by Grady, D. R.
I don’t want to be war hardened, but I’m fearful that could happen. We feel each one we can’t save. Yet in so doing, we can’t give that energy to the next man we might be able to save. It’s a vicious, stupid cycle. The dead deserve to be mourned, because they’ve given their lives valiantly. But the wounded also need our care and skills.
I’m weary of war. So are those who work shoulder to shoulder with me. As are our leaders. And those men and women who work on the front lines. War is ugly. Not glamorous. It does make a man, or breaks him, but it can easily kill him too.
Thank you for the Bent Rock Foundation. You give us hope in a hopeless world.
I like to think of Lainy. She offers hope because she carries a new life within her. Knowing she holds the key to the future helps. Birth renews the cycle of death. (Thinking of Mitch having been here, and now he’s helped to create that little life...) Such hope to encourage us.
I miss you and am moved you are marking the days to my return. I too miss you both and want to hold you. (I may not let you go once I have you in my arms.)
I love you.
KC
*****
“Ryan?” Max tugged the little boy from the cocoon of blankets and covers. Ryan weakly protested and squirmed, but Max managed to extract him from his bed.
“Dad,” he grumbled.
“We’re going to the Bent Rock Foundation today.” Max tried to sound cheerful. He could have enjoyed staying in bed today too.
The weather showed gray and when he let Spuds outside, cold air rushed in to send chills down his spine. Ryan shivered and wriggled closer. Max’s arm flexed automatically.
“Looks like we’ll need to dress warmly. But at least this will be inside.”
“Don’t wanna go.” Ryan snuggled closer.
“You don’t want to play with Bentley and Rocky’s puppies?”
“Well, maybe,” Ryan prevaricated.
Max nodded. “Yeah, I figured that might change your mind. This is the last time you’ll get to play with them.”
“Can we take Spuds?”
“No. Remember, we talked about this.”
“Dad, why do we have to work?”
“Because Aunt Emma asked us to. Because your mom expects us to. Because if we don’t, who will?”
“Will Mommy be thewe?”
Max’s heart twisted at the enthusiasm in Ryan’s voice. “No, Ryan, your mommy won’t be there. But she’s coming home in less than three months.” Not knowing if he could wait that long, Max didn’t know how to convince Ryan either. He set Ryan on his feet and stared at the cupboard.
“Like on ouw calendaw?”
“Like on our calendar. Once we get to the end of April, she’ll soon be home.”
“But Aprwil isn’t for lots more sleeps.”
“Yes, it’s still a lot of sleeps.”
“Why’s she thewe and not with us? She’s my mommy, she’s ‘possed to be hewe.”
“Not all moms can be home. Your mom is helping people who get hurt. She has to make them better.”
“Can’t someone else’s mom do it?”
Max couldn’t refute Ryan’s logic. He tugged down cereal bowls and found them spoons. “No. Yours got picked, buddy. So, she had to go. Not all moms can fix wounded people.”
“What about Aunt Tweeny? She’s not a mom, but she does.”
“Your Aunt Treeny isn’t in the military, your mom is. So, Aunt Treeny won’t get called.” Max found the milk hiding behind the ketchup bottle. He poured it into Ryan’s bowl.
“Uncle Ben’s in the militawy, but he doesn’t go fow so long.”
“No, Uncle Ben’s job is different than your mom’s. He gets to come home sometimes, but then he’s always called back. Once your mom comes home, she probably won’t get called back.”
“Oh,” Ryan said and dug into his cereal. Max couldn’t tell how much of their conversation he understood. The little guy simply knew his mommy was far away, and other mommy’s weren’t. He wanted her home. Max could commiserate.
*****
KC ripped open the package, excited because she was fairly certain of the contents. The box was slim, a red, white, and blue postal box, and the perfect size for a CD or DVD. She tore the tape off and stared at the DVD she worked loose from the packaging material.
The First Annual Bent Rock Foundation Blow-Out.
