I Remember You

by Mairsile Leabhair

  Aidan and Paul filled Greene in on what they’d found. He thought they might be onto something, so he checked the forensic report, and found that there indeed, were traces of morphine, cocaine, even steroids. He told them that it looked like someone had set up a kitchen, because they found a countertop stove, and some pots and pans. That was one piece of the puzzle that Greene had not yet connected. He agreed that something was definitely going on up there, and he was going to bring Ken in for questioning.

  Agent Greene was working in conjunction with FIG, the FBI’s branch of Field Intelligence Groups. The FIG conducted the interviews in such a way, as to collect data to be analyzed and disseminated to the other agencies, such as Homeland Security. With so many people to interview, this process was painstakingly slow. An immediate arrest virtually was impossible, until all the leads had been investigated, or proof‒positive evidence presented its self. Aidan hoped that this new twist in the investigation would help move things along faster.

  *

  “Okay people, you’ve got your homework assignments, let’s make this happen. And good work today, everyone. Thank you all.” Vicky picked up her cell phone and texted Aidan, “Late lunch?”

  A few minutes later, Aidan texted back, “Yes, I’m starved. The usual place?”

  She smiled. The connection to her lover, even through text messaging, reinforced her stamina, “Of course. Your turn to pick up.”

  Twenty minutes later, Vicky arrived home to find Aidan greeting her at the door, with a diet soft drink and a slice of pizza.

  “How was your morning, kid?” she asked, as she greeted Vicky with a kiss.

  Vicky exclaimed, “Actually, it was exhilarating. Yours?”

  “Same here.”

  They took their food into the living room, and stretched out on the couch, each eager to tell the other what they had accomplished that morning. Vicky tucked a large cloth napkin in her blouse, while Aidan just started eating. “Well, since your mouth is full, I’ll go first.” Vicky grinned, “This afternoon, I’m shooting a commercial, doing some magazine ads, and...”

  Chapter 18

  Some people shun the spotlight, some people embrace it, some people use it to their advantage, and some people are able to blend all three. What’s the old saying? Vicky asked herself, when you have nothing to lose, you have everything to gain. That’s where Vicky found herself, through no fault of her own. The spotlight was about to embrace her, and she intended to take full advantage of it.

  “My name is Victoria Montgomery,” Vicky stood, holding in front of her, the tabloid with her bloody picture on the cover. They would blur out it’s masthead in post‒production, so as not to promote sales. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me. I’m the President and CEO of St. Frances Health System.” She lowered the newspaper, and walked into a patient’s room, “The tabloids would have you believe that I’m down for the count. But as you can see, I’m very much alive. The same can be said for St. Frances Hospital. Let me tell you the truth. Yes, the hospital was the target of a terrorist group. What you may not know, is that it was the employees who stopped those terrorists.”

  Mark Ray, the commercial director, made a note of the time code to remind him where he wanted to insert B‒roll of Vicky addressing her employees, the day before they reopened the hospital. He had purchased the video from the local news station, who had filmed it, knowing it would be perfect for this commercial.

  Vicky turned and pointed to a nurse holding a patient’s hand in a comforting way, “These brave men and women took an oath of healing, and they upheld that oath, risking their own lives. As a recent patient here, I can attest, that I wouldn’t trust my life to anyone else..., would you?” She lingered for a moment, staring with concern, at the camera.

  “And CUT, that’s a wrap!” Mark bellowed.

  “So, how did I do?”

  “Perfect. We’ll have this edited and on the air, by the weekend,” he replied.

  “Great. I hope it helps,” she was optimistically cautious, “So what’s next?”

  He looked at his schedule, “They’re waiting for your photo shoot out front. It’s for the ad promotion.”

  “Okay, I’m on my way.”

  Vicky and Aidan passed each other in the hallway, as they hurried to their next project.

  “I love you,” Vicky chortled, as she walked by, holding her hand up.

  “I love you more,” Aidan assured her, as they high fived, and kept walking in opposite directions.

