The Gruinard Project Chapter 41

[khandy]

This is sad

Chapter 41

Lucas North’s Flat 15.00

Kate realised she was going to pass out; it was one of those moments where you know something is going to happen but you are utterly powerless to do anything to stop it. From the moment she picked up the receiver and she heard the words “Kate it’s Malcolm,” she had known; it was something in his tone.

A loud persistent humming sounded in her ears, as if her brain was trying to block his words. Her mouth had gone paper dry and nausea rose up in her throat. Her attempts to swallow it down and moisten her lips ultimately futile. Heat consumed her, burning her skin and coating it in perspiration. Fear clutched at her heart, its icy tentacles clasping and clamping round it, even as it began to pound and race threatening to explode through her chest. Her breathing became too rapid and shallow to give her the oxygen she needed. She felt the colour drain from her body, leading the way almost, as her muscles went lax and she slumped to the floor.

The Communication Suite Gleneagles Hotel. 17.00

They turned as one as Harry entered the room, the same question on all their faces. Unfortunately he had no kind words to offer them. In truth he could not afford to offer them. No matter how much they were hurting he had to pull their focus back to the job; to ask them to put aside their emotions. Harry sighed, how many times would he have to ask, no demand, that they forget colleagues who were seriously hurt or dead?

He moved to the conference table and the others joined him.

“I know that you are worried about Lucas but you have to put that aside. I can tell you he regained consciousness and has been transferred to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh as has Robert Mugabe.”

“Why there Harry? Not Perth Royal Infirmary which is closer,” Ros asked.

“Western General has a specialist infection control unit. The other delegates have been transferred to other hospitals in the area where most are recovering spontaneously with just medical support for dehydration.” Harry waited knowing what the next question would be.

“Is Lucas not recovering spontaneously then?” Jo asked.

Harry noticed that she looked emotionally shattered, her large blue eyes wells of misery.

“No Jo he isn’t. The last update I have is that he is spiking a fever.”

She turned away in an attempt to compose herself.

“Preliminary findings indicate that all the water in the room was contaminated with ipecacuanha, which is a powerful emetic and causes vomiting. It would seem that the terrorists used this as a cover to bring the emergency services in. Sands and his colleagues then disguised as paramedics pretended to treat Lucas and Mugabe. What they were doing however was infecting them with Anthrax via the o2 cylinders.”

“Sick bastards. So that explains the temperature change, the heating had been turned up to ensure people would be hot and drink that water,” Malcolm said

Harry nodded slightly.

“It would seem that Lucas shot Sands dead in an attempt to limit the exposure Mugabe suffered.”

“Ros I want you to question the young woman Heidi Scott. Lucas told Malcolm that she was definitely part of this.” He looked at his section head pleased to see her control returning.

“Jo you take the driver of the ambulance that Sands arrived in. He is part of the double act you have been trailing. The other guy is in hospital waiting to go to surgery on a gun shoot wound to the leg.” Jo nodded silently. Harry could see she would need to be given specific tasks at the moment to keep her mind off Lucas.

“Malcolm I want you to keep an eye on the media reports of this, let me know as soon as word gets out that this was an anthrax attack. Leeds CID are closing down Welchem. Let’s hope that is the only place the bacteria were stock piled.”

“What about Kate?” Ros asked.

“She and Lucas’ family are on their way to Edinburgh.” Harry glanced at his watch as if checking when Kate should arrive.

“How did she take the news?” Ros asked Malcolm, knowing he had been the one who had broken it.

“Badly, the shock caused her to pass out. Fortunately Marcus North was with her. He tells me she is ok now.”

“Any joy on the request for names of Welchem employees who were Polish?”

“No none, however those poor people were employed it wasn’t through official channels,” Malcolm confirmed.

“Had Kate got any closer to developing a vaccine?” Jo asked her voice small.

“No.” Harry shook his head.

Jo looked away again afraid of what she might see in Harry’s eyes. Lucas was dying and it was all her fault.

“Ok everybody let’s get back to work shall we?” Harry closed the meeting.

They stood to leave.

“Ros a word please?” Harry said, as she made to follow the others.

“Yes Harry.”

“You were with Lucas when he collapsed, did he say anything at all?”

“Only what you already know that he thought the gas with the anthrax in was the oxygen. Why?”

“Just something we had been discussing about who Sands was working for. I wondered if he had thought of anything else.”

