by Kyle Pratt
Conversation ebbed and flowed until they finished the meal. DeLynn smiled and held out her hand. “You look like you have something serious to say.”
He clasped her soft hand. “Yeah, I’ve got something I really need to tell you.”
She smiled, but said nothing.
“There’s no easy way to put this so, I’m just going to say it.”
He felt her tense.
“I’ve been drafted.”
She gasped and her eyes shot wide. “Into the military?”
He nodded.
She yanked her hand back. “Tell them no.”
“They’re not asking.” He frowned. “I can’t say no.”
She shook her head. “But you’ve been in the military. You fought.”
“I wasn’t in the Guard or army, I just helped out.”
“But … but you quit.”
“I could quit because I wasn’t really in the military. Now they’ve drafted me and I’ll actually be in the army.”
“You sound like that’s what you want.” Her voice went from incredulous to angry.
“It isn’t, but I’ve talked to people.” He reached out to hug her. “This is something we need to accept.”
“No!” She shoved away from the table. “No! It’s not. You can’t do this.” Tears and sobs burst from her and she ran back inside.
* * *
Westmore Farm, Rural Lewis County, Sunday, October 18th
As Caden lumbered down the stairs on Sunday morning a strange mixture of feelings occupied his mind. It would be days before his stamina returned and he felt reluctant to encourage General Harwich with reports of his growing health. At the same time his curiosity about the mission made him eager to call. He reached the bottom step and stood there for a moment. All he knew for sure was that he would be at the armory on Monday morning.
Multiple voices and the smells of breakfast wafted from the kitchen into the vacant living room. His stomach grumbled as he followed the aroma.
Pushing the door open, the smell of bacon tickled his nose. Maria stood with her back to him at the stove. Sue sat at the table slicing and buttering bread. His mother sat beside her with an open Bible. Adam pounded on the tray of his highchair. Little Peter somehow slept nearby in the playpen. Curled up under the table, Nikki lifted her head as Caden entered.
An echo of greetings filled the air.
Caden walked over to Maria and kissed her on the cheek. “Nice perfume. It smells like breakfast.”
She smiled. “Well, you’re feeling better.”
“Hungry, that’s what I’m feeling.” His gaze dropped to the dozen strips of bacon sizzling in a pan. “Where did we get that?”
“I traded eggs, milk, and butter for bacon and chops. I wanted a couple of live pigs, but the farmer wouldn’t go for that.” She shrugged. “At least we’ll have some variety for a while.”
He admired her ability to figure out such trades at a time when so many were going hungry.
She flipped a couple of eggs over. “Sit down. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
Sue and Maria filled plates with food and slid them in front of everyone at the table.
“Will you go into the armory tomorrow?” Maria asked as she fed Adam.
Caden already had egg in his mouth, but swallowed quickly. “I think I should.”
“Will you meet with the general?” Maria sat across from him.
He didn’t want to lie, but he suspected General Harwich would ask him to travel to Olympia for a meeting soon. He also knew that would upset her. Stillness came over the room. Even Adam stopped whacking things and now stared at him.
“Ah, I will need to call him, but we don’t have a meeting planned.”
That seemed to placate Maria and she continued with breakfast. When they were nearly done the phone rang.
Since the only phone for the house hung on the wall near her, his mother answered it.
“Hello. Yes. Is everything okay?” Her face paled and her shoulders slumped. “Oh, no. I was praying so hard for him. Sure, I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up the phone and for a moment stared out the window. Then in a soft voice said, “Pastor Higgins died last night. They were going to try and get services started when he recovered, but now … well, Ken, the youth pastor may be recovering, but they don’t know for sure yet.”
This had become such a year of death: his father just days ago, many soldiers at the armory, friends like Dr. Scott and now the pastor of the church. Caden knew him, but not that well. However, looking at his mother, he saw the impact on her. This year her son, Peter, had died, then her husband, and now an old friend and spiritual counselor. He feared for both the mental and physical health of his mother.
He glanced at Sue. She still grieved for her husband. Maria had lost her entire family. Caden rubbed his forehead. He had lost a father and brother this year. Those around him were survivors, but death lurked nearby.
Caden sat in the living room after breakfast.
Nikki curled up by the fire.
Minutes later Maria sat close to him on the couch and held his hand. “I’d been talking with Pastor Higgins about our wedding.” She sighed. “Will we ever be married?”
He pulled her closer. “I asked you to marry me once and you said yes. I admit the world seems to be fighting against us, and I guess I’ve procrastinated some—”
She shook her head. “Remember, I said no to getting married earlier this year.”
“You didn’t want to marry me in order to survive.” He nodded. “Yeah I remember that. Well, do you still want to marry me?”
She held up her hand with the engagement ring still on it. “Yes.”
He kissed her and in that moment forgot all else. “Okay then let’s not worry about the right date, the setting or anything else. As soon as we can get a pastor, or even a judge to do the ceremony, we should go ahead.”
She smiled. “I like that idea.”
* * *
Westmore Farm, Rural Lewis County, Monday, October 19th
“I won’t be doing anything stressful today.” Caden pulled the key from his pocket as he neared the old pickup.
