ATF Universe
"He's not here," Josiah said with finality two hours after he, Nathan and Ezra had searched every square inch of the monstrous hotel, outdoor recreation areas and the surrounding beach."What about the restaurants and stores around here?" Nathan suggested. "Anybody check those?"
"I inquired at several establishments near our accommodations," Ezra said. "The few that were open, that is. One of the desk clerks informed me that on Sundays many of the shops and restaurants do not open until late afternoon."
"I talked to the police," Josiah added. "They offered to put out an alert for anyone matching Vin's description, but since he's an adult, and no foul play has been suspected, they said there wasn't much they could do. They even suggested that maybe Vin was sleeping off a drunk somewhere." He shook his head wearily. "Said they get calls like this all the time down here, guess you can't blame 'em."
"Meanwhile, we've got a real big problem," Nathan interrupted.
"Yes, we do Nathan, very astute of you to notice," Ezra drawled. "Vin is missing, and JD is hospitalized."
"Yeah, well, you're missing another real obvious one," Nathan shot back. After waiting a beat for his words to sink in, he continued. "Chris's plane arrives in two hours. Who's gonna tell him about Vin missing?"
"Safety in numbers, brother," Josiah said. "We'll all go." He looked at his watch. "Okay, time to do what we've should've done all along. Now that we know Vin's not just hanging out somewhere around here, we go for the big guns. Let's head up to my room and call our hosts."
"You mean the federal agents down here?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah, time to witness some real US-Mexican law enforcement cooperation. That's why we're supposed to be down here in the first place, right? They'll help us find Vin," Josiah replied.
"And maybe we won't have to explain anything to Chris," Nathan added.
"Highly unlikely Nate, but it's a good thought," Josiah said with a wry grin.
+ + + + + + +
"Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-one......aw hell...one, two, three....." Vin rasped out. He was counting his steps to try and keep himself awake and upright as he weaved his way toward the bright, white building shimmering in the distance, but he kept losing track of what number he was on. He shivered constantly, even as the sun beat down, baking him mercilessly. He plodded onward.
Suddenly, a dull throbbing, sounded from the distance behind him. He turned as the noise intensified, watching through disbelieving eyes as a group of motorcycles headed toward him.
"Help! Please, help me!" he shouted, forcing his parched tongue and lips to form the words.
The bikes sped up, grinding across the white sand toward him and Vin fell to his knees with relief. He was rescued. Things were going to be all right.
The bikes closed the distance quickly, and as they came closer, Vin noticed there were five of them. When they were almost upon him, they broke formation, and formed a semi-circle around him, then slid to a stop as one.
"Senor, you are on Gato Deloro land," one of the bikers said by way of a greeting. "We do not allow trespassers."
"Please, I just need to get...back to my hotel," Vin said, rising shakily to his knees. "I'm not...."
"Stupid gringo, didn't you hear what I said?" the man fired back, as he dismounted from his bike and stood close to Vin. "You are trespassing on our land."
"I was robbed...and dumped here. I'm not trespassing," Vin protested. A wave of dizziness flowed through him, causing him to lose his balance and stumble into the man.
"Get off of me gringo!" the man, who appeared to be the leader of the gang, bellowed fiercely, pushing Vin away from him hard. Vin landed in the dust, sprawled out on his back.
The man advanced on Vin. "Here is what we do to gringos who trespass on our land," he said, a split second before he smashed his heavy boot down onto Vin's hand. Vin bit back a cry of pain as he rolled into a ball, protecting the injured hand. The biker kicked out again, connecting solidly with Vin's ribs. This time, Vin was unable to stifle his scream of agony. The biker laughed and got back on his motorcycle.
"I am feeling generous Senor. I will give you a little time to leave us." He looked around at his friends, then at the sunny sky. "I find you here by nightfall, I will not be so forgiving as I am now." Then he sped away, followed by the others.
