Joseph

by Kris Michaels

  He jerked and looked at her at the same time that he pulled the side of his shirt back to cover his body again. “Ember… it isn’t as bad as it looks.”

  Holy heavenly father, she had never seen such massive dermis disruption. Pushing the shirt back again, she held it away from his body. How could he function? The excruciating pain those types of injuries produced were normally treated with massive doses of narcotics. Yet, she’d seen him take nothing. She pushed the shirt off his shoulder and down his arm. The atrocity of his wounds lay bare to her eyes. She reached out a hand almost touching the multitude of injuries, scabs and remodeling tissue that covered his chest, shoulder, and ribs. “Oh, God, Joey. Who did this to you? These wounds?”

  He grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Shhh. We can talk about that later. Will you get me a t-shirt out of my pack? I’ll pull over and put it on and we’ll ditch these clothes.”

  “Who did this? They tortured you. Didn’t they?”

  He slowed down and pulled to the side of the road. Putting the car in park, he cupped her face in his large hands. “Ember, I exist in a dangerous world. The important thing is I’m here with you now and you’re safe.”

  He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly, almost reverently.

  His forehead rested on hers. Short panting breaths brought her eyes back to his face. His color was almost ghostly white as he whispered, “Em, baby, please get me a shirt out of my pack, moving right now is not enjoyable.”

  She nodded and leaned over the seat getting a black t-shirt. He unbuttoned the other sleeve and pulled the jacket off. His shoulder holster came off next followed by the white dress shirt. Em helped him take off the shirt and saw the devastating injuries that marred his back. The damage to his flesh had barely healed in some places. In others, infection and untreated wounds wept. She helped him pull on a t-shirt and his shoulder holster.

  Joseph nodded to the back. “There are some jeans, hiking boots, and a black button down. Pull them out for me will you?”

  She retrieved the clothes, helped him take off his shoes and pull down his slacks.

  “Damn it, can you loosen the bandage? I can’t breathe.” His small huffs for air paid stark testimony to his complaint.

  Em assessed him and reacted immediately. She lifted his eyelids. The extreme dilation of his pupils told her he needed help and stat. He closed his eyes and dropped his head back on the headrest. She took his pulse and mentally logged the other symptoms he presented. “Joey, what are you taking for the pain?”

  He shook his head keeping his eyes closed. “Nothing now. At first, I was given some locally milled heroine. That kept the pain from driving me crazy until I got to civilization. I’ve been eating oxycodone since then. But, I quit taking them.”

  He struggled with his jeans and she semi-straddled him helping him snap and zip the Levis. “Cold turkey, Joey? When did you stop?”

  “Yesterday, when I got back to the States. I was going to detox in the hotel room. I didn’t have time to get anymore after you called.”

  “Joey, move over into the passenger seat. I’m driving, you need to rest.”

  He shook his head, “No.”

  “Damn it to hell, Joey. You’ve been shot. You’re going through withdrawal and if we get pulled over we have stolen plates. Let’s not forget to mention you have a concealed weapon...or should I say cannon? What the hell is that thing?” Ember’s eyes flashed as she moved him towards the passenger seat.

  As he started to answer, she threw up her hand to silence him. “No! Never mind, I don’t want to know. Just slide over and let me drive.”

  He lurched for the passenger door throwing it open just in time to vomit on the side of the highway. Ember let him void his stomach as she rolled up his bloody shirt, jacket and slacks and put them back in his pack. She picked up the black button down shirt and waited for him to sit up. She handed him the water bottle, “Rinse your mouth out.” When he returned the bottle, she helped him put on the shirt, covering the shoulder holster.

  After adjusting the seat and mirrors, she pulled out onto the interstate. With a flick of her finger, she put the car on cruise control at the posted speed. She grabbed his hand. A firm pull tugged his head to her thigh.

