The Great Thirst Boxed Set

by Mary C. Findley

  “Gracias,” Talia said, and took the socks. Very gently, she laid them beside Keith’s pillow. He didn’t even stir.

  Talia called to Sophie from the hallway. “Can you and Amu stay with Keith? I have to go sleep.”

  They both came out of the waiting area and hugged her.

  “Of course, precious one,” Sophie said. “Take the key to our motel. We told them you might come. You must be exhausted.”

  “Yes,” Talia said. “And Keith said I will need to be able to keep up with him.”

  “Keep up with him?” Naddy repeated.

  “He asked for socks, so he could walk, but they were already bringing them, before they knew he asked. So I need to be ready.” Talia kissed them both and walked away.

  When she reached the parking lot, she realized that, though Naddy had given her keys to a rental car, she didn’t have any idea what vehicle to look for. A dark-haired woman in sunglasses, a colorful serape, and a large straw hat approached. Talia backed up, clenching her fists.

  “Need a ride? My driver just came to pick me up.”

  Talia stared up at her as the familiar voice penetrated her exhausted fog. “Anne,” she whispered. “Yes. Thank you.”

  She followed her to a car and slid into the back seat behind Drew, who also wore sunglasses and had on a straw panama.

  “You’re back already?” Talia asked as he drove away from the hospital.

  “Just taking a break to get Anne settled,” Drew replied. “Besides, my guys told me you were on the move.”

  “The tablets?” Talia asked.

  “Found ’em,” Drew replied. “The Cyborg should have called Naddy already. He didn’t?”

  “They didn’t tell me anything,” Talia said.

  Drew called out to his hands-free unit. “Call Jiggly.”

  “You know I’m very busy, right?” Jiggly’s out-of-breath voice responded after several rings.

  “You didn’t tell the boss,” Drew accused.

  “Oh. Yeah. No. Whoops.”

  “Maybe I will shoot you. Hang up.” The phone disconnected. “Call Naddy.”

  “Yes, Drew.” Talia heard some background noise and assumed Naddy had to duck out of Keith’s room.”

  “The tablets are found, Boss-man,” Drew said.

  “Just as Keith said?” Naddy asked.

  “Under the ball court, under the waterfall,” Drew replied. “Jiggly was supposed to call you.”

  “No matter,” Naddy said. “Keith already told us, just after Talia left. He said that was why he would need the socks, so he could get to work.”

  “Socks?” Drew echoed. Anne turned to Talia and slid her glasses down just enough to show a questioning, raised eyebrow.

  “Keith is going to walk, soon,” Talia said, letting a wide, wide smile slip across her face.

  Chapter Ninety-two – Crisis Intervention

  Doctor Alvarez performed Keith’s second surgery early the morning of the third day. Afterwards he stood over Talia, not even giving her room to stand up from the vinyl couch. She got the impression he was about to scold her.

  “Considering what was described to me as the cause of the injuries when this patient was brought in, unresponsive,” the doctor said, staring down at Talia, “I can only say this – difference – in what we found is – shocking.”

  “I don’t understand,” Talia said meekly.

  The doctor altered his tone and tried again. “The swelling has not just gone down. It has gone away completely. We also found far less damage than initially appeared in the scans. Impossibly less.”

  “Oh. That’s – that’s good, isn’t it?” Talia asked.

  “We still inserted a good many pins and screws. There was plenty to do.” The doctor finally stepped back. “This Señorita Doctor Ewing – She said she was going to pray that the swelling was causing us to misinterpret the extent of the injuries. Sometimes this is the case, but to this extent – I have never seen such a thing. Perhaps our equipment is not quite as state of the art as she no doubt has access to, but we do the best we can.”

  “Dr. Ewing praised your facility.” Talia insisted. It was a tiny stretch, but for Dr. Ewing to use the words “adequate” and “competent” had seemed like praise to Talia.

