Operation Subdue

by R. J. Castille

  “Keep calm, Ragan,” he still sounded worried despite his efforts to sound soothing enough to ease my current mood, “you were admitted to Kellogg

  Premier late yesterday afternoon. You have been here a day and a half. They are working hard but have not said a word about what was going on. I assumed that, since we are not married, they are hesitant to give me any information. They have been waiting for you to wake up to deliver whatever news it is they have.”

  I opened my eyes finally to meet his gaze. He looked disappointed that he did not have any answers for me, other than the hospital I was in. Doing the best I could to not disturb the position my head was in since every time I did, my vision swam or it pounded away in fury, I pulled Roger into my embrace, holding him close and breathing in his scent before letting him loose again.

  “It’s ok, Roger, I know you do the best you can. Considering what’s going on, you are a real trooper and I am beyond glad that you are by my side,” I wasn’t kidding. Roger had his way of being aloof, of being detached most of the time, but when it came down to it, I was his woman and he would not stand by and let anything happen to me. Despite his otherwise distant moods, he definitely redeemed himself when it came to my overall safety and well-being.

  From somewhere across the small room, an unseen person cleared their throat. A soft rap on the wall next to the doorframe and a petite figure appeared on our side of the curtain that formed a barrier between me and the outside world. She looked familiar, the look on her face made it clear that I was to her as well. As she closed the gap between us, it dawned on me who she was. It was the same nurse who treated me so kindly at urgent care the last time I was there.

  “Ms. Jensen,” she didn’t even bother to look at my chart or my name on the wall, she already knew my name, “I am Elaine and I have been assigned to care for you. It seems like only yesterday I saw you wired up in the urgent care waiting on someone to figure out what was going on and now, here you are.”

  I couldn’t tell why, but she seemed to be attempting to make some sense out of the situation. She had previously treated me in urgent care and now, here she was again, standing at the foot of my bed, both of us wondering how it was that fate brought us back together again. There had to be a reason.

  “I must admit, Elaine, I am glad that I have been assigned to you. It seems a little weird that you were the one to take care of me in urgent care and you are now going to do so here. It is an unexpected surprise. Judging by my last experience with you, it is a welcome one.” She smiled. It was a warm gesture that made me feel happy inside.

  “Well, thank you, Ms. Jensen. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. I work hard to care for my patients and it sometimes feels like a thankless effort but every once in a while, I come across someone like you who makes it all worthwhile.” With that, she went to work. She picked up my chart and looked it over, her eyes scanning the pages quickly as she nodded to herself. Elaine added a few things to the page at the bottom before replacing it and moving along.

  She took down my blood pressure, my fluid output and my temperature. She went through the motions like all the others always did, only her touch seemed a lot more personable. As she worked, she stole glances over her shoulder toward the door, one prominent figure staring straight at her as she moved about. I was unnerved for her, the other woman’s eyes moving with her, scrutinizing her every move as she worked. The other nurses scurried about, moving around her as she stared on, unmoving as she waited for Elaine to finish and exit my room.

  Elaine finished her duties in time for my lunch to arrive. She moved out the door as a short, stout woman brought a large tray inside the room and placed it on the table to my right, nodded curtly at me and left without a word. The smell of sustenance reached my nose, causing my stomach to do a backflip and gurgle loudly. I had not realized how hungry I really was until the smell made its way to me and enveloped my senses in its decadence.

  It was only hospital food, of course. My overactive imagination had taken the smells and transformed my expectation of my first hospital meal. When I took my first bite, I was sorely disappointed. Practically flavorless, I wrinkled my nose as I took another bite. It wasn’t my imagination or my sense of taste, it really was that bland, without a salt package in sight. I needed to eat, however, so I dug in, doing my best to ignore the fact that it felt like I was eating a paper bag instead of a piece of chicken breast.

  “That bad, huh?” Roger’s voice cut through my thoughts, reminding me that he was still there, steadfast at my side. I smiled over at him, offering a forkful of pasta. He obliged, taking a bite and mimicking the same look I had when I took my first. “Could use a little salt.”

  “That, my love, is an understatement. Why don’t people believe in salt anymore these days? They could have at least given me a packet so I could give it a little boost.” We both laughed at that. Roger stood and made his way toward the door without a word. I was curious, but my curiosity did not outweigh my hunger, so I continued to choke down my meal.

  Roger returned several moments later, a handful of small, white packages gripped in his hand. When he reached my side, he held them out to me. I could not help but smile at him. In the middle of my palm, I held salt packages ready to be opened and lend some flavor to my otherwise tasteless food.

  “Why thank you, Roger. That was very considerate of you. You are a life saver, yet again,” I sprinkled two packets around my plate, making sure to get plenty on the pasta, chicken and mixed vegetables. The rest of my meal was much more enjoyable.