  *

  “Hey, Paul,” Aidan walked into Paul’s office, and shut the door behind her, “Will your buddy help us out?”

  Paul replied, “He’s already on it.”

  “That’s great. When can we get a report?”

  “How does now sound to you?” he smiled, picked up his phone, and made a call.

  “Sweet!”

  “Tell me what you’ve got, Dave?” As Paul received the report, he jotted down some notes, “Thanks, I’ll check back in a couple of hours,” he hung up, and looked at Aidan, “Okay, let’s get out the map, and see if we can track his movements.”

  The rest of the afternoon went much the same way. Vicky worked on her photo shoot, while Aidan worked on her investigation. Later that evening, they both fell into bed, exhausted.

  “I am so tired,” Vicky muttered.

  “Me too,” Aidan agreed.

  Vicky asked, “Remember when we were kids, and we stayed up all night watching horror movies?”

  “Yeah, and the next day, we fell asleep on the school bus, missed our stop, and ended up riding around for an hour.”

  “That’s how tired I am right now. Not that it wasn’t fun.”

  “Not as much fun as I’ve had today. We tracked Jack all afternoon, and I think I have enough to take to the authorities, tomorrow.”

  Vicky sat up anxiously, “So, you’re pretty sure it’s Jack then, and not Ken?”

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  “I hope you’re right, because I am so ready for this to be over.”

  “Yeah, me too. But you know, I really like this espionage stuff.”

  Vicky thought to herself, Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about that.

  ***

  The next day, Aidan met with Fred Patch, from Homeland Security, and presented her findings.

  “This is good work, Aidan, but you understand, it may not be usable in court?” Patch informed her.

  “I understand, but I thought maybe, based on my findings, you would know which way to point your investigation. I mean‒‒”

  “It’s not that we haven’t been trying, Aidan. Our hands have been legally tied, because the judge hasn’t granted my search warrant, yet. But I’m seeing him this morning. Maybe this will convince him otherwise.”

  “What happens, after you get the warrant?” Aidan was sure that, after the judge saw her evidence, he’d have a change of heart…, he just had to.

  “We do pretty much, everything you have already done, which is to search his office, his house, and his phone records. If the judge will grant the warrant this morning, we can surprise Jack, before he catches on to us.”

  “Will you keep me in the loop?” Aidan desperately wanted this to be over, for Vicky’s sake.

  “Will do. With any luck, we could have this wrapped up in a day or two, maybe sooner.”

  Aidan exhaled, “That would be great.”

  ***

  Vicky was sitting at her desk, grimacing at the patient census, and the financial report, when Yvonne came to her door. “Vicky, there’s someone here to see you?”

  “Are they on my calendar, Yvonne?” She asked, not wanting to lose her concentration on the reports, because then she’d have to start all over again. There was nothing she loathed more, than reading financial reports.

  “No ma’am, he just walked in and requested to see you. He said to tell you that he knew Aidan in Iraq, and is your Facebook friend?”

  “Oh!” she instantly pushed her reports to the side, and stood
up, “I told him to stop by, when he got to town. Please, send him in, Yvonne.”

  Specialist Jerry Williams walked into the room, his beret in his hand, and set his duffle bag down. “Hi, we met on Facebook, about Sergeant Cassidy?” He extended his hand to her.

  Vicky took his hand warmly, “Oh yes, Private Williams.”

  “It’s Specialist Williams now, ma’am.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Here, won’t you take a seat,” she motioned for him to sit down, and noticed that he had a slight limp, “Thank you so much, for coming. I’m sorry Aidan’s not here, but she’s out right now, on business. If you can wait a little while, she’s due back at any moment.”

  “Least I can do, ma’am.”

  Just like Aidan, so military. “Specialist Williams, I asked you here, because Aidan lost her memory during the attack you both were in. She’s gotten a lot of it back, but I was hoping you could help fill in some of the blanks for her?”

