Heroes never die, p.18
Heroes Never Die, page 18
Linda handed the medical chart to Dr. Young. As soon as he opened it, Stephanie saw a puzzled look come over his face. “This chart doesn’t tell me a thing,” he complained, needing to see the patient’s history. “You didn’t even enter the patient’s temperature.”
“Then you try,” she challenged, her accent as crisp as her uniform.
“How much longer must we wait?” Dr. Sami spoke up, half crazed with anger. “Sultana Jahan Aara is very ill.”
“What the bloody hell?” Dr. Young mumbled as he looked up from the chart. He approached Dr. Sami and as he came closer, Stephanie could see his eyes filling with compassion and she wondered if the veil made her look as pathetic as she felt.
“I’m Dr. Bobby Young. What can I do for you?”
“I am Dr. Sami Adham,” he said as though he were superior to his much younger colleague. “And this is my patient, Sultana Jahan Aara. I believe she has septic shock, probably brought on by an infection in her broken arm.
Stephanie’s heart raced with alarm when she heard septic shock. Without immediate treatment, she could die. Dr. Young ripped her veil up over her head to examine her. Frightened, she just stared at him. His jaw dropped when he saw her. The cuts and bruises that still marred her face must have surprised him.
“No!” Sami yelled as he quickly jerked the veil back over her. “You are forbidden to see her face.”
“How am I supposed to treat her if I cannot examine her?”
“I will examine. You will prescribe.”
“That’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t she understand that I only want to help?”
“The sultana is a high-ranking member of the Saudi royal family. She does not wish to be humiliated, and you must respect her wishes.”
“All right then, what is her white blood cell count and platelet count?”
“The palace does not have a lab to run blood work. I gave her an initial loading of penicillin and an IV to replace her fluids. She seems to be responding.”
“Then sepsis is doubtful. When did she break her arm? Did you bring x-rays?”
“About four days ago,” Sami replied. “I am not the doctor who treated her, so I do not know the results of her initial evaluation, nor do I have the x-rays. Since she has been under my care, she has not been able to move her fingers.”
“May I at least examine her arm?” Dr. Young requested.
Without answering, Sami lifted the sleeve on her abayah, and then he waved his hand to invite Dr. Young to look. Stephanie felt him taking her pulse on the inside of her left wrist. Then he held her arm and began to rotate it from side to side. She cried out in pain, and he stopped. “How did she injure her arm?” Dr. Young asked.
“She fell,” Sami replied.
“How many times?” Dr. Young scoffed as he lowered her sleeve. Stephanie’s eyes jumped on Sami. She could see that he didn’t appreciate the sarcasm. And for just a moment, she thought Dr. Young might be on her side, and she wanted to break down and tell him everything that was happening, but she had to remain silent. Then she saw him looking directly at her even though he couldn’t see her face. “The pulse in your wrist indicates lack of blood flow.”
“She cannot understand you,” Sami reprimanded.
Stephanie looked directly at Dr. Young. He refused to turn away from her, as though he could see her face, as though she were a real person. “Then tell her I’m committed to giving her the best care possible. Tell her she most likely has acute compartment syndrome, but I’ll know better after I remove her cast and take more x-rays. Tell her she is going to need emergency surgery to relieve the pressure so the blood flow can return to her hand. And finally, tell her she’s in very good hands.” Stephanie wanted to cry. It was the first shred of respect she had received since Brian had left.
Dr. Young turned to leave. Then he stopped and turned back to Sami. “By the way, why is it necessary to post armed guards at the door?”
“Like I said, Sultana Jahan Aara is a member of the Saudi royal household. Since the murder of King Hamid, the royal household has been receiving an alarming number of death threats. The guards will only shoot if the sultana’s life is threatened.”
“And is she family?” Dr. Young asked as he nodded toward Nadia.
“Her name is Nadia. She is here to attend the sultana’s personal needs. She will be at her side at all times.”
