by Lynn Ames
“No,” Kate growled. “Stay hidden,” she said to Englert as she grabbed him by the arm and propelled him behind the door. In a flash, she was moving, stepping over two of the fallen guards and staying to the wall. “Cover me,” she yelled as she dove through the opening into the president’s room.
Grayson stopped, shocked, in mid-motion. In one hand, he held a syringe; in the other, he held the president’s IV tube.
Kate heard a bullet whistle by her ear but paid no attention. She gathered her legs under her and threw herself forward, taking Grayson to the ground.
As she rolled over to stand up, she saw the syringe coming toward her neck. She dodged to the side, grabbing Grayson’s wrist tightly. She squeezed with all her might, until he was forced to let go; the syringe fell to the floor.
“This is for Peter,” she snarled, as she hit Grayson with a right cross worthy of Muhammad Ali. His head swung to the side. “And this one’s for the president,” she said, as she caught him in the chin with a vicious uppercut, snapping his head back. He fell bonelessly to the floor.
“Remind me never to piss in your cornflakes, love,” Kevin said as he leaned against the doorway.
Kate laughed. Kevin walked over, pulled Grayson up by his shirt, and held him while Lorraine cuffed his hands behind his back. She handed him over to Max, who was just coming through the door with a frightened Dr. Englert.
The Value of Valor
Kate rushed to the doctor’s side and propelled him forward. “Hurry. I don’t think Grayson managed to inject the president’s IV.”
Englert looked down, noting that the syringe on the floor was still full. “Doubtful.” As he bent to pick it up, Kate moved to the president’s bedside.
She was surprised to see his eyes open and that he was fully alert.
“Mr. President, sir. Sorry I’m late.” She winked. “You know how those cocktail receptions are.”
Dr. Englert appeared at Kate’s side. “M-Mr. President, I’m going to reverse the effects of the pancuronium—the poison—in just a second.
You’re probably going to feel some odd sensations as your body slowly regains muscle function and your breathing becomes easier. Given the amount of time you’ve been subjected to the poison and the dosage, I would expect the recovery of function to take up to an hour. I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to recover fully, however. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
President Hyland blinked once.
“Are you ready?”
The president blinked again.
Dr. Englert slowly injected the neostigmine–atropine cocktail into the IV as the others looked on.
Kate took the president’s hand. “You’re going to be all right, sir.”
Several minutes later, she started as she felt her fingers squeezed. “Sir?”
He smiled at her and winked.
“That’s a sight for sore eyes.”
Within an hour, true to the doctor’s prediction, the president was moving his arms and legs and breathing on his own.
“Kate,” he said, in a voice hoarse with disuse. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
“Well, sir, I had a lot of help.” She stepped aside so he could see the others gathered around. “Sir, may I present Lorraine King. She’s…”
“With the Company—CIA counterintelligence.” Normally, she would never be that specific, since technically the CIA wasn’t supposed to operate on U.S. soil. But he was the president… “It’s an honor and a pleasure to serve you, sir.”
“This,” Kate continued, “is Kevin…”
“Cathcart, love.”
“Kevin Cathcart, a friend of Peter’s from New Zealand who’s been a big help.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Kevin. Any friend of Peter’s is a friend of mine. Speaking of which, where is Peter?”
Tears sprang to Kate’s eyes before she could stop them.
“Kate, where is he?”
Lynn Ames
“He’s in surgery right now, sir,” Lorraine stepped in. “He was shot in the chest this evening trying to foil the Commission’s plot.”
“The Commission?”
“The group responsible for all this, sir. They’re the ones who poisoned you and tried to kill Kate.”
“Tried to kill you, Kate? My God, I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.
Last thing I knew, I sent you to a cocktail reception to get some information from Keith that would help us figure out what the vice president and Bob Hawthorne were up to.” He looked at Kate.
“Vice President Wheeler is serving as president, sir, and Hawthorne is his vice president,” she muttered.
“Not for long. They’re both about to be arrested for treason.”
“Yes, sir. I believe that’s appropriate. Sir?” Kate hesitated.
“What is it, Kate?”
“I’m sorry to say, Keith is dead, Mr. President. He sacrificed himself so I could get away.” Kate lowered her head. “He died a hero.”
“Get away?”
“Keith knew the truth, sir. The whole truth, which he shared with me.
The Commission wanted us both dead as a result. It’s a very long story, sir, and I’ll be happy to fill you in on all the details. But for now there are some things we need to do.”
“Like get me my office back,” the president said.
“Exactly what I was thinking, sir,” Kate answered, her eyes twinkling.
“By the way, where is Mr. Grayson? All I wanted to do was slug him when he was standing over me.”
“You could see that, sir?” Kate asked quietly.
“Yes.” The president grew pensive for a moment. “You can’t imagine what it feels like to be that helpless—to watch someone standing over you, ready to kill you, and not be able to defend yourself. Terrifying.” He shuddered before locking away the fear. “Then all of a sudden, I heard him hit the floor.” He chuckled. “That wouldn’t have had anything to do with you, Kate, would it? I could’ve sworn I saw your head pop up.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes, you. I believe I distinctly heard you tell him ‘this is for the president’ as you popped him in the jaw. Remind me never to get in a boxing ring with you.”
