DAVID
Prologue
David grimaced and jumped into the driver’s seat of the car, as Larry held the jet black rifle firmly at his hip. He stared through the window at Kyana. She stood by her car with her head held down. As he rolled toward her, he begged her to turn and see him. But he knew she would not. She was too shaken. He, however, was strangely calm given the circumstance. At the very last moment, she did turn, and their eyes locked, hers full of startling fear.
“Don’t she look pretty? Now say good-bye to her for me,” Larry snorted. “DRIVE!”
David’s mind finally raced as he forged onto the highway at greater acceleration. He glanced over the dashboard for something to take Larry out. His eyes caught view of the Bible he had dropped near his left foot, but it was out of reach. He looked at his feet and wondered if he could remove his shoe, as Larry spat insults at him and laughed with smugness and disdain. Every word from his mouth was mockery. But David was not truly listening. He was focusing. Focusing on his escape.
The car vibrated violently, the seat shook beneath him, and the steering wheel rattled, while Larry continued to press him to pick up his speed. David jerked the car to the left, as it skid on the slick pavement. He glanced at Larry, who laughed fiendishly as if at some twisted joke. Something in his eyes told David that this was not just a methodical abduction. Larry’s intent was murder, and David had not a moment to lose.
David’s eyes grew wide with the heightened sense of danger, as Larry forcefully turned the steering wheel and the car thundered toward a vehicle on the shoulder of the road. “You got it now Davy!” Larry squealed with peals of laughter.
Before David could fathom, everything went up in a blinding blaze.
“To bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (Isaiah 61:3).
CHAPTER I
Smoke intruded David’s lungs and sapped the liquid beneath his eyes. His head spun, and he began to cough uncontrollably as the pressure of the heat seemed to expand his chest just short of the bursting point. The putrid taste in his mouth caused him to hurl the remnants of scattered debris from his stomach. Despite the agony and the excruciating burn of his legs, he used his arms to pull himself along his belly away from the flames. He scrambled with the sheer force of his will even quicker into the woods, as the snaps of fire warned of another pending explosion.
He panted and fell on his back. Fire crackled from a distance. He breathed clearer, having escaped the intense heat. He was scathed and battered by the wreckage, but he was safe.
“Are you all right?” A woman stood above him, seeming to have appeared from nowhere. He stared at her. She waited then repeated the question. David opened his mouth but no words would come. When he again did not say anything, she told him, “I’m going to try to get some help for you.” Her gentle tone began to calm him slightly. She smiled softly at him. “I’m Kelly. What’s your name?”
All calmness disappeared instantaneously. David tried to form an answer, any answer. Then it came. “I don’t know.” She looked at him with widened eyes, and his filled with burning tears, as cries of terror leapt from his mouth.
“It-it’s going to be okay,” she said, her voice greatly shaken. Kelly snatched her phone off her hip and pressed a button. She muttered something of frustration then said, “We’re too far out for me to get a signal.” She quickly covered her worry with a mask of calmness, but David was not fooled. He knew he was in a dire situation. “Can you sit up?” she asked. No longer able to see her for all the tears, David could only manage to shake his head dumbly. He suddenly felt her strong grip on his arm, as she tried to pull him up into a sitting position. David cried out in agony. His ribs, his spinal column, his pelvis, his legs felt as if they were being forcefully separated from each other and from the rest of his body.
“All right,” she spoke softly, but her voice quivered. “We’ll do this another way. Can you crawl?” David, who lay on his back, panting, sweating, and whimpering in pain and fear, in fact, did not think he could. He had no more strength with which to move. “Well,” she said with a heavy sigh, “I guess…I’ll just get my truck. Don’t worry,” she repeated, her eyes smiling tenderly at him and full of sympathy. “I will help you.”
David waited the minutes it took for her to get to her truck, wondering if she would return. His tears began to fade. A violent shiver went through him as the throbs escalated throughout his body and his chest burned with more intensity. Kelly finally came back and pulled the truck next to him. “Are you sure can’t crawl? You know, maybe even on your belly?”
