Meeting Max

by Richard Brumer

  Tear gas was thrown into the terminal. Rick ran out, covering his face, and stood at the entrance behind a large bronze statue. Flames, gunfire, and explosions surrounded him. Terror rocketed through him.

  The power was still out, but he was able to see a fiery glow and flames in the distance coming from the city of Jaisalmer. Indian commandos in armored cars appeared out of the dark and started shooting at Kamran’s men.

  Rick saw Elena in the distance as an Indian commando escorted Elena off the biplane. The defense minister ran toward an entrance at the side of the terminal for safety. Rick was sneezing and coughing from the tear gas. His eyes were swollen and painful.

  The commando next to Elena was hit by a series of bullets from a semi-automatic rifle. A moment later, the biplane went up in flames. Elena ran toward Rick through the flames and smoke, her hands reaching out.

  It’s over, finally over.

  They would be free.

  A shot rang out and Rick saw one of Kamran’s men wielding a gun and running behind Elena moments before commando forces took him down. Rick heard Elena cry out, but she continued running toward him until she fell into his arms. After a moment, she slipped to the ground.

  Rick screamed. “Oh my God. Elena’s been hit!”

  He protected her with his body. “Elena, Elena.” Bullets flew over them.

  She looked up at him, her eyes fluttering, her body limp.

  “Rick, help me. I can’t see you. You’re in a fog. I can’t move. What did I do? I can’t breathe. It hurts. Help me.”

  “I will,” Rick answered, tears flowing down his cheeks. “You’re safe now.” He ran his hands over her head, holding her close to him. “Shh, just relax, honey. Everything will be all right.”

  He leaned over and held her as her warm blood flowed over his shirt. He carried her to the entryway of the terminal and screamed for help.

  “This woman has been shot. She’s bleeding. Please, someone help!” he shouted.

  He was on his knees covered with blood, screaming for help with no place to hide. Explosions, flames, and flying bullets surrounded him.

  “Please, someone help me!” he yelled again.

  Rick took off his shirt and pressed it against the wound in Elena’s back. His white shirt was quickly drenched with Elena’s blood. Her body was trembling and gasping for air.. Everyone was too busy tending to themselves to notice him. The airport was surrounded by smoke and flames. People were screaming and crying out for help. Chaos was everywhere.

  An Indian officer approached and identified himself. “I am Meher. I am a medical officer, a doctor. I will help you. The phones and cell towers are down, and I have no medical equipment with me, but let me see what I can do.

  “The bullet appears to be lodged in a difficult area, and she is in shock. She needs immediate treatment, but the airport ambulance has already left with other wounded people.”

  The officer removed his shirt, directed Rick to keep pressure on the wound to curtail the bleeding, and ordered two of his men to transport Elena in their van to Shri-Jawahir Hospital. Time was of the essence.

  Meher covered Elena with a blanket to conserve her body temperature. He looked closely at her face. “I know this woman. I have seen her before.”

  As the van sped away, Elena opened her eyes and made an effort to speak. “What happened? It hurts so bad and my head is spinning. I can’t catch my breath.” Elena’s teeth dug into her lower lip as she strained to breathe. “Rick, please stay with me. Please, I don’t want to die alone.”

  “I will always be with you, honey. We said forever, remember? Lie still. We’re on our way to a very good hospital. We will be there in one minute. I’ll stay with you and we can talk after you get in a hospital bed. They have very good doctors there.”

  “But I want to talk now,” she whispered.

  “Not now. Try to relax.” Rick’s voice trembled. “You’re going to be okay, I promise you. We’ll talk later.”

  “I love you so much. When I get better, I’ll be your wife. I’m so happy with you. You make me happy. You’re so…”

  “Shh. Please rest for now. We’ll talk after you’re treated. Everything will be okay. The soldier is driving as fast as he can.”

  Elena’s voice was weakening and faded to a whisper. Her eyes were shut tight and she bit into her lip until blood flowed.

