Conquest ~ Indian Hill 3 ~ A Michael Talbot Adventure (40 page)

Oh well, too late now, I go back and she’ll probably piss in my jell-o.
I
knew where
I
was going and
I
was determined to get there
,
it was just going to take
a little longer than originally planned.

CHAPTER FIFT
Y
-SEVEN

Beth awoke from surgery,
disoriented and confused
.
F
or a fleeting moment she thought she was back on the alien
mother
ship
, but then her eyes began to focus on the walls.

Bricks? There’s no bricks on the alien ship
. She was trying hard to remember where she was and how she had got here. Something disconcerting stirred in the back of her mind
,
but she could not pull it to the forefront. Her consternation must have shown.

“Relax,
relax
,
Beth. I’m Dr
.
Corren. Your surgery went quite well, no major damage and you’re not even going to end up with much of scar. Now if some other hack doctor had been work
—
”

“Please
,”
s
he interrupted. Her throat
was
raw fr
om the
intubation.

“Oh
,
I bet you would like to know where you are?” Dr
,
Corren finished.

Beth nodded, unwilling to strain her throat at the moment.

“Let me get you some water first.”

She shot her arm out and grabbed his surgical gown. “Now. Where?” She croaked.

“Alright, alright. You’re inside of
the
Indian Hill Nuclear Launch Silo number
17
.”

Beth let out a sigh of relief, she had finally made it. The miles of pain and anguish melted behind her like snow in mid-March.

“Dog?”
s
he managed.

“Please
,
let me get you some water.”
Beth had a look of anguish on her face.
“Fine
-
fine, the dog is
fine
.
H
e came out of surgery an hour before you. Look
,”
he said pointing to what appeared to be a small bear
covered
in
several
spare blanket
s
. “He’s sleeping, I gave him a sedative
.
H
e wouldn’t
stop howling when he couldn’t find you
and
I didn’t want him to rip out his stitches. Scared the hell out of me
,
I might add
.
L
uckily
,
I had a tranquilizer gun
;
he wouldn’t let anybody near him
he was
so determined to
track
you
down
.”

Beth smiled and put her head back down. But all her questions weren’t answered yet.

“How?”

“Enough
.
L
et me get something for your throat
.
I know how painful it can be upon awakening.”

She eased her death grip. “Thank you
,”
S
h
e added.

In  a few moments
,
Dr
.
Corren returned with some aspirin, water
,
and throat lozenges. Beth eyed the pills suspiciously.

“Aspirin
, I assure you
,”
Dr
.
Corren said
,
exasperated. “I will be back shortly I have some other patients I
must attend to. Let the aspirin
and the lozenges work and I will answer your questions. You should also try to get some more sleep, it speeds the healing process. Your dog, if that’s what he really is, won’t be aw
ake for another couple of hours.
Y
ou should use that time to rest.” Dr
.
Corren walked out the door.

Beth knew he meant well
,
but she had finally arrived. She was so
happy
,
she wanted to hug herself
. She was safe, Sampson was safe. Was Mike safe? He had to be. What good would her whole trek have been if he w
as
n’t
?
Deborah would have died in vain, that thought both saddened and scared her. Maybe they could have just hidden out back in Denver, together and alive. They might never have known Mike’s fate but that could have been for the better. If he was dead, would she stay? She would be alone
—
no family, no friends, no Mike. Beth shivered uncontrollably, her earlier euphoria quickly becoming replaced with dread.

**

I
looked through the window
and
began to shiver
.
C
old sweat broke out on
my
brow. Beth
,
even after surgery
,
looked like an angel
lying
on her gurney.
I
ached with indecision
.
J
ust rush in and hug her, or go in and tell her off.
I left
.

