Blood Money (22 page)

CHAPTER 38

Susan's operation was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Monday. She knew about the operation for several days before Mark left for Quantico, but had decided not to worry him during the start-up of training.

The top two orthopedic doctors in the country were performing the arthroscopic surgery. To a layman, this would appear to be overkill, but the damage done by the shattered scapula was extensive. Skill rather than risk was the issue here. Sue was expected to be under the knife for three to four hours while the damaged bone was replaced with metal and plastic materials. Dr. Miles Porter made the six-inch incision in Susan's shoulder to begin the operation. Over the next hour and a half, he and Dr. Jason Anglais methodically removed each of the eight pieces of shattered bone that the CT showed. The replacement procedure took an additional two hours.

By two o'clock, Susan was stitched up and moved to the recovery room. The hard part was behind her.

Dennis was at her side when she awoke. “Well, it is over. The doctors stopped by about ten minutes ago. They both had commitments back at their hospitals. Their prognosis for you is a complete recovery within three months. In fact, they went as far as to give orders to release you on Saturday if everything checks out. Can you believe that?”

“That'll be a relief. I'm not complaining, believe me. Everyone here has been so great, but it'll be nice to go home. Will I be able to move around much, do you know?”

“I'm sure that nurse Betty will catch up with you when you're moved back to your room. The doctors apparently left a small folder with a recommended regimen. If I heard them right, they are calling for a program of increased activity, which they want started as soon as tomorrow. Your shoulder has been inactive longer than they would have preferred.”

“That's all good news. Now, what am I going to do about Mark? He's going to be furious with me.” She hesitated a minute and gave Dennis a “little girl in need of help” look. “Do you think you could call him and explain everything?”

“Oh, no. You're not getting me in the middle of this. If you remember, I was all for telling him last Saturday. You are the one who said no. You can't deny that.”

“I know, and you were probably right, but I just don't want him getting upset with me. It would be a lot better if you were the one telling him. After all, you have a vested interest in keeping up Mark's morale during his training.”

“That's dirty pool.” Dennis hemmed and hawed for a few minutes and finally gave in. “Okay, I'll do it, but on one condition, and I am very serious about this.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to promise me that you will follow the doctor's instructions to the letter. That means doing everything they want you to do and not doing the things they tell you to avoid, and without griping. Do we have a deal?”

She thought about it for a minute. “You drive a hard bargain, but I agree.”

“I'll call him as soon as he's out of class. I'll do the best I can to explain the situation, but if I were you, I'd be ready for a hoppin' mad Mark Matthews when he calls you later. You're on your own, then.”

“I hear you. Just do the best you can. Thanks Dennis.”

“It's the least I can do under the circumstances. You get some rest now. I'll see you tomorrow morning.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“Thanks, again, Dennis.”

CHAPTER 39

Muncie, Indiana was the last city on Mel's itinerary. From here, he would travel the 280 miles by car to strike his target and then return to this temporary sanctuary. He used a driver's license and credit card with the name Martin W. Gordon when he registered at the Beacon Motel. It was situated one block from a Bally's Fitness Center, where he purchased a month-to-month pass for use of their weight room. On his original visits to check out Bally's, he observed that the gym was crowded most hours of the day. Normally that would bother him, but it was good thing for someone wanting to blend in temporarily. He intended to do just that for as long as it took. There was no room for any mistakes.

Mel used his usual network of informers to get an update on Susan's progress. He now knew that Susan was scheduled to leave the hospital soon. The time was getting near. He wondered whether she would continue to get police protection. That complicated things, but it would not prevent him from doing what he had set out to do. He would keep a watch and eventually find an opening, and when he did, Susan Harrigan would be dead meat.

CHAPTER 40

Mark received a call from Dennis around five o'clock. He kept asking about the training. Mark kept asking about Susan. He could tell by the way Dennis was evading his questions that he was holding something back. Finally, Mark got right to the point.

“Dennis, what is going on? Is anything wrong with Susan?”

