Chpt 11: Reunification

As they walked through the crowds of people they found themselves blending during the short walk to their destination. Walking into a large and inconspicuous building, Carly took a deep breath and walked through the door as V opened it for her.

"Hello, I am looking for a mister...Tindale. He is expecting a visit from me and my colleague." She politely addressed the guard at the security desk, feigning an expert Chinese accent. V noted the grimace that he received from the guard until he noticed the pin he was wearing and quickly looked away.

"One moment please, mam." He nods and makes a quick call, "Fifth floor, office 1264."

"Thank you" Carly nodded before they walked to the elevator, V ever the gentlemen bowed and let her walk in first. V pressed the fifth-floor button just as another nurse rushed in. Tipping his hat at her, she stepped on the other side of Carly.

"Three please..." She says almost breathlessly. "Sorry, it's my first week and I am so lost for time. Been come'n from Brekridge all week. So tiring getting up so early." Her lovely Irish accent fills the elevator as she gently wipes some fluff off her smock.

"I wish you the best of luck on your workday, I hope the rest of the week is quick for you." Carly smiled as V tipped his hat to her when she exited with a small wave. Once the doors closed again Carly's smile dropped, she wondered whether she even knew where her patients came from and how they sustained their injuries. If she were working here, Carly was certain that her conscience would weigh her down and make her tired too. Or perhaps the woman was just a nurse who wanted to help people.

The doors finally open at five and they make their way down a large hallway that seems to be filled with mainly offices. As she stepped a smirk spread across V's face, hearing your heels click in the hallway always stirred something up in him. It wasn't often that they got the opportunity to dress up, and V reveled in the view of her in her smart work uniform and heels. Realizing he was getting distracted, he centered himself as they reached 1264. Upon knocking we are greeted by a kind-eyed receptionist who stood as we walked in, "Good afternoon doctor, I'm Mary the doctor's assistant. I'll let him know you are ready for the tour." She then picked up the phone and pressed a button, "Doctor, your guests are here for the tour. Yes.." she glanced at V. "Yes, he is." Just then her eyes flashed as she stared at the phone. "Um.. there's a call. Yes, sir.. sorry." She smiles and hits another button while motioning for them to go in. As they approach the door, they overhear her whispering in a panic "Right now?! But he has an appointment that is already here... No, it can't be rescheduled, it's for the consul!"

Inside the next door is a large office. One wall is nothing but books. Behind another metal desk is a large set of old windows with a very generic-looking man in a white coat. He turns and puts out a hand to V first before attempting to shake Carly's. Ignoring his misogyny, she simply gave a small tilt of a bow in greeting.

As he pulls back his hand from Carly, he returns to his desk and catches sight of V's counsel badge. His face grimaces a bit, much like the guard at the desk before he returns to looking at Carly exclusively. "Yes, it's our pleasure to have you and..." his tone changes from pleased to content "any member of the consul." Taking a moment, he seemed to reset his mind a bit as he coughed and pursed his lips. "I was made to understand that your country has a number of refugees that need additional care." He paused on the word as if he hated to say it. Both Carly and V start to wonder how much the consul had enforced things here beyond even Tindale's wishes. "As you may not be aware, we have a full medical facility including surgical, post-op, continuing therapy, psychological assistance, and bed-to-home care. As a smaller hospice center, our goal is to treat the injured and return them to society as quickly as possible. For a healthy state is a strong state." His eyes almost glare at V's pin as he finishes his statement before relaxing a bit and returning to smile politely at Carly. His interaction confirmed that he and others were very aware of where they were receiving their patients and her heart ached, thinking about how horrible of a situation they were in. "So in that, we would love to assist in any way we can. It's my hope for my tour..."

But before he can continue his phone beeps and Mary's voice breaks in. "I am terribly sorry sir but the phone call cannot wait."

