Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love: Sequel

In response to several readers who wanted me to provide more details regarding the romance between Rick and Erika I've written this sequel.

While it could be a stand alone story I strongly recommend that you read "Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love" first. I hope you enjoy reading the sequel as much I did in writing it.

I, also, wish to thank Blunajana for her help in correcting some of my German terms and translations. I hope they have all been addressed in this sequel.

Thanks for reading my work as it does take a lot of time and research to create a story.

*****

Ten days later I found myself sitting in the lobby of Deutsch Bank waiting for the gang members to arrive and implement their plot. I had my little computer primed and ready to stop their attempt to electronically transfer tens of millions of euros to a secret account somewhere in the Caribbean. Erika sat with me. Members of her Counter-Terrorism Unit were stationed in and around the bank along with teams from the Bundespolizei.

Four men entered the bank and one had a laptop computer with him. They walked over to a desk, a few steps away from me. While the one with the computer was setting up, the other three turned away and were watching the crowds of customers.

Suddenly, one of the three spotted a bank guard. He panicked, drew his weapon and began firing. The other three followed suit. Erika stood and immediately began to fire back. She hit one and then she was struck twice in the upper chest and fell to the floor.

I fell on top of her to prevent her from being shot again. I was then hit in my left shoulder. I could feel Erika's gun beneath me, grabbing it, I rolled over and shot the remaining terrorist. I kept firing at him until the slide of her automatic locked open. The other three men lay on the floor having been killed by Erika's colleagues.

We both were rushed to a hospital. My wound was a through and through. No real damage other than it hurt like Hell. I was stitched up and put in a room for observation overnight. I kept asking but no one would tell me anything about Erika's condition other than she was still in surgery. I was becoming more and more agitated and a doctor finally gave me a shot that knocked me out.

The next morning after seeing a doctor I was allowed to leave after they put my arm in a sling. I went in search of Erika. After some minutes of searching and asking for help I was directed to a waiting room and told to stay there and someone would be along shortly to speak with me.

After some time two men, that I recognized as colleagues from Erika's team, approached me. One of them had my computer with him. I was told that in all the excitement it had been kicked under the sofa I was sitting upon and had only been discovered when scene was investigated.

With sadness in their eyes what they told me was not encouraging news. Erika was in extremely critical condition in an Intensive Care Unit two floors above us. They escorted me to the elevators and I rode up to the Intensive Care Unit. Walking down the corridor I came to a room with two armed guards at the door. I was told her mother and father were with her and I would not be permitted inside. Just down the hallway was a small chapel so I went there to wait and pray.

I don't know how long I sat there all alone with my eyes closed in thought and prayer. It seemed like hours but I realized it could only have been fifteen or twenty minutes.

Feeling a hand on my right shoulder and opening my eyes I saw a man standing beside me.

"Are you Rick?" Nodding my head yes he continued speaking in a low voice. "I am Peter von Sturm, Erika's father. Come with me. She asked for you."

As we walked the few steps down to her room I asked how she was.

Shaking his head and with tears in his eyes he simply said. "It is not good."

Stepping past the two guards he said. "Let him pass."

Entering the room I saw what must be Erika's mother sitting in a chair by her bedside softly crying. The only other sound in the room was the beeping of her heart monitor.

Approaching the other side of Erika's bed I leaned over and kissed her forehead then whispered in her ear how much I loved her. As I held her hand her eyelids fluttered and I could feel her gently squeezing my hand.

Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . . . . BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

One of the nurses in the room quickly ushered the three of us out into the hallway while another began CPR. As we stood in the corridor two doctors rushed in pushing a crash cart. "Herz Stillstand", (cardiac arrest) we heard someone yell.

We heard the sound of a defibrillator charging and then a loud voice.

"Ein . . zwei . . drei . . freirer Raum." (one . . two . . three . . clear) WHUMP!

Erika's parents and I listened to the same instructions several more times over the next ten minutes and then all activity ceased and it was quiet.

