Steve finally noticed her and wanted to make his way to her, but he was paralyzed by the cold water. Multiple gunshots fell from the cliff, and his daze dissipated. His brain recognized the situation he was in and forced him to swim toward Erica as she paddled desperately closer.
“Get in for damn sake, Carmichael, before he kills both of us!” shouted Erica.
He leaned over the front cockpit of the double kayak and tried to pull himself inside. With as much energy as he could
muster, he pulled himself over the front end of the kayak.
Erica started paddling downstream as the gunshots con-
tinued. “Hang in there, Steve,” she offered. “Let me get past this curve up here, and we’ll get you inside. I brought some clothes for you, thinking you might need a few warm items, but first we need to get back to my camp and away from Mr. Gun-Happy.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” asked Steve with a confused look.
“There will be ample time to explain everything to you, Steve. First, let’s get safe, and then we will get you warm. On our way back to Minneapolis, we will talk,” explained Erica.
As she paddled, the gunshots grew more distant and less frequent. Steve slowly maneuvered his body into the cockpit of the kayak. He had no paddle or skirt for the kayak, but he was glad to be out of the river. He wrapped his soaked sleeves around his very cold and wet body. The shivering was continuous, and his teeth would not stop chattering.
Erica could see his body shake but ignored it as she paddled as hard as she could to get to her campsite. She had dry clothes and a blanket for him there.
There was no more conversation, no shared words, no explanations, and no answers. They both were silent as they traveled the river waterways to her safe haven. Although it felt like eternity, they were there in about ten minutes. Steve was colder than he could imagine, but he was grateful to be alive.
They pulled up to the shore off a rather large eddy in the river. Steve sensed that he was finally safe. Still in shock from the cold temperatures and still confused as to why an Internal Medicine resident was in the middle of the Boundary Waters saving his life. Erica got out of the kayak first and pulled it up to land. She stood behind Steve and lifted his freezing body up and out of the kayak. She laid him next to the boat and quickly ran over to her tent. She pulled out an emergency blanket and ran back to him. She laid the blanket open next to him and began taking off his clothes. “Don’t mind me, Carmichael,” she teased. “I have been wanting to do this for a while but maybe under less duress.”
She wrapped his naked body in the blanket, and she began patting his body down to dry off the water. She ran back to the tent for warm clothes for him to wear. She dropped them on the ground next to him, then looked away.
“What?” Steve laughed. “You don’t want to dress me too?”
“Don’t get me started, Carmichael! Be careful what you wish for,” Erica said with a smile. She turned around and began packing up her campsite.
While Steve was getting dressed, he noticed what she had for camping gear. She was prepared. She had at least enough supplies for a week. She obviously knew what she was doing, and Steve grew more confused about her role in this mess. Nevertheless, he had an awkward feeling of comfort and security with her there, as if he knew she was supposed to be there to protect him.
Erica was ready to go. She kneeled over Steve and asked, “So, hotshot, are you all warmed up and ready to do a little paddling? Or will I have to do all the work again?”
“Hey, I kind of like being taken care of by such a nice, warm internal resident or whatever you are,” he responded.
“Such a typical male response, and the egotism of a surgeon!”
As she was bending over him, Steve saw a gun stashed in her chest holster. Their eyes met, and a thousand new questions filled his mind.
Erica looked down at the gun and then back to Steve. “I guess you are wondering about this latest medical technology.”
“Either you get into some very serious kinky sex, or there is more to you than I know about!” said Steve, knowing it had
nothing to do with the hospital.
“I will tell you everything once we’re back on the main land,” said Erica. “But I can assure you that I am the good guy. Or gal.” She flashed a grin but then continued softly. “It is very complex and may even sound a bit bizarre, but you are in the middle of an international nightmare. You’ve been amazing! You protected yourself and used resources appropriately to get to the truth and protect the innocent. You are safe now, and you’ll be home soon. All I need you to do is paddle like the wind!”
No more questions were asked, but the two worked together as if they had been partners for years. They finished loading gear into the kayak and pulled back onto the water. This time Steve had a skirt to keep him and the boat dry. Steve sat in front, and they paddled like never before.
Every so often, Erica paused to look in all directions for a follower, one with a gun and a mission to kill. The ride back to shore would only take an hour or so, but Thomas could very well follow them on the remaining canoe. She thought they had at least a half hour head start with two paddlers. The other man would probably try to remove any traces back to make himself invisible to the real world before pursuing them. However, a lot had happened that Erica hadn’t anticipated, so she paddled harder.
The trip back proved to be a very simple, mundane kayak ride. Erica had hidden her car and other supplies along a rocky shore about two hundred yards south of the public access. They unpacked and gathered what needed to be placed in the car with few words. Erica was in a hurry to get Steve home safely, and Steve wanted to hear Erica’s story. They worked expeditiously and efficiently. The dark suburban was packed in a few short minutes. Steve felt as though they were working the Indian-
apolis 500 as a cockpit crew. They were driving toward Minneapolis in no time.
