Learning to Stand

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “They’re English Springer Spaniels,” Seig said. “The boys called me about a year ago. But we are a professional breeder. We only sell our dogs to people who will show them. It’s part of our contract. The boys said you’d never have time to show the dog.”

  “We’ve been at an impasse,” John said. “I ring every few months or so but...”

  “I got to know the boys. And...”

  “I think we all felt bad,” Max said. “It wasn’t like our schedules were going to change. Seig’s dogs are in hot demand from other breeders.”

  “We only have a couple litters a year,” Seig said. “We don’t over breed.”

  “She doesn’t have a lot of puppies,” John said.

  “A fortnight ago, I got a call from a rescue group I work with,” Seig said. “Someone found a stray mom and her pups. I had to go take a look.”

  Seig’s eyes welled. She sniffed back her tears.

  “This poor momma. No tag, no chip, out in the wild trying to care for her babies. She had five pups in a drainage culvert. It’s been so cold... Of course, I took them to the vet.” Seig wiped her tears. “Only one pup survived. A tiny little girl. Somehow, she was sheltered from the wind.

  “I have a litter. Well, my girl Chrysanthemum, took one look at this little survivor pup and pushed her other pups out of the way. She’s weaning her pups anyway. She nursed this little girl to health.

  “I had no idea if this tiny creature would survive. But with my Chrysanthemum’s mothering, she’s bounced right back. I would never let one of my girls go to the wrong home. But I don’t know the line of this pup. Can’t show her. I was fretting about what to do with her when John called last night. It was fate. I’m certain of it.”

  “What was fate?” Alex asked.

  “This pup was destined to be your pup,” Seig said. “She’s tough and sweet. A real survivor.”

  “Seig recognized you as my twin in the video,” Max said in Alex’s ear.

  Shaking her head in amazement, Alex looked from John to Max.

  “Come on, dear,” Seig said. “I’ll help. First, let’s see if she chooses you. I think that’s the best test of a good dog fit.”

  “What if another puppy chooses us?” Alex asked.

  “Then it’s God’s will,” Seig said. Pointing to Trece and Max, she said, “You boys stand over there. This is woman’s work.”

  John helped Alex sit down on the floor then stood along the far wall with Max and Trece. Seig opened the metal fence and the puppies pressed forward. Alex giggled as the puppies surrounded her. A white puppy with large brownish-red spots climbed onto her lap and started biting her fingers.

  “They are so cute,” Alex said. The puppies were pulling at her from every side and tumbling with each other in excitement. “How do you pick?”

  “I think one has already picked you.” Seig pointed to the puppy on her lap. “I knew it was destiny.”

  “Destiny?” Alex asked.

  “That’s our very special girl. We don’t have liver colored dogs.” Seig wiped a tear from her eyes. “It always makes me tear up to see them find their new home. Do you have a name?”

  Alex looked at John and Max.

  “Maggie,” John said. He lifted the puppy from Alex’s lap and held it to his face. “What do you think about your name? Are you Maggie?”

  The puppy licked his nose.

  Seig laughed then clapped her hands.

  “It’s a fit. I’m so glad,” she said.

  Max helped Alex stand while Seig wrangled the puppies back into their area. John gave the puppy to Max. Maggie snuggled into his arms. Excited, Seig spoke a mile a minute.

  “We’re family now. I’ll help you train her. I’ll come down in a couple of weeks to see how you’re faring. A new puppy can be very challenging. I will help you through the first stages. Now did you get the supplies I recommended? Good. And the food? Good. You made the donation to English Springer Rescue? Good. Do you have any questions?”

  “Shots? Vets?” Alex threw her questions into the flow of Seig’s words.

  John lifted Alex into his arms.

  “She’s had all of her shots. The boys met with a couple vets. Did you pick one? Good. Oh one more thing. Here is my favorite book on dogs. I thought it might come in handy in the next few days.”

  Seig gave Alex a book and beamed from ear to ear.

  “The next few days are crucial,” she started again. “Oh hell, I talk on and on when I’m excited. You have my phone number. Call me if you have any questions.”