  My cardiologist, Dr. Cece Garrison strolled through my door several hours later. She had the same smug look on her face as the last time I encountered her. Without a word, she plucked my chart from the end of my bed and shuffled through the

  pages, nodding occasionally but otherwise saying nothing. Her lips pursed together tightly as she neared the end of the last page. Based on my past experience with her, I knew exactly what she was going to say next.

  “Well, Ms. Jensen, we have run many tests but cannot seem to pinpoint what’s happening here. You seem to have stabilized now and I can release you in a few hours, but I will need you to follow up with me in a couple of days.”

  Was she joking with me? Release me already? I had passed out, face planting on the floor after my chest began to flutter and my blood pressure spiked. Yet Dr. Garrison was behaving as if nothing was amiss. That song played on repeat, over and again, each person I encountered at Kellogg Premier had dismissed my condition as nothing with no end in sight. Even being admitted to the hospital after being transported by ambulance to the emergency department did not seem to alarm them. It was beyond me and I was completely on edge.

  “What the hell do you mean?” Roger’s voice cut through the stagnant air, his tone one of fury as he questioned Dr. Garrison’s motives, “she collapsed out of nowhere, fell in the middle of our living room and hit her head and now she has a concussion. All that and you still find nothing? What the hell are you good for around here? Seems like not a whole lot to me,” Roger did not back down, even when the good doctor squared her shoulders in a defensive posture. Out of the corner of my eye, a security guard appeared out of nowhere, lurking in the distance just

  in case my dearest boyfriend made a move. He wouldn’t, I knew that, but he was absolutely fuming.

  “These things are tricky, sir,” Dr. Garrison’s eyes glittered with amusement, her tone mocking Roger’s concerns with each word, “Ms. Jensen probably got herself all worked up thinking about it and brought this on. We will continue to dig, but that will require more testing. There is no need to take up a bed in the emergency room or even in the hospital, she will be fine at home and will probably be more comfortable. I will contact her primary and let them know. Please call my office and make an appointment right away. See you in a few days,” without another word, Dr. Garrison disappeared as quickly as she had shown up. Both Roger and I were left just as confused and without answers as before, only this time, he
was actually there to witness the source of my angst.

  “I can’t believe this shit!” Roger was the first to speak after she left, “there is clearly something going on here, but no one around seems concerned enough to get to the bottom of it. Now I know what you are talking about, I thought you were just exaggerating, until now. Jesus Christ, Ragan. What the hell kind of medical care are they providing here after all? As far as I can see, a whole lot of nothing.” By the time Roger finished talking, he was completely worked up, his nostrils flaring in anger as his questions went unanswered just as mine had always gone.

  “I told you so,” that is all I had to say. I was a little put off that he had doubted me all that time, but

  was glad at the same time. Roger had now been a witness of the lackadaisical care I came to realize was standard at Kellogg Premier. Since he had not experienced it himself, he was left to doubt me, to think that I was just a hypochondriac that was complaining for no reason. Now at least, he knew better.

  Two hours later, I was being wheeled out to Roger’s car that waited curbside to carry me back home. He jumped from the driver’s side and ran around the front to open the passenger side door. Roger helped me inside, threw a bag that held my clothing I was wearing when I arrived into the back seat and took his seat behind the wheel. With one final glance at Nurse Cooper, who stood waiting for us to pull away before turning and pushing the wheelchair back through the double, glass doors, I settled in for the ride home.

  Roger helped me upstairs to our apartment, busied himself with making me what food he knew how and fluffing my pillows to make me more comfortable. I was still agitated from the visit with Dr. Garrison, and even more so that I would have to follow up, yet again. Instead of getting to the bottom of things, of figuring out what happened, I was once again summarily dismissed by everyone at Kellogg Premier. Everyone but Nurse Elaine Cooper brushed me under the rug and hardly did a thing for me. For some reason, Ms. Cooper was my one and only advocate. I could only hope that someday there would be more like her there.

  -12-

  Elaine

  When I saw her laying there, I froze. They both looked on, curiosity on her male companion’s face. For several seconds, I could not move, the fact that Ragan Jensen was once again in my care, only this time in an emergent capacity slammed into my consciousness. The document Mr. Gregory Simpson had given me floating in front of my mind’s eye, the words it contained reverberating in my head as the machines that surrounded Ragan beeped monotonously in the distance.

  I went through my protocols, jotting down her blood pressure, temperature and fluid output. As I wrote, I made a mental note of what was happening with her and especially how little had been done for her since she arrived. Considering what had happened, it was hard to believe: she reportedly passed out cold, falling flat on her face, which explained the large, red mark along the side of her face. I didn’t say much, even when I saw recognition in her eyes. I had to lay low, that’s what Mr. Simpson had pleaded me to do, and making a spectacle in the middle of what should be a routine check of Ragan’s vitals, would not go over well.

  Brenda Saxon lurked over my shoulder. I could feel her eyes burning into me from behind, her gaze scrutinizing every move that I made. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice was screaming, alerting me to the fact that the powers that be already know that I have discovered their little secrets and I was under their watchful eye until they decided what to do with me next.

