by Geeta Kakade
Laurel slipped away at ten as everyone was busy talking and she had something on her mind. The idea had been brewing ever since they had returned from her trip and tonight she had decided to put her thoughts into action.
Jacob came into the bedroom an hour later and stopped dead in the doorway. Laurel wasn’t in bed like she usually was. The slit of light from under the bathroom door told him where she was and he wondered if she had been in there all this time.
Changing he got into bed and a minute later heard the bathroom door open. He looked in that direction to see her standing in the open doorway wearing nothing but a silky emerald green shirt that came up to the top of her thighs.
His breath caught in his throat.
Her legs were long and slender and the dark green shirt was unbuttoned to show her cleavage. The glint in her eyes warned him of her purpose and he groaned inwardly cursing Paul O’Keefe for placing him in this position.
“Hello Jacob,” she said.
“Hi,” said Jacob standing up quickly. He would be better prepared to stall her if he was on his feet.
“I’m sleeping with you tonight,” she said point blank.
“Oh.” Now he fully understood the term ‘at a loss for words’ as never before.
“In your bed,” she elaborated coming closer and the heavenly scent of the gardenia oil she used as perfume wafted to him.
He wondered if the General was going to clap him in irons, court martial and then castrate him or go straight for the castration, without anesthetic of course.
She was so close that he felt the soft silk of her shirt against his bare chest. She reached up to undo the two buttons that held her shirt together and he looked down and then quickly up at her eyes. He grabbed her hands to stall them.
“Laurel, honey, wait. There’s something I have to tell you.”
Only some really quick thinking would save him now.
“I…I’ve been having problems of my own since I got back.”
She froze. “You have?”
He nodded. “With all that’s been going on I thought I’d wait to tell you.”
“Have you talked to anyone about it?”
No wonder he hadn’t made any moves. She’d heard this was one of the side effects of PTSD.
He nodded. “A friend who’s the best doctor I know on the subject. He said quite a few men experience it when they return from a deployment and its normal. He told me to give it time. If there’s no pressure everything will return to normal soon.”
A frown pleated her brow and she took a step back and then stopped.
“Maybe if we just sleep together…”she suggested.
“Honey it’s better not to. I turn and toss so much now that I might keep waking you up.”
He never moved once he was asleep. She’d watched him sleep, she slept in his bed and she knew. Whatever his reason for not wanting them to sleep together she could take no for an answer.
Laurel lifted her chin. “Of course I understand. Good night.”
Returning to the bathroom she shut the door. Slipping the sleep shirt over her head she balled it up and threw it into the clothes hamper. Taking her pajamas and tank top off the hook on the door she slipped into them. She felt like a total failure. Jacob didn’t want her.
Lying down Jacob turned on his side away from the bathroom door. She was so long coming out he knew she was crying in there. He felt a tear at the corner of his own eyes at the thought of hurting her. Feeling like an absolute heel he decided he was going to tell the General that he could no longer carry on the task he was entrusted with. It was humanly impossible. He had to tell Laurel the truth.
Besides he was killing himself with this tight band of constraint he’d placed around himself.
The situation wasn’t fair to either of them.
When he opened his eyes and looked at the clock beside his bed it was ten. He had fallen asleep at 0600 hours after deciding on a plan. He was going to talk to General O’Keefe and tell him he loved Laurel and wanted to marry her. Then he was going to ask Laurel to go with him to a wedding chapel in one of the casinos and get married. After the ceremony he was going to book them into the best honeymoon suite he could find and prove to her there was nothing wrong with him.
Pleased with his solution he had finally fallen asleep.
He went into the kitchen. Only the Kemps were there and Mrs. Kemp looked surprised to see him. She got up as he poured himself a cup of coffee and placed the buttermilk spice muffins he liked on a plate near him.
“Where’s Laurel?” he asked.
“She said she was going to the Reservation,” Mr. Kemp looked worried, “and we thought you were going with her.”
“Christy, Bridget and Emma are out shopping,” Mrs. Kemp told him. “Mr. Brigham the lawyer is meeting with the men at Bridget and Andrew’s place.”
He’d finished his coffee and he stood up. “Who’s car has she taken?”
“Christy’s I think,” said Mr. Kemp. “I heard her say yours was low on gas and Christy offered hers.”
Fear made his heart spasm. Laurel hadn’t driven alone since they’d arrived.
“Christy’s car has a good GPS,” said Mrs. Kemp reading his mind.
“I would have gone with her if she’d told me she was going alone,” said Mr. Kemp.
Jacob headed for the door. “If anyone asks, I’m going after Laurel. Do you know what time she left?”
“About nine,” said Mr. Kemp looking at his wife for confirmation.
“Nine,” she echoed.
She had an hour and a half head start. Jacob cursed as he got into his car which had a full tank of gas.
Laurel reached the Reservation by ten and went straight to Ama’s house.
She answered the knock on the door herself looking wan. Laurel slipped in and helped her back to her chair.
“You don’t look so good,” she said. “Where’s Sylvie?”