Grinning, KC grabbed her laptop and headed for the admiral’s tent, impatience beating at her. She wanted to view this alone, but had made a promise. As an afterthought, she yanked open the drawer where she stored the cookies and brownies and added them to the pile. Popcorn would go well with this DVD, but she didn’t have any.
Max had outdone himself copying and sending the video to her. Twelve days later and she was holding the DVD. She had difficulty suppressing her excitement as she trotted across the distance separating her and their leader’s office.
The same woman looked up when KC burst through the door.
“Is the admiral in?” she asked breathlessly.
“He is.” The woman’s voice sounded repressive.
“Please inform him LT Cmdr Gilmore is here, and has the Bent Rock Foundation video. He’ll want to see me,” KC said in the firmest tone she could produce. And she was a doctor, a military officer, and a mother. She had stock in the firm, no-nonsense voice business.
After a quick conference with the admiral, and some respect, the woman ushered her through the door behind her. KC smiled a superior doctor smile, something the woman’s snottiness didn’t even make her feel guilty about, and walked briskly to the door. After a sharp rap, she entered the room and saluted.
“Be at ease, LT Cmdr.” Admiral O’Riley pointed her to a seat.
“Thank you, sir.” KC sat and waved the DVD. “My partner came through and sent this.” She leaned across his desk to hand him the disc.
He accepted the video with the same reverence she felt.
“I see you brought your laptop,” he commented and she hastily nodded. She’d been so involved in watching the fascinating emotions cross his face, she forgot about the other things in her arms.
She dropped the laptop and treat containers on his desk and shoved the latter closer to him. The admiral pried the lid off the cookie container and selected a shortbread. He appeared to savor the treat as he watched her load the DVD.
“It should start momentarily,” she said and opted for a brownie.
A little tingle started in her heart when she realized she’d see Max and Ryan soon. She wondered if Max had worn one of the new sweaters she and Lainy bought for him. Leaning forward, she waited impatiently for the opening scene to unfold.
Chapter 38
Light flashed across the screen and KC and Rich O’Riley both leaned forward to watch. The camera focused on a huge banner behind a raised dais that read, The First Annual Bent Rock Foundation Blow-Out! KC smiled as she identified the occupants on the dais. Standing near the back, trying to look unobtrusive was Max. Beside him stood his shadow.
Ryan’s face was already smudged with a dirty mark. KC’s heart tripped as she hungrily took in their faces. She wanted to kiss and hug them both until the end of time.
Pointing to the screen, she said, “That’s my son.” The admiral leaned closer to peer at Ryan. He smiled. “That’s a fine looking young man there.”
“Yes, he is,” KC agreed proudly. “That’s my partner, Max Morrison. He’s a brother to Major Monahan’s wife, Lainy.”
“He looks like a Morrison.”
KC grinned. “Yes.”
Also on the platform stood a small, regal, silver-haired lady. KC pointed to her. “Aunt Emma. Otherwise known as General Emma.”
Admiral O’Riley’s face set into lines of concentration as he watched her movements. The camera quality, while not perfectly clear before, now looked downright
terrible. KC frowned. Usually the videos were clear and of excellent resolution. Why wasn’t this one? General Emma’s face blurred.
“I’m sorry about the camera quality,” Lainy’s voice said. “We’re having technical difficulties.”
“Ah.” Question answered.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, but normally the resolution is better. So far, all of the videos I’ve received have been of excellent quality. And Lainy, the woman you heard speaking, is an electrical genius. This is strange.”
“I see.” KC didn’t think he took his eyes off Emma. She stopped the smile attempting to spread across her lips. Now was not the time to quiz him on his intentions toward Max’s aunt. Actually, since she was in the Navy, never might be a good time to bug him.
Maybe she should let Max or Lainy or someone else grill him on his intentions. Not that the admiral was likely to take her interest wrong, but she still decided to err on the side of caution. She took a bite of her brownie and savored the burst of chocolate.
