Wrath of the Sea Queen

by Cynthia Woods

  That was the general consensus among the patients and the staff. Everyone at the hospital liked Salma, and it warmed her heart to hear them speak up so strongly. This place and these people were her family and had been for as long as she could remember, the majority of her career. The well wishes helped ease her guilt about going away for so long, and Salma was beginning to get used to the idea.

  Recently, Ben had given her good reason to go home in the evenings and to start turning down the extra shifts. Salma was now letting the younger employees pick up a larger share of the workload. They all claimed to need the extra money. Salma certainly didn't, and she was discovering much better ways to spend her time.

  As Salma came back to the nurses' station to drop off the last of the charts, one of the nurses, a blonde lady, handed her a manila envelope. The front was stamped 'Personal & Confidential' in bold, red letters.

  "This just arrived for you by courier, Dr. Erickson."

  "Thanks, Molly."

  "Dr. Erickson."

  "Yes? Is there something else?"

  "No. I just like saying it. It suits you," Molly said with a grin.

  Salma laughed agreeably and carried the envelope over to a padded bench to sit down. Carefully tearing open the sealed flap, Dr. Erickson pulled out several sheets of letterhead bearing the official look of a government communication. She scanned through the pages and found three main items, including another request for the identity of the anonymous blood donor whose sample was the basis for her newest research, a reminder of the consequences when the government didn't get what it wanted and, finally, an invitation to participate in a medical discussion which came in the form of a mandatory briefing.

  The entire packet irritated Salma. It was not the first such request she had received, and each one was subsequently more demanding. Salma shoved all of the pages into the envelope and returned to the counter where she politely asked Molly to put the envelope at the bottom of her inbox. Salma would deal with it when she returned. Bidding everyone a good morning, after having finished an extended late shift, Salma walked out to the parking lot as the large clock by the front door chimed nine thirty. She got into her car and headed for home.

  "Ben, look out!" Caeli shouted as a black van sped through the intersection in front of the hospital. The van smashed into a car as it was pulling out of the hospital parking lot and then careened over into the left lane of oncoming traffic, forcing Ben to swerve his jeep up onto the curb to avoid a head-on collision. Before Ben regained control and brought it to a stop, the passenger's side hit a fire hydrant hard enough to crack one of the seals and send a spout of water shooting into the air.

  Tires squealed behind them, and they heard the sound of brakes screaming as other cars tried to avoid the scene on both sides of the road.

  "You ok, Caeli?" Ben asked as he quickly recovered and backed his jeep off the curb, sirens blaring and emergency lights flashing.

  Caeli nodded that she was all right.

  "Then hang on tight. This will be your first official police chase."

  Ben turned the jeep in the direction of the fleeing van. Before he got moving, two other police cars sped across the intersection before him. Caeli hollered once again.

  "Ben, wait! That's Salma's car."

  Caeli jumped out of the jeep, immediately getting soaked by water splashing down from the broken hydrant. Dodging traffic, she ran across the intersection. Ben was only a few steps behind her and was ahead of her by the time they reached Salma's crushed, green car. The impact on the driver's side, mere inches behind the front door, had crumpled the metal of the door panel as if it were paper. Ben, after several attempts, yanked the driver's door open.

  The airbag had deployed and was still inflated. Salma's head was lying against it, and she was not moving. A steady line of bright, red blood ran from a cut above her left eye and flowed down onto her cheek. Ben fumbled in his pocket for his utility knife and slit the tough fabric of the airbag to slowly release the air. He carefully held Salma's head while it deflated, and then gently eased her down onto the steering wheel. He did not want to move her any further until help arrived.

  "Salma! Salma, can you hear me?"

  Her eyes fluttered a few times, and she began to stir. Salma started to sit back, but Ben stopped her.

  "Don't move, Love. Lie still until you have a chance to get your bearings. You might be hurt more than you realize. Just lie still." Ben kept his hand pressed gently against her back to let her know that he was right there with her.

