by Newbiel
Seeing him walking in her direction the girl seemed to recognize him as she walked in his direction, a slight smile gracing her lips.
"Hi there, I remember you. You are Scott's nephew."
"Indeed and you are his nurse."
"Yes I am. I don't know what you said to him last time but it worked wonders. He stopped taking morphine and began doing his physical therapy like his life depended on it. What did you tell him if I could be curious?"
"Nothing specific. He needed someone to kick his ass and I was happy to oblige. We all need someone to show us the right direction when we lose our way." Nathaniel said.
"Yes, I can see that." The girl said, laughing before pausing. "You know my shift is going to end soon if you want to take a coffee together after that." She asked, biting her lips.
"It would be my pleasure but I'm already seeing someone, sorry." Nathaniel smiled kindly.
"Please, tell me it's at least a girl. If I ask out another gay guy, I'm going to blow my brain out."
"Yes, it's a girl. Your brain is safe this time." Nathaniel laughed.
"Why are good guys always taken?" The girl grumbled after saying goodbye to Nathaniel.
Walking inside Scott's room, Nathaniel could already see that his eyes were not filled with self pity anymore and were much clearer. Taking a seat on the chair like the last time they had seen each other.
"Hello Scott."
"You know, I almost believed you were a hallucination caused by morphine." He said as a greeting.
"You were not at that point yet Scott but not that far off either." Nathaniel laughed but his eyes stayed serious.
"I know. I almost threw my life away and yet it was not the first time I lost men in combat. I really don't know how I ended up at this point." Scott said, shaking his head.
"It was not that. The same day you lost your brothers in arms, they told you that you were dishonorably discharged from service and then they abused your fragile state to weigh you with guilt. The truth was that they had planned for everything. The State Department is like a shitty ex boyfriend. They believe that since they can't have you anymore, no one can."
"That is one of the more apt analogies I've ever heard in my life." Scott said, laughing dryly.
"How are you Scott?" Nathaniel asked in a caring voice.
"I'm better but not good enough to leave yet. My doctors said two weeks until I can walk again. I'm going to beat that. If I'm not out in a week and a half, I don't deserve to call myself Scott anymore." He said, resolutely.
That made Nathaniel explode in laughter. It reminded him of the state he was in when he came out of a coma. People kept repeating he needed at least six month to walk again and he was not okay with that in the slightest.
"I read the file that you left here last time you know. Is everything true? Is this really happening as we speak?" Scott asked with a frown.
"Yes, everything is true. I wish it wasn't, trust me." Nathaniel nodded sadly.
"Why is nobody doing something about that?"
"Money, Power and Influence." Nathaniel said simply. Scott understood quickly.
"Why me?" He finally asked the question on his mind since the first time Nathaniel appeared in his hospital room.
"A number of reasons. Every one of your superiors praised that you were a born leader. Leading your team with effcacity and dedication. You managed to become a colonel at thirty eight, it's impressive considering the majority of your assignments were classified. You are fluent in Korean and you have a huge experience operating a team. Your ground knowledge is impressive as well. Even with your experience, you always were imaginative and resourceful, that's what I need."
"Yes, but there are others who have that knowledge and experience."
"It's true, and I eliminated each of them in the recruitment process that I created for this purpose. You are it Scott."
"Who are we going to work for?" Scott said.
Nathaniel did not miss the "we" in that sentence and made an effort to not flash a victorious smile.
"Undefined at that point but I'm going to say something to you right now. Your boss will be me and me alone. Everything will be sanctioned by the government but I will always shield you from that side of things. Even if the President of the United States comes and gives you an order, you have the right to encourage him to fu** himself." Nathaniel smiled at the shocked expression on Scott's face hearing that and then added. "Tobias, how long are you going to wait outside, you are not a frigging spy for god's sake." He shouted in the direction of the door.
A couple of seconds later, a very annoyed Tobias entered the room.
"How the hell did you know someone was here and more over that it was me. You did not even turn around once!" He shouted.
"Magicians do not reveal their tricks but since it was not one of them, I can tell you. I saw your reflection in that pitcher, you really are the worst spy ever." Nathaniel smiled sillily. "Introduce yourself, you can see that we are not alone."
"I don't have time for that, I came to give you the President's answer." He said angrily.
"Tobias, you are in the hospital room of an injured soldier that bled for his country all of his life and ended up thrown aside for political reasons. You are going to introduce yourself and give him the respect he deserves or we will find out how good you are in hand to hand combat. Trust me when I say, you will not appreciate the experience." Nathaniel said, his eyes serious.
That made Tobias stop enough to snap him out of his anger. Looking at the veteran in the hospital bed and thinking about what he just heard. The whole demeanor of Tobias changed in an instant.
"Hello, I'm Tobias Cain, Head of the Secret Service." He said, coming near the bed to shake his hand.
"Ex Colonel Scott McCornaig, glad to meet you." He said, shaking Tobias hand.
"So what is the answer of William, Tobias? My plane is taking off in one hour." Nathaniel reminded him.
