Heroes Never Die (10 page)

“Brian, thank you.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.”  She hoped she would never have to find out.  She kissed him goodbye, and then she walked to the sofa with her dad who cuddled her in his arms.

“Have you been this downcast in front of Brian?” he asked as he stroked her hair.

“I’m trying my best not to,” she whimpered, “but every time I think about both of you leaving, I fall apart.”

“You have to pull yourself together, sweetheart.  Brian needs you to be strong.  He has a tough job ahead of him and if he’s not thinking clearly, he could jeopardize his life as well as the lives of others.  I know you don’t want that.”

“Of course not.”  Stephanie listened more carefully.  The conversation was focusing on Brian’s safety and she was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect him.

“Even if you don’t feel like it,” he continued, “you have to put on a brave face.  You’re a strong-willed woman, Stephanie, and once you make up your mind to do something, there won’t be any stopping you.  Do you remember how we used to race to the top of the Washington Monument?”

“How could I forget?  You always beat me.”

“Exactly.  But you never gave up in the middle of the race, and you never quit trying to win.  Right now you need that same determination.  Be positive around Brian.  Don’t dwell on what’s happening at the present.  Talk to him about all of the good things that will happen when he returns.  And if you keep up that attitude, Brian will be home before you know it.”  His blue eyes began to twinkle.  “Then maybe the two of you will give me that grandchild you promised.”

Stephanie’s face lit up with a smile.  For the first time since Brian had given her the devastating news, she felt life-giving hope.  “You always know what to say to make me feel better.  I love you, Daddy, and I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, sweetheart.”  He pulled her close and kissed her head.  “I need you to make me a promise.  When I leave, I want to see a big beautiful smile on your face.  Will you do that for me?”  Stephanie knew if she broke down when he left, he and Brian would both go AWOL.

“I promise to smile on one condition.  When you come home, I want a rematch to the top of the Washington Monument.”

“Huh,” he puffed.  “Lucky for me all 898 steps of that winding staircase is closed.”

“Then we will just have to hold our Mitchell Marathon somewhere else,” she challenged.

“That’s the spirit,” he bolstered.  “We’re going to pull through this.  We always have and we always will.”  Stephanie’s mind was strengthened with renewed courage.  She was strong enough to cross the finish line.  She was strong enough to win.  Love and encouragement was the best medicine her dad had ever given her.

Brian returned with his arms full of pizza and beer.  Stephanie followed him into the kitchen to give him a hand and as soon as his arms were empty, she embraced him and pressed his mouth with a kiss, hoping to animate his imagination.

“Take it easy on me, kid, your dad is in the next room.”  But Stephanie burned his mouth with an even hotter kiss.  “Whew,” Brian panted as he tried to catch his breath.  “Don’t do this to me, Stephanie.”

“All right, I’ll be good.”

“I don’t want you to be good.  I just want you to hold the thought until we can do something about it.”  Stephanie reached into the cupboard for glasses.  “Your eyes are sparkling,” he said as he poured beer into the glass she handed him.  “You must have had a nice talk with your dad.”

“I did, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it, but,” she said as she playfully slid her hand down the front of his pants, “you said it had to wait.”

“Stephanie!”  He jumped and grinned, spilling beer all over the floor.  “I’m warning you.”  Stephanie just laughed.  He was so much fun to play with, and he was always so easy to seduce.

The mood became cheerful as the threesome relaxed together at home, enjoying the precious time they had left.  After two beers, Stephanie was feeling completely mellow.  But after two beers, Robert and Brian had just begun.  Stephanie sat on the floor resting against an upholstered chair with a beer in her hand and watched as the men proceeded to become inebriated.  They were acting like a couple of comedians, telling jokes and laughing when the jokes they told were far from being funny.  In only two more days they would be in the middle of a bloody war zone facing the stench of death, and Stephanie was glad to see them relaxing and having fun.  Besides, now there was only one beer left, and her dad was drinking it.

Robert tipped his glass up over his mouth and drank the last swallow of beer.  “Stephanie,” he said with a glazed look in his eyes, “would you be a sweetheart and get me another beer?”

