by Joy Jenkins
Happy, relieved tears spilled over Maggie's eyes. She gently hugged Carter and Carter accepted the embrace, allowing it to be the end of their conflict, letting her anger and hurt melt away. Maggie stared at Carter with motherly, red-rimmed eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she said.
"I know."
Maggie managed a quiet smile. "What do you need?"
"Sleep."
Nodding, she tucked a hair behind Carter's ear. Behind Carter, her father watched the exchange with a soft expression. Maggie held his gaze and her words, tones of love, and small affectionate gestures stirred something in him. Carter glanced back and saw it all.
A weary smile tugged at her mouth as she followed Maggie to her room. Her father waited outside as Maggie assisted Carter with changing her clothes. She winced as her shirt was removed, the pain dragging her further into exhaustion.
When she crawled into her bed, she could barely keep her eyes open. Her father entered her room and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Sarge.”
"I love...you too...Captain," Carter said, drowsily.
"Sleep well, girly,” Maggie whispered.
The nickname succeeded in producing a small smile from Carter. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was her father taking Maggie's hand.
"Thank you for being here," he said.
"I'm here for you both."
The promise followed Carter as she drifted off.
Chapter 55
The mahogany clock in the corner of the Principal’s office ticked on, as it had for many years and would continue for many years to come. The morning light cascaded through the windows and washed over the desk and the office's occupants. The sky was clear, a vivid blue color holding the promise of summer and freedom. Carter sat straight in her chair, calm as she gave Principal Withers her full attention.
"Mr. Owens,” Mr. Withers said, “I understand you're busy and I appreciate you giving me a minute of your time. I was told that you and your daughter were one of the reasons why the incident that occurred at the Newseum didn't become a major catastrophe." When he looked to Carter, she found respect mingled with his gratitude. "I want to offer my thanks to both of you."
"We were glad we could help," Carter's father said.
Carter smiled, a mixture of playful and unconcerned. "Of course. What's a couple of bruised ribs when it comes to dozens of lives?"
Despite himself, Principal Withers grinned good-naturedly. Carter still wore the purple bruises of her fight across her cheek. When she moved too quickly, her ribs yelled at her but the worst of the pain was over.
"As you are probably aware," Principal Withers said, "This last week without students has given us a chance to update all of our records and have the FBI re-vet all remaining staff members. They all checked out.”
Steve nodded. "That's good to hear." He stood and buttoned his jacket. "I hate to be rude but my time is limited."
Principal Withers stretched out his hand. "I completely understand. Thank you again."
Carter grinned at him. "Does this mean I get a free pass to skip fourth period?"
Though Mr. Withers scowled, there was a touch of amusement in his eyes. "No, it does not. And please refrain from challenging Mr. Harris on every point. He needs to be able to finish teaching his calculus lesson."
She gave a nod and caught, from the corner of her eye, a faint smile on her father's face. "Got it."
As they left the office, the hallways slowly began to fill with students. The tones that pinged off the spotless walls and gleaming floors were ones of speculation and intrigue. Over the week, the news stations had given contradictory stories on what had occurred. None of it the truth.
Carter’s father pushed through the front doors and sweet, spring air greeted them. Lines of sleek cars trickled in through the gates and down the gravel drive. Despite the incident, there were only half a dozen transfers. Most parents assumed that if the President still allowed his son Mason to attend the school, it was safe to send their children as well.
Carter avoided passing students as she followed her father to the parking lot. When they reached the black SUV, he faced her. She gave him a small smile, despite the conflicting emotions that suddenly crowded her chest.
"Maggie says Friday works for going out to dinner," he said.
Carter leaned against the car. "You know it kills the mood on a date if you bring your daughter.”
Her father narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I'm not leaving you in an empty apartment. Not now that you have a Marine boyfriend."
"We haven't officially put labels on it."
"He was kissing you. I'm putting a label on it. ‘Boyfriend’ will have to do since it can't be ‘Deceased’."
Carter grinned but her father didn't lighten.
"That also reminds me," he said. "I need to install security cameras."
"Like I don't know how to disable those.”
Even as her father frowned, it held no anger. When he dug into his pocket, retrieving his keys, the smile slipped from Carter's face. "You're still at a desk today."
"Still at a desk."
"I know many of those paper pushers are gung-ho but there's no need to get shot. Again."
The joke didn't land, her worry taking the joviality out of it. Her father hugged her and Carter held onto him, gripping his black suit jacket.
"I love you, Sarge."
She tightened her hold on him. "I love you too, Captain."
The sentiment seemed to hurt as it came out. When he released her, Carter schooled her expression into something resembling calm. Her father smiled, seeing through it. Kissing the top of her head, he climbed into the car.
"You know you'll have to take Maggie on a date that's just the two of you eventually," Carter said.
"I'll do that once I know I can trust this Marine boyfriend of yours. Till then it's the three of us."
"You're just using me to avoid commitment."
"I'll see you at home."
A joke rose to Carter's mind but she couldn't manage it. Instead, she said a single word. "Promise?"
