My expectations of a quick departure for most of those we rescued were set aside as Sister Clara examined them. She gave each of them a full medical exam, checking out their reflex reactions, their heart rate, blood pressure, skin elasticity, and taking blood and urine samples. While there wasn’t any one glaring issue with them, like broken bones or cancer, the combination of malnutrition, dehydration, exhaustion, and lengthy exposure to an unhygienic environment caused her to worry for their health. She set everyone up on a rehydration plan and made them drink different solutions, some with certain salts added and some with vitamins that they were lacking in their systems.
When Sister Clara pronounced them unfit to leave for at least two days, she was met with resistance. The soldiers and the CIA agents explained that their superiors wanted them back immediately. Sister Clara plowed through their objects like a machete through butter that had been sitting outside in the hot sun all day. “I don’t care what they want. Your health is my only concern. They left you to rot in a prison for years and now they can’t wait a few days to hear your prison experiences? If they’re so keen to hear how many guards were in the prison or how big your cells were, they can come here and talk to you. But they better not come here before tomorrow evening. You’re all on bed rest until then.”
Sister Clara normally had a barely noticeable Scottish accent but when she was angry, she turned full Scotty, minus any swearing of course. She cleared out the last objections by calling up the soldier’s and agent’s superiors and letting them know how things stood. I didn’t know if she had any legal grounds to hold anyone here for the two days, but it seemed that no one wanted to cross her. They all agreed to send someone tomorrow evening. With that taken care of, Sister Clara ushered everyone back to the cottage where she decided to split the group into two cottages and give everyone their privacy. I smiled as I realized that she’d effectively created eight treatment rooms for her and her fellow sisters to work in.
When everyone was squared away, Shauna drove me to Eva’s house. She was so excited to have her brother back that she never asked me how I’d gotten to Hannah’s house in the first place. I’d have to ride my bike over there later on tonight and swap it for my truck.
The following morning I was back at work with Dad, overseeing students and helping them work on their techniques. At the end of class, I asked him for a ride out to Hannah’s Home.
“Sure, but doesn’t Shauna usually pick you up?”
“She does, but she’s a bit busy today. We broke her brother out of a Venezuelan jail yesterday and I’m sure that she wants to spend some time with him before the army comes to take him back.”
Dad’s left eyebrow rose on its own, as he gave a questioning look. I wonder if he learned it from Spock or if Spock learned it from him. “You’re going to need to elaborate on all that, Abby. You had left me with the impression that you had spent your weekend with Eva and James. Did they fly out to Venezuela to participate in the jailbreak as well?”
“No. That would be crazy. Eva and James don’t know the first thing about international espionage and rescue operations.” It was a weak deflection and I knew that it had no chance to sideline the explanation. I thought it was funny. Dad didn’t. He simply waited me out and eventually I caved and told him the story. Not the whole story, of course. I pretty much blamed everything on ‘Roger’ and minimized my part to calling Roger, allowing Shauna to help arrange for the secure locations and transportation, packing a few bags full of food and clothes, setting up the cottages for our guests, and arranging for Sister Clara to be available to examine them.
Dad listened intently and didn’t interrupt me once. At the end of the tale, he smiled at me and said that he was proud that I was using my foundation to help others. It felt great to have his approval and I beamed inside. And as the glow of self-satisfaction was reaching its peak, he added, “I noticed how you completely glossed over the fact that my seventeen-year-old daughter has been in contact with a very resourceful and dangerous man for months, much less how she got in contact with him in the first place, and why she never saw fit to mention it, even in passing, to her kind and saintly father.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. So much for the glow. I opened my eyes and was about to start in on my explanation, but we had just turned into Hannah’s Home and saw a jeep parked in front of the clinic and several people were standing on the clinic steps having an argument. Shauna and Sister Clara were standing at the top of the stairs, their bodies positioned in such as way as to physically block the two men in army uniforms. In the background I could see Sisters Olivia and Amelia and the German diplomat, Gerhardt Strudel.
