With Carrie on her heals, Jackie did as she set out to do, and steadily made it from one end of the hall to the other and back again, before briefly stopping to flex her hands. She just needed a simple break to straighten her posture to resume her walk. Proud of her progress, she glanced behind to smile towards Carrie, but her attention was drawn to a door, a frown marring her beautiful features. “What’s wrong?”
From inside, Carrie could hear the sounds of moaning. “What the hell?” Carrie grabbed the handle and whipped the door open. “What are you doing in there? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Get dressed!” she shouted, her voice echoing down the hall in all directions. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and keyed in a number. “Yes, I need police presence as soon as possible. This is Carrie Spencer; I’ve just caught a member of staff performing gross indecency with someone in the supply cupboard on Dragoon Wing.”
From behind, the sound of crutches across the wood floor grew closer. Looking back and forth between the open supply closet and Jackie, regret washed over her like ice melting on a hot sandy beach. “Please go back to your room.” She pointed to the wheelchair. “I’ll come and find you once I’ve dealt with this.”
Before Jackie could take a step, the door to the cupboard opened further, barely missing Carrie as it crashed against the wall. A familiar head of curly brown hair emerged. “Laura?”
Laura turned, her mouth fell open, her lips swollen from her passionate activity, and her eyes widened, then she bit her bottom lip. She glanced back and forth between Carrie, Jackie and the other person in the cupboard.
Jackie’s confusion deepened at the strange behaviour. Arching her head forward to see who else was in the small space, she gasped in shock and disbelief.
“Wh-what’s going—Dave?” She stepped forward, and placed her foot wrong and tripped over her prosthetic, then landed in a heap on the floor with a resounding thud.
“Oh fuck,” Dave said under his breath, as his eyes cast a bewildered stare down to his wife.
As she tried to comprehend what was happening, realisation smacked her in the face like a cricket ball, when she caught the fact his fly was open. “What the hell?” She could barely catch her breath, as her thoughts made no sense. Somehow, boundaries had been crossed, and her trust completely broken. Their marriage had been a train wreck for so long, she’d become accustomed to it, but how could he be so cruel to come to the same rehab centre she was recovering in and have sex right under her nose? She cast an angry glare at him, blinking as though she was being blinded by paparazzi camera flashes. “Why?”
Dave rushed forward to help, but the cold glare he received from his wife stopped him in his tracks.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” she bellowed. “Don’t ever, bloody touch me again!” She looked over at Laura, who now wore a cruel grin. Come close, bitch, and I’ll smack that grin right off your pretty face! Something akin to a growl escaped her throat as she thrust herself forward to slap her.
Reacting fast, Carrie reached down and helped Jackie up into her chair, then wheeled her out of reach of Laura.
But Laura moved just as fast, and stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking their path. Her arms were crossed over her chest, that ‘Grinch like grin’ still firmly in place. “Oh, Jackie, you don’t seriously think I’m the only one he’s fucking, do you?”
Jackie gritted her teeth and tried to bury her emotions, not wanting to show how much Laura’s words affected her.
“You did, didn’t you? Oh, my God! Why do you think he hasn’t been coming to see you? Fucking hell, you’re stupid!”
Laughing, Jackie sat forward, arched her brow and shook her finger back and forth. “Don’t ever underestimate the wife of the man you’re fucking.” Before she could say anything else, she felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Carrie’s.
“I’m going to get you back to your room.” She grabbed hold of the handles, and without delay rushed Jackie down the hallway, distancing her from the drama as quickly as possible.
•••
Jackie realised the cruel irony that had been played on her, and now she felt even more caged than she had before. Dave cheating was not the worst of her situation. They had not been happy for a long time, and it was inevitable that they would split, but she was not in a position to handle what had been thrown in her face today.
She needed to be alone, but Carrie took it upon herself to stay by her side while the centre management took care of what happened.
“Are you okay? Do I need to call the doctor to look—?” She immediately stopped talking when she heard Dave clear his throat.
Jackie glared at him and held a trembling hand up to stop him from entering. “I’ve nothing to say to you. I can’t believe you’ve done this to me, you bastard!” Her cheeks flushed with a sudden heat, and without giving any thought to her actions, she reached over and grabbed the glass fruit bowl on her bedside cabinet, and hurled it at him.
He ducked as the bowl hit the door frame and shattered, showering him in shards. “Jackie, I’m sorry…” He held his hand to his chest as if he was pleading for his life. “Please forgive me…I love you.”
“Love me?” she snarled. “You’ve sure got a fucking funny way of showing it. Get out! And take that bitch with you. I know you’re in the hallway listening, Laura. If I ever see you again…I’ll kick your fucking ass. That goes for you too, you two timing rat bastard.”
Dave ignored her demand and stepped into the room. “Carrie, I’d like you to leave, I want to talk to my wife alone.”
Every muscle in her body tensed. “Wife?” Jackie scoffed. “Is that supposed to be another joke? You haven’t been a husband to me since I got home.” Thank you! Because now I’ve seen the light. You controlling asshole.
Carrie stood up stiffly, and inhaled a long breath before she spoke. “If Jackie wants me to leave, I will, but if she wants me to stay, I’m not leaving her side.”
