Foreign Threat

by Mitchell Goldstein

  Thomas hadn’t expected Jake to be negative about this situation, but he knew too much at this point. Thomas knew that his colleagues would surely kill Jake if he backed out now. Not that Thomas felt close enough to Jake to really care, but Agent Thomas was getting tired of the recruitment phase of this project.

  Agent Thomas tried to convince him. “I think you should really think about this opportunity, Dr. Douglas. Your role is very small, and for your troubles I will speak for the agency that not only will you be reimbursed well, we will make sure you receive adequate protection for a substantial period of time.” Agent Thomas could see on Jake’s face that he was not sold on the idea, so he decided to play dirty. He pulled out some papers from his coat pocket. “Let’s see here. Your debt now is a little over three hundred thousand dollars. Not to mention your credit is shit, just pure shit. And for you to get good credit might be very difficult.” Thomas looked straight into Jake’s eyes and repeated, “Very very difficult.” He glanced down at the papers and continued. “Now, I know the expense of medical training is quite a bit these days, but I don’t believe the cost of prostitutes or drugs are included in the calculated expense of a medical budget. If I’m not mistaken, most medical boards might disfavor these activities. I’m also sure that any potential employer would question the use of cocaine while doing surgery.”

  Jake wildly tried to grab the papers from Agent Thomas.

  Thomas quickly pulled the papers out of reach.

  “Give them here, you little shit,” pleaded Jake.

  “You see, Dr. Douglas, there are much greater advantages to work with us versus against us. Despite all this negative information I mentioned, the CIA is still willing to reimburse you very handsomely for your efforts if indeed this patient does arrive at your hospital. There is no guarantee that the messenger will even arrive in Minneapolis or, for that matter, at your hospital, but the CIA needs to be prepared well in advance before the messenger enters US territory. If the messenger does not choose your facility, then the previously mentioned information will be disregarded, and your file will be removed permanently from our system. However, if the messenger does show up on your doorsteps, then we would greatly appreciate your surgical expertise and hand delivery of the package to us.”

  Jake was completely disgusted with the situation. “What if this dumb shit does come my way? How do I get in contact with you if he does indeed have this so called package?”

  “Dr. Douglas, don’t forget who you are dealing with. Our agents will notify us of the messenger and his destination, and the appropriate people will be contacted. At that time, if necessary, I will contact you and discuss the plan for delivery of the package, if it does indeed exist. Then arrangements will be made for proper reimbursement for your surgical skill and professional time committed to the mission.”

  Agent Thomas concluded in a very relaxed manner. “So Dr. Douglas, do we have your commitment to this mission?”

  Jake stared hard at Agent Thomas with frustration. “It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice. How much do I get paid?”

  “The CIA has agreed to pay off the financial debt for the surgeon whose services are utilized. And in great appreciation for this sensitive and highly irregular activity, we will pay a five hundred thousand dollar stipend. This is, I’m sure, much greater than what is reimbursed from the insurance companies for a drainage of an intraabdominal abscess?”

  Jake appeared more forgiving after hearing how much they were willing to pay him, but he was still pissed. “Great. I guess I’ll just wait for your cue.”

  “I’m glad you agreed to accept this unusual opportunity, Dr. Douglas. Could I provide you with a ride home?” asked Agent Thomas.

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” said Jake. “I think I’ve spent enough quality time with you tonight.” He stood up abruptly to leave.

  “Dr. Douglas, it was a pleasure to chat with you tonight,” Agent Thomas said. He extended out his hand as if to make up for details brought up during their conversation.

  Jake looked at the Thomas’ hand, up at his face, and then back at the hand. Without returning the gesture, Jake slowly turned around and continued toward the door.

  Chapter 14

  Steve was slowly adapting to his new lifestyle as a surgical resident. The long hours and the lack of sleep were no longer a real bother for him. What really was getting him down was the lack of time spent with his friends. He felt as if he didn’t have any since his residency began. He would spend so much time at the hospital that he would just be exhausted by the time he got home. And if it wasn’t exhaustion that took him away from his extracurricular activities, it was the time spent studying surgery. His friends were surprised that he still needed to study despite having finished four grueling years of medical school, but he felt that a great deal of information had never been taught.

  Medical school had been a chance to learn a little about everything in medicine, the basics about the human body. Residency was the means to augment that building block of knowledge. Every doctor needed to know some anatomy before finishing med school, but a doctor who selected neurosurgery would need to know a lot about the central nervous system and not really be concerned about the gallbladder or colon. Thus, residency was the time to specialize in your field of choice.

  Steve had no regrets – yet – about picking surgery as his field of choice. Still there were days when he wished he had elected to enter a less demanding career. Tonight, for example, he was finally home at a decent hour. It was 9:30, and he felt like he had all night to goof around and get things done.

