Chapter 3
After leaving Sydney's house, Jack returned to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. When he arrived, he found that Will was out of surgery. Will was now occupying the room that Jack had vacated earlier in the day.
When Jack entered Will's room, he was both surprised and pleased to see that Margie Manser was taking care of him.
"Don't you ever go home?" he asked her.
She turned around and was startled by how pale Jack looked. "My relief nurse will be here soon," she told him.
Will lay motionless on the bed. He was connected to multiple tubes and machines. Jack slowly walked over to him. He laid his hand on Will's and whispered, "I'm going to find out who did this to you, Will. I promise."
Jack turned to Margie and asked what Will's chances for survival were?
"He's got more than a 30% chance." She then told, "His family is expected in this afternoon. Do you know them?"
"No, I've never met them. Will was..., is... a friend of my daughter. He just got caught up in something he had no control over."
He then asked, "Has there been a cover worked out for what happened to him?"
"Yes. His family is going to be told that he was investigating an oil scam that ended up having international repercussions."
Jack thought that lie was as good as any. He felt sympathy for Will's parents as they would be losing their son, whether he survived this attack, or not. Jack had no doubt that the CIA had every intention of placing him into a witness protection program for at least a few years.
"Whom can I speak to about being kept informed of Will's progress?" he asked the nurse.
"We have been ordered to give Mr. Kendall daily progress reports. I suspect you can get what you need from him," she answered.
As Jack turned to leave, he was over come by a wave of dizziness. Once again, Margie was nearby and was able to prevent him from falling. "I assume you haven't eaten anything since you left here, have you? Come with me," she said, before he had a chance to deny her statement.
"No, I have to go. I have to go to see my..., I have to go to the Op Center," he told her as he struggled to regain his balance.
"Whatever's there, will be there when you get there," she informed him. "Come with me before you end up back here as a patient."
Under Jack's protest, Margie guided him to her supervisor's office. On the way to the office, she grabbed a tray of food off the food cart. She sat Jack down at the desk and ordered him to start eating. "I'll be right back," she said.
When Margie left the room, Jack sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He was too tired to raise his hands and rub out the pressure that was once again invading his head. All he could think of was getting to the Op Center and proving that it is not his daughter, lying on the cold metal table.
"Jack, if you don't eat, you're going to pass out and I know you don't have time for that," Margie said, when she returned to the office. She placed a cup of coffee in front of him and told him, "Here, this coffee is better than that stuff we give to our patients."
"Thank you," he said as he accepted the coffee. After taking a drink he asked her, "Are you on duty 24 hours a day?"
She smiled and told him, "No. I stay longer for special cases. I have level 4 security clearance. I want to be here when Will's parents arrive. I took a nap in the nurse's lounge after you left."
Jack was impressed to hear that Margie had such a high security clearance. He asked her, "How do rate your clearance level?"
"My husband was an agent. That's how I got involved in this," she told him.
"He was..., an agent?"
"Yes. He died almost a year ago. We were stationed in Maryland. My children are both going to college at UCLA. They insisted that I move out here. So here I am in smoggy California."
"I'm sorry, about your husband," he told her. "Did he die in the line of duty?"
"Sort of," she told him. "He worked too hard. He had a heart attack."
"Your children, are they boys or girls?" he asked her.
"One each. They're twins. They're in their third year of college. Jerry is studying medicine and Lisa is into linguistics. She wants to work in international diplomacy. She takes after her father."
"My daughter can speak a dozen languages. She can even do the accents," he told her, proudly.
"Tell me about her, Jack," Margie asked him.
He looked at Margie and with the brims of his eyes turning red, he told her, "We don't know yet that it's her. Whoever is responsible for destroying her house could have kidnapped her and planted a look-a-like body in her room. If Sydney's alive, she'll find a way to get away from them."
"She looked like she was a resourceful young woman," Margie said, trying to offer him comfort.
"She was. I mean she is," he said, confused. He then placed his head in his hands and told her, "Margie, I don't know what I'll do, if it's her."
"I do," she told him, firmly. "You'll find out who was responsible and you'll bring them to justice."
A chill ran through Margie, when Jack sat up and looked at her. He coldly told her, "You're wrong. When I find out who is responsible for this, I will kill them."
Margie didn't doubt for an instant that he meant exactly what he said. She told him, "Either way, you have a reason to go on, don't you? Now eat, because I'm not letting you out of here until you do."
tbc
After leaving Sydney's house, Jack returned to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. When he arrived, he found that Will was out of surgery. Will was now occupying the room that Jack had vacated earlier in the day.
