Aidan was rushed to the Radiology department, for an MRI, to determine if the bullet was a through and through. Covered in blood, with a wild look in her eye, Vicky ran to Radiology, after her lover, and barged into the control booth.
The tech looked at her, with his mouth gaping open, “Ma’am, are you all right? You can’t be in here. You need to go to the ER.”
Ignoring him, she stared through the window at the big round machine, with her lover lying inside. The security guard pulled the tech to the side, and quickly explained the situation. She didn’t see or hear either one of them. Her attention was on Aidan, and the machine clicking incessantly, from the other room. Hurry up, oh please, hurry this damn thing up! Just as the machine finished its scan, Aidan woke up, dazed and in pain.
“Vicky?”
Vicky came running to her side, “I’m right here, sweetheart. Are you all right?’
“My arm is burning like crazy. What happened?”
“He tried to kill you—”
Aidan sat up, but the pain from her side was so excruciating, that she had to grab Vicky’s hand to steady herself. Her movement had caused a new onslaught of nausea and dizziness.
“No, honey, you shouldn’t move until we know the severity of your wound.”
“Don’t worry, it’s only a flesh wound.” But as she tried to stand, her head spun so violently, that she slumped back, and held on tight.
“God, you’re so stubborn. Be still and wait for the nurse, understand, soldier?”
Leaning against the cold metal table, Aidan grinned, “But I thought you were my nurse.”
“This is serious, Aidan. You have a gunshot wound to your right arm, a bad gash on your head, probably at least one broken rib on your left side, and you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Aidan gingerly pulled Vicky toward her with her left arm, and whispered, “You don’t have to be scared anymore. I’m okay, kid.”
Thankful for the warm, reassuring embrace, Vicky relinquished some of the tension lying too near the surface. But the worry would not be so easily discharged.
“I’ve got some good news, and some not so good news, Ms. Cassidy.” Dr. Skip Hayden, Emergency Department Director, entered the ER pod where Aidan and Vicky sat, waiting on her test results.
“The good news first, please Skip.” Vicky needed some good news, right now.
“The good news is that the bullet was a through and through. It only caused some tears that can be repaired, right here. No muscles were encroached, so she’ll have the full range of motion back, in a few weeks.”
“And the bad news?’ Aidan asked.
“One broken rib and a concussion. I want to keep you overnight for observation, and administer intravenous replacement. You have lost a lot of blood, and you’re nauseated, which causes me some concern as well.”
Before Aidan could argue, Vicky intervened, “Please, Aidan, stay tonight, if for no other reason than to alleviate my concerns.”
The pensive disquiet in Vicky’s eyes, thawed Aidan’s stubbornness, “Okay, kid, but would you, uh‒‒”
Vicky put a finger to Aidan’s lips, as she picked up the wall phone. “This is Victoria Montgomery. Is the solarium suite on your unit being used? No? Excellent. I have a very special VIP that will be staying the night. Please see that an extra bed is brought in to the patient’s room,” She winked at Aidan, “Yes, that’s right, I want two beds side by side. The patient will have a guest staying the night as well. Thank you, Mary.” She turned to Aidan and smiled, “I hope you don’t mind the smaller room, honey. The President is in our largest suite.”
Transport entered the pod, with a wheelchair for Aidan, just as Paul, Steve, the FBI agent and a local police detective, walked up.
“Paul?”
“They are ready to take both your statements now.”
Vicky put her hands on her small hips, and said defiantly, “No, not now. Aidan needs to have her wounds looked after first.”
“It’s okay Vick‒‒”
“Nothing doing, Aidan. You’re as pale as a ghost, and you’re in pain. I won’t hear of it. I’ll stay and talk with them, and they can speak with you tomorrow, if they want to.”
Aidan knew better than to argue with Vicky, when she got so adamant about something. Besides, she didn’t really want to win the argument, anyway. She was in pain, and bone tired, with a splitting headache. It took everything she had, just to keep her mind focused, as it was.
