Chapter 02

Real Life Hits

Standing in the doorway is an elegant looking woman in her early thirties wearing a form fitting executive business suit over a nice form and a very expensive looking briefcase in her hand. Beside her is a late forties man in casual clothes with a light canvas bag over his shoulder. Kim smiles at them as he nods at the two steel frame chairs beside the bed. They both enter and sit down. Kim knows them both very well.

Kim looks at the woman. She opens her briefcase and takes out some papers to put them on the bed beside Kim. He examines them and asks a few questions, which she answers. He countersigns the limited power of attorney Amanda has authorised for Madison Evans, Attorney at Law, their new local representative. This allows Madison to approve minor matters, to initiate things, and to handle legal matters for Kim. She puts the papers away while taking out a notebook and pen.

When Madison opens her mouth to speak Kim says, “Just a moment, please, Maddi, I need to hear this other report before I know where we’re going.” She nods agreement, and both turn to the man.

Jim Waters smiles as he says, “Not much to report, Kim. We’re being stonewalled at all levels. I did manage to get copies of the initial Police and Work Safety reports before the shutters came down. Even got some statements from witnesses and the other man hurt. Everything is in this file.” He takes a folder out of his shoulder bag and lays it on the bed beside Kim. “Even some photos of the scene, no forensics at all.”

Kim leans back and thinks real hard. After a few minutes he looks up at Leslie, “Leslie, please ask Doctor Perry to step in here for a moment.” She smiles and ducks out to get the doctor, returning with her in a minute since she only had to go a few paces up the hall. Kim says, “Ali, am I right in thinking that no one can make an intelligent guess about how much damage I’ve sustained until after I woke up then they put me through the battery of checks and tests scheduled for tomorrow?” She nods yes, and he smiles. He takes a deep breath, “Right, I think I know what’s up, and I don’t like it, not one little bit.”

Kim turns to Waters, “Jim, I want two armed guards on Lee twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, very competent females who’ll not hesitate to shoot anyone. Can do?” His eyes go wide while he nods yes. “I’ll need two armed guards on a twenty-four by seven watch. One male out in the hall as a goat and a female guard dressed as a nurse in the room with me. Same competency. If I’m right about this they’ll try to put pressure on me by grabbing Lee or taking me out.” They’ve all got wide eyes while they wonder why they’d be so desperate, whoever ’they’ are. “Also, I urgently need the names, recent photos, and addresses of all the power players in the state government, the Cabinet, the Department of Education, the people you’re trying to see, and those who’re blocking you. I’ll put my other spy ring onto seeing what they can find out.” Jim grins at the mention of another spy ring as he’s worked for Amanda and Kim’s family for years and he always thought they had other sources; but this is the first indication he’s had they really do have another set of spies. Kim smiles, “I usually reserve your services for this type of thing, but they may shake something out if you’re blocked. The sad part is I can use what you find in court of law, but not what they give me.” This gets a few raised eyebrows.

Kim turns to Madison, “Maddi, you urgently need to get hold of my mother today to have her sign, in front of court witnesses, a power of attorney and statement you’ll prepare. She’s to give you full power of attorney over me and Lee for the next six months and to abrogate all her power for the same period. The statement is to explain she wants this as she’s too emotionally disturbed by my injuries so she doesn’t trust herself to act with due care while she’s so upset. Get the documents prepared, and she’ll sign them.” She nods yes while she wonders what he’s doing.

Kim opens the file Jim gave him and he reads the summary inside the front cover. Closing it, he’ll read the fine details later, he looks at Jim and gets a very slow nod in return. Damn, it’s as bad as the report says, and much worse than he thought.