When Jack entered Will's room, he was both surprised and pleased to see that Margie Manser was taking care of him.
"Don't you ever go home?" he asked her.
She turned around and was startled by how pale Jack looked. "My relief nurse will be here soon," she told him.
Will lay motionless on the bed. He was connected to multiple tubes and machines. Jack slowly walked over to him. He laid his hand on Will's and whispered, "I'm going to find out who did this to you, Will. I promise."
Jack turned to Margie and asked what Will's chances for survival were?
"He's got more than a 30% chance." She then told, "His family is expected in this afternoon. Do you know them?"
"No, I've never met them. Will was..., is... a friend of my daughter. He just got caught up in something he had no control over."
He then asked, "Has there been a cover worked out for what happened to him?"
"Yes. His family is going to be told that he was investigating an oil scam that ended up having international repercussions."
Jack thought that lie was as good as any. He felt sympathy for Will's parents as they would be losing their son, whether he survived this attack, or not. Jack had no doubt that the CIA had every intention of placing him into a witness protection program for at least a few years.
"Whom can I speak to about being kept informed of Will's progress?" he asked the nurse.
"We have been ordered to give Mr. Kendall daily progress reports. I suspect you can get what you need from him," she answered.
As Jack turned to leave, he was over come by a wave of dizziness. Once again, Margie was nearby and was able to prevent him from falling. "I assume you haven't eaten anything since you left here, have you? Come with me," she said, before he had a chance to deny her statement.
"No, I have to go. I have to go to see my..., I have to go to the Op Center," he told her as he struggled to regain his balance.
"Whatever's there, will be there when you get there," she informed him. "Come with me before you end up back here as a patient."
Under Jack's protest, Margie guided him to her supervisor's office. On the way to the office, she grabbed a tray of food off the food cart. She sat Jack down at the desk and ordered him to start eating. "I'll be right back," she said.
When Margie left the room, Jack sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He was too tired to raise his hands and rub out the pressure that was once again invading his head. All he could think of was getting to the Op Center and proving that it is not his daughter, lying on the cold metal table.
"Jack, if you don't eat, you're going to pass out and I know you don't have time for that," Margie said, when she returned to the office. She placed a cup of coffee in front of him and told him, "Here, this coffee is better than that stuff we give to our patients."
"Thank you," he said as he accepted the coffee. After taking a drink he asked her, "Are you on duty 24 hours a day?"
She smiled and told him, "No. I stay longer for special cases. I have level 4 security clearance. I want to be here when Will's parents arrive. I took a nap in the nurse's lounge after you left."
Jack was impressed to hear that Margie had such a high security clearance. He asked her, "How do rate your clearance level?"
"My husband was an agent. That's how I got involved in this," she told him.
"He was..., an agent?"
"Yes. He died almost a year ago. We were stationed in Maryland. My children are both going to college at UCLA. They insisted that I move out here. So here I am in smoggy California."
"I'm sorry, about your husband," he told her. "Did he die in the line of duty?"
"Sort of," she told him. "He worked too hard. He had a heart attack."
"Your children, are they boys or girls?" he asked her.
"One each. They're twins. They're in their third year of college. Jerry is studying medicine and Lisa is into linguistics. She wants to work in international diplomacy. She takes after her father."
"My daughter can speak a dozen languages. She can even do the accents," he told her, proudly.
"Tell me about her, Jack," Margie asked him.
He looked at Margie and with the brims of his eyes turning red, he told her, "We don't know yet that it's her. Whoever is responsible for destroying her house could have kidnapped her and planted a look-a-like body in her room. If Sydney's alive, she'll find a way to get away from them."
"She looked like she was a resourceful young woman," Margie said, trying to offer him comfort.
"She was. I mean she is," he said, confused. He then placed his head in his hands and told her, "Margie, I don't know what I'll do, if it's her."
"I do," she told him, firmly. "You'll find out who was responsible and you'll bring them to justice."
A chill ran through Margie, when Jack sat up and looked at her. He coldly told her, "You're wrong. When I find out who is responsible for this, I will kill them."
Margie didn't doubt for an instant that he meant exactly what he said. She told him, "Either way, you have a reason to go on, don't you? Now eat, because I'm not letting you out of here until you do."
tbc
