by J. L. Drake
Could I help?
I hurried back to the cabin and gathered up my things, including my laptop. I knew I might be the only one clear-headed enough to help figure this out. I had to set my personal feelings aside and do my best for them.
Three SUVs pulled up to the front doors of the Redstone hospital. An outsider might have thought the president was visiting. We were a force to be reckoned with, whether it was the men or their women. When the doors opened on the third floor, it was utter chaos. Cole, Mike, and Keith looked exhausted, and they were covered in mud from head to toe. Savannah raced to Cole’s side and flung herself into his arms. He broke when he saw her.
“The stubborn bastard never listens.” His voice was muffled as he squeezed her tighter.
I handed Mark a water, and the normal humor that usually rested on the tip of his tongue was lost in his exhaustion and fear. I wished Mia was here. “Mia just left Dusk and should be here in a few hours. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thank you.” He went back to staring at the wall.
Mike jumped up and looked over our heads, and we all turned around to see gowned people with a gurney rushing our way.
“All right, boys,” Frank ordered, “I know he’s one of us, but let’s give them some room.”
Sue ran to his side as Daniel was wheeled by. He had IVs and fluids attached to his arm.
“Sir, you must let me take a look at you. You’re hurt,” a nurse insisted behind us as she and John came down the hall. I wanted to run to him but forced myself to walk to his side. His lifeless eyes found mine.
“We didn’t see it coming. We had drones watching, but it didn’t help,” he prattled on in shock. “One RPG hit, then another. We didn’t have a chance. He lost a lot of blood. He was in and out of consciousness. I tried to keep him awake, but we had to keep moving.” Sweat glistened on his face, and the collar of his shirt was soaked.
“John,” I carefully held on to his shoulders to pull him from his memories, “you did great, but we’ve got him now. I need you to go get yourself checked out. Okay? I’ve got this. You did your job, now I’ll do mine. You also have to let the nurse do her job and go with her.”
The nurse mouthed a thank you, and Mike helped me steer John into an examination room. After a rather long argument, we finally got John into a hospital shirt, and the nurse wheeled him, still protesting, to x-ray.
“Whatever you need, Sloane,” Mike said softly. “No matter what it is, you got it. But this needs to end today.”
I nodded, understanding how bad this was. “I need a room with internet and updates on Daniel and John hourly, and as hard as this is going to be, I need to speak to each one of you while it’s still fresh in your minds. If you remember anything at all, I need to know every detail.”
Mike folded his massive arms and gave me a curt nod. “Done.”
The team was surprisingly focused as each told me their own version of the story. Keith and Cole were the most matter-of-fact. Mike was oddly emotional but filled in a few empty gaps, and Mark, sadly without his usual sense of humor, was able to recall what some of the cartel leaders looked like. He noted how eerily confident they seemed. One detail in particular stuck with me.
“Um,” Mark rubbed his head with his hand, and I watched as some dry mud crumbled to the floor, “one of them got close to where I was, and his radio went off. Someone was cheering about how Seven Webs was going to be happy.”
“Seven Webs,” I repeated and madly wrote it down on my notepad. So, it was a nickname for someone. Maybe it wasn’t a gang symbol like I was researching. “Who do you think that is?”
“I asked myself that question whenever I let my mind idle.”
“What was your conclusion?”
His dull eyes moved to mine, and I could see he was barely with me. “That someone out there named Seven Webs is going to die a very long, painful death.”
“Let’s hope.” I nodded as he went to leave. “Thank you, Mark.”
An hour slipped by while I was down a rabbit hole digging for information on anything that could possibly help.
“Coffee?” Mark popped his head in the door holding up a cup. He seemed a little livelier since he’d cleaned the mud off—well, the best he could, anyway.
“God, yes, thank you.” I stood to stretch my aching back and gladly took the brew and didn’t question when he handed me a sandwich. I realized I was starving. “Any word on Daniel?”
“Still in surgery. That’s all we know.”
“What about John? Any word on the x-ray?”
Mark shrugged and rubbed his eyes in frustration. “This is one of the reasons we use the North Dakota hospital. There is protocol there for Blackstone to get information. I understand why Frank brought Daniel here, but it sucks not knowing anything.”
“Yeah, I bet. I’m sure everything will be okay, and regretfully, we aren’t the only ones in this hospital.”
Mark moved the drone pictures around on the table and studied them.
“I knew this fight was going to be endless.” He sounded beyond beat. “I knew, we all knew, we’d lose some of our people, but we were prepared for everything we possibly could be. The cartel are like rats. Every time you stamp out a pack, more just keep coming back. We spent nearly a year coming up with a strategy that would work while we were in enemy territory. Blackstone counts on having the element of surprise,” he picked up a photo and showed it to me, “so how in the world do they know what we’re doing before we even get there?” I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. “And don’t tell me we have a possible leak somewhere.”
“I promise you, Mark, I’m doing everything in my power to prove otherwise.”
Mark dropped the photo he was holding and sat down on the couch, his face in his hands.