David knew he had to do it somehow. She clearly was not going to be able to get him in the truck. But his mind shook with the probability that he would not be capable of helping her. “Me…stomach…help please?” This is not what he meant to say, but the words were coming out all jumbled.
“Do you want me to help you roll on your stomach?” He nodded slightly. “Of course I’ll do that.” He linked his arm with hers at the elbow and they easily moved the top part of his body. Yet his hips and legs remained behind. She grabbed him at the back of his thighs, rocked, and grunted as the force of momentum allowed her to flip David completely on his belly. David held in his screams with the repeated sensation of forceful separation of muscle from the bones. He could not see Kelly from this position, but he could hear enough to be aware she was trying to catch her breath, which did not make him feel the least bit confident about the trek into her truck.
Something creaked on its hinges, and David imagined she had put down the back to the bed of the truck. “Now…,” she tried to retrieve her breath, “now, I’m going to get you onto the truck, but I want you to help me as much as you can.” Kelly gripped him around both wrists and told him to hold onto hers. Having no other choice, he did as she had commanded. He suddenly felt himself being dragged over rubble and bumpy terrain for what seemed like an unending distance, although her vehicle was just a few feet away at most. She got in the back of the truck, and he used all the force of his might to help pull himself up with his arms. David kept sliding up and down even with her assistance, but he finally made it more than halfway up into the vehicle.
He had to have blacked out for a minute because the next thing he knew, he was on his back and safely inside. Panting heavily, she bent over him and smiled, as she wiped his face with a damp cloth. She had very warm dark brown eyes. “You’re going to be okay now,” she made out amongst breaths of exhaustion. “I’ll make sure of it. I’m going to take you to a hospital.”
David’s cries became relentless. He tried to talk amongst them, but the battle was lost. All he could do was shake his head madly. She could not take him to the hospital. He did not know how he got in this situation or if he had somehow been the cause. “Okay,” she assured him again. “Listen, you’re not in good shape. I have to get help for you. I’m going to take you to the hospital where I work. They’ll take good care of you.” David tried to listen to reason. He knew he needed the help. “You’re going to be all right. I’m going to make sure of it.” He nodded.
She jumped off the bed of the truck and climbed in its front seat. He clung onto her words in desperation. They had to be his lifeline to fight against the terrors that were seizing him. The drive was long and hard. He blacked out frequently only to be met with more agonizing pain and the scenery of starlit night with shadows of dark trees rushing past him. He lay on his back, immobile, and winced at the warm wind whipping at his face and opened wounds.
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“We’ve got a John Doe here!” Kelly yelled as she ran into the hospital emergency room. She had phoned on her way, and two men with a gurney immediately ran back out with her to her truck. David was shivering madly and in full stupor. “Please hurry!” she cried. “He’s losing a lot of blood!”
“We’ve got it Kelly,” one assured.
David was rapidly admitted to the Ivory Creek Hospital in West Virginia as “John Doe.” He required a transfusion with volumes and volumes of blood. His torso was wrapped until his fractured ribs healed, but the fractures in his pelvis, thigh, and leg bones required surgical pinning with a metal device. The device had rings that circled his legs with screws that stuck out from his pelvis and legs. He would not be allowed to walk until the healing of his lower body was complete and that could take several months. He had many shattered teeth, but nothing would be done about them until more pressing health issues were fully addressed. He was slow to wake up from the anesthesia, but he handled the surgery remarkably well. The surgeon accredited this to David’s strength and assured him of a fairly quick recovery.
Yet he spent two weeks in that small, regional hospital scared to death. All the personnel were kind and very knowledgeable. Kelly, who worked there as an administrative assistant to the chief orthopedic surgeon, visited with him frequently. Still, he had no idea what would become of him. Maybe he would recover, but then he had to be discharged. He had no place to go. He did not know where he was from or even who he was. Kelly had suggested that they post his picture in the Southern Pennsylvania region, where she believed she had picked him up, but he refused. The idea that he had barely escaped some dangerous situation beat at his mind constantly, during the daylight hours and with the shadows of night. He did not know what waited for him outside of the shelter of the hospital. All he could do was cling to his temporary home while it lasted and pray for safety once he had to leave it behind.
