Vanguard (17 page)

A man needed privacy when he talked to his dad.

~~ - ~~

The response to her request came back more quickly than she’d hoped.

Sophie,

First, Signe and I send our undying thanks for finding him and bringing him this far. We cannot tell you how grateful we are.

I know you have much more work to do in order to get him the rest of the way home. I’m happy to tell you that your request can definitely be accommodated. I called my contacts in the proper department, and they can make the arrangements. These kinds of requests are more common than you’d expect, and can be managed quickly and discreetly.

Here’s the information we will need when the time comes…

Sophie sighed in relief and headed to her quarters where she dug into her bag to get what she needed. She went out, everything jammed under her arm, to find Sergei and Sevastian. They were, not surprisingly, having a smoke. She invited them to a small room and closed the door. One by one, she put the items on the table between them.

“Gentlemen,” she said in Russian. They looked at her without expression, laying their weapons down within reach. “Your Commandant requests one of you return to the camp tomorrow and spend the day with him, while the other remains here to guard the prisoner.” Sergei and Sevastian glanced at each other, then back at her.

“The Commandant will require a full report,” said Sergei. “Do you wish us to tell him that your Orlisian lover is recovering?”

She resisted the urge to make a rude comment. “No, I don’t think that would be wise at all.” She opened the bottle of vodka she had brought in and poured three shots. “Your health.” Both drank the liquor straight down. “I would like you to tell the Commandant a different story.” She refilled their glasses.

“What do you offer us in return for this different story?” Sevastian accepted the fresh shot with a nod of thanks.

“Naturally, we want you to remain as our guests here. Continue to enjoy our food and drink, our hospitality.” Sophie knew the accommodations here were more pleasant than those in Parnaas. The coalition building had more reliable hot water, electricity, and other amenities. “You may, of course, keep the remaining vodka. And the second bottle as well.” She gestured to the table where an unopened bottle sat. “You may also share this.” Sophie handed them a fat brown envelope.

Sevastian picked it up and opened it, his big fingers surprisingly dainty as he counted the American bills inside. He nodded to Sergei, then turned back to her. “For this, we can tell a different story.”

She smiled. “To doing business together, today and in the future. If this transaction goes well, we will have a prosperous arrangement for the next while,” she said, raising her glass. Their eyes lit up as they considered the potential for future rewards as well as the one before them.

Sophie had just bought some time.

“Here’s what I’d like you to tell Commandant Jaros…”

~~ - ~~

February 17, 2014

Michael had been asleep for hours by the time Sophie returned to the infirmary. It took a while for her to settle down enough to sleep. She got up twice in the night to change his IV fluids, a task that she had become so proficient at that the nurses allowed her to do it. Michael’s long, rattling coughing fits woke them a dozen more times. In other words, a restless night.

Still, she awoke before the sun rose. They spooned against each other, his leg flung over hers and his arm tight around her ribs. His raspy snores ruffled her hair. She knew she had to get up to consult with the Rev before he went into Parnaas, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Too comfortable. Too warm. Too everything.

Not yet.
She had to get him away from Commandant Jaros and back to the US without endangering a camp jammed full of innocent people and the mission itself. She couldn’t do it without all her faculties.

Sophie gently removed his arm from around her ribs and wiggled out of bed. He made a small sound in his sleep as she slipped from his grasp. She leaned down and kissed the corner of his mouth before she left.

~~ - ~~

Sophie stood beside the Rev’s Jeep as he prepared to drive into Parnaas, repeating to him the story she’d given Sergei and Sevastian last night.

“I need time, Dave. Buy me some time. That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll do my best.”

She watched the convoy roll away, wishing she could go with them. But she belonged here now. With a sigh, she walked back to the infirmary.

Michael was finishing a small plate of eggs and dry toast, his first solid food in several days. “Good?” she asked. He let out an ecstatic whimper. “Want more?” He nodded. She walked down the hallway and got him seconds of the unappetizing food, which he ate with frightening zeal.

He insisted on getting to and from the shower under his own steam, albeit slowly and very painfully. When he returned, Sophie sat cross-legged on his bed with a serious look on her face.

“I am in trouble?” he joked, sitting down beside her.

She dried his feet thoroughly, applied the ointment Raj had prescribed, then started wrapping his toes. Michael tried to push her aside so he could do it, but Sophie knocked his hands away. They glared at one another.

“Yesterday, I talked. Today, you talk.” She smoothed the bandage neatly around the ball of his foot. “Where’s your passport? I doubt it’s stuffed in your pocket, and you’re going to need it to get out of here.”

“It’s in Kaliningrad,” he said. “I left my identification there before I crossed the border into Orlisia. It can be easily retrieved.”

She stared at him in surprise. “You left your passport in the Soviet Republic? Where?”

“With family friends.” He raised his heavy eyebrows at her expression. “Not all Soviet people wish to see Orlisia enslaved, you know. Perhaps you have been spending too much time with my mother.” She looked down, feeling her face redden with embarrassment.

After a moment, Michael let out a long sigh. “I gather from the conversations I have had with you, and also with my parents last night, that I am expected to return to the US without delay.”

“We can’t put you on a plane while you have an infectious pneumonia. Anjali figures we need a few more days to ensure you’re not going to relapse and are no longer contagious.” She pulled the last bandage taut and tucked the end in. “But the sooner we get you back to New York, the happier I’ll be.” Sophie risked a look up at his face. Dark and moody, but not quite as angry as she expected. “How do you feel about that?”

