The Medusa Deception

Chapter 28

MARCONI'S EYELIDS FLICKERED then opened, squinting as his pupils adjusted to the bright light. Past the oxygen mask on his face, he spotted his brother and dad at his bedside, looking worried.

Dino pushed the mask aside. "Hey," he said, his voice coarse and raspy. He tried to swallow, but settled for painfully clearing his throat.

His brother Frankie grabbed the styrofoam cup of water from the bedside table and held the straw to his lips. He sipped the cool liquid, letting it soak and rinse his mouth, then swallowed, moistening his parched throat.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Son," Dominic Marconi, his father, said.

"Yeah, welcome back to the land of the living little brother," Frankie said.

Dino shifted to a more upright position. His head pounded, but his thoughts were blissfully lucid. The dizzying cobwebs of the drug had been replaced by the throbbing pain of a headache. It felt like he'd been hit by a Mack truck, but it was good to be alive. Feeling pain was a luxury he thought he'd never feel again.

A man in a white coat entered the room holding a clipboard. "I see our patient is awake." He smiled.

"Yes, thank you, doctor. How's my boy doing?" Dom asked.

"Well," he said, consulting the chart, "Once the Naloxone was administered, the effects of the heroin were counteracted almost immediately. But before that could happen, he coded twice and had to be resuscitated with paddles."

Turning to Dino, the doctor said, "You're very fortunate, Mr. Marconi. You were brought in just in time."

"Call me Dino. In this room he's Mr. Marconi." Dino motioned to his dad.

"Of course," the doctor agreed, then went on to explain the myriad of his other ailments. Once his condition had stabilized, the gash over his left eye required eighteen stitches, his feet required a full hour of surgery to remove debris and stitch up tears, his ankle had been x-rayed, and he'd received a CAT scan to check for brain injury. Other than a mild concussion, his brain didn't show any areas of concern. The swelling would be monitored, but no permanent damage was anticipated. His ankle was not broken, but severely sprained. It'd been raised and iced. The swelling had started to abate, but his entire foot and ankle displayed a grotesque swirl of black and blue. His left eye was blackened and an IV unit was replenishing his fluids. He was a train wreck with a good prognosis. It was looking like he'd make a complete recovery.

"Thank you, doctor," Dino said.

"Yes, thanks for taking good care of my boy," Dom said, shaking the doctor's hand at the door.

Once they were alone, Dino asked, "Who else knows I'm alive?"

"Just us, so far. Dispatch called me directly. What's going on?" Dom asked.

"Who else?"

"The hospital staff know who you are of course, but I haven't filed a report yet. Dispatch doesn't know. You arrived with no ID."

"Does Mom know?"

"No, I haven't had the heart to tell her. She's gonna go ballistic. Only Frankie and I know from the family. What's this about, Son?"

Dino filled them in on the case, including the likely involvement of the Superintendent, Dom's boss, and the attempt on his life by hired mercenaries. He paused repeatedly in his story to moisten his throat. His brother and dad assaulted him with questions, their expressions growing more stern with every detail.

"I'll kill the bastard!" Dom erupted. "Nobody messes with the Marconi's and gets away with it!"

"Dad, that's not how I want this to go down. I have a plan to take down the entire cult. Going off half-cocked to take out one man isn't gonna get the job done, so listen up."