The two doctors walked slowly out of the room and one looked at us and just shook his head telling her parents in German that she was gone. I didn't need a translation. I knew by just looking at their faces.

The three of us walked back into Erika's room and watched as the nurses began shutting down the I.V.s and removing the cannula that had been providing oxygen to her.

Erika's mother began crying and her father gathered his wife into his arms and wept as well. I walked to her bedside and whispered once more how much I loved her and then kissed her lips in a final good-bye.

. . . . . Beep . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . Beep.

Chapter Two - Erika Fights for Her Life

At first I didn't recognize the beeping sound for what it was . . . . her heart monitor was functioning again. One of the two remaining nurses rushed from the room while the other frantically began re-starting Erika's I.V.s and replacing her oxygen cannula. Her parents and I watched as the blue cast to her lips returned to pink. Marie von Sturm looked first from Erika's face to my face and then back again to her daughter. It was as if a light went on in her eyes.

Just then the doctor, who had just left moments ago, rushed back into the room. Taking his stethoscope he listened to Erika's heart and began checking her other vital signs. Erika's mother and father moved close to me and as the doctor spoke to one nurse in German Erika's father translated his words for me.

"Heart rate sixty-eight, respiration shallow but improving, blood pressure 105/60 and increasing, both pupils equal and reactive."

As the nurse was writing this all down on Erika's chart I couldn't help but notice the big smile on her face as she kept mouthing, "wunderbar, wunderbar." (wonderful, wonderful)

When the doctor stepped back from examining Erika he told her parents that he didn't know what had happened but that for now everything appeared normal.

"I will run some more tests tomorrow when she is stronger. For now she needs rest in ordered to build her strength." He said before leaving the room.

I stepped back away from Erika as both of her parents went to her bedside. They both kissed her and whispered something in her ear that I didn't hear.

Erika's mother, Marie, stepped up to me and grasped both of my hands in hers saying. "I know why she came back to us. It was when you kissed her. That is when she decided to come back and be with us."

Stepping back to Erika's bedside I, once again, took her hand in mine. After kissing her once more I told her to rest and that I would be back in the morning. As I tried to release her hand she held on tight to me and opening her eyes she whispered.

"Stay. Please stay."

Peter looked at Marie and simply pushed a chair over to the bed saying, "Please sit for a while. We will wait outside for you."

For thirty minutes I held her hand, not saying anything. When she fell back asleep I was able to leave after her kissing good-night.

As I left her room, I was aware that the two armed guards had reappeared outside her door. Herr von Sturm walked over to me and, placing his hand on my right shoulder, instructed the guards that other than the medical staff only him, his wife and I were to be granted admission. There was to be no other visitors until he notified them otherwise.

Marie joined us and we embraced. The tears of sadness and grief, that we shed just a few minutes ago, were now replaced with tears of relief and joy.

Chapter Three - Erika's Recovery

The following morning found the three of us walking down the hall to Erika's room. Her parents had secured a room in the same hotel as Erika and I had been staying so we rode to the hospital together.

The guards were not there and her room was empty. Panic stricken we were about to rush out when a nurse came in and told us that Erika had been taken from the room earlier to have some tests her doctor had ordered.

It wasn't fifteen minutes later when Erika was brought back to her bed. She looked a little tired but was in otherwise in good spirits. Evidently, the night of rest had worked wonders.

She was able to talk with us and wanted to know what had happened to her. I filled her in on what had occurred at the bank three days ago.

"The last thing I recall was firing my weapon at one of them. After that I don't remember a thing," she said.

Noticing my bandaged left arm, still in its sling, she asked me how I got hurt.

"After you were shot I jumped over you to cover your body when I caught a round in my shoulder. Don't worry. It's nothing serious. I'll be as good as new in a few days."

I continued saying, "Erika, stop worrying about me. You need to concentrate on getting better."

For the rest of the morning she and her mother and father talked about the happy times in their lives. Then they started telling funny stories about her teenage years. She started giggling and I could see the stress slipping away from her face.

