The General's Secretary

by Debby Giusti

  At the construction site, the EMTs had worked feverishly to stabilize her so she could survive the short ride to the hospital.

  Because of his grazed arm and the amount of dirt he had inhaled, they transported Dawson in the same ambulance with Lillie. Being that close as they worked to keep her alive had almost been his undoing.

  The sirens had screamed, clearing traffic and causing Dawson’s heart to lodge in his throat, where it had remained ever since.

  The phone call to her parents had been worse than walking into a minefield in Iraq. To their credit, the McKinneys hadn’t blamed him. In fact they’d thanked him for saving her life.

  Only her life still hung in the balance.

  General Cameron and his aide had arrived almost as soon as the ambulance had pulled up at the hospital. Both men were shaken when they saw Lillie’s seemingly lifeless body wheeled into the E.R.

  The general had talked to a number of the medical personnel, trying to find out more information, but no one knew what would happen in the next few hours.

  To their credit and even without the commanding general’s promptings, the medical personnel worked quickly to transport her to the ICU where Dawson now stood.

  He heard footsteps in the hallway and turned to see Jamison. His buddy’s face reflected the fear that ate at Dawson’s gut. If anything happened to Lillie, he wouldn’t survive. At least not emotionally. He might go through the motions, but under the surface, he’d be a broken man, unable to move forward.

  “I came as soon as I could.” Jamison grabbed his shoulders in an embrace that revealed the depth of their friendship and his own concern for Lillie. “What’s the prognosis?”

  Dawson choked on the words. “Her...her chances aren’t good. Being out all night in the cold. Lack of oxygen. Her lungs are filled with fluid. She’s spiking a fever that they can’t bring down. Right now, the pneumonia is her biggest problem. She’s on a ventilator that’s pushing oxygen into her lungs, but they’re also worried about her kidney function.”

  An ICU nurse scooted past them and entered Lillie’s room. She hung a new bag of antibiotics and adjusted the mechanical pump to ensure the proper flow of medication into Lillie’s bloodstream.

  Leaving the room, she smiled weakly at Dawson. “Agent Timmons, there’s nothing you can do right now. We won’t know anything until the antibiotics start to work. I’ll call you if her condition changes.”

  “I don’t want to leave her side.”

  Jamison squeezed his shoulder. “I brought the change of clothes you keep in the office and your Dopp kit. Why don’t you find a shower and clean up, otherwise the janitorial service will have to work overtime.”

  Dawson looked down at the red clay that caked his shoes. His white shirt was stained with blood, and he didn’t need a mirror to know dirt matted his hair and probably covered his face as well.

  “There’s a shower you can use at the end of the hall,” the nurse offered, her eyes encouraging. “Packages of fresh toiletries and towels are on the shelf.”

  “When Lillie comes to, she won’t want to see all that dirt,” Jamison added, which convinced Dawson to follow his friend’s advice. He didn’t want anything to remind Lillie of what she had just endured.

  The hot shower eased his sore muscles, but it did little for his outlook. He scrubbed the light flesh wound on his arm that he’d refused to let the medics treat. Later there would be time for him. Right now he was worried about Lillie. He’d never felt so helpless, and he knew her recovery rested solely in the hands of the medical team.

  The nurse caught up to him in the hallway and covered his skinned flesh with antibiotic ointment and a thick four-by-four bandage. “Have one of the docs look at it tomorrow.”

  He found Jamison in the ICU waiting room. “The McKinneys arrived a few minutes ago. They saw Lillie and are in the chapel now.”

  “I...I should talk to them. The nurse said she’d call my cell if there’s any change in Lillie’s condition.”

  “How ’bout we get your shoulder treated first.”

  “It’s already been taken care of.”

  The two special agents walked silently along the hospital corridors until they came to double doors and a sign that read Peace be to you. Jamison stood back so Dawson could enter.

  A large bronze mosaic hung on the wall behind the wooden altar. A giant sun with streaming rays of light was depicted in tiny tiles pieced together into a tranquil scene of a country field and meandering brook. Dawson thought of Mr. McKinney’s farm and the quiet farmland where Lillie had grown up.

  “Oh, Dawson.”

  He turned to see Mrs. McKinney. Her face was wrapped in worry, but she opened her arms and pulled him close. Touched by the affection he sensed in her embrace, his eyes stung, and he bit down on his cheek to keep his emotions in check.

  “We heard what you did to save our Lillie.” She pulled back to look into his eyes. “How can we ever thank you?”

  Unable to speak, he shook his head. Why would they thank him when Lillie was still in danger of losing her life?

  Mr. McKinney stepped forward.

  Dawson deserved everything the distraught father was about to say. Only Dawson wanted to apologize first. “Sir, I—”

  The older man reached for Dawson’s hand and then pulled him close. “Sarah and I have been thanking God that you found our daughter. Jamison told us what happened. In twenty-five years, no one has been able to learn the truth about Irene Beaumont’s death until you got involved. I’m proud of you, son.”

  Once again, Dawson couldn’t speak. He didn’t deserve anyone’s thanks or praise. He hadn’t done anything that the other agents wouldn’t have done.

