"How far would you go to save her life?"
"Me? I would go to hell and back just to give her the chance to have a normal life." Duncan answered his father in law, a former large scale fisherman who now enjoyed retirement.
"Then son, do what you have to do. You've already lived your life. Don't you think its time for her to get a chance to live hers?"
"Yes, I do." Duncan rubbed his chin as if he was mulling over the thought.
What his father-in-law didn't know was the cost of the surgery and that the Jennings family had no way of acquiring those funds in less than a month.
It had been a whole month since that unfaithful day at the Hospital and the family have only put together $50,000, just a small percentage of the required funds.
"I am going upstairs to tuck in my granddaughter. How about you go and comfort the missus?" The gray bearded man gestured to Christina who had her hand wrapped around a tea cup, the steam barely visible from where they were sitting.
Duncan waited until the man left before he moved. The kitchen was a dreadful place to be right now. The very thought of going in there made Duncan think all the more about his choices.
The fund raising event gave them about $100,000 and they had less than 30 days before "The Day."
Jayda still displayed no life threatening symptoms such as fainting or coughing up blood or stripping of her skin. For Duncan that was a plus, he didn't want his daughter die suffering.
*************************************
"Go ahead and make the appointment," Duncan said to his wife.
She bowed her head and seemed reluctant to answer. "We don't have enough money Duncan."
"I know but they don't know that. And I am going to get the money before they ask for it." The military man continued the conversation.
Cristina rose her head looking her husband in his eyes, "How?"
Duncan shifted his gaze from under her scrutinizing eyes. "I am taking the van and going to Vegas. I have to try every alternative until I am able to get the million dollars. This is my last salvation."
"And you are sure you won't get carried away like many times before?" Christina bit her bottom lip when she was through talking, waiting for his response.
After he was honorably discharged from the military due to an accident which deemed Duncan as a liability, Duncan grew into a gambling phase which lasted for nearly a year. In that time he squandered his accumulated funds and was heavily in debt. After no one would loan him anymore, he sobered up and got a job, repaying each of his creditors one by one.
"I promise." The tried solider stretched over his hand and claimed his wife's.
"Alright go, but remember that the clock is ticking both for you and Jayda."
His wife's words rang in his ears on the drive the next day. He couldn't tell what was tearing him apart more, the lie he told his wife or what he was going to do that day.
******************************************************
The drive was a long one. The hot and dusty road did nothing to improve the somber mood Duncan was in.
Whenever the van went over a bump and jerked, the contents of the duffle bag on the passenger seat made a clattering noise. Duncan had no other choice but to carry out this last mission.
The military man drove all day towards the heart of a town, far away from where he lived. He wanted to ensure that nothing could be traced back to him just in case something goes wrong.
The door of the Global National Bank swung open and Duncan walked gently in a hoodie pulled low under his eyes. He squeezed a syringe into the security guard's neck. The beefy man toppled over but Duncan caught him and leaned him against the wall, throwing a shades onto the man ensuring that no one realized the guard was unconscious.
A teller was fumbling with some documents when Duncan approached the counter with the duffel bag in hand.
"Hello Sir! What can I help you with today?" The teller tried his best to hide his frustration addressing the man with the hoodie.
"I would like to withdraw a large sum of money from the bank," Duncan said still keeping his head low.
"OK Sir from which account?"
"All of them." The teller didn't know what was coming next. Before he could blink, Duncan whipped out a pistol and aimed it at the teller.
"This is a robbery!" Duncan was yelling. "Everyone get down on the ground and put your hands down flat on the ground. No one moves and no one gets hurt"
To indicate he wasn't messing around, Duncan fired the pistol twice in the air. Bits of concrete fell as the bullets slammed into the ceiling.
The place was scarcely populated so the military man had no problem coordinating their movements.
Through the corner of his eye he saw a teller's hand slipping under the counter. The military man lounged at the teller but he was too late, a breach notification was sent to the nearest police station. The nearest station was three miles away, at top speed, a response unit could be here in two minutes, ninety seconds if no traffic.
He smashed the butt of the pistol into the palm of the 'tell-all' teller and dragged the whining man over the counter and gave him a stern push into the "employee's only" section.
"To the vault now and make it snappy." The military man issued commands as if he was a drilling sergeant.
The trembling teller took long strides as he swiftly led Duncan to the vault.
It was sealed shut.
Of course, the hooded figure was prepared for this and pulled four carbon cylinder out of the duffel bag and placed them on four sections of the vault door.
Pressing the charges on each, he stepped back and dragged the teller with him. A soft "puft" was heard and the vault door came falling down.
"Inside now," Duncan said, boring the gun muzzle in the teller's back.
He threw the duffel bag to the teller and told him to fill it up. Meanwhile Duncan loaded his pockets and the space between the hoodie and the hoodie and his shirt with banded money, the life of his daughter constantly on his mind.
After the duffel bag was full and the hoodie was stuffed beyond maximum capacity, Duncan ran out of the bank his gun wavering from victim to victim as he left.
As the van's ignition turned over, he could hear the distant wails of sirens, screeching like Duncan's conscience.
YOU ARE READING
Her Hero
Short Story"How far would you go to save her life?" "Me? I would go to hell and back for her and that's what I am going to do." After finding out his daughter was diagnosed with Stage four blood cancer, former solider Duncan Jennings is failing to give her th...
