Her Blue-Eyed Sergeant (Soldiers 0f Swing Book 1)

by Linda Ellen

  Steve and Mary June sat on another couch directly across from them, while Mr. Tucker sat in an adjacent chair. However, his son remained standing, stubbornly refusing to sit as he aimed his eyes first at Gene and then Steve. He was obviously upset and it made the atmosphere in the room that much more uncomfortable.

  The old man met each pair of eyes in the room and cleared his throat as he began.

  “I have both dreaded and longed for this day for the past twenty-five years. At times, I prayed it would happen…and other times, I prayed it never would,” he admitted, shaking his head in wonder as he viewed the twins. “I’m sure you have a great many questions. Let me tell you the story, and then we will talk – if that is agreeable?”

  Gene and Steve shrugged at one another. Viv wondered if Gene was having as much trouble holding himself back as she was. She moistened her lips and looked at Mary June, noticing her friend’s wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look echoed her own.

  Mr. Tucker sat back in his chair as the younger man paced.

  “As you all have no doubt realized…the three of you are identical triplets.”

  Although that had been the foregone conclusion from their first sight of the younger man, the girls gasped as the words were spoken aloud. Vivian was filled with the distinct sense that none of this was mere coincidence; she knew deep down inside – it was meant to happen. As if God, in His infinite wisdom, mercy, and care had arranged the encounter.

  “What I’m about to tell you now is known only to a few people, and several of those are dead.” Mr. Tucker paused and looked to his son, but he continued to pace, occasionally running one hand back through his hair, his mouth clamped tight. Viv watched him, speculating at his obvious anger. She wondered why he seemed to be feeling something different than Gene and Steve were…

  With a sigh, the older man continued.

  “I’ll start by explaining that my wife and I – she has passed on…her name was Felicity – we’d had so much trouble trying to have children. My dear, sweet, beautiful Felicity was a delicate woman…delicate in features as well as stamina. She was never suited to the hot, miserable climate of Texas. The large bugs, the snakes, the armadillos. I regretted that I ever took her there. She stayed mostly in the house. She…she miscarried three babies before she became in the family way with…our son.” He hesitated at Viv and Mary June’s intake of breath and Mary June covered her mouth with one hand as she swiveled her gaze to Steve’s face. Did that mean he was their father?

  Before the soldiers could even react, Mr. Tucker held up a hand, “No – I know what you’re thinking. I wish I could say I was your father, but… Let me go on…”

  The girls could hardly sustain but forced themselves to stay silent. Gene and Steve sat still, their faces carefully blank as they waited for the man to continue. Occasionally, they would glance at their despondent brother, but he seemed in a state of semi-shock and his hot anger hadn’t lessened.

  “When we realized Felicity was once again expecting, we did everything we could to try and prevent another baby being lost. She stayed abed the last four months of her term. Everything seemed fine, except that she was weak and nervous…flighty – but then, she was that way quite often, it was just her nature.

  “Finally, the day came when the baby was ready to come. We sent for the doctor at once, of course, and he arrived and began her care. I thought it would be over in a matter of hours, but…her labor went on and on…more than thirty-six hours passed, and still no baby.”

  He stopped for a moment as he relived those trying times in his mind and heart. Taking a deep breath, he went on, “When our baby was finally born…he was…not breathing. The doctor said he was stillborn. My wife was barely hanging on to life, the trauma just too much. I…I thought I would lose them both that night,” his voice trembled as he reached into a pocket to remove a handkerchief and dab at his moist eyes.

  Viv’s own eyes had begun to sting as he had related his sorrow. She sniffed back a tear and tried to tamp down her own reactions, utterly concerned with how this was affecting the man she loved. She could feel the tension in his body where her hands rested on his arm.

  After Mr. Tucker collected himself, he went on, “She stayed like that, in limbo, for two days and nights. The doctor said her constitution was just so fragile, he couldn’t guarantee that she would live…” he cleared his throat. “Well, anyway, what happened next is what you are waiting for,” he sent them a weak smile. “We had live-in servants. Our cook was with child at the same time as my wife. She had gotten rather large with her pregnancy, very quickly, and the last two months, we had taken her off her duties and hired a temporary cook.”