He nodded. "Promise."
◆◆◆
The volume of voices had risen considerably when Carter re-entered the school. Gossip tripped off people's lips and buzzed from phone to phone. Students swapped stories, none of them true and constantly growing further from the truth. Carter made her way through the excited throng, heading towards her first period. No one looked her way. No one knew what part she had played a week ago.
As she approached her classroom, she spotted Link and Amy huddled close together, whispering to each other. Carter glanced across the way and a familiar sight made her stop.
A sight that lessened some of the tightness in her chest and calmed her storming thoughts. Donovan leaned against a set of lockers, his hands tucked away in the pocket of his slacks, his ankles crossed. The four adoring girls formed a semi-circle around him. He wore a blank look, though his eyes never settled on anything for longer than a second.
Unnoticed by him, Carter indulged herself, regarding him as everyone else did: dark blue eyes standing out on a handsome face and a lean, built physique. Even the ugly purple bruises on his jaw and cheek added to his captivating image.
"Where did you get the bruises?" one girl asked. "Was it from the people who attacked the museum? Did you fight them?"
"Why would I be fighting people who attacked the museum?" Donovan asked, patronizing.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Because clearly, you're strong enough to do that."
He leveled a look at her that was so flat even she would have had a hard time misreading his thought of 'stupid'.
A half-smile on her lips, Carter crossed the hallway and tapped one of the girls on the shoulder. When the girl twisted around, Carter slipped into the circle. Donovan straightened. For once, his gaze held still.
The girl closest to him let out a huff. "Owens, don't you have somewhere better to be? I don't know, like detention or j
uvie?"
Donovan brought his hand up to Carter's face and gently caressed her bruised cheek.
"I don't think so," Carter said. "I'm happy right where I am."
Taking hold of the edge of Donovan’s blazer, she leaned in and kissed him. He cupped the back of her head. Around them, girls let out startled gasps. The retreating of shoes made Carter smile.
"That was way too much fun," she said.
"What? Kissing me? Or making those girls jealous?"
"A little of both."
With a spark of mischief, he kissed her once more.
"Technically," he said, so quiet only she could hear, "I'm working."
"And I'm helping you keep your cover," she said, matching his volume. "Besides, from the reflection of that classroom window," she nodded to a pane of glass beside an open doorway, "I can see Link. So far, still alive."
Donovan shook his head in disbelief, chuckling. "Then I can kiss you again.”
"If you don't, you'll have bigger problems on your hands besides Link's safety. Your safety for instance."
"Carter, are you always going to be threatening me when it comes to acts of affection?"
"Are you always going to analyze everything I do?"
"Are you going to constantly question my motives?"
"Are you ever going to shut up?"
"Is this going to be difficult?"
"Donovan, did you want it to be easy?"
The edge of his lip curled as a challenged gleam deepened the color of his blue eyes. He kissed her in response. His lips were soft and seemed to drive all thoughts from her mind.
When they broke apart, she left her hands resting against his chest for a second longer then drew back, sliding her hands into her pockets. Donovan dropped his hands, cocking his head. "What?"
"Captain has given you the label of 'boyfriend'."
Donovan raised his eyebrows. "Does this mean I have his approval? I know we left on good terms but I still had the feeling I should sleep with a gun under my pillow.”
"Don't you anyways?"
"Yes. But now I would have the safety off."
She smiled. "He still has his reservations about you. But I believe that will change with time."
Donovan suppressed a smile but turned serious. "How do you feel about the label?"
"It depends," she said.
"On?"
"On how you feel about dating me? I am still a high school girl after all."
"True. But it depends."
Carter narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "On?"
"On whether you can hit a target from twenty yards with a 9mm Glock?"
As she fought back a laugh, her cheeks colored. "I can.”
Donovan held her face and kissed her. "Then I have no problem dating you."
The bell rang bringing their reality back. All around them groups split and slipped into doorways, down hallways, and up stairways. Link kissed Amy, then watched as she walked off. Before she rounded a corner, she sent him one last wave. The sight of it brought a rebellious grin to his lips. When he spun towards the classroom, he froze seeing Carter and Donovan. He smothered his telling look.
"Happy?" Carter asked.
"Yeah. You?"
In her mind, the image of her father driving away popped up, making her still. But Donovan's steady presence beside her didn't let her dwell on the thought too long.
"Yeah," she said. "Let's get to class, if we're lucky there will be a pop quiz."
They took their normal seats and Link nudged Carter’s arm with his elbow. "How are you doing?" He eyed the side of her face, wincing as if feeling the pain of the blow.
"I'm okay," she said. "I can take a few punches."
As Mason walked through the doorway, followed by Smith, both Carter and Link glanced over. The two brothers' eyes met. A strange uncertainty passed between them. For a breath, Mason’s usual cockiness fell away, revealing something almost kind. After giving the barest nod to Link, Mason sauntered to his seat, once again The First Son. The only son.
"Did you two talk?" Carter asked.
