Jimmy’s head was spinning, but he was able to muster a nod.
The doctor slid a chair next to Jimmy’s bedside and sat down. He looked over his shoulder. “Jimmy,” he whispered. “I have a cousin who is a friend of Katie Flourish. Do you know who she is?”
Jimmy only knew of one Katie Flourish. “The news lady?” he asked.
“That’s right, Jimmy, the news lady. She’s in town and wants to interview you and Mr. Dahlgren before the two of you are released into police custody. She wants to help you, Jimmy. Do you understand that? She wants the country to hear your side of the story. Did you know that someone took a video of your beating and arrest? That video clip has gone viral on the internet. You and your friends are celebrities, Jimmy. What do you think of that?”
Jimmy was now fighting to stay awake, and it was all he could do to shrug his shoulders. The doctor’s voice began to slip away, and a moment later, Jimmy was once again fast asleep.
Chapter 10
"Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state." ~ Noam Chomsky
The next time he opened his eyes, Jimmy felt much more awake and aware of his surroundings. He was alone, and once again he was thirsty. Jimmy had no idea how much time had passed since his visit with the unnamed doctor, but he thought he remembered everything the man had said. Julie had miscarried, and they were in serious trouble. Katie Flourish wanted to interview him, or had he dreamt that part of the conversation? Jimmy wasn’t sure. Katie Flourish was big-time and she wouldn’t be interested in them, would she?
Jimmy tried sitting up and found that he was strapped to the bed. He tried lifting his arms and found that they too were firmly secured. He suddenly felt claustrophobic and put his head back down on the pillow and took several deep breaths. The feeling slowly passed, and he thought about his predicament. How much should he tell the journalist if she did show up and start asking questions? How would Ken handle her? Jimmy smiled to himself. Ken would tell her everything from beginning to end. Or would he? Jimmy thought about that. Ken would take full responsibility for the dead bodies. Jimmy suddenly knew that like he knew his own name. He couldn’t let Ken take the fall alone.
Jimmy forced himself to think about Julie’s miscarriage. What had caused it? How was she and would he be able to see her? He knew that she would be beside herself with grief. He knew he should be feeling something, but all he felt was emptiness. The baby hadn’t been his; he was sure of that. Still, he had been prepared to raise it as his own. Looking back on things, he thought how foolish that had been. They were going to spend the rest of their lives in prison, or worse.
The door to Jimmy’s room swung open, and a blonde woman in blue scrubs walked in. She was tall and big boned, and she smiled warmly at him. “Welcome back,” she said. “My name is Jill. And how are you feeling today?”
“Much better,” Jimmy said, honestly. “I’d feel a lot better if I could get out of this bed.”
“Yeah,” she said, taking his wrist and staring down at her watch. “I’m afraid that isn’t going to happen. What I can do is adjust your bed and unstrap your arms. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great. I promise not to run.”
“I’m sure you won’t. You’re chained to the bed.”
Jimmy was about to say something when Jill stuck a thermometer in his mouth. She undid the straps that bound his arms and pressed a button that adjusted his bed into a sitting position. She stared at him until he nodded. There was a beep, and she pulled the thermometer from his mouth. “Perfect,” she said, giving Jimmy a bright smile.
“Could I have some water?”
Jill poured Jimmy a plastic cup of water and handed it to him. “Drink slowly. We don’t want you choking.”
The door swung open while Jimmy was sipping his water, and his doctor walked into the room. He smiled at Jimmy. “Good morning,” he said. “You look much better. How are you feeling?”
Jimmy reached over and placed the empty cup on his bedside table. “I feel pretty good, a little sore… hungry. Can I have something to eat?”
The doctor nodded. “Jill, would you go see about getting Jimmy some breakfast? I’d like a few moments alone with him.”
Jill nodded and a moment later was out of the room. Jimmy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and quickly pulled his fingers away as pain shot through his face. His muscles ached, but it didn’t feel as if he had any broken bones. He watched as his doctor scooted the chair to his bed and sat down. “You never gave me your name,” Jimmy said.