  "Ben? Why aren’t you at the airport?" Salma was confused.

  "Shh. Don't worry about that. Here come some of your doctor friends. They are going to have a look at you, ok?"

  Salma didn't answer. She had lost consciousness again.

  Ben stepped away from the car so the doctors could move closer and work on Salma. Caeli walked up beside Ben and silently took his larger hand in her own. As the doctors put Salma onto a stretcher and began to wheel her toward the hospital, Ben looked down at Caeli, over at his jeep, and then back at the men rolling Salma into the hospital.

  "I need to check in with the station and make a report. I want to make sure they catch that son of a bitch."

  But Ben did not move. Caeli could tell that he was torn between the duty he should perform, and had done without hesitation for many years, and his new wife whom he would give anything to protect.

  "Go with her, Ben. I will take care of your jeep and wait for the officers to get here. Go on. Salma needs you to be with her."

  Ben smiled a quick thank you and ran to catch up with the stretcher as it was being pushed through the automatic doors of the emergency room.

  Vin walked anxiously into the waiting area around ten thirty. There were a dozen people scattered around the room, occupying the square, red chairs. He immediately spotted Caeli sitting in the far corner, pretending to read a magazine. She looked up through sad eyes as she heard the sound of the doors sliding open. Caeli hopped up and rushed over as soon as she spotted him. Vin kissed her and hugged her tight before leading her down a hallway to the right where they could talk somewhat privately. Vin noticed that Caeli was wet, as if she had been standing in the rain, though he had no idea how she got that way. He took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

  "How is she doing? Are you and Ben all right?" Vin asked.

  "We're fine. They don't really know about Salma yet. She's still out. It has been over an hour. They say she could be fine or it could be serious. They can't tell while she's asleep. The doctor said that if Salma wakes up soon, then she will probably be fine. If not, they have no way of knowing how seriously she might be hurt. She doesn't have any broken bones or internal bleeding that they could find, just a cut on her forehead and some swelling around it. The problem is that she won't wake up. Ben hasn't left her bedside. I've taken him some coffee, but felt uncomfortably like a third wheel after sitting in there for a while. I got the impression that Ben wanted to be alone with her, so I came out here to wait for you. Did you get stuck in traffic?" Caeli's voice was laden with worry as she explained the situation to Vin.

  "I stopped by the police station before I came down. I knew Ben would want the latest update, and his friends were happy to share it with me. Knowing that they caught the guy should make him feel a little better. Don't worry. I'm sure Salma's going to be fine. Let me see if I can get Ben out of the room for a few minutes. It will do him good to step away. Come on, show me which room it is," Vin said. He put his arm around Caeli's shoulders as she led him back the way they had come, passing the waiting area on the way to Salma's room.

  The interior was dimly lit by a small, fluorescent light at the head of the first bed. The second bed was empty. Salma was lying flat beneath a white blanket, hooked up to several different monitors. Ben was sitting in a chair pulled up next to the bed, holding her hand. He looked up as they entered. Vin walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

  "Any change?" Vin asked quietly.
/>   "No. I have tried talking to her, but she hasn't responded."

  "Why don't you let Caeli sit with her for a few minutes? Come get a cup of coffee with me, and I will show you this report. They were finishing it when I got there." Vin indicated the large manila envelope he was carrying.

  Ben looked down at Salma, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead.

  "I will be right back, Doll. Caeli is going to be here. See if you two can stay out of mischief while I'm gone."

  Ben tried to smile, but did not have it in him. He followed Vin out of the room and closed the door. They walked down the hall to the waiting room and kept going, following the aroma of strong coffee and day old turkey dinner that was characteristic of the cafeteria's food. When they reached the opposite end of the hall, they turned left and continued until the hospital cafeteria came into view. The white room was filled with several tables and vending machines interspersed throughout. Along one wall was a buffet station with a lady sitting in front of a cash register at the nearest end. Neither man was hungry, so Vin purchased two cups of coffee, paid the lady, and joined Ben at an isolated table in a corner of the room.