Kim turns back to Madison, “Maddi, you also need to prepare and serve some papers by noon tomorrow. We’re going for a shotgun effect with big figures in compensation for injuries received, also stating gross negligence bordering on criminal negligence with failure to exercise due care and diligence over those within their care and power. The school principal, ten million dollars; the school, twenty million dollars; the head of the Education Department and the Department, twenty million dollars each; the Minister of Education and the Premier, fifty million each; the Cabinet and Parliament as a whole, seventy million each. Go after them all since each is at fault in the incident because they all added to the situation. Make sure you get good recordings on the serving of them and try to get them all served within a few minutes of each other. You need to first serve court orders for immediate delivery of copies of the school and the Department files on Lee and me.”

Kim’s audience is wide awake while they try to follow his thinking, and failing. “If they’re playing by the nice rules by tomorrow afternoon you’ll have a call from high up in the Attorney General’s office wanting to settle out of court, and they’ll quickly agree to whatever we say. This problem has the potential to bring down the government. Out of court terms are an immediate cash payment of fifty million dollars to me, one million to each of my legal representatives - that’s you and Mandy, they pay all medical costs to date and for the next four months. They have two days to agree and make the cash payments. After that the amounts go up on a scale based on the length of delay and what they do during it. At any time I may get upset with them and go for broke, in which case we’ll commence court action for criminal negligence against all of the named respondents.” He looks at the shocked faces. “I expect they’ll go for some delays while they try to complete a rip-off deal. In which case we can then add criminal fraud charges to the list while we include Harry Wells as a respondent and hit him for ten million dollars. He can’t pay, but hey, let’s do it anyway.” They all stare at him in shock.

Maddi says, “What do you think is happening?”

“The way they’re trying to stop Jim from getting any real data on the incident so he can give it to Amanda shows they don’t want Amanda starting any court action. It matters not when she gets the data as she’ll take action which will see them lose in court. Unless they can wave a document that seems like an acceptable compensation payment signed by a suitable guardian and they then say they’ve already paid up. So, if they pay out a token compensation to me while paying Harry a lot to get Mum to sign legal papers for compensation they should get away with a court approved rip-off payment in their stacked state courts. However, any papers signed before a proper analysis of my condition is done will be thrown out of any court, no matter how well stacked. So they can’t do the con until after the report on my tests tomorrow. If Mum has given away her powers today anything she signs on Harry’s orders will be invalid. She has no legal right to sign financial matters, anyway, but anything signed by her can muddy the waters enough for them to get away with all sorts of crap. I’d even bet Harry approached them on this. Which is why Jim was able to get some information before they closed the doors.” He turns to Jim, “You need to get in to wire our house up for sight and sound, everything except the bedrooms, bathrooms, and toilets. That way we should get Harry telling Mum what to do, and maybe some of their meetings with him. It’s my house. I inherited it from Grandfather so you can legally install whatever security measures you think fit. Do the same in here and give Lee some recorders.” Jim’s response is a big grin while Maddi slowly shakes her head. Kim turns to her, “Maddi, if they’re fair they’d be offering us forty or fifty million to shut up. But they want to get out of this with only a few million because they messed up the budget real bad. They can’t afford any more adverse publicity, not if they want to be re-elected in eighteen months’ time, nor can they afford any more budget blow outs. As well as paying me off they’ll need to fund all of the school repairs and maintenance they’ve been putting off for ages. The power brokers won’t be thinking fair or right, just cover arse and get re-elected. So we have to out think them and cut them off, then fight them on their turf, which will be hard. But, with full preparation, we can do it - and win!”

She smiles at him, “OK, cousin, let’s get these bastards.” They all smile when they head out on their various errands.

Family Visit

Kim has an hour or so of quiet thought time before movement at the doorway lets him know his family are visiting when his mother and sister walk into the room. Seeing him turn to smile at them has them both smiling back at him. They cross the room and give him a hug each.

He turns to his mother, “Mum, how are you feeling about all this?”

“Oh, Kim! I’m so upset! I don’t know what to do or which way to turn. I can’t think straight, not at all. Without Lee and Harry to guide me I’d be totally lost.” She’s just like he thought she’d be.

