idioms...sayings understood by native speakers part forty one

Scott filed the paperwork and headed out of the office after contacting the assistant chief.

"Scott, you aren't going off to do something idiotic again, are you?"

"Ah, no, sir. My mom really does have to get her hip replaced. I just need to take two weeks to make sure she gets into a good rehab center and all. Why do you ask?"

The man sighed. "Because of last time."

"I know, but, sir, I learned my lesson. I am no field agent. But did last time turn out so badly?"

The man behind the desk glared at the young computer geek in front of him.

"Just because it turned out all right, does not make the fact that you did not follow procedure right."

"Yes, Sir."

The man turned to leave and as he got to the door, the assistant chief said, "Scott?"

The man cringed inside as he reached for the door knob.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Be careful." then he paused, adding. "Give your mom best wishes from the Bureau, okay?"

Sighing, Scott stated another "Yes, Sir." Opening the door, he almost made it out when he heard...

"Scott, I am sending you an email with all of my contact numbers. I expect you to use it if you ever need help."

"Ah, er, yes, Sir."

Scott sat on the plane, cell phone in hand, he mapped out his itinerary for the next week and sent it to his mom, with this message.

"I am sorry I won't be there for your operation, but something has come up and I have to go check it out.. I do plan on being there when you wake up. But if anyone asks about me, tell them i am there with you, okay? I love you, mom. see ya soon."

He turned off his phone and fastened his seat belt preparing for take off.

---

Dejuan glanced over at his brother. "You really think ChuckE was right?"

"He seemed frightened enough to pee his pants when he talked to us, Bro. But without evidence, how are we going to prove any of this?" Deshaun sat in front of his computer, thinking. Then started to type away "Bro, look at these stats. Our hometown is off the charts in this."

"What?"

"We have the same demographic make up as New York or Los Angeles, percentage wise. We have every nationality living here."

"So we are diversified."

"Never thought diversity could be a curse."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean it is like a farmer's market you can pick and choose from."

"You really are going to try to prove that hacker's rumor?"

" Look... It says here that blood typing and in some circumstances, tissue typing, based on nationality, are the two most crucial things to match... and look at this. Type O blood and mixed nationalities are the hardest to find."

"That's an odd thing. I thought type O was the most common."

"It is. But folks with type O are the only ones who can get Type O." He punched some more keys to further his search. "Crap."

"What, Deshaun? You are kinda giving me the creeps."

He hit more buttons. As he read, he started to break a sweat.

"Dejuan...Look at these statistics of our town and the comparison of New York and Los Angeles."

"That can't be true."

"It is. According to this, our town would be grade A for organ donation. I always thought of this town belonging to the Matthews was only on a financial level. Who would have thought this could go on?"

"Look for this to happen we would have an inordinate amount of deaths, right? Especially among young people?"

"I already checked into that. Look."

"How can this be? How can we match the percentages of violent death and accidents of New York and LA. among the twenty to thirty groups?"

"I don't know. You tell me... I mean who do we know that could even think of this kind of business, let alone finance the operation."

They both looked at each other and the answer was obvious.

A knock came to the door. Surprise was written on both of the twins' faces. Deshaun went to the closet and grabbed his gun, handing Dejuan his.

"I wasn't expecting anyone. Were you?"

"Nope." Dejuan looked at him. "Don't you think this might be a little paranoid?"

"Nope."

Dejuan stood in front of the door. Deshaun, up against the wall, with gun in hand nodded.

Dejuan asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me. Open up."

As he opened the door, he smiled. "Scott?"

---

Lynn stayed quiet. Rick got to his house and invited them in, while he got changed. Lynn sat on the couch, while Charlie looked around, here and there. He went into the room Jen was staying in and found it, he smiled.

Meanwhile, Rick emerged in his suit and then went to the box they had stored to keep all evil things away from Jenny. He found the first aid kit and went into the living room. As he sat down beside Lynn he gently took her hand and laid it in his lap as he opened some antiseptic.

"Why would he threaten Charlie?" Lynn asked. She sighed. "Rick? Is he going to try to use my brother somehow?"

