Chapter 43
I dreamed I was walking with Felice through the rose gardens in full bloom. The smell was heady, almost overpowering and bees buzzed overhead, pollinating the flowers. The air was slightly muggy, a faint breeze carrying the scent of the river over the flowers. She was wearing shorts and a skimpy T-shirt that barely covered her belly. My hand was in hers, I brought it around to look at her right ring finger. She wore an engagement ring with two one-carat stones, a deep blue sapphire and a chocolate diamond. Both matched my eyes and were surrounded by small stones that looked like white diamonds.
“It’s pretty,” I admired. She held it out. “You designed it to match my eyes?”
“So I could remember you, Danny,” she said sadly. “I remember you every day.”
“I’m right here, Felice. Walking with you.”
“You’re in my dreams, Danny. In my heart. I’ll never forget you.” She let go of my hand and patted the head of the dog, Vange as she came to the fish pond and sat on the bench. I stood in front of her, touched her knee and it was the dog’s nose that reached her, not my hand.
“Felice, I’m here. Me. Dantan. Why can’t you see me or hear me? I’m not dead, Felice. Come and get me. I need your help.”
She hugged the Heeler and her sadness was so palpable, I could feel it. I wanted to hug her and comfort her, but I couldn’t even reach the dog. Slowly, they faded and my awareness increased to see that I was waking up in my room to early morning.
The sun came in the window bright enough to make the dust motes glimmer like diamonds and heat the room beyond the ability of the fan to cool it. I was thirsty and sweating. Called out and both of them came in after a while.
She pulled me up, checked my disposable and emptied the urine bag. I hadn’t realized she’d put a catheter in me and was worried about my kidneys and dehydration. She gave me two glasses of water. He asked me if I remembered the last three days and I shook my head. “Dreams. I had weird dreams.”
“You were rambling. In Arabic, Russian, French and Farsi. I recorded it for the Colonel. You mentioned Orion.”
“I did? What’s Orion?”
“I don’t know. Just that he’s interested in it.”
“He must be paying you very well, Witch Doctor,” I said wearily. “For you to be stuck here with me in this hellhole for weeks.”
“Months, Dantan. You’ve been here for seven months.”
My cry was of pain and despair. After seven months and no one was even looking for me.
“You have no concept of time when you’re under. The longest I’ve had you travel was a week. We don’t do that anymore, that’s when your skin broke down and you got really ill. Ms. Rojas has been battling the fever and infection since. I told the Colonel, he said to continue, but I made him lay off for the last two weeks.”
“What day is this?”
“June 30, Tuesday.”
“Do I get July 4 off?”
“No fireworks here, Danny.”
“I missed my birthday. I turned twenty. You think I’ll make it to twenty-one, Witch Doctor?”
“Are you hungry?” He asked instead.
“Peanut butter and jelly. On white bread.”
“Sorry. None here. I can ask the Colonel to bring some next time he’s here.”
“He’s gone?”
“He flew to Rio. Looking for that other one you mentioned. “
“He’s a crackhead. Won’t get you anywhere.” I looked at Magdalena. Asked her in Spanish if she had food ready for me. She nodded, went out and returned with a bowl of soup, beans with chunks of meat, peppers and tortillas. Fed me slowly, carefully until I ate the whole thing.
I winced as pain stabbed me in the back and chest. Leaned back against the headboard, looked at the IVs and lines in me. He let me sleep.
The Colonel came back that night and I heard them discussing me. The Witch Doctor was arguing vehemently, and Pierce’s replies were equally hot, the end result was that the Witch Doctor put me in my chair, wheeled me outside in the cool of the evening and out back where I saw a four-wheel-drive Jeep. He loaded me into the back seat and drove off with Magdalena in the passenger seat. I was stiff with fear and relief. I thought they’d finally decided to get rid of me.
“Are you going to shoot me, Witch Doctor or leave me out here to burn? Starve to death or die of thirst?” I asked in a tiny voice leaning into the shoulder belt.
“None of the above, Dantan. Now, shut up.”
“Where’s the Colonel?”
“It’s a long drive, Dantan, go to sleep.” He was brusque and she turned around to smile at me. I’d never seen her smile, the sight filled me with trepidation. After two hours of sun, sand and bouncing, I fell asleep.