Both Aidan and Jerry received their ribbons without allowing their emotions to show on their faces. But when it was Vicky’s turn to received ribbons for marksmanship and PT, she ignored protocol. She had worked damn hard, and she wasn’t going to be blasé about it now. As the Commander pinned them to her chest, she grinned ear to ear, and shook his hand vigorously.
Aidan had not seen her smile in weeks, and was so glad to see those gorgeous lips turn upward with delight. She couldn’t help but be proud for her. That’s my fiancée up there! She put her fingers to her lips, remembering the French kiss they had shared, two days ago. Then she clapped as hard as she could for her fiancée. Soon, all of the trainees were applauding. The sound stirred such emotions in Vicky, that she faced the trainees, and punched up her fists in triumph. Just as she did, the camp photographer snapped her picture.
After they were dismissed, the three were instructed to go through the discharge process, and pick up their belongings.
“Listen, I’ll catch up with you two in a minute, okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer, Aidan took off running in the opposite direction, towards the photographer. Vicky wondered what that was about, but then dismissed it, when she realized, it was finally over. The six weeks from hell was over, and she had made it through. She hoped that now, Aidan would be her old self again. Her loving, mischievous, sexual, beautiful, self.
After they were discharged, the three met in Vicky’s cabin, and Aidan instructed them on the next leg of their journey.
“Okay, listen up. We are going to be three hikers on an adventure, on our way to climb Mt. Hermon in Syria. So you need to get rid of your fatigues, dog tags, and anything else that is military related, and wear these hiking outfits I got for us.” Aidan pointed to three sets of clothes and thick boots, by the bed. “Here are your passports, and other documents you will need, to get into Iraq. Keep them on you at all times. Once we get to Baghdad, we will meet our contact, who will have our new identifications and permits for Syria. And be prepared that we might be searched, possibly even stripped searched, especially at the Syrian border. Any questions?”
Vicky looked at her dog tags with the diamond engagement ring dangling between them, and asked, “Aidan, what about my ring? Please, I have to keep my ring, I just have too.” For Vicky, that ring represented hope that all this wasn’t in vain. That they would still be together when this was over. She feared that without the ring, there would be no hope at all.
Aidan looked at her, perplexed. She wasn’t sure what to do about it. She also wanted Vicky to keep the ring with her, because it symbolized their love together, and Aidan needed to know that their love was still strong, after all she had put Vicky through, and that ring was her reminder.
Jerry offered his suggestion, “Well, Scrappy, what about if you swallowed it before we leave for Baghdad?”
Aidan looked at him curiously. Scrappy? When did he start calling her that? She felt left out of their friendship, but had to admit, it was of her own doing, though that still didn’t make her feel any better. It’s not that she wasn’t grateful that Vicky had someone she could lean on, these last few weeks. God knows, she hadn’t been there for her.
But Vicky curled her lip at his suggestion, causing him to laugh. She wasn’t very happy with that idea, but she couldn’t think of anything better.
Finally, Aidan thought of an option. “Okay, what about this?” She pulled out a small digital camera. “They gave me this camera to use for surveillance, and it comes with a secret compartment.” She took out the lithium battery, and opened the end of it, revealing a small cavity, where Vicky’s ring might fit.
“Oh, that is clever. What was it really intended for?”
“To hide five camera cards in, but your ring is much more important.”
Vicky squeezed Aidan’s arm, but then realizing how firm it was, she used both hands to feel the muscles. My God, she’s so strong, so hard.
Aidan smiled at her and grunted, “Ahem”.
Reluctantly Vicky came back to reality. She handed over the ring to Aidan, and both women were relieved, when it just barely fit inside.
“Well, there’s no room for the ring to jiggle, so that’s good.” Once Aidan secured it in the small compartment, she handed the camera to Vicky. “You keep this with you, okay?” She put the lanyard, holding the camera, around Vicky’s neck.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, just snap a few pictures like a tourist would, and no one will be the wiser.”
