(55) I HAVE AN ETERNITY AHEAD OF ME (Intermittent Waves Recorded From The Transformed Heart Of A Woman) EPISODE 55 AUNTIE YONNY: DARKNESS COMES

I HAVE AN ETERNITY AHEAD OF ME

(Intermittent Waves Recorded From The Transformed Heart Of A Woman)

EPISODE 55

AUNTIE YONNY: DARKNESS COMES

David Siegfried Graves was trying to be fed by his father, when Rahid was heard outside of the door talking to two men. Martin and Hal immediately stood up, alert, and on guard. Hal handed David back to Rachel. Unnerved from the day's events, she looked up into Hal's face helplessly. Hal signaled her to stay quiet.

Martin went to the door and stepped outside to see what was going on. He saw Rahid talking to two uniformed police officers trying to prove to Rahid that they were who they said they were.

"Everything okay, Rahid?"

"I'm just checking their identification out to make sure it's legitimate, Martin. They say they need to talk to Hal about a personal matter."

"What kind of personal matter? Somebody send you here to give him a message or did you have something else in mind?"

Martin stretched his rib cage upward and threw his shoulders back, looking very muscular and intimidating. As his suit coat stretched open, you could see the handle of his gun. One of the police officers noticed it right away.

"I see you're packing heavy there."

Martin gave him a hard stare that set boundaries.

"We're both licensed to carry concealed weapons, officer. We're Mr. Siegfried's bodyguards. Now, what do you need to talk to Mr. Siegfried about?"

The taller police officer sized up Martin, to let him know that he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"We're here about a traffic accident involving his father."

Hal had been listening from behind the door. At the mention of his father, he threw the door open.

"WHAT?! MY FATHER?! MY FATHER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT?! WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS ZENOBIA?! OH, GOD, THE  BABY! WHAT ABOUT JAKE AND SAM?! IS EVERYBODY ALRIGHT?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

The police officers followed Rahid and Martin, who were shielding Hal and taking him back into the hospital room.

"Try to calm down, sir," said the taller officer. "Are you Harold Siegfried?"

Hal nodded.

"We called your office and your secretary, Darla, told us where we could find you. Do you want to go somewhere else to talk?"

Martin and Rahid looked at the officers, as if to say, "You're not taking him anywhere." Afraid of the news he was about to receive, Hal was too nervous to say anything. Martin spoke for him.

"He's fine right here, officers. Go ahead."

The other officer, who seemed to be the one designated to deliver the bad news, finally spoke.

"Mr. Siegfried, we're sorry to inform you that your father has been involved in a traffic accident, apparently caused by the driver losing control."

Rachel cried out.

"Is he alright?! Is everyone alright?!"

"Sir, I'm sorry to inform you that your father is deceased."

Hal's mouth opened wide and his head went back, as his body became rigid. Short gasps of air, heaved from his chest, as if his body had forgotten how to breathe. The veins in his forehead and neck became enlarged as he strained to withstand the pressure elevating inside of his body. His total inability to control his actions revealed the struggle going on inside of him that his mind and heart could not accept. He trembled as the muscles in his body went into shock. Seeing him start to fall, Martin and Rahid stood on each side of him holding him up, then, took him to a chair.

All the while, Rachel was screaming, clinching the baby tightly, rocking back and forth.

"NOooo..,..NOooo! HAL! NOOOO!"

The ward nurse came in and tried to take the baby, but, Rachel wouldn't let go of him. She began fighting the nurse, pushing her away, screaming, and trying to get to Hal. The police officers restrained her and the nurse took the baby from her arms. Rachel collapsed on the floor crying. She looked up at the officers pleading.

"ZENOBIA AND THE BABY ARE OKAY, AREN'T THEY? TELL ME, PLEASE. THEY'RE ALRIGHT. I KNOW THEY ARE."

The police officer looked at Martin and Rahid as if asking for permission to inflict further pain upon the couple. Martin and Rahid, both with tears in their eyes, nodded.

"Ma'am, if you're referring to the pregnant female who was inside of the vehicle, she and the driver are also presumed to be dead."

Suddenly, Hal was able to control the sound coming out of his body and what came out was blood curdling. He fell to his hands and knees from the chair as he cried in complete agony and pain. Large teardrops splattered upon the floor as saliva drooled from his mouth. Rachel ran to him and clung to his back, wrapping her arms around him.

Martin looked at the police officers, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"There-there was a-a-another man in the car. White male, dark brown hair, in his forties, about six feet three...uh...d-did-did he make it? His name was Jake Carpenter."

The police officers looked at one another questioningly.

"Sir, only three bodies were in the car, but, this was a major pile up. There were cars, trucks, and bodies everywhere. If your friend was in the car and thrown out, you're going to have to check with local hospitals to get information on his status, or...or...the morgue. Did he have next of kin?"

"W-w-we we're his next of kin."

Rahid hugged Martin as they cried, rocking from side to side, trying to hold one another up, unable to bear losing two of their own. Martin, the elder of the two, was the first to pull away and try to regain his composure.

"I've got... I've go to take charge, now. I...I...uh...need to call Steve and let him know what happened, so that we can get things in order.  And..and we need to find out what...what happened to Jake."

