The Road to Lazarus (The First book in the diaries of Lazarus House)

by Patrick T. McAlister

  Turning back from looking at the mountains she saw Gabriel was looking at her. When her eyes met his he raised his head and gave her the most wonderfully sensual kiss she has ever had. She got lost in the kiss until his hand came to rest on her scared neck. Between the movement and taste of his kiss as their tongues touched, the feeling of his hand touching her scar sent a shiver through her that curled her toes. When their kiss ended Gabriel gently bit her lower lip as he laid his head back down. “Thank you for staying with me.” He said. She looked at him not able to speak; she simply bent over and kissed him again.

  She jumped at the sound of a cough from the doorway. Turning, she felt like a teenager that had been caught kissing her first boyfriend behind the schoolhouse. Michael, without missing a beat said “Well Doc, I don’t think mouth to mouth will be needed. These two seem to have the buddy breathing system down pat!” Everyone let out a big laugh; Gabriel winced in pain, but kept laughing just the same.

  The buff monkey medic gave him the once over before he had to leave the plane and go back to being the on staff doctor for the house. Gabriel looked at his old friend, “Dr. John how the hell ya doing? Why am I here in so much pain?” John laughed for a moment at his crappy attempt at Michael style of humor. “Well sir, you've been shot four times that makes me wonder if you've lost your touch or something.” Gabriel made eye contact with Raven and then Michael. “How bad is it Doc?” he mumbled “You'll live. If you take my advice and rest maybe even spend some more time with this beautiful detective. You should be up and about in no time. I am getting your vitals to send to Doc Morgan so he can monitor your progress in flight.”

  “That's great news Doc, but you know me, I can’t be laid up for weeks. How about we go outside and fight. That will change your timeline.” Raven pushed into the most severe of wounds gingerly as he spoke “Does that mean you don’t want to spend a few weeks getting to know me more, Gabriel?” she asked him. He shut his mouth at that point, knowing he would love nothing more than to repeat that kiss a few hundred thousand times. Michael laughed at how quick Gabriel went silent. “I can’t wait until she meets Theresa, this should be fun. Gabriel don’t ya think?” Gabriel rolled over to look at his brother then looked at her with a grin. “By any chance do you like flip flop sandals, smooth jazz music, and NASCAR racing?” She sat back thinking about her response for a moment. “I have foot lockers full of flip flops; I've gone to the Jazz festival every year since I moved to Cali fifteen years ago. And I think Tony Stewart is one of the greatest race car drivers to ever walk this earth.” Michael and Gabriel looked at one another then at Doc John and collectively said “Oh Shit!!”

  She looked at them innocently. “What?” she said. “Oh nothing, we have someone that you might just enjoy spending some time with when Gabriel pisses you off. Since we all know he will eventually.” John said as he and Michael continued to smile.

  “Where are we?” she asked as they turned to leave. “Oh, I apologize for my brothers manners Raven. Welcome to Lazarus House. I thought that was what he was whispering in your ear when we came in.” Michael said, giving her a wink that set her at ease and at the same time made Gabriel blush. “Would you like to step off the plane before we head back to Cali? Maybe take a little tour of what we have going on up here?” Michael asked her. “Sure, sounds good to me” she said as she stood to leave. Leaving the sleeping quarters she stopped and turned around taking Gabriel’s hand she kissed it. They walked down the isle as Gabriel swiftly fell back to sleep. As he drifted off he smiled at the memory of their kiss. He really was falling in love with her.

  Walking down the stairs to the runway Raven felt a chill she hadn't felt in many years. It was the kind of cold that passes through your skin straight into your bone marrow, making you involuntarily shiver. She spun around taking in the view of the serene beauty that was all around her. Off to the side she could see a woman sitting with Mary. She was drinking a hot beverage, fully clothed for the remaining leg of the trip and looking a world more at ease than she had before. Raven had almost forgotten that she was the reason why they were all here.