  "They caught the guy a few miles down the road," Vin said as he slid one of the coffee cups across the table.

  Vin got straight to the point. He knew it was the main question Ben needed answered and there was no sense beating around the bush. Besides, in Ben's line of work, you really couldn't hide much from his keen observations. He had called Vin and asked that he bring the report, though Caeli was unaware of Ben's request and the additional details he provided to Vin, thinking that Caeli might have missed them when she called to let Vin know what happened. Ben was fully expecting Vin to have some news to share with him.

  "I figured as much or you wouldn't have called me away. Was it a burglary or a carjacking?"

  "Both."

  Ben raised an eyebrow in question, and Vin continued.

  "The man is a local junkie. He has been arrested several times for minor stuff - check fraud, petty theft, possession, and even hitting a convenience store. The only thing that was different this time was the stolen van and his drug of choice. After your men threatened him with several years in prison, he confessed that he intended to earn a load of cash by selling the stolen blood to fighters in an illegal tournament later this evening. Apparently, he was caught with several units taken from the hospital's blood bank. Your men are already planning a raid on the fight scene."

  Vin looked across at him. Ben was not rubbing his chin, which was his typical mannerism when working on a puzzle. That meant he was either already a step ahead or he simply didn't care. Perhaps Ben was too worried about Salma to think about this right now. Ben's next question proved that, despite his worry, he was already thinking the matter through and was at least a step or two ahead of Vin.

  "And what did they learn about the black van?"

  "It was reported stolen from a youth center last week. It was not the same one that was used by Caeli's attackers."

  "That's a relief. I will admit that I was concerned when I saw another black van. Although, I am not even sure if Caeli knew about the van from the botched abduction," Ben said.

  "She knew. We discussed nearly all of the details about what happened that week, but she has tried to put the ordeal behind her. I would prefer not to remind her of it unless it's necessary," Vin replied. He had been suspicious about the vehicle as well.

  "Well, it was just a coincidence. That's one less thing to worry about. I'm actually worried about the increased amount of correspondence Salma's been getting from these government people. Each letter gets more aggressive. They keep insisting that she reveal her donor. The letters border on threatening, but always stay below the legal action limits. It was one of the first thoughts that popped into my mind."

  "Do you think this accident had something to do with the letters?" Vin asked, trying to decide for himself which of the scenarios was most likely; junkie fleeing the scene or government conspiracy against Salma.

  "It's hard to say, but it wouldn't surprise me. I don't rule out anything when it comes to government folks looking to line their pockets. Salma's work will be quite lucrative when it hits the market, even though that is not why Salma did it."

  "I know, Ben. Salma only wants to help people," Vin fully understood Ben's frustration with the greed of others imposing on his life.

  "Speaking of which, I would like to get back to Salma now, if that's all you have. Oh, by the way, Caeli loved the rose." Ben offered Vin a quick smile as they got up from the table and walked down the hall, retracing their original path.

  "Thanks, Ben, though it seems trivial now. But wait 'til you hear what happened at my client's house. Caeli is going to flip!"

  "Trivial? Nonsense, Lad. It makes me wish I had done something special like that for Salma last night. Then, at least she would have something nice to think about while she's lying in there resting. Don't you ever stop treating that young lady like royalty or else you might have to answer to me," Ben quipped, but Vin could hear the underlying note of seriousness in his voice as well. Ben treated Caeli as if she were his own daughter.

  "Point taken, Captain," Vin replied.

  "Oh, one other thing while I’m thinking about it. Caeli was sick at the airport. Maybe she's still getting over that flu," Ben told Vin about Caeli's trip to the restroom.

  "This is not exactly the homecoming I had planned for her, but at least she's home. I will make sure she gets some rest and takes care of herself." Vin thanked Ben for letting him know. Caeli would not have told him about it. She did not like to have Vin fuss over what she considered to be no big deal.

