Rescue My Love

by Lynn Story

  “I just mean that our standards for success rate are higher than the FDA, they allow a larger margin of error than I do.”

  “Honey, everyone does.” He chuckled.

  “And it already has a proven test case.” I lifted my leg slightly.

  “How has it been?” He looks sad for a moment. “Are you still in a lot of pain?”

  “No, it only hurts when it rains or if I run too much on it. I do a lot of swimming these days and running indoors on a padded track.”

  “Well you look wonderful.” He deftly changed the subject. Any discussion of my near-death experience was difficult for him. I was grateful that my mother hadn’t been alive because she would have gone to pieces. It probably would have killed her. She was sensitive that way.

  “So anyway, if I can get them to agree to use it that will open the door to other veterans and military hospitals using them.”

  “You’re an amazing woman, Kay.”

  “Thank you.” I blushed.

  “I mean it. You took not just a bad situation, one of the worst possible situations and turned it into an opportunity to help others.” He shook his head.

  “Well, it was out of desperation. I really didn’t want to lose my leg. At the time I had no idea if this would work and I wasn’t going down without a fight.” I stared down at my leg for a moment. “I didn’t want anyone else to have to face that.”

  “I’m sorry you went through most of that alone.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t at the hospital when you were there.”

  “You came to see me.” I defended him.

  “Yeah, I wanted to be by your side. I didn’t want you to be alone.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. It was probably better that way. I had time to think and plan this out.”

  “Well, I’m grateful that it worked out in the end.” He stood up to pour himself a drink.

  We were venturing into uncomfortable territory. He told me that when I was injured Eddie had applied for a passport to come and sit by my bedside but by the time, he got it, I was about to be shipped back home to Bethesda. I have no doubt Eddie would have sat staring at me for the duration. As it was, he was with me in Bethesda quite a bit. I had sent him away and told him that I didn’t need him staring at me twenty-four seven, so he came up and only stayed three days a week. He always brought me things I needed or wanted from home. I was still running the company as much as I could from my bed. Michael did a lot of that work for me too and I would be eternally grateful to them both. The trouble is that Eddie had not got past it. He still feels the need to be there in case I fall, and I love him for it. I needed him to let go a little. Between him and my grandfather it was worse than being a teenager with a new curfew.

  “So, what about the rest of your life and what else are you doing besides working?”

  I looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you like camping? Do you sail on the bay, what are your passions?”

  “Grandpa, I have a company with offices and manufacturing in three cities and I’m trying to start a new manufacturing branch. I don’t have time for anything else.”

  “What do you do when you’re not at work?”

  “Sleep.” I wasn’t sure what he was driving at.

  “I hope you’re not serious.”

  “I’m very serious. Dinner with you is the closest thing I’ve had to a non-work-related event in years.”

  “Kay, that is not healthy. You have to take time for yourself.”

  “You’re telling me to take time for myself. The man who invented the word workaholic?”

  “That is not true, I do plenty of things for myself.”

  “Such as?”

  “I play poker with some friends once a week.”

  “Are these friends from work and do you talk about work things?”

  “Well yes.”

  “Then it doesn’t count.”

  “Sure, it does we blow off steam and say things we can’t say at work.”

  “Do you play golf, sail, camp?” I asked pressing the issue.

  “No.”

  “I see.” I drank some wine that he had silently poured and set in front of me.

  He eyed me suspiciously waiting for my next comment. I just let hang there. He got the point.

  “Well, speaking of poker, some friends are stopping by later tonight for a game and I thought you might want to join us.”

  “I smell a set up.” I eyed him suspiciously.

  “What kind of set up? I just thought you might want to play a hand or two of poker, maybe help you relax.”

  “And these friends, who are they?”

  “Just some of the guys from work.” He laughed. “You do remember how to play poker don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good.” That seemed to decide the situation and he refocused on dinner.

  An hour later. One of the security guards came in. “Sir, your guests are starting to arrive.”

  “Excellent. Thank you,” he replied.

  “I think I’ll go upstairs and freshen up.” I announced pushing away from the table.

  “Okay, we’ll be in the den when you come back down.”

  I nodded and escaped upstairs. I went to one of the bedrooms on the front of the house that gave me a view of the driveway. There were three cars with drivers so at least Eddie wouldn’t be bored. A man got out of the driver’s side of the fourth car and walked to the front door.

  He intrigued me. I couldn’t see his face. He was tall and broad shouldered. I wondered who he was.

  I went to the bathroom and put a cool cloth on my face and neck. If I was going to play poker with my grandfather and his friends, I needed to be awake and alert. I didn’t know these men, but I knew how my grandfather liked to play. If he wasn’t the Secretary of the Navy, he would probably be the best card shark in Vegas. He was a tricky one. I went down to the den to find four men and my grandfather with drinks in their hand.

  “Ah, there you are. Would you like a drink?”

  “No, thank you.”

  My grandfather nodded and set his drink down the table. “Gentlemen I’d like you to meet my granddaughter. Kay Dandridge.” All the men were smiling in my direction, except one. “She’ll be joining us tonight if that’s alright.”