***

Beth turned to look over her shoulder, certain that someone had been watching. Moments later
,
the impossible happened. She fell asleep, more deeply than at any time in the last few weeks. In her dream
,
she was a little girl unwrapping
presents
.
S
he didn’t understand the relevancy of the dream but it made her feel safe and loved and maybe that’s all it was supposed to do. The first box she unwrapped was a puppy, but it wasn’t really a puppy it was a mini Sampson
,
but when she pulled him out of the small box he began to grow to his near mythical proportions. Beth hugged him until she thought either he or she might burst from the pressure.

“It’s you and me
,”
t
he little dream girl Beth said aloud. The scene faded and Beth plunged deeper into sleep, her pillow still held tight to her chest.

***

Paul stopped by
my
quarters a few hours later to find
me
seated at the edge of
my
bed
,
head in hands.

Paul took one look. “Your big green friend told
me
;
when I went to your hospital room.
”

I did not look up
.

“Have you gone to see her?” Paul asked.

“Ah…
in a manner of speaking
,” I answered
,
finally looking up.

“You look like hell, Mike. Do you think you should have checked yourself out of
the hospital?”

“I’m having doubts myself, but if I go back now
,
Nurse Grogan will have my nuts in sling.”

“Yeah
,
I heard about that too.” Paul smiled. “That’s the first I’ve ever heard of her backing down.”

“I’d chalk one up, but I don’t think I could raise my arm that high.”

Paul had concern on his face,
I
really did have a slight greenish tinge.

“Relax
,
bud
,” I said
noticing
Paul’s
expression. “I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. I mainly feel sick to my stomach and it’s mostly nerves. Yeah I know
,
big bad freedom fighter taken down by a case of butterflies.”

“I’m going down there now
;
do you want to come?” Paul asked seriously.

“Not yet, Paul. Maybe not ever. I don’t think I can.”

“She came here for you
,
Mike
.
N
obody else.”

“Don’t you think I know that? What if I go down there and I end up not being able to leave her? I don’t think I could take it. I have strong feelings for Tracy. Beth
is my soul, Tracy is my spirit.
I
t
’
s like choosing between life and existence. Paul
,
if I thought I could make it more than
fifty
feet without passing out, I would have just flat out left
the Hill
by now.”

Paul’s expression deepened and then lightened. “I don’t know
,
man, I can’t say I’m feeling all that much pain for you. You’ve got two
beautiful women v
y
ing for your attention and willing
to die for you
,
pretty much sounds like a dream come true.”

“The problem
,
though
,
Paul
,
is that unlike a dream, I can only walk the path with one of them. I don’t want to do this, I would rather be out fighting than have to deal with this mind fuck.”

Paul walked over to
my
bed and clapped
me
gently on the shoulder. “Come on man, just come and say hi.”

I
shook
my
head. “Not yet
,
Paul. Not yet.”

“I understand. Do you want me to say anything on your behalf?”

I
thought hard for a moment, a hundred things passed through
my
mind. A thousand memories flashed. “No
,” I answered
flatly.

“Get some sleep
,
bud.”

“Yeah
,
wouldn’t that be nice.”

***

Paul headed out the door and down the hallway. Beth turned her head when she heard the door open.

“Paul
!” she said
energetically.
She moved
her good arm to reach
toward
him.

“Hold on, I don’t want you undoing anything our good doctor has fixed
,” Paul said
as he rushed to her side. Paul squeezed her hand.
“Beth, it’s so good to see you. How have you been?” Even as Paul was finishing the question
,
he saw a dark cloud pass through her eyes. He knew her story would be no more enlightening than any of the thousand or so he had heard since th
e
epic had begun.

“I’ll tell you everything, Paul
,
but first…”

And here it comes Paul braced.

“Is Mike here
?” she asked
,
hope flitting across her face. God
,
she was beautifu
l. At one time
,
she had looked his way with those beautiful eyes, but he had been t
o
o immature as their fledgling relationship had begun
.
H
e had
messed around with one of her friends in a drunken stupor. She remained his friend
,
but she had lost a great measure of respect for him. Something he had strived bit by immeasurable bit to win back.