Bishop's War (Bishop Series Book 1) (15 page)

Chapter 22

Decorating a soldier

Blood was draining
out of him so they had to move quickly, but it took another hour to get Chris free and carefully bring him up to the surface where firemen and an ESU team loaded him into a rescue basket attached to an extension ladder. Macho gripped the cables above the basket with one hand and held his son’s hand with the other while they were both lifted to safety. Everyone else climbed through the pile of rubble and made their way down to street level.

They loaded Chris into the back of a waiting ambulance and the medics immediately went to work on his multiple injuries. Macho and Silvi climbed in and the instant the doors slammed closed the ambulance raced down Third Avenue towards the Beth Israel trauma center.

John, Felix, Bunny, Carlos, Benji and his two men were all covered in dirt, dust and blood. Some of it came from their own cuts, but most of it had come from Chris. They stood in the street staring after the ambulance as the crowd cheered and the reporters screamed questions at them.

“That’s the bravest kid in the world,” Bunny said.

“He sure is,” Felix said.

John’s face was grim. “He’s got a tough fight ahead of him.”

They were each saying a silent prayer for Chris when a loud crashing sound behind them made them all jump. They turned around in time to see the six story brick building to the right of what had once been Still Bar crumble at its base and topple over onto the pile. The impact rocked the already shaky building on the left and a moment later it too came crashing down, sealing what would have been their tomb.

Beth Israel Hospital

John needed stitches and was waiting for the doctor to come back. Maria was wiping away blood and dirt from his face and hands when SAC Terry Hall and NYPD Captain Jimmy Ryan walked into the small hospital examination room.

“Hey soldier, you okay?” asked Ryan.

John was cut, scraped and scratched from head to toe and his shirt and pants were ripped up.

“Am I okay? Nah, I’m about as far from okay as I can possibly be.”

“Really sorry about your cousin,” said Ryan.

“Same here. Think you’re up to telling us what happened?” Terry asked.

“Yeah why not. Rather do it now than later.” He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

“Take your time Sergeant.”

“I was out cold and I think Bunny was the first to wake up.”

“Bunny?”

“His given name is Valentino Brown. We served together in Special Forces before he was wounded in Iraq. Everyone calls him Bunny.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“I remember shooting the bomber when he ran in and then after that I was waking up in total darkness with Bunny pulling on my foot. The floor under us must have collapsed from the explosion ‘cause we found out we were in the basement with a two-story building piled on top of us. It’s just dumb luck that we’re not all dead.”

He looked over at Maria who was being really brave and doing her best to stay calm. Her back was straight, her eyes were clear, and her palms dry as she held his hand firmly. He was so proud of her. He knew that she was holding it together for his sake and he gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes before continuing.

“It’s funny how life sends you messages.”

“How so?”

“Me and Bunny were trapped in the dark once before. We called in an artillery strike on some Hajjis in Iraq and the rounds came in short. Hit the building we were in and messed us up. We were both wounded, it was pitch black, and we couldn’t find our gear. After some Marines dug us out we both went and bought matching flash lights. Swore that we’d always keep ‘em handy.” John pulled the mini Mag light out of his front pocket and held it up.

“We never would’ve made it tonight without ‘em. Anyway, we both had crap pinning us down and it took a while to wiggle free. I found Felix a few feet away on an old sofa. Don’t ask me how he managed to land on that thing. The concussion from the blast knocked him out like the rest of us and then the couch saved him ‘cause there was a bunch of nasty stuff down there that would’ve torn him up if he’d fallen on it.”

“And Chris?”

John looked down at his shoes for a moment, trying to compose himself. Maria handed him a bottle of water and he took a deep swallow.

“Bunny found Chris under a pile of bricks and sheet rock. The three of us cleared a path. We were working fast cause we could feel the room heating up from the fire above us and smoke was seeping in. We thought we could just pull him out until we saw the heavy support beam pinning his leg… and then the two inch pipe sticking out of his chest.”

“Shit,” Jimmy said.

“We tried clearing everything around the beam, but it was wedged in good and was way too heavy. We couldn’t budge it. When my uncles came down with the blow torch we tried cutting through the thing, but it was slow going and the heat was literally cooking him. You could smell his skin burning.”

