The Twelve Tables Ch. 12

"You have sought the advice of a neurologist?" Pete asked again.

"I have spoken to the best at Calvary and sent him the films of her MRI," he explained.

"Seems that is a reason in itself to move her," Pete said, "I would suggest you get him here first thing in the morning, or I will be moving her to the Calvary Hospital myself. She is soon to be part of the Donati family and, therefore, more our responsibility than yours, so I suggest you pass over your notes to me and take a back seat in the decision making regarding her healthcare. I have been her doctor for some months now and know her better than anyone on your staff." Pete was barely holding his emotions in check after seeing Peri's battered face and hearing her cry to her mother.

"I think we should meet with the Commander and Joseph before making any plans," Nero said feeling outnumbered.

"Good you organise that, and I will contact the neurologist to get a proper examination of our patient," Pete said. "His name would be?" he stared at Nero belligerently. He had been brought up as a protector of the Donati family and while he had never had to flex his muscles before he had no qualms in doing so just as his father always had. Seeing the man stall he spoke again, "Don't worry, I can find out myself."

Pete took his phone from his pocket and called his father outlining the situation, "Come grab me for the meeting," he whispered to Dante as he walked back to Peri's room. Smiling as he entered quietly, he passed his phone to Andie and let his father console her. Charles had been disturbed by Pete's account of their arrival at the hospital, and as soon as Nik was found and handed over to the authorities, he would be with them. Andie handed the phone back to Pete and thanked him with a sad smile.

"I'll help you get her home as soon as possible, it won't be tonight, though," Pete said seriously. "There is a real risk with her head injury, and we need to wait at least until tomorrow morning," he explained. "I have put them all on notice though and will take over her case management from here on out."

"Thank you, Pete," Andie whispered. "I just feel so helpless, and she is so, so..." she looked at her daughter and began to cry again. Peri turned her head to be able to see Pete, the right side of her face and body singing in pain. She looked at him for a long moment before croaking unintelligibly making him move closer to hear her.

"Home," she whispered hoarsely, "Want to go home."

"I'm getting a neurologist to come tomorrow morning and give you the all clear to fly. Your head injury might make that risky. If you can't fly would you like to go to another hospital away from here?" he asked gently.

"Yes," she whispered nodding slightly, "Please."

"The police need to talk to you and will want to do that as soon as I move you from this room. Are you up to that?" he asked seeing fear enter her eyes. "Might be better to see them sooner rather than later."

"Yes," she nodded slightly again embracing the pain as a way to clear her drug-fuelled brain and stay awake. "Tonight, just Andie, no Josh or brothers." Her whisper faltered. She had no intention of protecting Nik from the police, but she couldn't face Josh or his family as she pressed charges against Nik knowing how close they all were. He wouldn't forgive her, but right now she didn't want to protect her as the family did. She had to get away from this bizarre world and if talking to the police got her there faster she would do it. She needed to get away from them all and their strange view of the world. She needed to go home where they couldn't surround her and make her feel as trapped as she did in this hospital bed. Most of all she needed to get away from Josh and the hurt in his eyes every time he looked at her.

*****

"Would you like another drink?" Gordon asked as they continued to chat.

"Sure why not?" Nik answered having relaxed again as the dark-suited men sat at the bar talking and seemingly waiting for a flight. They no longer seemed interested in her, and she turned her head to glance at them again as Gordon flagged down the waitress and ordered another drink for them.

"You keep looking over your shoulder anything wrong?" He asked.

"Those guys just seem out of place here, more the business class type I would have thought. Clean cut, dark suits, if I were to make a judgement call I would say military or police," Nik said turning back to her companion.

"Police make you nervous?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Hardly," she said derisively. "I just wonder what they would be doing in a first class lounge when it's plainly obvious they don't belong here."

"Swap seats with me and you can watch them all you want. I could use a change of view," Gordon stood and stretched out his long limbs. He held a hand out to her helping her to stand and brush past him as they exchanged seats. "Better?" he asked as she settled down.

"Not particularly, she moved to the edge of the chair allowing Gordon to partially block their view of her. "Oh God they're multiplying," she groaned and rolled her eyes as a third man in a dark suit walked up and greeted the two men.

"What?" Gordon moved turning to look toward the bar allowing them to see her fully as the newcomer turned and looked directly at her.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed and stood to leave the lounge. Turning she saw the door was blocked by several burly men in dark suits, so she turned back to Gordon, who also stood now, panic making adrenaline rush through her body. "Fuck!" she yelled. "You did this to me!" she threw her glass at him with force and then launched at him her hands extended toward his throat. He twisted batting her hands up above her head and tripping her with a sweep of his leg as he pivoted.

Righting himself, Gordon quickly knelt with one knee on her back and wrestled a hand behind her back as she flailed around, screaming curses at him. He was helped almost immediately by his fellow officers, and she was pulled to her feet screaming like a banshee and kicking out at anyone close to her. She was forced into a chair as several uniformed police officers conducted crowd control and ushered the other patrons away from the vicinity. Romey approached Nik and looked at her coldly while she screamed and struggled with the men still trying to subdue her.

"Nik," he said in a quiet rolling bass. "Nik," he repeated a second time raising his voice in anger.

"You bastard," she spat giving up her struggle momentarily as she glared at her brother. "I won't go back to that facility," Nik said with determination.

"No, you won't. You will go to jail. You won't pass go, and you won't collect two hundred dollars because this is no longer a game. You have committed the worst criminal act imaginable, and you have been written out," he pronounced her sentence seeing the disbelief in her eyes.

"Fuck you! I've done nothing wrong. I'll be out on bail within an hour," she hissed.

"You left one of your victims alive to identify you, very messy work Nik," Romey shook his head. "I would suggest you find a lawyer as soon as possible. You are going to need a good one. That bank manager you assaulted is also pressing charges, and I am sure my friends here will be very interested in how you came across a fake passport."

"You can't prove anything because I did nothing wrong," doubt had started to creep into her voice though and she considered her brother. If it were, Jules she might have cried and won his sympathy but faced with Romey the only option she had was denial. She could go along with them for now and find the weak link to make good her escape next time. Men were always easy prey, and her attitude changed with thought. She stopped struggling and smiled at the officers.

"Passport says Nikita Mariskov," one of the men in a black suit brandished her passport and boarding pass after going through her handbag.

"I can identify this woman as my sister, Veronica Maris Donati," Romey returned her smile. "I'm happy to sign an affidavit to that effect and can give you contact details for her parents and the other members of her family."

"I don't know why you are lying to these men, but that's a crime, Romey," she said innocently. "You are about to be in the cell right beside mine for perjuring yourself," she said with certainty.

"The likelihood of that happening is about the same odds as you getting bail," Romey laughed loudly and walked away leaving her in the hands of the federal police who began to read her the charges and her rights.

*****