Teresa's Christmas Ordeal Ch. 02

We flew straight north over the City towards City International Airport. The runways were east-west, so by coming north-south over the middle, we didn't cross any plane paths in the air. But we also didn't reach the runways; we landed to the west of the main terminal buildings, and got into a black car that had US Government tags. We were driven to a small building set apart from most of the other airport buildings. The building looked like a maintenance shed. It was ringed with heavily armed FBI Agents.

Going inside, we found that this small building had comfortable offices. We were led back along a hallway to the conference room, which took up a third of the building. Inside the room were the Deputy Director of the FBI... and Takaki Misaki.

Misaki-sama and I exchanged bows and formal greetings, then I presented Cindy, who bowed to him and had her bow returned. The formalities done with no loss of honor, we sat down around the conference table. I need not mention that paperwork had to be done.

"First of all, Donald-san," said Misaki, "I wish to present you with a gift in exchange for your help in restoring my honor in the capture of JACKAL." With that, his daughter Mariko, who was Todd's assistant at BOW Enterprises, bowed as she placed a small box in front of me. I opened it to find a simple white porcelain tea cup wrapped in sheaths of silk.

"This is the cup you used at our tea ceremony after your helicopter crash." said Misaki. "It is a small gift, but I am sure you will treasure the memories of defeating the Consultant of Crime when you hold it and use it."

"I... I am greatly honored, Misaki-sama." I said. "Arigato!"

"We can't allow Mr. Takaki to remain here for too long." said the DepDirector. "So please excuse my bad manners in coming to the point."

"I understand." said Misaki. "Mr. JACKAL is still alive, and we will be returning him to the FBI's custody. Unfortunately, his lower spine was severely damaged, and he will not be walking to kill anyone ever again." Cindy winced at that news. My face remained passive. We then listened to Misaki's report.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"So," said Cindy when we got back home, "JACKAL was after you, and these other two guys were hired by him to kill Tommy and Candy for the white supremacists. As a diversion?"

We were in my office. Needless to say the bug-killer was full on, as I.A. was indeed trying to listen in.

"Well, more like killing two birds with one stone." I said. "Doug and Roberta Jackson wanted vengeance for the death of their son, and Michael Burke wanted Eckhart and me dead, as well, after the 'Ivy' incident. This guy Rand was the go-between, and he brought in another assassin, who is not nearly as good as JACKAL, to take out Eckhart. But then Doug and Roberta insisted that Tommy and Candy be the ones killed, so they ended up being the targets."

"Did you know JACKAL was in the A/V room when you went in there?"

"You bet I did." I said. "And I had that TASER ready for him. What he did not know was that the prey had become the predator, that the hunted had become the hunter."

I continued: "For a long time, I could not understand why he'd come over here from France several months ago. Then I realized that he could never infiltrate The Vision directly: Dr. Eckhart knew who he was, and what with all the probes of the compound, your father was taking precautions anyway. So how to get in? The seminars. The Vision hired people to set up the lighting and audio-visual equipment."

"And that is where he made his mistake." I said. "He had to have an ID to be hired, and he used a U.S. passport... not the one he used to get into the country, but one of the others. A routine check had been done by the A/V company, and it showed up when I searched for it. Much easier to find things when you know where to look. The FBI missed it because they were looking for the passport number solely as means of entry or exit into the country."

"Good grief." said Cindy. "So... I guess the original question remains: why spend ten million dollars to hire a man to kill you. Heck, for that amount of money, they could've hired me..."

I chuckled and said "Naah, you can't hit the side of a barn with a rifle." That got me a dark look and a green crowbar waved in my general direction, then I said "But seriously, the only thing to do is to follow the money. Now who has ten million to burn, but wants to make absolutely sure the job gets done and Your Iron Crowbar gets waxed?"

"Superior Bloodlines?" asked Cindy.

"Ye-es..." I said, "but... who else?"

"Oh... the Government." Cindy replied.

"Yes." I said. "We just had an example of two separate entities at work with that frickin' drone package from the SPS trucks. And now we have someone trying to kill me. For what purpose?"

"I have no idea." said Cindy.

