Hansen. He was very interested in the story of their capture and escape, which they gladly told him, but neither mentioned the dream about Christopher. After breakfast they were taken to the compound's communications building. The U.N. post had one phone link to the United States via satellite, used primarily for contact with the U.N. headquarters in New York. Tom, who had no close family, insisted that Decker call first.
It was just after one o'clock in the morning in Washington when the phone rang. Decker listened as it rang two more times. Only partially roused from a deep sleep, Elizabeth Hawthorne picked up the phone. 'Hello,' she mumbled, her eyes still closed.
Decker listened to the sleepy, sweet sound of her voice. 'Hello, honey. It's me,' he said as tears began to roll down his cheeks.
Elizabeth quickly sat up in her bed. 'Decker! Is that you?'
The love he heard in her voice brought new tears to his eyes and he could barely breathe as he answered, 'Yes, it's me.'
'Where are you?!' she asked anxiously. 'Are you all right?'
'I'm in Lebanon at a United Nations post. Tom's with me. We're both okay. We escaped.'
'Thank God!' she said. 'Thank God!'
'They'll be taking us to Israel to a hospital for a check-up and observation. Can you come to Israel right away?'
'Yes! Of course!' she said as she wiped her own tears.
'How are Hope and Louisa?' he asked.
'They're fine, fine. They won't believe me when I tell them you called. They'll say that I was dreaming. I'm not dreaming, am I?'
'No,' he answered, reassuringly, 'You're not dreaming.'
'Do you want to talk to them?' she asked. Her voice was excited and hurried. Her mind raced. She wanted to ask everything, say everything, do everything all at once.
'No, not right now. We're going to leave soon, so I can't stay on very long and Tom wants to call a cousin or uncle or something.'
'How is Tom?' she asked, responding to the latest stimulus.
'He's fine. We're both fine. Just tell Hope and Louisa that I love them and that I'm looking forward to seeing them. Okay?'
'Of course,' she said. And then it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know where he was going in Israel. 'Where will you be? What hospital?'
'I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I don't have any details, but I didn't want to wait to call you.'
'No. No. That's okay,' she said and then thought for a moment. 'The girls and I will be on the next plane to Israel. When you get to the hospital, call Joshua and Liana. Tell them where you are, and when I arrive I'll call them for the message.'
'Joshua and Liana?' Decker asked, surprised at the apparent familiarity. 'You mean the Rosens?'
'Of course, Decker. They've been a great help and support to me while you've been gone. They're such wonderful people. Here's their number.'
Decker took down the number. 'I've got to go now,' he said and then paused to be sure she would hear him. 'I love you,' he said softly but clearly.
'I love you!' she answered.
The Swedish commander arranged for two trucks and a squad of armed men to take Decker and Tom the 120 kilometers to the Israeli border. From there Israeli security would take them to a hospital in Tel Aviv. But Ambassador Hansen had other plans. Hansen was a good politician and here was an opportunity for some very positive publicity. It was, after all, his convoy that had rescued them.
When their convoy arrived in Israel, Tom and Decker were greeted by reporters from four international news agencies who had been called from Lebanon by Ambassador Hansen's aide. There were more reporters at the Tel-Hashomer hospital in Tel Aviv. Hansen handled questions from the press himself 'in order to take the burden off the boys,' he said. He agreed to allow the press to take a few pictures of Tom and Decker, but curiously managed to figure prominently in each. Neither Tom nor Decker really minded. They had talked and joked together on the trip through Lebanon and to Tel Aviv. They liked Hansen – he was a 'jolly good' sort. He was also a politician; getting publicity was part of his job. They were just happy to be free.
After they checked into the hospital, Decker phoned the Rosens. Feeling more his old self, he decided to be a little playful. 'Joshua,' he said as though nothing unusual had happened, 'this is Decker. So where have you been lately? I haven't seen you around.'
'That'll do you no good, Decker Hawthorne,' Rosen answered. 'I know all about you and Tom. Elizabeth called us as soon as she made her plane reservations to tell us the good news. Besides, you've been on television all afternoon.'
Decker laughed warmly. 'When will she get in?'
'Just a second. Liana! 'Rosen called to his wife. 'Decker's on the phone. What time did Elizabeth say her plane would be arriving?'
There was a pause. Liana took advantage of her husband's poor memory for such things, and took the phone away from him. 'Hello, Decker,' she said. 'Welcome home!'
'Thanks Liana. It's good to be home,' he answered, by which he meant anywhere away from Lebanon.
'I saw you on TV,' she said. 'You're skin and bones.'
'Yeah, well I didn't care for the menu.'
'You know, I make some of the best chicken soup.'
'Tell him about Elizabeth, already,' Decker could hear Joshua saying in the background.
'Oh, yes. Elizabeth's plane will be here tomorrow at 11:36 a.m. Don't you worry about a thing. Joshua and I will pick up her and the children at the airport and bring them to the hospital. If you'd like,' she added as an aside, 'I'll bring you some of my chicken soup. I've heard hospital food is atrocious.'
Decker appreciated their kindness. 'Sure, Liana; sounds great.'
Decker called the Washington office ofNewsWorld, where it was nine in the morning, and asked to speak to his editor, Tom Wattenburg. He was all ready to say, 'Hi, Tom. This is Decker. Any calls for me?' when the switchboard operator said that Tom Wattenburg had retired and that his replacement was Hank Asher.
'Hank,' Decker said when Asher came to the phone, 'you mean they promoted you ahead of me?'
'Well, if you'd show up for work once in a while,' Asher responded. 'And by the way, I've got a bone to pick with you.' It took a second for Decker to catch on that Asher wasn't really mad about something, but was just kidding the kidder. 'I get up this morning and what do I see? Your ugly mug on the Today Show. You guys called NEC but you didn't notify your own magazine! And another thing, you took the key to the hotel room when you left and I ended up havin' to pay for it: cost me four bucks.'
'Hey, we didn't have anything to do with calling NBC,' Decker said in his defense. 'But no kidding? The Today Show?'
'Yeah, and seems like everywhere else, too,' he answered, trying to sound disgusted. 'But at least they mentioned that you guys work for News World.' Actually the publicity for NewsWorldwas great and would certainly boost sales for the edition Asher had planned for Tom and Decker's 'first-person' article on their lives as hostages.
Tel Aviv, Israel
The next morning as he shaved and brushed his teeth, Decker examined his face in the mirror. He was getting used to his skeletal appearance, but now he was thinking of Elizabeth. How would she react? The important thing was that he was back. In a few months he'd be back to normal physically. It was best to concentrate on the positive. What would never be 'back to normal' was the way he felt about her. The bittersweet truth was that in his isolation he had come to love her in a way that he never could have otherwise.
Because of her flight, Elizabeth probably had not seen him on television, so when she walked in the door of the hospital in a few hours she would be seeing him for the first time. As he finished brushing his teeth, Decker noticed a box of sterile cotton balls and was struck by one of those crazy ideas that sometimes hit him. He stuffed several pieces in his cheeks to see if it would make his face look fuller. Looking in the mirror, it appeared he had
