“Knowing Ryan, he would be proud to be the best, and someday he would make an amazing police officer. He looks up to you and respects you so much. I say we go for the best.”
“I know you two just got together but I’ve known him since he was a baby. I grew up with his mom, we have always been close, and she is best friends with my sister. I know him well enough to know he wouldn’t have bothered with that ring if he wasn’t sure you were the one. Are you sure you can handle having a husband who may have to keep secrets about his job? He will be gone away from home for months at a time when there is war. Training will be a couple of months of hell and separation. Bases are like family though. When your husband is gone, families team up and help each other. We take care of our own. Can you handle that, and will Ryan be willing to give up his scholarship for the Marines? Though this arrest could ruin that anyway, maybe.”
“First, I know he is the guy for me, if this had been a diamond, my answer would have been the same. Second, I have handled a hell of a lot. Can I handle being married to a hero who risks his life to protect others and fight for our freedom? Bet your fucking ass. Third, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’ll miss him, but I’ll stay busy with work, and someday with kids of our own. Will Ryan give up his scholarship to be a hero in a uniform? I think I know him well enough to say he has probably already thought about it. So, yes. Yes to all of it. Now let’s see if we can get him out.”
We drive about fifteen minutes to Hudson Falls to a recruitment center. We walk in and the guy behind the desk stands up with a big smile. “Semper Fi, Gunny! Good to see you!”
“Semper Fi, good to see you. I would like to introduce you to a special young lady. This is Emma Bellamy. Her father was the one from this weekend.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am. My condolences on your loss.”
“Thank you, but my father was an abusive worthless piece of shit who deserved to die, sir. What we’re really here for is to save my future husband from jail. How about we just get to the good stuff?”
“Coffee?” He asks me. I like that he doesn’t seem shocked about anything I said. He just got to the point.
“And one of those donuts. Are they apple cider from Hick’s orchard? God they smell good.”
He laughs. “Yes, ma’am. I just warmed them up too. Let’s pour some coffee, grab some donuts, lock that door and see what we can do for you. Gunny here was my C.O. Good man to learn from.”
“And what should I call you?”
“Staff Sergeant is what most refer to me as, for now you can call me Greg.”
“Thanks. Oh God, you poor thing, powdered creamer, huh? You do know Stewart’s is across the street? They have the best dairy there. I love their ice cream.”
He laughs again. “Yes ma’am, I have some milk. Just a second, it’s in the minifridge in back. My private stash.”
He walks into the back room and I start some fresh coffee. Kevin is getting a bunch of stuff in a pile from around the office.
“How many sugars, Kevin?” I ask.
“We both like it sweet, so three each probably, those are big mugs.”
“I like it a little sweet, but not a mouthful of sugar.” I say with a laugh. I heap in the sugar and Greg walks back into the room with the milk.
“How light, guys?” I ask them.
“Light and sweet is the Marine’s way. Our coffee is like gasoline so light and sweet it is.” Greg says.
I get the cups ready and pour when the coffee pot is done filling. We all sit down around a table.
“So, her fiancé, we may as well call him, is Marie’s son, Ryan. Ryan is a good young man, he just helped try to save her from an abusive father. He got into a fight today. An ex-boyfriend called her a whore and was mean to her in front of the school. Ryan lost his temper because this boy had just burst into their bedroom this weekend and attacked them. Ryan is normally a great kid, his grades are good enough for some big schools to have offered him a free ride. He was offered a sports scholarship to more than a handful of schools because he is well rounded, smart, and undefeated in wrestling. He will be eighteen in April, she will be eighteen in February. What can we do to get this boy set up?” Kevin says.
“Fiancé, huh? Already? You’re young, but it’s not unheard of to go in already engaged, or married. You’ll be eighteen prior to graduation. He can sign up at seventeen. Here’s the problem. He didn’t sign anything for me. I don’t have any signed papers declaring his intent to join, so I’m not sure how long this could take. They could be difficult if they ask to see my proof of papers.”
