by Geeta Kakade
But none of this was on his mind as General O’Keefe looked at the group again. They were made up of a few good men whom he hoped he could count on for the personal mission he needed help with.
He cleared his throat and said, “Thanks for coming here for this meeting.”
The walls in D.C. were paper thin and he couldn’t take a chance of any information leaking out.
“What’s our new mission?” asked Mark. He’d been on the task force his uncle had formed for the last five years, working on cases undercover. He’d been working on one in Silver Lake when he had met Christy.
“There’s lot of stuff for you, Andrew and Holt to work on but there’s also something personal.” There was a hesitant note in the General’s voice that surprised everyone. “I really don’t know if I should ask for your help with this but I have no choice.”
“Personal?” Mark wondered why he hadn’t heard of it before. As far as he knew, he and his Mom were the only family the General had left and she was in Hawaii on vacation.
The General nodded. “There is a young officer in serious trouble. She’s my goddaughter. Her father and I were in boot camp together. He and his wife were killed in a head on collision with a drunk driver 11 years ago. Laurel’s their only child and she and I have always been close. I have to help her.”
Their surprise kept them quiet.
“Before I commence I would like to brief you on her background. She’s 28, a Lt. and a member of the elite 1st Combat Camera Squadron. You all know no one gets into it if they haven’t earned their spot. She did her homework, joined the Navy and set her sights on being the best combat camerawoman she knew how.”
“What kind of trouble?” asked Andrew.
“Her unit’s in Afghanistan. Two weeks ago she was found unconscious on base with a gun beside her. The man she shot says she was trying to kill him.”
“What does she say?” Holt said.
“That’s the thing. When she regained consciousness she had amnesia. She can’t remember a thing since she enlisted at 18.”
“Retrograde amnesia,” Jacob explained. “Her memory isn’t totally gone.”
The General nodded. “And her present recollection of things is unimpaired. She’s able to function normally and the doctor says that’s another very good sign.”
“Go on Uncle Paul,” encouraged Mark.
“The commandant on base preferred charges against her then had her medi vacced to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment. She’ll be sent back soon to Walter Reed.”
They all knew the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was the best place for the General’s goddaughter now.
“So far the tests have shown no damage to her brain. The bump on her head is going down. I had a video conference with her as soon as she got to LRMC.”
That Uncle Paul would use the privilege of his rank to communicate with his goddaughter under these circumstances told them how much she meant to him.
“She has no brain injuries so the amnesia’s caused by the psychological trauma of whatever happened prior to her being knocked out.” Jacob added.
“Rape?” asked Holt. It was uppermost on everyone’s mind right now with women in the military coming forward with what they had been afraid to disclose in the past.
“That was my first thought too, but thank God it wasn’t that,” the General looked relieved. “The doctor who checked her out on base said she hadn’t been molested. There were powder burns on the fingers of her right hand attesting to the fact she had fired the gun.”
“How many times had her weapon been discharged?” Mark asked.
“Twice.”
“What does the man she shot say?”
“He says he was out for a walk and she came charging at him, said something he couldn’t hear and shot him.”
“Did Laurel show any signs of strain or unusual anger before the incident?” asked Jacob. It wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to snap under the strain of their situation.
“No. Everyone on base confirms she was her usual easy going self. She’d played Scrabble with three other officers and then said she had to work on the day’s pictures and retired to her tent. Someone said they heard her phone ring and then she left her tent.”
“Who was the call from?”
“Her sim card was removed so no one can trace the call.”
“What does the man who was shot say sir?” Andrew asked.
“Sergeant Major Thratton is known to be a bully and arrogant with female officers. He says Laurel set her cap at him and when he turned her down she went ballistic. That’s a damned lie. Laurel is so attractive she doesn’t have to set her cap at anyone.”
“Where’s the man now?”
“It was only a flesh wound so he’s being treated at LRMC and wants to return to his unit. That surprises me too. Laurel aced her combat training and if she wanted to kill the man she wouldn’t have missed.”
There was a silence while the General seemed to gather his thoughts. “In her last deployment she was on the frontline when the team she was with engaged in enemy fire. A man was shot and she provided cover with her M4 while a medic dragged him back to safety. She saved their lives without a thought for her own safety and was awarded the bronze star. This deployment I made sure she was with a unit helping train Afghan soldiers. I thought it would be safe. She intended to resign after this deployment. When I told her I worried about her she always reminded me she was going to quit the military after ten years, find a nice man get married by the time she was thirty so she could settle down in a house with a picket fence and have children and lots of pets. She’s always loved both. I won’t see her court martialled for something I’ll stake my career on that she didn’t do. If she did she had a damned good reason for it.”
“What does a background check of the man she shot turn up?” asked Andrew.
“I have someone conducting a full investigation into his past and if he’s so much as sneezed out of turn I will know about it.” The General sounded implacable. “That part I can handle. It’s Laurel I’m worried about.”
