Hunted (22 page)

“So this is the young lady with the future in medicine,” Wanda said, smiling and hugging Vicki. She kissed Vicki's cheek and took a step back. “You're a pretty little thing. You're sure you didn't go to medical school?”

Vicki giggled. “I actually didn't even make it out of high school.”

“Well, you did excellent work with Cheryl and Ryan. Both look like they'll be fine. He came a little early and doesn't weigh much, but if he eats right, he should fill out in no time. He's also a little jaundiced.”

Vicki furrowed her brow. “What's that?”

“It's common. You can tell by the skin. See, it's yellow. Best thing to do is put Ryan in the sunlight and let him sleep. You don't want him to get burnt, but the sun's rays start … well, all you need to know is that he needs to be in the sun a couple of hours a day.”

Vicki yawned and Wanda told her to get some sleep. “I'll still be here when you wake up.”

“Good,” Vicki said. “I have a lot of questions, and I'd love to hear your story. We don't get many visitors, except for the ones who come to see Zeke.”

Wanda smiled. “Get some rest.”

Judd found a small piece of pipe on the ground and slid under the Humvee, watching from the shadows as a few workers exited the hospital. He was careful not to touch the car and set off an alarm. He waited nearly thirty minutes, watching cars arrive and people in uniforms rush inside. Just as he was about to give up, the Humvee chirped and the engine started.

Judging from the shoes and the way the person walked toward the vehicle, Judd guessed it was a man. Maybe a doctor. When the man came around the back of the vehicle, Judd scooted out and caught up to him as the door opened. The man wore a white jacket and had a stethoscope draped around his neck.

“Hey,” Judd said as he sprang from the shadows.

The man threw his hands in the air. “My wallet's in my back pocket. I've only got about fifty Nicks but you can have—”

“Put your hands down. I don't want your money. Get in.”

The man turned slowly. “Look, buddy, don't shoot. If you're looking for drugs—”

“Don't turn around. Just get inside. I don't want to hurt you.”

After the man got inside, Judd opened the back door quickly and slid in. “We're driving out of here and to the back of the hospital, not past the guard, got it?”

“Yeah, but I hope you don't want me to go inside. You can't get in that way.”

Judd knew Lionel needed medicine, but there was no way he could enter through the front. Judd's eyes landed on the rear-view mirror. The man stared at Judd, the mark of Carpathia clear on his forehead. It was the same doctor he had seen through the window.

“Tell me what you want. Maybe I can help.”

“A friend of mine's hurt. His arm is trapped under a rock.”

“Where?”

“I can't tell you his location—”

“No, where on the arm?”

“Just below the elbow. The rock's huge. I put a tourniquet on him to stop the bleeding.”

“How long has he been there?”

Judd looked at his watch. “A few hours.”

“And he was conscious when you left him?”

“Yeah, he was talking, and I told him I'd be back before sunup.”

The man put the vehicle in gear and backed out.

“Hey, where are you going?” Judd said.

“Duck your head so the guard doesn't see you. The windows are tinted, but if you pass a lighted area people can still see inside. I have some medical supplies at my house. We'll go there and then to your friend.”

Judd shoved the pipe into the back of the seat. “Okay, but remember I have this.”

The doctor drove by the guard, and Judd relaxed a little. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty.

“Looks like you have a few scratches yourself,” the doctor said. “Anybody look at those?”

“I'm okay.”

“Patrick Rose,” the doctor said, reaching back.

Judd hesitated, then shook the man's hand. “I'm Judd.”

The doctor glanced back, and Judd pulled away.

“Look, I can tell you're not a hoodlum. I don't think you're going to rob me, and I believe your story about your friend, so relax. I'm going to help you.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We'll get some meds, then find him.”

“Does this car have a jack?”

“I'm sure it does, but I've never seen it. The dealer sends someone out if I blow a tire, but I've only had this a few months. You can look for the jack while I get my black bag.”

“I'll be going with you into the house.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Are you married?” Judd said.

The doctor raised his left hand. He wore no ring. “Not anymore. I lost my wife a few years ago.”

They drove through a residential area and came to a house with an unattached garage. Dr. Rose stopped the car and held up his hands. Judd told him to put his hands down and stepped in behind him.

Traces of light shone on the horizon as the man put a key in the front door and opened it. Judd followed, looking at the gourmet kitchen with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. Counters glistened when Dr. Rose hit the light switch. The refrigerator looked big enough to hold food for an army.

Judd was distracted and didn't hear the soft padding of feet down the hall. Dr. Rose turned, smiling. “I want you to meet Princess.”

Something growled in the hallway, and a huge dog stepped into the light.

