The Culmination

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

At Dr. Aguirre’s insistence, the Admiral and Julie get taken to a multiple-bed Intensive Care Unit in a locked-down area of the hospital. Gunshot victims get brought here for safety purposes because of the possibility of reprisal. More than a few eyebrows raise over the protocol breach, but the doctor remains firm and explains that they’re life partners and dependent upon one another.

General Taylor sits in a waiting room, tapping his fingers on the armrest. He goes to the nurses’ station, again, and demands to see the patients.

“Sir, we’re doing everything we can.”

“Your everything is not good enough. What room are they in?”

An aide responds, “Sir, I’ll take you.” He leads the way.

At the door, Taylor stops abruptly. Multiple monitors with unfamiliar beeps, as well as IV lines of medications, are attached to the motionless bodies of the Admiral and Julie. They now breathe on their own, but neither one is conscious.

A shrill alarm sends nursing staff running into the room. The nurses check the Admiral’s heart monitor and buzz for the surgeon. His blood pressure has fallen precipitously, and the heart arrhythmias appear dangerously exaggerated. Aguirre rushes into the room, sees the complication, and shouts. “Move their beds next to each other.”

“Let me help,” Taylor says and then pushes one of the beds.

“Good to see you, sir.” Aguirre places Julie’s hand into the Admiral’s. As soon as they touch, the Admiral’s blood pressure returns to normal, and the arrhythmias regulate.

The nurse interrupts, “Doctor, I need to show you something.” She presses a pointed instrument into the Admiral’s extended hand. “I think he might have nerve damage. I don’t think he can feel anything in his left arm.”

“You may be right, but fortunately for him, love isn’t limited by physicality. Please, make sure these two stay together.”

“I will, doctor. This is a first for me.”

“For me as well,” Taylor says. “I’ve visited many bedsides over the years, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Sir, I take it you’re family to these two?”

“Yes, doctor. The Admiral is my best friend, and Julie is my sister-in-law.”

“Well, they both remain in critical condition, but it appears they’ve decided to live. I suspect whatever lies ahead, they’ve agreed to face it together. Are you the one who let us know they’re lovers?”

“Yes.”

“Your comment prompted us to push their beds together so that their hands could touch. They’re alive because of that action.”

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know why I said it.”

“Thank goodness you did. It’s not unusual for surgeons to experience miracles. Most of us are quite aware of our limitations, and we have a healthy respect for the divine. Love keeps us humble, that’s for sure.”

“Doctor, do you know when they might wake up?”

“The Admiral shows signs of awareness, so I expect him to awaken first. Try talking with him. Tell him about recent events, anything that might interest him. You just may bring him to life.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you, doctor.”

“I’ll be back to check on them in an hour. If you need me, I’m just down the hall.”

Taylor scans the room for a chair and moves one to the Admiral’s bedside. Just as he sits down, his phone rings. It shows a FaceTime call from his wife, Becka. He lowers his voice, “Hi, dear, I’m in the room with them now. Let me show you.” He walks over to Julie and then to Parker. “I know it looks bad, but they’re doing well. I’ll be home soon with a full report.” He says goodbye and moves closer to the Admiral.

“Hey, Parker. You’ve slept long enough. I’ve got a few things to tell you. I bet you don’t know that Becka stayed here through the surgery. She didn’t want to go home until Julie showed signs of improvement.”

The Admiral moves his foot, which encourages Taylor to continue, “Ahh, you’re listening to me. Well, your son should arrive within the hour, so you need to snap to. You don’t want Johnny to see you just lying here, do you?”

The Admiral stirs, and Taylor says, “Let me tell you what’s going on. You remember the journalism students you invited to the base? Well, a group of them have been at the hospital since you arrived. They’ve set up their cameras and are reporting news on independent stations right from the grounds. Also, remember the confidential materials Julie and the team sent to the journalism departments? Well, that information is getting shared broadly, and every time one of the networks tries to manipulate the information, there’s a huge outcry. It’s like the sixties all over again with young people demanding change. But the cry is different. Instead of Peace and Love, it’s Truth. Things have shifted, Parker.”

The Admiral moves more and then moans.

“Parker, you’ve been shot. Do you remember that? You’ll have to take it easy. How about opening your eyes? By the way, do you know who’s next to you? Julie. She’s right next to you.”

The Admiral struggles to open his eyelids.

“You want to see Julie, don’t you? Well, she’s sleeping, but she looks stronger by the minute. The surgeons repaired her injuries, so there’s no cause for worry. When all this is over, I bet she writes a best-seller about this adventure.”

The Admiral’s eyes open. He tries to smile and whispers, “Thank you, Taylor.”

“Hey, buddy, I’m glad to see you awake. Can I get you anything?”

“Julie?”

“She’s next to you. Can you feel her hand in yours?”

“I don’t feel anything. Maybe it’s the meds.”

“Probably. I’m going to step out for a minute to let the nurse know you’re conscious. You okay with that? I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Taylor steps into the hallway and flags down a nurse. He explains that the Admiral is now talking but doesn’t feel anything.

