— Chapter Thirteen —
The sound of three zips being opened, followed by the sound of three high stream jets of water hitting a wall and finally, three long satisfied ‘ahhs!’ signalled that Nick, Stu and Spock had made it to the alley at the side of the hotel, and relieving themselves of excess fluid, to make room for more beer.
A thud, groan, followed by another loud thud and then a yelp.
Stu, leant with one hand supporting himself against the wall, turned to face Spock and casually enquired
“Did somebody just fall on your head?”
Spock wiped his now sodden hand down his shorts and slurred
“Yes, matey, it would appear so,”
They both looked to where Nick had been standing moments earlier. They looked down upon a laid out Nick, and a small Thai man lying prostrate across him.
Spock glanced at his old friend Stu.
“I suppose I’ll get the blame for this, too.”
Spock and Stu rapidly finished with their squirts, and went to help the two fallen men. Spock picked up Dam, who was conscious, but a bit shaken and confused.
Stu went over to assist Nick. He noticed something shining on the floor, so he picked up the object, slipped it in his pocket and asked Nick if he was okay.
“No, I am not bloody okay,” said an indignant Nick, who spat a white object into his hand. Spock and Stu helped the two injured men to their feet. Nick had a large gash on the back of his head, were he had hit it against the floor.
Dam was groggy and mumbled in Thai. Spock and Stu couldn’t understand the Thai, but noticed a large dark stain over the shoulder of his jacket.
“Come on,” said Stu, and he supported Nick.
Spock carried the weak, but light Dam. They headed out of the alley, and into the nearest bar.
Miguel came rushing out of the hotel, as the four turned the corner, still cursing and with gun in hand. He stopped and stared at the group as he took aim, and then lowered his arm as they disappeared around the end of the alley.
The two injured men were sat down. The girls at the bar came over to help, although avoided the Thai man, after they had noticed blood coming from his shoulder. They guessed it was a drug related wound, either way they did not want any involvement and turned their attention to Nick.
Now in the light, Spock and Stu noticed that the dark stain on Dam’s jacket was blood. They looked at one another, unsure of what to do. An anxious mamasan told them to get the injured men to hospital as soon as possible. She said that she would call the police and she informed them that Pattaya Bangkok Memorial Hospital was only a few Sois away. The girls tended to Nick, and eased his todger back into his sodden shorts and zipped up his flies, and dabbed at the urine that covered the front of his shorts with some tissues. Nick took a clean tissue from one girl and wrapped up his denture, which had been knocked out by Dam. He put the tissue wrapped package into his shirt pocket. He looked like a vampire with no front teeth. All that remained between his remaining canine teeth, where small metal rods that the crowns were stuck to.
To break the sombre mood, Spock removed his upper denture and offered them to a rather unimpressed Nick.
“Here mate, you can use mine,” he smiled.
Nick just moaned about how much they had cost, and would be expensive to replace.
Miguel had thought about what to do next. He did not want to leave any loose ends, which is what Dam had now become. Although things hadn’t gone according to plan, his main fear wasn’t that Dam would talk to the Police, he wasn’t scared of them, he was however terrified of Dam. Miguel knew once Dam had regained his strength he would come to hunt him down and he knew this assassin easily could kill him, ‘so I have to finish it now,’ he thought. He had decided to walk up to the bar, shoot Dam in the head and in the ensuing panic, he would run back down to the alley and into the Dolphin Hotel, and lie low until the dust settled. He had $1,000,000, and knew that a fraction of that could buy his way out of anything. ‘Yes,’ he thought, ‘that is a good plan.’
It was the last thought he ever had.
The mamasan flagged down a Baht bus, and gave instructions to the driver. Spock carried Dam into the bus and laid him on a bench. Stu helped Nick, who complained about feeling sick and dizzy.
“So do I,” thought Stu, “It’s called being spannered.”
They climbed onto the bus. People had gathered around them, curious by the ongoing activity. Nobody noticed that from the alley, a large, brilliant white plume, shot up into the night sky for an instant and, like a lightning flash was gone.
