It was his first official day of playing nurse and he was nervous. He hoped he could pull it off and didn’t somehow kill the patient. That would not go down well with the powers that be. That would surely seal his own demise.
Running a hand through his hair and wiping some sleep from his eyes, he changed into a fresh pair of boxers and dressed in some jeans and a clean black tee before wandering into the kitchen to see what he could slap together for breakfast.
The living quarters were as he’d left it, darkened from the closed blinds. He pressed a button on the remote to let in some much needed light before heading to the walk-in-pantry. He needn’t have worried about starving. There was every conceivable type of cereal, neatly stacked in rows. He grabbed a bowl and decided on muesli, trying to keep to his healthy eating plan. Eyeing the other shelves, he couldn’t help but wonder why there were stacks and stacks of canned foods, condiments, spices and herbs. Had they all been brought for him? The pantry was so huge, he imagined the food would last an entire year. There was no way in hell he was staying any longer than the few days that had initially been offered. The place gave him the creeps.
He wasn’t looking forward to the task at hand but at least it would give him something to do.
After he’d eaten a rather humble breakfast he decided he needed to go take care of his patient and be done with it for the day.
The thought of even venturing from his safe confines of luxury into the eerie dungeon outside had him on edge.
He grabbed the lonely cell key off the hook attached to the side of the refrigerator that The Lord had instructed he use, thanking God he didn’t have to take the gigantic bundle of keys on the hook beside it. How would anyone ever figure out which key to use on that knot of metal? Come to think of it, why bother even locking the cell when there was no one else on the island? It’s not as if anybody was going to come in and steal a corpse. Were they? Obviously The Lord left nothing to chance.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the large wooden doors and started the walk down the empty corridor. Immediately the temperature dropped around five degrees, bringing goose-bumps to his skin and a shiver that quickly worked its way to his bones.
Could he actually pull this thing off? Never before had he been asked to do something like this. Why couldn’t a doctor have been hired to babysit? It didn’t make sense. Nor should it, after all, it was The Organization.
Upon reaching the cell he came to a short stop and stood looking in. He searched for any sign of life the patient might be displaying but was only met with the same monotone beeps as yesterday. At least he was still alive and would hopefully stay that way while on Carlos’ watch. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if the guy died in the next few days. He shivered even thinking about it and shook his head to erase the thought.
It was hard to bring himself to insert the key into the lock. His heart was hammering and his hands were shaking. Shit, this sucked! The thought of removing the guy’s waste bag made him retch. He hadn’t signed on for this.
With his hands still shaking he entered the key into the keyhole, missing the first time and having to consciously stop his hand from shuddering. The door opened with a rusty squeak.
Stepping into the room, over that threshold, there was no turning back. He had to try not to lose it and make a mistake. A mistake could prove fatal.
New was blended with old as Carlos eyed all the high tech equipment that had been flown in. State of the art, if he didn’t know better. It was overtly out of place against the tumbledown walls of the cell, which appeared chalky in appearance, or maybe they were just that old, that whatever material had been used to build the structure had calcified with age.
On a metal drawer set on wheels beside the bed were the needle, vials of drugs, and some disposable gloves all laid out, neatly like a dentist or surgeon would do. Underneath on a shelf sat bags of clear fluid and some empty ones which he assumed were the waste bags. Great.
He took a longer look at the patient than was necessary and felt a twinge of remorse.
“Sorry, man, if I do something to accidentally kill you. I know you’re a traitor and all but The Lord will have my balls if I can’t pull this off.”
Come on, Carlos. Don’t be a pussy! Just do it, for fuck’s sake!
Sweat from his brow slithered into his eyes, stinging for a second before he wiped them furiously so he could focus.
He picked up the syringe and inserted the end into the bottle of liquid, making sure to only fill it to half. He felt detached from his body as he moved to the carcass and pushed the needle into the catheter, gently squeezing until there was no liquid left. As had happened the previous day, the heart monitor spiked, causing Carlos to jump. A natural reaction to the pain medication, that’s what The Lord had explained. Perfectly normal. Still, it was pretty damn nerve-wracking to have such a responsibility.
The increased heart rate had slowed quickly the day before but that wasn’t the case on this particular day. It seemed to keep going, endlessly. Without warning, the patient thrashed his head from side to side as if feeling the liquid reaching his bloodstream. How was that possible? Was he conscious now?
“What the Goddam…?”
Carlos threw the needle on the tray and leapt back in case the patient started flailing his arms about. He moved the drawers away and stood watching on in shock, not knowing what to do. There was nothing he could do. He didn’t know how to treat anyone. Should he call The Lord?
“Come on! Slow down!” Where was one of those putrid cigars when you needed one? He needed something.
The minutes ticked by as if in slow motion. Carlos didn’t know if the guy would go into cardiac arrest as he read the heart monitor. Two hundred beats per minute! Holy Hell! How fast could a heart go before it collapsed from exhaustion?
It was only day one. Not good. Carlos had been entrusted with this guy’s life. Calling his boss, panicked like a scared little girl, would be seen as weak.