  The doctor grunted. “I am not a praying man,” he said. “But I was told a good deal of that went on for your husband. Studies indicate that religious devotion has a positive effect on a patient’s recovery, so let us hope this is true in his case.”

  “Thank you,” Talia said.

  “I am not sure I deserve any thanks,” Dr. Alvarez said, walking away. He muttered quite a few indistinguishable Spanish words.

  Naddy and Sophie immediately got their arms around Talia. She was happy to be enveloped.

  “Did they fix me?”

  Talia jolted awake at the sound of Keith’s voice. She pulled her chair close to the side of his bed and held his hand. “I think maybe God did – or He’s working on you – Like that miracle where Jesus told the blind man to put clay on his eyes? You’re at the ‘men like trees’ stage, though. How do you feel?”

  “Hurts.”

  Talia’s face fell but she busied herself arranging his covers. “You have the morphine button.”

  “Good.” Keith moved his thumb and closed his eyes.

  In spite of his complaint, Talia thought he looked and sounded a thousand times better.

  “Found the tablets, right? Not a dream?”

  “Yes, they did. It’s going to take time and work to get them out, but they are there.”

  Keith slept well into the next day. Talia stole away to the motel but managed to return to the room just when he opened his eyes again. He didn’t seem to realize almost a whole day had passed. “Didn’t see them, like I thought? God gave me a vision?”

  Talia thought hard to remember what he referred to. “Oh, the tablets? Had to be. They were nowhere near you.”

  “Feel like crap.”

  “You had surgery again, remember? That takes some time to recover from.”

  “Heard the doctor talking about screws and stuff. Beat me up with a staple gun and a drill.” Keith sighed.

  “I guess it was something like that.” Talia giggled.

  “Nice sound. Hurts me but I like hearing you do it.”

  “I’m so glad you’re better. So glad.”

  “Guess I am. Talia …”

  “What?”

  “Love you. So glad to be back.”

  “Back?”

  “Not dead. Not making Jiggly breathe for me. Not wherever I went. If that’s how it’s got to be to see visions, not sure I want any more.”

  “All the people in the Bible who saw visions had troubles, pain, scary-different lives,” Talia said. “Amu said you saw that they found the tablets before anyone told us, right?”

  “Yeah. Guess I’m stuck with them, huh?”

  “You’re stuck in God’s embrace,” Talia corrected. “He holds those tightest who suffer most for His Word. Maybe it only feels like hurt. Maybe it’s just getting used to the full strength of those everlasting arms wrapping around you.”

  “And keeping me humble,” Keith said as someone came in to check his catheter. He turned his head slightly and saw the sock packet by his pillow. “Don’t know when that walking thing might happen.”

  “We’ll see.” Talia changed the subject to try to distract Keith from those squints and scowls and tremors that had to mean his pain had increased. “Jiggly and Cindee are getting tablet images to the Guardians as fast as they can. Everyone is so excited. The communications are working better every day, and now we might have the final set of tablets, so the message can be prepared.”

  “Lotta work,” Keith said. “Feel like I’m slacking, but I can’t –”

  “Stop that. You are working hard on letting God get you well.”

  Talia’s phone rang. “It’s Brad Shannon,” she said. “Should I take it outside?”

  “No,” Keith said. “Want t
o know what’s up.”

  “Talia, we’ve got trouble,” Brad said. “The administrator Dr. Ewing was caring for passed away this morning. The family had papers ready to file a lawsuit against the prison and the state Department of Education and have already done so. Can I talk to Keith?”

  “Oh – I’m not sure he can – Did you hear about his accident?”

  “No. What’s wrong?”

  “Keith was at a dig site and the ground gave way. He’s been in and out of surgery, and is in a lot of pain.”

  “Put it on speaker,” Keith said. Reluctantly, Talia obeyed. “Hey, Brad, What’s up?”

  “Keith, I’m very sorry to hear about what happened. Praying for your recovery. Listen, this family decided to make all of the administrators who were attacked parties to the suit without bothering to notify them or ask their permission. So your father’s name is there in the court papers, as are the others being sheltered at Precious Treasure.”