  Stroking his sweat-dampened hair from his face, she automatically detected the fever that consumed him. “Shit, Joey, the adrenalin from this morning’s activities acted like a catalyst to accelerate the purge of opioids from your system. There is no controlled burn with this detoxification. Your system is on automatic. You’re crashing hard and you’re not going to have a soft landing, honey.”

  He grimaced. “There’s no such thing as soft landing in life. And why the hell do you need to sound like a medical encyclopedia?”

  “I’m sorry. I do that when I’m nervous. A former colleague pointed out it’s my comfort zone. I retreat there when I’m scared…and damn it, Joey, I’m scared now!”

  He writhed in pain. Taking shallow panting breaths, he spoke slowly, “I know, baby. Listen Em, just keep an eye on the rearview mirror. If someone is always staying the same distance from us, that’s a problem. Even cruise control varies the speed. If they’re not losing or gaining on you, they’re stalking you. We’ll be okay.”

  “Alright, Joey. I’m going to have to trust you on that. I'll wake you up if there is a problem or we get to Rapid City.” She looked down to see if he had heard her and shook her head. He labored to breathe. He was either unconscious or asleep. He groaned and shifted. She sighed. God, please help me. I'm so scared for him and for me.

  Ember knew the physiology of the physical pain he was going through. Her mind whirled with the clinical terminology and her brain automatically began alphabetizing the terms. A defense mechanism. Dr. Sebastian was right. It allowed her to distance herself from the emotional pain of her patients. Only it wasn’t working this time. She glanced down at Joey. At this point in withdrawal, his body would be aching. Within twenty-four hours, his joints would feel as if the muscle was being pulled from the bone. Because of his fever, violent shivers would rack his body, creating more muscle distress.

  When the gas gauge registered half a tank, Ember pulled into a truck stop and fueled the car. She paid cash. She used the bathroom and bought more bottled water, a couple of protein bars, and four packets of Tylenol. Going back to the car, she unlocked it and slid onto the seat, putting his head back on her thigh. He was still out of it when she forced him to take the anti-inflammatory tablets and sip some water. The effect of acetaminophen on his injuries was like slapping a Band-Aid on an arterial hemorrhage, but it was all she could do. Praying his body would hold down the medicine, she pulled back out onto the interstate.

  Ember gripped his shoulder lightly as she entered Rapid City. “Joey, I need you to wake up.”

  His eyes opened and he bolted upright. He tried to stifle the exclamation of pain. Slamming his fist viciously and repeatedly against the dash, he ground out another moan. “Fuuuuck!” he hissed. “Remind me not to do that again.” Clenching his eyes closed, he fought the effects of the pain. Joseph opened his eyes again as he lay back against the headrest. “Em, take the second turn to the off ramp. The mall is down about a mile on the right. Pull over and park in the south lot near a lot of cars.”

  She nodded and followed his instructions.

  “You stopped for gas?”

  She nodded again concentrating on driving the unfamiliar streets.

  “Did you see anyone trailing us?”

  “No, there was a car back there for a while, but they pulled off at a tourist stop. Wall Drug? I haven’t seen them since.” She pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off.

  “Joey, how are we going to find the truck?”

  “Turn on the satphone. Jacob was going to send a description and plate number.”

  Ember reached back, pulled the phone out and hit the power button. The text came through and she memorized the information. “Alright I got it. Let’s find the truck and go
.”

  He chuckled humorlessly, “No. You need clothes. We have to go shopping.”

  “You are insane. I don’t think so my friend. You can barely sit up, how in the world are you going last while I go shopping?”

  He turned his head towards her. “Em, I’m asking you to make quick selections and only get the basics, but you do need to have some clothes. We don’t know how long we’ll be at the cabin.”

  She nodded at the store they were parked in front of. “I can get the basics here.” She reached over to the floorboard and pulled his hiking boots towards her. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Not happening. I’m going with you. I can’t risk leaving you alone.” He lowered slowly toward the floor board, reaching for his hiking boots.

  “Fine. Let’s get you dressed and go shopping.”

