Evading the Law

Jimmy is standing over Jen's lifeless body, not sure what to do. The door slides open, several staff members race to her side. An older, rounded nurse places a cold hand on his arm. The frigid sensation startles him out of his trance-like state. Jimmy looks over to find her mouth moving but can't hear a thing over the machines.

"You need to step into the hall, sir." 

"What?"

"You need to step into the hall," she repeats over the noise. Guiding him into the hall, she reaches for the door.

Jimmy stops her. "What's going on? Will she be alright?" 

Ushering him out, she says, "We'll let you know as soon as we can, now please stay out here so we can help your wife." She closes the door behind her. 

Jimmy peeks through the window to find them methodically working on his friend. He then sees the heart monitor flatline. 'No, not Jen, please, don't take Jen, please, Jimmy begs as he continues to helplessly watch through the metal barrier. 

Memories of the three of them suddenly come to mind. He first pictures the fun times they shared. He then recalls a few of their misfortunes and how they've always stepped in to help the other out

 "We're the three musketeers," Jen says, in a toast.

"The three musketeers," Jimmy repeats, wiping the tears from his face.

***

Vinnie and his crew are speeding through the ritzy neighborhood in hopes they'll escape the law. He sees a cruiser coming up on their right, a second on his left and a third a little further back. How am I going to escape this? Think, Vinnie, think. He pictures the town's layout in his mind. This image is soon replaced with him behind bars. He then recalls the threat made on his life the last time he was there.

He'd just been served his walking papers and was being escorted towards the door. Reaching between the bars, Mateo pulls Vinnie against his cell. "You'll be swimming with the fishes if I see you again," he hisses. Vinnie sees the fire shooting from his cold, dark eyes when he's pulled away. I can't go back, I just can't. He pushes the pedal to the floor.

"Look out," Jack warns, pointing straight ahead.

Seeing a car darting across Douglas, Vinnie makes a sharp left onto Adams.

"That was close," Jack says, nervously repositioning himself in the seat.

Vinnie notices red and blue lights flashing in his rearview mirror. "We're not out of the woods yet, hang on." He makes a quick right and then a left onto the highway.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

I do too. He gulps. "Trust me." He smiles weakly, hoping he can pull it off.

Kenny hangs up his phone. "My sister just called and said they have roadblocks all over the city."

"Like that one?" Jack asks, pointing straight ahead. They first notice cars stopped on either side of the street, cruisers parked along the shoulder. They then see a slew of cops quickly checking the vehicle and then letting them go.

"What are we going to do?"

Vinnie glances down the steep cliff beside them. It's not the best choice, but it's the only one we've got. "Are you ready to go mudding?"

"Do what?"

"Hang on." He makes a sharp turn towards the steep embankment. The engine whines in protest as they slide through the mud.

The crew grabs hold of the closest secured object as the vehicle continues to bounce down the hill.

 "I hope we don't slide off the cliff," Kenny says, staring at the rocky terrain below.

"Relax, I got this," he says, hoping to convince himself as much as them. 

The vehicle continues to slide as it advances to the other side. 

"It's do or die time, boys." Throwing it into a lower gear, Vinnie climbs the steep slope ahead. 

The crew goes silent as they continue to white knuckle their lifeline.

After what seems like an eternity, the vehicle reaches the top.

 "Told you I got this." Vinnie grins, turning onto seven south. The crew just starts to relax, when they spot red and blues behind them again.

"Ah, Vinnie, we've got company."

Vinnie glances back to find several cruisers closing the distance between them. "Hang on." He pushes the pedal to the floor. "Just a little further and we'll be home free, " he thinks, glancing in the rearview mirror again.

"Look out." He glances back and sees a gas truck jackknifed in the center of the road. Vinnie slams on his brakes; his vehicle skids sideways, crashing into the truck.

***

"How's the spy business going, sergeant?" The captain asks as he walks over to her desk. They were able to put a roving bug on Jimmy and the babysitter's phone.

It's been quiet, so far."

"It's still early. Where's Jerry?"

"I sent him out to get a real meal."

"A real meal?"

"Food not loaded with sugar and fat."

"He's on a junk food kick again, is he?"

"His desk was covered with wrappers when I came in."

"I'll have a talk with him, find out what's going on."

"Remind him about what his doctor said."

"I will, but you know how stubborn he can be when it comes to his sweets."

"Yeah, I know. I married one just like him."

"I'm not that bad."

"You would be if I didn't nag you all the time."

Hearing someone clomping across the station, they turn to see Jerry running towards them. "Captain, sergeant, I just heard the news."

"What news, Jerry?"

"The suspects the police were chasing were killed in an explosion. Evidently, they hit a gas truck jackknifed across the road. There's one survivor, he's in critical condition at the hospital."

"Why wasn't I notified about this?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Head on down to the hospital, take Kirk with you."

"Copy that, captain."

***

After what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Jimmy sees the staff slowly migrate towards the door. That can't be a good sign, he thinks, watching them slide past. Grabbing hold of the nurse who shooed him out he asks, "Is she alright?" 

"The doctor will be out to talk to you shortly." Patting his hand, she walks away.

"No, not Jen, please not Jen," he sobs.

The doctor steps up beside him. "Mr. Campbell?"

Jimmy starts to correct him but then thinks better of it and asks, "How is she, is she going to be alright?"

"Her condition is stable for now, but we need to get her into surgery as soon as we can. I have my nurses searching the data banks for a donner now."

"And the baby?"

"She seems to be alright too, for now."

"Thank you doc, thank you."

"We have another option I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it, doc, what?"

"It's the stem cell treatment. I haven't mentioned it to you before because it's still in clinical stages."

"Go on."

"The risks are a lot higher than a normal transplant, and there's no guarantee of success. On the other hand, there's no guarantee a heart will become available in time." He didn't want to mention the possible candidate in the ED until he was sure of compatibility, and that his family would agree.

"What are her chances if she has this procedure?"

He hands Jimmy a tablet. "As you can see, the mortality rate is rather small, 3.4%. It's the irreversible damage that concerns me. He points to 37.9%.

"So she has a 50/50 chance this procedure will work."

"Give or take."

"That's not great odds, doc." He hands the tablet back.

"We'll keep looking for a donor, but it's something to consider, just in case."

"I appreciate it, doctor, I really do." The doctor starts to leave when another question comes to mind. Jimmy reaches out to stop him. "Can I go see her?"

"Of course."

Jen holds out her hand when she sees Jimmy step into the room. He runs over and scoops it off the bed.

"You made me worry sick."

"It was no picnic for me either."

"I bet not. I just spoke to the doctor, and he said you need a transplant soon. He also mentioned something about stem cell research, did he talk to you about it?"

"Yeah, but it's really risky."

"It may be the only choice you have."