“Vicky,” Aidan spoke softly, as if only Vicky could hear her, “open your eyes for me, baby.” She willed her to somehow, miraculously understand why she was doing this. But Aidan couldn’t allow her focus to be distracted now, she needed to keep it on the old man. With piercing eyes that projected more confidence than she possessed, she told Samantha to move into position.
Samantha did as she was told, and walked back out of the way, then turned to the old man, and in his language, repeated what Aidan instructed her to say.
The old man was surprised, and suspicious, by Aidan’s answer. He spoke to his son, “She has chosen your wife, what should I do?”
Samantha translated for Aidan.
Irate, the son shouted, “No, she is mine!”
The father explained to his son that his baby was dead, his wife had betrayed him, and should be punished.
As Samantha translated, Aidan tightened her grip on the belt, lowered her knife to her side, and waited for her chance, never taking her eyes off the old man.
Vicky watched Aidan’s fierce concentration, and could tell that she was about to make her move. I trust you! I love you! I trust you!
The younger man let out a slew of curses, not believing that his baby was dead. He struggled to remove his hood, and as he did, the old man yelled in Arabic, and pointed his gun at Aidan. Before he could squeeze off a shot, Vicky elbowed him in the ribs, as hard as she could, then immediately dropped to the ground.
Vicky reacted exactly the way Aidan had seen her react before, and she was counting on that reaction. It opened up her window of opportunity, and she took it. She threw her knife as hard as she could, hitting the old man square in the chest. He stumbled back in shock, and looked down at the knife sticking out of him. But when he saw Vicky trying to move away, he grabbed a handful of her hair, and yanked it hard. She screamed, and scratched at his hand, trying to break his hold. He slowly pulled the knife from his chest, and brought the bloody weapon up to view, smiling at Aidan.
Her ploy hadn’t worked, he was still alive. Both women knew that he was about to slit Vicky’s throat.
Aidan screamed, “Vicky!”
The old man laughed, thinking he had the upper hand, but Vicky remembered what Jerry had showed her in training. She grabbed his knee and yanked it with both arms, pulling it out from under him. He fell to his knees, but he still managed to hold onto her hair.
Frantically needing leverage, Aidan looked around for another weapon. Dragging the son by the leash, she picked up a crowbar lying close to the disabled truck. Aidan threw it at the old man, as hard as she could, hitting him in the head with such strength, that blood gushed out. He fell forward, releasing the knife. Vicky felt for a pulse, not sure whether it was to render first aid, or make sure he was dead, and couldn’t hurt her anymore. He was dead.
Aidan’s distraction with Vicky, allowed the son to escape her grasp. He took off his hood, and swung wildly, connecting with Aidan’s jaw, hard enough to knock her to the ground, making her head spin so violently, that her stomach felt like it would do the same. But she was able to inhale deep enough, to calm the dizziness, and regain her wits.
When Vicky saw Aidan go down, she went ballistic. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she charged over and jumped on the man’s back, riding him like a horse. She covered his eyes, and scratched at his face. While he was busy trying to dislodge Vicky, Aidan grabbed a plank of wood, and just as Vicky was thrown against the front bumper of the truck, she reared back, and with every ounce of strength she could muster, slammed it down between his shoulder blades. He stumbled and fell down, just as Jerry drove up in the four by four. He swerved to a stop, as Aidan rushed to Vicky’s side.
“Baby, speak to me!”
While Aidan focused her attention on Vicky, she was unaware that the younger man had gotten back up, holding the crowbar over his head. Jerry jumped out of the vehicle, simultaneously drawing his knife from its sheath. He threw it, and the knife sliced into the man’s throat. He crumbled to the ground, and bled out, in a matter of seconds.
Aidan looked at the dead man, then at Jerry, and nodded. The kind of nod that says, thank you for saving my life.
“Is she okay?” he asked, as Vicky tried to set up.
“Did we get him?” Vicky asked weakly, and both Jerry and Aidan laughed, more out of relief that it was over, than anything else.
“We sure did, kid,” Aidan rubbed her jaw and looked over at Jerry, “Jerry took him out, just in the nick of time.”
But something wasn’t right. Suddenly, Jerry’s face turned white as a sheet. His knees buckled out from under him, and he fell forward, a knife in his back.
