Chapter 56

Jason Longbow Magill lay strapped onto a hospital gurney as the doctors continued to try to ascertain the extent of his injuries. Though he was in a drug induced state of unconsciousness, he was still vaguely aware of his surroundings. Though the drugs had made it sluggish his mind was still very active. It was this combination that allowed the old Diiyan to experience something that had never previously occurred outside of the ‘spirit lodge, ‘ his spirit guide spoke to him.

“Longbow, be at peace. You’ll live for many years to come, for you’ll need to raise and teach your son the ways of the Apache, as well as the ways of war.”

“A son!” thought Jason. “White Dove is carrying my son!”

“Yes, but be forewarned in this, he’ll have a natural love for flying and will want to learn at an early age. Do not stifle this, as his Apache name shall be Eagle’s Talon.” Suddenly an image filled Jason’s mind, the image of a child, with one of his hands formed like the open claw of an eagle.

“I can’t believe it. A son! Are you sure, I thought I was too old.”

“The Great Spirit has done this before, giving fresh seed and extending the years of a man so that he could raise his son.”

“A son! That and a new wife will definitely change my life.”

“Your life will change even more, as you’ll turn your warriors over to another and accept a new and important position. This change is important to more than just you, but to your people and your current country. It’ll be a new and dangerous role, but I’ll be there to guide you, as always.” With that, a peace descended over Jason, and while he slept, his wrecked body began the slow process of restoration. This was not some magical quick fix, but the normal long slow process an injury such as this requires. That was not to say that a little ‘extra’ wasn’t going on at the same time.

After he finished his phone calls, Mike Running Elk moved back to his original seat, and began reviewing the mission. Since this was his first assignment as Longbow’s second in command he worried whether his mentor would see this as a successful operation or a royal clusterfuck. Even more important, he had to know that the ‘old man’ was OK. “Captain, can I step into the back and check on the injured?” Mike asked hopefully.

“I don’t know why not, but don’t get in anybody’s way or distract any of the medical team with questions. I think if you go back there, as soon as someone can get free, they’ll come talk to you. I wouldn’t take long though, as we’ll be starting our approach in about twenty-five minutes.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Back at the blast site the Federale Colonel made his way to the location of the wrecked pickup truck. His troops had found the bodies of several armed men on the slope leading down to the truck. None of the victims had been shot, and it seemed pretty obvious they’d been involved in some kind of accident. There were just too many cuts, abrasions, and other damaged areas covering their entire bodies for the injuries to have occurred in some form of battle. He understood things better when he actually reached the truck. The front and rear were both badly crushed, and the top of the cab looked almost like some giant had stepped on it. Only the area right in front of the massive roll bar had much of its original shape. The recently arrived crime scene investigator confirmed his hypothesis, explaining, “From what I can see, the truck went off the road and began tumbling down the hill. Those other men must have been riding in the back of the truck and were thrown out.”

“So, they died of natural causes related to the accident?” the Colonel asked.

“Colonel, I’ve found three broken necks, two men who were crushed by the truck, and another, whose head was bashed in as he flew head first into a boulder. I’d definitely say they were all killed in this accident.”

“What about the driver?”

“The medical response team says he’s badly hurt and has a concussion. At this point, he’s in a coma, and your guess is as good as mine as to how long he will remain there. It could be minutes, days or years. Who knows, he may never awaken.”

“Was this caused by the explosion?”

“Hard to say, Colonel. Who knows, they could have been the ones who caused it and were caught trying to get away, they could have been just trying to escape what was happening, or they could have just been unlucky by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Do you have any additional information concerning the blast?”

“Hang on a second and let me check with my partner.” Then the investigator stepped off to the side and called someone on his cell phone. A few minutes later the investigator returned and said, “Colonel, we won’t know for sure until we do more lab work, but it appears to have been caused by old black powder.”

“Old? I might follow the black powder, but why old?”

“There was a change in the formulation process sometime in the late eighteen hundreds, and from my partner’s initial field test, those trace elements used in the new process aren’t showing up.”

“OK, I’ll buy that, but could black powder create such destruction?”

“I’d say an engineer, an explosives expert, and a geologist would be needed to really answer that. I will say that in the right situation I could see it happening.”

“And what would be that situation?”

“If the blast was set off deep in the mine, with the blast area sealed off and with weakened or cracked strata above the blast, then I suspect something like this could have occurred. Also, a good explosives expert could likely do this with enough C-four in a shaped charged and some way to force or allow much of the blast to be channeled upward. Of course, if that was true, we’d no longer be considering this an accident.”

