by JL Curtis
The old man groaned. “Yeah, help me up. Sponge baths just don’t do it. I know, don’t let the water hit me in the chest, gentle scrub, yada, yada.”
Ducks face split in a grin. “Yep. You got it. Here, let me get that bandage off.” With that, he reached up and ripped the bandage from the old man’s chest, prompting a spate of cussing while Duck laughed. “Did you really want me to take my time?”
After the shower and a new bandage, the old man felt much better than he had in the last week, and appetizing smells were coming from the kitchen. He walked slowly in and sat at the table, realizing just how tired and run down he was. Iris brought him a cup of coffee, and Eddie proceeded to fill him in on the horses’ progress, as Yogi leaned against the old man’s thigh.
Iris set the table with Eddie’s help and dished up seasoned chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, collard greens and biscuits along with a pitcher of iced tea. Roy and Lloyd, the two security men on nights came in and mumbled greetings as they dug in, while Eddie and Iris tried to keep the old man entertained. A few minutes after Roy and Lloyd departed, Bob and Duck came in and Iris filled their plates. The old man couldn’t resist and asked, “Where’d the name Duck come from?”
Duck stopped, took a gulp of tea and answered, “Well, Mister C, it’s like this. My real name is Tom Drake, but I was a second class Navy Corpsman, certified IDC[31] when I went through BUDS[32]. They called me Doc the whole time, till I got to advanced training and they found out I liked the water. So Doc became Duck. It’s been my callsign ever since.”
The old man smiled. “So how does the Navy get along with the Army out here?”
Duck grinned. “I just pound ‘em in the fu—er, ground when they piss me off.”
The old man laughed at that and asked curiously, “You seem awfully big to be a SPECWAR type. I remember all of us were on the small and wiry side, and it looks like Bob, Ray and Lloyd care carrying on that tradition.”
Duck shrugged. “Yeah, I had a helluva time. But it comes in handy when I gotta carry somebody and all my gear and theirs.”
After dinner, Duck started working with the old man on rehabbing the chest muscles, and the old man cussed him roundly, but in a friendly way.
Aaron and Jesse
A week after the old man had been released, Aaron pulled into the front yard, his truck packed to the brim. Jesse jumped out with Jace and headed for the house waving at the old man as she went by. Aaron slowly unlimbered himself from the truck and walked carefully over to the porch.
“How many days can you stay?” the old man asked.
“Probably only tonight,” Aarons said. “I don’t see us trying to push through to Pendleton with Jace. And I’m still trying to get comfortable with the leg. I need to stop about every two hours and get out, walk around and get some feeling back in my leg. One things for sure, that damn thing is heavy after a while.”
The old man asked, “You going back on full duty?”
Aaron shook his head. “Nah, they’re going to put me limited duty for a while. Honestly, I’m glad. I’m still not all the way back. I need some more work on terrain and I need work with a combat boot on the foot. All the stuff I’ve done up till now is basically low cuts and tennis shoes. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to control the foot with a laced up boot. Especially not trying to do things like climbing. It’s going to reduce the articulation and I need to figure out how to work around that. How are you doing?”
Jesse came back on the porch with Jace in her arms and bent over to kiss the old man. “Hi, Papa. Jace, no!” Jace had been reaching for the old man’s moustache, and he smiled and giggled as he did it. Yogi, seeing the baby close to him, stood up and licked Jace’s face causing him to cry. Jesse quieted him and said severely, “Yogi, not nice.”
The old man said, “I’m here.” Slowly rolling his shoulder, he continued, “Duck is trying his best to kill me, but Iris gets tired of the screaming and makes him stop.”
Aaron cocked his head at that, but Jesse burst out laughing. “Sure, sure. It looks like you’ve got a house full of people. Eddie and Iris I know, the others? And who’s Duck?”
The old man smiled. “Blame Billy. He decided I couldn’t take care of myself, so he got some guys from China Post number one to come in and babysit me. Duck is a retired SEAL corpsman. He’s taken over my rehab.”
Aaron winced at that. “Oh damn. That’s either real good or real bad.”