Vicky helped Aidan into the wheelchair, squeezed her hand, and kissed her lightly on the lips, then watched them wheel her down the hallway. She felt a pang of panic, and started to follow after her, but stopped, when Paul cleared his throat. Begrudgingly, she led them to the waiting room and sat down, as they sat around her.
Hayden pulled out his notepad and pencil, and looked at her, “Ms. Montgomery, when you’re ready, please, tell me what happened.”
“Is the President all right?”
“Yes ma’am, he is secure, and I have made him aware of the situation.”
She nodded, and exclaimed, “He… he wanted to kill the President, but Aidan stopped him. She stopped him…”
“Ma’am…,” Hayden remembered the head strong young nurse, fresh out of college, resilient and fearless. He saw none of that, in this young woman, right now. Instead, he feared she might be on the verge of tears. Softening his conditioned rigidness, he gently asked her to explain what happened. As she talked, everyone but Paul, scribbled notes on their notepad. As the questioning concluded, Hayden said, “Ms. Montgomery, it might interest you to know, I did a background check on the woman who was shot. I learned that her commanding officer has nominated her for the Medal of Honor.”
She noticed how Paul snapped to attention, obviously impressed as well, “Thank you, Steve. I did know that, actually.” She stood up and smoothed down her jacket, “Now, if you gentlemen are through with me, I want to go check on Aidan.”
Paul caught up to her, before she could get very far.
“Paul, I don’t need to be guarded, the bad guy has been caught, remember?”
“Ms. Montgomery, he is still alive, and in surgery. And he might not be acting alone. I’m just being cautious.”
*
Aidan’s nurse, Mary Wedding, RN, BSN, came in to check on her patient, who was sitting on the side of the bed, struggling for breath.
“Let’s get you into bed, Ms. Cassidy.”
Aidan raised one eyebrow, and grinned at Vicky.
“Don’t even say it, missy,” Vicky warned her lover.
After the nurse finished checking Aidan’s vitals, and inspecting the IV drip in her left arm, she raised the bedrails up on the left side of the bed, and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Aidan patted the bed with her good arm, and Vicky climbed in next to her. Her adrenaline all but gone, her emotions pushed to the precipice by exhaustion, Vicky looked down at her hands. Hands that had been soaked with Aidan’s blood. She tried to wipe them off on the bed sheet, as if the blood were still there. Why won’t it come off?
Aidan pulled her close, “Talk to me.”
“I…, I was so frightened, Aidan. You were like a rag doll in my arms, and there was so much blood, and I was so afraid that…,”
“That I was going to leave you, again?”
Vicky began to softly cry, fighting to keep the dam from bursting. She dabbed at her eyes, and nodded.
“I want you to understand something, kid. The only way I will ever leave you again, is if you ask me to. Not even bullets can keep me away, not this time. I need you too much. I love you too much.”
The dam burst. Vicky melted into her arms, allowing her tears to wash away the stress, and uncertainty.
“Hell, I’d even face the wrath of your mother, before I’d leave you again.” Aidan jested, playfully poking her in the ribs. “And she scares me worse than any bullet ever could.”
Laughing through her tears, Vicky kissed Aidan on the cheek, then rested her head on
Aidan’s breast. “You love me that much?”
“More, Vicky. Don’t you know that?”
Vicky sat up feeling lighter than when she came in. “I do now, darling. But any time you want to remind me…”
“I love you more each day. Each hour. Who am I kidding, each minute! Just when I think I can’t love you anymore, you crinkle your nose, and I get all giddy inside.”
“Okay, now I think the pain medication has kicked in. You’ve never been giddy in your life.”
“I am getting kinda groggy.”
“Good, you need to rest. But before you go to sleep honey, we’ve been invited to meet the president in his room tomorrow. I thought I’d go to your apartment, and get you some clothes to wear. That is, unless you’d rather meet him in your hospital gown?”
“Hmm, I wonder what it would be like, to moon a president?”
