood together arm in arm, tears streaming from her mother’s eyes. The matriarch stepped forward to give them both a hug.

  “I can’t tell you how happy this day makes me!” Judith said. She swiped at her eyes with her fingers.

  “We missed you, kid,” Vaughan echoed.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Davis said teasingly. “We missed you like a fungus!”

  The room laughed as everyone stepped up to embrace Simone and welcome her back into the fold.

  Oliver stepped forward to give her a big bear hug.

  “I’m so glad you made it,” Simone exclaimed. “I was afraid you were stuck in Atlanta!”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world,” he said as he and Paul bumped fists.

  Oliver gestured to a man standing behind him. “Let me introduce you to my new friend,” he said as he gave her a wink of his eye. “He’s a police officer!”

  Simone grinned.

  “Simone, this is Liam. Liam, this is my brother’s fiancée, Simone.”

  The man named Liam stepped forward to shake her hand.”

  She shook her head. “We’re huggers around here,” she said as she wrapped her arms around the man’s shoulders. “It’s very nice to meet you!”

  She gave Oliver a look and a thumbs-up over the man’s shoulder.

  The brother laughed heartily.

  Simone laughed with them as Paul guided her to a seat and insisted that she sit down. “You’d think I haven’t seen you people in months, the way you all are acting,” she teased.

  “Baby girl, we’re just glad we don’t have to go back up to that hospital to see your pretty face,” her father interjected.