Gary Ponzo - A Touch of Deceit

Standing at attention in front of room 406 was a stocky police officer. His eyes caught Nick and Matt heading in his direction and he slid his wide body in front of the door. He ignored Matt, but he held up a hand to Nick. “He’s been cleared, but I need to see some identification from you, Sir.”

Nick showed the officer his credentials and the uniformed policeman examined a clipboard with a list of names written across it. He saw what he was looking for and stepped aside. “Sorry, Agent Bracco, I’ve got my orders.”

“Don’t apologize, Officer. That’s my wife in there you’re protecting.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Nick opened the door with the precarious manner of a tipped-off recipient to a surprise party. Nick saw Dave Tanner and Carl Rutherford milling around Julie’s bed. They blocked Nick’s view of a couple of other people behind them. He thought one of them was Sal Demenci sitting on the only chair in the room.

The room was small and seemed eerily dark. A vital signs monitor sat next to Julie with one wire going to a probe attached to her fingertip, and black tubing extending down to a blood pressure cuff around her left arm. Julie sat upright with the aid of several pillows. Her head was wrapped with white rolled gauze and a clear tube hung from an IV bag which gravity fed sodium chloride to the vein in the crook of her elbow. Her left eye was dark and it looked like someone with long nails had scratched the side of her face.

Through it all there was a smile on Julie Bracco’s swollen face. With her good eye she managed a wink and Nick nearly wept. He was next to her instantly, holding her hand, mining her body with his eyes. “How are you?” he whispered.

When she spoke, her words were muffled, as if she had a mouth full of cotton. “I’ve been better.”

“Have you seen the doctor?”

“He just left. He said the surgery went well, and that I should make a full recovery.” She spoke evenly, but her eyes were distant.

“Nick?” she said.

“Yes.”

“He said I was shot in the back of the head.”

“You don’t remember?”

She shook her head slowly, as if she might grab a piece of the incident before she finished her answer. “No.”

Nick felt a rush of sorrow hit his nervous system and he had to look away from Julie to gather himself.

She clutched his hand. “Don’t be sad, Nick. I’m going to be all right. All I remember is running from the car.”

He wanted to run himself. Right out the door to rip Kemel Kharrazi’s heart from his chest with his bare hands. But he’d already decided. He hung his head in resignation. “I’m handing in my credentials, Jule. Enough is enough.”

“Don’t you dare,” she uttered in a clear, forceful tone.

Nick looked up. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“I did, but now it’s different. I’m not going to be able to sleep knowing someone like Kharrazi is out there, maybe sending someone back to finish the job. No, Nick, now is not the time for you to quit.”

It was a peculiar attitude for her to acquire and it alarmed him. “Are you sure?”

Julie licked her lips. “Nick, I want you to do something for me.”

Nick quickly glanced down and found the nurses button. “Of course. Anything.”

She pulled Nick tight to her chest and stretched forward until her lips delicately nestled up to his ear. She whispered, “Kill him.”

Nick lurched back and examined his wife, as if to be certain that it was her that spoke those words.

Julie’s bandaged head nodded confirmation. Her hands were wound into fists and her jaw seemed to lock her face into a maddening scowl.

Nick sighed. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the attempted murder of his wife or the pilfering of her benevolent heart. He looked down at the woman who’d taken in stray cats and fed them organic milk. Julie, the kindhearted wife who would find a cricket in the corner of the closet and cup it in her hands until she could free it outside onto the lawn. The same woman who was now ordering hits on fellow human beings like she was Don Corleoni.

Julie’s wounds were much deeper than could be seen on an MRI. Kharrazi had damaged the one thing that Nick loved more than her shiny, happy eyes, or her contagious smile. He’d broken her spirit.

He unraveled her fist and gently stroked her hand. “Get some rest.”

“I’ve never been more serious, Nick.” Her eyes blazed into him like a laser beam.

He realized that for the first time in their marriage they were on the exact same page when it came to his career. He nodded. “After that, we walk away. Buy that house in the mountains.”

She grinned briefly, then pain jolted her back into submission. But the smile lasted just long enough for Nick to see the relaxation return to her face. Just long enough for Nick to grasp the depth of his responsibilities. His new mission would be more important than ridding terrorists from America or saving the White House from destruction. Nick could restore the love to his wife’s soul.

Nick felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Matt, but was surprised to see a man hunched over an aluminum cane, his arm strapped tightly into a sling against his chest. A tan adhesive bandage covered the entire left side of his face.

“Tommy?” Nick asked.

“At your service.”

Nick gingerly tapped his cousin’s arm. “How are you doing?”

Tommy hobbled past Nick to Julie’s side and said, “Question is-how is she doing?”

Tommy wiped a tear from Julie’s cheek and patted her hand. Nick always suspected that his cousin had a thing for Julie, but now, watching him bend over her and listening to the soft exchange of words between them, Nick realized that he was wrong. Tommy never really wanted any more than to include Julie into the family. He coddled her like a little sister. Tommy said something to her that widened her eyes, then just as quickly returned with a wicked smile. She stretched out her hand and gently stroked the side of Tommy’s face, where the bandage covered up the scars.

Nick almost felt voyeuristic watching them. He turned and greeted his fellow agents that were there for support. He knew they were overloaded with assignments, so the gesture meant even more. A hand patted his back and he saw Dr. Morgan.

“Doc, thanks for coming. I know it means a lot to Julie.” Nick shook Dr. Morgan’s hand.

“I’m not just here for her, Nick. I’m here because I know you’re in trouble.”

Nick looked over his shoulder and caught Dave Tanner avoiding eye contact with him.

“I see,” Nick said.

“You must realize that I can’t help you, Nick, unless you want to be helped. And part of that desire for help requires a healthy aversion to stress.”

Nick nodded. “I’m closer than you think, Doc. I’ve only got one more obligation to fulfill.”

Dr. Morgan frowned. “I feel like you’re staring at the Grand Canyon and telling me that you only need one more day of practice before you can jump it.”

Nick smiled. “I’ll prove you wrong, Doc. I promise.”

Julie closed her eyes and it appeared to be the cue for Tanner and Rutherford to get back to work. They said their goodbyes to Nick, seemingly unsure whether it was for a day or a lifetime. Matt and Tommy followed them out. Dr. Morgan implored Nick to see him soon, and Nick agreed.

Sal Demenci lagged behind and Nick realized that the room’s evacuation was more a direct order than an act of politeness. Sal, flexing his muscle with a simple nod of his head. Once they were alone, Sal led Nick into a corner away from Julie’s deep breaths. They stood by a window that overlooked a grassy knoll in front of the hospital.

Sal looked Nick in the eye. “I have to tell you something, maybe it’s important to you.”