“I know Sam. Hold him a moment longer. I’ll get a sedative.” She got up and headed to her cabinet looking for the right drug.
“Forget it hon. He passed out again.”
She looked around to see Sam laying the man back down carefully. She reached into her cabinet and instead of the sedative, she grabbed the antiseptic and gauze. It was time to attend to his wounds before they became infected. “Sam, go get me some hot water and a few towels.” She set her supplies down on the table next to her patient and took a good look at the extent of the damage. Whoever had held this man must have wanted something badly. The more she studied the wounds, the more it became obvious that his captors knew exactly how much current they could get away with, without killing him. Whatever they had used was barbaric. She could make out what appeared to be strap marks, although the flesh around the marks was burned and peeling. She had seen a lot of wounds during her tenure in Vietnam. The burn wounds were always the most horrifying.
Sam arrived at her elbow and set the hot water down. “What can I do to help?”
“I need you to hold his shoulders, I’m afraid to dose him up too much. I don’t know what, if anything, is in his system, but I’m not taking any chances with any chemical reactions. Even though he’s out, this is going to hurt and we’ve got four sites to clean.”
“You want me at the end of the bed then?”
“No, sit down next to him, it might be necessary for you to hold more than his shoulders.”
“Gotcha.” Sam placed himself where he figured he could control the man the best and gently pressed his hands on the man’s shoulders. “Go ahead Beth, I’m ready.”
The next hour and a half were torturous for all of them. At first she was able to clean off the worst of the dirt and grime he had gotten in the wounds from his time in the forest without too much trouble; but when she had started to peel and remove the worst of the burnt flesh and had come into contact with the exposed nerve endings, he had begun to thrash. They had had to resort to binding his legs with towels and even then, Sam had had to practically lay on him so Beth could work.
“Finally,” her voice choked. The man was deathly still and she grabbed her stethoscope to listen once again to his heart and lungs. A small sigh of relief escaped her as she heard a steady beat. Beth rubbed her eyes and pushed her hair back. She had been working hard to keep the tears back all the while she worked and now she let them fall.
Sam got off the bed and walked around to his wife. “You did great Beth, the man is strong. He must have a core of steel to have survived this long. You’ve done all you can right now.” He put his hands on her shoulders.
They left him, knowing he would have to heal, uncertain just what that would entail but for now he was stable.
Beth sat pushing her food around her plate. Hours earlier she had been looking forward to a great meal. Now everything just tasted like paste. Images of a crowded surgical tent and bodies lying around, forced their way back to the front. She thought she had left it all behind when she and Sam got back to the United States. “Damn Sam, this is the United States. Not some barbarian country out of touch with the world. Who would torture a man like that?”
“I don’t know,” Sam looked at the rest of his plate in front of him and pushed it away. he had suddenly lost his appetite. The man had been in the hands of someone for a long time. What was equally strange were the inconsistencies. Whoever had held him had kept him alive and taken care of him. He had been groomed and fed that much had been obvious. But it hadn’t stopped the torture.
Beth looked over at her husband. “I found numerous needle marks, so I took a sample of his blood. I want you to take it into the lab in town tomorrow. I need to know what they were giving him. Tell Angie it’s a rush, but I think we need to keep this guy and his whereabouts a secret. No sense drawing attention to him right now. We don’t even know his name.”
“You’re right there, honey. My guess is whoever had him all these years is looking for him. You said the latest burns were new so that means they didn’t just let him go. I’m thinking they’re also dangerous and I don’t want them finding their way here. I’ll ask around in town if anyone has seen any strangers in the last couple of days. What are you going to do about your practice? You can’t go off and leave him for any appreciable time.”
“I won’t have to. Nobody is currently sick and I just need to check on Amy, she’s getting ready to deliver her fifth. Her mom is already planning on being Amy’s midwife, I just need to be handy if there is any trouble. Are you worried someone might track him here?”
“Not really, I found him under the one of the Amite River bridges. The river covers a lot of territory and the terrain down here in Louisiana is treacherous. It would be hard for the best tracker to follow someone after last night’s rain. It’s just me being cautious. I’m going out for a smoke. Have you seen Red?”