21

JUDD
took a step back and stared at the dog. It was a Great Dane mix and looked like a horse. The dog snarled, the hair on its back standing up straight. Judd had confronted dogs before, but he had never faced an animal this big.

“If I were you, I'd take your hands out slowly and stay very still,” Dr. Rose said. “Princess doesn't like unannounced company. In fact, she doesn't like company at all.”

“I have a gun,” Judd said shakily.

“No, you have a pipe. I saw it in the car. Now drop it or I'm going to order Princess to—”

At the sound of her name, Princess perked up her ears and Judd interrupted the man. “No! Don't say it.” The pipe clanged on the polished, wooden floor.

The dog sniffed the pipe and nudged it with her nose. Judd remained still, glancing at the back door.

“Sit down,” Dr. Rose said. “Slowly. I'll get you something to eat. You up for eggs? I make a mean omelette.”

“I don't have time. I have to get back to my friend.”

Dr. Rose opened the refrigerator and pulled out some food. In a few moments he had the burners going and was whipping eggs in a metal bowl.

“I noticed you don't have the mark,” Dr. Rose said. Judd sat silently watching Princess. “That could mean you've had no contact with civilization for a while, or it could mean you're an enemy of the Global Community. A Judah-ite, perhaps.”

“I'll never take Carpathia's mark.”

Dr. Rose mixed ingredients and poured eggs into a hot skillet. The smell of food cooking seemed like heaven, but Judd was prepared to jump and run.

“You'll eventually die, you know. They'll catch you and lop off your head.”

“Carpathia's mark means a worse death than they could ever put me through.”

Dr. Rose pushed the omelette onto a plate and put it in front of Judd. He noticed Princess had turned her attention to the eggs, thick drops of saliva running from both jowls. Dr. Rose fixed another omelette, cut off a large chunk, and tossed it to Princess. She caught it and swallowed it with one gulp.

“It keeps her coat nice and shiny,” Dr. Rose said.

Judd felt guilty about eating, but the food looked so good and he was so hungry that he dived in. Nothing had ever tasted better.

The man opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carafe of orange juice. Because of Judd's life in the underground, he hadn't tasted juice for a long time. The sweet drink stung his stomach as he drained the glass.

“So, are you a Judah-ite?”

“What difference does it make? If I don't have the mark you can take me to the GC and get your reward.”

Dr. Rose glanced around the kitchen. “Does it look like I need money?”

“You're not going to turn me in?”

Dr. Rose took a mouthful of food and sat back. “I became a doctor so I could help people. And I've never been impressed with Nicolae, though he did bring sanity when the world fell apart. Coming back from the dead was nothing short of a medical miracle, but I can see through the act.”

“You don't think Nicolae is god?”

“Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't. At the end of the day, it doesn't do much for my patients. Which brings us to your friend.”

Judd glanced out the window as the sun rose through the clouds.

Lionel shielded his face from the light rain with his hand. He had finally gotten more comfortable when the soft pattering of drops struck his face. He pulled the backpack over his face as the rain came harder.

Lionel's watch was on his left wrist, beneath the rock. He had the urge several times in the night to check the time, and he had even tried to look at it before remembering he couldn't.

Lionel glanced behind him and saw the cell phone in a puddle of water. He grabbed it, tried to dry it off, and stuck it in the backpack. He wanted to call Vicki, but that would have to wait.

Lionel thought again about the fox and the snake. Had that been a dream? It had seemed so real, but he knew his mind could play tricks.

“God,” Lionel prayed, “I know Judd would have come back if he could, so he's either trying to get to me, or the GC have him. I trust you to help him. You are our strength.”

Lionel thought about his prayer. God was his
strength
. It would take God's power to move the stone.
Unless …

Maybe the reason God hadn't sent an angel or brought Judd back was because God wanted Lionel to act. Did God want to show his strength through Lionel's weakness?

Lionel reached in his pocket and pulled out the knife. It was the one his father had given him as a birthday present when he was thirteen. The bounty hunters in South Carolina almost took it away, but he managed to get it back. Lionel opened the main blade and ran his finger along the edge. Was it sharp enough?

“God, I need you to make it clear whether I should wait for Judd or do something else.”

Judd couldn't understand why Dr. Rose was acting like a friend. Could Judd trust anyone with the mark of Carpathia? The man's eternal destiny was sealed, so there was no sense explaining the truth of God and the Bible. And yet, the man didn't seem concerned that Judd was an enemy of the Global Community.

Judd explained Lionel's injury, and with each bit of information Dr. Rose became more concerned. Judd told him about the tourniquet and what his arm looked like.

“He needs attention right now,” Dr. Rose said, “but I don't think trying to lift that rock is going to do much. You may have saved his life with the tourniquet, but if he's exposed for too long, things could get bad.”