“That was the last one, Daddy.”

“Hell, Brian,” Robert thundered.  “We have to make another run.”

“Gotcha covered, General,” Brian said, slurring every word.  “The trunk of my car is loaded with alcohol.  What we don’t drink tonight, we’ll take to Turkey.  We sure as hell don’t want to run out of antiseptic.”

The men howled with laughter, but Stephanie shook her head at their uncivilized behavior.  This little party is turning into an all-nighter.  She put her empty beer glass on the table and rose from the floor.  “Gentlemen, I’m calling it a night.”

Brian looked up at her, his head wobbling.  “But, Steffa-ma-nee.  Don’t be a party pipper, or – uh – pooper.”

She smiled at his juvenile behavior.  He looked like a pitiful little boy in a man’s body.  She kissed him sweetly.  “I love you, Brian.”  Then she walked over to her dad and kissed his cheek.  “Good night, Dad.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

Stephanie climbed the stairs and dressed for bed.  She crawled into bed and pulled the warm covers over her shoulders and began to think about her dad’s request for a grandchild.  Brian had wanted to start a family, and suddenly her mind flooded with excitement as she dreamed about having his baby.  As soon as he returned from the war, she was going to try to get pregnant.  But what if Brian doesn’t come back?

Stephanie began to toss and turn as she wrestled with her troubling thoughts.  Then she heard thunderous howls of laughter coming from the living room.  “Good grief,” she mumbled.  She pulled the covers over her head to muffle the noise.  Then she rolled over onto her side and fell asleep.

The next thing Stephanie knew she was opening her eyes to a sunlit room.  She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and did a double take when she noticed that it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.  She felt Brian’s warm body tightly wrapped around her.  No wonder I slept so long.  She rolled over to face him and smothered his face with tender kisses.  She moved her mouth across his bare shoulders and chest, and Brian slowly came to.  “How does your head feel,” Stephanie whispered as she gently brushed back his thick brown hair with her hand.

Brian let out a soothing sigh.  “How can I possibly think about my head when I just woke up next to the most beautiful woman on earth?”

Stephanie was amused.  “About last night – you’re not in any trouble, so you can skip the flattery.”

“I wasn’t trying to flatter you.  I meant it from the bottom of my heart.”  He gazed into her wild blue eyes.  “Every time I look at you, I fall in love all over again.”

Stephanie felt the tenderness of his love as he caressed her face, and she looked at him as though he had cast a magical spell over her.  She felt so strong when he was next to her, as though there was nothing on earth she couldn’t do.  How will I ever face the long months ahead without you?

“I’m going to miss you, Stephanie.  I think I’ll miss you most on Christmas.  I was really looking forward to spending our first holiday together.”

“Me, too,” she said, trying to hide her sadness with a consoling smile.  Then she remembered the present she already had for him and her eyes lit up with excitement.  “I have something that will make you feel better.  It’s a Christmas present.”

“A present for me – already?”

She hurried out of bed and headed toward the closet.  “Close your eyes and no peeking.  I don’t want you to see my hiding place.”  She stood on her tiptoes and lifted her arms up high to reach the closet shelf.  “Are your eyes closed?”

“Uh huh,” Brian said.

She returned to his side with his present hidden behind her back.  He had asked for her picture to put on his desk, and she thought it was the best picture she had ever taken.  She signed it on the back, ‘To Brian, with all my love forever, Stephanie.’  She held out the shiny gold frame for him to see.  “You can look now.”

Brian smiled when he saw the present.  “Just what I wanted,” he said as he reached out to take it.  “You look absolutely stunning.  You even signed it.”

“Do you really like it?”

“Are you kidding?  I love it.  Thank you very much.”  Then he kissed her.

“You are welcome very much.  Now you have the picture you wanted for your desk.”

“My desk will have to wait.  I’m taking your picture to Turkey so I can keep you close beside me.”  He placed it on the nightstand.  “I feel bad.  I don’t have anything for you yet.”

Just knowing how much you love me is the nicest present of all, she thought.  It’s a gift I’ll cherish the rest of my life.