  She took a moment to go introduce herself. Mary seemed quite happy to meet her and thanked her for what she had done. As she spoke, Raven had a hard time believing this woman was actually a porn star whose career had lasted over twenty years. Mary gave her a hug and whispered another thank you in her ear. In all her years of being a cop and detective, no one had ever thanked her for what she did. When the embrace ended she was almost in tears as she whispered “You are welcome.”

  Mary walked back to get back on the plane. She really wanted to get out of the chilly air. “Raven, you still want the tour of the place?” Michael asked. She nodded a yes and they walked into the house. As they entered the great room she put her hand to her mouth in awe. The interior matched the exterior in its elaborate ornate architecture. The main room was huge as it lead to a stair case in the center. The banister was finely carved oak and marble mixed with a solid gold handle at the landings.

  He looked over at her with a smile. “We actually bought this house from a friend after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the gulf coast. The stair case was brought in after we bought the property. It was recovered from a doomed property down in Biloxi, MS. The guy we bought it from got together with a few friends and took the 200 year old house down piece by piece and shipped it here to this property. The framing and flooring had already been built. Basically we skinned a modern building with a Plantation face.”

  She was quite impressed with what they had done. “This must have cost you a fortune!” He replied “Actually it cost us next to nothing. The property we are on was donated, the building itself was built from a construction project that was started but never completed, when the economy went down the tubes. Let me show you some more.” They walked through the first floor and she was amazed at how warm and welcoming the house felt. He showed her the medical area, pretty much a replica to the one in Cali. She noticed the doors that hung in the place were the same but the feel of the house was more rustic and western in its décor. As they walked he told her that there were ten rooms. The counseling staff took four and the rest were used as shelters for the battered women. She was quite impressed. As they continued the tour he led her down the stairs to the basement. When he opened the door she couldn’t really say she was shocked after what she had seen at the other place. There was an Olympic size swimming pool to the left and to the right she could see they had installed an indoor shooting range.

  “That was Frank’s idea when he came on board.” He told her, seeing her look of appreciation. “Aside from counseling the women at all of the locations receive training in self defense and the use of weapons in high stress situations. Part of the range even has a simulator. Frank found it some where, we never asked him where.” He said with a chuckle.

  Through a set of side doors they moved onto a deck that looked over a huge gorge. She stood there taking in the scenic beauty of it all. Turning they walked up a long flight of stairs to come out on another vista point. This one looked at the mountains she had seen in the distance from the plane. “How big is this property?” She asked him. “It is roughly about 300 acres.” He replied. “I could show you more but we need to get Gabriel up in the air and back home so he can recover. This is probably a silly question, but would you mind spending time with him as he recovers?” She smiled, “Yeah, you’re right. That was a really silly question.” With that they walked back to the airstrip.

  Nearing the plane they could hear the twin turbine jet engines come to life on the Gulfstream. “Umm... If I could ask.... Who paid for this machine?” Raven asked pointing toward the plane. Michael looked it over as he smiled back at her. “It was free, actually. I did some work for the DEA back a few years ago. This was my payment when I got the hell out of Bogota Columbia.” Raven looked at Michael with amazement. She could see how these two brothers could do all this with no payment or by placing themselves in harm’s way to get a need
met. “Do you guys get paid for all this “work” you do?” Michael boarded the plane, as he took his seat he put a hand on Mary’s sleeping shoulder. “This is our payment right here.” He remarked as he buckled in for the flight home.

  Walking back to Gabriel, she was amazed at what these men and women were doing in a world where she felt the cops and the justice system had their hands tied. As she sat down and buckled in next to Gabriel he opened his eyes for a moment. Their eyes met and the gaze held for quite some time. He reached his hand up to touch her face, “Are you my nurse or my guardian Angel?” he asked. She blushed, her mind filled with thoughts of how downright handsome and rugged he was. “I guess you could say I am the angel in training and your willing nurse.” Gabriel gave her another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his thick shoulders just wanting to get lost in the moment. She could do this for the rest of her life she thought. The plane took off; banking like it was a fighter jet as it rose in the morning sky. All four passengers slept for the two and half hour flight as the plane kept a constant speed of 500 mph. The mission and adrenaline had all worn off as they all slept. Mary would wake every now and then to look at Michael, she was quite impressed at the man he had turned out to be. She would fall back asleep, dreaming of seeing Aubry again, how she missed the one gift she knew came from God. As she dreamed she saw how she and Aubry could start a new life with the support and comfort of the group that just laid their own lives down to give her and Aubry another chance at life. In her dreams she no longer saw the countless movies and clubs she had performed in selling her body to the highest bidder. Her dreams were of life as a mother, secure that she was loved in ways she always prayed for, with a daughter that would chase her hearts dreams without looking back.

