The President of the United States offered a ride to the airport, which they gratefully accepted. Johnny was in the car with him and they were swapping Ranger stories; the girls were packed into a following car.
They got to Dulles and the President, his detail, and Johnny got out of the car. They shook hands.
“It was fine, really fine to meet you, Johnny. Come back any time.”
“It was fine to meet you as well, sir. Thank you for everything, sir.”
The President rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to tell you again, Lieutenant. Call me ‘Rob.'”
“Yes, sir.”
It was at that point that Johnny heard a very distinctive sound from behind. He moved fast and barreled the President down to the ground, and thereby took a shot to the back. Rifle or pistol, he wasn’t sure, but either way, it worked. He faded out.
He woke up in a hospital bed, with things attached to him and… going into him. Dawn was in a chair next to the bed, crying.
“Baby,” he said.
She ran to the bed and kissed his cheek. “Johnny! Oh, my God. My God! We thought we’d lost you.”
“No, it was a good try, but I’m still here.”
“Everybody else is waiting outside. Meyer and Buddy are on their way. The people here say that it’s going to be a while before you can safely fly.”
“I…” and passed out.
When he woke up, a nurse was there. “There’s someone who wishes to see you, Mr. Rand.”
“Call me Johnny,” he croaked. “Send them in, please.”
In came the President, and his detail, and somebody that he didn’t recognize.
“Hi, Johnny,” the President said. “How do you feel?”
“A little punk, sir.”
“I’m going to say this only one more time, and if you violate it, I’ll have you shot. Again. I have guys over there who can do it. Fucking call me ‘Rob.'”
“Okay, Mr… Rob.”
“Johnny, I’m fairly certain that you saved my life at the airport. I don’t know how to thank you for that.”
“Whatever. Rangers lead the way.”
“Hooah. I do have someone else here who would like to thank you. May I bring the rest of your family in here? They’re waiting in the hall, or lobby, or whatever you call it.”
“Of course. I’d love to see them.”
A detail member brought in Mary Beth, Jay, Jenny, and Kimmy. Kimmy ran to the bed.
“Kimmy, no!! No jumping!”
She stopped at the bedrail and just looked at Johnny, and started crying.
He brushed her hair from her face. “I’m okay, Kimmy. I just may be moving slowly for a while.”
The President made a gesture. The guy that Johnny didn’t recognize walked up to the bed.
“Mr. Rand? I’m Jim Murray. I’m the director of the Secret Service.”
“Good to meet you, sir.”
“Call me ‘Jim,’ please. For what you did, we’re on a first name basis.”
“Okay. Johnny.”
“Johnny. In the presence of your family and the President of the United States, I hereby declare you to be an honorary member of the Secret Service and Presidential detail. With all the rights and privileges thereof. Of which, I’m sorry to say, we have none. But I’m going to work on it.”
“Thank you, si… Jim.”
“I looked you up. I know your background, Mr. Ranger sniper and police guy. Tell you what: if you want to be more than just an honorary Secret Service member, it could be arranged.”
Johnny grinned, and then his eyes rolled up. An alarm that was attached to him started beeping. Hospital people ran into the room.
“Clear out of here!” a nurse yelled.
“This man is the President of the United States,” a member of the detail said.
“I don’t give a shit! Get the fuck out of here, right now!” Then, louder, “CRASH CART!!”
Two days later, the girls were all allowed back into Johnny’s room. Nobody had asked why there were so many of them. It was likely assumed that they were members of the extended family. Dawn sat closest to the bed.
“Never fucking do this again,” she said. “Ever. In fact, quit the damned police job. Because this could happen. Again.”
“She’s got a point,” President Rob said from the doorway. “You seem to live a life of danger.”
“I…” Johnny started, and then began coughing. Including some blood.
“Nurse!” the President yelled.
Turned out to be nothing much, but Johnny was tired as hell and couldn’t really talk.
Dawn said, “The President has had armed Secret Service agents protecting your room. You’ve got a friend in high places.”
From the hallway, “Get out of my way! Let me the fuck in!!”
“Sir, stand down, or we will take you down.”
Mary Beth stood up and walked to the door. “It’s okay. He’s a friend. Better than a friend.” And they let Buddy through.
“Stupid,” he said. “I thought the Rangers taught you how to avoid bullets.” He took Johnny’s hand.
“I was trying to be more like you,” Johnny croaked.
“Really,” Buddy said. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I have no idea. But they’re taking good care of me so far.”
“Should be. You’ve had the President’s personal physician here to oversee things. You should already be up and about. You pussy.”
Johnny laughed and coughed up more blood. The girls were seriously upset but didn’t know what to do, other than to call a nurse in again.
“I’m sorry, Johnny,” Buddy said, still holding Johnny’s hand. “As a combat medic, I should know better than to aggravate the problem.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for coming, brother. Thank you.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Nothing could keep me away. Except maybe those two Secret Service guys outside.” He looked up. “Sorry for saying ‘fucking,’ Kimmy.”
Tears were streaming down her face, and she said nothing.
The nurse told them that Johnny was scheduled for exploratory surgery in the morning, and that it would be as minimally invasive as possible. The bullet had been a through and through and hadn’t harmed anything major as far as they could tell aside from nicking a lung. Which would probably heal on its own, given time. But they didn’t want to take any chances, so they were going to have a look see.
“I don’t want surgery,” he said. “Do you really want to mess up this pretty body?”
“Do what she fucking says,” Mary Beth said. “Period.”
Long pause. “Okay.”
Outside the room, the nurse said, “You’re quite the family. How are you all related?”
“Closely,” Jay said. “Closely.”
“Tell us about the surgery, please,” Mary Beth said.
The nurse called for the on-staff resident, and he came up to talk with them.
“Well, I can’t really tell you much, because I’m not going to be doing it. The President’s doctor will be overseeing it. But I think I can guess. First, they’ll put him under. Then, they’ll run a camera into the wounds. And depending on what they find, it could get more major. But hopefully not.”
“What can we do?” Jenny said. “Donate blood, or something?”
“You can go back to your home, or hotel, or wherever you’re staying. And wait.” He handed her a card. “I’ll be here tomorrow. I won’t be in on the op, but I’ll know everything about what happens. Call me, or I’ll call you. The Secret Service guys have your contact information. Go get some sleep.”
So they did. Except for Dawn. She elected to sleep in a chair next to Johnny’s bed, with Kimmy on her lap.
The looksee went well. No arteries hit. Just a little nick on one lung. And shock. When you’re hit by a bullet, shock happens. It’s a hydrostatic thing.
The next morning Johnny was up and walking the corridors with Dawn. The Secret Service was following him around. He found it kind of creepy, and told them to go downstairs and get some breakfast. Their facial expressions didn’t move, and neither did they.
“Sir, if we let something happen to you, the President would have us killed. And probably sectioned and quartered.”
So they all walked.
Two days later he was cleared to leave the hospital and cleared to fly home. He declined the traditional wheelchair exit and he and Dawn walked downstairs to pay the bill. The woman at the desk looked up his record, and then looked at him, and said, “Are you kidding?”
“No, not kidding. I just want to pay and go home.”