“Jesus.”

“You know through the whole thing he never cried. Didn’t even scream when I cut off his leg.”

“You what?”

“I amputated his left leg below the knee with a machete and no anesthesia while his dad was holding one hand and Felix held the other… You know what he said to me before I did it?… He said he knew how hard this was gonna be for me. Hard for me! Told me not to feel bad. He said he knew we wouldn’t leave him so it was the only way we’d all get out of there alive. Said he’d gladly give his leg to save the people he loves. He was more worried about us than about himself. His only regret was that he’d never get to be a Green Beret… I’ve seen a lot of wounded men in my day and with something like this they all pass out. Not Chris. He stayed awake the whole time… talked us through it.” John’s voice was cracking and Maria couldn’t hold back the tears. She buried her head in his shoulder.

“Brave kid.”

“He’s in surgery now?”

“Yeah. We had medics down there with us. They clamped off the arteries in his left leg. His right leg is badly broken and he’s got about twenty small wounds. Chris was taking our picture when the bomber ran in. Me, Felix and Bunny were kind of against the wall in the back room, but he was standing in the middle and out in the open when the bomb detonated. He got hit with a lot of shit from the blast, but it’s the chest wound that worries me the most. It collapsed his right lung and he lost a lot of blood.”

“Anything we can do for you John?”

“Yeah, one thing.”

“Name it.”

“Stay out of my way.”

“Excuse me,” Terry said.

“You heard me. I’m going to find every person that had a hand in this and I don’t want the FBI following me when I do.”

“You know you’re a civilian now. We have laws.”

“Laws? Since when is it legal to put bugs in people’s clothes and listen to their conversations?”

“John, please, just let us handle this. We can protect you and your family.”

He exploded up out of his seat. “What! Protect us? How many FBI guys were outside the bar when we got blown up? And how many stood around for three hours while we dug ourselves out of our own grave?”

“Look I’m sorry that…”

“Terry, save your sorry for someone that gives a fuck. My little cousin is in there fighting for his life. My family protects itself from here on and I’ll find the guys responsible faster than you ever will. Just leave us alone.”

“Sorry you feel that way, but I can’t sit back and watch you kill people. You understand that even though I’ll hate doing it, I will arrest you if you break the law.”

“Yeah I understand. No hard feelings from me when you put the cuffs on.”

“I really hope it doesn’t come to that. Think about your fiancé here.”

Maria’s eyes were blazing. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare try to use me to get what you want. If you were smart you’d go take a vacation and come back when he’s finished. A thousand of you and your men can’t do what he can. Now get out and leave us alone!”

Terry’s face was red as he walked out of the room, stung by Maria’s words. Ryan hung back.

“Johnny, I want to help. Let me know if you need anything. No strings and no interference. You understand what I’m saying?”

“Yeah. Thanks Jimmy.”

Captain Ryan tipped his hat to Maria before leaving to find Terry.

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too. You know you need a shower and some new clothes.”

“After the Doc stitches me up I need to talk to Tio. Then we’ll run home and come right back.”

Everyone was there. His aunts Grassiella and Marci, his cousin Silvi, some of his other cousins and a few of Chris’ closest friends were in a large group on one side of the waiting room while his uncles Gonzalo, Sesa, Macho, Fiero, Carlos and Calixto were talking quietly in the corner with Felix and Antonio when John walked over.

“Any word?”

“Nothing yet.”

“It’s been five hours,” Macho said.

“He’s strong, hermano,” Gonzalo said.

“Any leads on these guys, Antonio?”

“Yeah, Johnny. We took out five and Benji is interrogating two more. They’ll tell us all they know shortly. We watched some ninjas take a few other terrorists out of a house in Queens so it looks like the FBI might be doing its job for once.”

“If it was the FBI.”

“Hey Johnny.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at Team Razor as the four “ninjas” strutted over.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Good to see you too, man.”

“Didn’t mean it like that, Mace. You got leave?”

“We did. Now we’re working. How’s Chris?” The team shared each other’s mail from back home and they had all read some of Chris’s long letters.

“They’re still working on him.”

“Sorry, man.”

“Where’s Bunny?” asked Bobby.