“Sorry Harry, if he had he never said.”

“OK thanks. Ros can I leave you to speak to Jo she is blaming herself.”

Ros nodded.

“Sure no problems. Are you going to the hospital?”

“Yes I need to speak to Lucas’ family and then get Kate back on board. If Lucas has any hope at all she is it.

Western General Hospital Edinburgh. 18.00hrs

It was all so familiar the sights and the sounds, so why then, Kate wondered, did hospitals smell so different when she was a visitor not a member of staff? The antiseptic smell that hung in the air was overpowering and yet when she walked in as a member of staff in a lab coat or scrubs she couldn’t smell it.

She hung back at the doorway like a voyeur watching something she shouldn’t. His family’s heartbreak was unbearable to watch. To have a beloved son returned after so many years only to face losing him so soon after being reconciled was just so damned unfair. She wanted to rage at the injustice of it all.

Yet despite the overwhelming sense of desolation and despair they were feeling she couldn’t help but envy them. For they had each other to offer love and support. It showed in so many ways; the little glances they shared, the way a hand would reach out blindly but connect with another, subconsciously knowing it would always be there. On the flight up, while they had sat hands linked talking of childhood memories united by a common bond that held them securely together, she had sat alone. Alone with her grief and guilt.

So here she stood like a child who was not invited to the party; standing with her nose pushed against the glass looking in desperate for the glass to dissolve so that she could join in, but knowing she never could.

She longed to go to him. To touch him and whisper his name so that he might know that she were here, but it wasn’t her place. She was neither family nor fiancé. What rights did she have? A woman who until two weeks ago was just a stranger to these people. She was close enough that if she took two steps and reached out she would feel him, but for all the good that was she might as well have been a thousand miles away.

A doctor appeared at her side and opened the door to Lucas’ room.

“Are you family?” he asked, before entering the room.

“No.” She turned to face him. “No I am just a friend from work.”

“Kate?” Even though the single word was spoken quietly from the doorway everybody in the room had heard it but it was Lucas who asked for her.

“She’s right here Lucas.” Marcus moved to the door and took Kate’s hand moving her towards Lucas bedside. He looked at the doctor. “And she is my brothers partner not just a work friend, she is family.”

Kate squeezed Marcus’ hand, she wasn’t alone after all.

She sank into the chair and reached out to hold his hand and although weak he still curled his fingers around hers. He looked so sick. The disease, as Kate had suspected it would, was rapidly taking hold. Apart from the telltale flush on his cheek bones from his fever, his skin was pale and clammy. Perspiration beaded his brow. His breathing was ragged despite the oxygen mask over his nose.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“What for?”

“Not realising soon enough that the gas was the oxygen.” His words game out in little gasps

“Shush, now how could you have realised sooner?”

“Kate is Mugabe here?”

“Well not in this room no.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes he is but he’s not important you are. Please save your strength.” Every word he was saying left him breathless.

“You have to tell Harry he was the target not the PM. Tell Harry I was right…” A coughing spasm racked his body and for several minutes his breathing was even more laboured

“Harry knows that.” Kate brushed his hair away from his damp forehead

“Can’t you even die without thinking of them?” Marcus’ voice was bitter.

“Marcus!” Helen and his mother cried out in shock while Kate just stared in horror unable to believe he had said that.

“Marcus you will apologise at once.” Philip North was deeply disappointed with his oldest son.

“No it’s ok Dad.” Lucas said. “Please I know it’s hard but try and understand it’s who I am Marcus. I can’t change who I am, but I am sorry.” Lucas’ eyes moved around looking at his family.

The doctor came forward.

“Everybody needs to calm down the last thing Mr North is stress.” He spent a moment looking at the charts and the machinery attached to Lucas before he spoke again.

“Mr North when you came in do you remember me telling you that I thought it might be necessary to put you on life support if the disease progressed?”

“Yeah, we are at that point aren’t we?”

“Yeah the effort you are taking to breathe is not helping your other organs and you are not getting enough oxygen in on your own.”

“Can I have two minutes with my family?”

“Of course,” the doctor said, thinking that in all probability they would be the last he words he spoke to them.

“You should speak to Kate she knows more about this infection than anybody else.”

Kate stood and moved to let Marcus sit next to his brother.

“Marcus let go of your anger at him, accept him for who he is for your parent’s sake if not your own,” Kate told him.

