Water

by Anna Petrovich

  “Just coffee for now, I’m waiting for someone.” Her smile was genuine, but it made him uncomfortable the way her eyes scanned his face and upper body. Amber and the children came back from the store, giggling about some secret.

  “Ethan, someone left a message on my phone for you.” She slid the black cellphone across to him, watching his face. Confusion and concern struggled for dominance, the blue eyes turning into an icy grey.

  “Not much to go on.” His tone was full of defeat, slumping against the cold smooth red plastic back of the booth. “She must be the woman who advertised for me. The name seems familiar, something to do with the military.”

  “But there isn’t a location. Do you think this has anything to do with my husband?” It made him straighten up, remembering that this woman was relying on him. He needed to be on his A-game for them. His mind tried to call on reserves of memory, but failed.

  “Maybe, I can’t say for sure. My first responsibility is to you and the children. Do you have anywhere safe to stay? Family? Friends?” Amber shook her head, her long hair covering most of her face. The man instinctively bent forward and saw the tears glistening on the tan cheek. “What? Is there no one left?” Without a word, he stood up and crossed over to the other side. His arms wrapped around her in a calming embrace. For a moment, she stiffened before sinking into the comforting warmth of his chest. It felt good to have someone hold her without forcing her to speak. This man without a memory was the best part of the life that had begun in a small shack just outside of Chicago. The children crawled up, clinging to both of them. They sat like that for a long time, just drawing comfort from the closeness of the others. Finally, she reluctantly sat up and looked into his eyes. Their icy grey anger had faded away into a deep pool of tender blue. Words came with the food and coffee, tumbling over each other in a confused frenzy.

  “I lost my mother when I was three. My father took me on his sales, moving from town to town. Wade was just a way out. He promised that I’d be taken care of. It was lie, there were nights that he’d come back so drunk that the children would hide under the bed. It’s been only been me to take care of them.”

  “You really had a chav of a husband. Amber, I made a promise to protect you and the children. I’m going to make a phone call to the military, get what information I can about my home, alright?” She nodded, her tears still falling on the pancakes giving them a salty flavor. “Wait here, don’t think too hard.” Her eyes followed him over to the phone booth in the corner, his hand dialing the number from instinctual memory. The conversation was a long one, full of silence on his part. Finally, he returned and slid back into the seat with a grimace. “Got a lot of nothing on your husband, just a couple other names and a phone number.”

  “What about you?” Amber set the fork down, leaning across the table with an intense look in her eyes. Her heart was pounding in fear. What if he was right? A killer?

  “I’m a British officer with experience in the special forces and military police. Left the army with an honorable discharge at the rank of major. This Morgen woman is an ex-colonel working for the Los Angeles Police Department as a homicide detective. She was my superior officer for over ten years. Was the bridesmaid for my wedding to a woman named A’isha. One year and there was child. They tell me, a fire killed them both. I was pulled into the conflict in Korea where my first contact with your husband happened. He wasn’t labeled a traitor because my testimony was called invalid by the court martial lawyer. Temporarily insane from the stress of torture and seeing my friends die. Two more years of slogging it out and a psychologist said that post-traumatic stress was putting more pressure on my actions than the military. Left the army, don’t have family and bought a house in California. We’ll go there, it’ll be safe.”

  “My mother was born in California.” Amber smiled at him, and laid a hand on his arm to reassure him. “We can make a life there. I’m so sorry for your loss, Ethan. Do you remember her?”

  “Not really. She was like you.” He straightened up for an instant before settling back down. “Brown eyes that contained the remains of the flames in them. Long black hair that swung in her face and hid the spirit. You…are so like her.” A tear slid down his face, despite his attempts to get his emotions under control.

  “I’m so sorry. Losing someone that close, can’t be easy. If something happened to Emily or James…” There were no other words to stop the tears that slid down his face, so stoic on the outside and breaking on the inside. It took another couple of moments for him to get the tears to stop, then give her a watery smile.

  “Ready to hit the road?” They grabbed jackets and climbed in the black car, speeding down the highway. The children began to hum a favorite song in the back seat, making him smile. Then they were all singing it, most of them off key, but laughing just the same. As evening approached, the children fell asleep in the back seat with smiles on their faces.

  “This is the first time since they were little that the children have smiled like that in their sleep.” Amber was looking at him, a grateful look in her warm eyes. “Thank you, Ethan, for making this journey so much fun for them.” I can’t imagine what we would have done without him. He’s saved our lives twice now. The children trust him, they’re young, but smart.

  “No problem.” He smiled, swinging off the highway towards the city and searching for a cheap hotel. Inside the quiet of his room, he sank onto the bed with a groan of pain and desperation. His chest hurt from the sadness, eyes closed and seeing the woman burning in the building. A knock on the door made him leapt to his feet and open it, hoping for a distraction from the quiet. It was Amber, smiling at him and handing him a glass full of an amber liquid.

