by Margaret Kay
“Nine weeks,” Sienna said. Then she took the baby from Anthony. “I can’t wait to tell everyone. I planned to wait until I passed the twelfth week.” She shook her head. “But I guess I don’t need to.”
“Congrats!” Doc embraced Garcia. Then he hugged Sienna. He wasn’t surprised. He knew Sienna wanted children, lots of children. He imagined his friend would have them pretty quickly, like one a year until Sienna decided they’d had enough. He chuckled at the thought of it.
“I’m so happy for you,” Elizabeth told Sienna. “We won’t say anything to anyone. Tell the rest of the team on your own time.”
Cooper and Madison came in next. Elizabeth was beginning to get tired, even though each group only stayed five or ten minutes. Madison held Olivia for a long time. “I’m not ready to give my job up quite yet, but maybe in a few years,” she said, much to Doc’s surprise.
Cooper pressed a kiss to Madison’s cheek. “It’ll be whenever you want it, Blondie. We have plenty of time.”
Madison glanced back at Elizabeth. “I love kids, think we’ll probably have one or two at some point, just not yet. I love what I do in the field too much to give it up just yet.”
Elizabeth nodded. She didn’t understand. “So, you can’t do your job if you have a baby? Not even after it’s born?”
Madison shook her head no. “It can’t work that way. Cooper and I go out in the field together. We want it no other way. We know we cannot ever have a child, and both put ourselves in danger at the same time. That wouldn’t be fair to any child, to lose both its parents like that.”
Her statement shocked Elizabeth. The fact that she had given it that much thought and consideration was surprising. “But you also work in Ops, don’t you?”
“Yes, and I could still do that job. It’s just that,” she paused and blew out a breath. “It’s so unfair the men don’t have to make this choice.” She handed Olivia back to Elizabeth. “But I have several years before I have to worry about being too old to have a healthy baby. And I do love my life just the way it is, for now.”
Cooper embraced her. “Congrats again, guys,” he said, his eyes sweeping between Doc and Elizabeth. “We’re going to get out of here so you can rest. Let us know if you need anything.”
Doc embraced Cooper and then Madison. He followed them out. There were only two more left to come see the baby. He’d make sure they only stayed a few minutes. Elizabeth was looking very tired, and truth be told, so was he. He escorted Lambchop and the Undertaker in.
Gary Sloan rushed to Elizabeth and embraced her. He took the offered baby from her arms, holding the tiny bundle close to his own chest. “I’m so glad you made it safely, little one,” he whispered. “She’s beautiful,” he told Elizabeth.
Lambchop congratulated the new parents as well. He took the baby from Sloan and said a prayer over the child thanking God for this precious life, her safe arrival, and the health of her parents. “You will still let me baptize her, won’t you?”
Doc clapped him on the shoulder. “We wouldn’t let anyone else. We’ll talk about when to do it after we get home with her.”
“Who are you thinking for the Godparents?”
Doc smiled at Elizabeth. “Jackson and Angel.”
Lambchop nodded, a smile curving his lips. “Seems appropriate.”
Elizabeth watched the three men, these three brave and fierce warriors. Gary had a strength and gentleness that coexisted behind his haunted eyes. He was quiet and intense, but caring and thoughtful. He had stayed with her when she thought she was losing Olivia, afraid and in a panic. He promised her he’d remain with her until Alexander returned to her, and he did.
The pastor, Landon Johnson, a hulk of a man who was as tender as he was tough. He was a man of God, who was also a soldier. She wasn’t sure how he reconciled that, killing men while worshiping the Lord. He never seemed conflicted. He always appeared at peace and steadfast in his faith. He was an amazing person who she was glad she was lucky enough to know.
And Alexander, her Alexander, she saw the joy in his features as he took their daughter back from the other men. He was her hero and the love of her life. She thanked God for bringing him into her life and blessing them with Olivia. Her life was better than any life she could have envisioned for herself.
Even their friends who surrounded them today, Alexander’s teammates, his family, she knew this group that she was lucky enough to be a part of, were a special group of people. She smiled, her head resting against the soft pillow, and then she fell asleep.
Doc said goodbye to the Undertaker and Lambchop, thanking them for coming today. Mother and the Birdman would be by in the morning. They were working an overnight detail with Bravo Team. He’d call his blood family in the morning. It was late. He laid Olivia in the small baby bed that was beside Elizabeth’s bed. He dropped his exhausted body into the recliner and stared at both Elizabeth and Olivia.
