F Paul Wilson - Novel 02 (31 page)

           
Gin couldn't answer.

 
          
He
had a point, damn him.

 
          
"I
repeat," he said, not waiting for an answer. "People who deserve to
be elected rarely run. And when they do, they do not win. That's the American
way."

           
"I don't know of a better
system. Do you?"

           
"No, "
Duncan
said with a sigh. "But that doesn't
mean it can't be improved. We limit the president to two terms. Why not limit
the legislature?"

           
"Senator Marsden has imposed
his own term limits," she said, getting in a plug. "Two terms and
he's out."

           
"We'll see about that."

           
Gin heard an ominous ring in that
remark.

 
          
"Speaking
of the good senator,"
Duncan
said, "he's last on the list this morning. And you're assisting, I
believe?"

           
"That's right."

           
"By your own request, am I
right?"

           
"Right again."

 
          
"Why
is that? You've never before requested to assist on a specific patient."

           
"I work for the man."

           
He turned and eyed her. "Do
you think that's wise? You're not afraid of being emotionally involved? I could
call Cassidy,"

           
"This isn't exactly
life-and-death surgery And I'm only assisting." Why all these questions?
He'd never quizzed her like this before.

 
          
Then
again, aren't paranoids suspicious of everyone?

 
          
"Very
well. We'll scrub at
nine forty-five
. Marie will have him under by
ten o'clock
. We should be done in plenty of time for
lunch."

           
"Under? You're using
general?"

           
"Of course."

 
          
"Won't
local do?"

           
He eyed her. "You've been
working here for how long? This is the first instance I can recall you questioning
the level of anesthesia. Are you sure you're not too involved with this
patient?" General meant Marsden would be groggy after surgery.

 
          
Duncan
could pop that implant under his skin
without the senator ever knowing.

 
          
"Quite
sure," she said. "It's just that it seems like such a small lesion, I
was just wondering,"

           
"I've got to make a wide
enough incision to excise all of that tumor and leave no chance of recurrence.
Then I've got to graft and rebuild the top of the auricle so it doesn't look
like someone took a shot at his head and barely missed. I don't want him
twitching or getting a crick in his neck and jerking his head while I'm in the
middle of it. Don't you think that's justification enough for general
anesthesia?"

           
"Of course," she snapped,
the tension getting to her. "I was just asking."

           
A slow smile played around his
lips. "A bit edgy this morning, aren't we?"

           
She placed her half-empty cup on
his desk and started for the door. "Too much coffee, I guess."

           
Out in the hall she felt her tough
facade crumble.
Duncan
was calling all the shots. She prayed she'd be able to carry this off. The
surgery went smoothly.
Duncan
did a beautiful job of excising, grafting, and rebuilding the upper
auricle of Senator Marsden's ear. And Gin did what she hoped was an equally
skillful job of protecting the rest of the senator.

 
          
First,
she personally helped Oliver fill a batch of his tiniest implants, one of which
would be used in the senator's ear. As soon as the senator arrived, she saw to
it that he was never alone with
Duncan
.

 
          
She
accomplished that by being constantly at either the senator's or Duncan's side
until the surgery.

 
          
Strangely
enough,
Duncan
had shown no sign of frustration or agitation.

 
          
Gin
had been worried that he might fly into a rage or do something rash when he
found it impossible to get the senator alone. But considering the fact that she
was thwarting his scheme at every turn, he appeared to be in the best of
spirits.

 
          
That
worried Gin even more. So now she sat watch beside the snoring Senator Marsden
as he slept off the anesthetic in the V.I.P room. He stirred for the second
time in the past five minutes. He was coming out of it. The ordeal was almost
over.

 
          
Thank
God. She was dead tired. Sitting here with the early afternoon sun pouring in
the window, she might have dozed off if it weren't for her bladder. The
pressure in her pelvis was becoming unbearable. She couldn't remember ever
having to go this bad, but she wasn't leaving this room for a second.

 
          
"How's
he doing?"

           
She started and twisted in her
chair at the sound of Duncan's voice. He stood in the doorway, leaning on the
frame with one hand.

 
          
"I've
never seen you so jumpy, Gin. Maybe you're tight about too much coffee."

 
          
"I'm
okay," she said, trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

 
          
Was
this it? Was this when he'd try something?

