People could not believe that two large families could live in one house and function, much less get along. Not that it was for everyone, but on the frontier, families would live together under one roof to work the land, help each other, and raise the kids. It did take work, but the rewards were well worth the effort. Everyone in the house had his or her own place to go to be left alone. When someone was in his or her special place, everyone left the person alone.
“Bruce,” Kelly, a nurse in the ER, called.
“Earth to Bruce, your guy is pissing on the floor again,” she said.
Bruce turned, and the drunk was standing and, sure enough, was pissing on the floor again, laughing. “Now you have to clean it up, asshole,” the drunk said.
“That may be,” said Bruce as he jumped up, grabbing the man by his arm and forcefully placing him in the bed. Bruce reached back behind him into the bedside table, grabbing the restraints. “But right now I am putting you out of my misery,” Bruce replied as he tied the drunk to the bed.
The drunk yelled, “You can’t do this me. I have to pee again.”
Bruce smiled at the drunk and said, “You can pee in the bed as much as you want, but you will lay in it until I get off in the morning.”
Bruce turned around, and the wife of the heart attack victim that came in earlier was standing there. The little old lady said, “You should not have to put up with trash like that.”
“Well, ma’am, the government says that I have to take care of anyone that comes in. Believe it or not, someone out there might like that moron,” Bruce replied. “So I will take care of him, too. Not with a lot of kindness, but he will be taken care of.”
She just shook her head and said, “I just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of my husband and me before he went to surgery. That meant the world to me. The surgeon said because they were able to get him in the operating room so fast he had little damage to his heart.” She smiled and hugged Bruce.
As she let him go, she looked up at him and said, “If you want me to, I will go in there and give him a spanking his momma should have given him when he was little.”
Bruce grinned at her and replied, “I might take you up on that later, sweetie.”
The little old lady turned and walked away. It was times like that that made Bruce happy he was a nurse. He had touched a life and made a difference to someone.
Chapter 7
Bruce was sitting in the break room waiting on Debbie to get off work upstairs in the labor unit. The door opened, and Bruce looked up as Mike walked over to him giggling.
“There is some drunk complaining that some bald guy tied him up and would not let him go pee. Would you know anything about that?” Mike said.
“I don’t know anything about that, but I have six witnesses that will say that the drunk wanted to hurt himself. So I had to restrain him to prevent him from harming others or himself,” Bruce replied with a straight face.
“Man, am I glad this rotation is over, brother man,” Mike said.
“You and me both. I don’t know if I could do another one,” replied Bruce.
They both worked seven nights on and seven nights off. Bruce had the better deal because Mike sometimes had to come in and lecture on his days off. Debbie just worked per diem, and she only signed up when another member of the family was working. Everyone in the family made fun of her because she worked when she wanted to. Nancy had the best shift of all. A month on and a month off, days only, as a pediatric attending with every other weekend during the month she was on. She did have to put up with med students and a lot of lectures, but she liked it. Attending very rarely got called in during the night. If it was for a patient, then she would take off, but if it was for a resident being stupid, then her kids could tell you about the tongue lashing she could give.
“What are you still doing here?” Mike asked.
“I’m waiting on Debbie to get off,” Bruce said.
Mike grabbed his phone, pulling up the calendar. “Ooops, I forgot she was working. She going to ride home with you, right? I have lecture until 10 a.m.,” Mike said.
“I looked at my calendar before we left the trailer. That is why I said we each had to take separate vehicles,” Bruce said, looking out the window at the rising sun.
“Don’t tell them I forgot to look at my calendar, brother,” Mike pleaded.
Bruce turned to Mike, “Don’t worry, my husband, I won’t tell them anything.”
Debbie walked in the break room in the middle of the conversation. “You won’t tell who what, baby?” she asked, looking at Bruce, with her dirty-blonde hair on her shoulders.
“Mike had to pull me off a drunk last night that was hitting a cop,” Bruce answered.
Debbie walked up, kissing Bruce on the check. “Why would we be mad about that?” she asked.
“I helped him to the floor several times, baby,” Bruce replied.
Debbie stood up to her full five-foot-even, 118-pound height, trying to look intimidating. It never worked on anyone except the kids. Looking at Mike, Debbie walked over, grabbed his lab coat, pulled him down, and kissed him on the check also. Cutting her eyes back to Bruce as she was standing beside Mike, she smiled.
“How many times did you ‘help’ him to the floor, wild man?” she asked.
“I’m not really sure, but it was several. Until the cop tazed him,” answered Bruce.
“Well, as long as nobody important got hurt, and you did not get in trouble, it’s okay,” she replied.
“I just talked to Nancy. She is on the road from the farm. She said all the kids got up and off to school, but they all stayed up late last night playing Call of Duty. None of them wanted to get up. You two are going to have to say something to them. They are all on the honor roll, and we need to keep it that way. They kept telling Nancy that they were fighting some wolf clan,” Debbie told them.
“They were fighting the wolf clan without us,” both Mike and Bruce explained.
Debbie just looked at them, saying, “Sometimes I think you two are worse than the kids.”
