- Covert Steele
- Part Fourteen
- Remington came slowly out of his
drug-induced haze to see Laura's concerned eyes on him. "Hey
there," she said in a soft voice. "How are you feeling?"
"Weak," he admitted. "Groggy. Bloody pain medication.
What happened?"
"You started bleeding again," Laura informed him.
"I remember that much. The last thing I DO remember clearly
is warning you to get down so that those men wouldn't kill you."
"I did get down," Laura told him. "And I heard
them talking about how badly you were bleeding before they left
the room. I got out and went to see how you were."
"They got away, then?"
"No. Thanks to Daniel and Mildred, they're safely in police
custody and singing like the proverbial canaries."
"Daniel and Mildred?"
Laura quickly filled him in on what Daniel and Mildred had done.
"Mildred had the gate control repaired at the house,"
she told him. "When did you set the gate password to the
date of our first meeting?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"When we left that afternoon. You were too busy keeping
an eye on that car to notice." He winced as his shoulder
started to ache a bit. "How long have I been in here?"
"Almost twenty four hours. Even when they found a donor,
they discovered that you had done more damage to your shoulder
in the struggle and had to operate to take care of it."
He flexed his left hand slowly, and then carefully pulled her
hand into his, noticing the nasty looking scratches on her skin.
"Seems they did the trick." Something she said came
back to him. "You said they found a donor?"
"Blood donor. You never told me that you have a rare blood
type, Mr. Steele."
"Not something that normally comes up in everyday conversation.
And I've always been lucky in that there's been an adequate supply
on hand when I've needed it."
"Not this time." Laura's eyes were shadowed as she
recalled the last day's events, and Remington ached with guilt
for having caused her so much worry. "They were considering
giving you a universal type when someone stepped forward."
"Who?" Laura's eyes were on their joined hands. "Laura?"
"Daniel," she told him.
"Daniel?" He tried to fight the wool headedness that
was making it difficult to think clearly. He seemed to have a
memory - or had it been a dream- of Daniel telling him something-
something important. But he couldn't quite grasp the words. "Daniel
couldn't have given enough blood to-"
"No, he didn't. The doctor said that they had just located
a small amount of your type at another hospital. The blood Daniel
insisted on giving was insurance. Insurance that was needed since
they had to operate. It kept you alive until the could get the
other."
"Oh. Where is he?"
"The doctor?" Laura questioned, and he thought she
was deliberately misunderstanding him. "He should be here
any minute," she said.
"I meant Daniel. I need to talk to him."
"He's- gone."
"Gone?"
The door opened, and Dr. Barton came into the room, smiling.
"Well, well. Awake at last." He examined the blood
pressure monitor beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine once I'm out of here," Remington said.
"Well, I think we'll keep you for another day, at least.
Just to make sure everything's okay. I need to check your shoulder-"
Laura squeezed Remington's hand. "I have to go let Mildred
know that you're awake," she said.
"You can call from here," Remington told her, refusing
to let her hand go.
Laura shook her head. "No phone," she told him. "A
necessary evil, to keep the newspaper vultures at bay. I'll explain
later." She leaned over to give him a quick kiss, glancing
at Dr. Barton afterward before leaving.
"Newspapers?" Remington asked the doctor once the door
closed.
"The reporters were in the hospital before we had you out
of emergency, I'm afraid. Once word got out that you'd been injured
breaking up a major drug transport scheme, they descended en
masse."
"Damn. You'd think they'd have better things to cover than
the life of a private detective."
"You should know by now that almost anything you do is news,
Mr. Steele," the doctor said, examining the still tender
incision on Remington's shoulder. "You're a very lucky man."
"Because my life's a fishbowl?"
"No, because we found enough blood to take care of your
blood loss- not to mention the surgery. As soon as they called
me that you'd been admitted, I started making calls, trying to
round up donors. I hadn't realized how few people with your blood
type there are in Southern California."
"Hmm," Remington mused. "Laura tells me that Daniel
Chalmers gave some blood to save me."