Yes, his name really was Strudel. Apparently, he came from a long line of bakers. At least that’s what he said and I had no reason to believe that he was lying to me. Not really. Except for the smile on his face when he told his name. Damn! I’d been played and until now I’d been too tired to realize it. I’d be having some words with Herr Strudel after I broke up this little spat.
Dad parked next to the Jeep and I got out slowly. I tried to project a calm demeanor. Sometimes that’s what makes the difference in diffusing a bad situation. As I took the few steps over to them, I could see that Shauna was pissed. She was glaring at a medium height, army guy, sporting the standard military buzz cut and pristine uniform. He was glaring right back at her. At his side was a much taller and beefier guy in uniform, with the same hairdo. He wasn’t glaring at anyone. He was there for physical intimidation and support.
I placed myself facing Shauna and the smaller army guy, with the big beefy one on my left and Sister Clara to my right. I was guessing that the little army guy was insisting that the soldiers had to go back to base right away and that Sister Clara and Shauna were refusing to let them go.
Before I could say anything, the smaller guy barked out, “Go away little girl. The grown-ups are talking.”
Well now. That was not a polite greeting. It was easy to see how he’d gotten underneath Shauna’s skin.
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“She’s the boss, you idiot.” Shauna was not helping matters, but I appreciated her saying what I wanted to.
“And you are?” I trailed the last word to give him a chance to fill in the blank. He did. Mostly because I was sure that he loved the sound of his own name and title.
“Major John Covington, US Army. I’m here to take Captain Martinez back to base for debriefing.” He pointed to Samuel.
“Hello Major Covington. I’m Abby Smith. I think that there’s been a misunderstanding. Samuel is suffering from the lingering effects of malnutrition and dehydration and is under the medical care of Sister Clara at the moment and your base was advised of all this. It was agreed that he would convalesce here for two days before he returns to base. I understood that arrangements had been made for any initial debriefings to be done here tonight and that someone from your base would be coming over this evening.”
“Ms. Smith, I’m Captain Martinez’s superior officer. I wasn’t on duty yesterday when all these ‘arrangements’ were being made and I didn’t approve them. If Captain Martinez can get all the way from Venezuela to here, I’m sure that he’s well enough to sit in a car for a few hours and return to base. We have excellent medical care back at the base and our officers won’t have to be inconvenienced by coming all the way out here to get their report from the Captain. Now be a good girl and run along and fetch Captain Martinez and we’ll be on our way.”
His condescending tone and dismissive behavior really grated on my nerves and I pictured myself kicking him in the face. The image made me smile and I calmed down, a little.
“Major Covington, do you see those gates over there? Those gates are along the line that separates this property from the public road. You are currently on private property. My private property. We are not on your army base. You are on my property and you have no authority whatsoever here. You have one right and one right only. You have the right to get yourself and your colleague off of my land. Immediately. Or I will be forced to have you removed.”
The major gave me a hard stare full of contempt. “I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Sergeant Price, go check the clinic and see if Captain Martinez is in there.”
The beefy Sergeant moved towards the clinic and I positioned myself to block his way. I also shifted my legs ever so slightly into combat stance, but I kept my arms loose and ready by my sides so as not to escalate the conflict. He looked over to the major for instructions and the major issued his orders.
“Sergeant, Ms. Smith is impeding you in the fulfillment of your duty. Please remove her and proceed.”
The sergeant reached out and grabbed my shoulder to move me aside. Once he grabbed me, I had all the excuse I needed to take him out. As my left hand moved to break his hold with a block to his forearm, my right hand shot out and jabbed him in the neck with curled fingers. His hands went to his neck and I stepped in closer to him and swiped my right elbow across his face. I stepped back and delivered a front kick right below his sternum. He was a big guy and I knew that any hits to his arms or chest wouldn’t do much. I had to hit him where it hurt. Places that weren’t protected by layers of muscle. Places that Uncle Magnum had drilled me to exhaustion to hit and hit hard. My job was to take him out of the fight before he had a chance to be in it. As the sergeant double over from the pain below his sternum, I finished him off with a whipping hand strike to his temple. He wasn’t knocked out, but he fell to the ground, rolling in pain.