  “As long as she doesn’t mind losing a little money.” One of the men said. My grandfather gave me a small smile. “She’s a good sport. Kay, this is Paul Miller, Secretary of the Army.” I shook his hand and exchanged pleasantries.

  “This is Richard Loftus, Joint Chiefs.”

  “Pleasure to meet to you.” The man was about my grandfather’s age with thick hair and incredibly straight teeth.

  “You too, sir.” I shook his hand.

  “No sirs, here today.” He laughed.

  “This young man is Craig Nelson, we aren’t allowed to know where he works.” My grandfather joked.

  “Mr. Nelson, a pleasure.” I smiled.

  “The pleasure is all mine.” He said shaking my hand gently and giving me a wink.

  “And last by not least, Director of NCIS, James McIntyre.” The man who drove himself here. The one who wasn’t smiling.

  “Mr. McIntyre.” I shook his hand.

  “Mac.”

  I nodded. “Mac.”

  “Shall we?” My grandfather pointed to the table. We all settled in. My grandfather dealt the cards and the game started. I studied each man’s face and hands. Looking for their tell. Everyone had one.

  Mac’s was the hardest. His expression never changed. So, I watched for other things. The way he arranged his cards. The way he held them. The way he looked at the others. I lost the first few hands. And Mac and my grandfather won a couple. I got the impression from the grousing of the others this was a normal occurrence.

  It was time to shake things up a bit I thought. I stopped concentrating on the other players and focused on the cards for a while. I won three hands str
aight.

  “Hey, what gives, is your granddaughter some kind of ringer?” Miller asked.

  “What do you do for a living?” Loftus asked.

  Mac studied me waiting for a response. “I’m CEO of Port City Industries.”

  “That doesn’t tell me much. Do you go to Vegas on the weekends?” Loftus pressed.

  “Don’t be a sore loser, you’ll have a chance to win your money back.” I smiled. I lost the next couple of hands. It was starting to get late and the men were getting antsy.

  “I say we raise the stakes on this hand.” Loftus announced. “A hundred dollars to start?” Everyone looked around the table and nodded.

  I dealt the cards. I had a decent hand, but I would have felt better with a couple of aces. The betting continued and the cards went around the table. Everyone folded and it was down to Mac and me. I watched him just as carefully as he watched me. It was going to be down to the cards on this one. Finally, I called.

  There was five hundred dollars at stake on the table. Mac laid down his cards, four of a kind.

  “Not bad.” I smiled.

  “Let’s have ‘em.” He demanded. The others around the table were watching intently.

  “Straight flush.” I laid my cards down. The other three was murmuring. Mac leaned back in his chair and smiled for the first time.

  “Nice.”

  I gave him a little shrug. “Just lucky.”

  “I doubt it.” He said still smiling.

  “Nicely done, young lady.” Miller congratulated me.

  My grandfather gave me a wink and a nod.

  “Well, listen. I’ve had a good time, but I should be going.” I announced.

  “So soon?” My grandfather asked.

  “It’s late.” I said, looking at my watch.

  “Okay, call me tomorrow?”

  “Of course.” I promised.

  He gave me a hug and a kiss. “I mean it. I want to see you before you leave.”

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  “It was nice to meet you.” I addressed the others. They all nodded and raised their glasses to me. Clearly, they weren’t leaving anytime soon.

  “Mind if I walk you out?” Mac approached me.

  “Okay.” I caught a glimpse of my grandfather smiling to himself as he watched Mac approach me. I shook my head. I knew he had a reason he wanted me to stay and play cards. I turned and headed for the door.

  “You played very well tonight.”

  “Thank you. You did pretty well yourself.” I smiled.

  “So, I take it you don’t live here?” He made inquiring small talk.

  “No, I’m in town on business. I live in Gates Point.”

  “Beautiful city,” he replied.

  “I like it. Excuse me I need to text my driver.” I pulled out my phone and sent Eddie a message.

  “I’d be happy to give you a lift.” Mac offered.

  “No, Eddie is here on the property somewhere. He’s probably playing his own poker game if I know him.”

  “Your grandfather teach you to play?” he surmised.

  “Yeah, when I was a little girl.” I laughed.

  “He did a good job.”

  “Well, I’ve kept up with it over the years,” I confessed.

  “Not much else to do in the desert some nights,” he ventured.

  I looked at him with curiosity. How did he know I had been overseas?

  “Don’t worry, your grandfather told me.” He said reading my face. “How long were you there?”

  “Four years.” I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable with this. “What about you?”

  He looked at me with a little surprise. “Please, I can spot a marine from a mile away.”

  “Well, I want to thank you for your service.”

  “Why?” I looked at him confused.

  “Because, even if I am a marine it still isn’t every day you get to meet a Medal of Freedom winner.”

  My mouth dropped open. My grandfather knew I didn’t like to talk about that and I sure as hell didn’t go around telling people about it. I felt anger rising up in my chest. I could see the headlights of my car coming up the drive. “I can’t believe my grandfather told you that.”