  Maggie never looked up from Max’s arms. He carried her, cradled like a baby, all the way to the car. While Max carried Maggie, John carried Alex up the stairs and through the house. Trece helped them into the SUV then went around to the driver’s seat.

  Standing in the doorway, Seig waved them down the street.

  “And?” Alex asked from the back seat.

  John looked at her in the rearview mirror and smiled. “Surprise?”

  She laughed.

  “We thought…” Turning around in the passenger’s seat, John looked at Max.

  “We thought having a dog might help you feel more settled,” Max said. “John called last night because of Simon.”

  “Maggie’s not a replacement for Simon,” John said. “Nothing can replace Simon. We thought she might help.”

  “Why are you so quiet, Trece?” Alex asked.

  “I’m touched by this family moment,” Trece said. He gave an exaggerated sniff. “I, myself, am choked up about it. Plus, you have to admit Alex, she’s very cute.”

  Just then Maggie squirmed out of Max’s arms. She walked across his lap and onto Alex’s lap where she gave a sharp bark. Alex picked her up to nestle her in her arms.

  “See now? That’s very cute,” Trece said. “You remember when Luz had our first. Damn, Alex had to show me how to hold him. I swear Luz thought I had lost my mind. But look at me. How could I hold that ity bity baby?”

  “Not such a baby anymore,” Alex said.

  “He’s collecting contracts,” Trece said. “College football. My son! Luz says she has to turn the sprinklers on to keep the recruiters from destroying my beautiful lawn.”

  “I thought you were divorced?” John asked.

  “Let me tell you...”

  Alex groaned. Leaning against the car seat, she settled into a long Trece story. The tiny puppy in her arms seemed ready to nap right with her. Before Trece got to the predictable ‘Luz said my brown ass made her loco,’ Alex and Maggie were asleep.

  FFFFF

  Four hours later

  Thursday afternoon

  March 27 – 6:10 P.M. MDT

  Denver, Colorado

  “Are they in there?” A woman’s voice at the door woke Alex from a sound sleep.

  Alex heard a muffled male voice in response.

  “I don’t care what they are doing. Open. The. Door,” the voice said.

  White Boy’s face looked at Alex and she shrugged.

  “Your sister,” he said with a bow.

  Samantha stomped into the room to stand at the end of the bed. She squinted at Alex then looked around the room.

  “Where’s your boyfriend?”

  “My boyfriend?” Alex asked. Maggie’s head peeked out from under the covers. “Sorry, we just woke up.”

  “You were sleeping with...” Samantha’s eyes shifted to the bed where the puppy was walking across to her. “What’s that?”

  “Our new puppy,” Alex said. “Sami meet Maggie. Maggie meet Sami.”

  Maggie’s front paws scratched at her skirt until Samantha picked up the puppy. Maggie immediately licked her mouth. Samantha looked disgusted then let out a tiny giggle. Her giggle shifted to a sigh. She snuggled the warm puppy. Her sigh turned into sniffles and Samantha was angry again.

  “Where is your boyfriend?”

  “Who?”

  “Rasmussen.”

  Samantha put the puppy down. She seethed with anger.

  �
�Um…Yes, Sam, after being assaulted, and of course having a hysterectomy, Raz and I came back here. We’ve been fucking for hours. You can ask all hundred people roaming around the basement. We’re kind of loud.”

  “And what does your husband have to say?”

  “Oh him. He joined our fun last night. You know, a bleeding girl can never have too many lovers. How ever did you guess the truth?”

  “You’re not funny,” Samantha said.

  Maggie gave a delighted bark when Alex rolled a ball to her. Samantha crossed her arms across her chest to keep from laughing at the puppy’s joy.

  “What’s going on, Sami?”

  “It’s not enough that I’m working a billion hours this week at my JOB or that I only sleep three hours a night or that I BARELY have time to pee. No, I have to deal with your CRAP. Why? Because Alex managed to get herself in legal trouble… AGAIN. Not to mention the fact that I have to deal with you and...” Samantha raised her perfectly arched eyebrows and pursed her lips. “Of course, he won’t have a thing to do with me. But what do I find? He’s in bed with Alex.”

