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"I have $10 that says you're wrong."
"I will cover that. One of her friends said."
After looking around the nurses' station, they all said, "We all will cover that."
Callaway said, "Oh good, another $90 into my million-dollar checking account."
"You have to rub that in, didn't you Callaway."
"When you have it, flaunt it Celia."
The Charge Nurse walked by and said, "Ladies, your patients are waiting, break time is over."
Callaway walked in the room 426, and found Susan wide-awake. "What is going on bright eyes? You are normally sound asleep when I walk in here."
"I talked with Alan yesterday, and I believe I made a big mistake. Do you think you could smuggle a gun in the hospital for me to use on him?"
"Susan, I am tired of him being here. I can't wait to get rid of him. If you're going to kill him, I will bring you a gun. If you are only going to maim him, the answer is no. What did you do that was so terrible?"
"I told him he could name the baby."
"Are you out of your fucking mind? That child will grow up with a complex like your idiot cousin."
"Why do you think I am awake? I haven't slept a wink all night. I can't go back on my word, because he has suffered so much for me. I think I will kill him if he gives our son a name I cannot live with."
"I can't help you there Susan. The birth certificate comes out of medical records, and they do not play games with official documents. I could put Alan back into his coma."
"No, it would just delay the inevitable. I might as well get this over with and see what he has come up with."
After her rounds were over, Callaway went into the ICU to speak to Alan. His bed was clean, and he was nowhere in sight. She went to the nurses' desk to ask about him only to find out he had been transferred to the telemetry area, which is where she worked. She smiled and returned to find out where he was. His name was not on their whiteboard. She checked the computer, and that was no listing for an Alan Robbins anywhere on it. She called medical records and asked for a patient by the name of Alan Robbins. She was informed that no such patient existed.
She said, "He was in ICU yesterday."
"I'm sorry nurse, there is no such patient by that name."
"What the fuck is going on in this hospital? He was treated for gunshot wounds several months ago."
"I am sorry, nurse. This hospital has no records of an Alan Robbins."
Callaway smiled, "Do we have a Mister Jamieson in the hospital?"
"Yes, he is in the room 424."
"I am going to kill the bastard, and save Susan the trouble."
She walked down to room 424 and it was empty. The bed was ruffled but he was not there. "He knows I am looking for him. I don't know how, but he knows." She walked across the hall to check Susan's room and it was empty. She said, "Oh Shit, they've gone to name the baby."
She asked Celia to cover for her, and told her she was going down to Neonatal if she needed her. When she arrived it was too late. Alan was signing the birth certificate. Susan had her head down, looking at her newly named son.
Alan saw her standing by the window and drew something on the whiteboard behind him. Then he wrote his son's name below it.
When he moved so she could see it she screamed. Alan had drawn a picture of Callaway bent over and his newborn son smiling as he fucked her. She calmed down when she saw the baby's name: Callum Gregory Robbins. It was a fine, strong name, befitting the two parents that gave him life.
Alan erased the whiteboard, and walked out of the premmie area to say hello to his antagonist. "What do you think Callalily? Did you like my drawing?"
"I think the name is perfect. Susan was worried that you were going to give him a really weird name, because you are really weird man."
"I would never name my son Sergeant. I would name him General, or President, but never Sergeant."
"Thank God there is only one of you in this world Alan, if they were two, the earth would shift off its axis."
Pointing to his son he asked, "Callaway, what would happen to the earth if there were one and a half of me on it?"
"I hope he has Susan's common sense. Otherwise, I am going to a desert island, with my money."
"Are you taking Pedro with you?"
"After the flowers come today, and the proposal comes next week, I'll let you know."
"Pretty sure of yourself aren't you?"
"I will bet you $1 million on it."