  Viv heard Gene swallow and turned to look at him. His eyes were squinted and he seemed to be almost holding his breath. She knew he was fighting to control his emotions as he heard, for the first time in his life, the events that had occurred the night of his birth. “You okay?” she whispered, and he squeezed her hands and shot her a quick nod as Mr. Tucker continued relating his story.

  “Three nights after my wife gave birth, a terrible storm came up. The rain was so fierce, the wind so strong, we wondered if the house would stand. Cook had held on until three weeks from when the doctor had predicted she was due, but during the midst of that storm, she went into early labor. I sent one of the hired help for the doctor, and he came immediately – and worked through the night to deliver…the three of you. That was February 3rd, 1917…” he paused again, his expression pained.

  The very air in the room seemed charged with emotion.

  Extremely affected, Steve could take the suspense no longer and heatedly spoke up. “So…what? Why were we separated? Why did we not know about each other all these years?!”

  Mr. Tucker held up a hand, but met Steve’s accusing glare with compassion. “Let me explain,” he said softly.

  Steve clamped his mouth shut with a huff and exchanged frustrated looks with Gene.

  It was all Gene could do to remain seated. Emotions and thoughts were zipping through his mind like bullets from every direction. I’ve just begun to become accustomed to the reality that I’m a twin…and now I find out I’m a triplet! He looked toward his brother, Gareth, still pacing, and felt an immediate kinship with him. Unconsciously, he yearned to reach out and offer comfort, support…something. But for now, he held back. The whole situation was still so… so unbelievable… so amazing… so miraculous… and yet, so awkward.

  He could sense Viv gripping his arm, and he knew she was feeling nearly as much emotion as he was. He also knew she wanted badly to find a way to give him support, and that knowledge warmed him, and helped to keep his mind from spinning off into a tangent. With difficulty, he directed his attention to Mr. Tucker.

  “You were all so tiny, and the doctor had his hands full trying to take care of you three and your mother, as well, as she was hemorrhaging terribly.” Gene winced at those words, for the first time thinking of his birth mother as a real person, with feelings and pain. “The doctor summoned the other servants to help and I went back and forth from my wife’s sickbed to Cook’s room, trying to assist, but I could do nothing to help either of them. I was also trying to deal with my own grief from having lost my son…” he wavered, casting a longing look at the triplet still pacing, but the younger didn’t respond.

  Gene nearly said something to the brother, but again he held back, although he looked toward Steve again, recognizing the same sentiment in his eyes. They were both thinking, What’s wrong with him?

  The man sighed and then resumed. Gene prepared himself to hear what he knew was coming. “Your mother was very weak, of course, and frightened, and when she sent one of the servants for me, I came to her bedside.” The man met each brother’s gaze, adding as if he needed to explain his actions, “She had been with us for years and had been a faithful employee and dare I say, as much a friend as two from different classes could be. When she took my hand and told me she knew she was going to die and she wanted me to
find homes for her babies, she made me give her my word of honor…” his breath shuddered as he remembered, “To find you good homes…but to not let anyone know you were triplets.”

  It was as if a rocket went off in Gene’s head. Emotions burst forth with no chance of containment.

  He and Steve shot to their feet at once, each bursting out, “What?” “Why?”

  The old man merely pressed his lips together, his eyes cheerless with memories and regret. His words sounded tired and worn, indeed from many years of carrying the burden. “Because she was convinced if prospective parents knew there were three of you, they wouldn’t take you as a unit, or any at all, as they wouldn’t want to be the ones to separate you.”

  Gene felt as if he were about to hyperventilate. His own mother had been the one to deny them knowledge of each other?

