The Mexican leaned down, pinched up a corner of the tape, and ripped it off the agent's lips. He yelped in pain, then shouted, "You son of a bitch!"
Juan actually seemed pleased with himself. He glanced at his partner and they both laughed, as though amused by the federal agent's embarrassment and discomfort.
"You're all going to jail. Every damn last one of you."
Cain looked balefully at Tiel. "Especially you. You're to blame for the fix we're in."
"Me?"
"You impeded a federal officer and prevented him from performing his duty."
"I prevented you from needlessly taking a human life just so you could earn your spurs, or get your rocks off, or whatever it was that motivated you to come in here and further complicate an already complicated situation.
Under the same set of circumstances I would clobber you again."
His hostile gaze moved from one hostage to the other, eventually landing on the Mexican who had attacked him.
"I don't understand. What the hell is wrong with you people?"
He nodded toward Ronnie. "He's the enemy, not me."
"We're only trying to keep this standoff from ending in disaster," Doc said.
"The only way that's going to happen is with a full surrender and the release of the hostages. It's a Bureau policy not to negotiate."
"We heard it already from Galloway," Tiel told him.
"If Galloway thinks I'm dead-"
"We assured him you aren't."
The agent sneered at Ronnie. "What makes you think he would believe you?"
"Because I confirmed it," Tiel said.
Doc, who'd returned his attention to Sabra, said, "I need another package of diapers."
They couldn't be for the baby, Tiel reasoned. Katherine hadn't wet that much. It took only a glance for her to understand that the replacements were for Sabra. Her bleeding had not abated. If anything it had increased.
"Ronnie, may I get another carton of diapers?"
"What's wrong? Something with the baby?"
"The baby's fine, but Sabra is bleeding."
"Oh Jesus."
"May I get the diapers?"
"Sure, sure," he said absently.
"Some hero you are, Davison," Cain remarked snidely.
"To save your own skin, you're willing to let your girlfriend and baby die. Yeah, it takes real courage to let a woman bleed to death."
"Wish that Mexican had used tape you cain't pull off,"
Donna grumbled. "You got a real fat mouth on you, G-man."
"For once, you're right, Donna," Gladys said. Speaking to Cain, she added, "What a hateful thing to say."
"All right, be quiet, all of you!" Ronnie said. Everyone instantly fell silent, except for the two Mexican men, who were conferring in whispers.
Tiel rushed back to Doc's side with the box of disposable diapers. She tore it open and unfolded a diaper for him, which he positioned beneath Sabra's hips. "What made you think of this?"
"She's bleeding through the napkins too fast. These diapers are lined with plastic."
The exchange was spoken in an undertone. Neither wanted to panic the girl or further fluster Ronnie, who was watching the wall clock behind the counter. Its long, sweeping second hand was circling dreadfully slowly.
Doc moved to Sabra's side and took her hand. "You're still bleeding a little heavier than I'd like."
Her eyes darted to Tiel, who laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No need for immediate alarm. Doc's just thinking ahead. He doesn't want things to get so bad they can't get better."
"That's right." Leaning down nearer to her, he spoke softly. "Would you please reconsider going to the hospital?"
"No!"
He appealed to her. "Before saying no, listen to me a minute. Please."
"Please, Sabra. Let Doc explain."
The girl's eyes moved back to Doc but they regarded him warily. "I'm thinking not only of you and the baby," he said, "but of Ronnie too. The sooner he brings this to an end, the better it's going to be for him."
"My daddy will kill him."
"No he won't. Not if you and Katherine are safe."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You don't understand. He's only pretending to want us safe. Last night when we told him about the baby, he threatened to kill it. He said if he could, he would cut it out of me right then and strangle it with his bare hands. That's how much he hates Ronnie, how much he hates our being together."
Tiel gasped. She'd never heard a flattering word about Russell Dendy, but this testimony of his cruelty was shocking.
How could anyone be so heartless? Doc's lips compressed into a thin line.
"That's the kind of person my daddy is," Sabra continued.
"He hates to be crossed. He'll never forgive us for defying him. He'll have Ronnie sent to prison forever, and he'll make certain that I never see my baby again. I don't care what he does to me. If I can't be with them, it doesn't matter what happens to me."
She tilted her head down and rested her cheek against her newborn. The peach fuzz on the baby's small head blotted Sabra's tears from her cheeks. "You've both been great to me. Truly. I hate to disappoint you. But you won't change my mind about this. Until they let Ronnie and me walk out of here with Daddy's promise to leave us alone, I'm staying. Besides, Doc, I trust you more than I would any doctor at a hospital my daddy sent me to."
Doc swiped his sweating forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. He looked across at Tiel, who raised her shoulders in a defeatist's shrug.
"Okay," he said reluctantly. "I'll do my best."
"I don't doubt that." Sabra winced. "Is it really bad?"
"There's nothing I can do about the bleeding from the tear. But the vaginal bleeding… Remember earlier when I told you to rest because I might have to ask you to do something for me later?"
"Um-huh."
"Well, I'd like for you to nurse Katherine."
The girl shot Tiel a stunned glance. "The nursing will cause your uterus to contract and reduce the bleeding," she explained.
Doc smiled down at Sabra. "Ready to give it a try?"
"I guess so," she replied, although she seemed unsure and embarrassed.
"I'll help you." Tiel reached for the scissors, which had been wiped clean. "Why don't I use these to clip the shoulder seams of your dress? We can pin them back afterward, but that'll keep you from having to get undressed."
"That'd be good." She seemed relieved to give over some of the decision-making to Tiel.
"I'll let you ladies have some privacy. Uh, Ms., uh, Tiel?"
Doc motioned her to stand, and they held a brief, private consultation. "Do you know anything about this?"
"Nothing. My mother stopped breast-feeding me when I was three months old. I don't remember it."
He smiled wanly. "I meant other than being on the receiving end."
"I knew what you meant. That was a joke. But the answer is still no."
"Well then, of the three of you, Katherine will be the most knowledgeable. Position her correctly and she'll act on instinct. At least I hope she will. A few minutes on each breast."
"Right," Tiel said with a brisk nod.
She knelt down beside Sabra and applied the scissors to the shoulder seams of her sundress. "From now on, I suggest you start wearing tops that button up the front. Or something loose that you can lift up and drape over Katherine. One time, on a long flight to Los Angeles, I sat next to a mother with an infant. She breast-fed the baby all the way, and no one except me knew it, and I did only because she was in the seat beside me. She was completely covered the whole time."