Chapter 9
The entire surgical team looked in disbelief at the command to stop the life-saving surgery on the First Lady of the United States. Dr. Padnik, already angered over the presence of the agents in the operating room carrying loaded guns, turned to them, ready to order both of them out. 'Rules be dammed!' But stopped as one of the agents approached his anesthesiologist, who was injecting a medication into Abbey's IV line. The agent placed the gun in his face and yelled, "Out! Now!"
"What do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of surgery here. He's our anesthesiologist. Without him the First Lady will die."
"Get someone else in here right now. He can't continue."
The anesthesiologist looked first at Dr. Padnik and then at the gun in his face. He pulled the syringe out of the port and slipped it into the trash can, where other syringes were already lying. "I'm working here. Get away!"
"What the hell do you mean, he can't continue?" Dr. Padnik was totally frustrated. 'How dare these Americans interrupt his surgery?'
"He doesn't check out. We need someone else in here. NOW!"
Marks and another agent appeared at the door and motioned the anesthesiologist to come out of the room. Dr. Padnik waved him away. "Go! It'll be fine."
He walked slowly to the door as another doctor quickly took his place. Leaning into the sterile operating room, the two outside agents grabbed him and pulled him out, closing the door behind him. The new doctor quickly took his place at the head of the table and began to review the records.
"How is she?" asked Dr. Padnik, still confused about what had just happened.
The new anesthesiologist nodded. "Her heart's a little unstable. Wait a minute."
He continued to listen to the First Lady's heart as it struggled to regain a normal rhythm. The two inside agents looked at each other over their masks, their eyes wide with fear. 'Had they not gotten to the switch in time? What had the other anesthesiologist done' were their common thoughts.
Dr. Padnik and his assistant looked at the cardiac monitor as the lines finally straightened out to a normal sinus rhythm.
"Is she okay?" Dr. Padnik did not need any more complications than he was already facing.
Nodding, the new anesthesiologist sighed with relief. "She's strong. You can keep going."
Looking again with disgust at the two agents who had moved back to their places against the wall, Dr. Padnik grunted and turned back to the task at hand, shaken but ready to proceed.
Within an hour, the surgery was over and Abbey had been moved to the recovery room.
All the other patients had been moved to another location so that Abbey would be there by herself. Security was tight there too. Still guarded by armed agents. Guns still poised for action.