Maria frowned. “You haven’t fully recovered; remember the general wants you to do that secret something.”
Caden hadn’t forgotten, he just wished Maria would. “I’m sure we will only be talking about it today. I still have a lot of work for whatever this turns out to be.”
They kissed before he climbed in the truck and started the engine. His thoughts were a jumble of Maria and the mission as he drove to the armory. Both were compelling and enticing in their own way, and both demanded his attention. He felt like a juggler attempting to keep two objects in the air at the same time. Not a difficult task for a real juggler, but he had never found it easy.
He entered the main building of the armory and took the stairs one step at a time. It pleased him that he didn’t need to catch his breath on the landing. Certainly an improvement over Friday, but his heart thumped in his chest, and he felt the stress in his legs. Still he pushed on to the office and the conference room where he picked up the secure phone’s receiver and dialed.
The general answered and Caden said, “When and where shall we meet, sir?”
“As soon as you can get here.”
Caden had expected the general to say, “Meet me tomorrow morning,” or perhaps to meet in the afternoon. “Ah … yes, sir. I’ll be there in an hour.” As he hung up the phone he winced, Maria would not be pleased. Exiting the conference room he spotted Brooks. “I’m going to meet General Harwich.”
“When?”
“As soon as you get me a car and driver.”
Brooks raised an eyebrow, and then called the motor pool.
The jumble of responsibilities continued to fester in Caden’s mind as he traveled to Olympia. He was a military officer during a time of war. He had duties. Like any military wife, Maria needed to understand that. He rubbed his chin. Wait a minute, she wasn’t a military wi
fe; she wasn’t even a wife. He sat in frustrated silence as that thought rolled around in his head. He needed to make a commitment to Maria before placing expectations on her. “Okay, I’ll do it,” he mumbled.
“What’s that sir?” the driver asked.
“Nothing.” Caden spotted the off ramp to the capital plaza. “Pull off at the next exit and park at the Wainwright building.”
Caden took the long stone steps one at a time. As he entered a soldier saluted. “Who are you here to see, sir?”
“General Harwich.”
“May I see your ID?”
Caden pulled it out and waited as the soldier checked his list. Two guards, in full combat gear, stood watch behind him. The nurse’s station of partitions and plastic sheets remained off to the right. He wondered if he would be going through that once again.
The soldier in front of Caden dialed a phone and said, “Major Westmore is here to see you sir. No, sir, he can come straight up. Yes, sir. Right away.”
Caden glanced to his right. Apparently he would not be getting his temperature taken.
Another soldier trotted across the lobby. “If you’ll follow me sir, General Harwich is waiting.” The soldier led him to the elevator and up to the third floor. Caden knew his destination before he arrived, room 315, the SCIF conference room.
The soldier tapped the combination on the keypad. “The general is already inside.”
General Harwich sat at a table in the center of the room. A single chair stood vacant across from him.
Caden saluted. “Reporting as ordered, sir.”
“Yes, come in. Sit down.”
A moment later as Caden looked across the table at the general, he said, “All this secrecy is intriguing, but I hope you can clear up a few things.”
The general leaned back in his chair. “I’ll be as honest as possible without jeopardizing the mission. There is a package that could change the course of the war with Durant, but the courier will deliver it only to you.”
“What’s the package? Why only me?”
“The contents are too sensitive for me to say what it is. If you are captured during the mission many lives would be at stake.” He leaned back and sighed. “To answer your second question I would have to reveal the identity of the courier, and that is almost as sensitive as your first question.”
“How will I know the courier if—.”
“More answers will be provided once the operation is underway and you will understand more as it moves forward. Have you gathered your team?”
“My XO assembled a rifle platoon.”
The general pursed his lips. “I’d like you to have more support. I’ll have another platoon waiting for you when you arrive.”
“How long do you expect us to be deployed?”
“This mission will need to wrap up quickly, a week perhaps.” The general shook his head. “But with the current situation, who knows what will happen after that.”
Caden felt relieved that the mission wouldn’t take long, but felt he should be honest about his health. “I’m getting stronger daily, sir, but I’m still not one hundred-percent.”
“I suspected that would be the case, but we’ve lost time due to your illness, so we need to move rapidly.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“I need you and your team at Joint Base Lewis-McChord tomorrow at 0800.”
Chapter Thirty Four
Olympia, Monday, October 19th
Caden flinched at General Harwich’s directive. “Tomorrow at 0800?” A glance at his watch showed 1100. Less than a day to prepare in so many ways, pack his rucksack, ensure the soldiers had all their gear, and arrange transport. Also, he would need to talk with Maria and his mother. He had no idea what to say. However, he had been a soldier long enough to know what to tell the general. “Yes, sir.”
They stood and moved toward the door.
“Ah, sir? A couple of men who have been serving at the armory have new orders to Lewis-McChord. Another young man has been drafted and ordered there.”
“They’ll be training for the Pacific war against China.”
“They all have experience that I’d like in my unit.”
“Give me their names and I’ll have the orders waiting when you get back to Hansen.”