“So can his mom sign?” I ask.
“Well, yes, but if you two are going to be married as soon as he turns 18, and you’re engaged now, you may be able to sign an intent letter. I don’t know. I am going to have to look into this, without talking to him, I don’t know if I can do this. I have to be sure this is what he wants, because if I get there, and I say he’s mine, but he acts clueless, we could get in a lot of trouble.”
“So, your hold up is talking to him, being sure this is what he wants?”
“Yes. Exactly. I can’t just call and ask to talk to him at the jail.”
“No, but I can get to him, talk to him, and possibly connect you. Um, do you have any candles around here?”
“Why?”
“I’m about to give you what you want, maybe. Sometimes when I need to know my sister is safe, if I’m not home and she is, I go to her. I talk to her, in our heads. I may be able to go to Ryan. We’re close, I see his dad. I may be able to even have a ghost go to him. Let me try, please, before we give up?”
Greg looks at Kevin, and Kevin sighs heavily. “She can do things, Greg. She pulled the bullet back out of my brother. She partially healed him, and slowed the bleeding. The doctors said it looked like the wound was older and already starting to heal when he got to the hospital. Let her try. You got any candles?”
“Yeah, in case of a black out. Hold on.” Greg shakes his head and walks in the back room.
“I was hoping no one else would ever know, Emma.”
“I know, but I can’t let him stay in jail any longer than he has to. We’re getting him out, the sooner the better. One night will be bad enough.”
We light a white candle and I lie back on a small sofa in the office. I concentrate, breathing deeply, going into a deep meditation almost like you’re putting yourself to sleep, but it’s so much more. My body flies through time and space, and I come to the jail where Ryan is. I can see him. He’s in a chair, with handcuffs on. His mom is there, talking to the lawyer. “Ryan, can you hear me?” I say to him.
I see him startle and look around like he heard something or felt something.
“Ryan’s Dad, someone, I need some help here.”
I feel a warmth and feel myself get stronger. “Talk now, Emma. I’m here.” His dad says in my head.
“Ryan it’s Emma. Don’t say anything out loud, just listen to me. Nod once if you hear me.” Slowly he nods once.
“Kevin and I can get you out. It may be tomorrow, but we’re working on it. Listen, you messed up Danny pretty badly. You could do jail time, or you can sign up for the military and get a pardon. You will sign an agreement that you are going into the Marines, they claim you as theirs and say they will watch out for you. When we graduate, you’ll head off after graduation for boot camp. If we’re married I can go with you after boot camp. Greg needs you to say you agree to this. If you agree, tell your lawyer now that you have signed up for the Marines and I’ll send Greg to you soon.”
Ryan’s emotions reach me. He’s a mixture of nervous and relieved, but not scared, not anymore.
“Um, guys. I was told since I enlisted in the Marines that I could be helped by them if I was ever in trouble. Greg, Kevin’s friend, said I could call him. Mom, maybe you can call him for me, please?” Ryan says to his mom and lawyer. I see her turn to look at him, startled, but she agrees and walks to a desk to a phone.
“I’ll talk to
you soon. I love you. I have to go back now.” I say to him.
Just as I’m about to pull back I hear him say, “Always.” I take in a deep breath and grab my pounding head as the phone rings.
“That’s his Ma to give you permission.” I tell Greg. He shakes his head and answers. When it’s Ma, he drops the phone, then grabs it again and apologizes.
“Yes ma’am this is Greg. Yes, ma’am. If you could stop by and sign the parental consent form, I’ll get it all started and get him released to me. It may not go through until the morning, but I’ll push it as hard as I can.”
Kevin brings me a cold water from the fridge and an ice pack that he pops and hands to me. He walks over to Greg’s desk and grabs a chocolate bar. Greg looks at him as if to ask ‘what the hell’ but he’s on the phone finishing up with Ma.
I hold the ice pack to my forehead and eat the chocolate, lying back on the sofa. Greg hangs up and walks over.