“Noted, sir.”
“I just handed Mr. Grayson over to the good guys, sir,” Max said, walking into the room.
“Sir,” Kate said, “may I present Max Kingston, CERT team leader for New York DOCS and another friend of Peter’s.”
“I’m glad Peter has such capable friends,” the president laughed.
The Value of Valor
“Sir,” Lorraine stepped forward. “I’ve taken the liberty of assembling a list of names of Secret Service officers you can trust. I’d like to mobilize them now to protect you adequately.”
“Thank you, Agent King, I would appreciate that.”
“Good. They’re waiting outside, sir. They’ve secured the perimeter.”
She didn’t add that they’d removed the bodies of the eight dead security guards and arrested the nurse who was on duty when they arrived.
“That’s efficient.” The president’s eyes opened wide.
“I called them while you were recovering, sir. They’re good, dedicated, loyal men and women, sir, I assure you.”
“Somehow I trust you, Agent King. If they pass your muster, I’m sure they’ll pass mine.”
“The car is ready when you are, sir.”
“I’d sort of like to have the element of surprise on my side, if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, sir. I still think you should have protection.”
“I agree, I just don’t want the ‘president,’” he said the word derisively, “and vice president to know I’m coming.”
“They won’t know what hit them, sir.”
He thought for a moment. “Agent King?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s have them escorted to the Oval Office. I’d like to see their faces when they see a ghost.”
“Yes,
sir.”
“While you’re arranging that, I think I’d like to see my wife.”
“Would you like me to have someone pick her up, sir?”
“No, I’d like to go to her, thanks.”
“Sir, if you don’t mind,” Kate said. “I’d like to go check on Peter.”
“By all means, Kate. Of course. I’ll be there just as soon as I can.”
“That’s really not necessary, sir.”
“Oh, yes, it is, Kate. I’ll see you in a little while.”
Kate rushed through the door into the waiting room, where she found Jay sleeping in a chair.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Kate said, as she leaned over and kissed Jay lightly on the mouth.
Jay started. “Kate.” She jumped up and into Kate’s waiting arms.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” She stepped back to inspect her lover.
“Fine. Not only that, but the president is going to make a full recovery. He’s already talking and moving.”
“That’s fantastic.”
“What’s the news here?”
Lynn Ames
“I don’t know. I’m still waiting for Barbara to come out of surgery.”
Jay bit her lip nervously.
Kate took her hand. “Peter’s a strong man, Jay. He’ll pull through.
We have to believe that.” She kissed Jay on the top of the head. “Did you talk to Trish?”
“Yeah—I filed the story, and Standislau is going to put out a special edition tomorrow.”
“That’s great. Good work, honey.” Kate hugged Jay to her.
“Now there’s a scene I love to see,” Barbara said, as she removed her surgical mask.
“How is he?” Kate and Jay asked at the same time.
“Barring any serious complications, he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank God,” Jay murmured.
“What was the extent of the damage?” Kate asked, as Max and Kevin walked through the door. She nodded at them.
“I was right that he had a pneumothorax…” She stopped when she noticed her friends’ twin blank expressions. “He had a collapsed lung.
The bullet pierced the left upper lobe, causing blood and air to fill the chest cavity around the lung. It was a matter of going in, finding the bleeding spot, and plugging it up. The bullet went clean through without leaving any shrapnel, which is a miracle.” She shook her head in wonder.
“Our Peter is one lucky guy.”
“When can we see him?” Jay asked.
“I’ll let you peek your heads in for a second. He’s in recovery right now. He’ll be unconscious for a while. It’d actually be better for him to stay out until they can take out his endotracheal tube tomorrow. The chest tube will have to stay in until the lung re-expands.”
Kate and Jay barely heard Barbara as they moved toward the door simultaneously; Max and Kevin hung back, satisfied to know their friend was going to be okay.
“What’s this all about?” asked Vice President Hawthorne as he was escorted down the corridor to the Oval Office by two grim Secret Service agents he had never seen before. Neither one of them answered him.
In the distance, he spotted President Wheeler, also being escorted toward the Oval Office. When Hawthorne caught up to Wheeler, he said,
“What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“I have no idea,” Wheeler muttered indignantly. “Nobody will tell me.”
The agents formed a phalanx and surrounded the two men. One of the agents knocked on the door. An agent on the other side opened the door and stepped aside for Wheeler and Hawthorne to enter, followed by the Secret Service contingent.
The Value of Valor
“What in the hell?” Wheeler demanded, stepping into the room. The chair behind his desk was facing the other way. “As president of the United States, I demand an explanation.”
“Now you see, that’s just the problem—you’re not the president.”
Charles Hyland swiveled around in the chair to face the two traitors.
“What did I tell you about treason, Al?”
Both Wheeler and Hawthorne stood with their mouths gaping.
“Problem, boys? What, did you see a ghost?”
“Th-they said you were dead.” Hawthorne recovered his voice first.
