Our Journey

by Tey Holden

  “I’m going to call all those other places that were interested in me last year, I’m going to take one of those jobs, you’re going to resign here, and we’re going to go wherever my new job takes us! I’m going to be the one working from now on, and you’re going to take care of Mellie. That is what we’re going to do!” Kate paused to calm down. “We have savings that we can use until I start getting paid. And sure, at the beginning, I’m not going to make the kind of money you’re making now, but that doesn’t matter because it will be plenty for the three of us. And you also know that, eventually, you will find another job.”

  “Katie, you like it here in Washington, and we have friends here.”

  “I don’t care. That’s not a reason to stay. Not at the expense of your mental health! None of that matters, you’re what matters. I don’t want you going back there and to the days of the terrifying nightmares. When I was talking about getting pregnant, you said that you didn’t like to see me in pain. Well, Jo, I don’t like to see you in pain either. I don’t want old wounds reopened. I don’t want that, and I’m not going to let it happen, not for all the money in the world! Your health and sanity are more important to me. I need you, and Mellie needs you.” Kate paused. Even as she spoke, she was afraid that Jo’s sense of duty would cloud her judgment over her health needs. Jo had remained quiet staring at the floor while Kate spoke.

  “For the last seven years, you’ve put me first. Everything was about me attending med school, my residency, and my career even to the point you postponed asking me to marry you because you wanted me to finish my education. That ends now. We had a plan, and the plan is done. It’s about time that things turned. It’s my time to be there for you. I trusted you then, and I need you to trust me now. I can’t let you do this, Jo. Talk to me. Say that you see my point and that you will listen to me, as I listened to you. I know you know I’m right.”

  Jo nodded. Seeing her progress, Kate continued. “You have twenty years of service with the government between your military and civilian years, sure it would’ve been nice if you could’ve had your thirty years, but that’s not going to happen at the expense of your health. So, we’ll open a 401(k) for you to make up for the next ten years.”

  “The Army is not going to like me leaving.”

  “Bull! They don’t give a damn!” Jo looked up in shock. In all their years together, she had never seen Kate so pissed off, or talking in that manner. “If they cared, they wouldn’t be sending you to hell again! Don’t they fucking know what you went through over there?”

  Jo took a deep breath and nodded. She was not the type of person to give in easily, or to make hasty decisions, or commit to unplanned events, but Kate’s arguments were compelling. So, without any further comment or hesitation, she took Kate’s hands and kissed them. “You’re right, Dr. McCallister, I love you and trust you. I’ll do as you wish.”

  Kate was shocked and pleased that Jo had listened to her and agreed to make a new plan for their future. “You’re my life, Jo McCallister. I won’t let anyone or anything take you away from me. Not even the entire U.S. Army!”

  Jo chuckled, “and you’re my only commanding officer.” They smiled, and their faces met in a gentle brushing before they kissed. “In fact, I think the U.S. Army would be wise to stay away from you because—.” Kate slapped her arm playfully. “Ouch! ”

  “The U.S. Army should know that I have the only soldier I want to command, and I intend to keep her no matter the cost.” Kate squeezed Jo’s face with her hand and kissed her before she went back to her chores.

  ***

  After the decision was made, miraculously, Jo’s nightmares stopped. However, she had a terrible time going to sleep at night.

  “Stop worrying, Jo. When I come back from the interviews and decide on a position to accept, you’ll give General Thompson your resignation. He’ll have to accept it, and we’ll go on with our lives.”

  “It’s not just that, Katie.” Jo got up and walked to the bedroom window.

  “It’s the timing of this happening now.”

  “It’s not the worst timing. I mean, all my loans are paid, and we have plenty of savings. I suppose it’s never good to give up a salary like yours, but honey, we have no debts, and that is a plus. So why do you say it’s bad timing?”

  “We have a daughter to raise,” Jo tried to explain.

