Authors: Darrien Lee
Precious Stones (4 page)
The two military personnel accompanying him said, “I'm sure it is, sir.”
Major Monroe had been missing in action in Iraq for over a year, with his fate unknown to his family and his unit, until he was found in a house by patrolling units in Baghdad . He also happened to be the main character in Keilah's nightmares ever since they'd broken up a little over a year ago. Being in Iraq had given him a lot of time to think things over. Now he was back, and he had some unfinished business that he needed to take care of, but first things first. Michael and his entourage entered a government vehicle, which quickly drove them in the direction of the Pentagon.
Inside the shiny halls of the Department of Defense, Major Monroe took a seat in an office and prepared himself for his debriefing and his recounting of what was a remarkable story of survival.
Chapter Three
It was nearly eight o'clock in the evening when the doorbell rang once again at the Stone residence. Malachi and Ramsey were watching a football game in the theater room. Keilah was upstairs giving Neariah her bedtime bath, unaware that their friend Kyle Bradford had called, needing to speak with them, and had conversed briefly with Ramsey. Ramsey had picked up on the urgency in Kyle's tone of voice, so he invited him over and decided to keep the phone call to himself until he found out what was really going on. Kyle worked at the Pentagon, and not only did he hold a prestigious position, but he was also one of D.C's most eligible bachelors.
Shaking Kyle's hand after letting him in the house, Ramsey said, “I thought you were out of town.”
Following Ramsey into his office, Kyle said, “I got back this morning.”
Ramsey closed the door to his office to give them some privacy.
Kyle sat down across from Ramsey's desk and asked, “Where's Keilah?”
“Upstairs, giving Neariah a bath,” Ramsey answered. “What's going on? Because this doesn't feel like a social visit.”
Kyle leaned forward and said, “I wanted to talk to you guys before this hits the media.”
“What?” Ramsey asked with concern.
“Some of what I'm about to tell you is classified, so you know you can't repeat it outside the house.”
“You know I understand the rules,” Ramsey assured him.
Kyle took a deep breath and then said, “Major Michael Monroe has resurfaced. A unit found him in a house with an Iraqi family. According to him, his Humvee was ambushed by insurgents and he was the only one who survived. He was held prisoner for the past year. He said they moved him around from house to house to try and stay ahead of the American troops.”
“You're kidding, right?” Ramsey asked, even though he knew Kyle would not kid about something of this magnitude.
“No, I'm not kidding. I saw him with my own eyes. He looked remarkable well, considering what he's gone through. He still has a lot more debriefing to go through, and he has to have a psych exam too. I'm sure he went through hell over there. Sources said he'll probably need therapy for a while. I don't know what state of mind he's in, but I'll see what I can find out.”
Ramsey rubbed his chin in silence. “Do you think he's still fixated on Keilah?”
“I have no way of knowing. You know the doctor-patient confidentiality guidelines.”
“What happens next?” Ramsey asked.
“You know the drill,” Kyle reminded his friend. “If everything checks out, he'll probably retain his rank and maybe even get a promotion. If he's smart, he'll go ahead and retire. Whatever he does, Homeland Security is going to be interested in his story. Who knows what kind of intelligence he brought back with him.”
“That's some bullshit,” Ramsey mumbled.
“I agree, but you know how this works. There will probably be some interviews with the national media, so Keilah needs to know he's back. I remember you talking about those bad dreams she had after he disappeared.”
Ramsey walked over to the window and looked out over the lawn and said, “Yeah, for some reason she had it in her mind that he was going to try and take Neariah from us.”
Ramsey stood there in deep thought as he recalled how Keilah had dated Michael Monroe for a short period of time. He had even asked her to marry him. Fortunately, she was able to see him for what he really was when she caught him in bed with his male lover. Hurt and angry, she couldn't understand why he had taken her down that dangerous path, so she interrogated him to get the reason behind his actions. He admitted to honestly loving her, but he was bisexual, and eventually he revealed that he wanted to marry her only to have a child. His plan was to marry her, ultimately file for divorce, and sue her for custody of the child. This admission sent Keilah over the edge. With every fiber in her body she wanted to kill him, but she shot him in the foot instead, leaving him begging for forgiveness, something she couldn't do at the time.
“Bro, I can't tell you that Monroe won't try to contact Keilah. In his debriefing he made a statement regarding making amends with people he had wronged and being thankful for a second chance at life. Personally, I don't think he's being truthful,” Kyle said.
“What do you mean?” Ramsey asked.
“It's a gut feeling, and it was something in his eyes. You had to be there to know what I'm talking about,” Kyle said as he stood. “You're going to tell Keilah, right?”
“I have to. It's been too hard convincing her that Neariah is safe. Besides, I can't have her blindsided by him if he decides to approach her on the street,” Ramsey replied just before opening his office door and escorting Kyle to the front door.
When Kyle reached the front door, he turned and said, “You know I'll do what I can to keep you informed on his movements. Give Keilah and Neariah my love.”
Ramsey opened the door for him and said, “I will. Call me tomorrow so we can talk more about this.”
Kyle shook Ramsey's hand and said, “Will do.”
Ramsey closed the door behind him and rejoined Malachi in the theater room.
“What was that all about?” Malachi asked.
“Michael Monroe is no longer MIA,” Ramsey said as he took a swallow of his beer. “He's back in D.C., and he's alive and well.”