  Vicky noticed that Williams, was just a little taller than she was, with short curly brown hair, and a face that could pass for eighteen, though his Facebook profile said he was twenty‒six.

  “I would be honored to tell her what I know, ma’am. You see, I owe her my life. So if I can help in any way, any way at all, ma’am.”

  As they chatted, Aidan walked in, and stopped when she saw the uniform.

  “Aidan, come in, I want you to meet Specialist Jerry Williams.”

  Williams jumped to his feet, and extended his hand to shake, then changed his mind, and grabbed Aidan in a big bear hug, “Thank you! Thank you, Sergeant Cassidy!”

  “Uh…, you’re welcome…, I guess?” Aidan didn’t like to be hugged, unless she initiated it, and she especially didn’t like being hugged by someone she didn’t know, who seemed to be overly emotional. She looked at Vicky, who was laughing too hard to say anything. Finally, Williams stepped back, and came to attention, snapped his right hand to the edge of his temple, and saluted her.

  God, I miss saluting, she returned the salute, and scrutinizing Williams, thought he looked like he was ready to cry.

  “Somebody want to tell me what’s going on, please?” she was clearly out of her comfort zone, which she did not care for, at all.

  Vicky walked to her phone, and hit the intercom button, “Yvonne, no disruptions please, and delay my next appointment, thanks,” then she brought her desk chair around, “Sit,” she commanded, and winked at Aidan, who did as she was told. As soon as everyone was settled, Vicky explained to Aidan how Jerry came to be in her office. Then Jerry told her how they met, as Aidan’s eyes grew larger, with each surfacing memory.

  “That was you, by the roadside?” She jumped up, asking excitedly.

  Jerry stood up, and grinned, “Yes Sarge, you saved my life. ”

  “Wow! I remember some of it, but have had some uh…, setbacks with my memory. Could you tell me what happened that day?” Aidan sat back down again, and Jerry did the same.

  Vicky wondered what was going through Aidan’s head, as Jerry explained, with clear recollection, what Aidan did to save him. She watched, as Aidan let it filter through. Some things she painfully remembered, and some she didn’t.

  Vicky asked, “Jerry, Aidan’s been having nightmares, about leaving a soldier behind, and‒‒”

  “No ma’am!” he emphatically disagreed, “no one was left behind, who was still living. I think I saw the same soldier you’re remembering Sarge. He was, uh, inside out, wasn’t he?” Aidan nodded her head, “He was dead, Sarge. He and I came out of the Stryker together, and got hit by a nearby RPG. I checked him, before I crawled over to the edge of the road.”

  Both Vicky and Aidan were relieved, but for different reasons. For Aidan, it was just too hard to conceive that she would do something like run away. But with her scatter memories, she couldn’t be positive, until now. She was certainly saddened by his death. But relieved to know that she had not run away like a coward, leaving an injured soldier behind.

  Vicky was relieved, because it broke her heart to see how her lover’s nightmares left her so sad, and so weak. She knew, Aidan was no coward. Even as children, Aidan never ran away from a fight. She put her hand on Aidan’s arm, and said, “I knew it. I knew your dreams weren’t telling the whole stor‒‒” Vicky suddenly stopped. She could feel Aidan shaking. She looked at her with such concern, that Jerry was afraid she was going to cry. “Aidan, honey, are you all right?”

  “Maybe I had better go,” he stood up to leave, but Aidan intercepted him.

  “No. I’m fine.” She assured him, “It was just a lot to take in all at once, you know?” Turning to Vicky, she tried to be comforting, “I’m fine, baby, don’t worry.”

  “Who said I was worried?” Vicky quipped.

  Aidan laughed, and looked down at her arm, “Then would you please take your fingernails out of my arm.”

  “Oh my gosh! Sorry about that.” Vicky rubbed her lover’s arm, to soothe the area.

  Kissing her on the forehead to reassure her, Aidan turned to Jerry, and asked, “How long can you stay in town?”

  “I’m on furlough, and don’t have to report back for a couple of days.”

