“A rival gang tortured her and left her where I would find her. I tried everything I knew to revive her but…,” Aidan fought hard not to cry, “but she had a seizure and died in my arms.”
“Oh honey, oh I am so sorry you went through that,” Vicky’s own tears were flowing easily, “and please don’t fight your tears. It’s all right to cry, honey, especially with me.”
Aidan looked at her knowingly, and gratefully kissed her forehead as she continued, “I wrapped her up in a towel and put in her favorite milk ring toys, and then I waited until dark, and buried her in someone’s back yard, I don’t know who they were, but the thought of throwing her in the trash bin was just too much, you know? After I buried her, I left the gang and moved on,” Aidan wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and then began to scratch the kitten’s chin, laughing at the cute way the kitten jutted it out, “But we won’t let anything happen to this little guy, will we. No sir, we’ll take good care of you,” Aidan said as the kitten began to purr, and fell asleep on her chest.
“Just when I think I knew you, Aidan Montgomery-Cassidy.”
“Hey that’s right, wife of mine, we’re hyphenated now. How does it feel?” Aidan wanted to lighten the mood, one, because she didn’t mean to go to such a dark time in her life and two, because death is the last thing she wanted to think about with them trapped under tons of concrete, and probably running out of air.
“Well I have to admit when I was dreaming about my wedding day, this was not what I envisioned. But as long as I’m with you, I don’t mind as much.”
Aidan grinned at her and asked, “So uh, want to consummate the marriage while we wait?”
*
Joyce walked around the city block, surveying the destruction that surrounded her. Almost all of the smaller buildings had a big red X on them now, and she knew that meant the long day was almost over with. Nearly all the injured that lived, had been treated and stabilized. Joyce didn’t lose any of her patients, but there were some that didn’t make it and for that she felt bad. She knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault, the injuries were just too traumatic, but still, it was hard not to feel inadequate.
The blocked exits were finally opened and ambulances were everywhere, transporting patients to the hospitals. They stacked two, sometimes three victims in the emergency vehicles at a time, and soon the area had been emptied out. FEMA took over and maintained the surgical tent and triage center. The Red Cross was also on the scene and though it was early in the morning, and still dark, many volunteers had come to help in any way they could, including donating much needed blood.
As Joyce walked around, she saw pools of blood still on the street where a body had lain. So much blood. She looked down at her scrubs, covered in blood. She wasn’t accustom to that much blood lingering about, because after each surgery she would put on a fresh pair of scrubs and go back into a sterile surgery suite. She shivered in the cool night air, weary of so much blood and carnage. Joyce decided what she needed was a hot shower and some hot sex with her wife.
“Jerry,” Joyce called out, trying to get his attention from across the way, “Jerry!”
“Hey, Joyce, how’s it going?” Jerry and Yvonne stood outside the Red Cross tent, by the table that offered coffee and pastries.
“Jerry, have you seen Vicky or Aidan? I’m heading back to the hospital and wanted to let them know.”
“No, I haven’t, have you, Yvonne?”
“The last time I saw them they were over by that building,” Yvonne pointed behind her. To the building that had a cloud of white dust belching up from its ground floor.
“Oh my God!”
*
“Oh honey, you have the prettiest eyelashes I’ve ever seen.”
“I can get you a pair, if you like?”
Ruth stood back in the corner, watching Kate apply her charms to the hip boot wearing woman they had met outside. Apparently her IQ wouldn’t fill a fourth of those boots, so Kate quickly found an excuse to back out of the conversation. Walking over to where Ruth stood laughing, Kate gave her a dirty look and swatted her arm.
“Be careful what you want in life, Kate, you might just get it.” Ruth told her.
“Not to worry, kitten, I always sample everything once, and then decide if I want to eat the whole thing. I knew she wasn’t my type the minute I saw her pull her panties out of her crotch. I was just trying to help you, that’s all.”
“Help me?” Ruth asked curiously, “How?”
