by Drew Avera
Chapter 14
The vibration of my communicator interrupted the daze that I was in. The hours of walking had placed me about a mile from the hospital where Thom was. I was half watching the sun rise over the horizon when I reached into my jacket for the communicator and answered it.
"Serus," I said.
The female voice on the other end was a relief. "This is Ayne; I'm a nurse with the Archean Metropolitan Hospital. I was calling you in regards to a policeman here in our hospital. His name is Thom Brine." She said.
"Yes, how is he doing?" I asked.
"He is doing much better, sir" she said. "He has been awake for the past twenty minutes and he is alert. His cognitive skills are working just fine. He knows who he is and he has asked for us to contact you."
"That's excellent," I said. "Is it alright if I come over now to see him?" I asked.
"Yes, sir, it is. He is being transferred to room four twelve as we speak," she said.
"Thank you. I will be there soon," I said before I ended the call. The good news was that Thom was awake. Unfortunately it was too early to tell if he knew anything that could lead me to Kara and whoever was behind her abduction. I was still working under the assumption that she was still alive. It gave me hope of at least being able to see her again.
I was almost running to the hospital, eager to check on Thom's condition and to find out what I could about Kara. I entered the hospital and went straight towards the elevator. I pressed the button for the fourth floor and waited for it to take me up to Thom. I excited the elevator and noted that his room would be down the hall to the left, about halfway down according to the sign that was posted on the wall. I could hear the beeps and whistles of medical equipment chirping as I walked down the hall to Thom's room.
I knocked on the door to room four twelve lightly. The door was opened slightly and I could see someone laid up in the bed. He had an ice pack covering part of his face; most likely it was being used to reduce the swelling from his wounds.
"Come in," he said after I knocked. I opened the door the rest of the way and walked in. I stood in front of him and looked down to see his chart. I picked it up and started reading his list of injuries. I noted that there was nothing more serious than contusions, a possible concussion, and a fractured rib. He was lucky to be alive and only suffer from the injuries listed on the chart.
"I'm pretty sure that chart is for doctor’s use only," he said jokingly.
"I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor," I replied. "How do you feel?"
"Like hell," he said.
"So now you feel like you look," I laughed hoping to ease the tension in the room. Sometimes a sense of humor does more to help a patient than medicine, or so I had heard.
Thom laughed at my joke and then groaned as a pain apparently made him grab at the broken rib mentioned in his chart. "Yeah. Pretty much," he said. "I'm sorry, Serus. I wasn't able to protect Kara. There was no sound or warning at all. The door just flew open and about ten policemen entered the living room. I swear that I tried to fight them off but there was too many. I’m sorry that I failed you," he finished.
"Did you see if they harmed Kara at all?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. After they busted through the door I tried to stand my ground. Like I said, there was too many of them. I did hear Kara scream and I think that they dragged her out of the door. That's the last thing I remember before waking up here."
I could see that he was visibly shaken by the experience. I patted him on the shoulder to acknowledge him as I struggled to fight back tears. My hope for Kara being alive was still holding on by a thread. I was afraid of what she may have had to experience once she was abducted though. She was not a warrior like Thom and I, trained to ignore pain and suffering. She was a scientist, she was soft hearted. She didn’t condone violence so I figured she most likely would not fight back. Now she was alone, afraid, and quite possibly hurt. I had to go out there and find her soon.
"Thank you for standing up and fighting for her," I said. "I know it was a lot to ask of you to defend my sister, and you did as much as you could. You did more than most men would for another person and I really do appreciate it."
"What are you going to do now?" Thom asked me.
"I'm going to go back to White and see what he can dig up. I don't think that this was a hit. She was abducted and I think it was to send me a message," I said as I walked over to the window and looked out. The morning sun shown bright through the glass and I could see the water reflecting the sunlight in a million different shimmers. "My hope is that she is alive and that I can find her. If I can save her then I will. Regardless I promise you that I will kill whoever is responsible."
Thom groaned in bed from his injuries while he tried to sit up. He was grabbing at his belongings on the night stand next to his bed.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm going to go with you," he said.
"No, you need to stay here and rest," I replied. "Lay back down!" Thom grumbled as he laid back and rested his head against the pillow. "I'll find her and I'll let you know when I do," I said. I went to walk out of the door and stopped before leaving. "Thom?"
"Yes, Serus?"
"Please let me know if you need anything. I owe you one," I said before I walked out of the door. I was thankful that my friend was alive and that he would be alright. Still I was just worried that the same could not be said yet for Kara.
I left the hospital and began walking towards the square. I knew that White did not want me to risk coming to his palace, but given the circumstances I couldn't afford to wait for him to contact me first. I walked down the street in long determined strides and kept my eyes open for danger. I was a fugitive who was walking in open daylight, defiant to the Syndicate, and I swore to myself that I would stay defiant to the end.