“Oh, my God!” Vicky screamed, scrambling to get up.
Samantha stood over Jerry, blood on her hands, a vacant look in her eyes. She had pulled the knife out of her dead husband’s neck, and stabbed Jerry in the back with it.
“You bitch!” Vicky screamed at Samantha, “He was trying to help you!” She rushed to Jerry’s side, and began assessing his wound. The knife had not gone in too deep, probably due to Samantha’s weakened state. Instead it had stopped when it hit a rib, which was very lucky for Jerry. Vicky ran to the truck, and got out the first aid kit.
Aidan calmly approached Samantha, speaking to her softly, “Sam, what’s going on?”
Samantha seemed to be in a dissociative state. Sweating profusely, agitated, and pale, she could no longer hear Aidan. She took a few steps back, and looked at the blood on her hands.
Vicky looked at her, making sure she wasn’t about to hurt Aidan too, when she recognized the signs from Samantha’s behavior, “Aidan, she’s in shock, get her to sit down, put a blanket over her and loosen her clothes up.” Aidan nodded and did as she was told.
Vicky turned to Jerry and asked, “Jerry, can you hear me? It’s going to be all right, do you understand?”
Jerry replied weakly, “Hurrah.”
“Ah, good man,” she turned to say something to Aidan, just as Aidan was unzipping Samantha’s blue jeans. Well shit! A moan from Jerry, brought her back to reality. “Aidan, I need you over here.”
“You stay right there, okay Sam.” Aidan ran over to Vicky and Jerry.
Vicky gave Jerry a shot of morphine, and explained what she needed to do next, “I’m going to pull the knife out, and it’s going to hurt like hell. Aidan, I need you to hold him down, don’t let him move, while I suture the wound. Jerry, do you want something to bite down on, like they do in the movies?”
Jerry was already feeling the morphine kicking in, and slurred his response, “Nah, I can’t feel my tongue.”
Vicky smiled, the medicine was working, “Okay, Aidan, let’s do this.”
Jerry was lying on his stomach, and Aidan held his shoulders down, though in his drugged induced state, nothing could keep him from floating away. Vicky took a breath, and carefully took hold of the hilt. She pulled it out, at the same angle it had entered his body. Pleased that there was no tearing, or gushing of blood, her assessment was correct. He was going to be all right. She quickly began stitching him up, as Aidan continued to hold him down, keeping a close eye on Samantha, as she did.
“Is he going to be okay, Vick?”
Vicky could see she was truly concerned for her friend. “Yes honey, he’s going to be good as new in no time. But I really don’t think the stitches will hold, if you go off road again. I’m still hoping to pick up my kidneys, on the way back.”
Aidan chuckled, “Roger that.”
“You can let go of him now, and you probably should go check on Samantha.”
“Okay, but we’ve got to get out of here, before someone spots us. So get him ready, as best you can.”
Vicky nodded, and taped the wound tight, hoping it would help brace him against the rough trip back.
“Sam?” Aidan stood in front of Samantha, who was still confused, but seemed to be coming out of it.
“Did I…, did I kill him, Aidan?”
“No, Sam, he’s
going to be okay.”
“I didn’t mean to stab him, I just sort of…, blanked out, when I saw my husband dead. I’m sorry, please, tell him I’m sorry.”
“You can tell him yourself, when he wakes up. Sam…, did you love your husband?”
“No, I don’t think so, maybe. I don’t know.”
“Will you come back to the states with us, Sam?” That was a question Aidan realized, she should have asked to begin with. She had just assumed, that Samantha was held against her will, and wanted to escape.
Samantha did, desperately, want to go home, “Yes, please, just get me out of here.”
That was what Aidan needed to hear. But now, with the trust gone, at least for the time being, she had to decide whether to tie Samantha up, for everyone’s safety, or take a chance. Looking over at Vicky, tenderly combing Jerry’s hair from his eyes, the decision was made.
“Sam, I hope you understand, but I can’t have you going blank on us again, so I’m going to have to tie you up, just for a little while, okay?”
“Sure, sweetheart, I understand. A little foreplay is always fun.”
