while politicians half a world away, in no danger of being overrun, could hardly be bothered to respond to requests for reinforcements. The surgeon would not forget one of the SEALs who was killed that day. He was a corpsman she’d had the pleasure of getting to know in this very hospital when he was recovering from wounds sustained in Afghanistan before joining the Agency. Katie would get special treatment.
“How did it go,” the young reporter asked.
“All things considered, I am extremely optimistic. Brain surgery of this type has evolved exponentially in recent years. We had an option to actually do this with a local anesthesia, though we usually do those for tumors situated close to the section of the brain that controls speech. In this case, due to the size and location we opted for general anesthesia, so he’s been out for close to four hours now.”
“Any side effects we need to worry about?” Katie asked, deliberately using “we.”
“Well, he might not like his new haircut. We had to shave his head to remove a flap of bone to give us access to the brain to remove the meningioma. Everything is back in place. We’ll keep him here tonight, maybe tomorrow depending on how he does, but he can start light exercise in about three weeks and ramp it up to his normal regimen in about six.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of him.”
“It’s our pleasure, Katie.”
“I’d love to be there for him when he wakes up.”
“He’s just down the hall. I’ll be in to check on him shortly.”
Katie slipped her laptop back into a bag and made her way down to the recovery room.
She shot a smile at the anesthesiologist as she entered.
“Hey, Dr. Port. How’s our SEAL doing?”
“Just bringing him back now, Katie.”
Dr. Port was a Katie fan as well. In his off time, he volunteered with the Maryland State Police SWAT team as a medic, so he was well acquainted with the community of law enforcement tactical response units often made up of military veterans. He was there to ensure nothing went wrong with his newest patient, who had become something of a legend in the small fraternity of special operations.
“He’ll be dazed for a few minutes as the anesthesia wears off but will be back to his old self in no time. You’re welcome to hang out here as long as you’d like. A nurse will be checking periodically, and Dr. Rosen will be in soon to evaluate. I’m sure they told you we will be keeping him overnight for observation but from what I understand, the surgery was extremely successful.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Katie said, touching her hand to her heart.
“This is what we do, Katie. Dr. Rosen is one of the best in the world. Reece here was in good hands. I’ll be back in a few.”
Alone in the room, Katie looked down at the man who had saved her life more than a year ago. Bound and gagged, she remembered being forced to kneel on the floor of the Fishers Island mansion with strands of explosive det cord wrapped tightly around her neck. A CIA assassin in the employ of the federal government had pressed the button on a remote detonator connected to the explosive flexible cord. If his finger came off the button, she was dead. She was an insurance policy to ensure Reece did the right thing that night. She was in the room with him now to find out if he had.
Young for what she had accomplished thus far as a journalist, her series of stories on the Benghazi fiasco and the resulting bestseller opened doors and established her as an investigative journalist who would follow the truth, regardless of where it led. That is what she was after today: truth.
Who was James Reece? she wondered. Was he a domestic terrorist, as the government had proclaimed when they were desperately trying to find and kill him? A vigilante hell-bent on avenging his murdered wife, daughter, and unborn son? Was he a disgruntled veteran who brought the wars to the home front after the ambush of his SEAL Team in the mountains of Afghanistan? Was he her savior? Or would he have blown her head off to avenge his family? Was nothing sacred in that quest, including her?
Looking up and down the hall outside his room, she softly closed the door. Taking a seat next to his bed she took his hand in hers. Thumbs gently stroking either side of