He felt a contentment in his soul that was foreign to him. He realized that for the first time in over a decade and a half, his world was in harmony. He had a woman who loved him, flaws and all, a woman whom he loved deeply. And he had this little miracle, this little baby that he and Elizabeth had created during moments when they both thought they would die horrendous deaths.
This little life was a symbol of their lives spared, of faith, and of strength. He’d protect both her and her mother with everything he had in him, to his last breath. And he’d live every day to its fullest, enjoying this God-given life that he had been blessed with, for as long as he lived. He knew he was in the right place in his head to be the best husband and father he could be.
A month later, after they settled into their new life as a family, they traveled to Doc’s hometown, Houston. Doc proudly introduced his wife and baby to his family, who he hadn’t seen in over five years. He had pushed them out of his life, claiming to be too busy at work. He had four sisters. They still lived in the Houston area with their families, as did his parents. Dan and Peggy Williams were in their late seventies and healthy.
The Williams clan all gathered at the house they’d grown up in, where his parents still lived. He was sure his sisters and their families had regular gatherings at this house. He hoped there’d be enough years left that he and Elizabeth, and their children would be able to spend holidays with his family in this house that raised him.
“We never gave up hope Alex would find his way back to us,” his mother told Elizabeth quietly. “We knew he was in a dark place after Victoria died. It broke my heart to know that he was so alone, but we couldn’t force him to communicate with us. The more we pushed, the further away he got.”
“He wasn’t alone. He had his team. They’re a special group of people who love him,” Elizabeth replied.
“We missed him and wanted to be there.”
Elizabeth nodded. “He’s a good man. You raised a really good man, Mrs. Williams. He may have been blaming himself for Victoria’s death, but he is kind, a man who risks his own life to save others, including me.”
“It’s Peggy, my dear.” Her gaze fell back on her granddaughter. “The mother of my grandchild should call me by my first name. I’d given up hope Alex would find love again and have a child.”
“He’s a good father, a good husband,” Elizabeth said. “I love him with all my heart, Peggy.”
She nodded and forced a smile. “I hope I can get to know that man.”
Doc sat the flowers on top of the headstone and then stepped back. “I forgive you Victoria, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I am finally at peace and hope you have been all these years. You’ve had Daniel with you, and I’ve missed you both. I’m ready to move on now and I was lucky enough to find a woman who loves me. She gave me a little girl. I’m going to be okay.” He gazed into the bright blue sky and allowed the happiness of his life to fill his heart as the tears filled his eyes. “I’m going to be okay,” he repeated.
The End
The Shepherd Security Series:
&nb
sp; Book 1, Operation: Protected Angel
Book 2, Operation: Recruited Angel
Book 3, Operation: Dark Angel
Book 4, Operation: Fallen Angel
Books 5-8 (Delta Team’s stories)
Book 5, Operation: Departed Angel
Gary ‘the Undertaker’ Sloan, Navy SEAL, sniper and corpsman on Shepherd Security’s Delta Team, left the Sloan Family Mortuary and Funeral Home in Cleveland, Ohio in the hands of his brother and joined the Navy after the death of his father.
When he left Cleveland, he also left his high school sweetheart and fiancé, Kennedy Bristow, who was more interested in pursuing a career in music than she was in being a military wife. The parting was somewhat mutual, at least that was what Sloan told himself over the years.
When Gary gets a call from his brother that Kennedy is laying on their prep table, the victim of an execution-style shooting, he immediately returns home. He soon discovers that things are not what they seem. It will take all his skills and the help of the entire Shepherd Security Team to get to the bottom of the murder and bring those responsible to justice.
Book 6, Operation: Bayou Angel
Book 7, Operation: Unknown Angel
Book 8, Operation: Beach Angel
Acknowledgements
I truly say thank you, to you, the reader, for choosing this book. If you enjoyed it, would you please leave a review, so others might find this book to enjoy, as well? As an Independent Author, without a publishing house to help advertise my work, I rely on reviews from readers such as you and followers on social media to promote me. Thank you! I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you to my ARC Team, readers who volunteered to read this book before it was released and give me a private, honest review, before leaving a public review after I made revisions based on their feedback.
The model for this cover is a husband and a father of two school-aged daughters, Olivia and Brielle. Olivia is such a beautiful name, I had to use it in this book. I loved the name Brielle so much, that I decided to name a main character in an upcoming book Brielle as an added thank you to him for modeling for this cover. You will meet her in Operation Bayou Angel. The photo shoot was fun! Thank you, Kirby!