  It was hard to fathom. What they were doing at Kellogg Premier was against everything I had ever learned as a nurse. We were supposed to be caring for our patients, teaching them how to live more healthy, productive lives, instead, those that I worked for and most of those I worked with subscribed to a different mentality all together. I would never have imagined the amount of evil in the world but knew better now that I had witnessed what they meant to do.

  The rest of my day was somewhat uneventful. I went carried on with typical duties and filled in the gaps with mundane tasks for the remainder of my shift, yet skimming the surface of my duties and doing nothing out of the ordinary. An afternoon full of taking vitals, giving patients their exit summaries and advising what the next steps should be. Lay low, that’s what Mr. Simpson had cautioned me to do and that is exactly what I intended to do.

  I stared at the clock for the last fifteen minutes before I was free to leave. Scanning in documents to charts and following up on lab orders rounded out my day as I anticipated my release. Standing in front of the time clock finally, the last few seconds ticked by as I watched. As I waited, the sound of someone clearing their throat shook me from my thoughts.

  “Ms. Cooper,” Brenda’s eyes met mine as I turned my attention in the direction of the sound, “I would like to meet with you first thing tomorrow. Please report to my office as soon as you arrive.” She waited for me to acknowledge her directive, which was nothing more than a nod. Brenda nodded curtly, spun on her heel and headed in the opposite direction, disappearing out of sight around the corner. I took a deep breath, put my employee identification number in and used my right fingerprint to clock out for the day.

  Ms. Saxon’s order was more than unnerving. As I made my way to where I left my car in the employee parking lot, I searched my mind for any sign of me doing something out of the ordinary that would have called attention to myself. I came up empty but was convinced that there had to be something. Perhaps someone saw me at the bistro talking with Gregory. Maybe someone saw the mysterious delivery person who placed the envelope under my keyboard before I went to lunch. Whatever it was, I was completely distraught by the time I walked through my front door.

  Riley was waiting with dinner ready, something I was pleased to say was the way of things. I rarely ever had to return home without a hot, home-cooked meal on the table. She always took good care of me and I could depend on her to turn my day around, no matter how horrible it had been.

  I tossed my keys into the dish by the door, slung my purse onto the hook just inside the entry and kicked my shoes off to the side. Riley stood quietly, regarding me from afar and waiting for me to complete my daily routine. As I approached, she opened her arms and drew me in for a big hug. “Thank you, my love,” I breathed in her scent, roses and lavender as always, the scent soothing my soul, “I needed that more than you know.”

  “What’s going on, Laney?” Riley pushed back and looked me up and down, her gaze expectant and knowing, “did something happen at work today? I can see it in your eyes, and it’s written all over your face. Out with it, woman!” She didn’t get pushy often but clearly wanted answers.

  “I was transferred to the emergency department today,” I started off slow, replaying everything in my mind carefully, again attempting to identify anything I could have done to draw their attention. “Everything was fine, I have no issues with being transferred, it’s just a change of scenery, but when I got back from lunch, Nurse Saxon was all over my ass and I still can’t tell why. I have been extremely cautious, so it is unclear to me exactly what is going on. We have a meeting in the morning, so I am sure to find out. I’m very worried though. It’s that document, it has me looking over my shoulder and paranoid beyond belief. With good reason, I am sure.”

  With that reminder, I rushed to the bedroom and removed the envelope from where I had hidden it. I pulled the paper carefully from inside and re-read it, chills running down my spine as I progressed down the page. Nowhere in my wildest imagination would things like that happen, but there they were in black and white.

  The United Stated Government

  Secret Directive Force (SDF) Division

  Operation: Subdue

  Purpose: To control the population

  Scope: In order to enact population control measures, the United States Government initiates a covert policy that contracts with major healthcare organizations to keep their patients’ health at a borderline level wherever possible. This action will allow the general public to still live and have productive lives
, while at the same time, keeping them subservient. Some will be lost to unfortunate demise but considering that the remaining population will continue and allow them to add to the overall advancement of society, it is necessary to accept collateral damage. It will be up to those contracted under this policy to ensure the explicit confidentiality of the nature of this directive. They shall agree to push their patients as far as they can before rendering aid, thus fulfilling their Hippocratic Oath and still maintaining the integrity of this operation. The contractor will be compensated generously and those privy to this information are ensured the utmost protections under the terms of this agreement, so long as they maintain its confidentiality.

  When I looked up from the page, Riley was hovering in the doorway, her face a mask of fear and concern. She knew that nothing good could come of having come across that piece of paper. She knew without a doubt it was reality and that the both of us were walking a dangerous line as long as we had that knowledge. The words repeated in my mind, they would go to unknown lengths to protect their secret mission, of that I was sure, what I didn’t know was how they would they know unless the web of secrets was much more complex than I could even imagine. The directive in my hand was just the tip of the iceberg and that thought frightened me beyond belief.