by Kelly Utt
“Are you my doctor?” I ask feebly.
“I’m one of them,“ she replies. “My name is Dr. Ava Clausson. How are you feeling?“
“I’m not sure,” I say. “I don’t know what happened. I was on the helicopter and then…“
“You were shot,” Dr. Clausson says. “You took a bullet to the shoulder.”
“I did? I don’t remember that at all.“
“I was told it probably happened during one of the firefights. Most likely when you exited the building,” Dr. Clausson continues. “You might not have even felt it when it happened. That’s often the case in combat. Your adrenaline was probably pumping so hard that you didn’t feel the pain.“
I squint my eyes and try to remember. “They were shooting at us, but I made it back to the helicopter,” I say.
“You got lucky,” the doctor adds. “The bullet went straight through and missed your subclavian artery. Your wound was survivable.”
“Yeah, I guess that was lucky,” I say, still dazed. “I’m glad I wasn’t exposed to any chemical agents. I need to get out of here though. Can you discharge me?“
“Slow down there, soldier,” she says. “You survived and you had surgery to repair the injury, but the healing and rehabilitation ahead of you will take months. The shoulder is one of the worst places to get shot. There are a lot of nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, tendons and, of course, the joint to deal with. I don’t mean to sound negative, but full use of your shoulder might never be recovered. And, we’re still not completely sure you weren’t exposed to any chemical agents.“
“Okay, well, that’s a bummer,” I say, not quite processing the implications of her statement. “But I need to find my uncle, Liam Hartmann. And then, I need to get back home to the rest of my family. I’ll have plenty of time to heal at home when everyone is safe.”
Dr. Clausson scratches her head, then pulls a chair up to the side of my hospital bed and sits down.
“Dr. Hartmann… or, Major Hartmann, I guess I should say in this setting,” she continues. “Do you ever hear voices of people who aren’t there? Or, maybe you see people others don’t see?”
Not this again, I think. Dr. Claussen sounds like Joe did back at his office last winter. Back when I knew him as Dr. Epstein. Back when he thought I was crazy.
“Wait,” I say. “What kind of doctor are you?”
Ava Claussen takes a slow, measured breath before answering. “I’m a psychologist.”
Upon hearing this, my head pounds harder. My heart races and I begin to feel like a trapped animal. “Where am I?” I ask, sounding frantic. I can hear it in my voice. “Don’t play games with me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You’re at Camp Shorabak,” she replies. “In the infirmary. And I’m not playing games with you. Quite the contrary. Colonel Becker and his colleagues need to debrief you. Specifically, they need to conduct a military debriefing. And I need to conduct a psychological debriefing. You see, it’s my job to make sure you’re ready for questioning, and to tend to your… shall we say, mental health afterward.”
“My mental health?” I ask. “That’s ridiculous. How about you get me the shoulder doctor so that person can tell me about recovery from my wound? I’d like to hear about my physical health.”
Ava Claussen pauses. She’s trying to manage me, and I don’t like it. “Who is Miss Tessa?” she asks.
“What?” I say in return, startled.
“Miss Tessa. You told a nurse earlier that Miss Tessa was here with you, in this room.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply, irritated. Although, I admit I’m surprised to hear that I mentioned Miss Tessa. I must have been dreaming about being back at the hospital in Lake Tahoe. That makes sense. I want to be close to Ali.
“The look on your face tells me you do know what I’m talking about,” Dr. Claussen presses. “We’re on the same side here. You can talk openly to me. Is Miss Tessa someone important to you?”
“She’s just an old lady I know,” I say reluctantly, hoping she’ll drop the subject. “No one special.”
“Well, you were talking out loud to her,” the doctor continues. “Apparently, the two of you were having a big conversation. The nurse said he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. But, your Miss Tessa wasn’t really here. Not in the flesh.”
I don’t appreciate Dr. Claussen’s tone. It feels like she’s mocking me. I can’t imagine why she’s coming at me with the same line of questioning Joe did all those months ago. Is there something about me that makes psychologists think I’m crazy? I don’t understand.
Before we can go any further, Colonel Becker barges in the door with Senior Airman Puckett and a female Lieutenant Colonel who was sitting behind him during the mission briefing. He didn’t introduce her then, but she must be the commander in charge of this theater of operations. But I’m just guessing. Mark is holding a video recorder, a tripod, and a notepad. They’re here to debrief me after the raid.
“Major Hartmann,” Colonel Becker says in a loud voice.
I get the idea he doesn’t much care that I’ve been shot or that I’ve just woken up after surgery. His primary concern is the mission. I understand that. It’s as it should be. I sit up straight to show respect for my superiors and raise a hand to my temple to salute.
”At ease, soldier. With me is Colonel Vivian Winton,” Becker explains, gesturing to his colleague. I suddenly remember that I’m not supposed to salute while indoors. I feel foolish. Becker isn’t phased.
