1990

Bobby's father retook his seat and explained the page to his son, "Terri wanted to let me know that she and Jerry were all right..."

"Why wouldn't they be all right?" Bobby asked.

"Because they are staying in New York City to attend the new year celebration in Times Square, so they were afraid that if I heard the news about some subway fire I would be concerned about whether or not it affected them. I knew that they were staying with some of Jerry's relatives in Brooklyn and using the subway to go into Manhattan. Terri told me that a fire broke out just after 9 am on the Interborough Rapid Transit number 2 and 3 line just south of the Clark Street station in Brooklyn, which is near where they are staying. She said that news reports are that smoke was seen streaming into the tunnel in both directions, toward Borough Hall station in downtown Brooklyn and under the East River toward Manhattan"

"But Terri and Jerry aren't affected by the fire?" Bobby asked to confirm.

"No," his father assured him. "They may have to take an alternate route on the subways or take a cab into Manhattan, but they still plan on celebrating in Time Square tomorrow night. Are you ready to head out?"

"I'm going to take Kris to the bathroom and help her powder her nose," Wendy said to Rick, although her gaze when saying it was locked on Bobby.

Rick once again noticed her interest. Once Wendy had lifted Kris from her high chair and headed towards the restrooms, he turned to the two Brandt men and asked, "Have you had the scripted tour around the Academy yet, or was that your agenda for today?"

"We had the tour yesterday," Bobby replied. "Our flight home isn't until tomorrow, so we planned to check out things more informally today..."

His father interrupted, "We'll spend some more time at the visitors' center, but I want to get a better idea of what accommodation options are available for when we come to visit while Bobby is at the Academy. We're staying at a budget motel off of the interstate, which is fine for just me and my son, but his mother will expect us to stay someplace slightly more refined when she and I visit."

Rick chuckled and said, "I understand. Say, if you would like to get a more unbiased and informed opinion on the life of a cadet, today is Wendy's birthday and I was planning to have a small get-together for her at my house this evening. Nothing special, just me and Kris and probably an ice cream cake for Wendy. I'm sure that she would welcome you both and be more than happy to spend some time describing the real cadet life with both of you. Interested?"

Bobby looked at his father and asked, "Can we, Dad?"

"It sounds like an opportunity that we shouldn't pass up," his father said. To Rick, he asked, "Is there anything that we can bring?"

Rick took a business card out of his wallet and wrote his home address and telephone number on the back before handing it to Bobby. "No, it's pretty informal. Wendy can't keep much of her personal stuff with her at the Academy, so it's a waste to buy her clothes or anything right now. I gave her a gift certificate for the commissary that she can use to buy toiletries, snacks, and that sort of thing, but the Air Force takes care of most of her needs and limits what she can have that isn't already provided for her. You'll encounter the same thing when you start."

Bobby looked at his dad and said, "I think we should at least get her a birthday card."

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

"I thought that the doctors said that the pressure on his brain was almost normal," Kris Acosta said. "It's been four days. Shouldn't he be waking up soon if that was the case? Could there be something else wrong?"

Wendy Wallace placed her arm around Kris' shoulder and said, "His body obviously needs the rest. We need to be patient."

The sound of a text notification on a cell phone diverted the attention of both women as they checked to see which of them had received the message. Kris had been fielding inquiries about her father from associates at Brandt Consulting while Wendy had been handling the inquiries from various individuals and factions in Washington, DC.

"It's Akeem Peters," Wendy said as she read the message. "He'll be here first thing tomorrow morning. He is hopping on a MAC flight from Germany."

Kris nodded. As the head of a Directorate within the CIA, Akeem Peters could easily arrange for a comfortable seat on any Military Airlift Command flight that he desired. She smiled at a memory of something that Akeem had once shared with her and asked Wendy, "Did you ever hear the story about little Jimmy's conversation with God?"

Wendy thought for a second and said, "I don't think so."

