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Yellow Cab.
    Max slipped on the shorts, tee-shirt, and tennis shoes Steve had delivered, before pocketing his badge and wallet from the drawer of the small rolling cabinet next to his bed.  When he stepped out the door, the first person he saw was the reserve officer, not Cartwright this time, who was sitting in a chair, back against the wall, playing a game on his iPad.
    “What’s up?” the officer said, turning the screen away so Max couldn’t see what he was doing.
    “I’m outta here,” Max said under his breath.
    “You’ve been released?”
    “I’m good to go.  You can go home …or wherever.”
    Their conversation caught the attention of a male nurse at the station practically across from Max’s room.  “Hey, whoa man, what’s going on?  You haven’t been released yet.  You gotta stay until you’re released.”
    Max felt his face flush and his anger start to rise.  “Don’t worry about it.  I’m fine.  I’m checking myself out.  Put down whatever you gotta put down in my chart.  You’re off the hook.  This is all on me.”
    “Look, let me call the doctor.  At least let me run it by him.”
    “You can call whoever you gotta call, I’m leaving.”
    “You sure about this?” the reserve asked.  “Maybe you outta wait.”
    “I’m sure,” Max said.
    The nurse got his man up and said, “You can’t go anywhere until the doctor says so.”
    Another nurse, this one a woman, walked over, touched Max’s shoulder, and said, “Come on, Mr. Calloway, at least let’s check your vitals, call the doctor, make sure we’re not jumping the gun here.”
    “ We’re not doing anything, I am.”  Max had enough. He turned and started walking toward the elevator with the reserve officer trailing behind.
    The male nurse said, “At least let us get you a wheelchair.  It’s policy.”
    Without turning around, Max said, “Do I look like I need a wheelchair?”
    Max and the reserve officer followed the signs to the front lobby.  The reserve said, “Uh, you know, I gotta call this in.  They’ll have my butt if I don’t.”
    “Yeah, I know.  Don’t worry about it.”
    The reserve chuckled, “I’ll give you a head start, though.”
    Max stood at the drive-up circle in front of the hospital with the reserve officer right next to him, waiting for the cab.
    From around the corner of the hospital, Max saw an ambulance driving out toward the street with a male behind the wheel.  Before reaching the street it came to an abrupt stop, remained motionless for a few seconds, backed-up, and turned toward him.
    What’s this, Max thought, the hospital police?
    The ambulance pulled to a stop with the driver looking at him.  The passenger leaned forward into view and asked, “They released you?”
    “Myra.  What is it with everyone around here?  I’m good to go.”
    “What I thought,” she said shaking her head.  She looked forward, out the windshield, as if she was trying to make up her mind, before saying, “Come on, we’ll give you a ride home.”
    Her partner, the driver, turned toward her and said something that she replied to.  He looked forward then, seemingly annoyed, and she repeated, “Come on.  We don’t have all day.  Get in.”
    He watched her get out of the ambulance, walk around to his side of the vehicle, and open the side door, nodding him inside.
    His first instinct was to tell her he didn’t need a ride, he could take care of himself, but something moved his feet forward, toward the open door.
    As he stepped inside, he winced and exhaled.
    “Feel good?” Myra asked but not really asking at all.
    “Piece of cake.  Nothing to it,” Max said gritting his teeth.
    “Sure it is.”

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
    JUNE 6 TH
    D Day Anniversary
     
     
    As usual, Steve didn’t knock.  He just walked in unannounced, like he owned the place.
    Beth, on the other hand, hung back at the door and shouted, “Hello?  You decent?” before stepping over the threshold and