  “Do you think I’m…”

  “Shh, just be quiet and rest. I can see the entrance. We’re here now. You’ll be in a real hospital. Everything will be okay.”

  “I love you, Rick.” Quietly, she said, “Kiss me.”

  He looked at her writhing in pain, her face white. His lips touched her trembling mouth, and he felt her weak breath going into his lungs. Then she was quiet.

  Rick tried to bring her back by giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He felt her carotid artery. There was no pulse. He started chest compressions, but that only forced more blood to gush from her wound. He wasn’t sure what to do, but took a deep breath, held her nose closed, and, with tears running down his face, gave her mouth-to-mouth once more.

  He checked her pulse again. Nothing. She was still, her face beautiful and at peace. Rick sobbed uncontrollably. In her final moment, they’d shared a kiss, her last breath still inside him.

  ***

  Rick knew the truth, but he refused to accept it. They arrived at the dimly lit hospital entrance. Rick ran through the doors yelling, “I have a gunshot victim, shot in the back! She’s in the van. Help her, please help her!”

  A young female doctor ran out to the van and put her hand to Elena’s neck. She looked up at Rick and said, “There is no pulse, sir.”

  “Can you use a defibrillator—something? She was still breathing minutes ago.”

  “I am so sorry, sir,” the doctor said, lowering her head. “So sorry. She is gone. We will make room for her near the emergency department.”

  Rick stayed with Elena in the hospital. Someone brought him a scrub to cover his bare chest. He held Elena’s soft hand and kissed it.

  “I love you, Elena. I love you with all my heart. You will always be part of me. You will live inside me. I promise.”

  The emergency room was filled with the wounded and dying. He saw victims whose arms were shattered, some with their legs missing, and others with sheets covering their dead bodies. Rick felt he was dead too, empty inside. How could he live now? Nothing mattered anymore.

  Rick heard Meher’s voice. He was shouting orders to medical personnel as he tended to the injured. Radio communication was now operative, and a helicopter brought additional medical teams to the hospital. A nurse entered the curtained off cubicle and pulled the white sheet over Elena’s face. Rick sat on a stool next to a gurney and sobbed.

  A man in green scrubs entered and presented Rick with a plastic hospital bag. “I am sorry, sir, but we must take her now. I have prepared her personal belongings for you.”

  Rick took the bag and tearfully said goodbye to Elena. He looked on as her body was wheeled away and then felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “Sir, it is me, Meher. I am so sorry. Let us go back to my office and talk.”

  Rick told Meher about his relationship with Elena and how they’d met again in Jaisalmer after she disappeared. He wiped away his tears. His eyes were red and swollen from crying and from the lingering effects of the tear gas. His hands trembled for a moment, and then he relaxed.

  Meher spoke softly. “Sir, you must know that…”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Meher. My name is Rick. Thank you for trying to help us.”

  “Rick, I am so sorry for this to happen. Let me prescribe something to relax you. We could go to the pharmacy together and—”

  “No, Meher, thank you. I want to feel what I’m feeling and keep her in my life for as long as I live.”

  “Yes, yes, of course, but as a favor to me, I would like to give you something mild. Trust me, it will help you,” Meher pleaded.

  Rick paused and was silent for a mo
ment. “Okay, something mild might help.”

  They walked to the pharmacy. The pharmacist handed Meher a metal strip containing small white tablets.

  Meher looked at Rick with a sad face. “It is time we talked about Elena.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry to bring it up, but there are decisions that must be made.”

  Rick lowered his head. “I know. I will contact her parents and tell them,” he said as his chest heaved. “I’m sure their number is in Elena’s mobile, which is with her belongings. She was their only child.” His voice was heavy with sorrow and he tried to refocus his thoughts. “Meher, are you from Jaisalmer?”

  “Yes, I am from right here, Jaisalmer. I grew up here and worked at my parent’s restaurant in town. I completed medical school at Sawai Man Singh Medical College and, two years later, enlisted in the Indian Air Force. My father died two years ago, and my mother still continues the restaurant out of her small apartment in town.”

