Read Operation You've Got To Be Kidding Me Page 14
I lost my composure. Anger and hatred blazed over my face like a fire. Burning, red hot Chile pepper fire. A taste like acid filled my mouth. I started seeing red, fiery hot, hateful, red. It seemed like flames were leaping up in front of my eyes. I rolled the paper into a big wad. A nurse felt the radiating anger in me and took a step back. I threw it at the window
“No way” I mouthed clearly. E. Johnson only raised an eyebrow at this show of expression from me, but I knew his mind wasn’t changed. I looked again at my bedside table. They had returned my phone to me. I wanted to call him and tell him off but I didn’t know their number.
“Excuse me does that phone right next to that man in the hall have a number I could call to talk to him?” I asked.
“Actually, the phone on the wall right next to you is hooked up to it. Just press number one and it will connect,” she said.
“Thank you,” I replied. I picked up the phone. L Johns answered which was unfortunate. For him.
“You will leave, now.” I said. He didn’t move. I turned to the guy who was cutting off my bandages.
“My I borrow that knife? I need it to go stab someone. Or even better could you do it for me?” I asked pleasantly. The man thought I was joking but E. Johnson knew I was serious; dead serious.
“There is no need for that. Training isn’t that bad is it?” he cooed.
“Do you really want an answer to that? You will never be able to force me to go back there, and if you so much as try, so help me I will find another rattlesnake.” I threatened. I was serious then too. Renady Parks does not make idle threats…most of the time.
“No need for that. If you just knew how many people’s lives depend on you, this all would be such a very small price to pay.” he coaxed. I scoffed.
“Maybe for you. If those people you refer to are anything like you I would happily stay home and knit.”
“What about your aunt Lil? We could send some men down there at once if you like.” I raised my chin, my eyes staring into his.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Very good to have you back, Agent.” He said turning to hang up the phone.
“Wait. How did you find me? Weren’t you like eight states away?”
“We had cameras on you, the cave, and any other likely areas you would go to. We also had some of our people nearby.”
“I would like to see them, the tapes I mean,” I said. Something wasn’t right about the snake attacking me like that. Mrs. Adams took the phone from L.
“I believe that can be arranged.” Mrs. Adams said.
I had to wait until after they had put me in the hyperbaric chamber so that they could save some of my tissue. I had to be in there for an hour and a half each day, and let me tell you, not the most enjoyable experience of my life. You know, because I had so many enjoyable experiences to compare it to the last few weeks. In fact, for the first few seconds I thought I was claustrophobic, and I hated that I couldn’t get out on my own. The hour inched by and to my relief they took me out. They had set up a computer on a tray so I could watch. I pressed play. It was a video of the cave before I had gotten there and I was just going to fast forward when I saw something. A tan hand flipped out and threw a bag’s contents into the room. It was the rattlesnake that had bit me. I watched myself climb into the cave seeing the rushing water and almost crying with the relief. That’s when it happened. I saw it bite me, the pain rippling across my face. Once, twice, and then I was falling. As I watched my body falling over the edge, and down to the waterfall, I realized they had gotten there too soon. They must have seen the rattlesnake thrown in and hurried to get there. I rewound it, and paused when I saw the hand. A dark, quarter shaped birthmark was on the tan hand, and I knew instantly who it was. Coppertone. I gasped. I couldn’t go back, not if it was really her. She would try to kill me again. Well not kill me most people survive rattlesnake attacks she probably didn’t know about my “Toxic allergic reaction” as the nurse had called it. She had probably just hoped I would be kicked out of the program for failing. Didn’t we both wish that had happened? Perhaps I would instead have to thank her.
Dear Grandma,
Coppertone tried to kill me, kind of. She nearly did.
They made me rest after I watched the video. They said that in three days I was going to have surgery to close up my leg and they claimed I would need my rest to heal properly. Not that they had any fears that I wouldn’t heal fast. They expected a quick recovery because I’m so young.
I really miss you,
- Renady
The three days passed by quickly. I was unconscious most of the time due to the pain medication. I was soon drugged and wheeled into the surgery room where they proceeded to close my leg up. I awoke again a few hours later and I was happy to find that I couldn’t see my muscle and flesh any more. So much so in fact that I would have happily danced around the hospital, but I stayed where I was. I knew that soon I would have to go back to my own personal H-E double hockey sticks on earth.
The Recovery days passed fast enough and soon I had full use of my leg again and was free to wander around assuming I was supervised. They had a beautiful courtyard in the middle of the square building. I would walk around it and read on the bench. However, today I had decided that I would stay inside and finish the reading material they had provided me with. I had lost track of time when I looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight, I had just gotten up to turn off the light when I heard voices outside the door. I froze.
“Does she know?” Mrs. Adams said.
“No she has no clue what’s awaiting her. She thinks she will be staying at training,” E. Johnson said.
“Are you sure you can trust them they are only now popping up. She is so valuable can’t we at least tell her so she will be on guard?” Mrs. Adams asked.
“No she won’t do it then. You saw the way she reacted to just going back to training. This will be longer and if she knew she would do something that could reveal us all.”
“She is just a child she’s young enough to be my child. Can’t we wait a little longer? Can’t we let her have more time to heal and adjust?” Mrs. Adams asked.
“I wish we could, but we’re running out of time. That is why I have been so hard on her,” L. Answered. There was a small pause in the conversation.