The midnight hour found Tim in a hospital room on the second floor of Central Vermont Medical center, waiting for Jon to wake up. The doctors had removed the bullet and confirmed the paramedic’s initial assessment. He would have to wear a cast for at least a week, but, other than that, he was going to be just fine.

Despite his sleep deprivation, Tim was still so adrenaline-rushed that he would not even consider sleeping. The events of that night kept swirling in his mind, not allowing him a moment’s peace. He was right to believe that he would remember everything for the rest of his life, but, more than anything, he would recall Josephine’s heartbreaking expression and the moment that she announced to him that she could not forgive him.

“Timmy…” Jon murmured in a drowsy tone, slowly opening his eyes. “Where am I?”

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Tim teased him. “Nice of you to join us; we’re still in Vermont. Oh, and don’t call me that.”

“Just kidding,” Jon smiled up at him. “You look like hell, you know that?”

“I haven’t slept in two days.” Tim replied.

“Go get some rest. I’ll be fine.” Jon claimed. “Where’s your girl?”

It was the question that Tim had been dreading. His face hardened; he even squeezed his lips tightly shut, unwilling to answer.

“I’m waiting.” Jon insisted.

Tim sighed. “It’s over. She said she couldn’t forgive me.”

“Oh, man…” Jon gave a huff of exasperation. “Talk about ungrateful. You put your ass on the line for her and that’s how she repays you? I mean, come o – ”

“It’s complicated,” Tim interrupted. “What happened out there, Jonny? Do you remember anything?”

“Well, yeah! I remember just about everything.” Jon said a little more forcefully. “That Laura girl is one crazy chick.”

“Tell me about it.” Tim snorted. “Do you remember anything else?”

“Her goons didn’t hurt us. I resisted: they roughed me up a bit; but that’s about it. They didn’t touch your girl. But now, Laura?” Jon paused, “She wouldn’t leave Josephine alone.”

“What did she do?” Tim wondered.

“Well…” Jon started, “she did a lot of things. She didn’t get… physical or anything, but she did a lot worse than that. She kept talking about how she seduced you. Your girl didn’t believe Laura at first, but she wouldn’t let up. She only believed it, when she showed her a naked picture of you. I saw it, too.”

“Can TV’s take pictures?” Tim interjected one more question.

“If it’s got a built-in web camera: sure.” Jon responded. “But, the system has to be on. No power? No picture.”

“That fucking whore!” Tim shouted, kicking a stool in front of him.

“Take it easy, big man.” Jon tried to placate him. “You don’t want to get kicked out of here.”

“You’re right…” Tim drew in a sharp breath, running his hand through his hair. “Go on.”

“As I was saying, Laura wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace. She taunted her a lot, kept saying ‘how good you were in bed, how you paid attention to detail.’ That’s a direct quote, by the way. At some point, Josephine passed out. Laura wouldn’t allow her men anywhere near her. She said she’d take care of it herself. She just left her there, lying on the floor, until the poor girl woke up. I felt for her, man. I really did. You know what? Now that I think about it? Maybe…” Jon faltered. “Maybe she’s not totally wrong to not want you back.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tim said in a voice filled with confusion.

“That girl just spent 36 hours of her life locked up in a tiny little room, 24 of which she had to listen to the same old story about her boyfriend going out with the bitch who fucked everything up in her life. She got brainwashed. If I was her, I’d never want to see you again: ever.” Jon voiced his opinion.

“I was lonely, Jonny. I screwed up.” Tim confessed. “I just wanted to feel a little better. It didn’t mean anything.”

“Laura also wanted to know if you guys had a song.” Jon continued. “Your girl told her. After you guys went out, she came over and bragged about how she had used it to make you feel even worse. She knows a thing or two about psychology; I’ll say that much.”

“We underestimated her.” Tim concluded. “So now we’re paying the price. I keep wondering about what the hell I can do to change her mind, but I can’t find anything.”

“Is that so?” There was doubt in Jon’s still drug slurred voice. “I talked to your girl yesterday. In fact, we talked a lot. She told me all about you guys. She loves you a lot, but, she had a tiny little complaint about you.”

“What’s that?” Tim was intrigued.

“She said –and I quote- ‘He never liked the job of a security guard. He didn’t care if he was going to get fired or not. He just loves being called a “misfit”. Doesn’t he want to do anything in his life, other than breaking into people’s houses?’” Jon’s few sentences relit his hope. It seemed that Josephine disliked the fact that he was always ready and willing to go back to being an outlaw, but had not shared it with him. His short conversation with David flashed through his mind. He did like the idea of becoming a fireman, but had not given it much thought yet.

“She never said she wanted me to go legit.” He claimed. “You just gave me an idea.”

“I’m just telling you what I heard, man.” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “What idea?”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Tim winked at him. “I need to check it out first. Goodnight.”