Healing Force

He then remembered Steve Black, and how he was supposed to look in on him every half-hour. He jumped up, horrified, and started knocking on the hermit’s door. As he stood outside waiting for what seemed like forever, he felt like kicking himself. He had left one of the world’s most famous climbers alone for almost two whole days, without water or medical care, in the filthy dwelling of the strangest human being he had ever seen. Since Steve had already been dehydrated, now he would probably be dehydrated and dead.

Finally, the door slowly opened. The man in tattered clothes neither looked at him nor uttered a word as Harrigan anxiously pushed past him.

Steve was still lying on the makeshift bunk of rags that Harrigan had set up, but to Harrigan’s very great relief, he was breathing. Harrigan took out his canteen and hurried to Steve’s side to give him some water. Harrigan’s footsteps awakened Steve.

Steve looked at Harrigan, smiling, and started to sit up. Fearful that a broken rib might puncture one of his lungs, Harrigan gently pushed him back down.

"Hey, go easy there, Steve," he urged. "I don’t think you’re in any condition to move."

Steve laughed quietly, pushed him away, and swung his legs over the side of the pile of rags. Steve’s strength surprised Harrigan, who felt himself moving back toward the wall from the force of the push.

To Harrigan’s complete amazement, Steve then stood up, stretched and yawned, and walked out the door past the hermit. As he passed the old man, Steve eyed him up and down curiously as if this was someone he had never seen before.

Outside, Harrigan heated up some breakfast and shared it with Steve, who ate it slowly, which was surprising for someone who had not eaten for almost three days.

As Harrigan recounted the recent events, Steve listened in awe. But awe turned into incredulous laughter as Harrigan told him how Steve had hung from a rope all night with what appeared to be a broken back.

Steve grew even more skeptical when Harrigan related his tumble down the path that resulted in broken ribs sticking out of bloody wounds.

"I remember that wedge snapping," Steve said, "and swinging toward the cliff. But that’s all."

He then lifted his shirt and showed Harrigan his back, which bore no trace of injury, assuring him that he had not been hurt.

Harrigan was now more confused. Maybe he had dreamed about the ribs protruding through Steve’s skin. He reassured himself that was not the case.

At that moment they heard the mechanical beating of helicopter blades. They looked up through the trees to see a medical chopper flying over the cabin. It dipped, as if to acknowledge their presence, and then flew off toward the clearing where there was room to land.

Thirty minutes later, Worthy Bliss and Carmichael Lindo arrived, accompanied by two paramedics. Worthy and Carmichael were astounded to find Steve in an upright position, looking unharmed by the physical ordeal he’d been through. They watched as Steve proceeded to lie down on the ground, his hands clasped behind his head, and do sit-ups to prove that he was healthy.

The lead paramedic, in a huff, informed Carmichael that this false alarm would cost them about $1000. The helicopter and their services were reserved for valid emergencies.

They woke up early the next day to the sounds of helicopters landing in the clearing. The President had agreed to allow the major TV networks to broadcast the emergence of Hawking into the clearing after the healing, or failure thereof. Over 300 broadcasters and technicians came in that morning with 15 loads of equipment.

Cargo choppers carried in three vans filled with electronic equipment. The event would air worldwide so the Army had to install more satellite dishes for the data/voice transmission from the Thicket back to civilization. Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) boxes were provisioned from the Entrata Corporation that allowed this technology to work.

The 36-hour healing period would end at 8 p.m. that night. By 6 p.m. the equipment was in place and tested and the Council members went back into the meeting room to watch happenings in the rest of the world.

CNN was covering Times Square in New York City where a scene, reminiscent of the end of World War II, showed several hundred thousand people there with eyes glued to giant overhead screens. This scene was repeated in every major city over the world. Traffic on roads all over the planet was basically non-existent.

Those not huddled in the mass viewings sat silently in front of TV monitors or radios. Every sporting event and TV show had been cancelled. The media reported that people around the globe had become hushed as the long awaited event began to unfold. This was not a silence of reverence, but a collective holding of humanity’s breath.

CNN reporters in different parts of the world interviewed celebrities and ordinary citizens. Believing ¾ not believing, faith ¾ doubt, first one then the other was reported. Whatever their thoughts, everyone on the planet hoped that Hawking would be healed. Interviews from Las Vegas focused on the betting line of Hawking walking out. The Council members were disappointed that the odds against healing were eight to one. A spinal cord injury might be healed, but to cure an emaciated Stephen Hawking simply couldn’t be believed.

Spattered throughout the CNN broadcast were replays of interviews with Harrigan McCall and other Council members. Harrigan amused himself by watching Perot and Schwarzkopf watching Harrigan on TV. That irony was difficult for him to absorb.