“I’ll be at the nurse’s station charting orders. Don’t be alarmed at the number of personnel coming in and out of here. They will be following my instructions. I’ll be back shortly to remove the cast. Then we’ll take her to X-ray in a wheelchair. Any questions?”
“I insist upon observing all procedures,” Dr. Sami said.
“Is that a question or a demand?” Stephanie bit her lip to keep from laughing. Then Dr. Young left the room.
Later, after Dr. Young had removed Stephanie’s cast with a small electrical saw, Sami and Nadia helped her into a wheelchair. Sami pushed her down the long hallway to X-ray, and Stephanie could hear boots pounding on the wooden floor behind her. The guards were close behind. Sami wheeled Stephanie inside of the X-ray room and helped her onto the steel table, and then he stood at her side.
Dr. Young walked in a moment later. “No one is permitted in X-ray except the patient. I’m sure you understand the dangers of being exposed to radiation.”
Stephanie could sense Sami’s apprehension. She watched as he scanned the room to look for another exit. Her eyes followed after him as he walked over to the dressing room and opened the door. She could see the inside of the dressing room. The dressing room had no windows or doors, making an escape impossible. Sami returned to her side. He leaned over the table and whispered in her ear. “If you breathe even one word, I will strangle you.”
Tears welled up in Stephanie’s eyes. She watched as Sami joined the guards outside the door. She was just as trapped as before.
“This won’t take long,” Dr. Young told Sami as he closed the thick steel door. Then he turned his attention to Stephanie. “Do you speak English?” he asked as he covered her body with a steel apron. Stephanie didn’t answer. Dr. Young rambled on.
“I like my patients to feel comfortable with me, so I usually try to tell them a little something about myself.” He gently maneuvered her arm into position for the first picture. “Is there anything you would like to know about me?”
Stephanie was too afraid to speak. She watched as he rolled the camera suspended on tracks from the ceiling over her arm. “Hold your arm just like that and I’ll snap the picture.” He limped over to a small darkened booth to shield himself from the radiation. She heard the camera clicking. He returned to her side a moment later. “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Only three more to go.”
“Perhaps you are wondering why I walk with a limp? It’s an interesting story, my limp. That is, if you care to hear it?” Dr. Young went through the same procedure of positioning her arm for the next picture, talking nonstop. “Until recently, I was doing my duty in the British Royal Medical Corps. On one particular day the fighting was unusually intense, and my unit had to go into the field to recover the injured. Bombs and bullets were flying everywhere, and I took a hit to my leg. Don’t move and I’ll snap another picture. Smile please.”
Stephanie wasn’t humored in the least. His story was only causing her to worry about Brian and her dad. She wanted to tell him to shut up, but she didn’t dare speak.
Dr. Young continued where he left off. “The enemy suddenly advanced and cut us off. We were trapped, and I was bleeding to death. My buddy found me and stopped the bleeding. When the fighting let up, he helped me back to camp. After that, I was sent home to recover.” Stephanie’s body stiffened with pain every time he moved her arm, but she still refused to speak. “Hold still now, just one more to go.”
“I owe my life to my buddy,” he said as soon as he returned to her side. “We used to bunk together. He wasn’t too bad a chap, for a bloody American, that is. Brian, Brian was his name. And he used to keep a picture of his wife right beside his bunk.” Stephanie jerked her head toward his voice. He had finally struck a nerve. “So tell me, Stephanie, how the bloody hell did you wind up in a mess like this?”
At that, Stephanie sat up and ripped her veil up over her head. Joyful tears of desperation streamed down her face. “You know Brian? You saw him? How is he? Tell me!”
“He’s a lot better off than you are right now. We don’t have much time. Quick, tell me what’s going on.”
“I was set up,” she cried, her voice trembling with a mixture of intense fear and relief. “And if I don’t escape, I’ll never see Brian again. You have to help me.”
“The guards will kill you if you try to escape,” he warned.
“Please,” she begged, desperately latching onto his arm. “I would rather die than go back there.”