A scuffle broke out in the hallway, which drew everyone’s attention to the door. “Don’t touch me!” they heard Laura shout as she struggled with a soldier, who had her in a firm grip.
Then a few moments later a hand landed on Dave’s shoulder and tugged him backwards. “You’re going to have to come with me, Sir,” a second soldier informed him.
Dave flinched and shrugged the heavy hand off. “Get your god-damn hand off me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to visit my wife.”
“Take him,” Jackie ordered. “And don’t let him back in here again.”
Dave’s face turned deep red as he struggled with the man, who had taken hold of his arm, and gripped it behind his back. “Get off me!” A third soldier entered the room and wrestled him to the floor, grunts coming from the offender as he felt their force. But he still continued to struggle while they secured a set of handcuffs to his wrists behind his back.
Brick by brick, Jackie’s walls had been torn down, her life turned into a crumbling mess. And while her eyes stung as tears threatened to fall, a hollowness filled her belly. Don’t give him the satisfaction of letting him see you cry, he’s just not worth it.
The two soldiers then hauled Dave to his feet, who now held his head low in shame, but cast his gaze upward to look at Jackie. “Please, Jackie, we can get through this, I know we can.”
“How can we? I’ve just realised my husband hasn’t been coming to see me, because he’s been fucking anything with a pulse! So you couldn’t possibly love me, David, or you wouldn’t have done this!” She drew a deep, resigning breath, and raised her head to at look him. “I should be home within two months; the minute I’m released, I want you out of my house!”
All the pleading and wounded puppy looks were gone, replaced by anger. His face even redder, and breathing heavily, he still fought against the two soldiers holding on to him as they frog-marched him out of the room.
Carrie sat next to Jackie on the bed. She brushed her hair away from her face, then, showing an act of kindness, she wrapped an arm around her
shoulders. “I suggest you think about what you’re doing, Jackie. Don’t make any rash mistakes.”
Already did that when I said ‘I do’ on our wedding day. Jess and Ben’s angelic faces flashed through her mind. They’re the best thing to come out of my relationship with him. Reaching forward, she patted the duvet, looking for her mobile. It wasn’t in the folds of material, so she glanced to her right and saw it on the bedside table. She reached for it and called her parents.
Her mother answered the call, and Jackie relayed the whole sordid story, and asked her to keep a closer eye on the twins.
“Holy shit, your dad’s going to kill him,” Molly whispered into the phone.
“Who am I going to kill?” Jackie heard her father ask, quickly followed by her mother’s reply of, “David’s been seeing other women.”
“Oh God…Mum—”
Robert Powell’s bellowing words echoed down the phone loudly. “I’ll kill the useless pig.”
Jackie yelled into the receiver for her mother to tell her father not to do anything to cause more trouble. Dave was the sort of person to press charges if anything were to happen. “Please tell Dad. I’ve told him he’s got until I get out of here to move out.”
Her call was interrupted when the doctor lightly tapped on the open door and entered the room.
“I’ll call you later, Mum.”
His smile was professional, and clearly insincere. Throughout the exam, his conduct was more like giving orders rather than requests, as he examined her limb, and checked her over for any other injuries that may have been caused during her fall.
“There’s no damage caused. I can see Major Holmes is actually recovering quite nicely from her surgery,” he informed Carrie on his way out of the door.
After the doctor left, Jackie’s resolve broke. She felt raw and humiliated, not just in front of Carrie, but knowing that gossip would soon spread throughout the centre and beyond, and that she’d be the centre of attention. The door closed, and she was instantly engulfed in Carrie’s strong arms. Like a lifeline, she clung to her, and held her tightly for a long time.
When her tears subsided, Carrie pulled back and looked at her. “I know this is a stupid question, but, are you okay?”
“Kind of,” she answered, using her jumper to wipe her cheeks. “I can’t believe he’s stooped so low. He even had the nerve to do it right under my nose, the cheeky bastard.”
Carrie placed her hand on Jackie’s back and rubbed gently, almost nurturing her. “What are you going to do now?”
Jackie clapped her hands over her face and drew them down slowly, dragging the skin over her cheeks with them. “Honestly, I haven’t a bloody clue. I know I want him out of my house before I get home. I suppose I can decide the rest when I get there.”
“That’s probably a good idea. In the meantime, we need to concentrate on getting you there.”
Jackie squeezed her hand. “Thank you for being with me.” Without giving any thought to her next action, she leaned forward and kissed Carrie on her cheek, quickly retracting, as a sensation of butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
As if Carrie gave a moment to think about it, she returned the gesture, and kissed Jackie’s cheek.
Their eyes met in a hypnotizing gaze, as if the two women had actually just noticed each other for the very first time, and were evaluating the meaning of their actions. Jackie was determined not to look away first.
Carrie was the one to break the stare, and immediately stood, straightened her jacket, and pinched her earlobe, as if she was pensive. “I’ll pop back later, okay?” As she left the room she glanced back at Jackie, giving her a soft smile to indicate that everything was perfectly fine.