He wrote the information and then hurried back to the car. As the driver merged onto the freeway Caden’s mind raced with all the things he needed to complete. After several minutes he grabbed the phone from his pocket, started to dial, and then stopped. He couldn’t say much about the operation over the device in his hand. Reluctantly he shoved it back in his pocket and then planned and worried for most of the ride home.
As the driver exited toward Hansen, Caden thought of one call he could make without compromising the mission. When Hoover came on the line he asked, “Can you find me a priest or pastor?”
“Why, who’s dying?”
“No one. I have to get married right away.”
“Who did you … nope, none of my business.”
“What? No! I … It’s Maria, she’s not pregnant, but I can’t—.”
“I was just kidding. You’re in the military and there’s a war on. I can guess why you might be in a hurry.”
“I know a lot of people are hunkered down waiting for the flu to burn through the area, but do you know someone who can do the service?”
“Yeah, I think I do. Let me make a call.”
“Thanks.” When he hung up the driver said, “Congratulations, sir. I’ll have to let the pool know.”
“What?”
“Most of the guys at the armory are in on a pool for the date you get married. We have one for Lieutenant Brooks and your sister also.”
Heading east on the state road toward Hansen, Caden said, “I want in on that one.”
“So, which way sir, home or work?”
Caden glanced at his watch. Nearly noon and he hadn’t even started with mission preparations. “It looks like we’re both eating good army chow for lunch.”
They pulled into the armory. Caden hurried to the motor pool and ordered trucks to be fueled and ready. Afterwards he went to the office and collapsed into the chair behind his desk. Gradually his strength had grown, but not fast enough for the mission.
Brooks stuck his head in. “They told me you were back. We received some new personnel orders.” He handed the papers to Caden. “Is there any mission news that you can share?”
Caden leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “I’m leaving tomorrow at zero dark thirty with the platoon you assembled for me. I still don’t know many details, so I can’t tell you much more than that. Oh, and I’ll be taking First Sergeant Fletcher with me.”
Brooks bit his lip, but said nothing. “He has valuable experience. I’d hoped to—.”
“That’s why I need him.” Caden leaned forward. “On another subject, Maria and I may get married tonight. I’d like you to be my best man.”
“Of course. I’m honored.”
“If this does happen have First Sergeant Fletcher fill in for you.”
“Will do.” Brooks headed for the door.
“Send Fletcher to see me,” Caden called from his desk.
When the first sergeant arrived, he motioned for him to sit down. “I know you weren’t in the platoon going out on the mission with me, but I’m adding you.”
The slightest hint of a grin creased Fletcher’s face. “I thought you’d never ask, sir.”
“Well I’m glad that’s settled. Allow the men a couple of hours to say goodbye to their families. When they’re back conduct the pre-combat inspection. Ammo up, bring all MOPP gear and let me know if there is anything you think we need. I’ll do an inspection tomorrow just before we depart.”
“It would help if I knew where we were going and what we were doing.”
“Yeah, it sure would. All I can tell you is Missouri and that is classified.”
“Missouri?” he grunted. “Okay, leave the arctic gear and
snowshoes behind.”
Caden grinned. “And the desert camo.”
As Fletcher left, the cell phone in Caden’s pocket blared with the music of I Fought the Law. He sighed and pulled the phone out. Maria must have set more ringtones. Sure enough, Hoover had returned his call.
“Were you able to find someone to perform the ceremony?”
“It appears the community has lost a lot of priests and pastors,” Hoover said flatly. “They worked with the sick and dying. I guess such mercy has a price.”
Caden thought of Dr. Scott. She had paid the price of mercy. “So, you couldn’t find anyone?”
“No, I found someone, and discovered that sad fact about the deaths. Am I invited to this shindig?”
“Yes, of course.” Caden glanced at the clock on the wall. Already 1300 hours, and he still had much to do. “The service will probably need to be late this evening. I should talk to Maria.”
“Yeah, talking this over with her is probably a good idea.”
“Thanks for all your help.” Anxiety churned within him. “I’ll call you when it’s time.”
* * *
Hollister Hotel, Monday, October 19th
Zach glanced into the shadows as a knock echoed through the empty lobby.
Mr. Hollister continued to measure the next board without looking up.
“I’ll get it.” When Zach turned the corner, into the main area of the entrance, he spotted Fletcher and hurried to open the door. A Humvee stood parallel parked on the street.
“Hi, First Sergeant. What brings you here?” Zach grinned. “Have you come to see my new home? I can give you a tour.”
“No, sorry. I’m here on official business.”
Fletcher held a limp ruck sack in one hand as he stepped inside. Then he handed Zach a sheet of paper.
In the dim light of the lobby Zach held the document close and read it carefully. “I’ve been assigned to a new unit under Major Westmore?”
“Yeah, new orders.” Fletcher nodded. “You’ll need to come with me now.”
“Why so sudden? Why me?”
“Ours is not to question why, and in this case I really don’t know much.”
He frowned. “Should I pack anything?”
“Sure.” Fletcher handed him the ruck sack. “A toothbrush, underwear if it’s plain white, things like that, but don’t bother with a comb.” He smiled. “This time you get the haircut with the job.”