“What will happen to her?” Mark knew it wasn’t going to be easy for her.
“Goddaughter or not she’s going to have to follow procedure. She’ll be charged at an Article 32 hearing and they will rule for a court-martial just as her CO did before she left for LRMC. Because of the amnesia there will be a sanity board hearing to determine if she is mentally able to stand trial and if she can assist in her own defense. Unless she recovers her memory between now and then she’s going to be found incapable of standing trial. Because I’ll vouch she’s not a flight risk, and the fact she has an impeccable service record before the incident, she won’t be placed in pre-trial confinement. She will be let out on her own recognizance. She’ll be told to report to a psychiatrist on a regular outpatient basis but that’s it.”
Jacob was beginning to see where he came into the picture.
“I will be glad to help in any way I can sir.”
“It’s more than your professional help I need here,” countered the General.
“Sir?”
“I want someone with her 24/7. I’ve talked to her every day since she got to Germany. She’s confused and terrified and that’s not the Laurel I know. The kid always had more spunk than anyone else her age. She’s brilliant and finished four years of college with four years of high school at a magnet school. At eighteen she had a degree in photojournalism. Then her parents died and she just had to enlist and follow in her father’s footsteps. When she got into First Combat Camera I tried to see she worked recording areas of humanitarian needs but she proved herself and made her way to the frontline. Since this incident she has received no less than a hundred e-mails of support and offers to vouch for her. Her commandant called me and told me he has never had a task he hated more than when he had to charge Laurel.” The General’s voice was overcome with emotion and the other four were moved. “Nothing has ever gotten her down t
ill now.”
“What would you like me to do sir?” Jacob asked.
“I want to tell her that you were married before you both deployed last year.” Aware of the ripples of shock creating waves, he went on. “I want her to think it was a last minute thing as you were both shipping out. A husband’s the only person who would have a reason to be with her all the time, night and day. She’s going to face a great deal when she comes back to D.C. and I don’t want her to be alone for any of it. After the sanity board hearing finds her incapable of standing trial you can go anywhere in the country you want to with her. It won’t interfere with your plans for some rest and relaxation. I have talked to the Head of Psychiatry at Bethesda and he tells me she will need to have as normal a life as possible to let her brain heal from the psychological trauma that has caused the amnesia. As her husband you will be able to see she does just that.”
Jacob looked at him trying to process all he was being asked to do and the General said, “I checked your work records and spoke to a lot of people before I made this decision. Mark mentioned how much you helped him when you were assigned to his battalion. All the reports about you say you are very skilled at your job. Andrew confirms it. He says the way you re-frame people’s thoughts and show them a new way of looking at the situations that bother them is what makes you so good at what you do. You are the one person I can trust to help Laurel in the way I’ve outlined, which is why I am asking you to do me this huge favor.”
“I’m planning on working on the Washoe reservation near South Lake for a couple of weeks sir.” Jacob wondered how that would fit in with what the General wanted of him.
“I know,” the General nodded. “That’s what makes it so perfect. Laurel and you can stay at Cupid Lodge. It’s only a few miles from the reservation and Silver Lake is a beautiful area. Christy and Bridget are the perfect people for Laurel to be around right now. When I was here last Christmas I was amazed by the people close to Mark and Christy. The Kemps, Moira her son Frank and Toby will all help in their own way. I’ll pay for your board and lodging. Mark, Andrew and Holt will all be on hand. Laurel will get well there.”
The others nodded but said nothing as Jacob thought things over.
“What’s Laurel’s last name, sir?”
He should know his wife’s maiden name thought Jacob.
“That’s the strange part,” the General replied. “It’s Cupid.”
Mark looked at him. “A Laurel Cupid e-mailed Christy last year and asked if she could come stay for a while to research her family history after her deployment.”
The General nodded. “She mentioned it to me too in an email last year. Said she knew all about her mother’s side of the family but she wanted to know more about her father’s and she’d come across this website and wanted to explore the connection on her next leave. I told her you were my nephew and you and Christy would be delighted to help if she contacted them.”
He turned back to Jacob. “It will only be for a short time. I’m positive that all Laurel needs is some personal support, somebody to convince her she’s not a murderer on a daily basis and she will be back to normal in no time.”
“I’ve never lied to anyone, sir.”
“I’ll take full responsibility for that and the end justifies the means in this case. I’ll explain it to Laurel when she’s better.” He looked at all of them. “I have never asked anyone for any favors my whole career and now I’m begging all of you to help me with Laurel. I know she won’t stay with me and she cannot stay alone in the apartment she shares with a fellow officer when she’s in Washington. I don’t want her to go to upstate New York as her uncle is elderly and frail and her aunt spends a great deal of time in the nursing home with him. Every neurologist and psychiatrist I’ve talked to at Bethesda and Germany says she needs a no pressure environment and to be with people who believe in her. ”
Jacob knew the General was a man of integrity who had served his country well beyond the call of duty. He talked of Laurel as if she were his daughter and if Jacob was in his shoes he too would want nothing but the best.