  “Oh, what is your last name?”

  “Vidya…Meher Vidya.”

  “Oh, I know your mother, and so does Elena. I mean, she did,” he added quietly. “They were friends. Remember when I told you I met Elena again, after not seeing her for a long time? It happened in your mother’s restaurant. Your mother was there looking after us, and now you are doing the same, but in a different way. Elena would have seen the spirituality in that.”

  “My mother had spoken of an Elena with whom she had many talks about life and India. I know they were friends. We have met several times. It seems we have shared the same people.”

  “We did. It’s an amazing connection,” Rick said, rubbing his eyes. “I have to get my thoughts together and call her parents.”

  Meher handed Rick a tablet. “Here, take this. It is lorazepam and it will relax you for now. I think it is best that you call them soon. They will feel what you are feeling, but it must be done. It will not be an easy thing to do, but I have to tell you something you may not know.

  “Elena got word to the authorities that there would be an attack at the airport. To make sure her message would get through, she called my mother and asked her to tell me about the attack and I reported it as well. She did not give all the details, but it was why our commandos were there. She is a true hero and has saved many lives, including the defense minister.”

  “Oh my God, I didn’t know.”

  “Yes, and I am so sorry for you, and India is in her debt, but you must call her family.”

  Rick didn’t want to call them, at least not yet, but Meher was right. He was a doctor and had been through these things many times.

  While sitting in Meher’s office, Rick made the call. He tried to think of what to say, but there was no way of cushioning it. Meher left, saying he wanted Rick to have privacy and that he would return.

  I don’t know how I can do this. Elena was their flesh and blood.

  “Is this Mrs. Weisz?” Rick began in a low voice.

  “Yes. Who is this? You sound so far away.”

  “I am far away. I’m in India. My name is Rick Newman.”

  “Yes, yes, Elena told us so much about you, so many wonderful things. She’s a wonderful girl and I’m glad you called. How are you both doing?”

  “Mrs. Weisz, I have sad news for you.” Rick cried into the phone. There was silence at the other end. He pushed his words out through his tears. “Mrs. Weisz,” he said, unable to stifle his sobs. “Please sit down.”

  “What? Something happened? She’s sick?”

  Rick closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. Elena died in an accident.”

  He heard her phone drop and then a busy signal. He called again. The line stayed busy.

  Oh God, what’s going on in her mind and heart?

  Rick felt her pain, imagined her crying and shaking.

  He called back a few minutes later. Mrs. Weisz could hardly speak. Her words were filled with sobs. Elena’s father was crying and yelling in the background. “I’m not hearing this! I’m not hearing this!”

  “Shuss, Laszlo. I will tell you. Wait.” Then she said to Rick, “Where is she now?”

  “She’s still here in the hospital.”

  “We want her home.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  He cried into the phone. Rick gave her his mobile number and hung up.

  Kamran was responsible for Elena’s death. He knew she didn’t really have to be at the airport. Why did he do it? His stupid mission killed her and their future together. She made a mistake, and now the lives of her loved ones have been shattered. Kamran killed people because of his insane fanatic concept of justice. Rick hoped he was dead.

  If not, I will find him and kill him.

  Never in Rick’s wildest dreams could he have imagined what had taken place at the airport. A beautiful, sensitive, loving woman was taken away from him. For what?

  Where is God?

  Meher returned and brought him tea. Rick sipped it slowly. The warm liquid felt good as it soothed his parched throat. He was beginning to feel the calming effect of the medication, but the pain was still there.

  “Thanks for the tea, Meher. You’re a good man.”

  “I know how hurt you are and if there is anything you want me to do, I will do it.”

  “Thank you.” Then he looked at Meher with a cold stare. “Is there someone I can talk to about the information I have regarding the attack?” Rick made a fist. “We have to kill that bastard, Kamran!”

  “Kamran?”

  “He was their leader.”

  “You can tell me what you know, and I will pass it on to the right people. I am still involved with India’s security.”

