by Erin Wade
Before going to bed, Mecca located her Presbyterian Hospital nametag and packed her white Johns Hopkins-issued coat.
##
“The Storm sisters,” Kadence Pride said, grabbing her chest as if feigning a heart attack. “It would make me the happiest woman in the world if one of you would marry me.” She laughed.
Mecca greeted her friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “How is the world’s most gorgeous surgeon?”
“Better, now that you’re here. To what do we owe the honor?”
“Collaborating,” Teagan answered. “Remember the Jane Doe that came in last week? Mecca is helping me with her.”
“Good luck.” Kadence shook her head. “She really took a beating, poor thing. Dr. Marcus had to remove her spleen, and she had multiple cracked ribs. He had to stop the internal hemorrhaging before he could turn her over to your gifted sister. Honestly, Teagan, I didn’t think she would live through the brain surgery.”
“She’s coming out of her coma,” Teagan said, “but she is completely uncommunicative. I’m hoping Mecca can help her.”
“You know where I am if you need me,” Kadence said, grinning mischievously, “for anything at all.”
Kadence had been their self-appointed protector in college. Although the truth was, they had carried her home from many parties and put her to bed. Fortunately, she had outgrown her wild ways. She was an outstanding plastic surgeon. She jokingly referred to herself as the doctor to the stars and royalty.
The elevator stopped on the trauma floor, and the two sisters picked up Jane Doe’s chart. She’d had a quiet night, with no change in her condition.
Mecca watched as Teagan checked her patient. Jane Doe was bandaged from the top of her head to her hips. Both arms were incased in casts.
A few minutes later, Dr. Nikki Davis joined them.
“Not a very pretty sight,” Dr. Davis said as she side-hugged Mecca and gently touched Teagan’s arm. “She’ll be okay. There is nothing the two of you can’t fix.”
“Who would do such a thing to another human being?” Teagan closed her eyes to block out the bloody mess Jane Doe had been in the emergency room.
Nikki caught Teagan’s hand and held it as if willing her strength. “A year from now Jane Doe will be completely healed, and we will be discussing her case over dinner for years to come.”
“Any luck with missing persons matching a name with our patient?” Mecca watched the motionless body for any sign of movement.
“Not yet,” Nikki said. “We got the news stations to run a description of her from what we have. Brunette, close-cropped hair, 5’3”, and 125 pounds. A pretty general description.”
Nikki let go of Teagan’s hand. “How about a cup of coffee before we make our rounds?”
##
Jericho watched the three head for the doctor’s lounge and decided Mecca was safe in the hospital. She stepped inside Jane Doe’s room. The woman was sleeping peacefully. She also wondered how someone could beat a woman that badly. She was certain that whoever did it was sure she was dead.
She stepped back into the hall and saw a man at the nurses’ station. The bulge beneath his jacket caught her eye immediately. Jericho walked away from the room, listening to the footsteps of the man behind her. When she was certain he had entered Jane Doe’s room, she turned around and quickly stepped inside too.
The man had placed a pillow over the helpless woman’s face. He was aware of Jericho’s presence for only a few seconds before his neck was snapped.
Jericho called her contact at the police department, and within minutes, two uniformed police officers appeared to carry away the body of the assassin.
##
Mecca and Teagan were surprised by the flurry of excitement around Jane Doe’s room and the two police officers standing guard at her door.
“Someone tried to kill Jane Doe,” the head nurse said as she rushed to Teagan. “The police took him away.”
“If he tried to kill her, he must know who she is,” Teagan said to one of the officers. “Where is he? I must speak with him.”
“His neck was broken when he was apprehended,” the officer replied.
“I need to speak to the officer in charge,” Mecca said. “Who is handling the case?”
“Mecca, we are in the middle of something very dangerous,” Teagan cautioned her sister. “Apparently our news coverage last night caught the attention of Jane Doe’s assailant, who came back to finish the job.”
