by Geeta Kakade
“Every commanding officer you’ve had says you’re a real trooper. You’ll win this fight too,” Uncle Paul said. “It’s just a question of time.”
Laurel smiled. “Yes I will. Jacob’s planned this trip so we can get to know each other all over again and I’ll have some wonderful chances to photograph nature at its best as we drive to Silver Lake. I’ve been thinking of careers in photojournalism.”
Hopefully that comment would reassure Uncle Paul that she was planning her future.
She had started experimenting with the camera equipment she’d left behind with Uncle Paul before her last deployment. There were two of her personal cameras in her kit bag too but she hadn’t looked at them yet. A part of her wanted to avoid everything about her work. Laurel was surprised to find how effortlessly she remembered every detail of her photographic techniques. She’d taken a hundred pictures so far this week around Washington and she and Jacob had reviewed them together. Jacob had been pleased about her enthusiasm over her photography and she guessed to the psychiatrist in him it was one more proof that she was normal in the everyday area.
The effort she was making to be positive in front of them was being paid back by the way they looked at her. Some of the edge of worry in their eyes had disappeared.
Jacob cursed himself as a black tide of self recrimination welled up. She made him sound so wonderful. He didn’t know what she would say when she discovered the truth about them not being married.
“I have work in the area so you are actually helping me by agreeing to go back to Silver Lake with me,” he said smoothly.
She went to the bathroom before they left and the General looked at him.
“It’s a really good sign she remembers every detail of her photography and is as adept at it as ever with her stuff,” Jacob said. “It means there is no functional amnesia sometimes caused by structural alterations to the brain after a severe shock.”
Uncle Paul nodded. “Take good care of her won’t you?”
Jacob met the gimlet gaze head on. Was there a threat behind the words?
“I won’t fail the trust you’ve placed in me, no matter what happens sir,” he said. “And I won’t fail Laurel.”
The General’s gaze became kinder, he seemed about to say something but then he changed his mind and nodded. “Thank you Jacob. I’m beginning to see why Mark and Andrew testify you are one of the best doctors and officers they know.”
“Thank you sir.”
In the bathroom Laurel stared at her reflection. They were leaving in two days on their trip to Silver Lake. Jacob had shown her the maps and given her the travel books asking her to mark any areas of interest she wanted to stop at. He said they had talked of an unplanned holiday with no fixed itinerary for this trip.
Was it to have been a belated honeymoon?
She wondered about the fear in her eyes as she looked at her reflection.
Was she afraid of herself or of what the future held?
What if she didn’t ever regain her memory?
After she had looked up all she could about amnesia on the new laptop Uncle Paul had given her, she had made an appointment with a private specialist this last week without telling anybody. Something told her she would feel better after a private opinion with no one to run interference.
She had told Carol what she was doing and asked her to cover for her if Uncle Paul or Jacob called to see if they were together.
The specialist had looked at her copy of the test results, talked with her and reiterated whatever the psychiatrist at Bethesda had told her. Her brain needed time to heal and when it was ready she would remember everything.
The doctor had said there could be another trauma associated with her accident that she was suppressing and hypnosis might help her. Laurel refused the hypnosis but had thought about the doctor’s remarks carefully.
Was this trip the right thing to agree to?
It would be a leap into the unknown but she knew she had always gone headlong into everything she’d done.
Her chin lifted. If she had to start building a new life for herself there was no better way than starting with this trip. In Silver Lake she would find something to do that would separate her from Jacob.
By the end of September she was going to tell Jacob he could have his freedom.
Christy, Bridget, Mark and Andrew were having dinner together as they tried to do once a week.
“Have you heard anything from Jacob?” Christy asked.
Mark had told them about Laurel’s amnesia and warned them not to say a word to anyone. To all purposes Jacob and Laurel were married friends of theirs vacationing in the area. He’d left out the details about the shooting that preceded Laurel’s accident and the threats and the accident after she was discharged as he and Andrew had decided to keep that part to themselves.
“They’re on their way. They’ll be here Sunday.” Mark said to his wife.
“It must be terrible to lose your memory,” Bridget’s heart went out to Laurel.
“Terrible,” echoed Christy.
They both looked at each other wondering how they would help Laurel without making her uncomfortable.
“Stop worrying,” Andrew had tuned into their thoughts. “All you two have to do is be yourselves. As Moira says she hasn’t met anybody who doesn’t like you.”
“When will Holt be here?” Christy asked Mark.
“Why?” He was surprised by the sudden change of topic.
“Well,” she said. “He was looking at Moira in a certain way and Bridget and I thought he might like to get to know her better.”
“You’re kidding,” said Mark, exchanging a look with Andrew. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what?” demanded Christy.
“Get this urge to bring people together. Let people find their own way.”
“It’s an itch we old married women have,” Christy said with a mock sigh. “When our husbands lose interest in us we have nothing better to do than to work on other couples and lure them into matrimony so they can suffer the same fate as us.”
