“If we look at the scans, you can see the metal plates and screws holding each rib together. You lost a right lung lobe here. All those breaks contused your heart.Miller is going to be concerned with table time; Tim will schedule an anesthesia and a pulmonary consult.
“These are your kidneys. The original scan of your right one looked like a smashed tomato, and your left was not much better. Beth put you on dialysis immediately. Now, they’re scarred but functioning well. These are your ureters. Those bumps are scarring where they were torn and stitched back together. This week, I’d like to see how large the internal scars are. They can form a reservoir of bacteria.
“This is your prostate, and this is your bladder.” He pointed to the screens. “If you notice, your bladder appears to be sitting on your prostate. Dr. Humphries pressed on your prostate while I performed an ultrasound. Your prostate and bladder are stuck together—more scar tissue. I plan to release them and preserve function in both organs. All the doctors on the surgical team will do our damnedest not to do more nerve damage.
“Now, that’s the info dump. Today, I’d like to finish what we started last night. I want to test the mechanical function of your penis by performing an intracavernosal injection test.”
“A what test?” Troy paled.
“I want to inject a medicine into the side of your penis to create an erection. I’ll measure the fullness and how long the erection lasts.”
“You want to stick a needle in my dick?” Troy’s eyes went wide.
Mac Novak laughed before explaining the test. “That’s always a stopping point.” Trask and Kip maintained blank faces, while Tim offered encouragement.
Troy thought about the doctor and what he said about his own injuries, as well as his wife's pregnancies. His beauty was willing to wait for him. He wanted to be able to perform badly. He didn’t want her to wait in vain. “Where do I sign?”
Mac made sure Troy could see him before going over the procedure a second time. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Troy took a gulp of air. “Yeah, Doc, I want to get better. And I need all of me to work.” He noticed the smile on Kip’s face as well as a thumbs up.
“One more question,” Novak asked. “Is Gwen the reason why you want this so badly?” The smile that grew on Troy's face was all the answer anyone in the room needed. “I lied; one more question: do you want to do this for you?”
“I want to feel whole,” Troy answered.Those animals can’t win.
* * *
Martin stoodwith his palms planted in his armpits. A screen dropped from the ceiling covered in boxes containing the faces of Ian Chase, Kieran Chase and Mike Johnson. Wes Crockett, Zach Wentworth and the remaining senior executive board soon popped up in other grid boxes.
Ian Chase called the meeting to order. “This morning, we are confronted with unwelcome news. A mystery caller has now dropped a timeline on an event he’s designed to hurt Troy and prevent him from protecting Gwen. Unfortunately, we have to wait and see what happens at 1100.
“Gwen North is the victim of threats concerning time from her past during her service as a Marine. Her callers all asked for an item back and alluded to repeating her ordeal. Gwen has no idea what the item is now, nor did she then. She was maimed for life because she couldn’t answer that question.”
Martin frowned. “Caleb and the entire technical analysis unit are trying to find the source of the calls. Kip and Trask are with Troy as well as Tim Holland. The entrance to the room he's in is covered. We're running our computer systems through a safe server. Our CCTV is being routed through a closed loop. No outside source will connect or play unless we type in the link directly. And if something pops, we will shut the entire system down. Field operations work on a different server.
“I played back the tape of what the caller said to me. He mentioned seeing Troy’s behind and blood. According to our timeline, Troy came into the Horizon Hospital’s trauma center after midnight on August fourteenth. Our people didn’t tag and clone their movie-making equipment until nine hours later—nine unaccounted-for hours.” Martin shook his head.
“We found what we thought were the original copies of all his films on site and in Governor Reed’s storage locker and locked them all away. The idea that other copies of the attack may be out there makes me sick to my core. The day of the final raid, all the cameras and the recording devices were taken from the prison.” Martin gritted his teeth. “They were there too long. This was one giant screw-up. We got emotional. And Troy is going to pay another price.”
“What does Greece know?” Wes asked.
“He knows about the multiple callers, and he knows of a call left for him and one left for Gwen before dawn. He does not know of the two live calls.
“Kip and Caleb were able to clarify one thing: Gwen received a new cell and number when she transferred to San Diego. This may be why the mystery caller didn’t call her directly. Her office phone also did not have a custom message until Wednesday. If this is the case, it may narrow down the list. Troy took possession of his cell when he landed in Virginia,” Martin said.
“Because we have no idea where the threat will be coming from, SDPD is coming with canines to search the building for a device. Our people are scouring every stairwell and office. All entrances are locked down and manned except the main entrance, which is doubly manned and open. All outside parking lots are shut down. All vehicles in the underground lots are being checked for tampering and devices. Troy’s home is being searched, and Eagle’s Talon Quebec and Papa Teams should be in house within a couple of hours.” Ian blew out a shallow breath.Kieran played with his pen between his fingers. “Martin, any other activities going on that you can shut down or think will be an issue?”
“I have advised all staff if they have a meeting scheduled with someone from outside our organization, to either reschedule or arrange to meet them offsite. But without any idea what this maniac's plan is, we're sitting ducks.”
* * *
Mac Novak rolledup on a stool. “I want to do a thorough physical exam while you’re awake.” He washed his hands and gloved. “If something hurts, tell me before you want to punch me.” His hands palpated Troy’s genitalia, examining the scar lines and rolling Troy’s scrotum between his fingers. “Holland, I believe I read the chart correctly. It said the urologist removed a testicle in Iowa.”
“You read it correctly,” Tim said.
“Sorry, Troy, nice big breath. I need to squeeze a little hard.” Mac turned serious.
Troy hissed as Novak pressed harder.
