Solomon's Gold

CHAPTER 57

It was incredibly peaceful, where Nick stood. He felt light, at ease, as if he were floating. There was no pain, no stress, no sense of the heaviness of flesh. He looked about. He stood in an endless field of light and color. He was aware of something like a thread, holding him from floating away. Ahead of him was a bright light. There were shapes in the light, but he couldn't quite make them out. He heard faint, beautiful music, like stars singing.

Something beeped.

He wanted to stay in the field of light. He wanted to go to where the shapes waited for him, but the thin thread tugged at him, keeping him from moving forward. There was something he needed to do, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He heard the voice of his old drill instructor.

"Can't stay here, Nick. Time to go back and finish your tour."

He was being pulled somewhere by the thread. The beeping got louder, a constant sound that wouldn't stop. Suddenly he felt heavy, dull, the floating sensation gone with the light.

Nick opened his eyes.

He was in a hospital bed. The beeping came from a monitor next to the bed. His hand hurt. He lifted his arm. An IV needle was inserted into a vein on the back of his hand and taped down. A tube ran from the needle to a bag of fluid hanging next to bed.

"Nick."

He turned his head. It hurt. Selena sat next to the bed. Her face looked worn, tired. She had deep shadows under bloodshot eyes. She reached out and laid her hand on his arm.

"You're back."

"The cop… shot me."

"Yes, but you're going to be okay."

"What about…"

"Everything's all right," Selena said.

But Nick didn't hear her. He slipped back into a dream state.

The next time he woke, Elizabeth was sitting there with Selena. His mind was clear.

"Director…"

"Hello, Nick. You gave us quite a scare."

He looked at Selena. "That was a hell of a shot."

"Laser, remember? Makes it easy."

"How long have I been here?"

"Eight days. You were in an induced coma. They had to operate. The bullet missed your heart by a few centimeters."

"You're a hero, Nick," Elizabeth said. "The papers can't stop talking about the unidentified person who stopped a terrorist from setting off a bomb in the subway."

"Unidentified?"

"The only thing the media knows is that someone stopped the attack. They don't know about Selena or the sarin. Everything is under the cloak of national security. I'm afraid you don't get any parades out of this one."

"I never was big on parades, anyway."

"You have a lot of time off coming," Elizabeth said. "When you get out of here, you and Selena can go to a tropical island somewhere and take it easy."

Nick looked at Selena. "Are you okay?"

She could hear the effort it took to speak in his voice.

"I'm fine." She patted her abdomen. "We're fine."

Lamont and Ronnie came into the room. Lamont had a box under his arm.

"I brought you a pizza," Lamont said. "I figured you might be hungry."

"Don't mind him Nick," Ronnie said. "It won't go to waste if you don't want it. He'll polish it off himself."

"I'll pass, Lamont."

Lamont shrugged. "Your loss," he said. He smiled. "How you doin', Bro?"

"I had some weird dreams. My old DI was talking to me. He's been dead for ten years."

"That's not a dream, that's a nightmare," Ronnie said.

Selena looked at Nick. He looked terrible, pale and weak. She wasn't used to seeing him like that. He'd been shot before, but not like this. This one had scared her. He'd died on the operating table, but they'd pulled him back.

Her hand went to her belly. I could have lost him. It could have been me. I could have lost the baby.

A nurse came into the room. She was big and strong, used to having her own way.

"How did you all get in here? He's not supposed to have visitors. Everybody out, now."

"I'm his wife," Selena said. "I'm staying."

"No exceptions," the nurse said.

"Selena," Nick said. "Go. I'm all right."

"Come on, Selena," Elizabeth said. "I'll take you home. You can come back in a few hours. You need some sleep."

Selena was bone tired, more tired than she could remember. Elizabeth was right. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

She would sleep, and Nick would heal. Everything would be fine. The mission was over.

Until the next time.