  Despite the fact this was the earliest he had gotten home in the last three weeks, he was exhausted. He thought about all the chores around the house that could get done, like washing his clothes, washing his dishes, or picking up the house. He thought about calling a few lost friends like Deagan and Mary but figured it was too late to think about going out. So instead, he decided to read for a while and maybe go to bed before midnight for a change.

  He fixed something to eat and then sat down with his surgery bible. He had been good about reading every day. Most of the residents were surprised that he continued to read every day and were jealous of his discipline. They all made similar promises about studying surgery, but too often they found reasons or excuses to miss a night here and there. Steve, however, continued studying a little every day – no matter what. Post-call he would push himself to read until he fell asleep. This only ended up being a few pages at a time, but at least it was something.

  However, tonight as Steve started to read, he thought he should be doing something more relaxing, like going to a movie. He looked at the clock and realized that if he were to go to any of the late movies, he would probably not get back home until midnight. After a few minutes of debating this with himself, he chose to stay home and just watch some TV. He had been in residency for almost a month and hadn’t had enough time to even sit and watch TV.

  The time was near ten o’clock, and so Steve decided to watch the news. He plopped on the couch and turned to the local newscast. It seemed like months since he had heard the news. He didn’t even recognize the newscasters. He sat back and listened to a woman discuss the events that happened in

  Minneapolis during the day.

  After a few depressing stories, a male newscaster spoke up.

  “And now for the national news: There is increasing concern in Washington about a terrorist group that is making threats to attack within the United States. For further details and the most up to date information, Jack Middlebury is in our nation’s capital. Jack, what is the latest news concerning these terrorists?”

  “Well, there are some serious concerns here. The latest information from the White House is that there is increasing security in all of the embassies worldwide. It’s not just for US embassies either. The Canadian embassies have been increasing their security as well. But still the biggest concern is that, if the embassy in Great Britain can be attacked despite its new sec
urity system, then terrorist can probably get access to any of the other embassies.” The screen showed a shot of the British embassy before cutting back to Jack Middlebury. “Most experts feel the real threat is to US Embassies and possible US cities. Other nations have been on alert, but the real focus has been on US property since so many of the recent attacks have been directed at US embassies.”

  The local newscaster stepped in again. “Jack, you mentioned US cities. Is there some real concern about access into US territory, and does the Department of Homeland Security think that is feasible?”

  “Absolutely. There has been growing concern that the security in several US cities needs to be increased. There have been reports from undisclosed sources that some terrorist groups have targeted specific American cities. This information has not been available to the public until recently. We are not sure of the validity of these statements but will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”

  The newscaster again interrupted. “I understand the reason not to have any further discussions on this topic, but Jack do you know if this information has been available to White House officials longer and just not publicized until now?”

  Jack replied, “I appreciate your question, but we just don’t know. There are no officials at this point willing to discuss this highly sensitive issue. We are hoping that the White House will release a statement or conduct a press conference this week so additional questions can be answered and speculations cleared.”

  The female newscaster began asking questions. “Hello, Jack, this is Marty. I’m sure our viewers want to know if there is any real threat to our Twin Cities. I understand the White House does not want to start a wave of overwhelming fear, but are there particular cities targeted at this point?”

  “Well, Marty,” said Jack, “I will tell you there is only speculation at this point. Most of the officials that have given comments up to this point have not had their information validated by the White House. Consequently, their statements appear to be only their opinions. They have not had access to the information that White House officials have available.”

  “But Jack, what about the Twin Cities? Is there any real concern here?”

  “Marty, I think right now the biggest concerns are the major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, or even Dallas. I don’t think there is as much of a concern for Minneapolis and St. Paul as these larger cities. I will tell you there are unofficial statements that these cities have tightened security at their airports and other major transportation facilities. We don’t want to start pandemonium, but certainly the public should be aware that these terrorists groups are moving closer to US soil. Officials in Washington have not been willing to make a statement, but I think the public deserves to hear what the White House knows. Otherwise, the speculation and unofficial statements will continue to be made and probably cause fear for many people…”

  The reporters were still talking about these possible terrorists attacks when Steve’s phone rang. He picked it up, but the person on the other end realized that a wrong number was dialed, apologized, and hung up. Steve rubbed his eyes and tried to return his focus to the newscast, but he was becoming too tired. He thought about getting ready for bed but wanted to hear more about this threat by terrorists groups. He couldn’t believe that there was even a hint that terrorists could successfully get into the US for attacks. However, there had been the attack in New York at the World Trade Center as well as the attacks caused by domestic terrorists in Oklahoma and possibly Atlanta. It might be a plausible idea that terrorist attacks could happen in the US after all. Steve tried to follow the rest of the conversation before he fell asleep.

  “…And Marty, one more thing. I don’t think there is any alarm at this point for attacks in the near future, but the public deserves to know why those larger cities are beefing up their security. If the proper authorities don’t inform the public as well as the media, I think speculation will begin to cause problems.”