“So, do we have time to eat before we get on the plane?” Jerry asked.
Aidan replied, “Yeah, I think we should celebrate, don’t you?”
Jerry looked at Vicky, and together they shouted, “Hurrah!”.
For the first time since her Saturday break, three weeks ago, Vicky took out her hair pins, shook her head, and let her silky blonde mane, fall to her shoulders. An innocent, natural thing for her to do, but one that sent a fire through Aidan’s soul. God, I want to touch her so bad!
At the restaurant, as Aidan and Jerry chowed down on their T-bone steaks, Vicky only nibbled at her filet mignon, she had no appetite. Something she hadn’t had since Aidan became the Team Leader. It was as much about not knowing for sure anymore, where she stood with Aidan, as it was anything else. Just a few more weeks and this will all be over with, but then what?
Aidan noticed Vicky wasn’t eating, and for the first time, realized that she had lost a lot of weight. Vicky was already thin, for her petite size, but now the bones were much more pronounced, under her blouse. God, I need to tell her to eat something, but will she take it the wrong way? Will she ask for more from me? SHIT! I’m such a dick! Aidan could not rectify her conscious need to be distant, from her emotional need to be close, and it was tearing her apart inside. As soon as this mission is over, so help me God, I’m going to get down on my knees, and beg her forgiveness. Aidan let her mind drift to the day when they would have a normal life, just the two of them, stretched out on a private beach somewhere, making love under the stars. How glorious it will be.
Jerry brought her back to reality. He had also noticed that Vicky wasn’t eating, so he put a piece of his steak on her plate, and suggested, “You have got to try this, it’s the best T-bone steak, I’ve ever had. They put some kind of special sauce on it, I think. Maybe you can tell me what it is?”
Jerry already knew that the steak had been soaked in German beer, before it was cooked. But Vicky didn’t know, so she took the bite he offered her. She decided he was right, it was the best thing she had tasted in a long time. Either that, or she was just really hungry, and wouldn’t admit to it.
He asked, “Any ideas?” as Vicky wiped her lips with her napkin.
She laughed at herself, “I’m not sure. It tasted so good, that I chewed it too fast to tell.”
He grinned at her, and this time placed a big chunk of his steak on her plate.
“No, Jerry, that’s too much for me.”
“Ah com’on Scrappy, it’s only a couple of bites, let me know what you think.”
Aidan watched as Vicky cut up the meat, and ate the first bite, smiling at the taste. Thank God for Jerry, she thought, with just a twinge of jealousy.
Vicky took another bite, chewing more slowly this time.
“It’s beer! That’s got to be what it is.” Vicky perked up, enjoying this game she was playing with Jerry.
“Here, try one more bite, and tell me what kind of beer it is.” Jerry gave her another big chunk of meat, as he winked at Aidan.
Vicky cut it up into three bites, and finished it off in record time.
“Well, I’m not a beer connoisseur, but I don’t think it’s domestic.” She looked at Jerry’s plate and let out a gasp, “Oh, but I’ve eaten all of your steak.”
Aidan quickly intervened, “No problem, I can’t eat another bite of my steak. Jerry, do me a favor, and finish it off for me.” She handed him the rest of her steak, which was more than half of it, before he could say no.
>
“Oh, well if you can’t eat it. Thanks, I’ll be happy to take care of that for you, Sarge.” He grinned at Aidan thankfully.
“You’re helping me out, Jerry, thanks.”
***
“Oh, my God, was it something I said?” Ruth thought she was being polite when she mentioned that Maddie looked pretty today, in her spring dress, but Maddie suddenly burst into tears. “Gosh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, uh…, whatever it was I said that upset you.”
“It’s not that, Ruth. It’s this damn menopause. Say something sweet to me, and I burst out crying. It will pass in a moment.”
“Oh, yes, the crying jags. I finally finished that phase, thank God. I could have cornered the market on tissue, if it had lasted much longer”
“Damn, and I’ve just started.”