"Yes we know. Can we speak at a place more private maybe?" Tobias asked, his eyes flickering to Scott in the bed and then back to Nathaniel.
"No need, just tell me." Nathaniel said confidently. He knew that Scott was already on board.
"Alright." Tobias sighed before continuing. "William accepts your offer. A few points still need to be discussed but it will be with me directly as I will be your direct interlocutor."
"Good, that was to my expectations. We are going to have so much fun together, Tobias." Nathaniel said excitedly, making Tobias grimace bitterly. He had just inherited one of the worst pains in the ass he had ever seen.
"So Scott, want to come working with me?" Nathaniel asked Scott.
"Yes sir. I'm yours to command." Scott said respectfully, making a salute.
"Fantastic." Nathaniel smiled.
*****
Three hours later Nathaniel was back in New York. Still excited to have won the President over, he wanted to have fun. Madison had told him that tonight there was a sorority party at her house and so he decided to come over.
The security guard was still in front of the house but he had become familiar enough with Nathaniel to let him pass without even asking anything. Entering and being welcomed by some very loud music, Nathaniel smiled. It was good to be back.
Searching for Madison on the dance floor, he finally found her and his smile vanished completely from his face. She was wearing one of the skimpiest dresses that he had ever seen on her and she seemed quite drunk. But it was not the reason that made the smile on Nathaniel's face disappear.
She was hungrily kissing another man.
Chapter 112: :
At that moment, Nathaniel had to close and open his eyes a couple of times for him to finally believe that it was really Madison on the dance floor. The man that she was with was completely unknown to Nathaniel and he had really good memories concerning faces. He was a little shy of 6", brown hair and was dancing and kissing completely shirtless. He was in his mid/late twenties and had a hot appearance.
Lookin
g at them, Nathaniel started to remember everything that happened between Madison and him over the last few months. The good moments they had together and the less good ones. He had of course noticed that since they had passed her brother's birthday at her parent's home in the Hampton, she had become more distant and she was answering less often to his texts or calls.
He had tried to talk to her and find out what was going on with her but every attempt he made was rebuked so he decided to let her be. It was not in Nathaniel's nature to force people into confiding in him. He had hoped she would resolve her problems alone but he had never thought she would cheat on him like that. He never even thought about it as he trusted her. Wrongly so it seems.
Looking downward at the bag in his hand containing a gift he had bought in Washington for her. He wanted to throw it away. He could not help but feel stupid thinking that she had cared for him.
It was at that moment that someone recognized Nathaniel and came over. Putting a hand on his shoulder in a sign of support, the girl started to speak.
"I'm sorry Nathaniel."
"How long Katty?" He asked not turning to his friend.
"Nathaniel…" She started before she was interrupted by him as he turned to her. Nathaniel could see that there was sadness, guilt and fear in her eyes.
"Listen Katty, I know why you did not say anything. We are friends but she's your sorority sister, I don't hold a grudge against you but I need someone to be honest with me now. For how long has she been cheating on me?"
Looking at the profound sadness and pain in his eyes, Katty decided to answer.
"Not long. They hooked up at a party two days ago. She was drunk at that time so we thought we were going to cover her mistake but then it happened again tonight. I swear Nathaniel, this is the only two times." Katty said.
Having his answer, that did not make him feel any better but it did not make him feel worse either. Once he had made up his mind, he started to walk in her direction, dodging people dancing on his way to her.
"Madison." He shouted over the music to be heard.
Hearing her name being shouted, she turned around and abruptly sobered up seeing Nathaniel there. The man with Madison also turned and examined Nathaniel quietly.
"Nathaniel! Please it's n…." She began to say before he cut her off abruptly.
"Shut up! Spare me the 'It's not what you think' or 'It didn't mean anything' bullshit. I just want to know why."
"Please just let's speak at a more quiet place." Madison shouted imploringly, her eyes watering, trying to touch Nathaniel who just swatted her hand away. He did not want to be touched by her now or ever again.
"No! You are going to tell me now." He said with a neutral, almost emotionless voice.
"Listen dude, the girl is clearly with me now. So fu** off or you are going to be hurt." The guy said, putting a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder and squeezing it forcefully.
At another time, Nathaniel would have just ignored that alpha male bullshit and just reason with the guy. Unlucky for him, it was not a normal day and he reacted instinctively. Kicking the guys kneecap, he fell on the floor with a cry of pain, clutching his knee. Nathaniel even with his anger controlled the force he used to just hurt him and not send him to the hospital with a broken leg. Getting near the guys face, Nathaniel sayid something into his ear that even Madison who was close by could not hear.
The pain on the guys face quickly turned into a terrified expression and a wet trace started to form on the guys pants. It was only once Nathaniel was done talking that the guy hobbled to his feet and left the party like he had hell chasing him. Nathaniel turned to Madison next.
"We are done. Do not try to see me, talk to me, text me or call me anymore." He said in an emotionless voice, not even looking at her anymore.
"I'm begging you Nathaniel, please. I know I fu**ed up but just let's talk only for a moment." Madison said, crying out loud.