  Vicky asked him, “Do you have a place to stay yet?”

  “No, ma’am. Thought I’d check into the hotel down the street.”

  But Vicky wouldn’t hear of it, “You’ll do no such thing. You’ll stay with us, so we can get to know you better.”

  Jerry looked from Vicky to Aidan, for approval. “Absolutely, you are more than welcome, Jerry.” She assured him.

  “Thank you both, I think I would like that.”

  Aidan spent the rest of the day with Jerry, showing him the sights, taking him to lunch and talking, lots of talking about the war.

  “So I take it you and Vicky are, um…,”

  “Yes, she’s my girlfriend.” Aidan smiled, loving the sound of that. She picked up her cell phone, and sent a text to Vicky, just because she missed her. “In fact, I’m going to ask her to marry me soon.”

  “That’s fantastic!”

  Aidan and Jerry finished their lunch, feeling as if they had been friends for a long time. They learned they had a lot in common, most especially, their love of the Army. But their bond was set in stone, over a heated discussion on the Army Black Knights coaching style. From here on out, football would always be a favorite topic for these two, newfound friends.

  That night, as Vicky, Aidan and Jerry, sat down to dinner, Vicky noticed the bond between them. Aidan was much more relaxed, entertaining them with antidotes of Army life, that had them laughing out loud. Vicky was so grateful, she said a silent prayer of thanks, thinking Jerry was the best medicine for Aidan, right now.

  “Jerry, my memories of the attack are still a bit fuzzy, but I do remember you now. We met on the Stryker, hitching a ride to our next post. I remember you were a lousy card player.”

  He laughed, and replied, “And you were a card shark.”

  Later, as Aidan and Vicky laid in bed, Vicky asked, “Do you have all your memories back now?”

  “Well, most of them, but there’s still some big gaps, and that’s frustrating. I remember most of what Jerry told us, but I don’t remember much, before then. I spent a lot of time in the Army, and I can’t remember half of it.”

  “Will you be okay if you can’t bring the memories back?”

  “I guess so.” Aidan finally relinquished the fight she’d been having, to get her memories back, before she could move on. She laid her warm hand on Vicky’s heart, and knew, life was too short to put off living it. “I still have this nagging thought, that there’s something important I need to remember. But I have decided, I don’t want to waste any more time, waiting for all my memories to come back.”

  Vicky put her small hand on top of Aidan’s, a sigh of relief emanating in her heart. Thank you, Jesus. “I’m so happy to hear that, honey. It’s been killing me to watch your struggle, and n
ot be able to help you.”

  “But you have helped me, kid, more than you will ever know. With you here, I’m not afraid any more. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  Speaking of afraid... “So, uh, we’re meeting your parents for dinner tomorrow night, right?”

  She laughed at the way Aidan nervously asked that question, “Yes scaredy cat, I haven’t seen them since the shooting, and they need to see that I’m healthy and happy.”

  “Well, I haven’t seen them since I was fourteen, so I feel like I’m meeting them for the first time again, and I already know they hate me.”

  “Oh Aidan, they don’t hate you, they just don’t understand. We have to help them understand our love for each other, okay?”

  “Okay, but I’m just going to be myself…, understand?”

  “Not only do I understand, honey, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Vicky planted a hot kiss on the inside of Aidan’s wrist, working her way up her arm.

  Aidan waited for her to reach her lips before she took control, then tantalized her with a searing kiss of her own.

  ***

  The next day, while Vicky attended one meeting after another, Aidan anxiously waited to hear from Homeland Security. She walked down to the small park, nestled beside the hospital, where patients, and employees took respite. She sat on a cold stone bench, her long legs stretched out in front of her, and she leaned her head back to catch the scent of fresh air drifting by. She was an outdoors person at heart, and would have loved nothing more, than to sit beside a stream, and watch a babbling brook, for hours on end. She allowed her mind to go to that stream for a few minutes, blocking out the car horns and air planes, and the busy city life.