“It gets better Maddie, I promise.”
Maddie began blubbering again, “Oh… that’s… so… good… to… know.” She looked up at Ruth through the blur of water in her eyes, and smiled.
Ruth’s heart melted. She didn’t remember having that much trouble with menopause, but she knew that it affected some women differently than others. She put her hand on Maddie’s shoulder, and searched for something nice to say, and then remembered, that’s what set Maddie off in the first place. She theorized that now would probably not be the best time to ask Maddie out on a date.
“Well, I had it easy, in that I worked from home, so it didn’t matter if I cried a lot. In fact, it didn’t matter if I brushed my hair, or put in my teeth, for that matter.
Maddie laughed through her tears. “You crack me up, Ruth.”
“Uh, that’s a good thing, right?”
Before Maddie could answer, Yvonne ran into to their office, breathless, and scared.
“Ruth! Ruth, its Leonard. He’s being admitted to the hospital. They think it’s a heart attack.”
“Oh, my God! My sister? Have you called her?”
“She came in with him.”
“What about Vicky? Have you called her yet?”
“I’ve tried, but she’s not answering.”
“Keep trying, but take me to my brother-in-law first, please.”
Maddie watched the two hurry off, and laid her hand on her shoulder, where Ruth’s hand had been. It was still warm, still tingling. Maddie began to cry again. “Damn it!”
***
As soon as dinner was over, the three hailed a cab, and headed for the airport. They were running late, and only had time to check in their bags and race to gate nineteen, arriving just as the attendant called for last boarding.
Aidan knew there would be little time to rest after they arrived in Baghdad, so she used some of the winnings from betting her car, and put them up in first class. She arranged for Jerry and Vicky to sit together, as much for Vicky to have someone to talk to, as it was for Aidan to keep her own hormones in check. She wasn’t in the field, barking at the trainees anymore, and she was finding it very hard to keep her hands to herself, and needed every little edge she could find. So she sat on the right aisle, one seat up and across from them. Vicky took the seat by the window, which left Jerry in the aisle seat.
They settled in for the sixteen hour flight, and once they were ten thousand feet up, Vicky took out her cell phone, and called Yvonne.
“Hi, Yvonne, how are you?”
“Vicky! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you!”
“What’s wrong?” The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end.
“It’s your father, he’s been admitted to the hospital.”
“Oh, my God!” Vicky sat straight up, and suppressed her panic, which enabled her nurse’s training to take over. “Tell me his condition.”
Yvonne listed what she knew. “They’re running tests, and think he may have had a heart attack. They’re going to keep him overnight for observation.”
“Can you transfer me to Rebecca, please?”
“Sure.” Yvonne transferred her to Rebecca Collins, Chief Nursing Officer for the hospital.
“This is Rebecca, may I help you?”
“Becky, it’s Vicky, and I’m ten thousand feet up in a plane, and may get cut off at any time, so I need to say this quick. My father’s been admitted to the cardiology unit, and I need to know how he’s doing, and what they’re doing to help him. Will you be my point person on this, please?”
“Absolutely. Let me run down there and talk with the admitting doctor. I’ll call you right back.”
“Thanks, Becky, I would appreciate it, very much.”
Vicky clicked off her phone, and gazed out the window. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry, not yet. Not until after she could talk with someone, and be sure of what’s going on.
Jerry, who couldn’t help but overhear the conversation, asked her if there was anything he could do to help. But she shook her head, and patted his arm, then returned her attention to looking past the tiny window, at the clouds below. Jerry got up, and stood in front of Aidan.
“You need to go sit with Vicky.”
“What’s up?”
“I think her father has had a heart attack.”
“Oh, God!” Aidan immediately scramble out of the seat belt, and went to Vicky. “Baby?” One look at Vicky gave Aidan the answer she feared, and she immediately sat down beside her.