Stephanie gasped when she heard Sami pounding on the steel door. “What’s taking so long in there?”
Dr. Young yanked Stephanie’s veil down over her terror-stricken face. “Just one more picture,” he called. As he limped away to snap the last picture, Stephanie grabbed his hand and refused to let go. He firmly clasped her hand with his other hand. “I don’t know how yet, but I promise, I’m going to get you out of here. Just be ready to run when I say run.”
Dr. Young hurried to snap the last picture. Then he swung open the steel door and invited Sami to come inside. Sami walked past him and aggressively approached Stephanie. She turned away from his fierce stare. “I would appreciate your assistance evaluating her x-rays,” Dr. Young called to him as he clipped the x-ray film to the board, as though he were trying to sidetrack him from Stephanie. Then we need to prep her for surgery.”
Stephanie could hear them talking, but she wasn’t interested in what they said. For the first time in weeks, she felt a flicker of hope. She wasn’t sure how or when, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was finally going home.
***
For over a week, Stephanie watched Dr. Young as he made his routine visits, hoping that he would somehow clue her that he had devised a plan for her to escape. But every visit was the same. The hope she felt began to turn to despair. What was I thinking? Dr. Young won’t put his life in danger to help me. And I can’t escape with armed guards watching my every move. God Almighty – please help me! Then she wondered if God even cared.
Dr. Young limped into Stephanie’s room to check on her progress. She watched him, expecting to see a faint glimmer of hope, but his countenance remained the same.
“The sultana feels well enough to travel,” Sami barked. “She would like to be released today.”
“That sounds like a reasonable request,” Dr. Young agreed. “May I examine her arm?”
Stephanie felt waves of panic rushing through her insides. Dr. Young was going to release her to return to Saudi Arabia. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She had to find a way to escape, even if Dr. Young refused to help, even if she died trying.
Dr. Young held her cast in one hand and her fingers in his other. Her body began to tremble. She wanted to cry out to him. Have you forgotten your promise? But she was not allowed to speak. He rotated her arm from side to side to test for mobility, and as he did, he squeezed her fingers. She drew back, suddenly alert. He had examined her arm every day for the past week, and he had never squeezed her fingers. Was he sending her a subtle signal?
Dr. Young looked toward Sami. “Her arm is doing even better than I expected. I don’t see a problem with releasing her today, but just to be safe, I want to take one more set of x-rays to make certain the bone is still in place. If the pictures look good, I’ll sign her release papers and you will be free to leave.”
“Wonderful,” Sami sighed.
Stephanie was wheeled to x-ray. Sami, Nadia, and the guards followed her just like before, and she wondered whether she had misinterpreted Dr. Young’s signal.
“I’ll be quick as a wink,” Dr. Young assured Sami as he closed the steel door.
Stephanie jumped out of her wheelchair, crazed with fear. “You promised me!”
“Did you really think I was going to let you down? Quick,” he ordered as he pulled out a man’s suit from underneath the steel table. “Put this on.”
Stephanie’s eyes filled with horror. “I’m supposed to walk out of here in a man’s suit?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he countered. “You’re going to crawl out of here. Hurry! We don’t have much time.”
Dr. Young helped Stephanie dress in the suit. He slipped the shirt over her broken arm and buttoned it. He pulled on her pants, tucked in the shirttail, and quickly buckled her belt. Stephanie could feel his hands trembling as he clipped on a tie. She pulled her arms through the double-breasted coat and stood straight while he buttoned it. She nervously glanced at the door, afraid that Sami would barge in suddenly. Then Dr. Young lifted Stephanie’s hair on top of her head, gave it a quick twist, and pulled a black fedora over her head. He tied her black shoes, and for a finishing touch, he pressed a thick brown mustache above her lip.
The mustache tickled her skin. “I feel like Charlie Chaplin,” she panted, her insides shaking with nervousness.