"Callaway, take a word of advice from a person who has been through the mill twice; go slow. He may be the best thing in the world in bed, but you also have the rest of the day, and the rest of your life to live with him. I fell into that trap twice, and I paid for it dearly. You have two other men you have known for a very long time. Both of them want to marry you. They may not be as big or as good in bed as Pedro, but they have loved you and have known you longer. Felix told me that Pedro is a player. He may be faithful to you for a month or a year. He may be faithful to you forever. There is no way to know. That's why I want you to go slow, and be sure you are making the right decision."
"Alan, you are talking to me like an adult. We are not arguing or fighting with one another. You have given me sound, sage advice. What is wrong with you?"
"I have to be nice to my son's Godmother, don't I?"
Callaway went pale, and was shocked into silence, just as Susan exited the Neonatal unit. "I see you've told her Alan."
"Yes dear and it looks like she's taking it well. You must've played your part very well Susan, because I think she needs a wheelchair."
Callaway regained the power of speech and said to Susan, "You played me? I thought you were the nice one Susan. I felt sorry for you being married to this idiot. From now on, I am going to mix up your hormone pills. He is going to grow breasts, and you are going to grow hair on your chest."
49. Meetings
When Michael Free dressed for work from morning he felt very good. He had fired all of the informants in his computer division and was pressing criminal charges against them. He had asked the Attorney General to file complaints against the agencies that tapped into his computer illegally. Normally this was to remain confidential within the branches of government. The graduate students, who were working on the computer, were not members of the government. While they were out at night eating at the right restaurants, and drinking at the right clubs, word got out to the newspapers, and the broadcast news organizations, by morning. He read the Washington Post story of the NSA's 100 dirtiest tricks, which on the front page. It helped to fuel the frenzy of the reporters descending upon the FBI building, wanting a comment. The standard answer was, "We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation." All the other agencies, which were under investigation, came up with the same answer. The president called a meeting in his office before he talked to the press. He was livid with the heads of these agencies. When he went before the press, the President said, "Agencies should cooperate with one another. If they want access to another agencies computer system, all they have to do was file the appropriate paperwork and get the appropriate responses. Stealing information from other agencies computers is a crime. Those responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. A special prosecutor will be named to investigate these abuses of power, and those found guilty of a crime would be sent to prison. There will be no Presidential pardons, regardless who it is, or how high, in a particular agency, it goes."
When Michael's daughters joined him for breakfast, they were unusually subdued. They were normally talkative. Melody would ask him questions about what he was going to be doing that day, and Harmony would dissect his answer. This morning they would not look at him.
"What is the matter girls? Did you have a fight?"
"No dad we did not have to fight."
"Would you like to tell me what the problem is?"
"If we do, mom will kill us."
"What does mom have to do with this?"
"We heard what mom and Patty talked about last night. She swore mom to secrecy, and that means us too."
"Fuck!" He sprung out of his chair and raced up to Patricia's room. He knocked on the door to wake her up, but she did not answer. He knocked again, and tried the handle on the door. It was open. He walked in and she was gone. There was a note on the desk addressed to him.
"Michael, I am sorry that I am starting your day out like this, but there was no other way for me to try to stop the war that may happen in New York City. Please don't try to find me. There are 8 million people in that city, and I am only one. I am going to try to stop it, where it all started. If all goes well, I will be at Fred Fielding's office by 5 PM this evening. If I am not there, here is the name of a bank and bank account numbers in Virginia. This is a present from me to your two wonderful daughters. Lighten up on the girls Michael. Cut off shorts are not the worst thing in the world. However, I do agree with you on the tops. I hate you too Michael. Patricia."
He flipped up his cell phone and called his office. He said, "Put New York City on full alert; FBI, local police, everyone. Get the jet ready. Have my staff to meet me at the airport in 40 minutes. Get me the New York Police Commissioner on my line now."
As he grabbed his jacket and ran down the stairs he met his wife at the front door. "Can you tell me where she was going?"
"I am sorry Michael, I cannot tell you anything. She is in danger, a great deal of danger, and she does not care if she lives or dies."
"Thank you babe."
