"Inquisitio Veritatis- to seek the truth. Chapter 8

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

April Dancer stood beside Napoleon’s hospital bed, holding his hand and staring at him as if she could will him to open his eyes.

Samples of his blood, and tissue at the wound site were taken once Angelique had generously given a clue to why Napoleon was growing weaker instead of recovering.

Dancer didn’t trust her but it was all they had to go on at this point.

After finding trace amounts of an unidentified toxin in his system, Research and Development concocted what they hoped would be the antidote.

It had apparently been delivered via the bullet that struck him, but the amount was so miniscule that the treating physicians missed it.

Now it was a matter of time, waiting and hoping the antidote would work.

“Napoleon darling, it’s me April. You have to open your eyes please? We need you...I need you.”

She leaned forward, gently kissing him on the lips and when she suddenly felt his tongue run across her lips, she gasped.

“Don’t stop, “ Napoleon whispered.”That was nice.”

April grinned and leaning forward, she kissed him passionately this time. When she finally came up for air she saw that wonderful smile of his, though the look on his face gave away that he was weak.

“April, I know I was shot but I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.How long have I…?”

“Too long darling. Yes you were shot, but you were also poisoned. The bullet was treated with a very potent, slow acting toxin. The doctors missed it, but you have your ahem, friend Angelique, to thank. It was she who told Waverly that her sources found out about the poison.  Apparently THRUSH wasn’t responsible for the attempt on your life, or so she said. We haven’t been able to find out who tried to kill you.”

“Where’s Illya?”

“That’s the second half of the bad news. He was continuing your investigation into the Xaverian Brothers lead and was stabbed as he was getting into a cab at the airport in Baltimore. If it wasn’t for a Section III agent who’d been on the flight with him...well he probably would have bled to death. He was dosed with the same poison as you. Good news is he’s responding quickly to the antidote.”

Napoleon’s eyes widened. “Why was a Section III agent with him?”

“She wasn’t exactly. She was on a courier mission to Baltimore before returning to Paris, where she’s stationed. Waverly had them seated them together on the flight as a matter of precaution. They were both aware of the other’s presence.”

“Then I have her to thank for saving my partner’s life.”

“Weeell, that’s the next bad news. She left Illya at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore in order to complete her courier mission, but never made it. She’s gone missing.”

“Well, I’m out of it for what...a few days, and all hell breaks loose,” he tried pulling himself up to get out of bed.

“Oh no, you stay right where you are or you’ll tear open your sutures.”

The attending physician walked through the door, grinning from ear to ear when he saw the patient was awake.

“Hello Mister Solo. I’m Doctor Richards. You gave us quite a scare, but thanks to your people at the U.N.C.L.E. they found the poison that we missed. It was a miniscule amount, but powerful. It kept you unconscious and was weakening you little by little. Much longer and you would have been a goner.  We do apologize for missing the poison in your system; it was inexcusable.”

“No apologies necessary Doctor. The kinds of people UNCLE deals with are often insidious in their methodology. They care nothing for human life and will destroy anyone who gets in the way of achieving their goals.”

That sent a chill up the physician’s spine. He was accustomed to dealing with everyday criminals, but nothing like what just described to him.

“Well then we need you to get well as soon as possible as it sounds like you’re needed on the front lines.”

“Amen to that,” Napoleon said.

“Excuse me Doctor,” a nurse stuck her head through the doorway. “Mister Solo has a special...very special visitor.”

A rustling of robes moves passed her into the room.

“Your Eminence,“ the doctor, who must have been Catholic, immediately bowed and kissed the Cardinal’s ring as it was held out to him.

“If you will excuse me Doctor, I’d like a private moment with Mister Solo...and Miss Dancer. Good to see you again April.”

“Your Eminence.” she smiled at him.

“Napoleon, I see you’ve gotten yourself into trouble again,” he held out his hand to Solo who immediately kissed the ring as well.

“You know so many people kissing your ring could be spreading germs,” Napoleon snickered. He felt comfortable enough with Spellerman to joke with him.

“You know, you’re absolutely right. Why didn’t I think of that? I’m glad to see you’ve returned to the land of the living my son. I expected you to be on death’s door and I was planning to administer the last rights to you.”

“Well now you’re making me feel all the more special. Apparently when I was shot, I was given a slow acting poison, which our Research and Development isolated and found an antidote in the nick of time.”

“Am I permitted to ask how Illya is doing? He visited me before leaving for Baltimore; the whole Xaverian Brother thing is most distressing.”

“Your Eminence,” April spoke up.”Illya was stabbed just as he arrived in Baltimore.”

“Oh no!” The Cardinal gasped.

“There’s good news; he was taken to a nearby hospital and received immediate treatment, though he too had been poisoned. Illya’s been administered the antidote as well and is recovering.

“Oh thank God for that! You both need to get back out there and help lead the fight against the evil in the world.

Inquisitio veritatis, that’s your job. Well let me do one thing for you Napoleon before I leave you.“

The Cardinal blessed himself, saying prayers for the patient. When he was done, he reached out and made the sign of the cross on Napoleon’s forehead.

“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sanctus. Amen.”

Napoleon blessed himself as well and thanked the Cardinal for his visit.

His Eminence left, again his robes making a ruffling sound as he disappeared through the doorway.

The visit from the Cardinal filled April with apprehension; she was aware that the man was Alexander Waverly’s friend and had to have been informed about Napoleon’s condition.

Not having been raised Catholic, it suddenly struck her that in all the times since they’d met Cardinal Spellerman while on assignment in Rome, * he never once came to Napoleon’s bedside when he’d been seriously injured. Though he might not have been told, so it was understandable Mister Waverly didn’t share everything with the man.

To her it meant Napoleon had truly been that close to death.

She reached out, slipping her hand around his and gave it a little squeeze. “I don’t speak Latin; what does Inquisitio veritatis mean?”

“It means to seek the truth.”

“That’s definitely an appropriate job description if ever iI heard one! Darling,” she tried to hide her tear filled eyes.”I’m so relieved you’ll be all right. The thought of you dying…”

Napoleon gave her a weak smile as he suddenly waxed poetic,

”Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain, I am in the ripening fields of grain,” he stopped to clear his throat.

“I am the morning hush, I am in the graceful rush of beautiful birds in flight… I am in each lovely thing,” he skipped to the end of the poem. “Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I do not die.” **

“You goose, if that was supposed to make me not cry, well you failed miserably.” April plucked a hankie hidden in her sleeve and dabbed her eyes with it.

Napoleon reached for her hand held it, giving it a squeeze.

“We’ll live as long as someone remembers us and sees us in the good and beautiful things that surround us.”

“You’re right.”

“I usually am,” with that he pulled her forward, holding her in his arms and gave her a proper kiss.

.

* ref to “The Vatican Affair”

** Excerpt from “Do not stand at my grave and weep,” by Mary Elizabeth Frye written in 1932