“How many more men do you think he has? Should we expect a second visit?”
Mike pursed his mouth and slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so, John. I think this was his entire team.”
SUPPER WAS NEARLY OVER when an exhausted-looking Joe walked into the cafeteria. John immediately got up and walked up to the big man.
Joe first looked past John. “Christine, can you spell off Shelley in twenty minutes?” He then faced the ex-soldier. “All right, let’s grab a seat.”
They sat at the nearest table. Rachel ran into the kitchen and came out with a plate for Joe. He was famished and dug into the food with gusto.
After several bites, he started talking. “Your wife is a very lucky woman, John.” He chewed another bite. “Well, maybe not that lucky, ’cause she got shot three times.”
He chuckled, then noticed the dangerous look on John’s face. Nodding, he added an embarrassed, “Sorry,” then continued, “The most dangerous bullet was the one that took her in her abdomen. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad. The bullet passed through her oblique. There are clean entry and exit wounds. We had to repair an artery, which was the trickiest part.”
John’s eyes widened in surprise.
“No, don’t worry, John,” Joes hastened to explain. “It wasn’t the femoral or any other major artery. The second bullet hit her in the hip and did some damage. It will keep her off her feet for a while. The bullet entered, tore up her gluteus medius and lodged into her pelvic girdle — that’s the big hip bone.”
“I know what that is.”
“Sorry.” Joe put up his hands.
John’s face had relaxed into an easy smile. Joe smiled back.
“To be honest,” he said, “I had to reference several medical books. I’m used to animal anatomy. That portable ultrasound unit sure helped. But the biggest help was Shelley. I had to rely heavily on her. That girl... she is a real blessing.” He finished with an enthusiastic nod of the head.
Joe took another bite as considered his next words.
“Anyway, there was hardly any bleeding at all from that site, so I took the chance and pulled the bullet out. It went well. Your Mellissa has strong bones. There was no pelvic break, and no damage to the bone that I could see.” He was quiet for a moment, then frowned. “That’s the one we got to watch...”
He seemed to be talking to himself, but John kept listening.
“The third bullet just grazed her leg. That one got eight stitches and will leave an impressive scar. That was the last one I just finished up.”
Joe went back to eating his meal without further ado. John watched him eat for a minute.
“Joe.”
“Mmm?”
“I know we haven’t seen eye to eye... basically since we got here.”
He got the big man’s attention after saying that. Joe raised an eyebrow.
“And I don’t think that we are ever going to be good friends, but—”
Joe grinned. “John. It’s OK. You’re welcome.”
John nodded, then got up to leave.
“And John... Sorry about Craig. I know he was your friend.” Joe paused for a moment before adding, “He was a good man.” He paused again, this time dropping his gaze to the plate in front of him. “He was a better man than me.”
John was at a loss for words, so he finally just said “thanks” before moving away.
He walked towards the exit of the cafeteria. Sarah was crying again, and others were shushing her. All John could do was escape. He felt helpless.
He wanted to look in on Mel but was met by Shelley at the door. She informed him that Mel was drugged up and resting, then assured him that Mel was stable and doing good. She also told John to go get some rest before shutting the door on him. John thought that she looked tired herself.
But she wasn’t wrong. He was tired. Exhausted. But he had one more stop to make.
He opened the door to the improvised second clinic. The light shone into the room past his silhouette and onto the wounded soldier. He was asleep.
John had gathered from Joe that they had spared some pain meds to take the edge off, but that they had held back on the heavier stuff. It didn’t matter. John knew ways to wake men from the deepest of stupors.
He thought of Craig and Mel. He thought of the look in young Jack’s eyes and let anger fuel his resolve.
Time to get some answers.
He closed the door behind him, plunging the room into darkness. John let his eyes adjust for a moment, then strode purposefully towards his victim.
Ten minutes later, he dragged his tired body up the stairs. He opened the door to the room he shared with his wife and stood at the threshold for a moment. He felt all kind of emotions as he looked at her stuff.
I can’t lose you, Mel.
John closed the door behind him and moved through the dark room.
He thought of his friend, Craig.
Still he could not cry. It had been conditioned out of him a long time ago. John stripped down and crawled into his bed. A minute later he was asleep.
Chapter 15
Ben
November 6, 8:45 P.M.
“I am situated about one mile from the school, over.”
“Do you have eyes on it?”
Ben reminded himself that radio protocol was different within the Order. No “overs” required. “Yes sir.”
“Do you see any clue of Captain Shaw or his men?”
“One moment, sir.”
Ben stepped out onto the small balcony and raised his binoculars. The balcony overlooked the miniature valley that contained the gated community and the Ren. The house was a lucky find, as it was within fifty yards of a radio tower. Communications had been spotty, at best.
He used all his observational skill while surveying the school and the yard. After a minute, he returned to the radio.
“Sir, I have observed the