“Will she buy the fact we’re married?” Jacob asked.
“If I tell her she will.” General O’Keefe sighed. “I wouldn’t ever lie to Laurel but at this time I have no other choice. When her father and I were deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, we promised each other if anything happened to one of us the survivor would take care of the other’s family. In his case it was his wife and daughter, in my case it was my sister in law and you Mark. Graham and Lara Cupid were very close to me. I won’t fail them now.”
They were all silent pondering the complexities of this latest mission.
General O’Keefe looked at Jacob again. “It will only be till December at the most.”
Jacob had the time. His last deployment had marked the end of twenty years of service to his country. He had a few months left before he retired officially and if the General wanted him on his personal task force till then, that was fine by him.
“Very well sir,” Jacob told him. “I’ll do my bit.”
The relief General O’Keefe felt was evident by the bone crushing handshake he gave him. “I cannot tell you how much it means to know Laurel will be with you.”
“We’ll all help Jacob, sir,” Mark reiterated. “It’s a great idea they stay at Cupid Lodge.”
“I don’t have to tell you this is to stay strictly between us,” said the General. “Laurel will be at the Lodge as Laurel Lightfoot and I don’t want any references made to her career or the incident.”
“Understood sir,” Holt nodded.
“You can count on us,” Andrew added. “If Mark and Christy want to travel in the Fall, Bridget and I will move into Cupid Lodge or have Jacob and Laurel stay with us.”
“I thank you all,” the General looked touched. “Jacob I’ll see you have a complete file on Laurel. I’ve called her Aunt Grace in Greene County. She’ll back up my story. I’ve arranged for an apartment off base for the two of you in Washington for the few weeks it’ll take to get through all the formalities. Anything else you want, just name it.”
“Thank you sir,” Jacob knew the task ahead was anything but simple.
The band struck up another number and Christy came up to him. “Uncle Paul, come dance with me.”
The General stood up to take her out on the floor and the images of the last meeting receded into the shadows for a little while.
JULY 2013
“Jacob and I will meet your plane, Laurel,” Uncle Paul told his goddaughter on the phone.
She was leaving for Washington D.C. the next morning.
“Jacob?”
There was a momentary hesitation and then her godfather said, “I didn’t know whether I should wait till you get to D.C to go into this but in the end I decided it was best to bring up Jacob now.”
He didn’t mention he had consulted with five psychiatrists before acting on his decision.
“Who’s Jacob?”
“Your husband Lau.”
“My husband?”
Was she losing her hearing?
Laurel held the cell phone away from her ear and looked at it as if trying to make sense of the words. No one had mentioned a second husband in the last few weeks. They had told her she was a widow and her husband had died seven years ago in the line of active duty. Aunt Grace had called her at LRMC and when Laurel had asked about her marriage she’d been told she’d married Walter Brighton right after combat training before she’d deployed for the first time.
“Jacob and I thought it best not to add to what you already have on your plate.” Uncle Paul sounded unlike himself but then it couldn’t be easy to tell a woman about the husband she couldn’t remember. “He was going to fly to Germany but the doctors at Bethesda told him to wait for you to come home. We didn’t expect it to take this long.”
She hadn’t expected to be at LRMC for a month but the doctor she’d asked had said there were not in a
rush to send her home as she didn’t need urgent care and they wanted to keep her under observation.
Like a specimen in a glass jar?
“When were we married?”
“Last year just before you both deployed separately for Afghanistan. You called and said you had decided so suddenly that there had been no time to tell your aunt and me.”
That followed the pattern of her first wedding. She seemed to have a propensity for impulsive weddings. At least husband no. 2 was alive and well. Jacob. Jacob who? She didn’t even know her own last name.
Uncle Paul seemed to sense her words had dried up.
“We’ll see you tomorrow. Remember there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Laurel gazed at the wall beside her hospital bed. Fear had been her constant companion since she’d regained consciousness on base and been unable to remember her name and rank, where she was or what she’d done.
The charges her CO had made against her, the flight to LRMC, the tests; everything was a blur as if it were happening to someone else. The one thing she wanted to get back was out of her reach. Amnesia was like being locked in a dark room. Only in her case, contrary to what happened to other people in dark areas, the chemical rhodopsin never interacted with the rod cells in one’s retina and absorbed photons to let her see.
General O’Keefe stared at the phone after he’d hung up. He hated the stories he was spinning to Laurel. They’d kept her at LRMC for four weeks at his request. He’d wanted her to have time to recover physically before she came back and faced what she had to. He’d also hope something or someone would show up in this time to help Laurel’s case but no one on base had come forward.
The memory of her christening sprang into his mind. Her parents had looked so happy that day and he had sworn, as he held their little bundle of joy in his arms, that he would be the best godfather he knew how.
It was time to make good on that promise.
