Cheater's Plan

"One last thing, I want to thank you for being the best sister in law a guy could ever have. I heard everything you two said in the kitchen that day and I only wish Kathy had listened to you. Thank you for your support that day even if she didn't follow your advice. A guy has got to love a sister in law like you.

"Sharon, I have to run. I will talk to you again in a month. Bye."

Sharon wanted to say more but could only get out, "Bye John, she really does love you." As she heard John hang up the phone she said to unhearing ears, "And I love you too John."

A month went by and Sharon was expecting another call from John but didn't get one. After two months with no contact she was getting frantically worried and decided to call Carolyn Hofstetter again to see what was up.

"Carolyn, this is John Taylor's sister in law Sharon Burke and I am worried about John. He called me a month after he went undercover and talked for a little while and promised me he would call me again in a month but now it is two months later and he hasn't called. Is there anything you can tell me?"

"Sharon, you are the name on our contact list for John Taylor but there really isn't much that I will be able to tell you. John has gone into deep cover and is totally off our grid. I don't know where he is, I don't know what he has been doing and I have no idea anymore if he is alright or not.

"The only hint I have to his wellbeing is that our office has been receiving a significant number of anonymous tips on drug dealers and deals that are going down. We have made numerous arrests and have been able to establish a number of CI's (confidential informants) that have helped us even more.

"Someone out there is doing a hell of a job in supplying us with information and it is making a huge dent in the drug trafficking here in the upper Midwest. My best guess is that it is John but I am not certain of that of course.

"As soon as I receive any verifiable information about John I will let you know. Until then all that either of us can do is wait and see what happens unless of course he is spotted somewhere."

Sharon was extremely anxious about this news and despite John's previous request she shared all of the information with Kathy. Even though her sister had been stupid to do what she did Sharon loved her and didn't want to see her suffer unnecessarily any more than she already was.

Almost another whole month went by and one morning Sharon got a call from Carolyn Hofstetter. "Sharon Burke?"

"Yes this is Sharon."

"I have some information about John Taylor but I cannot do it over the phone. I would suggest that we pick you and John's wife up and bring you to my office so we can talk here."

"This sounds very serious and now I am really worried, can't you please tell me what is going on?" Sharon replied.

Carolyn told her, "As I told you I am not able to discuss anything with you over the phone but I am available all afternoon so perhaps right after lunch would be the best time for us to pick you up. Make it 1:30 p.m. and we will have a lot of time to talk. The two agents who will pick you up are agent Pierce and agent Jackson. Be sure to ask them for ID's. And Sharon, discuss this with no one but John's wife, do you hear me?"

"Oh my god," Sharon cried, "This sounds awful and I am scared out of my mind but we will be ready at 1:30 p.m. for agents Pierce and Jackson."

The knock on the door was expected but still it startled the two women as they had been anxiously waiting for 1:30 p.m. to arrive. As Carolyn had told them two agents identified as Pierce and Jackson escorted them from the house to the waiting black SUV. It didn't make Kathy or Sharon feel any better though, just more anxious. They both thought, what is with this cloak and dagger stuff but kept silent.

Soon they were walking into Carolyn Hofstetter's office and Carolyn welcomed them, "I am glad to finally meet you both," she kind of laughed, "Which one of you is Kathy and which is Sharon?"

Kathy stepped forward and said, "I am Kathy Taylor and I am John's wife. This is my sister Sharon Burke and of course you can see we are identical twins."

"Yes of course," Carolyn smiled, "Please, both of you have a seat and I will explain all of this to you. Can I get you anything before we start, coffee or water or something else, perhaps a soft drink? I think we have Coke or Mt. Dew.."

Both women responded in unison, "No, I am fine." It made everyone smile. Twins are so often on the same page.

With a deep sigh Carolyn began, "I am sorry to have to give you some bad news but before you fear the worst I also have encouraging news."