"No.. well, yes... I am sure his next line would have been that all charges would be dropped if you just ... " he sighed trying to find the best words..." are nice to him."

"What?" Lynn asked. "I don't get this... I don't understand any of this."

Rick looked at her, then concentrated on wiping her hand off. "Lynn. Men are about conquering. If someone says no to us, we go out of our way to get what we want."

"All men?"

"Yes."

"Even you?"

"Yes. Why do you think I am still working for that SOB?"

"Rick, that is stupid."

"Yes. But it is how the Matthews are made. It is how I am made." He applied some antibiotic cream and then grabbed a roll of gauze.

"Rick, thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving Charlie and me."

"I didn't do anything."

"If you had not been there, I might have caved."

"No. You wouldn't. I dare say that my father might have had his shoulder knocked off with you poking it, though."

Lynn smiled at him. Rick just laughed at the visual. Lynn stopped and frowned. She hit her head with her gauzed wrapped hand. Rick grabbed it to stop the unwinding process.

"Oh, no. What about Jenny?" She paused. "Rick?"

"Ah, er, Jenny should be with Carl right now."

"Really?"

"Yes." He finished wrapping the loose ends, and then said, "Call her, if you don't believe me." As he applied tape to the gauze, he looked into her troubled face.

She sighed. "I do believe you. I just want to hear her voice." As she grabbed her cell out of her pocket and hit speed dial.

---

Jenny sat in Carl's car while he went into the house. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone right now.

Carl entered the mansion quickly and took the steps up to his room two at a time. He changed quickly and opened his door just as his mother appeared with one hand raised to knock.

"Mother? What is it? I am in kind of a hurry."

"The servants said you were here. Are you all right?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just haven't seen you in a while...that's all." Her temple showed yellowed out bruising and Carl reached up to touch it.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No." She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it down holding it.

"Carl?" She paused, swallowing hard. "Do you hate me?"

"What?" He laughed. "Mom, how could I hate you? You're my mom?"

"But I never protected you, from..." Tears started to form..."all this."

"Mom. I am not stupid, you know."

"What?" She let go of his hand.

Carl reached out and pulled her into a hug. He whispered, "I remember when I was ten and Dad came into my bedroom. You were tucking me in. He demanded you to come right now.... You told him you would be right there. He slapped you right in front of me." He paused. "I stood up to him and started to pommel him and when I went flying, you covered me while he beat you. You always protected me, Mom. I just wish you would protect yourself." Then he let her go.

"I am not ten anymore. I am a man. You do not have to worry about me. I want you to be happy. I want you to find strength... the same strength that took that beating for me and get away from here." He placed his hands on her shoulders, then, bent down to look into those beautiful kind green eyes.

"You are my mom. I will always love you. But if you stay with that man, I cannot protect you. Just say the word, and I will move heaven and earth to help you escape. Okay?"

---

Larry looked around at the rehab hospital that Sal found for him and Joey in Lansing County. It seemed like a nice place. He and Joey were wheeled into their room. Four beds, laid out like a college dorm, save no bunk beds, the nurse introduced them to their roommates. A short young African American man with odd shaped eyes and two casts on his legs, waved at them from his bed.

"Hi, I am Mike Trang"

"Hi. My name is Larry Johnson. This is my friend, Joey. We are roommates huh?"

"Yes. At least for a little while... I should be done with my rehab by next week."

Joey smiled. "Trang? That is an odd name."

"Yeah, for here. It is Vietnamese. My grandfather came over here just before Saigon fell."

"Wow."

"Who is in that bed?"

"Well, that is Miguel's bed. He is at a doctor's appointment. It seems like he is having kidney problems."

"Oh."

"How did you get hurt?" Looking at the two men in wheel chairs.

"Ah, we got beat up. And you?"

"Ah, my brakes failed on my motorbike. Good thing I had my helmet on, I came this close to being an organ donor."

Joey laughed. "Yeah, I would not be caught dead without a helmet, right, Larry?"

"You got that right."

They laughed...

to be continued.

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