Chariots on the Highway

by Limor Moyal

  He called Tom to apologize. Tom, being the wonderful guy that he is, forgave him immediately, and said he completely understood and wouldn’t hold a grudge.

  Afterward, I talked to him and asked him to return home, I really begged. He said he didn’t want to come back. He swore to me he wasn’t mad, and that the whole embarrassing story was behind him, but despite that, he felt that this misfortunate event actually pushed him in the right direction. He wanted to study and live in the center of the Israel anyway, and not in the north. We agreed to keep in contact. I made him swear that he’d update me with what was going on with him, and he promised to do that. He made sure to send texts often, and we would talk every other week. In retrospect, I really think it was a blessing in disguise.

  He met you, he sounded so happy the last time we spoke. I just hope he’ll be okay, Dan.” She wiped away a tear, and Dan felt sorry for her. It was quite clear that her life wasn’t easy, and that she was really trying to be okay with everyone but couldn’t quite get it right.

  “I'm happy you told me. I think you’re a good, brave woman, and I'm glad Tom has at least one family member that loves him just as he is,” he told her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  “Thank you, Dan.”

  Three hours and two cups of espresso later, the head of the department, Dr. Zuckerman, approached them, and invited them for a talk in his office. Dan tried to get information from him on the way to the office, but the doctor was determined to have the conversation in his office, and Dan was worried.

  Sarah and Dan sat down in front of him, trying to fish for clues from his expression with no success.

  “Hello again, Mr. Green, and I understand you’re Sarah Scholomovitz, Sergeant Tomer’s aunt?” he asked, and she confirmed.

  “First of all, Mr. Green, I want to tell you that I talked to our Head of Purchase Department, and he confirmed what you said about GreenTech’s ties to the hospital. Given that, the management allowed me to let you see Tom in the recovery room, but I'm still going to need a family member’s approval.”

  “You have my approval” Sarah interrupted, “Dan is Tom’s partner, and I can assure you that he’s the first person Tom will want to see when he wakes up. If not the only person,” she said and Dan took a breath of relief.

  “Okay, I'm glad to hear that, and I apologize for the inconvenience this morning, Mr. Green.

  To the matter at hand, Tom just got out of surgery. We removed the bullet and the shrapnel and were able to stop the bleeding in the spleen. As of right now, he’s in recovery and I believe that he’ll wake up in the next hour or so. He’ll have to go through a few more procedures in the next few days. But, all in all, the hard part is behind us and I hope he gets through the night peacefully without any complications or surprises.”

  Dan took a breath of relief and the muscles in his body immediately relaxed. Only then did he understand how stiff he’d been in the last few hours. He relaxed in his chair and whispered a quiet Thank you in his heart.

  “When can we see him?” he patiently asked.

  “Come with me,” Dr. Zuckerman answered and stood up, “I'll walk you to the recovery room.”

  Tom was pale as a sheet. His lips were dry and a little chapped. A few bandages covered the scratches on his face, and only the scar above the eyebrow shined against the bright florescent light of the ICU room.

  Dan came closer, he had to touch, had to feel. He caressed the scruffy face, ran his thumb on the beautiful lips, and stroked the hair.

  A nurse approached them, “Hi, he should wake up soon, try not to excite him too much when he does,” she walked by Dan towards Tom, touched his healthy shoulder, and called out quite loudly, “Tom, good morning. It’s time to wake up!” Tom’s facial features got a little twist of pain, and Dan wanted to hug him.

  Sarah, who was standing on the other side of the bed, was quiet, and gave Dan his space. He appreciated her emotional intelligence and sensitivity, and her understanding that he was the one on Tom’s priorities.

  “Keep trying to wake him up,” said the nurse while checking his vitals on the monitor above the bed, and updating the board attached on the bed frame.

  Dan came closer and gave him a kiss on the lips, sweet and dry, just to feel him. He came close to his ear and whispered, “Soldier, wake up! I miss you and I need you!” Again a little twist of pain, and Tom gave a sigh.

  “Tommy, come on, wake up for me!” this time Dan said it loudly.

  Golden eyes opened up slightly, and peeked straight at Dan.