  “Thought you might like a drink after everything.” He took it, gesturing for her to follow him and walking out to the balcony. They stood there sipping the drinks and looking out over the city. “Are you feeling alright?”

  “I’ll manage.” His smile was full of sadness, the eyes were covered in a film of tears that threatened to spill over again. She set her glass down, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Without thinking, he put an arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder. They stood there, thinking about the past ten years with varying degrees of sadness and bitterness. Amber turned to go back to the room, exhausted after the long day. Her eyes widened as his lips touched hers, then closed as it lengthened into a deep long kiss.

  9

  The morning light saw them on the road again, but there was a heavy atmosphere in the car. Both Ethan and Amber could barely look at each other, thinking about last night. The kiss had lasted for a minute before they had pulled back, apologizing before she left quickly. This morning there had been a hurried breakfast before climbing into the car. Even the children were quiet, sensing the tension between the two adults in the front seats. Afternoon sun beat down on the black hood of the car before he turned to look back at them, observing the blank looks in their eyes, but the concern on their faces. The vehicle pulled to the side of the road, he opened the door and stepped out, walked around, opened her door. “Get out.” She obeyed, unsure of what was going to happen. The moment her feet were firmly on the ground, he slammed the door. “We need to talk. Those children can’t be a car were the two people who are supposed to take care of them won’t look or speak at each other. I know…remember. That was my parents.”

  “Ethan. Last night, I…it…wasn’t you.” He leaned against the car, looking at her with a tired look on his face.

  “I know. It wasn’t right of me to kiss you. Not that way. But we can’t keep doing this to the children. I…I’m not able keep going without knowing what you…feel…think.” For the first time since getting in her truck, his eyes were on the road, not on her own. She stood there, using her fingers to run through her hair – a nervous habit.

  “Ethan…” Her words stopped, but her feet kept moving until their lips were pressed together again. For a moment, they stood there kissing before remembering the audi
ence they had in the back seat. Embarrassed, they stepped apart and looked at each other before bursting into laughter like young teenagers.

  “Marry me?” The words sat there in the air, like sun rays directed toward Amber who giggled like a school girl and kissed him again.

  “Yes.” They climbed back into the car, both unable to stop the grins from appearing on their faces. The boy leaned forward and whispered something in his mother’s ear. She began to laugh until the tears streamed down her face. “Is he our father, mommy? He kissed you.” Ethan joined in the laugh, his hand roughing up the boy’s hair gently. A suburban passed them by, suddenly turning in a sharp U-turn to follow them. His smile disappeared, the icy grey coming back into his eyes. He swore underneath his breath, swinging into the exit lane just in front of the suburban. It followed hard on their tail, despite his attempts to throw it off. The vehicle swung wide across the brick in front of the fountain, people running to get out of the way. The suburban lost control, slamming into a local vender’s station and causing screams of horror from the observers. Ethan regained control and returned to the highway, flying at top speed. “Get something to cover your hair. Maybe it’ll stop them from tracking us…for now.” Inside a new hotel room, she watched him strip off the white shirt and pull on a dark blue t-shirt. On top, he threw a black jacket and then cocked the gun before locking it.

  “Ethan, don’t do something stupid.” She stopped him at the door, hand on his chest. “The children and I won’t survive without you.”

  “Listen, darling. I didn’t survive in the army this long in combat by being stupid or nice. Men like that are lying dead in mass graves all over the world right now. Believe me, they won’t see what killed them.” Her arms suddenly wrapped around him, holding him tight for a long moment. She was suddenly terrified of losing him.

  “Don’t die, come back in one piece…please.” He nodded before walking out and shutting the door. On the way down the stairs, his thoughts were directed inward. They’re going to use the things they love against you. Who told me that? If something happens to Amber or the children…no, it won’t. I won’t let it. In the parking lot, he scanned the area with a cold stare before getting in the car and pulling away. The black car sped toward the place where the suburban had pursued them, pulling into the shadows a block away from the area. Police flooded the area, intermingled with an ambulance and fire truck. He walked over next to the tape, watching as two women were taken onto gurneys before suddenly shoving his way toward them. Two cops grabbed him, trying to stop him from approached.

  “I’m a family friend of the blond woman, her name is Morgen.” His eyes told the truth, they let him go. Following the gurney into the ambulance, he sat stiffly as they sped toward the hospital. The orderlies stopped him in the hallway, forcing him to wait. They left him sitting alone in the empty corridor, his thoughts as company. The elevator pinged and two men walked into the hallway. Their stride marked them in his mind as military. One of them caught sight of him, lunging at the chair where Ethan had been sitting just moments ago. His shin hit the metal, while Ethan slid between his legs towards the second man. Wrapping one of his legs around the other man’s, he used the leverage to knock him to the ground. The man who’d hit the chair pulled him up by his arms, holding him for the other man to strike. He used the hold to kick his legs up and kick the man down. One down. A gun was held to his chest by the remaining man who looked terrified by what he’d seen. Without even blinking, Ethan ripped the gun out of the boy’s hand and used it to pistol whip him into unconsciousness. A guard came out running down the hallway. “Hello…Richard.” Ethan spoke, somewhat breathless looking at the gold name tag. “Couldn’t stop two men from entering the premises with guns? They’re ex-military, their mission was my friend. Get them out of here.”