Through a haze of pain, Vin watched as they drove away, toward the white building in the distance. "Chris......Chris....." he whispered, just as he lost consciousness in the sweltering, unforgiving heat of the badlands.
+ + + + + + +
"That's great news, Buck, we'll be there as soon as we can," Josiah said into the phone. "We're meeting two Mexican agents in the lobby in about twenty minutes, then we'll head straight over," he said, then hung up the phone.
"Well?" Nathan prompted eagerly.
"JD's starting to come around. Said he's mumbling some things in his sleep right now, and thinks maybe JD'll be able to tell us where Vin is." The big man stared up at his two friends. "I say we meet the agents, then all of us go to the hospital."
"It can't hurt to have Ortega and Gutierrez with us when we look for Vin, if JD is able to tell us," Nathan agreed. "They know this area a lot better than we do."
"Agreed," Ezra added. "Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to procure Vin before Chris arrives." He headed for the door, sweeping it open with a grand gesture. "Shall we head downstairs gentlemen?"
+ + + + + + +
Forty minutes later, Nathan, Ezra, Josiah and Special Agents Ortega and Gutierrez arrived at the hospital. They quickly went to JD's room, where Buck anxiously awaited them.
"Buck, these are Agents Pedro Ortega and Paulo Gutierrez, with the Mexican Government. They're part of the group that's to attend the seminars with us," Josiah said.
"Pleased to me you," Buck said, shaking their hands. "Maybe you can help us. JD here keeps saying something about a flea market and Vin. He's getting real upset about it, too."
As if on cue, JD began to thrash wildly on the bed.
"Nnoooo, wait........Vin.......Buck.......don't telll............" he repeated over and over. Sweat poured off his brow, running down his pale cheeks.
"Sshh, it's okay JD," Buck soothed, moping at the pallid face with a cool cloth. "You're safe, everything's fine."
JD stopped his violent movements, settling down almost immediately at Buck's voice.
"JD? Son?" Buck said worriedly, staring down at JD's slack features. Nathan stepped up beside him and carefully took JD's pulse.
"He's all right Buck, he's just asleep again," Nathan reassured.
"Thanks Nathan," Buck said, wiping the cloth against JD's face one last time, then he turned back to the Mexican agents. "You heard about our missing friend?" he asked. The two men nodded. "Well, I think he and JD went to this flea market we saw last night. JD mentioned it earlier, before you all got here. Kept repeating it over and over, like he did just now about that other stuff."
"Which flea market?" Agent Ortega asked.
"It's near our hotel. Called something like "castle," or "casa," isn't it fellas?" Buck said. "It was three words, "Casa Azure Mercado?" he sounded out.
"Casita Azul Mercado?" Agent Gutierrez suggested.
"Yeah, that's it," Nathan said.
"You know it Paulo?" Agent Ortega asked his partner.
"Yes, there's been some strange goings on there in the past few months, actually. My brother is with the police force and he's told me some stories. Stories about missing tourists and taxi-cabs and visits to the Casita Azul Mercado," he intoned.
"Well, why hasn't something been done about it?" Buck demanded.
"No proof yet, Buck," the agent replied. "My brother said it's been under investigation, but nothing has been proven yet."
"Think a missing ATF agent will give them proof enough?" Buck said sarcastically.
"Buck, settle down," Josiah said. "We're all on the same side, remember?"
Buck rifled a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Sorry guys. I'm just worried about Vin. I know it isn't your fault about any of this."
"Apology accepted Buck," Agent Gutierrez said. "Now let's go find your friend."
Josiah stepped in. "Buck, why don't you stay with JD? We'll stay in touch."
Buck looked at his best friend, lying helplessly in the bed. "Damn Josiah, I don't know what to do. I'm worried sick about Junior, but I hate the idea of JD waking up alone," he mumbled morosely.
"Stay here Buck, we'll handle things," Nathan said. He looked down at his watch. "Chris's plane'll be landing soon. Why don't we split up? Two or three of us hit the flea market, and the rest go and meet Chris?"