Aidan did a double take, and looked at her, to see if she was serious. She was. I don’t have time to explain things, so if that’s what it takes to get her home, I’ll let her believe it…, for now. What else can I do? “Stay here, I’ll get the four by four ready, okay?”
Samantha nodded, and Aidan rejoined Vicky and Jerry, “Vicky, we’re not out of the woods yet, and I don’t have time to explain it all now, but Sam thinks I’m still in love with her. So just remember, it’s you I love, and no matter what you see or hear, you and I are still getting married, as soon as we get back. Understand?”
Vicky didn’t understand what Aidan was saying, but she nodded her head anyway. She felt a momentary pang of jealousy, compounded by the anger still lingering over Jerry’s attack. Because the immediate danger was over, she gave in to her irrational thoughts. I trust her, I trust her…, she picked Samantha over me, but I trust her… oh, be rational, you know why she did that..
Aidan added, “You were very brave, Vicky, and I’ve got some explaining to do, but not now. Right now I need to get us to safety, first.” Aidan turned to Jerry, “Come on man, wake up, we’re leaving.”
Aidan and Vicky coaxed Jerry up, and helped him into the backseat of the truck. Then Aidan helped Samantha into the front passenger’s seat. Pulling out some nylon rope, from her backpack, she tied Samantha’s hands together, then secured the rest of the rope, to the seat underneath. Not tight, but enough to restrain her. Samantha leaned over, and kissed Aidan on the lips, but Aidan quickly moved away. She prayed Vicky hadn’t seen that. But Vicky had, and it shocked her, until she realized, this was what Aidan was talking about.
Finally, after Aidan made sure that all their gear was put away, she filled the gas tank, with the extra can of gas from the back of the truck. Lastly, she picked up and cleaned her knife and sheathed it, and after cleaning Jerry’s knife, she put it back in the sheath on his hip. She noticed that Vicky was by the old man’s body, giving the sign of the cross. Aidan walked over and retrieved the gun, from the old man’s hand, and tucked it in her jeans. “I’m sorry, Vicky, but we’ve got to go.”
“I wish we had time to bury them, Aidan.”
Aidan thought it was just like Vicky, to want to pray over the man who was willing to kill her, rather than let her go. “I do too, Vick, but we can’t risk it. You heard Sam, there are more of them in the area. They will be here soon, and they will find the bodies, and give them a proper burial. That is if they don’t come after us first.”
Vicky nodded. She did not want to be anywhere near this house, when they came, so she ran back to the truck, and jumped in the back seat, with Jerry.
“Let’s go home.” Aidan said, and peeled out onto the road, heading back towards the border.
It was a few more hours until dawn, but no one was on the road that Aidan could tell, so she drove slower than she’d like, because of her injured friend. Once or twice she had to swerve, to miss a bomb crater dissecting the road, but she would warn them each time, and Vicky would brace her arm across Jerry, to help keep him from being bounced around. When his morphine wore off, she could tell he was in pain.
“Do you want another shot?” she asked him, but he shook his head no. The pain was tolerable, and he wanted to be alert in case he was needed. She patted his arm, so proud to call him friend, after all he’d done for them.
Everyone was pretty quiet, mostly because they were exhausted, and Vicky let her mind drift, as she fantasized about her wedding. Who gives this woman to be married? She had a sudden frightening thought. What if her father dies before the wedding? What if her mother won’t come to the wedding? What if Samantha is there, wearing her wedding dress? Luckily, a bump in the road woke Vicky from her nightmarish dream. Aidan grinned at her, through the rear view mirror, as she realized she had fallen asleep on Jerry’s arm.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry Jerry. Did I hurt you?”
“Nah, its fine if you want to nap on my arm. I kinda liked it, just don’t tell the Sarge.”
The only sound in the night, was that of the quiet growl of the trucks engine, as they barreled down the road toward the border. That is, until Samantha suddenly screamed, and went into what looked like convulsions.
Vicky yelled, from the back seat, “Aidan, pull over quick!”
Aidan swerved off the road, and came to a quick stop behind some bushes, throwing Jerry against the back of the front seat, causing him to scream in pain. Vicky grabbed him, and eased him back, lifting his shirt to make sure he hadn’t ripped the stitches.