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David bit the inside of his mouth fiercely, as the nurse slowly removed the crust of blood that attached his thigh to the metal pin sticking out of his leg with a long moistened Q-tip. “You really handle this well,” she remarked encouragingly. “It all does come off a bit easier after a bath, but you don’t have to be so strong. Some of the most macho men I’ve ever seen have cried like little babies when I’ve had to do this for them.”
David appreciated her words, but he refused to cry. She soaked the Q-tip with additional saline. He flinched and breathed in through clenched teeth when she returned to remove a bit more. Kelly entered at that moment, and he turned his head toward the window to give himself time to put on a more composed face.
“That was the last bit, JD,” the nurse said. “Sorry I had to hurt you like that.” He nodded and gave her a small close-lipped smile. “How’s it going, Kelly?” she asked as she began to leave the room. Then she whispered something while she walked past her, only a bit of which David’s ears gathered. Kelly rolled her eyes and simply told her she would see her later. He tried to put together what she could have meant with the words, “…always get the cute…,” but he quickly dismissed the game.
Kelly pulled a seat next to his bed. “How are you doing today?” she asked cheerily.
David looked at the blank walls, the television that droned on and on whether he wanted to watch it or not, the stiff hospital linen at his feet, and his most unbecoming hospital gown covered by another gown the staff had the decency to put on him as a robe. He was not sure how he was doing. “Okay…guess am.” David closed his eyes momentarily.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Kelly said encouragingly. She never seemed to be bothered by his inability to link his words together correctly, but he was greatly embarrassed. He wanted her to know, those who were caring for him to know that he had some level of intelligence. For a reason he could not understand, he just was not able to speak coherently. “Listen, it seems that I’m going to be working late tonight, and I’m about to go out for a little while to get something to eat. Would you like me to bring you anything?” David smiled again with closed mouth. He often wondered why she was so kind to him and counted it as a blessing that she had been the one to find him. Nonetheless, he shook his head. He had very little appetite for anything. “No? Okay, well I’ll come back to see you tomorrow then. Have a good night.” David gave his usual nod. Kelly sat there for a moment and looked at him with concern in her eyes that he had seen often in the two weeks. Then she left, and he was left with another boring, uncertain night that would stretch endlessly before him.
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Kelly sat in the upstairs office staring blankly at the computer screen. She had brought in her meal a couple of hours before with false hope that she would be able to finish all within an hour. That was at 8:00, however, and now at 10:00 she was doing all she could to keep her eyes open. There seemed to be absolutely no activity on the floor, and she did not doubt that she would again be leaving a building that was greatly asleep. She grabbed several cold French fries out of the take-out bag and shoved them in her mouth. Kelly sighed and looked off at the door. She rubbed one eye and clicked on the radio.
“…Pennsylvania State Police are searching for…”
Kelly, who frequently had trouble receiving a clear signal from any local station in the hospital office, was mildly amused that she could pick up a news program from Pennsylvania. Her mind soon lost focus on that matter, however, as she continued with her duties with the determination to wrap everything up in 30 minutes or less. A country western song suddenly interrupted the news report. “Great,” she groaned. Kelly actually did have a liking for the type of music, but the song was slow, no source of aid to maintaining alertness. The news report came back in and she smiled.
“…case remains a mystery. Neither driver of the two wrecked cars found on I-70 were found at the scene, but police do report that one of the vehicles might have been rigged with explosives. There is suspicion that a third person was present at the scene and this was more than a hit-and-run.”
Kelly stared at the radio, her eyes wide, mouth open, breath held, and heart stopped. Her mind raced, and she wished for the report to be of a current happening.
