Corps Justice Boxed Set: Books 1-3: Back to War, Council of Patriots, Prime Asset (7 page)

CAL
: Thanks
but I really don’t wanna talk about it.

TRAVIS
: Ok.
How about you? How are you feeling?

CAL
: It’s
never fun to be shot, but I’m doing ok.

TRAVIS
:
What are the doctors saying?

CAL
: They
say I need some physical therapy and want me to stay here for a
couple weeks. Is there anything you can do about that?

Travis always seemed to know someone that
could pull a few strings.

TRAVIS
:
I’ve already looked into it. How about we get you a ride in an
ambulance back to the compound and have a doctor check on you a
couple times a day?

Cal thought about the two thousand acre
campus south of Nashville that housed Stokes Security International
(SSI). It would be good to see it again.

CAL
(brightening): I’d love it. I can even put up with any doctor
if I can come home.

TRAVIS
: You
got it, Cal. Let me make some calls. You sit tight and I’ll call
you back within the hour.

With that the phone went dead and Cal put it
back on the nightstand.

The rest of the messages were from
friends/employees within SSI so he decided to wait until he got
back to the compound before talking to them.

True to his word Travis called back within
the hour.

TRAVIS
: So
I talked to the hospital staff and they weren’t too happy about the
situation but I explained that we’d have a doc to escort you back
to the compound and that he’d be on-call
twenty-four-seven.

CAL
: Cool.
Thanks for doing that.

TRAVIS
:
They only had one request. I guess they’ve got some male nurse
taking care of you?

CAL
: Yeah.
Former corpsman. Good guy.

TRAVIS
:
Perfect. Can you get him on the phone?

CAL
: Yeah,
let me press the call button.

Cal reached over the side of the hospital
bed and pressed the nurse call button. Thirty seconds later Brian
walked into the room.

BRIAN
:
What’s up, Cal?

CAL
: Hey, I
need you to do me a favor. My cousin’s on the phone and he’s
helping me get out of here. He needs to talk to you about some
request the hospital’s made.

Brian tilted in head in confusion but nodded and
grabbed the phone.

BRIAN
: This
is Brian Ramirez.

Cal watched as Brian nodded his head and grunted yes
a couple times.

BRIAN
:
Yeah, I can take some time off.

Cal couldn’t hear the conversation but he had a
feeling about what was coming.

BRIAN
: Ok.
I’ll see you soon.

Brian handed the phone back to Cal.

CAL
: You
wanna tell me what’s going on, Trav?

TRAVIS
:
Brian will fill you in on the details. We’re working to get the
ball rolling and get you out of there today.

CAL
:
Awesome. Thanks again.

TRAVIS
: No
worries. I’ll see you soon.

Cal replaced the phone on the nightstand and looked
at Brian.

CAL
: What
was that all about?

TRAVIS
:
Your cousin just hired me for a couple weeks.

CAL
:
He what?!

BRIAN
: I
guess the hospital would only let you out of here if one of their
staff went along with you. Since I’ve been your wet nurse they
figured I was a perfect fit. That way the hospital minimizes its
legal exposure and you get good care. I’ve got some time off I can
take anyway AND your cousin said he’d put me up in that compound
place and pay me double what I make here. Any chicks in the
compound?

CAL
(laughing): Only one and you don’t want to mess with
her.

BRIAN
: Ok,
then let me get some things together and I’ll pack up your stuff.
Anything you need?

CAL
: Any
way I can avoid you being my babysitter?

BRIAN
: Not
if you want get out of this hospital. Just suck it up, Marine, and
let me get paid.

Brian left Cal to his thoughts. Cal figured it
wouldn’t be so bad having Brian around. He still couldn’t walk very
well so having someone he knew pushing him around in a wheelchair
might be ok. Plus, the compound was a big place and he’d have way
more to do than sitting around the hospital. Hell, SSI was
technically HIS company after all.

T
he
drive down from the city proved uneventful. Once the physician
hired by Travis, Dr. Rich Hadley, had arrived everything seemed to
move quickly. After some pointed questions to the new doctor, Cal
found out that Dr. Hadley did not have what you would call a
‘normal’ medical practice. After successfully completing his double
residency and fellowship in internal medicine and general surgery,
Dr. Hadley had decided to take a left turn.

Instead of joining a hospital or private
surgical practice, he became a concierge doctor for the country
music stars in the Nashville area. It was “Music City” after
all.

He struggled for the first couple years
until he’d met Cal’s cousin Travis. Travis, being the social
butterfly that he was, quickly became friends with outgoing and
adventurous Dr. Hadley. Both were in their late thirties and had
the luck of being endowed with rugged good looks. Both shared of
love of two things: outdoors and women.

Between the pair they’d cut a wide swath
within the ranks of the southern belles in Nashville.

Over time, Travis had introduced Dr. Hadley
to his country music friends. In the past five years his private
concierge practice had grown to include most of the respected
country singer/songwriters in the area. Why go to a crowded clinic
when you can call your own doctor?

Dr. Hadley had also been more than happy to
help Travis and SSI on occasion. This was one of those times.