“They’re picking us off. Half of North Rock is fighting for their lives in North Dakota, or missing, and who the hell knows if they are alive or not? Now Daniel, if he even makes it, will have months of recovery. John sounds like he has jacked-up ribs.” He threw his hands into the air. “Our teams are being held together with Band-Aids and gauze.”
“It looks bad right now, Mark, but give me time. I’ll figure this out. This is what I do. If there is something here to be found, I’ll dig until I find it.”
Mark nodded a few times. His face looked defeated, he was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“How much longer until Mia arrives?”
“She should be any time now.” He stood and shook his arms as though to relieve the stress. “All right, we’ll be in the other room. If you get burned out, or need anything, you know where we are. I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”
Mark’s words bounced around in my head again. As much as I didn’t want to go there, the reality was that Blackstone had had a leak before, and money was definitely the root of all evil. I woke my computer back up, opened a fresh web page, and began to look into all of the North Rock Team’s lives.
I madly flipped the page in my notebook and began to draw lines on how each soldier was connected to the other. Some were friends before they were recruited to North Rock, and some had never met. Then I began to look into the rookie who was killed. As I read through his records, I noticed he had taken the last test twice before he graduated. I pulled out my red pen and circled his name. That test was only supposed to be taken once. I sent a quick email off to my father asking him if anyone had ever taken the test twice, and if so, who, and why there would be exceptions.
I tossed my coffee cup in the trash and glanced out the door to the other room and then back at the time. I joined the others just as the doctor came through the door. He stepped back to let me by, and the others jumped to their feet.
“First, I want to thank you for being so patient with my team,” the doctor addressed us. “It was a complicated procedure. Daniel had an open compound fraction of the femur, but thanks to the splint that was applied in the field, I was able to repair it. He also suffere
d a head injury that caused some swelling to the brain, and we’re watching carefully to see if the swelling decreases. Right now, myself and Dr. Tahoe don’t feel surgical intervention is needed. Rehab will be extensive, but he should have full mobility in the months to come. All things considered, he should make a full recovery. It’s a good thing your men are trained in first aid as well as they are. They should be commended.”
The tension in the room evaporated with sighs of relief and some tears.
“Excuse me, Doctor.” I caught him just as he reached for the door handle. “John Black went in for x-rays hours ago, and he hasn’t returned. Do you happen to have an update on him?”
“No, but I’ll send someone out to speak to you and let you know.”
“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.” I turned back to give Sue a big hug and noted that Cole sat down with a thud, I’d bet for the first time today. His father’s injuries sat pretty heavily on his shoulders.
I could relate to the type of stress they were feeling. There were many types of stress, but the stress a soldier faced each day to ensure our freedom took a special kind of courage. I could remember my mother would sit and worry about my father’s return, and as I got older, I joined her in it. You couldn’t know what it was like unless you’d lived it.
“Excuse me, are you all with John Black?” A tired-looking nurse with wrinkled scrubs appeared in the doorway. Cole jumped to his feet and stepped forward and said we all were.
“Should I speak to one of you or all of you?”
I shot a quick look at Cole, who immediately took charge and said, “We are all his family, so you can go ahead.” Cole stepped over and stood next to me, and I appreciated his support.
The nurse removed her mask and twisted it between her hands. “Mr. Black was admitted into ICU, and it can go either way at this point.”
My hand flew to Cole’s arm as the tension in the room grew once again.
“What?” Mike questioned. “He went in for x-rays on his ribs.”
“Yes, he did, and four are broken.” She swallowed hard and looked around at all our faces then quickly continued, keeping her eyes on Mike. “But there is also a large cut on his calf.” Her face grew flushed, and her words came faster. “He was disoriented and running a fever at first, then his blood pressure spiked, and his pulse oxidation decreased dramatically. He required supplemental oxygen through a nasal cannula. We didn’t know what was going on at first, then we realized it was an infection in the cut in his calf. We ran bloodwork, and our suspicions were confirmed. He has sepsis.” Her eyes went to me. “What that means is that the infection got into his bloodstream, and that can be fatal if not treated right away. So, we immediately started him on strong IV antibiotics.”
She glanced around the room once, and when she got back to me, her shoulders sagged. “Look, I’m really sorry. I was under the impression you had been updated on his condition. From here on, I’ll do my best to keep you informed.” Her gaze slid to the floor, and the entire room went still as if someone had hit the pause button. “Only time will tell if the antibiotics are working as they should. My name is Lily. If you need any more information, just ask at the desk. I’m sorry I can’t be more forthcoming.”
“Well, if all goes well, how much longer until we can go and see him?” Cole cut in. I felt weightless at this sudden change in what was happening.
“It’s touch and go at the moment, you understand.” She wrung her hands again and smiled. “Look, when we’re sure he’s stabilized, we’ll let you know. If all goes well, then we will allow a few of you in to see him.”
“Thank you.” Keith offered a hand politely.
I felt their eyes on me, and Savannah was suddenly at my side helping me to sit. “I’m sure it’s going to be all right, Sloane. We all have to think positively. John is strong, and there is no way anything is going to take him away from us.” Her defiance almost made me smile, and I took her hand but couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My throat felt as though someone was squeezing it. I just smiled a little and nodded.
