by John R. Kess
“What is he like?” Brent asked.
Elly shrugged her shoulders. “He is thoughtful, friendly, smart, and—”
“Ha, you just described a combat Marine as friendly and smart,” Jeremy said.
“Well, he is,” Elly said defensively. “He was quiet and humble, and he always put my safety first.”
“Now the Marine is humble.” Alex rolled his eyes.
Elly knew there was no way they would understand until they met him. “You know what? I’m not going to tell you anything else.”
“Ignore these two idiots.” Brent pointed at Alex and Jeremy. “Come on, what was he like?”
Elly rolled onto her stomach. Brent had always been the mature one of the three, and at least he seemed to understand. “When we were in the woods, he wasn’t very talkative, but he was really nice to me. That’s what I mean when I say humble. He was a complete gentleman to me the entire time. He treated me like a normal person. He’d never even heard of System Override. It didn’t matter to him who I was. I mean, his plane was gutted by a fire, and he didn’t even ask me to help him pay for it.”
Jeremy sat up. “You like him.”
“Oh, yeah,” Alex said. “You can tell by looking at her.”
“There’s a lot about him to like. That’s more than I can say about the three of you.”
The surprised look on Brent’s face told Elly he’d realized she was serious about Jay.
Brent smiled and said, “I’ve never heard you talk about a guy like this. He must really be something special. I can’t wait to meet him.”
Elly smiled back at Brent, happy at least one of “The Three Stooges” had figured it out.
“Elly, is this guy boyfriend material?” Alex asked.
“Maybe.” Elly looked at Alex. “What if I do want him to be my boyfriend? Is that a problem?”
“Oh, my God.” Jeremy pointed at her. “You made out with him, didn’t you?”
Elly’s face turned bright red. “No, I didn’t!” She wrapped herself in a blanket.
“You’re lying,” Jeremy said.
Elly looked away. “I’m not lying.”
“She looks away when she lies,” Jeremy said.
“And then she says, ‘I’m not lying’ when you accuse her,” Alex said.
“I’m not …” Elly’s face contorted, and then she let out a frustrated groan. She pulled the blanket over her head.
“I knew it!” Jeremy said.
“I’m sorry, Elly, you were saying something?” Alex asked.
“Hey,” Jeremy said, “I think you and the friendly, smart, humble Marine would make a great couple.”
“Come on. Don’t pick on me,” Elly said.
“It’s okay to admit you like him,” Jeremy said. “That’s all right. What happens in the woods of Montana, stays in the woods of Montana.”
“Ah, I hate all of you!” Elly curled into a ball on the floor under the blanket.
“We know you too well, Elly.” Jeremy held his fist out to Alex who tapped it with his. “We busted that one wide open.”
“You know it,” Alex said with a smile.
“Oh, I hate this sitting around waiting,” Elly said.
“You wouldn’t get bored if you could find a friendly, humble Marine somewhere,” Jeremy said.
“I hear Montana has some,” Alex added.
“Hey!” Elly shouted and then broke down laughing with the others. She had to admit it was good to be back with the band, even if they enjoyed harassing her. They were her family, and she hoped they would like Jay when she introduced him.
* * *
At 6:00 PM Pender pulled into the large field already filled with cars. Three tractor-trailers were arranged in a semicircle. The flatbed trailer in the middle acted as the stage, and the other two were filled with audio equipment, including several large speakers. A couple food vendors had set up shop near the back, and several hundred people were already waiting near the stage for the concert to begin.
The media were there, filming the people pouring into the field that Elly had rented. Several journalists were interviewing people near the stage, while others stood next to their camera people waiting for their live shots.
The concert started at 7:00 PM with Elly thanking everyone for coming. Three songs in, Pender got a call from an unknown number.
“Hello.”
“Pender, this is Jay.”
“Holy crap! What the hell is going on? Where are you? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. They’ve just quashed my warrant. I’m free to go. Can I get a ride?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m still at the police station.”
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
Jay greeted Pender with a hug and then shook hands with Fredrick Adolphson III, thanking him for everything. Outside they found the parking lot relatively empty.
“Please take me home,” Jay said as they climbed into Pender’s truck.
“No way. We’ve got a pit stop to make.”
“What? Where?” The last thing Jay wanted was to go somewhere that might have cameras.
Pender filled Jay in on all the searching he’d been doing with Glen, Elly, and Elly’s brother, Nick. “I get the distinct impression this girl likes you a lot. You know that, right?”
Jay looked at him but said nothing.
“Jay, I just told you Elly Wittenbel likes you, and I hope you fully understand what that means.”
“What does that mean?” Jay asked, humoring him.
“It means you’re the luckiest guy I know, so don’t mess this up!” Pender smiled at Jay who looked at him and smiled back.
Pender drove down a long gravel road as the stage and a crowd of about two thousand people in the distance came into view. The parking area had filled up, and a police officer directed them to the overflow parking in a field on the other side of the road.
“What is this?” Jay asked.
“It’s Elly’s ‘Free Jason’ concert,” Pender said.