  The plane touched down at the Santa Monica Airport as the pilot announced it was time for everyone “to get the hell off my plane... again.” He opened the cockpit door and winked at Mary as he shook Michael’s hand. Raven helped Gabriel sit-up and placed his arm over her shoulder as she walked him down the aisle to exit the plane.

  To her this was a new experience. She was actually able to mother a man in a way she had never been allowed to in the past. It felt good as he leaned into her for support. As they came down the steps they were greeted by Maree and the doctor and another woman. Michael walked up to the woman and gave her a kiss that was warm and deep. Turning to Mary and Raven, he introduced the woman to them. “Ladies, this is my wife Theresa, she has been waiting to meet you both.”

  The women hugged one another after the introduction, Raven laughed when Theresa turned to walk to the Excursion. She was wearing flip flops that had the image of Tony Stewart at the heel. Raven knew at that moment that they would get along just fine. Mary, having finally met Theresa, knew that her old friend and body guard married a woman that knew him and loved every part of him. She smiled as they walked. She always knew Michael was a wild one.

  Once Gabriel was in the vehicle they drove down PCH the light kissing them all in the late morning sun. The waves were huge as they all looked out the window. Gabriel gave out a grunt. All looked at him to see if he was in pain. “You okay?” asked Raven. He let out another grunt. “No I am not! Would you look at those waves? I could be out catching any one, but no I am stuck on bed rest! This just isn’t fair!!” The whole vehicle laughed at the half-witted attempt for sympathy from the group. Michael, still laughing, said “I can go surfing for you; I’ll even go naked like you tend to do!!” Instantly bringing a “Hell no!” shout from all the women in the vehicle. Gabriel laughed as Michael was shot down.

  They finally pulled onto the property. When they stopped Maree took Mary with her to go check on Aubry, Theresa and Michael walked off towards the elevator that would take them to their own part of the house. Raven, the Doctor and Gabriel, went to the other side taking the elevator that led to the medical center.

  Doc Morgan gave Gabriel a once over and laughed. “Only you Gabriel, only you.” “What are you laughing at Doc?” “In all the years I have known you I have never seen that look in your eyes. It fits you quite well.” At the bewildered look from both Raven and Gabriel, he continued. “You know... the look like you finally found what you have been looking for?”

  Chapter 24

  As the three reached the medical floor Doc Morgan looked over Gabriel’s wounds changing the dressing on the worst of the four. When he was done with him he handed him a Soma which was a muscle relaxer and a couple of pain pills, which Gabriel refused. Shaking his head he looked at the doctor. “Like Michael always says, “Pain is weakness, leaving the body.” Doc Morgan chuckled. He had been told the same thing many times by Michael.

  He cleared Gabriel to head to his room and rest. “I’ll be by to check on you every couple of days.” Looking at her, he said “For now though you have a very beautiful woman that can escort you there and keep an eye on you”.

  Gabriel sat down in a wheel chair patting her hand. “Well hottie, let’s get this show on the road!” She laughed as she began pushing him out of the medical ward. When they were clear and in the hallway she asked him, “Where am I going?” “Oh yeah, you haven’t seen my pad yet.” He replied. “Just walk down this hall to the elevator and we will go up to the fifth floor.”