  “And we will. Come here.” Jo walked over to her, and Kate kissed her. She knew all too well what was bothering Jo, and she decided to address it with a tease. “Is it that you don’t want me to be your sugar mama now?” Jo remained quiet and pursed her lips. Kate smiled and continued. “You have been my sugar mama for the last seven years. Why can’t I be yours now? The way I see it, it’s my turn.”

  “Yes, but we had a plan, and you were doing something important,” Jo replied.

  “And do you think that taking care of Mellie is not important? Because the way I see it, it’s the most import—.”

  “Katie, I’m not saying that! Of course, caring for Mellie is the most important thing ever! It’s just that I’m used to working and prov—.

  “Things change in life, and we have to roll with the punches. For now, caring for Mellie will be your job. We don’t know what the future will bring.”

  Jo chuckled and cuddled to her in bed. “In addition to caring for Mellie, I’ll provide lots of good sex.”

  “Honey, you’re going to have to come up with something new, you’ve been doing that from day one. I frankly don’t see how you can improve upon perfection.”

  “Perfection, huh?”

  “Yes.” She combed Jo’s hair back.

  “Well, since I’ll have so much time on my hands, I may start reading the Lesbian Kamasutra.”

  Kate started to laugh and couldn’t stop. Jo tried to quiet her with a kiss, but they both ended up laughing. “Sssh! We’re going to wake up the baby if we keep laughing like this,” Jo said.

  “Umm, Mellie is going to have to learn to sleep through a lot of noise this coming year,” Kate said, once she stopped laughing and saw the bewitching chocolate, almond-shaped eyes pinned on her. “Bring it on, McCallister. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do with you. However, I also think that you’re overestimating your free time to read and study ‘the book,’” Kate emphasized the words. “Taking care of a toddler may be more time consuming than you think.”

  “I know, but don’t underestimate your one-woman Army, soldier.”

  The terminology was a clear indication to Kate of what would happen next. “Let’s see what you’ve got, I’m ready for your orders, Colonel.”

  ***

  When Jo told General Thompson she was resigning and giving him advance notice, he couldn’t believe it. He tried to convince her to stay, but nothing he could say or offer would change Jo’s mind. “After I came back, I had terrifying nightmares about that day. Kate knows all about it. She was there to calm me down when I woke up terrified and screaming. It took me years to overcome all of that. I can’t and won’t put Kate through that again. We have a daughter now, and I owe it to myself and to them to be healthy, mentally and physically. You need someone to do that job. I can’t do it, so I need to resign so that you can hire that person.”

  General Thompson was disappointed. He liked Jo, but his hands were tied. What Jo said was true. He needed someone with Jo’s expertise to do the job, and he didn’t have the funding to keep her and hire another person.

  “What will you do?” He asked her.

  “We’re going back to Wyoming. Kate got a job as an attending at a children’s hospital there.”

  “And you?”

  “I’ll come up with something over there. In the meantime, I have a toddler to look after.”

  The general shook his head and chuckled. “McCallister, I’ve always admired you. You have the ability and the courage to walk away from situations when you no longer think they’re working for you. First, you walked away from a bright military career in which, no doubt, you wou
ld have continued to succeed. Now, you’re walking away from a bright civilian career. However, it’s evident that starting over has never hampered your success in anything you’ve undertaken later.” The General smiled, “I find it hard to believe that you will be babysitting for long,” he chuckled again, “but I know that whatever you start next will be as successful as all you’ve ever done until now. Which goes to show that it’s not a job that makes a person, it’s the person that makes the job.”

  “Thank you, sir. Let’s hope that you’re right and that I can pull that off again.”

  He laughed and when they shook hands, he put his other hand over the hand he was holding. “You’re the best at whatever you do, and you know it, McCallister. That is why you will pull off anything you take on. Go and do what you need to do. Call if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  As she walked out of his office that day, looking at the solemnity of his office and the military brass around her, Jo felt a sense of sadness. She knew that, once and for all, she was permanently walking away from a lifestyle that had not only allowed her to live comfortably, but had shaped her life to the core. She was, and would always be Army. She felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that she had not felt in years.