“It hurts so much knowing that we are losing him.”

“We haven’t lost him yet. Deal with that if it happens not now.”

She moved away to speak to the doctor.

“Once you have him on life support I will tell you what I have been able to find out about this strain of anthrax.”

The doctor nodded.

“Ok if you all want to go and have a cup of tea in the relative’s room I will come and fetch you when he is stabilised on life support.”

“Not Kate I need her here.” Lucas sounded desperately tired.

Kate looked at the doctor.

“Ok.”

Kate reached out for Lucy North’s hand as she rose.

“I’ll make sure that he is ok while this is done and that they take care of him Lucy.”

“Thank you, my son is lucky to have you Kate.” They hugged briefly

Once they had gone Kate returned to sit at Lucas’ side.

“I’m scared,” he whispered.

“Don’t be I will be here. I won’t let them hurt you.”

“No, I’m scared that this is it. That I won’t see you again. I always imagined I would die quickly without any time for thoughts or goodbyes.” Each of his words was punctuated by a gasping breath.

Tears pricked at Kate’s eyes but she blinked them away furiously, she wouldn’t let him see her cry.

“This is not goodbye merely au revoir. I fully intend to see you again.” She touched his cheek.

“No talking of dying then, but if these past two weeks have been all that fate is going to allow us then I am glad I had them.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

“Kate explain what will happen when they put me to sleep.”

“You are not the family pet you idiot they are not putting you to sleep. Have you ever had an anaesthetic?”

“Yeah I had my tonsils out when I was a kid.”

“Well that’s what this is like. You will feel like you are drifting to sleep.”

The doctor appeared at her side.

“It’s time Mr North.”

“You should call me Lucas. When you say Mr North I look for my Dad.”

“Ok and I am Russell Phillips.”

Kate felt Lucas grip her hand tightly.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

As the drug was being administered Lucas became agitated.

“Phillip Russell I remember. Philip….”

“It’s ok Lucas he’s just the doctor just relax.” Kate tried to soothe him but he remained agitated until the drugs took effect. The hand that had gripped hers so tightly went slack as his muscles relaxed.

“Kate can I ask you to leave just while we get him stabilised?”

Kate nodded. She made it outside of his room before she broke down. Leaning against the wall she slid down it to her haunches and wept.

_________________

[Saerwen]

Another edge of the seat chapter, your writing is so expressive and well written that one can easily visualise the scene.
I have crossed everything possible for Lucas to recover!

[BravoNine]

He must recover!!! You cannot give me hope that he will be Harry's Best Man and then take it away! Please don't be like those cruel evil Series 9 writers!!

[HellsBells]

Well, you did warn us at the beginning that this was a sad chapter, and it was. Your attention to detail is great, every scene works so well. We need that antidote now.........

[BravoNine]

(08-12-2010 12:14 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  We need that antidote now.........

*Hands Khandy the antidote* Okay now fix him!

Or at least make me into a character who gets to whack the Tycoon on the head with a baseball bat!

[khandy]

(08-12-2010 09:59 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  

(08-12-2010 12:14 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  We need that antidote now.........

*Hands Khandy the antidote* Okay now fix him!

Or at least make me into a character who gets to whack the Tycoon on the head with a baseball bat!

What will you do to me if I bump him off?

[BravoNine]

(08-12-2010 10:13 PM)khandy Wrote:  

(08-12-2010 09:59 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  

(08-12-2010 12:14 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  We need that antidote now.........

*Hands Khandy the antidote* Okay now fix him!

Or at least make me into a character who gets to whack the Tycoon on the head with a baseball bat!

What will you do to me if I bump him off?

Bump Lucas off? Well....I may have to think of something creative....

But still, someone needs to whack the Tycoon on the head, preferably with an aluminum baseball bat that makes a very satisfying "thunk" sound!!

[Annie]

Well, it's better that he dies now while he's awesome, rather than turn into JB. (Not that you'd do that...)

Poor Lucas just can't catch a break, can he?

[James andy]

Hmmmm
Thats Great....
I also know that you ha told at the start of the chapter that the end would be a sad one
and there it is...
But the scenes that you made were awsome

[khandy]

(24-12-2010 07:50 PM)James andy Wrote:  Hmmmm
Thats Great....
I also know that you ha told at the start of the chapter that the end would be a sad one
and there it is...
But the scenes that you made were awsome

Thank you very much