She walked into the kitchen and saw her daughters sitting there pushing their food around their plates. She said, "Tell me that you did not tell your father anything."
"We wanted to mom, but we knew you would kill us if we did. We heard you promise Patty not to say anything, and we knew that meant us also. What are we supposed to do if she dies, because we did not tell daddy?"
"Girls, there are lines that can never be crossed. One of those lines is Patient/Doctor confidentiality. When a doctor listens to a patient, whatever is said between them remains between them, even if the police threaten to jail their doctor. The law is quite clear on that point. I am very proud of both of you for not saying anything to your father. It was Patty's wish to do what she wanted to do. Let's hope what she has planned works and we get to see her again."
After briefing the Police Commissioner, Michael reread Patty's letter over and over, looking for a clue that would tell him where she was going. He kept coming back to one phrase, "I am going to try to stop it where it all started." Why would she go to New York City, if it started in either, Glens Falls, New York, or at her college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It did not make any sense to him. As the aircraft touchdown in New York City, he was still going over this in his mind. It was a 12:50 PM when he said, "Get me William Zabo on the line."
"Good morning Michael, how are you this fine day."
"It is not a fine day. Patricia is in trouble, and I need your help. She has set up a meeting somewhere in New York and I know she is going to try to meet with the three remaining heads of the Mafia families. She left me a note this morning and I want you to listen carefully to this one line. "I am going to stop it where it all started. Where did all this start William?"
"Michael I need to hear the rest of the letter. You have given me nothing to go on."
"Okay, here it is. ' Michael, I am sorry that I am starting your day out like this, but there was no other way for me to try to stop the war that may happen in New York City. Please don't try to find me. There are 8 million people in that city, and I am only one. I am going to try to stop it, where it all started.' Is that enough for you William?"
"Why would she go to New York City, Michael, she was only a baby in New York. Why not upstate New York. She would have no memories of living in the city. Only Laura and I would have memories of the city... Oh hell, Michael, that's it! She is going to the beginning. The restaurant where I met Laura; that was the beginning. That is what she is talking about. Laura and I met there, and that is where I fell in love with Patricia's mother. Don't let her die there Michael. Do whatever you have to do, but don't let my daughter die there."
"Where is it located William, what is the name of the restaurant and the address?"
"The restaurant is called, "Imperiali's; 3450 Kingsbridge Avenue, in The Bronx. It is by Manhattan College. Michael, if they hear you coming, they will kill her before you get there."
"Thank you William, we are on our way."
He jumped into the waiting FBI helicopter and gave the pilot the address. The pilot told him that there was a large park just south of that location where he could land and they could run to the restaurant from there. It would be less than an eighth of a mile from point to point.
Michael told pilot to do it, and not to waste any time getting there."
The addressed was forwarded to all the agents in the area and to the local police. They were told to do a silent approach and cordon off everything within three-block radius of the restaurant. Only plainclothes officers were allowed within 100 yards of the restaurant.
Patricia made the reservations at Imperali's restaurant under the name of Patricia Laura Zabo, just in case the original family still owned the restaurant, and remembered her mother and father. She arrived at 12:00 PM. When a man her father's age saw her white hair, he ran over to her and hugged her like lost family.
He said, "You have to be Patricia. You are Laura and William's daughter. I would know you in a crowd at Yankee Stadium. You have your mother's face and your father's hair. I owe this restaurant to your mother, did she ever tell you what she did for me? Did she tell you about the money she gave me to expand this restaurant? Did your father tell you about our relationship? Do you know how long your father and I have been friends? Where is your father I have not seen him in over 20 years? He has not even sent me a letter. How is your darling mother. I bet she has not changed one bit in all these years. She was the sweetest person I have ever known."
A young woman tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Dad, if you don't let her go she is going to suffocate. If you don't stop to breathe, you are going to talk yourself to death. You have not let her into our restaurant. You have not offered her a glass of water. What happened to your manners."