  “He didn’t.”

  “Then how do you know.” I wondered.

  “I investigate people for a living.” He said reminding me who he was.

  “How did you know you would meet me tonight.” I asked.

  “That your grandfather, did tell me.” He smiled. “He told me you were in town and he asked us all if we would mind you sitting in on the game.

  My anger quickly turned to embarrassment. It had been a set up after all. The car came to a stop and Eddie got out. Mac held up his hand to stop Eddie. He reached down and opened the door.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

  I slid into the back seat. “It was nice to meet you. I hope you have better luck in there.” He smiled and closed the door.

  Eddie back behind the driver’s wheel. “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yep, just tired.” I sighed.

  He nodded and pulled the car out onto the road to take us back to DC and our hotel.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kay

  I was looking forward to my meeting at Bethesda Naval Hospital today. I believed I had something that could truly help wounded service men and women. The new materials would improve prosthetics or maybe even replace them. It was essentially synthetic bone. It was pretty revolutionary, and I hoped that if used in field hospitals it might replace the need to amputate at all. I was also nervous.

  I had once been a patient here after my surgery in Germany. They had been skeptical of Dr. Klaus’ work. When I proposed using Dr. Klaus’s new and still experimental internal prosthetic the doctors had been concerned my body would reject it that I wouldn’t be able to walk with it. They were concerned it was not practical as repairs and adjustments would require surgery rather than removing the artificial limb and making the necessary adjustments. They were all very valid points and ones I had very few answers for at the time.

  Today, I hope to provide them with more answers and an alternative. I wasn’t under any delusions this wouldn’t be right for everyone. At least it was a choice they currently didn’t have. Dr. Klaus was meeting me here. It had taken some convincing, but I managed to lure him away from his job at least part time to help me develop his work into something the medical community at large might be willing to accept. And since he was the only doctor who had successfully preformed such a surgery, I thought he should be the one to make the representation today. I would only serve as a prop. An example of the success that was possible.

  The campus was impressive and had a rich history of treating presidents and being the flagship military hospital in the country. We were to meet in Building 17. It was one of the historic buildings on campus and impressive with over 400,000 square feet which housed administration and research activities. Dr. Klaus met me in the lobby, and we checked in and waited for Dr. Carr.

  We spent two hours making the presentation and answering questions. Dr. Klaus brought a series of x-rays and MRI images of my leg over time, some of which had been taken during my stay here at Bethesda. They admitted they were impressed with my recovery and my mobility compared to traditional prosthetics.

  “Can I offer you a tour of our orthopedic facilities?” Dr. Carr said more to Dr. Klaus than to me.

  “Yes, that would be nice.”

  “Do you care to join us?” Dr. Carr turned to me. I knew he wondered if returning to the rehabilitation ward would be difficult for me.

  “That would be lovely, thank you.” I faked a smile trying to hide the fear and dread rising in my chest. I wanted to do this; I really did. I had come to terms with my injuries and my chosen treatment of my leg was a big part of that. Not having to put my leg on and take it off at night prevented the daily reminder of the physical trauma. It let me focus on the mental and emotional side of things. I wanted t
hat for others as well.

  We walked to the rehabilitation area; a place I had spent so many hours determined to return to as close to normal as possible. Many times, I had to be forced to stop working and return to my room for rest. I looked at the men and women here today and it felt like nothing had changed. I could see myself, Oliver, Chris and Micah working out together urging the others on.

  Devon had a traumatic brain injury and his rehabilitation was in a different area. I tried to visit him daily, and despite the fact that he didn’t remember me, my presence seemed to cause more harm than good. So, I stopped going to see him. I did spend time with his wife and when they were releasing Devon and allowing him to continue his treatments back home in Idaho, I made sure his wife had all my contact information and secured a promise from her that she would call if they ever wanted for anything. I sent cards and letters with no response. I got a Christmas card every year, that told me little.

  Chris had more success and through him I learned that Devon would never be able to work again. He volunteered at local library helping out in various areas as part of a program his city offered. My only wish was that if he had to live like this, that perhaps he didn’t remember the hell we all went through that day. I set up a college fund for his kids through a non-profit I started as soon as I got back to Gates Point. I sent a letter to his wife stating that I had submitted their names and they had been selected but never told her that it was really my organization that I had set it up just for them. I was afraid if she knew she would refuse the help and I knew they needed it. I then expanded the program to include children of employees of Port City Industries.

  I made a mental note to touch base with the guys when I got back home. It had been a while and I needed to know they were okay. Dr. Klaus and Dr. Carr where talking as we walked but I really wasn’t listening. My mind was filled with memories from the past. Visiting the rehabilitation center affected me more than I thought it would. The memory of my own struggles here and the days when I thought I’d never be able to walk normally again. The fear that I’d have to be fitted for a traditional prosthetic. What I remembered most was the pain I felt watching the men that had become my friends struggle with their own rehabilitation and the number of times they fell or couldn’t complete a task.