“Didn’t you want her for yourself?” Kate replied.
“Good God no.” Ruth exclaimed, “Why would you think that?”
“Oh, I thought you wanted to have a threesome?” Kate’s eyes widen with hopefulness at the idea.
Clearly Kate was confused so Ruth tried to explain it to her, again. “Kate, I can barely handle you in bed as it is, why would I want to add to that challenge with a third wheel? Let me rephrase what I said earlier. Nothing has to change. Not a damn thing. I would like you to keep teaching me, as much because I’m learning something new every time we’re together, as because I’ve lost count of all the orgasm’s you’ve given me since we met. I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying those. When I was married to my second husband, it seemed like it was always over with before it started. He was always satisfied, but until the first time you and I made love, Kate, I never had been.”
Kate beamed with pride, her eyes sparkling with delight, her lips pursing with phantom tingles. “And you won’t ask me for more, Ruth?”
“Yes, I most certainly will ask you for more, as long as we’re just talking about our orgasmic fantasy land.”
“Oh kitten, you are a girl’s dream come true.”
*
“Oh my God, you’re not serious Aidan? We can’t have sex in here.” Vicky looked at the grin on her lovers face and laughed, “Oh you, I fall for it every time, don’t I?” A rhetorical question but still Aidan nodded her head, clearly pleased with herself.
“Baby, you were so completely gorgeous in your wedding gown today. I just can’t find enough adjectives to describe how beautiful you looked. You took my breath away, but then you always do. Today, wow, today it took everything I had not to jump you right then and there.” That was the kind of memory Aidan wanted to remember right now, love and happiness and an excitement for the future with her new wife.
“Thank you for the compliment, honey, and for your restraint,” Vicky laughed again and laid her head on Aidan’s shoulder, exhaustion finally setting in, “but to be honest, when I saw you standing up there in that tuxedo, I also wanted to run down the aisle and grab you, but Daddy wouldn’t let me.”
“Darn that man!” Aidan joked.
“I thought the whole wedding went perfectly and if possible, made me even more in love with you, darling,” Vicky kissed Aidan’s cheek, wishing in her heart that they were anywhere else but where they were, entombed in a building slated for destruction. She didn’t want Aidan to see how scared she really was, but her exhaustion was making it difficult to restrain her emotions.
“I was so happy when I saw you dancing with your father, I know what that meant to you, kid,” Aidan said emotionally.
“You’re right, it meant a lot, but when you joined us, it meant more.”
“It was a moment I will always treasure,” Aidan replied, and then asked, “Did you really call that girl by my name?”
Vicky buried her head in Aidan’s shoulder for a moment to smother a giggle, “Yes, it was so embarrassing, but you see, even when we were separated for all those years, all I could think about was you. All I could dream about was this day. Well, maybe not this part, but our wedding. It was everything I had ever dreamed of for us.”
“I wish I could put into words what today meant to me. I was so emotional the whole time, and kept looking at you to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I love you so much, baby, and I am so excited about our future together.”
“You won’t grow tired of me when I drag you to a cocktail party or fundraising dinn
er?”
Aidan grinned at her, “Baby, I’ve already bought the clothes, just for that reason.” Although Aidan loathed such things, it didn’t matter, she made a vow to support her wife in any way needed and she knew, with Vicky as a well-known and sought after CEO, these things would come up often. After all they had been through together, she would gladly, proudly, escort Vicky to whatever event she wanted to go to.
Vicky squealed with delight, “Oh my God, you really do love me!” She knew that Aidan hated going to such things and her heart swelled at this simple gesture, “And I will be happy to go to any sports game you want to see, and even wear t‒shirts to them.”
“Oh baby, you really do love me too!” Aidan knew, even when they were children, that Vicky wasn’t much of a sports enthusiast, so her gesture was very much appreciated. Then Aidan became more reflective and said, “Baby, I need a promise from you.”
“I promise,” Vicky smiled at her lover.