The sisters were both startled and emitted the obvious signs of distress and concern. "Oh no, oh my god, what has happened?"

Carolyn continued, "Please ladies, calm down a little and I will tell you everything. Please. John has been shot. He was shot three times."

The women screamed and cried but Carolyn yelled, "Stop It! Let me finish PLEASE!"

When Kathy and Sharon finally settled down Carolyn began to finish the story.

"I am sorry I yelled at you but you must let me finish. John was shot three times and he is in critical condition but he is alive and at this time they expect he will make a total recovery. There are some internal injuries from two of the gunshots and head injuries from the third. The doctors are confident that with proper care none of his injuries are life threatening any longer. The bleeding has been stopped and repairs have been made. None of his vital organs were seriously damaged.

"There are two concerns. One is infection and so far nothing has shown up. They are monitoring him very carefully believe me and any turn for the worse will be quickly addressed. He is not out of the woods yet but I believe he will be okay.

"The second is that John is in a coma. At this time the doctors say that is not a bad thing. Some patients are actually put into a coma to aid in the healing process. John's coma is not induced but until some of the healing has happened they are looking at it as a pretty positive thing. Believe me, it really is a pretty common medical practice and has the benefits of reducing his stresses and pain significantly. It can be very disconcerting to family members but you have to trust me when I tell you they are looking at it as a positive for his benefit."

Kathy asked, "Where is he? Can I go to be with him? When did this all happen?"

"John was shot three days ago. He was shot by a hit man ordered by the drug leaders. It is a miracle that he is alive. The hit man obviously thought he had completed his task because he shot him twice in the chest and once in the head. Why the bullets weren't fatal we don't know but John was lucky. He was touch and go for the first two days and..." Carolyn hesitated slightly but continued. "I am aware of your marital situation Kathy because John specifically asked that you not be notified of anything related to his undercover work. Given that they expect him to make a full recovery I was prepared to not say a thing to you and let him tell you himself but I think it would best serve him, you two and even us to bring you into this situation so I made the call."

By this time Kathy knew that John had called her sister once before three months ago and Sharon had never told her. But, she had told her after the last call to Carolyn. She was not happy about it but there was nothing she could have done even if she had known.

"To answer the rest of your questions Kathy, John is in a secure medical facility receiving the best possible treatment anyone could get. And yes, you can go to be with him if you are willing to abide by the rules I will spell out for you.

"John was undercover and has provided us with information to completely break the entire upper Midwest drug distribution system. He was ordered to be killed by a hit man and it was ordered by the leadership. He had already gotten thirty names of lower, middle echelon members and three or four upper echelon leaders. There are several branches involved and every one of them wants John dead. Their organizations are on the verge of total destruction.

"John is in our witness protection program at this time. If you decide you want to go to him you will have to enter the program with him if you remain married. Otherwise you will need to be off the grid for as long as it takes for him to recover and be released from the hospital. Anything you have planned must be cancelled. You will have to quit your job or take a leave of absence and you will have to separate yourself from all family and friends. It is for his protection and yours too. There is to be no exception. You must follow the rules or you could both die. Also, you must understand that this could be a permanent situation. They are never going to stop trying to have him killed, never."

Shocked, Kathy said, "I will do anything to be with my husband. I love him and will do anything. What you heard about our marital situation is true and I made a horrible mistake but I will also do anything to make it right for John. If he wants me I will be there for him forever. Please take me to him."

Sharon sat there with her head bowed and tears streaming down her face. She had not said a word during this entire time and the pain and shock were evident on her face. She whispered almost too faintly to be heard, "I love him too."

Carolyn and Kathy both jerked their heads to face Sharon when she continued, "I couldn't bear to be away from John and I can't bear the thought of being away from Kathy either, can I go too? I will do everything Kathy has to do too, I have always loved John and Kathy you know I love you. Please let me do this."