“…been searching for answers since July 14. Chaos at a local…”
Kelly heard nothing else. Her eyes darted back and forth between the door and the radio. Her hand shaking uncontrollably, she switched off the radio then sat there stiff as a statue. After several minutes, she went to the door, stood with her hand on the knob for several seconds, then sat back down. Kelly stared at the clock, as her breaths came out short and rapid. ‘You’re supposed to be a Christian, Kelly. Christians help those in need…” She thought of John Doe downstairs and bit her lip. She had never met anyone needier but…she could not be stupid either. Kelly lifted a quick prayer then stared at her clenched hands as they trembled. She took another breath and shook her head then pushed down her suspicions. She was just going to have to take her chances. Kelly pressed the power button on the computer and dumped her take-out bag in the garbage pail. She glanced at the clock again. She only had ten minutes.
Kelly flew down the flight of back stairs from the third floor to the parking lot out front where her car was parked. She pounced in the seat, kicked it into reverse, and then plowed around to the side entrance. She pushed the automatic button to bring the seat back as far as possible and recline it. Without even checking to see if her car door shut behind her, she fled to the entrance, scanned her card, and tiptoed with speed to the service elevator. She pushed the button. She looked back at the security desk. He always took a 20-minute break, which she had previously reported. Now, only five remained, and she hoped he would take longer. She pushed the button repeatedly and forcefully. This time, it immediately opened, and she brought one of the reclining wheelchairs that stood outside of it along with her. Her heart pounded with abandon as she watched the light: “G…1…2…3.” ‘Open! O-pen!’
Although no one appeared to be around, she tried to walk nonchalantly but swiftly as she pushed the wheelchair down the long hall to his room. Kelly glanced upward. She noticed no cameras on her route but quaked inside with the possibility that they were where she could not see them. She paced herself and then opened his door. He was asleep.
David lurched forward and threw his forearm at someone in automatic defensive fashion. “Kelly!” She put her finger to her mouth, and he immediately hushed.
“I’ve got to get you out of here,” she said frantically. “We have no time.”
He did not understand but he sensed from the fear in her eyes that he, she, or both were in grave danger. “W-why?”
“I’ve got no time to explain,” Kelly sighed heavily. “Someone might be after you.”
That was all she had to say. She helped him into the wheelchair. David tried to control his breaths as she pushed him down the hallway and into the elevator. Kelly whispered to him to not ay anything if security should ask any questions. She had no reason to worry where that was concerned.
They reached the ground level. The door seemed to take forever to open. ‘Please! Please!’ he begged in his mind. He held his breath as it slowly began to slide open with heavy rattling sound, and he imagined she was doing the same.
Before the door fully opened, Kelly pushed him through, scraping his rims in the process. The brightness of the lights temporarily blinded him. The sound of a toilet flushing in the hall on the other side of the security desk brought his heart to attention. Kelly seemed to let all restraint leave her, as she plowed the wheelchair toward the sliding glass door. David was shocked and terrified with the sudden feeling of being trapped when it did not open. A door that he imagined was from the bathroom began to creak. She whipped out a card, scanned it nearly faster than he could see, and rammed the wheelchair through the exit just as the bathroom door slammed with a resounding thud.
Kelly swung the wheelchair around the corner, nearly tipping it on its side. David’s eyes widened, as she charged toward a car. His temple and neck pulsated wildly, and he kept glancing at the corner as he tried to help her align the chair next to the car. He imagined security guards running around it without a moment’s notice with their guns drawn. He looked at Kelly who frowned anxiously and appeared frazzled. “I-I can’t remember…”
She was jerking up on his left armrest repeatedly but with no success. David, on the other hand, had enough recent practice with ones that were brought into him to recall. “Push button,” he whispered but with urgency. She did, and with that release, she was able to help him slide into her car with little trouble. Kelly slammed his door shut, ran around to her side of the car, and sped out of the parking lot toward the highway.
It was not until they got on the highway that she seemed prepared to talk. She wiped the perspiration from her brow with her trembling hand, and her voice shook as she explained a news report that she was certain was related to him. “He said ‘I-70’ and ‘July 14’. That was the highway I was on in Pennsylvania that night on my way back to West Virginia. That was the night I picked you up and brought you to the hospital!” She glanced at him and David’s eyes searched hers for some answer. “He was talking about you!”