“You don’t even know what you’re promising to,” Aidan said, as the kitten climbed up under Aidan’s chin and fell asleep again.
“I don’t have to know, Aidan, if it’s for you, it’s a promise.”
Aidan smiled, she knew Vicky was being sincere. “I want you to promise me that if I get too busy, or to distracted by life, that you will tell me. I don’t want to wake up one day and find out that I should have bought you flowers, or that I should have taken you out more, or complimented you more or…, well whatever it might be, does that make sense?
“It makes perfect sense, darling, and I could cry just thinking about how wonderfully sensitive you are. I will promise you, if you will promise me the same thing. We’ve hardly had time to be alone since you got your memories back, and I so desperately want to be alone with you. I want to hear more about your life on the street, and your life in the Army. It kills me that I missed so much of your life.”
Aidan kissed the top of Vicky’s head again, “I’d like to share that with you, baby. Some of it wasn’t so nice though,” Aidan stroked the kitten’s fur, “but I’ll tell you, if you want to know?”
“It’s a part of who you are now, sweetheart. I very much want to know.”
“And I’d like to hear more about your college days, especially more about your dating experiences.” Aidan chuckled, thinking what she would have given to be a fly on that wall. In retrospect it was more like what she would have given to have been Vicky’s date herself. Missing the last fifteen years of Vicky’s life left a hole in Aidan’s heart.
Vicky playfully elbowed Aidan in the ribs, and said, “Masochist.”
Aidan moved her hand from the kitten’s fur to Vicky’s hair, “So, uh, what did you think of the Doc’s officiating today? I thought he did a really good job.”
“Oh, I did too. He’s really a good guy isn’t he? We’re so lucky to have him for a friend.”
“He was trying to tell me something right before the tornado hit. I wonder what could have been so important.”
“Probably that you forgot to pay him,” Vicky grinned.
“Oh crap, you’re right. Remind me to do that when we get out of here.”
Vicky nodded and added, “You know we’ve missed our plane to Ireland, right? I’ll see about rescheduling the flight. Hey, I wonder if we could borrow President Trenton’s friend’s plane again. By the way, did you see the present he sent us for our wedding? ”
“I’m pretty sure that was his own plane that he loaned us, Vicky, but anyway, the planes were probably grounded because of the tornado so we would have been stuck here anyway. Better reschedule for the end of the week so you can be at the hospital to oversee things,” Aidan said with a smile. She knew Vicky would feel the need to be at the helm during a crisis like this. “And you know, if I had the guts, I would definitely ask Trenton if we could borrow his friend’s plane,” they both laughed, knowing neither of them would dare to ask.
Vicky stretched a kink out of her leg, and said reflectively, “You know, Aidan, I am the luckiest woman on earth.”
“Oh, how so?” Aidan asked with a grin.
“Well, there’s way too many blessings to count, but at the top of the list is the fact my parents are alive and well, and living in our house just down the road from our wonderful apartment.”
“That’s true. I was so worried when Pop had his heart attack.” Aidan grimaced at the thought. She had grown to love him as if he was her own father, and it was his respect she sought.
“And then there’s the fact my mother came to our wedding. That meant more to me than I had realized.”
“Yeah, I was totally shocked that she did.” Aidan laughed, “She was giving me the evil eye for so long I thought I’d never see her smile at me. But she did, and I’m very happy about that.”
“Oh me too. You know sweetheart, we actually have Harold to thank for that.” Vicky could feel Aidan stiffen beside her, and knew she was treading out into deep water.
“Uh, how so?”
“If he hadn’t of kidnapped my parents, and threatened you, my mother wouldn’t have seen how much you really love me, she wouldn’t have seen your heart like I do. After that she couldn’t deny any longer that we were meant to be together.”
“Well, I get what you’re saying and you’re right, but still, that’s not the way I would have preferred for her to learn to accept me.”
“I agree, but it wasn’t just you she had to learn to accept.”
“You’re right. Have you forgiven her yet for keeping my letters from you all those years?”
