| Subject: The Dragonslayer, Chapters 31 & 32 |
Author:
Jaron
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Date Posted: 19:28:25 12/18/01 Tue
In reply to:
Jaron
's message, "The Dragonslayer" on 16:44:37 12/16/01 Sun
The Dragonslayer, Chapter 31
I sat back in my chair and watched Madeline speaking to Michael. Now, what made
me think of a spider dancing lightly around a fly wrapped in a filament of silk? And if
the filament enmeshed Michael, what of Rene? I rose quickly to my feet and moved to
insinuate myself between the spider and the two most important people in my life.
Could a dragonslayer, although a novice, squash a spider? For Michael and Rene, I
would try....
“That’s wonderful news, Madeline, but I would appreciate it if I could speak with
Michael....Alone, please?” I gave her a withering look that said “leave!” and to my
surprise, she did leave.
“How did you do that?” Michael whispered. “Madeline rarely backs down from anyone.
Grace, be careful!” He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Rene and I need you.
I don’t want you on Madeline’s hit list. Now, what did you need to talk to me about?”
“Nothing in particular. I just wanted her away from you. I didn’t like the possessive
zeal I saw in her eyes when she looked at you. She reminded me of a spider spinning
her web around you.” I shivered at the image. Michael laughed, a small quiet sound
that was accompanied by a wince in his eyes. “Michael! What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Grace. My stitches are pulling a bit. Don’t make me laugh anymore.” He
settled back and cradled a still sleeping Rene. “Grace, she said they were bringing
Nikita and Carson in. Could you see if you could find anything out about their
condition?”
“Of course, Michael. I’ll see what I can do.” I disengaged my hand from his and
proceeded on my mission for Michael.
Just as I was about to ask a nurse about Nikita and Carson, medical personnel came
flying through the sliding doors with two gurneys. I saw for myself the objects of
Michael’s concern. Nikita was pale, her eyes glazed with pain, a bloody bandage
around a wound in her left thigh. Carson was unconscious, with a bandage on his
forehead and another bloody one wrapped around his knee. I looked back towards
Michael’s room, knowing he could hear the doctors shouting instructions and the
nurses hurrying to give attention to the wounded operatives. I stayed out of the way
and watched and listened so I could tell Michael what I had learned.
Nikita had a in and out bullet wound in her thigh, which would heal cleanly. She had
been sedated with painkillers and rolled into a cubicle where a doctor cleaned and
sutured the wounds. She would be okay. Carson, on the other hand, was being
prepped for surgery. A bullet had shattered his kneecap and two doctors were
studying X-rays with concerned looks on their faces. “This does not looks good for
his status as an operative. I don’t think he will ever achieve full use of the knee
again.” One doctor sighed and said, “But we will do what we can, but Operations will
have to be notified about this. The head wound is superficial, I don’t think there will
be any problems with that, but the knee is a different matter. Let’s get him to
surgery!”
Armed with this information, I walked slowly back to Michael, with good news and
bad news.
The Dragonslayer, Chapter 32
Michael was waiting for me with a certain amount of anxiety, and I guess my body
language told him that there was bad news. I could see his eyes grow wide as he saw
me.
“Oh no, Grace. Madeline lied.....Nikita!” He said, his voice quavering with concern.
“Is okay,” I reassured him, “Nikita is going to be fine. She was hit in the thigh, an in
and out wound with no severe muscle or bone damage.” I rushed to his side as he
tried to sit up and watched his eyes spasm in pain at the quick movement. A
movement which awoke Rene, who sleepily rubbed his eyes and looked around.
“I’m hungry,” he said, looking at me. “When’s lunch?” He had come awake at a bad
time because I didn’t want to talk about Carson in front of him. The two had become
so attached that I knew he would be upset at Carson being hurt. As if in answer to
my plea for more time, Walter appeared, a smile on his face.
“My Sugar is going to be okay!” He beamed.
“I grabbed his arm and quickly asked him to take Rene for lunch. My eyes signaling
him to say nothing else in front of Rene. Michael and I would do that later.
“Okay, Rene, what do you feel like eating? I feel like a could eat a bear. How about
you?” Rene laughed as Walter reached for him and tickled him as he lifted him down
from Michael’s bed.
“I’ll be right back. Okay, Daddy?” A slight frown creased his forehead, as if he sensed
that Michael was holding something back from him, but Walter tickled him again and
the two of them headed toward the cafeteria in search of food. I turned back to
Michael.
“It’s Carson” I said. “His knee cap is shattered and I heard the doctors say he most
likely would not get back the full use of it. They said that Operations would have to
be notified. Michael, what does that mean? Tell me.” He began to speak, and I knew
he was lying to me.
“Grace, Operations needs to know about Carson’s injury so he can take him off
mission availability status. When missions are planned, he has to know who is
available. That’s all.” He looked at me while he was speaking, but then shifted his
gaze from my eyes to a point ove my left shoulder. The subtle shift caught and held
my attention.
“Michael, you are not telling me the truth about Carson. Why did the doctors only
mention Carson, and not Nikita, if all this is about mission availability?” I stood my
ground with him, but he only stared back at me, his eyes blank.
“I’ve told you all I know, Grace.”
“I will find out the truth, Michael. I never thought you would lie to me.” He looked
down and would not meet my eyes. I began to fear for Carson. I knew something
bad was going to happen. Michael had never lied to me before. He had stretched the
truth and had been guilty of omission, but this was an outright lie.
“I have to go see Madeline,” I told him. “I’ll be back later.” And I left him sitting
alone in his bed.
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