Carolyn saw the truth in Sharon's eyes and demeanor and though unusual would agree to the request if Kathy agreed. Kathy had known of Sharon's feelings for John all these years and she loved Sharon too so there was no way she could possibly deny her request.

"Yes, I think that would be a good thing for all of us. I know how much John loved me. At least he did before I was so stupid. I also know that he loved you too sis and you love both of us. Yes it would be a good thing for all of us. Take us to see him."

Carolyn threw a bit of cold water on the pair as she said, "Okay, I can make that happen but right now you will be escorted to your homes to pick up any belongings that you must have now. Then you will be brought back here to make all arrangements to sever your ties for an extended period of time. I am guessing you will not be able to get that accomplished yet today so you will be given lodging for the night. Then tomorrow you will be able to complete everything you need to do and I would guess by early afternoon you will be taken to see John. Any questions?"

The sisters were beside themselves. "Why do we have to wait that long?" they spat in unison. "We want to see him now!"

"Sorry ladies, as I told you before, they are my rules and you must follow them without fail. Believe me it is in the best interest of everyone if you do."

Later that night in their guarded bedroom at the safe house the two women wept together. They both knew that they would miss parts of their life for a while and miss those they were close to but they also both knew they would do anything to be with John. They had both been estranged from their parents since their ugly divorce so that wasn't going to be their biggest problem. There were a few distant relatives they would miss and a few close friends but no others.

Kathy knew that John had no family left at all and he was pretty work absorbed so his friends were also limited. This would work she was sure if only John would forgive her stupidity and allow her to remain his wife.

Kathy hugged Sharon and said, "Sharon, I am so sorry about all of this. You cannot imagine how I feel right now. If only I had listened to you none of this would have happened. If only I had been satisfied with John's love and not wanted to toy with Phil. John wouldn't have left, he wouldn't have gone undercover and he wouldn't have been shot. You wouldn't have had to give up everything to be with us and I wouldn't be feeling like I am the one who shot John. Why didn't I listen to you?"

"You are right about everything Kathy, you shouldn't have gone there but you did. To your credit you had enough brains to stop it before you actually had sex with Phil but you still cheated and you will always have to live with that. Fortunately I believe you and John will be able to work past that stupidity and I am praying that you do. I want everything to be as wonderful as it was before you had your mental lapse." With that she hugged Kathy back. "I love you sis, you are part of me and I am part of you."

Sleep came quickly for Sharon but for Kathy it was an extremely long night. She lay there thinking and crying, thinking and crying for hours. She finally was able to drift off to sleep but it was early morning and she was sure she had only had about three hours of sleep when they were awakened by a knock on their bedroom door.

Agent Pierce called out, "Breakfast will be ready in one hour and then we have to get moving so get up ladies."

By 11:00 a.m. they had showered, dressed and packed everything. They had eaten a light breakfast to keep them going and they had made all of the final calls and arrangements needed before going to John.

The SUV glided into the driveway a couple of minutes after 11:00 a.m. The windows were blacked out and the partition between the driver and the rear compartment was also blacked out. The sisters would have no way of seeing where they were headed. At 12:30 p.m. the SUV pulled into the emergency entrance of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN an hour and a half south of the twin cities. They were ushered into the hospital and taken to a guarded waiting room.

They knew the reasons for all the security but it was still disconcerting to them. Finally a representative of the US Marshall's office came in to brief Kathy and Sharon. It was decided that they would not have to officially enter into the witness protection program until John had totally recovered and decided if he wanted them with him or not.

John lay on his back on the hospital bed. His eyes were closed. Bandages were evident on his head and there were some tubes coming out from under the thin blanket that covered him. By looking at him you never would guess that he had come so very close to dying at the hands of a gunman.

The sisters both looked at John with tears streaming down their faces.

The doctor in charge of John's case, Dr. Mark Gordon, came into the room and requested a short conference with the two ladies.

"I need to give you some instructions on what you are to do if you are going to be around John.