Michael Imperiali smiled. "I am sorry Patricia. I was so excited to see you and see how much you resembled your parents I got carried away. Please forgive me."
"I would have to assume that you are Michael Imperiali. The man that kept my mother on as a waitress, all through her college years, even though your business did not require it. She talked about you so often that I feel like I know you. However, this restaurant is the little hole in the wall she told me about."
"Let's sit down and I will tell you how your mother came here for a job as a college student, and made this restaurant possible for me and my family."
Patricia let Michael Imperiali tell all his good stories; before she had to tell him about what happened to her mother. He cried, and was livid at the same time. She told him what she had done to the man who had perpetrated the crime, and he was very happy that he was being brought to justice. Then she told him what was going to happen very shortly. He was stupefied.
He said, "The three of them are going to be in my restaurant. Do you know what happened to the last two?"
"Yes, I do. However, only two people know where we are meeting, and one of them is sitting in front of you. If you want to send your staff home, do it now, and I will do the cooking. My mother gave me a special recipe she made for my father many years ago. I don't know if she gave it to you or not. If she did, I believe you will remember the final ingredient was linguine."
"She told you that story? You and your mother must have been very close."
"Mom and I were closer than atoms."
"Patricia, I am going to send everyone out of the building except myself and my daughter. If anything happens, it will only happen to family, and not to those people who work for me."
"No, send your daughter out of the building also. She has a long life ahead of her, and Imperiali's will continue with her, if anything happens to us."
"As you wish, Patricia." Michael went into the rear of the building and told everyone to leave. When his daughter questioned him he said, "Take everyone down to the park, and don't come back here until I call you. Is that clear?"
"Yes papa." Everyone on staff exited through the back door and locked it. They proceeded to Van Cortland park not knowing what was going on at the restaurant. When they got there and saw the police perimeter, they knew something terrible was going on.
Michael's daughter turned and started running back towards the restaurant, but she was stopped by a police officer.
She yelled, "I have got to get back to my father. He is in the restaurant alone."
The officer said, "He is not alone. He is with a young woman and she is expecting three men shortly. We are here to make sure nothing happens. Please stay calm, and stay with your people."
An unassuming Chevrolet Impala parked in the restaurant parking lot, and three men dressed in casual clothes got out and walked in.
They walked over towards Patricia and sat down at her table. Michael went to the front door locked it, and put the closed sign on the door.
He walked over to the table and handed the men a wine list. After they had chosen their wines, he handed them the menus and left.
Michael Caifano asked, "Are you wired?"
"No, I am not, and nothing we will discuss here will have anything to do with your businesses."
Niccolo Oliveto said to her, "How good is your source?"
"The NSA has been monitoring the drug cartels conversations for about two and half years. This information came out recently. This was confirmed by people incarcerated at Rikers island. If it is getting down to the rank-and-file, it is beyond the planning stage, and ready for the action stage. Every public safety agency was put on alert today. All police and federal agency leaves have been canceled. Everyone is on 12-hour shifts until this is over."
"How can it be over when you don't know who the other guys are?"
"Who said we don't know who the other guys are?"
"So you know, but you are not telling us."
"Why do we tell you, and have you start killing them. It promulgates a war going in the other direction. We want to take care of them, keep you guys alive, and put you in jail for your previous crimes later. For us, it is a win-win situation. For you, you get to live for a few more years, before we put you in jail for the rest of your lives."
Niccolo said, "I haven't done anything yet. I just took over the family, everything up until now was done by my father. Why should I go to jail for the rest of my life?"
Patricia laughed. "You like the title of Don, but you don't want to take the punishment that comes along with it. You make the best deal you can with the US Attorney when the time comes, and see if he has a sense of humor. Mister Lombardo, you have not said a word today. Is there a problem?"
"No, I told Niccolo and Mike that they would make the decision, and whatever they decided I would go along with. I used all my influence with them to come here today. I thought it was only fair to them to give them the option."