“Come on! Relax. Calm down!” He doubted his words could be heard, but then the patient seemed to stiffen and then relax as the machine returned to a normal rhythm.
“What the hell kind of shit is in this pain medication? What do I do if he wakes up? Fuck!”
Next on the agenda were the bags. Walking around to the drip stand he carefully unhooked the empty bag and as The Lord had shown him, he removed it from the catheter and replaced it with a full one. So far so good.
Carlos breathed in and out deeply as he picked up the last bag and lifted the blankets off the patient to reveal the waste bag filled with yellow liquid. He had to look away for a second to compose himself. “Okay, Carlos. You’re a big, tough crook. What are you worried about? Replace the bag and get out.”
He eyed the gloves on the trolley that he had failed to put on earlier and decided now would be a good time to use them. He grabbed them and sheathed his hands before picking up the full bag of yellow urine, noting that even under the gloves he could feel the warmth seep through, and then he attached the empty one. He covered the patient back up and walked straight over to the bin in the corner of the room to dispose of the waste, happy to have it out of sight.
Job done! Day one a success! Ripping the gloves off, he binned those too and hurried out of the cell, locking it on the way out, already in the mood for a stiff drink.
Chapter Five
Kate had never felt such pain and knew she was back in her body. Her insides felt like they were on fire and she was sure every bone must be broken. She couldn’t focus on anything other than the pain, even when she heard distant voices. Where the heck was she again? If only her eyes would open and her limbs would move. The sun’s rays burned her already tender skin like a blowtorch. She imagined her face blistered and weeping, skin dripping onto the ground.
And then she was on the move, or so it felt. Floating. Hanging. Strong arms squeezing more pain through her. It was unbearable.
Somebody take it away, please! Jake? Where are you?
I can feel you near. Help me!
A loud noise drowned out the voice in her head. Droning. Whirring. Wind. So much wind. Cold. Very cold. She could feel spasms jerking her body as she fell towards the abyss. It was better to succumb to the blackness that was grabbing onto her with incredible force, dragging her under. She did just that.
When semi-consciousness found her she was still in a black haze.
Broken words floated over her in a voice that she couldn’t quite place. “Feet cold… blanket.”
Who was that person? Familiarity hugged her. Where had she heard that voice before? Was it even real? If only her brain was working properly. The whirring noise hadn’t disappeared but now sounded quieter. Kind of soothing. She fought the crushing fatigue but only for a few more seconds as she listened hard for some recognition of those around her. It was no use. The pull to slip back into the black was too intense and quite frankly she welcomed it.
Chapter Six
Robert ran with the gurney and medical staff into the Emergency Department of the Alma Mater hospital in La Spezia, pushing past visitors and staff in order to keep up. Nurses and doctors had wasted no time finding out the details from the rescue crew as to the gravity of the situation. It was a hive of activity. Doctors were being paged, orderlies were collecting laundry and delivering medicine, and like himself, family members of patients were hovering anxiously.
It appeared that regardless of the country, all hospitals were the same.
Rushing past the check-in desk, a receptionist stopped Robert to question if he was a family member of Kate’s and then asking him some routine questions about her. Full name, address, age, whether she had any known illnesses, etc. He could only fill in certain blanks. Not having seen his daughter for so long, he wasn’t up to speed on which, if any medications she took or even any known recent illnesses. He wasn’t much help at all but the woman entered the details into the computer as best she could and then let him go. All he wanted to do was get to his daughter.
He made his way to where Kate was being assessed. Two doctors had hurried in, Kate taking priority due to her injuries. A blood pressure cuff was strapped to her right arm as one of the nurses pumped it up and read her blood pressure.
The doctors couldn’t be understood as they spoke in their foreign tongue. Robert could only watch their actions and assume they were calling out blood pressure numbers and determining what course of action they would take. Kate’s eyelids were lifted to check pupil dilation and notes recorded on a chart. The warm blanket and foil were momentarily removed to observe the injuries, determining just what they were up against before they were carefully placed back. Both doctors then conferred with each other, communicated with the other staff, and proceeded to walk away to tend to other patients. They’d been there no more than ten minutes. It was as if Robert were invisible. Simply an observer and not a worried parent. He knew Kate was their priority but some sort of acknowledgement would have been nice.
He decided it was his right to find out what was happening and why Kate had been left unattended when two orderlies came in and took each end of the gurney.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking her?”
One of the young men replied. “She-a need surgery. We-a take-a her upstairs.”
Okay, well, that was good. They weren’t wasting any time, that’s for sure. So far Robert was happy with the prompt treatment. He hoped the surgeons were as capable as the ones back in the States. Who knew how adept the surgeons were in a foreign country? He guessed he would soon find out. He had to place his faith in them, regardless. He followed the gurney with the orderlies as they maneuvered the rolling bed skillfully through the crowded department.
As soon as Robert went to step into the elevator with the men, he was stopped. “Stop! No one is-a allowed past-a this-a point.”