“Not as much fun as you’d think.”
Aidan laughed herself to sleep.
On the short drive over, Vicky realized that she had never been inside Aidan’s apartment. As she entered, the first thing she noticed was how tiny it was. It had a small, but usable kitchenette, an even smaller bathroom, and a living room that didn’t seem to be much bigger than the kitchen. There was a small television on a stand, with a game console hooked up to it, an old couch, and coffee table. She noticed the bare walls, curtainless windows, and the lack of any personal knick‒knacks. So this is what living with no memory looks like. She thought how sad that was, and made a mental note to ask Aidan if she would like some pictures to hang. “Maybe some curtains, maybe..., hell, maybe Aidan could just move in with me.”
Walking into the bedroom, she found that the walls were also bare, except for the wall directly across from the bed. Hanging by its self was a framed, eight‒by‒ten photo of Vicky. It was the picture Aidan had taken of her praying during the blessing of the cath lab. It was the most beautiful picture Vicky had ever seen. Not because it was of her, but because of what it meant to Aidan. She sat on the bed, and stared at it for a minute. This was the last thing Aidan saw before she slept. Vicky giggled at the thought.
The next day, Vicky helped Aidan get dressed, and though Aidan protested, Vicky got her into a wheelchair. Aidan was a bit nervous. She had never met anyone as high ranking as President Trenton, and she wanted to make a good first impression. Vicky assured her, she had already made an impression on the man, when she saved his life. This was just a social visit, to give him a chance to say thank you.
Steve was standing guard at his usual place, outside the President’s door. When Vicky wheeled up Aidan, he snapped to attention, and opened the door, “He’s expecting you, ma’am.”
President Trenton was sitting at the desk in the solarium. His wife sat on the couch, watching TV with their daughters. Vicky wheeled Aidan into the room, and parked her beside the couch, as Trenton rose from the desk and walked over to them. Aidan was not about to meet the President sitting down, so she eased herself up, as Vicky rushed to help her. Standing at attention, she saluted him with her left hand, her right arm in a sling.
Trenton returned the salute, “As you were, Ms. Cassidy. I’m the one who should be saluting you.”
“Amen to that!” his wife agreed. The whole Trenton family gathered around both Vicky and Aidan, and thanked them for all they had done for him. Vicky was beaming with pride, while Aidan was embarrassed by the attention, and feeling a bit claustrophobic.
“It was my honor, sir,” Aidan explained, “but I did have help. Vicky was about to take him on, all by herself, and if it wasn’t for her, sir, we probably wouldn’t be here today.”
Vicky shook her head, and jokingly suggested that Aidan was still on pain medication. Aidan poked her in the ribs, and grinned.
Trenton asked, “I understand you are being discharged today, Ms. Cassidy?”
Vicky took it upon herself to answer for her lover, “Yes she is, so no long speeches, Mr. President?”
Trenton and his wife both laughed and his wife added, “He’s being discharged today, as well, so I second that, Vicky.”
They all sat back down, and visited for a few minutes. Then, with a nod from Trenton, his wife collected their daughters and left the room.
“I wanted a minute alone, to update you both on the terrorist. He’s a home grown convert, who was recruited and trained in Yemen, last year. His intention was to kill me, in the name of Al Qaeda, and be a martyr for the cause. Instead, thanks to you, Ms. Cassidy, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“I knew he was from here. He didn’t look the part, and he had a southern accent.” Vicky deduced.
“Sir, permission to speak freely?” Aidan had something on her mind, and forgot all about being nervous.
“Of course, please do.”
“Sir, Homeland Security needs to do something more about these so called ‘homegrown’ terrorists. I heard that he was a complete surprise to them. And sir, he was only one floor below you. This is the second time Little Rock has produced a homegrown terrorist, and just within five miles of each other.”
“Do you have a suggestion on how to catch them, before they attack again?” The President wasn’t being snide, he genuinely was looking for ideas.
