Idioms...sayings understood by native people part fifty six

Charlie noticed the scowl on Jenny's face and that tall man that Rick kept away from them last night. He awkwardly stepped in front of Jenny and Lynn as the man approached them.

"Charlie? What are you doing?"

"Wick doesn't like this man. Charlie doesn't like him either."

"Honey, you need to step back."  Lynn stated quietly.  Lest that man would hear them.

"No. Wick doesn't want this man to be around you."

John came up to a tall obviously mentally challenged guy standing between him and his goal.

"Well, this is interesting. You are that retarded guy that carried Sara away last night."

"My name is Charlie.  You need to go away." The boy did not move.

"What? Are you going to keep me from thanking Miss Lundstrom here for taking care of Carl and Sara?"

Charlie blinked at that. "Charlie will tell her."

At least he is predictable, thought John. "Charlie... Humnn. That is a good name."

"Yes."

John held out his hand. "My name is John. John Matthews. I am Rick's Uncle."

Charlie looked at the hand, not sure what to do. He turned and smiled, relieved. "Wick?"

"Hey, Charlie. Here. Why don't you and the girls go get Carl something to drink and eat?" Handing the boy some cash. He turned to his Uncle.

"What are you doing here?"

"Rick...Rick...Rick... You know you are only one guy. You can't protect them all. Especially that retarded kid, he is just too easy."

"I don't know about that, John. He took you on for awhile."

John rolled his eyes as he watched that blond put her arm through Charlie's with a brunette on the other side walking away. He sighed.

"Uncle John, what can you possibly want here?"

John smiled. "I don't know, Rick. Do you believe in love at first sight? I didn't. Not till I saw that woman take on A.J. It was choice."

"I think you had better leave that one alone. She will clean your clock. Besides, she is already spoken for."

"Really?" John sighed again. "Ah, she is the one who Carl is hung up on. Right? I read her dossier." Thinking how small a world it was that his son who did those horrible things to her, saved his father's life. "Anyway, I am here to see about Sara. How is her surgery going?"

"Her surgery?"

"Yes. No information patients are easily found out about when one has the right password." He paused watching Rick's face. "Contracts... right?"

Rick closed his eyes. A miscalculation on his part but that would soon get remedied.

"Shall we go to the waiting area? It would be a shame if no one from the main family were here to find out if Sara lives or dies?"

"Uncle John, you do not need to be here."

"Rick, I don't see how you can stop me. It is a free country." He started to walk towards the waiting area.

---

A gurney came by. A young man held onto his mother's hand as they neared the surgery entrance. He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Mom, I will be waiting for you. Right here. Okay?"

Scott stood and watched his mom leave thru the automatic doors of the OR. He sighed and turned to find a place to sit.

Lynn waved to him and he smiled taking a seat beside her. "Small world, isn't it?"

"Yes. We have someone in emergency surgery right now."

"Ah, well, mom is just getting her hip replaced."

Lynn reached over and squeezed his hand. "There is no "just" about surgery, is there?"

"Yeah." He got quiet.

John walked up to the chairs. Carl was sitting in a wheel chair. That blond bombshell was sitting beside him, holding his hand. That retarded kid was on the other side. The brunette was beside him and....

"Now I know this cannot be the young FBI agent I saw in the Chief's office." John stated outloud.

Scott shot straight up. "M...Mr. Mathews?"

"Well, what are you doing here?"

"M..m..my mother is having her hip surgery replaced."

"Ah, and you know..." waving his hand over the group sitting there beside him.

Lynn got up suddenly. "He is an old friend from college. We just happened to be here on the same day." Lynn glanced at Jen.

She laughed. "Yeah, We go way back." She hit him on the shoulder, "But, you work for the FBI? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I am sorry. I just didn't get the chance."  Rubbing his shoulder.

"We have a lot to catch up on. Come on." Lynn grabbed his arm. Jenny grabbed his other one as they headed back to the vending machines.

