Honor Thy Mother & Thy Father Ch. 03

Patricia continued sleeping after her temperature stabilized at 97°. The Doctor told Janet and Cynthia, they could redress and resume their normal duties.

When she regained consciousness, the first words out of her mouth were, "What time is it?"

The Doctor replied, "It is only 4 o'clock. Soup will be here shortly, and I want you to drink it slowly. I do not want your temperature spike. If it does. You will miss the first message."

"Over your dead body, doctor. I do not care if they have to carry me to that computer. I will catch that bastard if it is the last thing I do."

Don Bruno entered the room and said "Patricia, you will listen to the doctor. There will be more than this one message."

"Don Bruno, you do not understand. The first message is the most important message. It is more informal, and he will stay online longer than necessary trying to taunt you about what he is going to do to Stephano. The longer I have him online, the closer I can zero in on his location. This is a chance in a lifetime. He will screw up only this once. After this, it will all be business. He will make it short and painful for you. I have to catch him now."

"You are certainly a Galina. You would argue with the wall, until the wall fell down."

"It is very funny you should say it that way, Don Bruno. I heard someone saying the same thing about the Valentino family."

"Be nice to your host, Patricia."

"Yes, Don Bruno, I am just trying to help."

"Doctor, make sure she is ready to go by a 5:15 PM. Cynthia make the arrangements for her transfer. She will be coming in my car."

"As you wish, Don Valentino."

At 5 o'clock, the doctor took her temperature, and had it had risen 101°. "Shit, your temperature is on the way up again. You are not going."

"Get me small-bags of ice. Tie them to my wrists underarms, and ankles. That will keep me cool enough to work on the computer.

The Doctor nodded his head and both Cynthia, and Janet sprang into action.

Moments later, they ran into the room, with bags of ice; and what used to be a sheet, cut into strips. They tied the bags around her wrists and ankles as she told him to do, and miraculously, a wheelchair was brought into the room. She had forgotten. She would not be able walk in the condition she was in. She was taken down to the lobby of the hotel, and she saw its name.

When she got into the car she said to Don Bruno, "They forgot to cover my head. I know we are in Miami."

"It is all right, Patricia. My friends have been watching you, since we got here. Everything you have said and done, has led them to believe what I told them about you is true. You are here only to return my son to my arms."

"I would still feel more comfortable, Don Bruno, if I did not know the location of your site. It would protect you from any doubt your friends might have that I may leak this information to anyone else. They may think I am not a risk at this moment, but in the future this may come back to haunt you, and I do not want you to think it would come from me. Our families have been at odds with each other for many generations, and I do not want that to happen again."

"Patricia, your family would have been very proud of you." They covered her head for the remainder of the trip to the facility.

An FBI van was half-mile west of the entourage carrying the Don's to their secret satellite location, and a Blackhawk helicopter was at 6500 feet, monitoring them. They did not need to see them. They could see the radioactive signature inside Patricia's body as clear as day. She could be inside a concrete bunker and they would see it. They were not going to do anything today, except watch. However, the information gained from this exercise was going to be priceless. Every transmission sent and received at this location would now be monitored by government computers and satellites. Warrants would be obtained to use this information in courts all over the world. If you could not control the mob and its activities, you could take away its money and its access to it. The director of the FBI was in direct contact with the Blackhawk and a team of agents was ready to go in and try to get Patricia out at the first sign of trouble.

The doctor kept taking her temperature as 6 o'clock approached. Patricia yelled at him to get out of her way and to get the ice away from the computers because the water could short-circuit them. She was so furious with him; she picked up a bag of ice and threw it at him herself. Janet handed her a towel to wipe her hands as she sat down at the control panel. She lit up her computer, and plugged it in to the massive machines that controlled the satellites. Now came the waiting and that is what they did. 6 o'clock came and went, and no message came from William Zabo.

They were getting ready to leave at 7:15 PM, when the screen opened up with a message: Bruno, did I keep you waiting. I was watching one of my men beat Stephano unconscious. I was having such a wonderful time; I forgot to look at my watch. I am truly sorry I missed the 6 o'clock hour.