  It took him a few seconds to understand where he was, and why Dan was leaning over him so worried and broken-looking, and why his whole body hurt and he couldn't move.

  When the realization hit him, he burst out crying. Dan approached him and hugged him.

  Tom rested his head on Dan’s chest and cried.

  “Shhhhh…. I'm here, Tommy, everything’s okay, you’re okay….” Tom stretched out his healthy arm and hugged Dan closer to him and they cried together.

  Sarah took a step back to give them their privacy. The nurse and the doctor on call came over to the bed to see how he was doing. His pulse was beating fast from the excitement, and he was riled up. He held onto Dan and wouldn’t let go.

  “Good morning, Tom, how are you feeling?” asked the doctor.

  Tom didn’t answer.

  “Give him a few minutes. He needs to get himself together, he needs to calm down, I'll call you if there’s any need,” Dan said firmly.

  They nodded, the nurse updated Tom’s board again and they left.

  “Dan, I'll wait outside, you need some privacy,” whispered Sarah, and Dan nodded in agreement, still holding Tom’s head and stroking him.

  When everyone left them alone, Dan put Tom’s head back on the pillow and looked at him. Tom was upset and his eyes were wet from the tears. He looked like a lost child.

  Dan held his palm and kissed it tenderly, lovingly.

  He crossed their fingers together and let Tom cocoon himself in his presence.

  “Water!” whispered Tom. Dan went over to get him water, and came back with a plastic cup and clear instructions to only give him a little sip every few minutes.

  He took a sip and sank back into the pillow, starting to wake up and get more aware of the situation.

  “Dan, I'm so sorry!” whispered Tom, and a tear came down from the corner of his eye and slid to the pillow.

  “What do you have to be sorry about, Tommy?! You came back to me alive, you were a real hero, and I'm the one who needs to thank you for coming back to me. You have no idea how worried I was, Tommy. I love you so much!” Dan whispered and kissed him again.

  “I'm sorry I wasn’t good enough, and that part of the team was hurt, and that I couldn’t save everybody, and for making you worried,” said Tom with a weak voice.

  “What about world hunger and global warming? You want to apologize for those, too? Is there anything else you want to take responsibility for? Stop beating yourself up! You came back alive, you saved your friends, and you took down the target. You have no idea how proud I am of you!” said Dan with a smile and shining eyes.

  “If you're proud of me, that’s all I can ask for, baby,” whispered Tom with a little smile and closing eyes. Dan stroked him, and let him rest a little bit after the conversation’s effort and emotions.

  He saw how Tom's heartbeat was slowing down a little bit as he was calming down from the excitement.

  After a few moments Tom opened his eyes again, “I killed Abu-Mustafa... the target, you said?” asked Tom.

  “That’s what I was told. At the moment, the information we have is coming from the sniper who was with you,” explained Dan.

  “Is Eitan okay? He got shot in the thigh, he lost a lot of blood,” asked Tom in panic.

  “As far as I know, he’s alive, if he gave a report about what happened there.”

  Tom hushed for a moment and his look darkened again. He looked at Dan and asked, “How a
bout the others? Eran? How about Shai? Do you know anything?”

  “I only know that most of the team survived and that Shai is okay, other than that, we’ll figure it out later, Tommy. Right now you have an important mission ahead of you. You have a few more injuries they need to take care of, a few more minor surgeries. You need to be strong, because I want to take you home as quickly as possible!” Dan said and squeezed his palms tightly.

  “I love you, Dan! Thank you for being here, thank you for being with me. Promise me you’ll never leave me,” Tom mumbled with a hazy look, and Dan suspected he might be slipping back into sleep.

  “Never, Tommy, you’re mine forever!” he answered and Tom closed his eyes, with a little smile still of his face.

  25 The Ant’s Circle of Death

  “I think we have to tell him they’re coming. He has to be prepared!” Sarah said with worry.

  It was the morning after. Dan had stayed beside Tom all night long. During the night, he made sure to bring Tom water and comfort him during the occasional bouts of pain.

