by Margaret Kay
“I’ll get it.” He returned a minute later with them.
She put the heating pad to high and set it aside to warm. Then she laid the icepack on his lower back. She would alternate heat and cold every fifteen minutes for the next few hours. She knelt down on the floor beside him. “Sam, what happened? When did you start to hurt so bad?”
“I fell,” Shepherd admitted. “I had no pain, Diana, none at all. And I was sure I had complete feeling in both legs. Something you did this afternoon made that happen. I took four steps, while holding onto the table, and then I had a spasm in my lower back, and I fell.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped.
“Shep, you walked?” Doc asked, stunned.
“When you fell, did you arch your back?” Diana asked.
Shepherd’s eyes probed deeply into hers. Somehow, he knew her question was significant. “When I fell, I grabbed onto the edge of the table, but I went down. My back did arch, a lot,” he confirmed. “That was when the pain hit, worse pain than I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Diana reached her hand beneath the icepack. She still felt his lower back spasm. “Doc, in that cabinet there are muscle relaxer patches. I need two please.” She pointed to the cabinet in the workout room.
Doc returned with them and she applied them to Shepherd’s lower back. Then she placed the heating pad onto his back and turned it down to medium. “That should help, Sam. Let me know if the spasming lets up.”
Shepherd grabbed hold of her hand. “Thank you, Diana. I’m sorry I sent my people to get you.” His lips curved into a small grin.
“I’m sorry my phone was silenced, and I didn’t know you’d called. I’m sorry you were in so much pain.”
“You were on a date?”
Diana laughed nervously. “Yes.”
That disappointed him. He closed his eyes and blew out a cleansing breath. He felt exhausted.
Diana sat beside him and monitored him. She was relieved when his breathing evened out and he slipped into a deep sleep.
Doc motioned her outside his room. Cooper was still in the hall. He paced and looked distraught. “What the hell happened to him tonight?” He peered into the room. “Is he okay?” Cooper demanded.
“Yes, he’s resting comfortably now. His spine was way out of whack. When he fell, he arched his back, and that pinched his spinal cord. His lower back was spasming something terrible.”
“What now?” Cooper asked.
“We make sure he gets a good night’s sleep, alternate the heat and cold, and keep his muscles relaxed. Tomorrow I take some new x-rays so I can see what’s really going on in his spine.”
“I don’t want him disturbed tonight,” Doc told Cooper.
“I’ll handle anything that comes in,” Cooper said. “Diana, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She nodded and then watched him retreat down the hall. When he was out of sight, she gazed back at Doc.
“How did he walk?” Doc asked in a demanding whisper.
“I read through every book on spinal cord damage I have. From what he’s described, and I need to check his medical records to be sure, I think the cord did sustain minimal damage from the gunshot, enough to cause major inflammation that pinched the cord and cut off all sensations. It could even have been broken bones from the spine pinching the cord. He told me that a few months after the gunshot, he started to feel pins and needles sensations as well as numbness. I think that was when the cord had regenerated. But why pain, numbness, and weakness has persisted this long, is the mystery.”
“Wait, so you’re saying you don’t think he’s truly been paralyzed all this time?” Doc asked.
Diana nodded. She glanced back at Shepherd’s sleeping form through the open door. “Something was going on, but I don’t think it was paralysis.” She shook her head, deep in thought. “I need to look at his x-rays again, maybe take a few of my own from different angles. I suspect there was damage to his spine itself. Vic said that the bullet fragmented and tore up his insides. It could have caused damage to the bones in his spine.”
Doc nodded. “It was a bloody mess. Several inches of his intestines, in different places, were taken out because the bullet damaged them so badly. The bastard who shot him used frangible rounds, and they were lodged all over the place. It took us hours to dig them all out.”
“Were you there?” She asked.
Doc nodded. “The team arrived onsite just before he was shot. We tried to move in before all hell broke loose, but we had a lot of moving pieces to coordinate. I was at his side within a minute after he was shot, and we kept him alive all the way to the hospital.”
Diana was shocked. “The amount of blood loss had to be massive.”
“I live transfused at least three pints while we were in the air. We clamped off as many bleeders as we could. It was me and another experienced combat medic who worked on him. I know if we hadn’t done what we did, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Diana’s respect for this man multiplied.
“I think he’ll be okay for the night. I’ll have Madison give you a ride home,” Doc said. “I’ll stay with him.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Diana argued defiantly. “You can go. Can you get me a change of clothes though? Maybe a t-shirt and a pair of shorts from his drawers? If you don’t think he’ll mind.”
Doc chuckled. “Honey, after you relieved his pain tonight, I don’t think he’d mind anything you would do.” After Doc grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from one of Shepherd’s dresser drawers, he motioned her back out into the hall. He brought her to one of the closed doors in the hallway. He opened it and flipped the light on. “This is the guest room.” He sat the clothes onto the bed.