Link shook his head, fiddling with a pencil. "No. I don't know if we ever will. He knows and there is not a lot to say on the matter. It changes nothing about our situations.”
At the resignation in his voice, Carter said nothing but took his hand and squeezed it. He held her gaze, understanding shared between them. As the bell rang again, Mr. Rojas stood up.
"Alright," he said. "I know it's been a week since you've been here but you know how this works. Phones away. If it rings or dings, it's mine."
◆◆◆
Carter pushed through the library doors, the hushed interior a vast contrast to the hectic hallways outside. Only a few students had made it in before her. They sat quietly at tables, entrenched in their thoughts or forms of distraction.
"You haven't been causing fights on field trips, have you?" Diana asked.
Carter pointed to herself, feigning surprise. "Who me? Never."
Diana smiled like she knew a secret. "It's been rumored around the teacher's lounge that it was a couple of students who aided in preventing the worst of the incident. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"I'm just a student,” Carter said, shrugging innocently. “How would I know such things?"
Diana leaned on her desk and peered at Carter through her round glasses. "Because you seem to know everything."
"Like the fact that it's going extremely well with Mr. Rojas and you spent most of the break with him?"
Flushing, Diana shuffled a stack of papers, confirming Carter's deduction.
"For instance, things like that," Diana said. "I would ask how you know but I'll stop myself."
Grinning, Carter backed up a step. "Actually, I made a guess."
The librarian shook her head, bemused. When Donovan and Link strode in, Carter waved to Diana and fell into step alongside the two boys.
"Time to talk?" Donovan asked.
Instead of answering him, Carter glanced at Link. "Is Amy coming?"
"No, she had a test she needed to look over."
"You two work everything out?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah, waking up from being knocked out kind of erased our argument."
"Good."
Carter guided them to the second story and a far back corner where they wouldn't be overheard. She sank to the floor, her back pressed against the wall. Donovan took the wall adjacent to her, Link plopped into the spot opposite.
“Did either of you find it strange how the details from the attempted kidnapping were kept quiet?” she asked.
“It was in the President's best interest,” Donovan said. “As well as ours."
“I've heard so many different theories today,” Link said. “About what happened and none of them were close to the truth. I'm not mad about that. It means I'm still safe. But it's weird no one knows. Even the excuse for Mr. Philip's absence was a 'life emergency'." He scratched the back of his neck. "Do we even know what happened?"
Carter and Donovan exchanged a look, both of them revisiting the incident.
"I know you two know," Link said, "but do you know why?"
Donovan held Carter's gaze, his look a question.
"Yeah," she said. "I finally managed to get my dad to tell me. Did you get anything from Brock?"
Donovan shook his head. "He isn't in a high enough position to be in the know. And I was told I would be notified if there was any information that was pertinent to my job."
"So basically, they aren't going to share anything with you?" Carter said.
"Exactly."
"I guess it's a good thing that my father is trying to make up for crushing my heart."
The comment came off carefree but when she looked at Donovan, he was studying her. In a single glance, silent words of encouragement and reassurance passed between them.
Link leaned over his crossed legs, unaware of the unspoken conversation taking place. "What did happen?"
"Mr. Philips," Carter said, “was your father’s assistant back when your father was still a Senator and making plans to run for President. And your father was the reason Philips was blackballed from politics." She shrugged. "My dad didn't go into details about what happened but Philips knew about you. It seems you were the source of their conflict."
Link scowled at the news. "You think he knew who I was when I showed up?"
"Yes," Carter said. She locked eyes with Donovan. "You don't have to say it.”
"I know, but I need to."
Annoyed, Link frowned. "Are you doing that thing again where you both understand each other without actually saying anything?"
Carter chuckled but didn't look at Link.
"I should have listened to you," Donovan said.
"It's okay. He's safe," Carter reassured him.
Link rolled his eyes and shook his head. "This is going to get old fast.”
Carter bumped his knee with her shoe. "You and Amy have your way of silently communicating."
Link pointed at her, defiant. "No, it's not the same. I can tell when she wants to say something or kiss me but that's about it. You two have full-blown conversations without saying anything. It's not natural."
"Do you want to hear the rest of my information or keep nitpicking over the oddities of Donovan's and my relationship?"
"Information," he said, "But it's still odd."
Carter fought back a smile. "Philips also knew Ben, the former-military janitor, from his days of working with Douglas." She softened with regret. "Apparently Douglas sanctioned an Op even after knowing the high level of risks involved." She paused for a breath. "Twenty men were killed."
Link swallowed and nodded slowly, the pain of the news clear in his eyes.
"When Ben came back from the Op with only half of his platoon," she continued, "he was broken. He returned home to find the man that was responsible for the lives of his friends was now the President. Philips made contact. Both men had something against Douglas."
Link dropped his head, tugging at the carpet. “They came for me, not just Mason. Why?”
Carter shifted, uncomfortable with the answer. Donovan read the meaning behind the movement. "It's because you're the same age as Mason and illegitimate," he said, gently.