“I thought that might be the case. So I’ve asked Madison to draw up papers for you to sign so she can take over all of the legal and authority worries for you. With Madison and Amanda looking after everything Lee and I will be right. These papers are just for six months to give us all time to sort things out and get settled down again. OK?” She smiles while she nods yes as Lee gives him a very interested look while she wonders what he’s up to, but she isn’t worried about what he may be doing.

Lee starts pulling things out of the shoulder bag she has and places them on the bed while she says, “Here’s your wallet and cell phone, fully charged. Also the two books from beside your bed as I couldn’t tell which one you’re currently reading. Next visit I’ll have all of the school work with the assignments you’ve missed with your notebooks and text books plus your school laptop computer. Anything else you want from home?”

He smiles as he nods his thanks while he takes the items, slipping the phone and wallet under the covers and the books onto the bedside table. “Have you been briefed on my injuries?” Both lose their smiles while they nod yes. “Good, so have I. Don’t worry, you’ll have to put up with me for a long time to come. Mandy was so concerned when I rang her she made me promise to ’hold the line’ before I got told of the damage. In the coming years the biggest problem for you will be putting up with me while I get things sorted out and prove the doctors wrong about how bad it is.” They both smile again. All is well when Kim is in charge, and he’s now awake and in charge again.

They chat about what’s been happening over the last few days and Kim briefs them on the changes with his medical supervision. Helen Wells is very happy he’ll have full-time carers in the room with him.

About an hour after they arrived Madison walks in and takes Helen aside to show her the papers she’s drawn up. While they discuss them Kim tells Lee his concerns about their stepfather and how dangerous it may get because of the political ramifications. She readily agrees to the security guards and says she won’t fight them about watching over her.

Kim asks Lee to keep close to their mother and try to supervise what Harry does at home. He also tells her about what Jim is doing in the house to help in watching over them. She suggests he has it on a full-time live monitoring, so Kim makes a note to tell Jim to do that. Lee pulls out a pocket notebook and starts writing when Kim starts to give her a shopping list of small items he wants. These two are very close and she often acts as his personal assistant to do things like this for him, just as he’s done things for her in the past and will do so in the future.

They finish up with Kim saying, “Lee, will you get as much of that as you can get done today to bring what you have got back tonight after dinner, please? There’s a lot there, so you best get started.” Madison and Helen look up when he says this much louder than is needed.

It has the desired effect because Helen says, “Oh, if you have to run some errands at the shops I better come with you to see you’re OK.” She’s a real ’helicopter mother’ who’s always hovering over them both while being over protective, especially of Lee now she’s really starting to show how much of a girl she is. In only a few more minutes the three leave Kim as he thinks about his situation. They’ll do Kim’s shopping after they stop by the Federal Court to have a Family Court official witness and authorise the power of attorney papers for Kim and Lee.

About half an hour after they leave Harry Wells turns up with a lost look on his face. When he sees Kim his look changes to one of concern. It takes only a few minutes for Kim to tell him Lee is out getting a few things for Kim with Helen supervising her. Harry turns about and leaves once he knows they aren’t at the hospital. Kim smiles at his back.

More Introspection

Leslie is off chasing up a desk plus some chairs for the room so Kim takes time to contemplate his new powers again and to work on ways to test their limits. Some of the tests he’s thought of can be done after his laptop computer arrives and he can access Google Maps on the Internet.

He looks across the room to the pillow sitting on the other bed. He smiles when he concentrates to think of the pillow flying to his bed. It does just that, to slam into his face at speed. He has a huge grin while he gets the pillow out of his face. Now he knows he can move things about by thought he thinks, Can I teleport them as well? Looking at the pillow sitting on the bed beside him he pictures it back where it was as he thinks it back to its place on the other bed. He’s very happy when it vanishes from before his eyes. He looks up to see it where it started from on the other bed. He moves the mattress and bedding to the floor and back again. After ten minutes of tests he finds he can move the other bed along on its wheels but he can’t teleport it. Maybe he needs practice to develop his mental muscles or it’s just too much mass for him. He also gives the entire room a very close examination with his ’roaming eyes’ while he moves them across every surface of the room from a few centimetres above the surface. Then he also runs them along under the surface of the walls, floor, and ceiling while he looks for listening devices in them.