  Robby arrived early in the morning and brought a fresh change of clothes, a towel and a toothbrush. Sarah stayed with Tom while Dan went to freshen up. Sarah and Robby had to force Dan to leave Tom’s side.

  “I know we need to, I just don’t want to shake him up now. That’s the last thing he needs!” answered Dan.

  “It will shake him up a lot worse to see them here with no preparation!” she said, and Dan knew she was right.

  “What will shake me up?” Tom asked in a weak voice.

  They both gave him a surprised stare, and immediately looked at each other.

  Sarah told Dan, with her eyes, that he needed to be the one to explain.

  “Tommy, you’re parents are on their way over here,” said Dan.

  “NO!!!!” it was a broken cry that came from him, and he opened his eyes and looked at Dan. “I don’t want to see them!” He looked at Sarah. It was the first time he’d paid any attention to her since he’d woken up.

  “Sarah, please tell them to leave! I can’t deal with them right now. It’s too much!” he begged.

  Sarah was torn, “Tom, sweetie, I know. But they took the first flight here when they heard you were injured. I updated Dan about all the past events with them. We are both here to support you, honey, and it’s time for you to deal with them.”

  Tom looked at Dan, embarrassed, “I'm sorry I didn’t tell you,” he whispered.

  “It doesn’t matter now, Tommy. And you have nothing to be sorry about. As far as I’m concerned, if they only dare to say anything insulting, or threaten to take you away, or upset you, I'll make sure to kick them out of here myself! If they can’t love and accept you as you are, they have no right to be a part of your life.

  I've wasted most of my life trying to satisfy my father. I won’t let you make the same mistake! Remember that even if they leave forever, it’s not your fault - it’s theirs, and you won’t be alone!”

  Tom was taken to surgery for his shoulder, and Sarah and Dan waited for him to come out.

  A Jewish orthodox couple entered the waiting room. They seemed bothered and tired, the golden eyes, which looked a lot like Tom’s, and the man’s sturdy build, gave away their identity. Dan knew he was looking at Tom’s parents. They were younger than he had imagined, and more elegant than most orthodox Jews that lived in Israel. Ehud was wearing a fancy black suit and sported a graying, well-groomed beard. He didn’t have curly sideburns or thick glasses, or even the orthodox type shtreimel hat, only his big black yarmulke and the tufts on his clothes gave away the fact that this impressive, elegant man, was an orthodox Jew.

  Deborah was a small brunette woman. She was gently made-up and a grey, elegant hat covered most of her hair. The only thing Tom had inherited from her was her large, pouty lips.

  “What’s going on with him, Sarah?” Ehud asked her coldly, without even saying hello. He had an accusing look, as if Sarah was the one who’d injured Tom, and the least she could do was to give a report.

  “Hello to you too, Ehud!” she bitterly answered, “Your son is in the OR right now. His status is stable despite all of his injuries.”

  “When is he supposed to come out of surgery? I want to see him!” he said.

  That, Dan could understand, at least the man’s instincts were still working, even if his brain wasn’t.

  “Should be out any moment, we’re waiting!” she said, stressing the plural, which made Ehud look toward Dan. He gave Dan a suspicious once over.

  “Who are you?” Ehud asked him directly. The man had presence and a commanding stature.

  “I'm Dan Green, it’s nice to meet you!” he said and extended his hand. A hard, cold and dry hand gave him a shake.

  “I'm Ehud Freeman, it’s nice to meet you. What’s your relation to Tom?” he bluntly asked.

  “I'm his life partner!” answered Dan while making sure to keep looking straight without blinking. They looked at him, shocked, and he thought he recognized something like revulsion washing over Deborah’s face.

  “Did you know about this?” Ehud asked Sarah, almost in a roar. He blames Tom’s sexuality on her too? Dan thought to himself.

  “I've known about it for the past eight years, Ehud. And if you weren’t so busy developing your relationship with God, you’d know it too!” she answered him, enraged.

  “How dare you speak that way! Tom is alive right now thanks to our belief and prayer, and thanks to God's mercy!”

  “Tom’s alive right now thanks to his fighting skills, bravery, the quick field evacuation and the fantastic doctors who have been working on him for the past thirty-six hours. They are what’s keeping him alive!” Dan broke in, unable to maintain his calm any longer.