DR
.
HADLEY
: Ok, Cal, we’re
pulling into the compound. How are you feeling?

CAL
: I’m
good.

DR
.
HADLEY
: Once we stop I’ll
have some of the guys lower your stretcher down and roll you into
the VIP quarters.

CAL
: Travis
is putting me in VIP?

DR
.
HADLEY
: You’d rather he
put you in one of the Quonset huts?

CAL
: Not
really.

DR
.
HADLEY
: Good. Now make
sure you don’t move around while they cart you in. Travis would be
pissed if I delivered his favorite cousin in a bloody
mess.

CAL
(resignedly): Alright, Doc.

The ambulance pulled to a stop and Cal could
hear the driver getting out of the cab and closing the door. The
back doors were opened and Cal saw a couple of the roving security
guards moving in to help lift the gurney out of the ambulance.

Cal looked around and felt the pull of home.
He’d spent plenty of time in the compound that his father had
christened Camp Spartan because of his fascination with the ancient
warriors of Sparta and because it was a fairly accurate description
of the spartan facilities.

Much of the compound was modeled after
Marine Corps bases. You had headquarters and then separate
buildings for each division. Battalions were located on the lower
levels of their respective division.

Cal’s father had put a lot of time into
hiring former military. He understood that these warriors craved
the familiar look and feel of military surroundings. That’s not to
say that the grounds weren’t state of the art. Cal Sr. had insisted
on having a top-notch facility while at the same time maintaining a
Marine Corps look and feel.

The compound was actually more of a campus.
The mess hall was located behind the headquarters building and the
living quarters just behind that. One of the things the company
found was that many of the families of employees also enjoyed
living in close proximity, just as they had on military bases
around the world. As a result, a portion of the campus was devoted
to single-family homes for the families of SSI employees. There was
even a condominium compound for non-married employees.

It was easy for spouses to come home for
lunch or meet their families to eat in the mess hall. Needless to
say morale was high as was retention within SSI.

The exception to the Spartan décor was the
VIP quarters. Housed on the highest point of the property, the
structure looked like a huge hunting lodge resplendent with a
carved log exterior and large paneled windows. There were even
rocking chairs on the huge front deck for visitors to enjoy.

The entire structure stood at right around
30,000 square feet with ten large guest suites. It was, therefore,
no wonder that the employees had taken to calling it The Lodge.

Soon after SSI experienced its enormous
growth, Cal Sr. realized the benefit of having the ability to house
VIPs on site. It allowed visitors to see firsthand the inner
workings of Stokes Security International. If potential clients
weren’t sold after the initial presentation, they certainly were
after being wined and dined by the staff at The Lodge.

Dr. Hadley directed the paramedics to take
Cal up through the ramped entrance. Cal noticed Brian standing next
to his car parked in front. The former corpsman walked over and
followed the crew into the building.

BRIAN
(whispering to Cal): Do I get to stay in here too?

They moved into the inner sanctum of The
Lodge. An old fashioned bar, fully stocked, stood in the corner
facing a variety of comfortable looking leather chairs.

CAL
: I’m
sure they’re gonna put you in one of the suites next to where
they’ve got me.

BRIAN
:
Suite?

CAL
(laughing): Yeah. They’ve each got a couple bedrooms and a
nice living area. This is where the company houses visitors,
prospective employees and VIPs.

BRIAN
(in
amazement): Are they looking to have a old corpsman turned nurse on
staff?

Brian continued to stare wide-eyed as they passed
through each enormous room.

CAL
: I
don’t know. I’ll ask.

Cal smiled at his friend, glad to have some
levity in an otherwise degrading experience of being wheeled in on
a gurney.

They arrived at a bank of elevators and Dr.
Hadley pressed the button for the second floor.

DR
.
HADLEY
: Travis has you in
the corner suite.

Cal nodded. He thought that’s where they’d
keep him. The corner suite was more like a Presidential Penthouse
with almost 4,000 square feet of living area. It was way more than
he needed but at least he could take advantage of the view. The
floor to ceiling windows overlooked the majority of Camp Spartan.
It would be good to see it again.

The team moved into the oversized elevator
and it rose to the second level. Exiting the elevator, they turned
to the right and headed to the end of the hall. One of the staff
members withdrew a card key, inserted it in the lock and held the
door open for the stretcher.

Brian followed in after the gurney and
stifled a gasp. The place was huge! Furnished with the same décor
as the rest of The Lodge, the corner suite was bigger than any
house Brian had ever lived in. What did this company do? He’d find
out soon enough.

Dr. Hadley was all business as he instructed
the crew to move Cal to the oversized sofa that faced the glassed
wall. With some effort Cal scooted to the edge of the gurney,
maneuvered over to the sofa, and sat back.

DR
.
HADLEY
: I’ll call Travis
and let him know you’re settled. I’m sure he already knows you’re
here, but he wanted me to give him a heads-up once you were safely
in your room.

CAL
: Great.
Now I’m gonna have to check in with Trav before I take a
piss.

DR
.
HADLEY
: You know he’s only
looking out for you, Cal.

CAL
: I
know, Doc.