The Lions Of Lucerne

80

Geneva, Switzerland-two days later

Scot Harvath awoke slowly. The room took a few moments to come into focus. Looking down at his arm, he saw that he was on an IV. The sunshine streaming in through the window bothered his eyes. A shadowy figure loomed at the edge of his bed.

“How ya feeling, buddy?” a voice said.

Scot recognized the voice, but it took him a few moments to focus in and clearly see the face.

“Dr. John Paulos. Well, I’ll be. This is getting to be like old home week around here,” said Scot, struggling to sit up. John helped him adjust the bed.

“Yeah, the kid told me he found you,” said John.

“Who, young Dr. T? Skip knows better than to share classified information. I’m sure this mission has big red stamps all over it.”

“He only told me he was part of the team that picked you guys up. He wouldn’t say anything he’s not supposed to.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me what the hell you’re doing here?”

“First, tell me what you remember.”

Scot closed his eyes and thought back over what had happened and what he’d be able to tell without revealing too much. “You’re doing a diagnostic and checking my memory, right?”

“Yeah, that’s all I’m doing. I’ve been cleared to a certain extent, but why don’t we start from when Skip gathered you all up.”

“Is that how he’s putting it? He gathered us all up?”

“The kid’s a cowboy. You know how those guys from Texas are.”

“Okay, so Skip gathered us up. We took the cogwheel to Alpnachstad, where a couple of jets were waiting to bring us to Geneva. I assume the president is still here?”

“Nope, they brought him in for the complete once-over and then zipped him back to D.C. They want to do the hand surgery back there. You’ve made a lot of people very happy and very proud of you.”

“Thanks, John, but what the hell are you doing here? Last time I saw you, you were back in Park City.”

“There was a lot of concern about what condition the president might be in, if and when they found him. You know about the finger?”

Scot nodded his head. The fact that they’d done that to the president still made him sick.

“Well,” continued his friend John, “there were big-time fears that these guys might go even further and that he might be in pretty bad shape once they found him.”

“So, they had the world’s greatest orthopedic surgeon standing by, right?”

“I don’t know about the greatest. One of the top ten, how about that?”

“Plus, you already had security clearance, so that didn’t hurt. But if they were flying Skip over, why not let him do it?”

“Like I said, the kid’s a cowboy. He’s good, but don’t forget who discovered him. He still has a way to go before he can take the old man.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Scot said, chuckling. “What confuses me, though, is how you all knew the president would be here in Switzerland.”

“That is information that I am not on a need-to-know basis on. You’d have to ask your buddy Lawlor at the FBI; he put this thing together from what I hear.”

“So if the president’s gone, why are you still hanging around?”

“Scot, just because you’re not on the ski team and don’t live in Park City anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you.”

“You’ve gotten friendly with one of the nurses, haven’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“John, some things never change.”

“As far as you’re concerned, you were suffering from exhaustion and got beat up pretty good. They’ll want to run some more tests here and at home, but I think you’ll make it.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Is there anything I can get for you?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“Whoops, I forgot. I left something outside. Can you hold that thought for a second?”

“I guess,” said Scot, who watched as John jogged out of the room.

A minute later he heard the door open and John say, “Here we are.” He entered pushing Claudia in a wheelchair. Her faced was bruised, and Scot could see that she had received some stitches to her swollen lip, but she was as beautiful as ever.

Scot didn’t even hear John say, “I’ll leave you two alone,” as he graciously slid out of the room.

She stood and walked to the side of Scot’s bed. Wordlessly, she reached out and took his hand. Scot pulled her to him, and as carefully as he could, so as not to hurt her injured lip, he kissed her. Claudia wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. They both ignored their pain, happy it was all over and that they were together.