GHOSTS OF MY PAST
BY: TOPHAT

PART THREE-A
AT THE HOSPITAL

  The Joes were camped out in the waiting room, awaiting news on their friend’s condition. They looked up as Scarlett’s doctor walked in. "Doctor, how is she?" Duke asked anxiously.

  "She made it out of surgery fairly well, but, as you Americans say, she is not out of the woods yet. She lost a great deal of blood and I’m concerned about how stable her blood pressure is. On the other hand, the knife went in straight and inflicted a minimal amount of damage for this type of wound. The next few hours are critical. " The doctor reported "What can we do to help?" asked Wild Bill.

  "There’s nothing you can do. This is her fight. Pray and hope-that’s all you can do. I’ll be in to check on her every hour. If there is any change in her condition, I’ll let you know, " the doctor added as he walked out of the waiting room The Joes sat there stunned. After a while, Duke looked up from gazing at the floor and spoke, "Go see if she can have visitors yet. One us needs to be with her. She needs someone to hold her hand and tell her to keep fighting. " Duke ran his fingers through his hair and then continued, "I need to call the ambassador to fill him in on what’s happening. And then I need to check in with headquarters," Duke paused and then added softly, "And then I’ll need to call her father and let him know what’s happened. " Duke found a phone and began making the necessary calls.

  "Duke, is that you?" the ambassador asked when Duke finally got him on the phone.

  "Yes sir. I’m still at the hospital. I just spoke with Scarlett's doctor. She made it out of surgery but the doctor is still very concerned. He said the next few hours are critical. How are things on your end?"

  "Not good. We have a problem."

  "Another one? What now?"

  "I was present when my team interviewed gardener. The man he describes as the man who stabbed Scarlett is the same man suspecting of assignation of the Irish ambassador."

  "Shit. Are they sure? I was under the impression that the investigative team had things under control."

  "So was I. Things however, appear to be far from under control. The gardener got a good look at the knife and describes the man as being very large and menacing with red hair and an odd accent. He had the same build and description as the man we suspect. Ambassador Kelly confirmed that the description we have is that of a known assassin."

  "Ambassador Kelly? The same one who wanted a meeting with Scarlett tomorrow?"

  "Yes. It seems that she got tired of waiting. She called the Doctor’s house. Don’t ask how she found out the team was there. Like I said before. She is a woman with an uncanny ability to get what she wants. The Ambassador wasn’t able to talk with the Doctor - we were interviewing him at the time - so she got her aid to drive her over the estate."

  "Well, she is determined. I’ll give her that. But how in hell is she involved in this?"

  "Ambassador Kelly informed me that she was searching for a man called Mica O’ Rielly. This man is an IRA assassin who apparently holds a grudge against Scarlett. This mess somehow relates back to a highly classified mission Scarlett was working on before she came to G. I. JOE. That’s all I could pry out of the Ambassador. She may be willing to tell you more."

  "This just gets more interesting all the time doesn’t it?" he retorted.

  "The good news is that I managed, with a little help from Ambassador Kelly, to get my office complete control over the investigation. I have been given permission to bring you and your team on board. I can let you lead the investigation of Scarlet’s murder attempt as well as the investigation of the Irish ambassador’s assignation since the two cases seem to be connected. The investigative team seems to have good at blowing smoke and not much else."

  "Is that another word for bungling idiot?" Duke asked.

  "Hmm," the ambassador replied, "My office can provide you withanything you need just let me know.

  "I’ll send my men over right away. "

  "Send them back to Doctor Shakoor’s house. For the time being that’s where we’re set up. We’ll need to canvas the airport and other means of leaving the country but we have to get organized first. I’ll see your men in about an hour. If there is anything I can do at your end let me know."

  "I will." With that the two men hung up and Duke went to find his team in the waiting room.

  They looked up when he entered. "Any word from their end?" Bill asked

  "No. Where’s Snakes? What did the doctor say about visitors?"

  Bill grinned "We didn’t ask. Snake Eyes just went in there. One nurse tried to give him a hard time but he just pulled his sword out and laid it across his lap. That shut everybody up right quick."

  "Good job." Duke paused a moment and went on. "The shit hit the fan boys and it’s our job to clean it up." Duke related his phone conversation with the team.

  "I want you all to go over there and get started with the investigation. I want a report in two hours. The car should be waiting outside to take you back to the Doctor’s house. That’s where they are set up for the time being. Good hunting."

  Once the boys left, Duke went to check on Scarlett and tell Snakes what had happened.