They got out and heard Elly’s voice belting out a song. Jay instantly felt energized when he heard her voice. Excitement was building inside him with every step as they walked across the road to the makeshift entrance. It hit Jay that all of these people were there in support of him, and he had Elly to thank for that. He began to feel uneasy about being the center of attention, yet he knew they all deserved his respect as they were part of the reason he was free.
The stage was visible from the entrance, and Jay’s smile was involuntary as he spotted Elly holding the microphone. He stopped to watch as she appeared to float across the stage with her newly curled hair and tight-fitting red dress with lipstick to match. She looked absolutely beautiful.
“Come on.” Pender pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and then said, “Hey, we’re in the back by the entrance. Okay.” He stopped talking and waved to someone on his right.
Sarah and her husband Jim walked toward Jay, each holding one of Kelly’s hands.
“Uncle Jay!” Kelly shouted and ran toward him.
Jay’s niece was now seven and had grown at least six inches since the last time he’d seen her.
“Hello, beautiful.” Jay picked her up. “It’s good to see you!”
“I missed you!” Kelly rested her head on his shoulder.
Jay hugged Sarah, who was now in tears.
“Welcome home, little brother,” she said.
“It’s good to be home,” Jay said.
Jim embraced Jay and welcomed him.
Sarah wiped her eyes. “You’ve had quite the homecoming.”
“You could say that. It’s been a strange one,” Jay said.
“We’re glad to have you home,” she said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come and see you when I got in,” Jay said.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Sarah said. “Pender explained everything. We understand. Luckily for Elly,” Sarah motioned at the stage, “you were in the ri
ght place at the right time.”
Kelly told Jay how she’d made a welcome home sign for him. He told her he couldn’t wait to see it. He was finally feeling like he was home.
Sarah glanced at Pender and motioned toward the stage. “Take him. I’m sure Elly will be happy to see him. We have to take the munchkin home.”
Kelly protested, then asked Jay, “Will you come and see me tomorrow?”
“I promise I will.” Jay hugged everyone and said good-bye.
Another song ended, and Elly took a bow. “Thank you so much for coming out in support of Jason Tessier,” Elly said. “It means so much to me.”
Jay smiled as the band began their next song. Hearing Elly’s voice removed the apprehension that had been growing inside him. He took in the crowd around him and then stared up at Elly in the middle of the stage. A “Free Jason” banner was hanging high above the stage. He thought about how Elly hired Adolphson, who had manhandled the DA at the sheriff’s office and gotten the warrant removed. Jay knew Elly had done it all for him, and he wanted more than anything for there to be a place for him in her world.
“Are you ready?” Pender asked.
“Ready for what?”
Pender smiled and said, “Follow me.” He led Jay right down the middle of the crowd. “Excuse me, coming through.”
The people parted reluctantly until they saw Jay. Their annoyed looks changed to confused joy, then to applause and cheers.
“Excuse me. Pardon me,” Pender said, maneuvering his way toward the stage.
It only took a minute for Pender to get within fifty feet of the stage. He stopped as the crowd became too thick to move any farther.
Jay stared at Elly. She wasn’t holding anything back as she sang with such raw emotion. Everyone in the band seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Jay suddenly realized Pender had been circling him while telling people, “Stand back, I’ve got Jason Tessier here, back up!”
Pender kept circling to create a pocket of space which grew in size as people recognized Jay. Pender was telling everyone to point at Jay, which they seemed to be happy to do. A moment later, everyone in the perimeter of the growing circle was pointing at him.
Jay felt awkward as people distanced themselves from him. He kept his attention on Elly as the song reached a massive crescendo and then ended. The cheering was loud as Elly again thanked everyone. She looked out at the crowd and at the growing circle with a puzzled expression.
“Jason, Jason,” Pender started chanting, and crowd around him joined in.
Jay watched Elly on stage and no longer cared about being the center of attention. In fact, the whole crowd faded out of existence. All he knew is he wanted to wake up next to her every morning for the rest of his life.
The drummer stood and pointed a drumstick at Jay. Elly’s eyes searched the crowd, and her mouth opened wide the moment she spotted him. She spoke into the microphone. “Jay, is that you?”
The crowd’s chant grew loud in a hurry. “Jason! Jason! Jason!”
Everyone cheered as Elly climbed down off the stage and then jumped over the barricade into the crowd.
Jay watched the crowd split as Elly ran to him and they flung their arms around each other. They kissed to the sound of a roaring audience. Elly buried her head in his chest as he held her.
“Hi,” Jay said.
Elly couldn’t respond. She just held him as the crowd kept cheering.
She finally looked up at him. “Hi. I was so worried.”
“I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“They let you go?”
“I’m a free man. Thanks to you.”
Elly smiled brightly as the crowd cheered and chanted Jason’s name. She hugged Jay one more time. “Come on.” Elly grabbed Jay’s hand and led him back to the stage, where the other band members helped them both up.
Elly grabbed a microphone and pulled Jay to the middle of the stage. “Would you like to meet the man who saved my life?”
