KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal

by A. B. McKINLEY

  As he sat down in his seat, Scott wished he would have made more of an effort to leave on better terms. After take-off, he pondered over the afternoon’s events. Everything would be okay, he thought. He hoped! He would make a call from New York or London and they could talk through it.

  Chapter 17

  The Columbus to La Guardia flight was delayed slightly and upon arriving in the New York area, needed to circle a few times before it finally landed. By the time Scott arrived, he literally ran to catch his onward flight to London. He barely made his connection and did not have enough time to call Katie. The entire, long flight across the Atlantic, he thought about what he would say to her. It bothered him that he had not mentioned that he put lotion on Britney’s back or when she massaged his shoulders. He knew that was wrong and he felt terrible about it, but after her reaction, he felt it was probably best he had not mentioned it this trip back. He felt badly that she was at home with no one to rely on. She worried alone about the girls, the house, her friends, his safety and now, Britney! He just didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. He had a two-hour layover at Heathrow. As-soon-as he disembarked and cleared security, he called Katie. There was no answer. He realized she was probably in bed, so he didn’t try her again. He would call her when he got back to Iraq and they’d sort things out. He didn’t want to leave a voice mail. He knew what would be discussed, needed to be done properly in person.

  Katie was asleep when Scott called. She was upset and went to bed early. He hadn’t called her and was angry with herself that she let him leave like that. She was distraught when he didn’t call from New York and had no way of knowing that his flight was late and he didn’t have time to call. When she woke up, there was a missed call on her phone. She was glad that he’d called her, but upset that he hadn’t left a message.

  Scott arrived in Baghdad, Monday evening. As he walked through the airport building, he tried to call Katie again. He had desperately wanted to talk with her for hours and was now growing frustrated. Once again, his call went unanswered. Bad timing, he thought. He knew she was at work, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He wanted to get the matter straightened out, as soon as possible. He didn’t like leaving for the Middle East the way they had left it.

  As he left the terminal, he walked toward the main parking lot. It was not particularly busy, but there were a few people milling about. As he approached the parking area where he left his car, he had an uneasy feeling, as though, someone was following him. He turned slightly and sure enough, there were two men, maybe twenty yards behind him. He had no idea how long they’d been there. His concentration was on what he would say to Katie. He made a couple turns down random rows of cars and glanced over his shoulder to see if his suspicions were correct. The men still followed behind him. Scott was vulnerable. He didn’t have any weapons on him because he’d just flown in. His guns were locked in his car. As he approached his vehicle, the men dropped back a little further behind him, but they were still there. He was not sure what they were doing. If they wanted to shoot him, surely they could have done that by now. He decided the best thing to do would be to get in the car and get out of there immediately. He moved quickly over the last few yards, unlocked the door, climbed in to his vehicle and turned the key.

  Later that evening at the hotel, Britney and Tom sat and waited. They expected Scott back hours ago. They tried his cell phone many times without any answer. Their weekend together went reasonably well with no major problems, but there was a definite personality clash between them.

  Tom needed to get back to his office and check on a few things. He knew Britney really wanted Scott back too, because she liked him. Just after 10:00 p.m., Tom called the airline to see if his flight had arrived and if it was on time. Scott’s plane landed on time and he was on the passenger list. Their records showed he had boarded the flight. Tom thought there was no way it would have taken him this long to get back to the hotel. He told Britney she needed to get ready to go to the airport. He wanted to find out any information they might have on his whereabouts.

  When they reached the airport, an increased number of police cars were present and Iraqi army vehicles were on hand. Definitely more than normal, Tom thought. A large area of one of the parking lots was cordoned off and they were not allowing anyone in. Tom parked the car and reluctantly took Britney with him. He located the local Police Chief to find out what had happened. As they moved closer to the area, Tom saw a partially burnt-out car and it looked familiar. He didn’t want to think it, but he was pretty sure it was Scott’s. Tom’s grasp of the local language wasn’t perfect, but he had lived in Baghdad long enough to have learned a fair amount. He quickly struck up a conversation with the Police Chief, who he’d spoken to before.

  Britney didn’t understand any of the language and stood next to Tom, while the two men spoke. She was uncomfortable; it was a sticky, hot night, much the same as every other night. It had a different feel tonight and reminded her of the night they walked back to the hotel, when the car broke down. As she stood there waiting, she heard the engine noise of small planes nearby and the sound of sirens in the distance. There was still a strong burnt smell in the air. That smell, mixed with the smell of aviation fuel did not leave a pleasant taste in her mouth.

  After a couple of minutes, the Police Chief pointed out the car to Tom and they moved towards it. Tom motioned to Britney to follow them.

  “That’s Scott’s car, isn’t it?” Tom asked her.

  “Oh my god. Yes, I think it is,” she said, as her voice trailed off.

  With difficulty, the police chief opened the burned driver’s door. Tom saw Scott’s backpack sitting on the front passenger seat, as well as his guns that remained partially hidden underneath the same seat. It appeared that Scott may have reached for them as he turned the key in the ignition. The driver’s seat and dashboard were badly burned and broken glass was everywhere. He allowed Tom to take Scott’s possessions as the two men moved away from the car, still talking.