Stephanie crawled back into bed and snuggled up close to him.  “I know what you can give me and it won’t cost you anything except a promise.”

Brian immediately looked suspicious.  “Why do I feel like I’m being roped into something I’m going to regret?”

“I guarantee this will be the best Christmas present either of us has ever had.”  Brian looked even more skeptical, but he listened anyway.  “On Christmas Eve, at the stroke of midnight, no matter where you are or what you’re doing I want you to blow me a kiss – like this.”  She demonstrated by kissing her hand and blowing the kiss into the air.  “Your kiss will find its way to me, and I’ll catch it and put it on my mouth.  Then no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’ll blow a kiss to you.  You have to catch my kiss and put it on your mouth.  And when you do, I’ll be right there with you, and you’ll know how much I love you.  Will you promise me?”

“That is a great present,” he said, unable to hide his roguish grin.  “I promise to deliver your kiss at exactly the stroke of midnight.  And when you catch my kiss, you won’t be alone either because even though I won’t be here with you like I want to be, you’ll always be tucked inside of my heart.”

Stephanie’s insides tingled with warmth.  “It’s going to be a great Christmas, after all,” she said as she reached for his mouth to kiss him.  “Just you wait and see.”

Brian still appeared skeptical.  “Are you sure a kiss is all you want for Christmas?”

“Well,” she hesitated.  “Actually, there is one more thing.”

He braced himself.  “How much is it going to cost me?”

“Why do you always think it’s going to cost you something?”

“I’m wise to you, sweetheart.  First you deliver the good news, and then when you have me thinking I made out like a bandit, you lower the boom.  How much?”

“Well,” she paused, “when it’s all said and done, you probably won’t get off any cheaper than, oh, say, one hundred thousand dollars.”

“One hundred thousand dollars!”  He sat straight up in bed.  “I knew you weren’t going to let me off that easy, but come on, Stephanie.”

“But, Brian,” she whined.  “It costs a lot of money to have a baby.”  She was amused when his expression suddenly went blank.

“You want a baby?”

“Not just any baby,” she assured him.  “I want your baby.  When you come home from the war, do you want to try?”

The corners of his mouth began to bend with a mischievous grin.  “Oh, my darling, Stephanie,” he said as he lowered himself over her.  “You know I never procrastinate.”  Stephanie responded with the same desire.  He was leaving for Turkey the next day and she wasn’t about to let him forget what he was leaving or what he could expect when he returned.

Chapter Ten:

Stephanie looked up at the thick grey clouds, wondering whether the snow would hold off until after the plane left.  She stood on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base beside other families who were saying their final goodbyes to loved ones.  She could hear children crying as they hugged their dads, some for the last time.  In the distance a C-17 military transport was preparing for takeoff.  Stephanie held onto Brian’s arm.  The day she had dreaded was here.

Stephanie’s dad reached for her and embraced her and she buried her head in his chest.  His body shielded her face from the raw wind that was biting her skin and suddenly she felt warm and safe again.  “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.  I want you to do as Brian said and go stay with his parents.  I don’t want you to be alone.”  She nodded her head in his chest, and he hugged her even tighter.  He leaned down and whispered in her ear.  “Don’t forget your promise – smile for me.”  She squeezed her eyes closed to keep from breaking down.

Forcing herself to be strong in the wake of deep sorrow was the most painful sacrifice Stephanie had ever made.  She looked at her dad and smiled faintly.  The more his blue eyes twinkled, the brighter her smile became.  Being brave was easy when her dad was so close to her.

“Just remember, sweetheart,” he encouraged.  “When I return, I plan on winning our Mitchell Marathon.”  She laughed in spite of her pain.  Robert embraced her shoulders one last time.  He reached for his flight bag, turned on his heels, and walked away.  Don’t go, Daddy! she cried to herself.  Halfway to the plane, he stopped and turned around.  She forced herself to smile, just as she had promised.