“Didn’t I?” the doctor asked. “I’m sorry about that. My name is Dr. Davis, Dan Davis. Please, just call me Dan. Everyone else does.”
“Okay, Dan,” Jimmy said, feeling funny about calling a doctor by his first name. “Tell me more about this interview. Are we still going to do it?”
Dr. Dan smiled and nodded his head. “As long as you feel up to it. Katie is here, right now. She’s even prettier in person than she is on television. I think you’ll like her. She thinks that we should do this as soon as possible, and I happen to agree with her. What do you think?”
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. “I’m ready when she is,” he said. “Can I get cleaned up, first? I don’t want to look like a slob.”
Dr. Dan shook his head. “No,” he said. “Katie wants the world to see what the police have done to you. You haven’t seen your face, have you?”
Jimmy shook his head and lightly probed his swollen face, anxious fingertips finding a spiderweb of stitching that started at his nose and spread in all directions.
“Ninety stitches,” Dr. Dan said, pulling Jimmy’s hands away from his face. “I’m sorry, we did the best we could. You’re probably going to have some permanent scarring. Back in the old days, I would have advised you to see a plastic surgeon. Things are different now.”
Jimmy balled his hand into a fist and slammed it down onto his hip which was a huge mistake, and he nearly cried out because of the pain.
“Careful,” warned Dr. Dan, “Your body is covered with severe bruising. Let’s not try to make them any worse.”
“What happened to Julie?” Jimmy asked between gritted teeth. “Why did she lose the baby?”
“You know what happened,” the doctor said, softly.
“Can I see her?”
“I’m afraid not. She and your friends were taken to the Monroe Institute. You and Mr. Dahlgren are to remain here until you recover from your injuries. I wish I could tell you more.”
Jimmy began to say something when there was a knock on his door. Dr. Dan turned and opened it up, and in walked Katie Flourish. She took one look at Jimmy and covered her mouth, her eyes telling a story all their own. Dr. Dan was right--she was even more beautiful in person and shorter than Jimmy had expected. She wore a conservative blue skirt that fell just below her knees and a matching blue blazer over a white blouse. She quickly removed her hand and smiled at Jimmy. He returned the smile.
“Jimmy, this is Katie Flourish,” Dr. Dan said, making the formal introductions. “Katie, this is Jimmy Logan.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Katie said, she paused there and looked down, as if she were gathering her strength to look at him. She moved to Jimmy’s bedside and took him by the hand. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
“I am,” replied Jimmy, nodding his head.
Katie smiled and gave Jimmy a quick wink. “There’s a lot at stake here. So much has changed, and we’ve got to try to stop them before it’s too late. Do you have any idea what we’re up against?”
Jimmy thought about that for a second and shook his head. He only knew what Mark Dundlemore had told them. “No, Katie,” he said. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Katie smiled and pressed her hands together in front of her face, as if in prayer. She pulled the chair over to Jimmy’s bedside and sat down. “I’m going to have to give you the abbreviated version. There just isn’t time, and I’m afraid I only know so much. For starters, somebody had a camera when you a
nd your friends were arrested and they posted the video on the internet. That footage has gone absolutely viral.”
“I’ve got rounds to make,” Dr. Dan said, excusing himself from the room. “I’ll check back in later.”
Katie waited until Dr. Dan had left the room and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before continuing. “They planned all of this,” she said, staring at him with wide eyes, “the stock market crash, the relocation camps, the rewriting of the Constitution, all of it. They’d been planning it for years. They want a one-world government.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The powerbrokers, Jimmy, they’ve been assembling our government one piece at a time. They’ve stolen all the money. The only thing left to steal is our right to live. That’s what they’re after. Did you hear about the flu pandemic?”
Jimmy nodded.
“We really don’t have any concrete numbers, but we suspect that nearly a billion people died during the outbreak. There was no stopping it. Some of us suspect that it was no act of God. Do you understand me?”