“Yes, I have. Have you?” Vicky had not had the chance before now to ask Aidan how she felt about what her mother did, and wondered if she had been as angry.
Aidan thought for a moment and said, “Well, if you have, then I have too.”
“Honey, it’s all right if you haven’t. My mother’s medaling caused a lot of problems for both of us. I believe it’s what kept us separated for fifteen years. If I had received your letter’s and knew you were going to send for me as soon as you had saved the money, I would have found a way to come to you much sooner.”
“I admit, I was furious with her when I first understood what she had done, and I can even admit that I still have a little bit of resentment towards her. But I’m no saint either, and if you can forgive her, than I can let go of my resentment too. Besides, I believe these things happen for a reason. Sure I would have preferred growing up with you, going to college with you, but it didn’t happen, and I can’t dwell on the what if’s. I’ve got too much to look forward to on the yet to be.”
“Oh sweetheart, sometimes you say the most wonderful things. The most treasured blessing of any blessing I have ever received, or will ever receive, is the blessing of your love.” Vicky smiled and kissed Aidan on the cheek. Her warm moist lips on Aidan’s cool skin wasn’t enough for her, and Vicky kissed her way over to Aidan’s lips, where she was invited in with a sizzling touch of her tongue.
The tender kiss was too much for both of them, and soon they were kissing passionately, holding onto each other tight as if someone were trying to pull them apart. They had been through so much in the short time they’ve been together as adults, and if they were going to die then they were going to die making love in each other’s arms.
Aidan slipped her hand under Vicky’s blouse, and stroked her way to the warm round breast that fit so perfectly in her hand. Vicky arched her back at the pleasure Aidan’s touch sent through her, and momentarily forgot where she was.
The kitten wasn’t interested in being smooshed between two lovers, so he jumped down and began to amuse himself. Cats are very adept at seeing in the dark and this kitten’s sharp eye saw something moving by the debris wall. It wandered over to the rubble and began playing with something that looked a lot like a black snake.
“I think I see something!” Jerry yelled as he peered at the monitor, begging it to show his friends, “Is that them? Can you get video on this thing? What about a light? Do you have a light on the camera?�
�� The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) tech switched from thermal to video on the remote snake camera. With a special fiber-optic scope, the camera was threaded through a hole that had been bored into the concrete with a drill. It was slow work, but once they finally broke through and saw movement, anxiety diminished and excitement expanded. USAR wanted to make sure the women where in there before they risked digging them out.
Just as the kitten was about to bite the head off the snake, where the camera was mounted, a tiny light flashed on and Jerry almost jumped out of his skin. All he saw on the monitor were giant fangs coming towards him.
“Oh shit!” he shouted, “Can you zoom out?” The tech made some adjustments, and Jerry calmed down once he realized it was just a harmless little kitten. The tech snickered at him, although Jerry pretended not to notice, “Okay that’s good, now pan over to your left,” The camera moved to the left where Jerry could clearly make out someone’s back, though it was too dark to tell who it was. “I think there’s someone in there!” he shouted again.
“Is it them?” Joyce demanded to know.
*
“Samantha, why are you still here at this hour?” Dr. Kline walked up to the nurses’ station in NICU, and noticed Samantha standing there. It was 4 A.M. and unusually busy for that time of the morning.
“I couldn’t get a cab.” Samantha said with frustration.
“Aw, yes. The majority of them are stationed in the city. They’re probably being used for rescue efforts.”
“Why are you still here, Doctor?”
“My place is here during a disaster of this magnitude. Here, let me pour you a cup of coffee. Would you like a pastry?”
“Thanks, coffee will do.” While coffee was plentiful in Syria, pastries were not, and Samantha wasn’t use to all that sugar anymore. She use to daydream about pizza, and it was one of the first foods she ate after returning to the U.S., but it wasn’t as satisfying as she thought it would be. She was annoyed at her taste buds for abandoning her.
Remember This Day Page 16