  “Let me be clear, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, Tom is very weak, and he doesn’t want to see either of you. With all due respect, be warned that if you dare to agitate him, even a little bit, while he’s recovering from surgery and fighting his injuries, I'll make sure to keep you away from him, by force if needed” said Dan in a threatening tone.

  “Who do you think you are? You are a sick, disgusting, perverted man. You took advantage of my son’s loneliness for the sake of your perversions. God forbid, Sarah! Look what you’ve done to our son, God help us all!” Deborah shouted and started crying. Of course, she didn’t bother to find out the nature of her son’s injuries, and Dan remembered the story about Tom's scar, and his mother’s treatment, at the same accidental coming out. Now when he saw and heard the woman, it all made sense to him. He wanted to hit her.

  “Sarah, I'd like to talk to you privately. What I have to say will not be said in the presence of strangers!” Ehud said to his sister, and the insult to Dan was emphasized in his tone.

  “Dan is not a stranger! And unless you want to tell me that you’re sorry for being an idiot, and that you’ve been an idiot all these years, and that you accept your son as he is, I have no interest in listening to you!” she angrily told him, and Dan was so proud of her, that for a second he thought about standing up and applauding.

  Ehud sat in the chair, defeated, far from the both of them, and Deborah sat next to him, a look of revulsion and disgust still hanging on her face.

  Dan’s impression was that Deborah was the tougher nut to crack, she seemed stubborn and closed-minded. But in Ehud, he actually saw more open-mindedness. He saw pain, sorrow and maybe even a tiny speck of regret, but he doubted Ehud was strong enough to let his true feelings break free of the societal bonds he was caught in.

  A doctor they hadn’t met walked into the waiting room, “Sergeant Tomer Freeman? Who’s waiting for him here?” he asked, and the four of them answered him like a choir. Only Dan's words were "His name is Tom." He knew that Tom would find it cruelly ironic to be referred to as ‘Sergeant Tomer Freeman.’

  “Okay then, my name's Dr.Or. I wanted to give you an update about Tom’s condition. He came out of surgery a few minutes ago; everything went well. The damage to his shoulder is le
ss severe than we thought and he is stabilized and will be awake soon,” he took his time before he continued, “Who is Dan Green?” he asked. “I am!” answered Dan and stood up.

  “Tom asked that only you wait for him in the recovery room. He didn’t let us sedate him until we’d promised him. He also insisted to assign you as his proxy, declaring that you’re his partner, and the only one allowed to make any decisions on his behalf if needed,” he looked toward the others and said, “I understand that there is some tension in the family, and it’s important to me that you all know that this isn’t the time nor the place to deal with them. He’s weak, he’s vulnerable, injured and sedated. Please don’t upset him! What he needs now is love and support. I hope I'm clear!” he looked at Tom’s parents as if he was a police officer rather than a doctor, and Dan guessed that Tom asked him to do that. They nodded and the doctor was pleased, “Dan, follow me please, we’ll go to the recovery room. We’ll call you when he’s a bit better,” he said to the others and started walking with Dan following him.

  Déjà vu washed over Dan while sitting next to a sleeping Tom and trying to wake him up. This time Tom woke up more quickly, and was less dazed and confused. Of course, he spared him the details of the ugly conversation that had taken place in the waiting room.

  “Do they know what you are to me?” Tom asked him.

  “Yes, I told them, Tommy,” answered Dan and stroked his hair.

  “And what did they have to say about that?” he asked.

  Dan tried to think of how to answer him, without raising his pulse and risking his much needed rest, “They weren’t too excited, but that’s not what’s important right now. They’re worried about you and they want to come in to see that you’re okay.”

  Tom smiled a little smile, “You’re a bad liar, Dan! I'm guessing it was a little more dramatic than how you’re describing it. I don’t want to see them, Dan. I don’t have the energy for it right now. I'm tired, I'm hurt and I'm confused. Please make them leave,” he asked with a pleading look and Dan melted. If only he could just grant Tom this wish, he would do it in the blink of an eye.