  Mr. Tucker looked around at the shocked, disgusted faces, held up a hand again, and nodded. “I know. I know exactly what you’re all thinking – and you’re right. For her to insist upon such a thing was absolutely wrong. She was not in her right mind – but then, neither was I. I gave her my solemn word. She…she smiled and thanked me, still squeezing my hand…and then within a minute, she was gone.”

  The fight evaporated right out of Gene’s body and he lowered himself back down to the sofa. Hearing the details for the first time, it was as if he had only just then lost his mother – before he ever had a chance to know her… Swallowing dryly, he turned his head and met his brother’s eyes. They were moist with grief, and he seemed to be lost in his own feelings about the revelations.

  Steve sank back down in his seat, and Gene watched Mary June whisper something and lay a hand on his arm in an attempt at comfort.

  Mr. Tucker drew in another deep breath and seemed to shrink a bit farther in his chair. “I was part owner of one of the first oil wells in Texas. I had plenty of money. Anything I wanted, I could buy. Anything, that is…except for the health of my wife and child. What I did next, I am ashamed to admit. But at the time, boys, I truly thought it was for the best. I don’t now. Please believe me.”

  Vivian glanced at Gene. He and Steve had both been sitting forward with their attention riveted on Mr. Tucker, forearms on knees, hands clasped together in front so firmly their knuckles were white. Both men had shot to their feet in reaction to the admissions about their mother. Viv had sucked in a startled breath and swapped looks with Mary June, shaking her head at the incredibleness of it all. To find out there were three of them, and then to learn that their own mother had been the one to order they be separated!

  Her heart went out to each of the triplets, but Gene especially, and she longed to comfort him. Reaching over, she laid a hand on his arm as he sat back down and relinquished a sad smile before turning his attention back to their host. She knew he was trying to convey that he was grateful for her presence and her concern.

  “Doctor Ross had never delivered triplets before,” the old man continued. “But he took it upon himself to do everything humanly possible to insure success. He’d read some literature that advised to keep them warm and try to get them to nurse. The next morning, he sent one of the servants to find women who could serve as wet nurses, and he found two who were willing. I don’t know what went on about that, I’m afraid. I made myself scarce. However, I know my gardener rigged up a way to keep the bassinet warm, using bricks heated in the fireplace, I believe. All of us were determined to do everything we could to assure your survival.”

  Wiping his eyes with his handkerchief again, Mr. Tucker went on, “My wife had awakened and although she was extremely weak, she was aware of what had happened – and she was grieving terribly. She wanted a baby so badly; I thought it would drive her mad. Weeks went by. Day after day, she wouldn’t eat. All she could seem to do was cry, or stare out the window. The doctor wouldn’t let her get out of bed. Finally, in desperation, I made the decision to keep one of you boys and adopt out the other two.”

  Viv felt nauseous hearing the words. They seemed so heartless. As if he were talking about a litter of puppies. Incredulously, they all listened as he continued.

  “Our company employed a very efficient Oil Field Manager by the name of Carriker.” The four indicated they were quite familiar with that name. “I sent for him. When he arrived, I explained the situation and I asked him to find good homes for the babies. Please understand – at first, he balked at the idea. But I convinced him, somehow, that it was for the best and it had been…your mother’s specific request. He, being the loyal employee that he was, agreed to carry out my orders. Also, I made him sign a paper swearing that he would never reveal there were three of you.

  “The household had kept up the vigil of your twenty-four hour care for four weeks, until each of you seemed to be gaining weight and stabilizing. Once I made my decision, I went to Cook’s room and stood there looking at you, sharing space in one big bassinet,” he murmured.

  Viv had the impression, as his eyes rested on each one of the triplets, now grown, that he was remembering them as newborns.

  “You were all so small, just four pounds each, but you were healthy. Gareth was the only one with a problem…his right leg had been twisted during those weeks in the womb, but the doctor said with care and exercise, it might straighten out, which it eventually did,” he chuckled softly, remembering. “I reached out and laid a hand on each of you in turn…and Gareth…” he turned and looked at his son. “Gareth, you latched on to my finger with one of your tiny hands. You captured my heart. So, I chose you.”