“Thank goodness he was prevented from doing that,” Nikki said as she strode toward them and put a protective arm around Teagan “Are you okay? I came as soon as I heard the news.”
“I’m going to get some water,” Mecca said. She had a feeling the body of the assailant was probably in the hospital morgue, and she wanted to see his face.
##
“I need to see the man who was just bought in.” Mecca flashed her identification as she spoke to the morgue attendant.
“Go through those double doors. He’s against the far back wall on the green gurney, waiting for the ME’s office to pick him up,” the intern said, pointing to the back of the long room.
Mecca stared at the killer’s face for a long time. She etched every detail of it into her memory, and then she took a picture with her cell phone.
Suddenly, a hand went over her mouth, and a strong arm encircled her, holding her so tight that she couldn’t move or make a sound. A hard body pressed against her back as she was dragged behind a row of file cabinets. She struggled in vain.
“Please, be still,” Jericho whispered.
She knew the cadence of that voice. She knew she was safe. She let herself collapse against her captor and moaned softly. The person was tall and muscular but smelled faintly of expensive feminine perfume.
Mecca gasped. “You’re a woman!”
Mecca breathed in the scent of her, the feel of her. She finally had a person to go with the voice. She tried to turn to face her but was held tightly from behind.
The double doors leading to the loading area flew open, and three armed men rushed to the hit man’s body. One hulking brute threw the corpse over his shoulder, and in less than sixty seconds they disappeared through the same doors they’d entered.
“Listen to me,” Jericho said. “Jane Doe is a danger to you. Hide her. Don’t let anyone know you’re involved with her.
“Tell your sister to have her moved to the most secure room in the hospital. Don’t give anyone information on her. Don’t let any information get out that connects your sister or you to her. Guards will be posted at her door 24-7.”
The woman’s lips were so close to Mecca’s ear that she could feel her warm breath, but her words seemed far away. She struggled to comprehend what the woman was saying, but her mind was caught up in the sheer strength of her. Mecca tried again to turn to see her, but Jericho gave her a shove forward and was gone.
“Did you find what you needed?” the intern said, walking toward her.
“No, no,” she stammered, “there’s no body here.”
Chapter 6
The three doctors were silent during the cab ride to Teagan’s apartment. Each of them went over the events of the day in their mind, trying to make some sense of what had happened.
Inside the apartment, they all began to talk at once. Nikki poured wine and sat out hors d’oeuvres while Teagan preheated the oven.
The table had been set that morning before Nikki and Teagan left for the hospital. All they needed was thirty minutes for the casserole to heat.
Mecca sat down in an overstuffed armchair and kicked off her shoes. “I don’t know what to make of this,” she said softly. “I looked at the assassin. His neck was broken. He didn’t appear to put up a struggle. He was an Arab. Who broke his neck?”
“I don’t know.” Teagan frowned. “It all happened so fast. Thank heavens someone was there and realized he was trying to kill her. I had Jane Doe moved to the room in front of the nurses’ station on the ninth
floor, and, of course, the police guard is there.”
Mecca wondered if her faceless friend had been the one to save Jane Doe. Hopefully she would have the opportunity to ask her.
“Someone knows who our Jane Doe is,” Teagan said. She lowered herself slowly onto the sofa and leaned comfortably against Nikki, whose arm encircled her shoulders protectively and pulled her close.
Teagan and Nikki had been together since college and had leaned on each other through the grueling years of med school and residency. Nikki was obviously as much in love with Teagan as ever, and the feeling was mutual. Sometimes Mecca wished she had someone like Nikki to lean on.
After dinner, they scrutinized Jane Doe’s x-rays. With the information as a base, Nikki used a computer program to reconstruct Jane Doe’s face.
“Unfortunately, there’s so much damage to her cheekbones and facial structure that it’s difficult to determine exactly how she may have looked,” Nikki said. “I’ve run several options to provide the police.”
“But you can make her beautiful,” Teagan said.