While Don Bruno was formulating his answer, Patricia was actively seeking the site of her father's transmission. She knew she could not fake it, because too many eyes were on her. Some were experts on satellite tracking, and any false moves she made would be easily picked up. Her hands moved like magic over the keyboard, as the satellites moved. She looked at Don Bruno and said, "Answer him."

"William, I cannot undo the past. It was my vanity that caused these unfortunate incidents. I want my son back, and I am willing to pay any price, including my life, if that is what will satisfy your needs. I will pay any amount of money. I will go to any place you desire. I will come alone. I will guarantee your safety for the rest of your life. Please give me this opportunity. Bruno

Bruno, as you said you cannot undo the past, and I hold the key to your future. Stephano has done me no harm. He has even acknowledged he has told you it was business, not personal. You were the one that made it personal. Money means nothing to me. I have more of it than I can spend in 10 lifetimes. I want Laura, and my daughter back. If you can do that for me, I will send your son back in one piece.

Patricia gave Don Bruno, a signal to keep him online as she continued the process of tracking him. Just as she had told her father, he ended the conversation under three minutes.

Patricia continued her computations for several moments afterwards, picked her head up, looked at Don Bruno, smiled, and said, "We got him."

Don Bruno hugged her tight and said, "Where is he?"

"Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona. If he had stayed online for another moment, I could have given you the street address, and the apartment number, but he signed off a moment too soon."

The Don looked around the room for confirmation from the other members of the staff, who were in the room watching her. They agreed with her assessment.

The Don said, "Patricia, I told my son that you were worth your weight in gold. You mean more to me than any precious metal."

Patricia grinned at the Don and fainted on to the floor. The Doctor rushed to her side, felt her pulse, and said, "We have got to get this girl back to the hotel, she is burning up."

Don Bruno said, "If anything happens to her, your life expectancy is zero."

The doctor replied, "I understand. In that case, I want to take her to The University of Miami/Jackson Medical Center to run some tests. I suggest you be in another car, while we speed to the hospital."

"Do whatever you have to do, but do not lose her."

The Tahoe skidded onto Tamiami Trail and headed back towards the city of Miami. It picked up speed and was soon at 95 miles an hour cutting in and out of traffic.

They had not driven 15 miles when a Florida State Trooper pulled up behind them with his lights flashing. The driver stuck his hand out the window waving the trooper to come up beside him. The trooper did not, and came up on his loudspeaker for the driver to pull over. The driver stopped jumped out of the car and yelled, "Jackson Medical Center, now!"

The trooper nodded jumped back in his car, and led the way, with the Tahoe on its heels.

The Black Hawk watched the car following the police car towards the city and called to find out what was going on.

Highway Patrol told them someone was ill and being rushed to the hospital.

Director Free was worried on the off chance it was Patricia he had to have his own team there to take care of her. FBI headquarters was just moments from the hospital and after his phone call agents jumped into action. Three of their medical specialists were called into service, including one that specialized in nuclear medicine. Nurses with FBI and other government secret clearances were called in to work.

The police car roared into the emergency area, followed by the Tahoe who was directed into a space reserved for ambulances. When they pulled Patricia out of the car and put her on the gurney, the agent standing at the door called in a code that was sent to the Director's office.

Her doctor walked into to the ER. He was on staff at the hospital and everyone there knew and greeted him. The ER physicians read his notes and consulted with him about the happenings of the last 24 hours. A myriad of tests were ordered, but instead of Patricia becoming another guinea pig in the ER, she was rushed up to a private suite, which is normally reserved for dignitaries. She would be watched over by private nurses day and night. These were supplied by the FBI.

As soon as her doctor left for the day, the real work began. The FBI doctors, nurses, and technicians rushed her to the laboratories for blood work. Every test, including a Bone Density test was taken to see if the Isotope had invaded the marrow of her bones. Mri and Cat scans were taken within moments of each other. The isotope was running amok in her system and it had to be neutralized as quickly as possible before it did permanent harm.