"A fine plan, Brother," Josiah said.
"I'd like to call my brother, too," Agent Gutierrez said. "Maybe he can help, especially since they've been investigating the flea market."
"Maybe so, Paulo," Josiah said. "We talked to the police earlier, and they said they really couldn't help us. But now, knowing the last place anyone saw Vin was at the flea market, maybe they can."
"I'll make sure of it," the agent replied.
"Gentlemen, I suggest we make haste. Chris's plane will be landing shortly," Ezra said.
+ + + + + + +
At 2:02pm, Chris Larabee stepped off the plane, following the cluster of people ahead of him to the Customs area. 'Just a few more minutes, and I'll be meeting Vin,' he said to himself, unable to stop the smile that sprang to his lips at the thought of the younger man. He wanted to run, push his way to the front of the line, waving his badge and demanding to go through the checkpoint first, but he forced himself to walk calmly, and stay in line, following the rules of polite behavior. The wait was maddening. Finally, fifteen minutes later, he made his way through and headed toward baggage claim. He glanced around the airport area, desperate for a glimpse of his lover. Walking briskly on his long legs, he made it to baggage claim quickly.
A slight commotion near the exit doors caught his attention, and he was surprised to see Josiah, Ezra and another man heading toward him.
"Josiah, Ezra," Chris greeted, carefully keeping his voice neutral. "What brings you to the airport?"
"You, Chris," Ezra said bluntly.
The warning signals going off in Chris's head reached a fever pitch. "Where's Vin?" he practically choked out, trying to stay calm, but losing the battle.
"He's...." Josiah faltered uncharacteristically, as he looked into Chris's blazing green eyes. Squaring his shoulders, the big man quickly regained his composure. "He's missing Chris."
Chris's knees buckled slightly at Josiah's words, and he wavered for just an instant, before the steely reserve was locked into place. "How? Where was he last seen?" Chris barked out.
"Let's get your luggage, and we'll fill you in on the way to the flea market," Josiah said.Chris nodded, wanting instead to grab Josiah and Ezra but the shirt collars and force them to spill out every last detail of Vin's disappearance, but it wouldn't do to make a scene in an airport on foreign soil. He's wait until they were in the car to get to the bottom of things.
Suddenly, he realized someone was speaking to him, and he turned sharply at the voice.
"....and this is Special Agent Pedro Ortega," Ezra finished.
"Good to meet you," Chris said automatically, shaking the agent's hand.
"Likewise, Chris," the agent replied. "I only wish it were under better circumstances."
"It will be," Chris assured. "We'll find Vin in no time. I'll accept nothing less," he said, then went to the baggage carrousel to find his luggage.
SEVEN
"Let's go," Chris said tersely, as he grabbed his bag and headed for the doors. Agent Ortega was waiting at the curb with his car and the group piled in. Before Josiah or Ezra could speak, Chris cut in."Where's Buck?" he demanded in a low voice.
"He's at the hospital with JD. There was an accident," Josiah began to explain.
"JD's hurt?" Chris asked.
"He's got a concussion, but he'll be all right," Josiah said hurriedly. "We told Buck to stay with him." And then he started to explain everything that had happened since dinner the night before.
Chris's mind whirled as he took in everything Josiah had to say. His initial anger at Buck, for not watching over Vin as promised, faded as he realized that Buck had done his best. When JD and Vin made up their minds about something and started scheming, the other five were really no match for them. The only thing they could do in those circumstances was to be around to pick up the pieces, when JD and Vin got into trouble. And they always did. His heart pounded and he prayed that this time, like so many others before, he would get to Vin in time.
Chris snapped to attention as Agent Ortega's cell phone rang.
"Ortega," the agent announced, as the three Americans held their breath, hoping the phone call was about their missing friend.
"Si, gracias," Ortega replied after listening intently, then hung up the phone. He turned to Chris, seated next to him.