“Actually, I do sir, and it has to do with infiltrating the streets. Especially in small cities like this one, where they seem to be multiplying. I have lived on the streets of Little Rock, sir, and I know what they are like. It would be easy for these types to move in, spread some money around, promise a better way of life, and suck in the gullible, disenchanted people. I remember, I was approached by one such person, but didn’t recognize him for what he really was. I would be happy to discuss it with you further, sir, at your convenience.”
Vicky bit her lip. Now was not the time to show her excitement over another of Aidan’s memories surfacing. Instead, she pulled out a small pad and pen, she carried in her purse, and jotted the memory down. Listening to the two of them talk, Vicky could tell, Trenton was impressed with Aidan. Though proud beyond measure, in the back of her head, the idea that this might not be the best thing, began to permeate.
“I look forward to it, Ms. Cassidy. I will have my secretary call you. And again, thank you for all you have done for this country. I am humbled by your service and sacrifice.”
“Thank you, sir.” Aidan rose from her chair, and stood at attention again, as the President left the room.
Vicky patted the back of the wheelchair, “Come on, soldier, let’s get you home.”
“What’s on your calendar for tomorrow?” Aidan asked, as Vicky helped her back into the wheelchair.
“My calendar? Oh no you don’t. You are not working tomorrow, missy, you are staying with me, and if I have to, I’ll hire a home nurse to keep you there.”
“I’m staying at your place?” Aidan was secretly relieved, she dreaded going home to her empty apartment, as a norm, but most especially now.
“Yes, my place. I moved some of your clothes and things over yesterday. You will stay there as long as you want.”
“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t ya?”
Vicky grinned, and added, “Personally, I think you should move in permanently. But we can wait to have that conversation, after you’re feeling better.”
“Oh, I’m feeling much better now.” Aidan had fantasized about living with Vicky, but now she planned to make it a reality. She rededicated herself to getting her memory back. Only when she was whole again, could she give herself fully to Vicky, and there was nothing else in the world that mattered as much.
Vicky laughed, “Well, if that’s all it takes…”
“Okay, I’ll stay at your place, for a while. Hey, don’t forget our appointment with Dr. Kline, okay? I do want us to go see him”
“That’s in two days, right?” she looked at the determination on Aidan’s face, and knew this was important to her, “Hmm, well, if you’re a good girl and stay in bed today, I’ll join you at your session. But you have to promise me
you’ll stay in bed, okay?”
“Okay, I promise,” she knew it was going to be hard, but a promise was a promise, especially one made to Vicky. It was important that she regain Vicky’s trust. Even more important than getting her memory back.
The next morning, Vicky rolled toward Aidan, and lifted her sleeping lover’s wrist, being careful not to wake her. She took her pulse, listened to her lungs, checked the tape on her ribs, and gently felt her forehead. Satisfied that she was doing well, Vicky edged her way out of bed, and walked into the kitchen. After making the coffee, she poured herself a large cup, and strolled into her home office.
“Good morning, Yvonne.”
“Good morning, Vicky, how is Aidan doing?”
Vicky wondered if Yvonne knew. She had never indicated to her that they had been lovers. “She’s doing much better this morning, thank you for asking. Listen, I’m going to work from home today. Send only the important calls to me, and tell the rest that I will get back to them, as soon as I can, okay?”
“Of course. Should I cancel the executive team meeting, and your other meetings?”
“Do I have anything urgent?”
“No ma’am, not really.”
“Then yes, please reschedule everything. And Yvonne, would you mind going to Beebe, and getting Aidan’s car. I know you didn’t have a chance to yesterday. Let transport drive you there, and Yvonne, you drive Aidan’s car back, not transport.” Vicky trusted transportation with her patients, but when it came to a twenty year old driving a muscle car, she was no fool. “Thanks so much, Yvonne.” Vicky spent the morning reading over papers, and answering emails, until a scream shattered the stillness. It came from the bedroom.
I Remember You Page 15