The older woman sat back down, “She came in crying this morning and after she got me some tea I sent her home. I feel worse with a troubled spirit around.”
“Let me get you something to eat,” Laurel hoped the only reason Ama didn’t look well was the one she had stated.
She sliced the bread Christy had put into a basket for her and put butter and jam on the tray with it. Then she brewed a fresh pot of tea and took it all in.
She had a slice of bread and butter herself and when she had cleared the tray away and washed up the things she returned to the front room. She had wanted to say so much but now the words wouldn’t come out. She didn’t know why she had come here in the first place.
She’d been so upset that when she’d finally fallen asleep it had been disturbed and she’s woken up at seven and decided to come see Jacob’s grandmother.
Ama looked at Laurel as she returned to the room, “You don’t look so good either. What’s the matter my dear?”
Laurel was taken aback by the way the tears gushed out. Suddenly she was on her knees by the chair her head on Ama’s knee and sobbing her heart out.
“There my dear. There. Nothing is as bad as we think it is.”
“I…I love him so much,” Laurel said, “and I’m s…s…such a big nuisance to him.”
“Has he said so?”
“I k.k.know it.”
“I think Jacob is in love in a way he has never, ever been,” Ama stroked her hair. “His first love was a young love but he loves you in a way I can’t describe.”
Laurel blew her nose on the tissues in her hand and lifted her head. “H…h…he loves me?”
“Very much. All you both need to do is find a quiet place and talk to each other about how you feel. The rest will fall into place by itself.”
“I..I..it will?”
“Yes it will.” The conviction in Ama’s voice was comforting.
Laurel sat up and mopped her eyes. “I’m sorry I made such a scene.”
“What scene?” Ama asked. “Why don’t you wash up and go for a small walk
? Ben wants to show you his photographs. I’ve just remembered I have to call Mary and ask her to come by and have dinner with me tonight. You’ll feel better after the walk.”
Laurel nodded getting to her feet and heading to the bathroom. A small walk, a talk with thirteen year old Ben who lived at the other end of the row of houses and then she would head home.
She took the same path she had on the other two occasions and froze when she got to Sylvie’s brother’s place. The back door was open and the unmistakable sound of a whimper reached her ears.
“Stop sniveling!” The crack of a slap made Laurel freeze.
She dove through the bead curtain and stared. Sylvie was on her knees and the man with his back to her was raising his hand again.
There was something awfully familiar about the scene and it unleashed a sense of fury that swamped her.
“Stop that!” Laurel charged him from the back and he went down with her on top of him. She got to her feet quickly her senses on full alert. Sylvie scuttled out of the room.
“You aren’t going to hit her again.”
Joe Crutch got up and she saw his face contorted with rage.
“Who’s going to make me?” He drew a gun out of his belt. “You?”
Laurel felt herself moving, throwing herself against his hand and deflecting it upwards. The movement was so sudden it took him by surprise and the gun went flying across the room. Laurel’s gaze followed its path relieved when she saw Sylvie pick it up.
“Give that to me,” She held her hand out to Sylvie, taking her eyes off Joe for a second.
That was her mistake.
The next instant she felt herself being shoved so hard that she went over backwards and then everything blacked out. In the split second before she passed out she heard the roar of the gun go off.
“Laurel.” Someone was patting her cheek and she didn’t know why. She
wanted to sleep. She was so tired.
“Go ‘way,” she said.
“Open your eyes please.”
She became aware of something cold against her head and the gentle voice she knew so well said, “Open your eyes.”
“No.”
Behind her closed lids, scenes flashed across the screen of her mind.
One of the women, Pvt. Kay Cooke, had sought her out after dinner in the Mess to ask if she could have a few words in private. Laurel like the young private whom she had met while talking with the Afghani children. Kay had started meeting her there every evening and helping show the kids how to write. Laurel had noticed Kay had not been looking well lately. Laurel said she would meet her in ten minutes in the tent she shared with another female officer. They were going to a watch a movie so Kay and she would have the privacy they needed.
When she went to the tent there was no one there. From behind it she heard a man’s voice yelling and then the crack of a slap and a whimper. Laurel ran out.
Before she could say anything a shot was fired and Laurel froze as the man went down clutching his arm. Kay threw her gun away, and stood there shaking and looking at the man on the ground.
“Who is it?” asked Laurel looking at the prone figure of the man.
“Sergeant Thratton. He’s been after me ever since I got here.”
Laurel knew the man. Most of the women hated him and outside of work steered clear of him.
“He wouldn’t stop harassing me, no matter what I told him. Made me meet him here every night or else…” Kay said between sobs. “Said nobody would believe me and he’d see I got reported for insubordination if I tried to complain to anyone. He said he had friends in high places.”
Laurel knew how a bully like Thratton could make life hell for the women he fancied. There were so many rumors but no one had come forward and brought charges against him.
“Give me the gun,” Laurel said taking it from Kay and putting an arm around her.
“Go back to the others and don’t say a word about any of this.”
The girl turned and ran as if she couldn’t bear to remain there.