The old man turned serious. “He’s actually damn good. He’s working me slowly up, doing progress checks and keeping better records than I’ve ever seen. He finally let me go shoot yesterday, but only a twenty-two pistol. He says we’ll work back up to the forty-five and the rifles in time.”
Eddie walked one of the colts around the front of the house and Jesse smiled as she watched him slowly introduce the colt to a vehicle. He walked the colt over to the steps and said, “Mizz Jesse, Mister Aaron, good to see y’all. Mizz Jesse will you step down here, please? I want to get the colt your smell and the baby’s smell.”
Jesse nodded as Aaron looked on worriedly, until he realized Eddie had the colt in an iron grip and Jesse knew exactly what she was doing. The colt extended her head and gently smelled both Jesse and the baby, lightly lipping the baby’s hair.
Eddie said, “Thankee, Mizz Jesse. If you don’t mind, I’ll get the other one too. They both need to know who y’all are. If you can leave me your pillow cases and the baby’s sheet, I’ll imprint them so they’ll know you when you get back.”
He brought the colt over to Aaron and did the same thing, and watched interestedly as the colt detected something different and lowered his nose to smell the prosthetic. Walking the colt around the other side of the house, they heard him talking softly to the colt as Yogi paced them.
After repeating the same evolution with the other colt, they moved inside. Iris had the table set for the three of them and Jack’s old highchair, newly painted, sitting at the table. The old man asked, “Where are the guys? And Eddie?”
Iris blushed. “We all decided you needed some family time without all of us kibitzing and I’ve already fed Eddie and the guys over at the other house. As soon as I finish this, we’ll leave y’all alone. Miss Jesse, there’s a fresh blackberry cobbler in the oven, and some Blue Bell in the freezer.”
Jesse finished getting Jace in the highchair and hugged Iris. “Oh Iris, I could kiss you! I can’t bake worth a damn, and I haven’t had a good cobbler in way too long. And thank you and please thank the others for giving us a little private time.”
Flustered, Iris said, “It’s no problem, and I could teach you.”
Aaron chimed in, “Please do, Iris! She needs all the help she can get!”
Jesse kicked Aaron under the table then started cussing. “Ow, damn you, Aaron, that damn fake leg hurts!”
Iris turned away smiling as Aaron and the old man laughed and he said, “Jesse, you really shouldn’t kick your husband. All you’re going to do is hurt your foot.”
Jesse stuck her tongue out at the old man, and everybody laughed as Jace duplicated the gesture. Aaron said, “Okay, don’t blame me if he starts doing that. You started it, and I’ve got a witness.”
Iris served up the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans with cornbread and left them alone. After a quick prayer, they dug in, with Jesse watching Jace in case he started getting fussy. She was thankful she’d fed him the last hour on the road coming in. I don’t know when I’ll see Papa again, and I know I’m lucky to see him at all after what happened. For all that’s happened to us this year, we are truly blessed to be here. I’m not going to complain. I know we said for better or worse, but we need a break over here. Looking fondly at Aaron, she smiled and saw both of the men looking at her. She covered it by saying, “Hey, can’t I enjoy getting comfort food?”
“I’ll admit I like it,” Aaron said. “I don’t need it, but I like it. I still need to build up more muscle, and I’m going to have to work on that when I get back
to Pendleton. And this is going to be the last dessert I’ll get for a while too.”
Jesse started to kick him again, then just raised her fist. “You don’t like my desserts?”
“No, it’s not that,” Aaron said. “It’s that I need to cut carbs and sugar. Neither of those helps with the muscle mass I need to build.”
After dinner and the cobbler with ice cream, Aaron groaned. “Oh man, that was so good! Now if y’all will excuse me, I need to go run.”
The old man said, “Get one of the guys to run with you. They’re carrying and I noticed you aren’t.”
A few minutes later, Aaron came back through the kitchen wearing his running leg, a headband light and his Glock in a shoulder holster, “Where are they, sir?”
The old man said, “Out in the old house. Roy might be on the front porch. He likes it there on the right side.”
Aaron disappeared out the front door, and Jesse said, “Let me put Jace down and I’ll meet you in the office.”