“Not since earlier when I unloaded the bird and your rifle. I thought he headed back outside. I’m sure he’s around somewhere.” Beth got up to empty her plate and grabbed his. Sam hadn’t been hungry either. Maybe later she’d fix some breakfast for the two of them.
Red had been running around chasing squirrels and finally decided to head inside. He sniffed the house and smelled the scent from earlier in the day. Searching for it, he found the pile of clothes sitting on the floor and then heard a moan. Red wandered closer to the bed smelling the inhabitant. He sneezed as the smell of the disinfectant hit his senses but couldn’t control his curiosity for the man lying on the bed. He smelled a little like Sam. He was awfully still but then another moan escaped and Red felt the need to explore further. He sniffed his face and licked hoping to get a response but nothing happened. He laid down next to him and placed his head on the man’s chest and a hand reached to hold him. Red sensed he needed him, so he moved closer allowing the man’s hand on his head. Then Red rested, there were no more moans. It was good.
Beth walked to her office to check on her patient and saw Red lying close. She wasn’t surprised. Red was always comforting injured children when they came to get bones set. As she turned to walk back to the kitchen, she heard one word escape his lips.
“Blair”
After cleaning up the dishes, Beth came to a decision. She walked into the room and picked up the wet clothes. They were strange. They looked like some sort of uniform. Starting with the slacks she began with the pockets. She turned them inside out looking for anything that would give her a clue to her patient’s identity. “Nothing.” There was also nothing remarkable about the t-shirt, so she turned her attention to the jacket. Again she came up blank as far as the pockets were concerned. Except for strange insignia on the outer sleeve, there wasn’t even a manufacturer’s label.
Sam had just come back in from his smoke when Beth walked out of her office.
“Sam look at these. Why would he be wearing a uniform?”
Sam took the clothes from her and studied them. “They look like some sort of military issue. Maybe he stole them to escape.”
“Is that insignia from one of the branches of the government?”
“Not likely. I’ve seen all of the insignias in current use and that resembles none of them.”
Then we’re talking some sort of secret operation here in Louisiana. That’s scary Sam.”
He looked at her and frowned. “Whatever this guy is messed up in, it’s not good, but we knew that when we saw his wounds. I’d like nothing better than to put him in my car and take him to the nearest hospital. But I have a feeling we’d be handing him right back over to the ones who’ve been hurting him. That doesn’t sit well with me. Besides, he trusts me, he thinks I’m his friend Sam. You heard him, how can I ignore that plea for help?”
Beth’s eyes were glistening with tears. She still couldn’t get over the incredible
sadness that had washed over her at his plea to Sam. The man needed their help and she had decided a long time ago that she would never refuse help to anyone.
“I’m going to go check on him.” Sam said, “By the way, I couldn’t find Red.”
“He’s in there, looking after our patient,” Beth said smiling.
“I’m not surprised,” said Sam, “He figures the man belongs to him since he found him.” Sam wandered into the office looking down at the man. In sleep, with his hand on Red, he looked peaceful. Sam sat down. “Well, you weren’t exactly what I had planned when I went hunting today. Here Beth and I had managed to put all the ugliness of the war behind us and then you land in our laps. Talk about bringing up memories. Mind you, I’m not upset with you. You couldn’t help it. But damned if you didn’t succeed in throwing a wrench into our happy retirement.” The man started to toss and turn again and Red jumped off the bed leaving Sam to quiet him. He reached across putting his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Easy pal, you’re safe.” The guy seemed to hear him and settled back down.
Sam continued talking to him. He figured hearing his voice would help the guy know he wasn’t alone. “You’re young enough to be my son, but it looks like you’ve been to hell and back during your life. I must admit to being curious. Your voice, what I’ve heard so far sounds cultured but your body looks like you’ve been on the street your whole life. I’m guessing it’s a little bit of both.” As the man turned his head away from Sam, the scar on his cheek became prominent under the lamplight. Sam shook his head, “Even your face hasn’t been spared.” It was almost too much even for Sam. “I must be getting old.” At that moment, Sam would have liked nothing better than to have the one who did this in his sights. “No one deserves what they did to you.” Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He didn’t light it, just rolled it through his fingers and smelled it. He’d wait to smoke it when Beth relieved him. It was probably going to be a long night.
I just love this story.
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