Laurel looked around for the gun. She found it under a bush and had barely turned with it when she found someone pushing her hard. Taken off guard she had gone over backwards and felt a lightning bolt of pain as her head struck the ground.
“Laurel open your eyes please.”
She opened her eyes and looked at the man beside the bed.
“Yes?” she said blankly wondering where she knew him from.
She looked around the room and her eyes widened. They weren’t on base.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“In Ama’s house.”
She looked past him to the woman in the background who was chanting. There was the scent of sage burning in the air. She could taste sugar in her mouth. The ice on her head, the look in the eyes of the man brushing her hair off her forehead and everything came flooding back.
The scene with Sylvie, the man, the gun.
“Jacob,” she said her hands going up to her head. “Joe Crutch. Is he dead? Did Sylvie kill him?”
“No he isn’t Laurel but you’ve bumped your head. I’ve called for an ambulance. We have to get you to a hospital. I would have driven you but I didn’t want to risk doing your further injury.”
“I’m not hurt,” said Laurel. “The scene with Sylvie’s brought everything back Jacob.” She clutched at his arm. “On base there was an incident. A woman was being repeatedly molested and Pvt. Kay Cooke finally shot the man. I took the gun away from her intending to make a report but the man came at me and pushed me over. I went over backwards.”
She didn’t know why his smile was so big or why there were tears in his eyes.
He leaned over and kissed her full on the lips as she heard the siren of an ambulance draw near.
“I love you,” he said.
It took four weeks in D.C for everything to be taken care of. She had been flown by air ambulance to Walter Reed after a day in the Vets hospital in Reno and pronounced completely fit after another week of tests in Bethesda. Uncle Paul refused to leave her side till the tests were over and then he had taken her to his apartment. Carol was there, glad to see her back and told her she would be staying at the apartment with her.
There was another surprise for Laurel. Expecting to repeat a court hearing she was amazed to hear everything was over.
The unit had returned Thanksgiving eve and Thursday morning Kay Cooke had turned herself in and made a full confession. She had been too afraid of the Sarge to do so before. Sergeant Major Thratton was in custody.
Uncle Paul had been away with some friends for the weekend and it had been Friday morning before he’d heard the news and returned to D.C. or he would have called Laurel with the news right away. As it was, by the time he had called Jacob, it was to be told Laurel had her memory back and was in Reno.
Word had spread like wildfire online as soon as Kay had confessed and ten other women had come forward repeating her story in 24 hours. They had all been used by Thratton in the last few years and were so terrified of him they hadn’t said a thing. He had chosen his women with care; those who were afraid of him and had no connections to help them.
With the odds against him Thratton had been advised to make a full confession. He had tried to get a friend to stop Laurel stateside as she was the only one he knew he couldn’t scare into staying silent and his retiring with a full pension depended on her silence. That could only be ensured if she met with an accident. He’d pressed her fingers on the gun after she’d been knocked unconscious and fired another shot so she would have powder burns on her fingers.
Uncle Paul assured Laurel that Kay would get full protection and he would see she wasn’t put in any kind of confinement. Colonel Hattie Wyse who was heading the investigation on women’s complaints of sexual assault in the military had Kay under her wing now.
Monday both Lt. Sara Hunt and the prosecuting counsel for the Government had requested the judge to drop all charges against Laurel and he had complied
immediately.
Uncle Paul mentioned there was a great position in the Philippines and Laurel could be deployed there in a month when she was cleared for active duty.
Laurel looked at her godfather. “Uncle Paul I can never thank you enough for all you’ve done for me but I’d like to stick with my decision to resign. I gave myself ten years when I signed up and I feel I’ve done my best for my country.”
“There’s a job in the White House or on my task force if you want it.”
“Not for me Uncle Paul, thanks. I’m glad I started doing my Masters on my last deployment. I have about six months more to do to get my Masters in Education and then I want to teach photo journalism. In my free time I would like to help Jacob with his program on the Reservation.”
Uncle Paul had the hugest smile she could see on his face. “Does Jacob know?”
“Not yet.”
Since she’d returned to D.C. Christy and Bridget texted or took turns calling her every day, giving her news of Jacob. Moira, the Kemps, Toby and Frank got on Facetime and told her they missed her and the dogs kept looking for her in her bedroom.
Jacob was at the Reservation every day now busy with his work there. Laurel had hoped he would call her but he hadn’t. Uncle Paul told her he had kept Jacob apprised of her situation on a daily basis.
She should have been hurt but she wasn’t. She knew what she had seen in his eyes was real, heard him say the words ‘I love you’, and she knew she loved him back.
We have all the time in the world.
She knew he wanted her to re-evaluate her life and make the right decision for her.
The events of the last few months had shown Laurel there was no point in postponing happiness. She knew what she wanted.
Her restored memory had given her another gift.
Walter had lied about using protection and got her pregnant just so she would quit her job. When she’d told him she’d lost the baby without even knowing she was pregnant at eight weeks he had called her a liar and accused her of aborting the baby to further her career. By then she already knew Walter had a devilish temper and he wanted his own way all the time. She wasn’t surprised he had filed for divorce and glad he had done that before he died.