Nikki smiled. “Yes, but it will be a long, hard road requiring several surgeries. I have enlisted Kadence’s help. She’s the finest plastic surgeon in the world, bar none.”
“For now, let’s keep everything to ourselves,” Mecca said. “There are people out there who want Jane Doe dead.
I wonder if she’ll ever know how lucky she is that you two were on duty when she came into the hospital.” Mecca poured herself another glass of wine.
“And that she has the world’s foremost psychiatrist to take care of her psyche,” Teagan said, grinning. “I’m glad you decided to spend the night. You know, safety in numbers and all that.”
##
After midnight, Jericho reclined her seat, trying to get comfortable. She hated it when Mecca spent the night somewhere. It always meant a sleepless night in the car for her. No matter how she tried to arrange her six-foot frame, she was cramped.
As the first rays of daylight hit her windshield, a taxi pulled in front of Teagan’s apartment building, and the three doctors got in. Jericho started her vehicle and followed the cab to the hospital.
##
The first stop for all three doctors was Jane Doe’s room. Nikki visited with the head nurse. There had been no change in Jane. Just like the day before, she had regained consciousness several times, only to slip back into a deep sleep.
Since it was Saturday, the two surgeons decided to make rounds and check on their patients before heading home. They invited Mecca to spend the day with them, but she asked for a raincheck. She could tell by the way Teagan kept flirting with Nikki that the two wanted some time alone.
After examining Jane Doe, Mecca knew she would not be able to reach the woman in her present state, so she opted to head home too.
##
After Jericho watched Mecca safely enter her building, she parked and went up to her apartment. She was glad Mecca had gone home. She was exhausted. As she unlocked the door to her apartment, her cell phone vibrated. She looked at the caller ID. It was Mecca. Jericho knew she was safely in the apartment above her. She decided not to answer her phone. She didn’t trust herself at that moment.
Jericho’s sleep was fitful at first, as the scent of Mecca and the feeling of her back pulled tightly against her kept flitting in and out of her dreams. In her dreams, she turned Mecca to face her and kissed her slowly and gently, feeling the softness of her.
Jericho awoke to the sound of the shower above her room. Great idea. She would shower with her.
As she toweled off and slipped her favorite Henley shirt over her head, Jericho could hear Mecca blow-drying her hair. She decided to watch TV in her panties, so she wouldn’t have to decide on slacks or jeans, just comfort.
Jericho was putting cream in her coffee when she heard Mecca’s door close and the bell of the elevator.
Doesn’t that woman ever rest? She frantically pulled on a pair of slacks and stepped into her loafers. She slipped into the holster harness and pulled on a sweater to cover it as she ran for the elevator.
Jericho rushed out the building’s front door, but there was no sign of Mecca. Paul pointed to the local pub down the street. She walked the block slowly, regaining her composure and waiting for a group of tourists to enter. She blended in with them and made her way to an inconspicuous table in the dimly lit far corner. She had learned early in her career not to enter a room alone. Her physical appearance drew eyes to her when she walked through a door alone. Tall, slender, and stunning, she had to work hard to be obscure.
Jericho quickly located Mecca sitting in a booth with Dr. Kadence Pride. She was surprised to find that she was upset to see her with Pride.
##
“I can’t believe you’re free for lunch on a Saturday,” Kadence said as she signaled a waitress and ordered drinks.
Mecca smiled. “I often am.”
“Then please give me an opportunity to remedy that,” Kadence said, smiling back.
“It’s by choice,” Mecca said, determined to cool Kadence down. “I’m afraid I’m a workaholic and often bring my work home with me.”
“Believe me, I understand. So, how’s Teagan’s patient?”
“She’ll recover, but it will be a long ordeal,” Mecca replied.
Kadence raised her glass, and the two toasted. “Here’s to long ordeals and even longer friendships.”
