The Shroud Codex - Jerome R. Corsi [66]
Fernando Ferrar and his mobile video truck were on the scene, with Ferrar standing in front of the hospital giving what looked like a live remote broadcast from the scene. Ferrar’s attention also seemed focused on one of the hospital rooms above.
Castle ordered the driver to take the limo to the private staff entrance underground.
As they entered the hospital, Castle made sure Anne was comfortable in the ICU waiting room. Going down the hall to Father Bartholomew’s room, Castle could see there was also a lot of commotion on the hospital floor.
“I’ve been dialing your cell phone,” the chief nurse on duty said with relief as she saw Dr. Castle coming down the hall. “I’m glad you’re finally here.”
“We got here as quickly as we could,” Castle responded. “What’s the problem?”
“It’s Father Bartholomew,” she answered. “He’s taken off all his bandages and he’s standing at the windows without his hospital gown on. The nurses are trying to get him back into bed.”
Entering the room, Castle could see Father Bartholomew standing at the window fully naked. His arms were outstretched as if he were being crucified and his head hung down on his chest as if he were still in his coma. Two nurses were trying to put a robe on him and get him back to bed, but Father Bartholomew wasn’t cooperating. Castle was relieved to note the window came up to his waist, so that all Fernando Ferrar’s television crew would get was a view of Father Bartholomew’s chest and arms. But that was enough. No doubt Ferrar got what he needed for a national scoop.
On that point, Castle was precisely correct. Various hospital workers had tipped off Ferrar privately. He had been told that Father Bartholomew suffered the scourge wounds in addition to the stigmata on his wrists. Now he had visual proof for the world to see.
Dr. Castle took charge as he moved quickly to the priest at the window. He took a robe from one of the nurses and he began inserting Bartholomew’s outstretched right arms into it. The nurse got the idea and she took over with the robe from there, determined to put the robe on Father Bartholomew whether he cooperated or not.
Speaking softly, Dr. Castle instructed Father Bartholomew to move away from the window, which he did. Step by step, Castle coached Bartholomew back to bed. He took the priest’s blood pressure and he checked his pulse. Both were only slightly elevated. Looking at Bartholomew’s chart, he could tell the priest had slept until about an hour earlier, when Castle got the call in his office that the priest had regained consciousness.
Seeing the priest naked, Castle was astonished to realize how remarkably Bartholomew’s scourge wounds had healed. Gone were the open bleeding wounds, now covered in scabs and scars. He wanted to see Dr. Lin as soon as possible to see if the results Castle observed reflected internal healing of Father Bartholomew’s wounds as well.
Once he was convinced Father Bartholomew was resting quietly and the nurses were back in control, Castle returned to the waiting room to tell Anne what had happened.
“I gave him a sedative and he’s asleep again, resting quietly in bed,” Castle explained to her. “The upset is over, for the time being, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait here for a while longer. I have to meet one of the other doctors in the hospital to check up on the tests I had run on Father Bartholomew. After that, I will return here to examine Father Bartholomew.”
“When will I be able to see him?” Anne asked.
“I’ll check him again when I return and I will let you know then,” Castle answered. “Meanwhile, please just rest comfortably here until I get back. Father Morelli will probably join you here shortly.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Thursday, early afternoon
Dr. Lin’s office, Beth Israel Hospital
Day 15
Looking at the results of the previous day’s tests in Dr. Lin’s office, Castle