  “What’s going on, Tom? What’s he saying?” Britney demanded, grabbing hold of Tom’s arm.

  “I’m trying to find out! Just be patient. He wasn’t the first one here. When he arrived, Scott had already been taken away by ambulance.”

  “An ambulance! He lived through this? So, he is alive?” Britney asked, scared and panicking. She was shocked. The realization that Scott was the victim of a car bomb attack was starting to hit her. She was trembling.

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out. He’s making a call now to obtain more information for me and find out where Scott was taken.”

  The two men continued to talk. The Police Chief spoke to numerous police officers, making inquiries, obtaining pertinent information, as well as making calls to anyone who might have specifics about Scott. After ten minutes, Tom turned to speak with Britney.

  “Okay, listen. They believe he’s alive. They have given me the name of the hospital where he was taken. They said the device didn’t detonate correctly. It was a crudely-made car bomb, designed to kill. If it had gone off as it was designed, he would be dead. I don’t know how bad he is, but he was unconscious when they put him in the ambulance. I’m going to leave you with another guard and his client, at their hotel. I don’t normally do this, but this is an emergency. Then, I’m going to the hospital, to see what else I can find out.”

  “I am coming with you. I need to know how he is.”

  “No, you are not. Britney, I don’t have time to argue with you. I need to leave you in a safe place and get going. Alone! I will let you know how he is and any details I find out,” Tom said, firmly. He did not have time to debate this with her. He had a man down and needed to find out what condition he was in.

  While Tom was driving her to the other guard’s hotel, she continued to try and persuade him to allow her come to the hospital to check on Scott.

  “So tell me, how is coming to the hospital more dangerous than coming to the airport with you?” she
asked. She thought it was a good point.

  “Just drop it Britney! It’s been a very rough night and it could yet turn out to be a very tragic night. I will not argue with you. Right now, you have no say in this, do you understand? You will stay with the other guard.”

  “I just need to know he’s okay, Tom. This is a nightmare.”

  “I know, and I am sorry. Please, just do as you’re told. Let me do my job and maybe say a prayer.” Tom softened. He realized she was afraid. All she had witnessed to this point was never truly real… until tonight.

  “Okay, but please let me know as soon as you know anything,” her voice quaked, as she leaned back in the seat.

  “I will.” He glanced in the rear view mirror and could see she was on the verge of tears.

  “What about Katie? Are you going to call her?” she asked, innocently.

  “Yes. I have to, but I need to try and find out more information before I contact the poor girl.”

  “Do you want me to call her to let her know what happened? I would be happy to. I have her number and we have spoken before.”

  “I will have to think about that. I didn’t know you had ever spoken with her.” He seemed a little puzzled.

  “Oh, yeah, we had a nice chat a few weeks ago,” Britney told him.

  “Well, we’ll see. But, I still need to find out more details about what condition he is in. Britney, I do need to be the first one who speaks with her. You do understand that, right?”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  An hour later, Britney was dropped off with another guard and Tom approached the hospital. He was anxious to find out what was going on. This was the worst part of his job, the part he dreaded the most. Having one of his men badly hurt was something he hated to see. He tried to stay positive as he entered the hospital. He knew all too well from the look of the car, the news may not be good. The Al Nafees Hospital was centrally located and was one of the closest hospitals to the airport, so that’s why he’d been taken here. It wasn’t the most modern facility nor did it have the best equipment, but it was a hospital. Tom walked to the main desk and inquired about Scott. He was told to wait in the lounge area and a doctor would see him soon. It was not long when Tom was surprised to see another Western looking man approach the main desk. He appeared to be a doctor. He was a tall, Caucasian man with short blond hair. He spoke with the receptionist for quite a while before he approached Tom.

  “Hello, my name is Dr. Hamilton. I believe you are here about Mr. Maclaren,” he said, in an American accent.

  “Yes, I am. My name is Tom Schultz. How is he?” Tom asked, still surprised he was talking to an American doctor.

  “I’m afraid he’s in critical condition at the moment. Tom, are you a family member?”

  “No, I’m Scott’s boss and friend. He’s over here on business. I still need to contact his family back in the States, but thought we should talk first.”

  “Okay. So I guess you’re the person I’m going to be talking with for now. Please, come with me,” he said, as he walked towards the corridor.

  “How bad is he, Doc?” Tom asked, while they walked.

  “He’s critical, and in a coma, but, he is breathing on his own which is encouraging. He suffered a major head trauma and I suspect he has a fractured skull, but I cannot say at this time. There is a huge amount of swelling at the moment. As soon as the swelling goes down, I will try to get an x-ray done to confirm the fracture. I would love to do a CAT scan or MRI, but we don’t have the equipment here at this hospital.”

  “Okay, so is that the worst of it? What about the rest of his injuries? How badly is he burned?”