He smiles a contrite smile and nods at his guests, "Please excuse this. He then picks up the receiver and asks them to put them through. I stand up and walk over to the wall of books. He turns to the window and lowers his voice but it's clear he is upset with the caller but unable to deny what they are asking, ending the call with "Fine, yes...yes it can be done." He then turned and set the phone down with a sigh. "Very sorry about that. It appears that something has come up and I will not be able to give you the tour myself. I will ask Mary to lead you around for now and join you sometime after lunch, I suspect." He stood and presented his hand to V before moving to Carly, pausing, and giving a slight bow. "I am sorry I cannot be here personally. But I hope we can discuss this more later. Do excuse me." He then grabbed his hat and coat from the hook and walked to open the door for them. "Mary, I need to take care of that request. Please see that the Doctor and our consul guest get a tour of whatever they request."

Carly couldn't help but cock an eyebrow, it was curious that he seemed more scared of them than they were over him.

"Shall we begin the tour?" Mary asked, slightly flustered.

"Yes, Mr. Tindale mentioned oh shen me... the things Americans have..." Carly looked over at V to assist her for the English word of what they were looking for.

"Hospice." V reminded her.

"I would be interested to see them, it is very rare since we don't have them in my country." Carly lied.

"Of course, please follow me." Mary smiled and motioned for them to follow her out of the office.

Over the next half hour, they casually walked through several floors of the hospice center. Everything from post-surgical to recovery, from top to bottom. As Carly and V reach the main floor they are presented with the step-down wing that leads behind the hospital. A series of single-floor buildings that wrap a nice-sized garden. Several elderly patients sit in comfortable robes around a pond with various caregivers and apparent family.

Mary continues "And this is our garden area. Most of our patients stay here in our buildings 11 through 14." Her hand points to the several buildings that line the garden. "Most of these patients, unfortunately, are in situations where they are in final care. Conditions internally have deteriorated to a point where comfort and support are all that can be given. It's not a place where people wish to be, so we try to make them as comfortable as possible." She reached the back of the garden space and glanced at her watch. "Oh my, is it already 1? We should probably get you back to the office as Mr. Tinsdale will be interested in speaking with you."

V put his hand up "Mary, I think we will enjoy this garden a bit longer and make our way back to the office in due time. I would rather not rush the good doctor's judgment." She gave him a timid look and nodded before walking back to the main building. V then turned slightly to Carly and mentioned, much to her surprise, in Mandarin "I figure we have about a half hour before they start looking for us. Shall we go wandering?"

As soon as he's sure that Mary has left their sight lines he led them to the side door and opened it for Carly. Inside the building, they wander a bit till I find another nurse. "Afternoon, it seems we have lost our direction here. Could you direct us to ward 15? Mr. Tinsdale is meeting us there".

"Yeah, follow that hallway to the end and turn left through the double doors. There is a covered walkway out back to it." His face was a bit grim as he mentioned it. As they start to turn he glances back to V before shaking his head and turning back almost sternly to continue cleaning. It was very clear that they were representing the enemy in this situation.

Carly's heart raced in her chest, filled with anxiety and fear of what she might find as they walked. She hurriedly scanned each room and passed one before slowing in realization and backtracking. A pale and frail man with a bruised face and sunken cheeks lay moaning in a bed that seemed far too big for him. It was Tony. The door to his room opened automatically and she rushed over to the bed, barely making it before her knees buckled as she reached the bed.

V watched as she rushed into the room and paused at the door, his current costume only would cause a greater disturbance to the two of them than help. Looking up and down the hall he saw only one attendant and they quickly made themselves scarce when they noticed him. V ended up grabbing Tony's posted paper chart from the wall. Giving it a quick read his eyes focus on the final prognosis.

Patients suffering from acute leukopenia from ARS. Coupled with failure to accept treatments for tumors, the patient is considered terminal and excretory fluids should be considered a medium health risk. Without patient health turnaround, terminal life expectancy is less than a month

The paper continued to various treatments, testing, and medications that all ceased days ago and were changed to simply morphine for pain. V took the top sheet of the chart knowing that it will simply be destroyed once he has passed, giving her a bit more information about his condition later if she asked. He looked in at Carly and paused, waiting for her to see him before shaking his head, hoping she would understand his take on everything. With that, he pressed the button on the door to shut them in.

