Michael Balkind - Sudden Death

Finally, a doctor came through the doors. The group converged around him. “I’m very sorry for the delay. First, I want to tell you that, although there are some complications, Reid is alive.”

A collective sigh of relief emanated from the group. Joan and Betsy both let out loud gasps. Shane was holding her breath, her teary eyes riveted on the doctor.

The doctor continued. “Although his vital signs are good, he remains unconscious. The vest he was wearing stopped the bullet; in fact, it was still lodged in the vest when we took it off. The bullet hit fairly close to the center of his chest; even without penetration, the impact to the heart could have killed him. We’ve brought in a cardiologist and a neurologist, both the best in their fields. They’re running tests now. Dr. Kutscher, the neurologist, is unsure why Reid has not regained consciousness; the blow to his head from hitting the green was not that hard.”

“He had a serious head injury a long time ago while playing college football,” Joan interrupted quietly. “The doctors said another severe blow to his head could kill him or cause permanent damage. That’s when he switched his focus to golf.” She put her hands over her face and began to cry. “Ma’am, do you know where we can get in touch with those doctors?” Buck chimed in before Joan had a chance to respond. “Reid keeps an explanation of the injury and the doctor’s contact information on a note in his wallet.”

“I have his golf shoe bag right over there,” Buddy said. “His wallet should be in it. Let me check.” He pulled Reid’s green bag out from under a chair, unzipped the outer pocket and said, “Yeah, here it is.” He handed the wallet to Buck.

Buck opened it and flipped through the contents. He pulled some cred it cards out and found the folded note. He opened it and nodded, saying, “This is it.” He handed it to the doctor.

Looking at the note, the doctor said, “Post concussion syndrome, trau matic brain injury? Alright, now things are beginning to make some sense.” He turned to head back through the double doors. “I’ll be back in a little while to give you an update.”

They ran a battery of tests on Reid’s brain. The final results would take time. There was nothing to do but wait until he regained consciousness. The electrocardiogram had confirmed his heart was in good shape.

They moved him to a private room. Joan and Shane stayed with him overnight. Everyone else remained in the waiting room.

Shane fell asleep holding his hand. Around 4 a.m., he squeezed her hand lightly as he began to regain consciousness. She woke up before he opened his eyes and quietly said, “Joan, wake up. I think he’s coming to.”

Joan woke and reached for his other hand. Reid slowly opened his eyes and silently observed his surroundings. “What happened?” he slurred.

Shane explained everything through a haze of tears. Joan slipped out to inform the others. The on-duty nurse was making rounds, and with no one to stop them, they all went into Reid’s room. Tears flowed as they entered. They each took turns gently hugging him.

Always the comedian, Reid quietly said to Joel, “Guess your save record is still unblemished, huh?” “Thanks to the vest,” Joel sighed. The doctor came in and was taken aback at the sight of the crowd in the room. “I’m sorry to do this, but I have to ask everyone except Mrs. Clark and any other family members to leave the room immediately. We still don’t know the severity of Reid’s head injury. He needs to rest until all the tests come back and we have some answers.”

“Hey,” Reid said quietly as they began to leave. “I have two questions. First, who shot me?”

“You remember the guys that Art had faxed us the report on?” Buck said.

Reid shook his head. “Not really. I’m a little foggy, Buck. Refresh my memory.”

“Art sent us a report about two guys we kicked out of camp. One of them was a guy named John Morgan. Well, the shooter was his brother, Joe. The take-down was pretty intense. The police found him in the woods right away. He was perched in a tree about 15 feet off the ground. They surrounded him with guns drawn, so he threw down his rifle and surrendered. A cop climbed up and pushed him from his position. He dropped like a rag doll, hitting branches before landing with a thud. He was a bloody mess when they dragged him from the woods. They cuffed him and threw him into a waiting patrol car. Jay has been interrogating him. We’ll know more soon.” Reid nodded with a slight smile. They all started to leave the room again. “Hey, I said two questions,” Reid blurted out. “Easy, Reid,” the doctor said. “What’s number two?” Betsy asked. “What happened to my putt?” Everyone laughed. “You sunk it. Congratulations, you won,” Buddy said. Reid smiled and sighed. “Now I can rest.”

Reid recovered quickly. The tests showed there was no serious damage. The doctors confirmed that as long as he was careful, he had a long life ahead of him.

He was released from the hospital after three days. He wanted to go back to his apartment, but Joan and Shane insisted he stay in Bedford. He agreed, as long as Shane stayed, too. The doctors wanted him to remain quietly in bed for at least three more days. Then he could start taking short walks. Anything more strenuous, including golf, was out of the question for three weeks. That meant he would miss only one tournament. “I can live with that,” Reid commented. “I’m so glad, Reid,” the doctor said sarcastically. Every bump in the road during the ride home caused Reid to grimace in pain. His headache, which had become tolerable in the hospital, was now pounding. His bruised chest, which had already healed significantly, still ached with every little jostle, as if a knife were piercing it.

During the three weeks of recovery in Bedford, Reid and Shane were together every waking moment. She had a calming effect on him. When he got fidgety, which was quite often, she would sit with him and hold his hand as they talked quietly. They had so much to learn about each other.

As soon as he was able, they went for long walks on trails in local parks. Joan joined them occasionally, but mostly stayed out of the way. It was a unique time for them; how often do young couples get to spend so much time together in the beginning of their relationship? While this could damage many relationships, with Reid and Shane, it helped form an inseparable bond. He found her to be as beautiful inside as she was out. He loved the way she treated him; she was extremely caring, yet firm. As for his constant playful mind games and taunts, he had met his match. If he gave her a hard time, she gave it right back. It was quite obvious to them and anyone who visited during his short recovery that they were absolutely made for each other.

After a week of rest, Jay and Buck had come up to visit. Jay told Reid and Shane about the shooter.

“John Morgan had paid his older brother Joe five grand for the hit. Joe’s plan had been to become his brother’s agent and manager when John went pro. He was enraged when John had been kicked out of AllSport. He would have been happy to shoot you for no money at all. He’s got a rap sheet a mile long. Believe me when I tell you, this guy is crazy. I couldn’t shut him up. He started telling us about some of the crimes he’s gotten away with. He bragged about the fact that he put two cops in the hospital without being armed at the time of the fight. Then when we arrested John, he wouldn’t shut up, either. He told us Joe uses PCP regularly and, with a little in his system, he thinks he can take on the world. They were both very upset that you’re alive. But don’t worry about it. The two of them are going away for a long time, so you can feel safe…for now anyway.” “What do you mean, for now ?” asked Shane. “Sorry, Shane, I don’t mean to worry you, but Reid has made a few enemies over the years. Sometimes it takes a situation like this to get everyone to realize it. That’s one of the reasons I came up today. Reid, I don’t want to seem pushy, but I think you need me on retainer as your security consultant.” “What’s that going to cost me?” Reid asked. “Don’t worry, my fees are reasonable.” “Who are you kidding? I saw your last bill and I’m still tying to figure out how I’m going to pay that!” “Cut it out. Just say no if you don’t want me.” “Can’t you take a joke? Of course I want you. You’re hired.” Buck then jumped into the conversation. “Excuse me gentlemen, but I think, as Reid’s managing agent, I should know how much this is going to cost him.” “How about two hundred grand a year?” Jay said. Reid and Buck looked at each other and nodded. “You’re hired,” Reid said.