"That was my partner, Agent Gutierrez. He and Nathan and my brother, who is a police officer, just finished questioning several people at the market where your friend was last seen. They found out some interesting information. They believe they know where Vin Tanner was taken last night."
"Where?" Chris said tightly.
"A very bad area, Senor, I am sorry to say," the agent replied. "Playa Del Carmelita. It is known as the Badlands. A hangout for motorcycle gangs, out in the middle of nowhere. We must get to him quickly."
"How far away are we?" Chris asked.
"Close to an hour."
Then step on it, Pedro," Chris hissed.
The agent gave Chris a brief, sympathetic smile of understanding. "My partner and your friend, Nathan, are already on their way. They will call us when they get there," Ortega reassured. He reached under his seat and pulled out his emergency light, placing it on the dashboard and activating it. "I know how it feels to worry about one of your men. We'll be there as quickly as I can get us there," he said, nodding at Chris, then gunning the engine.
"Appreciate it," Chris said, trying to calm down. His worry for Vin overrode everything else, but he knew it wasn't right to take out his anger and frustrations on the Mexican agent. His hands balled into fists as he swore silently that whoever did this to Vin would be the one to pay.
+ + + + + + +
Thirty minutes later, Ortega's cell phone rang, the shrill tones shattering the silence. The agent grabbed the phone, then after listening for a few seconds, handed it over to Chris.
"Chris, they have found your friend Vin. Nathan is on the line," he said, offering Chris the phone.
"Nathan," Chris said tightly. "How is he?"
"Chris, we've called an ambulance," Nathan said in measured tones, trying to control his own anger as he looked down at the injured form of his friend and colleague. "He's really out of it, Chris, keeps going in and out of consciousness. The bastards that did this to him...."
"Nathan! What the hell's wrong with him?" Chris barked, the black man's tone and words scaring the hell out of him.
"Not really sure Chris, won't know for sure 'til the doctors look at him, but right now I can tell you his hand's messed up, his ribs are pretty banged up, and his head was bleeding before," Nathan answered. Taking a deep breath, he continued on. "Chris, he's only wearing his jean shorts. Whoever did this....they robbed him and took his clothes and shoes, too."
Chris clenched his jaw hard as he felt his anger grow. Images of Vin, injured, alone and vulnerable, out in the middle of the badlands flowed past his eyes. Through gritted teeth, he managed to continue talking to Nathan. "Is Vin awake right now Nate?" he asked.
"No, he's out again."
"When he wakes up," Chris choked out, forcing the rage and fear from creeping into his voice, "tell him I'm coming for him. I'll be there soon."
"Okay Chris," Nathan said.
"Promise me, Nathan," Chris insisted.
"I will Chris, I promise," Nathan said. "How long 'til you get here?" he asked.
"How far are we?" Chris asked Ortega.
"About ten minutes," the man replied.
"Ten minutes," Chris relayed. "Tell Vin to hang on."
"He will Chris, he'll wait for you," Nathan said. "He keeps calling for you every time he wakes up."
"We'll be there soon, Nate," Chris said, then hung up, his hand still wrapped tightly around the phone. He felt sick to his stomach, unable to get the picture of Vin, injured, beaten, stripped of most of this clothes, left all alone in the middle of nowhere, calling for him. 'And where the hell was I?' he berated himself. 'Why didn't I let him wait and come down with me like he wanted? I should never have let him go without me,' he told himself miserably. 'This is all my fault.'
+ + + + + + +
Nathan hung up the cell phone and kneeled back down next to his injured friend. He readjusted the blanket they'd covered him with, and patted his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Chris is on his way Vin. He'll be here soon," he whispered to the unconscious man.
"Ch....Chris....?" the feeble voice sounded in the dry, desert air as Vin began to stir.
"Sssh, Vin, it's Nathan, not Chris. Just try and rest, an ambulance is on the way, and Chris'll be here soon, too," Nathan said, speaking softly, trying to keep his friend calm.
