Chapter 6 Moscow

Leo appeared from his room just down the hall from the President. The rest of the traveling party was staying at a hotel downtown and so was still unaware of the explosions.

"Ron, have you found the President?"

"Yes Mr. McGarry. We have. He's being tended to right now.

"And Abbey?"

"We're still looking."

As much as he wanted to yell, Leo knew Ron was doing his job so he turned his attention to the President.

Jed had been found on the bed, with the covers pulled up about his chest. The medical team had just arrived to assess his condition.

His arms were covered with shrapnel wounds, glass embedded in his face and burns on his chest, arms and hands. Unconscious, Jed was carefully rolled onto a back board and strapped in. He was immediately taken to the newly arrived ambulance and placed inside. His burns were flooded with sterile water and dressings and an oxygen mask placed over his face. A heart rate monitor showed a rapid rate but no abnormal beats.

Ron and another agent jumped inside and headed for the American Hospital, set up by Americans after the Cold War was over as a gesture of support for the Russian people. Russian and American military escort vehicles drove ahead, clearing the path of any traffic. Upon arrival, Ron set up a perimeter around the emergency room and made sure that only essential people would be allowed in. He expected the First Lady would be coming here as well.

As soon as the President left, Agent Marks, the head of the First Lady detail for this trip, directed all the manpower to focus on the search for her. Not finding her in the bed, agents spread out in the room. No one had exited the room since their retiring at midnight so she had to be there inside.

Finally, the words everybody was waiting to hear. "She's over here."

Abbey apparently had been coming out of the bathroom at the time of the blast and the force had knocked her into the wall, then down under the debris of the ceiling.

"Be careful. She's got to be severely injured," Agent Marks directed the rescue party.

The agents carefully removed the sheet rock debris which had fallen over her and had her trapped. When the last of the sheet rock had been removed, she was also carefully assessed for injuries.

She had not been so lucky. Her pajamas had been shredded by both the impact of the blast and the shrapnel. Shrapnel holes could be seen in her abdomen, implying internal bleeding. Her face was also covered with embedded glass shards and a severe cut across her forehead. She was carefully rolled onto a second back board and strapped in so she couldn't move even if she was conscious, which she wasn't.

"How bad?" Marks cringed at the sight in front of him.

One of the agents did a quick assessment. Looking at Marks, he replied, "It doesn't look good. Her blood pressure is extremely low and she's losing a lot of blood."

"What about her heart?"

"So far, it's beating. That's about all I can say."

"Then let's get her out of here. RIGHT NOW!"

Marks knew the agents were aware of their responsibility but he cared for the woman on the floor. Cared deeply and was stunned at the massive injuries she had suffered in the explosion.

The same routine took place for her. Placed on a stretcher, she was taken by ambulance to the American Hospital and taken to a different room than the President. Her agents surrounded her stretcher, keeping a watchful eye on the medical personnel attending her.

Soldiers and agents with machine guns surrounded the hospital and maintained a tight perimeter around the First Couple. Additional support was provided by Russian police and elements of the American military stationed in Moscow. Ron knew he had to make the perimeter as tight as possible so no further harm could be done. There had already been enough damage to last a lifetime.

After they had both left, Leo went back to his room to get dressed. Leo and the President had been warned this could happen. In fact, the President had been told of the threats several times but he had insisted to make the trip. Both the President and Ron had talked to the First Lady several times about staying home but she had insisted on coming. According to private conversations with Jed, Abbey had been so insistent it had caused a few arguments between the two of them. But nothing anybody could say could persuade her to stay home. Now they both were in critical condition with serious injuries that would require extensive medical intervention if they were to survive.