Overall, I’d compromised his ability to breath, given him significant knocks to both of his temples, and kicked him in the area below his sternum. He was a mess. If done correctly, any one of those could end a fight. I’d done them all correctly and he wasn’t getting up by himself anytime soon.
“Major Covington. You are trespassing on private property. You have been asked politely to leave and you’ve refused. Instead, you ordered your colleague to assault me. If you don’t leave in the next sixty seconds, my next call will be to the sheriff. You will leave the sergeant here. Sister Clara will patch him up and give him some medication for the pain. When your investigators come to debrief Captain Martinez later tonight, they can take the sergeant back to base with them. Now go.”
Major Covington seemed confused for a few moments as he looked from me to his sergeant and back again. I tapped my wrist a few times to let him know that time was running out and even though I wasn’t wearing a watch, he got the message and climbed into his Jeep and drove off. I was sure that he’d be causing me more trouble very soon, but at least he was gone for now.
Since I was the cause of his injuries, I helped Sister Clara get the sergeant into the clinic and onto a bed. She gave him a shot for the pain and proceeded to give him a full exam. I hadn’t fully caved in his windpipe, but his breathing was labored. My abuse of his lower chest region wasn’t helping matters there either. Sister Clara also check to see if I’d given him a concussion with my head strikes. Throughout this process, Sister Clara didn’t say a word to me and I wondered if she was upset at the way I’d handled Sergeant Price. At a worried look from me, Sister Clara smiled and said, “Thank you for not giving him any permanent damage.” I smiled back at her.
I left the sergeant to Sister Clara’s tender mercies and walked out to the hallway. I heard Shauna and my dad talking in the reception area around the corner and I slowed to listen.
“I didn’t even know she took Kung Fu. That was incredible. Sergeant Price instructs self-defence in basic training. He’s very good. Abby took him down in six seconds.” Shauna’s was impressed, but I knew that if the sergeant had time to prepare, the fight wouldn’t have been so quick. I’d have still won, I felt sure, but it would have been much harder and I’d have taken a few painful hits. The whole point of learning Kung Fu was to end the fight as soon as possible and not give the other guy time to prepare.
“Her uncle Paul has been working with her since she was four and was kidnapped along with her mother. Learning Kung Fu gave Abby the confidence to face the world again. I remember him telling her that if she worked hard, no one would be able to take her away so easily again. It seems that he was right. I’ve seen Abby training before, but I have never seen her fight for real. I’m going to buy Paul a beer and congratulate him on doing a fine job.” I could hear the pride in dad’s voice and I almost teared up. I held in my emotions because right now we needed a plan for when Major Covington or someone like him came back and tried to have me arrested or to take Samuel away.
“I thought I was a decent fighter. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe I’ll give Kung Fu a try.”, Shauna mused.
“You should. The style that she uses is called Wing Chun. It was created by a woman and it was designed for women to be able to defend from and attack larger and stronger opponents. Paul is an excellent teacher.” Aha! He had been paying attention. He always made it seem like he couldn’t remember anything about Kung Fu and kept calling it Karate. It drove me nuts for years.
Having had enough eavesdropping for the day, I came around the corner and started making plans with Shauna. She was going to call our lawyer and give her an account of what had just happened and find out what our rights were, what Samuel’s rights were and how we could stall the authorities if we needed to. I brought up my thought of Covington trying to get me arrested and Shauna barked out a laugh.
“I like to see him try. It would be his word against all of ours. Also, Sister Olivia was kind enough to record the entire encounter on her phone. Would you like for me to send you the video?”
I groaned loudly and buried my face in my hands. “There’s another video?”