Kris retold the story as she remembered it, "Little Jimmy was lying about on a hillock in the middle of a meadow on a warm spring day. Puffy white clouds rolled by and he pondered their shapes. Soon, he began to think about God.

"God? Are you really there?" Jimmy said out loud.

To his astonishment, a voice came from the clouds. "Yes, Jimmy? What can I do for you?"

Seizing the opportunity, Jimmy asked, "God? What is a million years like to you?"

Knowing that Jimmy could not understand the concept of eternity, God responded in a manner to which Jimmy could relate. "A million years to me, Jimmy, is like a minute."

"Oh," said Jimmy. "Well, then, what's a million dollars like to you?"

"A million dollars to me, Jimmy, is like a penny."

"Wow!" remarked Jimmy, getting an idea. "God, you're so generous. Can I have one of your pennies?"

God replied, "Sure thing, Jimmy! Just a minute."

It took Wendy a few seconds to catch the punchline. She laughed and said, "Well, I know that some doctors think that they are God, but when they told us that your dad should regain consciousness soon, I certainly hope that they had a mortal's sense of time."

Kris nodded in agreement and glanced over at her father once more. He continued lying still in the hospital bed in his private room at Spartanburg Medical Center. His body was connected to numerous monitoring devices through wires attached to his head, chest, and hands. He was breathing unassisted and appeared to be simply sleeping, with the bandages around his head being the only significant indicator of the injury that he had sustained on the helicopter four days ago.

As it was explained to Kris, her father had been riding in a helicopter, escorting a vital asset in the form of an Army captain to a location in Greenville when their helicopter came under small arms fire from a warehouse across from their destination. One of the rounds had entered the helicopter and grazed off her father's head. It had struck the left side of his skull forcefully enough to crack it and depress the boundaries between his frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Although there was no bleeding in the brain, the concussive shock resulted in a buildup of pressure in his skull. The doctors believed that once the pressure decreased, his injured brain would start to heal with no lasting impairment.

The pilot had done a miraculous job of auto-rotating the damaged helicopter into a controlled crash that he and his other passenger walked away from without injury. Kris needed to remember to ask Kirby for the name of the pilot so that she could eventually track him down and thank him for his efforts to save her father.

Kirby Wallace had notified Kris of her father's injury within thirty minutes of the incident. She had immediately left the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center near Brunswick, GA. Driving a federal law enforcement Suburban had allowed her to utilize the lights and siren to cut the normal five-hour drive down to only three hours and forty minutes. Her only detour between FLETC and the Spartanburg Medical Center was to pick up Wendy from the Greenville-Spartanburg airport where she had flown from Washington, DC as soon as her husband, Kirby Wallace had notified her of Rick's injury.

Wendy's cell phone chimed again. She checked the display and quickly typed a reply to the message that she had just received. "Kirby is on his way. He wanted to know if there has been any change."

"A change in what?" came a whispered question from the hospital bed.

"DADDY!" Kris exclaimed as she rushed beside the bed and hugged her father. "You're awake!"

Rick Acosta smiled up at the worried face of his daughter and said, "Don't worry about me. How are Captain Avery and the pilot?"

Wendy stood on the other side of the bed and answered on behalf of Kris, who had buried her face against her father's chest and was lightly sobbing. She said, "Welcome back, Hey, you. Captain Avery and the pilot, Cole Aranda are both perfectly fine. And now, so are you."

"I sure don't feel fine," Rick snorted. "My head hurts like a mother..."

Wendy laughed and said, "Yes, getting shot in the head could cause some mild discomfort in a person."

A concerned look appeared on Rick's face. "I was shot in the head?"

"Daddy, your head was injured by a bullet, but it didn't enter your skull," Kris explained. "It grazed you and caused a concussion of sorts, but no permanent damage was done. The doctors tell us that you'll be just fine after a few days. They didn't want to give you anything for pain until you were awake, so I'll let the nurses know and they can see what the doctors will prescribe to make you more comfortable."

Without waiting for a response, Kris hurried from the room toward the nurses' station. Rick looked over at Wendy and asked, "Where exactly am I?"