Soon after she had a light lunch, of what appeared to be jello, she fell asleep. That was our cue to leave and have some lunch ourselves. When we returned later in the afternoon we were met by Erika's doctor. He wished to speak in private with her parents. Her mother insisted that I be allowed to hear what he had to say.

"He is," she said nodding toward me, "more instrumental in Erika's return to us than you realize. Peter, I want him to know everything."

We stepped into a small office just down the hall from Erika's room. He told us that he was concerned about her heart and brain functions so he had arranged for an EKG as well as an EEG. The two tests were administered that morning and he had received the results.

The EKG showed normal heart functions, but he said they would do a stress EKG after she regained her strength. Since she was clinically dead, for at as much as twenty minutes, without blood and oxygen flowing to the brain he was quite worried about brain damage. He was happy to report to us that this test came back indicating normal brain functions.

"Thank God," the three of us said in unison.

For the next forty-five minutes he outlined his treatment plans for Erika. She would stay in the hospital for some time to facilitate her recovery. He encouraged us to spend as much time with her as possible.

Upon returning to Erika's room we found her awake and sitting up in bed. The rest of the afternoon was spent in pleasant conversation. Her parents wanted to know more about me. So I gave them a brief description of my boyhood and how I came to be collaborating with their daughter.

That evening when we returned to the hotel I turned my cell phone back on and saw I had several voicemails from my parents. They had been given a complete update on what had happened to me and 'The Agency' had booked them on US Airways flight 6924 out of JFK non-stop arriving early the next morning.

Looking at the time I calculated that with the six hour difference I might be able to catch them before they boarded the flight to Berlin. Making the call I was relieved when my dad answered. After assuring him that I was fine he put my mom on the phone. I repeated to her what I had told dad and, after she stopped sniffling, we were able to talk for a few minutes before they were called to board the jet.

I should tell you now about how 'The Agency' had reacted to this near tragedy and my being wounded. After being informed of the event they had immediately dispatched two of our high ranking field agents to access the situation. There was some concern that remnants of Red Army Faction might seek to assassinate me in retribution for destroying their leadership. So these agents had orders to insure that my safety was their number one priority.

Certain precautions were put in place. The hotel I was staying at was now occupied by both members of 'The Agency' and Bundespolizei. The entire hotel staff had been thoroughly vetted. I would no longer have to depend on public transportation or a taxi in my travels to and from the hospital. A car with a driver and armed escort was placed at my disposal.

I requested an indefinite leave of absence from 'The Agency'. I knew what a valuable asset I was to them and they knew that I knew it as well. There was no argument on their part to my request.

So at 7:25 am the next morning I found myself in the arrival hall of Berlin's Tegel airport waiting for my mom and dad. Our brief reunion was interrupted by my driver and escort who wanted us to leave this public area quickly for security reasons.

I took them back to my hotel where I had arranged an adjoining room for them. They could change clothes and freshen up a bit before we headed over to the hospital. I had to keep reassuring mom I was okay and there would be no lasting effects from being shot.

While my mother was in the shower and getting changed my father sat me down and asked. "Rick just how well are you, actually? I hear what you are saying to your mother and me. Is it the truth?"

"Pop, I've never lied to you or mom. I'm fine. I really have no need for the sling anymore. I've been told that in a few days I'll be able to resume all normal activities with this arm."

My father gave me a big hug and told me how much he and mom were worried about me. "Thank God you are okay."

"Now tell me about this girl you are involved with."

When I told him that I had fallen in love with her he stopped me by saying.

"Rick, you have been always so slow and methodical your entire life in reaching any decision. Tell me how is it that in less than three weeks you have fallen in love."

"Pop, I hear what you're saying. But it's true. I have fallen in love with her. We are alike in so many ways but there are some differences. However, they are minor in the grand scope of things. All I know is that I want to be with her for the rest of my life."

"Does she have the same feelings for you?" He asked me.

"I think so, dad. She and I will go forward and discover together if she does."