“Who are they, Bob? Your buddy Wayne Grayson and his crew?”
“They…I…we…” Hawthorne trailed off, completely nonplussed.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you speechless before. I’ll have to write this date down.” The president looked at the agents standing at attention to either side of Wheeler and Hawthorne. “Arrest them for treason, read them their rights, and get them out of my sight.”
Kate and Jay were asleep in an oversized chair they had pulled up next to Peter’s bed when the president walked in at close to dawn. His heart leapt with joy at the sight of the two women together. When Mimi had told him she’d seen Jay, he could hardly believe it.
Kate awoke at the sound of the president’s voice. She struggled to sit up straight. “How are you feeling, sir?”
“Much better, thank you. I’m glad to see Jay.”
“Me too, sir.” Kate smiled broadly.
The president turned his attention to the bed, where Peter lay, hooked to myriad tubes and machines. “How is he?”
“They say he’s going to be all right, sir.”
“I’m glad. Agent King briefed me on much of what I missed.” He shook his head sadly. “Unbelievable. I’m so sorry for you, Kate, for what you went through.”
“It was an honor to serve you, Mr. President.”
“I’m giving a speech to the nation in a couple of hours. Since I was never really dead, I was never really not president, if that makes any sense.”
Kate laughed, “Actually, it does, sir.”
“In my remarks, I’m going to mention your extraordinary heroism—
Peter’s, too. I’m awarding both of you the Presidential Medal of Freedom; it’s the highest honor I can bestow upon a civilian.”
“Sir…” Kate’s cheeks burned bright red.
“Don’t.” He looked directly at her, his gaze filled with gratitude and affection. “You saved my life, risking your own for the good of this nation. That’s the definition of a hero to me.” Before she could say anything else, he turned to go. “We’ll schedule the ceremony as soon as Lynn Ames
Peter is up and about. Until then, I hope you’ll take a long vacation together.” He nodded at Jay, who was still fast asleep in the chair.
“You’ve certainly earned it.”
When he’d gone, Kate crept next door, where Barbara was asleep in a hospital bed. The CIA’s doctors had finally insisted on examining her.
They discovered a concussion and three cracked ribs to go with her numerous contusions.
“Hey.” Barbara cracked one eye open when she heard the scrape of a chair.
“Hey yourself,” Kate said.
“You okay?”
“You’re asking me? You’re the one lying in a hospital bed.”
“You’ve got a point there.”
“Barbara,” Kate began, fiddling with her ring. “I…none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t run.”
“Katherine Ann Kyle. The president wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you and what you did.”
“You wouldn’t be lying in this bed battered and bruised, and Peter wouldn’t be fighting for his life…” Kate began to cry. “I-I’m so, so sorry.”
“Kate,” Barbara tried to sit up, the motion making her dizzy. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat. What you did was really, really important.”
“I jeopardized the lives of people I love.”
“You most certainly did not,” Barbara said heatedly. “Don’t take that on yourself. Grayson and his mad henchmen did that. Not you. Like it or not, Kate, you’re a hero.”
“I don’t feel like one.”
“Better get used to it.”
“Get some sleep, Doctor.”
“You do the same,” Barbara said, as a bleary-eyed Jay stumbled into the room.
Kate wrapped her arm around Jay and led her out to the waiting room, where they both collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.
After an hour’s sleep, Barbara woke with a pounding headache. She threw the covers off, put on slippers, and walked into Peter’s room, where she sat down in the chair by his bedside. She gazed at the monitors to make sure everything was as it should be as she took his hand.
His eyes fluttered open, closed, then opened again.
“Hey, Peter. It’s Barbara. Can you hear me?”
He looked around wildly, trying to orientate himself. She put a soothing hand on his arm.
The Value of Valor
“It’s okay, big guy. Everybody’s safe. Lie still. You’re in a hospital—
you got yourself shot saving me. You’ve got a few tubes sticking out of you, so don’t try anything cute, okay? We’ll be able to take the tube down your throat out in a couple of hours, then you’ll be able to talk.
Blink if you’re understanding me.”
Peter blinked once.
“Good. See, you can follow instructions, after all.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“And you’re obviously not completely out of it, either, which is good, because I want to say something, and I want to be sure you understand me when I do. I know how you think, Peter Enright, and I’m guessing that you’ve been beating yourself up for my being taken hostage.”
She touched the side of his face, watching as a tear trickled out of his eye. “You were not responsible for what happened to me, Grayson was.
Period. End of story. So stop punishing yourself. It’s over, I’m fine, and I love you.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.
Kate and Jay appeared in the doorway. “Is he awake?”
Barbara nodded. “Hey, hotshot,” she said to Peter. “There are a couple of people here to see you.”
Barbara stepped aside so Kate and Jay could get in his line of sight.
They each took one side of the bed and one hand.
“You know, Technowiz, there are easier ways to get breakfast in bed.” Kate squeezed his hand, her face growing serious. “I-I don’t know what to say or how to thank you—for everything. You know I love you, right? Just don’t expect me to cook for you.” She winked at him.