Ryan bobbed up and down and KC watched as Mitch, wearing his Marine dress uniform, carried in a box. The room, noisy and chaotic when the DVD started, now fell to a hushed tone. A large, capable hand moved calmly to Ryan’s shoulder and her son looked up at Max with a huge grin. Max leaned down and scooped Ryan into his arms and KC blinked back tears. Max was wearing one of the sweaters she and Lainy had bought him and he looked extra yummy.
Now that Ryan was secure in his dad’s arms he could obviously see better, because he craned his neck to peek into the box Mitch carried. With the near quiet in the room, KC could hear squeaks and yips and little puppy barks. She smiled as many of the children in the audience wriggled much like her son. Glancing around the room, she noticed Ryan wasn’t the only kid with a better view, thanks to Dad. She wanted to be in his dad’s arms too.
General Emma raised an arm, much like a queen would to her subjects. Her gesture had the same effect. The room quieted completely and she smiled benevolently to her audience.
“Welcome to the First Annual Bent Rock Foundation Blow-Out!” Deafening applause rocked the room and she continued to smile. When the clapping dissipated, she spoke again.
“As many of you know, this foundation transpired because Dr. KC Gilmore who is my nephew, Max Morrison’s partner, is in Kuwait. She’s working as a Navy surgeon, under the direction of Admiral Richard O’Riley. They’ve seen some very sad things in their time there.” Her mouth pulled down and her eyes lowered. Her voice easily reflecting her sorrow, KC imagined her face did too, but her visage was too blurred to tell, even her voice was a bit distorted. “Dr. Gilmore lost her first patient her initial week there. Corporal Lance James. For obvious reasons this saddened and alarmed her. She wrote Max and he contacted me. KC was concerned about Corporal James’ family. Who would take care of them? How would they cope? What will they do now?”
Looking out over the crowd, KC identified her same sorrow reflected in their faces. The second bite of brownie lodged in her throat. She swallowed. Some of the solemn faces staring at the stage she recognized, but for every one she knew, she saw two more unfamiliar visages. Yet all were saddened by each loss of war.
General Emma paused and her eyes trailed around the room. “Excellent questions, each of them. Dr. KC Gilmore’s job is to mend the wounded. She cannot aid those who die so bravely in battle. Nor can she assist their families. As you might expect, she was feeling despair and had lost hope. So, she wrote to one she loved. Max came to me. What she could not do, we can. From there The Bent Rock Foundation was formed.”
More applause erupted as her voice grew stronger and Emma laughed. A silvery, musical, amazing laugh that made KC wish the audio wasn’t distorted. KC glanced at Admiral O’Riley, who looked enthralled. She expected no less from General Emma. A force of nature and KC was very happy Emma was on their side. KC reflected again on how well suited Rich and Emma were for each other.
“If you were wondering, Bent stands for Bentley. Bentley is a dog owned by Captain Mitchel Monahan of the U.S. Marine Corps. My niece, Lainy Morrison Monahan, kept Bentley for Mitch while he was in Kuwait last year. Mitchel told us of more of the men and women fighting with him who had to give up their pets, as he did. One of the worst parts of his story was the many men and women fighting for us who weren’t certain what happened to their pets.”
She looked sternly at the crowd and shook her head. “We couldn’t have that!” she shouted and the room broke into applause again.
“We set about finding those people’s animals. As many as we could and we placed them in homes to wait for their brave masters to return. Emails went out to the men and women informing them of this fact.
“A paperwork glitch made it such that we nearly lost one pet, Admiral Rich O’Riley’s dog, Rocky. I managed to locate her myself,” a ripple of laughter rippled through the Morrisons in the crowd. Max’s lip curled up and KC grinned.
“Yeah, she managed to locate Rocky herself,” she said dryly. Admiral O’Riley laughed.
“Moved mountains, you think?” His wry tone and comment made her laugh.
“Upon finding Rocky, I moved her into my home. With the help of Mitchel, I was able to locate Admiral O’Riley. Unfortunately, Lainy and I weren’t able to keep Bentley and Rocky, who fell in love, apart. Not once, either, but this is their second batch of puppies.”