John arched an eyebrow watching the trio, wondering if they really thought they had pulled that off.

Rick sat down beside Carl.

"Uncle John, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to see how your mother was doing?"

"Right." He looked up at his  youngest Uncle. "I don't want you to be here."

John sat down on a chair beside the man. "Give my a break, Carl. I really am here to tell you how sorry I am this all happened."

"If you were that sorry, you would have stopped this a long time ago."

"What? Like you dad would ever listen to me?" He paused. "Listen, Carl. I am trying to keep your friends from getting into trouble. If this goes to trial,  they will arrest that kid Charlie and your girlfriend for assault and kidnapping."

"Uncle John. Leave.  The police already know Charlie and my FIANCE are innocent."

"I am only trying to help."

"Go to hell, Uncle John."

"Here. These are for your mother." He handed the bouquet to Carl, who refused to take them and so John placed them into his lap.

"Mom always hated roses. She said it always reminded her of funerals."

"I know." He got up and left to look for those troublesome women and that worrisome guy.

---

"What do you mean the arraignment was postponed? What the hell do we pay you guys for?"

The chairman was livid. A.J. still sat in a holding cell.

"Then get me some real lawyers." He hung up. He looked over at his box of porn magazines. They appeared like they hadn't been touched. How could those contracts have been found... His cell rang. He looked at the id and took a deep breath, plastering a smile on his face.

"Hi, dad."

"So you saw the meeting video?"

"Yes, well if A.J. had been there we would have carried the decision but he wasn't so... Delay the vote? Dad, how could I have done that? Come on... I mean, Really?"

"Dad, you set the rules for the contest."

"Dad."

"Dad, listen. Carl is in the hospital right now. You know that right?"

"Dad. I can't help it. Rick is now the CO. It will free me up for other things."

"As far as I know Sara is still alive."

"I know dad, we are supposed to keep our wives in line. A.J. was doing that."

"I know. Sara was always a rebel, that's all."

"Dad, not everyone is made like Mom. You know?"

"Fine. I will call you when I hear from you."

The Chairman sat in his chair and sighed. If one more thing happens...

The cell went off.

The Chairman picked it up. "Sheriff?"

"What? What do you mean that the state is taking over the autopsy?"

"What?"

"Stop them."

"This was a local event. Why would the state get involved?"

"Fine. One body won't reveal that much. Just give that surgeon a heads up to get out of town."

"We will have his bonus ready. No problem."

"Thanks."

The Chairman got on his phone. "Chris?"

"Yeah, prepare the retirement check for Dr. Smith. You heard me."

"Oh, and Chris, we are gonna have to pay for another set of lawyers. Our guys can't do criminal law. "

"I know. Just cut the check."

---

Scott sat down at the vending machines.

"Look, Scott, right?"

"We have to know did you go to State?"

"Yeah."

"What was your major?"

"Computer Science."

Jen and Lynn looked at each other.

"Did you minor in anything?"

"Um, Psychology and Criminology. Why?"

"Great. How old are you?"

"Twenty six."

"Fine. In our Senior year we picked up a lot of psychology credits.. a lot of them were 200 courses so... We met there. You were the computer whiz, we were the business majors. Understand?"

Jenny looked at this geeky guy dressed in a torn tee shirt and jeans.

"Is this how you dressed in college?"

"Of course."

"And you really are an FBI agent?"

"Yeah."

Lynn looked him over. "How did that guy know?"

"He met me in the Chief's office. Ah, my cover is blown. I wasn't supposed to show my face. That guy already knows I work with the Cyber squad. Damn."

John started to go for the kill so to speak as he headed for the trio. When his cell phone rang, he saw it was the Chairman. "Hello."

"What do you mean get over there now?"

"Look this is my day off to play."

"I will be over in a couple of hours or so."

He hung up.

The girls were laughing as Jenny smacked the nerdy guy on the shoulder again.

Aren't you guys playing this a little too hard? John thought as he approached.

to be continued.