  Ember found a bench for him and stood unmoving in front of him until he agreed to sit down. “I promise to keep within your line of site. The store is closing in ten minutes and there is nobody here but the cashier. She’s at least sixty-five. I’m not in any danger.”

  She quickly selected clothes and walked to the register. Paying for the items, she put the bags next to him and smiled. “I have to buy some shoes, Joey. As much as I love them, these heels probably won’t work where we are going. The shoe department is around that corner. Give me five minutes and if I’m not back, you can send in the cavalry.”

  He stood and physically paled before he bent over and grabbed the shopping bags. “Like hell I will. I feel like I’ve been hit by a car, but I’ve lived through worse.” He nodded in the direction of the shoe department.

  “Men. I swear a feather would knock you down right now and you think you are going to protect me?”

  “No Em, my forty-five is going to protect you. I may be under the weather, but I’m still better than ninety-five percent of the people they would send after you.”

  “Yeah? And what about the other five percent?”

  “Unless Morales pays over two million, they wouldn’t bother.”

  Em looked up at him. He was dead serious. Dead being the operative word.

  “Glad I’m not worth the effort then.”

  “Oh, I have the distinct feeling you will be worth the effort.” His small evil laugh left no doubt of his meaning. Even beaten to hell his mind went from zero to sex in a second flat. Ember visibly shuddered earning another roll of the wicked laughter.

  Chapter Eight

  Em watched him hunch over the steering wheel of the truck in obvious distress. He tried to play off the pain, but she knew. She knew only too well.

  “Joey, do you want to get a room here and get some sleep? Or maybe I could drive?” He shook his head and started the truck.

  “No. I’m taking back roads. We need to make it to the cabin tonight under the cover of darkness. The area we are going to is desolate and I need to know for sure we’re not being followed. If someone is tailing us, we’ll see them. Once we get there, we’re uploading the data to the server in Virginia and then we’re going to lock the doors and go to bed for a couple days.”

  She laughed gently. “I’m game, tiger, but I think you may need a few days of sleep first.”

  The perspiration soaked edges of his hair clung to his face making the pallor of his skin almost ghostly in the fading evening light. “Actually, I was talking about sleeping, Em. I think I’m pushing my limits right now.”

  She put her hand on his forehead. Heat radiated from him. Infection or withdrawal, either way, the source needed to be addressed. “Can we stop at a drug store on the way out of town? I want to get some over the counter medication, decent bandages and antiseptic for your wounds and a temporal thermometer. You’re burning up. I have to know how high that fever is. I’ll make it quick.” If I were licensed in this state, I could write a script for antibiotics and painkillers. But that process took forever, which wouldn’t do them a damn bit of good tonight and would leave a trail to her. Right now, she agreed with Joey. It seemed nothing in life was easy.

  They left the city behind after a stop at an all-night drug store. The drive through the Black Hills, in the dark, seemed eerie yet beautiful at the same time. The moon illuminated the white granite peaks contrasting with the looming black of the huge pine trees that towered over the roads.

  They passed Mount Rushmore and Ember caught a glimpse of the grandeur of the massive monument. The pictures she’d seen failed epically to portray the majesty of the stone carvings. Yet despite the beauty and awe-inspiring sights, she couldn’t relax or let down her guard. Joseph was in pain. His breathing labored in harsh contrast to the silence in the cab of the truck. He groaned involuntarily when he was forced to engage his large muscle groups.

  They hit the Wyoming state line and continued west until just before Sundance. Turning north on a dirt road, he drove into a Wyoming spur of the Black Hills. Joseph turned off the headlights and traveled slowly using only the moonlight to keep them on the gravel track. Ember feared for him.

  “Your temperature is too damn high.” Ember cleared the digital readout. One hundred and three. If it gets higher your bodily functions are going to fail. You need help, Joseph.

  His glassy stare remained on the road. “I’m not stopping.”

  Fear and concern churned deep inside her. “If you won’t stop, at least let me drive.”

  “No.”