“I’m not surprised,” she responds. “I’ll let the doctor know that he’s alert now.”

When Taylor returns to the room, the Admiral is trying to remove the covers.

“What’s going on, Parker? Is there something I can do?”

“I want to see Julie.”

“That’s not going to happen for a while. You’re not strong enough to get out of bed. Let me show you something.” Taylor walks to the left side of the mattress. “Parker, I’m holding your arm. Now, watch. You see this hand. Do you know whose it is?”

“Julie’s?”

“Yes. Now, I’m putting her palm in yours and laying your hands on the bed. You may not feel it, but you can see it. She’s with you and will be okay.”

“Why can’t I feel her hand?”

“Your doctor is on the way, so ask him.”

The door opens, and the surgeon walks in. “Hey, Admiral, it’s good to see you awake. How’re you feeling?”

“Good, I think. But I can’t feel much.”

“So, let’s figure that out. I’ll touch different parts of your body, and you tell me what you feel.” The doctor pokes the Admiral’s toes and moves up the body. Parker responds to each prod. But when the doctor pokes his left arm, Parker doesn’t respond. The doctor moves down the arm to the fingertips. The patient feels nothing. The doctor goes to the right arm, and Parker reacts immediately.

“We’ve got a challenge, Parker, and together we’ll figure it out. You don’t have sensation in your left arm. This could be a matter of compression neuropathy because of the fall, but it could also mean nerve damage from the gunshot wound. Either way, we’ll fix it.”

“I appreciate your confidence, doctor. I need both arms.”

“No worries. We’ll take good care of you. I’ll come back in another hour.”

As the doctor leaves the room, the Admiral smiles and calls out, “Johnny!” His son, Lieutenant John Parker, an MP with the Army’s military intelligence, has just arrived.

“Hey, Dad.”

“I didn’t want you to see me like this, son, but I sure am glad you’re here. I must be in trouble, given you’re wearing your dress uniform.”

“Come on, Dad. Do you think I wouldn’t have come? I’d have gotten here earlier, but I had to get clearance to carry my weapon. By the way, last I knew, you were on some island enjoying yourself. I had to get the details from NPR. That’s not right, Dad.”

“NPR?”

“You don’t even know what’s going on, do you? You’re a household name now.”

Taylor says, “I told him a little bit, Johnny, but maybe you can fill him in. Now that you’re here, I’ll return to the base.” He gives Parker a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning. Ask Johnny to call me if there’s anything you need. Anything.”

Parker nods. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

As the General leaves the room, Johnny moves closer and tells his dad about the upheaval. “YouTube has footage of the shooting at the base. It also has interviews with the students who saw the whole thing. Social media has gone crazy with conspiratorial theories.”

“What do you think, Johnny?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems plausible that there’s an unknown group calling the shots. What’s important, though, is that you’ve broken through.”

“What do you mean?”

“You sent the documents implicating key international elites in a scheme to kill the President. Remember? The materials also included evidence of a plan to create a single world government with themselves at the helm. Pretty heavy stuff. The whole world knows that mainstream media is controlled.”

“That wasn’t me. Julie, Taylor’s sister-in-law, did that.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Well, yes.”

“No need to feel shy about that, Dad. Knowing you have a girlfriend makes me feel better than thinking you’re alone.”

“I didn’t expect to love again after your mom died, but then I met Julie. It was easy to talk with her because she’s a widow, too. I didn’t have to explain myself—she just understood.”

“Dad, you have my blessing. Mom would be glad to know you’re happy.”

“Thank you. I believe she’d like Julie.”

“So, Julie came up with the idea of distributing the documents?”

“Yes. We scanned the papers, sent several journalism departments the files via the cloud, others we sent by USB flash drives, and still more by hardcopy. We blanketed the U.S. but also hit international sites. We got responses almost immediately. It was brilliant, but it had consequences, as you can see.”

“Dad, I want to show you something.” Johnny picks up the television remote and turns the TV on to PBS. A young man talks about the need for honesty. He points to the documents as evidence that a few self-centered billionaires have held the world in their grips for a long time. He claims that these few created divisions to control the masses. “When the population at large turns against one another, this secretive group has won. So, ask yourself: when the activists get involved, who pays for their transportation and housing, their effigies, and posters? Who, ultimately, gains?”

“Well, I’ll be. Who is this man?”

“He’s one of many spokespersons for the student journalists. I’m not sure of his name, but I am sure that you, Julie, and your team have awakened the country. Just as the Sixties prompted monumental social and political change, your actions have sparked a different kind of revolution.”

“What are you saying? Are people marching? Are they getting hurt?”

“No. Fifty years ago, people marched. Now, people use social media. If the internet is taken down, or if their message isn’t heard, we’ll see people in the streets, but it won’t be a love-in. People want the unadulterated truth, and they’re insistent. Powerful stuff, Dad, and you and Julie lie at the heart of it.”