“No, she's fine. In fact, there's some good news. She was operated on this morning. They removed the shattered bone and put in the replacement scapula. She's in recovery now. Her doctors are optimistic that she will be able to be released this weekend. How is that for good news?”

“That's great, but how come they were able to operate on such short notice? Susan said it might take another two weeks before they would have the replacement parts designed and built. What changed?

Dennis was too quiet. Slowly, it occurred to Mark.

“She knew it was going to be today, didn't she?”

“Yes, but don't be mad at her, Mark. She just didn't want you to be distracted from your class work. I agreed with her, so I'm just as guilty. She was afraid you might do something stupid that would jeopardize your training. You understand that, don't you? Wouldn't you have done exactly the same if your roles were reversed? Be honest now, before you answer.”

Mark calmed down. “Yes, of course I would. Thanks for telling me. When will I be able to speak with her?”

“She hasn't been transferred to her room yet. Call around six o'clock. She should be settled in by then. Be gentle with her, Mark. She did what she thought was best for you. Anyway, having the operation completed successfully and her early release is the important thing. She made a promise to me that she will do everything the doctors tell her to do. I believe her. She just wants the whole thing over as soon as possible. She is very anxious to get back to work.”

“You're right, of course. I won't even mention it. What is done is done, and the important thing is that she will finally be able to go home. I am very thankful for that. I will be there Saturday to take her home.”

“Thanks for understanding. I think that's the best approach. Put it behind you. I guess that's all for now. Crack the books and get that training completed. I know it seems like it will take forever, but you will be surprised how the time will fly.”

“I sure hope so. Goodnight Dennis, and thanks again.”

“You're certainly welcome, Mark”

* * *

Nurse Betty handed the phone to Susan. “It's Mark,” she whispered. As she left the room, she said, “I'll give you some privacy. Good luck!”

“Hello Mark,” she said with a little hesitation.

“Hello, Irish. How are you doing?”

“I'm good, just a little groggy yet. They had me out for a few hours.” She was quiet for a minute, then added, “I guess you spoke with Dennis. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you before you left. You had every right to know, but I just couldn't bring myself to worry you unnecessarily. I really hated not telling you.”

“Let's not talk about that. The important thing is that the operation was successful and you are going home in a few days. You must be very excited about that.”

“I'm happy you feel that way. I thought you would be very angry with me for not telling you.”

“I was at first, but Dennis explained everything. Like I said, the important thing is you are going home. I will be returning late Friday night. I'll be there bright and early on Saturday to take you home.”

“That's terrific. I'm such a lucky lady to have such a wonderful man like you.”

“Cut that stuff out, you know that it's me who is the lucky one.”

“Well then, it looks like we're both lucky.”

“I'll settle for that.”

“So how was your first day? Did you dazzle them with your footwork? What did you think of the instructors?”

“Not much chance for any dazzling, yet. These people are really sharp. Many of the instructors are seasoned agents who have volunteered their time to help a bunch of greenhorns become Special Agents worthy of the name. I am very impressed.”

“I felt the same way. They are a top quality crew.”

“Well, I'm going to say goodnight, now. You probably need your rest, and I've got to crack the books. As you are well aware, they don't give you much idle time during the school week. I love you, Sue. I am looking forward to Saturday.”

“Me too. I love you, Mark. Goodnight!”

They talked at least ten minutes every night. He noticed that as the week wore on, Susan sounded weaker. He chalked it up to the meds that she was taking. He didn't realize how close to the truth he was with that conjecture.

Instead of being released on Saturday, a totally unexpected crisis was on tap for Susan.