“Well, did they beat them and destroy red devil?” asked Mike.
“I don’t know; they just said they were playing them,” Debbie said.
“Deb, baby, this is important stuff. We are trying to teach the kids proper combat and survival techniques. This way, when we go do family training, the kids are already above the power curve,” Bruce said, getting out of his chair, taking her up in his arms.
“Sometimes I think Nancy and I should ground you two from the X-box,” she said, smiling.
“Hey, you and Nancy have to admit that you have fun in combat training. After Bruce and I sent you two and the kids to close-quarters combat training last summer at that camp outside of Spokane,” Mike stated.
Debbie looked at him and said, “That was more fun than either Nancy or I would have admitted to. Don’t get me wrong: we did miss you, but you two have had formal training and can get a little to bitchy when we go out together. The kids really enjoyed it because they don’t like it when either of you correct them all the time during the training seasons.”
“We don’t always correct them when we are playing paintball,” Bruce stated.
“Was it not just two weeks ago that you yelled at Danielle when she could not hit Jake when he was closing in on your flag?” Debbie said.
“That was capture the flag, and she did hit him after I gave her words of encouragement,” replied Bruce.
“Yelling at the top of your lungs ‘Will you cut him down like a rabid dog, Danny?’ I don’t consider words of encouragement. He is your son, after all. What did she do after that? She turned her gun on full auto, hitting him at least fifty times. I really thought the school would report us for child abuse with all the whelps he had,” she said sternly.
“The only reason she hit him so many times was because he fell down laughing at me. It was nice grouping of her shots, though, and I did tell her that,” Bruce replied with a smile.
“Well, I was proud of her, too,” Mike said.
Debbie just looked at them and shook her head. “I love you both, but I am going to have to kill both of you now.”
Mike and Bruce just laughed. There is something to say when your kids can take care of themselves. Bruce was a black belt in kenpo, kung fu, and jujitsu. He held classes once a week at the gym at the house. The second barn was converted to a full gym that everyone had to use four times a week as part of the chores. Almost without pause, everyone used it more than that. The family learned it was best to stay in shape for the family outings. It could be paintball, rock wall climbing, hiking through some mountains, whitewater rafting, or some other extreme sport. All of the kids’ friends were jealous of what they got to do all the time. Granted, there were those who said, “I can’t believe you train your kids on guns.” That’s when Bruce would say, “Well, I do train them on explosives, too, since I am a licensed demolition expert.” That usually got a look of utter disgust from the person. The family had been reported to Child Protective Services twice, but the kids were not placed in danger and the instruction always was about safety first. One of the CPS workers actually brought her kid out when Bruce was teaching the kids how to blow up a beaver dam with dynamite. Each time they were reported, it was by some family that had moved there from California.
“Debbie, even you have to admit when my little Mary broke that boy’s arm when he threw her into a closet and tried to feel her up, you were proud of her,” Mike stated.
“I was proud of her for making a stand. What I was not proud of was Bruce going to the school threatening to kill everyone and skin the boy alive then haul him up the flagpole. If Bruce was not a reserve deputy with Caddo, he would have went to jail,” Debbie shot back.
“Debbie, if I had not been in Miami for a conference, I would have went with him and I guarantee someone would have been run up that flagpole. Bruce just did not have his husband at his back,” Mike told her.
“Whatever,” Debbie replied. “I don’t remember seeing either of you at the PTA meeting to get the teacher that was on hall duty that day removed. It was Nancy and I, thank you,” Debbie said proudly.
“Yeah, we heard you called him a cocksucker to his face and Nancy was trying to spray him with pepper spray and castrate him in front of the entire PTA. I really think they removed him for his own protection and placed him in the witness protection program,” Bruce replied, smirking.
They all laughed at that. “Well, I am ready to go home, and Mike has lecture, so let’s go, Bruce,” Debbie said. Mike and Bruce knuckle bumped each other, and Debbie gave Mike a kiss on the cheek good-bye. “Have fun teaching the kiddies today, Mike,” Debbie said, walking out.
“I will,” he replied. “You two be careful on the way home. I will see you tonight with Nancy.”
As Debbie and Bruce walked out holding hands, Bruce looked over at Debbie, “I love you, little one.”
“I love you, too, big one,” she said as she put her arm around his waist, walking out of the hospital.
Walking to the parking lot, Bruce said, “I need to stop by the trailer and pick up some stuff.”
“What are we picking up, baby? The trailer is not on the way home,” she asked.
“The fourteen-inch barrels came in for the SCAR-L’s this week, and since I have already paid the government for my tax stamp for permission to own fourteen-inch barrels, I wanted to put them on,” Bruce told her.
“I wondered what was in the box in the back closet. Yes, we can stop and pick up your toys, but you cannot play with them until all your chores are done,” she jokingly replied. He opened the door to his pride and joy, a fully restored 1995 Chevy quad-cab 2500 diesel truck.
He turned to Debbie and said, “Life is good, baby.”
“Yes, it is,” she replied.
Chapter 8
The stewardess came around telling everyone that they were getting ready to start the descent into Paris. Prince turned to look at Djang. She was sweating, and her breathing was rapid and shallow. Her normally dark skin was turning pale, and her cheeks had a bluish hue.