The old man loaded the dishwasher and headed to the office, Yogi padding softly beside him. Jesse had beaten him there, but rather than sitting, she was pacing agitatedly back and forth.
“Papa, I heard from Uncle Billy what happened. The damn cartel tried to hit you. I’m scared for you, and I don’t want to lose you!” Tears rolled down her face. “I don’t want to leave. But I know you don’t want me to stay. And I know you’re going to tell me I have a responsibility to Aaron and Jace. I know all that. But, dammit, I don’t want this to be the last time I see you!”
The old man folded Jesse in with his good arm, feeling her tears soaking his shirt as he gently patted her back. “Jesse, I’m not going away that easy. That’s why Bob and his team are here. Billy and I had a long talk while I was in the hospital. Steps are being taken. And you’re right Aaron needs you now. You’re his rock. Well, you and Jace. He needs you to keep his spirits up. You’ve stood by him and with him ever since he got to Germany. Now is not the time to desert him. I’m seriously thinking about retiring and getting out of law enforcement completely. I’m sixty-four and it’s wearing on me. I’m going to get somebody trained and then I’m looking at pulling the plug. Okay?”
Jesse lifted her head. “Really, Papa?”
The old man said, “Yep, really.” Releasing her he sat down at the desk and shooed Yogi out of the way saying, “But I also need your help to get the books caught up.” They spent the next hour going over the operating account and Jesse picked through the receipts she needed and sent the current spreadsheet to her email, realizing she’d been neglecting not only the ranch books, but also the ‘Lenes’ books.
Aaron came back sweating and smiling. “Whew, gotta love that Texas heat. But I did five miles, so that’s good. My pace sucks, but I ran and didn’t fall once tonight!”
Jesse smiled and said, “Great, now go shower. You stink. And we’ve got to leave early tomorrow. I talked to Keith and Sally, we’re going to stop and see them tomorrow night in Tucson.”
“Keith and Sally?” Aaron asked.
“College classmates,” Jesse replied. “They’re accountants out there. They’ve got a one year old.”
“Aaron, get used to it,” the old man said. “Women run us. We’re just better off saying yes dear and going along with it.”
Aaron nodded as Jesse slapped the old man on the good shoulder. “Papa, we do not!”
Aaron walked out mumbling under his breath and Jesse said, “I heard that! You’re gonna pay mister!”
The sun was just coming over the horizon the next morning when Aaron and Jesse got ready to leave. The old man walked out to the truck as Yogi bounded ahead. Yogi wanted to jump in the truck but Jesse told him no, and he sat wagging his tail as the old man came up.
Aaron walked around the front of the truck and said, “I’m sorry we’re having to leave so early, but I know it’s going to be a long, slow day. I’m also sorry we can’t stay longer.” He stuck out his hand and continued, “Hope the recovery goes okay. At least you’re mobile.”
Jesse had finished buckling Jace in the back and thankfully he hadn’t woken up. She stepped back and the old man hugged her lightly. “You riding in the back and letting Aaron play chauffer huh?”
Jesse smiled. “Yes, I am.” She reached up and kissed the old man’s cheek. “Actually, it’s easier when Jace gets fussy and I can feed him without any contortions. I want you to let me know how you’re doing, okay, Papa?”
The old man hugged her back and replied, “I will. Now you make sure you get all the books caught up. Quarterly taxes are due and I’m depending on your to get them done.”
Jesse laughed. “That’s my Papa, always trying to deflect the conversation. Love you.” She climbed into the back seat as Aaron started the truck and the old man called Yogi back to the porch. He dimly saw an arm waved as the truck turned on to the highway.
As he stepped back up on the porch, Lloyd said quietly from the corner of the porch, “It never is easy is it?”
The old man replied, “Nope. It never will be. But it’s for her own good. You want me to bring you a cup of coffee?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Lloyd said. “I go off in an hour, and if I drink coffee now it’ll screw me up for trying to get to sleep. ‘Preciate the thought, though.”