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Chapter Eight
Determined to get her life back on track, Jackie worked harder than before. At first, she ached, and at times she wanted to throw in the towel, but the determination deep inside kept her moving. The struggle paid off, and she earned a weekend pass to go home.
As her father drove them away from the centre, Jackie shifted in her seat and looked back at Carrie, who was waving them off, as she stood in front of the main doorway. Jackie waved back at her, then Carrie turned and went back into the building, leaving Jackie wondering what lay ahead on the home front.
She shifted back in her seat, and casually looked at her father, grateful that he was a loving husband to her mother, and a wonderful father to her. She placed her hand on his shoulder, lightly patting it. “I just can’t wait to sit in a normal armchair, or lay on the sofa.”
Robert kept his attention on the road ahead, but let out a chuckle.
When they pulled into the driveway, tears of joy filled Jackie’s eyes when her mother and children came into view, waving a banner and balloons. She climbed out of the car, and was immediately mobbed by Jess and Ben.
“Hi, you two.” She clutched them to her, squeezing tight. “I didn’t expect to see you here. What a great surprise!”
His usual warm manner left faster than a NASA rocket taking off. “What do you mean, you didn’t expect to find us here?” Ben asked. “We’ve been staying here for the last four weeks. We thought you knew. Nan?”
“We didn’t want to worry you, love,” she responded.
Relaxing her shoulders, Jackie turned to look at her mother. She had no idea they hadn’t been living with their father.
As Ben’s face reddened, his eyes narrowed into a deadened stare. “Dad’s been acting weird lately. He came back from seeing you four weeks ago and just went crazy. Then he threw our clothes into suitcases, and told us to call granddad to come and get us. He dumped the cases on the doorstep and told us to wait outside.”
Jackie’s knuckles turned white as she squeezed the handles of her crutches. Like a loaded gun ready to explode, she shot around, and climbed back into the car and yelled for her dad to drive her over to the house.
With a guarded look, the verdict was told. He knew his daughter well enough to understand that if he didn’t drive her over there, she would just call for a taxi to take her. Jackie knew her mother hated displays of emotional outbursts, so told her to take care of the kids in the back of the car. Something pulled at her, maybe it was the mother’s instinct to protect her children. With a fluttering of her hands as she shrugged, she inhaled hard, then climbed into the car.
The journey to the barracks seemed to take longer than usual. Frustration was building inside of Jackie. She took a deep breath, then another, controlling the need to want to shout and scream like a ten-year-old child. It seemed as if the traffic lights were against them, as almost every light was red, and then there was road work, which meant taking a detour.
She had prided herself that there had always been a happy version of herself whenever she was around her children, but all of that had been taken away by her accident and her controlling husband. The thought of him made her heart pound in her chest. With each passing second, she clenched her fingers tighter, causing them to cramp, but the pain didn’t deter her, it just fuelled her anger. How dare he treat my children that way!
The tension in the car could’ve been cut with a knife. Molly had no idea what Jackie was capable of. She’d never seen her daughter so angry, and she was concerned that Jackie might get hurt, or cause harm to Dave. She moved her hand over the white of Jackie’s knuckles. “Don’t kick off at him in front of the kids, Jackie. It’d only make things worse.”
In that moment, she knew she was no longer afraid to face the truth. It wasn’t just her life unravelling in the chaos, now it was her entire family caught up in the mess. Her thoughts focussed into a bubbling hatred towards the one person who should’ve taken care of his responsibilities, but who had failed the ones who relied on him the most. She had no idea how she had wronged him to turn him into such a vile human being, or what she could have done differently. Bombarded by thoughts, she remained silent as they reached the barracks.
At the gate, two guards approached the car as
Robert pulled in, and quickly, Jackie dug into her pocket, pulled her wallet out, and flashed her military ID to the guard.
The guard focused on the picture, and then looked at her and saluted. “Welcome home, Major Holmes.” He stepped away from the car, then signalled to let them pass.
The house was in darkness except for a single light in the upstairs bedroom, causing suspicion to grow in Jackie’s mind. She assumed her father must have had the same idea, because as soon as he stopped the car, he swung the door open and leapt out of his seat. He’d acted too fast for her, and was banging on the front door before she’d even gotten out of the car.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered, pulling herself up and positioning her crutches. When she reached Dave’s car, she laid her hand on the bonnet. It’s cold, so he’s been here a while. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped the screen, then tapped the number for the military police.
“Hello, this is Major Jackie Holmes…I’m at my house, and want to report a ruckus about to happen. I’d like you to escort my husband, David Holmes, from the barracks.” She pulled her door key from her pocket and slid it into the lock, and quietly opened the door.
When they stepped inside, they were instantly hit with a diabolical stench, and had to cover their noses with their hands.
“What the hell’s that smell?” Jackie grunted, as she stepped further in. Turning on a light, they saw that the house was a pig sty; clothes and food containers littered the floor and kitchen countertops. She dry-heaved when she moved a container—bugs scurried from inside. It was the breaking point of her patience. Her once beautiful home had been turned into something uninhabitable. She turned to her dad, and held her breath when she heard sounds coming from upstairs. That’s coming from my bedroom. “Check it out for me, Dad, I can’t get up the stairs.”
Hero Page 8