He’s happy the room is clear, but he’s very aware he’ll have to make frequent checks in the future while this game of major politics goes on.

He’s lying back reading a good science fiction story about a planet with fire breathing dragons when Leslie returns with some orderlies bringing chairs and a desk. While they’re set up he checks them over for ’bugs,’ and finds none. He’s happy with things as they are, so far, but he’s worried how they’re likely to go in the near future.

The power brokers behind the current government won’t like the idea of major compensation payments messing up their budgets and public relations campaigns. Nor will they like the idea of a schoolboy not doing exactly what they want. They’ll want this affair to die fast with very little expenditure by them and with no publicity at all.

Kim is sure they’ll get very upset when Maddi, Mandy, and he start rocking the legal and political boat, so that’s when the fur will start to fly. He’s sure they’ll recognise they’d be better off just giving in and paying up, but having been encouraged by Harry, which Kim is sure has happened, they’ll be pissed off he’s fighting them and they’ll be angry at the very thought of paying any extra money. So the matter won’t be so much about what’s fair or right or how much, but over who’s in control and who can tell who what to do. Most of the people will think Kim is crazy for fighting the government and the political powerhouse behind them, but there’s no way he can not fight them under the circumstances. He has to be true to himself and his upbringing, plus he’s very much his father’s son: Warrant Officer Caleb Majors, one of the most experienced and decorated combat members of the Australian Army when he was killed in Afghanistan four years ago, and a man not known for backing down from a challenge. He was well respected throughout the military.

Although not happy about the coming battle Kim won’t back down, and he sees the chance to clean up a few things in the process. This will be a war of spies, knowledge, law courts, power brokers, and deals to start with. Then it’ll become violent with paid thugs being sent out. The question for Kim is how far will they go, and will Lee and Mum get upset when he hits back just as hard. As far as Kim is concerned anyone who tries to harm his family or himself is committing suicide! And that goes for those who order it done just as much as it does for those who try to do it. It’s possible no one will get hurt, but he can’t see the people in charge putting their egos aside and not going overboard when a ’boy’ stands up to them. Nope, he can’t see that at all. He sighs when he thinks about these things, what the enemy’s future moves are likely to be, and what does he have to do to counter them to protect his family.

Leslie looks up when he gives out with a second deep sigh before he picks up his cell phone to make a call. When it’s answered she hears him say, “Jungle, Kim, I bet you know where I am at the moment.” He waits, “You got it. There’s something happening up here. If I’m right about it I’ll need three or four teams to put into the field. Can you organise it and get them in place up here? I shouldn’t need them for a week or so.” He listens when an old friend of his father’s promises to get some fit veterans heading his way just in case he needs them.

Visitors

With a fair time until dinner Kim asks Leslie to find a wheelchair to take him to visit Gabby. She calls Ali in to talk to Kim about not moving while his spine is knitting. By the time she’s convinced him to stay in the bed, for now, Leslie is back with Gabby in a wheelchair.

Gabby is wheeled up to his bed and she sits on the side of it. He takes her hand while he thinks, Can I read her thoughts? But nothing comes across. Well, mind reading seems to be off the agenda for the moment.

He examines her body again, and he notices there are no black areas in the areas he’s fixed, but there are some grey areas in ones he hasn’t checked yet. Starting at her head again he concentrates on her skeleton while he runs down all of her bones to check them out while he asks her questions on herself and he listens to her answers. He finds a few areas that need genetic correction and a couple that need knitting which he attempts to do, and is pleased to see the knitting occur. Gabby stirs a bit when that happens. After seeing to her bone structure he returns to her head to give her whole brain a close check, making some minor genetic changes to areas that aren’t black but not the ’correct’ colours either. Moving down her neck to her shoulders, left arm, right arm, chest - front and back, heart and lungs, stomach, buttocks, left leg and foot, right leg and foot. He’s a bit concerned when he finds some major issues with her reproduction system, but corrects the genetic code to let her body correct the rest. She squirms quite a bit during the half hour this takes, but she continues to chat with him.