"No, you have all the time in the world if you really wanted to talk about it with me. You chose not to. Goodbye." He said, turning around, leaving.
He heard a heart wrenching scream behind him as he was leaving but he did not turn around. He simply did not care anymore. Walking on the lit up road, he was sad, hurt and especially angry. Angry at her for betraying him like that and angry at him for not having seen it earlier.
It was nearly two hours later that Nathaniel arrived home. Seeing him passing the front door, his mothers were happy to see him back and rushed to him until they noticed the sad look in his eyes.
"Sweetie, are you alright?" Mary asked worriedly.
"Is everything alright? Something went wrong in DC?" Karine asked also worriedly.
Slumping on the couch, Nathaniel closed his eyes for a second, sensing is mothers sitting on each side of him. It was soothing to have them here for him, especially in times like this.
"No everything went well in DC, so well that I decided to go partying with Madison in her sorority house. Imagine my surprise when I walked on her tongue deep inside another man's mouth." Nathaniel said sadly.
"What!?" They exclaimed at the same time.
"Yeah, my friend Katty told me that it was very recent, while I was in DC actually." Nathaniel shook his head dejectedly.
"Sweetie this is not your fault! Me too, I was thinking that Madison liked you. Don't beat yourself up for something that is not on you." Mary said, caressing his cheek.
"Did she tell you why she cheated on you?"
"No, she was drunk and I was not in the mood to listen to her anymore. I don't understand mom, I have always been nice to her and I was always there when she needed to talk. Why cheat on me while we were not even in a real relationship. She could have just texted me it's over and that was it. Why cheating?"
"I have no idea sweetie, maybe it's because she was lost. You are both young and her even more so than you with you know what. Making mistakes happens in a relationship, especially under the influence of alcohol. Did you love her?" Karine asked.
"No mom, I liked her but no, I didn't love her. I'm done with her now but maybe it's for the best? I'm going to have a lot of work in the weeks to come and the beginning of next year. Especially now that me and my soon to be team are working in direct relation with the President."
Exchanging a stare, both women laughed out loud.
"What?" Nathaniel asked, surprised.
"Karine knew you had something to do with what happened to the White House on wednesday." Mary said.
"Really mom?"
"Oh come one. The White House attacked by cats? Only someone with your crazy mind can come up with something like that and before you say something, I don't want to know anything about how you approached and convinced the President or I'm going to have to punish you. Are we clear Nathaniel Abraham Lyndon?" Karine said, looking at him intently. Nathaniel knew that sometimes even he had to back down and this was one of those times.
"Yes Ma'am." He said, before adding. "Mom since you are in a forgiving state of mind. After I witnessed Madison cheating on me, I was so blinded by anger that I kind of… blew some steam outside." He said almost bashfully.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"I don't remember all of it but I kept meeting bad people and I kind of… acted… on them."
"How many?" She questioned, exasperated.
"I don't know, I didn't keep count."
*****
The next morning around eight AM when he woke up, he found his mothers already awake watching the news intently. Getting out of his room, Karine and Mary looked at him with insistence making him uneasy.
"What's going on?" He asked.
As an answer, Mary turned up the sound of the TV while he advanced to look at the screen. The title breaking news was on the bottom of the screen and a journalist was in front of the camera before a hospital.
'Sometimes between ten and eleven PM last night, multiple street gangs have been hit by unknown people. Testimonies are vague and some say it was by at least tens of people and
some say it was a person alone. What we are sure about at this time is that at least twenty gang members are in the Hospital and more than five hundred kilos of various drugs have been found on the crime scene. Containers of automatic weapons have also been found at each location. So far nobody has revendicated the attacks and the Police are desperately trying to find information. We also have declarations saying that three people have been found naked tied up on trees in Central Park. All three of them were already convicted or suspected to be sex offenders.'
Exchanging a look with his mother, Nathaniel tried to say something.
"Sorry?" He said, tentatively.
Seeing their reaction, he knew sorry was not going to cut it.
Chapter 113: :
New York. Lyndon Tower. 20/11/2012. 14:30.
Walking inside Lina's office, Nathaniel was not surprised to find her watching anime on her computer with her helmet on and her feet on the desk. As usual, her spatial awareness was so lousy that she did not realize he had walked into the office. As a new custom he started some time ago, he flipped one of her ears, startling her and almost making her fall off her chair.
"Sir, this is not what it looks like!" Lina hurriedly made her screen change to the usual Lyndon logo.
"So, you were not watching your favorite anime that I can't even pronounce on a company computer in your work time?" Nathaniel asked with seriousness.
"Yes I was, I'm sorry sir, it will not happen again." Lina said, hanging her head low. "If you want to put the blame on me it will be…" Lina started before Nathaniel raised his hand to stop her.
"You know that Amal still has a tracker device to look through your history? What will he tell me if he sees you watching anime instead of working?" Nathaniel mock sighed.
"Yeah I know and he knows I know. He realized that I was messing with him when I kept sending him onto a clown porn site. Since then, he hasn't looked at my history anymore." Lina laughed.