Carly held his now small face in her hands, and gently ran a thumb over his cheek. Her heart broke into a million pieces at his state, he was severely malnourished and unwell. She had been too late.

"Tony..." she whispered, trying to pull him out of his daze.

"Jamae! Where have you been?" He asked deliriously as if she were merely late for a coffee date.

"Looking for you, silly." Carly did her best to smile at him and try to hold back the sobs that were creeping up her throat.

"Where's mom and dad?" He asked, seeming disappointed that they were not with her. In his delirium, he had even forgotten that they had passed.

"They're on their way." Carly lied and moved onto the bed so he could lean on her.

"You know what I could go for right now?" Tony asked, rubbing his stomach. Carly made a noise for him to continue as she gently stroked his hair away from his face. She had some glimmer of hope that they would find him in better health and be able to take him back to nurse him back to help. But his condition was evident, and V's expression only confirmed her fear that they had been too late. "Some of mom's jook, I always hated it when I was a kid, but I could go for some right now. With some extra pork floss. " He sighed dreamily.

"Maybe she'll surprise you with some," Carly suggested and moved onto the bed so she could hold him, ignoring the noticeably slower cadence of his heart monitor. After a deep sigh, Tony held her tighter and whispered, "I'm so tired. When are we going home?"

"I know you are, hyeong. We'll go home soon; I just want to sit with you for a little bit first. I missed you." Carly's reply is barely above a whisper. Now that she was out of eyesight for him, tears freely flowed down her cheeks as she continued to stroke his hair and kiss the top of his head.

"I'm glad that they didn't come after you. If I was there, I wouldn't have let them even if they tried. There would have...would have...been hell...to pay." His voice was quiet between shallow but labored breaths as if he were falling asleep.

The cadence of his heart monitor beeping continued to slow.

Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...beep.

"I know you wouldn't have, but they knew better than to mess with you or me." Carly assured him.

He let out a small laugh before the arm he was holding onto her arm gently fell to the bed and the long and flat tone of his heart monitor rang out quietly throughout the room. Carly's arms wrapped tighter around him in disbelief and her eyes shut as she held her hand over her mouth, to silence her cry.

Outside a nurse approached V, "Sorry.. I.. oh, hello again. I just need to..." Her eye's caught V holding Tony's chart, "Oh, I .. was asked to administer this. Has he passed already?" She seemed confused and worried.

"It is no longer your concern. Thank you miss, I will take it from here." With that, she nodded and handed V the vial and needle package and the medical order sheet. Reading its label Sodium Thiopental, is an anesthetic that causes immediate sleep or in high enough doses death.

Medication order form: for immediate delivery. 35 cc's of Sodium Thiopental through IV. All family has been notified or the deceased. The body is to be cremated and the remains sent to the central office for processing and shipping. Requested by: Dr. C. Onsel

V slipped back into the room just as he heard the elongated tone and quietly stepped over to the heart monitor to stop the alarm.

"We don't have a lot of time, but take all that you wish. The hospice center knows nothing of what has happened to him. They thought we were here to take him. Which means someone will be here soon or is already here. I'll be right outside when you are ready."

He stepped back out the door quietly letting her have a moment before hearing the nurse come back by.

"Thank you.. I have never liked handling those requests. Even in his state, it seems odd. Was she family?" she asked, sympathy written all over her face.

As V opened his mouth to reply he noticed two guards entering through swinging doors at the end of the hall. In front of them was a gurney with a body bag on it. She gave them an odd look, but he put his hand on her shoulder. "

Perhaps I should handle this. You should go on break now, it's probably best. I would suggest..." V reached into his coat on her side and pulled out the syringe now loaded, she gasped and covered her mouth. "Behind the nurse's desk until it goes quiet. Now off with you." She quickly stepped away from him without another word, making her way to the desk as the men approached.

