Return of the Phoenix - 01 by Heath Stallcup Read Free Book Online Page B

almond-shaped eyes wrapped around the deepest blue he had ever seen. Her pale features and blonde hair made him think of photos he had seen of Nordic women. Small in stature, with long, flowing blonde hair, she approached the bed and sat the tray on the side table near the bowl of broth.
    The visitor turned and gave him a quick assessment. “You look a lot better than when you were first brought in,” she stated as she turned and poured water into a large wash basin. She soaked a thick cotton towel and wrung out the water. Jack stif fened somewhat as she approached him and began wiping the sweat from his forehead. “You’re in pain, yes?” she asked. Her accent lilting slightly. He couldn’t quite make out her origins from her voice.
    “I’m a bit uncomfortable, yeah,” Jack replied, his breath coming in short pants.
    “Perhaps you should lie back down. It will help to relieve the pressure on your chest.” She reached to help him slide down the pillows, but Jack held her hands.
    “No thank you. I’d like to sit up for a while.” He couldn’t help but notice the depth of her eyes as he spoke to her. “Som ething tells me that I’ve been laying on my back for a bit too long.”
    His visitor simply nodded with a slight smile. “I brought you some sweet milk and toasted bread,” she stated simply, m otioning towards the tray. “I was hoping you’d be awake enough to transition to solid foods.” She reached under the bed and brought up a tray table and positioned it across his lap. Setting the tray on the table, she then picked up the bowl of broth and turned to leave. “If you need anything else, simply call for me. I will do all that I can to aid in your recovery and to make you comfortable during your stay with us.”
    She turned to leave when Jack seemed to snap out of his haze and back to attention. “What do I call you?” He asked.
    His visitor stopped and turned, dazzling him with the brilliance of her smile. “Nadia. My name is Nadia.” Then she turned and left.
    Jack thought for a moment. Her accent was strange. Almost Russian, but not quite. Perhaps a satellite country of the former Soviet Union. He let out the breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding and almost panted as his body ached, the pain eb bing through him.
    He pulled the tray table closer and ate what he could. He didn’t realize how tired he was or how much energy it took just to ingest food. The bread was toasted sourdough and appeared to be hand cut from a large loaf like French bread. The milk was sweet, but with a slightly gamey taste to it. Unlike any he had drank before, he thought maybe it was goat milk. It was very rich and he could see little globs of cream beginning to rise. Farm milk, just like he grew up on. Except theirs was from cows and wasn’t nearly as flavorful.
    Jack ate what he could then pushed the tray table back. Carefully, he pushed himself back down and lay quietly in the room, his mind racing. Why hadn’t he thought to interrogate her as to the nature of his surroundings? ‘Where am I exactly? How long have I been here? Do my people know I’m here? Am I a prisoner? Who are YOU?’ Questions ran through his mind until his mind began to fog. His body needed sleep to heal. And sleep was slipping up on him. With the warm, sweet milk and the bread in his stomach, he could feel himself slipping, the darkness coming on him. And when it did, his dreams were vivid and frightening.
     
    *****
     
    Robert Mueller followed a small woman in black BDUs to a room and she opened the door for him. “Have a seat, fill out the forms in front of you, and we’ll get you settled in shortly.” She motioned through the door and Robert stepped in. His eyes instantly scanned the room, taking note of everything. Most surprising to him was that the room already had five men and one woman in there, sitting in small groups or by themselves, filling out paperwork. Eyes raised to assess him when he first entered, then