The Baht bus arrived at Pattaya Bangkok Memorial Hospital accident and emergency department, Stu went inside and returned a few moments later with a nurse and ancillary staff. They all helped get the two injured men off the bus and into the casualty department. The casualty staff were efficient and, while Stu and Spock sat in the waiting room, the two injured men are taken behind some large swing doors and into a treatment area
Approximately 30 minutes later, a doctor came out. He introduced himself and asked what had happened. He spoke English and Spock and Stu had no problem understanding, but they couldn’t be much help and told the doctor what they had seen. The doctor went on to explain that the Thai man had a bullet in his shoulder that would be removed when the emergency theatre team arrived. He then informed them that Nick had a nasty laceration, and a concussion. The doctor explained that they would both be admitted to hospital. They intended to suture and observe Nick, although he would probably be released the next day. The Thai would be treated for his gunshot wound and, as nobody knew who he was, turned over to police custody. He told Stu and Spock that they would have to pay for two private rooms, as the Thai didn’t have any money on him, and their friend kept passing out when money was mentioned.
Stu handed over 4000 Baht, which they both thought the right thing to do. They felt sorry for the Thai man and it would stop Nick whining so much when he was released.
“Oh, and by the way,” said the doctor. “Your friend asked me to give you these and asked you if you would keep them safe.”
He handed Stu the tissue paper containing Nick’s false teeth. Stu slipped them in his shirt pocket. They left the hospital and caught a bike taxi back to the hotel.
The girls had spent the evening laughing and joking about conquests, foreigners, food and shopping. They became spannered on the whisky and wine coolers that the lads had left them.
Spock and Stu entered the room, which went from raucous laughter, to a guilty silence.
“Where’s Nick?” slurred Luanne.
Spock explained that a Thai man fell on his head, bounced off him and landed on Nick, who now had to stay in hospital overnight. There was a stunned silence, and then the three girls burst out laughing, joined in by Spock and Stu.
After the merriment had died down, Luanne announced that she had better go to check on Nick. She left the room still chuckling to herself.
While the others planned what to do next. Stu put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out the golden jewel encrusted box. They all stared at it for a moment and then Dao asked.
“What is it?”
Stu turned the box over and they all looked.
“I don’t know, there is a lid, but it doesn’t seem to open,” said Stu.
He handed the box to Spock who looked at it, then started pushing the rubies and sapphires, which, because of the age period, were rounded and not faceted or polished.
“Maybe there was a catch somewhere?” Spock said and started pushing the stones. He pressed a ruby on the front of the box.
For the first time in 2000 years of being undisturbed, the lid popped slightly open. Spock lifted the lid fully open and, like an over-full vacuum cleaner bag, a small cloud of dust escaped. The four gazed at the contents of the box.
“It’s a portable ashtray,” announced Stu.
The four teeth were in bad state of decay when they arrived in Siam 2000years ago. They had been kept in a simple clay pot for 500 years, before King Bumnalonkorn had made the golden box. Now with time and the sudden introduction of air from the outside world, the teeth degraded, leaving only small hard ash and dust, which crumbled under the large poking finger of Spock.
“Get your finger out of their mate and I’ll give it a wash!” exclaimed Stu
Stu took the box, emptied out the remains of the Buddha’s teeth into a small waste bin, and rinsed the inside of the box under the tap. He repeated this a few times with liquid soap and tissue paper, until it was ash free.
“There,” he said, “I will give that to my mum and tell her it’s a priceless relic.”
“You are as tight fisted as Nick,” said Spock.
The two lads laughed and the girls joined in, although not knowing what for. A thought had occurred to Stu. He took Nicks tissue wrapped dentures out of his shirt pocket and placed them in the box.
“There you go,” he said “that’ll keep them safe till Mr. Moaner gets out of hospital.”
He clicked the lid back shut and put the box in his bedside drawer.
They all talked again about a plan of action and came up with a happy solution.
“Right,” said Stu, “so we are all agreed, we leave for Koh Samet Island first thing in the morning.”
“Too right,” said Spock. “I don’t want to get stuck at a hospital all day again listening to him moan. We can see him in a couple of days, which should give him time to get over it, and besides, we are on holiday and only have left, 164 hours, that’s less than 10,000 minutes and,” continued Spock with his stern, but still slurred voice, “we’re going to another island, so girls, pack your Listerine.”
They all retired for the night, leaving the Listerine bottle a little emptier the next morning.