Diana noticed the crib situated in the corner beside a queen-sized bed. “Thanks,” she said, even though she knew she had no intention of sleeping this far from Sam.
She walked with Doc back into the living room.
“I’ll let Ops know you’re here,” Doc said. “I’m going to give you their number to program into your phone.”
“Ops?” She gazed blankly at him. She had her phone in her hand as she was going to ask him for his phone number, in case she needed anything.
“We have an Operations Center on eight that is staffed around the clock. If you have any problems tonight, call them and they’ll get a hold of me. I can be here in twenty minutes if you need me and Cooper will be in his office all night too.”
Diana programmed the number into her phone. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“But if you’re not, call.”
“I will.” She watched him go out the door. Then she paced over to one of the large windows in the living room. She gazed out at the lights that stretched out as far as she could see. He had a hell of a view from up here. She went back down the hall, stopping at the door to his office, intending to turn the lights off. She entered and couldn’t help glance around at the objects that were on display from this very private man.
A case on the desk held rows of military ribbons. The Silver Eagle had a place of distinction at the top of it. On the shelves of a bookcase behind his desk, she gazed over trophies, ribbons, and photos. Samuel Shepherd, Junior Biathlete Champion, a framed letter informing him he’d been selected to the U.S. Olympic Team, a second framed letter confirming his appointment to West Point, dated the same year, and beside it, his Diploma from West Point. He had several photos of young men, many with dates going back to when he would have been in his early twenties. She picked out a young Sam in each picture.
On another shelf was photography equipment. He owned several cameras, expensive ones by the look of them. He also had other equipment, lenses, light boxes, and other paraphernalia that she was not sure exactly what they were used for. She saw the edge of a black-and-white photo poking out from a manilla folder beneath one of the cameras. Her curiosity got the better of her, and even though it wasn’t right, she pulled the folder free and flipped through the eight by ten photos that were in the fold
er. Four of them were smaller prints of the framed pictures on the walls in the living room.
“Wow, he took those pictures,” she said to herself.
The other thing she noticed was that everything in his office, as well as rest of his residence, was neat and orderly. Everything had a place, and everything was in its place. Each time she’d been here, his bed was made to military perfection. She could have bounced a quarter off it. She assumed everything in his life was neat, orderly, flawlessly planned and executed. He was a West Point graduate, a military man through and through.
She replaced the folder of pictures where she’d found it and then turned the light off. She continued down the hall until she came to the guest room. She changed into the t-shirt and shorts and then soundlessly entered Shepherd’s room. He slept peacefully.
She turned the light off, leaving one on in the workout room. She closed the door, so it was only open a crack to provide some light if she needed it. Then she crossed to the far side of the large, king-sized bed and pulled the covers back. The sheets were expensive, Sferra Milos Egyptian Cotton Sateen, 1020 thread count. She ran her hand over it, taking in the incredible feeling of the fibers.
She snuggled into the incredibly soft pillow; her gaze focused on his still form. At some point, she drifted off.
Mike
Shepherd came awake engulfed in a cozy warmth. He laid on his stomach. He felt no pain. His legs and feet had the numbness and pins and needles sensations he was accustomed to. But the spasming in his lower back was gone. The room was brightly lit with sunlight flooding into the room. His room darkening shades must not have been drawn last night. He struggled to remember going to bed the previous evening. His phone sat on the nightstand beside him, where it belonged at night, on the charger. He reached for it.
“It’s nearly seven a.m.,” Diana’s familiar voice said softly as his hand came in contact with his phone.
Taking his phone with him, he rolled over, startled. He felt the heating pad slide from his lower back as he moved. “Diana?” She laid on her side, propped up by her elbow pressed into the mattress.
“How do you feel this morning?”
He sighed out loud. “Much better. Not in horrible pain.”
“I need to do some x-rays to see what’s going on in your spine.”
“You think you know, don’t you?” He asked.
She nodded. “I think so. The x-rays will confirm it. I think you have what’s known as a pars fracture. And it’s the fractured bones at L-4 or L-5 that are pinching the spinal cord causing the sensations of numbness, weakness, pain, pins and needles.”
He looked her over. She looked beautiful with the morning sun highlighting her mussed hair. He smelled the familiar fresh scent that clung to her. Then he noticed that she wore one of his Army t-shirts, which brought a smile to his face. “You stayed all night with me?”
“Of course, I did. I wanted to be here in case you experienced any more horrible bouts of pain.”
He checked the display on his phone. No messages. “I need to call into Ops. I’m two hours late getting up.”
“They were told not to bother you. Cooper is taking all calls and handling business this morning. He stayed here last night too.”