After nearly twenty minutes of silence, Steve could not take it anymore. “How much longer do I have to wait?” he asked impatiently. “I would like to know everything. No, actually, I deserve to know everything! My friends and coworkers have been killed. Innocent people are dead. Families have been torn apart and changed forever. I need to know why this guy wanted all of us dead!”
“Bill Thomas,” responded Erica. “Bill Thomas is a very dangerous man. You are right: he wanted you dead in the worst way. Of all the people he held responsible, you are the one he wanted dead most of all.”
“Why?” Steve interrupted.
“Because you knew too much, you saw too much, even though you had no idea what was going on. You were just there at the wrong time in the wrong place. Although several people died, they helped prevent the death of thousands more people. We will make absolutely certain those people who died will have done so as heroes who protected innocent children, mothers, fathers, families and so many more. Their families will be honored as such, and the country will know of their patriotism.”
Erica continued. “Agent Thomas was a CIA agent who was approached by foreign terrorists. They recognized his vulnerable state, recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and broke from his divorce. Broke financially, physically, and emotionally. These terrorists did their homework when they discovered Thomas. They offered him a deal too good to be true, a deal that would create a foreign threat to the United States. Although Agent Thomas was a good man and a good agent devoted to his work and country, he had hit rock bottom,
no money and no one to lean on.”
“So why me, Jake, and the OR crew?” demanded Steve.
“Honestly it wasn’t you, Steve, or the OR crew. It was Jake. Thomas did his homework too. He found a poor, vulnerable soul in Jake. Jake was a surgical resident in a similar flight pattern, cycling out of control toward the bottom of the pit. Money was scarce with bills to pay, not unlike many surgical residents. Otherwise we are not totally sure why Jake. Thomas probably had several possibilities that could have been substituted for Jake, but he agreed. He probabl
y didn’t even know the details of what he was involved with. He just was supposed to deliver a package – that surgical specimen. I suspect he had no idea that it contained a computer chip that provided immense intelligence. That small chip contained a wealth of information from international and federal agents, their locations and real names, the locations of defense satellites, vital intelligence, and counter terrorism. It was primarily a new way for them to communicate to each other across borders without the use of the web, computers, or cell phones. They have been concerned for some time that our intelligence was picking up on their communications and needed a way to communicate with each other, especially from one continent to another, without being discovered. The chip also had the whereabouts of several terrorists in the United States, addresses, phone numbers, ongoing and planned plots and attacks on targets in this country and others, and so on. Honestly, there may be more, but that is all we were briefed on. I don’t think even Agent Thomas knew exactly what was on that chip. They just needed a discrete way to transport information about their organization to members in the United States, and Thomas was a perfect guinea pig with resources to make something like this work but without any moral conscience. The point is that, if the chip would fall into the wrong hands, many lives would be at risk. Not just the agents involved or their families, but certain cities and countries would be at significant risk for terrorist threats. The list could go on and on. So those people from the operating room who lost their lives did it for the sake of thousands of others.”
Steve felt confused and overwhelmed. He had wanted to know what all this was about for so long, but now that he was beginning to know, he was numb all over again. “So what does this have to do with you? Why are you involved?”
“Agent Erica Miller.” She reached out her hand as to shake his in a formal introduction. “Also known to you as Sweetpea.”
Steve gasped. “You mean…You mean you have been Sweetpea online as well as Erica my friend in the hospital? Why?”
“Because we had to protect you! But also we had to protect all of those agents. We knew Thomas would be inquiring about a few chief residents, and we knew you were going to be on Jake’s service early on so we had to befriend you and gain your trust. That paid off since you were one of the few who were in the OR the night that the package came and then the only one still alive. We had to keep you protected and keep in contact because you were our only source connected to these men. Without you, so much more would have been at risk. It was truly a foreign threat in every sense of the term. You were our last hope at capturing Thomas and the chip.”
Steve was doing his best to process all of this drama,
none of which he would ever have imagined for himself. He had wanted to be a surgeon in the worst way but never an international spy or agent or whatever he was turning out to be. He was still perplexed as to how he ended up being involved. It was all just surreal to him.
As he pondered more, Erica pulled into the streets of
Minneapolis.
He had more questions. “So what about you? Are you really a doctor? Are you just an agent? Is there anyone else I need to worry about? Any more bad guys lurking about? And most importantly, where is the chip?”
“Wow, I can see how you have taken such good care of yourself out there in the real world!” answered Erica. “I am not actually a doctor. I just play one on TV! Just kidding, sorry. I am not a doctor, but I went through intense training before arriving at your hospital, and I had a real doctor inside my ear the entire time I was in the hospital. So every decision I made was from real doctors based in our department out east, and the patients were always safe. As far as Agent Thomas, we have intense tabs on him. All of his team were real agents originally, but Bill coaxed those over to his side who he knew he could trust to work on his behalf for a lump sum of money. We think… Actually, we know they were all on the island with you, so it is just Thomas we are after now. The intelligence we have is that if Thomas could not destroy and take care of all the loose ends, the deal was off and the terrorists he was working with would not want the chip. They didn’t want to take any chances at getting caught and blowing their cover. We would very much like to find out who they are to prevent other situations like this in the future, but we are more concerned about the issue at hand and the lives we can save by obtaining that chip. We need to find that chip before Thomas sells it to another source and threatens the lives of thousands.”