After her dad had moved on, Brian pulled her into his arms.  They had already said everything that needed to be said, but saying goodbye was a word they had tried to avoid.  Now it was impossible to escape its torment.  They clung to each other, treasuring the few precious moments they had left.  The C-17 revved its engines for takeoff, and they squeezed each other even tighter, terrified to let go.  Brian gripped her face in his hands and kissed her hard.  He embraced her for as long and as tightly as he could until Robert whistled to signal that their time was over.

Stephanie saw Brian glance at the plane that was waiting to take him away, and then he focused his attention on her.  “I love you, Stephanie.  I miss you already.”  He yelled over the sound of the roaring engine.  “Write me,” he pleaded.

She felt rushed.  “I’ll live for your letters,” she promised.  “Just remember – I will never stop loving you.”

“Make sure of it,” he playfully warned.

Stephanie heard her dad’s final whistle.  Brian pulled her close one last time and desperately kissed her as hard as he could.  Then he grabbed his flight bag and ran to catch up with the General.  The men walked backward to the plane so they could see Stephanie.  Brian yelled something to her, but the noisy engine muffled his words.  She shook her head to let him know that she couldn’t hear him.  Brian signed his message.  He pointed to his eye, to his heart, and then to her.  Her face lit up with a bright smile.  That she understood.  She kissed her hand and blew him a kiss.  He reached for the sky, grabbed it, and put the kiss on his mouth.  Then Brian and her dad gave her a thumbs up.

Stephanie felt the rope that separated the tarmac from the runway pressing against her body.  She still pushed forward, wanting to be as close as she could.  She waved until they boarded the plane.  The door was sealed tight, and the huge plane taxied down the runway.  The plane lifted off of the ground and ascended into the sky.  The higher the plane soared, the lower her heart sank.  The plane is nothing more than a thief in the night, stealing my most precious belongings.  Knowing she no longer had to be brave, she finally let the tears come.  Then she just stood there and watched until the plane disappeared from sight.

Stephanie slowly made her way back to the car.  She had no reason to hurry home.  She slumped over the steering wheel and her sobs of pain came from deep within.  She finally forced herself to start the engine, and then she headed for her empty home.

Chapter Eleven:

That evening, Stephanie sat slumped on the sofa, her body numb and listless, as darkness closed in around her.  By now, Brian would have had a fire burning in the fireplace and they would be snuggling together to be comforted by its warmth, but Brian was thousands of miles away and the house was cold and lifeless without him.  Even the walls echoed with lonely moans.  It felt as though her life had suddenly come to a complete standstill, and it would stay that way until Brian returned.

The constant tick tock of the swinging pendulum began to lull Stephanie to sleep.  Her eyes drooped until she finally drifted into agitated rest.  The hours ticked by.  She woke up in the middle of the night shivering with cold.  As she rubbed her arms to warm her skin, she wondered why Brian had not carried her to bed.  Then she suddenly remembered that he was gone, and her heart sank with despair.

A loud bang on the window jolted her into alert consciousness.  Her eyes widened with fear, and suddenly she felt alone and vulnerable.  She listened for the intruder and then slowly rose to investigate the noise.  She cautiously inched back the curtain to scan the front lawn.  A layer of fresh snow blanketed the ground.  She looked for the intruder’s footprints, but the snow was untouched.  A whistling gust of wind shook a huge tree and blew its bare branches against the house with a loud scraping slap.  Her shoulders dropped with relief.  The intruder was only the wind.

She headed up the stairs to climb between the warmth of her covers.  The sound of her own footsteps creaking on the staircase gave her the eerie feeling that someone was following her.  She raced to be the first one to the top, and then she turned and looked down the staircase.  No one was there.  Why do I feel like someone is here watching me?  She fled to the bedroom and fumbled to pull open a chest drawer, quickly throwing all of her fine silks aside until she uncovered her pistol.

Hands shaking, she loaded the pistol with ammo.  She placed the pistol on top of her nightstand and stared at it.  She never believed that she would be victimized by a crime, but crime was rampant in the District, and Kyle had insisted that she learn how to protect herself.  She was suddenly grateful for all of the trips they had taken to the firing range.  If someone did break in, she was ready for them.  But if Brian could see her right now, he would be furious.  He had seen enough bullet wounds to know that guns were not toys.  Brian was right.  It was one thing to practice shooting at pretend targets, but it was another thing to pull the trigger on flesh and blood.  Stephanie removed the bullets from the chamber and slid the pistol into the nightstand.  If she didn’t take control of her fear, she wouldn’t need the pistol to protect herself.  She would end up scaring herself to death first.