  “Erm… Raz canceled last night?”

  Samantha nodded her head with such force that her long auburn curls bounced on her chest. Her blue eyes blazed with indignation.

  “You know he hurt his back,” Alex said. “You know that, right?”

  “He says he hurt his back but come on? The man is solid muscle. How could he possibly hurt his back? He doesn’t have the guts...”

  Alex moved from the bed to catch Samantha as she started to cry. Alex held her sister close while Samantha cried into her shoulder.

  “Sami, what is this? This is not about Raz.”

  Samantha took a step back. Her face was a mask of pain. Samantha shook her head.

  “What happened with the Senator?” Alex asked.

  Samantha started to sob and Alex held onto her sister. The gorgeous and brilliant Samantha Hargreaves had been having an affair with a married Senator for the last four years. Samantha had tried to end the relationship last year. Somehow, her sister always ended up sleeping with the jerk. Again.

  Through her tears, Samantha said into Alex’s shoulder, “Did you really have a hysterectomy?”

  “I was pregnant. Between the baby and the predator, they had to...”

  “Oh Alex, I’m so sorry,” Samantha said. “I know how much you guys wanted kids. I had no idea. I’ve been selfish…I’m sorry. I’m not myself these days.”

  “Sami, Raz has a broken vertebrae. He hasn’t even been working out.”

  Samantha nodded.

  “I know you aren’t in love with him or…”

  Samantha bounced on her Jimmy Choo heels, “That does not mean I want…”

  “To be rejected,” the sisters said together.

  Maggie barked in agreement. The sisters laughed at the puppy.

  “I think Raz is taking a bath. They turned on the hot water about an hour ago,” Alex said. “He thought a bath would loosen his back before we have a meeting. What time is it?”

  “After six,” Samantha said.

  Alex opened the bathroom door. Raz was lying in the Jacuzzi tub with the jets on. He winked at her and she smiled.

  “Yep.” Alex closed the door. “He’s in the bath. He can’t hear us over the Jacuzzi jets. Why don’t you go in and say ‘Hi’? See how rejecting he is? There’s a huge shower and lots of hot water. I bet he’ll find a way to cheer you up.”

  Samantha rubbed her matte red lips together then nodded. Alex held a box of tissues while Samantha fixed her tear smudged make up in the mirror. Samantha turned to Alex for approval. Alex nodded.

  Samantha tapped on the bathroom door then went in.

  “Samantha, I was just thinking about you,” Raz said over the noise of the tub.

  “That’s for me?”

  “Why don’t you come in and find out?”

  Samantha giggled. There was a splash of water.

  “ALEX! Can you…?”

  With her hand over her eyes, Alex tossed a few condoms into the bathroom. She wrinkled her nose when Samantha squealed. Backing out of the bathroom with her eyes covered, Alex closed the door then laughed.

  F

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Forty minutes later

  Thursday evening

  March 27 – 7:00 P.M. MDT

  Denver, Colorado

  Standing in the doorway, Alex looked around the basement room where the men had assembled. She smiled when Ben touched her back on his way into the room. She chose to sit alone in a chair near the wall. Alex didn’t trust them. She would rather sit alone with her pad of paper, a yellow pencil and her cup of coffee than even be near any of them.

  Reading her decision, the men shifted in their seats. Joseph smiled at Alex then nodded when she didn’t return his smile.

  “Would you like to call the meeting to order?” Joseph asked.

  “I’m no longer active military, Major Walter,” Alex said. “But I’m happy to assist you in your endeavors.”

  Alex felt Joseph’s eyes on her face. Rather than look at him, she kept her eyes on the mug in her hands.

  She had thought she was all right.

  She had even thought she was over it.

  But looking at the men assembled, her heart ached. The men had worked harder in the last twenty-four hours than they ever had for her. Tapping her pencil on her pad, she knew her decision to leave the military was justified.

  “You’re making up stories to hurt yourself,” Jesse said. “These men worked hard for you. They want to prove themselves to you, not Joseph.”