  “We took a number of x-rays when Scott first came in, but there was no point trying to take any pictures of his head due to the swelling. His other injuries are mainly down the left side. There are fractures to his lower tibia, his radius, two ribs and his clavicle. As for his burns, it’s not as bad as I would have thought, given what I was told happened to him. He only has first-degree burns. Once again to areas down his left side, I don’t foresee the burns being a major problem. In fact, I don’t see any of the fractures being a major issue. There are a lot of lacerations over his face and neck due to flying glass, but really, the only thing I’m concerned about is his brain injury.”

  “Okay, let me see if I got it all. He has a major head trauma, a broken leg, wrist, ribs, collar bone and a possible skull fracture, right? And his burns are not that bad. Do you think we should try to get him moved to a facility with better equipment to check out his head?”

  “You are correct, the breaks and burns are not anything to be concerned about. But, I would advise against him being moved at the moment due to the severity of his head injury. I think we need to keep him very still for a while for the swelling to subside. But, then again, it’s your call,” Dr. Hamilton said, as he gestured for Tom to follow him into the small room where Scott lay motionless in bed.

  It was a very basic room with white walls and an antiseptic aroma was quite noticeable.

  “Damn, he looks in a bad way,” Tom said quietly, as he looked at Scott. His head was bandaged and looked huge. There was a cast on his wrist and lower leg. A considerable amount of his left side had been bandaged due to the burns and his face seemed to be cut up pretty badly.

  “Yes, he is in critical condition. We have taken care of everything we can, for right now…”

  “So, what’s your opinion, Doc? I have to call his fiancé, so what should I tell her?”

  “That we’ve done everything we can and all we can do now is wait. She is welcome to call me if she wants to. I am sure she will have many questions and I can try and answer them for her. I’m not bound by any confidentiality laws over here, which is why I’m able to discuss Scott’s condition with you. I would be happy to speak with her or you any time.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Dr. Hamilton. It might be good for her to speak with you as well. Tell me, Doctor, what are you doing here?”

  “I wondered how long it would take for you to ask that. I saw the look on your face when you saw me. I volunteer my services and work for the International Red Cross Organization. I have been here about a year now.”

  “Wow! I’ve been over here a few years, but at least I’m getting paid. I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Personal reasons. There was nothing to keep me in America. Plus, I am fed up with the medical system back home. It was all about money, not patient care and a patient’s well-being.”

  “Good for you. So, when do you think he might come out of the coma?” He was very concerned now that he had seen what Scott looked like.

  “There’s no medical way to tell, Tom. But, if we are to hope to have a positive outcome, then I’d expect to see some sort of movement or general signs of life from him within the next 48 hours.”

  “Okay. Is there anything I can do for him?”

  “Not much, really, apart from visiting him and talking to him. Get any familiar voices around him to talk to him. Hopefully, we can get him to come out of this coma soon.”

  “Right. I’m going to go now. I have to call his fiancé and let her know what has happened. She’s going to want to speak to you, though. May I take your number for her?”

  “Absolutely! Tell her she can me call anytime.”

  He wrote his number on a piece of paper and handed it to Tom. The two men shook hands and parted ways. Dr. Hamilton had given Scott’s personal belongings earlier to Tom. His keys, wallet and passport were in his pockets when he was brought in. He thought they were safer with Tom, rather than keeping them at the hospital.

  It was after 2:00 a.m. as Tom drove back to pick up Britney. He called to let her know all the details. She was upset, but glad Scott was alive and told Tom she wanted to visit him. Tom agreed to take her later after they had gotten some sleep since the doctor did say any familiar voices might help. They went back to the hotel suite and Tom convinced Britney to go get some sleep. He knew it would be a difficult phone call
to Katie and he didn’t want anyone else around when he made it. He sat waiting on the couch to be sure Britney went to sleep and pondered what he was going to say to Katie.

  It was early evening in Ohio. Katie was cleaning up after dinner. She was trying to stay busy and keep her mind off all the things that had transpired. She was extremely upset about what had happened when Scott left and she was getting worried. With each missed call on her phone, she wondered why he didn’t leave her a message and why he hadn’t called her again. No matter what she did, it stayed in the forefront of her mind. He may have thought she ignored his calls and gave up, but then again, she knew that he would not do that. It was just a silly fight. She checked her phone to make sure it was still on. She was sure he would try again soon. A few minutes after she finished washing the dishes, she sat down and helped Sophia with some math homework when her phone rang.

  “Hello,” she answered, with relief in her voice.

  “Hello Katie, this is Tom Schultz.”

  “Hello Tom. Where is Scott? Is everything okay?” she asked. The tone of her voice turned from relief to one of concern.

  “I’m sorry, Katie. I have some bad news.”

  “Oh, my god, what’s wrong?”

  “Scott was the victim of a car bomb attack. He’s in hospital in a coma. I’m so sorry.”

  “Nooooooo!” she screamed. She dropped the phone and collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down her face.

  “What is it Mom?” said Sophia. She crouched down, trying to help her mother, before running to get her sister.

  “Katie….Katie, are you there?” Tom asked. He heard her sobbing and tried to get a response. He hung up the phone after a few minutes.