  Standing in front of the impressive Pentagon building, she gave a full military salute to the American flag. A couple of tears fell as she walked away thinking of happy days at the Academy, and a past she could not change. As she continued to walk, she smiled, thinking that Kate and Mellie were home waiting for her.

  ***

  During Kate’s years of residency in Washington, Manny had divorced his wife. As it turned out, Lindsey had only married him for his father’s political influence in order to get a head start on her career and social plans. He told them that the marriage was a mistake from the start and that he always had the feeling that it would not last.

  Manny told them that soon after the wedding, he became aware that his prosthetic foot repulsed her, and that he was only her pawn in social circles. He said that the marriage had survived as long as it did because most of the time she had been in Nashville, he had been in Washington. After she failed to get into Children’s Hospital, and once they were closer when she started her residency, the already crumbling marriage finally collapsed.

  He had no regrets for having asked his father to recommend Kate over Lindsey. Obviously, Kate had been the better person and the better choice. After the divorce, he went back to Wyoming, and with his father’s help, got involved in local politics.

  Manny had all the characteristics and accolades of an ideal political candidate. He was educated, eloquent, charming, a war veteran wounded in action, and he, of course, had a very influential father who thought the world of him. It did not take very long for Manny to become very popular as a prospective political candidate. Adding to his allure was the fact that, although Wyoming is the tenth largest state, it’s also the least populated.

  Two years after his arrival in Wyoming, Manny ran for the House of Representatives, and two years later, he ran for governor. When Jo told him that they were going back to Wyoming, he was delighted, claiming that he could use the two extra votes. He was glad that Kate had been able to find a job back home and understood perfectly well Jo’s reason for leaving her government job.

  Chapter 9

  Kate had interviewed and accepted a pediatric position at a hospital in Casper, Wyoming. Although they loved the cultural diversity of Washington, they were looking forward to a more relaxed life in Wyoming.

  Even before they left Washington, Manny had already provided Jo with someone to contact about a job in land development.

  “Manny said it’s a small, but great company. They build mountain homes and need someone to take care of land development.”

  “Great, looks like we have a plan, Jo. I feel like we’re on our way to something good,” Kate said with her arms around Jo’s neck.

  Jo smirked. “You just like knowing that you’re going to be my sugar mama.”

  “I do, but I feel it won’t last long. It seems that you already have a prospective job, so I need to enjoy it while it lasts. Since Mellie is napping, I’d like to issue some orders for my Colonel.” Jo was always happy to receive that kind of orders, and smiled.

  “Jo, when we leave here, let’s take the RV and make the trip to Wyoming a vacation. Let’s follow the path you followed when you ended up at the RV Ranch. I also want to go to the ranch and check it out.” Kate said, as they walked into their bedroom.

  “Alright, General, any other orders?” Jo raised her right eyebrow.

  “Yes, plenty!”

  ***

  It was around the time that Mellie was a little over one year old, that they left Washington. They sold their cars, packed, and sent all their belongings to be stored in Casper, Wyoming, until their arrival.

  They took the RV out of storage and set out with Wyoming as their destination. They left with plenty of time to stop along the way and even spend a couple of nights at the RV Ranch. Arriving at the ranch was exciting. It was their first time back since they had left years ago, and they were looking forward to it. The oil drilling had long stopped since the last drop of oil had been drained out, but they had continued to pay the property management company to maintain the property.

  Seeing the ranch again was emotional for both, but mostly for Kate. “As much as I love it here at the ranch, I don’t know if I could ever live in this house again. It has too many memories of Grams,” Kate said in a sad tone as she watched Jo feed Mellie in the living room by the fireplace she loved.

  “Well, Grams wanted us to build a cabin by the lake, remember?”