“That’s what Ken thought,” Jimmy said, shaking his head in disbelief. “How could they do such a thing?”
“Because their goal is to trim the world population to five hundred million; that’s the magic number. You understand that we don’t have any concrete proof. For now, this is all just another conspiracy theory. I don’t know if we’ll ever have proof that will stand up in a court of law; these people are much too smart to leave any evidence of their crime. Besides, you could hit the American people in the face with evidence and they still wouldn’t believe. We have to try to change that. You guys are big right now. Thank God for that video and that somebody had the guts to post it. We’ve got to make the most of this. Are you ready?”
Jimmy stared at Katie for a moment and nodded. “I don’t know how you think I can help, but I’ll do whatever I can.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Katie said, reaching up and stroking Jimmy’s matted hair. “I’ve already got everything I need from Ken. He’s quite a character. I just need you to confirm his statements and explain to America what happened up in Ely. I want it beginning to end, all the way up to the time you arrived here.”
“I can do that.”
“Are you ready, Jimmy? I mean like right now, are you ready? I’m not supposed to be here, and I’m afraid we don’t have much time. They could come for you any minute.”
Jimmy took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s do it,” he said, giving Katie a thumbs up.
Katie smiled, stood up and gave Jimmy a kiss on his forehead. The next five minutes was a blur of activity. Jimmy’s room was suddenly transformed into a television studio as half a dozen technicians strung cable and placed cameras around his little bed. Jimmy fought to remain calm, but inside he was shaking like a leaf on a tree. He hated cameras on the best of days, and here he was with a scrambled face, getting ready to do a television interview with one of the most prominent journalists in the country. Jimmy closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing as the techs did sound and picture checks. A small microphone was clipped to the flimsy collar of his hospital gown. He watched as someone touched up Katie’s makeup. There were three cameramen who took their positions behind their equipment.
“Are you ready, Jimmy?” Katie asked, as a makeup artist applied a last bit of powder to her cheek.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Jimmy said, trying to sound brave despite feeling as if his insides had turned to water.
“Live in five seconds, Katie,” called a man’s voice from behind Jimmy.
“Let’s get this done,” Katie announced to the room. She stood in front of one of the cameras and gathered herself. “This is Katie Flourish reporting from Duluth, Minnesota. Twenty-two months ago, this country experienced the greatest economic crisis ever known. And while we’ve somehow managed to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, much remains to be done. Sadly, as most of you already know, some things will never be the same.”
Jimmy took a deep breath as Katie approached his bedside. “What we have lost as a society is almost incalculable. Our way of life has seemingly been stolen away, never to return. Rights that we once took for granted as the cornerstones of the American way of life have been unceremoniously stripped away by our government as our democracy teeters on the brink of fascism. How could we let this happen? How could we let ourselves be led like sheep into the relocation camps that would become our homes for nearly two years? Not everyone folded under pressure as the economy collapsed and the dollar became worthless. Some of us stood up for what we believed in and survived outside the barbed wire and the rationed food. Most of these people perished in the Great Pandemic, but some isolated groups managed to survive despite all the odds being against them. People like this man, Jimmy Logan, savagely beaten by area police for defending the most basic of human rights: his right to survive.”
Suddenly the camera was staring Jimmy in the face, and he mustered a brave smile. Nervous and frightened as he was, Jimmy felt an odd sort of inner peace as Katie continued her monologue. The truth would be told and the people would be free to judge him and the others.
“On Black Friday, Jimmy and his group fled the suburbs of Minneapolis and fought their way north to the lake home of Ken and Patty Dahlgren. The Dahlgrens had somehow seen the looming financial collapse and incredibly, they created a plan for life after the dollar. They stocked up on food and collected whatever supplies they might need to survive, including the guns and ammunition needed to protect themselves from those who hadn’t planned ahead and wanted to take what they had. Their story of survival is fascinating, and it needs to be told before it’s too late. Jimmy, would you describe in your own words the events that led up to your arrival at the Dahlgren compound?”