When he’s finished he asks, “Gabby, I noticed you squirmed a lot while we talked. You also did that a lot while we talked before, why?”

“Kim, both times you’ve held my hand while we talked I felt a tingle in my hand while parts of my body felt warm. But afterwards I felt a lot better than before. I don’t know what it is, but I think you’re able to do something to me that helps me. So I try to ignore it to let it happen. I figure it can’t hurt me any worse than the cancer has. I hope it helps me, because if it does I’d like you to do the same for my sister. She’s just been diagnosed with the same cancer.”

He gives her a weak smile because he didn’t realise she may feel what he’s doing. “You’re right, I don’t know why or how it works, but something changed in me when I got electrocuted. When I first took your hand in the ward I noticed things wrong in your body and something told me how to fix it at the genetic level. So I’ve been making the genetic changes. I’ve no idea if it’ll work or not. I hope it does. Please don’t tell anyone about this because I don’t want to end up as a scientific pet while they test to see how it works. If we get proof it works for you I’ll help your sister too. I’ll help people when I can, as long as I can do so without it being made public. When the doctors are amazed at your recovery please misdirect them somehow.”

She grins, “I’ll say it has to be the miracle cure I’ve been praying for, and they’ll have no evidence of otherwise.” They both laugh. They have another thirty minutes of visiting before Gabby has to go back to her ward for dinner and Kim’s meal is brought in.

He sits there while he has a nice dinner with Leslie. Noticing the time he asks, “Hey, how come you’re still here? Didn’t your shift finish a few hours back?”

She grins, “Yes, but your nurses for today’s day and afternoon shift couldn’t be switched over yet. So I’m working overtime on your bill. Your night nurse will be here early and I’ll go then. Your regular staff will be as per normal from then on. Neither Sonja nor I were doing anything tonight, so she’ll be in at seven o’clock and I’ll leave then. Carol was able to get people to start immediately. We’ve had trouble getting short term staff, but the ten per cent extra pay got them ready to start straight away. Even so, we couldn’t get anyone on board until today’s night shift. They popped in earlier to do the paperwork and will be back at eleven so Sonja can work here tonight. She’s agreed to start early to do half a shift extra. She’ll also have to duck out for a little while around eleven to show the other person around the other ward. I figured you won’t mind that.” He nods his agreement. “In a way, this is a good time to start a special roster like this. The current roster runs out in a couple of weeks so we’ve got time for the short term staff to shake down before that happens. And we get your staff settled in quick order too, since tomorrow’s Friday.”

Watchers

Jim pops in to introduce the first of the guards and to hand over the information he has on the people Kim asked about: photos, names, addresses, and family members where they have them. He even includes a city street directory with the houses and workplaces marked in it.

Kim passes on Lee’s request to have the house cameras monitored in real time with people on hand to help if needed. He also asks to have Harry followed to see exactly what he’s up to. Jim grins since he’d been expecting that one and already done it. It’s a very quick in and out visit.

After he leaves Kim has a few minutes to himself while Leslie and the guards get to know each other. He takes a moment to think hard about what he expected in the way of mind reading and finds he didn’t expect anything, not really, so the failure may be his expectations. With a grin he decides he wants to be able to read a person’s thoughts about the subject under discussion plus what’s on the top of their mind when he’s in actual physical contact with them. He hopes by setting clear expectations and limits it should enable him to actually achieve something.

Family

A short time later Lee and Helen arrive while finishing their dinners from a local fast food chain Kim and Lee love to eat at. Lee makes a point of finishing her hamburger while she enters the room. Kim grins, licks his lips, and shakes his fist at her in mock anger. She grins as she opens her bag to hand him a bag with some of their French Fries plus a drink. He smiles when he takes them from her and starts eating his favourite food. They chat while she places the purchases she made for him on the bed, along with his school notebooks, text books, copies of class notes, and assignments for the last few days. Last is his laptop computer.