"N-Nathan? Chris.....where's Chris?" Vin asked hollowly, trying weakly to sit up, not seeming to understand what Nathan had just told him.
"He'll be here soon, Vin, just lay back," Nathan said soothingly, gently pressing Vin back down to the sandy ground.
"Did something happen to him?" Vin asked dazedly. "Why isn't he here?" he pressed.
About to answer Vin's question again, he looked instead into Vin's eyes, noticing the dilated pupils, a sure sign of a severe concussion. He swore under his breath, praying for the ambulance to arrive quickly. Vin was obviously dehydrated and suffering from a serious concussion. Vin needed to be out of the sun, soon. He toyed again with the idea of moving Vin to Agent Gutierrez's car, but decided against it again, afraid he'd injure Vin further by moving him. He looked to the car, seeing Paulo end his latest call.
"The ambulance will be here very soon," Paulo said to Nathan as he exited the car, walking over to them.
"Thanks Paulo," Nathan said, then, hearing a low moan from Vin, he looked down again, seeing that the younger man was stirring again.
"Easy Vin, you're gonna be fine."
"Nathan," Vin whispered softly.
"Yeah, it's me, Nathan," Nathan replied, somewhat relieved that Vin seemed to be a little more with it now.
Hurts Nate," Vin said quietly, licking his dry lips. "Everything hurts," he murmured, closing his eyes against the bright sunlight.
"I know it does Vin, but it'll be better soon," Nathan soothed.
Just then, they heard the wail of a siren.
"Vin, the ambulance is coming," Nathan said. "We'll get you fixed up real soon."
"No.....no, Nathan....please.....Chris.....where's Chris?" Vin said, his unfocused blue eyes drifting open and closed as he fought to stay awake.
"He'll be here soon Vin," Nathan reassured.
+ + + + + + +
"Here is the turnoff," Pedro said. "You will see the badlands up ahead."
Each man's breath froze in their chests as the rounded the bend and caught sight of the vast wasteland that comprised the badlands. As far as the eye could see, white sand stretched toward the horizon, broken up only by small clumps of dry vegetation and dilapidated, crumbling ruins.
"There's a car and something that looks like an ambulance," Josiah said, leaning forward into the front seat, pointing at a spot in the distance.
"Me too," Chris said tightly. "That's gotta be them."
"It is," Pedro agreed as he sped toward the two vehicles. "No one else would have a reason to be out here, except for the motorcycle gangs."
+ + + + + + +
They arrived just as Vin was being loaded onto a gurney by the paramedics. Chris bolted out the passenger door before the car had even stopped and ran to the back of the ambulance.
"Jesus, Vin," he gasped out, his breath ragged as he took in the frightening condition of his lover.
Confused blue eyes opened at the sound of his voice. "Chris......where...." Vin whispered.
"Sshh, don't worry, I'm here now," Chris said, reaching out a gentle hand to stroke away a lock of hair that had fallen into Vin's eyes. Vin flinched at the tender gesture, causing Chris's heart to drop.
"I'm not gonna hurt you Vin, you don't have to be afraid of me," Chris said sadly.
"Sorry.....forgot......thought the motorcycle gang was still here....." Vin mumbled, dropping off to sleep again.
Chris looked up the emergency workers with tortured eyes. "Is there room for me in there?" he asked pleadingly.
One of the paramedics understood English, and smiled slightly. "Yes, Senor, we have room for one. But it is a long ride to the hospital. The closest one is near the city, and it will be a cramped ride."
"I don't care," Chris said, swinging into the rig after Vin was loaded in. He stared back at Josiah, Nathan and Ezra, as if seeing them for the first time. "Find out what the hell happened here, then meet us at the hospital," he ordered, then the doors slammed shut behind him, and the ambulance took off, siren roaring across the empty wasteland.
EIGHT
Chris stared down at Vin, fighting for control of his composure as he watched helplessly as the paramedics worked on him.The younger man looked terrible, the right side of his face was caked with dried blood, his hand, severely bruised and swollen, was closed almost into a fist. Even in his unconscious state, Vin moaned continuously as one of the men carefully wrapped the hand in soft padding for the trip to the hospital.