Jimmy swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, gathering his thoughts. “I’d first like to thank Ken and Patty Dahlgren for opening up their home to me and my friends when it became clear that the bottom had dropped out. If it wasn’t for them, I doubt any of us would be alive today. Let’s see… I got up that morning and drove to work, just like any other day, and had no idea that everything had suddenly changed. Like most people, I was caught totally unprepared and when it happened; it felt as if it was all a bad dream.”
Jimmy continued, reliving the last-minute shopping spree that nearly cost them their lives. Laughing, he retold the story of Patty’s overwhelming generosity as she invited what seemed to Ken as “half the town” along to escape with them to their northern retreat. He recalled their little caravan and the nearly festive mood as they began to bond together as a group. Jimmy described the scene at the rest area and the bloody battle that followed. Throwing caution to the wind, Jimmy even talked about his own part in the battle and how he had taken a life in self-defense.
He spoke of Jon, the hairdresser, and how without him the group likely never would have survived. He talked about how Jon had trained them to fight and how the two of them had rescued Doc Benson from his ransacked hospital in the town of Ely. The story continued to spill out from there. Jimmy battled through the tears as he recalled the night that Jon had saved his life and had lost his own in the process.
“I’m so sorry,” Katie said, offering Jimmy a tissue. “He sounds like he was someone special.”
“He was,” said Jimmy, dabbing at his eyes. “He really was. He just wanted to be treated like anyone else. That’s all.”
“And he died saving you and the girls. That’s so sad.”
Jimmy nodded and after a second, he plowed ahead. He told the story of how they had been captured by the radical followers of the insane Sister Margaret, and how they had come seconds away from certain death. Jimmy explained how Bill had saved them all by electrocuting the crazy woman just before she roasted them all inside a wire cage.
“I don’t understand,” Katie said, placing her hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Why did those people continue to follow her?”
&n
bsp; “Because,” said Jimmy, “people will believe anything when it looks like the world is about to end. She used their faith against them, and I hope she’s still burning in hell.”
Jimmy spoke of Burt Sharpen, the Minneapolis cop, who had befriended their group and had fallen madly in love with the woman from the pacifist compound known as Venus. And sadly, he spoke of how they had both been gunned down by one of the leaders of the pacifist group, a man known as Mars.
“That wouldn’t be possible today,” Katie said, interrupting Jimmy. “Guns are illegal.”
Jimmy laughed at that. “Oh, that’s just great,” he said. “How are people supposed to defend themselves?”
“I’m not saying I agree with the new laws. I’m just stating the claims made by the politicians who passed them.”
“What do they know about living in the real world?” Jimmy asked. “Look, those laws need to be unwritten. They’re going to get a lot of innocent people killed. I know, I’ve seen it.”
Jimmy summed up their last days at the lake home. He spoke about how Patty had continued to go downhill and how Doc suspected she was having strokes. He then retold the tale of how Paula had smitten Doc and how she had caused him to do the unthinkable. He told their whole story, not wanting to leave anything out in case he never had the chance to tell it again. When he was finished, Katie smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, Jimmy,” she said. “I want you to know that from where I’m standing, you and your friends are true American heroes. You stood up on your own and fought for what you believed was right. I’m sad to say that it’s a lot more than most people did.”
Suddenly, there was a loud commotion in the hallway outside Jimmy’s room, and Katie turned to face the door. A moment later, the door flew open and police dressed in full riot gear stormed inside. “Down! Down! Down!” the first group of them shouted. They rushed inside with guns and batons drawn, as if they expected to find a heavily armed resistance. Jimmy watched in stunned silence as two of the storm-troopers stood and hovered over his bed, each holding a black baton at the ready. Katie and her film crew were on the floor, but in the small confines of the room they were unable to fully comply with the orders. They sat on their knees with their hands covering their heads.
Desperate Times Three - Revolution Page 7