Shepherd cracked a slight smile. He sat and looked on the other side of the bed past her. “He stayed here too?”
Diana laughed. “Not here in this bed. Here in the building.”
Shepherd relaxed onto his back. “Thank you for coming last night. I’m sorry if I messed up your date.”
Diana gazed over his face. She wouldn’t tell him she didn’t care about that date with Mike. “I’m so sorry I didn’t answer my phone when you called and that you were in pain for several hours before I got here.”
“It was my fault, trying to walk without the harness on.”
“It was actually how you fell, that caused the pain.”
His lips tipped into a grin. “I guess I need to learn how to fall.”
“I’d prefer you don’t try to walk without assistance, or at least someone strong to catch you. But yes, arching your back when you fell is probably the worst thing you could do.”
“It wasn’t deliberate,” Shepherd said with a chuckle. “Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea this morning? It’s the least I can do.”
“And you owe me a piece of tiramisu too,” she said, much to his surprise. “I rarely eat sweets, but that restaurant has the best tiramisu in town. We had just finished dinner, and I was going to order a piece for dessert.”
Shepherd chuckled again. “Duly noted. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “Until then, yes, coffee sounds good. Breakfast sounds even better. I make a mean omelet if you have any eggs.”
Shepherd pulled himself to a sitting position. “Deal. I’ll make the coffee while you make us omelets.” He looked around the room. “Where’s my chair?”
“I think it’s still in the workout room.” She pointed to the partially closed door and then hopped up from the bed.
Shepherd watched her cross the room, a smile on his lips. He liked how she looked in his clothes. She pushed his wheelchair up beside the bed. He transferred himself into the chair. He pointed to the door to his master bathroom. “I just need to use the bathroom. I’ll join you in the kitchen. Feel free to open any cabinet.”
She nodded and watched him roll into the bathroom. She left the master bedroom and used the hall bathroom. On a shelf were several unopened packages of toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. She selected one and brushed her teeth before she went to the kitchen.
She found the perfect pan to make omelets in the cabinet beside the stove. She found all the ingredients she’d use for the vegetable omelets in the refrigerator. She was chopping the spinach when he came into the room.
He got busy making the coffee and then turned the radio on while it brewed. He sat a few feet away from her and watched her prepare their breakfast.
“Classical, huh? I’d peg you for more of a jazz man,” Diana said, whisking the eggs.
“I listen to all different types of music. Jackson and Angel love country music. She usually plays it at her desk, and I’ve enjoyed listening to her favorites. Doc’s favorite is Tom Petty, and one of my other men, Garcia, loves classic vinyl. I went into his workroom one day and he had The Stones blasting so loud I’m not sure how he heard himself think.” He chuckled. “I have a subscription to Sirius XM and I listen to a variety of channels. I like classical on quiet mornings and rock with a fast tempo when I’m working out.”
“It’s nice,” Diana agreed. She glanced up at him and flashed him a smile. What wasn’t lost on her was that he was sharing things about himself, likes and dislikes. And he was sharing facts about the people who worked for him. He was relaxed and normal, not the super private man she’d met nearly two weeks before. She decided that while he was so open, she’d ask about a few things that were on her mind. “Sam, Madison identified herself as an FBI agent. She showed me a badge when she and Cooper came to get me last night.” Immediately she saw his facial expression change. It instantly took on a guarded scowl. “Vic told me not to ask too many questions about what you do, but I can’t help but wonder that if you’re running some kind of federal agency here, why not just tell me?”
Shepherd evaluated her question. She wasn’t asking for any specific details. “I must remind you of the confidentiality agreement you signed, before I answer that question.”
She poured the egg into the hot omelet pan. “Even without it, I would never say anything to anyone.” She looked him straight in the eyes. Even his eyes had lost that softness and warmth that had been there before she asked that question.
“Why does it matter what we really do here?” Shepherd asked.
“I consider myself a good judge of character and you, Sam Shepherd, are one of the good ones. Angel and Doc definitely are too. And Madison and Cooper were genuinely worried about you last night. There is a since
re affection that this group of people has for each other. I saw it last night. I saw it the other night when Angel collapsed too. You really care about her, beyond how a person feels for an employee. And, I have a natural curiosity of everything going on around me. I always have. I want to know, and I mean really know the people around me.”
“You said a lot in that statement,” Shepherd said.
“Are you disputing any of it as being factual?”
Shepherd’s lips tugged into a grin. He didn’t stop it. “No. I’d be lying if I did. This is a very special group of people who work with me, all of them.” He watched her tend the omelet. The coffee was done. He poured two cups while he considered what he’d say to her original question. He handed a cup to her and nodded. “Yes, we are a multi-agency task force of sorts. We do provide armed security as well as special investigations services. The cases we take on are often sensitive in nature. And the need for discretion is paramount in all we do.”