They all laughed and then Mark and Christy stood up to leave.
“Come here you old married woman!” said Mark later in their bedroom as he pulled Christy closer for a passionate kiss. “I’ll show you who’s lost interest in you.”
Laurel had slipped out on her own to do some last minute shopping. She’d used the excuse of meeting Carol for lunch as cover hoping Jacob wouldn’t check with her friend.
She couldn’t understand the compelling need to be alone for awhile…it might be the thought that she and Jacob would be together 24/7 for the next few days that had her wanting to go out by herself.
Laurel went to the mall and decided to pick up a few more clothes for the trip. She still had some of the money Uncle Paul had given her and she wanted to get Jacob a couple of dress shirts.
An hour into the shopping Laurel started feeling uneasy. She couldn’t understand it. It was as if someone was following her, watching her. When she looked around in the store there was no one and she told herself to stop letting her imagination run wild.
She left the store she was in deciding to go to another one at the end of the mall and the feeling persisted. Three stores away she bent to tie her shoelace. She looked up into the shiny glass of the pillar in front of the next store and saw a male figure duck out of sight. Pretending she hadn’t noticed anything she kept on going, stopping short at the next store with a shiny pillar and saw the same man behind her. Jeans, t-shirt, muscular, a cap pulled low over his face.
Covered in goose bumps she ducked into the store, picked up some clothes at random as if she were going to try them on and asked the manager if she could use the back exit as she felt someone was stalking her. The manager immediately took her through to the back and Laurel got outside. Luckily the back of the store faced the parking lot and she could hail a passing cab very quickly.
When her heart stopped racing she wondered if she should call Un
cle Paul and Jacob to tell them what had just happened or wait till she got home.
Unlocking the apartment door she went into her bedroom. The phone rang just as she put her bags down on the bed and she reached for it just as she heard Jacob say. “Laurel’s out with Carol, sir.”
“I wanted to talk with you,” said uncle Paul.
“Sir?”
“Do you think Laurel’s guessed anything’s not kosher with your marriage?” asked Uncle Paul.
Well!
“Why do you ask that, sir?”
“She’s been giving you these strange looks and the other day when I took her out to lunch she seemed about to ask me something two or three times and then changed her mind.”
“She hasn’t heard anything from me, sir.”
“She’s as sharp as a tack. For her sake, I want you to keep up the façade. If anyone’s after her, they might think twice before they try anything if you’re around. What better way to be around her 24/7 than if you’re married to her? I hate lying to her but I have no other choice to keep her safe.”
“I understand sir. Have you found out anything more?”
“Not yet but I’m working on it. I just wanted to thank you for doing this for me for me before you left. Laurel means the world to me,” Uncle Paul’s voice had an overlay of emotion that was contrary to his usual clipped tones. “I’ve never asked anyone for anything in my entire career but to see she’s well and safe I don’t mind begging for favors.”
Tears flooded Laurel’s eyes. Her godfather had a reputation for being a great soldier and a tough campaigner who never minced words or deviated from his duty. To hear the note of pleading for understanding in his voice, the worry, was something unusual.
“Glad to be of help, sir. Mark, Andrew, Holt and I won’t let you down.”
“I’ll see you both tonight,” said the General.
“Right sir.”
Laurel hung up after she heard two clicks on the line. She stared at the phone.
A sensation of overwhelming relief flooded her. She wasn’t married. She wasn’t denying Jacob anything.
The next feeling was anger that they had lied to her.
Laurel lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. All she could see was angry streaks of red in her mind’s viewfinder. Her heart raced and she heard the echo of its angry beat drumming in her ears.
I don’t mind begging for favors.
Anger ebbed. Soft shades of blue chased the red away.
She was lucky Uncle Paul cared so much about her.
The field of blue gave way to calming white as reason took hold.
If it hadn’t been for Uncle Paul she would be in prison.
Jacob too had made everything so easy for her since she had returned home.
They were both paying a high price for something she had done.
It was her mess. She had to clean it up.
Her first impulse was to let the charade continue. The next instant she knew she couldn’t live a lie.
Laurel came out of the bedroom to see Jacob in the kitchen. He was surprised to see her. “When did you get back?”
“Just before Uncle Paul’s call. Can we sit down please? We need to talk.”
Jacob nodded. From the look on her face he could guess what was coming.
They went into the living room and when they were both seated Laurel said,
“I overheard the conversation you just had with Uncle Paul without meaning to.”
Jacob just looked at her and she went on. “I cannot thank you both enough for all you’ve done for me but it’s a huge relief to know we’re not married and I’m not denying you what every young couple have and want.”
She held his gaze though it was a real effort not to look away.
“You have become my best friend Jacob and that encourages me to say what I have to.” She raked her hair with her fingers. “Something happened today. I wanted to be on my own for a while so I lied about meeting Carol and took a cab to the mall. When I was there I noticed a man following me. That proves Uncle Paul’s fears have foundation. I put the shove on the escalator down to an accident but now I have to agree it could be more.”