“Someone want to explain to me?”
“Nope, my head hurts and you eat cheap chocolate. Perhaps if you had nuts I would feel more talkative. Maybe next time.”
Kevin laughs and I just leave the ice pack on my head.
“So somehow she spoke, he heard her from miles away, and before she’s even awake his mother is calling me as if this was an old plan and they already knew about it?” Greg asks.
“Yep. I told him about it, he had to nod for me to be sure it was what he wanted. I told him to tell Ma and the lawyer he signed up with you and to call you so they did.”
“You did all of this from my couch.” Greg says.
“Yes, you were right here. I need a sundae with extra hot fudge before we go home.”
“I may go across the street and get you one now.” Kevin says, sounding worried.
I go to sit up, and my nose starts gushing blood. “Shit, yeah that may be a good idea. I don’t like chocolate ice cream, I do like hot fudge, nuts, a cherry and extra whipped cream. If they have pickles and chips I wouldn’t mind those too.”
“I’ll be right back. You take it easy on her, Greg.” I hear the door slam.
Greg hands me tissues and I lie back to hold my nose.
“You have some serious gifts. The Military could probably use you, too. How can you do these things?”
“I almost died, or I did die, but I came back. Now I can talk to the dead and go in what they call the between. I’m between life and death and I can talk to people there. I can sometimes help people feel better too, though mostly just with feelings, not always medical, though I was able to pull the bullet out of Kevin’s brother, somehow. I’m not sure how. I could taste it, I knew it was in a bad spot and it came back out when I kind of asked it to.”
“What do you want to do with your life?”
“Besides marry Ryan and get him out of jail? I want to be a nurse.”
“What if you could be a nurse in the military with Ryan? Would you want to be in too?”
“I don’t know if I’m in shape enough to be a Marine, Greg. I can run, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m really little.”
“You could go into the medical field in the Navy. He’ll be a Marine, you’ll be Navy, but you can often be together on the same base. If you’re married, I may be able to get you sent out together, depending on what MOS he chooses. We can talk about it and I’ll do whatever I can to keep you together. With your gifts, and you two being connected like that, I may be able to get you in as special ops. It would be a lot more money, and you would go in more as officers. We would have to tell them, and show them, what you can do though. Will you think about it?”
“Will you promise me that if I say no, if Ryan doesn’t want me to, that my secret stays with you?”
“Kevin saved my life once. He and his brother are family to me. Marines are brothers for life. I promise you that I won’t tell anyone unless you give me full permission. Semper Fidelis means always faithful, my word is good.”
I nod with the ice pack still on my head. I switch hands and hold out my hand for him to shake. We shake on it, and I know he means it. I can feel he means what he says, but he’s also excited about what I can do.
“I don’t want to be some freak they test and I end up like ET. I just try to help people I love.”
“I’ll keep your secret unless you change your mind. I swear to you I will.”
I relax a few more minutes and Kevin runs back in with a brown paper bag from Stewart’s. It’s a convenience store in New York, but they also make their own ice cream and stuff. I will really miss it when we have to leave for Ryan to go to his military base.
“I grabbed an extra can of whipped cream, pickles, chips, good chocolate with nuts, bottled water and your ice cream as requested. I got you this caramel ice cream because it’s sweet and has nuts in it, plus the hot fudge.”
“You got me a whole can of whipped cream? Really? If you were younger and I wasn’t already marrying the love of my life, I may just crush on you. Oh you got sweet pickles, BBQ chips and nutty chocolate! Why aren’t you married?”
Greg and Kevin both laugh. “I was. She died about two years ago. How is it you love food so much, you eat such weird stuff and I can carry you around in one arm?”
“I practically live outside. I hate to be in my house, and since my friends all live a mile or more from my house, I walk a lot. I love to be outside. I burn it off, and I don’t eat these sundaes all of the time. I may just gain the freshman fifteen before college though if Ma keeps making her pancakes and Ryan keeps spoiling me.”