The crowd roared with delight as Elly motioned to Jay. “Do you want to say hello?” Elly said into the microphone.
Alex handed Jay a microphone.
Jay looked out at the crowd, knowing he was miles away from his comfort zone. “Wow, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“As you may have guessed,” Elly said, “Jay is a free man. Thanks to all of you.”
Jay waved at the crowd.
“SPEECH! SPEECH!” the crowd yelled.
Jay held his microphone and tried desperately to think of what to say. He glanced at Elly and then said, “Your support means a lot. Thank you for coming here tonight.” He looked back over at Elly for help.
Elly turned to the crowd. “I’m sure all of you know how Jay and I met, but some of you may not know that Jay has been serving as a Marine for five years and just got back from Afghanistan.” The crowd erupted into applause. She waited for it to settle and then said, “I just want to say how happy I am for the outpouring of support for both Jay and me through all of this. Thank you so much.” She blew a kiss to the crowd.
Jay waited for the shouting of the crowd to once again die down. “I’m truly blessed to have met Elly. Isn’t she amazing?” The crowd responded with cheering. Jay turned to Elly, “Thank you for all of this.”
“Thank you for saving my life.” Elly hugged him.
“Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!” Jeremy chanted into his microphone. The crowd quickly chanted along.
Elly’s face turned bright red, and then she faced Jay. Slowly she raised her eyes to his. The chanting grew louder. “Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!”
She gave Jay a shy smile. His eyes met hers, and they kissed each other as the crowd roared with delight.
Elly’s face still burned red as she turned to the crowd. “All right, who wants to hear another song?”
Chapter 25
Three weeks after the “Free Jason” concert, Jay rode with Elly in the backseat of a limo down the streets of Washington, DC. Elly had arranged the limo, but she wouldn’t tell Jay where they were going.
Elly smiled. “You look handsome in your uniform.”
Jay wore his Class A uniform and held his Marine hat, or cover, as he’d told her, in his hands. “Thanks.”
“I tried to picture you in it when we were walking through the woods of Montana,” Elly turned to face him, “but my imagination didn’t do it justice.”
“The same would be true for my imagination.” Jay pointed at the elegant black dress Elly wore.
“When did you try to picture me in a dress?” Elly asked with a smile.
“Probably about the same time you tried to picture me in my uniform.” Jay smiled back at her. “Or maybe it was while we were going for a swim. I don’t remember.”
Elly laughed and hit him playfully. “Did you hear they nailed Victor Fines with a dozen different charges?”
“I did. Attempted kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder—”
“He’ll be in prison for a while.”
“Good riddance.”
Elly reached into her purse. “I have something I want to give you. It’s not really a present, but I know you’re going to like it.” She pulled out a small object wrapped in tissue paper.
Jay took it, removed the tissue, and found an empty prescription bottle. “Is this the same one?”
“Yes. I haven’t had any since I finished those. I’m getting help,” Elly said. “I see a counselor a few times a week, and I’ve been sober for a month, thanks to you.”
Jay took her hand. He was thrilled she was doing something about her addiction.
“There’s one more thing,” Elly said. “Do you remember how you told me about the little girl in Afghanistan and what happened to her family?”
Jay nodded.
Elly pulled out a sheet of paper. “Read it.”
Jay took it. It was confirmation of a donation to the Children of Afghanistan Fund for $100,000 on behalf of Jason Tessier.
; “Wow.” Jay read it again. “That’s amazing. That was really kind of you.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“You’re full of surprises today. Are you going to tell me where we’re headed?”
“No, that too is a surprise.”
Jay laughed.
“Jay, do you trust me?”
“I hear it takes time to earn trust.”
“Well, we don’t have a whole lot of time before we get there, so I guess you’ll just have to deal with it.”
Jay spotted the White House in the distance.
Jay pointed out the window. “Are we—”
“What did I say about trusting me?”
“Forgive me.”
The limo stopped and the driver helped them both out of the car. They walked to the White House gate, where Jay saluted the two Marine security guards. One asked for their names and IDs while the other used a metal detector wand on both of them.
Once inside, Jay and Elly followed an aide through a hallway and into a reception room.
“They’ll be with you shortly,” the aide said before leaving.
Jay stood next to Elly as they took in the huge room. A dining table was set with thirty places on the left side of the room, and three rows of empty chairs faced the center of the room, where an empty podium stood.
“Who’ll be with us?” Jay asked.
“You’ll see.”
The doors on the far end of the hall opened, and the president of the United States entered the room. Jay snapped to attention with a perfect salute.
Behind the president was General Nelson Earnshaw, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
Jay felt the air get sucked out of him as he watched his commander-in-chief and the four-star general approach. They both paused to return his salute. As he stared at them he was totally confused.
At the president’s nod, a Secret Service agent opened another set of doors.
Jay stared straight ahead at full attention, but he could see his niece Kelly, followed by Sarah and her husband Jim. Pender was next, along with Elly’s band members, then the first lady, Celeste, Nick, and finally Elly’s parents.