  Marty replied, “Thank you, Jack, for this enlightening information. We all will be waiting anxiously for further details from Washington in the next few days. Thank you, again. Jack Middlebury, reporting live from our nation’s capital.”

  The news report continued, but Steve was no longer listening. He was thinking about when life was much simpler and safer, a time when people didn’t have so many worries, when kids went to school and didn’t have to worry if their worst enemy was going to kill them or blow up their school, a time where mothers sent their kids to play outside without worrying if some stranger was going to abduct them, a time when people could go on a car trip and stop at a rest stops without watching for somebody to attack or rob them. Steve just could not believe the news these days. He never recalled such terrible stories from his childhood.

  When he was a child he played in the streets without his

  parents staring out the windows, he walked to the local convenience store without his parents tagging along, and it just seemed that life was so much safer. Steve thought about terrorists in the United States and what a frightening concept it was. Sure, there were terrorists abroad, causing trouble and fright for many people living in foreign countries, but that wasn’t supposed to happen here in the great U.S. It just didn’t seem like that would ever be a domestic problem, but after listening to the news tonight that might be the next thing parents will worry about.

  Steve dragged himself up to get ready for bed, turned off the television, and locked up his house. As he crawled into bed, he could not stop thinking about the news and the concern for possible terrorists attacks in the United States. He remembered his trauma experience from his surgery rotation in medical school. There would be all sorts of violent injuries that came through the emergency room. Most of the penetrating injuries from gun and knife attacks were gang related. It was like clockwork: on a Saturday night, there would be three or four gunshot wounds and a few stab injuries. It never failed. Every Saturday some sort of trauma like this would come in. As a med student, Steve could not wait for a Saturday call night so that he could see a bunch of trauma and take care of serious injuries. If you played your cards right with a good chief resident, you might have been able to scrub in on a few cases and even repair some holes in the bowel after a gun blast.

  Now as a resident, Steve wondered if it would be gang-bangers causing all the traumatic injuries or some screwed up terrorist attacking the local airport or whatever. He envisioned a Saturday night on call. “Dr. Carmichael, Dr. Carmichael, stat to the ER!” When he got to the ER, he could see the nurses running around collecting equipment and getting ready for a trauma code. He would walk up to one of the nurses and ask, “What’s coming in?” The nurses would turn around and look at him squarely in the eye and stare at him like he was from the planet X. “You mean you haven’t heard? Where have you been the last hour?! There was an attack at the Governor’s Mansion. At least two bombs went off, and they are bringing at least six patients here.”

  Steve thought about this scenario and others as he drifted off to sleep. Oh how the world had changed. When he was growing up, the biggest worries he had to deal with was what he and his friends were going to do on a Friday night, but now kids might have to wonder where to take shelter when a bomb threat is announced. What a different world.

  Chapter 15

  Four weeks had passed since Steve and his intern cohorts had started residency. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he plunged into this hell they call residency. Similar to the other surgery interns, he had been working like a dog for a month without a single opportunity to do any surgery. Not that they expected to, but after working so many long hours and taking so much bullshit from chief residents, all of the interns thought they should have earned the privilege of at least an appendectomy. Steve was no exception.

  Steve believed that he had to deal with the most bullshit since he had to answer to Jake Douglas each day. Jake had a special reputation amongst the residents, and for that matter, th
e surgery staff as well. No one liked him, no one respected him, and no one cared to be around him. It was considered terribly bad luck if you got stuck on Dr. Douglas’s service. No one envied Steve, Sally, and Tom, the unfortunate souls on Jake’s service for the first three months of the year.

  Steve was hopeful that today would be the changing point. Today’s lecture series promised to be interesting. It was the lecture that was cancelled in the beginning of the internship: the formal training session to complete an appy.

  Most of the interns already knew how to do the procedure. In fact, it was the first thing they studied when they start their residency, knowing it was usually the first procedure they would be allowed to do in the operating room. Although most of them knew how to remove an appendix, the staff would not allow any of them to do the surgery until the lecture was completed.

  The day started like any other day for Steve: rounds with

  Jake and the rest of his team. As usual, the rounds were quick, appropriately nicknamed ‘lightning rounds.’ Jake flew through the ICU to briefly see the patients. He never really had much to say to the patients, and for the most part, they didn’t care to spend too much time with him either. Jake was just as rude to his patients as he was to the residents. While he quickly reviewed labs and vitals for each patient, he would shout out orders to the person writing the daily note and then move speedily on to the next patient.

  Everyone knew that Jake expected Sally to review the management issues of each patient since she was the next most senior on the service. Steve would often bring an abnormal lab value or culture result to the attention of Sally instead of Jake. It was not only easier to bring it to the attention of Sally but also safer because she usually didn’t bite off his head for problems with patients. In fact, she was a very intelligent doctor, and if there were a problem with a patient’s post-operative course, she would study the situation carefully and devise an effective plan to correct the problem.