Leslie has a big grin when she brings the bedside cupboard from the other bed over to set it beside him so he has one on either side. The school books and notes are set up on the second cupboard to be easy to get at for later. She also plugs the laptop computer power lead into the power point on the wall. With his phone charger in the socket beside it.

Kim and his mother have a long talk about how to handle anything to deal with Kim. She’s to point out she hasn’t any legal authority to do with Kim’s financial matters and to simply write her name instead of her normal signature. This will make it look like she’s following orders while not actually authorising anything because it isn’t her legal signature.

About ten minutes into their talk Helen says, “I wish I’d listened to you and Lee to not marry Harry. I can’t take any more of his carping and orders.” This is a very big shock for Lee and Kim since Helen is a natural submissive who’s always asking to be ordered about as well as being reluctant to admit when she’s made a mistake. If Harry has pushed her to the point of saying this then he really must be riding her hard, very hard.

Kim says, “OK, Mum, we can deal with this very easily. But you’ll have to put up with it for a few months until I’m out of hospital. Just grin, nod, and bear with it for now. Once I’m back home I’ll have him evicted and I’ll get an Apprehended Violence Order out on him. It’s my house so I can kick him out, no worries. Who knows, he may not want to live in a house with a cripple to care for, and walk out before then.” Helen smiles while Lee gives him a very searching look as she thinks about what he may be up to. They move on to other subjects.

About fifteen minutes later Harry turns up and shakes his head over how well Kim is set up in bed. He doesn’t stay long and is very soon pushing Helen and Lee to leave so they can all go home together. After they leave Kim laughs in an odd dry way.

Leslie asks, “What sort of a laugh is that, and why?”

“An ironic type of laugh. The way Harry was going on you’d think he’s doing everyone a big favour by stopping by on his way home to collect them with the car, wouldn’t you! But the car belongs to my trust fund. It’s grandfather’s old car that I let Harry drive Mum and Lee around in. If he wasn’t collecting them he wouldn’t be allowed to drive it at all.” Leslie laughs at Harry’s behaviour and attitude too.

They talk until Sonja arrives and is introduced to Kim. Leslie goes home while Kim spends time getting to know Sonja before going to sleep.

Friday

Friday morning Kim is woken up by Sonja and Judy, as he recognises Judy from his visual roaming yesterday. After they’re introduced he tells them both what he told Leslie about taking time off if needed. Judy is very surprised because the hospital normally docks her pay if she takes any time off. He’s shaking her hand while they talk, and he’s surprised when he picks up her thoughts while she’s wonders if she dare take the morning off to watch her eldest daughter, Mary, in the Regional Spelling Bee Final being hosted at her school. It seems Kim’s thoughts on mind reading were spot on.

Kim says, “By the flash of expression just then I’d say you’d like to go somewhere today?”

Judy gulps as she nods, “Yes, my daughter is in the regional spelling final later this morning. I’d like to go, but the bus timetable doesn’t permit it and this is my first day on this special duty.”

“What time does it start and finish?”

“It starts at ten o’clock and runs until their lunch break.”

“Is there a nice fast food place like a Maccas nearby?”

Sonja is leaving, but she stops to watch this exchange when Judy gives him a puzzled look while saying, “Yes, one is in the next street over.”

Kim pulls his wallet out from under the covers, slips four fifty dollar notes out of it, and holds them out to Judy, “Good. Take these and catch a cab both ways. Also take the girls out for lunch at McDonald’s. I’ll be spending the whole day with Doctor Perry and Nurse Brown while a bunch of doctors run me through the grill to see how much feeling I do have. Take my pocket digital camera from the top drawer there to get plenty of pictures of the girls smiling for me to look at later. Knowing I’ll be helping someone else to be having a happy time will help me to put up with what they’ll be doing to me today, and it’ll give me a reason not to blow my top at them. OK?” Judy is stunned and very wide-eyed by his offer, but she isn’t reaching for the money.