“How do you think I feel?” he said. “I came here to help liberate my country. Until the Soviets blew up our resistance cell, I was helping in some small way to do that. When they attacked, I barely escaped with my life. I made my way to the border in the freezing cold, got caught, and ended up in Parnaas. Where,” he concluded bitterly, “I had to be rescued by a woman.”

His lack of gratitude stung. “Yes, I’m sure that’s very damaging to your pride.” She ignored his foul look. “Michael, I’m not forcing you to do anything. If you wish, you can finish getting better, then walk right back across the border into Orlisia.”

He snorted in disbelief, and her lips pressed into a hard line.

“This is not a prison. You’re free to go; I won’t stop you.” Her heart constricted in terror even as she spoke. If he went back, everything would end between them. She could not endure another round of this.

He looked at her, bitterness burning in his face. “There is no point in returning,” he finally said. “The Soviets have won. The resistance is over. It was over before I arrived. Only an international intervention will help now. I am more than willing to give my life for Orlisia, but I will not throw it away needlessly.”

She felt her heart ache at his words. Orlisia was so beautiful, its culture unique. That the little country would become part of the homogenous Soviet empire devastated her. She couldn’t imagine how Michael must feel.

“You may yet be able to make a difference,” she said softly. “The resistance can continue on the diplomatic front. The UN can’t ignore this outrageous occupation much longer, no matter how economically important the Soviet Republic is to the world. The pressure on them to intervene is mounting daily. Your firsthand account of what is happening in Parnaas could be incredibly valuable in rallying public interest and support.” Michael did not reply, so she rose and busied herself around the infirmary.

“I apologize for my rudeness,” he said after a moment. “This is very difficult for me.”

“I understand.” The strange thing was that although his words hurt, she really did understand how he felt, far better than when he’d first left in July. “It’s extremely painful to stand by while something – or someone – you love beyond words is in grave danger.” Michael turned to look at her oddly. “What?”

“It is nothing. Or rather, it is not something for discussion right now. Come to me.” He patted the bed beside him. “Please.”

When she climbed on to the bed, he surprised her by pulling her into his arms. They sat together, his hand stroking her hair. She rested her head on his chest, cherishing the sound of every heartbeat against her ear.
Michael, Michael, Michael.

“What was it like in the resistance?” she asked.

“Meaningful. I saved the lives of my comrades many times over. Good doctors were hard to come by, and my previous experience as a field doctor in Uganda helped immeasurably.” He paused. “It was also terrifying.” Sophie saw goose bumps breaking out across his arms as he spoke. “I was almost always afraid for my life. I had difficulty falling asleep at night because I feared I would die as I slept.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I was so afraid,
mana mila
.”

“So was I. Every minute you were gone.” His arms tightened around her, and they sat there for a long time like that.

~~ - ~~

Sophie waited outside when the team returned from Parnaas. The Rev jumped out of the car and motioned her inside. Anjali and Will joined them.

“How much time?”

“Seven more days. The Commandant originally said four, but Sergei talked him around to seven. Not sure what you offered him,” said the Rev with a brief grin, “but it worked.”

“Knew it would.” Sophie tapped her lower lip. “Seven days isn’t too bad. I think we can make it happen.” She turned to Anjali. “Will Michael be able to travel within seven days?”

“For that, I need to examine him,” said Anjali with a smile. Sophie groaned. She had a bad feeling that this had as much to do with Anjali cross-examining him about his intentions toward her as it did checking his medical status. “Is he awake?”

“Not when I left.”

“I am now,” came a gravelly voice behind them. Michael leaned against the doorway in his scrubs, looking annoyed. “I do not like being spoken about behind my back.” Sophie rolled her eyes at him, and he glared back.

His eyes shifted to take in Will, looking him up and down a bit haughtily. “I do not believe we have been introduced,” Michael said. “Yet you seem very familiar to me.”

“That’s because I’m Will Temple.”

“Of course.” Michael shook Will’s outstretched hand. “We meet at last, despite Sophie’s best efforts to keep us apart. No doubt because she fears I will tell the truth about her.”

“Now, kids,” said Anjali, “save it for after school.” She slipped past Sophie, her face bright with anticipation. “You shouldn’t be out of bed, Vanguard. Come on, let me check you over.”

Michael followed her, pushing his IV pole. “Why does everyone call me by this name?” Sophie heard him ask as they vanished into the infirmary.

~~ - ~~

She finished with the Rev and returned to the infirmary as Anjali was completing her examination.

“He didn’t bite your head off yet?” she asked. Anjali stuck her tongue out at her friend, causing Michael to snort with laughter. Sophie threw him a dirty look.

“He’ll be fine.” Anjali turned back to Michael. “I’ve taken a throat swab to see if the antibiotics have done their job, but I expect you’ll be able to fly within seven days.” She gestured to his feet. “Not much we can do for your toes right now. Third degree frostbite, most of it permanent. The antibiotics you’re taking for the pneumonia will protect against infection of the damaged tissue. Do you have a lot of pain?”

“No,” he said immediately, and Sophie grunted. Michael would walk on those toes for a hundred miles before he admitted to having pain.

“It’ll be a good six months before you can have amputation surgery. You’ll have some funny footprints after that.” Anjali consulted his chart. “You’re making an excellent recovery, I must say. Far better than I could have hoped for. You went back on solid food today, yes?” He nodded. “Good. You could stand to gain at least thirty or forty pounds. Peeing okay?”

“Peeing just fine,” Michael said. “I am hoping this means you will remove this.” He extended the arm with the IV in it. Anjali nodded and explained which of his medications he’d receive orally and which would be injected going forward. Then she ripped the mass of tape off his arm. Sophie looked away, wincing, as Michael lost more body hair to Anjali’s ministrations.