“He’s with Chris. Won’t leave his side, even during surgery.”

“That’s Bunny,” Able said.

“How’s this gonna go down?”

“Come on, Johnny. What kind of question is that after all we’ve been through?” Bear asked.

“No hard feelings guys. I’ve got a lot of people to find and just need to know up front if you’re with me on this.”

“Anything you need. Shooters, weapons, anything. We stand with you, Johnny. You hear me man? We’re here for you.”

“Thanks guys, really glad to hear that. What’d you get from the cabbie in Queens?”

“He lost an arm and is still asleep, but we took out another live body that’ll be giving it up soon. You’ll know when we do.”

“Alright. This is my uncle Gonzalo, the head of the family, and these are my uncles and my cousins Felix and Antonio.”

Introductions were made all around and they all moved into a tight circle to strategize without being overheard. They spoke quietly for half an hour before the surgeon came in. His face was tight as he spoke directly to Macho.

“Mr. Valdez, you raised a very brave and very tough young man. The good news is he’s alive. The bad news is we had to remove his right lung and two of his ribs. There was a lot of other internal damage and we repaired most of it.”

“Most of it? Why not all of it?”

“His body just couldn’t take any more. We removed sixteen pieces of shrapnel from him and stopped all the major bleeding. His heart stopped twice and we brought him back both times. It’s really a miracle he survived the surgery after experiencing so much trauma and losing so much blood. That said, he’s young, strong and he’s obviously a fighter. That’s more good news. Now we wait. His body needs rest to heal, but he should wake up in a few hours.”

“Let me use your phone,” John said to Bear after the Doctor left. “Is he on speed dial?”

“Who?”

“General Palmer.”

“Yeah. Press one.”

After making several calls John went home with Maria to shower and change. His body was drained and he was having trouble mentally managing all the strategies for his next moves. He put up only token resistance when Maria forced him to lie down. He jumped up four hours later feeling refreshed and re-energized.

Chris was just waking when they got back to the hospital. His complexion was gray and his voice was a staticky whisper, but he smiled when John walked in.

“Hey cuz. Glad to see you’re awake. You had us all worried.”

“My surgeon was the one that was worried. The nurse told me Bunny put a gun to his head,” Chris croaked.

“He started the operation with a lot of negative energy. The man needed an attitude adjustment,” Bunny said, looking down at his shoes in embarrassment.

“I hope he doesn’t transfer before he checks on me.”

“Not a chance. He decided to give up all his other patients so he can devote himself to your recovery full time.” Bunny looked ferocious, like a mother bear guarding its cub. He had cuts and scratches all over him that were sealed with dried blood. Under his hospital gown his clothes were torn into rags. No one, including Macho tried to get him to leave. They all recognized that he was part of the family now.

Gonzalo came in and said, “They’re here.”

“Who?” Chris asked.

General Palmer and Team Razor marched into the room formally, all wearing their best dress uniforms.

“Chris, this is General Marcus Palmer, head of Special Operations Command,” John said.

“Hi Chris. I’m proud to meet you,” the general said gently taking Chris’ hand in his.

“Great to meet you, sir. I’ve heard a lot about you… well read a lot… I mean John wrote me about you.. Sorry, I’m still a little punchy. Can’t get my mind and mouth to work together.”

“That’s okay, Green Beret, you’ve been through hell.”

“Green Beret?”

“You heard me, soldier.”

“I don’t understand, sir.”

“Even though you didn’t go through Special Forces training yet you already went through basic with flying colors. That, combined with your heroics during and after the attack makes you a perfect candidate for us.” General Palmer pulled out a green beret and placed it on Chris’ head, adjusting it at the proper angle.

“Come on. I’ve got one leg, sir. I appreciate what you’re doing, but we all know I can’t wear this on my head. Not when I didn’t earn it.”

“A Special Forces Operator is intelligent, resourceful, adaptive, and selfless. You’ve already exhibited all these qualities under extreme duress. And as to earning it, believe me, you will. Once you heal up we’re going to give you the most advanced prosthetic limb there is. You’re going to be assigned to my personal staff, and I guarantee you’ll need two legs to keep up with me, Private Valdez.”