Vivian Winton is every bit as beautiful as Dr. Ava Clausson. She’s African-American and has smooth, brown skin and high cheekbones. Her hair is pulled back tightly into a knot at the nape of her neck. If she weren’t wearing a uniform, I could imagine her as a ballerina, her strong, muscular physique poised to make art. It really is remarkable how many beautiful women I’ve encountered on this mission. It’s as if Colonel Becker has chosen the most attractive females in the entire United States military. I know that couldn’t possibly be true. But it sure does seem that way.
My thinking is becoming sharper now as I continue to wake up and shake off the effects of the anesthesia. I sit up further, eagerly, ready to hear about Liam. I hope Colonel Becker is about to tell me that they’ve found him and brought him safely back to base.
“Nice to meet you, Colonel Winton,” I say.
Both Colonels pull up chairs on the side of my bed opposite Dr. Claussen. Mark sets his equipment up at the foot of the bed. Once the red light is on and he motions to say he’s rolling, Colonel Becker gets right down to it.
For what feels like hours, Colonel Becker meticulously covers every move, every moment of the raid. Using my bodycam footage replayed on a handheld tablet for reference, he asks me questions about every single thing I perceived, step-by-step. He has printed and blown up the schematics I found and he asks me to walk him through the engineering three separate times. I repeatedly ask about Liam. And Colonel Becker repeatedly tells me that we have to finish the debriefing first. When Becker is done, it’s Colonel Winton’s turn. Again, we look through the bodycam footage and at the schematics. She asks me a lot of questions. Some are the same or nearly the same as what Colonel Becker asked. Others are different. Finally, they decide they’re finished with me. They close up their notebooks and Mark Puckett turns off the camera. Finally, they tell me what will happen next.
Colonel Becker explains that thanks to the intelligence we gathered, they’ve located a second facility that the terrorist group uses to produce both the drones and the chemical weapons. He calls us heroes and gives me his sincere thanks for my part in the mission. He tells me that my bravery has assisted in disrupting the terrorists’ plans and that, after my additional intelligence gathering during tomorrow night’s raid on their second facility, the lives of millions of Americans will have been saved. He says I might even get a medal for my bravery.
“Hold on,“ I say upon hearing this news. “You want me to go again tomorrow night?“<
br />
“That’s right,” Becker confirms. “Your country needs you.“
“But I was shot. I’ve had surgery.“
“And I’m sorry for what you’ve been through,” Becker says, standing up. It seems like he’s going to leave the room, but he stops just short of the door.
“Can’t you get somebody else?” I ask. “Liam?“
Both Colonels and Dr. Clausson take a collective sigh. Serious, somber expressions settle over their faces. Colonel Winton steps forward and opens her mouth to speak, but Colonel Becker puts a hand up to stop her.
“I’ll do it, Vivian,” he says. “I picked these boys up at Nellis. They are my responsibility.”
“No!” I say in a guttural tone. I don’t want to hear the words. I don’t want it to be true. It can’t be true. How can it be true?
“Major Hartmann,” Becker begins, his arms down at his sides as if he’s standing at attention. “I regret to inform you…”
“No!” I interrupt, rearing up in my bed. “He doesn’t deserve this!”
Becker continues, like a robot reciting a programmed script. “Lieutenant Colonel Liam Everett Hartmann is missing in action and presumed dead, along with the other members of Bravo Two’s team. His wife, Estella Hartmann, will be notified today.“
“No!“ I yell at the top of my lungs. “We have to look for them!“
“And Major,” Becker continues, his face now showing how badly he feels for me. “There’s something else.“
I look around the room, unable to speak. What else could there be? How could things possibly get worse?
“We’ve received news from your family in the states. Roderick Davies phoned to notify us of a developing situation concerning your son, Ethan Hartmann. Then we contacted the South Lake Tahoe Police Department to confirm. Your boy, young Ethan Hartmann, was kidnapped from a grocery store called Bi-Mart. Ethan had been accompanied by Mr. Davies, who says he rounded a corner just ahead of the boy while shopping. Mr. Davies reports that when he turned back less than thirty seconds later, young Ethan was gone. A search is underway.“
Enjoy this book?
A note from Author Kelly Utt
Did you enjoy this book? You can make a big difference.
Reviews are the most powerful tools in my arsenal when it comes to getting attention for my books. As much as I’d like to, I don’t have the financial muscle of a New York publisher. I can’t take out full page ads in the newspaper or put posters on the subway.
(Not yet, anyway.)
But I do have something much more powerful and effective than that, and it’s something that those publishers would kill to get their hands on.
A committed and loyal group of readers.
Honest reviews of my books help bring them to the attention of other readers.