  “I may have some information about other attacks they have planned.”

  “Tell me, I will write it down.”

  “I know there is an attack planned sometime next month, but I don’t know where. It will be an attack against rich people, and maybe Jews. Kamran, if that’s his real name, is the man who led the team at the airport. He was a guest at the Suryagarh Hotel in Jaisalmer and I know he has a home in Delhi in an exclusive area.”

  “Do you know where, exactly?”

  “No, but I think it’s near the Lodi Gardens.”

  “Okay. I know the area. I have spent a lot of time in Delhi.”

  “Meher, I lost my woman,” Rick cried out, tears coursing down his cheeks, “the one I was going to walk through life with.”

  “Let us just sit for awhile. If you don’t want to talk now, it is all right to do that.”

  “No, I do want to talk and plan what to do about getting him.”

  “Rick, please, you are not to worry. I will take some of your worries from you. I have already arranged to have Elena prepared for an Air India flight to the USA, as per your instructions.”

  “Thank you, Meher. That was thoughtful of you. Let me tell you about the information that I know about the attack in Jaisalmer.

  “Somehow, the authorities at the airport allowed the biplane to stay there. It was partially covered by a tarp with some tools around to make it look like it was being worked on. A man by the name of Tariq flew it there and he is supposed to be well-known at the airport.”

  “Oh my God! That’s a wonderful piece of information. He is a well-known pilot, and we will find him.”

  “Maybe through him you can find Kamran and the others.”

  “I can only hope.”

  “I’ll skip around as I tell you all that I know. My mind is still a blur.”

  “That’s fine, Rick. Take your time. We did have some sketchy knowledge of the attack. We had an agent, Abhasa, not his real name, who provided us with information about other things over the years, but he had little knowledge of this attack. However, he did tell us that he knew of a spy, a man whose code name was Solitude. He was involved with Kamran.

  “Solitude worked for Indian Security and Intelligence Services, but we later found out he sometimes played two sides of a game. He was a double agent and accumulated large sums of money from several c
ountries.”

  “Meher, you are a medical officer. How do you know about spies and security?”

  “Before I was in the Indian Air Force, I worked for the SIS, a security and intelligence agency and, for various reasons, I am still connected”

  “I see, and by ‘connected,’ you mean you still have friends there who might give you information.”

  “Yes, but let us take one thing at a time and stay in touch with her family.”

  “I haven’t heard back from Mrs. Weisz. It’s been two hours. I know they are in shock. They also must be in a lot of pain. I should have waited to tell them.”

  “Pain is not easy, my friend, as you know. Do you want to rest for a while?”

  “No, I want to tell you what I know about Kamran’s plan and some of the names I heard before those names slip into the shadows for me.

  “The name of their group sounded like Mujahadeen. Elena’s role in the plan was to lure the defense minister into a relationship so that she could find out habits and details of his personal life that would aid in his abduction. I know Kamran had special operations experience and that his father lives in Islamabad. Kamran was the leader of the operation. He was a Pakistani but lived in Delhi. How is that possible?”

  “Anything is possible, but keep going. I’m taking it down to make it easier later. When you talk to RAW, the Indian equivalent of your CIA, or the SIS, they will take your information and put the pieces together. You will have to speak to them directly.”

  “I will help in any way that I can. There is another man, a man I met on the plane to Delhi. His name is Jassu. He worked with Elena and assisted Kamran in gathering information about the target.

  “Their plan was to take the defense minister hostage in exchange for Pakistani prisoners. If the government did not reply to their demands, they would cut his finger off, leaving his official government ring on it, and send it to the prime minister. If the government still didn’t respond, they would kill him.”

  “Well, then they will have nothing if they kill him.”

  “Not quite. They planned to tell the government where the body could be found, and there would be a letter attached to it restating their demands. The letter would tell them they had already taken the Indian UN Ambassador hostage. They planned to kidnap the UN ambassador before they let the government know where the defense minister’s body was. I also know they had the prime minister in their sights.”