More laugher surged through the crowd, as many of them either knew the story or appreciated the dry wit in Emma’s voice.
“Since Bentley and Rocky are both dogs of military personnel who willingly gave up their pets, it seemed fitting for us to name the foundation after their pets. The first order of business is to auction off the result of their love – eight puppies. But first let me introduce you to the parents. I give you Bentley and Rocky!”
As she spoke, General Emma threw out a hand and indicated the area behind where Max and Ryan stood. Lainy walked around them, holding a leash. Bentley trotted beside her, his tongue lolled to the side as though he grinned at the crowd. Behind her appeared Melly, also carrying a leash. Rocky stepped daintily into the room and took the applause as her due.
“That’s my girl,” Admiral O’Riley said fondly, grinning at the beautiful blonde dog on the screen.
“She’s gorgeous.” KC had to agree. Rocky was beautiful. And because of her, Corporal James’ and other’s families would be helped by the day’s proceeds.
When the clapping and catcalls died away, Emma continued. “We’re going to auction off a puppy now. Please be reminded that the Bent Rock Foundation will aid the families of those who died in battle or as a result of injuries they sustained while fighting for our country and our freedom.” Her extra inflection to our was mild, but effective.
Her statement met with silence as those listening thought about what she said. “She’s incredible,” the admiral breathed.
“Yes. That’s why I was so happy Max went to her with his ideas. She can pull anything off.”
“They’re going to bring in more money than they can spend.” She heard the admiration in his voice and smiled.
“That’s the point, isn’t it?”
“I suppose,” he answered but an auctioneer moved to take Emma’s place and Mitch, with Ryan’s help, pulled out the first puppy.
They held up the little guy, with a deep brown coat who looked just like Bentley. The bids opened high and climbed higher.
KC stared in awe.
“Do I have a thousand? A thousand fifty? A thousand fifty. Two thousand? Two thousand – two thousand fifty?” And so the bidding rose. The first puppy sold for close to eight times more than expected. And from what KC could gather, the other bidders only dropped out of the bidding race because of the little girl bouncing anxiously on the shoulders of the man who won the bid. Her squeal of delight and joy brought smiles to the faces of many in the room when Mitch handed the puppy to her.
General Emma and the auctioneer exchanged places again and her voice boomed out of
the speakers. “The next puppy will be auctioned off in half an hour. In the meantime, there are many here who have served in Kuwait and Iraq and other wars who will be happy to answer any questions you have. There are also booths set up for you to peruse, and the concession stand will be opening within the next few minutes. We have several other donated items to auction off.” She paused to glance at a list in her hand.
“The first car will be sold in five minutes. A schedule as to when each item is to be auctioned is posted near the concession stand. There are more being posted at various places around the room.” She went on to announce a clothing drive and the various items needed for care packages that people could donate. General Emma also pointed out where families could sign up to adopt a military person’s pet.
KC watched as Max and Ryan sped between booths, helping to put out literature, cared for the remaining puppies, helped out at the concession stand and generally took care of business. None of the Morrisons appeared to escape taking direction from the petite, silver haired general who rapped out orders with the aplomb of any seasoned military officer.
By the time all eight puppies had been auctioned off and placed into the arms of the excited new owner, and the other items were bought and paid for, the Bent Rock Foundation was much richer. “Not only have we earned money from the sale of Bentley and Rocky’s puppies, but corporations and private citizens,” and General Emma sniffed and closed her eyes, obviously making an attempt to maintain her emotions. She succeeded, but her voice was husky when she continued, “have generously contributed large amounts of money to this foundation. Numerous families have connected with a military person in this room who fought with their lost loved one. And we have enough money to help every one of the families who have applied for aid from us.”
The approval from the crowd was deafening. KC didn’t try to stop the tears from falling. The Morrison family had once again improved the lives of those who fought. A war they hadn’t started, but willingly gave their energies, even their lives, to their country and countrymen.