If you’ve enjoyed this book, I would be very grateful if you could spend just five minutes leaving a review (it can be as short as you like) on the book’s Amazon page and on Goodreads or BookBub. You can jump right to these pages by clicking below.
Amazon
Goodreads
BookBub
Thank you very much.
Also by Kelly Utt
Have you read them all?
In the George Hartmann Series
Psychological Thriller
The twisty George Hartmann Series chronicles the Hartmann and Davies families across time and space. This life-affirming story, anchored by the deep affection between George and Alessandra, reveals how the connections we share can ground us during even the most difficult times as we endeavor to learn what we're made of. Will George Hartmann be able to protect the ones he loves and find lasting peace?
Join the family you'll feel like you already know as, together, they explore the meaning of life beyond what lies on the surface and fight to keep each other safe.
Ithaca’s Soldier
Family is everything to George Hartmann, which is why he wants desperately to keep his growing brood safe. It’s why he’s dedicated his life to a career working on the front lines of national security. And it’s why he’s kept a low profile, careful not to draw too much attention to himself. But things get turned upside down when a violent break-in endangers his sons and prompts a dramatic spiritual awakening no one could have seen coming.
After all, it’s easy to dismiss as an overactive imagination when a four-year-old mentions having lived with the family before in another time and place. But the situation becomes more complicated when George experiences those same memories himself and then comes to realize that centuries-old demons may be back to haunt him.
Buy It
Watch the Trailer
Add it on Goodreads
Listen to the Spotify playlist
Subject to Danger
A killer is on the loose. He murdered George Hartmann's boy when they lived a past life together in Ancient Greece, and he tried to do it again right here in the present. Will George put the pieces together in time, before ancient history repeats itself?
Buy It
Add it on Goodreads
Listen to the Spotify playlist
Places Blue
George Hartmann is at a breaking point. His three little boys have suffered one harrowing ordeal after another and now his wife’s life hangs in the balance. The danger is real. There’s little to go on besides a string of distant, pieced-together memories. And there’s no place to hide.
Buy It
Add it on Goodreads
Listen to the Spotify playlist
Limits of Protection
There's an imminent threat to national security and George Hartmann is one of only a handful of patriots who can thwart it. The timing couldn't be worse. George is embroiled in a fight to keep his loved ones safe from ruthless villains who are determined to rehash a centuries-old vendetta. Will he find a way to navigate divided loyalties and save the day?
Buy It
Add it on Goodreads
Listen to the Spotify playlist
The Pieces
George Hartmann thought he'd seen rock bottom. It turns out he wasn't even close. Faced with impossible stakes on multiple fronts, he must pick up the pieces and forge a path forward.
Buy It (Preorder in advance of October 23, 2019 release)
Add it on Goodreads
When George Met Ali
(Short Story Prequel)
George Hartmann is living like a typical twenty-something bachelor in the early aughts until one careless romp between the sheets lands him in a troublesome situation. In this prequel short story, you'll meet a young, twenty-something George Hartmann and you'll see how he nearly missed out on one of the very best things life had to offer.
Free to Download exclusively at Kelly’s website
In the Rosemary Run Series
Domestic Thriller
In the charming Northern California town of Rosemary Run, there's trouble brewing below the picture-perfect surface. Don't let the manicured lawns and stylish place settings fool you. Nothing is exactly as it seems. Secrets and lies threaten to upend the status quo and destroy lives when— not if— they're revealed.
Her Deepest Fear
Cate Brady almost had it all. Until a knock on her front door brought news that her beloved husband had been in a terrible accident. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Reeling from the shock and suspecting she's being followed, Cate must question everything she thinks she knows.
Buy It
Add it on Goodreads
Listen to the Spotify playlist
Her Hidden Past
Bea Hughes had put the past behind her. Until an anonymous caller phoned to say they knew what she'd done. To make matters worse, Bea suspects someone else in the house was listening in on the line. Fearful she's been found out and desperate to keep her family together, Bea must identify and silence the person who stands in the way of her happiness.
Buy It (Preorder in advance of September 30, 2019 release)
Add it on Goodreads
/>
Her Boldest Lie
Marcheline Fay claimed the father of her child wasn't in the picture. Now her daughter is all grown up and asking questions. When a decades-old letter gets mailed without Marcheline's permission, the lie she told might not be enough to keep them safe. Scrambling to find out who knows what and at risk of losing it all, Marcheline must reopen old wounds to make things right.
Buy It (Preorder in advance of October 15, 2019 release)
Add it on Goodreads
Be the first to know when new books are released by signing up for Kelly’s e-mail list at www.kellyutt.com.
The George Hartmann Series concludes with Book Five, The Pieces. Book are best read in order.
The Rosemary Run Series is ongoing. Books can be read in any order.
Kindle Unlimited Subscribers read for free.
About the Author
Standards of Starlight Books