After the tests were analyzed an agreement was reached. They had to put Patricia through the Positron Emission Tomography Scan and have her body bombarded with gamma rays. The isotopes half-life had to be diminished as far as possible before they did permanent damage to her vital organs, especially her ovaries. They prepared the PET SCAN machines, and readied Patricia for the event. They put her in a light gown, and placed earphones on with soft music playing. The final part was to place her into an induced coma. They did not want her to wake up, while she was in the claustrophobic cylinder.

The next afternoon, when she woke up, she was looking into the angry eyes of Director Michael Free.

"YOUNG WOMAN, YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE SPANKED YOUR BOTTOM ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, DURING YOUR YOUNG LIFE. YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME."

"Why, what did I do this time," she asked, innocently?

"That isotope idea of yours nearly killed you. You were too thin and then you refused to eat properly. When the isotope had nothing to attack on your body, it went after your organs. If that doctor had not gotten you here, in time, there would have been a curious mix of people at your funeral. How was I going to explain what you did to your father? How was I supposed to explain that to me? I do not put trained agents into positions you put yourself in."

"Did you get the information you needed?"

"Do not play with me, Patricia, you know, we did. With what you gave us yesterday, we will be able to track everything they do with their money, their goods, and even their intentions for years to come. The only thing we have to be careful of, is not to become too good at what we are doing. We have to make sure they do not know we are tracking their satellite communications. However, now that we know which satellites they are using, the frequencies, and the hosts who are giving them their satellite time, we can put a large dent into their operations."

"I do not care about their operations; I want their leaders in jail. I want Bruno Valentino in jail forever. I would love to see a needle placed into his arm for the murder of my mother, but I know that will never happen. I really do not know if I will ever be satisfied with my lot in life, until I talk to my father. I miss my mother every moment. She was my rock; she was my stability. One word from her mouth and I was good. If I had a problem, I could talk to her. When she said, "So, what was your problem again," we would both crack-up laughing, because I could not remember why I called her, and what my problem was. She did not deserve to die, and the last words she spoke were to get me out of danger. 'Swordfish,' that word rings in my ear as I go to sleep every night. The last sounds I heard out my mother's mouth sent my world upside down. Instead of being at MIT studying for my doctorate, I am in the real world studying how to kill a mob boss, and his empire. If that is not a change of life story, I do not know what is."

"Whatever I have to do to get you back to a normal, productive life, Patricia, I will move heaven and earth to do it. You deserve it, and so do your mother and 41 other people who died that day."

The director's phone rang. He listened for a moment and then hung up. He said, "Your doctor is on his way up. I have to disappear, but agents will be watching you all the time. Keep me advised of what you are doing, please. I do not need a heart attack, and I already have two daughters that are trying to cause me one."

"I would like to meet them one day. I could show them how it is done."

"Believe me, Patricia, they already know, and they are working hard to accomplish that task. The oldest brought a boy home with a ring through his nose. The agent standing at the front door laughed at my expression. I did not blame him, because it must have been something else."

"You had better go Michael. There are many doctors, but only one Director of the FBI."

Minutes later, her doctor walked in and said, "Good afternoon, Patricia, you are looking better today."

"I am feeling better today, Doctor. I do not know what medicine you ordered, but it seems to have done the trick."

"Yes, your blood work looks good. Your fever is down, and if it stays this way, you will be going home tomorrow."

"Do you have any idea what I had and how it hit me so suddenly?"

"Viruses are like that; they come, they hit you hard, and they leave. Sometimes if they are really bad they could stick around for a long time. Your body chemistry apparently is very good. I would like you to gain some weight, and to stay on my vitamin regimen."

"Why is everyone so conscious of my weight? I have always been very athletic, and very thin."