Jacob’s start of surprise didn’t escape her; neither did the intensity that darkened his eyes to a panther’s gaze.
“I don’t understand why someone is after me but I do understand that Uncle Paul and you are out on a limb trying to keep me safe. My first impulse to leave here and strike out on my own isn’t possible to follow because like it or not I’m not in the best state of health right now and putting Uncle Paul and you in a position where you didn’t know where I was would mean I didn’t honor the fact he’d vouched for me and said I wasn’t a flight risk. Uncle Paul means the world to me. Since my parents death he’s tried to fill the gap their death left in my life the best he can. He has more official responsibilities right now than he will talk about and I don’t want to add to the load he has to bear. For the sake of Uncle Paul’s peace of mind, I have to ask you to keep up the husband and wife routine with me for a few weeks more. I know it’s asking a great deal of you but will you please continue to be my husband Jacob and let me go with you to Silver Lake? I’ll set you free as soon as I can.”
Her voice had trailed away to a whisper at the end. It was the most she’d ever said to him and he knew how much it cost her to come to the conclusion that she still had to ask for help.
He stood and went to her and put both hands on her shoulders ignoring her slight start of surprise.
“Thank you for being so understanding of why we thought it best to lie to you,” he said. “ It says so much for your maturity. One of your CO’s had mentioned that your thought process was well beyond your years. I’ve caught glimpses of that in the way you put up a front around the General and me and I appreciate it. As for your request, I’ll be your husband Laurel and I would love it if you come to Silver Lake with me.”
“Thank you Jacob.”
She looked at him and the emotion in her eyes drew his head down to hers. He intended just to brush her forehead with his lips but she reached up, put both arms around his neck, moved close to him and deepened the pressure of her lips for a whole minute.
When he lifted his head and opened his eyes she was gone. Jacob stood there dazed. It was a while before his brain registered the thought that again, he really liked the way Laurel said thank you.
“So you found us out,” said Uncle Paul ruefully as they sat down to dinner at his apartment.
His housekeeper Anna had just placed all the food on the table and been told they wouldn’t need her any more that evening. He’d waited till the front door had closed after her before he’d broached the topic.
Laurel nodded. “I picked up the phone thinking it might be Carol for me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“Are you very angry?”
“No. I understand you have my best interests at heart and I’m lucky to have you in my corner.”
Laurel related the events in the mall. “That helps cement the fact something more is going on than just an accidental shooting. Why would someone be afraid of what’s going to come out when I regain my memory?”
“I’m working on that angle,” said Uncle Paul. “You focus on staying safe till your memory returns. Stick with Jacob or one of the others at all times. Put your credit card away and use the ATM machine and pay with cash when you’re alone.”
Laurel nodded. “Jacob needs a medal for all he’s doing for me. Talk about above and beyond the call of duty.”
“I’m grateful to him too,” the General said, “but remember for your own safety to keep up the front of husband and wife all the time. No one must guess you are Lt. Laurel Cupid. I hope nobody will trace you to Silver Lake but we cannot be too sure. I’m having Carol and another officer Jacob’s height and build stay at your apartment for a week to give you a head start. If anyone asks I’m going to say you are backpacking in Montana.”
“We’ll be careful sir.” Jacob told hi
m.
Uncle Paul looked at his niece. “From all the reports I have of him, Jacob’s amazing at what he does.”
“I should know,” Laurel agreed. “I can personally vouch for his abilities.”
Jacob picked up the platter of chicken and offered it to Laurel. It was time to get the General and Laurel off the track they were on.
He’d noticed the difference in Laurel in the last few hours. She was more relaxed around him now that she knew she wasn’t married to him. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was only seeing the way she was now that made him realize the full extent of how worried she had been about not fulfilling her marital duties. The twinge of guilt he felt at being the cause of the worry made him determined to give her all the help she needed in the world.
He liked the fact she hadn’t jumped into bed with him for the sake of having sex. It was plain she wanted to be in love first. He liked that.
“Did you manage to finish all your shopping?” Uncle Paul asked. “I can give you more money if you need some. Don’t worry about Jacob using his card for your expenses. I’ll reimburse him.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Laurel said. “Thank you so much for your gift and everything you’ve done for me Uncle Paul. I don’t need any more money right now. Jacob says we’ll have plenty of time to stop at places en route if I need more stuff. Once I give her an address Aunt Grace will send me a box of winter clothing and other things that I’d left with her on my last leave. After our last chat on Facetime she says I’ve lost so much weight now that she doubts if the things will fit me but I can try.”
His name being mentioned had brought Jacob’s thoughts to bear on the present.
“On the subject of weight loss you have to eat a little more and regain your health. You were always in peak physical condition but now you’re too thin,” said Uncle Paul.
“I’ll try Uncle Paul. Don’t worry about me. The fact I’m not a legal millstone around Jacob’s neck is a load off my mind and I’ve cleaned my plate tonight.”