"You're in the Spartanburg Medical Center," Wendy explained. "I was asked by Kirby to let you know that your mission was successful and that you shouldn't worry about anything but getting better."

"Do you think I could get something to drink?" Rick asked.

His question was answered by the first nurse to rush into this room when she said, "Let's start you on a few ice chips first to see how your body tolerates those. The doctor will be here in a few minutes and after he evaluates your condition, we'll see about getting you more liquids."

Rick had just had the first ice chip placed onto his dry tongue when two doctors entered the room. "Can we get everyone but hospital staff to clear out while we examine Mr. Acosta," one of the doctors barked.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't happening," Kris said. "You will examine my father in my presence or you will be relieved of responsibility for his care."

The doctors shared a glance between them and smiled in unison. The second doctor spoke condescendingly when he said, "Young lady, when you run this facility, you can make decisions on the protocols, until that time, I must insist that you wait outside while we examine our patient."

Kris produced her federal badge and said, "Doctor, when you have the authority to order me away from this man, then you can make decisions on protocols. While it is true that my father is a patient here, I am also here under direct orders from the Deputy Director of Homeland Security who takes his orders from the President of the United States. Believe me, you do not want to start the shit storm that will come down on you by failing to examine the patient in my presence."

Rick started to laugh but the searing pain that resulted made him grimace. Wendy was busy texting on her cell phone but reached over and squeezed Rick's arm in sympathy. One of the doctors noticed and asked, "And who are you?"

Wendy smiled sweetly and said, "In addition to holding the medical POA for this patient, I am a legal representative for the Department of Homeland Security." She glanced at her phone as it chimed and continued, "You might want to check your messages before you make any further demands concerning this patient."

The first doctor was about to respond when cell phone chimes were heard coming from the pockets of both doctors. They each took the time to check their messages before replacing the phones into their pockets. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Our chief of staff has advised us to extend a professional courtesy to you both," said the first doctor. "You are welcome to stay while we examine the patient, but we would appreciate it if you stood away from the bed to allow us space for a full examination."

Kris and Wendy moved silently to a spot in front of the window that placed them well clear of the hospital bed and all of the monitors or other equipment that the medical team might need to access. For the next fifteen minutes, they watched as the two doctors performed a series of neurologic and cognitive tests on Rick, from poking sharp instruments into his feet, hands, and other extremities to confirm nerve sensitivity, to ascertaining his mental awareness of the date, his name, and where he was.

When completed, the doctors gave instructions to the nurses to begin removing most of the probes attached to Rick's body. They then stood at the foot of the bed to address Rick, Kris, and Wendy.

The first doctor said, "We're pleased with the cerebral pressure. It is almost at a normal level so we expect no further complications from that. There do not appear to be any neurological effects, so our only lingering concern is related to treating the head wound to prevent any infection. As with any brain concussion, we want to keep you for observation for at least twenty-four hours more. This will also allow us to closely monitor the head wound. If all goes as we anticipate at this time, I would expect that you could be released tomorrow afternoon."

"Are there any restrictions, Doctor?" asked a nurse.

"I'll write the orders for his pain meds at the counter. Let's keep him on liquids for the night and if he tolerates those, serve him a hearty breakfast."

The other doctor addressed Kris when he said, "Here is my card. Feel free to contact me on my cell phone if you have any questions or concerns related to your father."

After the doctors and nurses had left the room, Wendy said, "I am going to go wait for Kirby in the lobby. Kris, do you want me to bring you anything from the cafeteria when we return?"

Kris took her father's hand and said, "See if they have some apple juice that I could share with my dad. If not, try to find some seven-up or similar. I think he would do better without the carbonation, but I know that he wants something more than plain water to drink."

Rick squeezed his daughter's hand in thanks. There was something so rewarding for a parent to recognize that they have raised their child with the compassion to care for their father when the time came. He was only fifty-three years old, and the present injury aside, he was in excellent health. Rick didn't envision the need for Kris to care for him to exist for a few decades, but she was demonstrating to him now that she would be there when the time did come.