“I was hoping you felt lucky,” he said dryly. He took her hand and led her to the small dressing room. The ceiling vent had already been removed. “I’m going to give you a boost, and then I want you to crawl as quickly as you can until you come to the next vent. The cover has already been removed. Carefully slide your body over the vent and then jump feet first. Here’s a penlight,” he instructed as he flipped it on. “Hold it in your teeth to light the way. Once your feet hit the ground, follow the exit signs to the main entrance. A driver is waiting for you. He will be standing next to a black BMW with a gift in his hands. Get into the car, and he will take you to the airport. He has all of your papers. Now get going!”
Stephanie hesitated. “What about you?”
“It’s all worked out,” he assured her.
But Stephanie sensed that he didn’t have that part figured out yet. Tears of appreciation streamed down her face. “I’ll never be able to repay you, Dr. Young.”
“Call me Bobby. Just name that son Brian always talked about having after me. And remember, men aren’t supposed to cry.”
A faint smile arched the corners of her mouth. She put her arms around him and hugged him, hoping with all of her might that they would both make it out of there alive. “Goodbye, Bobby. I will never forget you.”
Sami began to pound on the door. Bobby quickly lifted Stephanie up on his bended knee, and then he boosted her body up through the vent. As she crawled to freedom, he whispered, “God speed, my friend.” Then the light faded as he locked the dressing room door from the inside and pulled it closed.
Stephanie’s feet hit the floor inside a utility room. She quickly stepped out into the hallway and headed toward the exit sign, forcing herself not to run. She suddenly heard the pounding of boots rushing up from behind her and fear gripped her insides. She held her breath as though she could make herself disappear. She saw the guards run past her, almost knocking her down. They were looking for a woman, not a man.
The first thing Stephanie noticed as she walked outside was the brilliant blue sky. The driver was standing next to a black BMW with a gift in his hand, just as Bobby had described. She hurried toward him and jumped into the car, too terrified to look back.
***
Stephanie looked out of the small window from her seat on the plane. She kept looking for the guards, afraid that they would show up at any minute and kill her. She couldn’t rest until the plane was safely in the air, and she wondered what was taking so long. Finally, the jet revved its engine and began to taxi down the runway. She felt the surge of takeoff and she covered her mouth and began to sob. She was finally on her way home.
She remembered that she was holding the gift that Bobby had given her. She opened the gift card and silently read it. ‘Dear Stephanie, I wanted to be the first to give you and Brian a present for your baby. All my love, Bobby.’ Stephanie slowly tore back the pretty paper and opened the box, wondering what was inside. Her face filled with a warm smile when she saw the cuddly teddy bear. She lifted it out of the box and pressed it next to her heart, crying. Then she found a handkerchief inside of her suit pocket and dried her face. After all, men weren’t supposed to cry.
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Stephanie stood still for a moment and let the warmth of her home consume her. Everything was just as she had left it. Brian had not been home, her dad either for that matter, and she wondered why they had not been notified of her death. She quickly reasoned that their services were needed in Turkey, and given the fact that her own government had set her up to die, refusing to notify her next of kin was completely conceivable. It was just one more cover-up in their deadly game. She was finally home, but she wondered whether she would ever feel safe.
Stephanie placed the teddy bear on the dining room table, and then she removed her black fedora and put it on the table beside the bear. She noticed that all of the mail had been stacked in a neat pile. She shuffled through it, hoping to find a letter from Brian. Six weeks and still nothing. She reached for their wedding picture. A thin layer of dust covered the glossy surface and she wiped the picture on her suit to clean it. She gazed into Brian’s eyes and remembered the promise the President had made. ‘If you complete this operation, I will give the order for both your husband and father to return home at once, and they will be safe. You have my word on it.’ She smiled. “I finally made it home, Brian.” She tenderly said out loud, “Now it’s your turn.”
A sudden noise at the front door startled her. She listened, hoping it was just the wind, but then the doorknob began to twist open. Someone was breaking in. There wasn’t time to reach the phone to call for help. She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife out of the knife block on the counter, and backed against the wall. She heard the front door open and close. The intruder was inside and walking toward the dining room.