  “Good. Hope they win,” Keith said.

  Talia could see his confusion about why Brad would be worried and felt the same way.

  “I wish I could agree,” Brad replied. “Unfortunately it’s put them back on the radar and Dr. Williams has made a demand that they all appear at a hearing on this matter. She’s fishing for a way to find out where the sanctuary is for all these refugees from her school system.”

  “Don’t they already know?” Keith asked. “Ankle monitors?”

  “No. The information transmitted by the monitors is eyes only for the prison warden and the governor. The warden reports directly to the governor that he’s still receiving signal from the designated location and that’s as far as the knowledge goes.”

  “Thanks.” Keith’s head fell back onto the pillow and his eyes squeezed shut.

  “God knows I tried to give them some protection,” Brad replied. “But Dr. Williams has been poking away at our defenses, trying to find a weakness. I’m wondering if she managed to influence that family somehow, knowing this would be a way to flush out her quarry.”

  Talia started to say something to Brad, to suggest they continue later. Keith looked so drawn and worn.

  Keith picked his head up again. “What can we do?”

  “Nothing I can think of to prevent the administrators from answering the summons,” Brad replied. “The news goes from bad to worse, I’m afraid. I’m getting pressure from other sources too. The papers filed by that grandmother of the Holden kids are due to expire. The fact that their dad is with them makes no nevermind to their mother, who has filed for divorce and custody based on an accusation of abuse. Ironic, since I skyped with Tim Holden and saw her scratch-marks on his face. I got Dr. Ewing to examine, photograph, and swab them immediately, but there was no DNA left and I’ve had to bluff with a countersuit I’m not at all sure I can sustain. Tim could end up jailed and the kids back with Mommie Dearest.

  “I won’t burden you with the other cases coming at me, but the bottom line is these people are going to storm the gates of Precious Treasure Campground and make your dad and your students’ lives hell sooner rather than later. I’m running out of obstacles to throw into their paths.”

  Keith’s head had sunk back down on the pillow and Talia was about to respond to Brad, thinking he had fallen asleep.

  “Not obstacles. Need a solid wall.” Keith looked up at Talia.

  “I’m listening,” Brad said.

  “Never had our Spring Break trip,” Keith said. “Bring kids from class and parents who want to come down here. Everybody from Precious Treasure. Hide them in plain sight.”

  “You’re in Mexico?” Brad asked.

  “Sandy beaches, sunny skies –” Keith glanced out the window of the hospital as if he needed to confirm it in his own mind. “And a ball court with a built-in secret compartment.”

  “Talia, is he okay?” Brad asked.

  “Keith?” she asked. “When was the last time you pushed that morphine button?”

  “Naddy needs to make the underground chambers of the ball court safe,” Keith said. “Know they’re doing it, but faster. Whatever it costs. We bring everybody down here for the field trip of a lifetime. But if push comes to shove, there’s a place nobody knows about, under the ball court, where they can hide out. Complete with running water.”

  “There are serious legal consequences to removing children from their home country without parental permission,” Brad said.

  Talia finally caught on to what Keith was saying. “We have permission, Brad. Every parent or guardian signed off on the plans for the trip. We updated with the Veracruz and Tabasco locations in January. All parents’ signatures are on file, and it’s been settled for months. Dr. Williams even signed off on our plans. The actual date of the trip was always fluid.”

  “Wow,” Brad said. “This is – I have to see if this will fly. What about the administrators? What’s our pretext for snapping the monitoring anklets and setting the prisoners free to join you down there?”

  “Gotta think about that one,” Keith admitted.

  “We’ll get Dr. Williams to send them here,” Talia said.

  “Now who’s having morphine dreams?” Keith asked.

  “We’ll call you back, Brad,” Talia said.

  “Make it soon,” Brad begged. “Keith, get some rest. You sound terrible.”

  “Thanks. Guess it’s a good thing you can’t see me.”