As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Erica said one more thing. “We still need to find Thomas, and we need to find the chip before it lands in the wrong hands. But Dr. Carmichael, you are now a free man.”
“Just like that, I am done?” Steve questioned. “I have been
involved with an international espionage ring, my life threatened multiple times, my friends killed, and now you’ll just leave me be?”
“Actually, Steve, you’ll have to be debriefed. Another agent will want to ask you many questions and obtain as much information as he can get before we let you go.”
“What about you? Will I get to see you again?”
Erica paused. “I don’t think you want to get involved with my kind of life, Steve. It gets very complex, and there is no organized schedule to my life and work. One day I could be in Washington D.C., and then I could be in Tehran a few hours later.”
“Perfect!” Steve laughed. “That will match my schedule, too. Do you know many surgeons? We don’t have a set agenda either. Perfect! So when can we have our second date?”
They both laughed. Then she grabbed his hand with a serious expression. Looking into his eyes, she asked, “Are you serious?”
He grinned. “Absolutely!”
Erica leaned over and gave him a warm and genuine embrace. “Soon…”
Chapter 52
Steve was a free man again. Nobody was chasing him. No one was trying to find his whereabouts, and no one was trying to kill him. Although he was free to go, he felt the need to stay. The experience had been an addicting process, more than Steve had realized. He wasn’t ready to just get out of the car and walk away from the drama. He wanted to see it through at least until the case was closed with Bill Thomas and the chip in custody and Erica’s real phone number in his hand.
Steve fumbled with the seat belt as he tried to unlatch it and then looked at Erica. He wanted to say something unique and wonderful, but as he stared at her beautiful eyes, the words that were in his head dissipated. There was nothing there to come out of his mouth. The sweet words he wanted to share with her vanished. He tried to think of something to say as filler while he tried desperately to recall the words he wanted to share with her.
“What about if I could hang out with you until this case is closed? After all, I did act as an agent and help apprehend the suspect!” Steve suggested. “I would stay out of the way and just offer medical advice as it deemed itself important. I could help locate the chip and I…”
Erica cut him off. “Steve, we so appreciate your help and that you risked your life as we attempted to apprehend Bill Thomas, but legally we can’t take a person off the streets as a pseudo CIA agent without any training. There are so many risks involved. You proved yourself to be very cautious and wise as you protected yourself while trying to get Agent Thomas, but there is a lot more training before you could become one of us.”
Steve replied, “But you quickly became one of me – I mean
a doctor. You jumped into the world of medicine and took great care of patients.”
“But Steve, I had an earpiece in my ear the entire time! I was connected to several physicians in our office. They were the ones who took care of the patients, not me. Let me try to explain it in terms that may be closer to home for you. What if I wanted to be a surgeon? I couldn’t just walk into the operating room and start doing surgery. I couldn’t just ask for a scalpel and then complete a Sigmoid Colectomy. I wouldn’t even be able to do that with an earpiece in my ear! That is the same situation we have here.”
“I am not ready to be done with this!” Steve insisted. “It is kind of addicting. I mean the adrenaline rush, the thrill of fighting the bad guys, the adventure, all of that stuff. And besides, I don’t want you to run off just yet.”
Erica blushed and didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t ready to leave Steve either. She had enjoyed many wonderful moments shared on the computer as Sweetpea and Steve. She had learned about his life. She felt connected to him as if they were actually dating. She had shared intimate moments about her life online as well as in person at the hospital. She was just as attracted to him but didn’t know what to do about that. It was totally unprofessional to fall in love with clients or colleagues, even pseudo colleagues. Still, she had thought many times about Steve when she probably shouldn’t have. She couldn’t remember feeling this way before toward another man. She really did want him to stay and help, but it would be all wrong.
They gazed into each other’s eyes across the car, each trying to find the strength to part but trying more desperately to find excuses to stay together. A long moment of silence passed before Erica slowly and somewhat reluctantly reached for Steve’s hand. She gently placed her soft fingers over his and was about to say something when they were interrupted by a loud knock on Erica’s car door window. Disappointed in the timing, she reluctantly rolled down her window.
“Miller!” It was one of her colleagues. “We got some info on the whereabouts of Thomas. Looks as if he was quicker than you in driving back from up north. He already spent a quick fifteen minutes at his apartment and now is parking at the airport. Let’s move! Miller, we can’t lose that chip!”
Erica had no choice now but to include Steve, at least for the time being. She put up the siren that was stowed by her ankles and threw the car in reverse. The siren went on, and the car bolted forward with thrust that Steve hadn’t experienced since the rides at the amusement park. Erica glanced over at Steve and then down at his waist. “I guess you…I mean, we both get our wish. But buckle up, Carmichael, because I don’t plan to use any brakes, only the accelerator!”
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