##
Jericho watched as the two friends reminisced for the next three hours. Her growling stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten in thirty-six hours, so she ordered the pub’s signature meal. Two young women at the bar sent over a free drink, but she politely declined it. She never drank on duty, which meant she rarely had a chance to have a drink.
Jericho finished her steak and paid her check as Kadence and Mecca strolled from the restaurant.
She watched from across the street as Kadence walked her home. They stood for a long time in front of Mecca’s building. Jericho held her breath. “Please don’t invite her up,” she whispered. Kadence bent down and kissed Mecca on the cheek, and the doorman ushered Mecca into the building. Kadence walked back and forth in front of the building for a minute, as if trying to decide if she would be welcomed inside. She must have decided against ringing Mecca, because she hailed a taxi and slid inside.
Jericho entered her apartment quietly, listening for sounds of Mecca above. When Mecca stepped onto her terrace, Jericho did the same, and, unknown to the woman above her, they shared a beautiful view of the Hudson River.
Jericho’s phone vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. She moved into her apartment. She didn’t want to take the chance that her voice might reach Mecca from her terrace.
She pushed the button that connected her to Mecca and held her breath. She had as many questions for her charge as Mecca had for her. Knowing too much could be dangerous for both.
“I tried to call you earlier today,” Mecca said softly. “I wanted to thank you for saving Jane Doe’s life.” She closed her eyes and relived the feel of the woman who had saved her in the morgue. She could still smell her perfume.
“I just notified the authorities,” Jericho said, the lie sliding easily off her tongue.
“Who broke the assassin’s neck?”
“I didn’t know his neck was broken,” Jericho said.
“Will you give me any information you can find out about him?” Mecca continued. “Do you have any way to find out who Jane Doe is?”
“Yes and no,” Jericho replied.
“Don’t go all woman-of-few-words on me now,” Mecca chided her. “I think we may be in over our heads, and I’m concerned about my sister and Nikki.
“How did you happen to be in the hospital just in time to save Jane Doe?” she continued. “And why didn’t you let me see your face? Why all the cloak-and-dagger action?”
##
The line went dead. Mecca looked at her phone as if it had betrayed her. She hated when the woman hung up o
n her. She dialed her number again, but she knew she wouldn’t answer.
##
During the weeks that followed, Mecca kept busy with her patients. The press seemed to tire of Tom Reynolds and his missing family, and the politicians had moved on to discrediting the next potential presidential candidate. Although Tom had not withdrawn from the race, pundits were certain of his campaign’s demise. The movers and shakers in his party were quickly distancing themselves from Tom. The police still considered him a person of interest.
Jane Doe was still drifting in and out of consciousness. It was almost as if she couldn’t face waking up.
##
“So, the big affair at the United Nations is tonight,” Julie said, handing Mecca the invitation she had received the week before. “Are you going with Dr. Pride?”
“Yes, Kadence wants to rub shoulders with potential donors for the hospital. I swear she is a one-woman fundraising committee. She has single-handedly raised more than one third of the research foundation’s funding this year.”
“The fact that she’s eye candy doesn’t hurt either,” Julie said with a wink. “You know she’s crazy about you.”
“We’ve been friends for too many years to be anything else.” Mecca shrugged. “I have to admit it’s nice to have someone like Kadence on my arm when necessary. Of course, I do the same thing for her.”
Julie feigned shock. “Oh great, you’re her wingman.”
“Uh-huh and she’s mine.” Mecca smiled. “Well, home to dress for the festivities.”
##
Jericho had stepped out of the shower and was scowling at her evening gown when she heard Mecca’s hair dryer. Mecca had apparently come home early to get ready for the reception at the UN. Most of the members of the Eurozone were in New York for a financial summit. After President Lockleer’s seven years of destruction in America, the US dollar was at an all-time low. European leaders were depending on the next American president to help stabilize the world financial market.
Jericho was sure Lockleer would be at the reception, bowing and kissing up to world leaders. She thought of the president with great distain. She hoped America would survive his poor leadership.