Chris longed to comfort Vin, but he was unable to get close enough to even touch him. The paramedics continued to work on the stricken man, starting an IV of fluids into Vin's dehydrated body, and setting up an oxygen mask to help him breathe. They constantly monitored Vin's vital statistics, while Chris crouched against the far side of the vehicle, torn between giving them enough space to work on Vin, and his strong desire to hold and comfort his lover.
The minutes dragged by as Chris stared holes into the back of paramedic closest to him. His eyes never left that space, because every few minutes, the man would shift a bit to the left or right and Chris was able to get a split-second look at his injured lover. Vin's sorry condition tore at his heart, every moan from his lover's lips was like a cold steel spike of guilt being driven into his heart. 'I'm so sorry Vin,' he said to his lover silently. 'We'll catch the men who did this.'
Suddenly, the ambulance lurched to the right, then after a few seconds, came to a stop.
"Senor, we are at the hospital," one of the men said.
"Good," Chris answered, then turned as the back door popped open. Vin was quickly unloaded, and Chris hopped out of the vehicle, following right behind.
+ + + + + + +
Two hours later, Chris sat next to Vin, watching as the younger man slept in his hospital bed. It had been a maddening time for Chris when they'd first arrived at the hospital, as Vin underwent several tests and x-rays, while he sat in the cold, sterile waiting room, anxious for word on his lover's condition. He was glad now for the chance to relax and be alone with Vin, reassured by the promises of the doctors that Vin would make a complete recovery. All he needed was rest, time and care, three things that Chris was ready to give to Vin in abundance.
His reverie was broken by a light knock on the door. He turned away from Vin and saw Buck walking quietly into the room.
"How's he doing Chris?" Buck asked cautiously.
"He's gonna be fine Buck, just needs to take it easy for a while," Chris replied.
"Good, that's real good news," Buck said nervously, his eyes darting back and forth between Vin and Chris. "Uh, Chris, I wanna apologize for what happened. I'm real sorry...."
"Buck, forget it," Chris cut in. "It's not your fault. Vin's an adult."
"But you asked me to look out for Vin and I let you down," Buck said miserably.
"Buck....."
"It isn't your fault.......it's mine....." a small, shaky voice chimed in behind them.
Both men whirled around to stare at Vin.
"Hey cowboy," Chris said, smiling down at Vin. "It's sure good to see you awake."
"Don't change the subject," Vin fought to say. "I snuck out on ya, Buck," Vin continued, after taking a shallow breath. "Don't blame yourself for what I did...." Vin tried to sit up, then slumped back into the bed with a soft moan.
"Sshh, Vin, that's enough," Chris said, running a hand through Vin's tousled hair. "Plenty of time for us all to talk when you're feeling better."
"Buck? You listening to me?" Vin rasped out, ignoring Chris.
"Yeah Vin, I hear you," Buck said, looking down Vin, then up at Chris quickly.
"He's right," Chris agreed. "It isn't your fault Buck. Hell, I should have known better asking you to look out for Vin. With him and JD working together, it's more than all of us combined can handle."
"Ain't that the truth, pard," Buck said with a chuckle, happy that things were getting back to normal. JD would be released from the hospital tomorrow, Vin was going to recover and Chris wasn't pissed at him. Things were looking up.
"Chrisssss...." Vin moaned suddenly, drawing two pairs of eyes to him immediately.
"Vin, what's wrong?" Chris asked anxiously.
"Hurts......head hurts...hand hurts...." Vin said weakly.
"I know cowboy, but they can't give you anything for a few hours yet," Chris said sympathetically. "You've got a concussion, and the doctors said they need to wait a while before they can give you any more pain medication."
"Chris, I better get back to JD," Buck said, taking his cue to leave. "I'll check back in later."
