Winner The Crystal Awards 2016, Best Multimedia Story (3d Place).
A spinster doctor rents her spare room to a brain-damaged patient who doesn't know he is a former undercover agent targeted for execution by a powerful criminal.
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"Monitoring per your orders, sir," said a young man. "I think the Coast Guard has your boy out on Elliot Key."
"Alive?"
"Uncertain, sir. They're airlifting to Ryder Trauma Center."
"Well done. Thanks for the call." Frank replaced the receiver and sank back onto his pillow. He said a short, silent prayer for a miracle then he rose and began to dress.
Inside a Coast Guard helicopter, two medics worked efficiently over an unconscious man. One medic bandaged a head wound while the other splinted and wrapped the man's left leg.
"Femoral artery remained intact. That's the only reason he didn't bleed out. But somebody's got their work cut out rebuilding this leg."
Suddenly, the first medic stopped bandaging, felt for a pulse, and swiftly began chest compressions. "May not have to rebuild anything," the medic said. "I've lost him again."
While one rescuer performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, the other administered oxygen and verified the intravenous feed was working.
The first medic chanted in time with his rib-crunching thrusts, "Come on, man; work with me; pump for me; stay with me."
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[Illustr.: a Coast Guard rescue 'copter lands at Ryder Trauma Center, Miami]
Minutes later the Coast Guard helicopter landed on the roof of Ryder Trauma Center. Green-coated hospital personnel rushed to the aircraft with a gurney, everyone ducking the still-spinning rotors and resultant dust storm. The two Coast Guard medics helped transfer their patient to the gurney, and one of them followed the team into the building to provide a detailed briefing if necessary.
Such briefings were not oftenneeded now that vital signs and treatment information could be transmitted tothe hospital directly from the helicopter, but the personal touch was stillappreciated. And occasionally there were questions. Given the circumstances,there were bound to be questions about this unidentified patient, but therewould be few, if any, answers.
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CHAPTER 2 -- STONE
Frank Stone was not a handsome man on a good day, and this was not a good day. He strode into the trauma center emergency room looking rumpled and sleepy, in a gray polyester suit from Sears. The suit needed cleaning.