  She did as instructed. When the doors opened onto the fifth floor she just shook her head. In front of her was a great room with red oak floors that ran halfway up the walls. As she pushed him into the room she soaked in what must have been bachelor’s heaven. On the east wall of the huge room hung surfboards, each from various eras with photographs by each. Each one had a big 24” x 24” poster by it of Gabriel on the board in some exotic location. Looking at another wall it was covered in photographs of Michael and Gabriel with various members of the Military. In the middle was a picture of both young boys with President Ronald Reagan. It had been signed by the President himself. Next to it was a picture with Gabriel and Nancy Reagan taken in her private office at her husband’s Library in Simi Valley, CA. All throughout hung awards or commendations for the things he had done in service to their country and those that fought for it. The other walls had photographs of really impressive artwork by painters and photographers. The final wall was solid glass.

  The room itself was really quite simple in its layout. In the back corner was his bed, a normal queen size with a matching comforter and sheet set in a dark blue. One of the pillows had a light blue pillow case on it. It seemed out of place to her. As she wheeled him to his bed she helped him stand so he could shower and get changed. As he walked into the restroom she heard him yell “Make yourself at home!”

  She walked over to the huge glass wall of windows and looked out to see the ocean. The view was so romantic. She stood remembering the kisses and talks they had been having, her heart beating faster. She was coming alive inside and it felt so wonderful to her!

  He barely got himself undressed as he winced in pain from the bullet wound in his side. Once he was naked he looked at himself in the mirror. He was getting old and the scars were starting to take their toll on him. He was still in good shape but he was paying for it. He walked into the shower and told the panel he wanted to be in Costa Rica.

  The tiles changed to a beach in Costa Rica as a misting rain began to shower over him. He cleaned himself up, shaving in the mirror on the back wall of the shower. Once he was done with his shaving and bathing he lifted his arms to support him as he leaned against the wall. It looked like he was actually holding up the ocean in the tiled hologram display. He just stood letting the steam works its way into each of his muscles.

  Finally he told the shower to “cut off”. He dried himself, reaching into the dresser that was in the bathroom he took out a pair of his favorite sweat pants. The black camo ones he often wore after surfing. He put deodorant on and finished brushing is curly black hair. Looking in the mirror he was starting to feel human again. He was looking forward to walking out and having uninterrupted time to get to know Raven.

  He opened the d
oor to the bathroom silently. He saw the sun shining down on Raven and realized he was completely enamored by the natural beauty she had. “Wow” he thought. “And she isn’t even cleaned up yet.” “Hey there, what are you thinking about?” he asked. She turned and looked at him biting her lower lip as she saw his bare chest. Bringing her eyes back to his she answered softly “Who me? A lot of things I guess. How everything feels different here. I don’t know.... I’m thinking about who God is to me. Wondering if this is real or not. I’m not really used to being blessed with a journey that doesn’t involve my body being a punching bag or sexually violated by a perverse animal of a man. One of those “if I’m sleeping don’t wake me” things I guess”

  He was almost shocked by her reply. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower it works the same as the one in your room. I’ll have some clean clothes brought up for you. I’ll put them just by the door so I don’t see more than I should.” he said with a wink. She smirked, “Hasn’t the person in my fantasy world been you?” she asked. He looked at her as if he was finally busted. “Well in a manner of speaking it was my soul in your bathroom with you, not my physical self. I apologize for taking you to all those places. I just had a feeling that you needed to feel something different within your own heart.”

  She walked over and kissed him deeply. As she broke the kiss she held his face in her hands looking deep into his eyes. “I want you to know all of me, even more I want to know all of your heart.” Holding his gaze she whispered “Is this love?”

  He had no words, so with a kiss he sent her towards the shower as he called down to have her clothes brought up. As he hung up he looked up to see Raven looking back at him. She sent him a smile and he returned it.

  She went in and undressed. Looking at all the dirt and grime she had collected in the mission, she shook her head. Looking at her eyes in the mirror she saw something she hadn’t seen before. A sparkle that radiated from both eyes, no amount of dirt or grime could take that piece of beauty away. She walked into the shower and asked that it take her to a sandy beach somewhere. The walls went to the north shore of Hawaii as the water began to come down in a rhythm like the waves coming to shore. She showered for a long time in the endless hot water, metaphorically washing her old self away with each tide of warm water that hit her skin.