  He walked into the room and just stood there for a moment, taking in the scene. "I don’t know what to do. This isn’t her. She’s always so full of life even when she’s asleep." After composing himself, he filled Snake Eyes in on what was happening.

  "Do you want me to stay here?" Snakes signed.

  "Yes. She needs one of us and I can’t sit with her yet. I have some more calls to make before I can sit and process everything that happened. I don’t trust myself not to fall apart and I can’t do that yet."

  Snakes nodded as Duke left to finish making his calls. Duke turned and walked back to the office, this time to check in with headquarters and then to call Scarlett’s dad. That was the part he dreaded the most, what would he say? What could he say? Duke shook himself free from those dismal thoughts and called base.

  "Duke, how is everything? We were starting to think you guys had partied a little too hard." Breaker joked to Duke along with the others in the control room.

  "Breaker, put Hawk on the line." Duke ordered, cutting the laughter short.

  "Yeah, sure man. Hold on just a sec. I’ll connect you to his office." Breaker turned all business when he heard the tone in Duke’s voice.

  "Duke, Breaker tells me you’ve run into some trouble?" Hawk's gruff voice was soon on the line.

  "Yes sir. Only it’s not a little, it’s a lot." Duke replied "Scarlet... has been hurt."

  "Hurt? What happened? How severely?"

  Duke explained what had happened as a result of the stabbing and the incompetent investigation of the ambassador’s assignation that may have lead to the stabbing.

  "I’ll speak with the president the moment we hang up. That should give the ambassador a little more pressure to apply on the people at your end. I’ll need to let Scarlett’s father know what’s happened. "

  "If you don’t mind sir, it would be better if I spoke with her father."

  "Very well, I don’t envy the job, but you were there. You’re considerably closer to the situation than I am. " Hawk then gave Duke the number to the O'Hara home.

  As they hung up, Duke thought to himself, 'You don’t know the half of it...'

  After Duke talked with Scarlett's father and convinced him that he didn’t need to be on the first flight out, he went to check on Scarlett. He thought to himself that talking to her father had been the hardest thing he had ever done. He hoped the next time they spoke it would be over happier circumstances.

  As Duke was walking back to her room a voice called his name.

  "Sergeant Hauser?"

  "Yes." Duke turned around to face an American Air Fore captain in dress blues.

  The captain looked Duke up and down and asked in a dubious voice, "You are Sgt. Hauser?"

  "Yes. What do you want?"

  "Ambassador Kelly requested I find you. She would like a word."

  "If she wants to talk with me then tell her she can come find me." Duke walked off.

  "Ambassador Kelly would like you to come to her. I wouldn’t put her out if I were you. She is trying to help after all. "

  "If she wants to talk with me then tell her to get off her ass and get over here. I’m not leaving this hospital. I’ve got a team member who’s fighting for her life just down the hall. " Duke told him off.

  "Yes. I know. I have her transfer orders in my pocket. Let me introduce myself. I am Captain Stevens. I work for General Elliot Peters. General Peters works for Ambassador Kelly. She would have liked to have had a word with Ms. O’ Hara however, under the circumstances she would like to speak with you."

  "You have what?" Duke couldn’t believe his ears. Transfer orders? She was fighting for her life a few feet away and this idiot was talking about transfer orders.

  "She, as you know, is unable to speak to anyone at the moment and if you want to talk to me get in line." Duke replied holding his temper in check a moment longer.

  Sevens could see the pulse beats standing out in Duke’s neck. Still he had to be sure. "Ambassador Kelly would like to speak with you as soon as possible."

  All the bottled emotion came out at as Duke grabbed Stevens by the front of his uniform.

  "Snap your fingers, utter a few magic words, and maybe, you’ll have better luck bringing her back to reality than we have!" Duke softly and menacingly spoke to Stevens before walking off to return to Scarlett’s bedside.

  Once he was there, he began to speak to Scarlett, hoping that somehow she could hear him.

  "Shauna, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I need to say this just in case. You know I’m not real good at talking about things like this. I do better commanding a bunch of troops on a battlefield. You’re fighting a different battle right now; maybe this one’s harder than anything else you’ve ever had to do, but keep fighting. Hold on. We need you to come back to us. I need you to. I’ve said it before, but I didn’t know then just how real what I’m feeling is. I love you Shauna. I’m lost right now. I don’t know if it will help, but I’m here, and I’ll stay here until you come back to me. " Duke held her hand and said a silent prayer for God to help her hold on.

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