  “Joseph— ”

  “No.” She settled into her seat and crossed her arms. “You are an idiot…a single-minded determined idiot. I can’t remember when I’ve seen someone so hell bent on killing themselves.”

  "Welcome to my life." Joseph muttered and then lapsed into silence.

  The road behind them remained dark. No headlights trailed them. After about forty minutes, Joseph slowed even further and turned down a trail that was marked by a dime-sized red reflector on the side of a massive pine tree. He followed what Ember assumed passed as a road, although as vague as it appeared, she couldn’t be sure. It appeared he followed a faint set of tire tracks barely discernible by the overgrowth of vegetation. After fifteen minutes, the truck bounced around a curve and he stopped in front of a fence and gate. The grey metal tubing formed a huge rectangle barrier blocking the dirt road. A chain and padlock wrapped around the metal blocking any further travel.

  He put the truck in park and collapsed on the steering wheel. “Em, I’m going to go open the gate. Drive through so I can shut it after us alright?” She nodded and watched as he slowly exited the vehicle. She could not imagine how he functioned through the physiological rigors. Driving through the gate, she put the truck in park and waited. The darkness obscured her vision but the muted sounds of metal against metal hinted at his location. She listened intently for his approach, but as the seconds dragged and the noise at the gate ceased, panic flashed through her. Em pushed the door of the truck open and practically fell to the ground in her scramble to get out. As she stood, she saw him, silhouetted in the faint light of the moon. He’d crumpled to his hands and knees and swayed. His head hung limply from his neck. She ran to him and dropped beside him. His eyes were closed and his breathing came in shallow pants. Even in the pale light she could see the perspiration dripping from his nose and chin.

  She put his arm over her shoulder. “Joey, you have to help me. You have to stand up.” He nodded and struggled to stand as she lifted him. She walked him to the passenger side door and helped push him up into the cab. Getting into the driver’s seat, she turned the high beams on. To hell with being stealthy. She wanted them alive when they got to the cabin. She crept the truck through impenetrable black, her eyes riveted on the two ghostly white ribbons that passed as the road. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up in front of a log cabin. It took her several moments to unwrap her hands from the steering wheel and relax enough to move.

  Ember managed to get the barely coherent man out of the truck and into the cabin. They struggled up the split log steps onto a massive porch that wrapped around the e
ntire dwelling. The moon shone through the windows and provided the only light as she struggled to hold up his ever-growing weight. Joseph disabled a security system with the press of several keys before he pointed toward the right where she found a bedroom. She tried to lower him slowly to the bed, but his weight was far too much to handle. The best she could do was control his fall. He grimaced and groaned in pain but grabbed her wrist before she moved away. “Em, get Jacob the information.”

  “I don’t care about that damned information right now, Joey. You push yourself any further and you may not make it. You need medicine and rest. Jacob will just have to wait until morning. You’re too sick to be worried about that right now.” She pulled the comforter off the footboard and covered him with it. “You’re home, Joey. I’ll take care of you. Now go to sleep. We’re safe.”

  He grabbed her hand again and held her tightly, almost painfully. “Em, call Jacob.”

  “Alright, Joey. I promise I’ll call him. Now, please rest.”

  He laid his head back and in the next instant, he was out.

  After insuring his respiration and heart rate was stable, she wet a cloth, stripped him down to his boxers and set about cooling his overheated torso. She performed basic first aid measures and prayed his body was strong enough to beat both the infection and the detox that ravaged him. Satisfied when his temperature finally lowered, Ember took a few minutes to empty the truck. She threw the bolt on the front door and found the kitchen. Had she been less stressed, she probably would have marveled at the modern stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. Instead, Ember pulled the phone from his pack and turned it on. Angry and frustrated at her inability to help Joey, she jabbed the redial button and waited.

  “Alpha.” The deep voice at the other end answered. From the gravel sound of his voice, the man had been sleeping. Well, good for him.

  Ember puffed her cheeks in exasperation and said, “May I please speak to Jacob King.”

  “Ember? This is Jacob. Where are you?”