"Is he dead? We are here to pick him up." One guard asked with a gruff voice. "And what are you doing here?" The other one mentions in an annoyed tone. "No fingermen have ever had to cover our duty before. What gives?"

"Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that your devious-natured deeds have alluded to the fine individuals granting care in this facility." V's voice became dark with anger.

"What the fuck did he say to us?" He turned to the other "I think he asked for an ass kicking. Always wanted to stuff an old finger in a body bag." He reaches for his baton. But as he started to pull it V spun forward and jammed his hand into the baton holster, slamming his fingers between it and the steel belt loop breaking it. He then brought the syringe into the guard's neck and depressed halfway before pulling it out.

His comrade then reaches for his gun as V's knee slams a cart, between them, pinning him to the wall before pressing the syringe into his neck and dispensing the rest of the medication. Within a moment the nurse peeks out and runs over. "Jesus, what the hell did you do?"

"I gave them the anesthetic that you handed me. I am not a board-certified physician but if they are not cared for within the next 10 minutes both of them will remain in an indefinite state of sleep until death." V stated calmly as he carefully disposed of the needle in the hall needle drop.

"What did you mean by what you said?" She checks their vitals quickly.

"I simply meant that you had no idea that the individuals in these rooms are all fugitives selected by the Consul to be killed. That this ward, in fact, is a silent prison for those scheduled to die quietly. And those guards, who are sleeping quietly, are complacent with that knowledge." V met her gaze with purpose as she looked back up in horror "Now, what are you going to do?"

She stands up and gives him a serious look. "I'm going to go to the loo and wait till you are gone." She turned to leave but not before kicking one of them in the side.

In the room, Carly finally looked down at Tony, his face wearing a calm expression in comparison to the pained one she had seen when she first walked in. Her last image of him was one of peace, not pain.

Pressing her lips on his forehead, she laid him back down against the bed and forced herself to walk away, knowing they didn't have much time.

As Carly steps out of room V finishes putting the guards in more inconspicuous places, one in the body bag and the other on a free gurney.

"I am sorry, my dear." V gently pulled him to her, "We can talk more once we are on the train, but based on time and the current situation, we should be going." He gently pulled at her hand to take them to a door leading to a back alley behind the hospital.

Passing through an alley V tossed his coat and set his briefcase on a trashcan, which contained their new disguises. V made quick work of swapping out their wigs for new ones, as well as shirts and shoes. He carefully slid a pair of fake glasses on Carly before applying a new mask for himself. Within a few moments, they had changed from an old man and a doctor to a slightly younger gentleman and his companion. The last and final touch was a pair of sunglasses and a walking cane to indicate a vision impairment. Carly slid her stethoscope into the briefcase, knowing that she may need it for actual medical emergencies, and followed V out of the alley and into a small shopping area a few blocks from the train. "In my left pocket are our new IDs and tickets." He informed her, holding his cane in one hand as she guided him toward the station.

No one seems to be paying too much attention to them aside from moving out of the way once they see the cane moving back and forth in front of V. Much to their relief, the train arrived shortly for them to board. Not long after the train departs the attendant comes through the aisle to take tickets and moves along to the others in the next cart.

Carly sat still clearly in shock, knowing that she was grateful that she was able to give him some peace in his final moments but ultimately felt like she had failed him. V was keenly aware that they hadn't discussed the plan that he had formulated if her brother was well enough to be evacuated, knowing that it wouldn't be the likely outcome even though neither of them said it. Putting an arm gently around Carly, V silently comforted her as best he could till the train eventually rolled into the city and V gently nudged her back into reality.

Upon exiting they wait a bit for the subway platform to clear before sliding through a maintenance door to the side tunnels, through old emergency paths to stairs not far from the church the Shadow Gallery resided under, and finally made their way inside into the safety of their home.