Wendy leaned over and gave Rick a quick kiss on his lips. As he watched her exiting his room, he swelled with pride at the beautiful, professional, loyal, and loving woman that she had grown into during the last thirty-two years. He and Kris had truly been blessed to have Wendy in their lives.

Things were touch-and-go for the first couple of years. The emotional bond that was forged between Wendy and Rick had been confusing to the young woman. It took a lot of effort for Rick to refuse Wendy's advances, and several conversations about his commitment to the memory of his wife, Suzy to finally convince Wendy that some flames between two people never fade away. The fact that she got distracted for several years attempting to win the affection of a certain male cadet at the Academy probably also helped.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, Wendy had found herself attracted to a fellow cadet with a flame for someone else burning even stronger than the one that Rick held for Suzy. Bobby Brandt spent his entire time at the Academy pining away for a girl that he loved but couldn't have. It wasn't until six years after leaving the Academy that Rick and Wendy learned the reason for Bobby's anguish and witnessed the reconciliation of lost love.

Rick couldn't demonstrate his love and devotion to Wendy in a physical fashion, so he tried to find ways to compartmentalize the intimacies that they could share. At the celebration for Wendy passing the bar examination after law school, Rick asked her if she would agree to be listed in his will as not only his personal representative, but also as Kris' guardian should something happen to him. Her agreement cemented her role as the person that Rick trusted the most in his life, and while they weren't life partners, Wendy felt as committed to Rick and Kris as if she was his wife and Kris' mother.

It was at Wendy's thirtieth birthday party that Bobby Brandt had approached Rick about joining the new government organization that he had been asked to lead. After discussing the plans for the new Brandt Consulting, Rick suggested that Bobby consider also bringing Wendy on for any needed legal advice.

Wendy's law school years were made possible through the Funded Legal Education Program. She graduated from the University of Washington Law School with high honors and was named to the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers. She was barred at the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Bobby's initial concerns about having Wendy reporting to him due to her past attempt to seduce him were addressed by Rick suggesting that she could remain employed with the Air Force Judge Advocate General and be seconded to Brandt Consulting as the need dictated.

When Bobby brought Kirby Wallace into Brandt Consulting, Rick and he became close friends almost immediately. Rick had purposely invited only two unattached people to Kris' thirteenth birthday party, which is where he sat back and let his daughter play matchmaker for Kirby and Wendy. It had been obvious from the moment that the two had seen each other in their bathing suits that sparks were going to fly, and they hadn't stopped flying in twenty years.

"You're a hard guy to find," said a male voice at the door to Rick's room.

Rick glanced over and recognized Cole Aranda. "Hey, Cole, I hear that you saved my life with some pretty amazing landing skills."

Cole approached the foot of Rick's bed and said with a smile, "To be honest, saving your life never entered my mind. I was only concerned with saving my own ass."

Rick started to chuckle until the pain in his head made him stop. "Well, I'm glad then that I got the benefit of you saving your own ass. Now I don't feel half as bad about all the paperwork that the incident probably created for you."

Kris hadn't taken her eyes off the strange man since he had appeared at the doorway. Her initial focus was a threat assessment, but once it became clear that her father recognized the man, and shared some friendly banter with him, her appraisal of the man changed entirely. Understanding now that he had been the pilot of the helicopter that had received the gunfire which had resulted in her father's injury, she was able to relax.

Raising the hand that wasn't currently holding her father's, Kris waved and said, "Hi, I'm Kristine Acosta. Thank you for whatever you did to safely land so that my father could get the medical attention he needed."

Cole studied Kris for a few seconds. "Jesus, she was beautiful!" He thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad to play up the hero angle with her. Unfortunately, he didn't have the first idea of how to do something like that. He had always been self-deprecating, and modest to a fault. This had probably been a contributing factor to his business not being as successful as it could have been. Relying upon others to toot his horn had brought him quality clients, but not the quantities that would allow him to grow very fast.