Galloway left the overwrought father to his subordinates and turned back to the console, demanding information of the agents outside.
Tiel had watched with disbelief as Dr. Scott Cain yanked a pistol from an ankle holster and pointed it at Ronnie.
"FBI! Drop the weapon!"
Sabra had screamed.
Doc had continued to swear at Cain. "All this time we've been waiting on a doctor!" he shouted. "Instead we get you! What kind of stupid stunt is this?"
Tiel had surged to her feet, begging, "No, please no.
Don't shoot." She had feared she was about to see Ronnie Davison blown away right before her eyes.
"You're not a doctor?" the frantic young man had shrieked. "They promised us a doctor. Sabra needs a doctor."
"Drop your weapon, Davison! Now!"
"God dammit, all this time's been wasted." The veins in Doc's neck had bulged with anger. If the agent hadn't been holding a pistol, Tiel guessed that Doc would have taken him by the throat. "That girl's in trouble. Life threatening trouble. Don't any of you federal bastards get it?"
"Ronnie, do as he says," Tiel had implored. "Surrender.
Please."
"No, Ronnie, don't!" Sabra had sobbed. "Daddy's out there."
"Why don't you both put down your pistols." Although Doc's chest had been rising and falling with agitation, he had regained some composure. "Nobody has to get hurt.
We can all be reasonable, can't we?"
"No." Ronnie, resolute, had clutched the pistol grip tighter. "Mr. Dendy will have me arrested. I'll never see Sabra again."
"He's right," the girl had said.
"Maybe not," Doc had argued. "Maybe-"
"I'm giving you to the count of three to drop your weapon!" Cain had shouted, his voice cracking. He, too, it seemed, was cracking under pressure.
"Why'd you have to do this?" Ronnie had yelled at him.
"One."
"Why'd you trick us? My girlfriend is suffering. She needs a doctor. Why'd you do this?"
Tiel hadn't liked the way Ronnie's index finger was tensing around the trigger.
"Two."
"I said no! I won't give her up to Mr. Dendy."
Just as Cain had shouted "Three" and fired his pistol, Tiel grabbed a can of Wolf brand chili from the shelf nearest her and clouted him over the head with it.
He had dropped like a sack of cement. His shot went wide of his target, which had been Ronnie's chest, but it came within a hair's-breadth of Doc before striking the counter.
Reflexively Ronnie had fired his gun. The only damage that bullet did was to knock a chunk of plaster out of the far wall.
Donna had screamed, hit the floor, and covered her head with her hands, then continued screaming.
In the resulting confusion, the Mexican men had surged forward, nearly trampling Vern and Gladys in their haste.