  Alex glanced in Jessie’s direction. Matthew came into the room. Moving slowly to minimize his pain, he came to the corner where Alex was sitting. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear.

  “Jesse’s right, you know.”

  Matthew kissed her cheek then pulled a chair over to sit near her.

  “We are meeting tonight to discuss Cee Cee Joiner,” Joseph said. “In the next hour, we’ll share everything you have uncovered in your search. This is the time to share everything. The smallest detail can make the biggest difference in the final analysis. I believe Captain Olivas should begin. Second only to the Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves, Captain Olivas is an expert on Cee Cee Joiner. Lieutenant Colonel? You may interrupt when you feel necessary.”

  “I spent the last twelve years in Central and South America,” Troy said. “Most of what I will tell you is hearsay, rumor and will not stand up in a court of law.”

  “But true?” Trece asked.

  “Probably,” Troy said. “I think the most important aspect to understand about Joiner is his appetite for women. It’s almost a defining characteristic. Anyone know what wife he’s on?”

  “He’s currently married to wife number five,” Raz said. “His divorce from wife number four was final only three months ago. Wife number five is seven or so months pregnant.”

  “Do you know the gender of the child?” Alex asked.

  “Male,” Raz said. “Would you like to see the latest imaging?”

  Alex shook her head.

  “A second defining characteristic is that Joiner has a lot of children,” Troy said. “Do you know how many legitimate children?”

  “Eight. Four boys and four girls,” Raz said. “All Texas named: Mitzi, Cody, Candy, Tristan...”

  “Eight legitimate children with one on the way,” Troy said. “I know of at least six illegitimate children spread all over the Americas. A few in the US, a couple in Central America and at least two in South America. Any in the Middle East, Matthew?”

  “There’s a whisper of a couple children but no one is quite sure,” Matthew said. “He’s not popular in the Middle East.”

  “Not popular is an understatement,” Alex said. “He’s been kicked out of almost every Arab speaking country. Even OPEC won’t negotiate with him.”

  “Cee Cee Joiner is the father of sixteen children?” Larry’s voice echoed with shock.

  “At
least sixteen children,” Troy said. “He may have children no one knows about.”

  “Troy used this term: ‘appetite for women,’” Alex said. “I don’t think he likes women. He’s no ladies man.”

  “He uses women as a means to an end,” Joseph said. “That’s why the Fey Special Forces Team was involved with him. Joiner sees the Lieutenant Colonel as a tool for his use. If he gets in trouble, he wants the Fey.”

  “The President said the Fey fixes Joiner’s problems,” Raz said.

  “Joiner demands my help,” she said. “I’m his personal extraction agent or so he tells anyone who will listen.”

  “What does he get by having so many children?” Vince asked. “He can’t interact with them or even see all of those children.”

  “Good question, Vince. I don’t know,” Alex said. “Anyone?”

  The men shook their heads. Alex looked at Ben. He seemed to be deciding whether or not to say something.

  “Ben?” she asked.

  “I’ve heard it’s about money,” Ben said. “Raz and I went to visit Joiner Sr. He has an ocean-side home outside of Cancun.”

  As if to pull the information out of his head, Ben tugged his shoulder length salt and pepper hair.

  “I don’t remember who said it, sorry. I get the impression it was… dinero para los niños.”

  “Money for children?” Troy translated.

  “Those were the words, I don’t remember the context. I don’t think the person realized what she was saying. Who was she?”

  “Ágeuda?” Raz asked. “Joiner Sr. has Alzheimer’s. He has a full time nurse named Ágeuda.”

  “No, it was the cook,” Ben said. “Remember she mumbled to herself.”

  “Almost all the time,” Raz said. “You listened?”

  “I make it a practice to listen to that kind of thing,” Ben said. “Mostly it doesn’t make sense, but sometimes it’s vital.”

  “We need to find out why Joiner has so many children,” Alex said.

  The words left her mouth before she realized she had given up her neutral position. Shit. She made her face go blank.

  “Sergeant Flagg? Are you keeping the list?” Joseph asked.