Martin walked the officers to the door and went outside in the hallway with them.

"Officers, I can't thank you enough for coming all the way up here to let us know what happened and for your patience with us. I apologize for having to be careful, but, we've had some bad scares and now..."

Martin stopped and looked up at the ceiling as a tear rolled from the side of his eye.

"and now, this. Where are the bodies?"

"They went straight to the county morgue. We'll need someone to identify them, tomorrow."

"Yes. I'll take care of it. Thank you. We'll probably have one of our attorneys get in touch with you to get detailed information. Do you have a card to leave with me?

The officer, pulled a card from his shirt pocket and gave it to Martin.

"Yes, here you go. We're over at the third precinct station. Please let us know if we can be of further help to you and the family. Our condolences. I'll be praying for all of you."

"Thank you, Officer Thunderhawk. Goodbye."

Martin went back into the room and called Steve. After he talked to Steve, who was clearly overwhelmed with grief, at the news of Jake's death, Martin began making calls and giving orders over the phone and to Rahid.

Rahid, get Ms. Rachel back in bed for now and put Mr. Siegfried in the chair and set him up real straight. Go get him a cup of black coffee and see that he drinks it.

Get that nurse back here with the baby and have Ms. Rachel get dressed after she leaves. We're getting them out of here, tonight and we don't want anyone to know. Don't tell a soul. You hear me, Rahid?!

Rahid, looking frightened, nodded and answered, "You can trust me, Martin." Then, echoing his superior, he added, "-Not a soul."

"I've got someone coming to get us in a delivery truck. He's going to back up to the loading dock and no one will see us get in.

Darkness is here, Rahid. It let us know it was here this morning. And now...and now...we have business to take care of. Are you with me Rahid?"

"Yeah! I'm with you Martin!"

"Then, lets go take care of business for Sam, and for Jake,  and for all of them!"

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

Rahid was headed down to the hospital nursery when the call came into the ward. Nurses and doctors began whizzing by him with equipment and preparing themselves for an incoming patient.

He overheard one nurse talking to another.

"We've got an in coming from the morgue. Can you believe it? They thought she was dead. She was in a car accident. She's beat up pretty bad and barely alive, but, they say she and the baby have a chance."

"Who's on call?"

"Doctor Spencer, thank goodness."

"Thank God!"

"Yeah! Her chances just doubled."

"I prefer to believe that it was God watching over her."

Rahid, turned around and ran back to Rachel's room, bursting in the door. Martin thought he was an intruder and pulled his gun out pointing it at him.

"Whoa, whoa, Martin! I didn't mean to startle you but, I have news. Something is going on out there...and...and..."

Rahid had to catch his breath.

"and she might be alive."

Hal, who was still in a daze, turned around in his chair.

"Who, Rahid, Zenobia?"

"Yes, Martin! Zenobia! They're bringing in a pregnant woman who was in a car accident, whom they thought was dead. They're getting ready for her. I heard them. We need to find out who she is."

Before he could say another word, Hal bolted out of the door, down the hallway, shouting Zenobia's name.

"Stay here, Rahid. I'll go with Hal."

Hal went to the nurse's station, but, he was in such shock that he couldn't tell them what he wanted. Martin came up behind him.

"Nurse, we heard there's a patient coming in who might be a relative; a pregnant woman who was in a car accident."

"The ambulance is just arriving, sir, but, she's going straight to surgery."

Leaving Martin behind, Hal didn't wait to hear more. He ran to the elevator and when it didn't open right away, he ran to the stairwell door and took the stairs.

Martin started to take off after Hal, but, first asked the nurse.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No sir, they have her listed as a Jane Doe,"

Martin bolted to the stairwell door and tried to keep up with Hal, calling out to him, but, Hal kept going. When Hal reached the first floor, he flung open the stairwell door and ran out, not, knowing where he was going. After a few seconds of running, realizing he needed directions, he stopped abruptly and began to read signs. Finding one pointing to the emergency department, he took off in that direction, with Martin close behind.

When he reached emergency admitting, he stopped and could see several ambulances outside through the huge windows. Pushing through the outside doors, he went to the ambulance where the paramedics were in the process of unloading a gurney. A police officer, seeing him coming, stood in his path. Hal began to shout.

"Let me see her! Zenobia! Get out of my way! Let me see her!"

Martin grabbed Hal before the officer could grab him.

"Officer, we believe we know this woman and can identify her for you and provide important information for her care. Please, just let us see her for a second. We'll know if it's her."

"Okay, but, she's pretty messed up and we've got to hurry and get her in to surgery. Every second counts."

Hal and Martin moved with the gurney, trying to get a glimpse of the patient's face. When, Hal finally saw her face, he was repulsed and doubled over from the shock.

The woman's whole head was puffed up, with blood dried and matted in her hair, changing the color to dark red. Her face was bloodied with multiple contusions and gaping wounds. Her eyes were swollen shut and the oxygen mask that covered her nose and lips was bloodied. There was a brace around her neck, as well as her arms and legs, which were black and blue, with multiple cuts.

Still sickened by what he had seen, Hal couldn't be sure it was Zenobia.

"Was it her, Martin?"

"Yes, Hal, it's her. Come on. We've got to go back inside. Zenobia needs you, now."