Vanguard (24 page)

The Commandant would learn at some point in the future that he wasn’t going be handed over to the International Criminal Court. But for now, the uncertainty of it would keep Jaros in line until the UN could get here. He’d planted the seeds of doubt at exactly the right moment.

As the Commandant had pointed out, the UN would never invade the Soviet Republic to retrieve one man. In the end, Jaros would probably never face justice, although the superpower would no doubt be forced to account on the world stage for the evils he’d committed. The Soviet Republic would conveniently claim ignorance, make token reparations, and the world would continue to turn.

Sophie and the mission were safe. There would be no more mutilations in Parnaas. The Soviet Republic might even make good on those harmed by the Commandant. And ironically, Michael had his life back by faking his own death. The only question was whether his life would be worth living after he faced Sophie that night.

Chapter 15

They were waiting for him when he pulled into the base behind Will.

Michael got out of the SUV and walked toward them. He’d never been afraid of a woman in his life (with the possible exceptions of Sophie and his mother), so it seemed ridiculous that he’d feel fear at the sight of a small female who barely reached his breastbone. However, this was no ordinary circumstance, and Anjali Shah was no ordinary woman.

Will hurried to his wife’s side, murmuring into her ear. She nodded but didn’t take her eyes off Michael as he walked toward her. Will looked at him, then back at Anjali, then found something interesting on the ground to look at. Anjali didn’t say a word as he walked up. The Rev, standing beside her, looked at him nervously as if expecting bad news.

“Let’s go in,” the Rev said. “You need to bring us up to speed.”

They stepped inside, and Michael started moving to the right toward the infirmary. He wanted to see Sophie first.

“She’s asleep.” Anjali’s grabbed his arm with alarming strength. “You stay away from her until I say otherwise. Got it?”

The Rev took them to a small meeting room and closed the door. The four sat down around the table.

“I will tell you everything you want to know,” Michael said. “But first, I want to know Sophie’s condition. Nothing until I hear that.”

“She’s fine.” Anjali spoke through clenched teeth in a low, dangerous voice. “Temp normal, blood pressure good, hydration vastly improved. She’s still considered contagious for another sixteen hours, and is under quarantine in the infirmary. I’ve pushed a couple of liters of fluid through her, just for safety’s sake. She should be fine by tomorrow.” Her voice dropped a little. “She’s still sleeping off the effect of the tranquilizer you administered,
Doctor
.”

Michael winced. He saw Will’s hand slide beneath the table to take Anjali’s. “Thank you. When can I see her?”

“Never, if I have my way about it.”

The Rev looked at her in surprise. “Anjali, please. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but take it up with Michael privately.”

“Sorry.” Anjali looked at him with contempt. “You can see her briefly when she awakens, but she remains in quarantine for the next sixteen hours.” They glared at each other for a moment.

“Okay,” said Will into the tension. “So, do you want to tell us how you managed to come back out of the Commandant’s office in one piece? Because frankly, we’d already divided up your stuff and started arguing about who would get your parking spot.” The small joke helped ease the atmosphere in the room a bit. Even Anjali looked a little less frightening, although Michael noticed she didn’t smile.

He walked them through his meeting with Commandant, leaving out no detail. The Rev and Will looked awed, but Anjali’s eyes still burned with fury. Michael shifted in his chair. He wanted to be out of here and with Sophie.

“Do you think the Commandant will do any digging on you, possibly determine that you’re not actually a member of this mission?” asked the Rev.

“Not only possible but likely,” he said. “That said, I do not think he will determine that I am the refugee patient who has allegedly died. For my own safety, however, I will be returning to the US as soon as Dr. Shah clears me to travel.” She looked like she would sign the papers and shove him into a plane on the spot. “Unless she would prefer to put me on a plane to America before determining whether I too have contracted dysentery.”

The Rev nodded in agreement. “I’m sending Sophie home with you for her own safety. The two of you can go back together once you’re both able to travel.” Anjali looked like she would explode. “In the meantime, you’ve done us a great service, Michael. In addition to saving yourself from returning to Parnaas, you’ve secured greater cooperation between us and the Commandant for the foreseeable future, as well as better protection for the refugees. Well done.” To his great surprise, the Rev shook his hand.

“Any idea what we’re going to do with Sergei and Sevastian?” asked Anjali. “They have to go back to the Commandant.”

“Sophie has something specific planned for them,” said Will. “She ran an idea past me that sounded viable before she went to Kaliningrad. I’m sure she’ll tell us more when she’s able.”

“Another fun day on the front lines.” The Rev got to his feet. “Anyone else for a late dinner?”

“I need a word with Dr. Nariovsky-Trent, then I’ll join you,” said Anjali ominously.

~~ - ~~

Michael followed Anjali out of the room and down the hall. She stopped in front of a doorway and ushered him in. He’d never been in this room before, but as soon as he entered, he knew it was Sophie’s. The room smelled faintly of her. On the bedside table, he could see a framed picture of the two of them from their GYL year. All those years ago.

He pulled himself out of his reverie and turned to Anjali. Her unexpected punch hit him so hard that he was knocked back a couple of steps. He cupped his hand over his nose as blood began to drip out.

“That’s for violating my best friend’s trust.” She let him stumble around until he found a tissue to stop the bleeding.

He wiggled the bridge of his nose to see if it was broken. He didn’t think so, but it hurt like hell. “I apologize,” he said nasally. “There was no excuse for what I did. I am very, very sorry.”

“Tell that to the review board after I file the complaint against you for professional misconduct.”

He closed his eyes. Anjali was within her rights to make a formal complaint. Administering narcotic drugs for no medical reason was a serious offense. He could lose his career over it.