"Okay Buck," Chris said. "And thanks," he added, watching as Buck left the room.
He turned back to his distraught lover quickly. "Vin, close your eyes and try to go back to sleep, okay?" he said.
"Can't," Vin said softly. "Everything's pounding." He looked up at Chris with pleading blue eyes. "Will ya just hold my hand Chris?" he asked. "Will you just touch me? Please?"
Chris's heart melted as he stared into his lover's blue eyes. "Vin, you shouldn't have even had to ask," he said, reaching out and grasping Vin's uninjured hand carefully, avoiding the IV attached to it. "I'm sorry, I was afraid I'd hurt you."
"You won't hurt me Chris," Vin said quietly. "You make me feel better." Then his eyes closed and his breathing deepened as he dropped off to sleep.
"Love you Vin," Chris whispered as he stroked Vin's hair lightly with one hand, while the other still kept hold of Vin's hand. A half hour later when the nurse came in the check on Vin, and give him more pain medication, both men were fast asleep, Chris slouched in the chair beside the bed, still holding onto Vin's hand.
+ + + + + + +
"Senor Larabee! Senor Larabee, wake up!"
The voice, followed by the light shaking of his shoulder brought Chris out of his sound sleep.
"What is it?" Chris asked the nurse with alarm. "Is something wrong with Vin?" he nearly shouted, sitting bolt upright into the chair and peering at Vin anxiously.
"No, no, Senor Larabee," Maria reassured. "Senor Tanner is fine. But there are some police officers at the nurses station who wish to question Senor Tanner. The doctor is on his way, but I wanted you to know also."
"Thank you Maria," Chris said, standing up. He scrubbed a hand across his face and hair, glanced back at Vin, then headed toward the door. "You'll stay with him?" he asked the nurse.
"Yes, I will stay," Maria promised.
Chris nodded and walked out the door, going to the nurses desk.
"Pedro, Paulo?" he said with confusion as he spotted the two federal Mexican agents. "What're you doing here?"
"We're acting in an official capacity, I'm afraid," Pedro Ortega replied. "We need to take Senor Tanner's statement."
"I'm not sure he's up to it yet," Chris said with a frown.
"We can come back later," Paulo Gutierrez said. "But, we need to get it soon. We have two men in custody from the kidnapping, but we can't hold them forever, and ...."
Chris held up his hand. "I know the law, Paulo. If the doctor says it's okay, and Vin says it's okay, then you can get your statement."
"Thank you," the agent replied.
Chris spied Vin's doctor coming around the desk.
"Doctor Santos, these are agents Pedro Ortega and Paulo Gutierrez," Chris introduced. "They'd like to question Vin briefly, if you think it would be all right."
"Gentlemen, if you will please wait here, I'll check on Senor Tanner and let you know," the doctor replied. He motioned for Chris to follow him.
The doctor pushed open the door to Vin's room, and he and Chris entered.
"Ah, you're awake Senor Tanner," Dr. Santos said. "Good morning, how are you feeling today?"
"Fine, when am I getting out of here?" Vin answered crankily.
"So anxious to leave us?" the doctor said good-naturedly, as he looked over Vin's various injuries. After he checked his eyes, he sat down in the chair next to Vin's bed.
"Senor, you are improving exactly as we'd hoped. There are two police officers who would like to question you about what happened. I will allow it, as long as you are comfortable with it." He paused and watched Vin's face for a reaction. Seeing none, he pressed on. "This is all right with you, Senor?"
"Yeah, tell them they can come in," Vin said quietly.
"Very well, Senor, we will get them," Doctor Santos said. He motioned for Chris and the nurse to go with him, and the three left the room. Chris and the doctor joined the two agents.
"I'll allow the questioning," Dr. Santos said to the two men. "But if Senor Tanner becomes agitated in any way, I will put a stop to it," he cautioned.
"Thank you doctor," Paulo said.
"I'll take you in," Chris said, leading them to Vin's room.
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