CHAPTER 41

Friday afternoon finally arrived. Mark was already packed and loaded, so he hit the road by four-fifteen. Traffic was surprisingly light. He made a quick calculation and estimated that he would reach Hudson by ten-thirty on the optimistic side. Two hours later he was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic behind a big rig. He hadn't moved in ten minutes. He was glad that he had filled the tank before he left. So much for optimism. He slid a Bee Gees CD into the slot in his dash and decided to make the best of a bad situation. It would take more than a traffic jam to spoil his mood. Mark made a mental note to check with AAA to see if there was a better route that would have fewer trucks. He doubted that there was, but it was worth checking, especially if this was going to be the norm every Friday. There were too many weekends to go before he graduated. He didn't need this. Eight hours and ten CD's later, he pulled up to Susan's condo. He unloaded the car. It was too late to call the hospital, so he cleaned up and went to bed. The alarm was set for seven, giving him time for a quick breakfast at Denny's before going to the hospital to pick up Susan. He really missed Denny's cuisine. The food at Quantico was good by many standards, but couldn't begin to measure up to an Extreme Grand Slam breakfast.

He went immediately to her room. The policeman that was usually on duty was missing. Had Walt called off the coverage already? He found her room empty and the bed made. Mark went into a frenzy and rushed to the nurse's station, looking for a familiar face.

Nurse Betty spotted him and came over. She looked somber.

“Good morning, Mark.”

“Where's Susan? What's happened?” he asked, or actually demanded.

“She is in Intensive Care. Her temperature shot up and her shoulder swelled. She started with a low fever the day after the operation. That's not unusual. Fifty percent of patients with that type of operation react with either a slight fever, swelling or numbness. The problem is that we have not been able to bring her temperature back down. In fact, it was rising about a half degree every day, regardless of what we did. Dr. Porter came in yesterday to examine her and had her moved to IC. He thinks her body is reacting to medication she was given during the hour and a half required for the removal of the broken bone. Delayed reactions are rare, but not completely out of the realm of possibility. He has prescribed large doses of antibiotics, ice packs and complete rest. So far, the steady increase in temperature has abated. Right now, we're trying to bring her temperature down to normal.”

“I don't care about all that. Can I see her? She was expecting me to take her home today.”

“I know, Mark. She was very excited about it. When her temperature kept going up, she became very depressed.”

“Well, can you blame her?”

“Of course not, but we are keeping her on a mild sedative while we work on fighting the fever. I can't let you speak to her right now, but you can look in on her.”

She placed her hand on Mark's arm and reassured him, “Everything is going to be all right. This is very temporary. These things happen sometimes.”

Mark's world seemed to be collapsing around him. When was this nightmare finally going to end? Nurse Betty and he got on the elevator and got off on the Intensive Care floor. She led him to glass window. The policeman that was usually in front of her door stopped him to check his ID. He felt like telling him to “buzz off,” but knew better. The guard nodded that it was alright to approach the window.

Mark looked in at Susan. She was hooked up to an IV and several monitors. She looked very peaceful, but her skin was flushed from the fever. “If you were a betting person, when would you expect her to be released?”

Nurse Betty replied, “I'm no doctor, but I think the earliest possibility would be next weekend. From experience, I find that doctors like to see at least two to three days of normal temperatures before releasing a patient. Unfortunately, she will probably be up here for another day.”

Usually Mark didn't like nurses, even RN's, who always seemed to try to outguess the doctors. His thought was that they should “pay the dues if they wanted to fill the shoes”, so normally any opinions from a nurse usually on deaf ears with him. In his current state, however, he would listen to what an orderly had to say. He was feeling that desperate.

Does that mean that I can't talk to her this weekend?”

“I don't want to be quoted,” Nurse Betty started, “but if she makes enough progress, reducing that fever, we will cancel the sedative and move her back to her room. The earliest I can see that happening is tomorrow around noon.”

“I've got to leave to go back to a training exercise around three tomorrow afternoon. It would mean a lot to me if I could talk to her before I have to leave. Would it be alright if I checked with you around noon?”

“Of course it would, Mark. I'll be on duty from eight in the morning. You can call any time after that to see how she's doing. Call me tonight, too. I will be here until seven. I should know a lot more by then.”

“You're an angel, Betty.”

“Not me.” Pointing toward Susan, she said, “That's the angel I'm just trying to help. Susan is such a sweet lady. I hate seeing what she is going through.”