"He is in a coma but in all likelihood the subconscious mind is still working. Therefore we need you to be soothing and gentle in your actions and words when you are in his presence. The lack of stresses while he is in this coma is good for his healing process and we don't want that interrupted with difficult situations caused by his environment conscious or subconscious. Do you understand what I am asking?"

Kathy and Sharon chimed in together, "Yes we understand perfectly."

The doctor smiled. It was always amusing to him how twins responded in unison without even being conscious of it. Interestingly, he also thought, "These twins are gorgeous and this is one lucky guy to have two such beautiful women caring about him the way they obviously do."

"Now you two go spend some time with John but remember to keep it low key at all times."

"Thank you doctor," the chimed again, "We will do whatever is asked of us to help him recover."

The twins were lead back into the room and sat side by side along the bedside of John's bed. Kathy reached out and touched John's hand and with tears again streaming down her face spoke to him for the first time in four months.

"John, it is Kathy. I am here with you now and will do whatever I can to help you recover. Just relax and don't worry about a thing. I am here with you now and forever. Sharon is here for you too. All we both want is for you to get better. I love you John."

Sharon put her hand on John's leg and said, "John this is Sharon. We are both here for you now. You just get better for us. One or the other, or both of us will always be by your side from now on. We want to see that smiling face of yours again soon."

The days went by and as they had promised John was never alone. One or the other and sometimes both women were at his side. They held his hand. They stroked his arms and face. They talked to him. They read books and magazines to him. They listened to music with him. Both cried over him often dripping a tear onto his hand or arm. They both kissed him gently.

The witness protection organization had set them up in an apartment near the hospital and they had worked out a schedule to be sure one of them was always with John. Doctors and nurses were all amazed at the dedication and love that these two women showed for their patient.

The days continued to fly by. It was almost three months since John had been shot and his physical healing had been completed. Doctors could find no physical problems any longer. His head was healed and the chest injuries had healed completely. Test after test were run on his system and all results were positive.

They didn't know when he would come out of the coma but those in the know thought it could be any time now. They of course couldn't provide any indication of the time but they were hopeful. As far as his mental condition when he came out of the coma they again had no clue. The only thing they were certain of was that his bodily functions were operating normally so they felt there was probably no significant brain damage.

Then one morning around 8:00 a.m. while Kathy was sitting with John he opened his eyes and looked at her. At first Kathy didn't notice his eyes open but when John tried to speak she snapped her head around and saw him staring intently at her.

She screamed, "Doctor, Nurse, John is awake!"

Needless to say the staff started scrambling around like chickens in a hen house with a fox in it. It appeared as if no one knew what they were doing but before long everything had settled down and the doctors were examining John. They were shining lights in his eyes, ears and nose. The poor guy was being pummeled every which way and being asked a myriad of questions. At first John couldn't speak with only squeaks coming out.

Eventually John could answer yes and no and the questions continued. By the time they were done with their questions Sharon had arrived to take her turn being with John. She immediately sat and took John's hand and with tears streaming down her cheeks said, "Oh John, I am so happy to see you awake. We have missed you so." And with that she just sat there sobbing.

All this time Kathy had pretty much stayed in the background and hadn't said much to John. She was fearful of his reaction to her. John did look over at her with a questioning expression though and she could see he was confused. She was sure he was asking himself, "Why isn't Kathy saying what Sharon had?"

The team of doctors were able to determine that John had lost a significant part of his short term memory. It seemed that he hadn't retained much of what had happened over the last year. He couldn't recall being undercover and he knew nothing about the drug operations he had shut down. The staff refrained from discussing anything about his personal situation because they didn't want to create a trauma that could push John back into a coma.

Kathy and Sharon were looking at each other intently with the same question on both of their minds. Should John be made aware of what had happened with his marriage. The doctors told them to give John a few days to see if those memories from the last year came back and not push him too hard.