“Djang, does your leg still hurt?” Prince asked.
“No, it does not hurt at all, but I’m so cold and I feel like I can’t get enough air into my lungs,” she replied.
Prince sat quietly holding her hand. He knew she was very sick. He leaned forward to Manny, who had his arms wrapped around Ellen. Prince shifted his gaze to Ellen. She looked okay sleeping on Manny’s shoulder and earlier said her arm hurt a little but nothing like it did before. They had changed the bandage a few hours ago, and the bite was scabbed over well and the edges were still pink. When he had changed Djang’s bandage earlier, the bite on her calf almost made him sick to his stomach. The wound was gray, had a very foul odor, and was draining yellow pus but still cold to the touch. He washed it the best he could with a bottle of water.
Both Manny’s and Casey’s scratches were scabbed over, and they each said that they no longer hurt at all. He would not have believed Manny because the boy had not let go of Ellen the entire flight. Now he would act brave for Ellen. He hoped that they would be all right and had not gotten whatever had infected the people of the Congo.
Prince knew that Djang was infected as he sat back in his seat. He had hoped to get her to America for treatment. That was his only reason for leaving with the three kids. Prince knew there was no medical care in the Congo that could hope to save her. He really cared for Djang and wanted to do whatever he could to help her. They had been guarding mission trips all over Africa for ten years together, and even though there was never any intimate contact, she was a good friend. They had been in too many tight spots for him to just abandon her.
“Manny, when we land I am going to seek care for Djang and get her to a hospital. I am going to say she was bitten by a monkey. Your tickets will be at the ticket counter, and you will have to show the teller your passports,” Prince told him.
“Okay, Prince, but why not just get her stateside? I mean, the French health care system may be good but nothing like America’s,” Manny replied.
“That was my original plan, but she is getting worse, and I don’t want to delay care for her any longer,” Prince replied, taking a deep breath. “When you get home, do not go directly to the hospital. Try to wait at least a day and do not tell them the wound was received in the Congo. Make up a story that will fit. You must take care of them now, okay?”
Manny turned to look at Prince with shock on his face. “Why are we still trying to deceive everyone?”
“Think about it. If you three have not shown symptoms by now, then you may be all right. But if you go to the hospital after an outbreak from a remote country, then they can detain you for a long time,” Prince informed him in a whisper, not wanting other passengers to hear.
“I will do that because you have not been wrong yet. Just to let you know, I’ll get them to America safe, Prince,” Manny promised him.
“You know she likes you, don’t you, Manny?” Prince asked him.
Manny looked down at his sleeping princess and brushed her face with the back of his hand. “I was a fool for not going after her sooner instead of waiting for her to come to me,” Manny said.
“Well, now you have to make up for lost time, my friend,” Prince informed him. “When we land, do not wait on me. Get the girls out of here. Keep walking straight ahead and act like you do not know me. Here are your passports.” As he passed them over the seat, Manny grasped them in his hand like they were holy relics.
“I will miss you, my friend, and if you are ever in America, stop by. You will always have a place to stay at my house,” Manny reached his hand back to grasp Prince’s hand. Prince reached forward and held his hand.
“You are a good man, Manny, and I hope life treats you well. Now wake up the girls and te
ll them the plan,” Prince told him.
Manny awakened both girls and told them of Prince’s plan. There was some hesitation by both until they looked back at Prince and Djang. Ellen and Casey had tears in their eyes. “We will miss you, Prince and Djang. Thank you is not enough for everything you two have done. We will pray for you, Djang,” Ellen promised.
“We will miss you, too,” Djang whispered to the girls. “Now turn around and stick to Prince’s plan, okay?”
“Will you have problems here, Prince?” whispered Casey.
“No, Casey, I am a French citizen, but Djang is not, so I will have to make a commotion to get her to the hospital. Now turn around. The other passengers are waking up and, remember, you do not know me, so keep walking,” Prince told her.
The landing went easy, and as soon as the plane docked at the terminal, the three stood up and walked to the door. They had cleaned themselves up in the bathroom, but their clothes were dirty and torn. Only a few people glanced their way as they walked down the aisle. They had no luggage, so they all held hands as soon as they passed through the door. They heard Prince yell, “My wife is sick! Please help me. I thought she was asleep, but she will not wake up!”
True to their word, the three kept on walking into the terminal. Since Casey could speak fluent French, she asked the first person they met where the United ticket counter was. The greeter pointed down the terminal and gave them directions. They followed the man’s instructions to the counter and placed their passports on the counter. Just then they watched a medical cart rush by them back down the terminal, followed by a lot of French policeman.
The ticket clerk took their passports, looking at them, with a questionable look at the appearance of the trio of Americans at her counter. They were standing arm in arm holding each other.
Manny saw the look the clerk was giving them and said, “We were robbed in Cairo and beaten for our luggage for wanting to help the poor there. We have not eaten in fourteen hours, and we have nothing. If we would not have put our passports in our boots, we would have lost them also.”
Blue Plague The Fall Page 4