Epilog
Two weeks after the old man came home, Billy Moore stood on the path by the Brady’s Landing restaurant and looked out over the Houston ship channel. He never ceased to be amazed at the size of the ships that maneuvered up and down the channel all day and night. He shivered thinking about how much responsibility the captains of those ships had and how little actual control.
He glanced at his watch and turned to look back toward the parking lot and was rewarded with the sight of a man limping toward him. Scanning the area, he walked casually over and said, “Mike, good to see you.”
Mike looked down at Billy and laughed. “The only time I ever see you is when you want something Billy. What is it this time?”
Billy put his hand dramatically over his heart. “You wound me, sir!”
Mike shook his head sadly. “Okay, Billy, what’s up? You don’t drag me all the way out here for something legal.”
Billy glanced around one more time. “I need some people to go down to Cozumel and get an individual’s attention.”
“Permanent attention or just temporary?” Mike asked.
“Temporary,” Billy replied, “but I want it to have a lasting effect.”
Mike nodded. “Physical damage?”
Billy shook his head. “Nope, psychological. I want to get in his head. One shot and a delivery.”
Mike looked thoughtful. “We can do that. Hard entry or soft? Or do you know?”
“Not sure,” Billy said. “But I think it will be an easy B and E. It’s a commercial shopping plaza. The guy has his office on the third floor. The harder part might be getting the shot.”
Mike and Billy continued discussing the options and ways that Billy thought it might be done, until Mike finally said he’d put boots on the ground and look at it. Billy handed over the picture and package he wanted delivered, along with twenty thousand dollars in cash.
Mike looked at the package and asked, “You want what’s in here delivered, right?”
Billy chuckled. “Yeah. Your guys will understand how to deliver it. Mike just shook his head and put the package in his briefcase and left mumbling about crazy Green Berets. Billy decided a drink was in order, so he stepped into the bar at the Landing and had one scotch. Finishing it, he dropped the money on the counter and walked out to his car whistling.
***
A week later, he got a cryptic call from Mike saying, “Good to go. Seven days.” Billy leaned back in his office chair, contemplating whether he was doing the right thing, and finally decided that at least for now, nobody had to die.
Turning back to the desk, he punched speaker and the old man’s number and waited. After three rings he heard, “Hello.”
; Billy leaned forward. “John, it’s Billy. Just wanted to see how you’re doing. I heard Duck is trying his best to kill you.”
The old man’s laughter came through the phone. “Well, he’s sure as hell not making it easy. I figure another week and I’m going to cut them loose. I’m about as far back as I’m going to get. Sixty-four ain’t twenty-one by a long shot. I plan to go back to work next week anyway.”
Billy shook his head. “Did you ever think about just retiring, John? It’s one way to lower your profile.”
“I’ll go out on my terms,” the old man said. “I’m not running away from anybody or anything. Shit, you know me better than that!”
Billy said defensively, “I know, but I had to ask. Y’all are pretty much in the bullseye over there.”
“Yeah, thanks to that little shit Covington,” the old man said. “Turns out he posted the IR[33] on the damn bulletin board and didn’t redact a single name!”
“Oh shit, that’s really not good,” Billy said.
The old man sighed. “Yeah, but that was enough to bust Covington for a significant security lapse, and he’s gone. The sad part is Sparks is probably going to be looking for a job. She can’t continue with the CBP now that her name is out there as a shooter. That just put a target on her chest. Sad part is, she’s a good kid who could have gone pretty far.”
Billy grimaced. “In other words, another good one bites the dust.”
The old man paused. “Yep. I was going to feed the horses, and I want to check Diablo’s shoes before it gets dark. You still coming out next weekend, I want to talk to you about what we can do with the south pasture.”
“Yep, I’ll be there Saturday morning. Plan on coming back Sunday afternoon if we don’t kill each other by then.”
The old man chuckled. “Bring your pistols. We’ll do some shooting. See ya Billy.”
Billy hung up and spun his chair, looking out on the setting sun. Yeah, screw it. I’m doing the right thing. John would never think of going the psyche warfare route. He’s always been straight ahead, balls to the wall. He’d be more likely to go to Cozumel and just shoot the bastard in his office. Then, I’d have hell getting him out of there. This way is a lot better.