Just then mom emerged and told my father it was his turn to shower and change. Mom pretty much hit me up with the same questions as dad had. When I told her how much I'd fallen in love with Erika she wrapped me up in her arms and said in my ear.

"Don't get hurt if she doesn't feel the same as you do."

It was after twelve in the afternoon when we finally arrived in Erika's room. After introducing my parents to Erika and her parents I asked her how she was feeling. Her mother and father, as well as she, had huge smiles on their faces.

"Daddy, you tell him," she said.

Her father told me that the doctor had been by that morning and was amazed at how much progress Erika had made over the past four days. The doctor told them that if she continued to improve at this rate he saw no problem discharging her perhaps in as early as three days.

"There is only one small problem," Erika interjected. "There must be someone to look after me for a few weeks. I could stay with my parents except for the fact they live in a third floor apartment. There is no elevator and the doctor has forbidden be to climb stairs during my recuperation. Also, my mother is not physically strong enough to help me if the need arises. I don't know how to resolve this problem."

"Let's think about it. We have a few days to come up with an answer." I said.

The rest of the day was spent with Erika and her parents getting to know my mom and dad. It seemed to me that they hit it off well.

As we were leaving my mother walked over to Erika and bending over whispered something in her ear as she kissed her the cheek good-night.

After everyone had left the room I moved beside Erika sitting on the bed and kissed her good-night.

"Tell your mother, the answer to her question, is yes. Very much so."

Somewhat confused I asked, "what did mom say to you.?"

"She asked me if I loved you as much as you loved me."

All I could do was wrap my arms around her and kiss her over and over again.

As the five of us rode down in the elevator I said to my mom.

"She said yes, mom, she said yes."

Peter and my father looked puzzled by my remark but the two moms looked at each other with twinkling eyes and huge smiles.

Chapter Four - The Engagement and Marriage

The next day after we visited with Erika in the morning, Marie suggested that she and Peter show my parents around Berlin.

"It will give the children some alone time," she said.

Looking at her my mother smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

For the rest of the afternoon and early evening Erika and I spent our time making plans for our future.

When I arrived back at the hotel that night Peter asked to meet with me in the bar down stairs. He had some news he wanted to share with me. We walked toward the back of the room to a secluded booth.

Peter told me that he had been briefed by the higher ups in the Counter-Terrorism division that all of the last members of the Red Army Faction had been taken into custody earlier that day.

"The threat to you and my daughter is over. Now we must discuss your intentions toward Erika. From what my wife tells me . . . . . . ."

I didn't let him finish. "Herr von Sturm, I love Erika and she loves me. I plan on asking her to marry me. May I have your permission to do that?"

He leaned back in his seat, and with a look on his face that did not betray what he was thinking, answered me after a few moments.

"Erika is a very headstrong young woman as by now you know quite well. She would marry you with or without my permission. You and I both know what her answer will be. I'm not so antiquated as to believe that my daughter must do as I say. You do not need my permission to ask her, but I do my give you my whole-hearted blessing."

"Thank you,sir. I promise you I will love and cherish her for the rest of my life."

"I could not ask anything more of you," he said smiling at me. "This calls for a drink."

Signaling to a waiter he ordered two schnapps.

When the shot glasses of schnapps arrived we held them aloft in a salute to the occasion.

"Prosit!" Downing the contents of the small glass in a single gulp. I thought my eyes would pop out of my head as the liquid burned its way down my throat. Choking, I tried to regain my breath. Looking at Peter it seemed it had no effect on him

"It is an acquired taste. The second one will go down much better." Peter said as he ordered a second round.

He was right. The second one went down a lot easier but I declined as he attempted to order a third round.

Before going back to my room I stopped by mom and dad's room to tell them the news and my plans.

"If you are asking Erika to marry you do you have a ring?" My mother asked.

I hadn't even begun to think about rings and it showed on my face.

"I thought as much." Mom said to me.

Taking a ring from her finger on her right hand she explained.