“I think it’s time we called John’s parents,” Abigail said softly as she removed herself from the room.
Mike, Mark, Keith, and Cole were all huddled at the other end of the room. I wondered what they were talking about. When Cole caught me looking, he said something to Keith and left the group to join Savannah and me.
“Be strong, Sloane. That guy’s a born soldier, no fucking—” Savannah glared at him. “Oh, sorry, no damn infection is going to take him down.”
“John always said if he was going to die, it would be on his mountain,” Mike chimed in, “so not today, Satan.”
They all seemed confident. I guessed you had to be when the worst was always staring you in the face, and they’d been through a lot lately.
I couldn’t take the tick of the clock on the wall any longer. I needed to move and needed a change of scenery. The blue walls were mind-numbing. As I stood, Mike stood with me, almost as if he was watching me.
“I think I just need to go downstairs and get some fresh air.”
“Great. Me too.” Mike followed me out of the room.
I didn’t know Mike, but the few times we had spoken, he seemed kind enough, and if John liked him—well, I knew he must be a good guy. Once in the elevator, he looked down at me and smiled through his own worry.
“I hear they have really good chocolate chip muffins at the coffee stand in the lobby.”
“Oh, yeah?” I tried to be kind, but my head was with John.
“Well, Mark’s had three already, so I’m guessing they must be great.” He laughed softly, but it stopped short when the doors opened, and screams filled the tin box we were in.
“Mrs. Black?” Mike stepped forward, recognizing John’s mother. “Is everything okay?”
As I stepped around Mike’s massive body, I caught Kelly’s frantic eyes as they swung from me to Ellie, who was in the middle of a meltdown in the main lobby of the hospital.
“Sloane, thank God you’re here.” She tried to calm Ellie down. “Oliver went looking for Cole, and Ellie must have fed off our tension. We’re so worried. Have you heard anything about John? We can’t take not knowing. What happened?”
“Mike,” I quickly addressed him, “could you take Mrs. Black aside and let her know what’s going on while I talk to Ellie?”
“Of course.” He glanced at me, completely confused as to what was happening, but did as I asked and walked Kelly to a nearby table to fill her in.
“Hi, Ellie. I’m Sloane, a friend of John’s. He told me you went looking for pebbles the other day. What color were they?” I frantically searched for a memory for her and remembered hearing about this at the dinner table. I knew from past experience that brain injuries involving the temporal lobe resulted in difficulty or the inability to access long-term memories from after the accident.
Ellie whirled around, tears streaming down her face and terror in her eyes, but I could see she had heard me by the way she quieted down. Her chest heaved, and she kept clasping her hands together.
“John told me about the pebbles and how much fun he had with you. How many did you find?”
“Seven,” she huffed at me, and the red in her face seemed to fade away.
“Seven, wow! I could have sworn John said five.”
“No, it was seven. John tried to get me to put two back, but I didn’t.” She shrugged.
I glanced over her shoulder at Kelly, who was watching us she mouthed a thank you with a hand on her chest, relieved she had a minute to focus on her other child.
The elevator opened, and Oliver came rushing over when he saw me with Ellie. “I’m sorry, Sloane. I just heard that Ellie was having a hard time down here.”
“No, we are all good here. Ellie was just clearing something up for me.” I almost welcomed this distraction, and I knew how much Kelly needed a minute for herself too.
Kelly and Mike joined us now that Ellie was calmed down and busy watching a
show I had lured her to on the lobby TV. We all talked about John and what had happened and where things were now. I assured Oliver that the moment any of us heard anything, we would come downstairs. They both agreed it was best to stay in the lobby with Ellie. I knew they were torn, but they also were confident we would keep them updated.
Mike and I said our goodbyes and headed back upstairs. When the elevator door closed, Mike cleared his throat as though he wanted to say something.
“It’s not my place to share something that isn’t mine to share,” I shuffled my feet on the elevator rug, “but thanks for helping back there.”
“Sure thing.”
It was hard enough to digest what was happening with John, but then to walk into the storm Ellie brought nearly sent me over the edge. My head felt like it was about to come unglued, spilling in multiple directions. John, Ellie, the whole shitstorm with the cartel, and not to mention the fact that my face still felt like a swollen balloon. I knew Frank and my father were dealing with that situation back in Washington, and as much as I wanted to know what was going on, I frankly didn’t care right now.
“Sloane?” Mike’s voice stopped the whirlwind of thoughts in my brain, and I looked up to see him holding the elevator doors for me. “You okay?”
“Ah, yeah.” I forced a smile and headed back to our waiting room.
Abigail and June took shifts to help Dell with the kids and did their best to keep Sue and me occupied as the time rolled on. Mark insisted on making sure we ate. For a man who needed a lot of taking care of, he sure was great in situations like this, or maybe he was feeling better because Mia had arrived. Either way, it was nice.
My email sent a vibration through my phone, and with a foggy head, I saw my father had responded to my email.
“The test can only be taken once,” I whispered under my breath. “Interesting.” I sent a quick response thanking him, then I tried to get my mind back to work.