"You are no longer a teenager, you are young woman, and you are entering a phase of your life where you are going to be extremely active. You are going to be requiring at least 1600 calories a day to maintain the lifestyle you currently have. The Don tells me that you travel all over the city and the boroughs of New York to fix computers and do your computer programming. I would also bet that you are up to all hours of the night, making up new programs for computers. Between lack of sleep and low weight, your body is trying to get your attention. Feed me, or I will get even with you. Your body won this last round handily. If I were you, I would listen to it."

"She will doctor, I guarantee it."

"Oh no, my father is here. I am going to be force-fed like I was as a child."

"Patricia, be nice, or I will have to take you over my knee."

"Stephano said the same thing, only he had a smile on his face when he said it."

"Who said I am not smiling?"

"The doctor is standing in the way Don Bruno. I could not see your face."

"How are you feeling today, Patricia."

"The doctor says I am well enough to go home."

"Tomorrow Patricia, you will be well enough to go home tomorrow. Don Bruno, I would warn your son to stay away from this woman. She has a way of twisting every word that comes out of a man's mouth."

"You have noticed that also, Thomas. I have been subjected to her ferocious tongue. However, there are certain qualities about her that make her uniquely qualified to use the language, as she wishes every now and again."

Patricia sat up in bed with a gleam in her eye, but a worry behind them, as she said, "You found him?"

"You are the eager one, aren't you?"

"I want to fulfill my duty to you Don Bruno. I want to reunite you with your son as quickly as possible."

"You have done more than your share, Patricia. We sent people to Scottsdale from Las Vegas last evening. They asked for a man fitting William's description all morning. We have already found three people who recognized his picture. They also gave a description of his car."

Patricia said, "Let me guess, the same make, model and color as he had, in Italy."

The Don looked at her and asked "How would you know that, Patricia?"

"He is going to be predictable Don Bruno. While you left him alone he fell into habits. While a man is working he is on a very keen edge. He has his skills so finely tuned. He never does the same things twice in the same month, no less the same week. When you left Mister Zabo alone, he became sedentary. Once he became sedentary, that edge left him, and now he is predictable. The more you talk to him online, the closer I can get to him. Soon, I will have you living in the house next door to him. If you want, I can have him invite you over for dinner."

"Patricia, I do not know what made my people invite you to my son's welcome home party, but I will be forever in their debt for doing it."

"I just wish I could return those shoes. They were expensive, and they kill my feet every time I put them on."

"I will buy you 1000 pairs of shoes, custom-made for your feet. Just get me close to William Zabo."

"Will 120 pounds do?"

"125 pounds and not 1 ounce less."

"I thank you, Don Bruno, and so does my backside."

"What backside, you do not have one."

The next day, as they were driving back to his home in New York, a phone was ringing in the car. Everyone checked to see if it was theirs, except Patricia. The phone continued to ring and eventually everyone started looking at her.

She said, "Why are you all looking at me, they did not let me bring my cell phone."

Both Janet and Cynthia nodded their heads in agreement, but the phone continued to ring. Patricia opened her bag and there was a cell phone in it. She picked it up and said, "Hello?"

The muffled voice on the other end said, "Let me talk to Bruno."

Patricia looked at the Don and said, "It is a man, and he wants to talk to you."

"Who is this?"

"Is that a nice way to talk to the man who has your son, Bruno?"

"You have some pair of balls, William."

"I thought you looked quite nice in your red jacket this morning, Bruno. However, you did look a little tired. Did you sleep well during the night? Are you worried about Stephano? Are you worried about his health, and how badly he was beaten yesterday? You will receive an email address where you will see for yourself how well, or unwell we are treating him. I know you think I am in Scottsdale, Arizona. Yes, I was there, but airplanes fly both ways. You get in your private airplane, I get in my private airplane, and we fly all over the world. Your computer expert is very fast; I must congratulate him. I almost stayed online too long. If you had people in town, they could have gotten to me, before I had time to leave. How tragic that would have been for Stephano. I will call you again tonight on this telephone. If you try to open the back of it, it will short out and erase its memory. Go online to the email address I send you, look at your son, and wait for my call. Goodbye, Bruno."