Page 41 of Iron Will
Maybe Mickey’s smarter than he seems. Maybe he suspected we were trying to set him up, somehow. If so, that could mean Katie’s in danger.Should I go check on her? Should I—
It’s at that moment, just when I’m starting to work myself into a real panic, that I hear the shouting. Mickey’s unmistakeable voice resounds down the hall, followed by a loud crash, then more yelling.
“Fuck you, man! I didn’t do nothin’! This is fuckingbullshit, man! I’llkickyour ass!”
I join a rapidly forming group of curious people, now moving down the corridor in the direction of the noise.Thank God for gawkers. On the way, I pass Katie, heading in the other direction. As she passes me, she catches my eye, reaches out her hand, and gives me a low-five without stopping.
Rounding the corner is a uniformed police officer, about thirty years old, in good shape with just the beginnings of a receding hairline. He looks like Prince William, if Prince William packed on about thirty pounds of muscle and the beginnings of a dad bod. He’s pushing a handcuffed Mickey in front of him, who’s still struggling and yelling intermittently.
Belatedly, I realize I need to be acting like someone who doesn’t know what’s going on.
“What happened?” I call to the officer as he passes, loud enough for people to hear me ask.
“Just caught this guy breaking into one of the med dispensaries,” he answers when he sees my hospital lanyard. Thankfully, we haven’t met, so he has no idea I’m in on the whole thing. “Caught him in a scuffle with one of the nurses in a room with a med dispensary machine. He was stuffing fistfuls of Vicodin and anything else he could get his hands on into his pockets.”
“It ain’t what it looked like!” Mickey yells.
“Like hell it ain’t,” the cop says, pushing him forward. “You have the right to remain silent, you piece of shit, and I highly suggest for your own benefit you do so.”
I barely manage to suppress my elated laughter as I watch the policeman continue to drag Mickey down the hallway. I lag about ten feet behind the rest of the crowd that’s formed, biting back a smile.
My amusement is short-lived, though, when the door to Paisley’s room opens. Bethany comes out just in time to watch her boyfriend being led away in cuffs. And of course, unlike me, she’s not at all happy to see it.
“Mickey!” she cries out. “What’s going on?”
“They’re fuckin’ arrestin’ my ass!” he yells back. “You gotta get me out!”
“What for?” she cries. But the officer pushes him in the back again and tells him to shut up before Mickey can reply.
“You sit tight,” I tell Bethany, feeling suddenly guilty. “Go in with Paisley. I’ll be back in a second to tell you everything I can find out.”
Yoda comes out of Paisley’s room to lead her back inside. Reluctantly, Bethany goes with him. The officer pushes Mickey into the elevators, and I take the stairs down so I can honestly report back. I rush to the front entrance just in time to beat them there.
“Excuse me, officer,” I say hurriedly. “This man’s girlfriend has a child who’s a patient here. What should I tell her about what happens next?”
The cop gives me an impassive look, then cocks his head. He seems to be considering whether to answer me, but his eyes flick down to my lanyard and badge. Finally, he shrugs. “I’m taking him down to the station to book him into the jail. There’ll be a bond schedule, so he could pay right away to get out.” His eyes glint with just a hint of amusement. “But I guarantee you, he can’t afford it.”
Back upstairs,I find Yoda consoling Bethany, who’s freaking out.
“What am I going to do?” she wails, distraught. “I don’t have any money to get him out!”
For the first time, it occurs to me that it’s possible we may have just added to her problems instead of helping her. Of course she’d feel like it’s her job to bail Mickey out of jail. My stomach starts to churn as I worry this was all a big mistake.
But then Yoda speaks up.
“He got himself into this,” he soothes her. “He can get his own self out. This ain’t your problem, Bethany.”
“But…”
“No buts. He’s a grown-ass man.” He glances at Paisley and winks. “Sorry about the bad word, sweetheart.”
Paisley giggles. “It’s okay.”
“Mickey was coming to take us home,” Bethany murmurs. “He’s still got the keys to my car! I…”
“I’ll get y’all home,” Yoda says, interrupting her. “You’ll be fine.”
Bethany looks at him and smiles gratefully.