  “We’ve been praying for Lillie.” Mrs. McKinney touched his hand. “Come sit with us, Dawson. There’s power in prayer, and we want the Lord to know how much Lillie means to us.” She squeezed his hand. “To all of us.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Ushered forward, Dawson sat between Mrs. McKinney and Jamison. Lillie’s father was on the opposite side of his wife.

  Totally out of his comfort zone, Dawson didn’t know what to expect or what to do. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to express his thoughts out loud.

  Within a few minutes, he realized each of the people gathered in the chapel was offering up private prayers to the Lord.

  Mrs. McKinney closed her eyes and nodded a few times as if she could hear God’s voice. Her husband wrapped his arms around his broad chest and stared at the floor, lost in his own world. Jamison reached for a Bible from a nearby table and turned to scripture for comfort.

  Dawson stared at the mosaic and realized he had asked the Lord to help him find Lillie, but he hadn’t thanked Him for doing just that.

  Dropping his head into his hands, he struggled to clear his thoughts. You...You had my back today, Lord, and Lillie’s. Thank You doesn’t seem to be enough to say, especially since I have more to ask of You. Heal her, Lord. Lillie doesn’t deserve to die.

  Once again his eyes stung, but this time he knew he wasn’t alone. In addition to the prayerful people sitting next to him, Dawson could feel the rays of God’s love, just like the rays of the sun from the mosaic, flowing down around him.

  Sensing the Lord’s presence buoyed his spirits and gave him hope that Lillie would survive, but as the hours passed and her condition continued to fail, Dawson wondered if the feeling of peace that had flowed over him in the chapel had been his imagination instead of anything real.

  The McKinneys believed in the power of prayer, but Dawson had turned his back on the Almighty for too long. Now when he most needed God in his life, Dawson couldn’t trust anything, not even the Lord.

  * * *

  Eventually, the small group returned to the ICU waiting room. Jamison brought up sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria,
although Dawson hadn’t been able to eat.

  Chief Wilson stopped by to check on Lillie’s condition. He and Dawson stepped into the hallway to talk privately.

  “The Freemont police got a search warrant for Karl Nelson’s home. They found pictures of the three women from Atlanta along with a few shots of Irene Beaumont. The women were jammed into the drums, just like the photo found under Granger’s mattress.”

  Dawson shook his head at the construction tycoon’s depravity. “Evidently Mr. Nelson wanted to document his kills.”

  Wilson nodded. “I wonder if he showed his father the photos to prove what he had done. Medical records indicate Burl Nelson died of a heart attack not long after Irene’s body was found.”

  “Karl didn’t want to share his inheritance with his father’s illegitimate child.”

  “Ironic that what he killed to prevent will eventually come true,” Wilson said. “Karl never married and didn’t have any heirs, so the Nelson Construction Company and all of its assets will go to Lillie. Plus, he owned the workout facility in Freemont Tom Reynolds ran. Not that money is important at a time like this.”

  “No, sir. The only thing that’s important is Lillie’s return to health.”

  “We’re digging up the construction area, hoping to find the bodies of those three women from Atlanta. Once we do their families will have closure. That’s because of your hard work.” Wilson patted Dawson’s back. “You did an outstanding job.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “There’s one more thing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I pulled your file and ran a check on your birth certificate, which verified the absence of your father’s name on the official document.”

  “Yes, sir. That’s what I told you and General Cameron.”

  Wilson nodded. “The JAG office confirmed you were within your legal authority to withhold his name on your recruitment papers since paternity had not been established at the time you entered the military. I’m sorry I had to follow up on that, Dawson, but I wanted to ensure this would never be a problem for you again.”

  “Does that mean Granger Ford’s name will not be added to my record?”

  “That’s correct. Unless you request an official change to your file.”

  “I’ll give that some thought.”

  “I told General Cameron the issue had been resolved. I also told him you are an excellent special agent and an asset to the division.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  After the chief left, the nurse approached Dawson in the hallway. “We’re going to see if Lillie can breathe on her own, if you want to tell her parents.”

  Dawson passed on the information. Mr. and Mrs. McKinney joined hands and prayed while Dawson stood nearby. The nurse’s expression was downcast when she came back thirty minutes later. “She still needs the ventilator. The doctor wants to wait until later this evening before he tries again.”

  Dawson had never realized how hard waiting in the hospital could be. Every hour the McKinneys were allowed to see their daughter for a few minutes, but Lillie remained unresponsive. Mrs. McKinney always returned with tears in her eyes and cried softly in the corner while Mr. McKinney circled her with his arms and tried to comfort her with words of encouragement.

  After their five o’clock visit, they went to the cafeteria, but only after Dawson promised to contact them if there was any change.

  He paced the room, feeling the walls closing in around him. Since the construction accident, he had never liked confining spaces, but today his struggle was Lillie’s fight to survive. He stopped in front of the large bank of windows and gazed at the gathering twilight outside. A gray pall that rivaled the weight of his own despair hung over the horizon.

