- Where do we go? "Asked Ivo.
-Al hotel.
"But we have to take a Hospital." Marco protested.
"No hospital. What do you mean, take me to jail? Give me the phone. "I called Rosita. By the time I concluded that he should have come home. I attended Yasmin. I tried to appear normal, but I really hurt my arm, I could not keep my voice was weak, contained, trying not to mourn for the suffering. I happened to Rosa.
"Hi honey, how are you?
"Well, more or less well. Listen, I need to do me a favor.
- What happened?
"I can not tell, especially by phone, but do not worry, nothing serious. Only need a doctor, you know? One who does not ask questions. We can not go to the hospital. I had thought that your friend the nurse must know someone who is willing to make us the favor and live here in Gran Canaria. Of course it would pay well ... "But Gaby
now lives in Tenerife.
"I know, but do not tell me who previously worked in Las Palmas?
-Si. "Then
sure know a doctor here.
"Okay, I'll call right now. "And hung up. Dimitri
driving Ford Escort prudently, without abrupt maneuvers or dangerous, but good speed. We were on the outskirts of Las Palmas. My pain was increasing, was unbearable. I was scared of losing consciousness, not to die, knowing that the wound was not fatal. He was drenched in sweat, a cold sweat.
"I need something for this pain, so I can not think.
-For a farmacia. "He said Ivo.
- What are you doing?
"You calm. Wait for the car just around the corner, will not be long.
- This guy is going to rob the pharmacy .- Mark said. I had no strength to say anything, much less to resist. Two minutes later returned with a plastic bag filled drug.
-Arranca.-Dimitri came at a good speed, but always without noise, without attracting attention, and returned to take the first corner. Ivo took two boxes of plastic bag. One contained blisters, the other syringes.
- What is that?
-Morphine. Dimitri, when you stop at a discrete site. Dimitri
out by a service road and stopped at a gas station self-service. While he refueled, Ivo and I loaded a syringe of morphine injected in the arm. Within seconds I felt a great relief. At least I could think calmly
- Where did you learn this?
-Man,
the war ... We are going towards Puerto Mogan. The phone was slow to sound. He spent half an hour, then another half more. We arrived at the hotel. Fortunately the evening there was absolutely nobody. For individual employees the day came, to finish the final touches to perform cleanup, or provisioning of food and beverage pantry and fridge of the hotel, to be held when the awaited opening. But at night only I, as owner, had the keys to the hotel. So that side no problem, we would have the entire hotel for us and all the tranquility and discretion needed. The first thing I was saving the briefcase had saved my life, containing all five million dollars in the hotel safe. I take out some money in pesetas, a couple of million that I kept in the pocket of my jacket. Finally the phone rang.
"Sorry the delay but my friend has a hard time locating your doctor at this time.
"I guess, but what has he got?
"Yes, more or less.
- What does that mean?
"Well the guy is a doctor, but can not legally perform, has no papers. The police withheld the documents because it is Saharawi, but said he considers himself English. It's a long history. Will you use?
"If I will know medicine.
"Then you have to go looking at the pension where it is housed, since there's no driving license, the board is called" Three Corners "and is in Arucas. Ah, it is called Chaid. Dale
thank Gaby, and say that there will be a bonus for her.
"Okay, take care.
"See guys, you should go to the doctor to collect a pension of Arucas. The problem is we can not use the Ford. Will get rid of it. At this time the police are at the scene of the shooting. We do not know if any witnesses have given the description of the car, may already be looking at roadblocks. In any case, we can not afford to move with him.
"I can get another car at any time .- Ivo snapped with aplomb.
"No doubt, but I really like the option of traveling in a stolen car. In any routine monitoring could fall. Anyway, I'm afraid we have no other option at this time is not possible to rent one, and I can not bear to hurt tomorrow.
"Do not worry, I know how I have to do if I stumble with ...- police said cryptically. I did not ask what that meant.
"Okay, then Ivo bring the doctor and we will stay very still.
"Listen, it would be best take to get rid of Ford. I can lead by example to St. Bartholomew in the center of the island, getting it right parked on any street where there is attention and a few streets away to get another car.
"Okay, then we must draw the body in the trunk. You place it in a room and decide tomorrow what to do with it.
While waiting for the doctor, I was half asleep. I went into a sort of semi-consciousness in which revived and analyzed the events in the form of sleep, and in which I told myself "this is a nightmare." I do not know what it meant, whether it was the desire to awaken and discover that it was all just a product of the dream activity, a bad dream, or was defining the overwhelming reality with substantive, and somewhat mentally prepared for the worst. Or both. My mind was all the paths, back, analyzing what happened, forward, imagining ways, means, solutions. How to get rid of the corpse.
Without opening his eyes, I was aware that someone was manipulating my arm. I felt a sting, then another, and another party. Later I learned that the doctor injected me antibiotics, anesthetics, hemorrhagic, anti-inflammatories. He craftsmanship, as in his old days twenty years ago in Polisario Front camps in the Sahara. With a hotel room as a makeshift operating room, without more help than Ivo, opened the wound with a scalpel, extracted the bullet embedded between humerus and radius, repaired the damaged bone as best he could, rearrange and removing splinters, blood and fluid drained joint, closed the wound sutured with twenty points, and finally put a bandage. I felt a pat on the cheek and a serious voice gently saying to me
"Come on, wake up, and are operated friend.
I opened my eyes to a sense of wellbeing, euphoria, nothing hurt and I knew that everything had gone well, at least reasonably well. Through the cracks of the shutter is filtering the light of day.
"Listen friend, you've been very lucky, now you're out of danger. Do I understand what I'm saying? "Yes doctor
.- I nodded. We locked eyes. The doctor had a face venerable, old, sad, kind, sweet, purified by suffering quietly accepted. Or do not know if it was the morphine that made me feel all that, but I sensed it was a good person and I felt immense gratitude toward him.
"I have saved the arm, a little more and had begun to putrefy. You've also been in danger of bleeding to death, or infection. But I arrived on time. Anyway, do not flatter yourself, you've lost a piece of bone, and even weld it, I doubt that you can move the arm as before, much less exertion. "No matter
doctor, thank you very much. I'm sure that a hospital had not done better. Ivo reaches my jacket and give the doctor money.
"Thank you, I leave on the table medications you should take, and schedule. Within a few hours, when you catch your pain, take one capsule of "adolonta" not inject more morphine, could mask a complication, and it used to. I will come tomorrow afternoon to disinfect the wound and change the dressing. Rest now, my friend.
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