The interview went off well, although the woman on the TV link from New York seemed awed by the fact that Helena had taken twenty-three serious lashes from a horsewhip, and still seemed bright and chipper this morning. Slowly, she took Helena through the story as she remembered it. “I think my mind sort of shut down and sealed off the pain,” Helena told her. “I mean, the first three or four hits were extremely painful, but I sort of blacked out from the pain after that and came to in the hospital. I really don’t remember all of it. I’m just thankful that Andy was able to bring it to a stop before I was killed.”

“I think it’s incredible that you would volunteer for that,” the woman said, shaking her head.

“I knew I had to do it,” Helena told her. “I mean, what other choice did I have? I could not have gotten up in the morning and looked at myself in the mirror knowing that I’d let that pregnant woman, or that elderly woman, take a beating in my place. I’ve heard it said that courage involves standing up and doing what needs to be done. I feel I did the right thing.”

“But you seem very cheerful this morning,” the woman said.

“I hurt, but as I told my mother a few minutes ago, it’s only pain. It will go away. The shame of not doing the right thing stings forever.”

“I understand your father is there in the room with you,” the woman said. “What does he think of this?”

Hundreds of miles away, a certain well-known person was indulging himself. One of the things he rarely got to do was to lounge around the quarters on a Saturday morning unshaven, in his robe, sipping coffee and watching TV. His time was precious, and there were usually much more important things to do, so this was very relaxing. He watched the interviews with Helena and Andy and saw a clip of the whipping and Andy’s rescue from the tape that had been shot with a telephoto lens through the glass doors of the bank. Good American kids, he thought. Some people think they’ve gone soft, but we still make some good ones in this country. He couldn’t imagine the bravery it must have taken for a sweet, innocent girl like her to stand up to a horsewhip to save others.

Then the interview went to the girl’s father, who recounted some of the events of the evening that had gone on outside, as they had been told to him, about how a weak, gutless FBI agent had allowed this sweet child to be whipped because something called “deadly force” hadn’t come into play. What kind of idiots did the bureau think they had? “Before I die,” her father said. “I would like to see someone tie that person up to a pole and give him twenty-three lashes on the back with a horsewhip, and then ask him if he still thinks it’s not deadly force.”

He scowled at the TV screen, agreeing completely with that kid’s dad. One good thing about this job is that occasionally you really do get to do the right thing, he thought as he reached for the phone. Even considering who he was, he couldn’t order the horsewhipping that ass deserved, but he could easily manage the next best thing. “Marge,” the President said, “Get me the Director of the FBI. Right now isn’t soon enough.”

Not too long afterwards, the doctor and nurse came into the room again, and once again checked Helena over. “You know, Miss Curtis,” he said finally. “There’s really not much reason to keep you here any longer. You’re in reasonable shape and good spirits. You don’t seem to be in a great deal of pain, you’re young and strong, and the wounds on your back will heal, and I suspect quickly.”

“But doctor,” Helena’s mother protested. “Her back looks terrible.”

“It does,” the doctor said. “But if you look past the surface, she could be a lot worse. Yes, there is considerable bruising. There are numerous abrasions and welts with some surface cuts, but, thank the Lord, only a few of the cuts are more than superficial, and none require stitches. Ma’am, I’m with a group that does cowboy reenactments, and I know a little about whips. They are dangerous things. The crack of a whip comes from the tip breaking the sound barrier momentarily, and there’s tremendous force involved. Ma’am, I can rip a sandbag open with one strike of the tip of a whip. Fortunately for your daughter, the man in intensive care upstairs apparently didn’t know that, didn’t know what he was doing, and apparently thought the force came from the body of the whip. Yes, she looks bad. But she’s better than she looks, and she will heal. She needs to keep the open wounds dressed and protected, use plenty of antibiotics and a just enough painkiller, and have those wounds treated with topical antibiotic several times a day. Hopefully, in a few days, her body will have only minor marks on it, and they will go away. I can’t say for sure, but with careful treatment, there shouldn’t even be scars. You’ve got a tremendously brave daughter, ma’am. You also have a very lucky one. I envy you.”

“All right, Doctor,” her mother said. “We’ll take her home so I can look after her.”

“Mom, no,” Helena protested. “Back to the apartment, yes, fine, but home, no. I’m not that bad.”

“But Helena, dear, you need someone to look after you.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Curtis,” Acacia said. “I’ll look after her, and I’m sure Wade and Andy will be glad to help. Helena will be fine.”

Helena’s mother wasn’t easily persuaded, and only the thought that the relatively short ride to the apartment would be much less painful than the long car ride home finally managed the task. “All right, dear,” her mother said. “We’ll take you to your apartment.”

“No,” Andy said firmly. “I took her out, and ma’am, I will bring her back. It’s the only honorable thing to do.”

“But …” Helena tried to plead. She didn’t want her father and mother and Andy just walking into the apartment. She wasn’t quite sure in her own mind, but she thought maybe she’d left the Corvette on the bedside stand. How would that look? There was no way to cover it up. Well, maybe there was a way. “Acacia, I’m sure I don’t have anything to wear, after last night. Do you think maybe you could run down and get something?”

“Sure,” Acacia smile, getting the message clearly. “I’ll take a minute and make sure the place is presentable for company.”

There was some juggling around as only Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had their car at the hospital; Acacia’s and Andy’s were at the bank, and Mr. Curtis took the two of them to get them, along with Wade. After Andy and Acacia had their cars, the plan was to drop Wade at the station to get his car, but there was a bar spotted on the way, and Marines do have certain traditions that involve beer. Wade protested, saying that what he’d done was no big thing, but Mr. Curtis insisted. “You’re a good man to have around, Divebomber,” he grinned, one Marine to another. “I’ve been worried about my daughter being so far away from me, but it’s good to know that she has your strong shoulder to turn to if she should need it. That’s what I want to thank you for.”

“It’s no big deal,” Wade protested. “She’s a friend. As I said, Acacia and I are just trying to help her some. You’ve raised an excellent daughter, sir.”

They went inside, and Mr. Curtis ordered a couple of beers. “Divebomber,” he grinned while the waitress was drawing them, “Helena said you tended to be a little formal, and now, I see what she means. Are you like that all the time?”

“No,” Wade grinned. “Sometimes it gets worse. It’s just the way I am, although the Corps is involved, too.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Mr. Curtis laughed. “But I like it. It gives you a certain strength, Wade. It makes you stand out in a world that’s a lot sloppier than the Corps. In a way, I’m sorry that Acacia beat Helena to you.”

“The thought has crossed my mind,” Wade laughed. “But I’m happy the way things worked out.”

“Do you know Andy at all?”

“Not really,” Wade shrugged. “I’ve met him on a couple occasions, the Halloween Party, and then last night. He seems like a decent young man, but really, that’s all I can say.”

“Seems like it to me, too,” Mr. Curtis agreed. “In fact, I’d go so far to say that if I had to go into combat again, I’d be proud and happy to have him at my side.”

“My feelings exactly,” Wade nodded.

“I get the impression that there’s something going on between Helena and him. Look, I know I’m far away, and I can’t keep an eye on things like I should. Can I trust you to sort of keep an eye on things, maybe give a little guidance if necessary, and maybe let me know if there’s something I should know?”

“Sir,” Wade smiled, “as I have told you before, I consider your daughter a most remarkable young lady. I have come to respect her deeply, and have in the past tried to guide her as needed, and would have continued to do so whether you had asked me or not. You may consider me at your service.”

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