“Damn!” Aidan yelled, “Sorry man, I didn’t mean to—”
Jerry cut her off, “Don’t worry about it, I’m okay.”
Vicky affirmed what Jerry said, “He didn’t pull any stitches out, he’s okay.” Then she added, “Aidan, help me out of this thing, I think Samantha has gone into labor!”
“Oh, shit!”
Chapter 17
Aidan jumped out of the front seat, and then slid it forward, so Vicky could climb out.
Vicky immediately ran around to Samantha’s side, and one looked confirmed her suspicions, “Aidan, untie her, while I get the med kit. We need to lay her down in front of the headlights.”
“Roger that.”
“What can I do?” Jerry asked.
Vicky knew that in his condition, there was nothing he could do to help with Samantha, but Aidan grabbed the binoculars.
“Can you stand?”
Jerry nodded, and grabbed the roll bar, carefully pulling himself up. Though the pain felt like a hot poker, slicing through his back, he fought to keep it from showing on his face.
Aidan handed him the glasses and said, “Be our look out, I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us while we’re dead in the water.”
Jerry joked, “I thought you were Army, not Navy?”
Vicky quickly laid a blanket on the ground, and Aidan helped her lay Samantha on it. Vicky knelt beside her, “Samantha, I’m a nurse. Your body is trying to expel the baby, and you need to help it, okay?” Vicky felt Samantha’s abdomen, and jumped back, startled by the baby’s movement, “Aidan, her baby is alive!”
Shocked, Aidan didn’t know what to say or do.
“Hold her head on your lap, Aidan. We’re going to have to birth this baby.” Vicky ran back to the vehicle and got her stethoscope. She knelt beside Samantha again and listened to her stomach, “I’ve got a heartbeat!”
Aidan asked, “Sam, I thought you said the baby was dead?”
“My… my baby’s alive?” Samantha had thought the baby had died, when she couldn’t feel it kicking, anymore.
Vicky offered her clinical explanation, “I think, because you are so thin and malnourished, the baby went into a sort of hibernation, too weak to kick anymore. Samantha, how many months are you?”
“I’m not sure, maybe seven months.”
Vicky looked up at Aidan, pa
nic pinching her face.
One look at Vicky and Aidan was instantly anxious, “What is it?”
“Aidan, if this baby comes now, it will be premature, and we don’t have an isolette to put it in.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s an incubator, to regulate the baby’s temp and oxygen. The baby has to be as close to a constant temperature as possible. To hot or too cold, and it could die, because its lungs aren’t fully developed at this stage.”
Samantha grabbed Aidan’s arm and cried, “Please, don’t let my baby die.”
Aidan looked at Vicky, more frightened than she wanted to admit, and asked, “Okay, this may sound like a stupid question, but can’t she just hold it until we get back to the border?”
Vicky turned to Samantha, “May I look to see if you’re dilated, Samantha?”
Samantha nodded, and Vicky separated her legs and took a look. Just as Vicky looked back up, Samantha had another contraction.
“Aidan, time that contraction, and let me know how long between each one, okay?”
Aidan nodded, and set her watch. Vicky rushed back to the truck, and picked up her backpack. She pulled out her red bandana, then took a bottle of water out of the chest. The water was tepid, because the ice chest was used to protect the water from the sun, not to carry ice. She poured the water on the bandanna, soaking it, then wringing it out, and carried it over to Samantha.
Vicky placed the cloth on Samantha’s forehead, and explained, “She is going into labor, and we don’t have enough time to make it to the border. Our best bet is to deliver the baby right here.” Vicky sat back, trying to visualize what it would take to help this baby. Finally she looked at Aidan again, “Okay, I need a box to put the baby in. One that will hold heat at a constant temperature. I also will need a bowl for water.”
From the vehicle, Jerry asked, “Will the ice chest work?” The ice chest was a styrofoam, square box, that stood knee high and arm’s length wide.
“Yes, very good!” replied Vicky excitedly. “Aidan, I need you to empty the chest out, and cut a square in the top, so that there’s a medium size opening in the lid. Then find me a light source that we can stick in the box, where we’ll lay the baby. Not over twenty watts, fifteen would be better. Just enough to keep the baby at a constant warmth.”
Remember, It’s You I Love: Operation Pink Knight Page 21