  "So, what exactly will Caeli be upset about?" Ben asked as they walked the long corridor.

  "You will get a kick out of this. You know that Caeli doesn't take kindly to other women putting their hands on me, even politely. She gets a bit…territorial. Call me weird and don't tell her, but I have always liked that about her," Vin began.

  "You like everything about her, but go on," Ben replied with a grin.

  "Anyway, Vicki's computer emergency turned out to be nothing more than a ploy to get me alone. She made a pass at me twice. After I rejected her the second time, she threw herself at me and kissed me as I was leaving. I would not want to be in Vicki's shoes if she ever runs into Caeli after I've told her about it. I'm not sure what Caeli would do, but I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall to find out," Vin was amused at the thought of Caeli defending his honor and her territory.

  "Oh! You're right. She is not going to like that at all. For your client's own good, perhaps you better not tell Caeli about it," Ben suggested.

  "Vicki is no longer my client, and I don't keep secrets from Caeli. Although, I think I will wait for a better time to tell her," Vin said as they were nearing the nurse's station.

  "Besides, I'd hate to think what Caeli would do to me if she found out from someone else."

  The somber mood lifted slightly as the two men shared a chuckle over the thought of sweet little Caeli turning Kung Fu warrior on the would-be home wrecker. The laugh put Ben in a more positive frame of mind as he continued toward Salma's room with a smile on his face.

  Caeli sat beside Salma and watched her as she slept. She didn't know how else to think of it, and she did not like it one bit. It reminded her too much of the incident a few months earlier when Vin was a patient in a hospital bed. He had been in a coma for a week, though everyone thought he was dead. Caeli shuttered at the memory and Salma's current resemblance to it. She desperately wanted her aunt to wake up.

  Her wet hair kept falling in her eyes until Caeli finally walked into the small bathroom to look for a towel. All she could find were paper towels, so she twisted her hair in a long spiral and pushed it behind her shoulders before returning to the opposite side of Salma's bed. From here, Caeli could clearly see the cut above Salma's left eye. It was still bleeding beneath the useless, gauzy bandage which Caeli gently removed. She grabbed a few t
issues from the box on the bedside table and gently dabbed at the area around the wound. When it was relatively clean, Caeli pressed a folded tissue over the cut and rested her hand on it gently to hold the compress in place for a minute or two. She wanted to prevent any blood from dripping down Salma's brow or into her eye. Caeli wanted to do more for Salma. If such a thing were possible, Caeli would simply will Salma's wound to heal and for her to wake up, but that was merely wishful thinking.

  As Caeli leaned closer to tend to Salma's cut, her wet hair fell forward and swiped across her own hand and Salma's wound. Caeli quickly pulled her hair back, but felt an odd sensation pass from her hand into Salma before she could dry up the water that dripped from her hair. The sensation reminded Caeli of the static charge she often received after walking sock-footed across her carpet and reaching for a doorknob. Only, there was no jolt, simply a current passing from her into Salma. Had she really felt it? Caeli decided that it must have been because her hair was wet and Salma was hooked up to all the electrical devices. The last thing Caeli wanted to do was shock Salma and cause her more pain.

  Caeli glanced around at the monitors and various machines. She would have to be more careful. She was already feeling guilty for asking Salma to work the late shift so that they could go shopping later this afternoon. Salma would not have been at that intersection if she had not agreed.

  She looked at the cut on Salma's head again. The bleeding had finally stopped. It even looked like some of the swelling had gone down. That's odd, Caeli thought. A minute ago, it was bleeding freely and quite swollen. Perhaps the electrical shock did something to it. Through her carelessness, Caeli might have accidentally helped Salma, although she could just as easily have caused her greater harm. She would definitely be more careful. Caeli's guilt swept over her.

  "Sorry about that, Aunt Salma. The last thing you need right now is my clumsiness," Caeli whispered.