  “Yes, I wonder if we ever will.” But being as realistic as she was, Kate soon said what Jo hadn’t said. “But it would certainly cost a lot to contract a designer and build that house. I think that, just like Grams, we may have to live with the dream.”

  Jo smiled. “Well, who knows? Did you ever think that you’d be sitting in this living room one day as Dr. Kate McCallister, and that you would marry, and have a child with the woman you rescued in that snowstorm?”

  “No, I did not. The road of life is never certain, and we’re proof that anything can happen, any time.” She sat next to Jo on the sofa and kissed her.

  “Well, then. Let’s not lose our hope. Hope is always good to have, and as we both know, miracles do happen.”

  “Amen to that! Here let me have her. I’ll take her upstairs. Get some glasses and open a bottle of wine. Sugar mama needs some love.” Kate took the little one upstairs while Jo went to the kitchen to fetch the wine.

  In the kitchen, she stopped to look into Grams’ room. “If you’re here, I hope you’re happy. And don’t worry, there might be other plans one day for this place.” Jo smiled, she wasn’t exactly sure of what other plans she was talking about, but she wanted Grams to know that there was a plan for the ranch, even if in a far away future.

  From the ranch, Jo called the contractor that Manny had mentioned. Kate was having fun with the sugar mama deal, but Jo was too much of an entrepreneur to sit at home and do nothing, especially because she knew she could make good money, and then there was Mellie. She had to provide for Mellie and the rest of the McCallister little troopers that Kate was planning on having. She chuckled. Grams, how did I get myself into this! I’m sure you’re laughing and having a blast somewhere up there!

  “Yes, I can meet you there. Tomorrow? I’m with my family right now. We’re traveling in an RV. Okay, text me the address then. See you soon.” Jo hung up and gave the phone to Kate. “She wants us to stop at her house tomorrow. She’s texting the address.”

  “Did you say she?”

  “Yes, I think it was his wife who answered the phone.”

  “If you want to go by yourself to the interview, I’m fine staying at the ranch with Mellie.”

  “No, I don’t mind. I explained to her that we were traveling in our RV, and she said they’d be glad
to meet my family. “

  “That’s odd. I mean, not your normal interview.”

  “Yes, but what the heck! What do we have to lose?”

  ***

  The next morning, they got onboard the RV, and Kate put the address into the RV’s GPS.

  “Mommy, peepee.” A tiny voice said from the rear seat of the RV.

  Jo looked to Kate, shook her head, rolled her eyes, and smiled. “We haven’t even turned the corner, and we already have to stop!”

  Kate chuckled. “Jo, she’s barely potty trained.” Then turning to Mellie and using baby talk, she said, “Mommy, we’re still working on the peepee thing, aren’t we, baby?” Mellie smiled and nodded.

  “I know, I know!” Jo found a shoulder on the almost empty road and pulled over. The minute she did, Kate unbuckled herself to take Mellie to the bathroom in the RV.

  “Okay, missy. You’re doing very good going potty,” Kate praised her daughter to encourage her deed.

  Jo smiled as she overheard the conversation going on in the back. She glanced around the RV’s cabin and reminisced about the day when Kate had knocked on her window. A call from fate, indeed, and there she was now with the woman who had filled her life with love, and with the miracle of a daughter. She was smiling when Kate and Mellie returned from having accomplished their mission. “Mommy, Mellie peepee!” The little one rushed to her and climbed on her lap.

  Instinctively, Jo held her and kissed her. “You did? Wow!”

  “Come here, little tyke. Let me buckle you up so that we can get going again.” Kate took her from Jo’s lap, buckled her up, and gave her a toy to play. “Okay, missy. There you go.” Kate came back to her seat and also buckled up.

  “Mellie, any more peepee?” Jo asked to make sure everything was okay.

  The little girl shook her head and smiled naughtily. Jo then pulled onto the highway again. A few minutes later, there was silence in the back. Kate looked backed to check on her daughter, “sometimes I can’t believe that she can fall asleep so quickly.”