Chapter 3

Rick Jackson was passing his secretary's desk when he heard her say, "I'm sorry, Miss Jennings. Mr. Jackson is not taking your calls..."

He stopped short and screamed, "Don't let that person hang up! Is that Susan Jennings?"

"Yes it is," Annette Richardson replied in a bored tone of voice. "The silly thing has been calling for weeks. All she says is that she knew you in Vietnam, but she would not tell me what she wanted to speak to you about. I told her you had no interest in talking with her."

"You're fired!" Rick exploded. "Collect your pay and get out of here now! And if you lose the girl on the end of that line, I'll not be responsible for your safety. Am I making myself clear?" he screamed.

Miss Richardson was stunned. Holding the receiver in her now-shaking hand she said, "Miss Jennings, Mr. Jackson will take your call. Please do not hang up!" She murmured a small prayer with the last words.

Before she had finished speaking, Rick, who had dashed into his office and picked up the phone, was on the line. "Sue, is it really you? Where are you?"

The voice at the other end of the line sounded tired and defeated. Speaking as if by rote she said, "Mr. Jackson, I don't think you remember me, but we met in Vietnam. Would it be possible for me to make an appointment to see you someday? Miss Richardson has already told me how very busy you are..."

"Susan, my darling, where are you?" Rick interrupted.

He had remembered her voice instantly even though it had been over four years. But something was very wrong. It was almost as if she did not hear a word he said. Susan sounded like she was reciting memorized lines.

"I'm ... I'm downstairs at a pay phone..." Just then Rick heard the characteristic sound of the pay phone collecting its initial deposit.

Before the connection was broken Rick yelled into the receiver, "Susan, I'm on the fortieth floor. Please come up immediately. Please!" The connection clicked off and he did not know if she had heard him or not.

Rick immediately called the reception desk on the floor. Although he didn't even know the receptionist's name, he did know she was like Cerberus at the gate. No one ever got past her. She answered his direct line instantly, "Yes, Mr. Jackson, how may I help you?"

"A Miss Susan Jennings is on her way up to see me. First, you are to escort her in to me personally regardless of how she may look. Second, call security downstairs immediately. Alert them to Miss Jennings' presence. Have them bring her up here if, by some chance, she did not hear my invitation."

After taking a deep breath he continued, "Miss Richardson has just been fired. She has been screening Miss Jennings away from me for weeks. There is nothing more important to me than seeing that girl again! Am I clear?"

He could hear the receptionist swallowing very hard and then saying that he was being very clear indeed. Then he called Personnel — Human Resources, these days, he thought with a grimace — and told them to send up a new secretary for him immediately. He also informed the director that Annette Richardson had been fired for cause: gross misconduct. He slammed down the phone again as the receptionist escorted a girl into his office.

Rick's heart did a somersault. He met Susan at the office door, thanked the receptionist and told her that he was not to be disturbed under any circumstances. Meanwhile Susan was just standing at the threshold looking bewildered. When he finally focused on the girl, he was shocked. Although it had been over four years, she looked little better than she had in Vietnam. Her clothes were rags. As he looked at her he couldn't even talk. All he did was gather her into his arms and hold her tightly. As he did he realized how frail her body still was. It felt like he was embracing a skeleton. Still he tilted her chin up and kissed her gently. At least it was supposed to be gentle. Instead, the instant their lips made contact he again felt the same incredible electricity flowing between them.

Releasing her finally, he helped her over to the sofa and then picked up his phone. A girl answered when he buzzed his secretary's line. He told her to have his car brought around immediately and to cancel all of his engagements until further notice.

As he was speaking to the woman, he saw Susan slump over on the sofa. Gathering her up in his arms — she was now unconscious — he carried her out to the elevator. He was only dimly aware of the shocked looks in his direction coming from company employees to whom he had always been the soul of propriety. Here he was now carrying a ragamuffin — a homeless woman of the streets — in his arms. When his private elevator reached the basement garage his limousine was at the door waiting. After gently putting Susan into the back seat, he told his chauffeur to take him back to his apartment as fast as possible.

As the big car started to move, Rick picked up a car phone and called his private physician, Tony Burke. When the doctor was on the line he said, "Tony, it's Rick. I'm on my way to my apartment and unless you're in the middle of open-heart surgery I need you right away. Can you come?"

Tony was hearing a tone of concern in Rick's voice that he had never heard before. Sensing that something was very wrong he said he would be right over. After canceling the rest of his morning appointments he ran out to his car.

When Rick and Susan reached the apartment, he carried her to the bedroom and gently lay her on the bed. As he did, he was again astonished at how little she weighed. She was as light as a feather and apparently not much heavier than she had been after starving herself in the POW camp. He could not understand it.

As he began to strip off her clothes he found that she was wearing next to nothing. There was a ratty coat, a worn dress several sizes too large — and nothing else! There were no underwear nor shoes. Her bare feet were filthy from walking the Los Angeles streets. From the callouses on them it was apparent she had been doing it for some time. Both garments appeared to be Salvation Army rejects.

After disposing of the clothing remnants, Rick went into the bathroom and ran the tub. As it filled he had his first chance to look at the girl he loved — and he was appalled. The scars on her body from the whipping were still prominent. But now, in addition, he saw signs of at least three bullet wounds in her right shoulder displaying the characteristic inward pucker.

After checking the temperature of the water he carefully carried her into the bathroom and gently lowered her into the water. The contact with the water caused Susan to begin to revive.

He held her as her eyes blinked open and she asked softly, "Where am I?" as if being naked in a bathtub was an everyday occurrence.

"You're in my apartment, Susan Jennings," Rick said softly. "I'm Rick Jackson. Do you remember me?"

Instead of immediately answering, she just held out her arms to him. Kneeling on the floor he again held her close and softly kissed her. Again he felt the same electricity but now that she had regained awareness, it had far more power than it did earlier.

After feeling her lips move on his he could hear a warm murmur from deep in her body. "How could I ever forget?" she replied softly.

"Do you feel better? Would you like to wash your hair?" Rick was beside himself, not knowing what to do. "I'm pretty sure I have some women's shampoo and stuff," he added. "I was going to try to do it for you, but I'm sure I'm even worse at washing a woman's hair than I am at cleaning out cuts. Would you like to try yourself? Can you? Are you strong enough?"

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. "It has been so long. But I'm sure I'll be able to do it."

After getting the shampoo and conditioner Rick started draining the tub and then turned on the shower. When she began to wash her hair he left the bathroom but listened carefully at the door fearing she might faint again.

He heard the shower shut off and the hair dryer start when the doorbell rang. It was Tony. Rick quickly briefed him on what little he knew of Susan's background and then took him into the bedroom. As they entered Susan was just emerging from the bathroom wearing a terry robe that had been hanging behind the door.