“Could someone have done this by placing the powder in that mine and then piling a few rocks up at the mouth before setting it off?”

“Again, I’m not an explosives expert, but I doubt it. If the blast occurred behind a cave-in, and there were vertical air-shafts and / or significant fractures in the rock structure, then, in my layman’s opinion, it might be possible. If it had been intentional the problem would’ve been how to set it off without leaving evidence.”

“Radio control?” asked the Colonel.

“Possible, but it would have left evidence that we would eventually find. At this point I’d say, though with much skepticism, it was somehow a ‘natural’ accident,” with the investigator using his fingers to emphasize the quotes on the word natural.

“I don’t understand,” replied a now frustrated Colonel.

The investigator explained, “From what my counterpart told me that mine is very old and the support timbers were not in good shape. The powder could have been placed there a hundred years ago, or even more. If there was a subsequent cave-in, then you’ve got most the pieces in place, with the geological condition of the area above the blast being the missing piece. At that point, then, unless someone could’ve intentionally set it off, this is the result of a mining accident that could have happened at any time in the past hundred years.”

The Colonel replied, “If that’s the case, then I probably know where the triggering device is located.”

“Really?” exclaimed the excited specialist.

“Si”, replied the Colonel. “I found it while surveying the blast area.”

“So, you don’t agree with my theory?”

“I didn’t say that. Let’s go down there, and you can make your own judgment.”

Mike made his way to the main cabin of the aircraft and was met by one of the nurses. She was a tall woman whose lovely face was framed by her long curly chestnut hair. She didn’t have Dolly Parton sized breasts, but they were nicely proportioned to the rest of her figure. She had eyes of jade and one of those classic youthful complexions that made it difficult to guess her age. Probably her most disarming feature was the smile that seemed to suddenly light up the aircraft. In contrast to her looks and smile her manner was ambiguous when she asked “Were you one of the men who rescued these women?”

Taken back by the conflicting vibes the woman was generating Mike answered, “Not directly.”

Puzzled by his response she asked, a little forcefully, “And what does that mean?”

“I was coordinating the two groups, but physically I was at another location. Other than giving them directions I was more involved in trying to save the life of that old man over there.”

She smiled a big smile, and replied, “Then, I guess that’s worth at least one big hug and a kiss.” With that she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his back, and pulled him close. Then, as their bodies pressed together, and her breasts were making indentations into his chest she tilted her head and kissed him. It started as just a simple kiss on the lips, but it rapidly progressed from there. After a few minutes and a lot of teasing from the other nurses in the cabin the two separated slightly before gazing into each others’ eyes.

Stunned at the feelings she was experiencing Nurse Janice Coffee said, “Cowboy, I hope you’re single. If not, you better have an understanding wife who’s bi. That will not be the last kiss between you and I.”

A confused and befuddled Mike stammered, “No wife, only girlfriend I had said she didn’t want to be saddled to an Indian.”

Sensing how much that experience had hurt him Jan pulled him back into another tight hug, and before it ended she felt a very pleasing size lump form in the lower area between them. “I think I might just throw my saddle on this Indian mustang and play cowgirl for a while. Would you be open to that?”

“Nurse, please don’t tease me like that. My life has been hard enough in that area.”

“Cowboy,” Jan whispered in his ear, “my name is Jan Coffee, and I would definitely agree it’s hard enough. Now, how about telling me the name of my firstborn’s father.”

Mike looked totally confused, when he replied, “And, how would I know that?” Jan had to bite her lip to keep from bursting out in laughter and humiliating the young man. He was such an interesting contrast. He’d the look and build of a warrior, yet he had an innocent charm about him that reminded her of a young puppy. If he was putting her on he was doing an acting job worthy of an Academy Award. After studying his face for a few moments she knew, in her heart, this man was for real.

She stepped back and held out her hand, saying, “I’m Jan Coffee.”

Recognizing the introduction for what it was Mike replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Jan. I’m Michael Running Elk, but most everyone calls me Mike. Now, can you, or someone, tell me how The Colonel and the women are doing?”

“I’ll do it, Michael Running Elk, but first you’ve got to give me your phone number.”

“Why would you want that?”

“Because, my brave warrior, I don’t intend for you to just disappear from my life.” Still too staggered by this to think clearly Mike mumbled his phone number. He also added his cell number and his address. It was probably good he was in this shocked state, as under normal conditions he would’ve tried to reason things out. That process, coupled with his shyness around women, never would’ve allowed this opportunity to occur. Jan was suppressing giggles while she wrote down the information. He was soooooo cute, and she was getting more worked up by the minute. In fact, she suddenly realized she could smell her own arousal, and that shocked her. Yes, he was a ruggedly handsome man, but in her life she had known a lot of handsome men - rugged, smooth, and sometimes effeminate - but none of them had affected her like this.

