The Colonel Vs. The Angel of Death Chapter 8 "The Evidence of Things Not Seen"
Colonel Casey and Pastor Annie Coburn are finally reunited, but things did not go according to plan, and the General's orders are now officially in the toilet.
He lay quietly in the C.C.U. In the N.C.A. Hospital, his eyes alert and taking in the medical armory placed around him. It had been a fitful night, his dreams flitting in and out of the morphine he was certainly on. His chest pain had subsided, but his frustration at his current situation had not. No one had reported to him about his condition, and there were a nagging thought at the edges of John Casey's mind. As he replayed the ambulance trip, the subsequent surgery and the faces of Devon Woodcomb and Chuck Bartowski, he suddenly remembered Devon's whispered admonition. "Pastor Annie is going to need you, bro." Casey, startled, his uneasiness ramping up as he pushed down the button to lower his bed closer to the floor. He cautiously stood up, gently freeing the monitor and i.v. lines enough to let him move over to the bedside cabinet and search for his cell phone. He nearly dropped it when the nurse hurried into his room and began to shout.
"Colonel Casey, back in bed!" the nurse ordered, as Casey whipped around, his right hand equipped with his Sig Sauer, safety off, red target dot right on the nurse's heart. Unfortunately, as he whipped around his body, Casey's head begun to spin and he slumped up against the bed, slowly heading for the floor, ripping his I.v. Out, and letting go of his Sauer. The nurse valiantly tried to hold the 6 foot 4 inch man up, but they both slowly crashed to the floor as the nurse cried out for help. At that moment, the gurney with Pastor Annie pushed by, and Ellie Woodcomb, her attention pulled from Annie and onto the nurse's frantic voice stepped into the room.
"John? Oh, my Lord, it's John" Ellie gasped and ran in to his side, before Special Agent Chad Shelton could stop her.
"I'm a doctor, nurse. Let me help. Agent Shelton, help me lift John back in bed." Shelton sighed loudly and commanded the other agent, "Stay here with the Pastor." as he obeyed the immovable force known as Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb.
"Ellie..." Casey grasped the familiar shoulder, his face wincing in the pain and confusion.
"Why...are...you...here?" he struggled to raise himself up from the floor, but Ellie noticed the blood spewing forth from his hand shunt.
"Lord, John, what in heaven's name did you do?" Swiftly, Ellie reached for an ace bandage, and tourniquet. She wrapped the rubber tourniquet tightly around Casey's upper arm to stop the blood flow and pressed gauze over the slowing blood trickle from the torn hole. She then ordered Agent Shelton to lift Casey up and put him in bed. A large man himself, Shelton picked Casey up after murmuring "Colonel", and plopped the Marine unceremoniously down on the bed. "Shelton." Casey grunted his thanks.
"John..." a small voice called from outside Casey's door, and John knew it instantly. "Annie..."he called..."Where are you?" Casey cried out and tried to once more get out of the bed and move toward the voice. Shelton flung himself over Casey and held him down to the bed.
"Sir," Shelton warned as he tried to still his frantic officer. Ellie was trying to reinsert the new I.v., but Casey became even more agitated by the pain and the need to seek out his Annie.
"Shelton, stand down!" Casey roared and he thrust himself up to move the large N.S.A. Agent off of him. Suddenly, Casey instantly stopped when he heard the voice again.
"John, don't fight your brother." The small voice called out again and everyone turned toward the door to see who had the power to quiet a raging Casey. There stood Pastor Annie Coburn, swaying slightly, her bloodied blouse rumpled around the heart leads, her arms and feet trying to reach the colonel. The agent who had been with her was trying desperately to get her back in bed, but seeing the determination in her face, he straighten the leads out to allow her to move off the gurney.
Dr. Ellie's face was in shock as she, too, witnessed the incredible connection her friends had.
"Please, let the Pastor come in." Ellie commanded and as Casey relaxed enough, Shelton let go of his brother's body and reached out his hand to help Annie get near.
Quickly, as Casey leaned slightly toward Pastor, Ellie reinserted the I.v. snd shot a load of sedative and pain killer into the line. Casey visibly slumped into his pillow, his other hand reaching out to touch Annie's fingertips.
Slowly, Annie stepped to his side, and gently laid her head on his massive, strong chest. His arms encircled her gently, so very gently, as she wept silently, finally, in the safety of his arms.
"My Annie...my darling Annie..." Casey whispered, tears slowly running trails down his cheeks. As his right hand slid down her back, he felt the warm blood seeping out through the bandages on Annie's back.
"Shelton, get over here on the double and get Annie into the E.R." Casey ordered as he tried to prevent her from sliding downward to the floor. Her weight pulled on his chest wound, and he gasped in pain once again, as he tried to catch her. Silently, Chad lifted the woman up, and nodded to the Colonel. Ellie grabbed John's arm and spoke carefully.
"John, I will take very good care of her for you. You need to rest." Ellie pushed John back gently onto his pillow, as he struggled to keep conscious against the medication.
"Dear Jesus, please Ellie, don't let them die." Casey's eyes closed momentarily in a prayer, but sprang open when someone else appeared at the door.
"Casey, what in the blazes do you think..." Devon stood at the doorway, and stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of him. Colonel John Casey, flushed, sweating, blood on his hands, was trying very hand to push down his hospital gown over his privates. A bloodied and comatose Pastor Annie was being lifted onto a gurney by a man Devon could have sworn was a younger Casey, with Sauer pistols peeking out from under his jacket, and Devon's own wife was in the middle of it all.
"Ellie, what are you doing here?" Devon stuttered out, as his wife began to say the same thing.
Then the frantic steps of Converse covered feet of one super spy Charles Bartowski filled the hallway as he, too appeared at Casey's doorway.
"Oh, Crap!" Chuck swore as Sarah's blond head peeked in too. Casey lurched up from his bed, pulled his gown down angrily over his lower body, and stared, rather rummy eyed at Chuck.
"You are not kidding, moron!" Casey grunted loudly and then passed out.
Nearing the end, folks. Would love to have some more reviews. Your encouragement is so appreciated, even better than a shooting lesson from Col. John Casey.