“I want to see Sophie,” he said. “Do whatever you want – report me, arrest me, punch me again. Just let me see her.”

“You’ll see her when she wakes up if she’s willing to see you.” The rage in Anjali’s expression suddenly turned into such bewilderment that he could barely stand it. “How could you? Couldn’t you have simply told her what you planned to do?”

“She would not have allowed it. I had to get to the Commandant before the press conference, and we both know she would have resisted the idea. I did not have two or three hours to spend fighting with her.”

“How do you know she would have fought you? Because you wouldn’t have allowed it if your positions had been reversed?” Anjali’s cheeks flushed red with anger. “What if Sophie had had an allergic reaction to the drug? Or if the dosage was too much for her system so soon after the dysentery? She could have gone into cardiac arrest. You could have killed her!”

Michael shook his head. “I did the wrong thing, and I have admitted to this. But I did not put Sophie’s life in danger. I would die before I allowed that to happen.”

“How are you going to manage after you return to the US?” Anjali demanded. “Sophie works for a frontline aid agency. She faces danger every time she goes to the field. You’re going to fly with her on every trip? Hold her back when she needs to enter a slum or a refugee camp? Prevent her from walking among people who have deadly diseases? Drug her when she doesn’t do your bidding?” Michael flinched away from her words. The thought of Sophie in peril was intolerable. “This isn’t just what Sophie does for a living – this
is
Sophie! If you love her as much as you say, you have to learn to deal with this.”

“No, I will not do those things. I will find a way to cope with these new realities in my life,” he said shakily. “I love her, Anjali. Please believe me.” Michael turned away, afraid his emotions would overwhelm him. “You can take my medical license if you wish. But I cannot live without her anymore.”

Anjali was silent for a moment, arms crossed. “I’ll have your dinner brought to this room. You’ll stay in here tonight. You will not leave this room except to use the washroom. I’m putting a guard on the door.

“
If
Sophie wants to talk to you when she wakes up, you’ll be escorted to the infirmary. You will have a short period of time to talk things out. Then you’ll be brought back here for the night. She will stay in the infirmary, and you will stay in this room until 2 p.m. tomorrow when she is released from quarantine. What you two do after that is your own business. The infirmary will be yours to sleep in again should you no longer be welcome in Sophie’s bed.”

Michael nodded, not trusting himself to answer. Anjali turned to leave, then stopped.

“You fucked up. Sophie loves you so much. She’s waited for you all these years, although she’d never admit it. Then, when you finally get together, the first time –
the very first time
– you have to make a difficult decision, you take her out of the equation in the most brutal, high-handed way imaginable.” He stood with his head down. “You don’t deserve her,” she said. “And if I have my way, you’re going to spend the next decade on your knees groveling to get her back.”

Anjali left the room. A few minutes later, someone put a tray of food on the bedside table. He didn’t look up to see who it was. Shortly after, Sevastian came to the door, looked in at Michael, then took up his post outside the room. He couldn’t look the guard in the face. Of course, she’d asked one of the Soviets to watch him. The irony would appeal to her.

He lay down on the bed, ignoring the food. The sheets and pillow had a whiff of Sophie on them. He closed his eyes and waited.

~~ - ~~

Sophie started waking around 10 p.m. It took several tries to open her eyes and keep them open. She looked around the room – she was in the infirmary at the base camp, she realized – and found Anjali, masked and gloved, at her bedside. She looked at her friend for a moment, then pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Mish-el.” The word was barely intelligible.

“He’s fine. He’s here in the compound,” Anjali said. “Everything is okay. He’s free. He doesn’t need to go back to Parnaas.” Sophie looked at Anjali suspiciously.

“See him.” Sophie’s mouth felt like it was full of sand.

“You can see him. If you’re sure you want to.”

Sophie frowned, suddenly unsure. Of course she wanted to see Michael. Why would Anjali say such a thing? Sluggishly, she tried to remember what had happened, and how she had ended up in the infirmary. Dysentery. Michael. The UN. The drive home. The pills…

She fell back against the pillows and let the tears run down the side of her face. Anjali looked at her with enormous compassion, then left the infirmary. The doctor returned several minutes later with juice, and began checking and recording Sophie’s vitals.

“It’s shortly after 10 on Thursday night.” Anjali helped Sophie sit up and handed her the juice. “You’ve been asleep for about ten hours. While I vehemently disapprove of the methodology, I’m glad you got a good rest. It’s exactly what you needed.”

Sophie looked down, spotting the IV with a frown. “Take this out.”

“Sorry, that’s staying until tomorrow. So are you. As in, staying in this bed and this room until tomorrow afternoon.” She started to protest, but Anjali cut her off. “You know the rules. Quarantine continues until forty-eight hours after the symptoms dissipate. According to your chart, that will be tomorrow around 2 p.m.”

She let out an angry sigh, but let it go. “Can I have something to eat?”

“I’ve asked someone to prepare a light meal. It should be here in a moment.”

After she ate everything on her tray, Sophie sat in bed, picking at the tape around her IV placement. “I want to talk to him.”

Anjali put down her work and looked at her friend. “You don’t have to see him tonight, you know,” she said. “You don’t have to see him ever again if you don’t want to.”

“I want to talk to him,” she repeated stubbornly.

Anjali sighed and got up. “I’m giving you thirty minutes. No more. If you want him gone before that time is up, you call me and I’ll have him removed. Understand?”

~~ - ~~

After Anjali left the room, Sophie sat up. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the sight of the blue hospital gown she wore. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head against them. She didn’t hear anything, but she could tell as soon as he walked into the room.

“Thirty minutes.” Anjali’s voice sounded very cold.