  “God bless you two,” Brad said. “I know you’ll come up with something. I cannot wait to hear this.”

  “Me too,” Keith said, his head dropping back down on the pillow.

  Chapter Ninety-three – Rise Up and Walk … Slowly

  A week later, the day after his third surgery, at ten o’clock at night, Talia finally got an aide to bring a walker and attend Keith’s first walk around the bed. The man looked skeptical.

  “I been resting up all this time for this, and I know I’m ready,” Keith insisted. “After all, my wife got the socks on. The least I can do is walk on them.”

  “I know the doctor said to see if you could get up, Señor Bradley, but … no offense … You still don’t look so good.” The young man scowled.

  “Ain’t gonna make me look any worse as long as I don’t fall flat on my face.” Keith grunted as the aide helped him sit up.

  Talia moved the IV stand and they crept once around the bed.

  “Getting the feet up and down is the worst part,” Keith groaned when they got him back into bed.

  “Esta maravilloso,” the aide said, shaking his head.

  “Hope that means good job.” Keith chuckled.

  “Better than good, Señor. Excellente.”

  “I think I know what that means.” Keith grinned. “Wish I felt the same way.”

  “You will, Señor. God has His eye upon you. Good night, Señora.”

  “Come sit down over here.” Keith patted the bed. Talia sat carefully down at the very edge. “You’re scared of hurting me, aren’t you?”

  “I can’t stand seeing you in so much pain,” Talia said.

  “Getting better.” He grunted and stroked her arm. “So did you explain to Brad Shannon how you’re going to get Dr. Williams to bring those administrators down here?”

  Talia gently stroked his arm also. “I did, and he’s skeptical, but I know it will work. Every five years, the states sponsor an appreciation event for outstanding public school administrators. They call it the School Administrator Appreciation Gala. All expenses are paid and it’s always at a high-profile resort location. This year it’s in Veracruz.

  “We just have to make Dr. Williams understand that the only way to avoid a PR nightmare over this imprisoned school official scandal is to extend the guest list to include those administrators here in the sun and sand of Veracruz. She’ll jump at a chance to show the world that it was all blown out of proportion and she loves all her administrators. She might even delude herself into thinking she can stop them from being a part of that lawsuit.”

  “Can’t ima
gine her doing that,” Keith murmured, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “You are so beautiful.”

  Talia tucked herself up on the bed beside him. “I know it will work. And once they are down here, Jenny Kaine might even think they will be at her mercy. We’ve been told more than once that she works better out of the U.S. She’ll certainly want to cover the story, and probably try to get at our kids too. We’ll bait a much better trap than Drew did.”

  “You mean for Angel or for Jenny Kaine?” Keith moved to get a little closer to her. He awkwardly pushed his fingers into her hair. “Either way, it better not involve a shootout. And who said anything about a trap? We are trying to keep everyone safe, not poke the bear.”

  “We could have all three of those women right here within reach,” Talia said. “Dr. Williams, Jenny Kaine, and Carol Sheldon might all be here, and we could stop them from hurting anyone else.”

  “Maybe that’s a plan I don’t want to hear,” Keith said. “Maybe I want my warrior angel to concentrate on defense, not offense.”

  “All the daughters-in-law of Noah had both defensive and offensive capabilities,” Talia said.

  “Yeah, and all their people were wiped out.”

  “We don’t know that for sure.”

  “Okay, driven out. Made to disappear. Lost to us and to history. Talia, think about how many lives we would risk if you try to take on the unholy triad of Williams, Kaine, and Sheldon. And it’s not like I’d have your back or anything. You saw me just trying to make it once around the bed. By next week maybe I’ll be ready to do twice around the bed.”

  “Dan might be coming.” Talia sat up abruptly. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. It feels like a hundred years since that day I first called people.”

  “Dan? You told Dan about what happened to me? And he said he was coming? What, does he think I’m dying?”

  “He thinks I’m trying to get you and your father killed,” Talia said. “He used many colorful words to describe what he thought of me.”