  Ready to turn away, he stopped as a patch of blue sky broke through the cloud cover, and rays of sunlight showered down upon the earth. Was God giving him a sign?

  Granger had made his peace with the Lord and Dawson wanted to do the same, but there was one person with whom he needed to reconcile.

  He raised his cell phone and plugged in a number. His mother’s voice sounded tired when she answered.

  After exchanging awkward pleasantries, Dawson got to the reason for his call. “When I was a little guy, you taught me to pray. Somewhere along the way we both stopped doing just that. I need your prayers today, Mom, for someone special. Her name is Lillie Beaumont.”

  * * *

  As the hours ticked by, Dawson tried to convince the McKinneys to go home for the night, but they wanted to be close to Lillie. He couldn’t blame them, since he felt the same way.

  Eventually, they fell asleep on two reclining chairs in the waiting room. Unable to relax, Dawson wandered the hallways and ended up at Lillie’s room.

  His heart lurched and fear chilled his soul when he saw the medical staff gathered at her bedside.

  “She’s breathing on her own,” one of the nurses said as she left the room. “You can talk to her if you’d like. I doubt she’ll respond, but she may be able to hear you.”

  Once the room cleared, Dawson approached Lillie’s bedside. Using care not to disturb the tubes and wires, he took her hand in his.

  “Lillie, it’s Dawson. The nurse said I could talk to you, only I don’t know where to start.” He paused to decide what to tell her first.

  “I can’t hide how I feel about you any longer. You’re the most wonderful woman in the world, and I...well, I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.” He smiled. “Actually even longer than that.”

  He rubbed her hand. “So you need to pull through and open your beautiful eyes.”

  She moaned.

  Encouraged, he leaned closer. “Open your eyes, honey. Please, for me.”

  Her lashes quivered.

  Oh, God, let her wake up.

  A muscle in her neck twitched.

  “Lillie, come on. You can do it.”

  She blinked. Slowly, her eyes opened. They were just as he remembered and as emerald-green as the fields around her father’s house.

  “Daw...son.” She whispered his name.

  “It’s me, honey. I’m right here.”

  “You...you...saved...me.”

  “I’ll never let anything get between us again. At least for as long as you want me around.”

  She nodded.

  “Does that mean you do want me around?” he teased.

  Her lips trembled and a tear ran down her cheek, causing his gut to tighten. The last thing he wanted was to make her cry.

  “Look, honey. I’m probably saying too much—”

  Weak as she was, her fingers squeezed his hand. “For...ever.”

  He bent down closer. “Did you say forever?”

  She nodded ever so slightly. “Love you...forever.”

  Dawson’s heart nearly exploded. Not from fear or worry, but from the realization that God had listened to his prayer. Lillie would pull through, he felt sure, and despite everything that had happened, they would have a future together.

  Although he’d never known his father, Granger had in a very strange way brought them together. Despite their pasts, Lillie and Dawson could move beyond the pain and rejection of their childhoods because they had each other. More importantly, they had a God who was on their side and a love that would only grow stronger with time.

  He touched her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin. Seeing a faint tinge of pink gave him hope that her pallor would soon improve.

  “My timing’s never been good.” He smiled, feeling suddenly unsure of himself.

  Then he looked into her eyes and any hesitation left him. “I said it when you were asleep, but just in case you didn’t hear me, I need to say it again.”

  Her face filled with expectation.

 
; “I love you, Lillie, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”

  Then, in spite of the wires and machines, he lowered his lips and gently kissed her sweet mouth.

  She sighed when he pulled back.

  “I...love...you,” she whispered before her eyes closed and she fell back to sleep.

  EPILOGUE

  The May sun warmed Dawson’s back as he dug in the soil and planted another rosebush.

  “You look like a farmer,” Lillie teased. Kneeling nearby, she spread mulch around a group of flowering hydrangeas, their blooms as blue as the sky overhead.

  Task completed, she sat back and studied the three-story museum that would be open within the week. “The weather should be perfect for the dedication.”

  Dawson left his shovel in the dirt and scooted next to Lillie, wondering if he’d ever tire of seeing the sunlight in her hair.

  “Chief Wilson gave me the day off for the ceremony. He said I need to be sitting next to the woman who made this all possible.”

  Lillie smiled. “The plans had already been finalized. All I needed to do was ensure Nelson Construction completed the project on time.”

  “And under budget. You’re a savvy businessman just like your father was.”

  She raised her brow playfully. “That would be businesswoman, Agent Timmons.”

  He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Wistfulness washed over her pretty face as she looked toward the nearby river. A path of dogwoods edged the stone walk that led to a picnic area near the water’s edge.

  “I dreamed about him last night,” she said. “He and my mother were laughing. Then he reached for me and raised me into the air while I giggled and begged to go higher.”

  “I’m glad the good memories are returning. Have you told your mom?”

  Lillie nodded. “She said her prayer has always been for me to know how much my biological mother and father loved me.”

  “The McKinneys are good people.”

  “And the best parents I could ever have.”

  “Did you contact the families of the three missing Atlanta women?”