“But I’m the father! I want to go with her.”
“You-a must-a go to the waiting room.”
Without a second more to protest, the elevator doors shut in Robert’s face, leaving him alone in a foreign hospital without a clue as to where the waiting room was and a feeling of loss. He’d just handed over his daughter’s life to strangers and hoped to fuck they’d prove their worth.
He rubbed his face with both hands, feeling antsy. He needed a coffee. What the hell else was he supposed to do apart from pace the halls, trying to keep a lid on his volatile emotions? Walking to the nurse’s station he asked where the waiting room was.
“Down-a that-a way.” She pointed to Robert’s left, too busy to offer a more detailed description as the phone rang again, leaving him on his own.
Finding the waiting room was actually very easy. He hadn’t had to turn any corners, thankfully, and it was not too far down the hall. The last thing he needed was to get lost.
The large sterile room with metal tables and chairs had another family in it, sitting at the far end, watching a large television screen that hung on the wall. They glanced up momentarily when Rob walked in but quickly looked back to the television which was playing a rerun of an Italian soccer game.
The tea and coffee facilities were set up to the right, immediately inside the door. It was packaged ground coffee, but it would have to do. It was better than nothing. Robert heaped three large mounds onto the spoon and added as many sugars. He needed a hit more than anything to try and help him get through the grueling hours he knew would follow. Complimentary biscuits sat in a bowl at the end of the table but Rob didn’t think he could stomach anything that he had to chew. His nerves were frayed and the acid in his stomach was slowly rising towards his throat. He’d just have to survive on a liquid diet until he could manage something more.
Not really feeling like sitting inside with anyone else, he spotted a sliding door at the end of the room, leading out to a small balcony with a table and two chairs in one corner.
He made his way out into the sunshine, closing the glass door behind him. The warm air that hit him in contrast to the air conditioning inside was like climbing into an oven but it seemed like the only place that could afford him some privacy. It was time to make the phone call he’d been dreading.
It was now 11 a.m. and Robert knew there was a seven hour time difference between La Spezia and Chicago, making it early back home, 4 a.m. Jenny would be asleep. He hated to wake her but he needed to come clean about his trip to Italy. She deserved to know about Kate now that their daughter had been found. She would want Rob to call to let her know.
Dialing the number, he took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He didn’t have a clue how the call would go down. Earlier he’d been certain that Jenny would be pissed at him for lying to her but now, he wasn’t sure. Maybe she’d be too concerned about Kate to pay any heed to how he’d handled the whole fiasco.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Come on, pick up.”
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
A very sleepy voice answered, “Hello?”
Even though they had caller ID on the home phone, Robert knew Jenny would have picked up without checking.
“Hi, honey, it’s me.”
“Rob? It’s 4 a.m. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Jen. Sorry I haven’t called. It’s been crazy over here.” It was so good to hear her voice.
“What time is it there?”
“It’s 11 a.m.”
“How come you’re not working? Are you having a break?”
“You could say that.”
“How’s Kate?”
Silence.
“Rob?”
“I’ve got something to tell you, but before I do you have to promise me that you won’t freak out.”
“Rob, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
There was no easy way to say it, so he figured it was just best to confess and then suffer the consequences he knew would follow. It was no easier to confront Jenny across the miles than it was face to face. He felt shitty.
“Honey, I wasn’t completely honest with you abo
ut the job I was attending to here in Italy.”
“Go on.”
“I’ve had someone watching Kate—”
“Kate? What’s she got to do with anything? Is she in danger?” Jenny’s voice broke.
That wasn’t making it easier on Rob.
He swallowed hard. “Just hear me out, okay? There’s a lot I need to tell you and I need you to listen and try and understand why I didn’t tell you what was going on from the start.”
“You lied to me, Rob?”
Rob could hear Jenny’s breathing and could only imagine the expression on her face.
“I couldn’t tell you the real reason for this trip. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what was going on myself, so before worrying you, I wanted to find out the truth.”
“Rob—”
“Let me finish, Jenny. This is hard enough for me as it is. Now, don’t say anything. Just listen.”
When he was sure she was going to stop butting in, he continued.
He proceeded to tell her everything from start to finish, trying not to leave too much out. He didn’t, of course, mention the moving dog, steamy note on the mirror, or the flying note in Kate’s apartment. When he was done he waited patiently for Jenny to digest everything.
Jenny was crying as she started to speak. “Why. Didn’t. You…” sniff “…tell. Me?” Each word was forced and laced with anger.
Robert lowered his voice and ran a hand over the back of his neck. He took another long swig of his coffee before trying to console her.
“I know I handled this poorly, honey. I should have told you. I was trying to protect you. This Organization that Carlos is involved with is extremely dangerous. I still don’t know if he was involved in Kate’s fall. We’re going to do a full investigation to get to the bottom of it. I’m going to call Gary next and have him book you on the next flight out. He’ll meet you in Rome and have you transferred here to La Spezia. Kate needs you. I need you.”
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