"Another stroke of luck. By the time he convinced us to
let him donate, we'd found just enough to save your life, but
not enough for the operation."
"Why did you have to be convinced?"
"Someone with his condition- I insisted on calling his doctor
in London to confirm that a donation wouldn't cause Mr. Chalmers
any problem."
"His doctor in London?"
Dr. Barton made a notation on the chart. "One of the best
in his field, actually. Dr. Morton has published articles on
cardiac disease in some of the most important medical journals."
"Daniel has a heart problem?"
Barton looked at Remington. "You didn't know? I'm sorry.
I just assumed, all things considered."
"Could you get me a telephone in here, please? I need to
make some calls."
"I'll have to check with Miss Holt-" Dr. Barton began,
but Remington interrupted him.
"Miss Holt isn't your patient, Doctor. I am. And I want
a telephone in my room now, or else I'll walk out of this hospital
this minute."
"Very well, Mr. Steele," Dr. Barton agreed. "I'll
make the arrangements. If you keep improving, we should release
you tomorrow."
***
Laura sighed heavily as she hung up the phone. As soon as she
realized Daniel had gone without their promised talk, she had
sent Mildred back to the office to try and track him down. So
far, there hadn't been any sign of him. She had given Mildred
all of his passport names, but there was nothing. No wonder Remington
was able to disappear as easily he had last year. He'd learned
it from Daniel.
"Excuse me-" she turned to see the middle aged woman
standing there. "You're Laura Holt, aren't you?"
Expecting another reporter, Laura's response was cautious. "Yes,
I'm Laura Holt. And you are?"
"Lesley Carter. Remington's an old friend."
"Really?" Laura asked, her suspicion still high. None
of his "old friends" called him "Remington".
Harry, or Michael, yes. But not "Remington". "And
where do you know Remington from?"
"A long time ago. Another life, actually." She pulled
out a business card and handed it to Laura. "I'm a real
estate agent. Remington was thinking about buying a house from
me. In fact, it was in my old house that he was injured."
"Oh, oh, my," Laura said, suddenly embarrassed about
her thoughts. "I thought you were a reporter-"
"That's understandable. How is Remington?"
Laura listened for an accent, and only heard the barest trace
of one in that voice. "You call him Remington? None of his
"old friends"-"
"It's the name he's most comfortable with," Lesley
said in a matter-of-fact tone. "When I first met him, he
used so many different names. Daniel called him Harry."
"Daniel? Then you know Daniel as well." Laura was still
in shock. She had expected that Remington's "real estate"
friend to be someone near his own age. Certainly she hadn't expected
to find someone closer to Daniel's age.
"Oh, yes. But I haven't seen him in ages. Not since I left
London and came to Los Angeles- almost fifteen years ago, now.
You haven't told me how he's doing today."
"I'm sorry. He's awake. Almost his old self. I think the
doctor will probably release him before long."
"I'm glad. Will you tell him that I was here and asked about
him? And that when he decides about the house, it's still available."
Laura took the woman's arm. "Can we talk?"
***
Remington hung up the telephone and winced as the movement of
putting it back on the table made his shoulder hurt. "Damn,"
he muttered. "Damn, damn, damn."
"My Fair Lady," Laura said from the doorway.
"Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn, MGM, 1964." When he
frowned, she explained. "Your line just now."
"Ah."
She indicated the telephone. "I see you bullied Dr. Barton
and got that."
"Bullied? Laura, I never BULLY anyone."
"No? According to him, you threatened to leave the hospital
if he didn't acquiesce to your demand for a telephone."
"I have to find Daniel," he told her. "And I can't
do it laying here in this bloody hospital bed!"
"Mildred hasn't had any luck, either," she confided.
"When he goes to ground, he really goes to ground, doesn't
he?"
"He's sick, Laura. His heart-According to his doctor in
London, it's just a matter of time before it gives out."
Laura took his hand in hers. "We'll find him, Mr. Steele."
"Come here," he said, pulling her closer to give her
a kiss.
"I spoke to a friend of yours a few minutes ago. And Mildred
said to tell you that she'll be by later, so will Frances and
Donald."
