Chapter 56 - The Elder - Mduno
Time had stopped as we waited for the paramedics to do their job.
"He's got a pulse!"
A paramedic shouted, and I pressed my lips to her forehead. I stayed that way until we landed on the clinic's rooftop. They were waiting for us, and they pulled me away from her. Rata tried to hold me back, but I broke free and followed the stretcher like a sleepwalker. They took her into the operating room, and I couldn't go in.
"Mr. Roland," said Dr. Mendoza, attending to Verónica for the second time. "You can't go in, sir."
"Listen, doctor, if she dies, you, your family, and everyone attending to her will die. I don't care that it's not in your hands; I'll kill you all anyway."
"Boss..." Rata put his hand on my shoulder.
"There are things only God can resolve, sir," the doctor responded.
"To hell with that God!"
An image of the woman called my mother flooded my thoughts as the doctor entered the operating room, closing the doors in my face. In my memories, she said, "God has a purpose for all of us," on our way to church. Don’t let yourself relive it! I buried that memory deep in my mind again. I grabbed my head, still holding the gun, and people moved away when they noticed it.
"You need to wait, man, everything will be fine," Simón commented. Cebolla watched us from the hallway.
"She can't die, Rata."
It was the first time I felt anything since I was seven. Even my eyes itched. I didn't cry.
"If she dies..."
"She'll be fine, calm down. You need to take control of what's left of the organization."
"Screw the organization! Verónica is on the brink of death!"
I shouted, pushing him. He raised his hands in apology. I sighed, closed my eyes, and tried to regain some control.
"Take charge and bring me a report."
"The Cárdenas and their people came out unscathed," he said, making my blood boil. "Seventeen cities lost their leaders; we were the main target. We lost a lot of personnel."
"I want those bastards alive."
When I was in a rage, even Rata was a bit afraid. Cebolla looked away.
"I'll kill those bastards with my own hands. Bring them to me!"
"They're being watched by a group of special forces."
I smiled with malice. Evil gave me an incredible satisfaction. I reveled in it, enjoyed it. Being the bad guy was a pleasurable act. They can have a thousand men; I'll kill them anyway.
"So they sent a mercenary army and those cowards ran. They think a bunch of idiots will stop me."
I smiled so coldly that I must have looked insane; the looks from those present confirmed it.
"Kill everyone, and leave the brothers alive for me to handle."
"Yes, sir."
"One more thing, clean it up."
"I've already activated the cleanup plan, sir. I'll let you know which country it happened in today."
"Thanks."
"They're independent mercenaries; we're still clean."
"Tell him," Cebolla said, and Rata looked at him.
"What?!" I shouted. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Negro, Culebra, and ten of our men died, along with the lady's friend," he said. I closed my eyes. "It made the news; they don't know who we are. There are no photos or videos; I destroyed everything. There's nothing that can link us."
"As I mentioned, a background is being created. You are currently in Mexico. There will be photos of you at the airport, restaurants. In two hours, the information will be recorded in that country's database." My stomach tightened. I had been there recently.
"How will I tell Verónica about her friend?"
Raúl arrived at the clinic, his face twisted with worry. When he saw me, he got even more concerned.
"Is she that bad?"
I didn't respond. I turned and sat at the back of the waiting room. I heard the scream when Cebolla told him about Lorena's death. He couldn't hold back his tears.
Hours passed. Rata and Cebolla made the necessary calls to find out what had happened. The boys who survived were already at the clinic; two were injured, and the rest were working. They didn't leave us alone.
My closest group, the ones Inés somehow raised, stayed loyal to me—we had become family. They would do their job. I couldn't stop holding my head. To those passing by, even the security personnel, I looked like a lunatic.
With a gun in my hand, the clinic staff walked quickly, fearful. I checked my watch; it was nine at night, and the doctors still hadn't come out of the operating room. Raúl sat on the couch in front of me, looking at me with pity.