 
          
Duncan
smiled. "Good. But how's the senator?
He's the patient, remember?"

           
"Coming up. He should be awake
in a few minutes." Not true, but she didn't want
Duncan
to think he had time to make his move.

 
          
"Excellent."
He glanced at his watch. "Look. I've got to run. The links are calling.
And since you've decided to be his recovery-room nurse as well as his surgical
assistant and legislative aide, you can handle him from here on. Just make sure
Barbara gives him the usual instructions on graft care and schedules a
follow-up appointment for next week."

           
Gin stared at him. Baffled.
Speechless.

 
          
"Gin?"

 
          
"You're
leaving?" she said.

 
          
"Is
there a reason I should stay?"

           
"Well, no. I just . . . have a
good game."

           
"Thanks. I will." He
waved and was gone, leaving Gin sitting and staring at the empty doorway.

 
          
Am
I going off the deep end? she wondered.

 
          
Hadn't
she seen the tray with the TPD, trocar, and implant sitting on
Duncan
's desk? Why, if he had no intention of
using it today? Unless . . . Unless she had this whole thing wrong.

 
          
What
if she'd misinterpreted, misunderstood? What if?

 
          
No.
The pieces fit too neatly.
Duncan
was up to some thing.

 
          
But
what? He hadn't had an opportunity to dose the senator with that implant, Gina
was sure of that. She'd stymied his plan. So what did he do? He ducked out to
play golf. Except he never went to his golf club when he said he did.

 
          
Gin's
head whirled. She was beginning to have a surreal feeling.

 
          
What
was going on here?

 
          
But
at least with
Duncan
gone, she could run to the bathroom. Her bladder was going to burst if
she didn't. She stepped out into the hall and went to the back door.
Duncan
's parking spot was empty. She ducked into
the restroom.

 
          
A
few minutes later, feeling almost lightheaded with relief, she was back in the
recovery room.

 
          
Senator
Marsden hadn't moved. But his eyes were open. He lay on his side, blinking at
her.

 
          
'"Good
afternoon, Senator," she said.

 
          
He
gave her half a smile and closed his eyes again.

 
          
She
stared at him, suddenly anxious about having left him alone for those few
minutes.

 
          
I'm
getting as paranoid as
Duncan
, she thought, but couldn't resist lifting the senator's sheet and
checking his leg.

           
Her knees almost buckled when she
saw a tiny red spot on his thigh.

 
          
Blood?
Shakily, she dropped to one knee and leaned close.

 
          
Yes
. . . blood. A small, semicircular puncture wound, just the mark a trocar would
leave. Just like the mark on Senator Vincent's thigh in this very room last
month.

 
          
"Oh,
God, " she whispered as fury and terror tore at her. "Oh dear
God." Gently she poked the area around it. The senator's leg stiffened.
She glanced up and found him looking at her. "Hello, again," she
said, rising, trying to keep her voice calm, her face professionally neutral.
"Was Dr. Lathram just in here?"

           
"Who's Dr. Lathram?" He
smacked his dry lips. "Could I have some water?" Still too groggy to
be of any help.

 
          
"Yes.
Sure." There was a pitcher at the bedside, but she pretended not to see
it. "I'll get you some." She forced her wobbly legs to walk her out
to the hall where she leaned against the wall and let herself shake.

 
          
What
sort of a nightmare had she fallen into? Where was the looking glass she'd
stepped through to land in this crazy place?

 
          
Duncan
. Where was he now? Obviously he hadn't
left. Only pretended.

 
          
Probably
sneaked into one of the rooms and waited for her to leave the senator alone.

 
          
And
while I was relieving myself, he sneaked into the senator's room and jabeed him
with the trocar.

 
          
The
bastard!

 
          
Gin
scampered to the front door and saw a black Mercedes like
Duncan
's pulling away from the curb. She couldn't
see the plates and couldn't be sure through the heavily tinted glass if
Duncan
was behind the wheel.

 
          
She
watched the car disappear into the traffic.

 
          
She
hurried back down the hall and found Barbara staring at her.

 
          
"Are
you all right?" she said.

 
          
'"I'm
fine," Gin said. She had to tell someone about this, but Barbara was not
that someone. "Perfectly fine." She returned to Senator Marsden's
room and found him propped up on an elbow.