She crawled into bed and shivered beneath the layers of blankets.  If Brian were lying next to her, his body heat alone would be enough to keep her warm.  She reached for his pillow and smelled the lingering essence of his cologne.  “Brian,” she called out, wanting him back in her arms.  “Oh, Brian, I miss you so.”  Then she squeezed his pillow close to her body and cried herself to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, the pounding storm had lost its punch and rays of bright sunlight hid the dark shadows of the night.  The welcome light irritated her burning eyes and she pulled herself up from the bed and went to the medicine cabinet to find the eye drops.  She stared at her reflection in the mirror.  Her eyes were red and swollen.  She opened the medicine cabinet and reached for the container of eye drops.  Brian had taped a note on the container.  She pulled off the note and read it.  “I love you with all of my heart.  Turn over for further instructions.”  She followed his directions and turned the note over.  In bold capital letters he wrote, ‘no crying!’

A faint smile appeared on her mouth.  “I love you too, Brian,” she whispered as she pressed the note to her heart.

Slowly, she made her way down the stairs to make some coffee.  She reached for her favorite mug and found another surprise from Brian.  Her mug was full of chocolate kisses, and he had left another note.  ‘Until I return, kisses from my heart.’  She smiled.  She made herself some cinnamon toast and poured a glass of orange juice.  She sat down at the breakfast nook and looked out of the bay window.  The new snow glittered underneath the bright sun.  It reminded her of the sparkling diamonds in her mother’s tiara.  She remembered how happy she was when she became Brian’s wife.  Now her wedding day seemed like a lifetime ago.  Had it only been two months?

She washed her breakfast dishes and then headed back upstairs to shower and dress for her trip to Columbus.  Brian’s parents, Jessica and Chris Fairchild, had warmly welcomed her.  Jessica had insisted that they would spend their days together shopping at all of the malls.  That was all the bribing she needed.  Besides, Brian had asked her to go, and she didn’t want to spend another night alone.

She packed a suitcase and carried it downstairs, when there was an unexpected knock at the door.  “Who can that be?” she said out loud as she walked to the front door.  She looked out of the peephole and saw two men.  She didn’t recognize either one of them.  She cracked the door wide enough to call out.  “Yes?”  She was grateful that the locked storm door separated her from the men.

Stephanie noticed that they were both wearing wool overcoats and black leather gloves.  They looked to be in their early thirties.  The slightly taller man had a more boyish appearance, but he still looked intimidating.  They both did.  Their faces were molded with uncompromising looks of weathered discipline, and she suddenly heard Brian’s voice warning her, “Stephanie, don’t open the door to anyone you don’t know.”  She wasn’t about to unlock the storm door.

“Mrs. Fairchild?” The slightly taller man asked through the shield of glass.

“Yes?”  She wondered how he knew her name.

“My name is Matt Parsons,” the taller of the two announced.  He nodded to the man beside him.  “And this is Zach Tyler.  We’re from the CIA.”  Both men reached beneath their coats for identification.

A nervous chill ran down her spine.  Did something happen to Brian and Dad?  Then she reminded herself that it would be the Army, not the CIA, who would come to her door.

“May we come in?” Matt asked as both men exposed their badges and politely waited for her to respond.

Stephanie looked at their badges with a discerning eye.  She knew their badges were authentic, for she had seen Kyle’s badge many times.  Similar to Kyle’s badge, the men who stood before her had the highest level of security clearance.  They wouldn’t bother with a house call unless something was urgent.  Her curiosity aroused, Stephanie unlocked the storm door and allowed the agents to come inside.  A blast of cold wintry air followed their entry, but neither agent flinched.  Their hardened austerity was alarming, and Stephanie sensed that something was terribly wrong.