"Why not your mother as well?" he asked in a peevish
tone, his mind still on Daniel.
"She's on holiday in Italy," Laura reminded him. "But
she did call to see how you're doing."
"Humph," he grunted.
"Don't you want to know who the old friend was?" He
looked at her expectantly. "Lesley Carter."
"Ah. So you've met Lesley."
"You didn't tell me that she was more Daniel's contemporary
than yours."
"Didn't think it mattered," he told her.
"No, you wanted to make me jealous," Laura accused
gently. He gave her a look as she continued. "It worked,
too."
"I never meant to imply that she was anything more than
an old friend with whom I had made contact after several years.
She and her husband are very happy."
"She calls you Remington."
"Would it surprise you that that's how I think of myself,
Laura? As Remington Steele? Not as Michael, or even Harry. But
as Remington Steele?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't think it would surprise
me at all, Mr. Steele," she said. "I think you should
know- I used your power of attorney to sign the papers on the
house."
"You did?" Remington was surprised- and suddenly wary.
"Why?" he asked.
"I thought it was what you wanted. That's all you could
talk about before we left for Hawaii, as I recall."
"I don't mean that. Why- why are you being so damned nice
instead of telling me what I fool I was to insist on being in
on the conclusion to this case." His head fell back against
the white pillow cover. "You and Daniel were right. I should
have sat this one out."
"And if you had, I'd probably be dead now," Laura reminded
him. "You saved my life again."
"I'm not keeping score." He'd saved her life on many
occasions, he recalled. But they hadn't been lovers then. Hadn't
been this close to making a future together.
"I am."
"Is that why you're being so solicitous? Out of gratitude?"
"The only thing I'm grateful for, Mr. Steele, is that you're
alive. And that we have a chance to finish what we started in
Hawaii. If you've changed your mind-"
Remington grabbed her hand as she would have turned to leave.
"No. No, Laura. I'm sorry, love. Its just- being in hospital
has never been something I'm good at. And all this with Daniel-"
Laura relaxed and perched on the edge of his bed. "Lesley
wants to get a few things out of the house, she's going to leave
the furnishings-"
"What about the bullet holes?"
Laura smiled. "Well, I'll have the closet door replaced,
but I think I'll leave the one in the wall beside it as a reminder."
"Ah." The telephone rang, and he grabbed it up before
Laura could. "Steele hereAnd your name?Miss Lopez,"
he repeated. "With the Times. I'm sure my associate informed
you and your fellow reporters of the facts-No. Well, I'm quite
recovered. Yes. I'll- keep it in mind."
"I tried to warn you," Laura told him as he hung up.
"They've been like vultures, waiting for word."
"Hmm. Of my death, no doubt."
"Actually, they were very supportive- but a little intrusive.
Thank goodness for Mildred," she said with a smile. "You
should have seen the way she took charge and shooed them all
out of the waiting room."
"She's a gem," Remington agreed.
Laura gave him a light kiss. "You get some rest. I've got
some things to take care of."
"I suppose you have paperwork waiting at the Agency,"
he sighed.
"Mildred's taken care of that. All it needs is your signature.
No, I was talking about getting things ready to move."
"You shouldn't do that all by yourself," Remington
said.
"There's not that much. At least I can have most of it done
by the time they release you."
"Sounds like you have everything well in hand, Miss Holt."
She grinned at him, giving him a look that made him wish he weren't
confined to a hospital bed. "Not yet, Mr. Steele. But I
fully intend to."
"Sounds promising."
Another kiss. "Pleasant dreams, Mr. Steele."
He kept her where she was for a moment. "Oh, I've no doubt
that they will be, love. Don't be too long, okay?"
"And you let Mildred handle tracking Daniel down,"
she told him in a firm voice.
"Yes, ma'am." He waved goodbye as the door closed behind
her, then picked up the telephone again. Letting Mildred handle
things was all well and good, but this was something he had to
do himself.
To Be Continued---
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content ©2000 by Nancy Eddy