“No shit!” Malachi yelled out, causing Target to bark. He patted the dog's head to let him know everything was okay.
“It's the truth, but I haven't told Keilah yet, so keep it to yourself for now. I'll tell her between tonight and tomorrow, because it's going to hit the media any day now.”
Malachi turned the sound down on the football game and looked his brother-in-law in the eyes. “Ramsey, I'm going to say this as plain as a brother can say it. If his punk ass comes anywhere near my sister or my niece, I'm not going to be responsible for my actions. His drama shook her up.”
“I'm right there with you,” Ramsey replied as he stood and finished off his beer. “I'm going upstairs to check on them.”
“Cool,” Malachi answered as he picked up the remote and started scanning the channels for other games.
Ramsey exited the room with Target following close behind. Upstairs he instructed his canine to lie down in the hallway outside their bedroom. He entered the room and found Keilah in bed, reading softly to their daughter. Her eyes were barely openedâthat was, until she saw her father. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she started wiggling in her mother's arms to get over to him. It warmed Ramsey's heart to see his daughter's strong reaction to his presence. He climbed onto the bed and kissed both of them on the cheek.
“Thanks a lot, Ramsey Stone,” Keilah said softly as Neariah crawled over her to get to her father. “She was almost asleep.”
He placed his daughter on his chest and said, “I'm sorry. I thought she was asleep.”
“It's okay,” Keilah replied as she gathered up Neariah's lotion and brush. “Where's Malachi?”
“Downstairs, watching the game,” he whispered as he cuddled his daughter in his arms. “I'm going back down there, but I wanted to talk to you first.”
“About what?” she asked as Neariah cuddled with her father.
“Let me get her to sleep first,” he said before taking his daughter across the hallway to her room.
When he returned thirty minutes later, he found Keilah sitting on the small sofa at the foot of their bed, putting lotion on her arms and legs. She looked heavenly in her gold satin nightgown, and the sight of her caused his body to stir. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her tightly to his body. He leaned down and gave her a seductive kiss on the lips.
“Mmmm, that was nice.”
He kissed her again and whispered, “I love you.”
She noticed the seriousness in his eyes and said, “I love you too. What's wrong? What do you want to talk to me about?”
He sat down on the sofa and pulled her into his lap. As he held on to her, he searched for an easy way to tell her about her ex-boyfriend, and then he realized the only way to tell her was straight-out.
“Bradford came by tonight while you were giving Neariah a bath.”
“What did he want?” she asked as she massaged the back of his neck.
“He wanted to let us know that Michael Monroe was found alive in Iraq a few days ago and now he's back in D.C.”
“I knew he wasn't dead, and I knew he would come back,” she revealed. “Do you think he's going to try and come after Neariah?”
“Babe, he has no reason to come after her, and if he does, he'll have me to deal with, and you and I both know he don't want that,” Ramsey said to reassure her.
“What if he's delusional and thinks Neariah is his daughterâ”
“She's not,” he said, interrupting her. “Those were bad dreams, babe. You have nothing to worry about, and Kyle's going to keep us informed on his whereabouts. He wanted us to know about it before the news media broke the story.”
Keilah buried her face in her husband's warm neck and said, “Thanks for the heads-up.”
He lovingly patted her backside and said, “You're welcome. Can I get you anything before you turn in?”
She climbed out of his lap and said, “No, I'm okay. You're not going to be up too late, are you?”
He leaned down and gave her another kiss. “No, I'm tired too. It's been a long day. I'll be back up as soon as the game is over.”
“Okay,” she said as she got in bed and pulled the comforter over her body.
Ramsey dimmed the lights and walked toward the door.
“Ramsey, does Malachi know Michael's back?”
He turned back to her and admitted that he had filled Malachi in on Michael Monroe's surprising return.
“I'm sure he wasn't happy to hear it, was he?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door frame. “You know your brother.”
“I know, and that's the problem. I don't want anyone to get hurt. Tell him I said good night and that I'll talk to him in the morning.”
“I will,” he answered as he started to pull the door closed. “Sweet dreams, babe.”
Ramsey knew in his heart that the only way he could give his wife peace was to get Michael Monroe out of their lives once and for all. An hour or so later Ramsey returned to his bedroom and climbed into bed and cuddled with his sleeping wife.
Â
At the medical facility, Michael lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a grueling day, and he was glad it was over. It was after midnight, and he had a hard time closing his eyes because of the images he would see. Images of blood, death, poverty, sorrow. It was a lot to take in, especially when you were in distress and didn't know if you were going to live or die. As he lay there, he thought of Kevin, his lover, and what he'd probably gone through over the past year, not knowing if he was dead or alive. He turned over in bed, and images of Keilah flashed in his head. Tears started running out of his eyes as his emotions overtook him. He'd hurt her unimaginably, and he wantedâno, neededâto see her as soon as possible. He needed to make amends with her for all the pain and suffering he'd caused her so he could finally get on with his life.
A few days later, after more debriefings and a psych exam, Major Michael Monroe was finally allowed to leave the base. His uncle, Malcolm Randolph, a Supreme Court justice, picked up his nephew in a waiting limo.
The judge hugged him and said, “Welcome home, son.”
“Thank you, Uncle Malcolm. Where are Aunt Teresa and Arhmelia?”
The limo driver put Michael's bag in the trunk and then opened one of the back doors for the pair to climb in.
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