  The old man, who seemed to have aged ten years in the time he had been telling the story, wiped his eyes again. He met the gaze of the other two. “I would have kept all three of you. Please know that. My decision wasn’t a rejection of either of you. It was only that my wife was so fragile…I was afraid the responsibility of rearing three rambunctious boys would wear her out. I know now that I was wrong, of course. We could have hired nannies. My only excuse is that I wasn’t thinking right. I wasn’t thinking of the future, only the immediate moment.”

  Viv watched as Gene and Steve gave each other a long look, then both of them turned and observed their brother, as he had yet to react. The third triplet seemed to be holding his emotions under fierce control…as if he were a pressure cooker slowly gaining steam. Viv hoped he wouldn’t blow his lid.

  Mr. Tucker further explained, “Carriker went home to get his wife to help him. Together, they bundled up the two of you,” he indicated Gene and Steve, “and left the house. I charged them with being very careful to choose the right families – and to let neither family know that the baby they received was a multiple. When he returned after a week, he assured me he had found two very deserving couples and was sure that you two boys would be raised well.”

  “Why didn’t the other servants in your home, or the doctor, or Mrs. Carriker give the secret away?” Vivian wondered aloud.

  Mr. Tucker smiled sadly. “The doctor, of course, is bound by the doctor/patient oath. Mrs. Carriker, I presume, obeyed her husband’s authority. The servants…well, I suppose because they had each given their solemn word to their deceased fellow servant and friend that they would honor her wishes. I know that there must have been times, especially when Gareth was young, that they found it hard to hold their tongues. However, each one was of good stock, loyal and trustworthy.”

  Mary June spoke up for the first time, uttering a question that had been brooding in Viv’s own heart. “Didn’t you ever want to find the other boys? Make sure they were okay?”

  The old man nodded soberly, his eyes beginning to drip. “On Gareth’s fourth birthday, we were celebrating, trying to get him to laugh…he was always such a quiet, serious child…and my wife said to me that she wished we could have given Gareth a brother or sister. We had kept the secret, incredible as that sounds, even from her. My conscience stabbed me in the heart, but I couldn’t tell her the truth; that I had, in essence, booted his two brothers out of our home. I did, however, send Carriker to invest
igate the families he had allowed to adopt you…to check up on your lives. He found the couple named Banks, and he saw the triplet happy and healthy, and that he had a brother and a sister by then. The parents seemed to truly love the boy.”

  Vivian squeezed Gene’s hand and he gave her a warm yet sad smile.

  “Then, he searched for the other family, but eventually found out that they had left the immediate area and he couldn’t nail down where they had gone. Unfortunately, on his way back to report to me, he had an automobile accident and shattered his leg. It was months before he could walk again. I never asked him to go on any more fact-finding missions.” He discontinued once more, and then took in a quaking breath. “My wife…when Gareth was six, came down with pneumonia and…we lost her. It’s been Gareth and me, alone, ever since.”

  Everyone in the room was silent, ruminating on the boatload of information they had just been dropped in their laps. So many emotions and thoughts were roiling around in Viv’s mind, first and foremost, she wondered how this would affect the man she loved. Would it change him at all? Would knowing he was one of triplets make him happy? Or would it make him angry that he had missed out on so much and leave him brooding over the injustice of it all?

  Softly, Mr. Tucker added one more thing. “This day, this meeting, is like an answer to prayer…”

  Suddenly, Gareth reached his limit. He pounded on the back of a chair with an anguished cry.

  He glared accusingly at his father. “I can’t believe you have kept this from me my whole life! Don’t you know how lonely and miserable I was growing up alone? Do you know how I longed for brothers or sisters to share my life with?” he demanded, his tone a mixture of agony and grief.

  The others in the room held their breath as Mr. Tucker stared at him in shock. Then, the four of them watched as the old man broke down in tears. “Yes, my son,” he sobbed. “I do. All I can do now is ask you to forgive me.”