I mentioned the Infants Remembered in Silence website in this book. IRIS is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to offering parents, families, friends and professionals support, education and resources on the death of a child in early pregnancy (miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy etc.), or from premature birth, stillbirth, neo-natal death, birth defects, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), illness and all other types of infant and early childhood death. Please go to their website for additional information if you are interested at: https://www.irisremembers.com/
The Shepherd Security Team has mental health protocols as my way of acknowledging the fact that PTSD is very real and many of our Service men and women struggle with it. In this book, Doc faces ghosts from his past that he works through with Dr. Lassiter. I recently learned about a wonderful organization that is helping our veterans. Mission 22 is a non-profit who combats the ever-rising veteran suicide rate. Every day, more than twenty veterans are lost to suicide. Mission 22 wants to bring that number to zero. It does this with three main programs; veteran treatment programs, memorials and national awareness. Mission 22 provides treatment programs to veterans for Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and other issues they might be facing. For more information: https://www.mission22.com
Thank you to my editors, who gave of their time selflessly to help me with the grammar, which is not my strongpoint.
Thank you, my friend, photographer, and graphic artist Harry R. who shot all the covers for this series. Thank you, Harry!
Thank you to Norm E. my friend and resource for the fishing references. The lake Doc went to is one of his favorite spots. Yes, Dr. Norman was named after him as a thank you.
Also thank you to two other authors who read and critiqued various sections of this book as I wrote it. Daniel Giallombardo and Thomas Dorsch, both of you are true gentlemen and amazing writers. Both of them have books on Amazon, different genres than mine, but check them out.
Thank you to my sisters, RK Cary and Charlie Roberts, who are writing their own romance books. RK has finished up her Destined & Redeemed series and has several other Science Fiction/Fantasy stories in the works. Charlie is working on a contemporary romance series, the Stevens Street Gym Series. Both have been wonderful friends with the honesty and encouragement that only a sister can give. Check out their work on Amazon! Links directly to all our books on Amazon can be found on our website. That link is below.
Thank you to my wonderful and supportive husband for his patience and love while I spend hours upon hours to research and write this story. Also, for advising me on any parts of this story requiring knowledge of the military or weapons that I did not have.
Thank you to my mother who shared with me her love of books. As a child, the wonderful example my mother set for me as an avid reader led my sisters and me to write our stories. She has encouraged me to publish and I thank her for her support.
Lastly, a big thank you to my girlfriends who have encouraged me and made me feel that I could do this at the times I felt insecure in my ability to accomplish this. You know who you are ladies! You hold a special place in my heart.
About the Author
Hello! I am Margaret Kay. They say being a Military wife is the toughest job in the Armed Forces even though there is no MOS for the position. As the veteran of more than a few deployments, I have to agree. My husband proudly served 8 years in the United States Navy in the 80s. That was before cell phones and the internet.
For anyone who’s never had a loved one who’s served, being associated with the military is being part of a special community of people who support each other, who understand what the day to day is like when your loved one is deployed half-way around the world.
Saying goodbye to your loved one as they leave on a lengthy deployment is unlike saying goodbye to someone for any other reason. It’s not like dropping a son or daughter at college or hugging an aging parent after a visit. Your military member is being deployed, part of a mission. You cannot go visit when you miss them too much. You know it’s different. You plan for it differently. They may be getting deployed into harm’s way. And even if they are not, you know what their purpose is and that they could be in harm’s way at any time.
The emotions you feel when you stand with other families, when the unit, boat, or flight returns after many months of separation cannot be described in words that bring adequate justice to it, but I will try. There is a level of excitement equaled only by a child’s wonder on Christmas morning. A pride in your country, in the unit, and in your loved one that courses through your vein’s as you, your children, and all around you hold American flags and signs welcoming them home, waiting all together sometimes for hours before they appear and make their way towards you. As a spouse, you’re hungering for your partner’s touch, for their lips to meet yours, and for the reunion that will occur later, when you’re alone. With that excitement also comes nervousness because it has been so long since you’ve been together as a couple, sharing your bed.
My husband honorably separated from the Navy and easily transitioned to civilian life, but I never forgot what it was like while he served. Many of our returning servicemen and women have not had it so easy. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they recover from physical and emotional injuries. Many struggle to find employment. If you have the ability in your work to encourage the hiring of a Vet, please do.
Our military members are special! I honor all past, present, and future members of our military with my stories. Salute the flag, stand for the national anthem, and thank a Vet for their service. Freedom is not free, a lot of people sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy.
Don’t ever forget!
Margaret
Please stay in touch. I have more books in the Shepherd Se
curity Series in process plus two more, separate stories I think you will enjoy. And remember to check out my sister’s books. You can be kept abreast of my sister’s work and mine at our website:
Visit our website at: www.sistersromance.com
Email me at: [email protected]
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