"They're about to do something." I said. "And they have to make sure, damn sure, that I am not around to stop them. Unfortunately for them... they failed. And I am going to make damn sure they fail again. We'll say no more of that right now. One thing I do need to tell you is that Laura and I did not get the chance to tell Teresa about her cancer, so don't blurt out anything when we go see her tomorrow."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Friday, December 30th. Laura and I entered Teresa's hospital room to find several Officers already there. Cindy, Micah Rudistan, Joanne Warner and her husband Seth, Todd Burke, who was sitting in a chair on the other side of Teresa' bed, Patrolmen Hicks and Morton, and Sergeants Charles and Hewitt of the SWAT Team.

The room became quiet as I grabbed a small chair and sat it down in 'Michael Corleone' style at the side of the bed near Teresa's head. She was lying on her belly; they were turning her over from time to time, but she couldn't do it herself.

"Another Purple Order, Ms. Croyle." I said in the tense silence of the room. "We're running out of them, you know."

"Sorry, sir." Teresa said. "I guess it's back to Desk Duty forever." At that point I did my very best Jim Mora 'playoffs!' impression:

"Desk duty!" I cried out. "Desk duty? You want to talk about desk duty?! How can I put you behind a desk?! You can't even sit down! You just got your ass shot off, fer cryin' out loud!"

At that, the room erupted into laughter, which became applause, the tension breaking into relief. I grinned and then began laughing, and even Teresa smiled.

"No, I've given up on desk duty for you, Captain." I said. "You did a spectacular job. You saved Tommy and Candy's lives, maybe Dr. Eckhart's, too."

"Yes she did." chimed in Rudistan, and everyone in the room applauded again, this time more seriously.

"Okay, guys." I said. "I'm sorry to break this party up, but Captain Croyle's doctors need to talk to her." People started leaving the room.

"Todd, Cindy," said Laura, "you can stay." They did so. Then Laura took my chair next to Teresa.

"Teresa," Laura said, "you are a brave woman, and I'm as proud as your fellow Officers are of you and what you did. And... there may have been a silver lining to all this. We would've had to operate on you anyway."

With that, Laura told Teresa that the biopsies had confirmed the beginnings of cancer in Teresa's ovaries. She told Teresa that while it didn't look like the cancer had spread, Teresa would need to undergo at least one round of chemo to make sure. Teresa nodded, absorbing the information in silence, with that inscrutable look on her face that I had not yet been able to truly understand.

A long moment later, she surprised us all by saying "Can I have a moment alone with the Commander?" Everyone else left, with Cindy and Todd kissing Teresa on the cheek, then Cindy escorted a visibly shaken Todd out of the room. After they were gone, I resumed my station in the small chair.

"I'm sorry, Commander." she said, trying to hold back tears. "I wanted to get the job done on the Precincts, and-------"

"Hey, you've already got that done." I said. "You know we'll handle it as the Team we are. And the same with you... we've got your back while you're kicking the ass of what's left of any cancer inside you."

Teresa said "I... I guess it wasn't meant to be... I never wanted to have a child after... after what my father said to me in that hospital... and then when I decided to have a baby... it doesn't matter now, I guess."

"Sometimes the Universe changes our suppositions." I said. "And remember: because you went in and had the test, Laura caught the cancer very early. So maybe that was the Universe's intention for you. I'm sorry you have to bear the pain of it. We all get kicked like this from time to time."

"I know." Teresa said. Then she looked me in the eyes. "Don... I've always known I could die out there, and I always knew I was free to face it, and to fight it... but how do I fight my own body trying to kill me?"

"That's what the doctors are for." I said. Teresa nodded, then went into silent contemplation. I waited for her, watching...

"Don..." Teresa finally said, looking at me, allowing her emotions to break through, "... I'm scared." My heart went out to her. I reached over and put my hand on her back, to reassure her.

"It's all right." I said. "It's all right to be scared. But you're not fighting this alone. You know that." She nodded, and tried to mask her fear. Nevertheless, I stayed with her for several long minutes.

It was my giri to be there for her as the enormity of the ordeal she would be enduring overwhelmed her. I could say it is what I agreed to when I accepted the assignment of Command over her and her fellow Police Officers. But it was more: it is what I agreed to when I accepted the assignment of being Teresa's friend, especially when the chips were down.

Finis.