“Permission to—”
Aidan didn’t need to hear the rest of the question, she took Vicky in her arms, and held her close. Vicky couldn’t hold the tears back now, not once she was safe in Aidan’s arms. She cried, until the phone rang.
“This is Victoria.”
“Vicky, its Becky. Your father is stable and alert. He had a mild heart attack, and will be in the hospital overnight for observation. No need to worry, okay? If anything changes, I’ll call you immediately.”
“Oh, thank God. Um, Becky, I’m going to be unavailable in a few hours, so if you can’t reach me, please keep my assistant, Yvonne, informed. She’s helping with my parents while I’m gone.”
“Of course, Vicky, don’t you worry about a thing, we’ll take good care of him, and he should be home in a day or two.”
“One more thing, would you please call Dr. Joyce McMillan, in New York. She’s my best friend, and a nationally known cardiovascular surgeon. I want her to review my dad’s case. Her private number is 212-555-3842.”
“Of course, Vicky, I’ll call her, as soon as we hang up.”
“Are you with my father now, can I talk to him?”
“I’m sorry, but he’s sleeping right now, how about your mother?”
“Oh, yes, please put her on.”
Becky, Alice, and Ruth were standing outside Leonard’s room, so Becky handed her phone to Alice.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“Yes mom, I’m fine. How are you holding up?”
“I’m frightened, but optimistic.”
“I’m sorry I’m not there with you and daddy. I promise, I’ll get back just as soon as I can.”
“I know you’d be here if you could, honey. Don’t worry, everyone here is taking good care of us. Your father will be fine, he’s too stubborn to let this get the best of him.”
“Tell him I love him, and—” The phone went dead, “Mom? Hello? Damn it!” She stuffed the phone in her pocket, and looked at Aidan. “He had a mild heart attack, and is going to be fine, nothing to worry about.”
“Okay, as soon as we land, we’ll turn around and go right back.”
“No, Aidan, that’s not necessary. Dad will be fine, and I desperately need to get this over with, so we can get on with our lives.”
Aidan felt helpless. She knew they should turn back. Knew that Vicky should be with her father right now. Aidan tried one more time to get through to her, “Vicky, I really think you should go back.”
That was the final straw for Vicky’s overly stretched patience. After all she’d been through the past six weeks, giving up everything to help Aidan with her mission, and she had the gall to say that?
<
br /> “Fuck you, Aidan! Don’t you dare use my father’s illness, as an excuse to send me home. You can’t just blow me off, like some child you send back to daddy, when the opportunity presents its self. I won’t allow it.” She took an angry breath and concluded, “I think I want you to go back to your own seat, now.” Vicky shifted away from Aidan, crossed her arms and stared out the window again.
Aidan muttered deflatedly, “But I was going to go back with you, Vick.” She knew Vicky must really be worried, to lash out at her like that. Still, her words stung, and Aidan thought it best if she gave her some space. She switched places with Jerry again, and dejectedly sat down, her thoughts skewed with worry and concern.
***
“Dr. Joyce McMillan?”
“Yes, this is Dr. McMillan.”
“Doctor, my name is Rebecca Collins, and I’m the Chief Nursing Officer at St. Frances Hospital, in Little Rock. Victoria Montgomery asked me to call you, about her father, Leonard Montgomery.”
Joyce sat straight up at her desk, feeling suddenly apprehensive. “What’s going on?”
Becky told her everything, including the fact that Vicky wanted her to take over the case.
Joyce didn’t think twice. She could only imagine what kind of anxiety Vicky must be under, right now, being so far away from her dad.
“Send me the films and I’ll look at them on my way to the airport. I’ll be there in about five hours. In the meantime, can you get me temporary privileges, just in case?”
“Your privileges are still active, doctor, from the last time you were here for President Trenton.”
“Good deal. And can you get me a charge nurse who has the balls to work with an anal retentive surgeon, who fancies herself akin to God? That last nurse down there, was a little too soft for me.”
Remember, It’s You I Love: Operation Pink Knight Page 15