Keeping her part of the bargain Jan gave Mike a quick summary of the status of their patients. She then led him toward where Jason lay in his drug-induced coma. While they moved through the cabin she was surprised at the women’s positive response to his black outfit. Pondering that for a moment she realized they must associate his black outfit with their rescuers. She was also amazed as to how patient and confident he was with these women compared to how he had acted toward her. With a gentle touch and an encouraging word he assured each one who questioned him their lives would soon be much better and the fear and memories would gradually fade into something more manageable than it was at the moment. When they finally reached Longbow this confident warrior took the old man’s hand and cried.

This was a defining moment in Jan Coffee’s life. This man of many conflicting sides showed care and compassion beyond anything she’d ever experienced. In her heart she knew this tall Indian brave with eyes so dark they looked almost as black as his hair wasn’t some ‘macho’ man who had to brutally dominate others, especially women, to prove his manhood. He knew he was a man, and he didn’t have to prove it to himself, or to anyone else. As a result, though she could not understand what had caused all this to happen in such a short time, Jan Coffee knew she was hopelessly in love with this man. “Jan, how bad are Longbow’s injuries?”

“Who’s Longbow?” she asked.

Holding up Jason’s hand Mike replied, “This is Jason Longbow Magill. To most of the world he’s Jason, but to the Apache, and to Special Forces personnel of all nations, he’s generally known as Longbow, or the Colonel. The man is a legend among both groups.”

“Is he your father?” Jan asked.

“No Ma’am, at least not by blood. When I was ten my abusive father suddenly didn’t come home one night and has never been seen again. A few days later Longbow showed up as a representative of the tribe and helped my mother and me move back to the reservation. A short time later Longbow took me under his wing and taught me the ways of the Apache, as well as the ways of manhood, and he’s been my mentor since. I’ve never really thought about him as my father, but in actuality he’s more of a father to me than the one who contributed the sperm to create me. In fact, I’d say there are at least a hundred of us in the tribe who probably feel the same way.”

Now very curious about the old man, Jan asked, “Does he have any children of his own?”

“He had a daughter, but he had little involvement in raising her. She was probably around five or six when Jason’s wife took the girl and left. She wanted more of the finer things in life, and realized she’d never get them from Longbow. The only time he ever saw his daughter again was when she returned long enough to dump her own daughter in his lap.”

“You sound like you don’t think much of his daughter.”

“I don’t. From what I’ve seen and heard she’s a lying manipulative bitch who’ll now spend much of her life in jail. His granddaughter, on the other hand, is a wonderful person; the total opposite of her mother.”

Hoping this granddaughter wasn’t competition Jan said, “You sound enamored with her.”

“I’ve had a crush on her for as long as I can remember, but she’s out of my league. Anyway, she’s happily married now, and from what I’ve heard from Longbow, her husband is just as special as she is.”

Encouraged, Jan said, “Well, just for the record Mike, you’re definitely not out of my league.”

Still flabbergasted at the woman’s boldness toward him, Mike changed the subject asking, “So, what is his prognosis?”

Not wanting to answer from second hand information Jan caught the attention of one of the doctors and waved him over. “Doctor McKinsey, this is Michael Running Elk. Our patient here is like his adopted father. Can you fill him in on the situation?”

The doctor shook Mike’s hand, and replied, “Sure, I’ll be happy to do that. I’d also assume, from your outfit, you’re part of the group who rescued the women.”

“Sir, I was the secondary mission commander until Longbow was injured. At that point I assumed command and directed the various efforts to free the women and get them out of Mexico. Physically, I was part of the group who created a diversion to increase the odds the rescue would be a success.”

“Well, young man, what you did was commendable. I can’t imagine what these women’s lives would be like if you hadn’t done this. As for Mister Magill, his life won’t be quite as full as it might have been before, but I think he’s fairly stable at this point. At the moment, without the drugs, he’d be in a lot of pain, but that will get better, especially after surgery.”

“That’s encouraging, but what are the extent of his injuries and what do you plan on doing for him?”

The doctor explained, “Mister Magill has a comminuted fracture of the tibia just above his shin. There’s also significant muscle and soft tissue damage, but that should generally heal over time. I’m sure whomever they use as a knuckledragger will do an MRI before surgery to make sure there’s not more extensive damage. As to the surgery itself, they’ll probably use a rod, plates and screws to pull the crushed pieces back together and reinforce the bone.”

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