The ice cream is perfect. Greg and Kevin look a little green over my ice cream, pickles and chips combo, but seriously, best thing ever.
“You’re sure you’re not pregnant?” Greg asks.
“You would have to have sex to do that. I don’t buy the whole Virgin Mary story, and no, God has not spoken to me. Not directly.”
“You’re engaged and you haven’t had sex yet? Wow kids are better behaved now than when I was in school. Aren’t you living together?” Greg asks and looks at Kevin.
“I’m never going to eat this before it melts. You’re awful nosy, marine. Yes, I live with him, we’re promised, not exactly engaged, though we feel it’s kind of one and the same, and no we have not had sex yet because we want it to be special. Our education and future are important to us.”
“I get it. I will give you some information about the medical options available in the military. Army and Navy do medical mostly. Like I said he can be a Marine, you can be Navy and we can keep you together most of the time. Navy owns the Marines, technically. We are a branch of the Navy, they sign our checks. The Navy is the transport, the deliver and the medical, and the Marines are the fighters. If you need something destroyed overnight, you call the Marines. We are a team though, as you two seem to be. It could work for you.”
“What about kids? We really want kids someday.”
“That could be a tough decision, depending on how soon you want kids. You would need to put in some grunt time, training, and then schooling depending on the medical field you choose. That could be hard if you’re both going through that and have a baby. You would need a family member around to help, I’m sure. You would get some medical leave time to have the baby, and hopefully the timing wouldn’t mess with your schooling much for your specialty. It will be a decision you’ll have to make with your future husband.”
“It’s all a lot to think about. Give me as much as you can on the specialties and everything and we’ll read through it all. Can we have a little time before we have to decide?”
“Yes. I can have you as an early sign on, but you have until your high school graduation to choose your MOS.”
“Military Operations Specialty?” I ask, reading it from a poster nearby.
“Exactly. You’re catching on. You seem brave, you think things through, and ask questions. You will need to watch talking back if you sign up, but I think you’ll do just fine, even if you’re just there as a Military wife.”
; “Thank you, Greg. My mom always told me it’s good to ask questions. It’s the only way to be sure of what you’re doing. It’s better to ask and be sure, then do something blind and not know what you’re getting into. He’ll be sad that he won’t go to college on a wrestling scholarship, but at least he won’t be in jail. He was worried how we were both going to do college and stay together. Now we have an option. Can we request Virginia, by the way?”
“Yes, kind of. He will go to Parris Island to start his training, that’s in South Carolina, which isn’t that bad of a drive from Virginia. From there, based on specialty, he could go to Virginia. We can narrow down specialty options for you based on what Virginia offers if you want to better the odds that he’ll go there and stay there. Your medical will work out well in Virginia, if you sign up. You can do it all right there. Give me some time to start the paperwork. I’ll highlight specialties of what is most common in Virginia near a Navy medical training base and see what I can put together to keep the two of you together and happy, just in case you decide to sign.”
“Thanks, Greg. Very much. I think Ma is here.” I say a few seconds before the door opens.
“Damn, that’s good. You’re like a watchdog.”
“I’m going to pretend you did not just compare me to a dog and finish my sundae. Hi Ma!”
“Hi honey. I feel like there is a long and interesting story to be told.”
“Yep. Kevin can fill you in while I eat.”
They talk, he and Greg tell her all about my dog tricks and I enjoy my weird sundae. A part of me can’t help but think that Ma looks tired and worn, and she’s only known me a few days. Her life has changed so much and been turned upside-down because she was nice enough to want to help two girls she didn’t even know, because her son liked one of us. Crazy how that all just fell into place. I love them both, already, but I feel bad for how complicated I have made their lives.
I lie back on the sofa, and next thing I know Kevin is picking me up to carry me.
“Whoa. big devil dog, I can walk you know!”
A Reason (A Reason, Season, Lifetime Series) Page 14