His heart beat faster. “My name.”
She shook her head. “He gave no name.” Kelly’s face looked pained and he could not tell if she let out a laugh or a cry. “I’ve got the third person!”
David breathed heavily, as he tried to piece together the confounding maze. “Where…going we?”
“I’m taking you to my parents’ home. I live with them.” David frowned as a painful cramp gripped the side of his thigh. Having seemed to notice but attributing it to the wrong thing, she explained, “They’ll be asleep by the time we get there, but I’ll tell them why you’re there in the morning.”
David looked out the window as the pain began to release its hold on him. He did not know Kelly’s parents and he was leery of what their take would be when they first saw him. As before, however, he had little choice but to comply.
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The sound of cows mooing and a rooster crowing woke David at the break of dawn. He squinted and immediately felt the presence of others. An older gentleman dressed in suit and tie, who had been standing near the foot of the bed, walked closer toward David’s side, which instantly brought him on guard. He quickly gripped the covers in flimsy defense. David felt that he would do whatever he must to take care of this man if need be then remembered that there was nothing his body would allow him to do. He tried to recall the events of the past night when the man was joined by a stout woman, very matronly in appearance. Then Kelly came into his view, and he breathed a little easier, as she smiled at him warmly.
David was brought to attention by the man’s quiet but serious voice. “Son, I’m Dr. Richards, Kelly’s father.”
“Doctor…” David began to repeat the man’s name, but had difficulty focusing, as the woman kept her eyes on him, which twitched nervously, as she looked him up and down.
“This is my wife, Mrs. Richards.” She gave him a rapid smile that disappeared almost before it appeared, and David nodded slightly at her. “Kelly tells us that you’ve got yourself in a bit of a mess.”
“Dad,” she said through her teeth, “I didn’t say that.”
“Kelly has mentioned that you were a patient at Ivory Creek and that she thinks someone might be after you.” David looked slowly from Kelly to her father, doing all he could to avoid her mother’s anxious gaze and not sure how he should respond. “She also tells us that you cannot remember who you are.” David nodded slowly as confirmation. “Now, son, Mrs. Richards and I are going to have to trust Kelly’s judgment in this. She seems to think that you would be safer under our care than under the hospital’s. I don’t know that I agree, particularly with all your injuries.”
“Doctor,” David repeated. He was disgusted and embarrassed that he could not make his observation clearer.
“My expertise deals with the oral cavity. I’m a dentist. There is very little I can do for you professionally, but because Kelly has brought you here, you will be allowed to stay until you recover. Once you do, however, you will need to leave.”
Kelly shot a glance of dismay at her father but then offered David her reassuring smile.
“It’s not that we don’t like to help people,” her mother finally jumped in before returning to eyeing him like some odd specimen.
He could not have felt any more uncomfortable with her examination and Dr. Richards’ penetrating stare, but he found the presence of mind to say something. “I go…when…” David sighed out in exasperation. Kelly told him there was no hurry. Her parents offered her sideway glances that she did not return. Then came David’s true sentiment. “Thank you…all.”
The other two left, but Kelly remained behind. She walked over to the window and cracked it. “You can already tell that it’s going to be another hot one,” she declared. As the rising sun slid in from the fluffy curtains, David glanced around the surroundings of the daffodil-wallpapered room. The quarters were tight, but at least he had his own space free from danger…at least for the moment. Kelly came back to his side. He looked toward the open bedroom door. “They’ll come around,” she assured. Of this, David was not certain. Murmured conversation took place in what he guessed was the kitchen while bacon and eggs sizzled in the background. David did not know if he did not like the meal in particular, but he held his mouth tight to keep from hurling. Kelly patted his hand. “I have to finish getting ready for work, but I don’t want you to worry. We’re going to take good care of you, and you’re going to be fine.”
As she left the room and closed the door to a crack, David blew out the breath he had been holding and thought about her words. Just as they had to be when he made the rough ride in the bed of her truck, they had to be his lifeline now.