  “Sir, you’ll have to come down to the police station with us.” He nodded, following them down the stairs and getting in the police car. The station was busy, people running here and there. A man waved him into the interrogation room, allowing him to take a seat.

  “You took out two men with military training, Mr….” He leaned on the table, still munching on a donut.

  “Ethan Ryde. It was my job in the army to take out men who had good training. Military police have to twice as good, Sergeant.”

  “We’re going to have to receive conformation on all three of you, son. But until then, you’re free to leave so long as you agree to stay in town.”

  “Of course.” Ethan nodded, understanding their side of the deal. He’d been on their side, more times than he could ever remember. Outside in the sunlight, he walked back to the hospital and into the same hallway. The doctor was standing outside the room.

  “Sir, the women have both woken up. You can see them now.” She led him into a large airy room with windows and two beds. The first girl was a stranger, obviously scared and trembling. Then he stopped at the foot of the second bed.

  “Ethan!” The woman was vaguely familiar, probably this Colonel Morgen who was searching for him.

  “Why are you following me? Guess you lied on that message?” He didn’t even try to be polite, pissed off by the attack in the hallway. She led them to us. We’ve got to get back on the road immediately.

  “Your wife’s belongings. It’s my job to get them to you. We managed to escape.” The other girl looked him up and down, thinking that her friend’s taste in men wasn’t very good. Blue eyes that had an icy grey tinge, nice slight jaw line, stocky, and not too tall. But obviously angry and with the ability to kill them both.

  “I don’t want them.” His tone was low, threatening. “You put my family’s life in danger. Don’t do it again.” Then he turned on his heel and left the room, walking back out into the sunlight. He found a payphone and dialed the hotel’s number. “Hi. Room 232. Thank you.”

  “Ethan?” Amber’s voice was worried, slightly breathless. He figured that she had sat by the phone ever since he’d walked out the door.

  “I ran into a little bit of trouble, the police got involved. We’re going to have to stay here until things get cleared up, but be ready to leave.”

  “Are you okay?” Her concern was cute and made him smile. There wasn’t a great deal that made him really worried ever since the war.

  “Fine, thank you. I’ll be back in an hour, just have a couple of things to do.” Hanging up, he turned and ran straight into the police sergeant. His mouth opened, almost swearing, then shut and he waited for the man to talk.

  “Major Ryde. I remember you now. The man who survived that traitor, Wade Waters. You were a legend to us. We never met, but you were the soldier we all aspired to be, sir.”

  “Really?” Ethan stood, his stance wary. It felt off, the whole situation. The sergeant had driven here in an unmarked car and it was only half an hour since he’d been on duty in the station. Second, they’d let him go with inadequate questioning and hadn’t searching his clothing for a weapon. “I’m flattered.” He paused a beat before going straight to the point. “How much did they pay you to say that and put me here?”

  “Excuse me?” The guy swung his arms wide, his badge glinting in the sunlight and taking a step back.

  “No one knew that Wade Waters was the traitor except the judge, lawyer, and my superior officer. So, you were paid to have me killed.” The man wasn’t able to reply, a gunshot echoed in the buildings as he fell. Ethan dove for cover behind a stone wall, breathing hard. Another shot struck the road in front of him, pinning him down. There were too many buildings that the sniper could have been sitting in to figure out which one it was. Then he saw a vehicle driving towards him, the window coming down. He wasn’t taking any chances, even though it could have been an innocent coincidence. Swearing underneath his breath, he used the last burst of strength to dive over the ledge into the river. Ice cold water closed over his head, he swam to the shore and crawled up onto the bank, exhausted. Limping from the exertion, Ethan headed back to the car, climbing in before passing out from the
strain. Evening had fallen when his eyes opened again, men were approached the car with guns in their hands.

  He started the car up, foot sitting lightly on the brake. “Time to explore the town.” A smile grew along the right side of his face as the foot slammed on the gas, knocking several men out of the way. Swinging wide, he turned down an alley and sped along the tight walls of the apartment buildings. Just as he reached the main thoroughfare a grey Buick tried to ram him into the wall. He sped up, just missing the front headlight of the vehicle. Turning towards the river, he led the Buick towards the drinking gallery and pulled hard right just as they reached it. The Buick flew over the gallery and sunk in the water, a man crawling out as it went down. Grinning, Ethan returned to the hotel where Amber and the children were. Getting out of the car, he leapt out and went running up the stairs. The door opened to a sleeping woman and children. “Amber.” His whisper was harsh and breathless. “Get the kids, we have to go.” She nodded, sleepily rolling out of the bed and picking up their belongings.