An old man sat next to Raúl and watched me. He picked up the newspaper on the table and began to read. I couldn't take it anymore. I paced back and forth, sat down, got up again, and sat back down. I was about to enter the operating room when Dr. Mendoza came out, removing his blood-stained coat. I ran to meet him.
"How is she?"
I didn't know how to interpret the doctor's look. My ears were ringing. I tried to speak.
"Don Roland..."
Instinctively, I put the gun to his forehead. Rata grabbed my hand and diverted it just in time. The bullet hit the wall. The nurses and staff in the ward screamed and ran away in a panic. The doctor turned white with fear and hurried to say,
"She's still alive." His body was trembling.
"Don't play with me."
I pushed my friend aside and put the gun to the doctor's head again.
"Don Roland, she's still alive. She lost a lot of blood and has a punctured lung. She suffered respiratory arrest, which forced us to induce a coma. If we see improvement, we'll stop the medication, and she'll gradually wake up."
"Was that the only way to save her?"
"Sir, the respiratory arrest was the complicated part. She'll be in intensive care."
"Arrange everything so I can stay with her at all times."
"Sir." I raised my eyebrow, signaling he had no choice but to obey.
"I'll do it, sir."
"That's the right answer."
People were looking at me with fear. I needed to see Verónica. I paced back and forth.
"Don Roland," Raúl spoke.
"I don't like repeating myself, Raúl, and I believe I recently asked you to call me by my name."
"Okay, Roland. Is the clinic yours?"
"Yes," Cebolla replied. "Otherwise, they would have already called the police."
He hinted that I should calm down because the police might be on their way.
"I don't want to be a buzzkill, but you need to call Verónica's father and brother."
I shook my head. I couldn't call him. What would I tell Don Fausto? That his daughter almost died because of me?
"If you want, I can call him."
"Fine," I managed to say. "Do it tomorrow. Calling him today would only worry him, and it's complicated since leaving his ranch at this hour... I need to see her. Call him tomorrow, please."
They let me see Verónica around two in the morning. No more than two people could enter. I went in with her best friend. She was isolated with a plastic cover that protected her from any infection. We were required to wear surgical gowns, masks, gloves, caps, and shoe covers.
I couldn't touch her, only watch her breathe. I realized that if she breathes, I breathe too. My eyes started to sting. I let anger take over so I wouldn't cry. I swore I wouldn't, not since she left me. Raúl, on the other hand, couldn't stop crying, and deep down, I envied him. He could release the pain that was overwhelming him. He cried and cried.
"I know you're strong, my Vero," he said. "And soon, I'll see you smiling at me and scolding me for my behavior. Just come back to us."
"She will, Raúl." Her best friend looked at me with unsure eyes. "Go rest and call Mr. Fausto tomorrow."
"You need to rest too."
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Raúl left, and Rata came in to tell me we had a lot of our people in the clinic. There were rumors that they were after us. He would tell me what he found out tomorrow; he just needed confirmation. I nodded at everything he said.
I didn't take my eyes off Verónica's chest. She had to keep breathing. He said goodbye, whispered something to my girlfriend, and closed the door behind him. I dragged the couch next to her head. If she wakes up, I want her to see me.
I woke up every time the nurses entered the room to administer medication through her IV. I showed the gun to let them know that if anything happened to my girlfriend, I would end them. I didn't sleep at all. The doctor came in the morning to check on her and found me half-asleep on the couch.
"Don Roland." The doctor shook me. "Go get some rest." I shook my head. No one would get me out of the clinic.
"Don't say it again because the answer will always be no. I'm leaving here with Verónica." He shrugged.
"I'm going to treat your girlfriend. Do you want to see that?" I nodded.
The doctor put on the necessary gear, and a nurse came in, pushing a cart with everything needed to treat her. I got up from the couch and must have turned pale. I felt my blood freeze. Verónica had a horrible scar on her left side, and her entire back was bruised. All because of me...